On the day Su Zheng was released from prison, Qin Zhi and Su Duan went to pick him up together.

Su Duan was clearly very excited, sitting in the car and smiling the whole way with his eyes narrowed. He usually smiles too, but most of the time it's just a slight curve at the corner of his eyes, with pursed lips and a very faint smile, appearing quite reserved. It's rare for him to show his emotions so openly like this, with his eyes curved into little crescents, speckled with faint, twinkling starlight.

To be honest, Qin Zhi was a bit jealous of how much Su Duan cared about Su Zheng. But after all, the two of them were blood-related brothers who had been together since childhood, so their relationship was definitely closer than his as a latecomer. This was all human nature.

— That said, due to his growing desire for exclusivity, Qin Zhi still felt a sourness welling up from the bottom of his heart.

Qin Zhi couldn't help but reach out and touch Su Duan's cheek, making him focus his attention on himself.

Sure enough, Su Duan obediently raised his head and looked at him with questioning eyes that still held a trace of a smile, as if asking what was the matter.

Qin Zhi leaned in close, bent down, wrapped his arm around Su Duan's back, encircling him in his embrace, then opened his mouth and enveloped Su Duan's soft, tender lips.

The person being kissed looked at him with wide eyes. At such a close distance, Qin Zhi could clearly see his own reflection in those black pupils.

Su Duan seemed to not know the unspoken rule of closing one's eyes when kissing. Every time, he would stare at Qin Zhi with a pair of round, bright eyes. Perhaps because his gaze was too pure and transparent, Qin Zhi always felt an indescribable sense of guilt when making eye contact with him.

Although Su Duan was already an adult, his innocence in matters of the heart always made Qin Zhi feel a bit guilty, as if he had lured an ignorant little prey who knew nothing. Especially when they were about to meet this little prey's family, this guilty feeling became even more apparent.

— Of course, guilt was guilt, but he never regretted opening his mouth to this little prey, and was very determined to take him back to his den.

After staring at Su Duan for a few seconds, he loosened his mouth slightly and pulled back a little, hoarsely instructing: "Duan Duan, be good and close your eyes."

Su Duan blinked, and before he could say "oh", Qin Zhi had already kissed him again. He hesitated for a few seconds, saw that Qin Zhi had already closed his eyes, his long black lashes trembling slightly in front of him like two little brushes, and obediently closed his eyes too.

At first, Su Duan just raised his head and let Qin Zhi kiss him. Even when his tongue was caught, he only moved uneasily. But when Qin Zhi bit his mouth, he warily opened his eyes and put both hands on Qin Zhi's face.

It was said to be a slap, but Su Duan didn't use any force at all. Qin Zhi felt the soft palms pressed against his cheeks, and his heart actually fluttered.

Although he really wanted to enjoy the feeling of the little prey pressing his face for a while longer, Su Duan obviously had something he wanted to say. Qin Zhi still cooperatively opened his eyes, let go of him, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Su Duan frowned, seeming a bit troubled as he said to him, "Don't bite me."

Su Zheng didn't allow him to play with Qin Zhi. He had promised his brother at the time. If Qin Zhi left marks on his lips from biting, his brother would definitely notice when he saw it later and realize that he had lied.

Su Duan, who was very inexperienced in the business of lying, was deeply worried about this.

Qin Zhi reached out and rubbed the place he had nibbled with his thumb, smiling slightly, "Okay."

He also didn't want to overstimulate Su Zheng too much on their first meeting, so when he nibbled, he held back and made sure not to leave any ambiguous marks.

But it seemed that in terms of worrying about being discovered by Su Zheng, Su Duan seemed to be even more sensitive than him.

It really was because Su Zheng disagreed... Qin Zhi once again affirmed the guess in his mind. At this moment, he realized that he and Su Duan were on the same side, and Su Zheng, who stood between them, was the only enemy that needed to be defeated.

Although getting past Su Zheng was still imaginably tricky, the feeling of being on the same page as the person he liked still made Qin Zhi very happy.

But seeing Su Duan looking so worried, he didn't point it out either, only lowered his head to give Su Duan another kiss on the cheek before letting go of him.

Su Duan took his hands off Qin Zhi's cheeks and wanted to wipe the saliva off his own face, but halfway through he realized he couldn't use his hands to wipe, so he lowered his head and started looking for tissues.

Qin Zhi handed a newly opened pack of tissues in front of him at just the right time. Su Duan glanced at him, took it, pulled out a sheet, and carefully wiped his cheek twice, then wiped his mouth as well.

Handing back the remaining tissues, Su Duan asked him, "Do you want to wipe too?" Having someone else's saliva on his mouth felt strange.

Qin Zhi took the tissues and smiled very gently, "No need, I already licked it clean."

Su Duan: "..."

The driver was Qin Zhi's person and seemed to not hear the movements in the back seat at all. He looked at the road ahead with a serious expression the whole time, and the car drove steadily on the road, quickly arriving at the entrance of the prison where Su Zheng was serving his sentence.

His people were already inside handling the procedures. Qin Zhi made a phone call, and the other side said that in less than half an hour, they would be able to see Su Zheng.

Qin Zhi originally wanted Su Duan to wait in the car. It was currently the transition period between summer and autumn, with the weather fluctuating between cold and hot unpredictably. Perhaps as summer's last hurrah, today's sunlight was unusually intense, as if it would melt pedestrians, roasting them. Su Duan had a weak body and couldn't stand the cold or the heat. Qin Zhi was worried that he would feel uncomfortable from the sun.

But Su Duan was unwilling and said softly that he wanted to wait for Su Zheng outside. Qin Zhi thought for a moment, then held up a sun umbrella and stood with him in the shadows of a building, using his body to block the direction of the sunlight.

It was indeed very hot outside, especially since Qin Zhi was wearing a black suit, which was simply a mobile heat absorber.

Su Duan gradually felt the heat emanating from Qin Zhi's body and said to him a bit uneasily, "Qin Zhi, go back to the car. I'll hold the umbrella myself." As he spoke, he reached out to grab the umbrella handle in Qin Zhi's hand.

Qin Zhi used his other free hand to hold Su Duan's outstretched hand and said in a low voice, "It's fine, I'm not afraid of the heat." He wasn't the type to fear heat and rarely even sweated. Besides, he had experienced much worse hardships in the past when looking for part-time jobs in the middle of summer. It was just a bit hot, and he really didn't feel that uncomfortable.

He was a bit more worried about Su Duan.

Looking at the tiny beads of sweat on Su Duan's forehead, Qin Zhi asked him, "Are you feeling dizzy?"

Su Duan shook his head and said, "No, I'm not dizzy." After such a long period of recuperation, his body was actually not that weak anymore. Although he still suffered from minor illnesses, he was no longer a fragile glass doll that couldn't withstand the slightest cold or heat.

Qin Zhi released his hand and instructed, "There are tissues in my right pants pocket. Take them out yourself and wipe your sweat."

Su Duan said okay, lowered his head to lift the corner of Qin Zhi's suit, and reached into the pants pocket.

Qin Zhi narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving into an inconspicuous arc. One reason for letting Su Duan get the tissues himself was that Qin Zhi's right hand was holding the umbrella, making it inconvenient to reach. But there was also a bit of ulterior motive, wanting Su Duan to take the initiative to touch him.

Suddenly, Qin Zhi's gaze shifted and he noticed a figure. His eyes slightly narrowed as he lowered his head and called out, "Duan Duan, your brother is here."

Su Duan's head shot up like a spring, forgetting about the tissues. He stared blankly at Su Zheng, and after realizing it, he immediately started running towards him.

Qin Zhi: "..."

Although he had anticipated that Su Duan would be very excited, seeing his little prey's back as he ran away without looking back, Qin Zhi still felt his vision go black.

...This heartless little thing, just a moment ago they were kissing in the car, and now he ran off on his long legs without even saying goodbye.

Su Duan ran to Su Zheng and looked up at him as they spoke. Su Zheng's face broke into a smile, and he reached out to ruffle Su Duan's hair a couple of times.

Qin Zhi stood in place and closed his eyes for a moment, then squinted as he sized up this future brother-in-law whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Compared to two and a half years ago when they met at the Su residence, Su Zheng had lost some weight, his facial features appearing more sharp. Perhaps due to spending over half a year in prison, his sharpness had been somewhat dulled, and his temperament had taken on a hint of gloominess. He looked quite different from the impression of that President Su who was full of sharpness.

— In short, he looked like he had become more difficult to deal with.

While Qin Zhi was observing Su Zheng, Su Zheng was also observing him.

Although he had anticipated that Qin Zhi's changes would be very significant, when he saw the figure holding an umbrella for his younger brother, Su Zheng couldn't help but be startled.

Qin Zhi's transformation was earth-shattering. Two and a half years ago, although Su Zheng realized that Qin Zhi was a talent worth cultivating, he never imagined that he could undergo such a thorough metamorphosis in such a short time.

The adult man in the cold, hard black suit held the umbrella casually, his physique clearly the result of precise training, well-proportioned without losing explosive power. He wore a million-dollar luxury watch on his wrist, and every piece of his outfit was top-notch haute couture.

But more important than these external trappings was the aura Qin Zhi exuded. Under the umbrella, the man's eyes were calm and indifferent, his demeanor restrained. In terms of sharpness, he actually didn't match up to Su Zheng's past self, but if one observed carefully, they would discover that his eyes actually concealed a hidden edge, and who knew what unspeakable schemes he was plotting.

The current Qin Zhi had undergone a complete rebirth, with only his facial features vaguely resembling the traces of that naive young man fresh out of university.

There's a saying that a dog that bites doesn't bark, Su Zheng thought.

— In summary, this person who wanted to fight him for his younger brother looked even more threatening than he had anticipated.

After making eye contact with Qin Zhi for a few seconds, Su Zheng lowered his head as if nothing had happened and gently asked his precious younger brother, "Duan Duan."

Su Duan's eyes curved into crescents. "Hmm?"

Su Zheng smiled and said, "Tell your brother, what were you and Mr. Qin doing just now?"

How did you end up... reaching out to touch someone's thigh?

Author's note:

Su Duan: Forget it, let's be happy for a while first (p≧w≦q)

Qin Zhi: ......falls into deep thought while looking at the suddenly running away cabbage -person-

Su Zheng: Alright alright alright, it's this pig, right!