KM: Chapter 50

The phone placed aside rang. Without even looking, You Chen raised a finger to his lips, signaling the tattoo artist next to him to stay quiet. "Hey, baby, what's up?" "Where are you? Didn't you say you didn't have to go to the company today?" "I have something to take care of, working overtime." You Chen lied without hesitation, hearing Ji An huff angrily. "You're lying to me. I asked Secretary Xu, and he said you're not at the company." Ji An had just woken up, his voice soft and weak, sounding like he was whining, making his anger seem less intimidating. You Chen raised an eyebrow and said, "You just woke up, why are you calling others? From now on, when you wake up, don't call others, just call me." "If I hadn't asked Secretary Xu, I'd have been deceived by you!" A muffled sound came from the receiver, and You Chen guessed Ji An was punching the bed again, a habit he picked up from somewhere, now using it whenever he threw a tantrum. "I'll be back soon, baby." "How soon is soon?" "At most an hour." "Then I'll start timing." You Chen chuckled, "Alright, for every minute I'm late, I'll kiss you once." Ji An mumbled something softly, which You Chen didn't catch, so he just hummed in response, and the call ended, leaving him amused and complaining to his phone, "Spoiled him too much." The tattoo artist resumed his work and chuckled at his words without commenting.

Someone pushed the door open and entered, calling out in a hoarse voice, "Ling Zhen," frowning as if to complain about something. Upon seeing others present, he paused and apologized to You Chen. You Chen didn't respond, his attention caught by the hickeys on the person's neck. Ling Zhen turned back and asked what was wrong, then pursed his lips and walked away, saying, "Don't want to talk to you." The door slammed shut, leaving Ling Zhen momentarily stunned. He turned back with a smile and said to You Chen, "Also spoiled." You Chen met his gaze, and they both laughed. In a hurry to appease their partners, Ling Zhen sped up his work, and after You Chen left, he closed the shop.

You Chen rushed home as fast as he could. As soon as he opened the door, Ji An was indeed standing behind it. Hearing the door open, he glanced at You Chen unhappily, only to be pulled into a hug, mumbling about where he'd been. "Let's go to the bedroom first." You Chen bent down and carried him to the bedroom, holding him and kissing for a while before smiling and lifting his shirt to show Ji An the tattoo on his lower abdomen. "I went to get my little dog tattooed on me." Ji An's eyes widened in surprise, staring blankly down. On the lower left corner of You Chen's abdomen, there was a small, cute dog with a collar, sticking out its tongue and smiling, its fur curly. Below it were the English letters 'puppy' and a tiny 'an'. He stared at it for a long time, and You Chen leaned over to kiss him, asking, "Want to touch it, little dog?" "I want to…" Ji An whispered, being kissed several times, making his words unclear, "But, isn't it not allowed to touch right after getting a tattoo?" "Just once." Ji An nodded, slowly reaching out, his fingertip barely touching it before pulling back immediately, for some reason placing both hands behind his back, staring at the tattoo. You Chen chuckled, letting his shirt fall back down, lifting Ji An's chin with one hand to find his eyes red. "What's wrong?" Ji An pouted, his voice slightly nasal, "Then I want a tattoo too." You Chen shook his chin gently, smiling, "What would you get tattooed? Tattoos hurt, you're not allowed to get one. The things I've given you are enough." Ji An fell silent, blinking as he took a step forward, then leaned back into You Chen's embrace. "I'm not afraid of pain." "I'm afraid my little dog will hurt." "Then why didn't you care when I said it hurt last night?" "How could I not care? I kissed you." "You kiss me to stop me from saying stop." "Who told you to keep humming when you said it hurt, holding onto me? I thought you were enjoying it." "I said it hurt!" "Not very convincing, little dog doesn't tell the truth in bed."

By the end of July, You Chen was incredibly busy, and without noticing, Chu Longyu had whisked Ji An away. After finally finishing work, he went to pick Ji An up, only to find him drinking at a restaurant. Ignoring Chu Longyu's explanations, he angrily dragged Ji An back home and didn't stop until the early morning. Ji An cried until his voice was hoarse, trembling under the covers. Chu Longyu called You Chen, saying Ji An had only drunk fruit wine last night, with hardly any alcohol content, and told him not to bully Ji An. You Chen's eyelid twitched, glancing at Ji An, whose face was flushed from crying, sobbing incessantly. He rubbed his temples and said, "Even so, it's not okay. He's not in good health." "Anbao is fine. He's been well for years. Don't I know how you take care of him? Stop acting like everything's a crisis. You've made up for everything, so can you relax a bit, You Chen?" You Chen was silent for a moment, then said he'd try, and hung up. He sat on the bed, pulling Ji An into his arms, rubbing his stomach and asking, "Do you feel uncomfortable?" Ji An looked at him with teary eyes, choking out that he didn't and admitted he was wrong. "Stop crying, it's my fault, I overreacted." You Chen leaned down to press his face against Ji An's, asking, "How about we go for a check-up this afternoon?" "Okay…" You Chen took Ji An to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor, already familiar with them, smiled helplessly and told him Ji An was very healthy and there was no need to worry. Ji An stood by, holding You Chen's hand timidly, carefully watching his expression. He showed no reaction, thanked the doctor, and on the way home, asked Ji An if he liked the taste. Ji An, having cried all night and terrified, quickly shook his head, saying it didn't taste good. You Chen didn't say anything, but afterward, whenever he took Ji An out for a meal, he'd always prepare a small glass of fruit wine for him. That night, he was very angry, but once he calmed down, he could remember Ji An holding the glass, eyes squinting in enjoyment. Clearly, he liked it, and that's normal; everyone has things they like.

On Ji An's birthday, Chu Longyu was there too and secretly gave Ji An another type of alcohol. Seeing how much Ji An liked fruit wine, he didn't expect Ji An could only handle fruit wine; anything else got him drunk. You Chen immediately sent everyone away, almost wanting to kill Chu Longyu on the spot. Standing at the door with his buttons undone, he heard Ji An inside making a ruckus and could only give a verbal warning before turning and slamming the door. You Chen returned to the room, where Ji An was kneeling on the sofa, face flushed, chin still smeared with cream, looking at him with eyes curved in a smile, too cute to stay mad at. He sighed, about to speak when Ji An raised his hands, pressing them to his cheeks and making fists, softly imitating a dog's bark, "Woof! Woof!" As he imitated, he stuck out his tongue. You Chen froze in place, unmoving, so Ji An barked more energetically. When You Chen still didn't move, Ji An's voice weakened, like a puppy whimpering in grievance. You Chen covered his face with a hand, sighed helplessly, then laughed, feeling his heart melt. He walked over, sat down, and pulled Ji An onto his lap, scratching Ji An's chin. "Do you turn into a real puppy when you're drunk?" Ji An foolishly smiled at him, barked twice more, then leaned over to lick his chin, only to have his face pinched into a kiss, a long and heavy one. Ji An was pressed onto the sofa, soon crying softly, legs wrapped around You Chen's waist, swaying. Before falling asleep, he leaned drowsily against You Chen, asking, "Will you love… the little dog forever?" "Yes, I will always love the little dog, love it the most."