Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Zhong Yuan was full of energy, wearing Shen Yue out for a full three hours before finally letting him rest.

The signs of their passion, along with scattered pieces of clothing, trailed from the entryway to the sofa, then up the wide spiral staircase to the second-floor bedroom. Shen Yue lay nestled in the large, soft mattress, one arm draped limply over the edge of the bed like an exquisitely carved sculpture.

"Mr. Shen, wake up. Clean up before you sleep."

Zhong Yuan crouched by the bedside, gently shaking Shen Yue's shoulder, his face full of concern. "You'll get sick if you sleep like this."

Shen Yue was so exhausted he could barely lift a hand. He cracked his eyes open slightly, only vaguely making out a figure by the bed before closing them again.

"Mr. Shen."

Zhong Yuan's voice was soft, afraid of disturbing Shen Yue yet worried he wouldn't hear and really fall asleep like this. He plaintively rested his chin on the bed, hands gripping the sheets on either side of his head, his eyes glistening. "Should I clean you up instead?"

Shen Yue was too bothered by the pestering to rest properly. If he could, he'd really like to chase the chattering man away from his bedside. But sleeping like this was indeed uncomfortable. After thinking for two seconds, Shen Yue finally let out a soft hum through his nose, giving a grudging assent to Zhong Yuan's suggestion.

Zhong Yuan's eyes curved into happy crescents. He almost picked Shen Yue up directly but then thought better of it. He went to the bathroom to get a bath towel and gently draped it over Shen Yue.

Worried Shen Yue might catch a chill, he wrapped the towel around Shen Yue's arms from the back to the front, almost bundling him up completely.

However, the moment Zhong Yuan lifted Shen Yue in a princess carry, the towel that had been neatly covering Shen Yue's legs suddenly fell open. His long, fair, straight legs were instantly exposed to the cool air. The opened towel trailed like silken fabric on the floor, following Zhong Yuan's movement as he walked toward the bathroom.

Zhong Yuan guided one of Shen Yue's hands to touch the water in the bathtub. "Mr. Shen, if you feel too cold or too hot, you can tell me."

Shen Yue didn't say a word.

Emboldened, Zhong Yuan slowly and gently lowered Shen Yue into the tub filled with water. The warm light from the bathroom ceiling immediately enveloped the man lazily lying within the watery reflections, illuminating his tightly closed eyes, soft and vivid thin lips, and every fine strand of hair, like an oil painting meticulously painted by a European artist from the Middle Ages.

A thought crossed Zhong Yuan's mind. "Mr. Shen, can I kiss you?"

Shen Yue didn't hear clearly and didn't respond.

"Mr. Shen."

His lips were only two fingers' breadth away, hovering above Shen Yue's forehead. Zhong Yuan lowered his head a bit more, pressing his lower lip against Shen Yue's forehead. It couldn't really be considered a proper kiss, but if Shen Yue agreed, he would immediately cover it with his upper lip too.

Zhong Yuan gazed greedily, mentally tracing every detail of Shen Yue with his eyes. Even though their unrestrained intimacy had ended, he still couldn't believe he had actually run into Shen Yue and once again been blessed by his attention.

He didn't know if Shen Yue was asleep, but selfishly hoped the man was deeply asleep, allowing him to do as he pleased.

—Just then, Shen Yue moved.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. His right hand, which had been enjoying the warm water, lifted out of the tub. Shen Yue's palm, dripping wet, reached up and touched Zhong Yuan's face.

He tilted his head up slightly, while his hand guided Zhong Yuan's face downward. Under Zhong Yuan's gaze, which shifted from shock and confusion to finally settling into delight, their lips gently met.

It felt cool and soft, like a gentle cloud.

Zhong Yuan didn't dare move, even as the water from Shen Yue's fingers turned from warm to cool and dripped continuously down his jawline. He pretended not to feel it, afraid of disturbing this beautiful dream.

After about three seconds, Shen Yue released his hand, adjusting his head back to a comfortable position for bathing. Only then did Zhong Yuan wake from this dream.

He touched his own lips, his cheeks and even the roots of his ears burning red. "Mr. Shen... what did you mean by that?"

Shen Yue had already closed his eyes again the moment after kissing him. He didn't put his hand back into the water but rested his well-proportioned forearm on his forehead. In a tone that was both resigned and indulgent, Shen Yue said, "Didn't you want a kiss?"

He spoke with some weariness, "Now that it's done, get me cleaned up. I'm going to sleep for a while."

Shen Yue naturally had this ability; even when using a flat tone, he made people willing to meticulously carry out his instructions.

Zhong Yuan knew he had been rather rough today. He cleaned Shen Yue gently, inside and out, then carried him to bed as if holding a precious treasure. The entire process was extremely careful. Shen Yue didn't know at which point he fell asleep, but he wasn't disturbed in the slightest.

When he woke up, the sky was dusky. The dim golden glow of sunset cast a desolate gold on the glass door leading to the balcony. Shen Yue's brain hadn't fully booted up from its standby state. He stared blankly at the ceiling before remembering the day's events.

He had been scammed at the temple, run into Zhong Yuan, and... ended up in bed.

This had never happened before. Although Shen Yue had dabbled with many flowers and grasses over the years, he had a bottom line; he had never maintained relationships with two people simultaneously. Now, before he had completely broken things off with Wei Jinchuan, he had taken Zhong Yuan, this "old flame," back. It had to be said, it was really...

Thrilling.

Shen Yue felt for a cigarette on the bedside table, suddenly unsure which part of his brain had misfired earlier, making him forsake such a good life to preserve his "chastity" for Wei Jinchuan. It was simply wasting time.

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring. Before his good days were even over, he started worrying again about how to deal with the stubbornly single-minded Wei Jinchuan come Monday.

"Mr. Shen, you're awake!"

A delighted voice sounded as Zhong Yuan pushed open the bedroom door. He was holding a bowl of steaming soup, struggling a bit because it was too hot, and quickly placed it on the bedside table.

He saw the cigarette in Shen Yue's hand and frowned. "No matter what, you shouldn't smoke in bed. It's dangerous; it could start a fire."

Shen Yue casually extinguished the cigarette and smiled nonchalantly. "I thought you'd left. Since you don't like it, I won't smoke."

Zhong Yuan picked up the freshly made soup and announced proudly, "I thought since you can't cook, and it's hard to get delivery here, I was afraid you'd be hungry when you woke up. The meal is ready. Drink this soup first; it's good for your stomach."

Shen Yue glanced at the clear, appetizing-looking broth in the bowl and asked, "Being so good to me?"

"I want to be good to you." Zhong Yuan stared straight at him, his gaze blazing with unconcealed heat. "You deserve the best."

Shen Yue felt extremely pleased. Zhong Yuan had always been savvy, especially with Wei Jinchuan setting such a "high bar" beforehand, making the man before him seem even more agreeable.

This was what a normal relationship should be like.

He drank the stomach-nourishing soup sip by sip from Zhong Yuan's hand until the bowl was empty, then directed him to find a set of comfortable loungewear before leisurely heading downstairs for dinner.

Zhong Yuan's cooking skills were excellent. Shen Yue had enjoyed his meals even when they were together before. After a year apart, his skills had improved even more. Simple home-style dishes were elevated to a five-star chef level by him. Just smelling the aroma made Shen Yue's mouth water.

After such physical exertion and a long sleep, Shen Yue was starving. Despite this, he ate with considerable refinement; you'd never guess he'd only eaten one meal all day.

After finishing the meal, it should have been Zhong Yuan's turn to clean up, but hearing Zhong Yuan's phone keep ringing, Shen Yue stopped him. "I'll do it. You've been busy all day too."

"I can't let you do that!" Zhong Yuan quickly gathered the plates and took them to the kitchen. "Let me handle it. You sit for a while; it'll be quick."

Shen Yue glanced at his phone. "Seems like someone's looking for you. Really not going to check?"

"Washing dishes won't take long. I'll reply later."

Zhong Yuan moved around the kitchen wearing an apron. He had a good physique; even like this, one could see the solid muscle lines hidden beneath his clothes. "I want to do more things for you."

Shen Yue leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, long legs also crossed. He silently watched Zhong Yuan working busily in the kitchen, suddenly feeling a sense of peaceful, tranquil years.

Actually, Zhong Yuan was also his type: innocent and youthful on the surface, but full of tricks behind the scenes. The key was that he was reliable, taking care of everything meticulously, leaving Shen Yue with nothing to worry about.

...So why did he break up with Zhong Yuan back then?

Shen Yue had too many exes and couldn't remember immediately, so he regretfully withdrew his thoughts.

Zhong Yuan's phone had been ringing for ages; even after he finished the dishes, it continued to buzz incessantly.

Shen Yue figured that Zhong Yuan had been at his place for quite a while. Not wanting to hold him up, he said, "If you're busy, you should head back first."

Zhong Yuan was taken aback, thinking Shen Yue was trying to kick him out. He quickly thrust the phone in front of Shen Yue’s face. "No, I'm just looking for a job."

Shen Yue only gave it a cursory glance, not really catching the content. Thinking about how well Zhong Yuan had catered to him today, he asked, "Want me to give you some advice?"

"Really?" Zhong Yuan's eyes lit up as he handed the phone over. "That would be great! Thanks, Boss Shen!"

Shen Yue took the phone and first skimmed the previous chat history. As soon as Zhong Yuan had added the contact, he’d asked about the company's benefits—things like salary, insurance, and whether they had two-day weekends or required overtime. They were all very standard questions.

The HR rep on the other side had replied: [Asking all this right off the bat—how much do you actually know about our company?]

Zhong Yuan had replied a few minutes later: [The business registry says you lost all seven of your labor arbitration cases.]

[...]

Shen Yue looked at Zhong Yuan, who was standing beside him with an expectant face, and promptly clicked the screen off. "Have you considered sending your resume to other companies?"

Author's Note:

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Male Guest No. 2 is now in position—a sunshiny, cheerful young man who hasn't been humbled by life yet. With such a considerate guest, why did baby Shen Yue break up with him in the first place?

My editor messaged me; turns out this book isn't Urban Romance but Modern Fantasy, hahaha, my heart is dead.

Thanks to baby Wu Yi Ling for the nutrient solution (donation), baby Wen Ping Ze for the landmine (tip), baby Jin Ye Bu Chuan Da Di Ku for the nutrient solution, and baby Yi Zhi Dan Ran De Jin Li for the nutrient solution. Baby Shen Yue received his first landmine today—a milestone!

By the way, does no one really like the "enemies-to-lovers" trope? You know, the toxic, angst-filled kind where they hate each other's guts and wake up every day thinking of how to kill the other, only to end up hooking up by mistake? Or the "vicious bottom" persona who uses the top's power to act arrogant and cause trouble, knowing the top will fix everything as long as he doesn't flirt around? I really want to start an Interstellar and Ancient Fantasy story. I once again implore everyone to go bookmark "Imperial Rose" and "No Saint." Qiuqiu wishes everyone an early Happy New Year here [Red Heart][Red Heart][Red Heart].