He cradled Tan Sizhe’s box in his arms, his nose twitching as the man’s scent drifted from his nostrils into his lungs, filling him with a sense of peace.
Ye Mingxuan set the box down, stuffed the other one back into the bag, and tucked it into a drawer in the study.
I’ll find a chance to return it to Brother Yu Sen later.
Ye Mingxuan returned to his desk, leaning over it to stare at the clothes. Their fragrance had long since dissipated, growing faint. He felt a pang of reluctance—the clothes imbued with Tan Sizhe’s scent were to be returned so soon.
“If you like smelling my scent so much, why not smell it in bed?”
Ye Mingxuan snapped his head up, seeing Tan Sizhe leaning against the doorway as he straightened. “Sir!”
Tan Sizhe raised an eyebrow.
Ye Mingxuan felt a wave of belated embarrassment wash over him. “I… I wasn’t smelling it… I was just looking.”
“Look? What exactly are you looking at?” Tan Sizhe approached, resting one hand on the table as he leaned in. “I’m standing right here in front of you. What’s the point of staring at clothes?”
No matter how many times he saw it, Ye Mingxuan couldn’t help but marvel at the man’s striking beauty. Like a crimson plum blossom in a frozen wasteland, he was strikingly vivid and alluring. Every time he drew near, there was a powerful impact, striking Ye Mingxuan’s heart directly.
Ye Mingxuan’s fingers dug into the table edge as he stood up. “I’m going to get something to eat!” He scampered off.
Tan Sizhe smirked, bending down to lift the shirt and sniff it. He detected his own scent lingering on it. Recalling Ye Mingxuan’s earlier expression, Tan Sizhe felt an inexplicable urge to prevent others from smelling this shirt. He’d have Aunt Fu wash it later.
…
In the afternoon, Tan Sizhe drove Ye Mingxuan to school. After getting out, Ye Mingxuan walked around to Tan Sizhe’s side, leaned down at the window, and said goodbye. The sun beat down fiercely, so Tan Sizhe put on sunglasses. “I’ll pick you up after class to have dinner with Grandpa.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Dinner with Grandpa? I didn’t prepare anything…”
Tan Sizhe: “No need to prepare. This is perfect.”
Ye Mingxuan pressed his pink lips together: “Mm.”
Tan Sizhe reached out and pinched his smooth cheek: “Off I go.”
Ye Mingxuan watched Tan Sizhe drive away, then turned to head upstairs. Just as he entered the classroom, a crowd suddenly surrounded him.
“Mingxuan, you played the piano so beautifully yesterday.”
“Will you have another chance to play? We want to hear it.”
“Hey, hey, everyone back up!” Lin Jiale rushed over and pushed them aside. “No selfies without a V-sign! Our Mingxuan needs to keep it low-key!”
“What do you mean, famous?”
“Your performance yesterday! It got bumped to the top of the school forum and stayed trending all night. You’re now a big deal on campus!”
Ye Mingxuan took the phone Lin Jiale handed him. He saw that someone had recorded his piano performance and uploaded it to the forum. Modern phones had decent quality—the video was crystal clear, though a bit shaky.
Thousands of comments flooded the thread overnight, mostly screams like “Aaaaaah!”
Ye Mingxuan, overwhelmed by such sudden attention for the first time, panicked, his voice cracking: “Th-then what do I do now?”
“You’re asking me what to do?” Lin Jiale laughed. “I’ve never been famous—how should I know!”
Ye Mingxuan opened his phone and suddenly saw a notification pop up: 99+ friend requests. He’d never seen anything like this before and cleared all the red dots.
Lin Jiale looked at him: “Aren’t you going to add them?”
Ye Mingxuan nervously shook his head: “No.”
Lin Jiale: “Then we’re screwed.”
Ye Mingxuan: “?”
Lin Jiale: “They’ll love us even more.”
Ye Mingxuan suspiciously opened his phone—the number of friend requests had doubled!
“……”
“Ye Mingxuan, oh Ye Mingxuan,” Zhang Shushu leaned in, “Who knew you were so scheming? Practicing piano behind my back, stunning everyone, and snatching my title as A University’s number one heartthrob!”
Ye Mingxuan’s face flushed crimson like a little apple. Lin Jiale chuckled: “Stop trying to take credit for things that aren’t yours, okay?”
“Do you know what your new nickname is?”
“What?”
“The Piano Prince!”
“…”
Piano Prince—that familiar title made Ye Mingxuan’s butt clench.
He shook his head violently and buried his face in his desk like an ostrich.
Lin Jiale shooed away the crowd gathering to gawk: “No visitors allowed! No visitors allowed! Appointments required! No appointment, no entry!”
Just then, the teacher walked in with textbooks tucked under her arm. Everyone returned to their seats and quieted down….
Ye Mingxuan’s piano video had been reposted multiple times on the campus confession wall, racking up impressive views and likes. However, the campus wall soon posted a status: “Just received a submission. Is this true?” [Image]
The image showed an anonymous student submission:
【Wall Wall Submission: The original program featured Ye Mingxuan performing a four-hand piano duet with a senior from the same club. Why did only Ye Mingxuan take the stage in the end? I’m sure everyone is curious about this.】
【My friend was a performer in another program at the alumni event that day. She witnessed the entire incident backstage, with multiple witnesses confirming it.】
【Just before Ye Mingxuan was about to go on stage, his performance costume was cut. Later, someone slipped laxatives into his water. Since his partner felt unwell, Ye Mingxuan kindly offered her his water. But by some twist of fate, she drank the water laced with laxatives and couldn’t perform. Ye Mingxuan had no choice but to save the show solo, which is why we got such a brilliant performance.】
The masterminds behind this were Ye Yufan and Wang Zilu, both oil painting majors in the art department. Every word I say is true—everyone present that night can testify.
The comments section immediately exploded.
“I can vouch for it! I was there! Even the vice principal got involved and had them all taken away!”
“Oh my god, how vicious! Cutting his clothes and lacing his food with laxatives—were they afraid Ye Mingxuan would take the stage?”
“Why would they fear Ye Mingxuan performing? Afraid he’d be too popular?”
“Ye Yufan? I know him. That snob with a few bucks thinks he’s God’s gift to humanity. Honestly, without his parents, he’d be a total loser.”
That annoying guy finally got caught—can I even say that? I can’t stand him bossing me around every single day.
“Yufan, don’t be upset,” Hu Xiang said. “When the wall falls, everyone pushes. This will blow over soon enough.”
Ye Yufan nearly ground his teeth to dust, but could only swallow his resentment. He replied to Ye Xiangkai: [Got it.]……
Ye Mingxuan handed the clothes to Huang Xiaochu, who took them: Thanks, Mingxuan. You really didn’t have to—I could’ve covered it myself.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Senior, is your stomach still bothering you?”
Huang Xiaochu: “Much better now.”
Ye Mingxuan felt deeply guilty: “I’m so sorry, Senior. I shouldn’t have given you that cup of water.”
Huang Xiaochu sighed helplessly: “It wasn’t your fault. Who knew they’d spike it? You had no idea that cup was tainted.”
“Alright, stop feeling bad,” Huang Xiaochu patted Ye Mingxuan’s shoulder. “Even though I didn’t get on stage, I scored an expensive dress for free! I hit the jackpot!”
Xu Liang chimed in: “Exactly! Last night she posted over thirty WeChat Moments wearing that dress.”
Huang Xiaochu shot him a glare before turning to Ye Mingxuan: “I’ll return this to the sponsor first. Once Ye Yufan reimburses the money, I’ll transfer it to you.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Okay.”
A horn honked behind them. Ye Mingxuan turned to see Tan Sizhe pull up beside them. He said goodbye to Huang Xiaochu and hurried over to slip into the car.
Tan Sizhe waited for Ye Mingxuan to buckle up before starting the engine.
Ye Mingxuan: “Sir, where are we going for dinner?”
Tan Sizhe: “The hotel. A small private room. Just the three of us.”
“Oh.” Ye Mingxuan smoothed his clothes.
Seeing him like this, Tan Sizhe raised an eyebrow: “Even if you wore pajamas, he wouldn’t say a word.”
Ye Mingxuan adjusted his posture, sweating nervously: “Really?”
Tan Sizhe reached up and ruffled his hair. “Mhm.”
Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together, relaxing slightly.
Because of his growing baby bump, Ye Mingxuan adjusted the seatbelt position, placing it below his belly. This prevented it from digging into his stomach, but it also made his protruding little belly more noticeable.
Tan Sizhe watched his little wife sitting obediently in the passenger seat, his soft belly protruding, his gaze deepening.
Ye Mingxuan stared ahead, suddenly noticing the man’s silence. He turned his head and met Tan Sizhe’s eyes, his buttocks clenching.
Panicked, he averted his gaze, dreading that Tan Sizhe might demand immediate satisfaction.
Ye Mingxuan shifted uncomfortably on the seat, bit his lip, and whispered, “Sir, we’re going to be late…”
Tan Sizhe withdrew his gaze, licked his molars, and resumed driving.
Upon reaching the hotel, Tan Sizhe guided Ye Mingxuan into a private room. It was an antique Chinese-style suite, surrounded by artificial hills and flowing water, with layers of pine branches.
They arrived before Old Master Tan, so Ye Mingxuan stepped out onto the balcony to admire the view.
Daylight hours were shorter now than in summer; by six in the evening, darkness had already fallen, with a few stars twinkling in the night sky.
Leaning against the railing to gaze at the stars, Ye Mingxuan’s brow furrowed slightly and his lips pressed together, his mind preoccupied.
He hadn’t lived with his mother for a long time. Since he was staying with his boss, he couldn’t visit Liu Yan often—first, he feared being discovered, and second, he dreaded running into Zhao Dongxuan.
But now Zhao Dongxuan was swamped with work and had no time to bother with him. It was a perfect chance to stay with his mother, but what about his boss…
Sigh. Ye Mingxuan let the wind ruffle his bangs.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered to find it was Liu Yan calling. His heart skipped a beat. Glancing inside the private room where the man was sipping tea, he retreated to the balcony corner to take the call. “Mom.”
Liu Yan said, “Mingxuan, when will you come see your mother? I miss you so much.”
Ye Mingxuan fiddled with the pine bonsai on the balcony: “I can come on my day off, but I can only stay for a short while.”
Liu Yan sighed: “Just coming is enough. Mom will cook something delicious for you.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Okay, Mom. Bye.” He hung up.
He turned and froze, seeing Tan Sizhe standing by the screen.
“M-Mr. Tan.” Ye Mingxuan’s face drained of color. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, unsure if Tan Sizhe had overheard his call with his mother. “I was just…”
“Mingxuan, I need to tell you something,” Tan Sizhe cleared his throat with a cough. “I’ll be away on a business trip for three days.”
Ye Mingxuan: “……?”
A laugh escaped Tan Sizhe’s throat as he slowly paced toward him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “You can do whatever you want these three days.”
