Chen Zhiyan raised his hand and rested it on Jiang Yu’s side. His fingertips caught the edge of the shirt and began pushing it upward. When his skin suddenly met the cool surrounding air, Jiang Yu shuddered. He arched his waist forward, an action that looked like an impatient attempt to throw himself into Chen Zhiyan’s arms, causing Chen Zhiyan’s fingertips to brush lightly against him.
“I knew you wanted to pick a fight with me,” Jiang Yu snapped, swatting the hand away. “You are full of bad intentions.”
“If I do not lift your shirt, how am I supposed to put on the heart rate monitor?” Chen Zhiyan let out a dry, mocking chuckle. “Besides, which fight did you not initiate yourself?”
Jiang Yu remained righteous. “Every single one!”
“It is just a heart rate monitor, right? I will just take the shirt off so you can put it on.” He grabbed his collar, pulled the shirt over his head, and tossed it onto Chen Zhiyan’s shoulder.
The skin of his upper body was as pale as fresh snow, and the light streaming through the window cast a frosty glow over him. With a hint of pink at his chest, slightly messy hair, and a silver star pendant dangling in the hollow of his collarbones, he looked almost well-behaved. However, the moment he remembered Chen Zhiyan calling him scrawny, he felt like he was going to explode with anger.
“I have realized you are actually blind,” Jiang Yu said crossly, pointing at his tensed stomach. “Do you see that? Four-pack abs.”
“Yes.”
“Do you see them or not!”
“I see them.”
“Am I scrawny?”
“No.”
Satisfied, Jiang Yu extended his arms. “Go ahead.”
Chen Zhiyan dampened the electrode pads of the heart rate monitor with water. He stepped forward, standing between Jiang Yu’s knees, and reached around him to secure the strap against his back about three centimeters below his heart. He kept his eyes lowered as he worked, careful not to hurt him; otherwise, the boy would surely stand before him again, shouting and waving his arms.
Jiang Yu let out a soft huff and bumped his head against Chen Zhiyan’s cheek. Resting his hands on the other man’s shoulders, he complained, “Are you doing this for revenge? It is too tight.”
“If it is loose, it will fall off easily.”
“It is suffocating me,” Jiang Yu said. “I cannot breathe. If I collapse while running later, I will lock you in your room and serve you with a whip when we get home.”
“Who is serving whom?” Chen Zhiyan replied, loosening the strap slightly.
“Me, of course.”
“You cannot beat me. You would not dare.”
“You have a big mouth. Did you grow up eating garlic?”
As Chen Zhiyan withdrew his hands, he gave Jiang Yu a light swat. “Then you must have grown up as a vegetarian. You have no meat on your bones; you are as thin as a monkey.”
Jiang Yu punched Chen Zhiyan’s shoulder. He sneered, saying he could be merciful enough to buy Chen Zhiyan two tank tops; otherwise, when Chen Zhiyan walked around with his chest out, he looked like a gorilla.
Chen Zhiyan: “…”
Jiang Yu stood up and took a few steps before turning back. “Loosen it more.”
“It will fall.”
“It will not hit the ground. My butt is perky enough to catch it. Wait, fuck, what did I just say?”
Chen Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. He looked Jiang Yu up and down, his gaze lingering on a certain spot. Acting as if he had not noticed Jiang Yu’s embarrassment, he kindly reminded him, “You said your butt is perky.”
He even added a critique: “It is indeed quite perky.”
Jiang Yu’s fist clenched. “Get lost.”
“I never tell lies.”
“Get far away from me.”
Chen Zhiyan nodded and walked toward the door. Jiang Yu’s shirt was still draped over his shoulder, and he had no intention of returning it. Jiang Yu suddenly realized he was shirtless, snatched the shirt back, and put it on quickly to avoid exposing his chest to the sun all the way to the field.
The Sports Field
Jiang Yu was warming up. He specialized in the high jump, as it was the least competitive event.
Chen Zhiyan went to check the crossbar and the landing mats. Before the jump, he put the watch synced to the heart rate monitor on Jiang Yu’s wrist, followed by elbow and knee pads. As always, he reminded him, “Be careful. Do not be careless.”
Jiang Yu was as impatient as ever. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“If you break a bone, you will not be able to eat oily or salty foods. You will not be able to smoke or drink, let alone run around. If the weather is too hot, you will have to use a wheelchair, and then you will get bedsores that rot and grow maggots.”
“Get out! Stop cursing me!”
The experiment began. Jiang Yu trained as usual while Chen Zhiyan stood to the side with a crossbody bag, recording data. The sun was brutal, and sweat poured off Jiang Yu as if it were free. He even disgusted himself with the smell. During a break, he ran toward Chen Zhiyan, intending to bury his face in the man’s clothes to rub off the sweat. Even if he could not catch Chen Zhiyan’s scent, he wanted to share his own stink.
However, Chen Zhiyan had predicted this. He threw a towel over Jiang Yu’s head and handed him a water bottle.
Jiang Yu sat on a flower bed. One bottle was not enough to quench his thirst. Fortunately, Chen Zhiyan was perceptive and returned with three more bottles of mineral water.
“Thinking about having to jump for another two years makes me want to die.”
“Do not talk nonsense.”
“Truly. The sun is about to melt me. That damn principal embezzled so much money; why could he not build an indoor stadium?”
Chen Zhiyan did not answer. Instead, he began spraying sunscreen on Jiang Yu’s legs.
[I am seriously convinced. How can they be rivals with such a loving scene? The Little Overlord eats so well every day yet talks nonsense outside. He owes us an apology.]
[Before training, the School Grass took the Little Overlord to the restroom for a long time. What were they doing in there?]
[They were probably putting on the heart rate monitor. Later, Chen Zhiyan even put the matching watch on him.]
[The question is, why did he insist on taking Jiang Yu to the restroom to put it on?]
[He did not necessarily insist.]
[He definitely did. Did you see Jiang lift his shirt and then Chen pull it back down?]
[I saw it, but why?]
[Possessiveness, obviously! Chen did not want anyone else seeing Jiang’s body. Tsk tsk, these wicked little lovers are driving me crazy.]
The Chen Residence
Chu Qingzi and Mu Chuxia were sitting on the sofa while a nail technician applied press-on nails for them. As soon as Jiang Yu entered, he called out with a smile, “Mom, Godmom.”
“You are back? Are you hungry? I will have Old Zhao make you some fried rice,” Mu Chuxia said, giving the order immediately.
“Thanks, Godmom.”
“No need for thanks. Did you train again today, Xiao Bao? Why are you so sweaty?”
“Yeah, I am exhausted. I am going upstairs to take a bath first.”
“Alright.”
Chu Qingzi thought of something and craned her neck to ask, “Are you coming home tonight?”
“No.”
“How many days has it been? You cannot keep sleeping at your Godmom’s house.”
“It is fine. I like Xiao Bao; I wish he would come every day,” Mu Chuxia said. “You are all eating here tonight.”
Jiang Yu immediately acted like a spoiled child. “Did you hear that? Godmom said she likes me!”
He jogged a few steps to catch up with Chen Zhiyan, acting smug and showy. “Your mom likes me.”
“Madam Mu is lying to you.”
On the second floor, as soon as Chen Zhiyan opened his door, he saw an extra bed inside, placed right next to his own.