Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Two minutes before the dorm curfew, Xu Yan stepped out of the car.

He never got to ask the question he’d intended. Clutching the small cake Wen Sinian had bought for him, he didn't dare linger. He barely made it back to the dorm before the lights went out.

Li Huaiche and Zhao Qingji were still awake. Xu Yan quickly unwrapped the cake and ate it.

Wen Sinian had noticed he hadn’t eaten much during the dinner gathering earlier and had made a special trip to buy it for him.

Xu Yan went to the bathroom to brush his teeth again. After closing the door, he used his phone’s flashlight to lift the hem of his shirt and take a look.

His pale skin was flushed red, especially around his chest, where the friction from his pajamas felt subtly sensitive.

Too shy to keep looking, Xu Yan put his phone away and quietly slipped into bed.

Wen Sinian had mentioned moving back into the dorm, and within a couple of days, he truly appeared at the door with his luggage.

Li Huaiche was stunned. He had thought he wouldn’t have to live under the same roof as Wen Sinian until graduation, never imagining he would actually return.

Only Xu Yan knew the real reason.

However, Xu Yan had classes during the day and wasn’t in the dorm, so he couldn’t help Wen Sinian unpack.

After class, he hurried back, pulling Shen Nanli along as they quickly exited the classroom.

Shen Nanli asked him, “No library today?”

Xu Yan replied, “No, I’m heading straight back.”

“Something urgent back home?”

“Yeah,” Xu Yan said, glancing at his phone. “Something came up.”

Shen Nanli was genuinely curious. Lately, Xu Yan had been religiously going to the library after class. With finals approaching and many courses ending simultaneously, there was a lot to review. He had even been counting on Xu Yan to motivate his own studies.

Upon returning to the dormitory building, he followed Xu Yan into Room 318. When he saw the person inside, he froze, then discreetly backed out, closing the door behind them.

No wonder he was in such a rush—he was rushing back to his boyfriend.

Wen Sinian took Xu Yan’s backpack off for him. With no one else in the dorm, he pulled Xu Yan onto his lap.

Xu Yan pressed his hands against Wen Sinian’s chest, glancing nervously toward the door.

“They’ll be back any minute.”

Li Huaiche and Zhao Qingji had no classes tonight and would likely return early.

Wen Sinian held his waist and kissed him, murmuring, “Just for a little while.”

This was the upside of moving back: being able to see him, hold him, and kiss him often.

The downside was just as obvious: after only a short kiss, Xu Yan was already squirming uncomfortably.

He looked up, his eyes glistening, cheeks flushed, looking utterly bewildered.

“Are you uncomfortable again?”

Wen Sinian seemed to get uncomfortable quite frequently, but Xu Yan wasn’t sure if that was normal.

Wen Sinian tightened his embrace, savoring the warm, soft moisture inside Xu Yan’s mouth.

“Mhm.” His voice was hoarse, making no attempt to hide it.

Xu Yan’s lips were also flushed. He shifted slightly on Wen Sinian’s lap, trying to reach the floor with his toes to support some of his weight. His inner thighs still felt hot and tingly as he looked at Wen Sinian with pure, innocent eyes.

“Should I move away? Would that help?”

Wen Sinian chuckled, pulling him back into his arms, letting him lean against his chest, firmly seated on him.

“This is better.”

He lowered his head, about to kiss him again.

Xu Yan quickly turned his face away, asking casually, “My computer’s specs seem to have been upgraded to a very expensive model. Did Senior Zheng Yao accidentally swap it when he fixed it last time?”

Unable to reach his lips, Wen Sinian pressed his lips to Xu Yan’s soft cheek instead, nuzzling him affectionately.

“No, I told him to change it.”

Xu Yan was curious and turned to face him. “Why? You didn’t even know who I was back then. We weren’t that close, were we?”

Wen Sinian looked into his eyes. “You think we weren’t close?”

Xu Yan saw nothing wrong with his words and nodded, even daring to add a blunt truth.

“At first, I thought you were really fierce… I was a little scared of you.”

Wen Sinian kissed his lips. “And now?”

Xu Yan stared at him for a moment. “You don’t seem that fierce anymore.”

In fact, he had always been good to him, even before Xu Yan had realized it.

Wen Sinian didn’t think Xu Yan could have discovered anything on his own, so he explained casually, “Back then, you helped me fix the lighter. I knew you were strapped for cash, so I just upgraded your computer. I didn’t think anything of it.”

Xu Yan was still surprised. “But if it wasn’t me, would you have been this good to someone else?”

Would he have upgraded someone else’s computer, given them small cakes, or taken them to the hospital and stayed with them all night when they had a fever?

Xu Yan watched Wen Sinian quietly, waiting for his answer.

Wen Sinian’s heart softened at the sight of him. He gently stroked Xu Yan’s cheek with his thumb.

“No. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have done any of this.”

Every bit of tenderness and every hidden darkness, from beginning to end, has always been only for you, baby.

Seeing Xu Yan about to say more, Wen Sinian didn’t give him the chance. He pinched his chin and kissed him deeply, cutting off his words.

Before the kiss could deepen, Xu Yan’s phone rang, interrupting them.

Xu Yan pushed weakly against Wen Sinian’s chest, turning his head slightly, breathless. “My… phone…”

Wen Sinian cupped his face and kissed him again, not allowing him to be distracted.

But Xu Yan insisted on answering. He was worried it might be his grandmother or the hospital. He kicked his legs, getting off Wen Sinian’s lap.

Already annoyed at being interrupted, Wen Sinian’s irritation spiked when he heard Xu Yan answer the call with a cheerful, “Brother Zhuang Sheng!”

Wen Sinian’s eyes narrowed dangerously, staring intently at him.

Xu Yan fumbled for words under that gaze, knowing Wen Sinian and Zhuang Sheng didn’t get along, so he simply turned his back.

“You’re back from your business trip?”

“Wow, you got promoted! That’s amazing, congratulations!”

“Dinner? Tonight?”

Xu Yan glanced back and saw Wen Sinian raise an eyebrow slightly, clearly hesitant.

The person on the other end said something else, and Xu Yan quickly replied, “No, no, you don’t need to pick me up… Just send me the address, I’ll go myself.”

After hanging up, seeing Wen Sinian silent, Xu Yan walked over, straddled his lap, and gently placed his hands on the back of Wen Sinian’s neck.

“Brother Zhuang Sheng got promoted and wanted to invite me out for a celebratory dinner. He doesn’t have many close friends in Beishi, so I agreed.”

Wen Sinian leaned back in the chair, one hand supporting Xu Yan’s waist to help him sit steadily, the other placed on his thigh, gripping it gently.

Xu Yan asked, “Are you angry?”

“What do you think?”

Xu Yan pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, “Can you come with me?”

Wen Sinian’s expression visibly brightened, but only slightly.

As if grasping the key, Xu Yan wiggled his legs playfully, then melted into Wen Sinian’s embrace, leaning in to kiss his chin.

“Please come with me, okay? I don’t want to go alone. You can drive me there and bring me back, stay with me the whole time. I’ll just tell Brother Zhuang Sheng. Can I?”

Wen Sinian couldn’t resist him when he was being so affectionate with that tone and expression, so of course, he agreed unconditionally.

The two left the dormitory building and got into the car.

Along the way, Xu Yan told Wen Sinian a bit about his past with Zhuang Sheng in Wuzhen.

There was nothing particularly special about it.

They just happened to be neighbors, and Zhuang Sheng was also good at studying, so he tutored Xu Yan when he was in elementary school.

And now, Zhuang Sheng had been transferred to Beishi and was still unmarried.

And, well, Zhuang Sheng was quite handsome and happened to like Xu Yan.

Only Xu Yan genuinely treated him as a friend. If Wen Sinian hadn’t come along tonight, who knew what might have happened?

The closer they got to the restaurant, the worse Wen Sinian’s expression became. By the time they stepped out of the car, his face was icy as he followed Xu Yan inside.

Zhuang Sheng had already been informed that Wen Sinian was coming. Though reluctant, he couldn’t refuse since Xu Yan had suggested it—after all, he’d attended their gathering last time.

When Xu Yan and Wen Sinian entered the private room one after the other, Zhuang Sheng’s face subtly changed.

For some reason, he sensed the atmosphere between them was even more off than last time.

Something had changed.

“Yan Yan, come sit. I pre-ordered so you two could eat right away when you arrived.”

Xu Yan moved toward the seat beside Zhuang Sheng but hadn’t even sat down before Wen Sinian wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him slightly farther away.

Then, Wen Sinian took the seat between them, separating the two.

Zhuang Sheng’s expression stiffened, and Xu Yan quickly smiled at him. “I’ll sit here. The AC was blowing over there and making me a bit uncomfortable.”

“Alright. No formalities needed, just relax.”

Once seated, Zhuang Sheng couldn’t tear his eyes off Xu Yan. He’d only been away on business for half a month, but whether it was because they hadn’t seen each other in a while, Xu Yan seemed even more beautiful now.

His eyes were lively, his lips red and teeth white—exceptionally captivating.

Xu Yan politely raised his juice glass. “By the way, Brother Zhuang Sheng, I haven’t congratulated you yet on your promotion. Rising so quickly at such a young age—you’ll definitely go far in the future.”

Wen Sinian found his saccharine tone amusing, his lips curving into a smile as he also raised his glass and drawled, “Congratulations.”

Zhuang Sheng smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.”

Then, he deliberately asked Wen Sinian, “I heard you’ve started your own studio. The initial funding must’ve cost quite a bit—did your family help?”

“No,” Wen Sinian replied succinctly. “Prize money from competitions.”

First place in the gold category came with a million-dollar prize—in USD. More than enough for startup capital, especially since his team had won twice.

Zhuang Sheng had been trying to imply that Wen Sinian’s achievements at such a young age were all due to his family’s backing, but ironically, Wen Sinian had an estranged relationship with his family. In recent years, he’d been grinding solo, never relying on the Wen family for anything.

“Your studio must keep you busy, right? So why make time to congratulate me today?” Zhuang Sheng said mildly. “Yan Yan and I are close, so his presence isn’t surprising. But we’ve only met twice before—this is the third time. I didn’t expect you to blow off other plans just to come.”

Wen Sinian smirked, one hand draped possessively on the back of Xu Yan’s chair, his posture relaxed yet staking his claim.

Offhandedly, he said, “I did have other plans, but Yan Yan asked me to come with him, so I rescheduled.”

Zhuang Sheng paused. “Yan Yan?”

He also called Xu Yan by his nickname, and with such familiarity—as if they were even closer than Zhuang Sheng was with him.

Xu Yan hurriedly swallowed his food and shot Wen Sinian a subtle, chiding look. They’d agreed on the way here not to reveal their relationship, just to act as friends. Yet within a few sentences, he was already spilling the beans.

As if that wasn’t enough, Wen Sinian reached over, gently wiping away a bit of sauce from the corner of Xu Yan’s lips with his finger, then pinched his cheek.

“Careful, you got it on your face.”

Xu Yan froze, turning stiffly to look at Zhuang Sheng with a resigned expression, as if thinking, *Game over. Even a blind man could see it now.*

Zhuang Sheng still looked utterly disbelieving. “Yan Yan, you… I remember you told me you were dating someone—that time at dinner when you were glued to your phone. Now you and Wen Sinian… Did you break up with the last one?”

He bristled. Had Xu Yan moved on so quickly after a breakup? Was his understanding of Xu Yan wrong, or was Wen Sinian just that cunning?

Xu Yan felt a pinch on his thigh under the table, even as Wen Sinian maintained a perfectly innocent expression.

He forced a smile at Zhuang Sheng. “We didn’t break up…”

“You didn’t?”

“It’s him…”

Zhuang Sheng still didn’t get it. “Who?”

Xu Yan instinctively leaned closer into Wen Sinian’s embrace: “He’s always been the one.”

Zhuang Sheng was clearly taken aback: “Wait—you mean the person you were seeing was *him*?!”

Xu Yan nodded obediently.

After a pause, Zhuang Sheng spoke with a serious tone: “Yan Yan, aren’t you afraid your grandmother would be disappointed if she found out? You’re dating a… *guy*. Our elders are getting older—do you really think they can accept this?”

Xu Yan immediately replied: “Please don’t tell my grandmother yet. I haven’t worked out how to tell her.”

Although his grandmother had said she would love whoever he loved...

But she doesn’t know he loves a man.

Zhuang Sheng: “Fine, I won’t say anything. But Yan Yan, this is your own matter. You need to think it through carefully.”

Hearing this, Wen Sinian’s gaze turned icy as he swept a glance over, simultaneously pulling Xu Yan closer and giving his waist two reassuring pats.

“I’ll take care of his concerns,” Wen Sinian said. “No need for *you* to worry about it.”

“I’m concerned about him. How long have you two even *been* together? I’ve known him for over a decade—isn’t it natural for me to ask a few more questions?”

Wen Sinian smirked coldly: “Playing the big brother now, are we?”

Zhuang Sheng’s expression darkened: “What’s *that* supposed to mean?”

Wen Sinian: “Nothing. Forget it.”

Zhuang Sheng knew his feelings for Xu Yan were an open secret, but Xu Yan himself remained unaware, and he had never confessed. So what was wrong with positioning himself as an older brother figure?

As the air between them grew thick with tension, Xu Yan quickly tugged Wen Sinian to his feet.

“I need the bathroom. Come with me.”

Without a care for appearances, he took Wen Sinian’s hand and pulled him out.

They filed into the restroom. Xu Yan said to Wen Sinian, “Wait here for me.”

He headed for a stall—but Wen Sinian grabbed his wrist and shoved him into the last one instead.