Page 7

He looked up toward the door and frowned when he saw Shen Yi.

The young man's lips were red after his shower. Beads of water he hadn't dried trickled down his neck, across his collarbones, and disappeared beneath his waistband. Because he exercised often, he had a good physique, with well-defined muscles. Covered in a thin sheen of moisture, he gave off an air that was both youthful and mature.

He was like an alluring fruit hanging from a branch, nearly ripe, making one yearn for it day and night. One's gaze lingered on him without realizing it.

Fu Yuhe's frown deepened, and he made almost no effort to hide it.

Who was he trying to seduce, going without a shirt?

His gaze froze, then darkened.

"Brother Fu?" Shen Yi looked momentarily taken aback. "Where's Fu Cheng?"

Fu Yuhe concealed his expression and set the book in his hand aside. "Taking a shower."

"Oh." Shen Yi remained standing in the doorway.

Fu Yuhe said, "Put a shirt on."

"I'll put one on when Fu Cheng comes back." Shen Yi finished, then smiled carefreely. "It's okay, Brother Fu. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not cold."

He seemed completely oblivious to what Fu Yuhe had really meant, taking it instead as concern for him.

Fu Yuhe said, "..."

"Are you going to talk to me dressed like that?" Fu Yuhe straightened up. Even in his casual loungewear, his upright posture could make others feel pressured.

Shen Yi looked down at himself. "Fu Cheng hasn't come out yet. I can't just rummage through his things."

Fu Yuhe wasn't in the habit of going through his younger brother's things either. He paused for a moment. "Come with me. I have something to say to you."

As he walked past Shen Yi, Shen Yi caught the faint scent of his cologne and followed him.

Fu Yuhe's room had a completely different style from Fu Cheng's. Fu Cheng liked to leave his things in a mess, while Fu Yuhe was impeccably tidy.

The heavy curtains were half drawn, the bedding lay flat on the bed, and small ornaments sat on the cabinet. Shen Yi's attention was drawn to a little figure rocking back and forth inside it. As he watched, Fu Yuhe's voice came from behind him.

"Put this on."

He turned around just as a piece of clothing flew at him and covered his head. He pulled it off and saw that it was a black T-shirt, very much in keeping with Fu Yuhe's aloof style.

He didn't stand on ceremony and pulled it straight on. It fit him perfectly and still carried a fragrance.

Particular.

"As far as I know, you used to be close with Xu and the others." Fu Yuhe pulled over a stool and sat down.

Shen Yi understood most of it as soon as he heard that. Fu Yuhe had probably already looked into nearly everything about him.

When had he started? Given how Fu Yuhe did things, he must have begun investigating him after their last meeting.

"Brother Fu, people have to spend time together before they know whether they get along," Shen Yi said. "Xu Fanchao and the others aren't my kind of company."

Fu Yuhe watched him quietly.

Shen Yi said, "You don't believe me?"

After a long silence, Fu Yuhe asked, "Are you gay?"

Shen Yi said, "...Huh?"

What had he just said?

Fu Yuhe impatiently repeated the question.

Shen Yi looked surprised. "I'm not. Brother, what makes you think that?"

"You're not?" Fu Yuhe's lips curved, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes. "I heard you transferred schools because you got into a fight. Why were you fighting?"

"Young people are easily carried away," Shen Yi said.

Fu Yuhe said, "Oh? Carried away."

Everything about Shen Yi's past showed that he and Fu Cheng weren't the same kind of person.

According to the information he'd obtained, Shen Yi had fought over a male classmate and transferred schools as a result, and that male classmate... was a bit of a problem. To put it plainly, the fight had been caused by adolescent boys competing for someone's affection.

The person they had been competing for was a man.

He touched the cigarette pack on the desk and tapped it against the surface, leaving it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Shen Yi said, "Brother Fu, investigating me like this, aren't you afraid Fu Cheng will be upset if he finds out?"

Fu Yuhe said, "He won't find out."

"If I get upset, I'll tell him," Shen Yi said.

His tone was calm, as though he were simply stating a fact, with no hint of a threat.

The young man wore his black T-shirt and looked straight at him with clear eyes, saying things he didn't much like to hear in a clear voice. Yet he didn't feel the slightest bit of anger.

Fu Yuhe gave a snort of laughter.

Fu Cheng's new friend was rather interesting.

"Do you want to put him in a difficult position?" Shen Yi asked.

Fu Yuhe didn't beat around the bush. "Why did you deliberately get close to Fu Cheng?"

Shen Yi looked at him in surprise. "Brother, you don't think I like Fu Cheng, do you? He and I are just friends."

His expression didn't look fake; he seemed genuine and sincere.

But in Fu Yuhe's eyes, everything about him was suspicious.

Just the fact that Shen Yi had arrived at the restroom in the nick of time that day, as Fu Cheng had told him, was unusual. Why had he arrived just then, and why did he happen to have been on such good terms with Xu Fanchao before that?

"You'd better live up to the word 'friend,'" Fu Yuhe said. "If you dare play with Fu Cheng's feelings, I won't let you off."

He spoke lightly, but the meaning behind his words was anything but.

"Play with his feelings? How could I? Fu Cheng is such a good person. Of course I'll treat him well." Shen Yi's smile was guileless, naturally bright.

He wasn't lying.

If he hadn't liked Fu Cheng's personality, he wouldn't have chosen to become closer friends with him after their initial interactions.

After all, there was more than one way to complete the task.