Chapter 9: Porcelain

Chapter 9: Porcelain

*Note: The title "Porcelain" may metaphorically refer to Shen Ci's fragile yet refined nature, possibly hinting at his vulnerability amidst the decadence of the situation.*

"It means allowing many people to play together!"

Shen Ci froze, his face a mask of calm. Yet his fingers gripping the railing tightened until his knuckles turned white and blue, trembling slightly upon closer inspection.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice tight: "So that's how it is."

The schemes on this ship were even worse than he’d thought.

Lin Yin avoided his gaze, gathering her courage: "I know you're not from this circle, but once you're on this ship, miles away from the shore, you can't swim back. If you’re desperate, go beg Young Master Xie! Soften your voice and say a few nice words to please him, maybe... maybe..."

Maybe what? Lin Yin trailed off, unable to finish.

She knew Xie Yu’s reputation all too well. He Zhiyuan was already a total creep, but Xie Yu was even worse. He Zhiyuan wanted Lin Yin to be his girlfriend, and for the sake of money, she could agree. But if it were Xie Yu, she’d bolt as fast as she could.

Would such a person let Shen Ci go just because of a few pleas?

As she spoke, Lin Yin felt powerless. She hurriedly added, "Anyway, that's how it is. You’ll have to decide what to do."

With that, she quickly left, disappearing around the corner in a few steps.

Silence returned, broken only by the sound of waves and wind.

Shen Ci released the railing, his fingers icy cold. The river wind blew straight into his sleeves, making his body cold and numb. Unable to delay further, he entered the cabin, standing in front of the private room for a moment before finally pushing the door open.

The door creaked softly as it swung open. Shen Ci looked around and saw that the wealthy heirs had already gone through three rounds of drinks, each of them swaying and staggering.

Xie Yu sat at the head of the table, holding a glass of champagne and leaning casually on the back of the chair, oozing casual charm, showing little sign of being drunk. Seeing Shen Ci, he waved him over to sit beside him.

To his right, He Zhiyuan had three or four empty wine bottles in front of him, slumped drunkenly to the side. Seeing Shen Ci, he chuckled twice. He leaned over to speak to Zhou Yang, though it wasn’t clear why they were laughing so hard. His gaze roamed freely over Shen Ci.

Shen Ci met their gazes, his stomach churning. He lowered his eyes and walked past the disheveled crowd, sitting down next to Xie Yu.

Xie Yu took a sip of champagne: "Where have you been? It's been so long."

Shen Ci: "I stood by the railing."

Xie Yu: "The railing? The wind on the river is so strong, isn't it cold?"

Shen Ci: "Not cold."

Preoccupied, his expression and tone were icy. He thought of Lin Yin's advice—to soften his voice and beg—but his body stiffened at the very idea.

In fact, Shen Ci knew all too well that on this isolated ship, only Xie Yu could save him from this disgrace. Unfortunately, he had never been one to beg, and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything soft. So he remained silent.

As they talked, a few more people entered the room, all privileged young elites who played together, making the atmosphere even noisier.

Shen Ci's gaze swept over their faces, remembering Lin Yin's words about "many people," and his expression darkened further.

They sat down one after another, and Lin Yin stood up, politely greeted them, and then drank with a forced smile. Only Shen Ci sat to the side, motionless, upright and dignified like a teacher in a private school. His calm, refined demeanor stood out in the smoky, chaotic room. Someone pointed at him and casually asked, "Who is this?"

Before Xie Yu could answer, He Zhiyuan interjected: "Young Master Xie’s new fling, isn’t he a looker?"

He winked suggestively: "Young Master Xie specially brought him tonight, you all understand, right?"

The room erupted in laughter. Shen Ci couldn’t help but tighten his fingers, his nails digging into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks.

He was chilled to the bone. The private room was smoky, hot, and stuffy, but even so, it couldn't warm him up in the slightest.

For He Zhiyuan, tonight was just another night of endless indulgence, a game to dispel loneliness. But for Shen Ci, he was the toy in this game. No one cared about his feelings, and he didn't even have the authority to stop it.

By now, there were already more than ten people in the private room. He Zhiyuan invited everyone to play dice, and amidst the laughter, he wagered and lost a luxury car. Caught up in the excitement, he still felt it wasn't enough and shouted, "There are still people outside, why aren't they coming in? Where's Fang Yu? He's good at cards. And Qin En, haven't seen him in a while. Go ask Zhang Siming if he's coming!"

He reeled off a list of names like he was ordering off a menu, all of them notorious playboys in Jiangcheng. For a moment, the entire private room was filled with his incessant chatter.

Xie Yu sat in his place, a faint smile playing on his lips, neither approving nor objecting, just watching He Zhiyuan like he was a circus act. Suddenly, he turned to Shen Ci and asked suspiciously, "Shen Ci... are you cold?"

Shen Ci beside him looked terrifyingly pale. He was gripping the hem of his shirt so tightly that the fabric was creased into large folds.

Xie Yu: "Very cold? The air conditioning is already turned up high. Are you sick?"

As he spoke, he reached out to feel Shen Ci's forehead.

Just as his fingers touched the skin, Shen Ci suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Yu's sleeve. He yanked with all his might, clutching the fabric like it was a lifeline.

At that moment, Xie Yu noticed he was shivering slightly.

Xie Yu was startled: "Shen Ci?"

"Xie Yu." Shen Ci lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a small shadow beneath them. He steadied his voice and asked, "Do you remember what you promised before?"

Xie Yu: "Hmm?"

Shen Ci looked up at him, his eyes reflecting the cabin lights. He said, "Porcelain."

Porcelain—that was the safe word Xie Yu had promised when they first met.

Shen Ci understood that to end this game, he had to beg Xie Yu. Xie Yu was the game's dealer, and he was the toy on the card table. The toy had no choice, no power to stop it. But he suddenly remembered that Xie Yu had actually given him a promise.

He had promised that uttering this word would end the game.

"Porcelain?"

Everyone in the room was taken aback.

He Zhiyuan and Li Yang exchanged glances, utterly confused. Shen Ci's words came out of the blue, with no context, and no one understood what he meant.

He Zhiyuan sneered, "Shen Ci hasn't had much to drink, has he? Is he tipsy just from the smell?"

Shen Ci ignored him, just staring fixedly at Xie Yu.

Xie Yu sat up straight, frowning. He seemed deep in thought, and in the long silence, Shen Ci gave a self-deprecating smile, his hands going limp as he released Xie Yu's sleeve.

Of course, how could a playboy's casual promise be taken seriously? Why did he believe it again?

Once the game begins, does the toy have any power to stop it?

Shen Ci's face was ghostly pale, his lips just as white, as if all his energy had been sucked out in a flash. He closed his eyes and slumped back in his seat, silent.

Xie Yu rolled the word around in his mouth, silently repeating, "Porcelain?"

The word was familiar, but it wasn't from the novel. He frowned, trying to remember, and then, in a sudden flash, it came to him.

The safe word.

Xie Yu had said it without thinking at the time, and he was confident he would never use extreme measures, so he didn't bother remembering it. But now...

He glanced around. The party had only started a few hours ago, and the rich kids were having a great time. Shen Ci sat quietly by the side, no one disturbed him. The only one who caused trouble, He Zhiyuan, was halfway through his antics when Xie Yu dragged him away. At most, the air was thick with smoke, and he couldn’t use his phone, making it a bit dull. But given Shen Ci’s level of endurance in the novel, it shouldn’t have reached the point where he needed to use the safe word.

Yet when he looked at Shen Ci, Shen Ci’s face was indeed pale, his fingers tucked into his sleeves, but it was still obvious that they were trembling violently.

Was he cold?

Maybe Xie Yu had been staring too long. Shen Ci leaned back, eyes closed, his expression calm and composed, as if he hadn’t said anything. But upon closer inspection, even his eyelashes were trembling.

He was genuinely terrified.

Xie Yu abruptly stood up.

He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and looked around. “My apologies, everyone. I have something urgent tonight, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Shen Ci’s eyes snapped open in surprise, only to feel a sharp tug on his wrist as Xie Yu grabbed it and pulled him up directly. Shen Ci stumbled forward, and then something warm was draped over him, enveloping him completely.

It was Xie Yu’s coat.

He Zhiyuan was taken aback and instinctively reached out to grab Shen Ci. “What? You’re leaving so soon? Didn’t we agree to stay up all night?”

Xie Yu pushed his hand aside, holding Shen Ci tightly, not letting him touch anyone, and said coldly, “I have an emergency.”

He pulled Shen Ci along, walking quickly through the cabin, leading him away from the chaotic scene. He walked so quickly, as if something bad would happen if he slowed down even a little. Shen Ci stumbled as he followed closely behind.

Xie Yu didn’t say a word, just held him tightly as they passed through the brightly lit cabin. The smoke and haze faded behind them, and the river breeze blew away most of the alcohol smell.

They arrived at the observation deck on the upper level of the cruise ship.

Xie Yu said, “Sit down and wait. I’ll call for a boat from home to pick us up.”

The cruise ship was already in the middle of the river, and it would take a while to go back. Xie Yu opted to call for a boat instead. He took out his phone, made a call, and after a couple of “uh-huhs,” it was settled.

Shen Ci sat down on the sofa, feeling disoriented. He gripped the edge of his coat, sitting on the edge without saying a word.

This was the highest point of the cruise ship. Dozens of sofas were scattered around, and the roof was made of glass, allowing a view of the starry sky above. Looking to either side, one could see the tall buildings on both banks and the orange-yellow lights, accompanied by the gentle river breeze, making the view beautiful.

The wealthy heirs hadn’t come to the ship to look at the stars. There was no one here, only a drink counter that was still open.

The counter attendant had been sitting there for a long time without any customers, boredly scrolling through his phone. When he saw Xie Yu and Shen Ci, he enthusiastically greeted them, “Would you like some drinks, gentlemen?”

Xie Yu said, “Make me a Tequila Sunrise, with more alcohol.”

The attendant nodded eagerly, “Yes, sir.”

The orange-red liquid poured into the glass, with a lemon slice on the rim. The attendant pushed the glass toward Xie Yu and then looked at Shen Ci, “And for you, sir?”

Shen Ci paused for a moment before realizing he was being addressed. “I won’t drink.”

The price of any drink on the counter was equivalent to several days’ worth of his meals.

But Xie Yu said, “Aren’t you cold? Have something to warm up.”

As if expecting Shen Ci not to speak, Xie Yu glanced over the menu, seemingly ready to make the decision for him.

Shen Ci followed his gaze. Most of the items on the menu were alcoholic—cocktails, straight spirits, brandy, tequila, and even Russian vodka. Many of them had high alcohol content, higher than the one He Zhiyuan had pushed toward him earlier. If Shen Ci drank one of those, he would definitely throw up. But...

—This time, no matter which drink Xie Yu handed him, he would drink it.

It was just a glass of alcohol. In exchange for Xie Yu taking him out, it was an incredibly good deal.

But then Xie Yu flipped through the menu, looking very dissatisfied. Finally, he pointed to a corner of the menu.

“Here, give him this.”

Shen Ci looked as instructed and was completely stunned.

Hot milk.