The next morning, Rong Xu woke up at dawn.

Last night he was so tired that he didn’t even want to lift his eyelids.

He was carried into the bathroom by a man and thoroughly cleaned. When he woke up this morning, his body felt very refreshed, but there was still some discomfort from behind. After thinking for a while, he remembered something important.

Rong Xu lifted his eyes, intending to wake Qin Cheng, but before he could speak, his gaze met a pair of deep, intense eyes.

Slightly startled, after a moment, the young man curved his lips into a smile:
“When did you wake up?”

Qin Cheng hugged the naked boy in his arms tightly and calmly smiled:
“I didn’t sleep.”

Rong Xu froze:
“You didn’t sleep?”

Qin Cheng said calmly:
“With you by my side, I couldn’t fall asleep. I just wanted to look at you a little longer.”

Rong Xu: “……”

Thinking he was just joking, Rong Xu didn’t take it seriously and put on his pajamas.

Not long after, Aunt Qin got up as well. She knocked on Rong Xu’s door, urging them to get up for breakfast. This time, after putting on his clothes, Qin Cheng walked over eagerly when Rong Xu waved at him.

With a cheerful smile, Rong Xu said:
“Aunt Qin has a meeting this morning. Just tell her I’m not feeling well and don’t want to get out of bed.”

Qin Cheng raised an eyebrow:
“Trying to get out of breakfast?”

Rong Xu spoke righteously:
“If I get up, Aunt Qin will definitely ask if something’s wrong with my legs and why I’m walking so weirdly.”
He paused, then asked:
“What will you say to her then?”

Although Qin Cheng had made all the necessary preparations and had initially been careful, once they were fully immersed, there was no thought of restraint.

Even though it was only their second time, Rong Xu was still a bit unaccustomed. Walking normally wasn’t too painful, but he couldn’t walk exactly as usual. If Aunt Qin didn’t notice, that would be fine, but if she did—who would explain?

Rong Xu thought his reasoning was entirely sound, but to his surprise, Qin Cheng replied seriously:
“I’ll just say… you exercised too much last night and your body needs to reco—”

Before he could finish the word “recover,” Rong Xu glared at him fiercely.

Coldly, he said:
“Then you go tell her. I’m not getting involved.”

Of course, Qin Cheng had no intention of telling his mother that he had spent the whole night with Rong Xu and that he couldn’t get out of bed now—figure it out yourself. So, in the morning, Aunt Qin brought porridge and dishes into Rong Xu’s room with great care, set up a small table, and examined his face closely.

After a long look, she said with sympathy:
“My little sweetheart, you’ve lost weight. It makes me heartbroken!”

Rong Xu, who had actually gained two pounds recently, quietly ate his porridge:
“……”

Aunt Qin looked him over, added more food to his bowl, and said:
“Look at you, your complexion is all off. You must not be feeling well.”

Rong Xu, whose face was flushed from a night of “exercise”:
“……” Still silently eating porridge.

“Here, eat more. I have to head to a meeting this morning, but I told Qin Cheng to make you some nourishing soup. Do you want chicken soup or pigeon soup?”

The man beside them said in a low voice:
“I didn’t know I knew how to make soup.”

Aunt Qin shot her son a look and ignored him.

She continued giving Rong Xu more food, and only after seeing him finish a full bowl of porridge did she measure his temperature. Finding it to be normal, she finally relaxed and insisted that Rong Xu rest in bed the whole day, do nothing, and let Qin Cheng handle everything.

She was about to leave for a meeting and would head straight to the UK afterward. It was a rare chance to see Rong Xu, so she sat on his bed and chatted with him for a while. She reminded him to dress warmly now that it was autumn and warned him about the dangers in the entertainment industry.

“There are a lot of bad people in showbiz,” she said. “You’re still young. Don’t rush into a relationship.”

When he heard “relationship,” Rong Xu glanced at Qin Cheng and smiled:
“You’re right, Auntie. There are many bad people in this industry. I’m not dating anyone.”

Aunt Qin nodded in satisfaction.

After chatting for a bit longer, she got ready to leave. Just as she was about to go, she turned back and said:
“Rong Rong, take good care of your health. I had a terrible dream last night. You were shouting and saying you were hot—it really scared me. Take care of yourself, alright?”

Rong Xu, his face suddenly burning red:
“…Mm, I… I understand, Auntie.”

Then Aunt Qin left the apartment, escorted out by Qin Cheng. He was going to see her downstairs, but she stopped him and told him to stay and take good care of Rong Xu. Before leaving, she hugged her tall and handsome son and said softly:
“Happy 27th birthday, son.”

Qin Cheng smiled slowly:
“I’m… very happy today, Mom.”

Rong Xu, who overheard this from afar:
“……!!!”

At last, Aunt Qin left, and only Qin Cheng and Rong Xu remained in the house.

The man acted as if he knew nothing, entering the room and beginning to carry bowls and dishes. But just as he was about to leave Rong Xu’s room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Without turning back, he spoke in a low, thoughtful voice:
“So hot… what else?”
After saying that, he walked out.

Rong Xu’s eyes widened in disbelief. For the first time, he realized just how shameless this man could be!

Aside from “so hot,” what else was there? There was also so big! So thick! So fast!

On the day of Qin Cheng’s birthday, Rong Xu was so angry he didn’t want to talk to him. But he couldn’t resist the man’s pleading (and the fact that it was his birthday). So the entire day, the two of them stayed in bed, never even leaving the bedroom.

Both Rong Xu and Qin Cheng were young and vigorous, having just discovered the pleasures of intimacy—they couldn’t stop. By nightfall, Qin Cheng finally did go to the kitchen and made soup for Rong Xu, though it was just a simple chicken soup.

As they drank the rich, flavorful soup, halfway through, the soup was once again set aside—because they were in each other’s arms again.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the next day, when Qin Cheng had to return to the U.S., that this passionate affair finally came to an end.

Rong Xu rubbed his sore waist, standing by the doorway and watching the man leave. Qin Cheng lowered his head and gently kissed the boy’s forehead. Staring into Rong Xu’s beautiful eyes, he resisted the urge to kiss him again and whispered:
“Just a birthday gift… Xiao Xu, not again.”
He couldn’t bear to say goodbye.

Rong Xu was momentarily stunned. A few seconds later, he understood what the man meant.

A warmth slowly spread through his chest. He knew Qin Cheng meant they wouldn’t make love so recklessly again. From the night of the 26th until noon on the 28th, they had hardly left the bed—indeed, it had been a bit much. But Rong Xu also knew that there were many times when he had initiated the kisses.

After two lifetimes of never experiencing this kind of joy, even if he had strong self-control, it was impossible to hold back entirely.

Besides—it was Qin Cheng’s birthday.

He lifted his head slightly and placed a kiss on the man’s lips, then smiled softly:
“…But, I liked it too.”

Qin Cheng’s eyes widened slightly. He could no longer resist and pulled the boy into a strong embrace, kissing him deeply.

They had to catch a flight, so this time the kiss didn’t last long before they parted.

Both had busy careers ahead—Rong Xu was still climbing the ladder, and Qin Cheng didn’t want to be idle either. Because they were apart so often, every reunion felt fresh, which only made their passion harder to control.

As Qin Cheng opened the door, he leaned down and gently pecked Rong Xu’s lips. He whispered:
“This birthday gift, Xiao Xu… I really like it.”

His lips curled up in a smile, but not long after, Rong Xu suddenly remembered something:
“Wait—who said that was your birthday gift?”

Qin Cheng froze.

Rong Xu quickly turned around and returned to the room. He opened a drawer and pulled out a delicate little gift box.

The black box was tied with a deep blue ribbon in a simple bow. Made of premium thick paper, it had a luxurious feel. On the top, a beautiful cursive phrase was hot-stamped in silver:

“In-your-heart.”

Qin Cheng read it aloud in a low voice.

Rong Xu nodded gently: “‘In-your-heart’—my dearest love.”

Qin Cheng suddenly realized something. He looked up in surprise at Rong Xu, who simply raised an eyebrow and smiled:
“Mm. Starting next month, I’ll be the official China spokesperson for In-your-heart.”

Five minutes later, Xu Jin finally saw the man he’d been waiting for. As he opened the car door, he couldn’t help but grumble:
“You said you’d be down 15 minutes ago—I’ve been waiting forever. We’ve got to move; the flight leaves in an hour and a half. If we miss it, the next one isn’t until tonight!”

Qin Cheng didn’t respond. He just looked down at the silver watch on his wrist.

Xu Jin, in the passenger seat, glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of the watch. He stared for a moment, then laughed:
“In-your-heart? When did you get a new watch? I haven’t seen that model before—is it the latest release? Looks nice! I should get one too.”

Qin Cheng glanced at him and said blandly: “Not allowed.”

Xu Jin: “……” After a pause: “Why not?!”

Qin Cheng replied calmly: “I haven’t given you your birthday gift yet. I’ll give you a Concaron from Blueface.”

Xu Jin: “…You didn’t give me anything last year either! Wait, was yesterday your birthday?”

Qin Cheng smiled faintly: “Mm. So, what are you giving me?”

Xu Jin: “……”

This life is just unfair!

All the way to the airport, Qin Cheng kept his head slightly lowered, gazing quietly at the watch on his wrist. Xu Jin didn’t know that this was In-your-heart’s newest model for the year, not yet released until next month. Only two exist in the world right now.

One on Qin Cheng’s wrist.

The other on Rong Xu’s.

And on the back of each watch dial, a single letter was engraved.
On Qin Cheng’s: R.
On Rong Xu’s: Q.

Rong Xu belonged to Qin Cheng.
Qin Cheng belonged to Rong Xu.

This was Rong Xu’s birthday gift to Qin Cheng—truly one-of-a-kind.

As this thought crossed his mind, Qin Cheng’s cold, aloof expression softened. He looked down at the watch with a nearly imperceptible smile at the corner of his lips.

Of course, he didn’t know that at the same time, back in the apartment, Rong Xu was also smiling slightly as he picked up his phone and opened a group chat.

[Rong Xu]: I think we need to take action. We can’t keep losing to Qin Cheng.

Within a minute, six people responded.

[Lin Xuan]: Exactly! I’m heading to the U.S. to shoot a program soon. If I run into him, I swear I’ll be fuming.

[Wen Xuan]: You’ve got it easy. My next film might be with him. My head’s already aching.

[James]: So how are we going to humiliate Qin?

[Hugh]: …‘Humiliate’ is a bit much, James. Your Chinese needs work. It’s not ‘humiliate’, it’s ‘disgrace.’

[Janice]: Your Chinese is all terrible!

[Chu Qi]: Alright, so back to the point—how do we outshine Qin Cheng and leave him speechless?

Rong Xu curved his lips slightly, recalling what that man had said to him the night before. A moment later, he replied:

[Rong Xu]: No matter what, I’m on your side.

At that moment, the Qin Fengfeng Group had no idea what Rong Xu really meant. But when they eventually found out, they were overjoyed—feeling like they’d reached a peak of intelligence and were utterly invincible.

But that’s a story for another time.

As for now, Rong Xu, still rubbing his sore waist, walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

“Serves you right for saying I was so hot, so big, so thick, so fast… Let’s see who gets the last word now.”

When it came to holding grudges, Rong Xu was no less skilled than Qin Cheng.

After resting for five more days, Rong Xu’s vacation finally came to an end.

Three months earlier, Huaxia Entertainment had secured top-tier resources for him. The globally renowned luxury brand In-your-heart officially signed Rong Xu as its China ambassador for the coming year to endorse their new watch.

This watch was part of the Lamour Series—and would be the very last model in the line.