In a Relationship With the Rugged Guy Next Door - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: “It’s no trouble. Come here, give me a kiss.”

“Brother, do you know what you’re saying?” Jingming’s tears stopped instantly from the shock.

Chu Feng didn’t care about the details anymore. “I know.”

Then, realizing he wasn’t entirely sure what being gay actually entailed, he added: “Anyway, Baby can have whatever he wants.”

“Brother!” Jingming yanked his hand away with force. “You’ve truly lost your mind!”

Jingming turned and limped toward the house.

“Baby!” Chu Feng grabbed the laptop, hopped out of the car, and followed.

Jingming’s mind was in total chaos. This was not what he had predicted. He thought Chu Feng would be angry or confused; the worst-case scenario was leaving Changxi, and the best-case was slow acceptance so they could remain brothers.

He never imagined that being brothers was off the table because Chu Feng wanted to be his husband!

Panicking, Jingming’s hands shook as he fumbled with the keys. He couldn’t get the key into the lock, and seeing Chu Feng’s long legs closing the distance behind him, his only instinct was to flee. In his haste, he dropped the keys and tried to run toward the gate.

“Baby!” Chu Feng’s voice was hoarse. He covered the ground in two strides, reached out with a large hand, and scooped Jingming up by the waist. “We’re talking about this inside.”

Jingming was carried into the house like a helpless puppy.

The living room lights flickered on. It was so quiet that only their breathing and the sound of fabric rubbing against skin could be heard. Jingming didn’t stop struggling until Chu Feng deposited him firmly on the sofa.

Having just cried, Jingming’s eyes, nose, and lips were flushed red. His hair was messy and his clothes were wrinkled from the scuffle. He curled up on the sofa, hugging his knees.

“Tell me, what’s going on?” Chu Feng knelt on the floor in front of the sofa. Seeing Jingming’s feet dangling with his shoes still on, he carefully removed them and set them aside.

Jingming pulled his legs up. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’?”

Chu Feng: “What’s this about being gay? You weren’t like that when you were little.”

Jingming was genuinely stumped. “What did I know back then…?”

“So you became gay after you grew up?” Chu Feng gently held Jingming’s feet to warm them. “When did you find out? Have you had a boyfriend?”

Since there was no escaping it, Jingming confessed everything. “Around high school. I realized I didn’t like girls. Later, I researched and read books to confirm I was gay.”

Chu Feng: “Have you dated?” Jingming shook his head. “Good.”

Jingming: “Huh?” What was “good”? Since when was that good? Was his brother so feudal that he required his partner to be a virgin?!

Chu Feng: “Many gay people are… unhealthy. You shouldn’t sleep around with random boyfriends. You’ve done well in that regard.”

Jingming rolled his eyes privately. “…It’s not that extreme.”

Before Jingming could finish complaining about his brother’s “feudal” mindset, Chu Feng spoke again: “When did you start liking me?”

Jingming looked away. “I don’t…”

Chu Feng: “If you don’t, then why were you ‘confused’?”

Jingming: “I like men. You’re a man, and you kept acting like… that toward me.”

Chu Feng’s eyebrow twitched. “Like what?”

“You!” Jingming sat up straight in frustration. “Let me ask you, would you do this to a girl? Hugging and cuddling every day, showering together, sleeping together?”

Chu Feng tilted his head. “Does Baby think of himself as a girl?”

Jingming: “…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Chu Feng lowered his head in thought for a moment before looking back at Jingming. “Answer me seriously: were you hiding this because you were afraid I wouldn’t approve? What would you have done if I really didn’t approve?”

Chu Feng’s question was pointed. If Jingming dared to say he planned to leave Changxi, Chu Feng would likely explode. Although he was usually subservient to Jingming’s whims, he had a stubborn streak.

Jingming wasn’t a good liar, so he just lowered his head guiltily.

“Fine, I understand.” Chu Feng nodded to himself and pursed his lips. “I mean what I say. If you like me, I will definitely satisfy you.”

Jingming looked up at him, his mouth slightly open. “Brother, you don’t have to do this.”

Chu Feng: “I do. Actually, this is better. This way, we can be together forever.”

“But you don’t even know what being gay is! Do you?”

“Male-same-sex-attraction. It’s just two guys dating.”

Jingming wanted to laugh but couldn’t. He moved his ankle in Chu Feng’s grip. “But what about marriage and kids? The world will go crazy.”

Chu Feng thought for a second. “The world won’t miss one person. Xiao Lang can have kids, Li Yongjing can have kids. I’ll leave it to them.”

“Pffft…” Jingming genuinely laughed. Lang-ge certainly can’t have kids.

Seeing Jingming laugh, Chu Feng smiled too. He sat beside him and took his hand. “Give me some time to learn how gay people date.”

Jingming whispered, “It’s just like straight people. Gay people aren’t aliens.”

Chu Feng: “Hmm?”

“Chatting every day, eating together, going shopping, holding hands, hugging, caring for each other, and moving forward together.” Jingming’s ears turned red as he spoke. “Basically doing all those things.”

Chu Feng looked slightly puzzled, then said, “That’s not even as close as we are now.”

Jingming turned sharply. “That’s because you were over the line! You saw me naked—do you have any idea how much that counts?!”

Chu Feng laughed. “I saw you when you were a kid. What’s the big deal?”

What a blockhead!

Jingming pouted slightly. “That just proves you don’t like me. You’re straight. You looked at my body and felt nothing; you just see me as a brother.”

“And you felt something looking at me, didn’t you?” “No…” “So, that day in the dorm shower when you got… hard. Was it because you like me and felt something looking at my body?”

Jingming gave a bitter laugh. “Brother, can you not be so blunt?”

Chu Feng realized his lack of tact and felt a bit embarrassed. He lowered his head and recalled his time with Jingming. It was true—he hadn’t had those thoughts. It was a fact, and there was no need to lie.

He looked Jingming in the eye. “I didn’t feel anything before, but I will in the future. Give me some time to… adjust my system.”

“Adjust your system?” Jingming found Chu Feng’s words both ridiculous and adorable. He leaned in with bright eyes to tease him. “What, are you going to take two doses of traditional Chinese medicine to ‘adjust’?”

Chu Feng pursed his lips and smiled, looking shy. “Don’t mock me. Anyway, I can accept doing these things with you. Kissing is fine, hugging is fine. As long as you feel something, I can cooperate.”

Jingming snapped: “Then am I supposed to live a life of widowhood?!”

Chu Feng: “Huh?”

Now it was Jingming’s turn to be embarrassed. He pulled his hand back. “Nothing.”

Chu Feng chuckled. “I know what you mean. Worst case, I’ll watch some videos to find the ‘feel.’ If that fails, I’ll take medication. Anyway…”

“Ah!” Jingming covered his ears. “Listen to the things you’re saying!”

Chu Feng: “Anyway, I won’t let Baby live like a widow.”

Jingming: “That’s not what I meant… I mean you don’t have to do this. I’m satisfied enough that you understand I’m gay. Brother, as long as you stop being so good and so intimate with me, my feelings will fade, and I’ll find another boyfriend.”

Chu Feng felt something in the left side of his chest shatter. “No,” he refused.

“Why?”

Chu Feng: “What if you find a boyfriend who isn’t a good person?”

Jingming thought: You, a straight man trying to force yourself to be gay, aren’t exactly “standard” either.

“Baby.” Chu Feng took his hand again. “Believe me. I can become gay.”

Jingming sighed.

“You don’t believe me?” Chu Feng smiled. “All those things you said gay people do, I can do them. I’ll even kiss you right now.”

Jingming’s pupils shook. He froze in place.

Chu Feng’s hand moved instinctively from Jingming’s hand up his arm. The calluses on his palm grazed Jingming’s tender skin, leaving a trail of shivers. His hand stopped at the upper arm, gently pulling Jingming toward him.

“No.” Jingming snapped out of it. He scrambled off the sofa. “I can’t.”

Chu Feng was confused. “Why not?”

How can brothers kiss? Even if we aren’t blood-related, even if I do like him, even if he says he can accept it. Jingming couldn’t explain, so he just turned and ran upstairs.

…

Jingming locked himself in the bathroom to wash up, then emerged fully dressed. With damp hair and a dry towel around his neck, he walked into the bedroom, radiating steam.

Chu Feng was at the desk looking at Jingming’s computer. He turned around and saw a fresh, “delicious-looking” Jingming enter; his lips curled up involuntarily. He opened his arms. “Baby, come here.”

He really didn’t feel any repulsion. Jingming was fragrant and soft, unlike other “smelly men.”

“Oh.” Jingming walked over. “Are you still looking? It’s late; stop looking at that stuff.”

Chu Feng hummed and pulled Jingming onto his lap. Jingming protested weakly, but his strength was no match for Chu Feng’s. With one tug, he was seated.

“Can I give your account to a lawyer? Let her gather evidence. I want to sue them.”

Jingming sat tentatively on Chu Feng’s thigh. “I actually gathered a lot of evidence before, wanting to use the law to protect myself, but my mental state collapsed. Plus, the root of the problem is Tang Song’s denial and his fans’ behavior. Suing them won’t fix the source.”

“We’ll deal with them one by one,” Chu Feng said. “You don’t have to worry or look at it. I’ll have the lawyer handle everything.”

Jingming smiled softly. As he relaxed, he sat more fully on Chu Feng’s lap. Chu Feng held him tighter until he was leaning against his chest. It was embarrassing, but also incredibly sweet. His brother smelled faintly of fresh grass, and his shoulders were broad and sturdy. Leaning against his warm, soft chest made Jingming feel immensely safe.

“Baby, let me ask you something.” “Mm.” “Did your adoptive parents… not do anything?”

Jingming froze. He wanted to speak but hesitated several times. The years with his adoptive parents were like a play obscured by fog. He’d see them smiling on one side but hear crying on the other; he’d see grief but hear silence. It took him a long time to walk out of that fog.

But his adoptive parents would likely never escape the fog of their biological son’s death.

“Hmm?” Chu Feng shifted his leg slightly. “It’s okay. Tell me the truth.”

Jingming lowered his eyes. “They were quite good to me. They provided everything. But this time, I dragged them into it. When the fans leaked my info, their info was leaked too. People sent horrible things to the house and called my dad’s workplace to report him, causing him to be investigated and forced to write a self-criticism.”

Chu Feng: “So they abandoned you.”

Jingming: “I was the one who told them not to contact me. I was afraid of them getting hurt again.”

“Baby, don’t lie to me. Tell the truth.”

Since returning, Jingming had never seen Chu Feng look so serious. His eyes were a mix of anger and sorrow, but his voice was terrifyingly calm.

Jingming: “Really. And besides, they couldn’t have helped much anyway.”

Chu Feng: “I called them.”

“What?” Jingming became instantly tense.

Chu Feng immediately confirmed that the truth wasn’t what Jingming said. He lowered his eyes, then looked up again. “They said I had no right to ask, and then they blocked me.”

Jingming, the crybaby, felt his eyes well up instantly. Chu Feng hurriedly pulled out a tissue and wiped his face, patting his back. “They weren’t good to you, were they?”

“No, no.” Jingming sobbed, gripping Chu Feng’s shirt. “They were good to me, it’s just… they had a son who died when he was nine. He would have been my age. We looked alike. Even our names were almost the same.”

Chu Feng understood immediately. The confusion from years ago was cleared up. He knew their son had died, but he hadn’t realized they just wanted Jingming as a replacement. Jingming had been eleven then—usually an age where it’s hard to find a family—but that couple had decided to adopt him almost immediately after seeing his photo.

Over the years, Jingming had been grateful. He sent them most of the money he earned and visited during holidays, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt or didn’t feel like a substitute.

“Brother, I want to ask you something too.” “Mm.” “Back then… why did you stop contacting me? I was looking for you. I sent so many texts and made so many calls. I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

Hearing Jingming cry out, “I thought you didn’t want me anymore,” made Chu Feng’s heart ache so much he could hardly breathe.

“That’s not it, Baby.” Due to his agitation, Chu Feng’s body temperature rose. “I wanted to see you when you were sick. I begged them for a long time, but they never agreed. After a couple of days, they told me that staying in touch with me would make it hard for you to integrate into your new family. They said it was bad for you and for them, and they asked me not to contact you again.”

“Waaaaah—!”

Chu Feng hugged him tightly. Jingming cried for a very long time. He hadn’t had such a cathartic cry in years. He cried until Chu Feng’s shirt was wet from shoulder to stomach. He cried until his vision blurred and his head spun, and Chu Feng eventually had to carry him to bed.

“How can you cry so much?” Chu Feng showered, turned off the lights, and lay down beside him. “Baby is truly made of water.”

Jingming was still immersed in the tender, emotional atmosphere, but Chu Feng’s words immediately ruined the mood. “Brother, what are you saying?”

Chu Feng lay on his side facing Jingming and smiled. “I’ve let you suffer all these years.” Jingming shook his head gently. “It won’t happen again.”

“Mm. But Brother, you don’t have to force yourself. It’s fine if we just stay brothers like before.” Jingming’s words were insincere; looking at Chu Feng’s muscular arms made him feel like he was melting.

Chu Feng: “It’s no trouble. Come here, give me a kiss.”

Jingming’s shyness outweighed his expectation, and he turned to hide.

“Seriously, I can do it.” Chu Feng moved closer, pressing against Jingming from behind. He put one hand around his waist and propped himself up to kiss him. “Come on.”

Jingming was playing hard to get. Chu Feng’s large, warm hand on his waist was incredibly hot. Jingming squirmed instinctively as he tried to dodge.

Mwah.

Chu Feng kissed Jingming’s cheek. While Jingming was still stunned, Chu Feng moved slightly and kissed the corner of his lips.

Mwah.

Two loud, hearty kisses.

But Jingming’s excitement quickly cooled. He turned his back to Chu Feng and sighed secretly, giving him an elbow nudge to push him back.

Chu Feng was still feeling proud of himself for so easily completing a “gay” action. “Goodnight, Baby.”

Jingming closed his eyes, his heart half-dead.

Because while “Little Jingming” was so excited by the two touches on his waist that he was practically bursting out of his pants… the large mass pressed against his thigh from behind was still completely soft.