A few lines of elegant, sharp handwriting settled on the final page of the stark black and white contract.
Shi Jingyan looked down as he finished signing. He capped his pen with a click of his slender knuckles and pushed the stamped document toward the partner sitting across from him.
“It is a pleasure doing business with you, President Shi.”
Shi Jingyan nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. “The pleasure is mine.”
The previous negotiations at Yunding and Boxi Shopping Mall had been ruined by Yu Yanzhuo. Strictly speaking, it was not entirely his fault, as Shi Jingyan had sensed from the beginning that President Sun’s heart was not in the collaboration.
Regardless, the end result was the same. Shi Jingyan had rejected the superior opportunities Yu Yanzhuo offered. Fortunately, with his accumulated network and the brand’s solid reputation, a new partner had quickly come knocking.
This negotiation had gone smoothly, and the contract was signed on the spot. He could now begin preparing for the brand’s entry into the mall.
Work had been hectic lately, and Shi Jingyan had not found time for himself in a while. Since today’s business deal had concluded in the morning, he had the entire afternoon free. He decided to visit the fitness club, a place he had not stepped foot in for nearly a month.
The club was located in the heart of the business district, occupying an entire four to five story building.
The logo was understated; silver lettering hung at the fourth floor level. Every floor featured floor to ceiling windows made of one way glass, reflecting the sunlight into brilliant paths of light.
Shi Jingyan swiped his card and walked through the first floor lobby, which held only a few people, and took the elevator to the third floor.
As a high end fitness club serving only affluent clients, each floor featured a different training area. The strength and cardio zones were both on the third floor.
He changed into his usual knee length shorts and tight compression leggings, wrapping his lower body securely. Only the halves of his arms not covered by his short sleeves were exposed, his skin appearing exceptionally fair against the contrast of the black and gray fabric.
Since it was Friday and close to the weekend, the club was busier than usual. Shi Jingyan walked familiarly to his favorite area. He had just sat down at the equipment and was about to put on his headphones when a shadow caught his eye.
There was a strange sense of familiarity.
With that thought, Shi Jingyan glanced in that direction.
Surely it cannot be this coincidental?
Through the glass, Shi Jingyan stared at the red and black figure leaning against a half wall over there.
The man leaned against the wall, his shoulder blades resting loosely against the surface. His left leg was straight, bearing most of his weight, while his right knee was slightly bent with his toes grazing the floor. His well defined right hand held a phone, his thumb tapping slowly across the screen. He seemed to be replying to a message, yet appeared somewhat impatient.
After typing a few words, he apparently lost interest in continuing the conversation. He swiped up on the screen, tucked the phone into his pocket, and casually looked over.
Shi Jingyan’s gaze met those golden eyes.
He did not know what expression he was wearing, but he clearly saw the eyes of the man with the half tied wine red wolf cut instantly light up with a smile. The man naturally raised his hand and gave a familiar wave in greeting.
Shi Jingyan pursed his lips and took a sip from his water bottle, soothing a throat that had suddenly become dry.
Yu Yanzhuo was dressed differently today than usual.
He typically preferred form fitting clothes or outfits that exposed a lot of skin, unashamedly showing off his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
Today, he wore a tightly wrapped black base layer long sleeve shirt with striking red patterns embroidered on the sides. The zipper at the collar was pulled down slightly, revealing a small patch of skin that was dazzlingly white under the lights. His firm waistline transitioned seamlessly into long, straight legs.
Perhaps for the sake of exercise, the longer hair at the back of his neck was tied up, making him look even younger than usual.
Shi Jingyan felt he should have looked away long ago, but for some reason, his eyes remained fixed on the spot. As a result, the smile on Yu Yanzhuo’s face grew even more brilliant.
The man straightened up, intending to walk over.
“Brother Yan, where are you going?”
Huan Lian walked over from the other side. Seeing that Yu Yanzhuo seemed ready to move, he stood directly in front of him.
He had finally managed to convince Yu Yanzhuo to come with him today. The owner of this club was a friend of his and had insisted he come to experience it, even teasing him that his frame was too thin and that he would not be able to lift a girlfriend in the future.
Huan Lian had argued that he was merely “slender,” but he had been swayed nonetheless. To hide his awkwardness as a first timer, he had dragged Yu Yanzhuo along.
However, Yu Yanzhuo had been uninterested from the start. While Huan Lian followed his friend to try out the equipment, Yu Yanzhuo had just stood there playing with his phone. Now that Huan Lian was back, Yu Yanzhuo looked like he was about to make a run for it.
Huan Lian naturally could not let that happen.
Blocked by Huan Lian, Yu Yanzhuo glanced behind the glass door. Shi Jingyan had already looked away and turned toward the other side.
Yu Yanzhuo looked at Huan Lian. “Finished your trial?”
“Yeah. I feel like I should find a coach to try it out, though I probably will not come here often.”
As Huan Lian spoke, he rotated his wrist. Yu Yanzhuo suddenly flashed a smile. “That is easy. Just find someone to teach you temporarily.”
Just as Huan Lian was about to ask where they could find such a person on short notice, he saw that Yu Yanzhuo had already walked around him with a clear goal in mind. He headed straight for the angle Huan Lian had just glimpsed.
Huan Lian stood frozen, watching the red haired figure enter a private glass cubicle. The man placed a hand on the shoulder of a man inside and leaned in to say something.
Was Yu Yanzhuo trying to find a teacher, or was he trying to hook up?
Huan Lian was puzzled. To be honest, this was the first time he had seen Yu Yanzhuo take the initiative to initiate physical contact. Usually, it was other people who clung to him and refused to let go.
Yu Yanzhuo seemed to whisper something into the man’s ear. The man, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up and looked uncomfortable as he pushed Yu Yanzhuo’s hand away and walked toward them.
Did Yu Yanzhuo actually find someone?
Huan Lian was stunned.
When Shi Jingyan reached Huan Lian, Yu Yanzhuo followed unhurriedly and put his arm around Shi Jingyan’s shoulder again right in front of Huan Lian.
“This gentleman seems to come here often; he can teach you.”
Huan Lian’s gaze landed on the expressionless Shi Jingyan. He nodded and gave a polite greeting, though he felt suspicious.
Why does he look familiar? Have I seen him somewhere before?
Yet, Huan Lian was certain that his social circle did not include anyone who looked this excessively serious. Even in a gym, the man was wrapped up tightly, showing only a small, fair section of his forearms.
Shi Jingyan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Yu Yanzhuo’s hand on his shoulder would occasionally move in a way Huan Lian could not see, tracing circles on his skin and leaving a continuous, slight itch.
He had not intended to come over at all.
However, that wicked succubus had leaned into his ear and said with ease that if Shi Jingyan did not agree, he would take him to the restroom again.
Recalling the experience at Yunding, Shi Jingyan had nodded almost immediately. He walked over quickly as if trying to shake the man off.
But even then, there was no escape.
Shi Jingyan only treated fitness as a regular hobby and did not believe he was skilled enough to instruct others, especially with someone staring at him so intensely.
Shi Jingyan stood in front of Huan Lian, speaking in a low voice about the precautions for certain movements, but he could not ignore the gaze coming from behind him.
When he spoke to Huan Lian, the gaze rested on the side of his face. When he raised his hand to demonstrate a movement, the gaze fixed on his body.
Shi Jingyan could even feel that gaze sliding down his neck bit by bit, lingering on certain spots for a long time before moving elsewhere.
He is definitely doing this on purpose.
Yu Yanzhuo was, of course, doing it on purpose.
He had felt bored being dragged here, only becoming interested when he saw Shi Jingyan.
The man was still dressed in his usual tightly wrapped clothes. His normally calm expression had only shown a flash of surprise and momentary panic, emotions he only ever showed in front of Yu Yanzhuo, the moment their eyes met.
Yu Yanzhuo recalled the interesting, completely stunned expression the man had worn when he kissed him that day.
Pulling Shi Jingyan over just now had been the same. Watching him reluctantly obey under threat, enduring his unrestrained gaze while his body went stiff during the movements, was quite the sight.
As he watched, Yu Yanzhuo suddenly felt a surge of interest. He stopped standing still and stepped between the two men, interrupting Shi Jingyan.
“I have a question too.”
Both Huan Lian and Shi Jingyan looked at him instantly.
Yu Yanzhuo casually performed a movement and then pointed to his back. “When I practice, I always feel that the muscle sensation here is not quite right. Is my power placement wrong?”
Shi Jingyan recovered from his initial shock and lowered his voice. “When did you ever practice?”
The man had been standing there watching the entire time.
Yu Yanzhuo shrugged with an expression that said “don’t worry about it” and stared at Shi Jingyan with a beaming smile. “Help me feel it. Is there something wrong?”
Shi Jingyan choked on his words. Looking into Yu Yanzhuo’s beautiful, smiling eyes, his refusal got stuck in his throat. He involuntarily raised his hand and placed it on the spot Yu Yanzhuo indicated, only to pull it back sharply after two or three seconds.
“I think it is fine.”
He looked away as he spoke.
Yu Yanzhuo gave a knowing “oh.” Just as Shi Jingyan thought he was going to step aside, Yu Yanzhuo spoke again.
“Maybe you just did not feel it properly? You turn around, and I will feel yours.”
“…”
Shi Jingyan looked up at him sharply. Mindful of Huan Lian, the stranger standing nearby, he merely mouthed a sentence through gritted teeth.
“What are you doing?”
Yu Yanzhuo had long since grown tired of Shi Jingyan’s tiny protests. He gripped Shi Jingyan’s shoulder and forced him to turn around without allowing room for argument. “Hurry up.”
His voice was naturally pleasant, and the slightly cloying pronunciation made Shi Jingyan’s heart skip a beat. He did not even think to resist and stood there stiffly, allowing Yu Yanzhuo to manipulate him until he felt cool fingertips pressing through the thin fabric just below his shoulder blade.
“Here, does it feel a bit strange?”
Yu Yanzhuo’s voice sounded right in his ear. Although there was some distance, it felt as though the man were whispering directly into his ear, lightly teasing his nerves.
Shi Jingyan intended to pretend to be calm and deny it, but he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The spot where Yu Yanzhuo’s fingers touched did indeed feel strange.
It was burning.
It was sudden and extremely abrupt, and the heat even showed signs of rising and spreading.
What had Yu Yanzhuo done, right here in public, and right in front of his oblivious friend standing only inches away?