You have to love me too.
Jin Zhou, carrying two plates of food, found a random place to sit. He ate 3+1 fast food while Song Shuyang had noodles. Song Shuyang had terrible eating habits, always putting his own food into other people's bowls. He picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks and put it into his mouth before remembering that he forgot to ask the chef not to put garlic sprouts in. He had to put them back and toss them one by one onto Jin Zhou's plate.
Jin Zhou said with a look of disgust: "That's enough, your noodles are full of your saliva."
Song Shuyang was angry, "Why didn't you feel disgusted when you ate my mouth just now?"
"Take a loudspeaker and shout at the school gate, letting everyone in the school know that I ate your mouth."
"You treat someone you like like this, right?" Song Shuyang spread out his palms and looked at him calmly. "Now admit that this is your new trick to mess with me, and apologize sincerely, and I will let it go."
Jin Zhou thought seriously for a moment and said, "Occasionally."
"..." Song Shuyang felt so humbled that he was really liked by others.
When they were almost done eating, he asked Jin Zhou, "How's the license issue going? Is Han still holding you back?"
"Do you really believe he has this ability?"
"Didn't Sister Ying say that?"
"She's just trying to scare you."
"What!" Song Shuyang roared in his heart, Jiang Ying, ah Jiang Ying, you have hurt me so much!
Seeing his painful face, Jin Zhou patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay, I told her."
Song Shuyang took a long time to calm down and adjust his mood, then asked Jin Zhou: "When do you plan to open the business?"
"I originally wanted to tear down everything and rebuild, but after a rough calculation, the cost is a bit prohibitive, so I might as well just make some minor changes to the soft furnishings and reopen, maybe as early as next month."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately said, "I'm busy watching the incoming materials these days and can't spare the time. Wait until next week."
Song Shuyang immediately became alert, "What are you going to do next week?"
Jin Zhou put on an ambiguous smile and just stared at his lips without saying anything, which made Song Shuyang feel uneasy for no reason.
He put down his plate and ran back to the dormitory, not giving Jin Zhou another chance to be alone with him.
Less than ten minutes after Jin Zhou left, before he even reached the dormitory, Jiang Ying sent him a message: [Holy crap!!!! Your brother confessed to you!?]
Song Shuyang: [? You're so well-informed.]
Jiang Ying: [The person involved is right next to me]
Jiang Ying: [It hasn't been easy for Old Jin. After all these years, he's finally made it. Congratulations!]
Song Shuyang: [What! You knew it a long time ago, but you didn't tell me?]
Jiang Ying: [How dare I tell you, your brother would kill me in a minute. Tell me honestly, was it because of him that I left the group that day?]
Song Shuyang: [He quit all my groups where I was having fun, and deleted all my friends]
Jiang Ying: [You didn’t argue with him about this?]
Song Shuyang: [What's the big deal? People who need help will definitely add me back, and those who don't will just delete me.]
Jiang Ying: [Awesome, you two are a perfect match [Like]]
Song Shuyang: [Please stop talking nonsense, I didn’t accept it]
They were chatting happily when Jiang Ying suddenly made a video call. Song Shuyang didn't understand why, so he answered it first.
As soon as the call was connected, Jiang Ying immediately thrust the phone into Jin Zhou's face. In the background, she could be heard saying, "How come your confession failed? Hurry up and try to comfort her."
Jin Zhou took the phone in his right hand and smiled at him. The low-pitched laughter was transmitted to his palm through the speaker, which made him feel itchy. Song Shuyang changed his hand to hold the phone and heard Jin Zhou ask, "Have you reached the dormitory?"
"No, it's almost there."
Seeing Jin Zhou on someone else's phone, he felt an inexplicable sense of shame. He cut himself into the big screen and caught a glimpse of something between the fingertips of Jin Zhou's left hand.
Noticing his gaze, Jin Zhou immediately hid his hands behind his back and asked him, "Do you want to go out for a midnight snack tonight? They're all here."
Song Shuyang saw the messy background behind him and asked, "Are you in the store?"
"Yes, it's next to your school."
"Can I not go..."
Jin Zhou actually knew what he was thinking and explained, "Only Jiang Ying knows about our relationship. I've already told her, and I won't embarrass you."
Song Shuyang had half uttered the syllable "hmm" when he quickly took it back, realizing the trap in Jin Zhou's words.
"What's going on between us? Nothing at all, okay?"
Jin Zhou started laughing softly again, his beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, "Okay, it's okay."
"Don't take advantage of me all the time. I'm telling you, stop flirting with me. I'm not buying it!"
"Got it," Jin Zhou said, his finger already on the hang-up button. "Hurry back to the dormitory and take a shower. You're all sweaty."
After hanging up the phone, Song Shuyang blushed uncontrollably.
It was just a midnight snack, why did he feel like he was about to make an official announcement to his friends?
After taking a shower, he came out of the bathroom and searched online for a hair tutorial, hoping to look more stylish. He blew and scratched his hair, borrowed a flat iron from Guo Zixiu, clipped a few curls, sprayed two pumps of gel, and looked in the mirror—wow, he looked like a real idiot.
Guo Zixiu said quietly, "Let's go on a date, Yangyang."
"Hmm... huh? No, I was having a late-night snack with some friends."
"Is Yang in a relationship recently?"
"No, we didn't talk about it."
He then took out a black T-shirt and a white shirt from the closet and tried them on, muttering to himself, "Wearing black at night is a bit too inconspicuous, so I'd better wear white."
He put on his shirt and said to his roommate, "I might not be back tonight. Please bring my textbooks for class tomorrow morning, Brother Hachang."
After saying that, he walked away whistling, completely ignoring the three people inside who were looking at each other in confusion.
The place was right at the school gate, but the dormitory was far from the gate, so he used a skateboard as a means of transportation. The cool September breeze blew his clothes up and down, and his hair also fluttered in the wind. When an acquaintance passed by and greeted him, he smiled warmly in return, his expression as light and cheerful as a bird soaring in the sky.
When he arrived, beads of sweat still formed on his forehead, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He picked up his skateboard and greeted them: "Good evening, everyone."
He deliberately didn't look at Jin Zhou and wanted to sit next to Jiang Ying, but he received a death stare from Cici and had no choice but to sit next to Jin Zhou obediently.
Jin Zhou asked him in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Why are you so handsome all of a sudden?"
"I've always been handsome, okay? What do you mean by sudden?"
A basin of lobster was served on the table first, and a few people slowly started chatting. Qi Mingyuan suddenly mentioned that he had left the group, "I thought you didn't want to play with us anymore."
"No, no," Song Shuyang didn't want to embarrass Jin Zhou at this time, so he just found an excuse to fool him, "I just slipped my hand. I wish you would call me out to play every day."
Jin Zhou said, "From now on, just come to me when you want to play with him."
Ge Dongdong teased, "Old Jin, I've discovered that you're really obsessed with your brother. You're not allowed to ask your brother out privately?"
"He goes crazy when he plays," Jin Zhou offered her a glass of wine as an apology, "I have to keep an eye on him."
Song Shuyang felt a little embarrassed when he saw Jiang Ying in the corner trying to hold back her laughter so hard that she was almost going crazy.
Just for this reason, he can't be with Jin Zhou. Now they haven't confirmed their relationship yet, but he's being controlled like this. If he gets any more sweet treats, he'll probably lose his freedom of entertainment for the rest of his life.
They had a drink together and put the matter of Song Shuyang leaving the group behind them. Jiang Ying asked Ge Dongdong, "How's Old Han? Is he feeling better?"
"No, he had a terrible fall. Even if he recovers completely, he's still disfigured. But he's fine. Let's see how he flirts with other women in the future."
Song Shuyang pricked up his ears and found that no one mentioned Jin Zhou, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that he also found an excuse to cover up the incident of Jin Zhou smashing Han Zhuqing's office that day.
Jin Zhou happened to be observing his micro-expressions and gently squeezed his wrist under the table as a way of comforting him.
Han Zhuqing is a man who values his reputation above all else. If he dares to call the police, he will surely be found out for attempted kidnapping. Besides, the medicine he used is also illegal, so he can only swallow this loss in silence.
Jin Zhou was sure of this and that's why he dared to take such a heavy-handed approach. However, he had more to do than that. If you dare to touch Song Shuyang, don't blame him for being vengeful.
He raised a glass of wine and said, "Don't mention irrelevant people, just have a drink."
Qi Mingyuan was already drunk, and reluctantly clinked glasses with him and took a sip, "How can I surrender? I really can't drink more than Jin Zhou."
"I've known Old Jin for so long and I've never seen him drink too much. Yangyang happens to be here tonight, so I have to get him drunk and send him back no matter what!" Jiang Ying picked up the wine and poured it into his glass.
Song Shuyang coughed uncomfortably, "What does it have to do with me? Why don't you dare to force him to drink when I'm not here?"
"Hey, hey, hey, it was your brother who provoked us, so don't blame us for being heavy-handed."
Jin Zhou gave him a helpless smile, "You only know how to trick my brother."
After he said this, he took the wine glass from Ge Dongdong's hand and drank it all without looking at himself again, but Song Shuyang's heart was beating very fast.
Jin Zhou was drunk without a clue, and he accepted all the wine he was offered, just like a groom at a wedding. Unfortunately, no one could get him drunk in the end. Not only did he not blush or feel nervous, but he became more and more energetic with each drink. The group of people who said they wanted to knock him down passed out first.
Cici carried Jiang Ying into the car with a look of disgust on her face. She was still unconvinced, "Drink more, Old Jin, I'm not drunk, ugh—"
"Jiang Ying, if you keep doing this, I'm not going to live with you anymore!"
"I'm sorry, baby, I'm vomiting—"
Song Shuyang felt sick and stopped looking at that side. The other two people were taken away by their families, leaving only him and Jin Zhou.
He poked Jin Zhou's arm and asked, "Can you still go home by yourself?"
Jin Zhou, whose eyesight was clear just now, suddenly stumbled and fell on his shoulder, saying drunkenly: "Zizi, brother has drunk too much and can't go home."
"Can you please stop pretending?"
"I really drank too much. I feel dizzy and uncomfortable."
There was no other way. Song Shuyang couldn't really just leave him on the roadside, so he carried him on one arm and slowly walked towards his home.
"You're so heavy!" he complained.
Jin Zhou took the opportunity to hug him tightly in his arms, his hot breath spraying on his ears, making the skin there red.
"Song Shuyang, do you really hate me?"
"Why are you asking this suddenly?"
"Answer me."
Song Shuyang pursed his lips and said, "I can't say I hate it, but I don't like it that much either."
"But I like you very much."
Song Shuyang suddenly stopped.
He turned his head to look at Jin Zhou, feeling confused, and suspected that he was just pretending to be drunk so that he would take his frivolous love words seriously.
He didn't take it seriously, and continued to support Jin Zhou and walked forward, muffledly saying: "Stop saying weird things, okay?"
"I'm serious."
"How can I accept this?" He became very depressed. "I've treated you as my brother for more than ten years, and now you're suddenly saying this to me. You make me feel like all the kindness you showed me before was for a purpose."
He simply couldn't bear to think that those memories that were so precious to him were all just means to tease him in Jin Zhou's eyes, making the family affection that he had cherished for so many years seem like a joke.
"I can tell the difference very clearly," Jin Zhou whispered, "as a brother, and as a man who has a crush on you."
"But I can't tell!"
Song Shuyang turned his head away, not wanting him to see the tears that were about to burst out of his eyes, but he couldn't suppress the trembling in his voice. "We slept in the same bed and took a bath together. In my eyes, it was just the most ordinary thing between brothers, but in your eyes... I feel a little disgusted when I think about it."
He used the word "disgusting" again.
Jin Zhou knew the torment and struggle within him. He'd been caught in this same pain since the beginning of this relationship, and he'd tried every possible means to extinguish it. But it was no use. Every time he tried to quench it, it would surge back with fervor, igniting an even more uncontrollable passion. He had no choice but to split himself into two people, donning the sunny, cheerful older brother mask when facing Song Shuyang, letting the flames consume him in the lonely night.
"I'm sorry, Zai Zai, please don't cry, it's all your fault." He wanted to wipe the tears from his face.
"Don't tarnish this title!" Song Shuyang pushed him away fiercely. "Which brother would have such thoughts about his younger brother as you do?"
He could no longer suppress his tears and began to sob.
Fortunately, it was very late and there were no passers-by on the street, otherwise if this embarrassing appearance was seen by a third person, he would definitely be so ashamed that he would commit suicide on the spot.
Jin Zhou leaned over and cupped his face. The dim streetlight made his face, already small as a palm, even smaller. He looked so pitiful and heartbreaking in those long, slender hands. Afraid that he'd bite his tongue in excitement, he inserted the tip of his thumb and pressed against the soft tongue, refusing to pull away no matter how hard he pushed.
His voice was so gentle it could almost squeeze water out of it. "I swear, before you turned eighteen, I absolutely had no dirty thoughts about you. It was when you came to my dorm to celebrate my birthday that winter that I officially fell in love with you. From that day on, I was very careful to maintain boundaries with you. You even had a fight with your brother because of this, remember?"
"Before the night I confessed my love to you, all my kindness to you was purely out of a brother's love for his younger brother, without any other thoughts mixed in. If I really wanted to flirt with you, the love you felt would definitely be a hundred times more overwhelming than it is now."
"I know you can't accept my feelings right away, so I've been trying my best to restrain myself. I don't want to show them completely, for fear of scaring you. I've also tried to give you some time alone these past few days so you can think things through, but you have to be kind to me, too."
He took Song Shuyang's hands, put the backs of their hands together, and placed a light kiss on them. "Zizi, I can give you time to think about it slowly, but please don't keep pushing me away, okay? Let me have a taste of the sweetness occasionally, just as a reward for new and old customers."
Song Shuyang burst into laughter at his last sentence.
But he was still very sad. He didn't want to exchange his brother for a boyfriend. He already had very few relatives and couldn't afford to lose any more.
"I, I don't want you to be my boyfriend." He said with sobs.
"Then continue to be a big brother. Big brothers can kiss, right?"
Song Shuyang's mind was confused by him and he nodded in confusion.
Jin Zhou stood up straight, held his chin and kissed him.
Even though it took so much effort to finally kiss those lips he had longed for, he still kissed them with restraint and gentlemanliness, tensing every nerve to prevent himself from losing his composure due to excessive excitement. The boy he liked was like an extremely sensitive and shy pearl oyster, which could not be pried open without some effort.
After the long kiss, Jin Zhou took a step back, giving him some space to relax. "Let's keep this as the limit from now on, okay?"
The tears that Song Shuyang shed a moment ago evaporated into tear marks on his hot cheeks. He pursed his lips, which were still dry after receiving the kiss, and nodded like a quail.
It was indeed very comfortable, and I even wanted to ask him to go deeper.
If this was the worst that could happen, he felt there was nothing unacceptable.
"Okay, it's a deal then," Jin Zhou extended his hand to him, "It's late, you should go to bed, go home."
Song Shuyang pulled it up in a daze.
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