Ming Luchuan was completely wasted. 

While waiting for the taxi to arrive at the side of the road, Xia Wennan virtually had to exhaust all his strength to hold the man up. Ming Luchuan’s head rested on Xia Wennan’s shoulder, and he was breathing right by Xia Wennan’s ear. 

Xia Wennan was also pretty tipsy, and he could feel half his face heating up. He continued to struggle to prop up Ming Luchuan until he was finally able to stuff the man into the back seat of a taxi, then climbed in after him.

The driver asked Xia Wennan where they were headed. 

Ming Luchuan suddenly let out a groan, as though the act of moving his limbs was painful. His head, which had been pressed against the window, moved back to Xia Wennan’s shoulder. “Xia Wennan,” he rasped out. 

After quickly informing the driver of their destination, Xia Wennan attempted to make Ming Luchuan sit upright. 

Ming Luchuan took Xia Wennan’s hand in his and mumbled, “I want to go home.”

Xia Wennan couldn’t help but look at Ming Luchuan, but the man’s eyes were still closed. Despite knowing that Ming Luchuan was just rambling random nonsense due to his inebriation, he still replied, “That’s where I’m taking you.”

Ming Luchuan didn’t say anything else, but his every breath was accompanied by a rapid rise and fall of his chest, as if he was gasping for air.

Xia Wennan ceased his attempt at pushing Ming Luchuan away and looked out the window, seeing the blurred outline of trees lining the road, an endless row entering and exiting his vision. Soof after, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, so Xia Wennan closed his eyes to take a short nap. 

When he opened his eyes again, the taxi had arrived at their destination.

Xia Wennan realised the mistake he’d made the instant he looked outside. Earlier, when he told the driver where they were going, he had mentioned the address of his rental. Xia Wennan, who had just reached out to prop Ming Luchuan up, instantly let go of him. 

The driver remained seated and lit a cigarette, wordlessly waiting for them to get off. 

Xia Wennan hesitated for five seconds before he reached over to help Ming Luchuan out of the car.

He was exhausted, and in all honesty he wasn’t that keen on going back and asking the driver to take them to Ming Luchuan’s place. Before he would be able to take his leave, he’d have to assist Ming Luchuan upstairs and ensure that he was sleeping soundly first. 

Because he was already home, Xia Wennan decided that he was too lazy and opted to take the deliriously drunk Ming Luchuan up to his small rental. He’d let Ming Luchuan sleep it off, and everything else could wait until the morning. 

Since Ming Luchuan was already this wasted, he probably wouldn’t make a fuss about where he was, which meant that there was nothing wrong if Xia Wennan wanted to hurry up and shower then go to bed, right?

Xia Wennan practically had to carry Ming Luchuan on his back before he could get his keys out to unlock the door. 

It was pitch black inside, and the sweltering summer heat had persisted until late at night. The apartment had a very straightforward layout, with only one bedroom and one bathroom. The bedroom was small; it encompassed a double bed, a wardrobe, a simple desk, and no other furniture. 

Xia Wennan deposited Ming Luchuan in his bed then leaned against his desk to catch his breath. Once his breathing returned to normal, he went to turn on the light. 

The white overhead light lit up and instantly washed over the entire room. Over on the bed, Ming Luchuan immediately frowned and lifted a hand to cover his face. 

Xia Wennan bent down, lifted Ming Luchuan’s feet, and took off his shoes, revealing his black socks. He then tossed the pair of shoes aside. 

This was his first time taking off another man’s shoes, and it felt… odd. With that in mind, Xia Wennan abruptly realised that he’d never taken off a woman’s shoes before, which immediately soured his mood somewhat.

After removing Ming Luchuan’s shoes, Xia Wennan knelt by the bed, first lifting one of Ming Luchuan’s arms and removing the sleeves of his suit jacket, then bending down and propping up the back of his neck to push the jacket underneath him. 

After taking off Ming Lu Chuan’s shoes, Xia Wen Nan knelt by the bed, first lifting one of Ming Lu Chuan’s arms and taking off the sleeves of his suit jacket, then bending down and holding the back of his neck to lift him slightly upwards, pushing the jacket underneath him.

It was hot and stuffy inside the bedroom. Fully clothed in a suit, it wasn’t long before Ming Luchuan began sweating.

Xia Wennan’s palm grew damp with sweat from Ming Luchuan’s nape. After taking off Ming Luchuan’s jacket, he rubbed the sweat off on his clothes, then subconsciously brought his palm up to his nose to take a sniff. 

The smell of Ming Luchuan’s sweat wasn’t all sweat. The nape of an alpha was a special spot for them. The sweat there contained the scent of his pheromones—a refreshing woody scent. 

Ming Luchuan’s jacket not was not only soaked with sweat, but also rife with the smell of his pheromones. In this small, cramped room, it was impossible for the scent to disperse—it quickly converged and filled every corner of the room. 

Xia Wennan tossed the jacket to the side and knelt on the bed to study Ming Luchuan for a while before unbuttoning his cuffs and collar, then removing the belt around the man’s waist. 

Afterwards, Xia Wennan turned on the air conditioner, then entered the bathroom with a head full of sweat. 

After showering, Xia Wennan changed into short pyjamas. When he returned to his bed, Ming Luchuan’s arm was shielding his eyes again, the light seemingly interrupting his sleep. 

Xia Wennan pushed him towards the inside of the bed, turned off the lights, and lay on the outside.

There was only one blanket, which Xia Wennan used to cover himself; since Ming Luchuan was still dressed, Xia Wennan spared a corner of the blanket for his chest. 

Xia Wennan quickly fell asleep after turning his back to Ming Luchuan.

Yet he didn’t sleep straight till morning—Xia Wennan found himself awake long before dawn, and he could hear the sound of another’s breathing in the dark. He blanked out for a moment before recalling the events of the previous night.

Ming Luchuan’s breaths came deep and rapid, and for some reason, the sound of his breathing gave Xia Wennan the impression that he was angry.

Gloomy and irascible—these were words that other people would use to describe Ming Luchuan. But Xia Wennan, who’d spent the most time around the man in recent days, always felt that he wasn’t irascible, just somewhat despondent.

In reality, his perception may not necessarily be accurate. Xia Wennan was only acquainted with him for work purposes, after all, and what kind of person the man was in private—Xia Wennan had yet to determine the answer. 

Aside from his heavy breathing, what made Xia Wennan a little uncomfortable was Ming Luchuan’s scorching hot body.

He wasn’t sure when it began, but one of Ming Luchuan’s legs was pressing against his own. Through the thin fabric of his pants, his leg was warm, the muscles there rock hard. Xia Wennan instinctively shifted his leg a distance away, only to roll over and fall off the bed. 

A muffled thump echoed throughout the room, and the sound of Ming Luchuan’s heavy breathing came to a halt the next second. Thinking he was awake, Xia Wennan climbed on the bed, and moved closer to Ming Luchuan to get a better look. When there were scant centimetres between them, Ming Luchuan’s breathing resumed, and he lay there motionless still. 

Xia Wennan could only push his leg away. He then laid back down on his side of the bed and went back to sleep. 

Fortunately, this time he slept till dawn. It wasn’t very bright outside when Xia Wennan opened his eyes, and in the dim light of the early morning that came through his curtains, he saw a tall silhouette sitting on the edge of his bed. The man’s back was slightly bowed as he leaned forward, a hand propping up his forehead. 

“Ming Luchuan?” Xia Wennan murmured unintelligibly. 

The man next to his bed only lifted his head slightly without turning to meet his eyes.