Chapter 83: Cutesy Clinginess
After finishing, Shen Shuyi immediately turned sour.
“It’s all your fault. My shower was for nothing!”
Zhao Yuheng suggested a remedy: “Shall we take another shower?”
Shen Shuyi felt completely limp, not wanting to move at all.
Besides, after being intimate with Zhao Yuheng just now, his reliance on him had deepened, and his innate stubbornness was now fully exposed.
“I really don’t feel like moving.” Shen Shuyi said innocently.
Zhao Yuheng lowered his gaze to him.
Shen Shuyi squirmed into his arms. His pajama bottoms were already soaked, and seeing the curtains drawn over the floor-to-ceiling window, he simply kicked off the pajamas and rolled directly into Zhao Yuheng’s embrace.
“Carry me,” Shen Shuyi mumbled. “This is because I told you to stop earlier and you didn’t, which is why Shen Shuyi ended up in such a mess! So now I have to punish you severely!”
“Punish? I think it looks more like a reward.”
“Alright, Little Zhao, save the cheesy lines for later. Now hurry up and carry me to the bathroom.” Shen Shuyi sighed and made a gesture to silence him.
Zhao Yuheng chuckled at his tone, wrapped his arms around Shen Shuyi’s waist, and lifted him up completely.
Shen Shuyi had always been curious about Zhao Yuheng’s strength, and now he finally knew.
He could lift him with just one arm!
But… why did this feel like a dad carrying his daughter?!
Suspended in midair, Shen Shuyi flailed his long, smooth legs like a slippery fish, almost slipping out of Zhao Yuheng’s grasp.
“Aiya! Not that way!”
“How should I hold you then?” Zhao Yuheng grabbed the plump base of his thighs. “Like a princess carry?”
Shen Shuyi: “That seems kind of… weird too…”
Zhao Yuheng decided to just hold him like a kitten instead. Shen Shuyi, worried about falling, quickly looped his arms around Zhao Yuheng’s neck and wrapped his legs tightly around Zhao Yuheng’s slim waist.
Zhao Yuheng supported his soft thighs and asked face-to-face, “Is this okay?”
It seemed a little better…
But!
Something felt off! Very off! Super off!
Shen Shuyi hesitated, “Do you… want to—”
“It’s fine.”
Really enduring it!
Shen Shuyi felt too embarrassed to repeat himself and swallowed his words.
Still, he glanced at the transparent wine cabinet in the living room. Seeing the reflection of himself in the glass—without pajamas on—he realized this position looked… definitely not suitable for minors!
Shen Shuyi thought, forget it, let’s just go to the bathroom quickly!
While hanging on Zhao Yuheng, he accidentally noticed a large wet patch on the sofa and blushed as he poked his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Remember to clean the sofa later, don’t wait for the housekeeper tomorrow.”
“The housekeeper can’t clean it?”
“No!!!” Shen Shuyi gasped. “I’d be mortified!”
“You were fearless just now, weren’t you?” Zhao Yuheng teased. “Shen Shuyi, don’t you admit when you do naughty things?”
“Hey… we did it together at least, you’re not trying to shirk responsibility, are you?”
Zhao Yuheng pretended to be clueless and placed him in the bathtub. The bathroom was still filled with steam from Shen Shuyi’s previous bath, and soon his clothes were soaked through; a twist in his hand squeezed out water.
Zhao Yuheng pressed thoughtfully on his wet clothes with his thumb.
Blushing, Shen Shuyi splashed water at him. “You pervert! Throw it away!”
Zhao Yuheng, serious, said: “Throw it away? Why? You can just wash it and wear it again.”
Zhao Yuheng thought, Shen Shuyi’s sweetness was better not wasted on clothes but on him.
“I’m not washing it.” Shen Shuyi buried himself in the bathtub, trying to hide his flushed face behind the steamy water.
“I’ll help you wash, okay?”
“Whatever you want.”
After all, Little Zhao was officially a pervert in his mind now. ^ ^
Zhao Yuheng tidied up his clothes and belongings. Seeing him busy in the bathroom, Shen Shuyi impulsively asked, “Zhao Yuheng, do you want to shower with me?”
Zhao Yuheng paused. “Are you sure?”
Originally he was sure, but now he wasn’t so certain after being asked like that.
“Well, isn’t it uncomfortable for your clothes to stick to you?”
Zhao Yuheng laughed: “Not at all.”
He added meaningfully, “If I shower with you, some people won’t be able to shower properly.”
Some people: “…”
Why wouldn’t it be okay?
Some people didn’t dare think too hard.
After all the fuss, it was already midnight.
Shen Shuyi opened the curtains with the remote. Heavy snow was falling outside in Beijing.
After his shower, his body felt slippery, and rolling on the bed almost made him meow like a cat from comfort.
Zhao Yuheng came out after his shower. Shen Shuyi was already wrapped up in a blanket like a cat strip, happily squinting.
“Little Zhao, no matter what outrageous thing you say to me now, I’ll forgive you.”
He was so happy he could forgive the world.
Zhao Yuheng got into bed, eyes darkening, scooped him up entirely, and kissed him fiercely.
“Aiya!”
Shen Shuyi had wrapped himself up in the blanket, leaving no chance to struggle.
He screamed!
“Shen Shuyi, you’re so cute! How can you be so cute?” Zhao Yuheng bit him several times, hugging him tight, burying his face against him. “I want to bite you to death, eat you. What should I do, what should I do?”
The faint scent of jasmine filled his nose. Zhao Yuheng realized, belatedly, that this fragrance, which had always been on Shen Shuyi since they met, wasn’t any perfume.
It was naturally from Shen Shuyi.
“You have a cuteness invasion problem…” Shen Shuyi said, then lay flat. “Fine. You might be a pervert. Have you thought about seeing a psychologist?”
Zhao Yuheng began unwrapping the cat-strip-like blanket, lifting it, and undoing his pajama buttons.
Shen Shuyi alarmed, grabbed his collar, intending to say, “What are you doing!”
But he seemed to already know, and despite his nervousness, he secretly anticipated it. He let go of his collar.
Zhao Yuheng: ?
Shen Shuyi: O.O
Innocently staring at his boyfriend.
“What are you thinking, little naughty cat?” Zhao Yuheng said helplessly. “Checking if I left marks on your chest?”
Shen Shuyi, disappointed: “…Oh!”
Zhao Yuheng, you’re hopeless!
“Ah.” Shen Shuyi sighed and closed his eyes. “Boyfriend seems to be spoiled.”
“Shen Shuyi!” Zhao Yuheng pinched his face. “You really are…”
Shen Shuyi wrestled with him on the bed. “Otherwise! I’m already on your bed, and you don’t move? This makes me wonder: first, am I not attractive enough? Impossible!”
“Then there’s only the second possibility.” Shen Shuyi looked at him seriously. “Little Zhao, you’re just nurturing your stomach.”
Zhao Yuheng: “…”
“It’s okay.” Shen Shuyi tenderly stroked his face. “Being so handsome, a few flaws don’t matter. I’ll spoil you. Sleep now, child, good night.”
Zhao Yuheng laughed angrily: “Shen Shuyi, you—”
Seeing Zhao Yuheng sit up to scold him, Shen Shuyi cleverly rolled off the bed.
But he was slower than Zhao Yuheng, who grabbed him back, tickling him mercilessly. Shen Shuyi laughed uncontrollably.
“Sorry… sorry…”
Zhao Yuheng sternly: “Still talking nonsense?”
“I won’t, hahaha… won’t… won’t…”
“Call me husband.”
“Husband! Husband! Husband! Sorry, I won’t… husband…”
Zhao Yuheng finally let him go.
Shen Shuyi laughed until tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Zhao Yuheng leaned down and cleaned him up. Shen Shuyi blinked: “You’re so clingy, boyfriend.”
“Isn’t being clingy part of dating?” Zhao Yuheng said.
“Why did you seem more distant two years ago?” Shen Shuyi looked up at him.
“Normal.” Zhao Yuheng said. “Two years ago, you didn’t give me a title.”
Two years ago was a sensitive topic for them.
Not a total minefield, but sometimes stepping on it caused temporary pain.
Shen Shuyi calmed down, nestling into Zhao Yuheng, who hugged him tightly.
“Sorry.” Shen Shuyi’s nose tingled, eyes reddened. “Two years ago I should have been more decisive.”
Was the arranged marriage important? Yes.
Was Zhao Yuheng important? Even more.
Back then, he chose to shoulder the responsibility of being Shen’s fiancé.
Given another choice, he might have been selfish.
Because he realized he might like Zhao Yuheng more than he thought.
Shen Shuyi couldn’t imagine a world without this coincidence, where Zhao Yuheng wasn’t the missing Zhao family heir.
Then he might have married someone he didn’t like and lived a careless life.
Even with Shen Lu there, he wouldn’t have suffered from an unhappy marriage.
But… there would be no one who loved him like Zhao Yuheng did.
Someone who loved his stubbornness, his pride, his little temper, his imperfections. Even if he had nothing, Zhao Yuheng would love him for life.
Thinking of this scared him, and he hugged Zhao Yuheng tightly, letting his tears fall on him.
Zhao Yuheng didn’t know Shen Shuyi’s thoughts, only that the little tyrant had gone from arrogant to sentimental. He thought Shen Shuyi was still upset over parting with Shen Lu and comforted him: “During the New Year, I’ll go with you back to Hong Kong, okay?”
Shen Shuyi thought: This straight guy has no idea how much I like him. Never mind, I won’t tell him. ^ ^
He buried himself in Zhao Yuheng’s arms, nodding silently.
Zhao Yuheng patted his back: “Actually, during those two years, I did try to find you.”
Shen Shuyi froze; Zhao Yuheng had never told him this.
“Yeah…” Zhao Yuheng smiled bitterly. “But I failed each time.”
“The first time, your brother stopped me. Later, I got sick.”
Shen Shuyi worried: “Was it serious? Are you okay now?”
“Of course, baby. Otherwise, how would I be here today?”
“…Oh.” Shen Shuyi’s eyes reddened.
“The second time was six months later. I got a visa properly and went to Los Angeles. But LA is big, and I realized at the airport I didn’t have your contact info—no WeChat, no number, no address,” Zhao Yuheng said. “So I stayed at the airport for a while, felt foolish, and came back.”
Shen Shuyi was too upset to speak.
“The third time…” Zhao Yuheng said, “was half a year ago, after returning to the Zhao family. Zhao Qing found me and did a paternity test. When they discovered I was his son, I was ecstatic.”
They exchanged a look. Zhao Yuheng smiled: “Most people would think I was happy because I suddenly got rich, powerful, everything at hand. But I was just thrilled thinking the Zhao family son’s arranged marriage partner was you. I couldn’t sleep for two nights, feeling like a little villain who got lucky.”
“Maybe I was too obvious?”
Shen Shuyi wanted to laugh and cry, dumbfounded: “How can something so serious sound so funny?”
“Anyway, the third time, I got your address in North America. Zhao Qing gave it to me, thinking I was asking about Zhao Ci.”
“Then you came?”
“Yes.” Zhao Yuheng said. “I stood outside your estate for a while but didn’t go in.”
“Why not?”
“Scared,” Zhao Yuheng said. “Scared you’d find me disgusting. And scared… to see you with Zhao Ci.”
“Impossible.” Shen Shuyi muttered, nose tingling.
…
Zhao Yuheng suddenly looked down: “Let me see, are you crying because you miss your husband?”
Shen Shuyi twisted him: “Yes! Yes! I suspect you’re intentionally playing the pity card!”
“Mm.” Zhao Yuheng smiled, eyes curved. “Judging by your look, am I successful?”
Shen Shuyi nodded.
They both stayed quiet, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
After a while, Shen Shuyi spoke: “Zhao Yuheng, there’s something I’ve never told you.”
“What?” Zhao Yuheng didn’t know.
Shen Shuyi said: “I really like you. Maybe more than you think.”
Ah, better tell him, let him feel proud for a moment.
Zhao Yuheng was stunned, eyes wide with surprise.
“I mean, if I could go back two years and choose again, I might not choose the arranged marriage.”
“Even though you were poor,” Shen Shuyi said, “I liked you as a person.”
He spoke slowly but firmly: “If you lived in a rat-infested house, I’d live with you.”
“I could wear ugly clothes, use cheap skincare, take public transport every day, and skip the bags and diamonds… because none of that matters more than you.”
Shen Shuyi buried in his arms, muttered: “But you have to give me lots and lots of love.”
“You must swear to love Shen Shuyi for life.”
Author’s Note:
Brother: You thief of cats!!!!!!!
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