【ZaoZaosleeps: Don’t misunderstand】
【ZaoZaosleeps: This is just a bill issued by my company. I asked you because I want to repay my debt】
【ZaoZaosleeps: I’m going there because I have work to do. Who has time to go on a date with you】
Jiang Zao typed, deleted, typed again, then deleted once more, feeling that no matter how he phrased it, something still felt off.
Zhou Yuchi sat at his workstation in the laboratory, staring at the words “The other party is typing…” on his screen, finding it unexpectedly entertaining.
After a while, Jiang Zao finally replied.
【ZaoZaosleeps: Go if you want, don’t if you don’t】
The corners of Zhou Yuchi’s lips curved into a faint smile. His long, well defined fingers pressed and held on the message, selected it and tapped “Favorite.”
Qian Shiyan, who was working beside him, saw the expression on his face and shuddered slightly. “You didn’t go and disgust Zaozao again, did you?”
Zhou Yuchi lowered his gaze to his phone. As he replied to Jiang Zao, he spoke indifferently, “Is ‘Zaozao’ something you’re allowed to call him?”
Qian Shiyan: 🙂
“You don’t need to feel jealous.” Zhou Yuchi put his phone away and handed the data files to Qian Shiyan. Under the other man’s baffled and speechless expression, he slowly spoke, composed and unhurried, like a spoiled young master who was about to win over a beauty with ease.
“Zaozao is going on a date with me.”
The time Jiang Zao and Zhou Yuchi agreed on was after work.
The distance from the company to the market was quite far. The subway didn’t go directly there and after exiting the station, there were still two to three kilometers left to travel.
As someone who would absolutely avoid walking if there was any alternative, Jiang Zao resolutely chose to take a taxi but when he opened the ride hailing app, he discovered that there were more than ten people waiting ahead of him in the queue.
Shanghai was really hard to get a cab in. On top of that, it was rush hour and the roads were especially congested.
His phone vibrated.
【Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Where are you now】
Jiang Zao looked at the road outside, jammed into a solid stretch of red tail lights and typed:
【ZaoZaosleeps: Just got off the subway】
【ZaoZaosleeps: Haven’t managed to get a car yet】
【Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Send me your location】
【ZaoZaosleeps: Are you coming to pick me up?】
Jiang Zao switched to the ride hailing interface again. There weren’t fewer people in line at all. Judging by this, it might actually be faster than Zhou Yuchi coming to get him.
【ZaoZaosleeps: Let’s not】
【ZaoZaosleeps: Traffic is really bad here. If you come, you’ll probably be stuck for at least half an hour】
【ZaoZaosleeps: I’ll come over by myself】
Asphalt roads and elevated highways stretched ahead, cars jammed tightly together, crawling forward at a painfully slow speed.
He waited a little longer, only to find that not a single person ahead of him in the queue had disappeared.
Jiang Zao checked the time. The agreed meeting time was drawing closer and closer.
No way, was he really going to have to walk there?
He opened WeChat again. He had just told Zhou Yuchi not to come over and now asking him to pick him up would feel a little embarrassing.
Forget it. Maybe he could check if there were any shared bicycles nearby. Riding would be faster than walking, at least.
But the weather was so cold…
Just then, he heard the sound of an engine.
Jiang Zao turned around.
He saw a familiar figure.
A motorcycle came riding toward him from a distance, then stopped steadily right in front of him.
The man on the bike was very tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, his proportions strikingly superior.
Streetlights slanted down, cutting through light and shadow. Behind him stretched rows of unmoving red lights. The man removed his helmet, revealing a sharply handsome face. The black leather gloves accentuated the long, powerful lines of his fingers.
He lifted his eyelids slightly and looked toward Jiang Zao.
Zhou Yuchi was actually standing right in front of him.
Jiang Zao’s pupils widened.
“Surprised?”
The man’s dark eyes held fragments of brilliance from the night. Seeing Jiang Zao’s expression, he lowered his gaze and smiled lightly, tilting his head in an easy, casual manner.
It really was Zhou Yuchi.
“How did you know I was here?” Jiang Zao walked up to him. Being able to see Zhou Yuchi in a place where he hadn’t shared his location, couldn’t get a ride and didn’t even have a shared bike available felt like too much of a surprise.
“I know how to use navigation too.” Zhou Yuchi held the helmet in one hand. “Figuring out which station you got off at isn’t that hard.”
Jiang Zao’s eyes lit up.
What delighted him wasn’t just that Zhou Yuchi had found him, it was also the motorcycle he was riding.
Wow. That was so cool.
Zhou Yuchi knew immediately that he was interested. He grabbed another helmet from the side and handed it to Jiang Zao. “Get on.”
Jiang Zao took the helmet and put it on. “Did you just buy this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“It looks so cool. It’s amazing. What model is it?”
“You were pretty smart to ride a motorcycle here. I thought you’d still be stuck in a car on the road.”
Zhou Yuchi reached out and tucked the loose strands of hair that had escaped into the helmet, smiling as he said, “Do you like it? If you do, I’ll give it to you.”
“Stop teasing me. You know I can’t ride. Just looking is enough.” Jiang Zao climbed onto the back seat. “But this is my first time riding your motorcycle, right?”
“Yeah,” Zhou Yuchi replied. “You remember correctly.”
Sitting on the back seat, Jiang Zao looked at the man’s strong waist and hips, his broad back and unexpectedly found himself not knowing where to put his hands.
It really was his first time.
Back when they were in school, they were almost always driven around by chauffeurs. They had never even shared a bicycle together.
So Jiang Zao only reached out and grabbed onto Zhou Yuchi’s clothes. “I’m ready. You can go.”
Zhou Yuchi glanced back lightly at Jiang Zao, saying nothing more.
He followed Jiang Zao’s words and twisted the gear.
Jiang Zao: !
The wind howled past his ears.
The sudden acceleration caused Jiang Zao to lean backward. He hurriedly lurched forward again, his helmet pressing against Zhou Yuchi’s back.
The bike was undeniably handsome and it ran fast, nimble as it weaved smoothly through traffic.
It wasn’t until they stopped at the red light at the next intersection that Jiang Zao finally came back to his senses.
He let out a breath and complained, clearly dissatisfied. “Why didn’t you tell me before starting the bike?!”
But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt the back of his hand being pressed down. His wrist was firmly held, the grip strong and the touch against his skin carried the slightly cool, smooth texture of leather that had been chilled by the wind.
A large hand covered his own. The fingertips lifted subtly, slipping into the spaces between his fingers.
Jiang Zao immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He realized, belatedly, that he was actually holding Zhou Yuchi.
It must have been an unconscious reaction from being startled earlier, his arms had wound around Zhou Yuchi’s waist without him realizing it and now, the hand clasped at that waist was being restrained.
The man wearing the helmet turned his head slightly, as if looking back at Jiang Zao.
One hand steadied the motorcycle, while the other intertwined tightly with Jiang Zao’s fingers. Lazily, he tossed out a casual sentence. “Oh. Alright.”
Jiang Zao: “……………”
It was impossible to tell whether he was responding to Jiang Zao’s complaint or granting permission for him to keep holding onto his waist.
“Are you holding on tight, Zaozao? I’m heading off.”
“……………………”
Even though he couldn’t see Zhou Yuchi’s expression, Jiang Zao could already picture the smug, infuriating look under that helmet.
What an outdated trope!
Was Zhou Yuchi flirting right now? Even romance novels wouldn’t use this kind of plot anymore!
Jiang Zao was angry but he didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his hold even more.
He wanted to strangle Zhou Yuchi to death.
The motorcycle didn’t hit much traffic and the two of them arrived at the market smoothly and without delay.
The Lianbo Autumn Garden Market was a large, comprehensive fairground, with both indoor and outdoor exhibition areas, essentially covering all kinds of entertainment.
The outdoor section was filled with various stalls decorated with lights, selling snacks, necklaces, clothes and all kinds of jewelry and handicrafts. There were also mixed games, like ring tosses, shooting games and claw machines.
Jiang Zao got off the motorcycle and glanced at the large sign hanging high above the entrance: “Autumn Warm Hearted Couples’ Special.”
For a moment, he genuinely didn’t know what to say.
…This was really bad.
What had just happened was nothing.
The real trial was only just beginning.
“Why are you standing there?” Zhou Yuchi parked the motorcycle, walked over and lifted the helmet off Jiang Zao’s head.
Zhou Yuchi was very tall but Jiang Zao wasn’t short either. Still, at that distance, if he didn’t tilt his head up after the helmet was removed, the first thing he saw was the man’s chest.
For some reason, Jiang Zao felt a little awkward.
No, that couldn’t be right. Only people with something to hide got nervous.
Why should he be nervous?
Exactly. Who said a market like this was only for couples? Themes were just marketing gimmicks anyway.
He was here for on site research for work, okay?
Zhou Yuchi, seeing that Jiang Zao’s thoughts were practically written all over his face, found him incredibly adorable but he didn’t point it out. He just stared at the boy’s pursed lips, tight with inner conflict and said calmly, “Let’s go. Didn’t you say you’d compensate me?”
Hearing that, Jiang Zao finally relaxed a little.
Seems like Zhou Yuchi wasn’t overthinking things either.
Of course, straight men never overthink!
“Tonight, whatever you want or crave, just say it. It’s my treat,” Jiang Zao said.
Zhou Yuchi raised an eyebrow. “Anything?”
Jiang Zao replied, “As long as you don’t ask me to buy the entire market, everything else is negotiable.”
Zhou Yuchi withdrew his gaze meaningfully, then said, “Alright. Let’s go take a look.”
They walked into the outdoor garden street of the market.
To match the autumn couples theme, the decorations leaned toward warm tones. The stalls were colorful and soft yellow lights were scattered between them, like lovers strolling together through a street at dusk.
There were quite a lot of people, mostly couples deeply in love, though there were also friends and families traveling together.
The scene felt warm and cozy overall, with elements that leaned toward fresh and cute. To be fair, it did fit the reference material for the school themed series this time, though the relevance wasn’t particularly strong. The market was simply too pure and romantic.
Jiang Zao liked browsing. He loved stalls that sold various little things. Even if they weren’t especially useful, being pretty was enough.
He was soon drawn to a stall selling original ceramic art.
“This little cat figurine is so delicate,” Jiang Zao bent down to look more closely.
The stall owner, a young girl, smiled. “This one isn’t actually a cat.”
As she spoke, she removed the white cat’s head. Unexpectedly, the body underneath turned out to be a small bunny, the cat head was just a hood.
Jiang Zao: “! That’s so interesting.”
The stall owner smiled. “These come as a pair. The other one is over here.”
The other figure looked like a black cat. Jiang Zao reached out and removed the head, discovering it was actually a wolfdog.
“That’s amazing,” Jiang Zao said with a smile to the girl. “So creative. Did you design these yourself?”
His looks were naturally eye catching, arched brows, smiling eyes full of youthful energy, a clean and refreshing aura and a warm, gentle voice. He was exactly the type young girls liked.
The stall owner nodded shyly.
Jiang Zao fiddled with the figures a bit more, then said to Zhou Yuchi, “I think these would look great on the entryway console at home. It’s been empty for ages and it’s bothered me for a long time. What do you think?”
Zhou Yuchi had no objections at all. Whatever Jiang Zao wanted was fine. As for paying, he was instinctively the first to act.
Seeing how much Jiang Zao liked them, he scanned the code and said to the girl, “Please wrap both of these.”
“Ah, oh, okay, sure,” the stall owner froze briefly, then hurried to pack them up.
She had originally wanted to try asking this pretty, gentle boy for his WeChat.
But then it suddenly occurred to her, almost everyone who came here was part of a couple. How could she forget something so obvious?
Good thing she hadn’t asked. It would’ve been far too awkward toward the boyfriend paying for everything. They were probably already living together.
Jiang Zao straightened up and turned to Zhou Yuchi. “Didn’t we agree I was paying?”
Zhou Yuchi replied casually, “I’m used to it.”
Jiang Zao snatched Zhou Yuchi’s phone and stuffed it into his own pocket. “Yeah, I know you’re rich but I said it was my treat. I’ll give it back to you later.”
What Jiang Zao was thinking at that moment was: Great, I owe that mad dog another debt. He’s really good at this.
But in the stall owner’s eyes, this was blatant flirting.
Glancing at the two of them, she said, “Um, there are a lot of game activities ahead. If you’re interested, you can go take a look.”
Zhou Yuchi took the bag and replied politely, “Okay, thank you.”
The two continued walking. Jiang Zao stopped at almost every stall to look around.
It had to be said, Zhou Yuchi was a surprisingly excellent companion.
He never complained about walking slowly or getting tired. He carried everything. He responded to everything Jiang Zao said. Not a trace of impatience.
“There’s even ice cream,” Jiang Zao said when he spotted a gelato stall. The ice cream was wrapped with adorably designed paper.
“If you want it, just get one,” Zhou Yuchi said.
Jiang Zao asked, “Do you want some?”
Zhou Yuchi replied, “No.”
Jiang Zao found this strange. Zhou Yuchi didn’t want anything, was he deliberately saving him money or planning something else to mess with him?
“Boss, one guava flavored cone, please,” Jiang Zao said.
He took the ice cream and licked it. Sweet, cold and surprisingly good.
But it was a bit big. Jiang Zao held onto it for quite a while. Even when they reached the side of the street to rest, he still hadn’t finished it.
The autumn night wasn’t warm. Even though the flow of people made the market feel somewhat cozier than the open outdoors, it was still outside and the ice cream melted slowly.
Jiang Zao looked at the still large remainder of the pink guava gelato and felt it would be a waste to throw it away.
Then he heard Zhou Yuchi, standing beside him, say lightly, “Give it to me.”
Jiang Zao thought Zhou Yuchi was going to help him throw it away and handed it over.
Instead, Zhou Yuchi lowered his head and took the remaining half of the ice cream into his mouth.
The man’s tongue swept over the surface, the sweet, creamy coldness pulled into the warmth of his mouth.
Under the alternating bright and dim lights, Jiang Zao saw the muscles in Zhou Yuchi’s neck move with the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple and a thin wave of heat surged through him unexpectedly.
Jiang Zao: “!”
His voice came out a little hurried. “That’s… I already ate that.”
Zhou Yuchi licked the corner of his lips, lifted his gaze to Jiang Zao and replied indifferently, “So what if you did?”
Jiang Zao: “…………………”
Isn’t this… an indirect kiss?!
Jiang Zao froze. The tips of his ears flushed red instantly. He pressed his lips together, brows knitting awkwardly, the corners of his beautiful eyes tinged pink.
How could Zhou Yuchi be like this?
But maybe some straight guys really were like this. His old roommates used to share a single fork to eat instant noodles late at night or the same straw to drink milk tea.
Not to mention best female friends.
How would someone that straight ever think about indirect kissing?
And besides, Zhou Yuchi had always finished food Jiang Zao didn’t eat since they were kids. So why was he suddenly getting shy now…
Jiang Zao’s mind spun with thoughts until his head hurt. In the end, he gave up, covering his forehead. “Forget it… you can eat it.”
Watching Jiang Zao act shy, stubborn and desperately trying to convince himself all at once, Zhou Yuchi lowered his eyes without saying anything and took another bite of the ice cream.
The night was dark but the surroundings were illuminated by brilliant lights and lively crowds.
In Zhou Yuchi’s nose lingered the faint sweetness of guava.
The air carried a slight dampness of dew. His gaze trembled faintly as if he wanted to speak but held back, the corner of his mouth brushing against the cold, moist surface of the cone.
He lingered a little longer at the place where Jiang Zao’s lips had just been.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm accepts offerings. The translator specifically requests coffee.
☕ 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