Chapter 29 Not Behaving

Chapter 29 Not Behaving

That long, huh?

Jiang Yancheng took a second to figure it out—so Shen Mian was complaining he took too long?

He pressed Shen Mian's hand against his own cheek, a gentle smile curling at his lips: "So baby's not happy with that?"

He leaned in and whispered by his ear: "But it's not like I can control how long it takes, right?"

Shen Mian's face turned bright red from his teasing. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Yancheng smiling at him, those sharp eyes now squinting slightly, making him look a lot more approachable.

Shen Mian was a little annoyed and tried to yank his hand out of Jiang Yancheng's grip, but the man immediately grabbed it back, holding it tight. That warm, big hand held his firmly: "Come on, baby, let's head home."

...

Jiang Yancheng had gotten a new car when he went out today. Shen Mian thought the logo looked familiar—he must've seen it on a TV show.

Noticing Shen Mian keep looking over, Jiang Yancheng asked, "Sweetheart, do you recognize this car?"

Shen Mian shook his head, looking embarrassed: "No, I don't."

He just thought it looked kinda familiar. If you asked him to name the brand, he couldn't have.

"This is the Lamborghini logo. The one I'm driving is a Veneno—it's a limited global edition..." Jiang Yancheng patiently explained.

Shen Mian had no idea what a Veneno was, but he got the "limited global edition" part. And the car really was gorgeous—super flashy to drive too.

Seeing how curious he was, Jiang Yancheng teased, "If you like it, you can drive it. Your school's got a parking lot out front, right?"

Shen Mian was taken aback by that. He was just a broke student—how could he dare drive something that flashy to school? Besides, he didn't even have his driver's license yet!

"I don't have a driver's license," Shen Mian mumbled, picking at his fingers.

"Then I guess you'll just have to settle for riding shotgun with me." Jiang Yancheng pinched his cheek with a chuckle. "I'll be your personal driver."

His voice was nice to listen to—deep and a little husky, especially when he said sweet things. It felt like a warm breeze brushing against his ear.

Shen Mian snuck a glance at him, his ears getting warm.

The sports car tore down the road, roaring through the wind toward Boyu Royal Residence.

Jiang Yancheng liked things quiet and private. His place had just one cook, two cleaners, and two security guards at the gate. The staff all stayed in their own rooms, and the huge villa got eerily quiet as night fell.

After his shower, Shen Mian stood by the big floor-to-ceiling window in the bedroom, staring out.

Boyu Royal Residence was a famous riverside villa complex in the capital, with a killer panoramic view of the whole Jin River. The prices were insane—basically worth its weight in gold.

When Jiang Yancheng came out of the study, he saw Shen Mian standing alone by the window in his pajamas, spacing out.

He walked over quietly and wrapped his arms around Shen Mian from behind out of nowhere: "What are you thinking about, so zoned out?"

Shen Mian tensed up a little at the sudden hug, then said, "Nothing, just looking at the night view."

"Night view?" Jiang Yancheng glanced out the window and just saw a dark stretch of river.

"It's nighttime now, so there's not much to see. The river looks better during the day—sunrise and sunset are gorgeous." Jiang Yancheng rubbed his cheek against Shen Mian's. "I'll have someone put a soft sofa by the window tomorrow. Next time you come over, you'll have a better spot to take in the view."

Shen Mian nodded quietly, still in his arms.

"Come, I have a gift for you." Jiang Yancheng led him toward the sofa. On the side table next to it sat a beautifully wrapped gift box.

"Open it and see if you like it." Jiang Yancheng placed the box into Shen Mian's arms, his eyes carrying a gentle smile.

Under his expectant look, Shen Mian slowly opened the box. Inside was a beautiful new phone—a pure white metal case gleaming in the light.

The logo on the phone looked kinda familiar to Shen Mian. He'd seen it before in the dorm, on the phone and laptop Jiang Mingye had gotten for his girlfriend.

The latest Apple phone—those cost over ten thousand yuan.

Shen Mian froze for a second before finally speaking: "For me?"

How could he accept something so expensive?

Jiang Yancheng saw the surprise in his eyes, smiled, and picked up the phone to put it in his hand: "Mm, it's for you."

Shen Mian held the phone helplessly, its cold shell against his palm, but it felt burning hot.

"I... my phone still works. You don't need to get me a new one."

Jiang Yancheng pinched his cheek gently: "Your phone takes forever just to open WeChat. How can you even use that?"

"From now on, we're video calling every day while you're at school. This one's easier—the camera's better too."

Shen Mian bit his lip and said without thinking: "In the dorm... video calls are kinda awkward."

Jiang Yancheng raised an eyebrow, leaned in close, and lowered his voice: "If it's awkward in the dorm, I don't mind you calling me from under the covers."

"..." Shen Mian's ears went bright red at that. In the end, he reluctantly took the phone and gave a soft "Mm."

"It's getting late. Let's go to bed." Jiang Yancheng blew a warm breath near his ear.

Shen Mian's ears flushed a little, but he obediently let himself be led to the bed.

The curtains by the window closed automatically, and the room lights went out instantly, leaving just two warm orange nightlights by the bed.

Shen Mian lay on his side on the soft bed, his heart pounding with nerves, his fingers gripping the pillow tight.

A warm, familiar embrace finally pressed up against him from behind. Jiang Yancheng held him close, his palm rubbing Shen Mian's stomach gently through the thin cotton pajamas.

"Is your stomach still hurting?" he asked softly.

"No, it's okay now." Shen Mian shook his head lightly.

"Good." Jiang Yancheng held him tighter. "Turn around, baby~"

"..."

Shen Mian turned around really slowly, face-to-face, falling into Jiang Yancheng's arms.

The man's broad chest was scorching hot, so warm it made him uncomfortable.

Jiang Yancheng's arm wrapped around his waist and settled on Shen Mian's back, patting it softly: "Go to sleep now."

The person beside him didn't move again—like he was really just quietly holding him to sleep.

Shen Mian was confused and peeked out from his arms: Tonight... no debt to pay back?

As if reading his mind, Jiang Yancheng ruffled his hair: "Close your eyes and get some rest."

They'd already had a rough day, and Shen Mian had classes early the next morning. There was no way Jiang Yancheng was going to wear him out again tonight.

Hearing that, Shen Mian quickly ducked his head back under and obediently closed his eyes.

Jiang Yancheng's embrace was warm, his chest broad and sturdy with a thin layer of muscle, like a little safe harbor that made you feel totally secure curled up inside.

Shen Mian felt his frantic heartbeat slowly settle, and eventually, he shut his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

The night stretched on, long and still, the two of them tangled up together, sleeping peacefully until morning.

Jiang Yancheng drove Shen Mian back to school, and Shen Mian clutched the new phone he'd been given.

He didn't want to flaunt the new phone, so he grabbed a cheap 9.9 yuan black case from the campus convenience store—plain and old-school, instantly covering up that flashy brand logo.

True to his word, Jiang Yancheng made Shen Mian video call him every single day. At first, Shen Mian would take the calls in the dorm bathroom, but one time Jiang Yancheng joked: "Isn't the bathroom for showers? Baby, why aren't you getting naked in there?"

Shen Mian's ears went red at the teasing, and next time he skipped the bathroom, hiding behind his bed curtain at night instead.

The curtain was two years old, two navy panels that zipped together from both sides, shutting out the harsh, glaring white light.

Shen Mian leaned back against the wall, earbuds in, the phone screen glowing with an active video call. On the other end, Jiang Yancheng had just stepped out of the shower, his robe hanging loose at the collar, showing off his sharp collarbones and Adam's apple. Still damp from the shower, his eyes had that wet, glistening look, and his stare was dark and heavy.

He listened quietly while Jiang Yancheng rambled about random stuff, occasionally murmuring a reply.

With all three roommates right there, he couldn't exactly talk loudly.

"Baby, you're spacing out." Jiang Yancheng's voice carried a note of annoyance.

Jerked back to reality, Shen Mian pulled himself together and shook his head. "No, I'm not."

Okay, yeah, he had totally been zoning out.

Earlier today, Cheng Hui had texted him saying their anime club needed a skit for New Year's, but they were short on people and asked if he could pitch in and do a cameo.

Shen Mian barely knew anything about anime, but Cheng Hui had begged him so desperately that it felt wrong to say no.

"Baby, what's on your mind?" Seeing him zone out again, Jiang Yancheng was clearly annoyed, the smile on his lips flattening out.

Shen Mian mumbled: "Just some school stuff."

"Thinking about other stuff while on a call with me? So unfocused." Jiang Yancheng said in a low voice. "Naughty baby needs to be punished."

Punishment... The second Shen Mian heard that word, he couldn't stop himself from flashing back to the last punishment in the bathroom: Jiang Yancheng's long, dexterous fingers sliding in... The memory made his scalp prickle and his ears burn.

"Lift up your pajama top and hold it in your mouth." Jiang Yancheng's voice drifted through the phone, soft and low.

Shen Mian's eyes flew wide open at that. His cheeks went red, and he bit his lip, whispering a refusal: "No!"

That was way too humiliating. No way he was doing that.

Jiang Yancheng was always making outrageous demands, like making him lift his shirt to show him today. And when Shen Mian refused, he'd say stuff on the phone that made him even more flustered and embarrassed.

"Is my naughty baby going to be bad again?" Jiang Yancheng's voice was a soft threat from the other end.

Shen Mian kept his head down, stubborn and silent, refusing to acknowledge him.

While he stayed quiet, his roommates downstairs were deep in a heated game, especially Jiang Mingye, who was yelling: "Go go go! Fall back, enemies incoming!"

Jiang Yancheng heard it too and raised an eyebrow. "People in the dorm?"

"Yeah." Shen Mian nodded.

"Is that my brother?" Jiang Yancheng had apparently recognized Jiang Mingye's voice.

"They're all here." Shen Mian whispered.

"So you're shy because there are people around!" Jiang Yancheng chuckled, his voice low. "But if you pull the curtain and show me, they won't have a clue."

Shen Mian's face burned as he refused again: "No!"

Seeing Shen Mian keep refusing, Jiang Yancheng finally gave in with a grin. "Then beg me, and I'll let you off this once."

"Baby, beg me." The voice through the earbuds was pure seduction, impossibly tempting.

Shen Mian hesitated, glanced up at the screen, and after a long pause, whispered: "Fine, I'm begging you."

"Beg who?" Jiang Yancheng's eyes were full of lazy amusement.

Shen Mian's cheeks burned as he whispered: "Begging you, hubby~"

Jiang Yancheng went silent for a long moment. Finally, he looked up, his eyes flooding with a dark, rising wave.

He narrowed his eyes, his voice rough: "What am I supposed to do, baby? I'm hard now."

Shen Mian's face went scarlet, and he stammered in a panic: "You asked me to say it!"

Who was so shameless as to blame him for getting turned on?

"Yeah, I asked to hear it. But you're the one who said it—you seduced me, so you're responsible." Jiang Yancheng shamelessly dumped all the blame on Shen Mian. Shen Mian was speechless, so flustered he wanted to crawl through the screen and smack him.

How could anyone be this shameless! He was the one who wanted to punish him, who made him beg, who made him call him hubby. And now Shen Mian had to take the blame?

Jiang Yancheng was such a jerk!

Shen Mian thought grumpily: I should've just shown him what he wanted earlier.

Anyway, he could only look, not touch—let him stare helplessly and suffer.

With that thought, he actually went through with it. Gritting his teeth and pushing past the embarrassment, Shen Mian lifted the hem of his pajama top right in front of the front camera.

The breathing on the other end of the earbuds hitched, then turned ragged and heavier.

"Baby, are you trying to seduce me?" Jiang Yancheng stared at him, eyes dark and intense, his voice even rougher than before.

Shen Mian shot back, sulky: "You asked to see."

A low chuckle came from the other end. Then Jiang Yancheng's voice, laced with helpless affection: "Little brat~"

"This time, I'm really hard."

Shen Mian: "..."

Wait, what?!