Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Just as Shen Yue finished washing up and was about to leave, Zhao Lian’s call came in.

He answered with one hand, switching on the speakerphone: “Hello?”

“Dude, you finally answered,” Zhao Lian let out a long sigh on the other end. “What did you get up to last night? I couldn’t reach you anywhere—I thought you’d been kidnapped.”

Shen Yue glanced at the mirror above the sink, catching sight of the faint, messy marks that couldn’t be fully hidden beneath his clothes. His thick lashes lowered. “I was on the fifth floor.”

Zhao Lian didn’t catch on immediately. “What fifth floor?”

“At Listen Bar, in my room.” Shen Yue calmly dropped a bombshell. “Last night, I hooked up with Wei Jinchuan.”

“...”

It took Zhao Lian a moment to process this, followed by an exaggerated shout: “No fucking way?”

Then, quickly snapping back to reality, the usually eloquent Zhao Lian stammered, “You’re… you’re still at Listen Bar, right? Don’t move, I’m coming to find you. We’ll talk face to face!”

He hung up in a hurry. Shen Yue stared wordlessly at the disconnected phone before collapsing onto the sofa, beginning to replay everything that had happened the night before.

He hadn’t expected to actually sleep with Wei Jinchuan.

It wasn’t completely unexpected—after all, in Shen Yue’s original plan, since Wei Jinchuan was so hard to pursue, he had long prepared for the step of “making the first move and working on feelings later.” But plans were just plans. Coupled with the prophetic dream he’d had two days prior, Shen Yue had already developed a subtle resistance toward Wei Jinchuan. Now, the “making the first move” part had happened in an unexpected way, blindsiding him.

Zhao Lian arrived quickly. The moment the door opened, he saw Shen Yue standing there to let him in.

Leaning against the doorframe was Shen Yue, whose looks had captivated countless men and women in Haicheng. His collar was loosely undone, revealing a patch of red-and-white mottled skin below his collarbone. He looked like a flower after a storm—droopy and tired, yet strangely evoking a delicate beauty that made one want to protect him.

Unaware of his own allure, Shen Yue lazily crossed his arms and gave him a side-eye. “Seen enough?”

Zhao Lian snapped out of it, snorting disdainfully. “Who’s looking at you? As if.”

With that, he paced around the room like a king inspecting his territory. When he saw the messy bed that clearly saw action, he turned back with a knowing smirk. “Looks like it was quite a night.”

Shen Yue didn’t want to discuss it and simply lit another cigarette.

After looking around, Zhao Lian asked curiously, “Where is he?”

“He’s gone,” Shen Yue replied succinctly.

“He’s gone?” Zhao Lian was shocked, then quickly pieced together a series of assumptions, indignantly saying, “What’s that supposed to mean? He hits it and quits it? Didn’t he have a good time last night?”

“I told him to leave.”

“What?” Zhao Lian’s expression grew even more exaggerated. He suspiciously moved in front of Shen Yue to study his face. “Since when did you change?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction—after all, Shen Yue had been so persistent in pursuing Wei Jinchuan recently. Now that he’d slept with him, he was playing it cool and saying he let him go? Who would believe that?

But seeing Shen Yue’s straight-faced, not sorry at all expression, Zhao Lian began to doubt himself. “…Why?”

Shen Yue took a deep drag of his cigarette, flicking the ash into an ashtray. “His skills were weak. It didn’t feel good.”

“...” Zhao Lian’s eyes widened in realization. After a moment, he raised a thumb in admiration. “You’re wild, really.”

Shen Yue took the compliment in stride.

For the next few days, Shen Yue didn’t reach out to Wei Jinchuan again. His previously busy life suddenly felt empty, and he wasn’t quite used to it.

Zhao Lian was even less accustomed to it. The two of them used to spend their days living their best lives, but ever since Shen Yue declared he was “cutting ties” with Wei Jinchuan, he hadn’t gone out with Zhao Lian at all. Their playboy alliance was suddenly reduced to just Zhao Lian, leaving him dealing with his sister’s nagging. How was he supposed to have fun?

“Yue!” After work one day, Zhao Lian pulled up in his flashy sports car outside Shen Yue’s company, waving excitedly the moment he saw him. “Over here, hurry up!”

To be fair, Zhao Lian wasn’t bad-looking either. Tall and long-legged, he leaned against the car door with one hand, sunglasses on. If not for his overly animated behavior, he might have even exuded the aura of a refined young noble.

Shen Yue eyed the car with interest. “So rich now? New car?”

“Where would I get that kind of money? Just had it repainted,” Zhao Lian said enthusiastically, opening the door for him. “Want to ride?”

Shen Yue didn’t move, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “Go on, where are we going?”

“How can you call it ‘taking’ me?” Zhao Lian widened his eyes, puffing his cheeks out in an exaggerated display of innocence. “Yue, how could you think that of me? I thought we were boys.”

Shen Yue just looked at him, just smiled.

After a few seconds of a standoff, Zhao Lian gave in. “It’s nothing much, just drinks and a chat… Yue, you’re something else. You cut ties with that Wei guy, fine, but why cut me off too? I’m innocent!”

He was always like this—saying one thing while thinking another. Shen Yue laughed and scolded, “Always got jokes.”

“Well, I don’t care,” Zhao Lian scoffed. “I’ve always had your back through thick and thin. Now you’re shutting me out over some guy? I’m not having it. You’re coming for drinks with me today, or I’ll really get mad!”

Though he framed it as Shen Yue “accompanying” him, Shen Yue knew it was Zhao Lian’s way of showing concern. Lately, Zhao Lian had been finding excuses to get him out, trying to lift his spirits—it was really Zhao Lian who wanted to “accompany” him.

Unable to refuse such earnestness, Shen Yue finally got into Zhao Lian’s ride.

Zhao Lian took him to a new bar.

Being a new establishment, the place was crowded. Dim lighting and fast-paced music created a rowdy, intimate vibe, while sounds of hooking up occasionally drifted from the corners.

The moment Shen Yue stepped inside, he attracted lots of looks. Used to it, he played it cool. No sooner had he reached the bar than a bartender handed him a drink. “From the guy over there.”

Shen Yue followed the gesture and saw a man in a white short-sleeved shirt lounging in a booth not far away, chin propped on his hand. Meeting Shen Yue’s eyes, he winked—youthful and full of energy.

“Well now, an enthusiastic college guy,” Zhao Lian teased with a smirk, deliberately stepping away to avoid third-wheeling. “Not bad—way better than Wei Jinchuan. Go for it.”

Shen Yue accepted the drink and raised it slightly toward the man with a smile.

That gesture gave the other man all the courage he needed. His friends at the booth burst into laughter, nudging and pushing him forward.

Zhao Lian, not wanting to third-wheel, gave Shen Yue a meaningful look and tactfully made himself scarce.

“Mind if I introduce myself?” the man said as he approached Shen Yue. “I’m Tang Che, a recent graduate from Haicheng University. I just started working at Shenke.”

Shenke—the Shen family’s company.

Shen Yue hadn’t expected to run into an employee of his own family right after stepping out. “Impressive,” he remarked.

It wasn’t empty praise. As a major enterprise in Haicheng, especially with its recent shift into emerging technologies under his older brother’s leadership, Shenke was thriving. Even for top graduates from Haicheng University, getting into Shenke required passing rigorous selection processes. For someone to land a job there right after graduation—he was undoubtedly among the best of his peers.

Tang Che couldn’t hide his pride, a smile tugging at his lips. “And you? What’s your name?”

“I thought you might ask something else,” Shen Yue replied without answering, meeting Tang Che’s gaze as he took a small sip of his drink.

His eyes were like the most alluring spring water, tender and ambiguous. After drinking, Shen Yue slowly turned the rim he’d touched toward Tang Che, smiling invitingly. “Care for a taste?”

“...”

Tang Che didn't answer, already completely captivated by Shen Yue's eyes.

He leaned down slightly, bringing his mouth level with the glass. Without breaking eye contact, his lips landed right on the lip print Shen Yue had left. Drinking the entire glass from Shen Yue's hand, he showed a look of deep satisfaction: "Sweet."

It was clearly spicy, Shen Yue noted.

Shen Yue laughed softly, finishing his drink. Tang Che's hand reached out, touching Shen Yue's cold hand still holding the glass.

Together, they placed the empty glasses on the bar counter. Once the glasses were set down, Tang Che's hand still didn't let go; his other hand wrapped around Shen Yue's waist, fingertips gently stroking the soft flesh there. He felt Shen Yue tremble slightly.

Tang Che was both surprised and excited: "Are you ticklish?"

"A little," Shen Yue blinked. "Want to try it?"

They were both adults, and what "trying" meant was clear to both.

The air suddenly felt charged, the temperature around them rising. The dim lighting in the bar did little to hide Shen Yue's captivating face.

Tang Che's Adam's apple bobbed. Shen Yue wore a white shirt with the top button undone; from Tang Che's perspective, he could see a large expanse of smooth, fair skin hidden beneath the fabric.

Tang Che asked, "How do you want to try?"

Shen Yue smiled. He slipped out of Tang Che's hold and raised his slender arms to loop around Tang Che's neck. He pulled Tang Che down, bringing their lips inches apart—when suddenly, his phone rang.

The moment was broken, the intimate atmosphere swept away.

Shen Yue gave Tang Che an apologetic look and took out his phone. To his surprise, it was Wei Jinchuan, who had never once reached out to him before.

Frowning, Shen Yue was about to hang up, but his finger hit "answer" on its own: "Jinchuan, I didn't see you today. Are you cold or hungry? I've been so bored alone."

Shen Yue: ?!

Shen Yue was utterly shocked.

Author's Note:

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One second, Shen Yue: I don’t want anything to do with him!

Next second: Huh? Why is my body not listening to me?