Chapter 68
The living room seemed to fall into a strange silence all at once.
Yu Chen sat there as if on pins and needles. He could clearly feel that burning gaze from behind fixed tightly on him.
The flush on his face had already spread down to his neck. Even though he had just finished showering, a faint layer of sweat had begun to gather along Yu Chen’s back, dampening his shirt.
He secretly glanced at the glass beside him. In its reflection was He Zhen’s slightly startled expression.
Gripping the hem of his shirt, Yu Chen nearly wanted to bury his head into a crack in the floor.
Xiao Yu’s words had been way too direct.
There was no way to smooth them over, even if he wanted to.
Just then, the short ring of the doorbell sounded.
“Mr. He, this is the property front desk. Your delivery has arrived.”
Before He Zhen could respond, Yu Chen hurriedly sprang up. “I’ll get it!”
He Zhen’s expression shifted, and his brows instantly drew together.
Just as Yu Chen had already opened the door, He Zhen wrapped an arm around his waist, lightly shielding him behind, and stood in front of the crack in the door. “Thank you. Just give it to me.”
The property staff nodded. “Enjoy your meal.”
Completely blocked from view, Yu Chen poked his head out, not understanding at all why He Zhen had done that.
Carrying the takeout inside, He Zhen held Yu Chen’s hand tightly. “You’re wearing pajamas. It’s not appropriate for outsiders to see.”
“Oh.” Only then did Yu Chen belatedly nod.
He really had been too rash just now. He had indeed been careless.
WeChat notifications were still flashing nonstop on his phone. Xiao Yu seemed to have endless things to remind him about—for example, what kind of lubricant had no side effects, and what brand of condoms felt best.
Reading it made Yu Chen’s ears burn and his head ache, so in the end he simply turned off his data.
How did Xiao Yu know so much?
Wasn’t he a lifelong single himself?
He Zhen looked at Yu Chen’s reddened earlobe and said leisurely, “Not replying to Xiao Yu anymore?”
“Uh… no. I’m not replying. He only knows how to talk nonsense.” Yu Chen was embarrassed enough for his toes to start digging into the floor. The faint, threadlike ambiguity from earlier began winding itself back between the two of them once more.
To cover his awkwardness, he quickly opened a bottle of beer and tilted his head back, gulping it down.
He Zhen frowned slightly. “Slow down.”
“I’m hot.” Hugging the bottle, Yu Chen still felt unable to suppress the heat boiling inside him, so he took several more big swallows.
The malty fragrance and bitterness of the beer slid slowly down his throat into his stomach.
Yu Chen had decided to pretend to be drunk.
That way, he would not have to bring up what Xiao Yu had said.
Bottle after bottle went down. Although He Zhen tried to stop him, Yu Chen remained unmoved and drank it all like soda.
Seeing that the alcohol content was not high, He Zhen did not stop him too forcefully.
“Boss, is there red wine?” Yu Chen pointed at the wine glass. “I want a bottle of ’82 Lafite!”
A trace of warmth rose in He Zhen’s features. “Look at you.”
Watching He Zhen’s departing back, Yu Chen secretly opened the crawfish and started sucking at them.
Honestly, crawfish really did taste amazing with beer.
The more Yu Chen ate, the more enthusiastic he became. By the time He Zhen came back, Yu Chen had polished off another two bottles of beer and one whole box of crawfish.
“How much have you had to drink?” He Zhen uncorked the red wine. Seeing the tipsy flush staining Yu Chen’s cold fair skin, he poured him a glass. “Don’t drink too much. You’ll really get drunk.”
Those words struck right at the center of Yu Chen’s intention.
At that moment, he truly did feel light and floaty, as though he were stepping on cotton. After tasting a small sip of red wine, his drunken eyes turned hazy, his almond-shaped gaze covered with a thin layer of mist.
“Is it ’82 Lafite?” His voice came out lazy, carrying the languid exhaustion of drunkenness.
“Romanée-Conti.” A few days earlier, someone had gifted He Zhen a bottle of 1974 Romanée-Conti, and he had not yet had the chance to drink it.
“In terms of quality, this wine is a bit better than Lafite.”
“I know this kind. Grandpa has some too.”
Yu Chen lifted the glass and sniffed it. “It smells sour… and bitter.”
He Zhen’s gaze deepened slightly. “Mm.”
Yu Chen sipped at it little by little. The glass brushed lightly against the side of his pale nose, and his lively eyes looked misty and unfocused.
He really did seem drunk now.
A strange sensation spread through his whole body.
He secretly glanced at He Zhen and realized He Zhen was watching him too.
“Drink slowly.” He Zhen raised a hand to hook the wine glass away from him, but Yu Chen suddenly leaned forward to snatch it back and accidentally fell straight into He Zhen’s arms.
“I still want some.”
Some of the red wine spilled across Yu Chen’s pale chest.
A trace of panic suddenly appeared in those beautiful drunken eyes.
Yu Chen rubbed at it with his hand, his brows knitting together. “Dirty.”
He Zhen pulled out a tissue. “Wipe it off.”
Yu Chen only wiped carelessly a few times, then dizzily propped up his head. “Boss, I want crawfish.”
Being drunk felt very strange. He could no longer tell whether he was pretending to be drunk or actually drunk.
Whatever he wanted to do felt as if he were standing on feathers, too soft to find any strength.
His whole body had gone limp like a little snake as he pressed against He Zhen’s arm, though his gaze still did not forget to drift toward the brightly spiced crawfish.
He Zhen put on a disposable glove and looked at the pile of shrimp shells Yu Chen had already stripped. “If you eat too much, you’ll feel awful tomorrow.”
“One more box.” Yu Chen had become obedient like a little cat. His chin rested stickily against He Zhen’s arm, and he nudged him with his shoulder. “Hurry up and peel.”
That little motion reminded He Zhen of when they had been children.
Every time the young Yu Chen acted spoiled, he would lift his chubby little face and nudge He Zhen back and forth like a baby seal.
And He Zhen had always been especially susceptible to that. No matter how unreasonable Yu Chen’s demands were, he would always nod and agree.
He Zhen’s expression softened, and he began feeding Yu Chen one shrimp after another.
Under the effects of alcohol, a faint blush colored Yu Chen’s pale face, making him look all the more bright and beautiful.
As he ate the crawfish, his lips moved softly, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, like a greedy little kitten.
“I’m thirsty. I want wine.”
He Zhen picked up the glass and fed him two mouthfuls.
It was not enough for Yu Chen. His round almond eyes were clear yet hazy, and as he chased after He Zhen’s long fingers, he lightly pecked one.
He Zhen’s expression froze for a moment. As if bewitched, he leaned closer. There were several tiny drops of red wine still clinging to Yu Chen’s soft lips. Like red plum blossoms fallen onto a snowy night, they carried a kind of temptation.
He did not wipe the wine away with his hand. Instead, he slowly moved closer to Yu Chen, his voice hoarse and low. “I’ll help you wipe the wine off.”
The alcohol had already taken hold.
The heat in Yu Chen’s body was growing stronger and stronger.
Staring at He Zhen, he could no longer tell dream from reality.
“Okay.”
The moment he gave permission, He Zhen’s breath dropped onto the skin of Yu Chen’s neck.
In the next second, he cradled the back of Yu Chen’s head, and his thin lips fell against Yu Chen’s, gently prying them open.
The bitterness of the red wine mingled with the dark-wood perfume on He Zhen’s body.
Yu Chen’s heart involuntarily began to race. His body trembled lightly, but he was not afraid in the slightest. Instead, he tried to respond to He Zhen.
The night grew colder and colder.
He Zhen carried Yu Chen back to bed, holding him in his arms while murmuring quiet words to him.
Yu Chen was completely drunk now. Wrapped up like a silkworm baby, he nestled obediently in He Zhen’s arms.
Four bottles of beer and two glasses of red wine were more than enough to leave him completely muddle-headed.
Once drunk, he became extremely talkative, chattering nonstop about funny things from their childhood.
Only then did He Zhen discover that Yu Chen held grudges very deeply. He remembered many old stories with astonishing clarity, and when He Zhen was not paying attention, he would secretly retaliate.
For example, when they were in fourth grade and He Zhen had not bought him the starch sausage he wanted, Yu Chen had deliberately stuck his little foot by He Zhen’s ear while sleeping.
For example, when Yu Chen had secretly eaten potato noodles in fifth grade and He Zhen had ruthlessly thrown them away after catching him, Yu Chen had gotten so angry that he cursed him several times in his dreams.
And for another example, when Yu Chen had eaten three whole tubs of ice cream in one go in sixth grade and gotten his butt spanked by He Zhen, he had taken away all of the rum-flavored ice cream He Zhen liked so that He Zhen could not get any.
With a faint smell of alcohol on his breath, and a touch of grievance mixed into his drunken tone, Yu Chen turned all these completely unreasonable little episodes into something that made He Zhen listen with both heartache and laughter, as if he were some kind of scumbag.
“Even though you always bully me, I love you very, very much.” Yu Chen’s cheeks were flushed red as he carefully rubbed his forehead against the bridge of He Zhen’s nose. “Meeting you… I’m really so lucky.”
He Zhen slowly lowered his eyes and tightened his arms, as though he wanted to crush the other boy into his embrace.
“Yu Chen. Meeting you was my luck.”
“No.” Yu Chen wrinkled his nose and gently objected. “You don’t know. Without you, I might’ve died from my heart disease—”
Before he could finish, Yu Chen suddenly started struggling.
In the next second, he stumbled in a panic toward the bathroom.
Following after his unsteady steps, He Zhen frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Yu Chen covered his backside. “My stomach hurts.”
He Zhen leaned against the bathroom doorway, listening to the sounds inside.
“Did you eat something bad?”
From inside came soft rustling sounds and small groans.
Sitting on the toilet, Yu Chen wore a miserable expression. “Boss, my butt feels like it got stung by bees.”
“Bees?” He Zhen hesitated for a moment, then suddenly understood and laughed in helpless realization.
“How did bees sting you?” He bent one long leg, waiting for Yu Chen to come back out.
“Eight bees stung me. It hurts.”
Fighting back laughter, He Zhen guessed that Yu Chen’s rear-end pain was most likely from eating too much crawfish.
“It’s okay. Later I’ll help you beat up the bees.”
“Okay.” Yu Chen answered obediently.
Over the course of the whole night, Yu Chen made several trips to the bathroom. Every time, he kept cursing at the bees through the pain. If He Zhen had not known Yu Chen was drunk, he might almost have thought he had eaten poisonous mushrooms and started hallucinating.
The next morning, when Yu Chen woke up, it was already eight.
He laboriously pried open his swollen sleepy eyes, and a dull discomfort came faintly from his waist and backside. As if some possibility struck him, he abruptly sat up, clutching his waist, and desperately looked around the room.
His hands anxiously felt over the fabric on his body. He discovered that he was no longer wearing yesterday’s light shirt. At some point, it had been changed into a white cotton T-shirt.
His head throbbed terribly as he staggered over to check the trash bin.
Sure enough—
It was spotless. The evidence had already been destroyed by He Zhen.
Yu Chen yanked at the wrinkled white T-shirt and ran barefoot into the bathroom.
The reflection in the mirror looked terrible, as though all his essence had been sucked out. He had drunk himself to the point of blacking out the night before, and could barely remember what had happened afterward. He only remembered that He Zhen had held him and kissed him, then brought him into the bedroom.
As for what had happened after that, it hardly needed to be said.
Yu Chen’s butt was now burning painfully, and even walking was difficult.
He hurriedly stripped off his clothes and checked the marks on himself. He Zhen had still been fairly gentle. There were not too many left behind.
Just then, He Zhen came in carrying a glass of milk.
Yu Chen instantly flushed red and hurriedly pulled his clothes back on before dragging himself out of the bathroom.
He shot He Zhen a slightly resentful look, then endured the soreness in his waist and slowly climbed back under the blanket, listless and downcast.
In novels, couples always rose afterward embracing one another. Some of those male leads with gentle personalities would even help wash and clean up the other person afterward.
Yu Chen stared at his messy hair, then touched his dry arms, and an overwhelming sense of desolation rose inside him.
He Zhen was probably the classic type who put his pants back on and refused to recognize the person afterward.
After exhausting him so much last night, He Zhen had only prepared him a single glass of milk! Not even a simple jianbing guozi or some fried dough sticks!
From inside the blanket, he reached out and touched the place where He Zhen had been lying.
Cold.
So that meant He Zhen had had enough time to go running and work out this morning, but not enough time to coax him.
Right now, Yu Chen’s heart felt even colder than the bed.
“How are you feeling?” He Zhen sat down lightly on the edge of the bed and touched Yu Chen’s forehead. “Does your butt hurt? Last night I wanted to help check it and apply medicine, but it didn’t feel very appropriate. I already got you the ointment. Can you apply it yourself later?”
Hearing that, Yu Chen buried his head in the pillow in both shame and fury.
He had not even helped apply the medicine??
Wasn’t that too much??
And after the two of them had already had such intimate contact, He Zhen was still pretending to be some gentleman here!
He was probably just lazy and did not want to do it.
Yu Chen was so angry he felt like a little pufferfish about to explode—wronged and heartbroken at the same time.
In Yu Chen’s mind, He Zhen had always been the perfect male lead from a novel.
Had he changed his heart the moment he got his body?
Did he already not feel sorry for him anymore?
Yu Chen’s eyes started stinging with tears. The boyfriend he had chosen himself—he would have to walk on his knees to the end if he must!
Naturally, He Zhen had no idea what strange twists and turns were going on in Yu Chen’s head. Seeing that Yu Chen did not have a fever anymore, he finally relaxed. The night before, he had fed Yu Chen a few pills. Only after Yu Chen had tossed and turned for a long while did the diarrhea ease up.
“Today’s Saturday, but there’s an important meeting at the company.”
He Zhen’s warm hand slipped beneath the blanket and gently rubbed Yu Chen’s lower belly. “Stay home and rest properly. Is it okay if I arrange for someone to come make food for you?”
“No!” Yu Chen willfully threw his arms around He Zhen’s arm, sniffing lightly. “You’re not allowed to go to the company. You have to stay with me.”
He was going to see just who was more important—work or him!
“Are you still not feeling well?” He Zhen helped Yu Chen sit up and blew on the warm milk before feeding him a sip. “How about I take you to the hospital?”
“I’d rather die than go to the hospital.” Leaning against He Zhen’s chest, Yu Chen sniffled. “My whole body feels bad. I just want you to stay with me. If you stay with me, then I’ll feel better.”
Tilting his head, He Zhen looked at Yu Chen’s slightly swollen eyes. Considering the hangover from the previous night, he really probably did feel awful.
After thinking it over, he suggested, “I’ve got an important meeting today, and I can’t postpone it. How about I bring you to the company with me for a while?”
The dullness in Yu Chen’s eyes quietly brightened. “Is your company fun?”
“Not really, but I can stay with you.” He Zhen coaxed a little more warm milk into him. “Your clothes got dirty last night. I had my assistant bring over some new sets. Want me to help you put them on?”
“Mm.” Yu Chen slowly sat up. Only then did He Zhen finally seem a little more like an actual boyfriend. After all, He Zhen had made him so uncomfortable the night before, and Yu Chen had not even gotten to complain properly yet.
“You help me change.”
A hint of surprise crossed He Zhen’s face at Yu Chen’s initiative.
“Alright. I’ll help you.”
An hour later, the two of them arrived at He Zhen’s company.
It had to be said—the headquarters of He Feng Group was imposing enough, but the CEO’s office was even more so.
Rather than a company, it looked more like some kind of luxury leisure club. Not only was there a sauna, a gym, and a café, but executives at the middle-management level and above even had personal massage therapists on standby to provide massage and bodywork services at any time.
After He Zhen pressed his fingerprint, Yu Chen slowly walked into the CEO’s office, taking in the magnificent room before him.
“Jie’an, prepare some desserts and some hot snacks.”
He Zhen gave an instruction into the intercom on the desk. Not long after, the secretary slowly pushed in a dining cart.
Following the delicious smell, Yu Chen walked over to the cart and turned around to ask He Zhen, “Was this made by your company cafeteria?”
“Mm.” He Zhen opened his computer and signaled for the secretary to lay out the food for Yu Chen. “There’s a menu over there. Start eating first. If you want anything else, just order it.”
“Alright.” Yu Chen finally smiled in satisfaction and thanked the secretary. “Sorry to trouble you.”
It was the secretary’s first time meeting Yu Chen, and he assumed Yu Chen was some relative or friend of He Zhen’s, so he nodded politely. “If you need anything, just call me.”
Yu Chen picked up a crab-paste pastry and stuffed it into his mouth. “Okay!”
After the secretary left, Yu Chen focused wholeheartedly on eating.
Actually, he was very easy to coax.
If He Zhen had just prepared him a jianbing guozi with extra pork fillet that morning, Yu Chen definitely would not have thrown a tantrum.
Right then, a WeChat message popped up.
[Professor Lin: Yu Chen, can you send me your final assignment now?]
With his cheeks puffed out, Yu Chen quickly typed back, “OK.” After replying, he looked toward He Zhen. “Boss, can I log into WeChat on your computer and send over a file from my USB drive?”
Ever since starting university, Yu Chen had developed the good habit of carrying a USB drive with him at all times, so no matter where he was, he could quickly transfer things when needed.
He Zhen nodded. “Of course.”
Yu Chen had just been gnawing on a duck leg, and his fingertips were all greasy. Handing the USB drive to He Zhen, he directed him to send the file to Professor Lin on his behalf.
Once WeChat logged in successfully, He Zhen looked at the contacts on Yu Chen’s list and joked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll snoop through your WeChat?”
“Snoop away.” Yu Chen gave him a meaningful look. “Do the two of us even still have any secrets?”
After all, they had already been honest with each other in every possible sense last night.
A smile hooked at He Zhen’s lips, and he temporarily minimized the WeChat window. “You go eat first. The file’s pretty big, so it’ll probably take a while. I’ll sort out the key points for the meeting first.”
“OK.” Yu Chen ran back to the dining table and continued gnawing on the duck leg.
Just then, Xiao Yu sent several WeChat messages in a row.
[Xiao Yu: Chubby baby?]
[Xiao Yu: Chubby baby? You didn’t get eaten, did you?]
[Xiao Yu: You ignored me all night. Don’t tell me you still haven’t woken up?]
Chewing the duck meat, Yu Chen immediately thought back to the blush-inducing events of the previous night.
[Yu Chen: I’m awake. I’m with my boss at his company.]
[Xiao Yu: Why didn’t you reply to me last night?]
[Yu Chen: Don’t even mention it! That voice message you sent yesterday got heard by Boss!]
[Xiao Yu: Oho! And then?]
[Yu Chen: Then he kissed me and carried me to bed. Shy puppy jpg.]
[Xiao Yu: Holy shit! You two really cooked the rice?]
[Yu Chen: Yeah. I was drunk last night.]
[Xiao Yu: So how did it feel?]
[Yu Chen: Pretty okay, I guess. Other than my butt hurting a little, I don’t feel anything else.]
[Xiao Yu: That’s not right! The internet says people in your kind of situation can’t get out of bed for three days.]
[Yu Chen: Maybe my constitution is special. I’m already able to brazenly gnaw on duck legs.]
[Xiao Yu: Damn? Could it be you’ve got the constitution of a Haitang male lead?]
Yu Chen frowned curiously and went to search what a “Haitang male lead” meant, completely forgetting that his WeChat was still logged into He Zhen’s computer.
He Zhen was sorting documents when he noticed WeChat notifications keep flashing. Without thinking, he clicked it open, completely forgetting that he was logged into Yu Chen’s account.
The moment he saw the conversation that popped out, he froze slightly.
[Yu Chen: What does Haitang male lead mean? I couldn’t find it.]
Basically, it means a seductive little temptress—someone naturally made for sex.
[Yu Chen: Shy puppy jpg.]
[Xiao Yu: Is He Zhen fierce or not? How many times did he do you last night?]
[Yu Chen: I can’t really remember. At least seven or eight times, I guess.]
[Xiao Yu: He Zhen’s got it, damn! Do you have a fever?]
[Yu Chen: I think a little. He even took my temperature this morning.]
[Xiao Yu: Tsk tsk tsk, He Zhen’s physical condition really is ferocious.]
[Yu Chen: Sigh. If he keeps being like this, then even with how good my body is, I still can’t handle it. If this keeps up long term, my butt’s finished.]
[Xiao Yu: Don’t humblebrag at me.]
[Yu Chen: He was especially rough. I’m kind of scared already. He wasn’t gentle at all. Crying puppy jpg.]
He Zhen’s light-brown eyes fixed on the screen, revealing a stunned disbelief.
[Xiao Yu: Then just tell him to be gentler in bed~]
[Yu Chen: Xiao Yu, I can’t possibly say that out loud. Oh right, do you think I should buy him some kidney-tonic prescriptions? At this rate, I’m scared his kidneys are going to give out at such a young age.]
He Zhen suddenly laughed from sheer anger.
