FSGOR Ch46

Evening.

Chu Xuyu picked up Jiang Tian near the snack street. The guy was so cautious it was almost neurotic—he insisted that Chu Xuyu park at Xingfu Port Residential Area, far from where his classmates might spot them.

Anyone else would probably overthink that behavior.

But Chu Xuyu, older by more than just a few years and much more experienced, had long since figured out his young boyfriend’s mindset. Far from being offended, he actually found this kind of secrecy sweet and charming in its own way.

They didn’t go out for dinner.

Back home, Jiang Tian tied on an apron and took the initiative to cook a home-style meal.

The table was filled with rich, flavorful dishes he was confident in—each one could rival a restaurant’s signature dish in color, aroma, and taste.

Chu Xuyu had lived a life of luxury. He never cooked, and his kitchen was fully equipped with everything from dishwashers to smart appliances. But precisely because of that, he didn’t even bother pretending to help.

Which worked out well—giving the two more time to bask in their sticky-sweet honeymoon phase.

After dinner, Jiang Tian insisted on cleaning up the kitchen, and Chu Xuyu followed him inside. Two men, both over 180 cm tall, squeezed into the corner of the kitchen. The atmosphere was so charged it could make your heart race and your face flush.

“What is it?”

Jiang Tian was about to untie his apron when Chu Xuyu wrapped his arms around him from behind. The heat of his breath skimmed past Jiang Tian’s ear to his neck, leaving his skin tingling.

 “…Ge.”

The man, usually the picture of maturity in public, now buried his face in Jiang Tian’s neck and grunted,
“Mm?”

Jiang Tian, tall as he was, always felt like he was being treated like some small pet. But maybe because he allowed it, he didn’t dodge—he tried to change the subject instead.

“Was the food to your liking?”

“Very good.”

That was extremely high praise from Chu Xuyu. Still nuzzled against him, he mumbled like he was sniffing a puppy,

“Want to sleep in my room tonight?”

Jiang Tian almost dropped the dish towel.

Chu Xuyu turned his head, gazing seriously at Jiang Tian’s pretty features. He gave him a soft peck under the chin.

“It’s fine if you say no. I won’t force you.”

“……”

Jiang Tian subtly licked his lips.

“…Let me think about it.”

From Jiang Tian’s perspective, he didn’t know that Chu Xuyu had spent a long time wrestling with this decision. But the impact of that simple “I’m thinking about you” had clearly lingered and thickened the air between them with a heady tension.

***

After his shower—

Jiang Tian finally made up his mind to stay the night in Chu Xuyu’s master bedroom. On the condition, of course, that nothing more would happen. If it did, he’d find a way to escape.

It couldn’t be helped—after all, it hadn’t been long since they officially started dating, and Jiang Tian had his own pace for emotional intimacy.

Otherwise, this relationship would feel too one-sided, driven purely by lust, and that wasn’t what he wanted.

***

Meanwhile—

Chu Xuyu, also freshly showered, paced alone in the master bedroom. Even someone like him—mature and composed—wasn’t immune to moments of uncharacteristic nervousness.

God knows how long he’d hesitated before finally inviting Jiang Tian to sleep in the same bed. Back when he was waiting near Jiang Tian’s school, he kept rereading their messages, his brain completely flooded, trying to rationalize his feelings.

In the end, his thoughts were simple: Let’s just give it a try.

Chu Xuyu had truly fallen for Jiang Tian. It didn’t make sense for them to keep sleeping in separate rooms forever—not after they’d already crossed that intimate line.

Otherwise, what if his sweet boyfriend misunderstood and thought Chu Xuyu only wanted his body? That would be tragic.

In any case, Chu Xuyu felt like he’d basically recovered from his insomnia. This was the perfect time to try sleeping together for real.

Just then—

There was a soft knock on the door.

“Chu-Ge.”

Chu Xuyu walked over and opened it.

Standing outside was Jiang Tian, hair towel-dried, eyes bright and narrow like a burst of light. Chu Xuyu didn’t say a word—he just pulled him straight inside.

Jiang Tian’s heart was pounding, and he was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and went pale—like he’d just seen a ghost.

Chu Xuyu followed his gaze and burst into a mix of laughter and exasperation.

“It’s your sister calling.”

“Why do you look like you got caught having an affair?”

Jiang Tian got even more flustered, unsure where to look.

“I’ll take it in the living room.”

“No need.”

Chu Xuyu reassured him,

“I’ll stay quiet. You can take the call here.”

“…Okay.”

Jiang Tian answered, speaking smoothly like always.
“Jie, just finished some things. You busy?”

On the other end—

Jiang Jing had just returned to her hotel after accompanying a friend to a nearby city to record a show. Following her doctor’s advice, she’d been trying not to stay cooped up at home and decided to check in with her brother.

“Not too busy today.”

 She had heard he was back home and asked,“Tian, did you bring that package inside?”

Actually—

He was currently standing in the house of his boss-turned-boyfriend, looking tense. He avoided her question, glancing out the window.

“I was too tired from school today, didn’t check. Is it something important?”

“Not really,” Jiang Jing replied casually.

“Probably left at the pick-up station. It’s just a better version of the security camera we ordered. You can grab it whenever you’re free.”

“Got it. I’ll pick it up tomorrow. Anything else?”

Normally, Jiang Tian never ended calls so quickly. His rush felt suspicious, but Jiang Jing didn’t think much of it. She just assumed he was tired from helping at school.

“Nothing else. Just make sure you take care of yourself at work. I’m doing fine. I’ll be back in a few days.”

Jiang Tian’s eyes flicked toward Chu Xuyu, who was standing nearby, arms folded, looking like he was waiting for something entertaining.

“Okay.”

“President Chu’s been taking good care of me, Jie, don’t worry. Just let me know when you book your train back to Ningcheng.”

“I’ll have Lu Qiao and I pick you up.”

Jiang Jing fully believed everything her brother said. From her perspective, everything seemed perfect—her little brother was thriving at work, had a kind boss, and seemed perfectly fine emotionally.

She had no idea he was already dating that so-called kind boss!

After a bit more casual chatting, the call ended. Jiang Tian let out a long breath, like his soul had been sucked out. He completely relaxed.

Chu Xuyu chuckled and reached out to flick his nose, teasing like he would a puppy.

 “Look at you, getting so nervous just from chatting with your sister.”

Jiang Tian was definitely flustered. He forced himself to act normal, “It’s fine.”

Chu Xuyu just smiled and walked to the bed, asking where Jiang Tian wanted to sleep.

Jiang Tian composed himself.

 “…Anywhere is fine.”

“Then… by the window?”

The words slipped out too quickly, and Chu Xuyu instantly regretted them. He was afraid Jiang Tian might think he was particular about sleeping near the window—revealing his long-hidden anxiety disorder.

Fortunately, Jiang Tian didn’t seem to notice anything off. He walked over to the window-side of the bed and obediently said, “Okay. That’s fine.”

Chu Xuyu secretly let out a breath of relief and lay down on the bed. Jiang Tian followed suit, lying down at a distance that was not too close, not too far—just enough to put a man with insomnia at ease.

At the same time—

Jiang Tian had assumed that once they got into bed, Chu Xuyu might try something. But to his surprise, the man was unusually quiet. He asked the voice assistant to turn off the lights, put on a sleep mask, and seemed genuinely ready to sleep.

That… threw Jiang Tian off.

“……”

Realizing he’d been expecting something to happen—yet nothing did—made Jiang Tian question his own mindset.

The room was dim. Chu Xuyu, now with his silk sleep mask on, completely blocked out the light.

By the head of the bed sat a small clear box—custom-fitted earplugs. Clearly, the man had very high standards for his sleep environment.

Jiang Tian withdrew his gaze, thinking back to that time in Beijing when Chu Xuyu had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He figured maybe he was just overthinking it.

“Goodnight.”

Chu Xuyu, fumbling for his earplugs, spoke in his low, steady voice.

“You worked hard today.”

Being praised like that always made Jiang Tian feel deeply flattered. His cheeks warmed.

“Ge, you worked hard too.”

“…Goodnight.”

Perhaps helping his teacher had really worn him out—Jiang Tian barely managed a response before falling fast asleep.

***

From a little past 10 p.m. to after 1 a.m., it started to rain in Ning City.

Chu Xuyu tossed and turned.

He kept taking off and putting on his sleep mask. Eventually, he sat up, listening to the sound of rain while staring at the peacefully sleeping face of the boy beside him, head pounding.

His handsome little boyfriend, hair slightly tousled, was exactly his type. Just looking at him was pleasing to the eye. But even so—he still couldn’t adjust to having another person in bed with him.

That ever-present anxiety—usually sunk like a stone to the bottom of a lake—was beginning to rise again. And with it came that familiar tightness in his chest.

Chu Xuyu pressed his fingers to his brow, then reached for his phone on the nightstand. Making sure Do Not Disturb was on—so messages wouldn’t wake Jiang Tian—he finally messaged his therapist.

Eason: You might as well take a sleeping pill.

Eason: Otherwise, you’ll be staring at the ceiling until dawn.

That was sound advice. Chu Xuyu knew full well he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without medication.

But here came the real dilemma.

He had sleeping pills. They were tucked away in a hidden compartment in the nightstand. But if he got up now to find them, the noise would probably wake Jiang Tian.

And then his health condition would be exposed before morning even came.

Afternoon Tea: Forget it.

Afternoon Tea:  I’ll just stare at the ceiling till dawn.

Eason: …You’re seriously worried about waking your little boyfriend?

Eason: You’re in love, aren’t you? Since you’re up anyway, why not wake him up and do something more adult instead?

“……”

Chu Xuyu: Has anyone ever had a therapist this damn unhinged?

He put the phone down quietly.

Just then, a thunderclap exploded outside, deafeningly loud.

It wasn’t just him—it startled Jiang Tian too. Half-asleep, he blinked through the flash of lightning and saw Chu Xuyu setting down his phone.

“…Huh?”

Jiang Tian, groggy, blinked again.

 “Ge… You’re still up?”

Chu Xuyu had never felt this guilty in his life. It was as if a starving ghost had crawled out from his bones, gnawing away at his nerves. In a hoarse voice, he lied, “Just replying to some emails. Go back to sleep.”

Jiang Tian didn’t suspect anything, murmured a sleepy “mm” and shut his eyes again—already drifting off.

Chu Xuyu couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.

He knew his body wasn’t normal. But how could he wake his boyfriend just to talk about his psychological issues?

All he could do was try to fall asleep again.

But no matter how hard he tried, the earplugs couldn’t block the rain, and the air felt heavier and harder to breathe. Anxiety kept surging, dulling his senses and isolating him from the outside world.

Time passed—how long, he couldn’t say.

Then—

Click.

The bedside lamp lit up with a soft snap, and that crushing weight in his chest eased a little.

Jiang Tian’s voice broke the silence.
“Ge.”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Chu Xuyu’s heart gave a jolt. He snapped into clarity. His ears were still ringing, but he forced a calm expression.

“What is it?”

He pulled off his mask, cold sweat clinging to his back, but his face was composed, like nothing had happened.

Seeing that he looked fine, Jiang Tian figured he’d overreacted. Sitting up on the bed, he rubbed his neck, embarrassed.

“If you’re okay, that’s good.”

“I wasn’t really sleeping deeply.”

“I thought… I heard you breathing really hard…”

Even with the pounding rain outside, Jiang Tian had been close enough to hear Chu Xuyu’s breathing—labored, like he was suffocating.

Chu Xuyu looked at that handsome face, brow furrowed in concern, eyes full of worry.

He looked adorable. So much so that the anxiety inside him, long buried, began to melt away.

In that moment—

Love surged through him like a flood. All logic drowned beneath it.

Chu Xuyu completely lost his head.

He rolled over and pinned Jiang Tian beneath him.

“……”

Jiang Tian blinked at the sudden shift, only to find himself looking up into the intense, shadowed gaze of Chu Xuyu, who leaned down and silenced him with a kiss.

And at the same time—

His pajama shirt was lifted slightly. He was forced to open his lips, kissed from the mouth to his ear, and heard that deep, magnetic voice whisper:

“Baby.”

“Do you want to do it tonight?”