Chapter 3099: After Divorce, Forced to Compete with My Ex-Husband for 29

The night on Rustbone Star came quickly; outside the window, the sky shifted from dark red to deep black within minutes, only the searchlights of the distant Iron Fortress Base sweeping pale beams across the night sky.

Jin Chen had just sat down in the room when a knock came from outside the door.

Chenshu opened the door to see Jeffrey standing at the threshold, holding a tray with a bottle of wine and two cups.

His smile was eager yet cautious; he glanced over Chenshu's shoulder into the room, confirming Jin Chen was inside, and his smile grew a bit more sincere: "I've brought a bottle of good wine for the guest—locally brewed, you can't get it elsewhere."

Chenshu stood in the doorway, unwilling to step aside, lowering his gaze to the tray in Jeffrey's hand, then to Jeffrey's overly bright face, inspecting him silently.

Under his stare, Jeffrey's smile froze for half a second, then he stubbornly held it.

Inside the room, Jin Chen's voice came out: "Let him in."

Chenshu shifted aside, making a path. Jeffrey stepped quickly into the room with the tray, set the bottle and cups on the table, poured Jin Chen a cup in one smooth motion, and handed it over with both hands, his posture deferential like a puppy's.

But Chenshu's gaze was so oppressive that Jeffrey dared not exchange pleasantries with Jin Chen; after delivering the wine he hurried out, his footsteps fading rapidly down the hall.

The room fell silent. Chenshu ignored the bottle, gripping Jin Chen's wrist and bringing him to the edge of the sofa, pressing him down, then leaning over him with his arms braced, knees against the sofa's edge, trapping Jin Chen between himself and the backrest.

His voice low, thick with jealousy, he asked, "Xiao Chen, do you know him?"

Jin Chen, held down on the sofa, didn't struggle; he slightly lifted his head to look up at the person looming over him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his eye.

He didn't rush to answer, reaching for the cup on the table, but Chenshu snatched it up first and took a sip—it was the flavor Xiao Chen liked, nothing like the cheap liquor one would expect on a fringe world.

Now Chenshu's jealousy flared a little more; anyone who knew Xiao Chen's taste obviously wasn't just a casual acquaintance.

He set the cup down, tightened his arms and pulled Jin Chen closer into his embrace; the warmth reassured him a bit, then he took another sip, lowered his head, and covered Jin Chen's lips, slowly passing the wine over.

Jin Chen didn't dodge, leaning back against the sofa as Chenshu fed him the wine; his throat moved slightly as he swallowed, and it tasted better than drinking directly.

But some wine inevitably escaped the corner of his mouth, trailing down his jaw; Chenshu followed the trail downward, pressing ever tighter, the soaked shirt unable to block the heat transfer, their temperatures rising in the close contact, the moisture in the air turning viscous.

Jin Chen felt very comfortable being kissed, a faint blush at the corners of his eyes; Chenshu's jealousy eased in this intimacy, yet he remained uneasy, his lips against Jin Chen's skin as he mumbled, "Bao Bao, have you been here before…?"

Before he could finish, Jin Chen's thumb and forefinger pressed against his mouth.

Jin Chen's palm blocked his mouth, stopping him from speaking further. Chenshu froze for a moment, then gently nibbled at the web of his thumb and palm, only lightly grazing with the tips of his teeth.

Jin Chen pulled him closer, lips brushing his ear, breath still faint from the kiss, voice low: "This is a secret; if spoken aloud it could easily be intercepted."

Now is a critical juncture; on this planet never mentioned in the storyline, with Chi Mu also in the same building tonight, some things are better left unsaid.

Chenshu grasped his implication, a complex emotion welling up; after all, he had dragged Xiao Chen into this, and the burdens he'd wanted to bear alone could not stay hidden.

Chenshu pressed down his ache and alarm, kneeling on either side of Jin Chen's legs, his broad shoulders unfolding, back muscles tensing as he moved; he took Jin Chen's hand from his mouth, lowered his head to lightly kiss the fingertips and knuckles, then placed Jin Chen's hand on his own neck, letting out a soft, strained hum, voice trembling with restraint: "Who is Jeffrey?"

Such a question seemingly involves no secret; it's merely the answer most craved by someone driven by jealousy.

Jin Chen narrowed his eyes, tightening his fingers in response.

His palm rested against Chenshu's Adam's apple, feeling the tiny bone roll as he swallowed; he admired Chenshu's ever‑cold, dangerous eyes, which, under the gradually tightening pressure, flicked upward and trembled, as if his lifeline were being choked, revealing uncontrolled fragility on the brink of suffocation.

That shudder radiating from his nerves made Chenshu's breath grow ragged, yet his body didn't retreat—it leaned in even closer.

"You get jealous so easily, Uncle Chenshu." Jin Chen chuckled softly from his chest, the hand propped on the sofa lifting to rest at his waist, "I merely saved his life once; he's engaged."

Chenshu's gaze flickered, and that layer of jealousy finally dissipated.

He embraced Jin Chen's shoulders, and after receiving his silent assent, he slowly moved downward until their hug was seamless, hips pressed together, body heat mingling.

Chenshu, unable to bear it, leaned in, burying his face in Jin Chen's neck crook, while Jin Chen lightly kissed his chest.

He tilted his head back slightly, eyes narrowed, body trembling, voice low and hoarse, a bare‑faced confession: "Xiao Chen, I'm really greedy… those three years… well, not being by your side, only now like this do I feel less afraid."

He laid bare his heart; the anxiety, suspicion, and paranoia were like shards of glass he'd clenched in his palm too long, and now he finally opened his fingers, placing them before Jin Chen.

Chenshu could not control the panic brought on by separation; unless he felt ultimate intimacy and love, it was an unsolvable proposition—no amount of medicine could cure it.

Jin Chen soothed him, wrapping his arms around Chenshu's supple waist, murmuring, "I know; we won't be parted again."

Chenshu lowered his gaze to him; in a fleeting moment of dazed haze, he seemed to see Xiao Chen truly raised by him in that way, which explained his lingering attachment. That illusion made the glints in Chenshu's eyes shine unusually bright; he held Jin Chen, caressing him gently, until the long‑suppressed anguish was squeezed out bit by bit, leaving only the fulfillment of being filled with love.

The night grew deep.

The sheets were clean, just changed; Jin Chen turned onto his side, pulled a corner of the blanket over himself, then glanced up at Chenshu. Chenshu lifted the blanket, slipped in, turned to face Jin Chen, and draped his arm over his waist.

Having tasted the marrow, Jin Chen looked up at him and solemnly proposed to sleep with a bite.

In the darkness, Chenshu silently curled the corner of his mouth, opened the lapel of his robe, and drew a little closer to Jin Chen.

Jin Chen moved in to suckle; his breathing quickly became even and prolonged, his eyelashes quietly drooping.

Chenshu lowered his gaze to the top of Jin Chen's head, reached up to pull the blanket higher, covering the shoulder exposed outside, and his breathing gradually synced with Jin Chen's rhythm.