This position truly left him unable to move at all. Jiang Zao didn’t even dare to struggle; he could only protest weakly with his mouth. “I am not pulling anymore, Zhou Yuchi! It hurts! It really hurts!”
But Zhou Yuchi did not fall for such tricks. His indifference reached an extreme level as he lifted Jiang Zao’s body a little higher and said in a calm voice, “Hold for another ten seconds.”
“I cannot! I really cannot hold it anymore!”
“Only five seconds left.”
Jiang Zao felt so embarrassed he wished he could disappear. “You are seriously unbelievable! Lunatic! Let me go, Zhou Yuchi!”
When the ten seconds were finally over, Zhou Yuchi released him. Jiang Zao collapsed back onto the pillow.
He gasped heavily for breath, his cheek pressed sideways against the pillow as he glared at Zhou Yuchi with pure resentment. Somehow, he felt even more exhausted now than before the so called relaxing stretch.
“Tell me the truth, you totally did that on purpose.” Jiang Zao mumbled while sprawled across the bed, his voice weak and out of strength.
“How could I?” Zhou Yuchi let out a small laugh. “You will thank me tomorrow.”
Jiang Zao gave a faint hum of displeasure, burying his face into the pillow as he decided he did not want to move at all for the moment.
Zhou Yuchi found the way he was lying there strangely cute. His hips were round and lifted in a soft curve, and the back of his hair had become adorably messy. A part of him even wanted to grab his phone and secretly take a picture for his own private appreciation.
His sweatpants looked good on him too, but honestly, that set he wore during the physical fitness test earlier, the one with the loose wide opening, suited him even better. It had a kind of indescribable feeling to it.
But if he did anything else shameless right now, the person on the bed would probably stay angry for half the day. So Zhou Yuchi packed up the things he had used and asked in a tone used to soothe a child, “Do you want some water?”
“Yes.” Jiang Zao didn’t bother being polite. He immediately added, “And I want an apple.”
Zhou Yuchi accepted the request without complaint and went to the kitchen. He poured a cup of water, picked an apple, peeled it, and cut it into neat pieces.
While he was gone, Jiang Zao lay there trying to straighten out his thoughts. He told himself again and again that this was nothing more than a completely normal, totally practical post workout stretch and massage.
He should not overthink it. He should not care about it. A straight man simply did not understand boundaries, and as a gay man, he could not afford to act overly sensitive either.
Besides, Zhou Yuchi was an infuriating menace who took pleasure in tormenting him and teasing him at every opportunity. He absolutely could not fall into a straight man’s trap.
After all these years, the fact that he had not beaten Zhou Yuchi to death yet was already a display of great mercy. Well, he could not beat him anyway, but the thought counted.
Just as he closed his eyes, he suddenly heard a vibration coming from the table. It was Zhou Yuchi’s phone. He pushed himself up and called toward the other room, “Zhou Yuchi, your phone!”
Zhou Yuchi’s voice came from the dining room. “Help me answer it.”
Jiang Zao was stunned.
“What?”
Was this man insane? Asking him to answer his phone in the middle of the night sounded way too suggestive.
“Go answer it yourself.” Jiang Zao walked to the dining room, took the plate of sliced apples that Zhou Yuchi had prepared, and bit into a piece while chewing casually.
Then, carrying the plate, he turned and headed back toward the bedroom.
Zhou Yuchi called after him, “You are not leaving even one piece for me?”
“Nope, not a single one.” Jiang Zao stuck out his tongue in a childish taunt and walked away triumphantly.
Zhou Yuchi could only sigh helplessly. He poured himself a glass of water, then went to the living room to pick up the phone on the coffee table.
The call had already ended. It was from Qian Shiyan, who was probably asking him to go out and play again. Zhou Yuchi ignored it.
Just then, a new notification lit up on the screen. A message from Weibo appeared. He lowered his eyes, glanced at it, then tapped it open.
“Hello Teacher Lu Yan! May I ask if you would be interested in joining the planning and writing team of our company?”
The sender was an account named Honey Bunny Master Toy Company.
The next morning.
Jiang Zao was awakened by the alarm he used for work. When he reached for his phone, he saw that Bai Yunfan had already bombarded him with a series of frantic messages.
[I am dying, Zao! It hurts everywhere! Everywhere! I swear this is the punishment for not exercising regularly! Every inch of my body is screaming!]
[How are you doing? Do you want to go get a massage with me after work?]
The moment he saw the word massage, memories from last night surged back into Jiang Zao’s mind like a flood.
If he had to summarize it, then that annoying dog had spent the whole time running his hands all over him with reckless enthusiasm.
He rubbed his forehead. But when he moved his body slightly, he was surprised to realize he did not feel any soreness at all.
Normally, he would be unable to even get out of bed the next day. But somehow, it truly worked.
So yes, it was just a simple post exercise stretch between two men. Nothing more. No overthinking. No over interpreting.
[I am fine. I think I will skip today. Work might be Busy] he replied to Bai Yunfan.
After sending the message, Jiang Zao got dressed, washed up, and opened his bedroom door. To his surprise, Zhou Yuchi was still asleep.
Such a rare sight.
Jiang Zao had absolutely no intention of waking him. He simply left quietly, took the subway to the company, and clocked in for work.
“Good morning, my little boss.” Cheng Jiamin’s bright and energetic greeting marked the start of another lively day.
“Good morning, Sister Minmin.” Jiang Zao replied politely.
“I have several extremely gorgeous design drafts that just came out today. I will show them to you later.” Cheng Jiamin said with excitement.
Jiang Zao nodded. On the other side, Qi Yiran walked over quickly.
“Boss, the sample for the gymnastics outfit has already come out of the factory. Let me take you to have a look.”
“Oh, alright, alright.” Jiang Zao put down his bag and followed Qi Yiran to the display room.
Right in the center stood a life sized human model dressed in the new gymnastics outfit. Their company had all their mannequins specially colored by illustrators, giving them a lifelike vibrancy, as if they had warmth and breath.
They looked very real and very much like something one would want to squeeze affectionately.
Today the mannequin was wearing the newest set of underwear styled sportswear. The visual impact was even stronger in person. The fabric was more translucent than he had expected, but not the cheap and overly revealing kind.
It held a sense of alluring temptation, a seductive boldness that drew the eye without being vulgar.
The two sides had semi transparent openings that were pulled apart stylishly, and the real straps could be tugged in one motion to remove the entire piece. It was genuinely playful in design. The shorts were unbelievably short.
“This looks very good.” Jiang Zao commented. “It looks so much better in person than I imagined.”
“Right, right.” Qi Yiran nodded enthusiastically. “So boss, do you have any ideas yet?”
“Ideas?” Jiang Zao turned to him.
“Yes. The copywriting for this outfit has not passed review. Jiamin said you were trying to come up with something.”
Oh no, he had forgotten about that completely.
“Actually, our company has been trying to reach a certain writer lately. I am not sure if you know them.” Qi Yiran unlocked his tablet and opened Weibo. He scrolled to an account. “This one, someone called Madam Lu Yan.”
Jiang Zao took the tablet and looked at it.
Lu Yan.
It seemed to be an author who wrote short pieces on Weibo, the kind with powerful and suggestive lines that carried an intense sensuality without crossing into explicit content. Every sentence was full of temptation, every paragraph overflowing with a heated intensity.
“She is amazing, my goodness.” Jiang Zao marvelled. “Her writing is beautiful. How does this even make it through review?”
“Exactly, she is incredible.” Qi Yiran said. “She has been gaining popularity. If she joins our copywriting team, it would be a great promotional push.”
Jiang Zao read a few more pieces. They were short and sharp, every word precise and irresistible. Truly master level work. “And this perspective is from the top? Really?”
“You noticed, right. It matches our brand very well. For intimate themed clothing, this point of view is unexpectedly perfect. The writing feels so well crafted.” Qi Yiran was excited.
“But at the moment, we are still in contact with her. She has not replied yet, so she likely will not make it for this presale round. Others on the team have not joined either, so we will have to trouble you to try writing for now.”
“It is alright. I will try.” Jiang Zao agreed. “Meanwhile, the company can keep trying to contact her.”
Back at his workstation, the outfit was moved into his office so he could find inspiration at any time. The mannequin stood right in front of him.
Jiang Zao stared at the outfit, letting his mind wander freely. With all the novels he had read and his naturally imaginative brain, he began to construct a possible scenario.
Perhaps someone who was not very good at sports came home after wearing this outfit for exercise. Afraid their body would ache all over, they booked a massage. The masseur used the excuse of massage to explore the person’s body without restraint. Warm and slippery essential oil covered every inch of skin, making the pale body shine under the lights. Sensitive places were touched again and again.
The outfit was perfect for that kind of scene, something that blurred the line between massage and intimacy. He could already picture the oil, the warmth, the tension… something that crossed from simple relaxation into something deeply charged.
Jiang Zao blinked suddenly.
Wait. Why did this scenario feel strangely familiar?
Why was he thinking about Zhou Yuchi?
At the thought of that warm grip on his waist and the large hand sliding up his thigh, he almost jolted out of his chair. He shook his head violently.
No, no, no, these two things were completely different.
Work. Focus on work.
He straightened himself, took a deep breath, and began typing with renewed seriousness.
Warm and breathless touches.
Heat rising steadily, waves of sensation crashing up and down his back. The boy lying face down on the bed tightened the lines of his neck in tension. His shoulders stiffened slightly, and his fingers clutched the blanket, loosening and tightening repeatedly.
Since earlier, he had not taken off the gymnastics outfit. The thin fabric grew nearly transparent where the oil spread, and the shorts had been pushed up to the high curve of his hips.
His mind was foggy. Sticky sounds of palm meeting skin echoed lightly. Hands touched places they should not touch, and he could not help thinking of the posture earlier when he was pinned against the cold tiled wall, his waist held firmly.
And now, the hands moving across his body belonged to the same man.
“Work is done, we are off for the day!”
The moment the clock hit six, Cheng Jiamin threw aside her pencil, stretched, and wrapped an arm around Qi Yiran’s shoulders. “Come on, Little Yiran, I cannot wait anymore.”
Tonight was the quarterly team dinner, a barbecue feast to celebrate the end of their busy period. She had reserved a very good restaurant and was determined to enjoy a great meal.
“Little boss, come join us.”
“Barbecue?” Jiang Zao glanced at his messages. Sure enough, it was Zhou Yuchi again.
From
[Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): You have ignored me the entire day.]
[Mad Dog(▽皿▽#): crying.jpg]
Why did he sound so wronged?
Should he not be used to being ignored?
[Mad Dog(▽皿▽#): You are off work, right? What do you want to eat tonight? My treat.]
Jiang Zao frowned slightly. He would have liked to take advantage of a free meal, but right now he really did not want to see Zhou Yuchi’s face. It would remind him of things he did not wish to revisit.
So he typed:
[Not coming back. Company team dinner today.]
“Boss, the car is here!” Qi Yiran called.
“Coming.” Jiang Zao put down his phone and followed them out.
The temperature had dropped quickly after sunset. During the day, the sun was bright and warm, but the night air held a sharp chill.
Their little group of five from the headquarters arrived at the barbecue restaurant. The moment they stepped inside, the aroma of grilled meat and marinated sauce enveloped them.
“Shall we have a little alcohol?” Cheng Jiamin asked cheerfully. “Let us order a box to start.”
Qi Yiran leaned close to ask, “Boss, do you drink?”
Jiang Zao looked at the beer being poured. “A little. I do not drink often.”
“As long as you can drink.” Ge Xiao said. “Come, fill them up. Let us toast first. Congratulations on your two month internship mark, boss.”
“Cheers!”
Twenty minutes later.
Jiang Zao lay slumped over the table, completely motionless.
His pale face was tinted a lovely shade of red, the blush spreading from his neck all the way behind his ears. His fingers still loosely held a glass that was half full.
“Oh my, my poor little boss.”
Cheng Jiamin gently touched the tuft of hair sticking up at the back of his head. The boy did not move at all. She sighed, “He really cannot drink at all.”
“Boss? Boss?” The director from the northern department called him a few times, but he remained unresponsive. “What do we do? He is completely drunk. We should take him home.”
“Where does he live?”
“No clue.”
Suddenly, Cheng Jiamin remembered something. “Wait, does our boss not live with some childhood friend roommate? Maybe we can call him.”
“Boss, little boss.” She patted Jiang Zao’s back. “What is your roommate’s name? What is his number?”
Still no reaction.
With no choice, she picked up his phone. “Sorry for the intrusion…”
She opened his contacts. There were many names. “No one is labeled as a roommate. Which one do we call? Should we just try a random one?” Ge Xiao asked.
“Try this one.” Qi Yiran pointed.
The name displayed was Mad Dog.
“Mad Dog?” Ge Xiao blinked. “This does not look like a friendly relationship.”
“You do not understand.” Qi Yiran whispered. “Special nicknames with emoticons like this are usually very close relationships.”
Cheng Jiamin agreed. It was their best option for now, so she dialed.
“Hello.”
A deep male voice came through the speaker, low and lazy with a touch of carefree drawl.
All four coworkers immediately leaned in at once.
This voice was outrageously attractive.
Cheng Jiamin quickly said, “Sorry to bother you. We are colleagues of Jiang Zao. We had a company dinner today and he drank too much. We wanted to ask if you know his roommate or perhaps his home address, so we can send him back.”
“He drank?” The man asked.
“Yes, he only had three glasses and he was out almost immediately.” Qi Yiran added. “We did not even start eating yet…”
“Please stop talking.” Cheng Jiamin smacked him lightly and continued, “Anyway, he really did not drink much, but right now he is completely knocked out.”
There was a brief silence on the line, then the man said, “I see. Please give me the address. I am his roommate. I will come pick him up right now.”
“Alright, alright, thank you so much.” Cheng Jiamin answered.
The northern director blinked in confusion. “Our little boss shares an apartment with a friend?”
“Something like that. But I think they had a tiny bit of tension before.” Cheng Jiamin told the others with a gossiping air. “Still, I personally feel that whatever is going on between those two is kind of exciting and honestly pretty fitting.”
“No way. Our boss looks that good. I do not care how exciting it is, it is still not acceptable.” Qi Yiran was firm when it came to this topic. “Only an incredibly handsome man can be worthy of our boss.”
Ge Xiao laughed and said, “Agreed. One hundred percent. It has to be a super handsome man.”
A little while later.
The super handsome man, Zhou Yuchi, arrived late at the barbecue place.
The four members of their group, who had just been casually watching the door, completely froze the moment they saw the actual person.
Cheng Jiamin: “Wow.”
Qi Yiran: “Wow.”
Director Bei: “Wow.”
Ge Xiao: “Wow.”
Zhou Yuchi: “?”
Zhou Yuchi had worn a long coat today. His brow bones were well defined, his nose bridge straight and refined, and the well tailored fit of his coat outlined the shape of his broad shoulders and tall back. He looked effortlessly composed and striking.
He spoke with polite calm. “Hello. I am very sorry for troubling all of you. I am Jiang Zao’s roommate. I came to take him home.”
“Hello! Hello! Hello! ” Cheng Jiamin was almost overwhelmed by this breathtaking face and quickly pointed the way. “Oh right, yes, Jiang Zao is over there.”
Zhou Yuchi nodded to them and walked over to Jiang Zao under the wide eyed, owl like stares of all four onlookers.
Jiang Zao was sprawled on the table, eyes closed, appearing completely asleep.
The warm colored lights of the restaurant cast a soft glow over the flushed side of the young man’s face, giving him an almost halo like radiance. His lips were rosy and slightly parted, opening and closing faintly with each breath.
“Zao Zao.”
Zhou Yuchi bent down, lowering himself until his head tilted close to Jiang Zao’s ear. He placed a hand on Jiang Zao’s back and patted lightly, calling to him in a low voice.
He never allowed Jiang Zao to drink.
Zhou Yuchi knew exactly how much he could handle. He did not even need a whole cup. Three quarters of a cup could get him drunk. And tonight he had already had more than that.
“Come on, wake up, Zao Zao.” Zhou Yuchi’s voice was low and warm and smooth, the tail end of his words carrying a gentle patience that brushed against the ear like soft air.
His breath was warm and faintly ticklish where it fell.
Maybe it was a sense of instinctive alertness toward Zhou Yuchi, because once Jiang Zao heard that voice, he finally reacted.
He lifted his head slowly. His expression was dazed, his eyes slightly glimmering. After a few long seconds, he pointed at Zhou Yuchi and spoke in a soft, blurry voice, “You big idiot?”
Zhou Yuchi: “…”
The four spectators watched with delighted interest.
Seeing that Jiang Zao was at least awake, Zhou Yuchi placed a steadying hand around his waist, intending to lift him up.
His hand was large, easily enclosing Jiang Zao’s slender waist with a single grip, holding him without any effort.
The sudden heat at that sensitive spot made Jiang Zao’s mind go blank for a second, and he abruptly remembered the massage scene he had written earlier that day.
The hateful straight man had appeared again.
And he was upset again.
Zhou Yuchi remained bent over, his height nearly matching Jiang Zao even while he leaned. He was thinking that if Jiang Zao refused to cooperate, he might as well just pick him up and carry him out.
But in the next instant, the person beside him suddenly leaned forward.
A warm and damp sensation landed on him without warning.
Soft breaths brushed against Zhou Yuchi’s face, and long eyelashes swept lightly across his skin, sending a wave of dizziness through him.
The person in front of him was now only a breath away.
Jiang Zao opened his mouth and bit Zhou Yuchi’s nose without any hesitation.
It was not a gentle bite. He bit with real force, full of obvious revenge.
But because he was drunk and not completely aware, his soft tongue accidentally brushed against Zhou Yuchi afterward in a tiny, unintentional lick.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A humble coffee offering may appease the Great Translator.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · The BossChapter 2 · Childhood FriendChapter 3 · Settlement of AccountChapter 4 · Button UnderwearChapter 5 · Open The DoorChapter 6 · (O△O)!Chapter 7 · Woe to himChapter 8 · Break The JarChapter 9 · Keep your promiseChapter 10 · MovieChapter 11 · Try on clothesChapter 12 · Hide! Hide! HIDE!Chapter 13 · ShameChapter 14 · ProtocolChapter 15 · TraceChapter 16 · What are you nervous about?Chapter 17 · Physical TestChapter 18 · Protect One’s OwnChapter 19 · MassageChapter 20 · BiteChapter 21 · Bring him homeChapter 22 · True LoveChapter 23 · After drinkingChapter 24 · MarketChapter 25 · Temporary TattooChapter 26 · Shooting GameChapter 27 · Escape GameChapter 28 · Terrifying dreamChapter 29 · ExhibitionChapter 30 · Pocky GameChapter 31 · TeasingChapter 32 · Pure scoundrelChapter 33 · Straight menChapter 34 · Gay BarChapter 35 · Lip lickingChapter 36 · Doesn’t seem like a good personChapter 37 · AddictionChapter 38 · Reporting videoChapter 39 · Rough LanguageChapter 40 · Wow!Chapter 41 · Hot spring resort～～Chapter 42 · It looks good!Chapter 43 · Hot SpringChapter 44 · HonestyChapter 45 · VinegarChapter 46 · I’ll keep you companyChapter 47 · Rocking ChairChapter 48 · VileChapter 49 · Losing ComposureChapter 50 · A Guide to Identifying Gay MenChapter 51 · Going HomeChapter 52 · KissChapter 53 · PeckChapter 54 · Pearl Wedding AttireChapter 55 · For No ReasonChapter 56 · Stop CalculatingChapter 57 · HandcuffsChapter 58 · Too FarChapter 59 · The MuzzleChapter 60 · Taking It FurtherChapter 61 · Does kissing feel good?Chapter 62 · HmmChapter 63 · GuidanceChapter 64 · VideoChapter 65 · No ProblemChapter 66 · Come DownChapter 67 · Is That All?Chapter 68 · HmphChapter 69 · Applying MedicineChapter 70 · ToysChapter 71 · BathroomChapter 72 · PlacementChapter 73 · WaitingChapter 74 · LoveChapter 75 · StarsChapter 76 · RoommateChapter 77 · BoyfriendChapter 78 · MouthChapter 79 · MidsummerChapter 80 · Aeroplane ChessChapter 81 · Ice CubesChapter 82 · All Night LongChapter 83 · SleepChapter 84 · The Alt AccountChapter 85 · End of the Main StoryChapter 86 · Extra 1Chapter 87 · Extra 2Chapter 88 · Extra 3Chapter 89 · Extra 4Chapter 90 · Extra 5Chapter 91 · Extra 6Chapter 92 · Extra 7Chapter 93 · Extra 8Chapter 94 · Extra 9Chapter 95 · Extra 10Chapter 96 · Extra 11