Chapter 44

The relationship between them had grown ambiguous, its boundaries blurred. Like a tangled ball of thread, it was a mess of countless knots that could not be undone, throwing their paths into disarray.

The chance to see each other again came quickly.

The following evening, Fu Yuhe knocked on Fu Cheng's door. Sure enough, he found Shen Yi curled up on the sofa in Fu Cheng's room. Shen Yi smiled, raised a hand in greeting, and affectionately called him "ge."

Shen Yi had always been that familiar with people, and Fu Cheng saw nothing amiss.

Fu Yuhe gave a cool nod, as if nothing untoward had happened between them. He looked away, gave Fu Cheng the desserts he had brought back, and went to the study.

He was waiting for a rabbit to come to him.

Before long, someone knocked on the study door.

Fu Yuhe opened it to find the little rabbit he had been waiting for standing outside.

Shen Yi wore a fitted cream-colored sweater and held a glass of warm water. The moment the door opened, before Fu Yuhe could speak, Shen Yi cupped the back of his head and brushed a light kiss over his lips.

His lips and mouth carried the delicate sweetness of the dessert Fu Yuhe had brought back.

A treat had come right to his door. It would be a waste not to eat it.

Shen Yi's warm palm rested against the back of Fu Yuhe's neck. Fu Yuhe wrapped an arm around Shen Yi's waist and deepened the kiss.

After a while, they parted, their uneven breaths mingling.

Shen Yi licked his lips, a smile playing at their corners. He leaned close to Fu Yuhe's ear and said, "The dessert was delicious. Thanks, ge."

"You liked it?" Fu Yuhe rubbed the corner of Shen Yi's mouth with his thumb.

Shen Yi said, "I liked it."

Fu Yuhe knew perfectly well that he meant he liked the little dessert, but the moment he heard those words, his heart gave an involuntary tremor, and he wanted Shen Yi to say more, sweeter things.

"If you like it, have some more." Fu Yuhe pressed his lips, his low, husky voice full of meaning. "Tell me what you like, and I'll bring it for you next time."

His words had already arranged their "next" meeting.

"Wouldn't it be a lot of trouble to keep bringing me things?" Shen Yi's clear voice held a faint smile. "Shouldn't I repay you properly, then?"

Fu Yuhe had shed the indifferent manner he wore in front of Fu Cheng. His arm around Shen Yi was as tight as a shackle from which there was no escape. He closed the study door, pressed Shen Yi against it and kissed him, answering in a hoarse voice, "Of course." Of course Shen Yi had to reward him properly.

After all, he was not the sort of person who ran errands for others.

Shen Yi kissed him back enthusiastically, his every movement saying how much he liked this kind of contact.

"Don't leave a mark," Shen Yi murmured on a warm breath as Fu Yuhe moved to bite his lip. "If Fu Cheng sees it later, I'll have a hard time explaining."

Fu Yuhe gave his lip a light bite. "Aren't you good with words?"

"Mm..." Shen Yi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll say a dog bit me?"

For an instant, Fu Yuhe had the urge to strangle him.

He was both annoyed and amused. "What do you think? Hmm? Who are you calling a dog?"

Shen Yi touched his earlobe soothingly. It was as if a series of faint electric currents ran down Fu Yuhe's back, all the way to his waist, and his breath caught.

"I was wrong." As Fu Yuhe was about to speak again, Shen Yi decisively stopped his mouth with a kiss.

He was wrong, but he would dare to do it again.

Fu Yuhe did not learn the meaning beneath those words, nor did he probe further.

When Shen Yi came out of the study again, his lips were a shade darker, and there was a tiny tooth mark at the moist corner of his mouth. His cream-colored sweater looked as though it had been roughly manhandled. He carefully smoothed out the wrinkles, an air of satisfaction about him, and leisurely carried the warm water back to Fu Cheng's room.

Chapter 21: Hint

"That took forever." Fu Cheng lay sprawled over the desk and turned his head.

Shen Yi set the glass down beside Fu Cheng's hand. "Your room's too stuffy. Are you timing me just for stepping out to get some air?"

Fu Cheng sat up, picked up the glass and took a sip. He looked at Shen Yi suspiciously, sensing that he was a little different from when he had gone out. "Did you go outside in the cold?"

Shen Yi sat down to one side, one leg propped on the stool and the other braced against the floor, rocking the stool back and forth on its back legs. "Why do you ask?"

Fu Cheng pointed to his own ear. "Your ears are red from the cold."

"Are they?" Shen Yi touched his warm earlobe. It was not red from the cold, but from the heat.

He said, "It is a little cold outside. We'll need to wear more tomorrow."

"Mm, we should dress warmer." Fu Cheng nodded in agreement.

"Fu Cheng..." Shen Yi seemed to want to say something.

Fu Cheng gave a puzzled "Hm?" Shen Yi smiled again and said, "It's nothing."

Shen Yi thought that his relationship with Fu Yuhe could probably be summed up in two words for now: a secret affair. They were carrying on behind Fu Cheng's back, with no proper standing, but it was exciting.

The weather grew cold as winter set in, and the boys' enthusiasm for basketball waned considerably. Shen Yi had fewer things to do for fun, but he was good at finding ways to entertain himself and never felt bored.

In December, the day before Christmas was Christmas Eve. Apples sold well at the school's little supermarket, and the small boxes for wrapping them, along with Christmas-themed cards, were popular with the students too.

Shen Yi and Fu Cheng went out for lunch that day, and when they returned, several apple boxes had appeared in Shen Yi's desk drawer, with little cards attached.

"Wow!" Fu Cheng exclaimed in feigned amazement beside him.

Shen Yi shoved an apple into his hand. "Here, have one. I bought it."

Fu Cheng said, "Hush money?"

Shen Yi laughed. "That's right. Keep your mouth shut."

"This is a bribe." Fu Cheng took a bite of the apple.

As far as Fu Cheng was concerned, it was only natural that Shen Yi was popular. He was good-looking, often played basketball where people could see him, and had a great personality. For a while before this, girls in the lower grades had often asked Fu Cheng to deliver love letters to him.