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Wu Suowei was on a mission.

A very serious one, in fact. One that required patience, precision, and, according to Jiang Xiaoshuai, significantly less dramatics than Suowei was currently displaying. But Suowei personally believed dramatics were essential to success, especially when the target of his affections was Chi Cheng.

He had been thirteen when he first met him.

Chi Cheng had been fifteen then, already taller than everyone else in the room, already carrying himself with that calm, steady composure that made adults trust him almost instantly. Their families had known each other for years, and Suowei still remembered being nudged forward by his mother to greet him properly. Back then, he had been painfully shy around strangers despite being spoiled rotten at home. He had clung to his sleeves, stared at the floor, and introduced himself in a voice so soft it had nearly disappeared beneath the noise of conversation.

Chi Cheng, however, had crouched slightly so they were eye level and greeted him with easy patience, as though speaking to Suowei was the most natural thing in the world.

That had been the beginning of the end for him.

Suowei had grown up cherished beyond reason. His parents adored him, his relatives indulged him endlessly, and there had never been a moment in his life where he had doubted he was loved. Yet somehow, when Chi Cheng entered his orbit, that affection only multiplied. Chi Cheng remembered every insignificant preference he mentioned in passing, noticed immediately when his mood soured, and spoiled him so quietly that Suowei often did not even realize it until later.

If Suowei casually mentioned craving strawberry cake once, it would mysteriously appear that evening. If he fell asleep on the couch, Chi Cheng would carry him back to bed without waking him. During winter, scarves would appear around his neck before he even noticed the cold.

But Chi Cheng was not soft all the time.

That was perhaps the most dangerous thing about him.

He indulged Suowei endlessly, yes, but he also knew exactly when to put his foot down. He never tolerated skipped classes, unfinished assignments, or reckless behavior. Whenever Suowei tried to test boundaries, Chi Cheng would look at him with that calm, unimpressed stare that somehow worked better than yelling ever could.

And the worst part was that Suowei listened.Always.

Over the years, Chi Cheng became stitched into every part of his life so seamlessly that Suowei could no longer remember what things had looked like before him. Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and somewhere along the way, admiration turned into something far more dangerous. Something warm and consuming that curled low in his stomach whenever Chi Cheng touched his hair absentmindedly or called him baby in that fond, helpless tone.

Suowei knew, too, that he was not alone in it.

He was not blind. He saw the way Chi Cheng looked at him sometimes before catching himself at the last second. He noticed how quickly the older man lost patience whenever someone flirted with him. How instinctively protective he became. How every bit of affection was given freely, generously, almost like second nature.

But Chi Cheng was older. He was more responsible and restrained. Even when Suowei was fairly certain he had the man wrapped completely around his finger, Chi Cheng had never once crossed a line. He held him close, spoiled him endlessly, cared for him with almost frightening devotion, but that was all it ever became.

In five years, they had never truly spent time apart, and somewhere between being cared for and being cherished, Suowei had fallen hopelessly in love. The problem was that Chi Cheng, despite indulging him endlessly, had always been painfully careful with him. 

Now Wu Suowei was finally eighteen.

Which meant, in his opinion, Chi Cheng had officially run out of excuses.

Step 1- Get Him to Tutor You and Spend More Time Together

The first step of Wu Suowei’s carefully crafted masterplan was, admittedly, the easiest one.

Mostly because his parents had unknowingly done half the work for him already.

They trusted Chi Cheng to an almost ridiculous degree. Somewhere along the years, the older had become the standard by which all responsibility was measured. If Chi Cheng said Suowei was studying properly, then he was. If Chi Cheng said he needed stricter discipline, his parents agreed immediately. And when the topic of university preparation came up, they had entrusted Suowei to Chi Cheng’s care without a second thought.

Suowei, naturally, had accepted before they even finished asking.

Living together with the man he was hopelessly in love with? That sounded less like supervision and more like divine intervention.

Granted, Chi Cheng was annoyingly strict sometimes. He enforced proper sleep schedules, made sure Suowei attended every class, monitored his eating habits, and possessed a terrifying ability to notice unfinished homework from across the room. But Suowei did not particularly care. If anything, he liked being looked after by him.

Which was exactly why his first mission had been foolproof in theory. More tutoring meant more alone time and alone time meant opportunities which meant seduction.

It was simple or at least it had sounded simple in his head.

“Cheng-ge,” Suowei whined dramatically one evening, dragging himself across the couch until he was nearly hanging off Chi Cheng’s side, “math is actually trying to kill me.”

Chi Cheng barely glanced up from his laptop. “Your grades say otherwise.”

“That’s because I’m naturally gifted,” Suowei replied without shame before immediately leaning closer and lowering his voice pitifully. “But I still need help.”

That finally got Chi Cheng’s attention.

The older man sighed softly, the kind of sigh that already sounded resigned to indulging him. “Bring your books here, Wei Wei.”

Suowei nearly smiled in victory.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Unfortunately for him, Chi Cheng took tutoring far more seriously than anticipated. Almost painfully seriously.

“You’re not even listening.”

“I am listening,” Suowei protested while sprawled dramatically across the dining table.

Chi Cheng tapped the open textbook with his pen. “Then solve the equation.”

Suowei stared at the numbers for a long moment before looking up innocently. “What equation?”

Chi Cheng gave him a long, unimpressed look.

Honestly, the man was immune to flirting. It was unnatural.

Suowei tried everything over the next hour. He rested his chin on Chi Cheng’s shoulder while pretending to think. He kicked his legs under the table. He complained about being tired in the softest voice he could manage. At one point, he even accidentally brushed their knees together beneath the table.

Nothing worked.

Chi Cheng remained maddeningly composed through all of it.

“Cheng-ge,” Suowei groaned eventually, dropping his pen onto the table, “you are no fun.”

“You haven’t been paying attention, Wei Wei.”

“I have been paying attention to you.”

The words slipped out so naturally that even Suowei blinked afterward.

For a split second, Chi Cheng stilled but just barely.

Then he calmly reached over, took the bag of chips sitting beside Suowei, and placed it out of reach.

“You got the last answer wrong,” he said smoothly. “No snacks for you.”

Suowei stared at him in betrayal. “You are going to confiscate my food?”

“You can have it back after you finish the worksheet.”

“This is abuse.”

“This,” Chi Cheng corrected, “is consequences.”

Suowei narrowed his eyes at him while Chi Cheng continued explaining formulas as though he had not just committed the greatest act of oppression imaginable.

The worst part was that Suowei still found him unbearably attractive.

By the end of the night, he had learned exactly two things.

Firstly, Chi Cheng was extremely good at tutoring.

And secondly, seducing him was apparently going to be much harder than expected.

Step 2- Use the Lip Gloss

The second step of Wu Suowei’s mission was based entirely on careful observation and Suowei was very observant when it came to Chi Cheng.

Over the years, he had noticed countless little things about him. The way Chi Cheng always loosened his cuffs when stressed. The way he unconsciously reached for Suowei whenever crossing a road. The way his voice softened whenever he was sleepy.

But more importantly, Suowei had noticed the staring. It was not obvious staring, of course. Chi Cheng was far too controlled for that.

Still, there had been moments, brief ones where his gaze lingered on Suowei’s mouth just a second too long before immediately shifting away again. Fleeting enough that most people would miss it entirely.

Unfortunately for Chi Cheng, Suowei was not most people.

Neither was Jiang Xiaoshuai, apparently.

“Oh, he definitely looks at your lips,” Xiaoshuai had said once while chewing gum lazily. “It’s actually embarrassing how obvious it is.”

“He thinks he’s subtle,” Suowei scoffed.

“He’s not.”

And really, if Chi Cheng insisted on having weaknesses, then Suowei saw no reason not to exploit them which was exactly how he found himself standing in front of the bathroom mirror nearly an hour later, carefully applying lip gloss with the concentration of a man preparing for war.

The color was soft mauve, glossy enough to catch attention without looking excessive. Suowei tilted his face from side to side critically before nodding to himself in approval.

Perfect.

He walked out into the living room with far more confidence than necessary.

Chi Cheng was sitting on the couch scrolling through something on his phone, dressed casually in dark clothes that made him look unfairly attractive for a random weekday evening. One of his sleeves was rolled halfway up his forearm, exposing the watch Suowei had once bought him for his birthday.

Suowei almost got distracted from his own mission.

He crossed the room before deliberately stopping right in front of him.

“Gege,” he called sweetly.

Chi Cheng looked up immediately. “Hm?”

Suowei leaned down slightly, blinking innocently while pointing toward his mouth. “Does this color look good on my lips?”

And then, because Suowei believed in committing fully to the act, he pouted deliberately, accentuating the soft gloss coating his lips and drawing attention to his mouth in the most shameless way possible.

For the briefest moment, Chi Cheng went completely still. His gaze flickered downward instinctively before settling directly on Suowei’s lips.

There it was.

Victory.

Suowei could practically hear Xiaoshuai screaming somewhere in the distance.

The silence stretched for one heartbeat too long before Chi Cheng finally spoke.

“Of course, baby,” he said quietly, voice lower than before. “Mauve looks good on you.”

Suowei blinked.

“....You know it’s mauve?”

That genuinely threw him off more than anything else.

Chi Cheng’s expression remained perfectly calm, though there was something unreadable in his eyes now. “I know a lot of things about you, Wei Wei”

Which honestly should have been illegal to say out loud.

Before Suowei could recover enough to flirt back properly, Chi Cheng suddenly stood from the couch.

“I have some work to finish,” he said smoothly.

And then, as though nothing unusual had happened at all, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Suowei’s forehead before walking away.

Suowei remained frozen in the middle of the living room.

“What just happened?” he muttered weakly.

Several hours later, the front door opened again.

Suowei glanced up from where he was dramatically sulking on the couch only to pause when he noticed the shopping bags in Chi Cheng’s hands.

“What’s that?”

Chi Cheng set them down casually beside him. “You kept staring at lip products online last week.”

Suowei frowned in confusion before finally crouching beside the bags to peek inside. The moment he realized what was actually in them, he nearly choked on air.

There were lip glosses.

Not just one or two either, but an almost ridiculous collection of them. Different brands, different finishes, and shades so carefully selected that Suowei instantly recognized his own preferences in every single one. Soft pinks, glossy berry tones, rosy nudes, peach shades, and even another mauve gloss sat neatly tucked inside the bags like Chi Cheng had spent actual time thinking about which colors would suit him best.

For several long moments, Suowei could only stare at the collection in stunned disbelief. His entire seduction attempt had somehow ended with Chi Cheng quietly buying him what looked like an entire cosmetic line instead of reacting the way Suowei had intended.

Meanwhile, Chi Cheng merely loosened the watch around his wrist and looked at him with calm patience, as though this was the most ordinary thing in the world.

“Do you like them?” he asked simply.

Slowly, Suowei lifted his gaze toward him.

Honestly, this man was impossible.

Step 3- Give Hints About Wanting a First Kiss

By the third failed attempt, Wu Suowei had started suspecting that Chi Cheng might actually be superhuman because there was simply no logical explanation for the level of self-control this man possessed.

Any normal person would have cracked by now.At least that was what Jiang Xiaoshuai insisted while sitting cross-legged across from him at the dining table, pretending to help him study while actually being entirely invested in the downfall of Suowei’s dignity.

“You’re approaching this wrong,” Xiaoshuai whispered while flipping through Suowei’s notes with absolutely no interest in the actual content. “You need to be more direct.”

“I have been direct.”

“You asked him if mauve suited you.”

“That was seduction.”

“That,” Xiaoshuai corrected flatly, “was a cosmetic consultation in his eyes.”

Suowei glared at him.

The dining table was littered with notebooks and papers solely for appearances. Neither of them had done any real studying in the past twenty minutes. A few feet away, Chi Cheng sat on the couch with his phone in hand, long legs stretched out casually as he scrolled through something with quiet concentration.

Even from a distance, Suowei found him distractingly attractive. It was becoming a problem.

Then suddenly, inspiration struck.

Slowly, dramatically, Suowei dropped his head onto the table with a miserable groan.

“I’m going to die.”

Xiaoshuai did not even look up. “Please do it quietly.”

“I’m serious,” Suowei lamented. “I’m eighteen and I still haven’t had my first kiss. This is tragic.”

That finally earned him a reaction, though not from Xiaoshuai. From the corner of his eye, Suowei noticed Chi Cheng’s thumb pause briefly against his phone screen, the movement subtle enough that most people would have missed it entirely. The moment lasted only a second before Chi Cheng resumed scrolling again, but it was enough for Suowei to notice.

Encouraged, Suowei sighed even louder. “At this rate, I’ll die inexperienced and unloved.”

“Focus on your notes,” Xiaoshuai muttered, though Suowei could already hear the amusement creeping into his voice.

“But I really want my first kiss,” Suowei continued shamelessly, dragging the words out with deliberate emphasis. “Like……. really badly.”

A heavy silence settled over the room immediately afterward, thick enough that Suowei became acutely aware of Chi Cheng sitting only a few feet away. Even without looking directly at him, he could practically feel the older man’s attention shift toward him.

Xiaoshuai finally looked up, clearly deciding to contribute to the chaos. “You say that like it’s difficult for you to find someone.”

Suowei blinked at him.

Oh.

Xiaoshuai was helping him now.That realization alone made Suowei sit up slightly straighter, interest immediately sparking in his eyes.

“You could literally get any guy you want,” Xiaoshuai continued casually, sounding far too entertained by this entire situation. “Wasn’t that one classmate of ours practically in love with you?”

At that, Chi Cheng’s head lifted immediately from his phone. The change in his demeanor was subtle, but unmistakable. His brows furrowed ever so slightly as his gaze settled on Suowei, sharp and unreadable now in a way that made excitement spark instantly through him.

Suowei nearly straightened in his seat from sheer anticipation.

Meanwhile, Xiaoshuai, absolute traitor that he was, continued feeding the fire with complete confidence.

“I forgot his name,” he mused thoughtfully while tapping his pen against the table. “The tall one from your literature class. The one who kept finding excuses to sit beside you all semester.”

“Oh,” Suowei said quickly, immediately catching onto the game. “You mean Liang-”

Before he could even finish the name, Chi Cheng suddenly rose from the couch. The movement was abrupt enough that both Suowei and Xiaoshuai instinctively looked over at him in surprise.

Chi Cheng crossed the room in a few calm strides before stopping beside Suowei’s chair. Without a word, he flicked Suowei lightly on the forehead.

“Ow!”

“Stop getting distracted,” Chi Cheng said evenly. “You have exams soon.”

Suowei rubbed his forehead in offense. “That was unnecessary.”

“You were discussing kissing instead of studying.”

“That is an important life topic.”

Chi Cheng gave him a long look.

Then, with one final unimpressed glance, he collected the empty coffee mug from the table and walked toward the kitchen.

The second he disappeared out of earshot, Xiaoshuai leaned forward dramatically.

“He definitely likes you.”

Suowei let out a groan before dropping his face into his arms.

“That’s not enough,” he mumbled into the table miserably. “I need him to stop acting like a monk.”

Step 4- Wear His T-Shirt to College

By this point, Wu Suowei had become deeply committed to the idea that persistence would eventually break Chi Cheng’s resolve.

If subtle flirting failed, then perhaps the answer was escalation which was exactly how he ended up standing in front of his closet at seven in the morning wearing one of Chi Cheng’s black T-shirts and a pair of shorts that barely counted as proper protection against the weather.

Technically, this was not unusual behavior.

Suowei wore Chi Cheng’s clothes all the time around the apartment. Hoodies, shirts, sweaters–half his wardrobe had slowly become a shared custody arrangement over the years. Chi Cheng never complained about it either. In fact, he usually looked strangely pleased whenever he spotted Suowei wandering around in his things.

But this time was different.

This time, Suowei was dressing with intention.

The oversized black T-shirt hung low enough to brush against mid-thigh, the sleeves swallowing part of his hands whenever he moved. Beneath it, his shorts were barely visible unless someone looked carefully. His legs, especially, looked unfairly good beneath the oversized shirt. Long, pale, and smooth, they were fully on display every time he moved. Combined with the gloss on his lips and the way Chi Cheng’s black T-shirt swallowed his smaller frame, the overall effect was dangerously distracting. Suowei was convinced no sane person would survive this visual unscathed.

The only unfortunate detail was the weather.

The morning air outside carried the sharp bite of early winter, cold enough that Suowei paused briefly near the doorway before deciding that suffering was simply part of the artistic process. Beauty required sacrifice, after all. Besides, once Chi Cheng saw him dressed like this, the man would absolutely short-circuit.

At least, that had been Suowei’s expectation.

Reality, however, turned out to be deeply disappointing.

Chi Cheng emerged from the kitchen holding a mug of coffee, dressed neatly for the day with his sleeves rolled up just enough to expose his forearms. The moment his eyes landed on Suowei, he stopped in place.

Suowei instinctively straightened slightly, anticipation curling warmly in his stomach.

This was it.

The moment.

Chi Cheng’s gaze moved over him once before slowly trailing back again, taking in the oversized black shirt, the bare stretch of his legs, and the gloss still shining softly on his lips. For one brief second, Suowei thought he finally saw the older man falter.

Then Chi Cheng’s brows slowly pulled together in disapproval instead.

“It’s cold outside,” Chi Cheng said at last, his brows still drawn together slightly. “You should go change.”

Suowei blinked at him in complete disbelief.

“.....What?”

“You’ll freeze wearing that.”

That was it?

After all that effort, after carefully choosing the outfit and mentally preparing himself for at least some visible loss of composure, the only thing Chi Cheng seemed concerned about was the temperature outside. There was no obvious staring, no flustered reaction, no desperate moment of weakness where he finally shoved Suowei against the nearest wall and kissed him senseless.

There was just pure, practical concern.

Suowei could only stare as Chi Cheng calmly walked closer, already reaching for the coat hanging beside the entrance.

“Wear something warmer, Wei Wei,” he said patiently.

And just like that, frustration exploded inside Suowei almost instantly.

“You are unbelievable,” Suowei burst out.

Chi Cheng looked genuinely caught off guard. “What did I do?”

“You don’t get it!”

“Get what?”

Suowei opened his mouth before immediately realizing he could not exactly scream why won’t you sexualize me properly? at eight in the morning.

Instead, he grabbed his bag dramatically.

“I hate you,” he declared with immense offense before storming out of the apartment.

Behind him, he vaguely heard Chi Cheng call out his name.

Unfortunately, about fifteen minutes later, Suowei discovered that Chi Cheng had, in fact, been correct.

It was absolutely freezing.

By the time he arrived at campus, his legs felt moments away from developing permanent frost damage. The cold wind cut through the oversized shirt mercilessly, and his pride alone prevented him from admitting defeat.

He sat outside one of the lecture halls sulking aggressively into his phone when sudden warmth settled across his shoulders.

Suowei looked up immediately.

Chi Cheng stood behind him, expression calm as ever, though there was clear exasperation lingering in his eyes. His jacket—warm and carrying the familiar scent of his cologne—was now draped securely around Suowei.

“You followed me here?” Suowei asked.

“You forgot your scarf too.”

The scarf in question was already looped loosely around Suowei’s neck before he even realized it.

Honestly, this man moved like a ninja when it came to taking care of him.

Suowei stubbornly crossed his arms despite the warmth of Chi Cheng’s jacket wrapped securely around him.

“I’m still mad at you,” he muttered sulkily.

Chi Cheng looked down at him for a quiet moment, his expression softening almost immediately despite the dramatic tantrum Suowei had thrown earlier that morning.

“You were the one who said you hated me, Wei Wei,” he reminded gently. “Why?”

The softness of the question almost made Suowei lose his resolve on the spot. Almost.

Instead, he looked away stubbornly and mumbled, “Because you don’t think I’m pretty.”

For the first time all morning, Chi Cheng looked genuinely stunned.

“What?”

“You never react properly.”

Suowei immediately regretted saying it because now that he thought about it, Chi Cheng praised him constantly. Pretty, adorable, beautiful, cute, there had probably not been a single week in the last five years where Chi Cheng had not called him something affectionate.

Still, pride demanded commitment.

Chi Cheng stared at him for several long seconds before huffing out a quiet laugh of disbelief.

“Wei Wei,” he said softly, the fond exasperation seeping in his voice, “you are very pretty.”

“Very?”

“Very very.”

“How pretty?”

Chi Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly recognizing the trap, but he still answered.

“Pretty enough that I worry every time you leave the house dressed like this.”

The answer landed somewhere warm inside Suowei’s chest before he quickly buried the feeling beneath dramatic sulking again.

“I’m cold.”

Chi Cheng looked heavenward briefly as though summoning patience from a higher power before gently tugging the jacket closer around Suowei’s shoulders.

“I wonder why.”

Suowei leaned shamelessly into the warmth. “I want hot chocolate.”

One of Chi Cheng’s brows lifted. “You’re making demands now?”

Suowei tilted his chin upward with complete confidence.

“Pronto.”

Step 5- Sit on His Lap

By this time, Wu Suowei was beginning to suspect that seducing Chi Cheng might genuinely require divine intervention.

Still, he refused to admit defeat and that was why, on movie night, he decided to escalate yet again.

The apartment was unusually quiet that evening, washed in the soft glow of dim lights and the muted sound of rain tapping gently against the windows. Chi Cheng had ordered takeout earlier, and the remains of dinner still sat abandoned on the coffee table alongside half-finished drinks and snack wrappers.

Normally, movie nights followed a predictable routine.

Suowei sprawled dramatically across one side of the couch while Chi Cheng occupied the other, occasionally feeding him snacks whenever his hands were too lazy to reach for them. Sometimes Suowei rested his head on Chi Cheng’s shoulder halfway through the film. Sometimes he fell asleep there entirely.

Comfort had long since become second nature between them.

But tonight, Suowei had plans.

Chi Cheng was already seated on the couch by the time Suowei returned from the kitchen carrying popcorn. One arm rested lazily along the back cushions, his attention fixed on scrolling through movie options on the television screen.

Without hesitation, Suowei walked straight over and instead of taking his usual spot beside him, he climbed directly into Chi Cheng’s lap.

The movement was so sudden that Chi Cheng froze beneath him.

For one glorious second, Suowei felt victorious. Then he looked up and realized Chi Cheng was staring at him with an expression that was not quite startled, but far too still to be considered unaffected.

“Wei Wei,” he said slowly, “what are you doing?”

Suowei settled more comfortably against his chest as though this was the most natural thing in the world. “Taking my seat.”

“I can see that.”

“There wasn’t enough space.”

Chi Cheng glanced meaningfully at the very large empty couch surrounding them.

Suowei ignored that. “You said sharing is caring, Cheng-ge”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Suowei could feel the warmth of Chi Cheng’s body beneath him, solid and steady, and suddenly became acutely aware of how close they actually were. One of Chi Cheng’s hands rested near his waist now, not quite touching but close enough that Suowei could feel the heat of it through the thin fabric of the shirt.

The tension between them lasted only a few seconds before Chi Cheng finally let out a quiet sigh. Then, to Suowei’s immense disappointment, he merely adjusted him more securely against his chest, one arm settling firmly around his waist as though this arrangement was perfectly normal.

“You’re impossible,” Chi Cheng murmured fondly.

And that was it.

There was no visible panic, no dramatic loss of composure, and certainly no passionate movie-night makeout like Suowei had shamelessly envisioned. Chi Cheng simply accepted him there in his lap as naturally as he accepted every other part of Suowei in his life.

Honestly, it was deeply offensive. Still, Suowei refused to move. Instead, he leaned back further until his head rested beneath Chi Cheng’s chin, fully determined to make the situation unbearable for him and traitorously the comfortable warmth began making him sleepy.

The movie started playing in the background, though Suowei barely paid attention to it. Chi Cheng’s hand eventually settled properly around his waist, absentminded and secure. Every now and then, Suowei could feel the faint vibration of his chest whenever he spoke or sighed.

It was warm in a way that made his entire body relax without thinking, safe in the quiet, steady way Chi Cheng had always made him feel. 

At some point during the movie, Chi Cheng noticed him shiver lightly from the cold air drifting through the apartment.

Without saying anything, he reached for the blanket tossed nearby and wrapped it carefully around Suowei until he was practically cocooned in layers of warmth.

“There,” Chi Cheng murmured softly while tucking the edge beneath his arm. “Better?”

Suowei made a sleepy noise of agreement.

This was not how the plan had been supposed to go. He had intended to make Chi Cheng flustered, distracted, maybe even desperate enough to finally lose that impossible self-control around him. Instead, he found himself swaddled like an overgrown housecat while being held impossibly gently against the man’s chest.

But really, it was difficult to continue seduction attempts when Chi Cheng kept making him feel so unbearably cared for.

By the time the movie reached its halfway point, Suowei was already drifting asleep.

The last thing he vaguely registered was Chi Cheng lowering the volume slightly and brushing slow fingers through his hair with such quiet tenderness that it made his chest ache.

Mission status: Failed successfully.

Step 6- Cook His Favorite Food

By now, Wu Suowei had exhausted nearly every strategy available to him. Flirting had failed spectacularly, suggestive outfits had only earned him lectures about the weather, and physical proximity seemed to activate Chi Cheng’s nurturing instincts instead of anything remotely useful.

Which left Suowei with one final reliable weapon.

Food.

After all, people always claimed that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. And if that saying turned out to be false after all the effort he was about to put in, Suowei fully intended to personally track down whoever invented it and demand compensation for emotional damages.

The plan itself was simple enough. Chi Cheng had a late evening out with his friends, which meant Suowei had several uninterrupted hours to prepare everything perfectly. He spent almost the entire afternoon in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up and hair tied messily away from his face while following recipes with unusual seriousness.

Normally, Suowei enjoyed cooking casually, more for comfort than anything else, but this time felt different. This time, every chopped ingredient and carefully measured seasoning carried intention behind it, making the entire evening feel strangely important to him.

He made all of Chi Cheng’s favorites one by one despite the effort it took. The spicy braised beef Chi Cheng always ordered extra of. The soup he liked during colder weather. Stir-fried vegetables seasoned exactly the way he preferred. Even dessert had not been spared.

By the time he finished, the kitchen looked mildly catastrophic, but the dining table looked beautiful.

Steam curled softly from the carefully plated dishes spread across the dining table, filling the apartment with the rich aroma of food Suowei had spent hours preparing. For a moment, he simply stood there admiring everything with quiet satisfaction blooming inside his chest.

No one could possibly resist this especially not Chi Cheng.

The sound of the front door opening made Suowei straighten immediately. His heartbeat picked up embarrassingly fast as Chi Cheng stepped inside, shrugging off his jacket with visible exhaustion lingering in his expression.

The moment his eyes landed on Suowei, though, his features softened automatically.

“Baby,” he said warmly. “You’re still awake?”

“I was waiting for you.”

Chi Cheng’s gaze gentled even further at that.

Then he lifted the takeout bag in his hand slightly with a sheepish look Suowei did not immediately trust.

“I brought you food,” he explained while walking further inside. “I’m sorry, the guys insisted on dinner after the meeting, so I already ate.”

And then he finally noticed the dining table.

Everything stopped.

Chi Cheng’s eyes moved slowly over the dishes laid out carefully beneath the warm lights before settling back onto Suowei.

The silence that followed felt devastating.

Suowei’s excitement deflated almost instantly.

“Oh,” he said quietly.

Suddenly, the effort of the entire evening felt painfully obvious. The hours spent cooking. The anticipation. The ridiculous amount of care he had put into every little detail.

“It’s fine,” he added quickly before Chi Cheng could say anything. “I just felt like cooking.”

He tried to sound casual about it, but even to his own ears, the disappointment slipped through.

Before Chi Cheng could respond, Suowei turned away abruptly, pretending to busy himself with gathering plates so he would not have to look at him.

Then warm fingers suddenly closed gently around his wrist.

“Wei Wei.”

The softness in Chi Cheng’s voice made something twist painfully in Suowei’s chest.

When he turned back reluctantly, he found Chi Cheng already watching him with unmistakable guilt written across his face.

“I’m sorry,” Chi Cheng said sincerely. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have eaten out.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

The older man stepped closer before carefully pulling the plate from Suowei’s hands and setting it aside.

“You spent all afternoon doing this, didn’t you?”

Suowei avoided his eyes. “Maybe.”

Chi Cheng exhaled quietly, looking genuinely remorseful now.

“Wei Wei,” he murmured, “you know I love your cooking.”

And the worst part was that Suowei did know.

Chi Cheng never missed a chance to praise anything he made. Even simple instant noodles somehow received compliments if Suowei cooked them. There had even been times where Chi Cheng came home exhausted after work and still finished entire meals purely because Suowei had prepared them which made this disappointment feel even more childish.

“I can still eat,” Chi Cheng continued quickly. “Not a lot but definitely a few bites.”

Before Suowei could protest, Chi Cheng picked up his chopsticks and immediately took a bite from one of the dishes.

His eyes closed briefly.

“That’s good,” he said with complete seriousness.

“You don’t have to force yourself, ge”

“I’m not forcing anything.”

And somehow, despite already being full, Chi Cheng still sat there eating with him for the next half hour, praising nearly every dish like his life depended on it.

By the end of the night, most of Suowei’s disappointment had faded into reluctant fondness again, though a small part of him still remained stubbornly wounded over the failed dinner plan.

The next afternoon, however, Suowei returned home from college only to stop short the moment he stepped through the doorway.

The dining table was covered in chocolates.

Not just one or two boxes either, but an entire ridiculous collection that looked as though someone had raided an expensive dessert store specifically with Suowei in mind. Every brand he liked was there alongside all his favorite flavors, including imported chocolates that Chi Cheng usually restricted because of Suowei’s terrible sweet tooth. Boxes of snacks and desserts were stacked neatly across the table in what looked almost suspiciously like an apology.

Suowei stood there staring at the table in quiet disbelief, his gaze moving slowly over the overwhelming amount of chocolates arranged in front of him. Something warm and helpless unfurled softly inside his chest before he could stop it.

Almost as if perfectly timed, Chi Cheng emerged from the kitchen carrying a mug of coffee in one hand. The moment he noticed Suowei standing frozen near the entrance, his expression softened faintly.

“You’re back,” he said gently.

Suowei looked from the chocolates to him, still visibly stunned. “What is all this?”

Chi Cheng glanced briefly toward the table before answering with quiet simplicity. “A peace offering.”

“You’re the same person who keeps lecturing me about sugar intake,” Suowei pointed out weakly.

“I am.”

“And now you’re buying enough chocolate to put me in a coma.”

The corner of Chi Cheng’s mouth lifted slightly, though his gaze remained soft and steady on Suowei. “You were sad.”

The simple honesty behind those three words caught Suowei completely off guard. His chest tightened unexpectedly as warmth spread slowly through him, quiet and overwhelming in a way that made it difficult to respond immediately.

Then, after a brief pause, Chi Cheng added in the calm infuriating voice, “You better not eat them all at once, Wei Wei.”

And just like that, the emotional moment shattered entirely.

Step 7- The Last Resort

At this point, Wu Suowei was genuinely beginning to spiral. That was honestly the only explanation left. After weeks of flirting, pouting, suggestive outfits, strategic physical contact, and enough lip gloss to fund an entire cosmetics department, Chi Cheng still had not properly snapped which, frankly, was starting to feel medically concerning.

“Do you think his dick is broken?” Suowei blurted out one afternoon.

Across from him, Jiang Xiaoshuai immediately choked on his water so violently that people turned to stare.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Xiaoshuai coughed out between wheezes.

“I’m serious,” Suowei insisted while leaning forward dramatically. “There has to be something wrong with him.”

“There is something wrong with you.”

Suowei ignored that. “I mean, he’s definitely well-endowed. I’ve sat on it before.”

Xiaoshuai made a horrified sound. “TMI! I do not need to hear about your gege’s dick.”

“It was accidental.”

“That somehow makes it worse.”

Suowei slumped miserably against the café table. “He doesn’t react properly. I genuinely think he might not like me that way.”

Xiaoshuai stared at him in disbelief.

“Have you seen the way that man looks at you?” he demanded. “There is absolutely no universe where Chi Cheng isn’t affected by you.”

“But he keeps controlling himself.”

“That’s because he’s trying not to corrupt the youth or whatever.” Xiaoshuai rolled his eyes before suddenly pausing mid-sentence.

Then slowly, a dangerous smirk spread across his face.

Oh no.

Suowei recognized that expression immediately.

“You,” Xiaoshuai declared dramatically while pointing straight at him, “need to make him jealous.”

Suowei blinked at him at first, but then realization slowly dawned across his face.

Oh.

Actually that might genuinely work because now that he thought about it carefully, his Cheng-ge did get jealous, not loudly or possessively in an obvious way, but subtle enough that most people would probably overlook it entirely. Suowei, however, knew him far too well not to notice.

There had been the incident with the candy, where a classmate had shyly offered Suowei sweets after lecture only for Chi Cheng to confiscate them immediately under the excuse that Suowei was eating too much sugar lately.

Then there had been the strawberry milk disaster. Suowei had accidentally spilled half a carton down his shirt during project week, and one of his project partners had kindly offered him a spare hoodie from his locker. Before Suowei could even respond, Chi Cheng had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, expression dark enough to freeze everyone in the vicinity.

“You’ll catch a cold,” Chi Cheng had said curtly before making Suowei wear his own jacket instead.

At the time, Suowei had simply assumed Chi Cheng was being possessive. Now, however, he was beginning to realize that possessiveness might finally be useful to him.

A slow grin spread across his face at the thought.

Xiaoshuai immediately looked concerned. “That smile makes you look evil.”

“I’m a genius,” Suowei corrected confidently.

“No,” Xiaoshuai sighed, “you’re about to ruin someone’s emotional stability.”

And that sounded extremely promising to Suowei.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The opportunity arrived later that evening.

Chi Cheng was lounging on the couch after dinner, one arm stretched lazily across the backrest while scrolling through messages on his phone. The apartment was quiet except for the low hum of the television in the background.

Suowei walked into the living room as casually as he could manage before dropping down beside Chi Cheng on the couch, deliberately choosing a spot close enough to invade his space just a little without making the intention too obvious.

“Cheng-ge,” he began innocently, “what do you think about Wang Zhen?”

Chi Cheng looked up immediately.

The reaction was subtle, but Suowei caught it anyway.

“What about him?”

Suowei pretended to hesitate for a moment before lowering his gaze slightly, allowing the tips of his ears to flush just enough to look suspiciously shy.

“He’s kind of cute,” he admitted softly.

Silence immediately followed.

Then, very slowly, Chi Cheng lowered his phone.

“He’s not that cute,” he said flatly.

Suowei nearly smiled at the reaction. Oh, this was working far better than he had expected.

“He’s tall though,” Suowei continued thoughtfully, deliberately sounding more interested with every sentence. “And his muscles have been looking really good lately.”

Chi Cheng’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

“I’m tall too,” he pointed out.

Suowei blinked at him with practiced innocence. “I know.”

“And probably in better shape than him.”

That nearly destroyed Suowei on the spot. It took genuine effort not to laugh directly in Chi Cheng’s face.

Still, he forced himself to continue the performance.

“I also heard he’s really popular.”

Chi Cheng let out a quiet hum that sounded deeply unimpressed. “And?”

Suowei leaned back against the couch cushions as though considering the matter very seriously. “Apparently he’s a really good kisser too.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately after that.

Chi Cheng’s expression darkened in a way Suowei had genuinely never seen before, his gaze sharpening with something intense enough to make heat rush down Suowei’s spine.

But despite the sudden tension filling the room, Suowei pushed anyway.

“And,” he added softly, “I heard he’s really good in bed too.”

“Suowei.”

His name cut sharply through the room, firm enough that Suowei physically jumped at the sound of it.

When he looked up, Chi Cheng was already staring at him with an expression Suowei had never seen directed at him before. His eyes had darkened noticeably, intense enough that heat rushed straight down Suowei’s spine almost instantly.

Oops.

For several long seconds, neither of them spoke. The tension in the room thickened until it felt almost difficult to breathe through. Then, abruptly, Chi Cheng stood from the couch.

The movement was sudden enough to completely startle Suowei.

“Where are you going?” he asked quickly.

“To punch Wang Zhen.”

Suowei blinked at him in shock.

“…What?”

But Chi Cheng was already reaching for his jacket, visibly furious now in a way Suowei had never successfully provoked before.

“He talks about himself like that to you?” Chi Cheng demanded sharply. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Wait--”

“And why the hell are you discussing his sex life?”

Suowei stared at him for exactly two seconds before realization hit him all at once with devastating clarity.

Holy shit.

He actually did it.

Before Chi Cheng could make it anywhere near the front door, Suowei hurried forward and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist from behind, nearly laughing from excitement.

“Cheng-ge, wait,” he said breathlessly. “I was joking.”

Chi Cheng went completely rigid beneath his hold. Slowly, he turned his head just enough to look back at him over his shoulder.

“You were what?”

“I made it up,” Suowei admitted, unable to stop laughing now. “Wang Zhen never said any of that. I don't even know him personally.”

For a moment, Chi Cheng simply stood there breathing hard while Suowei clung to him from behind. Then he exhaled sharply through his nose, somewhere between irritated and relieved.

“You are unbelievable,” he muttered.

“But you got jealous,” Suowei pointed out immediately, unable to hide the triumph in his voice.

Silence followed for a brief moment.

And then, finally-

“Yes,” Chi Cheng admitted quietly.

The quiet admission wiped the triumphant grin clean off Suowei’s face almost instantly. He had expected denial, maybe irritation, but not honesty spoken so openly.

Slowly, Chi Cheng turned to face him properly. His expression was difficult to read now, controlled as always, but there was something far too intense lingering beneath it for Suowei to breathe normally through.

“You want the truth?” Chi Cheng asked softly.

Suowei nodded before he could stop himself.

Chi Cheng took a small step closer, close enough now that Suowei could feel the warmth radiating from him.

“Then listen carefully, Wei Wei.”

The air between them suddenly felt unbearably warm.

“When you wore that lip gloss,” Chi Cheng said slowly, his gaze lowering briefly toward Suowei’s mouth again, “I had to physically stop myself from kissing you in the living room.”

Suowei’s breath caught immediately.

“And when you wore my shirt to college looking like that…..” Chi Cheng paused for a moment before exhaling quietly. “I was so distracted I seriously considered dragging you back upstairs and making you change myself. And also completely ruin you in that process.”

Heat rushed violently through Suowei’s entire body at the confession.

“But I didn’t,” Chi Cheng continued, his voice rougher now. “Because you trust me, Wei Wei. Your parents trust me too. I needed to be certain that if something happened between us, it would be because you wanted it completely and not because I crossed a line first.”

The words hit Suowei harder than he expected them to.

Because suddenly, all the restraint and self-control that had frustrated him for weeks no longer felt like rejection at all. Chi Cheng had wanted him the entire time. He had simply been holding himself back for Suowei’s sake.

Always for Suowei’s sake.

Something inside Suowei softened painfully at the realization.

Slowly, he lifted both hands to cup Chi Cheng’s face. The older man went completely still beneath the touch, his gaze fixed entirely on him now.

“I do want you,” Suowei whispered.

The look in Chi Cheng’s eyes darkened instantly.

“I’ve wanted you for years,” Suowei admitted shakily, his thumb brushing lightly against Chi Cheng’s jaw. “And I’m tired of pretending otherwise.”

Then, before he could lose the courage that had carried him this far, Suowei rose onto his toes and kissed him.

The impact of it stole the breath straight from his lungs. Chi Cheng’s lips were warm and firm against his, and the low sound that escaped the older man the moment their mouths met nearly destroyed Suowei on the spot.

For a second, Chi Cheng did not move at all, as though the restraint he had spent years building had finally shattered too suddenly for him to catch up with it. Then his hand tightened sharply around Suowei’s waist, pulling him closer until there was barely any space left between them.

The kiss deepened almost instinctively after that. Suowei felt the faint brush of Chi Cheng’s tongue against his lower lip, tentative for only a heartbeat before the older man kissed him back properly, with a hunger that made Suowei’s knees feel weak.

The kiss itself only lasted seconds before they finally pulled apart slightly, but neither of them moved far. Their lips still brushed faintly together with every uneven breath, the air between them unbearably warm now.

Suowei could physically see the shift in Chi Cheng’s composure.

His pupils were blown wide. His breathing had turned rough and uneven. One hand remained locked tightly around Suowei’s waist, gripping hard enough that it almost hurt through the fabric of his shirt.

He looked seconds away from completely losing control.That was the hottest thing Suowei had ever seen.

“Such a vixen,” Chi Cheng murmured hoarsely against his lips. “You’ve been driving me insane for weeks.”

Then he kissed him again.

This time, there was nothing restrained about it.

The sheer force of the kiss pushed Suowei backward slightly until he was pressed flush against Chi Cheng’s chest, the older man’s hands gripping his waist possessively as their mouths moved together with an urgency that immediately stole the air from Suowei’s lungs. Whatever careful control Chi Cheng had been clinging to until now seemed to fracture all at once beneath Suowei’s hands.

The kisses turned deeper, slower in some moments and devastatingly hungry in others. Suowei could barely think through the way Chi Cheng kept pulling him closer, one hand sliding up his back while the other remained firm against his waist as though he physically could not bear any distance between them anymore.

A soft sound escaped Suowei when Chi Cheng’s mouth briefly left his lips to trail along the line of his jaw instead. The older man kissed just beneath his ear before pressing another heated kiss against the side of his neck, lingering long enough to leave marks blooming beneath Suowei’s skin.

“Cheng-ge....” Suowei breathed shakily, fingers tightening against his shoulders.

The sound of it seemed to affect Chi Cheng, spurring him on. His head dipped immediately again, lips brushing against Suowei’s throat while his grip on Suowei’s waist tightened further.

At some point during the mess of kisses and uneven breathing, their hips brushed together properly for the first time. The friction pulled a sharp inhale from Chi Cheng, his entire body tensing briefly against Suowei’s.

“You are dangerous, baby” he muttered roughly against Suowei’s mouth, sounding almost like he was talking to himself now.

Suowei could only smile breathlessly at the reaction, still flushed and dizzy beneath his hands. “You still like me though.”

Chi Cheng stared at him for one devastating second before abruptly gripping the backs of his thighs and lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

Suowei let out a startled laugh as his legs wrapped instinctively around Chi Cheng’s waist, his hands catching against the older man’s shoulders for balance while they remained pressed impossibly close together. He felt Chi Cheng's hardness poke through.

“Oh my god,” Suowei whispered delightedly against Chi Cheng’s lips, still breathless from kissing him. “Your dick actually works.”

Chi Cheng nearly stumbled mid-step.

“What?” he choked out, staring at him in complete disbelief.

Suowei immediately dissolved into helpless laughter, burying his face briefly against Chi Cheng’s shoulder while still clinging to him.

“I genuinely thought something was wrong with you,” he admitted between breaths. “Do you know how many things I tried? The lip gloss, the shorts, sitting on your lap—”

Realization slowly dawned across Chi Cheng’s face.

“You thought I wasn’t attracted to you?” he asked incredulously.

“Well, can you blame me?” Suowei shot back while laughing. “You kept acting like a saint while I was practically throwing myself at you.”

Chi Cheng stared at him for another second before a laugh finally broke out of him too, low and helpless in a way Suowei had rarely heard before. One of his hands slid up to the back of Suowei’s neck as he shook his head in disbelief.

“You are actually insane,” he muttered fondly.

“But was I wrong?” Suowei challenged immediately, still grinning.

In response, Chi Cheng’s gaze dragged slowly over him before settling meaningfully back on his face. The look alone sent another rush of heat through Suowei’s entire body.

Chi Cheng’s gaze dragged slowly over him again before settling back on his flushed face, dark and unbearably intent. One of his hands tightened slightly against Suowei’s thigh where it rested around his waist.

“Very” he said quietly. “And I’m going to spend the rest of the night showing you exactly how wrong you were.”

The promise in Chi Cheng’s voice made Suowei’s laugh falter, the sound caught slightly in his throat when Chi Cheng immediately kissed him once more just to silence him.And just like that, still holding Suowei securely against his chest while the younger clung to him breathlessly, Chi Cheng carried him toward the bedroom with every intention of proving his point.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Suowei woke slowly beneath the warmth of tangled blankets and the steady heat pressed against his side. For several quiet moments, he lingered in that hazy space between sleep and waking, comfortable enough that he nearly drifted off again before the pleasant ache threaded through his body finally pulled him fully awake.

And oh.

Memories from the previous night rushed back all at once-the desperate kisses, Chi Cheng’s hands on him, the way he had murmured against his skin as though he had been restraining himself for far too long. The way he had intertwined their fingers as he eased Suowei open for the first time, pressing kisses everywhere he could reach to soften the sting. The way he had held Suowei’s gaze as he moved slowly, intimately, deep enough that Suowei already knew he would carry the memory of it for days. Heat climbed immediately up Suowei’s neck, and he buried his face into the pillow with a muffled groan.

He felt thoroughly undone in the best possible way. Every inch of him felt claimed, tender, warm with the aftermath of being loved so intensely. Sitting down for the next few days would probably be a challenge, but the thought only made his lips curl faintly against the pillow.

When he shifted slightly, the soreness in his body made him wince just enough to confirm several very important things and the main one being that Chi Cheng had apparently taken his promise about proving a point extremely seriously.

Beside him, Chi Cheng was still asleep.

Morning light softened the sharpness of his features now, leaving him looking calmer than Suowei had ever seen him. One arm remained loosely draped across Suowei’s waist even in sleep, possessive enough to make warmth bloom quietly inside Suowei’s chest all over again. Faint marks lingered along Chi Cheng’s neck and collarbone too, partially hidden beneath the blankets, and the sight filled Suowei with an embarrassing amount of satisfaction. Chi Cheng was his. Finally.

For several long moments, he simply lay there staring at him before a slow grin spread across his face.

Mission accomplished.