Chapter 3195: Plane Tree Lane: Bitter Summer 38

Jin Chen entered, changed his shoes, sniffed the air, and glanced at the coffee table.

"Brother drank alcohol." He said.

Chenshu pressed his lips, perhaps from the alcohol rising, perhaps from the indescribable feeling that welled up in his heart when he saw that unknown man sending Jin Chen home earlier,

Chenshu said nothing, only walked over and ruffled Jin Chen's hair thoroughly, the motion not gentle, like a mix of coquettishness and venting, turning those neatly combed strands into a mess, then he said nothing, silently sat back on the sofa, pulled the blanket tight, and continued watching his movie.

Jin Chen: "？"

He stood where he was, his hair messed up from being rubbed, not understanding, he walked over and sat beside Chenshu, "Brother..."

Chenshu silently shifted a bit away on the sofa, putting some distance between them, and continued watching the movie.

Jin Chen: "!!"

Good heavens, what on earth happened while he was gone for half a day!

He half-kneeled beside the sofa, moved closer to look at Chenshu's face; Chenshu's gaze still rested on the TV screen, but he clearly wasn't watching, his eyes unfocused, his focus nowhere to be found.

"Brother." Jin Chen called out in a clingy voice.

Chenshu didn't move, still turning his head away.

"I listened to you," Jin Chen said, resting his chin on Chenshu's knee and looking up, his voice low, "I didn't drink, and I reported in and came home early."

Only then did Chenshu turn his head to look at him; a faint blush from the alcohol spread across his cheeks, and the corners of his eyes also glistened slightly.

Usually gentle, after drinking he seemed a bit different; he looked at Jin Chen, tone aggrieved, "Xiao Chen, you've been neglecting me lately."

He stretched his hand out from under the blanket, palm pressing against Jin Chen's cheeks, cupping his face and locking eyes, continuing his accusation, "You've become so busy, and you no longer rely on me."

What's more...

"And you haven't slept with me for a full ten days."

He thought it over, the more he spoke the lower he felt, he sighed and lowered his eyes: "Don't I have a place in your life anymore?"

Jin Chen: "???"

He thought it was for his brother's career that he endured, his brother busy every day with gallery affairs, driving back and forth, returning home already exhausted, not wanting to make his brother more tired or give him a backache, suppressing those surging desires, yet somehow it turned into neglect.

"I haven't neglected my brother." Jin Chen's voice hoarse, he said stubbornly, "I've been suffering through the restraint, my brother is exhausted from the gallery, I don't want to make you suffer."

As he spoke, Jin Chen tugged at the blanket's corner, clutching it in his hand, lowered his head feeling wronged, his finger joints slightly bent to shield his face, looking quite downcast.

Chenshu stared blankly for a few seconds.

He looked at Jin Chen's bowed head, suddenly realizing he might have misunderstood something, but being drunk made it hard to think straight, so he could only try to soothe him first.

Chenshu reached out to take Jin Chen's hand, placing it on his own face, "I'm not blaming you, it's just... I'm feeling a bit jealous today."

He laid bare his heart, exposing that sour, somewhat unbecoming emotion before Jin Chen.

"You're getting better and better, I'm happy; it's just that I haven't taken care of myself properly."

Jin Chen, however, shook his head solemnly, he lifted his head to look at Chenshu, his gaze earnest to the point of stubbornness, "I've made Brother unhappy, that's my fault; I'm just thinking about how to get closer to you, so each day I take one more step forward."

He paused.

"But..."

Jin Chen switched to kneeling on both knees, pulled open the blanket, and shoved his head into Chenshu's pajamas, wanting to hide inside.

Chenshu was startled by his sudden action: "Xiao Chen..."

His lips were hot, he pressed them to Chenshu's lower abdomen and kissed, his nose brushing as well, "I also want to be hidden by Brother, to do nothing, but I want to be more suited to Brother, so I must strive every day."

The more Jin Chen spoke, the more aggrieved he sounded, his voice dropping further, quite despondent: "Otherwise, Brother, just hide me away; I originally thought the same way in front of Brother."

Chenshu lowered his head and saw that Jin Chen's head had pushed a bulge into his pajamas, looking especially odd.

Before he could say anything, Jin Chen bit him on the stomach again.

Chenshu gently bit his lower lip, his heart melting completely, he rubbed Jin Chen's occipital through the pajamas, "Why aren't you happy yet."

"Brother, have you forgotten?" Jin Chen's voice came from under the pajamas, "I can't live without you."

He kissed a few more times, then finally emerged from the pajamas. Chenshu, already somewhat weakened from the tussle, leaned on the sofa, reached out to hook Jin Chen's neck, and slightly opened his mouth to draw a breath.

Chenshu slightly opened his mouth to breathe, gazing at Jin Chen with a tender yet ambiguous look, and gave him a neither-light-nor-heavy glance.

"Who asked you to endure? When have I not indulged you?"

"All in all, it's just that you've become less clingy when you get busy."

Jin Chen saw Chenshu's drunken state, a demeanor different from usual, even more unreasonable.

He resolved not to argue with his drunken brother over this, but to show it through action.

Jin Chen suddenly kissed fiercely, as if to make up for the missing days, to pour all the nights they couldn't embrace due to busyness and all the urges suppressed by restraint into this kiss.

Chenshu was kissed to the point of barely breathing, his fingers clutching Jin Chen's back fabric, tightening then loosening.

However, only an hour had passed when Chenshu could no longer bear it.

He affectionately kissed Jin Chen, with a hint of pleading, but Jin Chen had endured for so many days, and after being misunderstood, now he craved skin-to-skin closeness to near satisfaction; the emotion on the verge of breaking point shattered reason, refusing to let Chenshu end it just because he wanted to, allowing no struggle, letting the distorted desire fill the emptiness, thirst quenched.

Thus, over the following rare days off, Chenshu also couldn't go out on dates.

... He simply didn't have the stamina or energy left.

He no longer begged Jin Chen to complain about not sleeping, but he also wanted to set three rules with Jin Chen. First, he would not allow Jin Chen to neglect him once he got busy.

Chenshu's high demands are no less than Jin Chen's, and he admits this very openly, even being more prone to anxiety and suspicion than Jin Chen.

After hearing Chenshu finish explaining the three rules, Jin Chen was very pleased, nodding in agreement while continuing to put them into practice.

Finally Chenshu had to push him away a bit, laughed and scolded, but his voice was soft, lacking any real blame.

Outside the window, another layer of phoenix tree leaves had fallen.

Chenshu leaned in Jin Chen's embrace, eyes closed, basking in the sun, the blanket covering both their chests; Jin Chen turned his head, quietly listening to the occasional breeze and the distant faint hum of street traffic. Didu is wonderful, autumn is wonderful, wherever Brother is, every season is wonderful.