Weakness

Churong returned home, his brain having done zero work arranging the dishes since Chen Yi had taken care of everything. His mind was stuck on a loop, replaying his first kiss—a moment that had quite literally stolen his breath—and Chen Yi's bare physique, which had haunted him into a vivid wet dream.

Even after waking up and heading to school, his thoughts drifted back to Chen Yi's warm embrace, distracting him from reality.

Now dressed as Ling Xie, he sat in his computer class, staring blankly at the projector while the professor's words flew straight over his head. He tapped his pen mindlessly on his notebook, creating a chaotic cluster of dots as his thoughts wandered.

'Ah, classmate Han (male) just bumped his elbow against classmate Myon (male)!'

Desperate for a distraction, Ling Xie sharpened his observational skills and started scrutinizing his classmates like a hawk. Before long, his imagination kicked into overdrive, and he found himself spotting potential couples—ships that might actually sail.

'Kyaaaaaaaa! Did Huang (male) just lick Biming's (male) ear?!'

His fudanshi soul was reinvigorated. The emotional rollercoaster of the past few days had left him drained, but these accidental interactions among his classmates breathed life back into him. He silently thanked their naive antics for offering him this unexpected source of energy, fueling him back to full power.

"Get your life back on track!" the professor's booming voice shattered his reverie. "Final exams start next week." Without another word, the professor exited, leaving the stunned students to wrestle with the sudden realization of the impending life-or-death tests.

Panic ensued. Some students even cried openly.

Ling Xie cursed under his breath. He'd completely forgotten about the exams too.

"Ling Xie, help me ~" wailed Eun-Tak, who sat beside him, clutching Ling Xie's arm with a tear-streaked face. But Ling Xie only scowled, his own anxiety bubbling to the surface.

'Help you? I need help just as much as you do!'

Both of them had been so "busy" lately that a pile of documents had gone untouched.

"Ugh, we need to study," Ling Xie groaned as he gathered his things and dragged the lifeless Eun-Tak to their club room.

"Study, yes, study," Eun-Tak nodded blankly, his face devoid of expression. "How do you study again?"

Ling Xie felt a headache coming on. Did his friend's IQ drop to an all-time low? How was he supposed to help him if even the simplest tasks felt like a monumental challenge? Massaging his temple, Ling Xie opened the door to the club room.

He stepped inside, expecting it to be empty, but froze when he saw two guys sitting across from each other on the sofa, leisurely sipping tea. His face immediately flushed when he noticed one of them was Chen Yi.

"What's wrong?" Young-Su asked, noticing Eun-Tak's troubled expression. Chen Yi stood up at the same time, catching Ling Xie before he could flee.

Ling Xie realized it was pointless to struggle, so he allowed them to lead him to the sofa, where they both sat down together.

"Final exams! You didn't remind me!" Eun-Tak slapped Young-Su's chest indignantly, though his lanky arms did no damage. Young-Su, realizing his mistake, apologized profusely, but his eyes showed that he held no regrets.

"I've prepared everything beforehand, so you don't need to worry. I'll help you study starting today, okay?" Young-Su coaxed, though Eun-Tak only glared at him. 'This pervert planned it all!'

Ling Xie was watching the scene in amusement. There was something incredibly satisfying about witnessing a shou reprimanding his hungry gong.

What he didn't notice, however, was that the moment he entered, Chen Yi's eyes were fixed on him.

A pang of jealousy hit Chen Yi as he realized Ling Xie wasn't paying him any attention. Without hesitation, he reached out, pulled Ling Xie into his lap, and placed him firmly between his legs, locking him in place. He brought Ling Xie's head to his favorite spot—his neck.

"Wha—hey!" Ling Xie yelped, his face turning scarlet.

His startled cry immediately caught the attention of the two quarreling lovers. Both of them raised an eyebrow in unison.

'How are they already at the hugging stage!?' Eun-Tak marveled, eyes wide.

'Chen Yi's too fast,' Young-Su thought bitterly, his mind still dwelling on how he hadn't been able to win Eun-Tak over as quickly as Chen Yi had claimed Ling Xie.

"Let's go," Young-Su whispered playfully in Eun-Tak's ear. Of course, he wasn't trying to help Chen Yi. He was only hoping to get Eun-Tak back to their house as soon as possible.

Eun-Tak, ever the strategist, wasted no time in sacrificing his friend to the "wolf," and left the room smiling, pleased with himself for pushing Ling Xie into Chen Yi's grasp.

'Why must they leave?!' Ling Xie thought, frustrated. He wanted to chase after them, but with his position firmly locked in Chen Yi's embrace, he couldn't even stand up.

He cautiously gazed at the blue locks of hair resting on his shoulder. "Y-Yi? ... Ah!"

Chen Yi could no longer hold himself back. He had been teased by Ling Xie's white, slender skin, which seemed to beckon him for a bite. Unable to resist, he bit down, then immediately licked the mark he left behind, making Ling Xie shudder.

"No—don't leave a mark," Ling Xie gasped, his hand trembling as he grabbed Chen Yi's hair and pushed with all his strength. But it was like pushing against a wall. Chen Yi didn't budge an inch, continuing to suck on the spot he marked. Ling Xie fought to suppress the moan that threatened to escape, but a sharp gasp left his mouth when Chen Yi slid his tongue over his ear.

His whole body went slack. He had no strength left as Chen Yi continued nibbling and playing with his ear.

"You're very sensitive here."

Chen Yi's words were a soft whisper directly in Ling Xie's ear, causing him to whimper. "Uuuh, enough!" His voice trembled, his face flushed and eyes misty as he glared at his perpetrator.

A fierce fire burned in Chen Yi's chest, urging him to ravage the person in his arms.

At that moment, Ling Xie had no makeup to conceal his natural beauty. Churong's makeup had hidden it perfectly the night before. Only the thick-rimmed black glasses kept Chen Yi from kissing away the tears that lingered in the corners of Ling Xie's eyes.

"Wanna come to my house?"

Ling Xie's eyes widened in fright. He struggled to break free from Chen Yi's hold but had forgotten that he was weakened from earlier. His feeble attempts only seemed like gentle pats on Chen Yi's chest.

Chen Yi let out a bitter laugh at Ling Xie's desperate desire to flee. "Don't you need to study? I'll help you." The boy in his arms stopped struggling, guilt flashing in his eyes.

Ling Xie's face flushed in embarrassment. 'Why didn't he say that earlier?!' He was ashamed of the dirty thoughts that had clouded his mind.