Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Shen Yan wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. He couldn't stop drinking the health tea.

Just moving Xie Shiyu to the bed left him out of breath.

Ye Pei said, "Thank you so much today, otherwise I really wouldn't have known what to do."

"It's nothing, don't mention it," Shen Yan said, waving his hand. "By the way, why did Xie Shiyu get so drunk?"

Earlier in Zhu City, he was also drinking heavily by himself.

Ye Pei's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated before saying, "He's in love with someone."

Shen Yan felt a knot form in his stomach. This didn't bode well.

Ye Pei lowered his voice. "Yan Yan, you might not know this, but Shiyu lost his parents when he was very young. Over the years, he's been focused on working and studying, so he hasn't had much experience with romance. He fell for someone without realizing it, and by the time he figured out his feelings, that person was already in a relationship."

Shen Yan's heart sank, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"What's this person like?"

Ye Pei said, "They are extremely good-looking..."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

They both rushed forward as Xie Shiyu coughed and his face flushed from the alcohol.

Ye Pei asked a few questions, but Xie Shiyu's consciousness wasn't clear; he only vaguely mumbled something about wanting water.

Ye Pei realized there was no water in the dorm.

"Yan Yan, could you please take care of him for a bit? I'll go downstairs to the vending machine to buy some water."

Shen Yan nodded. "Go ahead, I'll watch him."

Shen Yan saw that Xie Shiyu's eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in discomfort.

He found Xie Shiyu's towel, wet it, and gently wiped his sweat.

Shen Yan's heart was heavy as he took care of Xie Shiyu.

He thought about his past moments with Hu Chengyu, wondering if Xie Shiyu had been around more often, he might have realized his feelings sooner.

As he was lost in thought, Xie Shiyu moved. Shen Yan thought he was waking up and was about to speak when he noticed a necklace slipping from Xie Shiyu's neck, revealing a ring-like design.

Even though only half of it was visible, Shen Yan immediately recognized the ring, his heart skipping a beat.

He hesitated, reaching out to pull the necklace, wanting to take a closer look at the ring.

But just as his hand was about to touch the necklace, Ye Pei returned.

Xie Shiyu, probably hearing Ye Pei's voice, sat up groggily.

The necklace once again disappeared under his clothes.

Shen Yan stared blankly at his collar.

"Here, this is for you, at room temperature, Yan Yan?" Ye Pei shook the bottle in front of him.

Shen Yan: "Oh, thanks."

After that, Shen Yan remained absent-minded.

Ye Pei: "Yan Yan, are you too tired? You should go back and rest. I'll take care of him."

Shen Yan didn't refuse. His mind was in turmoil right now.

It wasn't until he left the dorm that he continued to wonder why Xie Shiyu had that ring.

Shu Qianfei said Zhu Yao's was lost.

Could Xie Shiyu's be Zhu Yao's?

But given how much Zhu Yao cherished that ring, it couldn't have been given to him.

Moreover, Xie Shiyu was just a child back then.

Shen Yan was filled with confusion.

He thought maybe he should ask him about the ring tomorrow.

But thinking about what Ye Pei had said earlier, his head started to ache again.

With a look of frustration, he walked forward, not paying attention to his path, and bumped into someone.

"Sorry!"

He apologized and took a step back, but the other person held him by the shoulder.

Shen Yan looked up to see Hu Chengyu's displeased expression.

"Are you trying to throw yourself at me?"

Shen Yan noticed their face-to-face position and realized Hu Chengyu was 'waiting for someone to walk into him,' and he had actually bumped into him.

Hu Chengyu raised his hand and tapped him on the forehead with his finger. "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Yan covered his forehead. "Thinking about... you."

He nearly blurted out Xie Shiyu's name.

Fortunately, he corrected himself in time.

Hu Chengyu seemed pleased with his words, his previously displeased expression softening a bit.

He wanted to say something like 'I like you,' but knew Shen Yan was too shy.

Shen Yan's blush and shy demeanor were incredibly endearing, though teasing him too much would make him avoid Hu Chengyu.

Shen Yan didn't notice Hu Chengyu's changing mood. His mind was preoccupied with Xie Shiyu and his connection to Hu Chengyu's mother.

Moreover, he remembered Shu Qianfei recalling how Zhu Yao jokingly said she would pass the ring to her daughter-in-law in the future, which made his throat feel a bit sour.

Hu Chengyu gently cupped Shen Yan's face, his thumb brushing against his cheek, and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

He suddenly noticed Shen Yan's downcast expression and was taken aback.

Shen Yan, remembering they were still by the dorm, brushed off his hand. "Who else could make me this upset?"

Hu Chengyu: ……

After speaking, Shen Yan suddenly felt as though he had had a nightmare and was about to blame his boyfriend's lover, causing him to quickly look away.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Shen Yan struggled to explain and decided to retreat into his shell. "I'm going back to the dorm!"

There was no way Hu Chengyu would let him go.

He grabbed Shen Yan's wrist, his eyes darkening slightly. "What did I do wrong?"

Shen Yan felt guilty. Ever since they officially got together, Hu Chengyu had been as attentive as a dutiful boyfriend.

Hu Chengyu had the urge to pull Shen Yan close and kiss him deeply.

Seeing Hu Chengyu's intense gaze, Shen Yan knew he was angry.

Perhaps it was due to Hu Chengyu's indulgence; in the past, he would have continued to hide like a snail.

But thinking of Shu Qianfei's words and recalling Xie Shiyu's drunken state, Shen Yan suddenly felt a surge of anger.

It was Hu Chengyu who kept provoking him, treating him like a precious treasure. How could anyone control their heart?

The more Shen Yan thought, the more hurt he felt. "I, I don't want to be with you anymore."

As the words left his mouth, both of them froze.

Hu Chengyu's expression visibly darkened.

Shen Yan: ……

Under Hu Chengyu's cold stare, Shen Yan's body shivered involuntarily.

Hu Chengyu didn't say anything, just led him towards the parking lot.

The walk from the dorm to the parking lot gave Shen Yan time to regain his composure.

He struggled to break free from Hu Chengyu's grip, but the harder he struggled, the faster Hu Chengyu walked.

"Let me go."

There were still scattered students around. Shen Yan didn't dare to make a scene and could only speak softly.

Even so, it caught Hu Chengyu's attention. "Say one word, and I'll kiss you right here, in front of everyone."

Shen Yan: "I…"

*Smooch~*

Shen Yan: !

He immediately covered his mouth, instinctively looking around. Fortunately, their position was blocked by a car, so no one saw.

But Shen Yan was still dazed by the loud kiss, sitting there in the car.

His lips tingled, still warm from the intensity of the kiss.

In his peripheral vision, Shen Yan glanced at Hu Chengyu out of the corner of his eye, only able to see his stern profile. His features looked even sharper, probably because he was angry.

He quickly glanced away and looked out the window.

His heart raced.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Hu Chengyu's voice suddenly broke the silence in the car, which had become much quieter.

Shen Yan stayed silent, still fuming.

Hu Chengyu: "Are you mad at me?"

Shen Yan: Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Hu Chengyu: "Although we agreed on a trial period at the beginning, I didn't do anything. You unilaterally and impulsively said you didn't want to be with me. Shouldn't I be the one who's angry?"

After calming down, Shen Yan realized that what he had said in the heat of the moment wasn't reasonable.

Shen Yan looked at Hu Chengyu, opened his mouth, wanting to speak.

Hu Chengyu noticed out of the corner of his eye, and his heart softened.

"Little Yan, I'm sorry."

Shen Yan’s eyes snapped up to Hu Chengyu, his face full of surprise. Why was he apologizing?

Hu Chengyu: "Still not willing to talk to me?"

Hearing his gentle, coaxing tone, Shen Yan hesitantly replied, "You didn’t exactly forbid me from speaking."

Hu Chengyu was slightly stunned, relieved that Little Yan was at least willing to respond to him.

"When did I say you couldn't speak?" Hu Chengyu argued, "What I said was: for every word you say, I'll give you a kiss."

Deliberately leaving out the part about 'in public.'

Shen Yan had a thin skin.

Of course, Shen Yan also remembered the latter part and immediately felt uneasy as he looked out the window.

Only then did he notice something was off. Where exactly were they?

The dark sky outside looked like a black hole, as if it was swallowing everything.

The streetlights were very dim, and all he could see were the fleeting shadows of black trees.

Shen Yan swallowed, his heartbeat quickening.

He tried to push away the scary images forming in his mind.

"Where are you taking me?" Shen Yan’s voice tightened as he spoke.

Hu Chengyu would definitely not hurt him, but the scene reminded him of certain colored small films with specific scenarios.

He had been curious and watched such films before. He wasn't particularly interested in the actual explicit parts.

But at the beginning of those films, the protagonist, walking in an alley, gets caught, and then the car drives out to a deserted area.

Shen Yan gazed outside at the increasingly desolate road by the faint light, his heart racing with anxiety.

Hu Chengyu, focused on driving, didn’t notice Shen Yan’s emotions. "You’ll know when we get there."

Shen Yan thought to himself, 'Same old line.'

What if Hu Chengyu really had something planned for later? Should he fight back or go along with it?

He glanced at Hu Chengyu, torn and conflicted, before sinking back into his own thoughts.

He had seen Hu Chengyu’s bare torso before—toned and sculpted, especially his chiseled chest and abs.

His waist was also impressive, though it didn’t have those little dimples.

When Shen Yan realized what he was thinking, his face burned with embarrassment!

He was only trying to confirm that if Hu Chengyu really had such intentions, there was no way he could resist.

Ahhh!

At that moment, Shen Yan wished he could get out of the car and run around to clear his head.

He shook his head, trying to shake off those naughty thoughts.

Calm down! Calm down!

If he agreed, he could already picture Hu Chengyu’s chest muscles glistening with a light sheen of sweat...

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Shen Yan replied instinctively, "Should be fine, right?"

When he snapped back to reality and realized what he had said, he almost bit his tongue.

"No, I mean, yes, I'm fine. I just... I'm okay."

Hu Chengyu looked genuinely puzzled by Shen Yan’s jumbled response.

"Really nothing?"

Shen Yan didn’t dare look at him and nodded vigorously. "Yeah."

"You were breathing pretty heavily just now..."

There was no way Shen Yan could process that kind of comment at the moment, and his neck flushed a delicate red with embarrassment. "I'm mad at you!"

Probably from too much tension, his voice wavered.

Hu Chengyu: ...

Feeling utterly defeated, Shen Yan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping to calm himself down, but unexpectedly, he actually fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was pitch dark, and Hu Chengyu was nowhere to be seen.

The first thing that came to his mind was the time Hu Chengyu had taken him to the wooden house, but he knew they were driving in the opposite direction.

Where exactly was this place? Where was Hu Chengyu?

He moved slightly, and the blanket that had been covering him slipped off.

Hu Chengyu always kept a blanket in his car, a habit that, apart from him, only Shu Qianfei had.

It was clear who the blanket was for.

As soon as he opened the car door, a blast of cold air hit him. He hugged himself tightly and scanned his surroundings.

Is this... a mountain?

"Wrap yourself in the blanket," Hu Chengyu's voice came from above.