A Promise, Just as Before

Ning Jingchu felt like he was about to become a spirit. Facing the girl he had protected since childhood, he had forced all those shameful thoughts that only surfaced when he was drunk into restraint beneath the moonlight.

Until that kiss fell.

Her fingertips trembled, but she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. His throat tightened as he poured three years of suppressed longing into their tangled kisses.

From the living room to the lounge, the door clicked shut. Even the moonlight became an accomplice, casting a veil of silver sensuality across her collarbone.

“Brother Jingchu...” Her face flushed as she clutched the bedsheets, like a ripe cherry.

He kissed her with reverence, yet his fingertips trembled as he undid the buttons of her pajamas, as if she were a fragile treasure he was holding, and yet he still wanted a taste of her sweetness.

“No. We’re not engaged yet.” He stopped himself, his voice hoarse and his resolve taut as a string.

But she snuggled into his arms. “But... we already live together.”

Later, Ning Jingchu understood: some things really did need to be learned. But with Jian Y Nuo, he only wanted to do it in the simplest way. His kisses should be gentle, his love complete, and even his restraint should carry a burning warmth.

After all, the moonlight had seen it too. The longing buried in his bones had crossed the boundary of “brother” long ago.