Around eight o’clock in the evening, Rong Xu and Qin Cheng took the elevator up from the underground parking garage. As soon as they opened the door, they saw someone sitting in the living room.

In the bright and spacious living room, Aunt Qin was typing on her phone. The moment she heard the door, she looked up immediately. Putting her phone into her pocket, she got up naturally and walked over to the entryway, throwing her arms around Rong Xu: “My dear sweet Rongrong, how long has it been since I’ve seen you? You’ve lost weight—look at how skinny you are.”

After two years of interaction, Rong Xu had long gotten used to Aunt Qin’s enthusiasm. He gently hugged her back and said with a smile, “Auntie, long time no see.” Then, pausing for a moment, he asked, “I heard from Qin Cheng that your flight was supposed to be at seven tonight. What are you doing here?”

Aunt Qin hugged him for a while before letting go. “The meeting ended early today, so I decided to bring you something myself. Then the flight got delayed. Naturally, I had to stay and see my Rongrong.”

Rong Xu couldn’t help but laugh. “Will the delay cause any issues?”

Aunt Qin shook her head. “No problem—it’s been rescheduled for after midnight, around twelve-thirty. I’ll head out a bit later.”

Not thinking much of it, Rong Xu nodded in agreement. On the side, however, Qin Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly and calmly asked, “Where’s your assistant?”

Earlier this afternoon, Aunt Qin had messaged Qin Cheng saying she was stuck in meetings and couldn’t make it herself, so she’d send her assistant to deliver the items to his apartment. But now that she was here in person—where had the assistant gone?

Without any change in her smile, Aunt Qin shot her son a reproachful glance. “Where else could she be? I sent her ahead to the airport to deal with the delay. Enough about that. Rongrong, have you ever tried peach blossom cakes? Qin Cheng’s grandma made them by hand—he loved them as a kid. Here, come try one…”

Qin Cheng’s grandmother was indeed a talented cook. The peach blossom cakes were soft, fragrant, and delicate in flavor. Since Rong Xu had already eaten dinner with Qin Cheng earlier at a French restaurant, he only planned to try one. But after just a bite, his eyes widened in surprise—and he couldn’t resist eating several more.

Aunt Qin beamed. “Well? Isn’t it good, Rongrong?”

Rong Xu nodded with a small smile. “It’s really delicious.”

Compared to the steak he had earlier at the French place, Rong Xu actually found this small, unassuming pastry even better. It had a subtle floral aroma, sweet at first bite but refreshing afterward. After a rich, greasy meal, a peach blossom cake was the perfect thing to cleanse the palate.

After eating three or four, Rong Xu couldn’t take another bite. Aunt Qin didn’t push him and simply took his hand, leading him to the living room. She fussed over him nonstop, asking about his recent life. One moment she was asking if he was tired from recording, the next she was asking if the movie shoot in the U.S. had been exhausting.

Rong Xu answered each question patiently. He never rejected the kindness of elders.

Time slipped by slowly. By 9 p.m., Aunt Qin’s assistant messaged to say she’d arrive in 30 minutes to take her to the airport.

The assistant arrived right on time. Rong Xu wanted to walk Aunt Qin downstairs, but she refused firmly: “Rongrong, I’ve heard you’ve been super busy lately and haven’t had proper rest. Don’t come down—go lie down and get some sleep. Let Qin Cheng take me.”

Rong Xu frowned slightly. “Auntie, actually I—”

Before he could finish, Aunt Qin grabbed Qin Cheng’s arm and headed for the door. “I’m leaving now, Rongrong. No need to send me off.” Before Rong Xu could react, she and Qin Cheng had already stepped out, and the door clicked shut behind them.

Rong Xu: “…”

It was just a quick trip downstairs. Was it really such a big deal…?

Not giving it too much thought, he began tidying up the teacups on the coffee table, one by one putting them in the sink. Then he placed the remaining peach blossom cakes into the fridge. As he cleaned, he absentmindedly thought: once recording wraps in a couple of days, he’ll have a day or two of free time—how should he spend it?

Of course, Rong Xu had no idea that at that very moment, someone who had just escorted his mother downstairs was standing still on an empty road, frowning slightly.

That’s right. The residential street was completely deserted.

Almost as if she heard his unspoken question, a calm female voice sounded behind Qin Cheng: “I had Xiaoyun wait outside the complex. I didn’t have her drive in.”

The dim moonlight filtered through sparse tree branches, casting a dappled pattern of shadows on the narrow path. Qin Cheng lightly pressed his lips together and turned to look at his mother—only to find that all traces of the usual warmth and gentleness of “Aunt Qin” had vanished. She was now gazing at her son with unwavering seriousness.

Though she was usually somewhat intimidated by this son of hers, right now, she looked him dead in the eye and asked, word for word,
“Qin Cheng… are you bullying Rongrong?”

The early spring night still carried a chill. A breeze rustled through the trees, the leaves whispering in the dark. Qin Cheng lowered his gaze slightly, his expression calm, not a ripple in his deep, black eyes. He said nothing at first.

When he remained silent, Aunt Qin grew anxious. “Qin Cheng, I’m asking you a question. Are you going to answer or not?”

“What does ‘bullying’ mean?” The man’s low, magnetic voice suddenly rang out, startling Aunt Qin. Qin Cheng looked up and asked seriously, “Mom, how exactly do you define ‘bullying’?”

His powerful and composed aura descended all at once. The man caught red-handed remained calm and unbothered, while the mother, thinking she had evidence, suddenly felt unsure.

She hesitated for a moment, then went straight to the point. “You still want me to define it? You tell me—there’s no toothbrush or towel in Rongrong’s bathroom. Everything’s in your room. What exactly is going on between you two?”

Qin Cheng gave a light “oh,” and replied flatly, “So that’s what you meant. Well, we’ve been together for a while now.”

“You—don’t try to pretend it’s just temporary! I checked—his room is practically collecting dust…” Her voice suddenly stopped. Aunt Qin’s eyes widened. “Wait… you’re just admitting it? Just like that?!”

The man’s thin lips curved slightly upward. He asked in return, “Then how do you think I should answer?”

Aunt Qin: “…”

All the arguments she had prepared over the last three hours evaporated on the spot.

He actually admitted it just like that?! And acted like it was totally normal?!

Shouldn’t he have denied it first, made up some casual excuse to stall, only to get caught later, and then reluctantly confess under pressure?

Aunt Qin was completely stunned.

As a woman, Aunt Qin was naturally more sensitive when it came to matters like this. If she hadn’t noticed anything, that would’ve been the end of it—but once she spotted even the slightest clue, she would start digging, following every lead until she uncovered the truth. Women in this regard often had the instincts of a top detective—one look, one hunch, and they could sniff out something off without any need for logic or deduction.

Initially, Aunt Qin thought she held the upper hand. She had already planned her rebuttals—once she rendered her son speechless, she would tear into him properly. But now, everything had changed. She went quiet for a long while, mulling over things in her head, and in the end, could only squeeze out one line:
“…Why are you bullying Rongrong?”

Qin Cheng: “I didn’t bully him.”
He paused, then as if suddenly recalling what had happened last month in the U.S., he added meaningfully, “If anything, he’s the one who’s been bullying me.”

Aunt Qin immediately caught that: “Nonsense! Qin Cheng, you better explain to me clearly—how on earth did you lure Rongrong into your hands? He’s only twenty this year! Actually, if you count properly, his twentieth birthday isn’t for another half year. What’s going on here? When I asked you to take care of Rongrong, I didn’t mean that kind of taking care!”

Qin Cheng raised an eyebrow. “You never said I couldn’t take care of him that way.”

“You—!!!”

Aunt Qin was both furious and anxious. She wasn’t a conservative person—same-sex marriage had been legalized in Huaxia years ago, and she would never interfere in her child’s personal life. She wouldn’t even oppose it if Qin Cheng was gay. But… but…

“So you’re gay, fine, but why did you have to lure my sweet Rongrong? He’s still so young—barely out of his teens! Tell me, when exactly did you snatch him up? And you even sleep in the same bed—you didn’t… don’t tell me you already…”

This time, Qin Cheng didn’t respond.

But his silence spoke volumes. Aunt Qin, who had initially asked on a whim, now twitched at the corners of her mouth.
“…You really went all the way with Rongrong?”

Qin Cheng averted his eyes.

Aunt Qin roared, “He’s not even twenty yet! He’s still a child, and you—you—you’re going to be the death of me!!! You little brat, how could you bring yourself to do that? Do you remember what you promised me before? You said you wouldn’t let anyone in the entertainment industry corrupt him, wouldn’t let him get involved in all those things too early. And now? You went and did it yourself?!”

Qin Cheng: “We’re in a healthy, normal relationship.”

Aunt Qin didn’t care: “He’s nineteen! And you still went for it!”

Qin Cheng: “…It’s a normal relationship.”

Aunt Qin emphasized again: “He’s nineteen!”

Qin Cheng finally snapped a little: “He’s twenty.”

Aunt Qin glared: “His birthday isn’t for another six months—how is that twenty?! Wait, when exactly did you two start dating? When did you touch him? Don’t tell me—he didn’t want this, did he? You didn’t force him, did you? Qin Cheng!!!”
She suddenly raised her handbag, ready to whack him with it.

Qin Cheng: “…”

Ten minutes later, Qin Cheng returned to the apartment. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his boy walking out of the kitchen. Seeing him come in, Rong Xu smiled and lifted the two apples in his hands:
“Auntie left? That peach blossom cake was really good. I’ve never heard you talk about your grandma before—I didn’t expect her to be able to make something so delicious.”

As he spoke, Rong Xu handed Qin Cheng one of the apples. Just as he looked up to speak again, he suddenly froze. After a moment, he asked, “Your chin… what happened? Why’s the skin broken? It wasn’t there before you went downstairs. What happened…”

A soft, simple kiss cut off the rest of his question.

Rong Xu was slightly surprised. It was a light kiss—barely a touch—and then gone. He looked at the man in front of him in confusion, only to see Qin Cheng slowly reach out, wrap his arms around his waist, and hold him gently. Lowering his head to meet Rong Xu’s gaze, he spoke seriously:
“I feel… kind of wronged.”

For some reason, an image of a sad little puppy popped into Rong Xu’s mind—baby is wronged—and it instantly broke the mood. He tried his best to hold back a laugh and asked,
“What exactly happened?”

“That night, you were the one who held me back and wouldn’t let me leave. You tempted me, told me not to hold back. And now she hit me—said I bullied you, even bullied you into bed.”

Rong Xu stared, dumbfounded: “…”
EXCUSE ME?!

“Wait… she? What are you—wait, are you talking about Auntie?!”

Qin Cheng nodded slightly. “So I got hit.”

Rong Xu: “…”

Qin Cheng added in a quiet voice, “In my whole life, aside from acting scenes, I’ve only been hit once—and that was twenty-three years ago. This was the second time. Xiao Xu, I’m really wronged.”
He paused, then looked down at the boy with grave seriousness, and repeated:
“I’m really wronged.”

Rong Xu: “…”

Aunt Qin said Qin Cheng seduced Rong Xu and dragged him into bed—and that was something Qin Cheng couldn’t argue against. What was he supposed to say? That his sweet little boyfriend had been tempting him nonstop for months, that he’d been resisting for so long, and technically speaking, he was the one who got lured into bed and “used up”?

Even if he could say it, would it help? Aunt Qin would immediately scoff:
“Rongrong would never do something like that! My sweet little Rongrong is too pure and lovely! He’s still so young—he couldn’t possibly be thinking about those things! Unlike you, with your mind full of dirty thoughts!!”

Qin Cheng was wronged—but he still wanted to talk about it.

Leaning down a little, warm breath brushing against the sensitive skin of Rong Xu’s ear, he gave a low chuckle and murmured:
“Xiao Xu, I’m really feeling wronged… how are you going to make it up to me, hmm?”