Chapter 2186: You Are My Only Color 21

Jin Chen's voice came breaking through the air; he ran hurriedly, and as he burst the door open, a gust of wind followed.

Jin Chen rushed over, snatched the dagger, and tightly held the person in his arms: "Wen Jin."

"Let me——

Wen Jin's voice was fragmented, his fingertips still trembling as he tried to reach the dagger: "Let me look."

Take one more look at that blinding red.

"It will hurt."

Jin Chen pressed his lips to his ear, whispering soothingly, "I'll hurt too, really, really hurt."

Wen Jin suddenly stiffened; his chaotic thoughts were split open a crack by those words.

He fumbled, lifting Jin Chen's face.

"Xiao Chen."

Wen Jin's voice suddenly softened: "I won't look, I won't look—where does it hurt?"

Jin Chen pressed his hand over his own heart: "It hurts here."

Wen Jin clung to him tightly, as if grasping the last straw of salvation: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry……"

Wen Jin couldn't even tell which time and space he was in, or to whom he was apologizing.

Was it Jin Chen, or that woman who had been given sleeping pills and was completely defenseless?

"Wen Jin."

Jin Chen was a bit annoyed, and with great force he embraced Wen Jin: "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me."

Yet the body in his arms was still trembling.

Jin Chen held Wen Jin's nape, lowered his head, and bit a small break in the skin on his neck, letting out threads of blood.

Wen Jin suddenly stopped trembling; the faint tension awakened a bit of his awareness.

His eyelashes were wet with tears, half-covering his gray eyes clouded with shadow, unfocused as he looked up.

"Xiao Chen……"

Jin Chen blew at his wet eyes: "I'm here—touch me, feel me."

Wen Jin stared for a long while, then slowly climbed onto Jin Chen's shoulders, sat on him, and pried open the collar at his neck, burying his face almost suffocatingly.

Only then did Jin Chen relax, having a moment to observe what had fallen to the ground.

A set of painting supplies, plus a few half‑tubes of dried paint.

Wen Jin probably wasn't after these things.

"Wen Jin, what do you want to take?" Jin Chen asked near his ear, lightly kissing the earlobe.

"The contract."

His hoarse voice remained the same, but the earlier agitation was gone; Wen Jin had calmed considerably.

"There should be a contract in the cabinet… if I'm not mistaken." He was even a little unsure.

"There is."

Jin Chen looked up, patted his back, and said, "It's fine, we'll get it later."

"Hn……"

They fell silent.

After a long while.

Jin Chen picked up the dagger, sheathed it, and spoke in a gently coaxing tone.

"Wen Jin, remember me—you said my colors are the most beautiful, didn't you?"

"Forget the red in your memory; think of me."

"That is the color of being alive."

In the sunset streaming through the attic's slanted window, the two silhouettes sitting on the floor overlapped into a complete picture.

Wen Jin fell silent for a moment, his forehead pressed against his lover's warm neck, and in the surrounding darkness he recalled their first meeting, the lovely ambience of the studio, and the flush that rose each night.

It was the color belonging to Jin Chen.

The painting set lay still on the dust‑covered floor, as if bearing witness to a redemption that transcended time and space.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 66!】

【Villain Blackening Value –10, total 82!】

——

After that day, Jin Chen would not allow Wen Jin to stay alone in enclosed spaces, supervising him more strictly than when Wen Jin first arrived at Zhuang Yuan.

Wen Jin experienced the most stable and comfortable brief blindness in his life.

There were no bumps or scars, no erosion by nightmares—only the warm whispers and entwined skin of his young lover.

But Wen Jin noticed that Jin Chen had picked up a habit of morning and evening runs.

After finals, Jin Chen would go exercise every few days, yet his stamina at night never waned; Wen Jin repeatedly wondered why he had ever thought of Jin Chen as fragile and in need of protection.

But Wen Jin was also busy, with no time to dwell on it.

Recently, regarding underground industry matters, the assistant's reports made him feel increasingly uncanny.

"This morning, Zhang Kuazi of Red Harbor sent ten boxes of gold bars, saying… saying he wishes you and Mr. Jin a hundred years of happiness."

Wen Jin also found it strange, raising his eyebrows slightly: "Has he been possessed?"

Earlier that year, the Southeast Asian arms dealer who had been bidding against him at auctions for cultural relics—never mind how he knew about him and Jin Chen—his temperament would never make him say such spooky things.

The assistant swallowed and said: "There's also the third master of the Black Stone Society, who had his son brought to kneel at the Zhuang Yuan gate… imitating the ancients' 'carrying thorns to apologize,' shouting every few minutes that he was wrong… ah, that's the one who angered you last year and declared that the Black Stone Society would forever be opposed to you."

"He's still kneeling outside right now."

Wen Jin: "……"

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Besides, they seemed to mention that they were doing this out of respect for that person."

Wen Jin narrowed his eyes, a flash of Chen's recent odd behavior crossing his mind.

He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "That person? Did they say who exactly?"

The assistant shook his head. "No, just vague, but..."

He paused, lowered his voice, "I wonder if it's Young Master Jin Chen secretly helping?"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and the assistant fell silent at once.

Wen Jin turned his head toward the door, speaking softly, "Xiao Chen?"

"Mm-hmm." Jin Chen approached, carrying the fresh scent of body wash.

Droplets from his hair fell into Wen Jin's neck crook, and as his arm wrapped around the waist, he pressed gently, "Still hurting?"

Wen Jin grabbed his wrist with a reverse hold, "You also know I can't stand your messing around."

The assistant lowered his head silently, pretending he didn't exist.

Wen Jin raised his hand and gently rubbed Jin Chen's arm and back, as if checking something.

Jin Chen felt a little itchy from his touch and laughed, asking, "What are you doing?"

Wen Jin stopped the motion, his tone serious, "Are you secretly helping me?"

Although he couldn't figure it out, how could Jin Chen, acting alone, have such ability?

Jin Chen again wrapped his arms around Wen Jin's waist, resting his head on his shoulder, and whispered, "Just trust me."

"You don't need to worry about those things; I'll handle them well."

"As expected."

Wen Jin frowned slightly, raised his hand to stroke the back of Jin Chen's head, his fingertips threading through the hair, his tone carrying a hint of sigh.

"Your skills are actually more than I imagined."

Jin Chen didn't refute, his lips brushing over Wen Jin's moving Adam's apple, "Outside is the little gift I prepared for you."

"It's fine if I don't show up; after they finish kneeling, they'll leave on their own."

The assistant standing by the wall, facing it, twitched the corner of his mouth; he could finally say he'd seen someone even more audacious than Mister.

"No wonder they're a pair."

Jin Chen noticed the assistant's embarrassment, turned his head to glance at him, and said lightly, "You may go first; I still have things to discuss with Wen Jin."

"Yes."

After the person left.

Jin Chen unabashedly lay on Wen Jin's thigh, yawned, and said, "My help also deserves compensation."

"What compensation?" Wen Jin asked, lowering his head to gently caress Jin Chen's face, then recalling the earlier promise, he smiled and said, "As long as I have it."

"An internship."

Jin Chen was very practical, half-closing his eyes as he rested, turning his side to bury his face in Wen Jin's abdomen, teasing with a low chuckle.

"I'll still have to rely on you, Chief Wen."