YPHC Chapter 74

For Jiang Nan’an, both “sex” and “love” were distant concepts. He had no imagination for them, let alone desire.

 

He once thought he would always be this way, never forming unnecessary connections with anyone, like a lonely drifting island, until he met Yan Jie.

 

Yan Jie was an unreasonable person who, regardless of whether others were willing or not, forcefully entered their world in his own way.

 

And then…

 

Jiang Nan’an unconsciously gripped the bedsheet tightly, immediately creating a cluster of wrinkles in the soft fabric that spread through his fingers to the distance.

 

Unfamiliar sensations took over his awareness, his body trembling continuously with Yan Jie’s movements.

 

Human life is constantly governed by instinct and genes. “Sex” is the method of human reproduction, while “love” is just an abstract term invented to beautify it all.

 

Nothing that happens between people is without reason. To get something, you must provide corresponding value to the other person.

 

No one is kind to others without cause; all relationships are merely exchanges.

 

Jiang Nan’an had maintained and reinforced this belief for many years, but Yan Jie’s appearance shattered it.

 

In his own way, Yan Jie told Jiang Nan’an unequivocally, again and again, that the world wasn’t like that, that love and affection don’t need to be exchanged for anything.

 

Jiang Nan’an’s gasps became increasingly evident in the enclosed room, accompanied by slight, sticky wet sounds.

 

At one moment, Jiang Nan’an’s fingers splayed open, the bones on the back of his hand clearly outlined in the light. Yan Jie immediately grasped his hand, interlocking their fingers.

 

The unfamiliar sensations overwhelmed Jiang Nan’an’s mind. It took him a long while to emerge from the afterglow and gradually regain his senses.

 

Yan Jie climbed back onto the bed, leaned over to embrace him, planted a kiss on his cheek, and then tried to kiss his lips.

 

Thinking of what Yan Jie had done earlier, Jiang Nan’an instinctively turned his face away.

 

Yan Jie chuckled:

 

“You’re disgusted by your own?”

 

He nuzzled him with the tip of his nose, his voice a bit hoarse:

 

“It’s gone, I swallowed it all, really.”

 

The tips of Jiang Nan’an’s ears grew hot:

 

“You…”

 

“Hmm? What about me?” Yan Jie could see that Teacher Jiang was a bit embarrassed, and deliberately teased him:

 

“Did you like what I did? Did it feel good?”

 

“…Go away.” Jiang Nan’an turned his face away and pushed him.

 

“Alright, then I’ll go.” As he spoke, Yan Jie actually made a move to get up:

 

“I’m really going.”

 

This wasn’t a joke; he really needed to go to the bathroom to take care of his own issue. But just as he propped himself up to leave, Jiang Nan’an suddenly reached out to grab his collar, pulling him back.

 

“What is it?”

 

Yan Jie reached over and turned on the mood lighting in the room.

 

Then he saw Jiang Nan’an lowering his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on a certain part of him, looking somewhat uncertain:

 

“Do you need me to… do the same for you?”

 

Yan Jie raised an eyebrow slightly: “Do you want to do it for me?”

 

“You did that for me, and now you have this need, so I feel I should return the favor.”

 

Great, back to the equivalent exchange mindset again.

 

Yan Jie felt a bit helpless:

 

“I did that for you because I wanted to, Little Spring volunteered to serve you. If you want to do it for me, and you’re comfortable with it, I’d be happy of course, but if it’s just for the purpose of exchange, then forget it. You need to go back to the set tomorrow, right? Go shower and rest, baby.”

 

As he spoke, he removed Jiang Nan’an’s hand from his collar, but the next second, Jiang Nan’an grasped him again.

 

He looked up in surprise and saw Jiang Nan’an looking directly into his eyes:

 

“I don’t know if I want to… but I think I can try.”

 

Yan Jie’s heart stirred, melting completely.

 

He stroked Jiang Nan’an’s cheek with the back of his fingers:

 

“Like what I just did for you?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Although I’m very much looking forward to it… let’s not do that.”

 

Yan Jie looked at Jiang Nan’an, took his hand to his lips, and gently kissed it:

 

“Can I teach you another way? It might be easier to accept and simpler. Let’s take it slow.”

 

Jiang Nan’an’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and without much hesitation, he nodded gently.

 

He wasn’t very experienced with these things and didn’t know how to make it feel good, so Yan Jie held his hand and guided him on what to do.

 

The process was somewhat lengthy. Jiang Nan’an felt he probably wasn’t doing very well, as his hand was getting sore but there seemed to be no progress.

 

The temperature in the room seemed higher than when they first entered. Jiang Nan’an noticed Yan Jie’s breathing becoming heavier. Finally, Yan Jie held him tightly, calling his name over and over in his ear, giving him a long, lingering kiss.

 

“I like you so much, I feel like I can’t live without you, Nan Nan.”

 

After recovering for a while, Yan Jie got up and took two wet wipes, carefully cleaning Jiang Nan’an’s hands.

 

Jiang Nan’an lowered his eyes to look at him, giving a very light scoff, showing his disdain for Yan Jie’s exaggerated sweet talk.

 

“It’s true.” Yan Jie kissed his palm:

 

“Alright, go take a shower.”

 

“…” But Jiang Nan’an didn’t move.

 

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly curled his fingers, looked up at Yan Jie, and asked:

 

“Does this count as us having slept together?”

 

Yan Jie hadn’t expected him to ask such a question and was stunned for a moment before answering:

 

“Strictly speaking, no.”

 

“Oh,” Jiang Nan’an nodded, then asked with confusion:

 

“Then how do men actually do it with men?”

 

“You want to know?”

 

“Mm.”

 

Yan Jie didn’t say anything more, just reached behind him, following the indentation of his spine all the way down, stopping at the tailbone, and softly told him:

 

“Here.”

 

So it really was like that.

 

“…” Jiang Nan’an felt a bit uncomfortable and moved away from his hand:

 

“That’s strange.”

 

Yan Jie couldn’t help but laugh:

 

“Is it strange? What’s strange about it? If you can’t accept it, then you can top me.”

 

“?”

 

“Really, if you want to, you can top me.”

 

Jiang Nan’an truly hadn’t expected Yan Jie to say this, so he paused for quite a while.

 

Seeing this, Yan Jie caressed his back: “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing, I just feel like I misunderstood you.”

 

“?” Yan Jie immediately became alert: “What?”

 

Jiang Nan’an silently averted his gaze:

 

“I thought you were treating me like a woman, that’s why you wanted to… so…”

 

“…”

 

Yan Jie felt it was time to cry out “Heaven, please judge my innocence!”

 

He was truly helpless:

 

“I’m really being wronged here.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Liking you is just liking you, I like you as a person, whether you’re a man or a woman. These things don’t matter. I know you’re a man, and if you find it strange or uncomfortable, I won’t force you. If you don’t want to do it, we won’t. It’s not like I’ll stop liking you if you don’t do it. If you want to, you can be on top. The most important thing is that we’re both happy and comfortable. I don’t have to be on top; there’s no difference between being on top or bottom. As long as it’s you, it’s fine. What’s the big deal?”

 

Yan Jie ruffled Jiang Nan’an’s hair:

 

“So, please stop overthinking, okay? I love you just because I love you, without any preconditions, baby.”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t answer. He just lowered his eyes, and after a moment of hesitation, moved closer to Yan Jie, resting his chin on his shoulder.

 

Like a quiet embrace.

 

Although it was in a completely unfamiliar environment, perhaps because the entire room was filled with familiar scents and presence, Jiang Nan’an slept particularly peacefully that night.

 

When he woke up the next morning, there was no one beside him.

 

Yan Jie had a very healthy routine and always woke up earlier than him. He was now in the closet area organizing clothes.

 

Seeing that he was awake, Yan Jie picked up his wrinkled butterfly shirt and showed it to him:

 

“I heard this shirt was bought by your studio, right? Do you need to return it to your manager?”

 

Jiang Nan’an was still in bed, looking at him with half-open eyes, and lazily responded with a sound of agreement.

 

“Is there no rush? Why don’t you tell her to let me keep it here for dry cleaning, and I’ll send it directly to your company in a few days… Actually, why not just ask Sister Hong to name a price and sell it to me? You won’t wear the same clothes twice anyway, right?”

 

“…”

 

It was possible, but what would be the reason?

 

Why would his clothes be at Yan Jie’s place, and why would Yan Jie be responsible for having them cleaned?

 

And even trying to buy them?

 

 

That’s too strange.

 

Jiang Nan’an felt that if he couldn’t find a suitable reason for these questions, perhaps…

 

“Beep beep boop beep-”

 

The phone on the bedside table suddenly rang, interrupting Jiang Nan’an’s thoughts.

 

He reached for the phone and glanced at it.

 

Speak of the devil, it was Qi Hong calling.

 

Jiang Nan’an swiped to answer and put the phone to his ear: “Hello?”

 

“Jiang Nan’an, where are you?”

 

Qi Hong’s voice was particularly serious:

 

“You’re not at the hotel.”

 

This was a statement, not a question.

 

“Oh…” Jiang Nan’an glanced at Yan Jie, propping himself up to sit:

 

“I’m at… Spring’s place.”

 

After saying this, he heard Qi Hong take a deep breath on the other end of the phone.

 

Then, without even asking for a reason, she directly questioned:

 

“Tell me honestly, what’s your relationship with this Spring guy?”

 

“…His surname is Yan.”

 

“That’s not important. What’s your relationship with this person?”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an lowered his eyes, fidgeting with the bedcover fabric:

 

“He is my boyfriend.”

 

Yan Jie, who was rummaging through drawers looking for suitable clothes for Jiang Nan’an, froze in shock.

 

“You…” Although she had suspected it, hearing him admit it so readily still nearly took Qi Hong’s breath away.

 

When she spoke again, her voice rose by eight octaves:

 

“Have you lost your mind, Jiang Nan’an?! Are you crazy?! Do you know what ‘boyfriend’ means?!!”

 

“I know,” Jiang Nan’an answered:

 

“I am dating him.”

 

“…No, what did I teach you before? Huh???”

 

“You said to keep myself clean and not mess around with relationships.”

 

“So you decided to mess around with a male relationship instead???” Qi Hong was so angry she almost laughed.

 

“I’m not messing around. Besides, you also said I could find someone to date,” Jiang Nan’an calmly argued with her.

 

“Yes, I did say that, but I said ‘suitable person’! I meant for you to find a girl like Shanshan who matches you in all aspects! A girl!! Jiang Nan’an, don’t you know what the environment is like in China? Are you trying to blow up the entertainment industry and retire on the spot by finding a boyfriend, may I ask?”

 

Qi Hong’s head was about to go bald from stress. After thinking for a long time, she could only come up with one barely reasonable explanation:

 

“Tell me, are you dating him just to prepare for emotional scenes? Just to experience it? Do you understand what liking someone or being in love means?”

 

“‘If such an opportunity arises, and you feel moved and willing, you can absolutely go ahead and boldly try to experience it.’ Those were your exact words at the time, Sister Hong.”

 

Jiang Nan’an’s tone was calm as he slowly continued:

 

“I felt he met these conditions, so I agreed. For acting… that’s part of the reason, but not all of it. I don’t really understand these things you mentioned, but I’m learning from him. I think he teaches well.”

 

Jiang Nan’an’s straightforward answer actually left Qi Hong speechless.

 

She was silent for a long time, and finally sighed wearily:

 

“Are you serious, Jiang Nan’an? Him? Are you sure he’s not deceiving or sweet-talking you?”

 

“I’m serious. I’m not considering changing partners for now. I can’t be certain yet, but I want to trust him this once.”

 

“…” Qi Hong made a somewhat reluctant “tsk” sound.

 

But at this point, she couldn’t bring herself to break them up or wash her hands of the matter.

 

She had been with Jiang Nan’an for many years, and he rarely insisted on anything or wanted something. This seemed to be the first time.

 

What could she do?

 

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Nan’an immediately apologized, sensing Qi Hong’s frustration.

 

“You should be sorry to me. You know you’ve planted another huge time bomb for me, right? Sigh… what a situation… Fine, let’s leave it at that for now. You, and him, you two be careful, don’t get caught by paparazzi-that would be the greatest kindness to me.”

 

Qi Hong sighed:

 

“I’ll prepare a PR contingency plan.”

 

There was no other way.

 

She could only grit her teeth and take a gamble this time-gambling that this Spring guy was worthy of Jiang Nan’an’s words today and truly cared for him.

 

“Where is his place? Send me the location.”

 

“?” Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow:

 

“Are you coming over?”

 

“What would I come over for? To fight him?” Qi Hong rolled her eyes dramatically on the other end:

 

“I’ll have Xiao Sun pack your luggage and come with the driver to pick you up. You haven’t finished filming, remember? As for him… I will find him! But let him wait for now. When I find some free time, I’ll settle accounts with him properly.”

 

Qi Hong hung up.

 

Jiang Nan’an stared at his phone, somewhat lost in thought, until Yan Jie came over and gave him a hug:

 

“Was that your manager coming to demand answers? Do I need to go apologize to her?”

 

Although he didn’t know what Qi Hong had said, just hearing Jiang Nan’an’s few sentences had melted Yan Jie’s heart. In the short span of two minutes, he had already made up his mind-if Qi Hong came charging over, he would unhesitatingly shield Jiang Nan’an, taking the brunt of Qi Hong’s forty-meter-long blade for him, with no regrets even if he bled dry.

 

“Not really.” After a pause, Jiang Nan’an added:

 

“I handled it. But she said to wait for her; she’ll settle accounts with you when she has time.”

 

“She accepted it?” Yan Jie was a bit surprised, automatically ignoring the “settle accounts” part.

 

“Mm.”

 

“Wow, that’s great, Nan Nan baby, you’re amazing.” Yan Jie’s tone was like he was coaxing a child, and he couldn’t resist kissing his hair:

 

“From now on, Little Spring will rely on you, being the man behind the big star. Dating you really gives me a sense of security-”

 

The surname-Spring guy kissed him again and again, annoying Jiang Nan’an a bit:

 

“Go away.”

 

“I won’t.” Yan Jie was being mischievous, raising his eyebrows playfully and pointing to the corner of his lips:

 

“Not unless I get a good morning kiss.”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an glanced at him, slightly lowered his eyes, and didn’t say anything.

 

After a brief pause, he gently raised his chin, leaned forward on his own initiative, and obediently touched Yan Jie’s lips.

 

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