Bai Zhou felt utterly drained just thinking about it. After a day like today, he still had a mission to complete with Fu Licheng tomorrow.
The thought made him feel like his life was cruelly unfair. Who was it that had brought a system into his world, only to have him live every day as a grueling military trainee?
He sighed deeply, resigned to his fate, and began packing his backpack. Soon, Chi Shuyi would arrive to take him home to check the newly installed display cabinet.
Meanwhile, Fu Linyi, who woke each morning with a compulsive need to check if Bai Zhou had developed feelings for someone else, caught sight of Bai Zhou gathering his things. He jumped upright from the bed, alarmed.
“Zhouzhou, are you going out later? Do you want me to come with you?” He started to get up, clearly ready to change clothes.
“No, I’ll go home myself.”
“Oh, to Chi Shuyi’s place?” Fu Linyi corrected himself silently, frowning. “Why there again? Is something wrong?”
“Shuyi ge had promised to help me set up a display cabinet. It’s ready today, so I’m just going to check it out.”
“When will you be back? How about we watch a movie together tomorrow? It’s the weekend, after all,” Fu Linyi asked, hopeful.
Bai Zhou hesitated, feeling torn. “I already made plans with Fu Licheng tomorrow. I don’t think I can.”
Fu Linyi froze for a moment, simmering with frustration. He wanted to yell, to storm over to the two of them, and scream: “Leave Bai Zhou’s private life alone!” When had Bai Zhou secretly made these plans?
“Oh,” Fu Linyi muttered, clearly displeased. He tried to hide it, but before Bai Zhou left the room, he couldn’t resist asking, “Will you even be back?”
Bai Zhou thought for a moment. “I should be back by Sunday night.”
Fu Linyi turned toward the wall, lost in his own thoughts. Bai Zhou didn’t pay him any mind and shouldered his backpack, heading out.
Truthfully, Bai Zhou hadn’t been particularly excited about the display cabinet. It was just a casual agreement he had made with Chi Shuyi. If it hadn’t been for Chi Shuyi mentioning it, he might have forgotten about it entirely.
Yet when he returned home and saw the new display cabinet in his room, he froze.
The guest room in Chi Shuyi’s apartment was already spacious, filled with clothes that Chi Shuyi had bought for him. Many had never even been worn, yet now an entire row of display cabinets had been added to his closet, and somehow, it didn’t feel cramped at all.
What truly left Bai Zhou stunned wasn’t the size of the cabinets, but what filled them. Necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and leg rings, everything imaginable was there. An entire wall of jewelry stretched across half the room, the gold chains catching the light and glinting faintly.
Even then, Chi Shuyi seemed unsatisfied. A touch of regret softened his expression. “This apartment is still too small. When you’re on break, Zhouzhou, we should move to Yuheyuan.”
Yuheyuan was a renowned villa district in the city, home only to the wealthy and influential. Chi Shuyi had lived alone in a convenient downtown apartment for years. Now, just to house Bai Zhou’s jewelry collection, he complained about the apartment being too small.
“N-no… that won’t be necessary.”
Bai Zhou was still too stunned by the wall of gold to form coherent words.
Chi Shuyi shook his head, clearly unconvinced, and pulled a delicate anklet from the cabinet. The thin gold chain was set with small red gemstones, each link encrusted with countless tiny diamonds that glittered in the light.
“I noticed you liked gold jewelry, so I took the liberty of preparing these for you. I hope you like them.”
Bai Zhou’s eyes widened. “This… is way too much…”
Chi Shuyi lowered his gaze slightly, a hint of melancholy brushing his features.
Bai Zhou hurriedly corrected himself. “I… I like them, I really do.”
Out of sight, Chi Shuyi’s lips curved ever so slightly into a small smile before flattening again.
He lifted the anklet gently and said softly, “Let me put this on you.”
Bai Zhou wanted to refuse, but when he met those expectant eyes and considered the meticulously prepared jewelry wall, he found himself silent. He allowed Chi Shuyi to kneel before him, rolling up his pajama pants.
Chi Shuyi crouched in front of him, long, slender fingers brushing against Bai Zhou’s delicate ankle.
He felt the slight shiver that ran through him, the subtle tension in his muscles. Pretending to focus on fastening the anklet, Chi Shuyi’s cold fingers encircled Bai Zhou’s ankle firmly yet carefully.
The anklet fit snugly against Bai Zhou’s soft skin, the red gemstone resting delicately on his pinkish ankle, swaying slightly with each small movement. Chi Shuyi’s gaze darkened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he observed.
“It looks good,” he murmured, voice thick with restrained emotion. Even after fastening the anklet, he didn’t stand immediately. He remained crouched, looking up at the bewildered boy, offering the most genuine praise with his eyes.
Bai Zhou, usually unflappable, felt heat rise to his cheeks, forcing him to turn away.
Chi Shuyi slowly smoothed Bai Zhou’s pajama pants back into place before standing, his face composed once more.
The awkward feeling lingered until evening. Bai Zhou, holding his pajamas, went to take a shower, only to find that his room’s bathroom wasn’t just broken, it had gotten worse.
He vacillated between going without a shower, knowing he would stink tomorrow in front of Fu Linyi, or sneaking into Chi Shuyi’s bathroom. Eventually, unable to tolerate being unclean, he trudged slowly toward Chi Shuyi’s room, pajamas in hand.
Knocking twice on the door, it opened almost immediately.
“My bathroom…” Bai Zhou began.
Chi Shuyi’s eyes flickered with apology. “Sorry, I’ve been too busy recently and forgot to have someone fix it.”
He stepped aside to let Bai Zhou in. The boy, carrying pajamas identical to Chi Shuyi’s own, entered hesitantly.
“Click”
The door closed behind him.
Bai Zhou glanced back and saw Chi Shuyi smiling innocently at him. Relaxing slightly, he reminded himself, they were just chatting under the blanket. Nothing more.
He turned to head to the shower but was stopped.
“My anklet.”
Before Bai Zhou could react, Chi Shuyi knelt expertly, removing the anklet and placing it in his hand.
“Go ahead,” he said.
Bo Zhou was finally allowed into the bathroom. Chi Shuyi’s scent lingered in the air, a subtle woodsy fragrance intermingled with faint moisture. Within moments, the glass fogged over again.
Chi Shuyi remained seated at the edge of the bed, fingers lightly massaging the warm anklet he had just removed from Bo Zhou’s ankle, as if through this metal he could touch something else entirely.
Bai Zhou changed into his pajamas and pushed open the bathroom door. His fingertips left tiny wet prints on the door as he did so.
Chi Shuyi approached, and Bai Zhou hurriedly spoke before the man could say a word. “I’ll dry my hair back in my room.”
A hint of regret flashed in Chi Shuyi’s eyes, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he casually wiped the water droplets from Bai Zhou’s hair, murmuring softly, “I haven’t spoken to Aunt Zhao in a while.”
Bai Zhou looked at him, puzzled, but Chi Shuyi didn’t explain, offering instead a small smile before shifting the topic: “Where are you going with Mr. Fu tomorrow? Do you want me to give you a ride?”
Bai Zhou replied evasively: “He said it’s a secret. He’ll pick me up tomorrow.”
Chi Shuyi nodded, face neutral as ever, yet still considerate. “The forecast says it might rain tomorrow, so bring an umbrella.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t forget to dry your hair tonight. Get some rest. You’ve been exhausted these past few days.”
Bai Zhou nodded at each of Chi Shuyi’s reminders obediently.
Back in his room, he dried his hair while responding to Fu Licheng’s messages.
The next morning, Chi Shuyi had again prepared a lavish breakfast. After eating, he kindly watched Bo Zhou leave, calm and approachable, as though he didn’t even know what Bai Zhou had planned.
Outside the apartment, Fu Licheng was waiting. Today he looked slightly different, swapping his usual high-end suit for a soft white shirt.
His hair was neatly styled over his forehead, and he held a bouquet of flowers, giving off the innocent appearance of a schoolboy waiting for a date.
Fu Licheng noticed Bai Zhou and jogged over, a rare blush on his normally composed face. He pressed the flowers into Bai Zhou’s hands, ears tinged pink.
Bai Zhou accepted the bouquet, still mindful of the mission ahead. If he was going to be caught by the protagonist, it had to be in a believable way, with the protagonist present.
“Where are we going?” Bai Zhou asked.
He sent the location to Chi Shuyi in advance, so he could “catch them in the act.”
Fu Licheng didn’t answer immediately, opening the car door instead. “You’ll see when we get there.”
Bai Zhou entered the car, reasoning that no matter where they went, he wouldn’t be betrayed.
The car stopped in front of a quaint handmade ceramics shop, cozy and inviting.
Fu Licheng had done extensive research for today. Just Zhao Libin and Zheng Dong alone had offered more than twenty suggestions. He sifted through them carefully, selecting what they thought was the most original and least boring.
Yet Fu Licheng’s priorities were different. He wanted their first date to be genuine, happy, and natural. If Bai Zhou were to depend on him, to embrace him, he wanted it to be because Bai Zhou genuinely wanted to, not because of any forced circumstance or artificial thrill.
The pottery studio was chosen for a special reason: it was said that couples making crafts together created lasting memories.
Sunlight filtered through the street-side plane trees, scattering across the pavement as the two pushed open the glass door. The bell above jingled crisply, and a subtle earthy scent of clay lingered in the air.
Bai Zhou lowered his head and sent the location to Chi Shuyi.
The shop had been pre-booked, leaving only a few staff inside. Under their guidance, the two changed into aprons and sat at the pottery wheel.
Fu Licheng, stealing glances at Bai Zhou, had a sudden inspiration. “Zhouzhou, how about we make something for each other?”
This way, he’d receive a gift made by Bai Zhou’s own hands. Fu Licheng silently congratulated himself on his clever idea.
Bai Zhou, naturally, didn’t mind. His thoughts were elsewhere.
With Bai Zhou’s agreement, Fu Licheng was on cloud Nine. He already started imagining their second, third date. He even started deciding songs for their wedding event.
Have a seperate table for both Fu Linyi and Chi Shuyi. He even decided to force Fu Linyi to change his way of calling Bai Zhou to “Brother in law” at their wedding so that his stupid brother give up any thoughts about Bai Zhou.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A wild Ko-fi button has appeared! ✦
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Green Tea Bun (1)Chapter 2 · Green Tea Bun (2)Chapter 3 · Green Tea Bun (3)Chapter 4 · Green Tea Bun (4)Chapter 5 · Green Tea Bun (5)Chapter 6 · Green Tea Bun (6)Chapter 7 · Green Tea Bun (7)Chapter 8 · Green Tea Bun (8)Chapter 9 · Green Tea Bun (9)Chapter 10 · Green Tea Bun (10)Chapter 11 · Green Tea Bun (11)Chapter 12 · Green Tea Bun (12)Chapter 13 · Green Tea Bun (13)Chapter 14 · Green Tea Bun (14)Chapter 15 · Green Tea Bun (15)Chapter 16 · Green Tea Bun (16)Chapter 17 · Green Tea Bun (17)Chapter 18 · Green Tea Bun (18)Chapter 19 · Green Tea Bun (19)Chapter 20 · Green Tea Bun (20)Chapter 21 · Green Tea Bun (21)Chapter 22 · Green Tea Bun (22)Chapter 23 · Green Tea Bun (23)Chapter 24 Part 1 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 24 Part 2 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 25 · Green Tea Bun (25)Chapter 26 · Green Tea Bun (26)Chapter 27 · Green Tea Bun (27)Chapter 28 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (1)Chapter 29 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (2)Chapter 30 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (3)Chapter 32 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (5)Chapter 33 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (6)Chapter 34 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (7)Chapter 35 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (8)Chapter 36 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (9)Chapter 37 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (10)Chapter 38 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (11)Chapter 39 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (12)Chapter 40 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (13)Chapter 41 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (14)Chapter 42 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (15)Chapter 43 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (16)Chapter 44 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (17)Chapter 45 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (18)Chapter 46 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (19)Chapter 47 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (20)Chapter 48 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (21)Chapter 49 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (22)Chapter 50 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (23)Chapter 51 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (24)Chapter 52 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (25)Chapter 53 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (26)Chapter 54 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (1)Chapter 55 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (2)Chapter 56 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (3)Chapter 57 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (4)Chapter 58 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (5)Chapter 59 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (6)Chapter 60 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (7)Chapter 61 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (8)Chapter 62 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (9)Chapter 63 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (10)Chapter 64 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (11)Chapter 65 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (12)Chapter 66 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (13)Chapter 67 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (14)Chapter 68 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (15)Chapter 69 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (16)Chapter 70 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (17)Chapter 71 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (18)Chapter 72 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (19)Chapter 73 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (20)Chapter 74 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (21)Chapter 75 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (22)Chapter 76 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (23)Chapter 77 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (24)Chapter 78 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (25)Chapter 79 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (26)Chapter 80 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (27)Chapter 81 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (28)Chapter 82 · Apocalyptic Lord (1)Chapter 83 · Apocalyptic Lord (2)Chapter 84 · Apocalyptic Lord (3)Chapter 85 · Apocalyptic Lord (4)Chapter 86 · Apocalyptic Lord (5)Chapter 87 · Apocalyptic Lord (6)Chapter 88 · Apocalyptic Lord (7)Chapter 89 · Apocalyptic Lord (8)Chapter 90 · Apocalyptic Lord (9)Chapter 91 · Apocalyptic Lord (10)Chapter 92 · Apocalyptic Lord (11)Chapter 93 · Apocalyptic Lord (12)Chapter 94 · Apocalyptic Lord (13)Chapter 96 · Apocalyptic Lord (15)Chapter 97 · Apocalyptic Lord (16)Chapter 98 · Apocalyptic Lord (17)Chapter 99 · Apocalyptic Lord (18)Chapter 100 · Apocalyptic Lord (19)Chapter 101 · Apocalyptic Lord (20)Chapter 102 · Apocalyptic Lord (21)Chapter 103 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 104 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 105 · Apocalyptic Lord (24)Chapter 106 · The Real World (1)Chapter 107 · The Real World (2)Chapter 108 · Extra 1