“So……”
The chair legs dragged across the floor with a friction sound. Ryann stood up, pressing the ring box against the table with his palm.
He pursed his lips, moved closer to Jiang Jianming, and tentatively wrapped his other arm around the young man’s slender waist.
“Let’s put aside the marriage thing for now. Since you’ve agreed.”
Ryann’s pale golden eyelashes fluttered, his pupils like rippling jade lake water stirred by wind, “Let me kiss you.”
“Not here, there are people outside….hmm.”
Jiang Jianming had barely begun his refusal when his lips were sealed shut.
He stumbled back two or three steps, pressed firmly against the wall of the small private room. Ryann leaned down, the two of them squeezed together in the shadows.
“They can’t see from outside.”
Ryann’s voice was muffled and hoarse as he buried his face in the crook of Jiang’s neck. The next second, Jiang Jianming’s breath hitched, and he almost cried out—Ryann had caught the thin skin on the side of his neck between his teeth.
Jiang Jianming made a sound of “mmm,” pushing against Ryann’s chest with his elbow, but not using much force, just lightly gasping. “Don’t… don’t tease.”
Ryann hummed without speaking. Jiang Jianming had a distant, cool air about him, and he felt the man had somewhat of an ascetic style, so normally he didn’t dare to be too forward.
But today he sensed Jiang’s indulgence. It seemed that showing appropriate vulnerability was a good tactic; perhaps next time he should try crying in front of Jiang.
The two of them kissed for a moment in the narrow private room. Suddenly, Jiang Jianming’s gaze fell on something outside the window, and his expression changed abruptly.
“Wait, hold on,” he hurriedly pushed Ryann away and pulled up his disheveled collar, “I think I see….my mother coming.”
Ryann: “?”
Across the street, a woman with black hair was looking around as she walked over.
Helga had first gone to Kaios Military Academy, then asked directions all the way here. She quickly crossed the road when suddenly she saw a familiar figure move in the window of a tea house ahead, with a familiar head poking out.
Jiang Jianming pressed against the glass and waved to Helga. “Mom.”
Helga smiled and waved back at him.
She walked into the tea house—and was surprised to discover that beside her son stood a familiar young man.
Jiang Jianming pulled Ryann in front of himself and spoke before Helga could ask. “Mom, you’re meeting for the first time, right? This is my frien…um… boyfriend.”
Helga nearly stumbled at the doorway of the private room. “Boyfriend!?”
Jiang Jianming looked away guiltily. “Cough, we just agreed to it.”
Neither of their parents knew about his relationship with Ryann; it was practically an underground romance.
“…Ryann Orlando.” Ryann bowed slightly as a courtesy.
In front of outsiders, that mechanical coldness returned to his demeanor, “Mrs. Helga, you should know me.”
Helga lightly raised her fine, long eyebrow. “Ah… it’s you.”
She placed her small bag on the table, her gaze first lingering for a second on the ring box, then scanning over Ryann.
The woman’s beautiful brown eyes were clear and striking, identical to Jiang Jianming’s. Ryann looked up to meet her gaze, calculating how to respond if Helga didn’t approve.
Soon, Helga frowned and sighed deeply.
“Ming Ming, you’re in the wrong here.”
Ryann’s chest tightened.
“Look at you,” Helga scolded, grabbing Jiang Jianming and shaking him vigorously, “He’s already brought out a ring, clearly proposing to you, and you only tell your mother he’s your boyfriend? How could you do that?”
Jiang Jianming: “Huh? No, no, that’s actually a misunderstanding—”
Helga said sadly, “Nonsense, you’re clearly planning to get married without telling us. If your father finds out, he’ll cry all night!”
“Mom, we’re in public, please leave Dad some dignity.”
“So did you accept? When are you planning to hold the wedding? Sigh, at your age it’s certainly a bit early, but as long as you don’t have children, it’s not a huge problem…”
“Mom, I already said it’s a misunderstanding.”
Beside them, Ryann watched the mother and son’s back-and-forth exchange with an expressionless face.
It seemed Jiang’s family atmosphere was quite unique. Completely ignored, he could only sit down and quietly eat the apple pie in front of him.
However, he hadn’t anticipated what would follow.
“Oh—! Ming Ming has a boyfriend, that’s wonderful!”
The sunset was sinking. In the distance, several crows cawed and flew away from the treetops.
Jiang Sheng stood at the front door, beaming. He repeatedly patted Ryann’s shoulder. “Young Ryann, stay at our house tonight! What would you like for dinner? Don’t be so formal, just tell me what dishes you like, Uncle is quite the cook!”
Ryann: “…”
So, why had he been lured to Jiang Jianming’s home?
“Ryann is rather shy, stop teasing him.” Jiang Jianming was completely unfazed, calmly pulling Ryann inside. “He’s not staying here tonight, but he can have dinner. Let him go home after nine.”
Jiang Sheng reached out dejectedly. “Hey, but the menu hasn’t been…”
Jiang Jianming: “Cook whatever you want.”
Bang, the bedroom door closed.
“…Jiang.” Ryann felt conflicted. “If you don’t want me to clash with Andrew Orlando, you could just tell me directly.”
“Would you listen if I told you?” Jiang Jianming looked at him with amusement.
Ryann seeing the confrontation with Andrew at the school gate earlier had been completely accidental.
Jiang knew his own limits when fighting, but Ryann didn’t. Jiang Jianming was genuinely afraid that Ryann would go home and literally beat his nominal brother to death, only to be summoned to court the next day.
So he needed to delay until evening. After Speaker Orlando returned home, no matter how much trouble there might be, at least no one would end up dead.
“Though, wanting you to come have dinner at our home is sincere…”
Jiang Jianming pulled out the chair at the desk and opened his light computer. “If you’re free, would you help me with my homework? I still have my graduation thesis, and there are a few details I’m uncertain about. I’d like to ask your opinion.”
“Then kiss me one more time,” Ryann said with complete seriousness. “You kiss me, and I won’t cause trouble when I go home tonight.”
Jiang Jianming moved closer with resignation. Ryann placed one hand on the desk, bending down to block the light from the window, asking hoarsely, “…Did you lock the door?”
Jiang Jianming’s answer of “It’s locked” was forced to become a gasp. The young man’s hot and solid body pressed against him, making his spine tingle.
Ryann bent down to kiss him, while also fumbling to grab his lover’s hand. He forcefully spread it open and interlaced his fingers with Jiang’s.
Their ten fingers intertwined in the shadow of the desk, nervousness causing both palms to sweat slightly. Suddenly, something hard and hot touched Jiang Jianming’s skin.
It was crystal bone.
In broad daylight, they certainly couldn’t do anything too extreme. But crystal bones were possible.
The golden crystal bone slowly emerged, pressing against Jiang Jianming’s wrist, repeatedly caressing the patch of skin inlaid with silver-blue crystal chips, trying to coax out the other’s response.
Ryann pressed against his cheek, whispering, “In that dream I told you about….my crystal bone always approached you with trepidation, afraid of releasing crystal particles and hurting you. Unlike now.”
The fabric made subtle friction sounds. Jiang Jianming couldn’t resist this stimulation; blue-silver crystal bones emerged from his skin surface as well. In the room, squeezed in the shadow, their crystal bones entwined forcefully like twin snakes.
“So?” Jiang Jianming closed his eyes, kissing the curls on the young man’s forehead, “After waking up, you still think the present me is better, don’t you?”
“…Both are good.” Ryann said, “Jiang, I like you, no matter what kind of person you are, as long as it’s you… it’s good.”
Outside a locked door, Helga sat in the living room, talking and laughing with her husband. Cooking sounds began to emanate from the kitchen, and rich aromas gradually wafted out.
On the television, news was playing: “News from the Silver Big Dipper front line: suspected signals from an unknown civilization have been detected. Black Shark Base and the Universe Investigation Bureau are currently analyzing with full resources…”
Today’s sunset had slowly descended, and tomorrow’s sunrise would gradually ascend once more.
And the young man’s passionate yet pure love, their destined life together hand in hand, as well as this peaceful and magnificent new era—
Had only just begun.
TN:
Dear readers, unfortunately the rest of the extras will take a little while, since they can’t be viewed through the website and I don’t have the jjwxc app. I’ll somehow find a way to obtain the raws, or if anyone has the app and perhaps doesn’t mind helping me obtain the rest to translate, just dm me on discord ‘SylverScythe’ or find me on the Moonlight Novels server ‘BEE’, it’d be very much appreciated, thank you.
