Chapter 11: Confusion

Chapter 11 Confusion

"Yeah, yeah," the driver responded perfunctorily, "Yes, Young Master, almost there."

As he spoke, he sneaked a glance at the rearview mirror and then slowed down the car.

Having worked for the Xie family for many years, the driver had caught on to the situation—Young Master Xie was whining and groaning, complaining of dizziness and headaches, yet refusing to take any medicine. It wasn't genuine discomfort; it was just flirting with his new boyfriend. The two in the back seat were all cuddly, playing some flirty game like "Let me lie on your legs" and "If you want to lie down, then lie down." The driver didn't even dare to glance at the rearview mirror, silently stepping on the brakes instead.

Jiangcheng, now free of its daytime noise, was completely quiet. The streets were empty, with only a few cars passing by every few kilometers. The driver leisurely cruised through the streets of Jiangcheng, almost like he was on vacation. After a while, they finally stopped in front of the hotel.

A hotel attendant stepped up to open the car door. Xie Yu got up from Shen Ci's lap and asked the system, "Is the closeness task done? How much longer?"

The system replied, "Twenty more minutes."

Xie Yu clicked his tongue.

He'd been staying close the whole time; he couldn't give up halfway. He would have to stay close for a while longer after returning to the hotel.

Xie Yu looked into the car, "Shen, let's get out."

The school had long been closed by this time. If Shen Ci wanted to go back, the dorm supervisor would be livid. Besides, given Xie Yu's character, it was impossible for him to let Shen Ci go at this point. So, Shen Ci followed him upstairs without a second thought.

It was late, and the night was chilly. Xie Yu entered the room and then went into the bathroom to run a bath.

The hotel bathtub had the perfect shape, and the water flow was moderate. Leaning against the backrest, one could overlook the city skyline. The neon lights at night made it quite charming. Ever since he checked in, Xie Yu had fallen in love with taking baths.

Hearing the sound of running water, Shen Ci knew it was for the bath. He fidgeted with his fingers, feeling a bit nervous.

In truth, he never thought he'd leave Xie Yu's place untouched.

Xie Yu had secured the experimental medical qualification for his grandmother. The medication was not tested domestically, and the quota was being sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, way out of reach for a poor student like him. Based on the principle of equivalent exchange, Shen Ci was willing to pay the price.

However, Shen Ci knew full well that Young Master Xie was high-class, and he had no capital to exchange with Xie Yu. His only assets were his good looks and fit body. As long as Xie Yu didn't trample on his dignity or engage in anything that would leave permanent damage, Shen Ci had no complaints.

The steam fogged up the bathroom walls, and the already frosted glass door became even blurrier. Xie Yu's tall figure was hazy in the mist, and Shen Ci found himself staring for quite some time without realizing it.

He closed his eyes, thinking to himself, "If today, if today..."

If Xie Yu asked him to fulfill his duty today, he would.

Before he could dwell on it further, three minutes later, Xie Yu pushed the door open and stepped out.

He was still dressed, in hotel slippers, and clattered from the bathroom to the wardrobe. Under Shen Ci's gaze, he pulled out a bottle of essential oil, then clattered back to the bathroom in his slippers.

Shen Ci was taken aback, "You?"

Xie Yu, called out by him, turned back, "Hmm?"

Shen Ci felt awkward, having inexplicably called out to him without knowing what to say. He asked stiffly, "Are you going to take a bath first?"

"Ah, yes," Xie Yu paused, "I've already run the bath. I'll take a bath first, and then I'll run one for you later."

With that, he clattered back to the bathroom and closed the door with a soft thud.

Shen Ci: "..."

He stared at the bathroom door, his ears burning red.

Heaven knows, the original owner might have been a playboy, but that was the original owner. Xie Yu genuinely had no idea what top-tier rich kids liked to play, nor did he know that a hotel bathtub could actually fit two people. He had no such awareness. He'd been drinking, and his shirt smelled of booze, and he felt dizzy, so he wanted to take a bath and sleep as soon as possible.

The sound of water trickling came from the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Xie Yu finished his comfortable soak, considerately drained the tub, and prepared a fresh bath for Shen Ci before calling him in.

Shen Ci wasn’t sure how to describe his feelings. He shut the bathroom door behind him and slipped into the water.

The warm water enveloped his skin. Previously, Shen Ci had lived with his grandmother in their old hometown, where the house didn’t have a water heater for a long time and relied on a firewood stove. It wasn’t until later, with poverty relief programs, that they could shower regularly. Soaking in hot water felt both new and soothing.

After washing, he emerged from the bathtub, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and gently pushed the door open.

The main light was off, and a mound of blankets lay on the bed—Xie Yu had already fallen asleep.

Shen Ci’s expression was complicated, unsure whether to feel relieved or something else. He sat on the edge of the bed, a meter away from Xie Yu, who lay on his side, his face obscured by deep shadows. His brow arched like a crescent moon, his nose bridge sharp and handsome, and his sleeping demeanor was calm and serene, nothing like the rumors suggested.

Xie Yu felt someone sitting on the edge of the bed, unmoving. With his eyes closed, he patted the space beside him, “What are you looking at? Come up.”

Shen Ci paused, then climbed onto the bed.

He lay stiffly on the edge, so close to falling off, but Xie Yu, in a commanding tone, patted the space beside him, “Why are you sleeping so far away? Come here.”

They still had twenty minutes of closeness to go.

Shen Ci shifted slightly closer.

Xie Yu pulled him over with a backhanded motion.

He simply held him, nothing more. His chin rested on Shen Ci’s shoulder, his hands hanging neatly at his sides, like a large cat curling up in a cozy spot, and then he didn’t move.

He was so close that his breath warmed Shen Ci’s ear, sending a ticklish sensation. Shen Ci’s body, which had relaxed, tensed up once more, and he fidgeted uncomfortably.

Xie Yu, too sleepy to open his eyes, said, “Don’t move. Let me hold you for twenty minutes.”

Just twenty minutes to go.

He stayed like that and drifted off to sleep.

*

The next morning, when Xie Yu had finished getting ready, Shen Ci had already returned to school.

Xie Yu’s driver had taken him back. He first went to his dorm to change into clean clothes, picked up his ID badge, and then headed to the lab.

At the lab entrance, Shen Ci checked his watch—it was just past 7:30. Li Yang hadn’t arrived yet, but Han Yunyun was already there. She clearly wasn’t working, sitting at her desk engrossed in something, her eyebrows raised in amusement, her body shaking with laughter, occasionally pounding the table.

Han Yunyun was so engrossed that she missed Shen Ci’s entrance. It wasn’t until he passed behind her that she startled, trying to hit the power button but missing in her panic, then jumped up, trying to shield the screen with her body. In her haste, she knocked over the milk tea next to her.

Shen Ci knew Han Yunyun liked to read strange things and had no intention of prying into her privacy. He righted the toppled milk tea, passed her a few tissues, and was about to remind her to be careful when his gaze inadvertently swept over the screen and suddenly froze.

Han Yunyun was reading a novel—and not a decent one at that. At a glance, Shen Ci saw a term he recognized: “safe word.”

He lowered his eyes.

Han Yunyun, feeling guilty, turned her body to block the screen more tightly and gave Shen Ci an awkward laugh, “Senior, Senior Shen, haha, you’re here early today, Senior Shen.”

Shen Ci hummed in response, lowering his head to wipe the table. He swept the spilled milk tea into the trash and then sat down at his workstation.

Han Yunyun quickly sat down, closed the novel, and opened her work page, but she couldn’t focus, stealing glances at her senior’s expression out of the corner of her eye.

Shen Ci had been working normally, but noticing her furtive glances—she had looked over more than a dozen times in a few minutes—he suddenly asked, “What does ‘safe word’ mean?”

Han Yunyun: “!!!”

She nearly jumped out of her seat, staring in shock at her senior’s profile. Seeing him calmly typing on the computer, his expression cool and composed, as if he had asked casually without knowing the specific meaning, she laughed awkwardly and fumbled for an explanation, “Uh, how to put it? It’s, it’s a little game between couples. You could think of it as, um, a nickname with a special meaning…”

Han Yunyun spoke, her voice growing quieter and quieter until she was almost burying her head in her chest. She didn’t notice that her senior with a frosty demeanor had suddenly paused, his fingertips as white as jade resting on the keyboard, unmoving for a long time.

After a moment, Shen Ci continued writing his report, his expression as cold as ever, the rhythm of his keystrokes unchanged. He asked, "What’s the special meaning behind it?"

Han Yunyun: "..."

She eyed Shen Ci suspiciously, seeing that his expression remained normal, as if he were just casually chatting. Only then did she slightly relax and continue to make things up: "Well, it's a pet name for couples, maybe with a special meaning... like in the book I'm reading, the safe word is coffee because one of the couple is a barista, and their personality is bitter but with a hint of fragrance. When the other partner hears this word, they can't help but feel affectionate."

Shen Ci seemed somewhat interested. "Can any word serve as a safe word?"

Han Yunyun: "Yes, as long as both agree on a word that holds special meaning, it can be a safe word."

Shen Ci glanced at Han Yunyun's desk and asked casually, "What about milk tea? What could that signify?"

Han Yunyun closed her eyes and came up with an answer: "Uh, maybe one person is sweet and soft, very cute?"

Shen Ci looked at the desk. "What about pothos?"

Han Yunyun: "Full of life, lush and green, just looking at it makes one feel relaxed."

Shen Ci glanced out the window. "What about fir trees?"

Han Yunyun became more and more confident, thinking her senior just didn’t want to work and was looking for someone to chat with. She spoke with increasing confidence: "Tall and sturdy, unafraid of storms, quietly enduring yet dependable."

Shen Ci paused slightly.

His gaze fell on the decorative ceramic vase on Han Yunyun's desk.

Two words lingered on his tongue, soft and gentle, like a lover’s murmur. Shen Ci's gaze steadily fixed on the computer screen, his expression calm and focused, but his index finger twitched the mouse unconsciously, his lips parting slightly, trembling.

"...What about ceramics?"

Han Yunyun didn’t notice anything unusual. She was already in her element, speaking with an academic and rigorous attitude: "I think it means precious and valuable, yet also very fragile, needing careful protection."

After she finished, she waited for her senior to ask more, but no one spoke. She looked up, and Shen Ci was staring at the computer screen, his dark eyes lowered, deep in thought.

The computer screen was on the title page of a thesis, the bold black font was dull and uninteresting, but her senior seemed mesmerized by that line of text, not moving the mouse at all.

Han Yunyun cautiously asked, "Senior Shen? Are you lost in thought?"

"No..." Shen Ci lowered his gaze, smiling slightly. "Just pondering the thesis."

Every word on the screen was familiar, yet none registered in his mind. His thoughts were tangled, a jumbled mess.

There was a glass of water on the desk. Shen Ci gazed at the reflection in the water, repeatedly pondering those words, then curled the corner of his mouth unnaturally, revealing a self-mocking smile.

He silently watched the reflection in the water, thinking: Such a dull and unremarkable person, so hollowed out that even two ounces of alcohol could send him to the hospital—is he worth Young Master Xie’s careful protection?

The young man in the water was pale and thin, his face good-looking, but just that. Shen Ci could pick out many flaws: his brows and eyes often weary, not vibrant enough, as if years of hardship had drained his body. Coupled with faded and worn clothes, not much effort in dressing up, if Xie Yu were to pick based on his appearance, he could find dozens or even hundreds of more glamorous ones.

Not to mention, Shen Ci knew how he had grown up, completely different from the precious young master Xie Yu. When Xie Yu was surrounded by hundreds of clothes a year, he was washing clothes in the freezing river in winter, his knuckles covered in frostbite. When Xie Yu was picky about truffles and caviar, he was calculating how many bowls of noodles he could buy with the thirty yuan on his campus card... To a young master like Xie Yu who knew nothing of the world, he was just a pretty toy. But, precious and valuable?

Who would cherish a readily available doll? Who would think a plaything whose lifetime food expenses didn’t even match the cost of a young master’s meal was valuable?

Fragile? Needing protection?

Shen Ci found it laughable.

From the moment he signed the agreement with Xie Yu, Shen Ci knew what the young master wanted to play—nothing more than having seen too many soft boys, picking a tough one to torment, occasionally changing tastes.

But...

But so far, Xie Yu hasn't laid a finger on him.

Although he sees himself as a plaything, Xie Yu doesn't treat him like one at all.

When He Zhiyuan hosted a cocktail party and Shen Ci refused to attend, Xie Yu didn't utter a word, even though it was a snub to Young Master Xie. During the dinner on the cruise ship, Shen Ci used the safeword midway, and Xie Yu immediately took him away without asking further. And all these little things over the past few days—whether it was the towel handed to him in the car after the rain or the milk that night...

Shen Ci was momentarily lost in thought. Every little thing, every detail—Xie Yu treated him without a trace of humiliation or disdain, at most just some light teasing.

But compared to that million-dollar opportunity, what did these little teases matter?

Young Master Xie was infamous for his cruelty, having tormented countless people, and was notoriously ill-tempered. They had even signed that agreement, riddled with insults in every line. When Xie Yu had him dragged to the hospital for a check-up, he made it clear that he just needed someone to take out his anger on, but...

But why, after all that, has he never laid a hand on him?

Shen Ci couldn't figure it out.

Just then, the door chimed, and Li Yang walked in from outside, carrying breakfast and greeting them one by one: "Senior Shen, Junior Han."

Shen Ci gathered his thoughts and nodded slightly.

Li Yang handed the breakfast he bought for Han Yunyun to her, then gave Shen Ci a notice from the Student Affairs Office: "By the way, Senior, there's a volunteer activity this afternoon. Don't forget."

Shen Ci gathered his thoughts and nodded: "Got it."