Chapter 31

Before long, Fu Cheng staggered out of the bathroom, bringing the conversation between Shen Yi and Fu Yuhe to a stop.

Fu Cheng had just thrown up in the bathroom, and his face was deathly pale. As soon as he came out, two pairs of eyes fixed on him. He grew so nervous that he almost turned right around and went back in.

"Brother?" Fu Cheng mumbled. "You're back..."

Fu Yuhe said, "Go to bed."

Fu Cheng obediently replied, "I'm going."

Then he headed upstairs, moving his arms and legs on the same side at once, and nearly fell at the foot of the stairs. Frowning, Fu Yuhe walked over and caught him by the arm. The movement looked rough, but he hadn't used much force.

Sitting nearby with his chin in his hand, Shen Yi murmured, "So gentle..."

When Fu Yuhe came downstairs after settling Fu Cheng in, Shen Yi was sitting there eating a little cake. He was very fond of the desserts at Fu Cheng's house.

"Brother, want some?"

Seeing him come over, Shen Yi held out a skewer of grilled meat.

Fu Yuhe didn't take it. "No."

He picked up a can of beer beside him, opened it with a click, and tipped his head back for a sip. The taste of beer diluted the sweetness in his mouth.

The curve of his raised neck had the beauty of masculine strength, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Two buttons at the collar of his white shirt were casually undone, exposing his collarbones. A layer of shadow lay in the hollow, lending him a different kind of fragility.

Shen Yi licked his lips.

The moment Fu Yuhe lowered his head, he met Shen Yi's intensely predatory gaze, as if Shen Yi were watching his prey's most vulnerable spot, poised to strike.

It had to be said that a gaze like that easily stirred the desire to conquer in others.

"What are you looking at?" Fu Yuhe asked in a low voice.

Shen Yi tilted his head up, his index finger sliding from his chin down to his neck. The slow movement drew one's eyes along with his hand.

Finally, his hand came to rest on his own Adam's apple.

"I've heard an Adam's apple is a sexy part of a man. What do you think?"

Fu Yuhe said, "..."

Was he trying to seduce him? It was so blatant that it was hard to resist.

Fu Yuhe turned his face away and coughed lightly. Changing the subject, he asked, "When are you going home?"

"It's so late. Do I still have to go home?" Shen Yi said as if it were only natural.

Fu Yuhe said, "...No."

One of them cleaned out the food on the table while the other drank. The atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious. Fu Yuhe watched Shen Yi out of the corner of his eye and saw no sign of him stopping; his stomach was like a bottomless pit. "How much longer are you going to eat?" he asked.

Fu Yuhe had rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms. His thumb slowly rubbed the opening of the beer can in his hand.

"There's still food left. It would be such a waste," Shen Yi said. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he looked at Fu Yuhe. "Brother, are you waiting for me?"

Fu Yuhe's fingers paused. "No."

Shen Yi said, "Oh."

"It's late. Drinking is bad for your kidneys," Shen Yi said.

Fu Yuhe scoffed. "You don't need to worry. My kidneys are in great shape."

Shen Yi was more interested in desserts than barbecue; after all, sweets could make people happy. He concentrated on the little cake in front of him, eating it carefully with a spoon.

"Ah... I meant it's bad for your stomach. I misspoke."

"Eating dessert at night doesn't seem all that good either," Fu Yuhe said.

Shen Yi said, "Hmm, are you worried about me?"

As always, he had zeroed in on the important part.

Fu Yuhe's movements stalled for two seconds. "Don't read too much into it-"

Before he could finish, Shen Yi cut him off. "I'll kiss you really well."

Fu Yuhe said, "?"

He looked at Shen Yi, who had his head down and was eating, his expression inscrutable.

That single sentence had smashed the mental defenses he had built to pieces.

They sat like that for two hours-

Outside the window, the night deepened. The bright moon hung high in the sky, stars filled the darkness, and all was quiet. The lights in the villa were still on.

Fu Yuhe lay on the sofa, his five fingers spread toward the dazzling light on the ceiling, his breathing somewhat uneven.

Where had they left off?

After a long while, he finally remembered. He had asked Shen Yi whether Fu Cheng had told him about his time in junior high.

How... had it turned into this?

Before he had much time to collect himself, a shadow blocked out all the light above him.

The shadow enveloped him. Another hand slipped its fingers between the spread fingers of the hand he held above his head, joining them closely, all ten fingers interlocked in an intimate, suggestive pose.

"How was my kiss just now?" the person pressing him down asked.

Fu Yuhe's throat was dry, and the tip of his tongue was numb from being sucked. His Adam's apple bobbed.

How was the kiss?

If Fu Yuhe were to answer fairly and impartially, each kiss had probably been better than the last.

Shen Yi was a great student... No, he should say that he had a talent for this sort of thing.

The first time they kissed, they had both acted on instinct. The second time, two hours ago tonight, Shen Yi had explored tentatively. But the third and fourth times, he had kissed with the force of someone wanting to swallow him whole, rough and domineering, yet determined to get a good review.

Fu Yuhe's eyes rested on Shen Yi, who was propped up above him, waiting for his answer.

His lips, their color changed from pale to vivid, moved. "Terrible."

"How could it be? I clearly got better!" Shen Yi said indignantly.

Fu Yuhe said, "That's your imagination."

Shen Yi said, "Let's try again."

Fu Yuhe said, "It'll be the same no matter how many times we try."

The moment he finished speaking, his mouth was forcibly sealed. Shen Yi pinned Fu Yuhe's left hand to the sofa with his right, their fingers tightly interlocked. Layers of creases formed where the sofa sank beneath them, as though filled with endless, lingering seduction.