The Assassin's Enemy Lover

Yi Chen opened his mouth but how was he supposed to say it? Was he supposed to say he was afraid Zi Han would be stolen from him by an elder man who looked like a walking STI? Clearly, he had nothing to worry about but the way Zi Xingxi suggested it was as though he had something to worry about.

“I am fine. I just... I just miss you,” said Yi Chen and Zi Han wanted to call horse shit on that response but he let it go.

“Come on, let’s go. They will start looking for us,” said Zi Han and Yi Chen let go of him with a heavy sigh.

“You keep sighing like that and you will start to sound like an old man,” retorted Zi Han with a slight quirk at the corner of his lips.

The word old man seemed to be a trigger to Yi Chen today because he hugged Zi Han again and this time Zi Han couldn’t breathe.

“Uh uh... stop hugging otherwise you will squeeze me to death,” he said and Yi Chen reluctantly let him go.

“My lips are dry. You literally sucked all the moisture out of them,” complained Zi Han, and Yi Chen had a solution for that.

He took out a berry blast lip balm and instead of handing it to Zi Han he raised his chin and popped the lid off before applying it to Zi Han’s lips.

.....

Zi Han couldn’t help but laugh seeing this. “Wouldn’t it be easier if I did it?” he asked but Yi Chen was adamant. He wanted to do it for his sweetheart.

“Hold still. Don’t move,” he said and began to apply in gentle strokes his expression serious like he was performing an important task.

“Your lips are dry too,” he whispered while brushing away the strand of hair hanging on Yi Chen’s forehead.

Yi Chen glanced into Zi Han’s eyes as his lips quirked up into a smile. “I will take care of that,” he said and lowered his head. Just as their lips were about to touch Zi Han smelt something very familiar. It was his mom’s favorite brand of cigarettes. He could identify that smell even in his sleep.

“Fuck!” he swore as he pushed Yi Chen away.

“What?” asked Yi Chen seeming a little confused.

“Ma?” said Zi Han as he turned the corner and guess what? His mother was there and so was Lin Ruoxi and they were eavesdropping.

To be fair, they at least remembered to shoo away Yi Youxi and Ming Ming before they began snooping. Please blame Lin Ruoxi for that. She just noticed they were gone and when she went to find them she stumbled on what she thought was a proposal.

This is how these two ended up here eavesdropping. “Well... this is awkward,” said Lin Ruoxi trying to ease the tense atmosphere but it only made things worse. She pointed at Yi Chen’s lips and continued to say, “Your lips are still dry.”

“Ru...,” whispered Zi Xingxi through gritted teeth.

“What?” she asked seeing nothing wrong with what she said.

“Let’s go get you a mimosa,” replied Zi Xingxi only for Ming Ming to show up holding a puppy.

“Mum! Mum! Look, can I take it home,” she said and behind her, a man dressed in a pet.co employee t-shirt rushed over to stop her. And Yi Youxi? Well, he was unbothered. He just witnessed his sister yank a feeding puppy from its mother’s nipple and didn’t find anything wrong with that.

“Can I keep it, please?” said Ming Ming showing those puppy dog eyes, the same ones she pulls when she wants to get away with shit.

“No no no honey. You have to go return it. We can’t keep it,” replied Lin Ruoxi as she took the whining puppy from her daughter’s hands.

“Saozi can adopt it. He loves cute little animals,” suggested Yi Youxi only for Zi Han to refuse saying,

“Someone will get jealous.”

“Oh. Little Nim won’t mind. They can play together with Mr. Twiggles,” said Ming Ming desperate to take this little cutie home.

“Who said anything about my little Nimsel? I am talking about him. He will get jealous,” said Zi Han.

Everyone, “...”

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” continued Zi Han, “am I lying?”

“That... well. Even I can’t refute that,” replied Lin Ruoxi as the employee of pet.co took away the little puppy that was reluctant to leave Lin Ruoxi’s hands. “I am so sorry about that,” she said to the employee. He nodded his head before walking away with the puppy.

“Um dage, your lips look very dry. Do you want some lip balm? You can use mine,” offered Yi Youxi bringing back the awkward atmosphere from before.

“How about we go get some drinks then go to the rollercoaster? Doesn’t that sound fun?” said Lin Ruoxi while gently nudging her kids on.

“Yeah!... I want a strawberry slushy,” said Ming Ming having already forgotten about the cute little puppy.

“I want iced coffee... ow, mum,” said Yi Youxi only for him to be lightly flicked on his forehead.

“You know why you can’t have coffee. You kept me up all night playing board games the last time. Not gonna happen,” said Lin Ruoxi scolding her son.

Zi Xingxi stared at the two and asked, “What would you like? I will get it for you.”

Zi Han was about to say she didn’t have to because they were coming with her when Zi Xingxi pointed at Yi Chen’s lips and said, “Don’t you have to take care of that?”

Zi Han, “Oh god.”

AAAAHHHH, that was so embarrassing for him. Why would his mother say that? “One chocolate milkshake it is then,” said Zi Xingxi before walking away.

Zi Han couldn’t believe it. He glanced at her retreating back then his boyfriend then back at his mother but still, he couldn’t understand what was happening.

“What did she say to you on the ride? I mean why would she say that?” asked Zi Han his cheeks heating up from embarrassment. Didn’t she loathe Yi Chen? Whenever he mentioned his name his mother would either humph, roll her eyes, or glare.

One time Zi Han saw a printed picture of Yi Chen pinned on the training dummy with knives in it. That is the day he came back home with a bright and vivid hickey on his neck.

To fully understand how upset she was one has to remember that she took the time out of her busy schedule to print on paper just to do that when paper was very rare. Now she was actively encouraging him to kiss Yi Chen? How baffling.

While Zi Han was too stunned to speak, Yi Chen kissed him rubbing off all that lip balm on his glossy lips. How could Yi Chen not do it when his mother-in-law gave him permission?