Intimacy

Wei Zelin led Shi Yuan toward the living room and sat down first on the sofa, which had been covered with a light gray slipcover. Shi Yuan tried to go around him and sit farther in, but the man with ulterior motives stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Shi Yuan asked.

"What do you think?" Wei Zelin held on to Shi Yuan's hand and pointed at his own thigh with his free hand.

They had only just made their relationship official, and Shi Yuan wanted to be close to him too, but he was reserved. He was nowhere near as shameless as Wei Zelin.

"Tsk."

When Shi Yuan still refused to move, Wei Zelin pulled with his arm and lifted his knee, tugging him onto his lap.

Shi Yuan rested one hand on Wei Zelin's shoulder and pushed against his firm, muscular chest with the other. Flustered and annoyed, he said, "Is this your idea of letting me rest?"

Wei Zelin didn't care. He was like a man possessed. Even when Shi Yuan sat opposite him eating, he could spend all day watching those lips open and close. The sight of him standing in the kitchen could set his heart racing from far away, never mind having him in his arms now, with his arm wrapped around Shi Yuan's lean, supple waist. What was there to hesitate over?

Wei Zelin's voice came out low and hoarse with restraint. "I want you, Yuanyuan..."

He held the back of Shi Yuan's neck and pulled him down, bringing the lips he had been coveting right before him. Their lips tangled together, and in the end, Shi Yuan was no match for him. His mouth parted as he panted softly, only for Wei Zelin to seize the opening and slip his tongue inside...

Both of Shi Yuan's hands tightened on Wei Zelin's shoulders, pulling his shirt into creases.

Faint, wet sounds continued, thick with intimacy. Only after a long while did Wei Zelin let him pull away a little.

"Ha... ha..."

Shi Yuan's eyes were hazy as he gasped for breath. His lips had been kissed an even deeper red and glistened with moisture.

Wei Zelin's chest was heaving too, making Shi Yuan tremble slightly on his lap.

He brushed his lips past the corner of Shi Yuan's mouth, kissing from his chin down to his neck and then behind his ear. He gently sucked and nipped at that tender patch of skin a couple of times, feeling Shi Yuan shiver twice more before he finally relented. Leaning beside his ear, he panted, "Wait... until we get back from S City?"

Wei Zelin was sent packing without even getting a meal. Shi Yuan was afraid something serious would happen if he kept this wolf in gentleman's clothing around any longer. There was a reason men with glasses on TV so often turned out to be well-dressed beasts. The look in Wei Zelin's eyes just now had practically devoured him!

Shi Yuan patted his flushed cheeks. He no longer felt tired and wanted to distract himself with some chores, only to discover that Wei Zelin had already done everything. The aired-out quilt had been put inside a freshly washed pale green duvet cover, and the sheets and pillows on the bed were the same color.

Covering his face, Shi Yuan fell onto the bed. He smelled laundry detergent, but all he could think about was the scorching heat enveloping him in Wei Zelin's arms.

Half an hour later, he still hadn't recovered when the doorbell and his WeChat notification sounded at the same time.

Wei Zelin: "Yuanyuan, I ordered you some food. It should be there any minute."

Outside the door: "Your delivery, sir."

Shi Yuan was in no state to face anyone. He called from inside, "Thank you. Please hang it on the door."

There was some rustling outside, followed by footsteps fading into the distance. Only then did Shi Yuan open the door and bring in the delivery. There was more than one bag. He opened them one by one: Chinese Sausage Rice, Shrimp Pumpkin Soup, and Lemon Grilled Wings. All his favorites!

Shi Yuan tapped away on his phone, then took a photo of the food arranged on the table and sent it to Wei Zelin.

Time to dig in!

Meanwhile, Wei Zelin held his phone and grinned with delight. His expressions were usually subdued, even the curve of his lips barely changing. He rarely smiled so freely.

Bao Lili was out running errands for him again. She opened the car door and got in, only to be greeted by that smiling face.

Bao Lili: "..."

Just how difficult a job was her boss about to give her?

When Wei Zelin saw her settle into the passenger seat, his smile faded, and he put his phone away.

Bao Lili had excellent powers of observation and instantly caught the displeasure in her boss's eyes. She glanced around. Had she sat on something? She didn't think she had made any mistakes at work lately.

"Boss? Sun Yixuan's ex-boyfriend has made contact with that woman in your department who's interested in you."

"The people at the Wei Corporation really are nasty. They've got all sorts of underhanded tricks." Rather than telling her boss she liked him, the woman was secretly targeting her romantic rival.

Wei Zelin instructed her, "Wait until those two spread the news, then let Wei Ming find out about it."

Bao Lili sneaked a look at Wei Zelin's dark expression and offered a silent prayer for those people. Unfortunately for them, her boss was the nastiest of all.

"Li Li." There was no telling what Wei Zelin was feeling from his voice.

Bao Lili hurriedly answered, "Yes!"

Wei Zelin glanced at her. "You're very loud today."

"Huh?" Bao Lili was ready to retreat into her shell. People usually complained that she spoke too quietly. This was the first time anyone had called her loud.

"Have Shiren get me a Mercedes-Benz. I want to drive it when I get back from S City." This car had to go. He would get a new one for Yuanyuan to ride in.

Bao Lili hesitated. "What if Wei Ming gets suspicious? He doesn't pay you that much, does he?"

"Soon enough, he won't have time to worry about me."

Understanding dawned on Bao Lili. "Right. Things should be ready on Wei Wanwan's end."

"Boss, why not have Kuang Yuebin bring your Bugatti over from S City..."

Under Wei Zelin's stare, her voice grew weaker and weaker, but she still tried to defend her suggestion. "Aren't you trying to win Shi Yuan over? Driving that would really impress him."

Wei Zelin was beginning to question his subordinate's intelligence. "Spend less time with Huang Shiren from now on."

After another stretch of silence, Bao Lili asked quietly, "Boss, aren't we leaving?"

The car had been sitting there for over ten minutes.

Wei Zelin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and said coldly, "Sit in the back."

Bao Lili finally understood why he had been glaring at her. She promptly opened the door and scurried into the back seat.

At last, the car started moving, and Wei Zelin's voice came from the driver's seat. "There's no need to court him anymore..."

Bao Lili's heart skipped a beat.

Then she heard her boss continue in the same calm voice, "I've already won him over. From now on, none of you are to call him whatever you please."

"What should we call him, then, boss?"

"The boss's wife."

That evening, Shi Yuan only had to cross a bridge to get to Xiao Rong's lesson. He even bought him a grilled sausage at the night market, and the boy ate it with happiness written all over his face.

But for now, he didn't tell Xiao Rong that he had moved nearby. Although Wei Zelin hadn't said anything, Shi Yuan was afraid that speaking carelessly might affect him.

Getting home after work was much easier too. Shi Yuan arrived home early, expecting to fall asleep as soon as he hit the bed after a full day's work. Instead, he lay awake for a long time before finally drifting off-and even had an erotic dream.

When he got up in the morning, he had no choice but to put on the other sheet he had washed and stored away. His green quilt was now paired with a gray sheet.

Wei Zelin slipped over to see Shi Yuan at noon and after work in the evening, then returned to the Wei Family home to sleep. It felt like they were having a clandestine affair.

A few days passed like this, and Shi Yuan finally received his second paycheck. He immediately booked a ticket for the following morning.

That evening, Wei Zelin brought over a new suitcase to pack his things.

"I already have a suitcase. Why did you buy another one?"

Wei Zelin moved the suitcase in his hands aside and laid the one he had brought open on the bedroom floor. "Yours is too heavy. It's awkward to pack. This one's lighter and better for traveling."

Shi Yuan felt sweet warmth inside, but he muttered, "I've barely used mine twice. What a waste."

Wei Zelin was packing the toiletries he had prepared, but his hands paused at those words. His sweetheart had brought him a little stool to sit on and was crouching beside him, cupping his face in his hands as he watched him pack. He had gotten a haircut that day to meet his friends, revealing a little of his eyebrows, and his almond-shaped eyes curved into two crescents. The pajamas he was wearing seemed to be the ones he had bought after getting paid last month, but the sleeves were already coming apart at the seams. He had probably found them at the wholesale market again.

Wei Zelin wasn't someone who cared about his quality of life. He had spent countless days and nights living in the unfinished Bare Shell House, driving a secondhand Volkswagen that Wei Zexuan mocked and wearing the same low-quality shirts and dress pants.

Those were merely little tricks to lull the Wei Family into complacency. He had never cared about their mocking looks.

But at this very moment, Shi Yuan's gaze seared him, leaving his heart aching and swollen.

"Yuanyuan, come here."

Shi Yuan wasn't surprised to be called over so suddenly. The two of them had been constantly cuddling these past few days.

They were already close together, so Shi Yuan didn't stand up. He shuffled over in his crouch, looking rather adorable.

Wei Zelin offered Shi Yuan his little stool. Shi Yuan said in surprise, "I'm only crouching for a bit. If I get tired, I'll sit on the bed."

Hearing that, Wei Zelin pulled him over to sit on the bed, where the clothes Shi Yuan planned to bring were laid out. He had heard that S City was a few degrees warmer than Capital City, so he was bringing short-sleeved shirts to wear under his jacket. Unsurprisingly, they were the same two from the summer. His outerwear consisted of the black baseball jacket he had bought before and a hoodie, along with two pairs of sweatpants and a pair of sneakers scrubbed spotlessly clean.

Wei Zelin folded the clothes and put them in the suitcase, then asked, "You'll be there for seven days. Is this all you're taking?"

Shi Yuan thought it was just enough. "Seven days isn't that long. As long as I have a change of clothes, it's fine."

After packing the clothes, Wei Zelin started putting the shoes in a dust bag. Suddenly, he said, "Yuanyuan, I'm a little hungry. Could you make me a bowl of noodles?"

Shi Yuan immediately got up from the bed. "Sure. Shall I poach an egg in it too?"

Wei Zelin didn't look up. "No need. Just add some greens."

The kitchen range hood began to hum. Wei Zelin stood up in silence and opened the wardrobe in the master bedroom. The custom-built, ceiling-height wardrobe was spacious, yet only one set of pajamas hung inside. Two folders sat on the upper shelf, containing Shi Yuan's certificates, his Household Registration Book, and their marriage certificates.

Everything lying in the suitcase at that moment was all Shi Yuan owned.