Chapter 43

A look of distaste appeared on Fu Yuhe's face, then quickly vanished. He handed the phone back to Fu Cheng and said, "I'll handle it. You don't need to pay it any attention."

Fu Cheng said, "Oh."

Seeing that he still wasn't leaving, Fu Yuhe asked, "Was there something else?"

"Huh?" Fu Cheng realized what he meant and stepped away from the doorway. "No-bro, did you take a shower?"

"Yeah," Fu Yuhe said. "I got sweaty after coming back from outside."

Fu Cheng thought there was more to it. There was an indescribable quality to his brother's aura, a little less stuffy and a little more languid, like a beast about to doze off after eating and drinking its fill. But he had only asked casually, so he nodded, said, "I'll go back to my room," and left.

Fu Yuhe opened the door, entered the bedroom, and shut it behind him.

Inside, Shen Yi sat on a cushion on the floor beside the coffee table, leaning back against the sofa with a book on his lap.

Fu Yuhe set the glass of water on the table with a crisp tap, making Shen Yi look up.

"Fu Cheng's back. Don't go out and let him see you," he said.

Shen Yi nodded and murmured, "Mm."

When Shen Yi had spoken to Fu Cheng on the phone in the car, he'd said he had something to do-"personal business," at that. It would look suspicious for him to show up here now. After all, as far as Fu Cheng was concerned, his relationship with Fu Yuhe probably wasn't very good, at least not good enough for them to take care of "personal business" together.

Even if Fu Yuhe hadn't said anything, Shen Yi didn't really want Fu Cheng to see him.

For now, Shen Yi only wanted to be Fu Cheng's friend. He didn't want to give him too much of a shock.

Fu Yuhe bent down, hooked a finger into the collar of Shen Yi's shirt, and glanced at his shoulder. There was a bite wound that had drawn blood and still hadn't been treated.

It was the mark Fu Yuhe had left earlier in bed, when Shen Yi had deliberately tried to scare him as a prank.

Shen Yi didn't move, only turning his head to glance at Fu Yuhe's hand.

Fu Yuhe got up and left. A few minutes later, he returned with a first-aid kit in his hand.

"Take your shirt off."

Shen Yi said, "It's cold."

Fu Yuhe said, "The air conditioner's on."

"I'm not taking it off." Shen Yi pulled his collar up and sniffed it. "My shirt smells like you."

For some reason, those words sent the blood rushing to Fu Yuhe's head. The things that had happened earlier hadn't made him feel particularly embarrassed, but those few words brought the feeling out.

The tips of his ears turned pink. He looked away from Shen Yi, his throat tight. "You can put it back on afterward."

Shen Yi was wearing a white shirt this time, so it was easy to take off and the wound was easy to treat. Fu Yuhe had bitten him hard enough that the skin around the wound was a little red and swollen. At the sight, Fu Yuhe's amorous thoughts vanished. He dipped a cotton swab in medicine and applied it to the wound.

"Hiss..." Shen Yi drew in a breath.

Fu Yuhe's hand paused. "Does it hurt?"

Shen Yi nodded and turned his head. His eyes looked as though they had filled with water, moist and clear. Fu Yuhe pursed his thin lips. "Now you know it hurts. Be more obedient next time."

Even so, his hand grew gentler as he applied the medicine, and he blew softly on the wound.

"What counts as obedient?" Shen Yi asked.

Fu Yuhe didn't answer.

Only after he had finished applying the medicine did he lift Shen Yi's chin and say, "Next time, don't smile so beautifully at women."

Then he added, "Or men."

Shen Yi didn't leave that night, and he didn't sleep in the guest room either. He slept in Fu Yuhe's bed, wrapping his arms around Fu Yuhe's waist from behind and burying his face in the back of his neck to breathe in.

He liked the faint, fresh scent on Fu Yuhe. It gave him a sense of peace and security.

Fu Yuhe stiffened in his embrace. After a moment, he removed Shen Yi's hands. Shen Yi thought Fu Yuhe didn't like it, so he didn't cling to him again.

After expending his energy, Shen Yi soon grew sleepy that night.

In a daze, Shen Yi murmured, "Good night," and stopped testing Fu Yuhe's boundaries.

He turned over with his back to Fu Yuhe and fell fast asleep.

Once he was asleep, the other person couldn't sleep.

Fu Yuhe lay with his eyes open, staring at a spot in the room through the darkness. For as long as he could remember, he had rarely shared a bed with anyone. When his parents had just died during his high school years, he had only let Fu Cheng, who was timid, frightened, and insecure, sleep with him for less than two weeks.

After that, he had been too busy, and Fu Cheng had learned to sleep on his own.

Shen Yi was a restless sleeper who liked to toss and turn. With Fu Yuhe beside him, he later draped an arm over Fu Yuhe's waist again. This time, Fu Yuhe didn't move it away.

He let himself lean back, relaxing his back muscles until he was pressed snugly against Shen Yi's chest. It was like wrapping himself in a blanket, except that Shen Yi's body provided a constant stream of warmth.

Fu Yuhe woke several times that night, but before he was fully conscious, he felt the warmth behind him and quickly fell asleep again. He was usually a light sleeper and always woke several times in the middle of the night. Sometimes, when he woke close to dawn, he couldn't get back to sleep, but this time he woke up very late.

The curtains completely blocked the view outside. His phone screen showed that it was nearly eight and that he had a message. Fu Yuhe was alone in bed. He sat up and turned to look at the signs that someone had slept beside him. Pressing his lips together, he raised a hand and touched his forehead. After a long moment, he tossed his phone aside.

The messages were still open.

06:27-

[Shen Yi: Good morning, bro. I'm leaving first. Looking forward to seeing you again.]

[Shen Yi: Oh, and while you were still asleep, I secretly kissed your forehead. I hope you won't be angry [heart].]

07:51-

[Fu Yuhe: We'll see each other again soon.]

Next time, he would kiss him back... That was what Shen Yi wanted, wasn't it?

Everything that had happened yesterday was like an absurd dream, vivid with color, a bright spot in his memory. Even the colors of the person in that dream were growing dazzling, little by little.