Chapter 14

"That really hurt my feelings..." Shen Yi drew out the last word, his voice trailing downward with a languid note.

Fu Yuhe couldn't see a trace of hurt or sadness on his face. All he saw was eagerness, as if Shen Yi had found something entertaining.

The conversation had long since strayed from Fu Yuhe's original purpose, but it only made him more certain that if Shen Yi wanted to "play around" with Fu Cheng, he would leave nothing of him.

Besides, Shen Yi was unpredictable and acted on whatever whim struck him. Fu Yuhe didn't want to resort to overly drastic measures. At least for now, Shen Yi hadn't threatened Fu Cheng or done anything excessive.

A phone ringing interrupted their conversation. Fu Yuhe took his phone from his pocket, and Fu Cheng's name appeared on the screen. He looked up at Shen Yi and answered.

"Bro, why aren't you back yet?" Fu Cheng asked from the other end. "The food's already here."

"We'll be right there," Fu Yuhe replied.

The dishes they had ordered had begun arriving one after another in the private room. Meat and vegetable dishes covered the table as servers carried food in and out. Fu Yuhe and Shen Yi walked in one after the other.

"What took you so long?" Fu Cheng asked Shen Yi.

"Well..."

Shen Yi turned his head and glanced past Fu Cheng toward Fu Yuhe. Fu Yuhe looked back at him, a warning in his eyes.

"You'd better ask your brother," Shen Yi said.

The words themselves were innocent enough, but coming from his thin lips, they somehow sounded intimate to Fu Yuhe, as if there were some unspoken deal between them.

Fu Cheng looked at Fu Yuhe.

Fu Yuhe said, "We smoked a couple of cigarettes. Took a little longer."

"Oh." Fu Cheng didn't dare ask any more.

Fu Yuhe didn't spend long at the meal. He took a phone call and left.

In the restaurant parking lot, Fu Yuhe opened the door of a black car and got in.

"Mr. Fu," his assistant greeted him from the driver's seat.

"Mm, let's go." Fu Yuhe rested his elbow on the window ledge and pressed his hand to his forehead.

What had happened in the restroom surfaced in his mind again.

He must have been crazy to needle Shen Yi like that.

[You shouldn't have said those things to him today,] the rarely seen supervisory system told Shen Yi.

Night fell, and lights came on in homes everywhere. Shen Yi stood at the bathroom sink brushing his teeth. He took a mouthful of water and spat it out.

The system said, [If he notices anything off about you, there's a good chance your plan will backfire.]

Shen Yi said, [I didn't tell him about the mission.]

He lowered his head to wash his face, water streaming noisily through his fingers.

[Don't you think the protagonist's reaction was interesting?] Shen Yi thought for a moment, then asked, [He's so concerned about my sexuality and worried I'll lay a hand on his little brother. Does he like men?]

The system took a few seconds to answer. [I don't know. The original plot mainly followed the male lead's career growth. As for romance, there were plenty of men and women around him. I suggest you don't mess with the protagonist. Research shows that debts of the heart are the hardest to repay. Don't be a scumbag.]

Shen Yi's tone was flat. [Oh, I see.]

He could still recall the surge of emotion he'd felt for that instant in the restroom today. It could be summed up in one word-thrilling.

The man's imposing presence, his composure as though victory were assured, the scent of tobacco mingled with a faint trace of cologne-what remained in Shen Yi's heart in the end was the sight of that sharply defined jaw tilting up slightly, and those lips parting to say, "Kiss me."

Disdainful, looking down on him, and utterly certain he knew how it would end.

In that instant, amid the surprise and astonishment that welled up in Shen Yi, he also felt as though he were slightly drunk. As if through a layer of mist, he couldn't clearly make out how he had felt then. After his heart clenched came the thrill of it beginning to race.

An indescribably subtle, novel feeling, and quite a challenge.

After the parent-teacher meeting, the class was reseated. Shen Yi and Fu Cheng went from sitting one behind the other to sharing a desk. Seats were assigned by height, and since there were more boys than girls in the class, most of the students in the back rows were boys.

On Tuesday afternoon, the PE teacher rounded up the students who were secretly studying and took them down for class. They lined up, ran a lap around the field, and were then free to do as they pleased.

Shen Yi grabbed a tennis racket and played with a classmate. After working up a sweat, he walked over to a bench.

Fu Cheng was sitting on the bench practicing his spoken English. He wasn't very good at sports, and even when Shen Yi pulled him into a game, he couldn't play for long. Seeing Shen Yi approach, he put down his book.

"Do you have anything to do after school today?" he asked.

Shen Yi said, "Why?"

Fu Cheng said quietly, "A cat café opened near the square. I want to go check it out."

Shen Yi laughed at the way he said it. "Then let's go. It's not like we're sneaking around."

"Will you come with me?" Fu Cheng asked.

"Sure, I'm free anyway," Shen Yi agreed.

After school that afternoon, the two found the cat café near the square. They ordered two coffees and found seats. The place was cozy and relaxing, and soon after Shen Yi sat down, a cat came over and rubbed against his pant leg.

"I washed the clothes you and your brother lent me last time. My place isn't far from here, so I'll get them for you later."

Fu Cheng had his eyes glued to the cats, as if he'd arrived in heaven. He answered absentmindedly, "Okay."

Shen Yi wasn't very interested in cats, but seeing the kittens meowing in their tiny voices, he found them cute and pleasant to look at too. The two stayed until it was late, and by the time they went to Shen Yi's home, it was nearly dark.

Shen Yi suggested that Fu Cheng stay the night. There was a guest room and enough bedding. Fu Cheng figured that since his brother was away on a business trip, he wouldn't refuse.

Fu Cheng had never lived in a dorm and had always wanted to hang out with other boys at night. Tonight, he achieved the feat of spending the night at a friend's house.