What are you looking at? Never seen it before?

The person outside said nothing, only knocked three more times, one long and two short.

For a moment, Jiang Lan felt dazed as he listened to those knocks.

That was the secret signal he and Wen Zhiyan had agreed on back when he used to visit Wen Zhiyan at night.

But back then, it had usually been Jiang Lan standing outside, waiting for the door to open.

Jiang Lan's Adam's apple bobbed. He rubbed his fingertips together, placed his hand on the door handle, and gently pressed it down.

He opened the door a crack and looked at Wen Zhiyan, who stood outside in black pajamas. "Need something?"

Wen Zhiyan stood outside and said softly, "Lan-ge, can I come in?"

Jiang Lan didn't move. He raised an eyebrow. "It's the middle of the night. Whatever it is, leave it until tomorrow."

Wen Zhiyan said nothing, nor did he try to force his way in.

He merely lowered his eyes, took half a step back, then lifted the corners of his mouth with some difficulty. "Okay. Get some sleep, Lan. I won't bother you."

In the past, Jiang Lan had never been able to bear that expression on Wen Zhiyan's face.

Back then, whenever he was about to turn Wen Zhiyan down, Wen Zhiyan would immediately look as though he had suffered some terrible injustice and intended to shoulder it all alone in silence.

The moment Jiang Lan saw Wen Zhiyan lower his eyes without a word, his heart would turn to mush, and he could no longer bring himself to refuse him.

He had willingly let Wen Zhiyan wrap him around his little finger. It worked every time; Wen Zhiyan had never lost.

Now, their relationship had long since fallen apart.

Jiang Lan didn't know whether it was because he had grown older and met more people, or because he could finally detach himself and look at Wen Zhiyan from an outsider's perspective.

Now, he only felt that while Wen Zhiyan looked considerate and obedient, he was actually full of dirty tricks, with more schemes than a sieve had holes.

Jiang Lan murmured an acknowledgment and shut the door.

He was the one who had been longing for Wen Zhiyan to come, and when Wen Zhiyan actually came, he was still the one who shut him out.

Jiang Lan leaned back against the door and wiped his face. His heart was still pounding so hard that it felt uncomfortable.

He didn't know whether Wen Zhiyan would be upset.

He used to pamper him, indulge him, all but cradle him at the very heart of his affections.

Now that he was treating Wen Zhiyan like this, he didn't know whether Wen Zhiyan would be upset.

Jiang Lan took a deep breath. Wait a little longer. If Wen Zhiyan knocks one more time, I'll let him in.

But no more knocks came. There were only faint footsteps, gradually receding.

Jiang Lan felt even worse. He touched the gland at the back of his neck, which kept throbbing, and looked up at the ceiling in irritation.

Really, it was only normal that there wouldn't be a second attempt.

Wen Zhiyan was so proud. Even back when he had run away from home and become a down-and-out young master, he had refused to bow his head. Now, after all these years, he was already at the helm of the Wen Corporation. Presumably, he would be even less inclined to bow to anyone.

Was he, Jiang Lan, an exception?

In the past, Jiang Lan had once believed so with that same arrogance and absolute confidence.

But time had taught Jiang Lan that everyone in this world was the same. There were no exceptions at all.

He didn't know how long he stood leaning against that door.

He only knew that Wen Zhiyan probably wouldn't come again tonight.

So he straightened up, collected himself, and walked toward the bed.

Looking at the incense box he had knocked to the floor in his earlier flustered haste without even noticing, he felt he was destined for a sleepless night.

He mussed up his carefully styled hair, kicked the incense box aside, and lay back down on the bed, but the more he thought about it, the less he could accept it.

When he had been pursuing Wen Zhiyan, Wen Zhiyan's door had nearly slammed into the bridge of his nose, yet he had still shamelessly persisted, knocking on Wen Zhiyan's door again and again.

Wen Zhiyan's dorm room had been on the second floor. When he absolutely refused to open the door, Jiang Lan had even climbed the wall and gone in through the window.

But look at Wen Zhiyan now. Jiang Lan had only turned him down once, and he had simply up and left.

The more Jiang Lan thought about it, the angrier he grew. He sat up in bed, stared at his bedroom door, and cursed under his breath, "Damn you, Wen Zhiyan. You'd better never let me get even with you."

But soon, he noticed something was off.

There seemed to be light coming through the gap beneath the door.

Jiang Lan's heart leaped into his throat.

He got out of bed, strode barefoot to the door, and yanked it open.

Jiang Lan stared in surprise at Wen Zhiyan, who was crouching outside his door with his phone's flashlight on, and asked with some difficulty, "What are you doing?"

Wen Zhiyan seemed startled by Jiang Lan suddenly opening the door, too.

He stood up, switched off the flashlight, and held out the glass he was carrying in his other hand to Jiang Lan:

"I smelled alcohol earlier. I was afraid you'd get a headache tonight after drinking, but I was also afraid you wouldn't want to see me..."

Jiang Lan looked at the glass Wen Zhiyan offered him. It was probably honey water.

He frowned. "Then why were you crouching here? Don't you know how to knock?"

Wen Zhiyan said nothing.

Jiang Lan took the honey water, gritted his teeth, and told the tall, strapping yet pitiful-looking Wen Zhiyan, "Come in."

Only after receiving Jiang Lan's permission did Wen Zhiyan follow right behind him into the bedroom, reaching back to close the door.

"Why are you closing the door?" Jiang Lan looked back.

At that, Wen Zhiyan turned around again, ready to open it.

But Jiang Lan was fickle just then. He said rather overbearingly, "You've already closed it. Why open it again?"

Wen Zhiyan withdrew his hand.

He looked utterly meek, accepting whatever Jiang Lan said without daring to voice a single opinion.

Jiang Lan's mind was a complete mess now.

He didn't know how long it had been since he had last been alone with Wen Zhiyan. He had dreamed countless times of their reunion.

Every time he woke, he would wonder how he should face Wen Zhiyan if they really met again.

Of all the scenarios Jiang Lan had imagined, his favorite was one where he remained perfectly unruffled, telling Wen Zhiyan, "Long time no see," and, "It's all in the past," having completely let go.

But in reality, he found that when the day truly arrived, he couldn't remain unruffled at all.

Every imagined scenario was completely overturned the instant he faced Wen Zhiyan again.

Jiang Lan sat back down in the little armchair, ran a hand through his hair, and unconsciously felt for his trouser pocket again, reaching for cigarettes, only to realize he was wearing a bathrobe.

He withdrew his hand and took a somewhat helpless sip of honey water.

Back in school, Jiang Lan had been popular and gone to plenty of parties. Whenever he drank too much, he would get a headache, and Wen Zhiyan would be unusually docile, like a little wife, following Jiang Lan, helping him home, personally changing his clothes, helping him wash up, and then pouring him honey water.

Only now, Wen Zhiyan probably didn't know that drinking no longer gave Jiang Lan headaches.

Wen Zhiyan stood beside Jiang Lan. "Lan-ge..."

"Don't talk," Jiang Lan interrupted him.

He wasn't ready to hear Wen Zhiyan speak yet.

Silence settled between them. A few seconds later, Wen Zhiyan spoke again. "Lan-ge..."

Jiang Lan was about to interrupt him again when he noticed that Wen Zhiyan's gaze was resting near his thighs.

A bad feeling rose in Jiang Lan's chest. He lowered his head and looked between his legs.

His bathrobe's belt had come loose, leaving him half-covered. Everything that should and shouldn't have been exposed was halfway on display.

Jiang Lan fell silent.

If the lighting hadn't been so dim, Wen Zhiyan would certainly have seen Jiang Lan turn red from his ears to the tips of his toes in almost an instant.

Never had Jiang Lan wanted to die more than he did now, flashing his dick in front of his ex.

But Jiang Lan was an alpha, after all. The instinct to be shameless was etched into his bones.

He quickly found a response.

He stayed seated without moving. Instead, he looked up at Wen Zhiyan and raised an eyebrow as though nothing were amiss. "What are you looking at? Never seen it before?"

Wen Zhiyan knew Jiang Lan far too well.

He had already seen Jiang Lan's embarrassment and discomfort.

But just as Jiang Lan had said, Wen Zhiyan was a bastard who seemed obedient but was actually full of dirty tricks.

He didn't choose to act meek at a time like this. Instead, he took another step toward Jiang Lan, bent down, and reached out to draw the edges of Jiang Lan's bathrobe together.