Jiang Zao: “?”
After finishing his words, Zhou Yuchi turned and walked straight into the house.
Jiang Zao hurriedly followed after him, mumbling anxiously under his breath, “No, no, you can’t stay here. You have to move out.”
Zhou Yuchi’s legs were long and his stride wide, forcing Jiang Zao to trot to keep up. The man suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard that sentence.
Not paying attention, Jiang Zao crashed right into his back.
The man’s back muscles were firm and solid, Jiang Zao winced, clutching his nose in pain.
Zhou Yuchi turned around, his brows slightly furrowed as he saw Jiang Zao’s red nose.
He reached out and brushed Jiang Zao’s hand away, cupping his face instead, tilting his chin upward, first to the left, then to the right, like he was checking for damage.
After a quick inspection, he didn’t find any swelling. His gaze dropped slightly, his voice cool and low, “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”
Jiang Zao shook his head violently to get rid of the touch, “You’re the one who suddenly stopped without saying anything.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.”
Zhou Yuchi’s tone was flat, almost perfunctory. Then he walked into the kitchen and started washing a pan.
Jiang Zao trailed after him again, chirping in protest, “Hey, did you hear what I said or not?”
Water gushed from the faucet, splashing against the iron pan with a crisp, ringing sound. Zhou Yuchi’s voice came out muffled, as if it was soaked in water, “I heard. What’s your reason?”
“I already told you, it was a mistake! This house wasn’t even supposed to be rented out in the first place.” Jiang Zao’s voice tightened.
Besides, he was gay! Why should he be living with a straight man? And not just that, he was the boss of an adult toy company. What if Zhou Yuchi found out?!
“That sounds like your responsibility then,” Zhou Yuchi replied calmly.
“I went through all the proper channels, signed the contract, and paid my rent. There’s nothing wrong with me living here.”
Jiang Zao was at a loss for words. After circling through countless arguments in his head, he finally blurted out, “Why did you even move out of the dorms in the first place?”
It couldn’t be because of social issues, right? Sure, Zhou Yuchi did look like a troublemaker, but most people probably couldn’t take him in a fight anyway.
Zhou Yuchi finished washing the pan, dried his hands, and picked up an apple to slice, “Because I felt like it. And honestly, without you at school, it gets boring.”
So he came here just to torment him?!
All because he had blacklisted Zhou Yuchi for a month and forgotten to unblock him afterward?
The man was this petty, coming to live with him as revenge?!
“Out of all the houses in Shanghai, how did you just happen to end up in this one?!”
Before Jiang Zao could finish, a slice of apple was shoved into his mouth.
The crisp sweetness filled his tongue. The slight brush of Zhou Yuchi’s fingertip against the corner of his lips left behind a subtle tingling sensation that was far sharper than the apple’s flavor.
Then he heard the man’s deliberately unserious voice, “It’s fate, Zao Zao~”
Jiang Zao: “?”
“Fate brought us together,” Zhou Yuchi continued. “Haven’t you heard that saying before?”
Jiang Zao chewed furiously: “……”
Fate, my ass.
“Go finish your noodles,” Zhou Yuchi ordered, setting aside the apple slices into a neat arrangement on a plate. “Otherwise, you’ll be washing your own bowl later.”
Irritated but unwilling to risk more dishwashing, Jiang Zao sulked but obeyed.
He ate his noodles while anxiously scanning the living room, kitchen, and every shared space.
He shouldn’t have left any of his “work products” lying around… right? He remembered mixing up an earphone case with one of those… disguised vibrators, but he was pretty sure he had put everything back in his room.
God help him. This house was practically stuffed with R18 landmines.
The more he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. He shook his head fiercely, “No way. I don’t care! You have to move out.”
Leaning lazily against the counter, Zhou Yuchi took a sip of water, half-lidded eyes gleaming with indolence, “What now, little ancestor?”
Jiang Zao’s heart leapt nervously. He asked with caution, “When exactly did you move in? You didn’t… go into any other rooms, did you?”
“Why do you ask?”
“This is my house,” Jiang Zao said sharply. “How would I know if you’ve been touching my stuff?”
“Not long ago. They said the place was ready to move in, so I just walked into one of the open rooms. Why? Want to give me a tour of the others?”
“No way. Don’t even think about it.” Jiang Zao shot back instantly, pointing to the room on the right side of the living room. “Especially that room. You absolutely cannot go in there.”
“Mm.” Zhou Yuchi hummed softly.
That’s easy?!
Jiang Zao narrowed his eyes, “I’m serious. If you go into my room, you’ll regret it.”
“Oh.” Zhou Yuchi pointed to the room on the left instead.
“That one’s mine. You can go in whenever you want.”
He even copied Jiang Zao’s tone with a mock-serious addition, “And I’m serious too.”
Jiang Zao: “??”
Realizing he was being teased, Jiang Zao flushed and smacked the table, “I told you to move out already! I never gave you permission to stay here!”
Suddenly, Zhou Yuchi tossed his phone right at him, “Too late.”
Jiang Zao caught it, confused.
“Password’s the same. Open WeChat and see for yourself,” Zhou Yuchi said.
Suspicious, Jiang Zao unlocked the phone and clicked into WeChat. A message from Yang Yu popped up.
【Yang Yu: Our Zao Zao is all yours, Yuchi~ Please take good care of him [heart.jpg]】
My own mother sold me out.
“Auntie’s already agreed we should live together,” Zhou Yuchi grinned.
“She even asked me to look after you. How could I possibly move out now?”
Jiang Zao: “……”
Why did that sound like a public coming-out announcement?!
“If you’re so unhappy, you can always move out by yourself,” Zhou Yuchi said casually.
“As for me, I’m perfectly satisfied here.”
Jiang Zao was stunned. This guy’s skin was thicker than city walls. Why did he always insist on barging into his life? Even stealing his house?!
He briefly considered finding a new place, moving all his products, settling in again… but the thought alone was exhausting. Too much hassle.
His pride flared, “This is my home. I’m not the one leaving.”
Zhou Yuchi only shrugged, picking up Jiang Zao’s empty bowl, “Want more apples?”
“Yes.” Jiang Zao replied instinctively, then caught himself. “Wait! Stop changing the subject!”
“I didn’t.” Zhou Yuchi looked at him again, pausing just a moment before adding, “But your phone’s been buzzing forever. You might want to check it.”
Now that he mentioned it, Jiang Zao had heard a faint buzzing earlier.
Reaching into his pocket to grab his phone, his fingers instead brushed against something small, hard, and round.
Textured. Vibrating.
Jiang Zao: !!!
He shot to his feet, face burning. He didn’t even need to pull it out to know what it was the remote-control egg Cheng Jiamin had stuffed into his pocket that morning!!!
The shame hit like a tidal wave. His ears flushed red almost instantly.
He must have accidentally switched it on earlier with all his flailing about, thankfully the frequency was low and his clothes weren’t tight-fitting, so he hadn’t noticed until now.
Zhou Yuchi watched his reaction with interest, “What’s wrong?”
The muffled buzzing felt deafening. Jiang Zao clutched his pocket desperately, eyes darting away. His voice shrank, trembling as he stammered
“Hahaha, I’ve just been sitting too long. A little tired, that’s all. Anyway, about the house, let’s talk tomorrow. I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed now.”
Fearing Zhou Yuchi would say more, he rushed to add, “You should go to bed too! Goodnight, goodnight!”
Then he bolted into his room and slammed the door shut.
Only Zhou Yuchi was left in the living room.
The clock ticked quietly. Warm lamplight filtered through patterned glass, casting soft shadows across the table.
Zhou Yuchi stood in the kitchen, his dark eyes flickering with something unreadable, fleeting and faint, gone before anyone could notice.
After a long silence, he sat down, expression smooth again, and calmly finished the rest of the apple slices.
That night, after his shower, Jiang Zao locked himself in his room and refused to step out.
He was certain if he spent even a moment longer under the same roof as Zhou Yuchi, he’d die of embarrassment.
Why, oh why, had the stupid egg suddenly started vibrating on its own?!
Thank god Zhou Yuchi hadn’t noticed, or he really would have dug a grave for himself on the spot.
Burying his face in his pillow, Jiang Zao rolled back and forth on the bed, silently screaming into the fabric. His lips pressed so hard they lost their shape.
Rolling over again, his hand crushed something odd beneath him. He picked it up, it was just a little bell accessory from his clothes. Must’ve fallen during yesterday’s tidying.
Expression blank, he tossed it into his adult toy accessories box, then opened his laptop and started typing up a document.
【Butterfly Series Egg Vibrator】
User Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (out of 5)
Improvement Suggestions:
1. Lowest vibration frequency is practically useless, completely unnoticeable when covered by fabric! Zero effect!!
2. Switch design is terrible, too easy to turn on by accident! Needs repositioning and reinforcement!!
3. The noise is WAY too loud!!! Even at the lowest setting, someone five meters away could hear it! What is this, an alarm system to announce you’re using a toy?!
He finished the document and forwarded it to Qi Yiran.
【ZaoZaoSleeps: Get the design team to fix this.】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: Totally inhumane.】
Qi Yiran replied instantly:
【Got it, boss.】
【By the way, about the patterns, are you satisfied with the current texture, or should we add more friction?】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: [smile.jpg]】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: I didn’t even put it in. [deadpan.jpg]】
Qi Yiran sent back a simple “oh.” Then, after a long pause:
【If you can’t sleep again, boss… you should really try it.】
Jiang Zao: “……”
Great. Now he really wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Meanwhile, Bai Yunfan had apparently been cut off mid-call earlier. Unable to reach him, he was bombarding him with WeChat messages:
【Bai Yunfan: Zao!】
【Bai Yunfan: What’s wrong, what’s wrong, what’s wrong, what’s wrong】
【Bai Yunfan: You never hang up on me. Did someone break into your house??】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: I’m fine.】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: Well… not fine, exactly. No burglars, but my mental state isn’t great.】
【ZaoZaoSleeps: Need some time.】
【Bai Yunfan: ?】
【Bai Yunfan: What happened?】
Jiang Zao pursed his lips.
【ZaoZaoSleeps: It’s complicated. I’ll tell you next time.】
He shut off his phone, rolled around on the bed some more, and eventually, maybe from sheer exhaustion, fell asleep faster than usual.
The next morning.
Sunlight streamed harshly through the window, brighter and sharper than usual.
Jiang Zao was jolted awake by his alarm, groggily staring at the ceiling for a while.
He could vaguely recall some ridiculous dream.
In it, Mr. Abs had opened the door for him, adult lingerie was strewn everywhere, Zhou Yuchi had moved in as his roommate claiming they had to “live together,” and even reminded him to turn off a vibrating egg that had been buzzing nonstop.
So absurd.
Stretching, he looked around his perfectly ordinary room, shuffled into his slippers, and stepped outside to get some water.
Half-asleep, he reached the kitchen, grabbed the kettle, and glanced around for his cup. No sign of it.
Thirsty, he decided to just drink directly from the kettle. Tilting it upward, he was about to gulp when suddenly, a hand pressed it down.
Someone was behind him, half-embracing, pulling the kettle away like he was being drawn into an arm’s circle.
Head still tipped back, Jiang Zao found himself staring straight into a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Eyes that carried the heavy warmth of autumn, both familiar and suffocating.
“Wake up? ” Zhou Yuchi’s hair was still damp. He lowered his gaze, tapped Jiang Zao lightly on the forehead, and handed him a cup instead.
“The mug’s right here.”
Jiang Zao: 0.0 ?!
……
Two seconds later, he woke up fully.
Oh god!
This wasn’t a dream at all!
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
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☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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← 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