Chapter 10: Letter

Chapter 10: Letters

A chill ran through Lin Shenshi.

Had Lu Yuan detected something amiss? Was he planning to drug him, then… eliminate him?

No!

He absolutely could not drink that water!

The instant Lu Yuan approached him with the glass, Lin Shenshi blurted out, “Teacher Lu, I’m still—”

Before he could utter “not thirsty,” Lu Yuan had already raised the glass to his own lips.

Then…

He took a sip.

Lin Shenshi: “?”

Lu Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed on his slender neck. Noticing Lin Shenshi’s stunned expression, his deep, ink-like eyes swept over, and an eyebrow arched.

Lin Shenshi immediately changed the subject, as if he hadn’t noticed Lu Yuan’s action at all.

“—I was wondering what you needed me to do.”

“What’s the rush?” Lu Yuan said coolly. Holding the glass, he walked to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out a stack of envelopes.

The envelopes were a riot of colors, dozens of them by rough estimate, each bearing distinct handwriting, clearly from different senders.

Lin Shenshi recalled the novel briefly mentioning Lu Yuan’s past: he had been an actor in his early years but later, for unknown reasons, retired to become a teacher. Still, loyal fans sent him letters every month.

Lu Yuan handed him the stack of letters, and Lin Shenshi reluctantly took them.

The moment his fingers brushed the envelopes, it felt as if they had been burned.

If he could, Lin Shenshi truly wished he hadn’t taken them.

In the original novel, during one of the protagonist’s visits, Lu Yuan was seated at his desk reading fan mail.

Letters were strewn across the desk.

Lu Yuan held the unconscious young man in his arms, cradling his slender frame.

He accidentally knocked over a glass of water, which spilled and soaked some of the letters.

Lu Yuan then collected the excess water into an ink bottle, diluted the ink, and used it to write replies, which he sent back to his fans.

If Lin Shenshi were a fan and learned of this, he’d be disgusted, but Lu Yuan seemed to revel in it.

Truly a pervert.

Lin Shenshi tried his best to banish thoughts of the old pervert’s vile deeds, focusing on maintaining his composure. Yet, he couldn’t fathom why Lu Yuan was giving him these fan letters.

Lu Yuan drained the water and set the glass down on the rosewood desk with a sharp clink.

“Take these to Yu Lanzhao.”

Lin Shenshi looked up, puzzled.

This wasn’t in the original novel’s plot.

Lu Yuan stood by the window, his back to Lin Shenshi, gazing at the night view below. “The reply template is on top. Have him copy it and bring everything back to me next week.”

Lin Shenshi glanced down. The handwriting on the topmost letter was bold and forceful, reflecting Lu Yuan’s personality—sharp and severe.

After a moment’s hesitation, he offered, “I can help you copy the replies too.”

Lu Yuan turned, his gaze dismissive. “With your handwriting?”

Lin Shenshi: “……”

Alright, he was being scorned.

Lin Shenshi had to admit that Yu Lanzhao’s handwriting, like the person himself, was famously elegant and beautiful at the Performing Arts Academy. But his own handwriting wasn’t illegible; it was perfectly readable as long as it wasn’t compared side by side.

Besides, if Yu Lanzhao were to take on this task, he’d inevitably appear in Lu Yuan’s office more frequently.

—That would be far too dangerous!

Who knew when the big pervert Lu Yuan might succumb to his beastly nature and devour the innocent fawn?

He couldn’t let that happen.

Lin Shenshi eagerly pressed his case: “Not only did Yu Lanzhao twist his ankle, but he also hurt his right hand. He even needs my help to eat, so he really can’t handle this much writing. Even if he tried, it wouldn’t look good… I can definitely write better than him right now. Let me do it.”

“Why are you so eager to take on this task?”

“It’s an honor to serve Teacher Lu.”

Lin Shenshi acted respectful and polite, neither servile nor arrogant, but Lu Yuan suddenly scoffed. “Is that so?”

The air around them abruptly solidified.

Like a cold snap in the dead of winter, it drained all warmth from the surroundings.

Lu Yuan’s gold-rimmed glasses reflected a cold light, his deep eyes dark and unfathomable. His gaze was chilling, almost as frigid as it had been that day in the dorm room.

Lin Shenshi shivered.

A sudden realization of impending trouble washed over him.

Crap.

In his haste to shield Yu Lanzhao from this task, he had accidentally said too much.

Lu Yuan strode toward him, each step feeling like the blade of a guillotine drawing closer.

The man stopped less than a fist’s distance away, his slender eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses looking down at Lin Shenshi with a cold, piercing scrutiny and silent interrogation.

“You have to feed him when he eats?”

“…Then do you have to bathe him yourself too?”

Lin Shenshi stiffened, feeling like a lifeless statue. He swallowed nervously and shook his head rigidly.

“No.”

Lu Yuan’s gaze was scrutinizing, like a high judge sentencing a criminal. Lin Shenshi struggled to control his facial muscles and said, “That would be extra payment.”

“Extra payment?”

“Yeah, after he twisted his ankle, he asked me to take care of him and promised to pay for my meals for a month.” As if boasting about some incredible benefit, Lin Shenshi deliberately adopted a lighthearted tone.

Lu Yuan studied him: “Your parents are business executives, a middle-class family—and you still care about such a small amount of money?”

Lin Shenshi replied confidently: “Who would turn down extra money? Besides, this is my fair payment for my work—it’s perfectly reasonable. Hiring a caregiver would cost far more. I’m giving him the friends-and-family discount!”

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly: “You’re roommates, yet you charge him—is your relationship not good?”

“Just average,” Lin Shenshi replied, carefully maintaining his “regular roommate” persona.

“I recall you applied for a room transfer a few days ago?”

“Dorm cancellation, actually,” Lin Shenshi corrected.

The moment he decided to distance himself from Yu Lanzhao, he had immediately submitted a dorm withdrawal application on the internal network. As his part-time counselor, Lu Yuan naturally had access to that information, so Lin Shenshi wasn’t surprised.

Lu Yuan pressed further: “Why did you withdraw the application?”

“I thought about it later and decided commuting would be too troublesome. It’s more convenient to stay in the dorm.”

Lin Shenshi’s answer was airtight this time. Lu Yuan studied him thoughtfully, his sharp-featured face leaning in, casting a shadow that blocked the light. Lin Shenshi could even feel the warmth of his breath against his cheek.

The distance… was far too close.

On instinct, Lin Shenshi took half a step back.

A strong hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, preventing him from retreating even an inch.

Lin Shenshi felt as though his scapula was about to be crushed: “…Mr. Lu—Teacher Lu, if you really don’t like my handwriting, I just won’t write it.”

A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. If he couldn’t pass this task off to Yu Lanzhao this time, he’d find another way later.

The next moment, Lu Yuan withdrew his hand.

“Get out.”

Lin Shenshi quickly left. As he pulled the door open, he heard Lu Yuan’s voice from behind:

“Return it next Sunday.”

“!”

He actually succeeded!

Lin Shenshi nodded happily: “Absolutely! Teacher Lu, don’t worry, I’ll definitely make sure you’re satisfied!”

Lu Yuan didn’t respond further.

Lin Shenshi exited the room. Just as the door was about to close, he saw Lu Yuan take a folded handkerchief from his pocket.

Then…

He wrapped the handkerchief around his right hand and meticulously wiped every knuckle that had touched him.

Lin Shenshi: “……….”

Crap, if you’re so disgusted by me, why grab me?!

My scapula still hurts!

*

Lin Shenshi carried the stack of papers back to the dorm. From a distance, under the orange streetlamp near the dorm building, he saw a thin figure leaning alone against a poplar tree.

The young man was bored out of his mind, counting ants on the ground, and looked up at the sound of footsteps.

“Xiao Shi!” Yu Lanzhao’s smile lit up like fireworks when he saw him.

Lin Shenshi waved: “Ah Zhao? Why are you down here?”

Yu Lanzhao: “I—”

“—Ordered late-night snacks?” Lin Shenshi peered down the road. “Waiting for the delivery driver?”

Yu Lanzhao’s smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly composed himself: “No. You were gone so long—I came down to wait.”

It hadn’t been that long, though…

Lin Shenshi checked the time. It was only twenty minutes since he left the dorm.

“You didn’t bring your crutches?”

That morning, to make it easier for Yu Lanzhao to get around, Lin Shenshi had specifically gone out to rent a pair of crutches. But now the young man had nothing with him.

Yu Lanzhao shook his head: “I forgot them when I came down.”

“You…” Lin Shenshi let out a sigh. “It’s cool out tonight—let’s go back.”

He walked over and went to help Yu Lanzhao, but paused just before making contact.

Lu Yuan’s office was on the 8th floor of the office building. From the window, one could look out over the artificial river and see the dorm building.

If Lu Yuan saw him being intimate with Yu Lanzhao, it wouldn’t look good.

Lin Shenshi withdrew his hand: “Ah Zhao, wait here. I’ll go up and get your crutches.”

Without waiting for Yu Lanzhao’s response, Lin Shenshi darted past him and jogged into the dorm building.

His figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the stairwell. Yu Lanzhao’s hand, half-extended, curled back at his side.

His eyes, like a deer’s, looked into the distance toward the 8th floor, where a room was brightly lit, and a shadowy figure stood by the window.

“Buzz~”

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Yu Lanzhao opened it. The screen’s white light lit up his face, and his slender fingers turned white from how hard he was gripping.

“Ah Zhao,” Lin Shenshi came back down with the crutches, “What’s wrong? You look so pale.”

Yu Lanzhao put away his phone and shook his head, smiling: “It’s fine. Let’s go back.”

The two entered the dorm building one behind the other.

On the 8th floor of the office building, the lights turned off as someone closed the curtains.

The night was deep, dotted with stars.

In the dorm room, the sound of deep, rhythmic, and shallow breathing filled the air.

There was rustling from the bed.

Under the moonlight, Yu Lanzhao sat up from his bed, steadied himself against the table, and made his way to Lin Shenshi’s bedside.

The young man was sunk in deep sleep, his thigh draped over the quilt, his light-colored pajama pants having ridden up to reveal his distinct, bare ankle bones.

Perhaps dreaming of something pleasant, the corners of Lin Shenshi’s lips curled slightly, and beneath his faint pink lips, a hint of sharp canines peeked through.

Recalling the content of the text message, Yu Lanzhao’s eyes darkened. He sat on the edge of the bed, reached out his fingers, and pressed them against Lin’s lips.

His pale fingers contrasted with the pink of the lips, gently stroking.

Like a ripe honey peach, tempting someone to taste it.

Darkness churned in the young man’s eyes.