Chapter 30

In the evening, the four of them stayed at Sheng Xin’s family vacation estate. Sheng’s family was wealthy and had hotels all over the world, otherwise, Sheng Xin wouldn’t have known Shen Yuanting.

Sheng Xin invited them to play mahjong, and the loser had to drink a glass of wine.

Yan Zhao had terrible luck with cards, and in games involving luck, he tended to lose more than win. However, when playing games, the goal was to have fun, so even when he lost, he didn’t feel much. He cheerfully ordered a shot for Shen Yuanting after losing. However, after drinking a bit too much, his head started to spin, transitioning from an automatic shot dispenser to an automatic tile-counting machine.

They played another round, and Shen Yuanting won. He held down Yan Zhao’s hand that was reaching for the wine glass, and helped him drink a glass, and said, “Let’s call it a day.”

Sheng Xin stretched lazily, “Alright, someone’s defending his friend. Let him off the hook.” His words made it sound like he had won a lot, but in reality, he was only in third place, second from the bottom. Also, Yan Zhao had bad luck with cards, and Sheng Xin lacked skills, so neither had much to boast about.

Ying Hongyu lowered his eyes and exposed his weakness, “Consider it letting you off the hook.”

Sheng Xin attempted to argue, “Well, at least I can hold my liquor.”

Shen Yuanting supported Yan Zhao back to their room. Even when drunk, Yan Zhao didn’t cry or make a scene; he still spoke like a normal person, but there was no logic in his words.

They swiped the room card, and the door opened. Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, they could see the full moon in the night sky.

Yan Zhao pointed to the moon, “Cherry blossom pudding, looks nice.”

Shen Yuanting pushed him into the bathroom, “I’ll buy it for you tomorrow.”

Yan Zhao felt the bristles of the toothbrush and squeezed the toothpaste, saying, “No, it’s not good, it tastes like dish soap, not as good as toothpaste.”

Shen Yuanting pinched his chin and checked his mouth, “Did you eat it?”

Yan Zhao, with toothpaste bubbles in his mouth, replied, “I ate it in elementary school, it was grape-flavored, like drinking soda. I used to sneak a bit every time I brushed my teeth, but my mom found out and gave me a beating, so I stopped eating it.”

Shen Yuanting: “…”

Yan Zhao brushed his teeth in front of the mirror, “I wouldn’t eat it if it was mustard-flavored.”

Shen Yuanting couldn’t help but want to laugh; Yan Zhao carried a heavy idol baggage and would never reveal his embarrassing history when sober. He wondered how Yan Zhao would react when he recalled this in the morning.

He supervised the slightly drunk youngster getting into bed, and covered him with a blanket, Yan Zhao said, “I’m not sleepy.”

Shen Yuanting remarked, “It’s already ten o’clock , sleeping late can cause puffiness.”

Yan Zhao instinctively curled up under the covers, “Then I’ll sleep, please turn off the light for me.”

Shen Yuanting returned to his own room, and unsurprisingly, Sheng Xin was waiting inside.

Shen Yuanting asked, “Where’s Ying Hongyu?”

Sheng Xin held the potato chips with chopsticks and said, “He went to sleep too, he has a healthy routine.”

Shen Yuanting and Sheng Xin have known each other for more than twenty years, growing up as close friends who are practically inseparable. Shen Yuanting can easily see through whatever scheme Sheng Xin might have in mind.

Shen Yuanting said, “After observing for a day, what have you figured out?”

Sheng Xin choked, “Wh-what observation?”

Shen Yuanting looks at him with a smirk, not hiding the playful glint in his eyes.

Sheng Xin is well aware of his childhood friend’s remarkable insight. Back in school, during a class project involving caring for animals, Sheng Xin accidentally let the rabbit Shen Yuanting was raising escape. He promptly bought an identical one, but later in the day, Shen Yuanting asked if he had lost his rabbit, pointing out that “the distribution of blood vessels on this rabbit’s ears is different from the original.” Even as a schoolboy, Sheng Xin thought his friend would surely end up join the CIA. Though Shen Yuanting didn’t become a detective, his knack for keen observation stayed with him, and he never fails to see through whatever Sheng Xin is thinking.

Sheng Xin scratched his head, “I was observing Yan Zhao… but, uh…” Can he casually mention not having found anything?

Shen Yuanting chuckled, “He’s different from before.”

Sheng Xin sits cross-legged, “He is an actor. What if he is just putting on an act?”

Shen Yuanting retorted, “Last time, you said his acting was terrible.”

Sheng Xin sighed, “Fine, I was blind to his true value. But, Lao Shen, people rarely change their nature. He and Tang Jingyan plotted against you for so long, and suddenly he switches sides. I still find him untrustworthy.”

Shen Yuanting smiled and said, “According to your logic, everything he does is for personal gain. So as long as what I offer him is more than what Tang Jingyan offers, your worried scenario won’t happen.”

Sheng Xin said anxiously: “That’s not what I mean!”

Shen Yuanting replied, “You’ve had so many girlfriends, but not all of them genuinely likes you—no, in fact, no one genuinely likes you.”

Sheng Xin: “…” Shen Yuanting, this big trash.

Sheng Xin attempted to reason with him, “Can my situation be compared to yours? I casually date, and if we break up, we break up. If he goes through a divorce with you, even with your team of lawyers, it will still be a headache for you.”

Shen Yuanting said, “Unless I’m dead, we won’t get a divorce.”

Sheng Xin really wanted to shake the water out of his friend’s brain to see if it made any sound. But before he could carry out this suicidal action, he saw the expression on Shen Yuanting’s face.

The man’s light-colored iris was like a glint of snow on the edge of a knife. His lips curled slightly, but that smile had no warmth. Everything indicated that what he said earlier, whether it was a joke or self-deprecation, was sincere. The sincerity meant that if Yan Zhao wanted a divorce, there were only two options: either wait for Shen Yuanting to pass away in a hundred years or Yan Zhao would have to resort to a knife. But Sheng Xin thought that if it came to the second scenario, the likelihood of Yan Zhao being counterattacked was much higher…

Sheng Xin broke into a cold sweat behind his back and didn’t dare to discuss relationship issues with him anymore. “Bah, bah, bah, talking about death. You’re doing well! I got it, I won’t interfere with your affairs anymore. You figure it out yourself.”

After seeing off Sheng Xin, Shen Yuanting went to take a shower. When he opened the bathroom door, the water vapor drifted out.

On the carpet at the entrance, there was a small piece of paper with a child’s simple drawing.

Shen Yuanting picked it up and read: “Pure male celebrity □□ services, price negotiable, phone number xxxxxxx…”

Shen Yuanting: “…” Here we go again.

Shen Yuanting opened the door, and the big celebrity was squatting at the entrance of the room, playing Snake on his phone.

Yan Zhao turned his head, looked up at him from below, and complained, “I’ve been waiting for you for ten minutes!”

Shen Yuanting inexplicably felt like he was a cat locked outside the door by its owner, meowing in grievance. “Can’t sleep?”

Yan Zhao propped up his knees and stood up, swaggering into the room. “I remembered something!”

Shen Yuanting asked, “What is it?”

Yan Zhao replied, “I haven’t given you a split!”

Shen Yuanting, “…..” Do you really going to do it?

Some people talk about splitting, but their bodies go straight into someone else’s bed.

Shen Yuanting reached out under the covers to grab Yan Zhao. “Where’s your split?”

Yan Zhao said, “I already do it.”

Shen Yuanting asked, “Where?”

Yan Zhao replied, “In my dreams.”

Shen Yuanting sighed.

Never expect to reason with a drunk person.

Shen Yuanting gently patted his face. “Go back to your room and sleep.”

Yan Zhao’s eyes sparkled, “Are you unable to sleep? How about I tell you a story?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “… It’s obviously you who can’t sleep.”

Yan Zhao turned around, and faced him, his eyelashes fluttering. “I’ve seen it several times. You don’t sleep late at night.”

Shen Yuanting casually asked, “How did you see it?”

Yan Zhao reported truthfully, “I can see the study window from the small balcony.” Sometimes when he got thirsty at night and went for water, he would notice the light in the study always on.

Shen Yuanting questioned, “Why didn’t you come and ask me?”

Yan Zhao lowered his eyes. “I asked once, and you sent me away.”

Shen Yuanting recalled that there was indeed such an incident. Yan Zhao knocked on the door of his study, even waking up Wang Zai.

Shen Yuanting said helplessly, “So, what story are you going to tell me?”

Yan Zhao patted the space next to him, signaling him to lie down. As he started telling the story, “Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit getting ready to sleep…”

This was from Sam McBratney’s picture book “Guess How Much I Love You”. It tells the story of a big rabbit and a little rabbit competing to see who loves the other more.

Shen Yuanting had read this picture book a long time ago. He couldn’t remember if they compared ear lengths or arm lengths, but he still remembered the last two lines.

Yan Zhao spoke slowly, not putting Shen Yuanting to sleep, but he himself was getting sleepy first. “The little rabbit said, ‘I love you all the way to the moon’…”

His voice became lower, mixed with a nasal tone, soft as a whisper, like a little wild rabbit digging a hole in Shen Yuanting’s heart, proudly making it his nest.

Shen Yuanting held him, and Yan Zhao sensed it but was too tired to think about anything. He continued in a barely audible tone, following his inertia, “The big rabbit said…” By this point, his voice had completely disappeared, leaving only the steady sound of breathing.

Shen Yuanting added in a hoarse voice, “I love you all the way to the moon and then back from the other side.”

Yan Zhao closed his eyes, his long and curled eyelashes drooped. The drunken flush on his cheeks hadn’t completely faded, making his complexion nearly translucent. At this distance, Shen Yuanting could even see the patterns on his lips clearly.

Shen Yuanting stretched out his hand, pressed it on his lower lip. The lips under his fingertips were as soft as petals, and after being rubbed, its color became even more vibrant.

Shen Yuanting looked at him with a calm expression, admiring the peaceful and beautiful sleeping face of the young man.

His hand slid across Yan Zhao’s chin and stopped on Yan Zhao’s neck, where he could feel the heartbeat.

Shen Yuanting leaned forward and covered the side of his neck with his lips. His sharp teeth touched the delicate skin, and he bite it gently. He stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked it, just like a lion grabbing its prey.

The next day, Yan Zhao woke up with a splitting headache. He covered his forehead, dazed for a while before remembering that yesterday he got drunk again and ran into Shen Yuanting’s room, and acted like a fool by forcing others to listen to his childish stories. Fortunately, he didn’t actually perform the split; otherwise, he would have gone back in time to strangle his past self.

The bed on Shen Yuanting’s side was unoccupied. Yan Zhao touched it and found it was still warm. Shen Yuanting must have just gotten up.

Yan Zhao, robotically like a machine, got out of bed to freshen up. However, while washing his face, he suddenly paused, turned his face, and looked at his neck in the mirror.

On that fair skin, there was a small red mark.