Chapter 45

Ye Chen’s heart was shaken to its core.

The two lines of text on the card were like two strings of bullets, shattering his soul. Forget about analyzing the cause and effect and formulating a response plan; he was even struggling to breathe.

Ye Chen licked his lips nervously, desperately trying to stir his petrified mind. “You… do you… have feelings for me?”

Is there some misunderstanding?

“Yes.” Shen Mofeng once again placed his index finger on Ye Chen’s lips, just like that night, preventing him from speaking. “I have feelings for you.”

Ye Chen’s lips were slightly deformed under the pressure of the finger, but they appeared even more tempting, smooth, soft, and glossy…

A slight moisture came from the fingertip, and Shen Mofeng’s Adam’s apple rolled as he took a step forward and whispered, “Chen Chen, be my boyfriend… or Ill be your boyfriend, which one do you choose?”

With each word he uttered, his rationality dropped a notch.

Blushing furiously, Ye Chen turned his head away, avoiding the finger pressing on his lips. He was about to say something when Shen Mofeng, whose rationality had fallen below the pass line, suddenly grabbed the back of his neck, wrapped his arms around his waist, tilted his head slightly, and eagerly sealed his lips that he had fantasized about for so long.

“Mmm…” Ye Chen’s pupils contracted.

At first, it was the fresh scent of snow, tobacco, and men’s cologne from Shen Mofeng’s coat. Then, it was the warm and lively citrus fragrance, accompanied by a hint of sweetness in the taste category. This cheerful and sweet scent was incompatible with Shen Mofeng’s temperament, yet it strangely emanated from Shen Mofeng’s tongue…

—He had eaten candy before kissing.

For some reason, at this critical moment, the first thing that came to Ye Chen’s mind was the image of Shen Mofeng peeling off the candy wrapper and putting an orange candy in his mouth. Only after that did the panic, shock, disbelief, and a strong sense of shame typical in such situations emerge. He was filled with gratitude and respect, wishing to kneel down and worship Shen Mofeng like a devout follower. Shen Mofeng was kissing him, and it was an indisputable, passionately charged kiss. This realization made Ye Chen’s scalp tingle, his brain blank, and his heart swell almost to the point of bursting.

But he didn’t dislike this kiss at all.

It’s just that the emotions brought by this kiss were too intense, burning and causing pain, making him instinctively want to retreat first.

“Chen Chen,” Shen Mofeng held Ye Chen’s hands and pinned them against his side, coaxing softly, “Be good…”

After uttering these words, he kissed Ye Chen again, forcing him to stumble backward and pressing him down on the sofa like a rogue, gently and passionately nibbling.

The sweet and unctuous^[1]overly sentimental sound of kissing was amplified many times in the spacious and quiet living room, crystal clear.

Shen Mofeng didn’t fail to notice Ye Chen’s resistance and stiffness, but his rationality had evaporated the moment he intimately touched Ye Chen. Those lips were too soft, ridiculously soft, soft enough to leave him in a complete mess … When a lifelong virgin finally eats meat after having maintained a vegetarian diet^[2]do something as a novel experience, he doesn’t care about anything else, and he doesn’t want to.

Shen Mofeng’s mind was blazing hot, and he couldn’t help but tighten his arms.

Ye Chen’s waist seemed even slimmer, or it could be said to be more compact.

Shen Mofeng never would have imagined that Ye Chen’s waist was actually honed from wielding a hoe…

“Shen Ge, please… wait…” Ye Chen was originally just stiff and clueless, only realizing the severity of the situation when he was pressed down. Suddenly, he increased the intensity of his resistance. Once his upper body was pinned down, he stretched out his legs to kick and struggle. The hem of his bathrobe slipped down with his movements, revealing a glimpse of the clothing underneath.

Black, making his skin appear even whiter, a bargain at ten yuan for three.

Feeling Ye Chen’s struggle was genuine, Shen Mofeng gasped and released him, calling out hoarsely, “…Chen Chen?”

Afraid of exposing the secret of the ten-yuan-for-three deal, Ye Chen quickly pulled the hem of his bathrobe down to cover his legs, his face so red it could almost ignite the air.

Shen Mofeng forcefully suppressed the rogue idea of lifting the bathrobe and steadied himself. About half of his rationality returned. Seeing that Ye Chen’s expression was clearly off, he quickly lowered his posture and coaxed, “Chen Chen, I’m sorry… I was just too anxious and scared you?”

Ye Chen shrank back, covering his lips, which were still burning from the kisses, to prevent Shen Mofeng from committing another offense. His tongue twisted as he said, “Please… please don’t do that again…”

Shen Mofeng stared at him like a wolf but obediently raised his hands in surrender, stabilizing his breathing. “Hmm, I won’t, don’t be afraid.”

In the midst of the silence, there were rustling sounds. Ye Chen looked up towards the source of the noise and saw seven divine beast cubs lined up on the stairs leading to the second floor. Their round apple-like little red faces were squeezed into the gaps of the stair railing as they curiously and shyly stared at the two people on the sofa.

Ye Chen’s face, which had finally cooled down a bit, flushed again. He pointed at Shen Mofeng, then at himself, and struggled to confirm, “Do you want to… date me? Or…?”

“Date.” Shen Mofeng said firmly, “It’s not just for fun.”

“But I…” Ye Chen was so baffled but still didn’t forget to use honorifics with Shen Mofeng, “I’m straight. I… I can’t be with *you^[3]YC uses the polite form of you.”

“Straight? You?” Shen Mofeng sneered.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth. “Yes.”

Shen Mofeng scrutinized Ye Chen, his expression gradually freezing.

Ye Chen took off the watch worth over two million, not daring to be greedy, and tried to hand it to Shen Mofeng, but Shen Mofeng remained motionless, staring at him intently. Ye Chen could only timidly put the watch back into Shen Mofeng’s coat pocket.

“I’m sorry, Shen Ge.” Ye Chen wiped his face vigorously. After the turmoil in his mind had cooled down a bit, he could think more clearly.

Shen Mofeng grabbed Ye Chen’s wrist and closed his eyes. “How could you be straight? With your alternate account, where’s the straightness…”

Ye Chen choked up.

After the mishap with his alternate account, his explanation was that he was a straight guy and never fantasized about Shen Mofeng. He just followed the trend recklessly. This reason wasn’t very convincing, and he had even prepared himself to confess at the time. But Shen Mofeng didn’t ask further questions, nor did he clearly indicate disbelief. Afterwards, he simply didn’t mention it again. Ye Chen felt embarrassed and didn’t dare to bring up this embarrassing matter…

His sexual orientation meant nothing to Shen Mofeng. Shen Mofeng wouldn’t really care whether he was straight or gay. As long as Shen Mofeng didn’t dislike it, didn’t get angry, and didn’t care, there was no need to rush to clarify any misunderstandings. He could explain when the embarrassment passed. That was Ye Chen’s thinking.

If it was because of this alternate account…

Ye Chen was overwhelmed by waves of guilt, his face flushed, then paled.

“Explain?” Shen Mofeng whispered, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face due to the failed confession, matching Ye Chen’s blush.

Ye Chen swallowed hard, trembling, “Shen Ge, I’m sorry. I lied to you… that alternate account isn’t mine.”

A mocking smile appeared on Shen Mofeng’s lips. “Isn’t yours?”

Ye Chen trembled like a chaotic mess afraid of being beaten by a prison bully, not daring to look up at Shen Mofeng. He stammered, “I’m sorry, really sorry… I… I don’t have the habit of browsing celebrity news, I didn’t mention you on that account… I… I was afraid you’d be unhappy, so I bought an account from a girl… I was out of my mind…”

He didn’t dare to reveal everything, only admitting to the part about the alternate account.

But how could he confess everything?

Admitting that the car chasing incident two years ago was just to earn three hundred bucks, comforting him was out of fear of the lies being exposed, helping him was out of gratitude, obeying his orders was out of respect, and the phone call he accidentally overheard was just to fool the manager… Ye Chen couldn’t imagine how Shen Mofeng would feel.

After all, these things Ye Chen had intended to keep to himself for a lifetime from the very beginning. He knew he had done wrong and felt ashamed. He was determined to secretly treat Shen Mofeng well, to make up for his mistakes and lies. The golden finger of the Mountain and Sea Realm was only used by him to a small extent. When the spiritual veins were repaired more, and the spiritual plants were planted, he had a thousand ways to compensate Shen Mofeng: health, fortune, treasures… even eternal youth and longevity.

As long as he had them, he would give them all. He wanted to protect Shen Mofeng’s life and ensure his happiness for a hundred years.

Moreover, according to Ye Chen’s original script, Shen Mofeng would never know he was deceived, and there would be no loss at all. Ye Chen’s efforts to compensate him were actually just struggling with his own guilty conscience.

Who could have expected…

Besides…

Ye Chen suddenly remembered the scene ten minutes ago when Shen Mofeng walked towards him in the light snow and moonlight.

Suddenly, he was afraid that Shen Mofeng would walk away from him like that again.

Ye Chen’s face turned as white as porcelain, terrified by the thought of the resolute figure walking away. He hastily suppressed the last thought of confessing everything and apologized nervously, “I’m sorry, Shen Ge, I was really wrong…”

After a suffocating silence, Shen Mofeng chuckled softly and said, “Chen Chen, look at me.”

Ye Chen took a deep breath, quickly wiped his eyes, and forced himself to make eye contact with Shen Mofeng.

This time, he cried out of guilt.

It was like regretting the loss before meeting.

“You lied to me because you were afraid I’d be unhappy, not to deceive me.” Shen Mofeng’s gaze was serious. He held Ye Chen’s face in his hands and wiped his tears with his thumbs. “Right?”

Ye Chen nodded vigorously, tears streaming down his face. “Yes!”

He had never played with Shen Mofeng maliciously from start to finish.

“Alright, I didn’t say anything to you… Why are you crying like this?” Shen Mofeng’s embarrassment and frustration were overwhelmed by Ye Chen’s tears, leaving him helpless. “Do you really like me?”

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then spoke from the heart, “I do like you, but… not in that way…”

Shen Mofeng asked again, “You treat me well and obey me, why is that?”

Ye Chen tried not to lie, “I respect you, you are my senior, and you take care of me so much…”

Shen Mofeng self-deprecatingly said, “I see, you’re serving an old artist of both moral and artistic stature^[4]Excellent in both performing skills and moral integrity.”

Ye Chen vigorously shook his head, “You’re not old!”

Shen Mofeng nodded thoughtfully, smiled, and his tone lightened a bit, “Chen Chen, even if it’s a misunderstanding, I’ve already fallen for you… What should I do?”

Ye Chen, with no regard for his image, wiped his nose, “Shen Ge, I owe you too much, I… I don’t know what to do… How can you just calm down a bit? Or maybe you can hit me a few times…”

Shen Mofeng pulled out a few tissues and comforted Ye Chen like a child, wiping his nose gently. He said leisurely, “Beat your sexual orientation into bending?”

Ye Chen: “…”

“Seriously, Chen Chen.” Shen Mofeng took his hand and pinched it reluctantly. “Have you ever been in love?”

Ye Chen shook his head, “Never.”

Shen Mofeng asked, “Have you ever liked a girl?”

Ye Chen awkwardly replied, “No, I haven’t.”

Taking a deep breath, Shen Mofeng asked, “When I kissed you just now, did you feel disgusted? Did you find it repulsive?”

Ye Chen honestly replied, “…Not really.”

Shen Mofeng chuckled meaningfully.

He wasn’t blind; just now, Ye Chen had indeed blushed and his heart had raced when he kissed him. For a few seconds, Ye Chen had seemed almost intoxicated. That little tongue… it clearly responded to him unconsciously. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so lost in the moment and kissed Ye Chen for so long.

He was truly an ironclad straight man with no room for ambiguity. Being kissed by the same sex couldn’t elicit such a reaction of disgust or nausea. Shen Mofeng suspected that Ye Chen might be bisexual and unaware of it, or at least had some tendencies…

Shen Mofeng blinked, wearing an unabashedly shameless expression. “Then why do you claim to be straight?”

Ye Chen choked, “…”

Do I need evidence to say I’m straight?!

“Chen Chen.” Shen Mofeng gently wiped Ye Chen’s cat-like face. Overall, his tone was gentle, but there was a hint of chilliness inexplicably present. “Let me tell you a joke.”

Ye Chen suddenly felt uneasy and stammered, “Um…”

“Once upon a time, there was a person,” Shen Mofeng said slowly, “who dated a girl in a game, helped her rank up, and bought her skins^[5]Reference to the author’s other book 《水手服与白球鞋》…”

Ye Chen cautiously interjected, “And then found out she was a guy?”

“Yes.” Shen Mofeng turned his head, looking at Ye Chen with a playful expression, mimicking the tone of the deceived guy, “And then he said, ‘I bought you skins, boosted your rank, now you tell me you’re a guy. I don’t care, even if you’re a guy, you still have to be with me’… Funny, isn’t it?”

Ye Chen nervously chuckled three times, “Haha.”

“Still laughing?” Shen Mofeng hugged Ye Chen’s waist tightly, pulling him closer with resentment in his eyes as black as ink. His tone was chilly, “I bought you tokens of affection, negotiated endorsements for you, flew sixteen hours just to surprise you during the New Year, entrusted you with my first kiss, and for the first time in my life, I chased after someone, and it failed because of you. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, and the area of psychological shadow is immeasurable… And now you tell me you’re straight.”

“Shen Ge, Shen Ge, I truly know I’m wrong,” Ye Chen’s face, as pale as paper, returned to a flush of red. He desperately tried to pry Shen Mofeng’s hands away from his waist, “I know I owe you a lot, and I’ll slowly repay you. I’ll definitely repay you. Please calm down a bit…”

“I don’t care.” Shen Mofeng handcuffed Ye Chen’s little hands, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, “Even if you’re straight, you still have to be with me.”

If you can’t hold onto the sand, might as well throw it away.

If your face is already lost, might as well lose it a few more times.

The author has something to say:

Shen Mofeng: I’ll handle the romance over here for now. Whenever you decide to bend, that’s up to you. 🙂

TN:

Do not be like ML. Never force anyone to like or be with you under any circumstances! It must be mutual and consensual even if the other person likes you but isn’t self-aware.