KM: Chapter 38

You Chen paused, feeling a pang of bitterness in his heart. He sighed again and asked, "Aren't you tired squatting at the door?"

Ji An shook his head, "Not tired."

After feeding him congee, You Chen picked up the mashed potatoes and continued feeding him while saying, "If you squat for too long, your legs will go numb. You shouldn't squat at the door. If you want to see me the moment I come in, you can sit on the sofa, right?"

Ji An didn't speak, slowly swallowing the mashed potatoes. He tried hard to suppress the sobs in his throat, making it difficult to swallow normally.

Tears were impossible to hold back, as was the sobbing. The more he tried to restrain it, the worse it became, and Ji An was shaking all over. You Chen, feeling helpless and heartbroken, put down the bowl, reached out to wipe his tears, and hugged him tightly, patting his back.

"If you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in, baby."

Ji An buried his face in You Chen's chest, still refusing to make a sound. He was forced to lift his head by a grip on his neck, and You Chen frowned at him, saying, "Don't do this, you'll suffocate."

"I… got it… I won't… squat at… the door anymore…"

Ji An raised his hand to wipe his tears, but You Chen grabbed his wrist and pulled it aside. He leaned down to kiss him, saying, "I'm not blaming you. I didn't ask you to talk like that."

Ji An looked at him with red eyes. You Chen pinched Ji An's face and coaxed, "What I mean is, don't squat at the door, it's very tiring. You can watch TV on the sofa, play on your phone, or sleep. That way, when I come back, you can still see me right away."

Ji An responded with a heavy nasal sound, "Mm…"

You Chen hugged him tighter, gently rubbing Ji An's back. Once Ji An's emotions stabilized a bit, he coaxed him to continue eating.

Surprisingly, Ji An was very obedient. Whatever amount You Chen said to eat, he ate. You Chen feared he was enduring nausea without saying, so he asked him several times if he felt uncomfortable.

After dinner, You Chen carried him upstairs to wash his face, using a warm towel to cover his eyes for a while. Unable to see You Chen's face, Ji An quietly said, "You Chen, kiss me."

You Chen pressed the towel down and leaned in to kiss him.

His breath was scorching, hotter than the warm towel. Ji An parted his lips slightly, breathing rapidly.

It seemed every time he was this flustered, and every time You Chen was so calm and composed. This was a frightening dynamic, he was always the one being controlled, always at a disadvantage.

Yet Ji An was inherently meant to be controlled.

Meant to be controlled by You Chen.

"Mm…"

Ji An's legs had already gone weak. After being bitten hard, he shrank, trying to escape You Chen's kiss, but was grabbed by the waist and lifted onto the sink. You Chen's hand slipped under his shirt, massaging his waist and then moving upward.

Ji An grabbed You Chen's hand, eyes wide, asking what he was doing.

"I'll go to the company a bit later."

"No… don't…"

At times like this, Ji An's refusal never worked. You Chen spread his legs by pinching his knees, lifted his shirt for him to bite onto. When he didn't open his mouth, You Chen's hand pressed hard on his inner thigh, forcing him to tremble and bite the shirt, suppressing small moans.

Until his waist softened, You Chen turned him over, making him lie on the mirror, and did him from behind for half an hour. His knees were numb from kneeling, and he cried, saying his knees hurt before You Chen let him go.

You Chen bathed Ji An, cleaned him up, and rubbed his reddened knees with his palm. Ji An whimpered, saying it hurt and he didn't want to do it there anymore. You Chen didn't speak, but Ji An knew what he meant, turning his face away in grievance and sulking.

You Chen leaned in to lick his ear, saying, "Next time, I'll use my hand to cushion you."

Ji An was numbed by his licking, curling into a ball. How could he stay angry? Instead, he softly begged You Chen to stop licking him.

You Chen stopped, pinched his face, kissed him for a while, then carried him back to bed, coaxing him to sleep. Ji An struggled not to sleep, but You Chen's hand patted his chest through the quilt, softly saying, "The little dog should sleep."

Ji An turned his face slightly, laboriously glancing at You Chen. His eyelids grew heavy, and he fell asleep calling You Chen's name.

You Chen felt heartache, but there was nothing he could do. He leaned down to kiss Ji An's forehead and quietly left.

—

When You Chen arrived at the company, he ran into the model who had locked Ji An in a room last time. The model walked out with a face full of resentment, cursing under his breath when he saw You Chen. You Chen pretended not to hear, walking straight ahead. He was no longer seventeen and couldn't use his fists for revenge anymore.

But when the model mentioned Ji An's name, You Chen turned around, his gaze dark and terrifying, saying in a deep voice, "You should be grateful you can still walk out of here with dignity. Keep your mouth shut."

The model was so frightened by his gaze that he shivered, stammering a curse about being crazy before turning and leaving quickly.

You Chen withdrew his gaze and walked towards the studio.

All afternoon, he hadn't received any messages from Ji An, which felt strange. He thought maybe Ji An was sleeping. He had deliberately kept Ji An busy for a while just so he would rest well in bed.

After work, he bought dinner and hurried home. When he opened the door, Ji An was still at the entrance.

He looked even more pitiful than at noon, curled up on the fluffy carpet, sleeping restlessly.

The carpet was something he had put down before leaving at noon, afraid Ji An wouldn't listen and would squat at the door again. Who knew, once he put it down, Ji An would curl up on it and fall asleep.

He bent down to pick Ji An up, saying, "Did the little dog think this was a nest I prepared for you?"

Ji An woke up groggily in his arms, wrapped his arms around his neck, pretending not to hear and said nothing.

"Didn't I tell you not to wait for me at the door?"

Ji An buried his face in You Chen's shoulder, muffledly responding, "You said not to squat at the door."

You Chen chuckled angrily, asking, "So you just sleep at the door? Who taught you that?"

"No one taught me."

"Do you want me to chain you in the room?"

Ji An said nothing. You Chen sat on the sofa, and Ji An immediately crawled out of his arms to the other side of the sofa, hugging his legs and burying his face in his knees.

You Chen sighed, placing the items on the coffee table, then sat over to pull Ji An onto his lap, easily restraining him and not allowing him to move around.

"Ji An, look at me."

Ji An turned his face away, refusing to look at him. You Chen leaned down to kiss him, saying, "Hurry up."

Ji An moved his wrist, which You Chen held, and turned to look at him with great grievance.

You Chen released his hand, pinching his nape, and asked, "You didn't sleep in the room but slept on the floor at the door. Do you think you did nothing wrong?"

Ji An immediately felt more aggrieved, opening his mouth to say something, but stopped himself in the next second. You Chen patiently asked a second time, "Do you think you did anything wrong?"

Ji An glanced at him, lowered his head, and after a moment, quietly asked, "Was it wrong?"

Absolutely pitiful.

You Chen couldn't say anything.

The air was silent for a moment. He sighed deeply in his heart and said, "No, it wasn't wrong."

Ji An immediately lifted his head, looking at him, "Then I…"

"Tomorrow, you'll come to the company with me. You can stay in my office quietly without running around. Can you do that?"

Ji An excitedly kicked around in his arms, quickly answering, "I can!"