In a Relationship With the Rugged Guy Next Door - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: So Beautiful.

After sending the photo, Chen Jingming didn’t receive a reply from Chu Feng. Thinking he was busy with work, he planned to rest for a bit.

However, sitting down while wearing this thing was extremely uncomfortable.

The decorations on the body chain were concentrated around the hips, and since they were all silver, they pressed painfully into his skin. He tried lying down, but that didn’t work either.

How am I supposed to wear this and play? Chen Jingming stood by the bed, fretting.

He paced around the room, finding the sound of the tiny bells quite pleasant. When he got tired of walking, he opened his laptop to catch up on a drama, kneeling on a pillow placed on his chair to watch.

He thought it would take at least two hours for Chu Feng to return, but he had barely finished one episode when he heard the front door open downstairs.

Chen Jingming got up and walked out of the bedroom, calling out, “Ge?”

There was no answer.

Chen Jingming found it strange. The night was quiet; his call should have echoed clearly through the house. There was no way he hadn’t heard it.

He wanted to go downstairs to check, but the thought of going into the living room dressed like this felt shameful, even though no one else was home. He grabbed a denim jacket hanging behind the door to cover himself.

“Ge! Is that you?” His steps were light, yet the bells jingled incessantly.

He reached the top of the stairs and saw Chu Feng.

Chu Feng had been in the city all day; he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up high—past the elbows—revealing prominent veins on his forearms, likely from working at the ranch.

His white shirt was tucked into stiff denim jeans, and several chest buttons were undone for ventilation. After a long day of traveling, the fabric was noticeably wrinkled. Despite the loose fit, the muscular lines of his shoulders and arms were clear.

He stood at the turn of the stairs, backlit by the living room lights, his expression obscured.

His tall, towering frame was intimidating when his face couldn’t be seen. Chen Jingming had one foot slightly raised but didn’t dare take the next step.

It was strange. He knew this was Chu Feng, the brother who loved him most, and he was even looking down at him from above, yet the sense of pressure was overwhelming.

Chen Jingming whispered, “Ge…”

“Baby.” Chu Feng finally spoke. He stepped up the stairs, stopping three or four steps below him.

He reached out, and Chen Jingming stood frozen as Chu Feng gently pulled aside the denim jacket—which actually belonged to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng scanned the body adorned in the chain from top to bottom.

“Ge, I…” For some reason, Chen Jingming felt flustered, though he didn’t know what he’d done wrong.

Chu Feng looked up, his eyes finally catching the warm light. He glanced at Chen Jingming’s waist again, then looked him in the eye and said, “Are you really this s?”

The low, suppressed vibration in his voice made Chen Jingming’s breath hitch. He rarely heard Chu Feng use such language.

Chu Feng climbed two more steps until they were at eye level. “Baby, Ge told you not to send things like this over the phone.”

Chen Jingming could sense Chu Feng was slightly upset, but the flush on his ears and the veins in his neck betrayed his desire.

Chen Jingming was a little scared, yet he couldn’t resist teasing him.

There was actually something Chen Jingming had kept hidden in his heart—something he had never told Chu Feng or Xue Dongni.

—He actually quite liked Chu Feng’s occasional rough side.

Maybe it was because Chu Feng was usually too good to him, yielding to his every whim and taking care of him meticulously. Or maybe it was the influence of literature he’d read, or perhaps the soft Chen Jingming had a sharp side to his personality that needed something to grind against.

In any case, whenever Chu Feng showed a less-than-gentle side in that regard, Chen Jingming felt a thrill of excitement. The tears shed in those moments were like a spice in an otherwise stable, happy life.

At this moment, Chen Jingming confessed to his racing heart: he loved it.

“I…” Chen Jingming reached out a finger, lightly hooking Chu Feng’s open collar. “When I put this on, I missed you so much.”

Chen Jingming barely used any strength, but Chu Feng was pulled forward a step.

Chu Feng lowered his head, his chest heaving. “Couldn’t you have waited for Ge to get back?”

Chen Jingming raised his arms to wrap them around Chu Feng’s neck. With this movement, the denim jacket slid off, leaving him with nothing but the non-existent coverage of the chains.

Chen Jingming said, “This way, you came back much faster, didn’t you?”

Chu Feng cursed under his breath, but a smile played on his lips. He leaned down, hooked one arm under Chen Jingming’s leg, and carried him upstairs.

…

In this regard, Chu Feng was a relatively traditional man. Most of the time, it was simply about satisfying their needs—Chen Jingming’s and his own. He didn’t need fancy tricks; as long as the person was Chen Jingming, it was enough.

The few times he’d broken his own rules were either to make Chen Jingming happy or because Chen Jingming had initiated it. He didn’t want him to be uncomfortable or to cry. Occasionally, if he wasn’t careful and went too far, he would feel immense regret afterward, fearing he had hurt him.

The emotional love between them was enough to satisfy him, so he preferred looking at Chen Jingming head-on. Whether he was on top or Chen Jingming was on top, he wanted to see his face. Once, when Chen Jingming suggested from behind, Chu Feng had refused. To him, that felt like animalistic mating—it felt disrespectful to the person he loved.

But today was the first time Chu Feng had viewed Chen Jingming’s body from this perspective.

So beautiful.

Chu Feng almost entirely cast aside his “older brother” identity. He stopped overthinking and became like a beast bewitched by the sound of silver bells. He ignored Chen Jingming’s cries and couldn’t find the focus to give any verbal response.

There were moments of sudden clarity during the process, but as Chu Feng looked at the silver chains draped over the full curves of those hips, he quickly told himself: Chen Jingming asked for this.

…

Chen Jingming sat curled up on the small sofa, the broken body chain draped over the foot of the bed, with a few stray bells scattered on the floor.

“Ugh…” He was still sobbing.

His reddened wrists rested on his legs, and his knees were chafed. Although the sofa was softened by one of Chu Feng’s pillows, it was still uncomfortable.

It had been over for a while. Chu Feng was silently changing the sheets, not daring to speak, only stealing glances at Chen Jingming, whose eyes were red from crying.

Chen Jingming’s gaze was vacant as he let out soft sobs, waiting for his body to slowly recover. The tears weren’t out of sadness, but rather an overstimulated physical reaction. He didn’t want to cry, but it had been like this since he was a child—he cried when he was sad, when he was hurt, and sometimes even when he was happy or moved.

After tidying the room, they went to bathe. Chen Jingming couldn’t walk, so Chu Feng carried him. They didn’t speak, simply leaning against each other under the warm water.

Tucked into bed afterward, Chen Jingming leaned against Chu Feng’s chest. Recalling the night’s events, he felt their relationship had shifted slightly. He realized his “Ge” had this side to him, and he realized he liked it.

Ge is so bad, and I’m not very good either.

“Can’t sleep?” Chu Feng asked softly, his palm stroking Chen Jingming’s arm.

“Tired, but not sleepy,” he replied.

A moment later, Chu Feng spoke again, his voice turning serious. “Even though tonight… Baby, I still have to be firm with you. You are not allowed to send things like that over the phone again.”

“…” Chen Jingming pouted. He looked up at Chu Feng, saw his “old-fashioned” expression had returned, and punched him in the chest. “You’re ungrateful! You use me and then scold me!”

Chu Feng: “That’s not it.”

“You’re burning the bridge after crossing it!”

“I’m not…”

“Hmph!” Chen Jingming slammed his head against Chu Feng’s chest. “You turn your back on me the moment you’re full! I hate you!”

Chu Feng quickly pulled him into a hug. “How could I? He isn’t that kind of person.”

Chen Jingming grumbled against his chest, “You didn’t say that when you were tearing off my body chain.” Thinking of how Chu Feng had ripped it off halfway through because it was in the way, Chen Jingming felt a pang of heartache. Ms. Wei had just given it to him; it hadn’t even lasted 24 hours.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He bit Chu Feng’s muscular chest.

Chu Feng let out a muffled groan. “Baby—”

…

Chen Jingming’s waist hurt for days. Despite the hot weather, he didn’t dare wear shorts. Even though he had wanted it at the time, once the mood passed, he couldn’t help being annoyed, giving Chu Feng the cold shoulder for several days.

He specifically demanded Spicy Chicken for dinner, but Chu Feng didn’t make it.

“Why didn’t you make it!” Chen Jingming landed two punches on Chu Feng’s back. “I want Spicy Chicken! I’ve eaten bland food for three days. It’s so hot, I have no taste in my mouth!”

Chu Feng, hunched over mincing garlic, said, “It’s too spicy. You haven’t fully recovered yet.”

Chen Jingming reached back to check. “I’m fine!”

“I checked last night. You’re not fully healed.”

“I’m not that fragile!” Chen Jingming tilted his head. “Do you think you’re that powerful?”

Chu Feng turned his head with a shameless grin. “Well, yeah.”

Chen Jingming ignored him, huffing as he took half a watermelon outside. He decided to eat the sweetest part in the middle and leave the less sweet edges for Chu Feng.

As he ate, he thought about what Penny had said—that Huo Xin wanted his number. After that day, Huo Xin hadn’t contacted him. Chen Jingming checked his messages and even his texts every day.

Why would he ask for my contact info after knowing I chose the higher-paying company? And why hasn’t he called? He was torn. He knew he still had regrets and lingering hopes.

Every writer wants their work to be handled by the best production company. In this industry, many scripts are sold only to sit in a drawer for years. If they are lucky enough to be filmed, they are often heavily altered or poorly produced. A good final product raises a screenwriter’s value significantly.

The fact that several companies were bidding a good price for his new script was partly due to his previous work, The Child, which was currently having internal screenings and getting great reviews. The name “Screenwriter Chen Jingming” was finally gaining traction.

“What are you thinking about, Baby?” Chu Feng set down a plate of Salt-Baked Chicken.

“The thing I told you about Director Huo Xin.”

Chu Feng smiled and went back to get another dish. Once the meal was set, he sat down. “Baby, just sell it to him. If it’s 400k, let it be 400k.”

“No, that’s a 100k difference.” Chen Jingming rested his chin on his hand. Over the past month, the other three companies had even increased their offers slightly.

Chu Feng handed him chopsticks. “How about this: whatever the difference is, Ge will make it up to you during the New Year. I’ll have money once the year-end payments come in.”

Chen Jingming laughed. “That’s not how it works.”

“That’s how I work. Okay?”

Chen Jingming took a bite of food. “No.”

…

With half a month left until the National Day holiday, Chen Jingming decided it was time to call his adoptive parents to tell them he was coming back. He knew they couldn’t reach him directly and had contacted Chu Feng.

“Ge, I’m going to call them in a bit,” he said.

He didn’t say who “them” was, but Chu Feng knew immediately. He took a sip of water. “Want me to call for you?”

Chen Jingming shook his head. “No need.”

“Okay. Speak calmly. If they start crying or making a scene again, just hang up.”

“Mhm.”

After dinner, Chen Lang and Li Yongjing arrived for a small meeting about the Changling Town Livestock Committee. Chen Jingming took his laptop upstairs to his desk to call his adoptive mother.

“Hello? Ah-Ming?”

“It’s me, Mom.” Chen Jingming hadn’t used that word in a long time; he still felt some psychological resistance.

His adoptive mother, Chen Xinyan, sounded emotional. “You finally called. Your father and I miss you so much.”

Chen Jingming didn’t address that. “It’s been very hot lately. Are you two doing okay?”

Hearing this, Chen Xinyan calmed down. It had been a long time since she’d heard him speak so politely and sensibly. His tone was so calm it forced one to realize how much he had changed.

“We’re fine. Are you okay?”

“I’m good. Mom, I’m calling to tell you I’m coming back to Chaoshan for National Day.”

“National Day…” she murmured.

“Yes, I’ll be back on the 3rd.”

There was a long silence on the other end before she spoke with a trembling voice. “Ah-Ming, a lot has happened. I know you must be very hurt. Your father and I have reflected a lot. We didn’t give you enough care when you were being slandered. I want to apologize for that.”

Chen Jingming remained silent.

“Ah-Ming, aside from that, our family actually had a good life, didn’t we?” A man’s voice sounded in the background—likely her husband sitting down beside her. She continued, “Grandma and your aunt miss you. We’ll host a welcome dinner for you. Your cousin just got into grad school, so we can celebrate together.”

“I don’t want to celebrate with them,” Chen Jingming said.

Chen Xinyan paused. “Okay, then just us. Your father and I will take you out. He says he wants to buy you a car; we can go look at them together.”

Chen Jingming pursed his lips, his voice steady and firm. “Mom, I’m coming back to talk to you about something. I’m leaving on the 5th.”

As if expecting this, she didn’t act surprised, but she couldn’t stop the sobbing. The sound of her suppressed crying made Chen Jingming’s chest feel tight, just like every time before.

“Mom,” he took a deep breath. “On National Day, I’ll go with you to visit Chen Jiaming’s grave. Then, we need to have a real talk, okay?”

“Ah-Ming…” she cried out. “Why are you so cold-hearted?”

The tightness in his chest suddenly vanished. He didn’t feel bad anymore, only indifferent. “So were you,” he said softly.

“I’m apologizing to you, isn’t that enough?”

“There’s no need,” he said. “See you on National Day. Take care of yourselves. I’m hanging up.”

He stared at the unsaved number. Chu Feng had deleted and blocked them for him before. He swiped left to delete it again, but then stopped. He wouldn’t block them. If she called again, he would simply tell her firmly that his decision remained the same.

He had a moment of daze. The past years had been real, but he finally had the courage to face and resolve them.

Just as he was about to head downstairs, an unknown number called. Seeing the unfamiliar location, he frowned, thinking it was a spam call. But then he remembered Huo Xin and quickly answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Screenwriter Xiao Chen? My name is Huo Xin.”