Shan Yu’s question was very ambiguous.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, Chen Jian wouldn’t have felt it so strongly, but now was different.
It was the middle of the night, his first time coming to Shan Yu’s place to shower, and Shan Yu had just finished showering himself, his hair and body not yet dry…
All of this together made it seem very unusual.
Chen Jian was suddenly at a loss for how to answer. He waved the toothbrush in his hand. “I still have to brush my teeth.”
“Oh.” Shan Yu leaned against the bedroom doorway, watching him with a smirk.
Chen Jian stood still.
“Go on, it’s free,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian smiled, walked towards the bathroom, and as he passed by Shan Yu, he leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Shan Yu’s face was still damp, carrying his familiar scent. Chen Jian wanted to kiss his neck as well but held back.
“Forget it,” he said, gritting his teeth and resolutely turning to push open the bathroom door. “I’m covered in dust right now.”
Shan Yu started laughing.
The bathroom was still filled with warm steam, and the faint scent of the sea quickly enveloped him.
It was like diving headfirst into the nape of Shan Yu’s neck.
“Leave your clothes outside,” Shan Yu said.
“Oh.” Chen Jian turned back out and placed his clothes on the rack by the door.
Qian Yu must not have cared much about bathing. The office and bedroom were exquisitely decorated, but the bathroom didn’t even have a shelf, making it worse than the guest rooms.
…Or maybe there was one, but it was stolen during the time the guesthouse was abandoned?
Give me a break. The eight-thousand-yuan chair was still there. Who would steal a bathroom shelf?
Maybe because the chair was too heavy?
Chen Jian returned to the bathroom, and the moment he closed the door, he was once again plunged from his chaotic thoughts into Shan Yu’s scent.
He turned on the hot water, let it run over his head for a while, looked at the bottles on the side—shampoo, body wash, face wash—and used every single one of them.
The shower didn’t take long. After all, it was an unfamiliar place. Even though it was Shan Yu’s bathroom, he felt a bit restless.
Of course, it was probably because it was Shan Yu’s bathroom that he was even more restless.
When he opened the bathroom door to get his clothes, there was a towel on the rack. Shan Yu had probably gotten it for him. He took a small one and put it on his head. Below it was a bath towel. When he picked it up, he found that the clothes he had placed on the rack were gone.
He froze for a moment, then looked at the bath towel in his hand, certain that his clothes couldn’t be wrapped inside it.
“Shan Yu?” he called out.
“Hm?” Shan Yu’s voice came from the bedroom next door.
“Where are my clothes?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Shan Yu replied.
“You don’t know?” Chen Jian laughed. “You’re the one who took them, and you don’t know?”
“Mushroom just came by,” Shan Yu said. “Maybe it carried them off.”
“…Hu Pan just told me yesterday that Mushroom is so dumb it doesn’t even dare to go up the stairs!” Chen Jian said.
There was no sound from Shan Yu’s side.
“Shan Yu?” Chen Jian called again.
Shan Yu still didn’t respond.
He sighed, having no choice but to wrap the bath towel around his waist and walk out of the bathroom with the towel on his head.
The bedroom door was ajar. He pushed it open and saw Shan Yu leaning against the window, looking downstairs.
He looked the same as before, shirtless, wearing a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants. His hair wasn’t dripping anymore, but it was still wet.
The room was only lit by the floor lamp next to the bed. The dim yellow light cast on Shan Yu’s bare back, revealing beautiful lines and a scar that wrapped from his back to his side.
Shan Yu heard him enter and turned around, still leaning against the window, holding his phone.
When he saw Shan Yu raise his phone towards him, Chen Jian was taken aback. “Hm?”
Shan Yu’s phone clicked several times. “Candid shots.”
“Your candid shots are pretty bold,” Chen Jian said.
“Later, I’ll post it too. ‘This is what the handsome manager of Dayin looks like without clothes.’ Let’s see how many comments it gets,” Shan Yu said.
“…Still jealous about that?” Chen Jian was shocked. “If you’re hungry, I can go get you something to eat.”
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu tossed his phone onto the sofa beside him and looked at him. “When my auspicious day comes, my tombstone will still have to…”
“Don’t say such unlucky things on New Year’s!” Chen Jian glared at him.
Shan Yu smiled and said no more, just leaned against the windowsill and watched him.
Chen Jian was silent for two seconds, then walked over, wrapped his arms around him, and buried his face in the side of his neck, closing his eyes.
The moment their skin touched, he could hear his own breathing, as if he had just finished a hundred-meter sprint.
This was different from their usual hugs over clothes. The unique fineness and firmness of skin, the pleasant shiver that a close touch brought, quickly spread from the point of contact throughout his body.
Shan Yu lowered his head, his lips and breath brushing over his shoulder at the same time. His palm caressed down from his shoulder blade to his waist, then grabbed the bath towel.
This thing was different from a waistband. If you pulled a waistband, the pants would still be on. If you pulled a bath towel, you’d be naked.
Chen Jian subconsciously reached out and grabbed Shan Yu’s hand.
“Hm?” Shan Yu’s voice was right by his ear.
“What are you doing?” Chen Jian asked in a low voice.
“When you wash your hair, do you wash the inside of your head too?” Shan Yu’s hand moved up, his fingertips tracing from his waist up his spine to the back of his neck, finally pressing on the towel on his head and rubbing it.
It took Chen Jian two seconds to realize what he meant, and he started to laugh.
“You look pretty good with slightly longer hair too.” Shan Yu used both hands to gently rub his head, using the towel to dry the water droplets still hanging on the ends of his hair.
The pressure was very comfortable. Chen Jian held his waist and lowered his head, closing his eyes.
After rubbing a few times, Shan Yu’s hands moved down to press on his shoulders. Before he could open his eyes, Shan Yu pushed his shoulders back.
Chen Jian staggered back two steps and fell onto the bed behind him.
The next second, he opened his eyes. Shan Yu had already straddled him and reached out to give the bath towel around his waist a tug.
It didn’t come off.
“Fuck,” Shan Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Is there some trick to this? How did you tie it so tight?”
“You’re pressing on it,” Chen Jian said. “Did you wash the inside of your head too?”
Shan Yu didn’t say anything. His finger tapped on his forehead, gently flicking away a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes. He grabbed the bath towel again and pulled it to the side.
The moment the bath towel was pulled away, he leaned down and kissed him.
Chen Jian hugged him tightly, rubbing his arms forcefully against Shan Yu’s body. His hands also moved down and tugged at the waistband of Shan Yu’s pants.
Shan Yu didn’t hesitate, propping himself up on the bed and kicking off his pants in a few moves.
“Commando, huh?” Chen Jian asked.
“Fair’s fair,” Shan Yu said.
“That’s not…” Chen Jian started laughing. “Does this kind of thing need to be fair?”
“I’m afraid you’ll think it’s unfair later, so I’m trying to be as fair as possible now,” Shan Yu said, looking down at him.
The dim light illuminated the left side of his face. He was very handsome, truly the best-looking boss in the whole town.
It was only after this thought had run its course in his mind that Chen Jian came back to his senses. “What will be unfair later?”
Shan Yu didn’t speak.
Although Chen Jian couldn’t see Shan Yu’s expression clearly in the dim yellow light, some things didn’t need to be seen or explained to be felt.
Something was a little different today.
Chen Jian glanced towards the head of the bed.
Shan Yu quickly reached out and turned his face back, but he had already seen it, and his breathing instantly became chaotic.
“You…” Chen Jian raised his hand and pinched his chin, his fingers tracing down his neck to his chest, all the way to his lower abdomen, still unable to think of what to say.
He didn’t know if it was because he was nervous, or because all the blood had suddenly rushed to his head, or just because the light was insufficient. His vision began to blur, pulsing in rhythm with his heart.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu leaned down, the tip of his nose brushing against his ear, his voice warm. “It’s me.”
The kiss was serious and meticulous, like the prelude to a new adventure, exploring carefully between breaths and heartbeats, between the friction of skin.
He felt as if he were sinking into an almost suffocating excitement, unable to distinguish what was close, what was touching. His breath was mixed with out-of-control whispers, his voice intertwined with his body, inaudible, lightly dancing over his nerves.
But in some corner, a sliver of consciousness remained, clearly receiving every tiny detail on this bed, including the faint sound of friction as fingers gripped the sheets. Every single bit was clearly perceived amidst the blur…
…
The panting seemed hard to stop. Chen Jian could hear his own, and he could also hear Shan Yu’s. Sometimes they were in sync, sometimes they rose and fell one after another.
The warm air from the air conditioner fell on his body, a hint of coolness in the warmth from the sweat on his skin.
“Chen Jian,” Shan Yu’s voice was right behind his ear, very soft, with a slight unsteadiness.
“Hm?” Chen Jian’s face was half-buried in the pillow. He responded with his eyes closed.
“Want to go wash up?” Shan Yu asked.
“…You go first,” Chen Jian said, still with his eyes closed. “I need to recover.”
Shan Yu didn’t speak, nor did he move. After a while, his breathing moved from behind his ear to above him.
“What are you looking at?” Chen Jian asked.
“Just looking,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian smiled, opened his eyes, and turned his head.
Shan Yu was propped up on his arms, looking down at him.
“How did it feel?” Shan Yu asked.
“…Damn you,” Chen Jian paused. “Is that something you should ask at a time like this?”
“How would I know?” Shan Yu said. “It’s my first time asking too.”
“Fuck,” Chen Jian started laughing and turned his head to bury his face back in the pillow.
The two lay quietly on the bed for a while before Shan Yu got up and went to the bathroom.
Even after he finished showering and returned to the bedroom, Chen Jian hadn’t moved.
“Fell asleep?” Shan Yu’s finger gently hooked his ear.
“No,” Chen Jian said.
“Want to wash up?” Shan Yu asked. “If you don’t want to move, just sleep.”
“I’m on duty tonight,” Chen Jian said.
“…Tonight is almost over,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian smiled without speaking.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Shan Yu asked softly.
“No,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “It’s more of a spiritual shock.”
“Is it that strong?” Shan Yu said.
“Are you very calm?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“How could I be?” Shan Yu said. “But I have to at least pretend, right? We can’t both be just sitting here dumbfounded.”
Chen Jian started laughing. “You can still pretend?”
“Mhm.” Shan Yu squatted down, leaned on the edge of the bed, and kissed the tip of his nose.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Chen Jian said. “Do you want to take another one?”
“Sure,” Shan Yu nodded.
The bathroom had probably been steamy all night and hadn’t cleared up. When he went in this time, he couldn’t see clearly. The mirror was completely fogged up.
Chen Jian casually wiped the mirror.
“What are you doing?” Shan Yu turned on the showerhead. “What do you want to see? We might as well record a video next time.”
“That works too.” Chen Jian pulled him under the showerhead, hugged him, and rinsed off together. He tilted his head against his shoulder and looked at the two of them in the mirror.
“Really? So straightforward,” Shan Yu said, gently stroking his back.
“You said it. What, are you chickening out now?” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu started laughing. “Fine, then let’s record a video.”
“My turn next time,” Chen Jian said.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu nodded.
After showering three times in one night, Shan Yu stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom and looked at the scar on his waist. “This scar has been washed flat.”
“It’s flat already?” Chen Jian said, drying his hair. “Then you must not have showered much before.”
Shan Yu hissed and reached out to pinch his cheek. “This mouth of yours had a good time today, huh?”
Chen Jian smiled and said no more.
After getting ready, he found the change of clothes he had brought from Shan Yu’s closet and put them on.
“Really going on duty?” Shan Yu looked around but couldn’t find his phone. He took Chen Jian’s and glanced at it. “It’s almost five.”
“On duty,” Chen Jian said. “Don’t you know that sometimes tourists call at four or five in the morning? Especially those who drive themselves. They drive through the night, arrive at six or seven, and call at four or five to ask if there’s breakfast.”
Shan Yu closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ll go with you.”
“Hm?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“I can’t sleep anyway,” Shan Yu said. “I haven’t seen how you guys do your shift.”
“If you want to see, you should pick a full night. What can you see in just half a shift?” Chen Jian said.
“It’s because it’s only half a shift that I’m going. Am I crazy enough to stay up all night…” Shan Yu stood up and put on his jacket.
“Such an honest boss,” Chen Jian said with a laugh.
“Let’s go.” Shan Yu wrapped his arms around him from behind and walked out. “Let’s go to the kitchen first and find something to eat.”
“Let’s do a round first,” Chen Jian said.
“How do you do a round?” Shan Yu asked.
“Fourth floor to the first floor, then the garden, then back to the front desk to sit,” Chen Jian said.
“…Damn, is it that complicated?” Shan Yu asked. “How many times do you have to repeat it?”
“Just once,” Chen Jian smiled. “Sanbing and the others usually take turns doing rounds at night. I’m just used to doing a round first, in case they’re slacking off and I can spot if anything’s wrong.”
Shan Yu sighed against the back of his neck. “Oh, the manager…”
As they left the office, Shan Yu didn’t let go, still hugging him. There weren’t many guests on the fourth floor, just their own dorm where a group of colleagues were sleeping like dead pigs.
It was only when they reached the third floor that Shan Yu let go. He walked around the corridor with him, then the second and first floors. When they entered the garden, Shan Yu hugged him again.
“It’s so cold,” Shan Yu whispered in his ear.
“Yeah,” Chen Jian tightened his jacket. “I’m okay. Did you perhaps expend a little too much energy just now…”
Just as he said that, he saw a person sitting on the bench next to the doghouse.
“Who’s there?” The person also noticed them and asked in a low voice, turning his head.
It was Lao Wu, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
“Smoking in the courtyard again?” Chen Jian pointed at him.
Shan Yu finally released his arm.
“There’s no one here now,” Lao Wu said.
“There are fireworks, right?” Chen Jian walked over and took the cigarette from his hand.
“The fireworks are over there,” Lao Wu sighed. “I specifically came around to this side. There’s a whole building between us, manager.”
“Why are you up in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?” Chen Jian bent down and looked at Lao Wu’s face, noticing there were actually tear stains on it. “Something happen?”
“Nah, just a casual heartbreak, that’s all.” Lao Wu glanced at the two of them. “What are you two doing?”
“On duty,” Chen Jian said.
“I’ve been sitting here all night,” Lao Wu said. “Where were you two on duty?”
In the boss’s bedroom.
In the boss’s bathroom.
Lao Wu, maybe you should just drop dead.
