Fu Yanshi was taken aback.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected Shen Zhinan to bring this up today.
According to their initial agreement, if either of them called it quits, their relationship would end.
And it had been Fu Yanshi who first proposed this arrangement.
Still, Shen Zhinan’s sudden and seemingly out-of-nowhere suggestion to end things left Fu Yanshi unavoidably stunned.
Fu Yanshi looked at the omega across from him. Twenty years old truly an age where passions flare up and fade just as quickly, where whims and impulses ruled.
Fu Yanshi remained silent for a few seconds.
Over the course of their time together, the two of them had been incredibly compatible in bed.
Shen Zhinan’s thought process was uniquely quirky, often making Fu Yanshi chuckle despite himself.
Fu Yanshi had originally planned to spend a little more time with this interesting omega; he personally felt they got along quite well.
But now, it seemed the other had grown tired of him.
Fu Yanshi’s silence stretched on a bit too long. Shen Zhinan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and the words he had planned to say next stuck in his throat.
“Actually, I” Shen Zhinan hesitated, unable to finish.
“Fine.” Fu Yanshi calmly cut him off, his fingers on the table unconsciously curling tight. “I was the one who suggested it first if either party calls a stop, it ends. If you want to stop here, I accept.”
Although Fu Yanshi’s tone was even and his expression natural, Shen Zhinan couldn’t shake the feeling that Fu Yanshi was a little angry.
Shen Zhinan hurriedly finished what he had meant to say: “Actually, what I meant was, we could remove the ‘benefits’ from our ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement.”
Fu Yanshi: ?
“That would leave just the ‘friends’ part,” Shen Zhinan said earnestly. “We could be friends!”
Fu Yanshi:
Shen Zhinan had originally seen Fu Yanshi as nothing more than a human-shaped suppressant, a tool to vent his desires. It was supposed to be a fleeting affair once they were done having fun, they would each go their separate ways.
But as time passed, Shen Zhinan found he could no longer treat Fu Yanshi as just a casual fling or a convenient hookup.
If they continued like this, their relationship would inevitably break off.
And Shen Zhinan had a feeling that day would come sooner rather than later.
With Fu Yanshi’s status and looks, temptations were bound to surround him constantly. Around the next corner, he might meet someone better and cut ties with Shen Zhinan for good.
Shen Zhinan couldn’t bear the thought.
No one had ever treated him so well before surprising him on his birthday, carrying him down the mountain, carefully bandaging his wounds, considering his future, trusting him instinctively.
For Shen Zhinan, who had grown up lonely and isolated in his youth, such warmth was priceless.
So precious, in fact, that he could no longer face Fu Yanshi with a detached, “we’re bound to split-anyway” attitude.
He was deeply moved, and he wanted to maintain a more long-term, stable relationship with Fu Yanshi.
After all, didn’t they say friendship could last forever?
Shen Zhinan thought his proposal was a good one and tried to persuade Fu Yanshi: “Fu Yanshi, I really think you’re a great person. I truly want to be friends with you.”
“Don’t worry if we’re friends, I’ll be sincere with you and have your back no matter what!”
“Even though I’m just a nobody now, in the near future, I’ll make something of myself. Who knows we might even collaborate then!”
Shen Zhinan had never mustered the nerve to say such things to anyone before asking someone to be friends with him. These words were truly the first of their kind he had ever spoken.
As he spoke, his heart raced wildly. His gaze burned intensely as he stared at Fu Yanshi, fervently hoping the other would agree to his request.
Deep down, Shen Zhinan silently resolved to treat Fu Yanshi well from then on.
Fu Yanshi had always found Shen Zhinan’s thought process amusing, thinking this kid was quite interesting and often brought him surprises.
This heartfelt confession from Shen Zhinan once again caught Fu Yanshi off guard.
It seemed this person was always like that unpredictable.
Fu Yanshi gave Shen Zhinan a deep look, his expression no longer carrying his usual casual smile. He clasped his hands on the table and said seriously, “Shen Zhinan, people who have had a physical relationship can’t be friends.”
“I’ve enjoyed our time together these past few days.” Fu Yanshi took out his phone and sent Shen Zhinan a number. “This is my assistant Zhao Cheng’s contact. You’ve been with me” Fu Yanshi paused, realizing the phrasing wasn’t quite right. After a moment, he continued, “We’ve been together, after all. If you ever run into any trouble you can’t handle, contact Zhao Cheng. He’ll help you.”
Fu Yanshi knew Shen Zhinan was an orphan and that navigating society alone was too difficult.
Even though they were parting ways, Fu Yanshi still wished for this kid to have a good life.
Fu Yanshi stood up from his seat and buttoned his suit jacket.
Shen Zhinan’s gaze remained fixed on Fu Yanshi’s face, so he didn’t notice that Fu Yanshi had buttoned his jacket incorrectly.
Fu Yanshi lifted his eyes to meet Shen Zhinan’s gaze, reached out to ruffle his hair, and smiled. “You really do look good today.”
“I’m leaving.” Fu Yanshi turned away without hesitation, waving a hand. “Kid, let’s not see each other again.”
Watching Fu Yanshi’s retreating figure, Shen Zhinan felt as if a gaping hole had opened in his chest, and something was steadily slipping away.
Only then did he realize he seemed to have ruined everything.
That night, Shen Zhinan returned alone to his newly rented apartment. Tossing and turning for half the night, he couldn’t fall asleep.
Giving up on sleep, he leaned against the headboard, opened his laptop, and began typing code.
At first, the room was filled with the clatter of keyboard strokes, but soon the sound slowed and eventually faded away.
His mind was completely occupied by Fu Yanshi’s words: “Let’s not see each other again.”
Staring at his own reflection in the dimming screen of his laptop, Shen Zhinan let his thoughts wander.
Had he made Fu Yanshi angry?
It was just a gut feeling. In reality, Fu Yanshi had been smiling warmly until the very end.
Even the farewell had been perfectly polite.
Maybe Fu Yanshi wasn’t angry at all maybe he just didn’t care. Perhaps Shen Zhinan was overthinking it.
From now on, Fu Yanshi could find someone else ruffle their hair, celebrate their birthday, take them hiking, bandage their wounds.
And he could, of course, sleep with someone else too.
None of it had anything to do with Shen Zhinan.
Their relationship had started ambiguously, but it ended with absolute clarity.
How had things come to this?
Shen Zhinan felt that his words had come straight from the heart. In his imagination, Fu Yanshi should have smiled at him after hearing them, then nodded and agreed.
All he wanted was to spend a long, long time with Fu Yanshi.
Perhaps it was because Fu Yanshi always seemed so easygoing in front of him, as if he would agree to anything Shen Zhinan said, that gave him this illusion no matter how unreasonable his request, Fu Yanshi would say yes.
But that wasn’t the case.
It was only now that Shen Zhinan suddenly realized: Fu Yanshi’s kindness had its limits. Only if Shen Zhinan continued to be his casual partner would Fu Yanshi treat him with that doting, indulgent attitude reserved for a lover.
And even that might not be exclusive to him.
Did Fu Yanshi treat others this way too?
He recalled what Fu Yanshi had said at the very beginning: “I’ve taken a liking to you.”
That was actually an incomplete sentence.
The full version was: “I’ve taken a liking to your body.”
Had Fu Yanshi said this to many people? Had he been this kind to many others, only to bid them farewell later?
It must be so.
Fu Yanshi had the face of a charming, fickle-hearted man.
It had to be true.
Shen Zhinan was certain of it.
Then what about him? What did he count as?
A pastime? A source of amusement to kill time?
Fu Yanshi always smiled at him, but perhaps it wasn’t for the reasons Shen Zhinan had imagined. It wasn’t because he liked him it was just for fun.
Looking back now, it seemed he had indeed overestimated his own importance.
Shen Zhinan closed his laptop and lay back down on the bed. Placing a hand on his forehead, he wished he could shut down as easily as the computer.
Life remained busy for Shen Zhinan. He continued to uphold his title as the legendary king of part-time jobs.
He was different from others.
Whether in this world or his original one, he was different.
Others had parents to fall back on; even if they couldn’t make it after college, they could still go home and rely on their families. He had nothing he could only resort to gnawing on tree bark.
If he didn’t earn enough money, he might soon find himself enjoying the “luxury” of a bridge underpass bedroom.
Shen Zhinan didn’t understand why his heart, which had always been filled with thoughts of money, now felt like it had a hole in it. Every now and then, a cold draft would seep through, chilling him to the bone.
He told himself: Shen Zhinan, oh Shen Zhinan, you don’t have the luxury of idly lamenting the changing seasons. If you don’t focus on making money, you’ll never rise above your station. Do you plan to work odd jobs your whole life? Can’t you just keep your eyes on the prize?
Determined to prioritize money, Shen Zhinan threw himself even more fervently into taking on side jobs. That weekend, a gaming company was holding an anniversary event and needed people to cosplay characters from their game.
Shen Zhinan saw the job posting in a part-time work group. The pay was generous, but the requirements were high both in terms of height and appearance.
He signed up on a whim and went for the interview. The moment they saw him, they decided to hire him.
The job only lasted two days over the weekend, and the pay was five thousand yuan.
It was the highest hourly rate Shen Zhinan had ever gotten for a side job.
Originally, Shen Zhinan was assigned the role of the Elf Prince from the game. But then the girl cosplaying the Bunny Maid fell sick, and her role was left vacant. There wasn’t enough time to find a replacement.
Since there were two Elf Princes, the organizer approached them and asked if one would switch to the Bunny Maid role with an extra thousand yuan as incentive.
For an extra thousand yuan, even for something as embarrassing as this, Shen Zhinan immediately volunteered, declaring with enthusiasm that he absolutely loved wearing maid outfits.
On the day of the event, Shen Zhinan, with his striking looks, stood at the entrance dressed in a bunny maid outfit to greet the guests.
The maid dress was very short, barely covering his thighs. The black calf-high socks squeezed the fair, tender flesh of his thighs, causing a soft bulge above the sock line.
Shen Zhinan also wore a pair of bunny ears and a collar around his neck. The makeup artist had even applied some light makeup on him.
A soft pink blush was dusted not only on his cheeks but also across his collarbones, elbows, and knees.
While getting his makeup done, Shen Zhinan couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t this called ‘cheek’ blush?”
The makeup artist chuckled and replied, “You don’t get it this is called the ‘pure desire’ style.”
Huh?
Prison style?
Shen Zhinan thought to himself, no wonder they were adding a touch of color to his elbows and knees. If it’s “prison” style, a little red would definitely make it look more intense.
“Your eyelashes are already so nice no need for falsies. Just a bit of mascara to set them will do. Your natural lip color is lovely too, so just some lip balm is enough. Your skin is fair, though you do have some dark circles,” the makeup artist praised as she worked. “Honestly, you’re the easiest face I’ve ever had to work on.”
Shen Zhinan felt a bit embarrassed and sweetly replied, “Beautiful sis, please stop complimenting me.”
“If you ever think of me for similar events in the future, feel free to reach out.”
Makeup artists tend to have wide networks and plenty of resources from working various events. Though Shen Zhinan didn’t really expect her to remember him, he knew that making more connections never hurt.
The makeup artist was straightforward and agreed to recommend Shen Zhinan for suitable roles in the future.
Once the full look was complete, everyone in the makeup room was left speechless with amazement.
Shen Zhinan was already good-looking, but at school, he usually just rotated through a few shirts and never bothered with styling. After being professionally made up, he looked so stunning it was as if he had stepped right out of a video game.
While greeting guests, Shen Zhinan kept a standard smile plastered on his face, to the point where his cheeks began to ache.
Truly, no money is ever earned easily.
Passersby couldn’t help but let their eyes linger on him for several seconds. If gazes could turn physical, a chunk of fair flesh might have been carved right out of his thighs.
The event was about to officially begin when the final guest stepped out of a car. Shen Zhinan had been staring blankly at a spot on the ground until a pair of exquisitely crafted leather shoes entered his line of sight. He quickly lifted his head and flashed a bright smile. “Welcome ”
Mid-sentence, Shen Zhinan locked eyes with a pair of captivating peach-blossom eyes, and his smile froze on his face.