In a Relationship With the Rugged Guy Next Door - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: A Man Wearing This Without a Shirt Is So Sultry…

Jingming’s scream nearly took the roof off Chen Lang’s house.

With a head burning red like a braised pepper, he bolted into Chen Lang’s bathroom. The moment the door slammed shut, he felt the skin on his thigh—where the stain was—tighten with tension.

He desperately wanted to see exactly what it looked like in the mirror, but he couldn’t lift his leg that high. In the end, he could only wet some tissues and wipe it away by feel. He stared at the damp tissue, which showed almost no visible trace, and moved his hand closer on some weird impulse, wanting to smell if it was that…

“No!” Jingming snapped out of it. How could he do something so lewd? “No, no, no…”

After the spot was cleaned, he leaned against the sink, his heart pounding violently.

When did Brother get that on me?

Could it be that he had a “dream” last night and accidentally rubbed against him? Jingming guessed it was something like that. Or maybe it wasn’t what Chen Lang said it was. It couldn’t have been intentional. Chu Feng wouldn’t do something like that to him; he was always so upright and honest.

“Jingming, haven’t you finished washing yet? It’s time to head to the market,” Chen Lang shouted from the living room.

Jingming answered, took one last fresh tissue to wipe the back of his leg to confirm it was truly gone, and opened the door.

Seeing Jingming’s extreme reaction, Chen Lang probably feared the kid would actually explode if he teased him further. He stopped talking about the incident and simply stared at Jingming with a wide, knowing grin.

“Why don’t you just say something?” Jingming couldn’t stand Chen Lang’s heated, suggestive gaze. He turned to him. “I really don’t know what happened. We haven’t done that.”

Chen Lang: “Okay, okay. I know. I believe you.” Jingming: “Then stop smiling like that.”

“Oh.” Chen Lang coughed, quickly walking down the stairs. “So, are you guys in a secret relationship now? What base are you on? Did your brother resist at all?”

Jingming wasn’t about to reveal the humiliating incident where he’d tried to use his tongue and got pushed away. But he didn’t want to lie to Chen Lang either. So, he just gave a polite smile and asked, “Lang-ge, how are things between you and President Fu?”

Chen Lang froze. “I asked you first.” Jingming: “Can’t I ask you too?”

“Chen Jingming,” Chen Lang put on a serious face. “You’ve got a ‘village tyrant’ husband now and you’re already defying me, huh?”

Jingming pouted. “No, I’m just caring about you.” “You go first,” Chen Lang insisted. Jingming, acting like he wasn’t afraid of a beating: “You go first.”

Chen Lang groaned and grabbed the back of Jingming’s neck. “You little calf, trying to resist me? Talk!”

Jingming laughed from the tickling. Since he was no match for Chen Lang’s strength, he surrendered. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

Once released, Jingming rubbed his neck. “Since we’re in town and surrounded by relatives and elders who probably can’t accept it, we’re keeping it quiet for now.”

“What base?” “What are the specific bases again?” “…Never mind. Did you tongue-kiss?” “Mm.” Jingming’s face flushed.

Chen Lang perked up, slinging an arm over Jingming’s shoulder as they walked. “Groping?” Jingming shook his head. “Oral?” Jingming shook his head again, looking dazed. Chen Lang wasn’t too surprised. “So you haven’t ‘done it’ yet.”

Jingming: “No. Too busy. I’m busy every single day, Lang-ge.” “What is more important than being ‘fed’?” Chen Lang countered. Jingming turned. “I am well-fed! I haven’t even missed a late-night snack.”

Chen Lang said with a smirk, “Not food. I mean eating your brother.” Jingming finally got the double entendre, his ears turning red at a visible speed. “Lang-ge—!”

“Hahaha!” Chen Lang loved seeing him flustered.

…

They reached the small town square where the market was being held. Booths were being set up. You Jing, wearing a sun hat, was directing workers. Jingming and Chen Lang ran over.

“You’re here,” You Jing greeted them before finishing her instructions to the workers. She then turned to Chen Lang. “Xiao Lang, keep an eye on things here. Lao Hei is coming with the next truck of supplies.”

Chen Lang nodded. “Got it. Leave it to me.”

“Jingming, let’s go to the office.” You Jing gently pulled Jingming’s arm. “We need to get the posters and banners ready. Good thing we didn’t put them out yesterday, or the rain would have ruined them.”

As they walked, Jingming saw a group of girls with cameras on the stone bridge. They didn’t look like locals; they looked like “fansites” (professional fans) he’d seen back when he worked on film sets.

“A lot of tourists arrived today,” You Jing noted. “Probably Shao Yuting’s fans.”

“Mm,” Jingming hummed softly, unconsciously straightening his posture. He thought that if anyone tried to throw things at him again, he would fight back fiercely. This was Changling Town—his home, his turf.

They passed several groups of people, but no one threw anything. One girl even stopped them to ask You Jing where the public restroom was.

“About what happened before… do you want to resolve it?” You Jing asked suddenly. Jingming was surprised. “You know?”

You Jing acted like it was common knowledge. “Of course. We all know; it’s just a matter of how much detail. I didn’t ask before because I didn’t want you to be sad, but it seems you’re ready now.”

Jingming smiled. “My brother told you not to mention it, didn’t he?” You Jing nodded with a smile. “I’m the one who introduced him to his lawyer.”

“Thank you, Sister You.” Jingming thought for a moment. “The lawyer my brother found is preparing for a lawsuit. As for me…” He smiled. “I’ll tell everyone once I’ve made a final decision.”

“Good.” You Jing patted his shoulder. “Whatever you decide, I support you. The whole town supports you.”

…

The promotional materials were piled in the office. They loaded them onto an electric tricycle. While You Jing left for a temporary errand, Jingming handled the rest.

He opened some crates in the corner and found the merchandise: fridge magnets and their stamp-collecting maps. The cow magnets were adorable; Jingming immediately took photos and sent them to everyone on his contact list—though that list was less than twenty people.

The first to reply was Xue Dongni. She begged him to save one for her for when she visited next month. They talked on the phone for ten minutes.

“Jingming, I have great news!” Xue Dongni said excitedly. “Remember Director Tan, whom I’m close with? He moved to Xingyu Pictures last year. Remember Xingyu?”

“The company that bought my rights before?” Jingming stood up in excitement. “Is there news?”

“Yes! Director Tan said the company is choosing one out of four scripts for production, and several people are leaning toward yours!”

Jingming’s heart sank slightly. “Will it be affected by… my incident?” “Probably not. Tang Song isn’t that big of a deal. No one cares about him except his fans.”

After hanging up, he saw messages from Chu Feng. Chu Feng: [Looks good. Take a few home for our fridge.] Chu Feng: [Photo] Chu Feng: [On my way back. Bought some treats for Baby.]

Jingming couldn’t see what the food was, only a “Duck” character on the bag. Jingming: [🥰] (Using the emoji with three hearts—the most affectionate one in the set).

…

By the time Chu Feng arrived, the posters were halfway up. “Baby!” Chu Feng shouted from a distance, running over with bags of food and milk tea.

Jingming was holding a poster for Chen Lang to tape up and couldn’t run to him, so he just stomped his feet in excitement. “Brother!”

Chen Lang: “Hold it steady.” Jingming: “Brother, what did you buy?” Chen Lang: “It’s crooked!”

Jingming quickly adjusted the poster while craning his neck. “Crispy Duck!! Brother, I want some!”

Once the poster was up, Chen Lang grunted, “Get lost then.”

Jingming ran to Chu Feng, who had bought snacks and milk tea for everyone helping out. The afternoon sun after the rain was perfect, the air smelling of fresh grass.

“Crispy duck, milk tea… what else?” Jingming circled Chu Feng. Chu Feng had his hands full and couldn’t hug him, so he just smiled as Jingming nuzzled around like a little calf.

“Purple rice cakes and ‘Shorty’ pastries. Li Yongjing said these are good, so I got one of every flavor.”

Jingming was starving after a day of labor. “Thank you, Brother. You’re so good to me.”

Since there were people around, Chu Feng kept his head down, smiling. Jingming called everyone over to eat. Chu Feng set aside a portion for Jingming so he could eat on a bench away from the crowd.

“Aren’t you eating?” Jingming took a huge bite of a pastry—salt and pepper flavor, crispy and non-greasy.

Chu Feng held Jingming’s milk tea, watching him eat with full attention. “I already ate.”

“It’s so good.” Jingming started on a duck leg. “Are these all legs?” “No, I specifically picked out the legs for you,” Chu Feng said.

Jingming stopped chewing and looked at the others at the big table. “Is that okay? Getting special treatment?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Chu Feng brushed a stray hair from Jingming’s forehead. “You’ve always been special to me, Baby.”

Jingming thought about it. True. Whatever, it’s delicious!

…

As they finished the final touches, Chu Feng and Jingming worked as a pair. Chen Lang and Lao Hei were sent to set up the cattle mascots.

“Where’s Big Brother Li?” Jingming asked. Chu Feng: “Back at the office. He has eight hundred calls to make today.”

“Haha. Brother,” Jingming smiled, “I left in such a hurry this morning that I didn’t wash the dishes.” Chu Feng: “I washed them when I went home earlier.” “You went home?”

“Mm.” Chu Feng coughed for no apparent reason. “I also threw the sheets and duvet cover in the wash. I can hang them up when we get back.”

Jingming hadn’t thought about it, but now it all came rushing back. He was stunned—it really was Brother who did it. And Brother clearly knew what he’d done, otherwise he wouldn’t have rushed home to wash the evidence.

So he was… intentional?!

He looked up at Chu Feng. “Brother, this morning…” “Tear the tape.” Chu Feng refused to meet his eyes. “These posters are good quality; help me with the tape, Baby.”

Jingming burst out laughing. This proved his brother had truly turned gay! He laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall. “Brother, hahaha! You did that on my leg while I was asleep?”

Chu Feng’s ears were beet red. He’d done it, and he couldn’t deny it. “Baby… I’m sorry.” “Hahahahahahahaha!”

Jingming’s laughter drew looks from bystanders. Chu Feng, his face turning a dark shade of red, had to cover Jingming’s mouth. “I was wrong, I didn’t mean it,” he pleaded. “Stop laughing, I’m dying of shame.”

In public, Jingming gave him some face and settled down. “Brother, you could have just woken me up,” he said in a cutesy voice. “You were sleeping.”

So you just did it secretly while I was asleep! Jingming grinned wickedly. “Wake me up next time. We agreed to try more things. Actually, I also…” He felt shy too. Both of them finished the posters with red faces.

After a long silence, Chu Feng whispered, “I know now.”

…

The next morning, Jingming woke up at the first alarm. Usually, the alarm would wake Chu Feng, who would then carry Jingming to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

“Dry off and put on sunscreen.” Chu Feng shook the bottle. Checking Jingming over, he noticed a tan line at the collar. “You’re getting dark. Is the sunscreen no good? I’ll buy you a more expensive one tomorrow.”

Jingming rubbed his face with a towel. “It’s okay to be a bit tan.” Chu Feng: “No. Baby needs to be fair and soft.” “Brother, you’re so old-fashioned. Tanning is popular now—the kind darker than Lang-ge.”

Chu Feng imagined a dark-skinned Jingming and shook his head vigorously. He pinched the soft flesh at Jingming’s waist. “No. Baby can’t be like that.”

…

During breakfast, Jingming got a call from Wei Hongwen, a master of horse-tail embroidery. Her booth was large, so she was arriving early.

“Okay, Master Wei, wait for me at the parking lot. I’ll be there in five minutes!” He stuffed a dumpling in his mouth. “Brother, I’m going!” Chu Feng: “Slow down! I’ll find you later.”

Wei Hongwen had driven her own van. She was surprised to find that the “writer” she’d messaged with—whom she thought would be an older man—was actually a fresh-faced young man.

“Master Wei!” Jingming bowed slightly. Wei Hongwen laughed. “Hello! How old are you, Jingming? Have you graduated?” “I’m 24. Graduated two years ago.”

“I couldn’t tell.” Wei Hongwen was 35, lean and natural, with hair down to her waist. Jingming noticed her embroidered belt and bracelet. “So beautiful. Did you make these yourself?”

“Yes, I make many things like this.” They unloaded her van and moved the goods to her stall by the ancient gingko tree.

Wei Hongwen’s stall used two spaces. She had brought decorations and even two mannequins. As she displayed her work, Jingming’s jaw dropped. “It’s so beautiful!” He held up a necklace with a blue sunflower pattern.

“There’s more. Pick what you like; Sister will give them to you.” Jingming politely declined, knowing how much effort went into them. She had bracelets, earrings, bags, and even tiny clothes for cotton dolls.

“What’s this?” Jingming pulled a long, complex chain with embroidery-inlaid silver ornaments from a bag. “A necklace?”

Wei Hongwen smiled. “That’s a body chain. I made four; sold three. This one is quite large, so it’s hard to sell.” She held it up against Jingming. “It would be too big for you too.”

Jingming’s ears turned red. “Oh.”

“By the way, you have a brother, right? How tall is he?” “Over 190cm, I think.” Jingming looked away. The body chain was exotic and unique, with blue embroidery and antique-finished silver.

Wei Hongwen: “That’s perfect! Give it to your brother. I forgot we don’t have many tall guys around here when I made it.” “No, no…” “Yes, yes.” She tucked it into a small cloth bag. “Pick two more small things later as payment for your help.”

Jingming was flustered. He’d seen these online; a man wearing this without a shirt was incredibly sultry. Master Wei must know how they’re worn. If he took this, wasn’t he basically asking his brother to wear it for him?

“Jingming, I’ve tucked it into your pocket!” “Thank you, Master!”