I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Determination

“What’s wrong, Ning Chen?” Sensing that Ning Chen had stopped, He Shenyu pulled back slightly and asked softly.

He knew Ning Chen loved kissing; usually, every kiss lasted a long time. It was unusual for Ning Chen to be distracted. Fearing that Ning Chen was still troubled by the earlier topic or in a bad mood, he decided to ask directly.

Ning Chen touched He Shenyu’s lips and swallowed hard.

He didn’t even know how to begin explaining. Kissing He Shenyu had become a mixture of joy and agony. To be honest, he felt like he was reaching his limit, which was why his mind wandered during their intimacy. Before, such a thing would have been impossible; he wouldn’t stop until He Shenyu was completely dazed.

“Does Shenyu want to keep kissing?” Ning Chen asked.

Shenyu looked at him and nodded. Feeling that Ning Chen was unhappy, he wanted to soothe him. Since Ning Chen always seemed to be in a better mood after their kisses, He Shenyu had become accustomed to using them as a way to comfort him.

Ning Chen gripped his waist, rolled over, and positioned He Shenyu on top of him. “Then Shenyu, kiss me yourself.”

“Okay,” He Shenyu nodded, obediently leaning down to kiss him.

Ning Chen let him lead, cooperating intermittently. Eventually, he propped up his thighs so He Shenyu was sitting on his waist. He didn’t dare let him sit any lower, fearing He Shenyu would notice his reaction.

Truth be told, He Shenyu was terrifyingly innocent. Because he lacked those desires himself, he seemed to assume Ning Chen lacked them too. Even when Ning Chen’s physical response was blatantly obvious, he never noticed. Despite being several years older, he was as pure as a high schooler.

Ning Chen was almost at his wit’s end. He gripped He Shenyu’s waist, his fingers growing more daring. Shenyu never refused him, which made Ning Chen wonder if the man simply didn’t perceive the “danger.” Unless Ning Chen actually started removing his clothes, he probably wouldn’t react at all.

Sometimes Ning Chen wanted to just throw caution to the wind and do something drastic to scare him. But his current status didn’t allow it. Shenyu was, after all, his benefactor. No matter how much he was favored, he couldn’t overturn the natural order of their relationship.

Because of this, Ning Chen occasionally wished for the contract to end sooner. Once their hierarchical relationship vanished and he could become He Shenyu’s official boyfriend, he would have the confidence to do whatever he wanted.

Yet, he was also afraid. Just as Manager Cheng had said, it was common for benefactors to turn cold and stop recognizing their wards once a contract expired. Getting a severance pay was considered lucky. Why expect more? Why dream of a permanent “promotion”?

Ning Chen’s hand tightened, moving from the small of the back to the soft skin of He Shenyu’s stomach. Manager Cheng’s warnings echoed in his ears, making his expression turn fierce.

I do want that promotion. So what?

Every time he thought about the contract expiring and He Shenyu having nothing to do with him anymore, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He didn’t want to be the “little fool” in Manager Cheng’s cautionary tales, but he already was. He didn’t just want his benefactor’s favor; he wanted his open, honest love—his love for a lifetime.

He was greedy. He could no longer leave He Shenyu. All those thoughts about “just a short-term romance” or “never being clingy” had been selectively forgotten.

He wanted He Shenyu. He wanted him for the rest of his life.

Since he was being so greedy for a person who should never have crossed paths with him, he knew he had to work harder. He had to hold back so he wouldn’t scare Shenyu away yet. And he had to work—he couldn’t cling to Shenyu every single day. He needed to spend more time on his career. It was time to make a decision; his time was running out.

After the summer break, he would be a senior and would need to start an internship. Thinking of this, Ning Chen reached out and pressed the back of He Shenyu’s head, forcing the kiss deeper. The time he could linger with Shenyu was dwindling; he had to cherish it. For the sake of his ultimate goal, he shouldn’t sweat the small stuff anymore. He no longer placed so much weight on that contract.

Having cleared his thoughts, Ning Chen’s mood improved significantly. He began to kiss He Shenyu with renewed passion. Shenyu, getting a bit tired, was happy to hand back the initiative.

This time, Ning Chen kissed him with total abandon, his fingers weaving through He Shenyu’s hair, tilting his head to force his cooperation. The kiss grew more fervent until Ning Chen finally couldn’t help himself—he flipped them over, pinning He Shenyu to the bed and kissing him heavily.

It wasn’t until He Shenyu’s tongue went numb and his fingers tapped weakly on Ning Chen’s shoulder that Ning Chen let him go to catch his breath. Shenyu had been kissed so hard that tears unconsciously welled in the corners of his eyes.

Ning Chen looked at his reddened lips, then moved up to lick the tears away with the tip of his tongue.

“Hubby…” Ning Chen whispered.

Still dazed, He Shenyu let out a soft “mhm” from his nose in response.

Ning Chen’s lips curled into a slight smile. “You have to wait for me, okay?”

“Mhm…” Shenyu didn’t really understand, but he answered anyway.

Seeing the blank look in the other’s eyes, Ning Chen knew he hadn’t fully recovered. He leaned in and nipped the red mole on He Shenyu’s earlobe—his favorite spot—and sighed softly: “Wifey is so good… I love you so much…”

Shenyu didn’t react. Ning Chen was used to it; whenever he kissed too hard, He Shenyu’s brain would short-circuit and take a long time to reboot. At times like this, He Shenyu didn’t process anything said to him. Ning Chen had been bold enough to call him “wifey” several times to his face, but “Wifey” never noticed.

Sometimes, it was a bit disappointing.

Ning Chen propped himself up on his arms, watching He Shenyu. The jade Buddha on his chest rested against He Shenyu’s collarbone, linking them together in a harmonious scene. This time, he chose not to bully him further, quietly waiting for him to come back to his senses.

If He Shenyu were more lucid, he would probably see the drowning tenderness and possessiveness in Ning Chen’s gaze. Unfortunately, he saw nothing—leaving it unclear who was the more regretful of the two.

…

Ning Chen’s injuries gradually healed until he no longer needed medication. When the daily “torture session” finally ended, he breathed a sigh of relief. Shenyu was usually very serious while applying the medicine, and wouldn’t even allow kissing. Ning Chen found that it was harder to endure than the kisses themselves.

“Are you that happy?” Shenyu asked, unable to understand his excitement.

Ning Chen took the medicine and cotton swabs from him. Not knowing how to explain, he changed the subject: “Is Shenyu going away for the long holiday?”

Shenyu smiled. “Aren’t you planning to celebrate my birthday? I’ll leave all my time to you.”

“Who keeps mentioning their own birthday every day?” Ning Chen said helplessly. He put the items away and came back to hug He Shenyu. “I wanted to prepare a surprise…”

Shenyu didn’t mind. He chuckled. “Didn’t you announce it a month ago? It’s hard for me to act like I don’t know. Besides, in this world, you’re the only one who will celebrate my birthday…”

Oops, slip of the tongue… Shenyu panicked for a second, but then realized it was true. Dr. He’s parents wouldn’t celebrate it, and his “fair-weather friends” certainly wouldn’t. He was safe.

Ning Chen spoke hesitantly, “Does Shenyu have a bad relationship with his parents?”

He shouldn’t have asked; it was a bit overstepping for a “canary” to ask a benefactor such a question. But his heart ached for Shenyu, so he asked anyway, even if it was inappropriate.

“Yeah, not great. They’ve been abroad and don’t really bother with me,” He Shenyu answered simply. Since it was Dr. He’s business, he didn’t want to go into detail. It wasn’t his own life, so he didn’t want to project too much onto it, nor did he feel anything about it.

Ning Chen squeezed He Shenyu’s hand and hugged him gently. “I will always celebrate your birthday from now on, Shenyu.”

“Okay,” He Shenyu smiled. “It’s fine. I don’t really care about them. Don’t be sad for me.”

“Mhm, okay.” Ning Chen didn’t push. He wasn’t particularly good at handling family dynamics either.

They had agreed that the May Day holiday would be reserved for them. But as the date approached, Ning Chen grew increasingly nervous. It wouldn’t have been so stressful if no one knew he was preparing something. But now that Shenyu knew, he was terrified his preparation wouldn’t be enough.

When they met last year, He Shenyu’s birthday had already passed. This was the first birthday Ning Chen would spend with him, and He Shenyu had prepared something elaborate for Ning Chen’s birthday previously. Ning Chen desperately didn’t want to mess it up. He stayed late at school every day to work on it, trying to figure out how to make it better.

He was so obvious that even He Shenyu noticed. He laughed, “Ning Chen, I didn’t even see you this nervous for exams. No matter what you prepare, I’ll be very happy. Look at those dark circles under your eyes—you’re not allowed to come home this late anymore.”

“Okay, I got it.” Ning Chen nervously minimized the window on his laptop and closed it.

Shenyu leaned on his shoulder and patted his head. “Don’t be nervous. I didn’t see. Besides, I wouldn’t understand whatever you’re writing anyway…”

Ning Chen took a deep breath, turned his chair around, and hugged He Shenyu’s waist. He looked up and said, “Shenyu, what if you’re disappointed?”

Shenyu touched Ning Chen’s face, his fingertips brushing the dark circles under his eyes. He smiled. “I won’t be disappointed, silly. If I’m the examiner, I’ll give you a hundred points just for effort. What are you nervous about?”

Ning Chen nodded and nuzzled against his waist. Shenyu laughed, bent down, and gave him a quick kiss. He had gotten used to coaxing Ning Chen this way, hoping to make him happy.

Ning Chen smiled as expected, hooked his arms around He Shenyu’s neck to keep him close, and said, “More.”

“Okay,” He Shenyu draped his arms over Ning Chen’s shoulders and leaned back in.

Ning Chen pulled him onto his lap, holding his waist tightly as He Shenyu kissed him. He really hadn’t been resting well lately; for the first time, he wasn’t even getting excited during their intimacy. He was almost falling asleep from the comfort of the kiss.

Shenyu pulled back a bit, pinched his cheek, and said with a smile, “Ning Chen, take a shower before you sleep.”

Ning Chen nodded. “Okay.”

He stood up, swaying slightly. Shenyu stepped forward to steady him, asking with concern, “Can you manage on your own?”

Ning Chen’s interest was piqued instantly. “Does Shenyu want to help me wash?”