Chapter 26

Zhu Yu didn’t reply to Han Geonju.

He tossed his phone onto the sofa, rolled up his sleeves, and began cleaning his room.

The bedroom hadn’t been lived in for half a month. Zhu Yu dug out a new bedsheet from the wardrobe, panting as he changed the old one.

He realized how far he had fallen. Back when he was still in China, he wouldn’t even bother folding his quilt, let alone change the bedsheets himself.

But Zhu Yu was optimistic. If something as small as this could defeat him, then when he was sent abroad, he would have already given up and surrendered. Besides, his life now was… not so bad.

Zhu Yu chuckled to himself.

After making the bed, Zhu Yu stood by the bed with his hands on his hips, admiring his work. Meanwhile, the fat cat, done with its meal, leaped onto the bed with a powerful push of its hind legs, finding a comfy spot to lie down and leaving muddy paw prints on Zhu Yu’s clean sheets.

Zhu Yu’s vision darkened, and he lifted the cat up, glaring toward the money tree by the window.

Liu Bo had always been particularly fond of that money tree. Whenever there was nothing else to do, he would dig through the soil.

When Zhu Yu wasn’t home, he would close the bedroom door to keep Liu Bo out. Maybe he hadn’t noticed, but Liu Bo had once again loosened the soil in the plant pot.

Zhu Yu fumed, “Liu Bo! You’re such a messy fat cat!”

“If I can’t get rich, you’ll never eat canned food again!” He lifted Liu Bo to the money tree, speaking sternly, “Apologize to it!”

Zhu Yu glared at Liu Bo.

Liu Bo: “Meow.”

Zhu Yu was so angry, he had no words left.

Just then, something more frustrating than Zhu Yu himself appeared.

Grumbling, he carried Liu Bo to the bathroom and started running hot water to bathe the cat.

Liu Bo’s only redeeming quality was that he didn’t cause trouble during bath time.

As Zhu Yu poured the hot water, he reached for the hairdryer under the sink but found it missing.

Zhu Yu then remembered: the hairdryer was left at Bai Chen’s place!

He hadn’t taken it back after bathing Liu Bo that time.

Fortunately, he realized it before starting the bath. Otherwise, Zhu Yu would have had to carry the wet Liu Bo to Bai Chen’s place to get the hairdryer.

“Wait here for me,” Zhu Yu said. “I’ll grab the hairdryer and then give you a bath.”

He left Liu Bo in the bathroom.

Being close had its advantages, and with just a few steps, Zhu Yu was already at Bai Chen’s door.

“Senior Brother.” He knocked on the door.

There was no response from inside. Zhu Yu knocked again, “Senior Brother, I’m here to get Liu Bo’s hairdryer.”

Still no sound.

Zhu Yu thought Bai Chen might be busy in the bedroom.

So, he took out his phone and called Bai Chen.

The phone didn’t pick up.

Is he busy? Zhu Yu wondered.

The key to Bai Chen’s house was still with him, so worried that Liu Bo might be playing with water in the bathroom, Zhu Yu decided to unlock the door himself.

The room was very quiet, and the ringtone from the phone on the coffee table felt oddly out of place.

“Click.” The bathroom door suddenly opened behind him.

Immediately after, Bai Chen’s surprised voice came from behind him: “Xiao Yu?”

He had probably just taken a shower, and his voice was a bit muffled from the steam, deep and alluring.

The steam from the bathroom rolled out, and Zhu Yu could smell the fresh scent of body wash.

Even though he had entered openly, hearing Bai Chen call his name made Zhu Yu feel guilty, as if he were doing something wrong, causing him to involuntarily flinch.

He then awkwardly turned around.

Bai Chen, having just finished his shower, heard the phone ringing in the living room, so he hastily wrapped a white towel around his waist and came out.

His upper body was bare, and his skin had goosebumps from the cold air. His small body hairs stood on end, and his muscles were firm and well-defined. The steam from the hot water made his honey-colored skin glow with a pinkish hue. His chest muscles were full, and the mole on his chest looked even more striking. His abdominal muscles were sharply defined, with smooth lines of muscle.

Water droplets dripped down his hair, and a few strands of wet hair fell over his forehead, partially blocking his eyes. So, Bai Chen pulled the wet strands back, making his hair form a sexy slicked-back style. Water droplets from his hair ran down his neck, over his chest and abdominal muscles, and down his V-line, disappearing beneath the white towel.

The towel wasn’t wrapped too high, and Zhu Yu’s gaze naturally dropped, revealing the sexy V-line that was exposed. The clearly defined veins extended deep into his body, and further down, the towel covered it.

But…

Is this the size of a normal person while sleeping??!

Zhu Yu’s innocent eyes suddenly widened, his pupils contracting sharply without even blinking.

“I-I-I…” His face turned red, and Zhu Yu quickly turned around, flustered as he explained: “I came to get Liu Bo’s hairdryer. I called you, but you didn’t answer, so I… I just came in.”

Zhu Yu stammered through the sentence, his tongue tripping over itself, but somehow, he managed to finish his words.

Bai Chen, completely unaware, casually grabbed another towel to wrap around himself and walked to the entrance. “I’ll go get it for you.”

He said.

His voice was a little clear and smooth, with a slight stickiness.

Zhu Yu replied, “Okay.”

Bai Chen opened the drawer, took out the pet hairdryer, and walked over to Zhu Yu’s side. “Here.”

He had just finished showering, and there was still a damp heat coming from his body. As soon as he got close to Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu could feel it.

Zhu Yu stiffly turned around and was faced with Bai Chen’s bare skin. The mist from his chest muscles clung to his body, and Zhu Yu could smell a strong fragrance.

The next moment, Zhu Yu’s fair face instantly turned bright red.

His hand, which had been reaching out to take the hairdryer, changed direction before even touching it.

Zhu Yu quickly covered his nose with his hand.

Blood started dripping from the gaps between his fingers.

Bai Chen: ?

A few minutes later, the two were squeezed into the narrow bathroom together.

Bai Chen used a tissue to help block the nostril from which Zhu Yu’s nosebleed was coming. In this position, they were incredibly close to each other.

Zhu Yu could catch glimpses of what was happening right in front of him.

His long eyelashes were wet with physiological tears, his eyes shimmering with moisture, his pupils reflecting light.

Sigh, how many times had his heart shattered by now?

Is this how the organization tests its cadres?

Bai Chen’s voice was gentle: “You don’t drink alcohol, but you still get nosebleeds?”

Zhu Yu, while washing his hands, explained with a bit of shame: “Maybe… I’ve been eating too well lately, and my heat is too strong.”

As he spoke, his peripheral vision caught sight of something, and the other nostril started bleeding too, the warm blood sliding down.

“Senior Brother!! Help!!” Zhu Yu quickly raised his hand to cover the other nostril.

Bai Chen seemed to have guessed the reason for Zhu Yu’s nosebleed. He sighed lightly, tightened the bathrobe around his body to completely cover his exposed skin, and, with a helpless and amused smile, reached out to cover Zhu Yu’s eyes, saying, “Don’t look.”

Zhu Yu lowered his head, feeling embarrassed: Ugh ugh ugh T^T

He saw Bai Chen take out a tissue, preparing to help wipe his nosebleed, and quickly took a big step back. “Senior Brother! Don’t come near me!”

“My… my heat is really strong right now,” Zhu Yu’s voice was full of despair. His dignity…

Bai Chen couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips into a faint smile. He looked at Zhu Yu’s ears, which were so red they looked like they were bleeding, and imitated the way Zhu Yu had spoken, saying with a smile, “Okay, okay.”

Actually, if Zhu Yu had paid enough attention to detail, he would have noticed that Bai Chen’s ear lobes were much redder than his own.

A few minutes later, Bai Chen returned to his room and changed clothes, and Zhu Yu’s nose had stopped bleeding.

When Bai Chen opened the door, he saw Zhu Yu standing at the bedroom door, waiting for him.

“Senior Brother, if I explain myself, will it seem like I’m really guilty?” Zhu Yu looked up at him carefully, asking.

His fair cheeks still had a faint red tint that hadn’t faded, his damp pinkish hair stuck to his face, his eyelashes wet, and each of his nostrils had a tissue stuffed in it.

He looked like a sad pink Samoyed, so pitiful.

Bai Chen wasn’t a frivolous person” he was always calm and composed, both in speech and actions. But for some reason, he felt the urge to tease Zhu Yu at that moment. So, under Zhu Yu’s gaze, he slowly nodded, “A little.”

Zhu Yu froze on the spot.

The next second.

A loud, shrill cat meow came from the 515 dormitory.

Zhu Yu immediately snapped out of it, turned around, and ran home, shouting, “My Liu Bo!”

A few minutes later.

Bai Chen was drying Liu Bo in his room, and Zhu Yu was crouched beside them, holding his face, watching them.

Bai Chen, hurriedly changed into a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His hair was only half-dried, and a few strands hung down, making him look quite sexy.

Zhu Yu secretly sighed, Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu, you resisted such temptation—what won’t you succeed at in the future?

“It’s done.” Bai Chen turned off the hairdryer and let Liu Bo go.

Liu Bo immediately dashed out of the room.

“Liu Bo! Running off after causing trouble!” Zhu Yu was so angry that he punched the air in frustration.

He swore at Liu Bo because it deserved it.

Zhu Yu had only gone to get the hairdryer, but Liu Bo had made a mess in the bathroom, splashing water everywhere, and now the water was all over the sofa and bed.

Honestly speaking, Zhu Yu’s mattress could probably squeeze out water now.

Bai Chen stood up and looked at the large water stain in the middle of Zhu Yu’s bed. “You should put the bed cover in the washing machine to wash and dry. The mattress might take a couple of days to dry.”

As he spoke, he had already taken the wet bed cover off.

Zhu Yu: “What should I do? Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?”

He only had one blanket to cover himself with, and now it was soaked with water. The sofa was also damp, leaving him with no place to sleep.

He spoke in a pitiful tone and continued, “Do I have to sleep on the streets?”

Bai Chen chuckled. He carried the blanket he had just taken off to the balcony, and Zhu Yu quickly followed, holding the sheets.

As Bai Chen hung the blanket to dry, he said, “If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place for these two nights.”

Zhu Yu said, “But I don’t have any extra…”

He paused, as if he only now understood the hidden meaning in Bai Chen’s words, and then excitedly asked, “With you? Are we sleeping in the same bed?!”

Zhu Yu’s eyes were full of expectation and excitement, and he didn’t even try to hide it, making it seem like he had been wanting this all along.

Bai Chen, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Zhu Yu’s gaze, cleared his throat lightly and said, “That’s one way, but if you’re uncomfortable, we could look for a hotel nearby. But I don’t think it’s very cost-effective, as hotels can be a bit expensive.”

Bai Chen was considering Zhu Yu’s financial situation.

Zhu Yu immediately grabbed his arm in excitement, happily saying, “I don’t mind! How could I mind?!”

Bai Chen hung the sheets he had taken from Zhu Yu on the balcony as well.

“Alright, we’ll talk about this later. For now, we need to clean up the water on your floor,” Bai Chen said with a light smile as he walked toward the living room. “The duvet and sofa covers need to be washed too.”

Liu Bo’s muddy paw prints had left stains on both the sofa cover and the duvet.

Zhu Yu followed behind Bai Chen and obediently replied, “Okay.”

He looked down at his toes, not noticing that Bai Chen had stopped, and ended up bumping his forehead directly into Bai Chen’s back.

“Oops.” Zhu Yu covered his forehead and took a step back.

Bai Chen turned around to look at him, and Zhu Yu immediately removed his hand from his forehead, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Chen looked at him with a somewhat helpless gaze but also found it amusing. He reached out and gently rubbed Zhu Yu’s forehead, saying, “I meant to say, if the balcony can’t fit these, you can dry them on my balcony.”

“Okay! Thank you, Senior Brother,” Zhu Yu said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Zhu Yu then took responsibility for putting the duvet and sofa cover into the washing machine, while Bai Chen helped him clean the room, inside and out.

It was an hour later when they were done with everything.

Zhu Yu had just finished running in the morning and was already tired, and after everything that had happened since he got back, he was so sleepy that his eyes could barely stay open.

After hanging the clothes, Bai Chen returned to the living room to find Zhu Yu curled up on the sofa, already asleep.

He lowered his footsteps and gently draped a blanket over Zhu Yu’s body.

Bai Chen had noticed over the past two weeks that Zhu Yu slept very peacefully. No matter where he lay down before falling asleep, he remained in that position when he woke up, not moving much.

Bai Chen stood beside the sofa, looking down at Zhu Yu’s sleeping face.

The pink hair covered his eyebrows, scattered across the pillow, with eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. His breathing was steady and even, his thin lips red and soft, giving him an obedient appearance. However, the earrings added a rebellious touch, making him seem like a beautiful jadeite, carefully polished and sculpted.

If Bai Chen kept looking, he could keep watching until Zhu Yu woke up.

After a long while, he slowly averted his gaze, bent down, and tucked the corner of the cotton blanket under Zhu Yu’s body. His finger accidentally brushed over Zhu Yu’s cheek, feeling smooth and soft.

Bai Chen withdrew his hand, straightened up, lightly rubbed his fingertip with his thumb, then went to the kitchen, closing the door behind him to start preparing dinner.

The apartment had part-time workers who delivered orders from a Chinese supermarket, and Bai Chen had specifically ordered some vegetables to help reduce heat.