To Lin Zhu’s knowledge, some countries had already legalized same-sex marriage, and the stranger he had picked up happened to have a mixed-heritage appearance, which made the claim sound somewhat credible.

But what puzzled Lin Zhu the most was… Can men really get pregnant and have children??

Lin Zhu fell into deep thought. Honestly, he had occasionally seen bizarre reports about male births online, but a careful read would reveal that those cases fell within scientific explanations—a small number of people are born with two sets of reproductive organs, or other conditions. He just didn’t know which category this man fell into.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhu carefully raised his eyes to look at the man on the sofa opposite him, only to suddenly find that the man was also staring unblinkingly at him, his eyes appearing to be hoping for something.

The man’s hair was half-dry and half-wet, his expression dazed. Under Lin Zhu’s gaze, he slowly shifted into a posture sitting with his knees hugged to his chest, exposing the various marks on his skin more directly to Lin Zhu. Afterward, he flashed a very faint smile at Lin Zhu, like a small animal just brought home—a bit anxious, yet extraordinarily clever in actively drawing near, hoping to exchange that closeness for gentle treatment.

Lin Zhu: “…”

He didn’t realize at all how strange it was that he had so easily believed the man’s claims, nor did he understand why his own heartbeat was inexplicably out of control, causing him to lose even the normal instinct to be guarded.

As if possessed, Lin Zhu moved into the master bedroom that had been vacant for years, then tidied up his own room and let the man move in.

…He had taken in a stranger.

The man had no mobile phone, no wallet, and no identification. Lin Zhu activated a SIM card and stuffed it into his own idle, old phone, saying sheepishly: “Sorry, it might be a bit laggy.”

As he spoke, the man was cooking noodles in the kitchen. He took the phone and glanced at it, showing not a hint of disdain, but rather, he was very happy to set the number Lin Zhu had just saved as the top contact, urging, “Wash your hands and come eat.”

Lin Zhu nodded blankly, saying “oh.”

A few seconds passed.

“Ge, is this shirt not fitting well?” He rubbed his nose, his face flushed. “The neckline seems a bit large?”

It was loose enough to reveal half of a patch of fair skin.

The man looked down, completely unaware that anything was wrong, and even shook his head very naturally, saying: “It’s fine, isn’t it?”

Lin Zhu was helpless but said nothing more.

Half a month had passed since he brought the man home. Lin Zhu knew very little about him—only his name, age, and that he had been in a failed intimate relationship. He didn’t ask much, terrified of poking at the man’s scars.

There were just some things that didn’t need to be asked; with a little observation, Lin Zhu could tell—the man’s past living conditions were very good, almost luxurious. What was bizarre, however, was that he now took care of Lin Zhu’s daily life so naturally.

The man rarely went out on his own. Lin Zhu had taken him out a few times and discovered that the man was neither a homebody nor socially anxious; instead, he showed an inexplicable curiosity and unfamiliarity with the outside world.

Also, the man had absolutely no sense of personal space. Lin Zhu didn’t know if he was overthinking it, but the other party’s behavior in daily life was very intimate and unguarded…

Lin Zhu didn’t feel repulsed, nor did he harbor negative thoughts because of it, but it certainly led him to make some unpleasant guesses about the man’s past experiences.

And these guesses were verified on a rainy night.

Late July, a hot summer. The weather was temperamental, like a bad-tempered child, often bursting into torrential rain without warning, making it impossible for anyone to find peace.

It was around two in the morning. Thunder and rain roared outside. Lin Zhu didn’t turn on the air conditioner, only a fan. The humid air squeezed in through a crack in the window, covering him, bringing with it a sticky, suffocating sensation.

Lin Zhu woke from his sleep, turning over in a daze, subconsciously touching the back of his neck. For some reason, it was hot and swollen, and he had broken into a sweat. He couldn’t stand the heat, so he kicked off the quilt and sat up.

Lin Zhu sat there blankly for two minutes, then got out of bed and put on his slippers, intending to go to the living room for a glass of cold water.

Gulp, gulp.

He closed his eyes and finished two glasses of water in one go.

On his way back to his room, Lin Zhu caught a glimpse of warm yellow light leaking from beneath the crack in the door of the guest bedroom. Walking up to the door, he heard a vague murmur coming from inside.

Lin Zhu listened, his brows furrowed.

…It sounded a bit like someone crying.

He couldn’t help but knock on the door, asking with concern: “Ruojun Ge, are you okay?”

The movement inside the room ceased instantly. Lin Zhu waited for two minutes outside the door, but when there was still no sound, he couldn’t put his mind at ease. Just as he was about to knock again, he heard a creak—

The door opened just a narrow crack.

The man poked half his face through the gap, his forehead covered in sweat, his eyes rimmed with red. He was holding onto the door frame, breathing hard.

Lin Zhu’s gaze grazed past the man’s shoulder. He was startled to see a suit jacket—the man was clutching it. The pillow wasn’t against the headboard; instead, it was crumpled in the center of the bed. Lin Zhu had keen eyes and saw at a glance a dark, wet stain on the light-colored pillowcase. The suit jacket was draped haphazardly beside the pillow, creating a sharp contrast.

Lin Zhu’s heart skipped a beat.

…Before he knocked, the man might have been clutching his ex’s clothes, burying his face in the pillow, and weeping in pain.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhu’s breathing stalled, his mood plummeting. He tilted his head, trying to see the expression the man was hiding behind the door more clearly. Sure enough, he saw light shimmering in the man’s eyes, and his eyelashes were damp and clumped together.

He was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but repeat: “Are you really okay?”

The man stared at him, saying nothing.

By Lin Zhu’s usual temperament, he should have bid the man a polite goodnight and returned to bed to sleep. But the fact that he had brought the man home in the first place was already highly abnormal, and every action since had been even more so.

What was one more tonight?

Thus, obeying his instincts, Lin Zhu raised his hand, reached into the crack of the door, and used his index finger knuckle to wipe away the dampness at the corner of the man’s eye. Despite this being the first time he had made such an overstepping gesture, the movement was extraordinarily practiced…

The man closed his eyes, letting the youth touch the skin around his eyes. There wasn’t a hint of resistance; instead, he silently leaned his head into his hand.

The living room was dark. Lin Zhu had walked out in the dark, and while the man’s room was bright, he only opened the door wide enough for half a person, and the light that spilled out was mostly swallowed by the darkness.

Darkness always amplifies the most honest desires within a person.

Lin Zhu stood in the shadows. Seeing the sweat on the man’s temple, he couldn’t help but wipe it away, and his fingertips subconsciously touched the back of the man’s neck. On the first day he picked the man up, he knew there was a circular bump on the left side of the back of his neck, covered in deep bite marks, and even now, the healed scars remained.

It was covered in sweat here too.

Lin Zhu wiped away the sticky sweat for him. The texture of that bump under his fingers was extraordinarily soft and supple. Following his movements, the man’s neck seemed to soften, his body trembling slightly…

Their breathing became heavy in unison.

The air was damp and cold, and the oppressive ambiguity fought against it.

Lin Zhu felt his reason slipping away bit by bit. The temperature of his palm grew hotter and hotter, covering the man’s cold, fair skin. He applied more pressure, rubbing a faint pink glow onto the surface. They looked into each other’s eyes, neither shifting their gaze, as if silently waiting for what might happen next.

Until a thunderclap shook the earth outside.

Lin Zhu came to his senses, his lost reason suddenly snapping back. He was shocked to find his actions had clearly crossed the line, so he quickly withdrew his hand, saying dryly:

“Ruojun Ge, get some sleep. Remember to pull up the blanket so you don’t catch a cold. I… I’m going back to sleep too…”

He stumbled over his words, but he got it out.

The moment he finished, Lin Zhu turned to leave, but the door suddenly swung wide, kicking up a breeze that carried a cold fragrance. Immediately after, two slender arms crossed his waist, holding him tightly!

Lin Zhu stumbled, his upper body leaning back, feeling the man press against him, warm breath penetrating his clothes and hitting his shoulder blades.

The man held him and said softly:

“…Don’t go.”

It is no exaggeration to say that every place Lin Zhu made contact with him went numb. Hearing the man’s low, hoarse voice, his ears felt incredibly soft. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The next instant, the man hugged him tighter, arms interlaced, his palm gently reaching for Lin Zhu’s fingers, the desire to make him stay overflowing. Then he really did call Lin Zhu’s name gently and continued:

“Don’t go, I can’t sleep alone.”

Although Lin Zhu had no prior dating experience, he could discern the ambiguity in the other’s tone. His heart pounded wildly, and he couldn’t help but turn back to look…

The next moment, his pair of drooping eyes widened abruptly!

Because he realized the man wasn’t wearing pajama pants; the hem of his slightly long top only covered the top of his thighs, and his two long, fair legs were exposed to the air just like that.

Seeing Lin Zhu turn back, the man let go of him, nimbly dived into his arms, and still issued a low invitation.

He said: “Lin Zhu, it’s thundering; I can’t sleep.”

When had Lin Zhu ever seen such a scene?

What happened next seemed to unfold as a matter of course. Outside, the wind and rain were raging; inside, it wasn’t peaceful either. The first thing Lin Zhu did upon entering the room was to kick the suit jacket under the bed without a sound, and with another kick, sent it far away. Fortunately, the man didn’t notice; he just kissed him fiercely.

The sound of delicate water splashes was masked by the pouring rain.

Lin Zhu discovered that he had a real talent for kissing.

The bed in this room wasn’t very wide, but accommodating two men whose heights were far above average was difficult. Because Lin Zhu was lying flat, the man had to straddle him. He lowered his upper body, leaned into Lin Zhu’s ear, and asked with an intimate tone: “Do you like it?”

Lin Zhu was dizzy, shaking his head honestly, only to see the man grab the hem of his clothes with both hands and whoosh, stripping off his pajamas.

Fair. Snow-white. Embedded with pink.

Lin Zhu’s face was scalding hot, his gaze sweeping rapidly over the man’s body. Suddenly, he sensed something unusual and asked in a low voice: “Ruojun Ge, why… why do you look different from me?”

The man didn’t speak, just smiled silently at Lin Zhu.

Lin Zhu understood instantly.

His heart felt heavy, as if he had lost his mind. He grabbed the man’s forearm and pulled him down, his tone calm, yet it seemed to hide a towering wave.

“I don’t know, so…”

Lin Zhu paused and said, “You teach me.”

Compared to Lin Zhu’s awkwardness, the man was extraordinarily practiced, as if he had experienced such things thousands of times, leaving indelible marks. Even if Lin Zhu didn’t understand the intimate details between male lovers, he knew a normal man couldn’t be so experienced.

It could only be that that scumbag ex had caused it.

Lin Zhu only felt he was divided in two: one half drowning in the intimate embrace of the man, the other half exceptionally clear-headed, pondering what kind of excessive things that scum ex had done to make the other party have such habitual behaviors…

Lin Zhu had never felt so comfortable. Conversely, his inner heart was burning. He bit down on his teeth silently, a fire of rage burning within, full of sympathy for the man and anger at his past experiences.

The rain outside intensified.

The man took the lead throughout, seemingly really wanting to teach Lin Zhu. But some things were probably etched into the man’s genes. Lin Zhu’s eyes went red, and he subconsciously wanted to flip over.

“…Don’t!”

The man held Lin Zhu down with one hand, preventing him from getting up, while the other hand cradled his own lower abdomen, whispering: “Let’s leave it at this. I’m afraid of hurting the child.”

Lin Zhu’s eyes stung, but he didn’t disobey the other’s wishes; he only raised his hand to clasp the back of his neck, pulling him down and constantly biting the bump on his neck.

The original marks were covered one by one.

By the time it ended, the sky outside was already turning light. The bed was narrow. Lin Zhu held the man tightly, both of them drenched in sweat, and an ambiguous scent permeated the air. He closed his eyes and suddenly asked: “Ruojun Ge, do you still want to leave later?”

Actually, what Lin Zhu wanted to ask was: Do you still love him?

Unfortunately, the sentence circled in his throat and came out differently.

The man wasn’t asleep, responding: “Do you want me to leave?”

Lin Zhu didn’t care if his expression could be seen. He pressed his lips together and shook his head vigorously.

The man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and continued: “Then are you willing to take care of me?”

Hearing this, Lin Zhu’s heart leaped. He wrapped his arms around the man and suddenly said: “Ge, forget him, let me take care of you…”

He paused and continued:

“And the child in your belly.”

With that, the man slowly turned around, his cheeks still flushed. He stared at Lin Zhu, appearing to be pressing down the arc of his mouth with effort: “Pup… cough… Lin Zhu, how do you see me?”

This question seemed too late. Both of them had already done what they should and shouldn’t have.

Lin Zhu measured his expression and said decisively: “Ruojun Ge, I absolutely won’t be like that person, locking you up at home, and doing those excessive things to you!”

The man buried his face in his shoulder, as if recalling some terrible past, his shoulders trembling slightly.

After a while, the man asked: “Then will you despise me?”

Lin Zhu quickly hugged him tight, comforting him softly: “How could I?” He felt embarrassed to dissect his inner heart. “I don’t know why, that day when I first saw you…”

“I had a feeling.”

The man raised his face, his gray-green eyes shimmering.

“What feeling?”

Lin Zhu lost himself for a moment, lowering his eyes to gaze into those deep pupils, feeling his heart soften into a puddle, unable to help but lower his head to press his forehead against the man’s.

He said, word by word:

“—You seem to belong to me.”

The two embraced and slept for an entire morning.

The first to wake up was Lin Zhu.

The moment he opened his drooping eyes, which still held traces of sleep, his body froze abruptly. Memories from the day of the car accident up to last night flashed through his mind rapidly.

Like a carousel.

He silently pulled himself away and sat up, not forgetting to tuck the quilt in for the man who was fast asleep, then rested his elbows on his knees, covering his burning red face with his palms.

…………Help.

Just then, the man rolled over, and an arm wrapped around Lin Zhu’s arm. A lazy voice rang out at the same time:

“Puppy Lin, what feeling?”

Lin Zhu covered his face in embarrassment, saying nothing.

—After losing his memory, he mistook the “Big Boss Wife” for a delicate little flower caged and abused by a scumbag ex-boyfriend, and he ended up “taking over the slack.”

Haha, true to form.

Lin Zhu: “…”

He couldn’t laugh.

He ran to the balcony to let the wind blow on his face for half an hour before the temperature on his cheeks finally dropped. Turning back, he saw the man lying on the bed staring at him, and despite the awkwardness, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ge, welcome to the world I live in.”