ZaoZaoSleepEarly: No, no, no! I can’t read work novels after starting my internship!
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Especially when the main character is the boss…
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Putting yourself in his shoes just… makes it instantly flaccid…
Bai Yunfan: ?
Bai Yunfan: Who told you to read work stuff? I told you to read sexy stuff, comrade!
Jiang Zao lay on the bed, dressed in his little-line puppy sleepwear. His arms were pale, wrists delicate, legs long and exposed, swaying lightly under the blanket.
He looked thin, but all the right spots had just enough muscle. Waist narrow, butt lifted, legs plump and soft, the tops of his feet tinged pink.
He rested his head on the pillow, fingers flying across the keyboard, chatting idly.
Bai Yunfan: So, what have you been reading recently? I’m running low on material.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Just finished a classic bromance today.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: It’s okay… a bit old-school. Older-dom/sub vibe, with a touch of coercion. Transport tech is well-developed, but the top doesn’t talk much. I checked, it’s probably not your type.
Bai Yunfan: Nothing harsh? I want brainless sweet fluff, super sticky and cute.
Jiang Zao browsed his virtual bookshelf, typing quickly:
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Wait, I’ll send you some links directly.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Link] I found a legit copy of Twin Stars Master’s Training Diary (1v3)]
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Link] I found a legit copy of Fishing-Type Pretty Boy and His Domineering Schoolboy Ex]
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Link] I found a legit copy of Beautiful NPC Trapped in a Dating Show…]
He switched back to WeChat, continuing to type:
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Check these out. Interested?
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Not interested? I can recommend more.
Bai Yunfan: ?
Bai Yunfan: Did you send them?
Bai Yunfan: I haven’t received a single one.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: ??
Jiang Zao’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately checked, his face went pale. His messages had been sent to the wrong person.
The contact he had just renamed “Mad Dog (▽皿▽#)” Zhou Yuchi was right there, with little yellow-highlighted links to… those novels.
Jiang Zao: !!!!
Oh no. Oh no no no. He frantically began recalling the messages.
Jiang Zao had never typed so fast in his life. Swipe swipe swipe, three messages recalled in seconds.
Was there anything more humiliating than this? Definitely not. At this point, it might have been safer to just block Zhou Yuchi entirely.
He checked the time. Zhou Yuchi should’ve been asleep… right? Maybe he hadn’t seen them.
But despair hit almost instantly.
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): …
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): What did you just recall?
Jiang Zao: “…………”
He hesitated, then reluctantly replied, trying to cover his guilt:
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: I’m just picking a restaurant that suits your taste.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Didn’t want to disturb you while you were sleeping, that’s all.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Spinning heart pen.JPG]]
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Huh.
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): So you actually want to have dinner with me.
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Pick what you like. I’m not that picky.
Jiang Zao: “………………”
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Fist pound.JPG]]
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Fist pound.JPG]]
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Fist pound.JPG]]
Meanwhile, Bai Yunfan was still spamming:
Bai Yunfan: Where are you, Zao? Morning!
Bai Yunfan: Are you asleep already?
Jiang Zao groaned. Encountering Zhou Yuchi was seriously bad luck today had been a complete disaster.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Not yet, just got bitten by Mad Dog.
Bai Yunfan immediately picked up on it:
Bai Yunfan: Zhou Yuchi is chatting with you this late? That’s… suspicious.
Jiang Zao: …
Suspicious, my foot.
Bai Yunfan: I just don’t get why you’re not paying attention to him. You two are obviously meant to be together, and Zhou is so… so… so handsome.
Bai Yunfan: I mean, seriously, is there any guy more impressive than Zhou Yuchi? Calm but assertive, relaxed yet commanding, rich, smart, capable, and the body… perfection.
Bai Yunfan: Totally effortlessly handsome.
Jiang Zao blinked. Who was he talking about? Zhou Yuchi still pretended to be normal in college.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: [[Bean eyes.JPG]] If you like him so much, go chase him!
Bai Yunfan: NONONONONO!
Bai Yunfan: Falling for a straight guy has no future. Don’t trust straight men. Avoid them!
Bai Yunfan: Don’t you remember my story with Brother Hai?! I learned the hard way! All painful lessons!
(Backstory: Bai Yunfan once liked a guy deeply. They were really close, but when he confessed, the guy said he was straight and treated Bai Yunfan like a brother. Bai Yunfan was heartbroken.)
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuchi was still texting:
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Slept?
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Good night.
Jiang Zao glanced at the message. The words Good night on Zhou Yuchi’s screen felt unusually sharp, impossibly precise.
Bai Yunfan: Zao, don’t be fooled by a straight guy. Don’t like him.
Jiang Zao immediately fired back:
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Of course I won’t like him.
ZaoZaoSleepEarly: Even if every man in the world died, I still wouldn’t like Zhou Yuchi.
Bai Yunfan was satisfied.
Jiang Zao put down his phone, got up, and went to turn off the lights. He had to wake early for work tomorrow.
But when he returned to bed, the phone screen at his bedside was still lit.
It was Zhou Yuchi.
Five minutes had passed since he last replied… and he was at it again.
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): ZaoZao
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): I said good night.
Jiang Zao stared at the screen, utterly speechless.
He wasn’t blind, he knew perfectly well how to write “good night.”
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): ZaoZao
Mad Dog (▽皿▽#): Don’t you think you should reply or something?
Jiang Zao collapsed onto the bed. The bedroom was pitch dark, the only light coming faintly under his eyelashes. Sleep tugged at him, thread by thread, weighing down his mind.
If he didn’t reply, that dog Zhou Yuchi would probably pester him all night.
With a sigh, Jiang Zao quickly typed a few words and sent them, tossing the phone aside. He burrowed under the blanket, curling into a ball, closing his eyes to calm the chaos in his heart.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuchi’s phone vibrated twice.
The screen lit up with a cute little rabbit avatar, grinning mischievously.
In the dim room, Zhou Yuchi sat at his desk, glasses perched on his nose, glancing lazily at the message.
Then he narrowed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, fingers curled to his lips, a faintly satisfied, almost imperceptible smile tugging at his face.
ZaoZao: You better show some decency.
ZaoZao: Good night.
The next morning, Jiang Zao almost ran late for work.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he’d actually dreamt about Zhou Yuchi last night.
It was a scene from high school: after a joint exam on a cold day, snow falling lightly, students trembling as they left the exam hall.
Jiang Zao stepped out the school gate and saw Zhou Yuchi standing there. Tall, straight-backed, wearing the winter uniform like it was a fashion magazine shoot, practically posing.
Jiang Zao had meant to pretend he didn’t see him but Zhou Yuchi suddenly blocked his path, gripping his chin, forcing him to look up.
Winter made the boy’s fingers seem extra warm against Jiang Zao’s face. Flustered, Jiang Zao blushed and asked, “What are you doing?”
Zhou Yuchi looked relaxed, an air of casual mischief about him. He unfolded a report card; beside his name was a glaring “Grade 1: Zhou Yuchi.”
Jiang Zao froze.
“Nothing.” Zhou Yuchi’s earlier emptiness ignited in the dream. Jiang Zao only remembered Zhou Yuchi’s cheeky voice and bratty expression.
“Just wondering if the second-place student, ZaoZao, went to bed early today.”
…
Jiang Zao woke up furious.
And realized he was almost late for work.
He washed his face in a rush, changed clothes, and ran to catch the subway, just making it to the office on time.
“Morning, Boss.” Cheng Jiamin greeted him.
“Good morning, Minmin.” Jiang Zao could barely muster a reply.
“What’s wrong, little boss? You look completely drained.” Cheng Jiamin leaned closer, a strange smile spreading. “Don’t tell me…”
“Nothing.” Jiang Zao immediately cut off her wandering thoughts. “Just a bit of insomnia.”
“Insomnia, huh? That’s easy.” Cheng Jiamin handed him a small toy with a smug grin. “Can fix that in a few shots.”
Jiang Zao: “………………”
He stared at the newest model of the jumping toy in his hand, mind racing.
“Morning, Boss.” Qi Yiran happened to pass by. “Boss, the field survey questionnaires are all sorted and sent to your email.”
“Oh, thanks for your hard work.” Jiang Zao quickly shoved the toy into his pocket and asked, “Are we releasing a design draft today?”
“Should be.” Qi Yiran glanced at his phone. “This quarter, our focus is on ‘knock-knock’ lingerie. A new theme is being prepared.”
“Knock-knock lingerie?” Jiang Zao echoed.
“Yes, that lingerie.” Qi Yiran’s tone carefully avoided saying the full word. “Just… tweaked it a bit to be appropriate.”
Jiang Zao: “……”
He took the iPad Cheng Jiamin had handed him. It showed last year’s designs, mostly simple, semi-transparent lace, some cosplay-inspired outfits, seemingly made for younger boys.
“Do we need models for the new samples?” Jiang Zao flipped through the images.
“Yes, last year employees just took them home and photographed them themselves. No models were hired.” Cheng Jiamin replied. “We always go for cost-saving first.”
“I remember Xiao Wu from the copywriting team handled it, but he just came back from vacation.” Qi Yiran added.
“Oh, okay.” Jiang Zao kept working seriously. “So, who will we use for this year’s photos?”
No one answered.
Jiang Zao looked up, noticing that both Qi Yiran and Cheng Jiamin were staring at him in unison, their eyes scanning him like they were seeing something extraordinary.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator has been bribed with exactly zero coffees so far. Fix this. 😭
☕ 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