The reckoning came too fast.
Jiang Zao wasn’t ready.
He instantly slammed the laptop shut and cut off the call, guilty as a thief under Zhou Yuchi’s gaze. After half a day of silence, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:
“…You… you can’t drink and drive, okay?”
“I didn’t drink.” Zhou Yuchi let out a soft snort. “Besides, I wouldn’t drag you down with me so early.”
Jiang Zao: “…”
The two of them locked eyes in the middle of the road.
“Not getting in?” Zhou Yuchi was surprisingly easygoing, smiling lazily at him. “Then good luck walking.”
With that, he stepped on the accelerator and was about to leave without a second thought.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Jiang Zao rushed forward to block him, clinging to the car window. Between walking ten kilometers home or riding in a cushy luxury car, he wisely chose the latter.
“I’ll get in, I’ll get in! You’re so kind! How could I refuse? I was just wondering how I should repay you…”
Would you like a pair of completely see-through lace briefs?
He yanked open the backseat door, but Zhou Yuchi’s unhurried voice drifted over:
“Sit in the front.”
“?” Jiang Zao blinked.
“It’s more convenient to fuck you there.”
Jiang Zao: !!!
Shameless straight-man talk! Retreat! Retreat! RETREAT!
His face flushed red and white in turns, nearly choking on his own indignation. Couldn’t the man finish his sentence properly? Fuck you! how about say fight you!
But provoking Zhou Yuchi right now would be unwise, so Jiang Zao obediently slid into the passenger seat.
“Haha, I was just thinking some people don’t like others sitting in their passenger seat.” He forced a smile that was polite yet stiff. “You really are generous.”
Zhou Yuchi shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing, rolling up the window to shut out the cold wind.
The car instantly fell into silence.
No music. Outside scenery flowing by under dim, shifting light, everything fragmented like a hazy filter.
Jiang Zao sneaked glances at him.
The man leaned lazily against the seat, one hand on the steering wheel. The shadows sharpened his jawline, the angle making his Adam’s apple stand out.
A faint scent clung to him, ambergris mixed with bitter oud, warmed by body heat until it thickened in the confined space.
What’s he trying to pull? A grown man wearing perfume?
Annoying. And yet… it smelled good. Clean. Not a trace of cigarette smoke.
Jiang Zao had always hated the stench of smoke, and Zhou Yuchi smoked constantly. So why didn’t he reek of it?
Even more annoying.
“Address.” Zhou Yuchi finally spoke.
Jiang Zao reported one.
He set the GPS, then after a moment’s silence, asked, “When did you move out of the dorms?”
“A month ago,” Jiang Zao replied.
“Why?”
“I found an internship.”
“What internship?”
“…Just a small company.”
With a lollipop in his mouth, Zhou Yuchi chuckled, his voice muffled and teasing: “Didn’t think someone with your major could actually find work.”
Jiang Zao: “………………”
Interrogate me like I’m a suspect, why don’t you! What’s wrong with psychology, huh? What if I couldn’t find work? Newsflash: I’m a boss now!
Seething, he turned his head away, imagining punching Zhou Yuchi bloody in his mind.
Zhou Yuchi caught his sulky expression out of the corner of his eye. Small build, skinny frame, every thought written plain across his face like he really thought others couldn’t see.
That improved Zhou Yuchi’s mood.
Light and shadow clung to him. The rhythm of streetlamps stretched and flickered across his features as his fingers tapped idly on the wheel. With a snap, he bit down on the candy.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zao simmered.
It’d take at least half an hour to get back. He couldn’t exactly jump out of the car now and Zhou Yuchi had been decent enough not to dump him halfway.
Still, it felt like at any second the man would say something outrageous again…..
Thankfully, a phone call interrupted.
The screen lit up with a string of digits, no contact name.
Zhou Yuchi didn’t even look, just declined it.
“Answer it!” Jiang Zao pounced on the opening to jab at him. “What’s wrong, hiding something?”
Zhou Yuchi was nonchalant. “Why answer a stranger’s call?”
But the number rang again.
“Pick it up,” Jiang Zao pushed.
Shrugging, he accepted it.
“Hello, is this Senior Zhou?”
It was a girl’s voice, sweet and pleasant.
Jiang Zao blinked, surprised.
But Zhou Yuchi only asked coolly, “Who are you?”
“I’m Gu Ting, from the same research project group. I sent you my paper a while ago, I was wondering if you had time to look at it…”
He paused. “Oh. Yeah, I remember. It was pretty good.”
“Really?!” she gasped, clearly overjoyed. “Then… maybe we could grab dinner sometime and discuss it more in depth? I know this amazing Yunnan mushroom hotpot place, actually I…. ”
Before she could finish, Zhou Yuchi cut her off:
“Are you planning to submit it to Story Club or YiLin?”
“…What?”
His voice was calm, cold, and devastatingly sharp: “Sorry, I thought you sent me a short story. Didn’t realize it was supposed to be a thesis.”
“…???”
“My mistake. Though it does explain why your writing’s incomprehensible even for native speakers.” His tone remained perfectly polite. “Anyway, eat fewer mushrooms. Undercooked ones are poisonous.”
“….”
“….”
Silence for ten full seconds. Then *Beep… Beep…. Beep*
She hung up.
Jiang Zao stared, dumbfounded.
This straight-up bastard of a “straight man”!
“How can you talk to a girl like that?” Jiang Zao ground his teeth.
Zhou Yuchi drove calmly, answering with patient indifference, “She’s a nepotism hire. Her motives aren’t pure, her research is plagiarized. No reason to waste courtesy on her.”
The lecture Jiang Zao had prepared… died in his throat.
“And I was being polite,” Zhou Yuchi added matter-of-factly. “After all, knowledge can’t be transmitted through hugging, kissing, or sex. But a first-author SCI paper can.”
Then he continued in that same steady tone:
“In academia, there’s no need to divide people by gender. Once she produces truly outstanding research, I’ll respect her naturally.”
Jiang Zao fell silent.
As much as Zhou Yuchi was arrogant, cocky, and insufferable but when it came to academics, his seriousness was genuine.
And in truth, academic circles could be messy. Compared to those full of posturing, Zhou Yuchi’s unrestrained, lone-wolf arrogance… almost seemed rare. Pure, even.
…Why was he complimenting him?!
At the intersection, the car stopped for a red light.
This was a residential area. Empty streets, no cars, no pedestrians. Only the lonely red light above, and silence inside the vehicle.
“So.”
The sudden voice shattered the quiet.
Zhou Yuchi turned his head slightly, eyes landing on Jiang Zao. His voice carried a lazy drawl, edged with faint weariness, playful on the surface, yet deadly serious underneath:
“You really don’t want to know anything about me?”
Their gazes collided. His eyes were deep black, unfathomable, lit only by the fragmented glow of street lamps.
Jiang Zao had been harassed numb all evening. He had no patience left to be toyed with, so he snapped back without hesitation,
“I’m not a masochist. Why would I sit around craving to know your business?”
“Oh.” Zhou Yuchi turned back as the light turned green, starting the car again. “That almost sounded hurtful.”
The rest of the ride passed wordlessly.
They soon reached Jiang Zao’s place.
He still felt odd. Wasn’t he supposed to be “settling accounts” with Zhou Yuchi? Yet here he was, letting the man steer the entire conversation.
He couldn’t tell what Zhou Yuchi was plotting or if he was simply biding time to screw him over in some bigger way.
So Jiang Zao decided to cut losses, offering the most respectable peace-offering he could think of: “Forget it. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”
Then he remembered the earlier phone call and awkwardly amended, “…If you don’t want to eat, I can just send you money.”
Zhou Yuchi said nothing, only watching as Jiang Zao unbuckled his seatbelt.
Jiang Zao didn’t bother pushing further. He opened the door and stepped out.
He was about to toss out a curt “thanks” when that bastard finally spoke:
“Don’t get too moved. You’ll pay me back eventually.”
Jiang Zao: “…”
“And stay out of bars,” Zhou Yuchi added.
The audacity. This thug lecturing me not to go to bars? Thick-skinned didn’t even begin to cover it.
He slammed the car door shut with a heavy thud, luxury car or not.
But then the window slid down again.
Zhou Yuchi leaned slightly, as if remembering one last “instruction,” his gaze lingering.
“Go home. Shower. Drink milk. Sleep.” His lips quivered into a mocking smile. “And try to dream of me tonight.”
Jiang Zao finally got home.
Shower. Milk. Sleep. His bedtime routine matched Zhou Yuchi’s words to the letter.
The only thing ruining it? The chance that lunatic might actually appear in his dreams.
He had been living in the dorms, but after starting his internship, commuting from campus became inconvenient. So he moved into one of his parents’ empty properties nearby.
Truth was, “work” was the bigger reason.
Because of the nature of his work… required space. And equipment. Lots of it.
After his shower, he pushed open his bedroom door.
The spacious room was already packed full of unspeakable items.
Prototype lace lingerie. Next season’s products. A multi-functional Russian-doll-style toy. A row of artisan “tools” that looked far too beautiful to be legal.
The whole place screamed kidney pain just by looking at it.
As a conscientious boss, of course Jiang Zao had to keep samples at home for reference. But for some reason, he never placed them in the living room or elsewhere.
Instinctively, he felt these items were private. They belonged hidden away in his bedroom.
He flopped onto the bed and picked up his phone, planning to read a novel before sleeping.
His reading tastes were wide. He wasn’t picky,fluff, angst, spicy plots, anything that was shippable, he’d eat it up.
Few people knew he was gay. Zhou Yuchi certainly didn’t. Outside of work colleagues, only his novel buddy Bai Yunfan knew.
Bai Yunfan was a friend from university. A flamboyant guy, loud and shameless, with whom Jiang Zao often shared gossip and novels.
His phone buzzed repeatedly.
Several messages from Bai Yunfan popped up:
【Bai Yunfan: Zao! Look at this! Look look look!!!】
【Bai Yunfan: [screenshot]】
【Bai Yunfan: [screenshot]】
Jiang Zao tapped them open and immediately was bombarded with mouth-watering spicy dog-blood plot.
【ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Damn, so hot [eyes sparkle.JPG]】
【ZaoZaoSleepEarly: What novel is this?】
【Bai Yunfan: I already recommended it to you!!】
【Bai Yunfan: After Sleeping With My Boss**!!】
【Bai Yunfan: Aaaaah I’m losing my mind!!】
【Bai Yunfan: The top is INSANELY sexy! How can he be this filthy!! Him and the boss…. !! Ahhh my god BOSS BOSS BOSS!! I’m reborn!!!】
【Bai Yunfan: Psycho alpha top, you HAVE to check out the boss CP!!!】
Jiang Zao: “?”
Boss? Why is it always the boss?
On behalf of bosses everywhere, Jiang Zao was deeply offended.
👀 I wanna know which novel they are referring? I’m not picky about novel either! As long as it catches my interest, I’m shipping ittt! Though I prefer crack yet shameless Mc most!
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
We have reached the inevitable coffee solicitation.
☕ 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