Su Tang was stunned, unable to believe this was real. He even felt as though he were dreaming, but the dream was far too vivid—even the tactile sensations and warmth felt genuine.

Perhaps... this is real?

At the thought, a complex mix of emotions flooded Su Tang’s heart, tangled and inseparable. As his body leaned into the other’s embrace, he found himself somewhat loath to leave.

After all, having not seen each other for so many days, it would be a lie to say he didn't miss him. Originally, when he called Chi Shuyan, he had intended to reconcile, but Chi Shuyan hadn't picked up, which had left him feeling disgruntled.

He never expected that just as he had given up and turned to leave, he would unexpectedly run into the person he wanted to see most. The other must have done it on purpose; it had to be intentional. Yet, he found himself loving it, even wanting to laugh out loud with joy, hug Chi Shuyan, and never let go again.

However, he remembered he was currently throwing a tantrum. He absolutely couldn't forgive the other without reservation. He had to make Chi Shuyan feel his anger—ideally, make him deeply realize his mistake—otherwise, he’d just be bullied by him again in the future.

So, he pretended not to know him and gave Chi Shuyan a shove, trying to get him to make way. But Chi Shuyan stood his ground. Having no other choice, Su Tang ducked his body, trying to slip past the other's side.

Chi Shuyan could guess exactly what was on Su Tang’s mind and knew his next move. Thus, with a slight lift of his hand, he caught the boy by the back of his collar like one might grab a rabbit.

"Let go." Fuming, Su Tang reached back to pry the hand off his collar, but Chi Shuyan acted as if he were just playing around; as soon as that hand let go, his other arm wrapped around Su Tang’s waist.

"We haven't seen each other for a week. Doesn't Baby miss me at all?" Chi Shuyan’s tone was quite mournful, but his movements didn't slow down. Perhaps feeling that Su Tang’s fidgeting fingers were interrupting their intimacy, he interlaced their fingers and held him firmly in his arms.

Unable to move, Su Tang finally gave up his struggle. He stood there motionlessly, his back radiating anger.

Chi Shuyan knew this, but if he let go now, Su Tang would disappear in the blink of an eye. Where would he go to chase him then?

So, he couldn't let go. He had to hold his wife tight and coax him properly. As the saying goes: don't hit back when struck, don't talk back when scolded. As long as his wife forgave him, what did a little trouble matter?

"Baby? Tangtang? Wife? I was wrong, okay? Don't ignore me." Chi Shuyan’s voice softened as he pressed closer to Su Tang.

"..." Su Tang just shoved against him but remained silent.

"Stop being mad, okay, Wife? I haven't seen you in a week. Let’s talk properly, or you can hit me a few times. I'll listen to whatever you say, hmm?" Chi Shuyan rested his head on Su Tang’s shoulder, whispering into his ear.

Su Tang finally couldn't hold it in anymore. A crimson flush spread from his ears across his whole body. His ears were an extremely sensitive spot; usually, even an accidental breath would trigger a wave of tingling numbness. This time, Chi Shuyan’s lips were practically pressed against them. The heat was scorching, and before long, Su Tang felt weak all over, his body practically steaming from the flirtation.

"Don't..." Su Tang barely uttered a single word before clamping his mouth shut. He realized his voice was so soft it was practically dripping, sounding so "sappy" that even he felt embarrassed.

But Chi Shuyan loved this voice most. He pulled him even closer, his lips falling on Su Tang's neck, ears, and cheeks, kissing him one spot after another with lingering tenderness. It left Su Tang’s mind a total blank, incapable of thought.

He recalled that he had intended to stay angry at Chi Shuyan just a moment ago, but now that the other had rendered him weak and powerless, those thoughts vanished. He could only lean against Chi Shuyan, letting out low, soft pants.

Apparently not satisfied, Chi Shuyan turned Su Tang around and lowered his head to kiss the boy's lips. The long-lost sensation and warmth excited him greatly, and he soon hooked his tongue with the other's moist tip in a tangled dance.

The two were huddled in the telephone booth kissing. Pushed by Chi Shuyan, Su Tang kept shrinking back until he ran out of room, leaving him no choice but to tilt his head back and accept the other’s affection.

It was winter now, and the cold wind howled outside. Despite the freezing weather, the fire in their hearts burned bright, seemingly capable of driving away all the chill.

It was hard to say how much time had passed, but Chi Shuyan finally pulled away reluctantly, likely because Su Tang couldn't take it anymore.

"Come to my house tonight," he whispered.

"Ah..." Su Tang felt as though his brain was severely oxygen-deprived; he was completely unable to think, focused only on gasping for air. It took quite a while for him to recover, by which time he had forgotten what Chi Shuyan had just said.

"I just said, come to my house tonight." As if reading his mind, Chi Shuyan repeated himself.

"What?" Su Tang’s eyes widened, startled by the proposal. Just as he was about to refuse, Chi Shuyan kissed him a few more times.

"I missed you. I've dreamed of you every night these past few days—wanting to kiss you, wanting to hold you." Chi Shuyan’s lips were almost touching Su Tang’s, making the boy's heart race and face flush. Su Tang wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. Chi Shuyan looked down and happened to see the boy's cute tongue-tip.

He must have been "starving" for a long time, as he couldn't resist the temptation and kissed him deeply once again. Though Su Tang had been kissed many times by him, he still couldn't withstand Chi Shuyan’s dominance; he was incredibly green during every kiss, which completely enchanted Chi Shuyan.

Ultimately, Chi Shuyan forced himself to break away, fearing he wouldn't be able to stop himself otherwise. While Su Tang leaned against the telephone booth panting, Chi Shuyan ran out into the cold wind to calm down.

"Come back in, it's so cold outside," Su Tang said hurriedly.

"If I come in, I won't be able to stay calm," Chi Shuyan laughed helplessly.

Su Tang understood and immediately felt shy. Actually, he was also a bit... "like that," but he was too embarrassed to say it. He used to never be this way; it was all because of this hooligan Chi Shuyan kissing him so fiercely every time. Over time, it had become a conditioned reflex.

Anyway, it's all Chi Shuyan's fault.

After telling himself this, Su Tang’s sense of shame diminished significantly. He looked up at Chi Shuyan and saw the other’s ears were red from the wind, indicating he had calmed down quite a bit.

"Let's go back to the classroom," Su Tang told him.

"So, are you going to my house tonight?" Chi Shuyan blocked Su Tang’s path, looking as if he wouldn't let him leave until he agreed.

"Is anyone at your house?" Su Tang actually wanted to go, but he was afraid of bumping into Chi Shuyan’s family. That would be so awkward.

"No one. My cousin is getting married today. My parents took my sister to the wedding, and there’s a banquet tonight, so they won’t be back," Chi Shuyan explained.

"I see." Su Tang felt a bit swayed by Chi Shuyan’s words, but he still asked, "Then when are they coming back? What if we run into them tomorrow..."

"We’re classmates," Chi Shuyan said with a smile.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." After saying that, Su Tang felt like his brain had short-circuited. It was perfectly normal for classmates to hang out at each other's houses; why was he so nervous?

"So, come to my house tonight," Chi Shuyan said once more.

"Mm..." Su Tang agreed in a small voice. Chi Shuyan was clearly overjoyed. He leaned in to steal a kiss, but Su Tang dodged it. He wasn't angry, though; he just smiled and took Su Tang’s hand, leading him toward the teaching building.

After the lunch break, students returned to the classroom in small groups, only to find their Class Monitor back upon opening the door.

Just as they were about to greet him, Chi Shuyan made a "hush" gesture. Everyone was a bit confused but nodded. When they walked closer, they saw Su Tang had fallen asleep with his head on Chi Shuyan’s lap.

"Holy crap, you guys are being so bold!" A student entered through the back door and, not seeing Chi Shuyan’s gesture, let out the howl of a "single dog." With that shout, Su Tang woke up instantly.

Chi Shuyan didn't bother with him. He helped Su Tang up and massaged his shoulders a few times, asking, "Still sleepy?"

"No, no." The boy shook his head, still looking bleary-eyed. He was especially dazed after waking up, only managing to clear his head after forcing his eyes open.

But when he saw everyone around him watching, he finally realized what had just happened. For a moment, he was overcome with shyness, but his movements were abnormally slow; he just sluggishly picked up a book to hide his face.

"Back to your seats," Chi Shuyan saw the situation and had to shoo the crowd away.

Su Tang stayed hidden for a long time, only forced to put the book down when the bell rang for class.

This afternoon was probably the most agonizing one they had ever spent. Su Tang, in particular, couldn't focus on his books at all, checking the clock every so often. Chi Shuyan was much the same, except he spent the entire time looking at Su Tang.

"Can't you wait?" he whispered.

"I'm not, I'm just looking around randomly," Su Tang glared at him, then pulled his book in front of his face and started daydreaming.

Saturday afternoons were all for self-study, and everyone used them to do homework. Chi Shuyan didn't need to, so he reached under the desk to grab Su Tang’s free hand. He’d hook the boy's fingers one moment and squeeze his fingertips the next, playing with it like a new toy and having the time of his life.

Su Tang tried to shake him off at first, but Chi Shuyan was incredibly clingy; if he was shaken off, he’d just grab hold again. Eventually, Su Tang got annoyed and just let him be.

At five o'clock, the school bell rang. Su Tang let out a long sigh of relief, but before he could even relish the moment, he was pulled out of the room by Chi Shuyan.