"Your favorite steamed soup dumplings. Have you washed up?"
Seeing Su Cimu still lying in bed, Shen Yannian figured he probably had not washed his face or brushed his teeth yet.
"I don't want to brush my teeth. I'll rinse my mouth after I eat. Saves trouble!"
With that, Su Cimu took the plate of steamed soup dumplings from Shen Yannian and held it as he popped them into his mouth one after another.
Before long, he had finished them all.
"Why are there so few? Can't I even get enough to eat at your place?"
Su Cimu gave him a deeply resentful look.
Shen Yannian looked helpless. "Eating too much in the morning is bad for your digestion. Aren't you having lunch? Shall I pour you a glass of milk?"
"I don't want milk. It has this nasty, gamey smell. It tastes awful."
"How could it? You're still young. Drinking more milk will help you grow."
"Who are you calling little? This young master is already 178 centimeters tall! That's not short, okay!!!"
The moment Shen Yannian called him little, Su Cimu bristled.
He was not short compared with others his age. He only looked petite next to Shen Yannian's 190 centimeters!
"I didn't say you were short, but you could still grow taller. If you don't believe me, try drinking milk every day for a year. You'll definitely reach 180 centimeters."
Seeing how certain Shen Yannian sounded, Su Cimu began to waver.
After all, no guy could resist the perfect height of 180 centimeters.
"Can I really grow another two centimeters?"
"Really. Look how tall I am. That's because I've had a glass of milk every day since puberty. I've never skipped a day."
This time, Su Cimu no longer doubted Shen Yannian's claim. He nodded and asked him to make him a glass of milk and bring it upstairs.
While Shen Yannian was downstairs, Su Cimu quickly went into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, then took a set of Shen Yannian's casual clothes from the wardrobe and put them on.
Shen Yannian was quite a bit taller than him. Wearing his clothes, Su Cimu looked like a child who had sneaked into an adult's clothes. Only after rolling up the sleeves and trouser legs did he look barely presentable.
When Shen Yannian entered the room again, he saw Su Cimu wandering around in his clothes and almost lost control of his animal urges again.
"Why... are you wearing my clothes?"
Su Cimu rolled his eyes at him. "I didn't bring a change of clothes. If I don't wear yours, do you expect this young master to run around naked?"
Shen Yannian chuckled, clearly gaining a deeper understanding of just how easily Su Cimu could flare up.
Shen Yannian handed the milk to Su Cimu, who took it, closed his eyes, and downed it in one go with a frown.
"Let's go back. I'm meeting Liang Tian today."
Su Cimu urged Shen Yannian along.
"Meeting Liang Tian? Are you two going to fool around at a bar again?"
"What? We're going to the library. School's starting soon, and we haven't finished our project yet. We need to put in extra hours."
Only when Su Cimu mentioned the start of school did Shen Yannian belatedly remember that his little fiancé was still a university student. Summer vacation was almost over, and he would be going back to school soon.
"Oh, you're looking pretty spry today, old man."
As soon as Su Cimu came downstairs, he greeted Shen Chuannan with easy familiarity.
"No respect for your elders. Since you're already engaged to Yannian, it's time you changed how you address me."
Shen Chuannan glanced up at Su Cimu.
"No way. You haven't given me a gift for changing what I call you yet. Don't think you can get that out of me for free."
Su Cimu sauntered over and sat down in front of Shen Chuannan, speaking very casually and not treating him like an outsider at all.
At that, Shen Chuannan could not help laughing. "Your temperament really is exactly like Yannian's mother's when she was young. Don't worry. As long as you change what you call me, you'll get your gift. I'm not that stingy."
"Nope. You give me the gift first, then I'll change what I call you."
"Hahahaha, all right. Tell me what you want."
"Old man, you're not being sincere at all. Who asks someone outright what gift they want for that? Think of something yourself. Once you've decided, just give it to me. I'll change what I call you when I accept it."
Su Cimu had an answer for everything, keeping Shen Chuannan thoroughly entertained.
When Shen Yannian came downstairs, he saw his father and his little fiancé chatting harmoniously, without any of the hostility from their first meeting yesterday.
"What are you talking about?"
"The gift your dad's giving me to change what I call him."
"Hahaha, second son, this fiancé of yours really is something. I like him very much. I'll be sure to have the gift ready next time we meet. Then you'll have to call me Dad."
"Sure, no problem. That depends on whether your gift is worth me changing what I call you, old man."
Su Cimu raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite eager to see what gift Old Master Shen would give him.
The sight of Su Cimu looking so bold and confident set Shen Yannian's heart itching.
It seemed his little fiancé would never get the short end of the stick, no matter the circumstances. Even someone as difficult as the old man had been won over by him.
After chatting with Shen Chuannan for a little while, Shen Yannian left the Shen Residence with Su Cimu and dropped him off at the university gates.
"You can go back. You don't need to pick me up. I'm eating lunch with Liang Tian at the university cafeteria, and we might stay at the library for a while tonight before heading back. I'll take a taxi then."
"I'll have the driver pick you up. I wouldn't feel comfortable with you out alone that late."
"Fine. I'll message you when I'm almost done. Just have the driver come get me."
Su Cimu did not argue with Shen Yannian over the pickup arrangements.
After saying his piece to Shen Yannian, Su Cimu dashed straight onto campus to meet his friend.
But Su Cimu did not go to the library to find Liang Tian. Instead, he met him at a milk tea shop on campus.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? I've been standing behind you for ages, and you didn't even notice me."
Su Cimu gave Liang Tian a hard slap on the shoulder to startle him.
Only then did Liang Tian come back to his senses.
When Su Cimu saw Liang Tian's face, he could not help frowning.
"What's wrong with you? You look really pale. Are you sick?"
As he spoke, Su Cimu reached out to feel his forehead, but there was no sign of a fever.
Liang Tian glanced at Su Cimu, hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
"It's nothing. I just stayed up late gaming last night. Come on, let's go study at the library."
"Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to have to call you an ambulance at the library later."
Su Cimu looked Liang Tian over suspiciously, his tone full of disapproval.
"I'm really fine. Come on. If we don't work on the project now, we won't finish before school starts."
Liang Tian stood up and urged Su Cimu to come with him.
Seeing that Liang Tian did not seem to have anything seriously wrong with him, Su Cimu finally relaxed and went to study at the library with him. At noon, they ordered chicken pot delivery, choosing the extra-spicy option. They both hissed and gasped as they ate, their lips swelling.
"Whoo-why is it so spicy? I feel like I'm going to explode!"
"Quick, quick, quick! I need ice water! Let me have a sip!"
Su Cimu and Liang Tian nearly came to blows fighting over a bottle of ice water. In the end, Liang Tian gave in and went to buy another bottle of mineral water, finally easing the burn.