Chapter 54

Chapter 54

A major event recently shook Haicheng's gay community.

After nearly half a year, Shen Yue, the highly sought-after and unattainable prize of the scene, was spoken for again. This time, his partner was none other than the Wei family's young master, Wei Jinchuan, whom Shen Yue had publicly pursued for three months.

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Some drowned their sorrows, others celebrated as if they had defeated a lifelong rival, a few seized the opportunity to hunt for new romantic prospects, and there was even a betting pool on how long Shen Yue’s new relationship would last.

"I bet five thousand that they might not break up."

In a gay bar by the sea in the eastern part of the city, a tall, impeccably groomed man sat gloomily at the counter, sipping his drink. "This time it seems like the real deal. Not only did he pursue him actively, but I’ve never seen him devote so much time to anyone before. I reckon this time it really isn't going to end."

The man beside him tried to console him, "Not necessarily. What if the novelty wears off once he has him? After all, guys are like that. I figure they’ll still break up—it’ll just take a bit longer."

"I hope so," the first man said, taking a swig directly from the bottle. "What about you? Did you place a bet? How about you bet on six months? If they break up, I’ll be happy. If not… at least I’ll make some money and feel a little better."

The second man hesitated. "Isn't six months a little long? He's never been with anyone for that long before. Maybe I should bet on a shorter time… let’s say… I’ll bet…"

"Bet on three months."

Before he could finish, a clear, laughing voice interrupted them. Both men turned to see the man they were discussing standing nearby, dressed casually, grinning charmingly, and holding a check.

"S-Shen Yue?" The well-groomed man pinched his own cheek in disbelief. Feeling the sting, he grew excited and reached for Shen Yue’s hand. "You… you…"

"Sorry, I don’t know where you placed your bets, but help me place one too. We can split the winnings fifty-fifty." Shen Yue flashed his QR code with a casual smile—a simple gesture that was utterly captivating.

The man was so mesmerized by his smile he could barely speak. Only after his friend nudged him did he fumble for his phone, adding Shen Yue as a contact and carefully storing the check, his eyes practically glued to Shen Yue.

As Shen Yue walked away, he could still hear the man’s excited voice behind him: "They’ll break up, they’ll break up! It’s only three months—I can wait!"

Once they were outside the bar, Zhao Lian, who had been silently holding back his laughter, finally relaxed, no longer worried about eavesdroppers. He nudged Shen Yue with his shoulder. "Yue'er, were you serious about what you said just now?"

Shen Yue winced slightly at the nudge and subtly moved away. "About what?"

"About breaking up with Wei Jinchuan in three months," Zhao Lian said, pouting slightly because Shen Yue didn't catch his drift.

But recalling Shen Yue’s words, he couldn’t help but sigh with relief. "You really scared me there for a second. I thought you’d lost your mind and were head over heels for him. It’s good to just have some fun, just have some fun."

Shen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to share his plan with Zhao Lian.

It wasn’t that he wanted to keep it from Zhao Lian intentionally; it was just too far-fetched. If he hadn’t experienced it himself, even hearing the term "world’s will" from his childhood friend Zhao Lian would have made him investigate everyone Zhao Lian had been in contact with lately, fearing he’d fallen into some pyramid scheme.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Shen Yue’s silence took on a different meaning in Zhao Lian’s eyes. Zhao Lian stopped smiling and looked at him warily. "Or were you just joking earlier? Have you… changed your taste? Do you like that type now?"

Thinking of the heavily made-up man from earlier, Zhao Lian felt a wave of unease. It wasn’t that he looked down on men who wore makeup… well, maybe a little, but his main concern was Shen Yue. He was genuinely afraid they might be the same role.

—Although he intensely disliked Wei Jinchuan, compared to that guy from just now, Wei Jinchuan wasn’t without his merits.

…Wait, Shen Yue even added him as a friend!

Zhao Lian felt as if struck by lightning, forgetting even how to walk.

Shen Yue could tell from his expression that he was overthinking things again and rolled his eyes. "What are you imagining? Stop it. You might as well say there's a higher chance I'd be into you."

Zhao Lian was horrified, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at Shen Yue in panic.

Shen Yue laughed in exasperation, regretting his words. He knew Zhao Lian’s mind worked in strange ways, yet he couldn’t resist teasing him.

He forced a smile and said dryly, "Forget it. I’d rather die."

Zhao Lian grabbed his arm. "Well, to save you, I might be willing to make a sacrifice."

Shen Yue looked disgusted and brushed him off.

The two had come out today to meet an old classmate. During high school, one of their roommates had taken the art college entrance exam path and went abroad after graduation, not returning for years. He had recently decided to hold a painting exhibition back home and had gotten back in touch.

The exhibition was in three days. Today’s meet-up was for a preview and to catch up over a meal.

He had brought gifts for both of them: a pair of elegant cufflinks for Zhao Lian, and for Shen Yue, a bottle of perfume. "I originally planned to get you something else," he explained, "but Zhao Lian mentioned you’ve been into this lately. I had to pull quite a few strings to get this bottle for you."

The gift box bore the logo of a high-end luxury brand with a two-hundred-year history, known for creating custom perfumes for the Queen of the UK. It was notoriously difficult to acquire. Shen Yue had tried to buy some while studying abroad but had only managed to get a small bottle.

He spritzed a bit on his wrist—a faint, cool scent of pinewood wrapped around it. Shen Yue placed the perfume back in the box. "Thank you, I really like it."

"Nice one, Brother Li," Zhao Lian said, patting Li Lin on the shoulder. "As expected of an artist, your gifts are so unique. These couldn’t have been cheap, right?"

Li Lin smiled. "It’s a shame Yu Tang couldn’t make it. I heard he’s a lawyer now, always swamped with work."

"Ah, he said he suddenly got tied up with a case and couldn’t get away. No matter, let’s the few of us catch up properly," Zhao Lian said. His gaze then drifted to a young, somewhat shy-looking man standing behind Li Lin. "And this is?"

"Zhang Rang, an art student at Haicheng University. He’s my current intern assistant," Li Lin introduced.

At his prompting, Zhang Rang stepped forward to greet them. "...Mr. Shen."

He clearly intended to address Zhao Lian as well, but since they hadn't used names directly during their conversation earlier, he wasn't sure how.

Shen Yue raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know me?"

Zhang Rang glanced at him deeply, then quickly averted his eyes. "In all of Haicheng, there probably aren’t many people who don’t know you."

Zhao Lian, who had been chatting with Li Lin, couldn’t help but laugh at this. He winked suggestively at Shen Yue. "Not bad, Yue'er. Your 'reputation' as a playboy has even reached the university district."

Shen Yue didn’t take this as a compliment and rubbed his temples irritably. Li Lin, having been abroad for so long, was unaware of Shen Yue’s reputation and looked confused.

"Alright, enough of that," Zhao Lian said, mindful of the rumors surrounding Shen Yue lately. He deliberately nudged Shen Yue closer to Zhang Rang and said to Li Lin, "When are we eating? Didn’t you say you were treating today? I’m starving."

His question immediately washed away any awkwardness from their years apart. Li Lin smiled and said, "Alright, let’s go now. I won’t let you starve."

After dinner, the group went singing. It was a rare occasion for Shen Yue and Zhao Lian to visit such a straight-laced venue at night, and they both felt a bit out of place.

Throughout the evening, Zhao Lian made a point of keeping Shen Yue separated from Zhang Rang, walking behind with Li Lin and filling him in on their lives over the years. After hearing the stories, Li Lin understood the earlier teasing.

"I’m not exaggerating," Zhao Lian said, puffing out his chest with pride when talking about Shen Yue. "In the entire Haicheng, in our circle, at least half the people have a thing for Yue'er."

Li Lin felt the world had gone mad. He’d only been away studying abroad; how come upon returning, half his old dorm room had turned gay?

While such things were commonplace in his artistic circles… he vaguely remembered both of them being straight when they graduated high school!

At least Zhou Yutang was still normal. It was a shame Zhou Yutang wasn’t here today, or he’d have someone to properly complain to.

As a staunchly straight artist, Li Lin wasn’t particularly interested in how many people fancied Shen Yue, but he played along. "And the other half?"

"The other half? They’re like me," Zhao Lian said, thinking of something and grinning widely. "They’re the same role as him."

"..." The corner of Li Lin’s mouth twitched. He felt he’d asked for that.

Despite not having seen each other for years, the three old friends didn’t feel awkward together. Although Zhang Rang wasn’t as familiar with them, he was younger, and they were all happy to include him. After a few rounds of singing, Zhao Lian grew bored and suggested playing Truth or Dare.

"It's been so many years. Now you don't know us, and we don't know you. If there's anything you're unsure about, just ask around—you'll figure things out," Zhao Lian remarked. He wasn't usually one for such low-key hangouts. He found the dice and cup on the table and said to Li Lin, "Make sure to ask Yue'er more—his romantic history is quite extensive. You won't regret asking him!"

"We've got a kid here, don't scare him," Shen Yue said helplessly, shaking his head at Li Lin and tapping his own temple. Li Lin couldn't help but chuckle.

After all these years, Zhao Lian was still exactly the same as he was in high school.

The game began, and Shen Yue's luck was truly awful. They were rolling for the highest number, and on his first turn, he rolled four ones, scoring an unlucky "win" to start the night.

As Zhao Lian had the highest roll, he rubbed his hands together excitedly. Shen Yue, deadpan, ignored his eager look and opted for a dare.

Zhao Lian pouted, but his initial lack of interest rekindled when he glanced over at Zhang Rang. He took note of who was sitting where, faked a cough, and then said casually, "Well, a dare is boring. If you really want to choose one... how about you drink a toast with linked arms with the person to your left?"

The person to his left. Shen Yue glanced over and, without missing a beat, opened two bottles of wine.

They linked arms to drink. Shen Yue didn't look at him, keeping his eyes fixed on the wine the whole time. Zhang Rang, however, had his eyes glued to Shen Yue's face, staring intently until the burning liquid hit his throat, jolting him back to his senses.

"Cough, cough!" Zhang Rang choked accidentally, his face turning bright red. Shen Yue handed him a glass of water: "This wine is pretty strong. Take a breather."

Zhang Rang gazed at him, dazed. As he took the water, his fingers accidentally brushed against Shen Yue's, and he immediately jerked his hand back like he'd been scorched.

Looking up, Shen Yue seemed completely unaware. He was chatting naturally with Zhao Lian and Li Lin, slumped lazily on the couch with a half-smile, exuding a decadent, noble aura.

Thump, thump, thump! In an unnoticed corner, a heart was racing wildly.

The second round ended, and once again Shen Yue had the lowest roll, but this time the dealer was Li Lin.

Encouraged by Zhao Lian and seeing that Shen Yue wouldn't resist, Li Lin came up with the second dare: "You have to... well, offer a sip of wine to anyone in this room."

As soon as he finished, Zhao Lian immediately added, "It has to be 'mouth-to-mouth,' otherwise what kind of dare is it?"

His intentions were obvious. Shen Yue was both amused and touched, thinking to himself that he’d have to clear things up with Zhao Lian someday to stop him from always assuming he was heartbroken over Wei Jinchuan and playing matchmaker unnecessarily.

He couldn't bring himself to do it with Zhao Lian, and Li Lin was straight, so Shen Yue didn't want to put him in an awkward position. He turned to Zhang Rang again: "Do you mind?"

Zhang Rang, having mentally prepared himself this time, stared deeply at Shen Yue, his voice hoarse: "I don't mind."

The corner of Shen Yue's mouth lifted in a smile.

He took a sip of wine, his thumb gently stroking Zhang Rang's lips a few times, then slowly hooked his chin to force him to look up, and—

He leaned down, pried Zhang Rang's lips apart, and passed a mouthful of the burning wine.

There was no desire in the act; his expression was almost pitying, like a god looking down with mercy.

After passing the wine, Shen Yue quickly withdrew and sank back into the sofa.

Then, lazily turning to Zhao Lian, he asked, "Happy now?"

Zhao Lian let out an exaggerated "Wow!" and shared a look with Li Lin before both excused themselves to use the restroom and left together.

The room was suddenly left with only Shen Yue and Zhang Rang.

Shen Yue wasn't really into Zhang Rang. Though Zhao Lian was pushing hard, when it came to matters of the heart, if he didn't feel a spark, no amount of opportunity would change that. He feigned sleep, while Zhang Rang, stirred by the earlier interactions, was eager to strike up a conversation.

"You seem quite different from what the rumors say," he hesitated, still savoring that brief, illusion-like kiss, his gaze fixed intently.

Shen Yue opened his eyes and smiled. "You've got some nerve."

"There's more where that came from," Zhang Rang licked his lips. Whether he had been putting on an act because Li Lin was there or was only now coming to his senses, he seemed much bolder than before. "The exhibition doesn't start for a few days. I'm free during this time. Would you like to see for yourself?"

As he spoke, he grabbed Shen Yue's wrist and guided it to his own body.

Shen Yue felt the texture beneath the fabric and gave an honest assessment: "Not bad."

"My stamina is pretty good too," Zhang Rang whispered close to his ear.

He wasn't stupid; he could tell Zhao Lian was trying to set him up. So, Shen Yue's current attitude didn't matter as much as whether he could win him over tonight.

He said suggestively, "Although it's my first time, I'm a fast learner. I've watched plenty of 'educational material.' I'll make sure you enjoy it."

Shen Yue chuckled softly. He had been dry for a while and was easily aroused, but when someone offered themselves up... why refuse?

He looked him over appraisingly. "Quite confident, aren't you?"

"It seems you don't believe me," Zhang Rang's breathing grew heavier. "That's fine. You'll know once you try."

His gaze was burning with anticipation. He deliberately sat a bit lower, but it didn't make him seem submissive. Instead, he resembled a wolf ready to pounce, waiting only for Shen Yue's signal to leap and devour his prey.

Shen Yue watched him quietly, then suddenly smiled.

He reached out, pried open Zhang Rang's mouth to reveal his neat, white teeth, and asked, "Can you use your mouth?"