Lu Guifan first took off his jacket, hung it on the hook, then turned around and pulled the hem of his hoodie upwards.

As his shoulders and back began to flex, his muscles tensed.

Lu Guifan wasn’t the very muscular type, but the lines of his shoulders and back were very aesthetically pleasing. The tension in that moment filled Jiang Ruotang with admiration.

So beautiful.

It was clearly his, and only he could lie on Lu Guifan’s back, but Lu Guifan was so secretive. Why was he so conservative?

Lu Guifan smoothed out the hoodie and hung it to the side. He was about to grab the faux two-piece shirt but found it wasn’t on the small stool nearby.

He helplessly reached back: “Give it to me.”

Jiang Ruotang mischievously replied: “Turn around, and I’ll give it to you.”

Taking a deep breath, Lu Guifan revealed a resigned expression and turned around, which completely stunned Jiang Ruotang.

Distinct muscle lines, beautiful lean muscles, and deeply defined, strong abdominal lines. As an art student, Jiang Ruotang just wanted to exhale in satisfaction. If only he could touch them…

“Now can you give it to me?” Lu Guifan extended his hand towards Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang, taking advantage of the other’s apparent cluelessness, deliberately asked, “Give you what?”

“The clothes, what else?” Lu Guifan retorted.

Jiang Ruotang looked up at him: “Can’t I look a little longer?”

“What’s there to see? What I have, you have too,” Lu Guifan replied.

Jiang Ruotang shook his head, “I don’t have rectus abdominis and obliques as good-looking as yours… Just consider it sacrificing for art, and let me look a little longer!”

Lu Guifan leaned closer to Jiang Ruotang, lowered his head, and met his gaze. A soft hum escaped his nostrils, “Are you really thinking about ‘art’?”

Just as Jiang Ruotang thought the other would take advantage of the proximity to kiss him, the other’s arm went behind him, surprisingly just taking the shirt, and then he turned back around.

Ahhh, Jiang Ruotang mentally banged his head against the wall repeatedly.

Lu Guifan, you really are as steady as Mount Tai; you actually just perform changing clothes in front of me.

I’m not convinced, I’m so annoyed. Am I really that uncharming that you can’t even show a hint of shyness or embarrassment?

On the contrary, Lu Guifan, with his back to Jiang Ruotang again, put on the shirt. The way he pulled up the collar was dashing. He unhurriedly buttoned it up, then turned around to see Jiang Ruotang’s sullen expression.

“Don’t you remember why you insisted on coming in?” Lu Guifan teased.

The corner of his eye behind his glasses held a playful smile.

“I remember.” Jiang Ruotang disdainfully glanced at the top button, which was fastened, giving off an aura of “firewall, anti-theft, anti-Jiang Ruotang.”

Forget it. He had liked this person for two lifetimes; even if he was traditional, conservative, and unromantic, Jiang Ruotang could only accept it.

Lu Guifan lowered his head slightly. Jiang Ruotang, with an expression like he’d failed his college entrance exam, stretched out his hands, pinched Lu Guifan’s collar, and slowly pulled out the tag that was uncomfortably caught at the back of his neck, not forgetting to keep his other hand pressed against Lu Guifan’s skin to prevent him from getting scratched.

He didn’t know that Lu Guifan had been watching him the whole time.

Watching his adorable, slightly sulky expression, watching him thoughtfully and meticulously protect himself, feeling his breath so very close, just like every time he curled up asleep in his arms, stirring the deepest stirrings in Lu Guifan’s heart.

From childhood, Lu Guifan had never desired much for anything, carrying a rather Buddhist attitude of “if I gain, I’m lucky; if I lose, it’s fate.”

But only Jiang Ruotang… left him with insatiable desires.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruotang’s nose tip was touched by something.

It was very light, very quick, like a dragonfly skimming the water, stirring up ripples that lingered on and on.

Jiang Ruotang looked up and realized Lu Guifan was so close to him. Then, his nose tip gently rubbed against Jiang Ruotang’s nose bridge, as if smiling and saying: Here’s a candy, be good.

In that instant, many of Jiang Ruotang’s previously imagined conditions and hypotheses seemed to become invalid. All that remained was Lu Guifan’s deep eyes looking at him, his ears buzzing, as if he couldn’t think for a moment.

Lu Guifan’s fingertip lightly poked Jiang Ruotang’s forehead, “Wait for me outside.”

“Ah… oh…”

Jiang Ruotang walked out in a daze, unable even to discern his direction, charging forward with his head down, almost bumping into the full-length mirror at the end of the changing room corridor.

He looked up and realized his face was burning red.

He raised his hand to cover his face, almost wanting to punch the air ten thousand times. He was really too useless.

He was actually flustered just by Lu Guifan’s lips touching him, and it was only his nose tip!

He took a deep breath and glanced at the staff member sitting by the fitting room passage, who was busy playing on their phone and didn’t even give Jiang Ruotang a second glance, as if they hadn’t seen his embarrassed moment of almost hitting the wall.

Jiang Ruotang quickly walked out of the passage, his head still buzzing. He tugged at his collar several times, but couldn’t cool down.

It felt like a practitioner whose cultivation level wasn’t high enough trying to show off in front of a powerful master, only to be struck out.

After Jiang Ruotang had walked away, Lu Guifan locked the door. He leaned against the wall, chin raised, and took a deep breath, his heart almost bursting.

As he steadied his breathing, he realized his buttons were misaligned.

Lu Guifan was stunned, truly thankful that Jiang Ruotang hadn’t noticed.

If that little rascal had seen it, wouldn’t it have caused a thousand waves?

---

Jiang Ruotang’s face was burning hot. He sent a message to Lu Guifan, guessing he wouldn’t come out that quickly. He went downstairs, left the shop, bought a bottle of ice-cold Coke, and returned to the second floor, continuously icing his face with the bottle.

The ice-cold Coke was almost warm when Lu Guifan finally sauntered out, subtly standing in front of Jiang Ruotang, tilting his head and asking, “Want to try on more?”

Jiang Ruotang’s heart fluttered. He mentally pounded his chest, thinking how impatient he was!

“No, these few sets are fine for now,” Jiang Ruotang said.

The shop assistant cut the tag off the clothes Lu Guifan was wearing. Lu Guifan carried two bags of clothes, following behind Jiang Ruotang.

The two walked out of the store and strolled down the street. Jiang Ruotang occasionally turned back to look at Lu Guifan and then chuckled, “Hey, you really have a ‘husband aura’!”

“Husband aura?” Lu Guifan thought for a long time before understanding what those words probably meant. He unhurriedly said, “Not bad. Sounds like I’ve escaped the ‘doomed to be single’ fate.”

Jiang Ruotang laughed, revealing his two small canine teeth, surprised that the other could catch his drift.

The summer weather was indeed hot. Jiang Ruotang passed an ice cream truck and saw someone holding an ice cream. He suddenly thought of Lu Guifan’s fleeting kiss, and a faint sweetness welled up in his heart.

He also bought an ice cream cone. He originally wanted to buy one for Lu Guifan too, but looking back at him carrying large and small bags, he curiously asked, “It’s over thirty degrees; aren’t you hot?”

“No, not hot, it’s fine,” Lu Guifan replied.

Alright, so he really was “calm and cool-headed.”

Jiang Ruotang walked ahead, eating his ice cream. As the pointed end was licked away, Jiang Ruotang suddenly curved his lips.

You said you weren’t hot, right?

He turned around and walked back to Lu Guifan’s side. The two stood in the shadow of a photography studio, with cold air blowing out from a crack in the window. Jiang Ruotang handed over the ice cream: “Here, I’ll feed you.”

Lu Guifan unhesitatingly turned his face. Just as his lips were about to touch it, Jiang Ruotang suddenly moved the ice cream away.

A cool sensation briefly brushed Lu Guifan’s lips, followed by Jiang Ruotang’s kiss.

Soft and warm, gently pressing, Jiang Ruotang shifted at various subtle angles to touch the other. He could feel Lu Guifan’s shoulders and back tense, feeling as if he was controlling all of Lu Guifan’s emotions. Lu Guifan liked him more than he had imagined; his breathing and heartbeat would fluctuate because of him.

Lu Guifan, who was usually unshakeable, retreated little by little. His lips and teeth were filled with the sweet aroma of ice cream. The cool sensation intertwined with Jiang Ruotang’s warmth was an irresistible force.

Finally, Lu Guifan’s back hit the wall of a small shop on the roadside. Jiang Ruotang’s tongue lightly teased his upper lip.

This tiny movement not only made Lu Guifan tremble all over, but also made Jiang Ruotang himself feel incredible.

“Are you hot?” Jiang Ruotang asked with a smile, his heart incredibly nervous.

Lu Guifan’s heart felt like it was trapped in a sealed candy jar, his brain nerves bombarded by candy, as if he had never tasted candy before but was now experiencing sweetness for the first time. His throat was dry and hoarse.

He didn’t answer Jiang Ruotang. Instead, he suddenly reached out and clasped the back of his head.

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes widened as a more forceful kiss enveloped him, carrying clear affection. The two bags of clothes fell to the ground with a “thump” sound.

One of Lu Guifan’s hands clasped Jiang Ruotang’s back, and the other wrapped around his shoulder, as if to lock him into his world.

It was like a surging tide pushing an irresistible force, impacting all sensory cells and making them tremble.

This was something Jiang Ruotang had never felt from Lu Guifan. Jiang Ruotang opened his eyes, wanting to clearly see the other’s lost expression, but the kiss… ended in less than a second. He only saw Lu Guifan’s lowered eyelashes, and his eyes, which had been pushed above his nose bridge, slowly returning to their normal position.

“Now… I’m very hot.”

Lu Guifan’s nose tip brushed against Jiang Ruotang’s as he whispered.

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes curved with a smile. He handed the melting ice cream cone to the other and took the two bags of clothes.

“Alright, if you’re hot, you can have the ice cream!”

Jiang Ruotang retreated with a smile. Only Lu Guifan, holding the ice cream cone, looked at him with a sense of loss, realizing belatedly that his emotions had been completely swayed by Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang looked up at the display window behind Lu Guifan and raised his chin: “Want to take pictures?”

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan turned his head, then smiled, “Sure.”

They entered the photo studio. Lu Guifan didn’t understand these things, so Jiang Ruotang communicated with the staff, booking the simplest couple’s photo package.

“Two handsome young men, do you want makeup?” the staff asked again.

Jiang Ruotang smiled and shook his head: “Just how we are now is fine!”

Because today was their kissing anniversary, Jiang Ruotang wanted to capture their most authentic selves.

This photo studio had probably seen all kinds of customers, so two handsome men taking pictures was nothing out of the ordinary.

Jiang Ruotang’s favorite pose was to lean on Lu Guifan’s shoulder. Just with this pose, several photos were taken from various angles.

Because Jiang Ruotang didn’t request any retouching, they could directly select the negatives on the computer.

As the photos scrolled by, Jiang Ruotang realized that Lu Guifan’s gaze towards him was indeed so intimate, completely different from how he looked at others, especially when he was leaning on his back and Lu Guifan turned his head to look back.

“Hahaha, Lu Guifan, come look! What does this look like?! Hahaha!” Jiang Ruotang suddenly burst out laughing.

Lu Guifan leaned over to look, still not reacting, his expression thoughtful.

“It looks like a wedding photo! Good thing we’re not wearing white shirts, otherwise we could just stamp it! Hahaha!” Jiang Ruotang laughed carefree.

The staff also laughed, “This one is indeed too formal and doesn’t match the previous style, so let’s not take it.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Guifan bent down and whispered, “Keep it. I want it. Please print one separately for me.”

The staff member looked up at Jiang Ruotang, who was choosing a photo album, seemed to understand something, and smiled meaningfully.

The photo album would take a few days to pick up, but that small side-by-side photo was placed by Lu Guifan into his wallet.

His wallet was a bit old, and only this photo was new.

Although Jiang Ruotang had told him that in the future, wallets would no longer be needed, and the development of electronic information would gradually replace all traditional things, some things were irreplaceable for Lu Guifan.

Like the pink pen Jiang Ruotang gave him, like the thermos mug from the children’s painting competition award, and like all the traces left by being with Jiang Ruotang.

Leaving the photo studio, the sky was gradually darkening. The lights of the surrounding shopping malls lit up, and the whole world entered the bustling splendor of twilight.

Jiang Ruotang didn’t want to part with Lu Guifan yet. He lightly hooked the string of the shopping bag: “Come home with me? We just bought so many outfits, we can have a fashion show.”

Lu Guifan smiled and shook his head: “My parents are rarely both home today. My mom cooked some good dishes, so I have to go back.”

Jiang Ruotang understood, of course. In about half a month, Lu Guifan would be going to college in the capital, and opportunities to see his parents would become fewer. It was quite important to spend more time with his parents now.

“Will you come back to eat with me?” Lu Guifan lowered his eyes. Whatever Jiang Ruotang was thinking was clearly written on his face. Although he also really wanted to be with Jiang Ruotang all the time, he still had to say, “My parents picked up Xiao Wei.”

“Oh my god, I’m visiting your new home, and I’ll meet your little sister-in-law on the first day?”

“If you need to mentally prepare yourself, coming a bit later is fine too,” Lu Guifan said, his hands already in his pockets, looking composed. “Otherwise, if Xiao Wei sees you kissing me, it wouldn’t be good to scare her.”

“I’m not a monster; how could I scare her?” Jiang Ruotang immediately looked around him. “I need to buy her a gift.”

Lu Guifan originally thought Jiang Ruotang would buy a soft plush toy. Unexpectedly, he was quite serious as he picked out a pair of candy-themed hair ties in a boutique, even holding them up to his own head.

“How cute are these! They’d look so good on Xiao Wei when she wears them to kindergarten!” Jiang Ruotang said with smiling eyes.

Lu Guifan lowered his eyes, a wave of tenderness washing over him as he imagined Jiang Ruotang’s appearance in kindergarten.

After buying the gifts, Jiang Ruotang followed Lu Guifan back to his new home.

The community had excellent greenery, and Lu Guifan had also bought a garage and a car, which would be convenient for picking up and dropping off Xiao Wei.

Finally, he didn’t have to climb the stairs of the old building anymore. Jiang Ruotang, following Lu Guifan into the elevator, felt a strange sense of melancholy.

“What are you thinking?” Lu Guifan asked with a smile.

“I kind of miss the feeling of me huffing and puffing up the stairs, and you waiting for me ahead.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Guifan lightly pecked his lips again.

“I can also kiss you in the elevator.”