Su Duan remembered that the first time Qin Zhi kissed him, his healing value did increase a little. But after that, even though they kissed many more times, the healing value never changed again.

So he felt at ease letting Qin Zhi kiss him, thinking nothing would happen. But now, why did the healing value suddenly increase again?

Su Duan was completely stunned with fright.

Meanwhile, the system happily pulled up a light screen in front of Su Duan that only he could see, turning the prompt that just sounded in his mind into scrolling text, with the especially eye-catching enlarged "93".

Su Duan: "......"

Su Duan stared blankly, eyes wide open with shock. He even forgot to adjust his breathing. In just a few seconds, his breathing became erratic. Suffocating slightly brought him back to his senses. He hurriedly tried to push the other person away with his hands.

If they kiss a bit longer, the healing value might increase again...

Su Duan's strength was weak. Pushing against Qin Zhi's hard shoulders felt more like a massage. Qin Zhi thought he was just a little shy and tightened his arms to hold him even closer. Only when Su Duan bit down on his lower lip with some force did Qin Zhi realize Su Duan might truly be unwilling.

Qin Zhi released him and opened his dark eyes, pupils still carrying a trace of unfaded depth. He used his thumb to rub the corner of his mouth where not even a mark was left by the bite. Lowering his gaze to look at Su Duan for a moment, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"

Su Duan couldn't tell him the truth. Unable to find a suitable explanation for the moment, he just pursed his lips and cautiously took a step back, leaving Qin Zhi's warm embrace.

Seeing the unease revealed in Su Duan's eyes, Qin Zhi's body stiffened. Was he too hasty after all...

Qin Zhi sighed inwardly and asked in a low voice, "Duan Duan, did I scare you?"

Su Duan lowered his eyes, mind in a mess. Following Qin Zhi's words, he gave a very light nod.

Qin Zhi said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you without your consent. Can you forgive me this once?"

Wait... touched him?

Su Duan's chaotic mind was suddenly struck by a flash of insight. Thinking carefully, Qin Zhi seemed to have indeed done something a little more intimate than kissing to him just now.

Could it be that the healing value increased because of that?

They had kissed so many times already. Except for the first time, the healing value never changed. So the healing value increasing this time shouldn't be because of that.

Su Duan felt he had found the culprit responsible for the healing value increase.

Seeing him standing there in a daze, eyes unfocused, Qin Zhi thought he had really scared him badly. His heart clenched nervously. He carefully touched Su Duan's arm, voice trembling, "Duan Duan, are you alright?... Say something to me."

Only then did Su Duan come back to his senses. He shook his head and said softly to Qin Zhi, "It's nothing, I just suddenly felt like spacing out."

Qin Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed as he reached out to touch his face. His warm palm covered Su Duan's cheek, rubbing gently as if wanting to confirm something.

Su Duan habitually nuzzled his cheek against his palm.

Seeing that Su Duan didn't reject his touch because of what just happened, Qin Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief. He held him in his arms again and apologized once more in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I was too impulsive just now."

Su Duan moved his head in his embrace and said, "It's alright, I'm not angry at you."

Although it felt a bit unfamiliar, he really didn't dislike Qin Zhi doing that to him. He was just startled by the healing value that suddenly started increasing.

However, now that he seemed to have found the culprit, he wasn't so nervous anymore.

Qin Zhi lightly rested his chin on top of his head, occasionally rubbing against it. Su Duan obediently let him hold him. Their heartbeats gradually synchronized until they became exactly the same.

The evening breeze blew by, causing the tender pink crabapple petals to fall from the tree. A petal landed on Qin Zhi's arm.

Su Duan's eyes caught this crabapple petal. He immediately felt uncomfortable. With great effort, he stretched his arm out from Qin Zhi's embrace and patted his arm, making this fellow reproductive organ part fall off Qin Zhi's body.

Feeling him moving around again, Qin Zhi quickly loosened his hold and lowered his head to ask, "What's wrong?"

Su Duan looked up at him. Qin Zhi's features appeared especially deep in the night. His usually neat black hair had become a bit messy after the recent turn of events, scattered over his forehead, concealing his overly sharp brows and eyes. Qin Zhi looked down at him, long lashes hiding his dark eyes. Those eyes, darker than the night, held a hint of caution.

Qin Zhi is so good-looking, Su Duan thought.

After observing Qin Zhi for a while, he suddenly wanted to test his guess about the healing value increase. So he patted his arm and said, "Lower your head a bit more."

Qin Zhi cooperatively lowered his head. "Hm?"

Su Duan slightly tiptoed, raised his head, and took the initiative to touch his lips.

Qin Zhi's pupils instantly constricted. He actually froze in place, hands stiffly hanging by his sides, not knowing whether to hug the person in front of him. He had a bit of a helpless air about him, like a young lad who just lost his first kiss.

This was the first time Su Duan actively kissed him.

Su Duan waited apprehensively for half a minute. No prompt sounded in his mind.

It seemed it was indeed because of that reason. Simple kisses were fine.

Having gained some assurance, he opened his eyes and met Qin Zhi's dark pupils staring straight at him.

"You're not supposed to open your eyes when kissing." Su Duan stood steadily and repeated to Qin Zhi the words he had taught him before.

Qin Zhi lightly coughed and said in a low voice, "I forgot. Next time I will definitely remember."

As if to hide some unusual emotion, he tidied his collar and said, "We've been out for a while now. Duan Duan, let's head back. Otherwise, Big Brother will worry."

"Wait a moment." Su Duan, having just confirmed his guess, indicated he had something to emphasize. He looked at Qin Zhi. "You have to promise me one thing."

Qin Zhi paused and asked gently, "What is it?"

Su Duan said solemnly, "From now on, you... can't do anything to me besides kissing."

Qin Zhi couldn't help frowning in confusion. Of course, he already regretted what he did just now. But he and Su Duan were both adult men. Sooner or later, they would reach that step.

Because Su Duan's body could endure for a few years, he was willing to do so, but this "later" was too broad in scope.

Qin Zhi actually couldn't quite understand. Su Duan clearly didn't reject his kisses, so why did he react so strongly to that kind of thing? Could it be that Su Duan had experienced something he didn't know about?

Seeing that Qin Zhi didn't answer immediately, Su Duan slightly pursed his lips, revealing a bit of uneasy dejection.

He also knew that his request was a bit excessive. Unlike plants that bloom on a schedule, humans are creatures that are in heat all year round. If Qin Zhi kept holding back, it would undoubtedly be very hard for him.

But if Qin Zhi did weird things to him, his healing value would rise, and the possibility of him leaving would increase. He didn't dare...didn't dare to gamble on this.

Just as Su Duan was so conflicted that his leaves were about to fall off, Qin Zhi suddenly stepped forward, gently touched his forehead, then rested against it and said in a very soft and gentle voice, "I'll listen to Duan Duan. There's still a long time, we'll take it slow."

Su Duan blinked, made an "en" sound, and was led by him back to the villa.

Su Zheng probably didn't expect that Qin Zhi could find a hidden corner in the brightly lit garden to do bad things to his younger brother. Seeing that there were no marks on their faces or bodies, he didn't say much and politely told Qin Zhi to get lost.

Although Qin Zhi successfully stayed at the Su family to freeload a meal by relying on a surprise attack and thick skin, it was already late now. No matter how you look at it, Qin Zhi and the Su family's relationship was definitely not close enough for him to stay overnight, so Su Zheng didn't hold back in kicking him out.

......

Although very reluctant, the process of his younger brother gradually becoming someone else's was also unstoppable.

Especially after half a year passed, under his observation, Qin Zhi never showed anything that displeased him. When he promised not to touch Su Duan for a short period of time, he really kept his hands to himself properly. Of course, he also didn't do anything outside because he couldn't hold back.

How did Su Zheng know about this?

There was no need to hire a private detective or anything like that, because Qin Zhi still hadn't publicly taken control of Su Group and didn't go to work. He came to their house to freeload meals at the frequency of three times a day. When he wasn't there, he practically reported his location to Su Duan every minute. Although it was a bit annoying, it could also be considered another level of holding nothing back.

Men are all creatures driven by their lower halves. Su Zheng was of course very clear about this. It was indeed quite rare for Qin Zhi to be able to endure for the sake of his younger brother, not going beyond kissing at all.

He originally thought that even if Qin Zhi didn't do anything substantial, he would be unable to control himself and try to test the waters a bit. But who knew that Qin Zhi would actually hold back so forcefully and not touch at all.

However, in fact, his initial thought was correct. Qin Zhi had already been eyeing Su Duan for several years, and was at the most energetic age of 25 or 26. He finally brought the person he liked back to his den, how could he have such a noble awareness to not take a bite?

His body wasn't good so they couldn't go all the way, but rubbing against each other and helping each other out definitely wasn't a big problem.

If Su Duan was willing, he had countless ways to secretly have a taste while keeping it from Su Zheng. But the problem was that Su Duan seemed to be serious. Other than his mouth that could be kissed, he didn't allow Qin Zhi to touch anywhere else. Although his personality was dull, he was unusually vigilant about this kind of thing. Qin Zhi was so pent up that he was constantly irritated, but he didn't dare to do anything.

However, compared to the difficulty of relieving his physical needs, what he was actually more worried about was...whether Su Duan had some kind of psychological barrier towards that kind of thing?

He still needed to find a time to have a good talk with Su Zheng about Su Duan's psychological issues. He had consulted doctors, and the longer this kind of barrier was delayed, the harder it would be to overcome.

Who knew if it was a telepathic connection with the brother-in-law, but Su Zheng was also planning to talk to him.

He was still quite satisfied with Qin Zhi, although he was very reluctant to have his younger brother taken away by someone else. However, he also knew that according to Su Duan's personality of needing to be taken care of, Qin Zhi was the most suitable one. Therefore, Su Zheng planned to have a frank talk with Qin Zhi about his younger brother's past relationship with Qin Feng when he returned from abroad this time.

Qin Zhi planned to officially become the public leader of the Qin family in a month. By then, once he entered the social circle of City A, everything would naturally be brought up. So even if this matter might... no, it would definitely affect Qin Zhi's relationship with his younger brother, he couldn't let Qin Zhi learn about such an embarrassing thing from outsiders.

After Su Zheng went abroad, Qin Zhi still came to the Su residence three times a day as usual. After half a year, he occasionally gained the right to stay overnight at the Su residence—of course, he stayed in the guest room, separated from Su Duan by a staircase.

This day, after obtaining remote consent from Su Zheng, who was abroad, Qin Zhi came to the Su residence in the morning, planning to have lunch with Su Duan, take a nap together after lunch, then watch a movie in the home theater in the afternoon, and continue... sleeping on different floors after dinner in the evening.

Although the rooms were a bit far apart, it was still very feasible to go for a goodnight kiss before going to bed, Qin Zhi thought meticulously.

However, the first step of today's plan was disrupted by a phone call.

Frowning after listening to the rambling narration on the other end of the phone, Qin Zhi showed an apologetic expression to Su Duan: "Sorry, Duan Duan, a friend of mine has encountered some trouble, and I need to go now."

"I promise to come back before you wake up from your nap, okay?" Qin Zhi added.

Although this reason sounded very much like an excuse for a scumbag to leave, Qin Zhi was actually telling the truth. The friend he mentioned was none other than the one who had been helping him manage the Qin family on the surface for so long. For some reason, he drank all night at a high-end club last night and was still in a daze in the early morning. When the person in charge of the club woke him up, he groggily reported Qin Zhi's phone number.

Qin Zhi had few friends and basically did not overlap with the rich circle in City A. This friend of his was also from an ordinary background and had struggled along with him all the way up. Qin Zhi actually couldn't figure out why this person would go to a place like a club?

And he went there alone.

In any case, he definitely had to go and safely bring the person out of the club.

Su Duan was very well-behaved and didn't ask him what was going on. He stuffed a cookie into his mouth and said earnestly, "You go ahead. It's okay if you come back a little late. I won't watch the movie in advance. It's almost noon, so remember to find something to eat while you're out."

"Alright, baby."

Qin Zhi swallowed the cookie in two bites and kissed Su Duan with his lips that still retained the cookie's sweet aroma. Then he grabbed the car keys and headed out.

Author's note:

Su Duan: (:з」∠*)→(:з」∠×)

Qin Zhi: ...... Watching my sex life gradually slip away (ΩДΩ)

Su Zheng: Although I don't know what happened, my mood suddenly got a little bit better ヽ(￣ω￣〃)ゝ