Chapter Twenty-Two

The other man leaned down and gazed at him, casting a deep shadow over his face, accompanied by the biting, crisp scent of a snowy mountain that wound around him in faint, lingering wisps.

Ning Nanzhou’s heart hammered against his ribs. It took him a beat to realize that when the other man referred to "your husband," he meant Chi Yu. He bit the bullet and explained, "I was afraid of disturbing you."

"Ningning," Chi Yu said his name. "Do you know what marriage represents?"

Ning Nanzhou, not understanding why he would suddenly ask this, paused and replied, "Does it mean becoming partners in the eyes of the law?"

Chi Yu explained patiently, "It means sharing both joy and pain, and living life together."

Ning Nanzhou suppressed the heat rising in his ears and forced himself to reply with a calm "Oh."

The other man asked with solemnity, "Are you willing to live with me?"

The question came so abruptly that he nodded without a second thought.

Chi Yu’s gaze was so intense that he swallowed hard and said, "Let’s do it tomorrow. I’ve already paid for the room for today."

The man curled his lips and said, "Very well." Just as Ning Nanzhou thought Chi Yu was about to say goodbye, the man suddenly stopped in his tracks and added:

"And let's get the premarital checkup done while we're at it."

??? A premarital checkup!!!!

His ears turned uncontrollably red. Why on earth would they need a premarital checkup?!

—

The next day, Ning Nanzhou woke up with heavy dark circles under his eyes. Thinking back on what happened yesterday, surely a premarital checkup before moving in together was just a standard procedure, right?

Just to be safe...

Ning Nanzhou pushed the dirty thoughts out of his mind; there would be no accidents.

They had agreed to meet at the hospital at eight in the morning for their physicals. By the time he arrived, the other man was already there, his iron-gray coat particularly striking in the crowd.

The process for a premarital checkup was similar to a standard physical. They first checked in, then went to the premarital examination department to wait for their names to be called.

The nurse handed them their forms: "The chest X-ray line is long, so you might want to do that first. Just follow the order for the rest."

Ning Nanzhou glanced at the items—they were much like a regular checkup: blood work, chest X-rays, physical assessments, and so on. The nurse then asked proactively, "Do you both want to do the semen analysis?"

He swore he was only asking out of curiosity: "How is the semen analysis done?"

The nurse explained patiently, "You collect the sample on-site in the collection room. We provide the necessary equipment. It helps determine if the reproductive organs are healthy."

His ears burned. "That won't be necessary."

Not to mention that their marriage was merely to appease their parents and wouldn't reach that stage, even if it did, men couldn't get pregnant—there was no need to check their reproductive organs.

Unexpectedly, Chi Yu said calmly, "We might as well do it."

The nurse immediately issued two forms, and he had no choice but to accept the semen analysis slip.

The preceding tests took two hours in total, and the final item took another two hours.

When the two of them walked out of the hospital after finishing the last test, Chi Yu’s expression remained as indifferent as usual. "Going home now?"

The blush had yet to fade from Ning Nanzhou’s ears, and he didn't dare share a space with Chi Yu just yet. He scrambled for an excuse: "You go back to the club first. I still have some things at the dormitory; I'll head over after I pick them up."

"Why move out of the dorm?" the other man asked, seemingly casually.

He didn't know how to phrase it, so Chi Yu quickly surmised, "Not getting along with your roommate?"

"I suppose so," he replied, thinking of Xu Ye with a headache.

"Did he bully you?" Chi Yu’s voice softened further.

"No," he quickly denied. "It’s just... it’s just..."

As he stammered, Chi Yu asked steadily, "Did he confess to you?"

Ning Nanzhou stayed silent.

He didn't know how to talk to Chi Yu about this. With the other man’s poise and capability, he would surely find his act of evasion childish.

Chi Yu didn't pass judgment. "Does he know you have a partner?"

"I think so?"

Although he hadn't told Xu Ye that he was married, he had told him that he had a boyfriend. It seemed things had turned sour right after he told him that.

"So, he continues to pester you even knowing you have a partner." The other man’s tone was exceptionally calm. "Well, he shouldn't be pestering you anymore after this."

What did he mean by that?

Before he could finish the thought, the other man leaned down and kissed him.

Cool lips brushed against his earlobe, lingering for a moment before moving to his neck. A shiver ran down his spine; the sensitive skin was sucked firmly, leaving behind an ambiguous red mark.

Even though the other man was only kissing his neck, the sound of their contact was disturbingly clear—it felt as if a serpent were marking its chosen prey.