Chapter 3011: Stubborn Taming 28

Chenshu walked in holding a stack of payment slips and medicine, and at a glance saw Jin Chen standing in the middle of the ward. The resentment and dissatisfaction that had been building since the airport surged up, and he instinctively took two steps forward, as if wanting to throw himself into his arms, but as soon as his toes moved he forced himself to stop.

Chenshu slapped the papers in his hand onto the side cabinet, ignoring anyone else present, and began to question him with a rapid-fire 'pap pap pap'.

Why didn't you answer my phone?! I ran into danger and got surrounded, but I'm tough and ran fast! Otherwise, by the time you got here you wouldn't be in the hospital—you'd be at the morgue identifying your boyfriend's corpse, you know that?!

Jin Chen lowered his eyes, scanning him from head to toe. His hair was a bit messy, no obvious wounds, he moved freely, full of energy, and could even argue with him loudly.

After confirming he was really unharmed, Jin Chen finally relaxed a fraction, but the chill on his face didn't fade; instead, Chenshu's preemptive questioning made it grow even colder.

Meanwhile, Chenshu was still waiting aggressively for Jin Chen to comfort him; seeing him raise his hand, he stubbornly kept his neck stiff and shuffled over slowly, but as soon as he got close, Jin Chen grabbed his nape.

Jin Chen looked down at him, his thin lips parting slightly: 'I told you what to do if you encounter danger when you go out.'

Chenshu's momentum collapsed in an instant; his eyes darted, looking at the sky, the ground, the white wall beside him—anything but Jin Chen's eyes—and he let out a hesitant, unwilling hum, '... Report your name.'

Had he, at the airport, been unable to reach Jin Chen in person, simply flashing the special identity token Jin Chen gave him would have activated the airport's entire security system, and even the nearby police could have been mobilized by him in the shortest time. Not to mention those dozens of people—even if twice as many came, he would have been absolutely safe.

But instead, the moment his call wouldn't go through, Chenshu chose not to use that privilege but to force his way in by himself.

The ward fell silent for a few seconds.

Pete shrank under the blankets, staring wide‑eyed: Is this still the fearless, hot‑headed Chenshu who acts without words? How did a few words from Jin Chen reduce him to this timid version?

Meanwhile, Chu Yu stepped forward at the right moment, face full of sincere apology, bowed slightly to Jin Chen, then turned to Chenshu: 'Mr. Chenshu, I'm sorry—I handled it poorly, I considered the impact and didn't insist on going in right away to report, causing a delay; I'm truly sorry.'

He then bowed again to Chenshu, his manner flawless.

Chenshu glanced at him briefly; he had always borne a grudge against this person, feeling something off about him in the study last time, and today, after almost coming to harm, he found him increasingly displeasing to look at.

But he had no mind to argue with Chu Yu now; what mattered was Jin Chen's attitude. He turned and flung himself into Jin Chen's arms, burying his face in his chest, not wanting to see the person who made him uncomfortable at all: 'I'm fine… don't be angry…'

But Jin Chen didn't let him hug him; he grabbed Chenshu's nape, pulled him slightly away from his embrace, tossed a 'Handle this' at Chen Gai, then half‑dragged the still‑struggling Chenshu, who kept trying to worm his way back into his arms, out of the ward.

Chen Gai rubbed his nose, patted Chu Yu's shoulder to comfort him, then, overly familiar, pulled over a chair, sat down beside Pete's bed, and began to fish for information with a grin.

'Little brother, how are you hurt? What do you want to eat tonight? Sister‑in‑law… no, Chenshu's friends are our friends—don't stand on ceremony.'

Pete poked his head out from the bed, startled by the sudden enthusiasm. Chen Gai smiled warmly, spoke casually, but every sentence, while sounding like chat, was actually probing.

——

Jin Chen took Chenshu to the top‑floor single room, shut the door, drew the curtains, pressed him to sit on the bed, and began to undo the zipper of his hoodie.

'What are you doing…?' Chenshu blinked, wanting to struggle.

'Don't move.' Jin Chen's voice was cold as he opened the hoodie; inside was a thin black short‑sleeve T‑shirt, which he then lifted at the hem.

Chenshu's fair waist and abdomen were exposed to the air; Jin Chen carefully examined his back, sides, even rolled up his pant legs to check his knees and calves.

His old injuries had healed well, with no reopening, and there were hardly any new wounds.

Chenshu obediently let him examine him. He sat on the bed wearing only his underwear, a blanket draped over his legs; he had originally wanted to lean in and act cute, but seeing Jin Chen's expression still not good, a chill gathering in his brows, he held back.

He pressed his lips together, then simply sat up kneeling, arms crossed, turned his face toward the wall, and let out a loud, petulant hum.

Jin Chen watched his sulky expression, lifted his chin with a fingertip, eyes narrowing slightly, and a familiar danger flickered within.

'You still haven't figured out how to answer?'

Forced to lift his face, Chenshu locked eyes with Jin Chen, then suddenly wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's shoulders, leveraged forward, and straddled his thighs again, clutching his neck tightly.

This pose made him slightly higher than Jin Chen; he lowered his head slightly, half‑closed his eyes to look at Jin Chen, and whispered softly, 'I'm afraid you're not ready.'

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, seeming not to grasp his meaning.

Chenshu lowered his head, lightly rubbing Jin Chen's pale lower lip, slowly teasing between his lips and teeth; his porcelain‑white skin, under the ward's cold white light, seemed somewhat translucently fragile, yet his eyes shone astonishingly bright, like two dim flames burning.

'In Yucheng, only by publicly acknowledging you as my partner and invoking your name can I truly be safe—I know that.'

Chenshu's exhaled breath brushed Jin Chen's lips, his damp, messy bangs hanging over his brows: 'But if you want to make me public, you must be prepared to be entangled with me for life, to cling to you forever.'

'No matter what happens later, you can't ever again say you don't want me, look at me that way, or abandon me.'

'If you dare, I'll cling to you wherever you go—don't even think about shaking me off.'

It was clearly a threat, yet also sounded like a plea for a promise never to be abandoned.

Jin Chen looked at his undisguised obstinacy and dependence, and a sudden feeling of sour softness and satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Because of his earlier betrayal and his cold treatment, the puppy had developed a knot in his heart, becoming anxious and insecure; he didn't dare use the privilege Jin Chen gave him, fearing it was conditional and that another mistake would have it revoked.

Jin Chen calmly lifted his hand, tugged at the lower edge of Chenshu's shirt, and played with the especially conspicuous dimple on his waist—there the skin was thin, bone lay just beneath, and the curve of the indentation fit his thumb perfectly.

He let out a lazy hum, sharply catching another layer of meaning in Chenshu's words: 'What other secrets are you hiding from me?'

'You answer me first.' Being touched made Chenshu a bit itchy; his waist involuntarily twitched, and he disliked Jin Chen's topic‑shifting move, lowering his head to bite his lip, grinding it with his teeth.

Before Jin Chen could reply, Chenshu seemed to think of something else that annoyed him, his eyes turning cold, his tone grim: 'Besides, anyone who dares to try to take you from me—I'll kill them.'

Jin Chen knew he was truly uninjured, that lingering anger had long dissipated; seeing him now fierce yet clingy, domineeringly asserting his claim, he exerted a little force, pulled the straddling puppy down, lowered his head, and sealed his nonstop‑talking, threatening‑and‑declaring lips, firmly supporting the back of his head, allowing no retreat.

His lips brushed Chenshu's ear, voice low and magnetic, making one's spine go soft: 'This depends on you, Puppy.'

Chenshu went limp from the kiss, his arms around Jin Chen's neck losing strength, only able to dangle weakly; a sticky moan escaped his throat, he responded dazedly, then eagerly leaned in for more, wanting to cling.

Jin Chen lowered his gaze to the flushed neck where Chenshu's skin pinkened from the kiss, deepening the kiss while his fingertips slowly rubbed that patch of skin.

Perhaps here would be more fitting to wear a mark that displays ownership.