Li Mingxuan woke up before dawn.

Perhaps it was because he was in good spirits, but despite having slept for less than three hours, Li Mingxuan was feeling very energetic and had no sense of drowsiness at all.

After carefully moving his arms that were numb from the pressure, Li Mingxuan turned sideways and hugged Shen Xi, unable to resist lowering his head and kissing his face.

After running around all night, coupled with the great sadness and joy in his heart, Li Mingxuan just fell asleep holding Shen Xi after Shen Xi agreed to be with him. At this moment, feeling the warm body in his arms, Li Mingxuan’s desire that had been suppressed all night began to stir again.

In the light coming through the curtains, Li Mingxuan carefully traced Shen Xi’s eyebrows with his gaze. Perhaps because he had not rested well these days, there were faint blue shadows under Shen Xi’s eyes and his face was not as rosy as it had been when Li Mingxuan was with him. Distressed, Li Mingxuan moved and kissed Shen Xi.

In a haze, Shen Xi only felt a warm touch on his lips, as if someone was kissing him. Almost out of instinct, Shen Xi kicked out without thinking, but halfway through the action, he remembered something and opened his eyes blankly, “Cousin?”

Li Mingxuan reacted as soon as Shen Xi moved, and thanks to his experience in the hotel last time, not only did he dodge Shen Xi’s kick but also used the momentum to roll over and press Shen Xi down, confining him in his arms.

Shen Xi’s eyes gradually cleared and he was about to speak when Li Mingxuan leaned down and blocked his mouth.

For either of them, this was a first kiss in the true sense of the word. Li Mingxuan was clean and well-behaved, while Shen Xi’s was repulsed by his previous life in prison, so incidentally, they were the first for each other.

Li Mingxuan’s kiss was gentle, and as he felt the stiffness of the man beneath him, he slowed down his movements, only lingering on Shen Xi’s lips and not doing anything more.

After Shen Xi’s initial discomfort passed, he soon realised that the feeling was not bad. Li Mingxuan’s lips were warm and landed very comfortably on his own lips. Shen Xi couldn’t help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips, and Li Mingxuan’s eyes darkened as his breathing sharpened. The lick Shen Xi gave him just now was like a lick on his heart, crispy and itchy. Li Mingxuan tenderly but firmly pried open Shen Xi’s lips and attacked him without waiting for him to refuse, forcing Shen Xi’s tongue into the corner where there was nowhere to retreat and carefully grinding.

It was a long time before Li Mingxuan withdrew, and Shen Xi only felt that his tongue was sore and soft and his face was burning. However, without waiting for Shen Xi to react, Li Mingxuan once again leaned down and carefully nibbled on Shen Xi’s lips. Between his lips and teeth, Shen Xi trembled all over as a wave of pleasure rose up from his tailbone, flooding his body like an electric current.

A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Xi’s eyes. He never knew that a simple kiss would feel like this!

Li Mingxuan sensed Shen Xi’s surprise. His eyes filled with laughter as he increased the intensity of nibbling. His kiss was overbearing but also contained an indescribable tenderness. When Shen Xi looked up, Li Mingxuan’s eyes were so deep that Shen Xi suddenly felt his heart beat faster.

Li Mingxuan smiled faintly and took advantage of the moment when Shen Xi was lost in thought to firmly pry open Shen Xi’s lips again. His warm tongue slipped into Shen Xi’s mouth, greedily exploring every inch of it, seizing the scent that belonged to Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan’s movements became fierce instead of gentle, and Shen Xi was left breathless by his kisses and could only passively succumb to his movements.

Shen Xi’s submission made Li Mingxuan even more excited, and he couldn’t help but slide his hands into Shen Xi’s clothes. The next moment Shen Xi suddenly grabbed his hand and rolled over forcefully, sitting on top of Li Mingxuan.

Because of the kiss just now, Shen Xi’s lips were very red and his eyes had a strange brightness in them.

Li Mingxuan was quite surprised by Shen Xi’s action, “Xiao Xi?”

The corners of Shen Xi’s mouth slowly curled up as he lowered his head to meet Li Mingxuan’s gaze, “It’s my turn this time.”

While Li Mingxuan was stunned, Shen Xi had already followed Li Mingxuan’s example, bowed his head and kissed him. This feeling was different from Li Mingxuan kissing him. Shen Xi felt that the control was in his own hands, and a sense of conquest was welling up in his heart.

Li Mingxuan indulged Shen Xi’s movements and was very cooperative. But seeing that Shen Xi wanted to get up and leave, Li Mingxuan suddenly reached out and held his head down and kissed him hard, quickly taking the initiative back into his own hands.

The two of them fought and kissed each other until the alarm clock went off.

At this point, Shen Xi was once again pinned underneath Li Mingxuan, his clothes in disarray, his collar half-open and his exposed neck covered in tiny hickeys. Li Mingxuan smiled and gave Shen Xi another peck on the corner of his mouth, saying softly, “I’ll go make breakfast, what do you want to eat?”

Shen Xi’s breath was uneven from the kiss. Struggling to catch his breath, he said unceremoniously, “Omelette!”

Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded, helped Shen Xi cover himself with the blanket and got up to go into the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, Li Mingxuan glanced at Xiao Mingxuan standing tall and smiled a little bitterly. Although Shen Xi did not refuse his kisses, Li Mingxuan had a keen feeling that Shen Xi did not seem to have any further intentions.

Thinking about what Shen Xi had said last night, a hint of indulgence flashed in Li Mingxuan’s eyes. Whatever Shen Xi’s starting point in choosing to be with him was, whether he liked him or simply wanted to be by his side, he could not let him go now.

He was willing to give Shen Xi time and let him accept him little by little. Comparing Shen Xi’s initial vigilance with the kisses he had just shared with him, Li Mingxuan smiled slightly. Thinking about it this way, his current situation was enough to be described as happiness.

After a quick wash, Li Mingxuan found some clothes from the luggage he brought back last night, changed and went to the kitchen.

As Li Mingxuan was in a happy mood making breakfast, Shen Xi was standing in front of the mirror staring strangely at the hickeys on his neck.

After ten years in prison, he had seen so many men show those ugly traces, and he had always thought he would be repulsed by them. But Li Mingxuan’s kisses were unexpectedly comfortable. Shen Xi thought that this was already his bottom line, but he didn’t expect that when Li Mingxuan wanted to go further, there wasn’t much revulsion in his heart, just discomfort, but not the disgust he had imagined.

Shen Xi hesitantly stretched out his hand to touch his neck, only to see Li Mingxuan appear behind him in the mirror.

Li Mingxuan walked up behind Shen Xi with a gentle expression and reached out to take him in his arms, lowering his head and kissing his ear, “What are you thinking about?”

Shen Xi met Li Mingxuan’s gaze in the mirror and looked puzzled, “Thinking about what you said yesterday. That no matter what happens, you won’t leave me.”

Li Mingxuan’s determination didn’t change and he smiled gently, “Do you want me to say it again?”

Shen Xi shook his head, the corners of his mouth curved up in a shallow arc, “Just keep it in mind, cousin!”

Li Mingxuan gave a low “en” and kissed Shen Xi’s ear, countless pecks following down his neck.

By the time Shen Xi pushed Li Mingxuan away and came to the table, the omelette from before had long gone cold. Li Mingxuan made a new one under Shen Xi’s accusing eyes, so by the time he had cleaned up, he was already delayed in getting to the office.

“Do Uncle and Aunt know you’re back?” Sitting on the sofa, Shen Xi looked curiously at Li Mingxuan, who was still unhurriedly sorting out the documents without the slightest trace of panic.

Li Mingxuan took the required documents, picked up Shen Xi’s car keys and walked to his side to bow his head and kiss him, “Father will know soon.”

Shen Xi raised his eyebrows in surprise, “They don’t know yet? Then why did you suddenly come back yesterday?”

Li Mingxuan’s original movement to leave was stopped with Shen Xi’s words. He bent down and met Shen Xi’s eyes squarely, “Xiao Xi, tell me, why did I suddenly come back?”

Shen Xi was taken aback as the memory of the unanswered calls from last night flashed through his mind and he vaguely seemed to understand something.

Li Mingxuan obediently squatted in front of Shen Xi, his expression serious, “Xiao Xi, I like you, I knew it from that time in the alley. I never expected to get a response from you, and I always feared that my thoughts would be exposed to you. I was afraid of seeing your disgusted eyes and that I would never be able to be by your side again. During the ten days I was away, I thought a lot about it, deciding to stay away from you, but I couldn’t make up my mind until you called. A voice in my heart told me that I had to come back to see you or I would regret it all my life. I’m glad I made it back to Zhongjing, and I’m glad you agreed to be with me.”

The look in Li Mingxuan’s eyes was firm and serious, and Shen Xi could not describe the feeling in his heart at that moment. Under Li Mingxuan’s scorching gaze, Shen Xi lowered his eyes to hide the complexity of his stare.

“What will you say if Aunt and Uncle ask?”

Li Mingxuan looked calm, “Naturally, I will tell the truth.”

Shen Xi glanced up in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief.

Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a smile and reached out to touch Shen Xi’s face, his voice low and serious, “Xiao Xi, I want to bring you to my family openly and honestly, not secretly sneaking around. Whether it’s father, mother or uncle, I want to be able to tell them truthfully that I like you and that I want to take care of you, rather than pretend to have nothing to do with you in front of them.”

Li Mingxuan kept staring at Shen Xi’s expression as he said this. Shen Xi lowered his head to avoid his gaze, “Father and Aunt would never agree.”

Li Mingxuan did not allow Shen Xi to avoid him, cupped his chin and kissed him tenderly, “Do you remember what I said yesterday? No matter if it’s life or death, I will never leave you, believe me!”

Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a complicated look and finally gave a soft “en” while kissing. Li Mingxuan smiled in satisfaction and assured him seriously, “Xiao Xi, don’t worry, I have everything under control.”

Shen Xi stood silently in front of the window watching Li Mingxuan walk away until he was no longer visible, before turning around and sitting back on the sofa.

Li Mingxuan’s words were too unexpected. Shen Xi had thought that Li Mingxuan would hide this matter from his family until the day it suddenly would be exposed, but he never expected that Li Mingxuan would take the initiative to confess to his family.

“Being together openly and honestly?” Shen Xi repeated these words and suddenly laughed. This was good. The situation was already chaotic enough anyway, and he didn’t care if it got a little more chaotic.