Xu Yuan looked at Shen Nanxing on his phone, but there was a sense of regret in his heart. At that moment, the sound of someone entering a password came from the door. After two beeps, the door was opened from the outside. The man was dressed in a well-tailored suit, with meticulously styled hair, a proper tie, and an expensive watch—all giving off an air of elegance. Xu Yuan looked at the man with a tired expression and asked in a cold tone, “What are you doing here?”

Perhaps triggered by his indifferent attitude, the man frowned in displeasure. “Is this how you treat your benefactor?” Han Zhao had just finished attending a cocktail party and, despite a headache, had instructed his driver to bring him here. He had thought that after not seeing each other for a while, Xu Yuan would be more considerate, but instead, Xu Yuan still displayed this cold demeanor, which made Han Zhao feel a bit defeated.

Xu Yuan, seeing that he was using his position as a benefactor to pressure him, couldn’t help but mock, “So what do you want me to do? Grovel before you? Serve you? Sleep with you?” He stood up and took a step towards Han Zhao, his gaze growing colder. “Mr. Han, what exactly do you want me to do?”

Han Zhao felt a sharp pain in his heart and stubbornly stared at Xu Yuan, emphasizing each word, “Call my name.”

Xu Yuan gritted his teeth, glaring at him, “Han… Zhao!”

“Mm, I’m here!” A hint of joy flashed in Han Zhao’s eyes. Using his slight drunkenness as an excuse, he forcefully threw Xu Yuan onto the sofa. His hands affectionately roamed across Xu Yuan’s face. “You’re mine. I won’t allow you to like anyone else!”

Xu Yuan turned his face away, disgusted, “Get off me, you stink!” Han Zhao’s clothes carried the scent of a woman’s perfume mixed with alcohol, making Xu Yuan feel nauseous, almost like he wanted to vomit. It was too overpowering.

Surprisingly, Han Zhao felt a sense of pleasure at being rejected. At least now Xu Yuan’s expression was more varied, no longer the indifferent, distant look. Han Zhao quickly removed his coat and carelessly tossed it onto the floor. He unbuttoned his shirt, guided Xu Yuan’s hand to his chest, and kissed him passionately, his face flushed with desire. He murmured into Xu Yuan’s lips, “You’re mine, and I won’t let you love anyone else.”

Xu Yuan’s cold hand touched Han Zhao’s heated skin. Looking at Han Zhao’s intoxicated expression, he felt a moment of self-mockery. He took the lead, biting Han Zhao’s lip, greedily savoring the sweetness in his mouth, his hand tightening around his waist.

Han Zhao’s body went limp, his eyes dazed as he looked at Xu Yuan. Still, he whispered invitingly, “Hurry… give it to me…”

Xu Yuan, seeing Han Zhao’s flushed face, his eyes glazed with desire, and the way his gaze was locked on him, felt a fire stir within him.

He wrapped his arms around Han Zhao’s waist, and their positions were reversed. Han Zhao’s body sank into the soft sofa, and Xu Yuan forcefully spread his legs apart, leaning down to kiss him. Unlike his usual gentle and reserved manner, Xu Yuan was unusually domineering in matters of intimacy. He didn’t allow Han Zhao to make a sound, and enjoyed leaving marks of biting on his body, as if asserting his dominance, or perhaps venting his dissatisfaction. Han Zhao, however, liked being treated this way. The marks on his body made him feel a tangible connection to Xu Yuan. He really liked Xu Yuan, even if it meant keeping him by offering a form of ‘sponsorship.’ Even if Xu Yuan hated this kind of relationship. As long as he could have him, anything was acceptable.

…Shen Nanxing returned home around nine o’clock. The house was quiet. Only the butler and Wu Ma were still awake. It seemed that Shen Chuanqiong had worked overtime, as he hadn’t returned yet. What was even stranger was that his parents weren’t home either. Wu Ma, seeing that Shen Nanxing had come back, hurriedly asked if he had eaten. If not, she would make something immediately. Shen Nanxing replied that he had already eaten. He looked around the empty living room and asked, “Where are mom and dad? Haven’t they returned yet?”

Wu Ma replied, “Mr. Shen and Madam are on a business trip. They won’t be back for a few days.”

“Okay, I understand,” Shen Nanxing responded, then turned and went upstairs.

Shen Nanxing returned to his room, put his phone on the nightstand to charge, and went to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of rain splattering from the bathroom drowned out the ringtone of his phone. After finishing his shower, Shen Nanxing dried his hair and snuggled into the soft, warm bed. He picked up his phone and saw several missed calls. They were from Xia Zimu. Why was he calling so late? Was there something urgent?

With that thought, Shen Nanxing called back. The phone was quickly answered, and Xia Zimu’s voice screamed through the receiver, “Wuwuwu… Xiao Nanxing, you finally answered my call!”

Shen Nanxing held the phone away from his ear and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Do you know you’re trending? I’m so jealous! How can you be so close to another man? I’m going crazy with jealousy!” Xia Zimu was lying on the sofa, hitting the cushions repeatedly.

Shen Nanxing was silent for a moment, rubbing his forehead, “Can you speak properly?” Every time Xia Zimu spoke, he would say things that didn’t make sense. Saying he was jealous was such an inappropriate choice of words!

Xia Zimu snorted unhappily, muttering, “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

At the other end of the sofa, Zhou He was handling unfinished work, and without lifting his head, he chimed in, “Everything!”

Xia Zimu kicked his foot, “Shut up.””

“After warning Zhou He, he picked up his phone again and said, ‘Xiao Nanxing, you better confess, why are you trending with another man?’

Zhou He looked at him with a queen-like expression, wishing he could shut him up. Shen Nanxing knew he was talking about what happened this afternoon. He wasn’t surprised that it was posted online, after all, Xu Yuan’s popularity and fame were undeniable. He explained, ”It’s all a coincidence. I’m not the only one trending.” There are other people, right? Besides Xu Yuan, there’s also Liu Ke. But when Xia Zimu heard this, he started crying and wailing again, ”You’re brushing me off, I’m heartbroken.”

Shen Nanxing smiled helplessly, ”Stop pretending.” Whether he was heartbroken or not, he couldn’t tell, but he was certainly a master at acting.

Xia Zimu coughed a few times, regaining his normal tone, ”Xiao Nanxing, do you want to go out and have fun tomorrow?”

”No.”

Xia Zimu became anxious, ”Why not?”

”I have class.”

”Then if you don’t have class, will you come out? Let me know when you don’t have class, I’ll make plans with you.” Xia Zimu asked persistently.

”Why do you have to ask me?” Shen Nanxing asked in confusion.

Xia Zimu purposely lowered his voice to a deep, mature tone, ”Because I’m pursuing you!”

Shen Nanxing was completely stunned by this sentence.

”Cough, cough, well, since there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.” Xia Zimu didn’t get a reply, so he yelled into the phone, ”Wait, I’m serious…”

With a thud, Zhou He took the phone and hung up.

Xia Zimu trembled with anger, ”Why did you hang up on me?”

Zhou He frowned, his voice cold, ”You’re disturbing me!”

”Hmph, you refused to go work in the study when I asked you to, and insisted on squeezing onto the same sofa as me. I didn’t complain about being crowded, and now you’re complaining about me being noisy!” Xia Zimu grumbled, angrily retorting.

”If you want a date that badly, go on a date with me!” Zhou He shot back.