Yan glared at Hua and sulkily said, "No."
Hua had never seen the man in such a bad mood before. "Are you tired?" he tenderly asked. "Why not sleep for a while longer?"
"No," Yan huffed. "I still have work to do." Pretending to sleep won't work anymore so why the hell would he continue doing it?
Hua's heart hurt even more at that. He couldn't help but walk closer to squat down before Yan and said, "You don't look so good. Does something hurt? How about going to the hospital for a check-up?"
Yan shook his head. "Right. YiHan sold your house. Where do you sleep at night? Why not stay over at my place? My family would love to have you!"
"Speaking of the house," Hua chuckled, "YiHan, that naughty little brat, transferred the place to his name. I was wondering why it'd be sold this fast. It's because he himself was the buyer."
"Oh," said Yan with a nod. "Are you free this evening?"
Hua was stunned. "Tonight? I am. What is it?"
"I heard the new movie's not bad," Yan said without an ounce of hope in him. "Why don't we watch it together?"
This time, Hua was well and truly shocked. He thought back to Yan's weird behaviour throughout the day. He gave him a watch, took him to lunch, took a stroll with him, gave him flowers, and now he was asking him out to a movie. Were these not how dates usually went?
Hua had been telling himself the whole time not to think too much into it. He didn't dare to think anything more about it. However, Yan was giving him more and more hope. It was to the point where Hua couldn't ignore it any longer. He did his best to suppress his skipping heart
"Why? Are you asking me out to the movies?" he softly asked.
Just as Yan thought! This was a rejection, right? This was an outright refusal?
"There are no whys to watching a movie," Yan huffily replied. "If you're not interested, I'll go by myself."
Hua's heart couldn't be contained any longer. His breathing was starting to come out in shuddering huffs. "Okay. I'll go with you."
Yan instantly perked up. Those guides weren't useless after all. Was it because he hadn't completed all the steps?
He lightly cleared his throat. "Okay then," said Yan in a much better mood all of a sudden. "We'll head there together after work."
Hua looked at Yan. He couldn't control the thirst swelling in him anymore. He cautiously stretched out a hand and gently held onto Yan's fingertips on his knees. Just the fingertips.
Yan's body shook. A numbing sensation spread from his fingertips through his entire body. He didn't dare move. All he could do was look up into Hua's eyes. Hua was looking back at him. Those almond-shaped eyes seemed to shimmer. For a while, no one spoke. The air in the room began to turn sweet and tense.
A long minute later with no reciprocation, Hua slowly let go of Yan's fingers but the man grabbed his retreating hands. Yan's eyes stared into Hua's glimmering eyes, mesmerised and bewitched. Then, slowly, gradually, he leaned in.
Hua's breathing grew more uneven as he watched Yan's lips close in. He could hardly breathe. When their lips met, he could feel a thrilling numb spread throughout his body, even his hair. This was different from the kiss he'd stolen. This was Bai Yan kissing him on his own free will while sober and awake. Yesterday, he thought he'd be willing to die for a chance of Yan kissing him and holding him while awake. He didn't think that wild and impossible wish would be so quickly realised.
Hua's legs were growing numb from squatting for too long and Yan's kissed seemed to have leeched all strength from him. His legs, no longer able to support his body, crumbled. He sat down on the floor. Yan followed him down and knelt on the ground, a knee between Hua's legs. Yan licked at Hua's lips and slowly pushed downwards until Hua's entire body was laid out across the smooth floor. Only then did the man force Hua's teeth to part to begin truly conquering Hua.
Hua had never kissed anyone before and neither had Yan. The two men instinctively sucked at each other's tongues, relishing in the pleasure they provided for each other. They kissed until their lips were sore. Yan finally let Hua's lips go but he didn't get up. He hovered over Hua's body and stared down at the man.
Eventually, Hua's harsh pants drifted off into calm breathing. He pursed his swollen lips. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.
"Mr Bai, you…"
Yan caressed Hua's lips and said in an equally hoarse voice, "Call me Yan. My loved ones call me that."
Hua's flushed face went from pink to red. "Y-Yan," he stammered. "W-We…"
Yan pecked the other man's lips again and said, "After the movie tonight, come home with me."
"W-What?" Hua was dazed.
In an exasperated but doting (?) voice, Yan said, "We've confirmed our relationship now. Of course you have to meet my parents. My mother wishes to meet you too.��
Hua's jaw dropped. He was petrified. Confirmed their relationship? That kiss just now? Why would Madam Bai wish to meet him? Did she want to beat him to death?
Yan thought Hua's silence was a rejection. He leaned in close, dangerously close, and continued, "Do you not want to? Let's put today aside. Let's put what we're doing now aside. You kissed me yesterday but you wouldn't confess to me. I've already confessed everything to my parents and I have their approval, yet you don't want to? Are you toying with me?"
Hua felt like he was going to explode. He was caught stealing a kiss.
"You… Yesterday, y-y-you weren't asleep?" Hua's tongue was tied. "You knew?"
"Someone was kissing me. How can I not wake up?" Yan said. There was a hint of pitiful misery (?) in his voice. "I thought you'd confess your love for me but you didn't. You've also been very cold to me today. I thought you thought I was too slobby and scruffy yesterday. I made sure to take a shower today but you wouldn't kiss me. I'm kissing you now yet you wouldn't go home with me. Jiang Hua, are you playing me for a fool?"
Hua was so shocked by Yan's mystical logic that his eyes went wide. His petrified body turned from stone to dust, scattered by the wind.
Upon seeing Hua remaining silent, Yan burst in anger. He stood up and paced around the room before walking back to Hua, still laid across the floor. He lifted the man up into his arms and dumped him onto the bed. He then pounced onto the man. Since all the guide's methods didn't work, then he'd use the ultimate move most people say was effective: cook the rice!
Before Hua even reacted, Yan kissed him once more. His hands began fumbling with Hua's clothes. Hua's mouth was blocked off. His muffled protests did nothing. Soon, his jacket was off and his shirt was fully unbuttoned. Hua hurriedly clamped down on Yan's hand on Hua's belt.
Hua twisted his head away from the kiss and panted, "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Yan huffed out upon seeing Hua still resisting. "You! I'm doing you! Let's see if you dare deny our relationship after we've done the deed!"
Hua's mouth gaped open. The hands stopping Yan from undoing his belt dropped to the side as a tear slid down his cheek.
Yan was startled, stunned. He quickly stopped and scurried closer to wipe the tear off Hua's face.
"W-Why are you crying? If you don't want to, then let's forget about it. I can't force you anyway." Yan was sobbing on the inside. Ultimate move? The heck is that? It's basically useless! The man didn't fall in love with him at all! Instead, Hua was pissed off and brought to tears! Great. Hua will definitely think he's a pervert through and through. There's no hope for Yan now…
Hua bit down hard at his lips. Beads of blood soon adorned those soft lips.
"What are you biting yourself for?" Yan cried, panicked. "You're bleeding!"
The bite hurt a lot yet Hua laughed. He raised his hands to Yan's anxious face and said what he'd been wanting to say for years but had never dared to say even in his dreams, "Yan, I…I love you. I love you."
The hands on Yan's face had meant Yan couldn't move his face. A hand was stretched out to grab a tissue paper when Hua's ears reached his ears. The piece of tissue paper he'd worked so hard to obtain drifted to the bed.
Yan's mouth gaped wide open for a long while. In the end, all he could muster was, "What did you say?"
Hua licked the blood off his lips and smiled, a tear sliding down his face once more. "I said I love you."
Yan's hand was still stretched out in a strenuous pose. "I, um, I…love you too. Why…so suddenly…"
***
Several very long moments later, the two men stopped and cleaned themselves up.
Yan was sitting in his office chair and watching Hua walk towards the exit when he suddenly called out, "Hua!"
Hua turned around. A radiant smile graced his face, one that had never been seen before. "What is it?"
Yan stared at Hua in a daze for a while before pursing his lips and replying, "Nothing."
Hua chuckled and walked back. He leaned down to peck the other man on the lips. He was about to straighten up when Yan pulled him in and turned the gentle kiss into a deep kiss. Minutes passed before Yan let Hua go.
"Do not smile at anyone like this," Yan ordered, breaths coming out in harsh pants.
Hua looked down at the man with glimmering, lovestruck eyes and warmly replied, "Okay."
Translator's Notes:
Cook the rice: The idiom, "cook the grains into rice", means something has already been done and it can't be changed. Typically used to refer to sex due to the concept of virginity.
Ultimate move: Reminder, this is rape. Yan is a lucky, naive man. Not everyone is kind enough to forgive a rape attempt like Hua is.
Merry Christmas, everyone! That's the end of the Advent Calendar. There are about 80 more chapters left and YiHan and JingYuan's main arc is about to be placed on a shelf soon to make way for our other supporting ships/couples. Technically, they're all connected but some readers have felt YiHan and JingYuan were put into the sidelines completely.