After I Moved in with a Rugged Man

[Comments on individual paragraphs are now open. Completely prewritten, nothing made up on the spot. Updates at 9 a.m. every day except Sundays. Bowing /ᐠ .⸝⸝⸝. ྀི]

Shen Heting opened his eyes and saw his parents, who had clearly aged. He thought he had transmigrated.

It took two hard knocks on the head from them to make him realize he hadn't transmigrated.

He'd simply been in a car accident, and his memories had suddenly jumped back ten years.

Shen Heting took it all in stride.

After all, on the very first day of his hospital stay, someone had come over to curry favor with him. The man was quiet and reserved, yet attentive and gentle. The days recovering in the hospital had been so bitterly dull, but his care somehow added a touch of sweetness.

As his discharge approached, Shen Heting realized that he had become a little reluctant to part with the man.

There was just one problem.

The man said they were only friends.

Glancing sideways at the man secretly touching his hand, Shen Heting raised an eyebrow.

Friends?

Fine, friends it was.

After all, if they really stayed friends, he definitely wouldn't be the first to get anxious.

*

Qin Zhengdao's greatest obsession in this life was Shen Heting.

He was a self-made rising star from a remote village in the northwest, while Shen Heting was the second son of Xinke Energy, a favored child of fortune and an untouchable beauty. After they moved in together, Qin Zhengdao attended to his every need with the utmost care, but all he got in return was a casual glance.

He had thought there was no chance for the two of them,

not until Shen Heting lost his memory and Qin Zhengdao's eyes darkened.

Wasn't this the perfect chance to win him over?

So he lied and said they were friends, then carefully approached him once more.

But gradually, he began to notice

that the amnesiac man's gaze seemed a little off whenever he looked at him.

*

Shen Heting had a little dog. He'd brought it home before it was even weaned at a month old, and spoiled it so much that every night it had to cuddle up to him before it would go back to its own bed.

One night, after his memories had returned,

Shen Heting clapped his hands. "Who's the best little puppy?"

"I am."

Qin Zhengdao nudged the golden retriever puppy aside and went over to him himself.

Shen Heting's expression darkened, and he kicked the man right off the bed.

Qin Zhengdao hurried back, kissing and caressing him, and showered him with a whole string of sweet words. Only then did the man calm down. He'd meant to return a kiss, but the other man took the opportunity to hoist his legs up and pin him to the bed, kissing him passionately.

"What are you trying to do...?"

Looking at Shen Heting, dazed and lightheaded, Qin Zhengdao smiled and said:

"If you won't let me be your dog,"

"then I'll just have to fulfill my duties as your boyfriend."

Also, here's a preview of my upcoming novel, Dating a Cold-Hearted Guy in the Countryside. I might still tweak this earthy, rustic title, but the central premise will stay the same.

1.

Xiang Wenjin studied history at university and landed a job at a top-ranked city high school right after graduating. But he hadn't held on to that secure position for long before an unexpected incident got him sent to the county to lie low.

Yiyang County was one of the most educationally impoverished counties in the province. Figuring he could teach anywhere, Xiang Wenjin packed his bags, grabbed a suitcase, kept his plans secret from his family, and boarded a slow green train to Yiyang alone.

The handsome man in the lower bunk had a stern face but a warm heart. After eating his instant noodles, Xiang Wenjin noticed him holding a red pen and spoke up softly:

"Hello, can I help you grade those papers?"

The cold-faced hunk didn't even look up. "Thanks, but no."

"No need to be polite. I'm a teacher too."

"...Then I'll trouble you to grade the multiple-choice questions."

They shared the same profession and soon got to talking. When Xiang Wenjin mentioned that he was going to Yiyang to teach as a volunteer, the cold-faced hunk furrowed his brow.

Thinking the other man felt sorry for him, Xiang Wenjin hurried to explain:

"Don't worry. At most, they'll assign me one class. How hard can it be? Just think of it as a vacation in this beautiful place."

The next day, the head of the grade introduced someone beside him.

"Teacher Xiang, this is Teacher Xing, the homeroom teacher of Class One, Grade Ten."

Looking at that familiar face, Xiang Wenjin froze on the spot.

Xing Chuan said calmly, "Teacher Xiang, I'm very serious about my work. Being assigned to teach alongside me might make things difficult for you."

Xiang Wenjin: ?! QAQ

2.

Xing Chuan taught at the county high school and disliked nothing more than being paired up with teachers from the city. But now the supposedly laid-back colleague he'd met on the train was actually going to teach alongside him.

Xing Chuan flatly refused. But when he returned to the teachers' apartment, he discovered that the new teacher had moved into his room.

The man who'd said he was there on vacation had brought a whole suitcase of books. They took up more than half of the desk they shared, while all of Xing Chuan's belongings could fit in a single thin backpack.

Xing Chuan rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

3.

The heating pipes in the house Xiang Wenjin had rented burst in the dead of winter, forcing him to share a roof with Xing Chuan. He figured he'd move out once the cold snap was over.

But when spring came, Xing Chuan wouldn't let him leave.

Xiang Wenjin was preparing lessons in the dorm when Xing Chuan appeared behind him and leaned close to whisper in his ear:

"The Chinese teacher took tonight's study session, and we don't have to teach the weekend makeup classes tomorrow."

"So, Teacher Xiang, can we sleep together tonight?"

Theme: Break stereotypes and actively pursue love