Chapter 55

Ye Chen’s voice was clear and graceful, devoid of any creamy smoothness, yet his tone softened like water, seeping into every crevice and turning Shen Mofeng’s bones, along with his moral compass, into molten toffee. In a moment of unrestrained impulse, his heart burning hot, he murmured, “Sounds nice. Can you call me one more time?”

Locked in his embrace with no escape, Ye Chen lowered his head and buried his face in Shen Mofeng’s shoulder, softly calling out, “Gege…”

After the second call, Ye Chen felt his soul fly out with embarrassment.

Shen Mofeng took a deep breath, refraining from asking for more.

He had to restrain himself.

So he released Ye Chen, lifted a hand to brush Ye Chen’s burning earlobe, and changed the subject, “You still have your ear pierced. When did you get that?”

“In my first year of high school,” Ye Chen steadied his emotions.

“High school?” Shen Mofeng chuckled, “You were quite wild.”

“No, I went with a classmate,” Ye Chen’s voice brightened as he reminisced about high school. “Once we got there, he chickened out and asked me to go first to boost his courage. By the time I finished, he had vanished.”

Ye Chen flicked his eyelashes quickly, stealing a glance at Shen Mofeng. Seeing him interested rather than impatient, he added, “So I thought, since I spent money on it, might as well keep it even if I grow old.”

“Long story short, no refunds…” Shen Mofeng chuckled softly, rubbing Ye Chen’s soft earlobe between his thumb and forefinger. He asked, “Are these earrings a pair? Where’s the other one?”

Ye Chen honestly replied, “It’s at home.”

“Could you give the other one to me?” Shen Mofeng asked.

Ye Chen knew Shen Mofeng wanted to match his own. Thinking about the expensive watch worth two million, Shen Mofeng’s endorsement deals, and their expenses in Italy these days… Feeling a bit soft-hearted, Ye Chen nodded quickly, “Sure, I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

Shen Mofeng’s earlier restlessness subsided slightly. Deciding to continue teasing, he handed his phone to Ye Chen and said, “Remember what you promised me yesterday. Pick one of those lines from the alternate account and say it.”

Ye Chen glanced at the screen, seeing Shen Mofeng’s phone gallery filled with screenshots from a fake account…

Biting his lip until it turned pale, except for his lips which were red, Ye Chen pleaded, “Shen ge…”

“You better not beg me,” Shen Mofeng said calmly, “It’ll only backfire.”

Choosing to fulfill “pick a line to say” was indeed a promise he made yesterday. Ye Chen closed his eyes in frustration, silently scrolling through dozens of tweets to find one that wasn’t too embarrassing. It took him quite a while before he finally found one.

It was a retweet by the main account of a series of side profile photos of Shen Mofeng, with the caption: “Want to kiss gege’s face for 24 hours straight.”

After looking around, this was the least embarrassing option he could find. At least it didn’t involve taking off clothes or going into inappropriate territory…

Ye Chen was embarrassed to speak, staring down at the floor without moving.

“Have you picked one?” Shen Mofeng saw him hesitating for so long, leaned over to look, and pretended to be hesitant, “This… What about when we’re sleeping or filming? Does the time carry over?”

Ye Chen was stunned, staring wide-eyed, his lips moved silently for a moment before he managed to say, “24 hours is a figurative expression.”

“If not 24 hours, then 24 times,” Shen Mofeng bargained.

Ye Chen hesitated, “Two times… One on each side, that’s fair.”

Shen Mofeng fought back a laugh, his abs aching from holding it in, “Four times. My face is thick-skinned; one on each side won’t do.”

“To die early and be born again early…” Ye Chen silently repeated, conceding defeat, “Four times then.”

Shen Mofeng cleared his throat, sitting up straight and pointed to his handsome face, “Let’s do it.”

Ye Chen knelt beside Shen Mofeng, leaning forward with his upper body, slowly bringing his face closer to Shen Mofeng’s. The closer they got, the more his heart raced.

Their lips and cheeks met in a moist, delicate touch.

Ye Chen, straightforward as ever, blushing deeply, kissed Shen Mofeng’s left cheek twice. Then he shifted to Shen Mofeng’s right side and kissed his right cheek twice as well.

Shen Mofeng was satisfied but still teased, touching the spots where he had been kissed and pretending to be a pitiful wife, “You kissed me first, yet you won’t give me a proper title. That’s so mean…”

“…You asked me to,” Ye Chen muttered awkwardly.

“Oh, I did?” Shen Mofeng repeated, then swiftly turned, pinning Ye Chen between the wall and the bed, creating a corner. He questioned, “Are you always this obedient? Would you kiss other guys if they asked?”

Ye Chen replied, “No.”

Shen Mofeng asked with a smile, “What about other girls?”

Ye Chen blushed even more, “No, not them either.”

Shen Mofeng laughed, “So you’re only this obedient in front of me, huh?”

Ye Chen’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “Yes.”

Shen Mofeng rubbed the ear where Ye Chen wore the earring, coaxing softly, “You must already like me, right? Otherwise, why would you be so obedient? If you didn’t feel anything for me, you’d have hit me by now.”

This question had troubled Ye Chen countless times. Hearing it now, he felt a pang of uncertainty and mumbled, “Out of respect, maybe?”

“Forget it,” Shen Mofeng’s tone softened, “You’re stubborn, little one, but a few more kisses and you’ll soften up… Let’s call it even for the four kisses.”

“No, you don’t have to repay…” Ye Chen was trapped in the corner, breathless from the excuse the old rogue found.

This time, not only his lips but even his ears weren’t spared.

Shen Mofeng seemed to really like him wearing the earring. Tonight’s kisses were particularly intense, and he skipped asking “Can I?” questions, simply turning Ye Chen’s face to the side and gently nibbling on his earlobe with his teeth, brushing it lightly with his tongue…

“Mmm… ah…” Ye Chen’s entire body tensed up, from his tailbone to the back of his neck, a sour and tingling sensation spread. There seemed to be faint sparks crackling in his ears, and his blood rushed suddenly to his lower abdomen. Changes that hadn’t appeared during their intimate contact days ago suddenly surfaced on Ye Chen without warning…

“I can’t…” Ye Chen was shocked, pushing away Shen Mofeng’s hand with an unusual amount of strength. He muttered softly, “Shen Ge, please, stop… stop for a moment!”

Shen Mofeng obediently let go of him, breathing heavily.

Ye Chen awkwardly hugged his legs tightly together, stretched out his arms to grab the bedsheet and pulled it over himself. He stammered, “I… I can’t take it anymore. Can we… stop here for now?”

Shen Mofeng guessed most of what was going on from Ye Chen’s movements. Afraid that speaking the truth would embarrass Ye Chen to death on the spot, he summoned all his self-control and said, “Alright.”

Ye Chen wrapped himself tightly with the blanket below his waist, afraid of being ambushed by Shen Mofeng. He slowly lay down, feeling like a chrysalis, and covered his head with the pillow.

“Chen Chen, are you…” Shen Mofeng tried to hold back but couldn’t help himself.

Ye Chen intentionally made noise to drown out the second half of Shen Mofeng’s question, “Ahhhh…”

Shen Mofeng persisted, “Do you need help?”

“Please don’t say anything!” Ye Chen pressed the pillow harder against his head, entering a state of ‘I’m not listening, I’m not listening’.

The heat was too intense, and the little sweet cake was tickled to the point of explosion… Shen Lao Rogue found himself in self-inflicted agony.

A long silence followed.

“…Chen Chen?” Shen Mofeng poked at Ye Chen under the covers, amused and frustrated. “I won’t tease you anymore tonight. Come out, don’t stay cooped up like this.”

Another long silence followed.

Just as Shen Mofeng started to wonder if Ye Chen had passed out under the covers, Ye Chen emerged from the makeshift fortress of blanket and pillow. His face had lost some of its flush, and he earnestly called out, “Shen Ge.”

Shen Mofeng slightly widened his eyes, “Hmm?”

“I actually…” Ye Chen hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, “Forget it.”

“What’s wrong?” Shen Mofeng lifted Ye Chen’s chin slightly with a tease, “Tell me.”

“I…” Ye Chen clenched his fists and looked down, “I might be quite different from what you imagine in many ways… If you like me, make sure you’re liking the right person.”

These past few days, Ye Chen had been pondering over the fact that Shen Mofeng liked him. He pieced together an image of himself in Shen Mofeng’s mind based on their interactions over the past few months. The more complete this image became, the more he realized the potential huge gap between how Shen Mofeng perceived him and who he actually was…

This hidden worry made him uneasy. He couldn’t help but imagine what Shen Mofeng’s disappointed and cold gaze would look like when everything was revealed.

Just thinking about Shen Mofeng possibly looking at him with such eyes sent a hot, prickling sensation down his spine.

And just now, this discomfort reached its peak in recent days.

It seemed like he really did have… some feelings for Shen Mofeng.

Shen Mofeng tilted his head slightly, “For example?”

“Like… um…” Ye Chen struggled for a moment, unable to say anything that wouldn’t give away too much or raise suspicions from Shen Mofeng. He mumbled vaguely, “I’m definitely not as good as you imagine. I have a lot of flaws, and there are many things about me that you don’t know.”

“Isn’t that normal? I base my feelings on what I see. That’s enough,” Shen Mofeng casually smiled, “You’re not transparent. It’s impossible to date someone and not have any privacy left.”

Ye Chen pursed his lips, neither confirming nor denying.

Shen Mofeng studied him for a moment, his dark eyes warm as he said, “Do you have something important you’re hiding from me?” Before Ye Chen could reply, he continued, half to himself, “Let me guess, you’re secretly married with kids for years?”

At these words, Ye Chen’s expression turned complex, “…”

Whether he was secretly married or not, he did have seven children…

“The eighth one is about to be born!”

Seeing Ye Chen suddenly silent, Shen Mofeng chuckled helplessly. “Are you… leaving me to guess?”

“N-No hidden marriage,” Ye Chen shook his head vigorously.

Shen Mofeng blinked, teasingly asking, “Do you have a child?”

“…,” Ye Chen coughed lightly. “No.”

After lightening the atmosphere, Shen Mofeng became serious. “Then is there anything else you’re hiding from me? Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, carefully choosing his words. “It’s not something specific. It’s just… if my upbringing wasn’t great, if I’ve endured a lot of hardships, been through poverty, done all sorts of jobs… well, they were all legitimate jobs. But I wasn’t born a pampered young master, my education level isn’t high, I didn’t even finish high school…” Ye Chen bit his lip, eyes downcast. “Would you look down on me, or think less of me?”

After a pause, Shen Mofeng’s voice came out slightly restrained. “I wouldn’t.”

Ye Chen looked up.

Shen Mofeng’s expression turned slightly angry as he grasped Ye Chen’s chin, gently shaking it as if emphasizing something through this gesture. “My potential boyfriend… if he’s had a tough life, faced hardship and poverty. It’s already too let to feel bad and yet I despise him for such trivial matters, am I still a human being? You have guts ah! Little friend, you dare think so badly of me?”

TN:

This chapter is locked on jjwxc so no author’s note and I’m not sure of the accuracy. Had to use an aggregator site and it didn’t have author’s notes for the chapters.