Chapter 38 - Birthday Present
slightly nsfw again
Sun Zinan’s first reaction was that Tang Kai didn’t hold himself back when taking care of his business. The hooligans hadn’t even come out of jail yet and Sun Ziyan was already in the hospital. This was really too efficient.
“Congratulations,” Sun Zinan said. “Who did this? I have to make him a medal.”
Sun Ziyuan was provoked into a sigh. He admonished, “Zinan, don’t act like a child. I’m not accusing you of anything, I just wanted to ask.”
“Your family is really carved out of the same mold.” Sun Zinan replied, “Once something happens you all think of me first. What, was I hired by your family to be a scapegoat?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Sun Ziyuan sighed, “Third Eldest’s injuries are very severe. He won’t say anything when we ask him and won’t report it to the police. Dad wants me to find someone to investigate. The two of you fought so much last time. Brother is afraid…afraid you won’t be happy hearing this?”
“Yes, you’re right, I wasn’t happy.” Sun Zinan sneered, “But after hearing this good news, I’m happy now.”
Sun Ziyuan didn’t receive a single phrase of affirmation, but looking at Sun Zinan’s attitude, it seemed like he really had nothing to do with this matter. He asked doubtfully, “It really wasn’t you?”
“You can check it yourself if you don’t believe it, don’t talk to me like I’m some criminal.” Sun Zinan said impatiently, “I don’t even have time to pay attention to him. Even if I did beat him up, doesn’t he deserve a beating? Director Sun, if you have time to call me, then you should use that time to go to the police station and make an inquiry. See if your precious baby brother has been hiring some hooligans to harm others. Don’t go directly to the hospital and think he’s been horribly wronged.”
“What do you mean? You say he hired people…”
Before Sun Ziyuan finished his words, Sun Zinan hung up on him. He might as well blacken his own reputation.
His relationship with Sun Ziyuan was actually okay, but in the environment of the Sun family, everyone was wary of each other. Sometimes Sun Zinan felt like he had to aim a gun every time he gave him news; it was a very tiring feeling. Sun Ziyuan’s temperament was also too soft. He was held harshly in place by Sun Ying; it was unclear if he was ever going to be able to succeed. Now that Sun Zinan had made up his mind to break away from the Sun family, he was even more reluctant to care about him. If Sun Ziyuan didn’t suffer a little, he wouldn’t know who had carried him in the past.
Christmas was approaching. The supermarket had placed a large Christmas tree and cheerful, jingling music played on repeat. After buying a few groceries, Sun Zinan went to the checkout counter. He happened to see the sex products on the shelf next to him. He didn’t know what he thought of but suddenly chuckled to himself, and casually picked up a box of condoms and water-soluble lubricant to give to the cashier.
That night when Tang Kai came home from work, dinner was not yet ready. Sun Zinan gave him a pig-shaped red bean bun to pad his stomach. In the busy, chaotic kitchen, he asked, “Did you find people to beat Sun Ziyan yesterday?”
Tang Kai bit off half the pig’s head. “To be precise, it was the day before yesterday. How did you find out?”
“Sun Ziyuan called me and asked if I did it,” Sun Zinan said. “I heard Sun Ziyan was hospitalized and doesn’t dare call the police.”
“Hitman Google, it’s a very useful delivery app. If you think it’s good I’ll give a good rating?” Tang Kai said, “I heard that a five-star hitman can get an extra five percent commission.”
Sun Zinan, “…”
“Hahahaha I’m not teasing you, it’s true.” Tang Kai ate the pig bun and said vaguely, “It’s a small group created by a friend I know. They have private contact with the Deep Blue staff and had the front desk help get Sun Ziyan out. I have a picture, do you want to see it?”
“No no no, no need.” Sun Zinan said, “Looking at his face makes me lose my appetite. We still need to eat dinner.”
Tang Kai helped him bring the dish to the table as he casually said. “Rest assured, I had the people say to Sun Ziyan that opening two bottles of wine was the price of a human life to scare him. So you see, he doesn’t dare call the police. If the police pulled out all the horrible things he’s done, it’ll become a huge problem.”
Sun Zinan understood immediately. “Oh, I see. Killing someone with a borrowed knife.”
“I think…Old Sun and Sun Ziyuan both know what he has done. So that’s why I asked you directly.” Tang Kai said, “Don’t worry, just let them investigate. They won’t be able to find anything.”
Sun Zinan made an “en” sound, and gave him a pair of chopsticks. “Eat.”
“Wait, I have something for you.”
He often brought little things to Sun Zinan, whatever random objects he found on the way. Sometimes, it was sugar roasted chestnuts from a street stall, sometimes it was a particularly ugly little doll.
This time, Tang Kai took out a gym membership card from the side of his bag. Sun Zinan looked at it like it was a monster, pinching at a corner and asking, “What is this thing?”
“Gym membership,” said Tang Kai. “For the gym we went to last time. The boss specially sent me two ten percent discounts on the annual card. He welcomes you to come often.”
Sun Zinan, “Why?”
Tang Kai, “Apparently since the last time you showed up, the number of customers has increased significantly.”
“…” Sun Zinan’s heart was very resistant to this, but it wasn’t good to say it out loud in order to not reject Tang Kai’s good intentions.
So he rolled his eyes and pretended he didn’t understand. “What does that mean. The boss thinks the little students are coming specifically to see me?”
Tang Kai said righteously, “To see the two of us.”
“Oh…” Sun Zinan dragged his voice. “So we can only go to the gym together? If I go by myself someday, I hope a certain someone won’t cry.”
Tang Kai’s heart rang in alarm, but his mouth firmly denied it. “I have not!”
”If you haven’t then you haven’t.” Sun Zinan said with a smile, “What are you so nervous about?”
Tang Kai huffily faced the window.
This scene had an inexplicable sense of familiarity. From the beginning to now, Tang Kai’s lofty image had already collapsed into ashes, but Sun Zinan’s teasing tune had not changed at all.
However, he had to admit, whatever pot whatever pot lid, Tang Kai could really eat it.
Sun Zinan curled up the corner of his mouth, leisurely picking up his soup bowl. To hide the reddening tips of his ears, he drank half a bowl of his bamboo shoot and shrimp meatball soup.
Now that there was nothing stopping him, did that mean he could go deeper into this intimate relationship, to personally build himself a small family that belonged only to him?
Tang Kai’s birthday happened to be on Christmas day. Although it was still a workday, Sun Zinan was leisurely staying at home. He had plenty of time to finally treat him well.
He began with a bowl of longevity noodles in the morning. It was followed by a love bento delivery at noon, then a candlelight and rose-covered dinner after he opened the door when he got home from work that evening. Tang Kai had been fed all day by Sun Zinan to satisfaction; he was in an extremely good mood.
Because of this, he was looking more and more forward to Sun Zinan’s birthday gift. Before going to work that morning, he had seen a square box in the corner of the wardrobe. The package was quite exquisite; Sun Zinan had presumably prepared it early and was just waiting for dinner to give him the biggest surprise.
He habitually reasoned that according to Sun Zinan’s consistent style, it might be an expensive wallet, glasses, or watch…could it be a car key?
But Sun Zinan was very calm. At nine o’clock in the evening, he went to take a shower and get ready for bed without mentioning anything. Tang Kai had been absent-minded all night. He wondered as he paid attention to the movement in the bathroom, unconsciously poking about at his iPad. For the first time, he experienced what it felt like to be a bad student staring at a book. Not a single word absorbed into his mind.
For some reason, Sun Zinan spent an extra long time in his shower today. After he dried his hair and walked out of the bedroom in a bathrobe, Tang Kai immediately looked up at him sensitively. “Did you finish washing up?”
“En.”
Sun Zinan opened the wardrobe and bent over to take out Tang Kai’s long-awaited gift box. He smiled and handed it to him. “Here, your birthday gift.”
Tang Kai was stunned by his expression; he couldn’t understand what it meant.
He set the iPad down and sat up cross-legged like a child. He opened it in puzzlement and looked down. His gaze was immediately stuck to the two things inside.
New unopened condoms and lubricant.
“This…”
He was shocked to the point of being dizzy and briefly lost the ability to organize language. He didn’t dare to believe it yet was overjoyed at the same time, turning into a faulty, repeating machine. He stared at Sun Zinan and stammered as he asked, “This…this product…are, are you implying…”
Sun Zinan placed his knee on the bed. The bathrobe neckline was too open. In a condescending posture, he pinched Tang Kai’s chin and scratched at it twice like he was petting a cat. He laughed lazily. “It’s exactly what you think.”
Tang Kai held him by the waist and went down on the bed under his push. He looked up and exchanged a sweet, soft long kiss with him.
“It’s too sudden, I feel like I’m dreaming…”
His empty hand gently fiddled with the sensitive and delicate skin behind Sun Zinan’s ear, then played with his soft earlobe. His eyes held a hint of a smile, filled with a burning brilliance. “We have to agree first that since you gave this gift to me, you can’t take it back.”
“What nonsense are you saying.” Sun Zinan’s eyes were glazed over with enthusiasm. He bent his head to peck at the corners of his eyes and spoke with a dignified air, but his tone was light. “Whatever I give you is yours.”
Tang Kai was deeply moved, and his heart was full of tenderness. As soon as he was about to kiss him, he heard Sun Zinan add, “Besides, you can’t still be a virgin at thirty. That’s too miserable.”
Tang Kai, “…”
The angered virgin turned over and pressed Sun Zinan into the quilt. He bit him on the mouth as a punishment. At the same time, he tickled him harshly. He repressed his voice and said, “You talk like you’re not a virgin either, eh?”
Sun Zinan lay on his back, tickled by his touches, laughing until his entire body curled up. “Stop talking so much, hurry up, you’ll really become an old virgin after midnight…”
The bright bedroom lights blinded his eyes. He lifted his foot and kicked at Tang Kai’s calf. “Turn off the lights.”
Tang Kai picked up the gift box and threw it. It hit the switch on the wall with a bang.
One switch closed while another turned on.
The bedroom was washed in darkness. Only the dim moonlight through the glass window reflected the two figures intertwined on the bed.
Tang Kai had been looking forward to his birthday gift for a long time, but this had become a very special day in his life. He tore the presents open for half the night and couldn’t put them down. He could only reluctantly put his gift down near dawn.
The winter night was long. He could only taste the bitterness of a short spring night.
At seven o’clock in the morning, Sun Zinan struggled to open his eyes. He tried to sit up with two dark circles under his eyes. When he moved, his joints cracked, as if he had been beaten all night. The parts of his body below his waist did not listen to his orders. His legs were still faintly cramping. The other side of the half was cold; Tang Kai should have gone to work.
Sun Zinan’s mouth was dry. He looked all over the place for a cup of water without avail and had to silently condemn Tang Kai in his heart for this ruthless behavior. He began dragging his body, which was about to fall apart, in order to get out of bed.
At this time, the bedroom door was pushed open from the outside. Tang Kai quickly walked over, holding a cup of water in one hand. The other hand pushed his leg back into bed. “You lie there obediently.”
Sun Zinan reached for the water. Tang Kai half hugged him as he waited for him to finish the cup of water. He then pressed his hand against his forehead and tested his temperature. “You have a little low fever, don’t get out of bed today.”
“Do I?” Sun Zinan himself didn’t feel it and didn’t take it too seriously. He said, “There’s no breakfast today, you’ll have to go to the school canteen.”
“I took leave. I won’t go to school today.” Tang Kai asked him to lie down flat and turn over. He put his hands under the quilt and slowly rubbed his back, asking warmly, “Where is it uncomfortable? What do you want to eat? I’ll order delivery.”
After the event, tenderness was as important as foreplay. Sun Zinan lay on Tang Kai’s thigh, and his aching back muscles were pushed from top to bottom by his warm palms. He hummed, sleepily closing his eyes. “Whatever is fine.”
“Okay.” Tang Kai was full of gentleness, feeling like he had the entire world to himself. At this point, he would be willing to even pick the stars to make soup for him. He coaxed softly, “If you’re sleepy then keep sleeping. I’ll call you when the food is here.”
Sun Zinan turned over and yawned. “You don’t want to sleep with me?”
“I’ll be right there.” The first thing Tang Kai had seen were red marks all over his chest. He immediately repented by averting his gaze, covering him with his quilt in guilt when he suddenly heard Sun Zinan, who had closed his eyes, mutter something under his breath.
He leaned over and asked, “En? What did you say?”
Sun Zinan forced himself to open his drowsy eyes, about to succumb to the strong force of his sleepiness. He whispered in his ear, “I said, your behavior last night was pretty good. You can be less obedient tonight.”