Chapter 20
The two were so close that Su Yunzhe’s fresh, clean scent entirely filled Shen Yan’s senses.
That smell… was strangely pleasant.
This thought flickered through Shen Yan’s mind before his mouth seemed to break free from his brain’s control. “Old Su, you know this isn’t right. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to keep your promises?”
Wait—what?
Shen Yan, that’s way too much!
Who told you to call the boss that?
Though, ever since the first time he heard Qin Mofeng call him that, he’d wanted to try it himself. And over dinner, Qin Mofeng kept joking about how calling Su Yunzhe “President Su” felt odd, like he should go for something more casual. So it just slipped out.
But come on, remember who you are!
You’re taking a paycheck from this man!
Apologize, quick!
Unfortunately, his brain and mouth seemed disconnected from each other, the alcohol cutting the link, and while his brain scolded him, his mouth kept right on going: “People need to be honest, especially you, Old Su—you’re in business, where reputation matters most… huh?”
Suddenly, Su Yunzhe’s fingers gripped his chin, tilting his face up. With narrowed eyes, Su Yunzhe leaned close to his ear and murmured in a deep voice, “Then did anyone teach you that if you’re drunk, you should go home and get some sleep, little Yan-mei?”
Shen Yan’s earlobe tingled from the touch, and he instinctively tried to dodge, protesting, “I’m not drunk, just a bit… huh?”
Belatedly, his mind registered those last words Su Yunzhe had said—Yan-mei? And he’d even drawn it out, in that teasing tone.
Shen Yan’s face suddenly flushed, and he quickly pushed Su Yunzhe away, blurting, “What ‘Yan-mei’? My name is Shen Yan!”
Su Yunzhe let the distance widen between them, one eyebrow raised. “Why can Qin Mofeng call you that, and I can’t?”
“That’s different! Brother Feng calls me Yan-meizi.”
“What difference does it make, Yan-mei?” Su Yunzhe teased him.
“It’s a huge difference!” Shen Yan insisted.
Su Yunzhe gazed at him with an amused smile, inviting him to explain.
Shen Yan opened his mouth, but couldn’t figure out what to say. When Qin Mofeng called him Yan-meizi, it just felt like a nickname, almost like how northerners would say “Big Sis” or something casual.
But when Su Yunzhe said it—Yan-mei—for some reason, it felt so much more embarrassing, especially with that playful tone. His mind couldn’t help but wander into dangerous territory.
“Su…President Su, I’m sorry! I won’t call you Old Su anymore, so can you stop calling me Yan-mei? Just use Shen Yan! It sounds so much better, right?” Having no better argument, Shen Yan gave up trying, taking Su Yunzhe’s hand and shaking it softly, pleading in a gentle tone.
At that moment, his face was flushed, whether from the alcohol or that single Yan-mei, and his eyes were hazy as he looked up at Su. His lips, slightly pouty and red, made him seem soft and enticing, stirring up a dangerous urge in the onlooker.
Su Yunzhe’s eyes lingered on those pink lips, and he licked his own, holding back for three long seconds before reluctantly pushing down the impulse. With a hint of boyish defiance, he replied, “Personally, I think Yan-mei sounds better, so that’s what I’m calling you. Let’s go. Time for bed.” He took Shen Yan’s hand and led him downstairs.
“Wait, no! President Su, I’m sorry, can’t you just—ah…”
Before Shen Yan could finish, the world spun around him as Su Yunzhe scooped him up.
Afraid he’d fall, Shen Yan instinctively wrapped his arms around Su’s neck, his face nearly pressing against Su’s collarbone.
“You…”
“One more complaint, and you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”
In the dark of night, Su Yunzhe’s low, raspy voice sounded right by Shen Yan’s ear, laced with an edge of gritted teeth and frustration.
Shen Yan froze, instinctively sensing a bit of danger. In his drunken haze, he suddenly recalled Su Yunzhe’s ruthless villainous role in the original story.
Right—wasn’t Su Yunzhe in jail by the end of it? The reason was attempted murder; he’d tried to kill Duan Yang but got caught by the police.
A jolt of fear cleared Shen Yan’s head immediately. Terrified he might’ve actually angered Su Yunzhe, he quickly softened, “President Su, my bad! You can call me whatever you want. No problem. Could you put me down?”
As he spoke, his hands, which had been holding onto Su Yunzhe’s neck, obediently let go and pressed against Su Yunzhe’s chest. He tried to gently push him away, but not too forcefully, keeping a polite smile on his face.
Su Yunzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing, holding onto Shen Yan all the way down the stairs before tossing him onto the bed and walking out.
Sprawled on the bed, Shen Yan finally exhaled in relief, cursing himself for forgetting who he was dealing with after only a few days of knowing Su Yunzhe.
Next time, he’d be more careful!
He knocked on his own head a few times to drive the reminder home, then got up to take a shower.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the “villain” Su Yunzhe sat on the sofa, his expression unusually grim.
His mind replayed that brief flash of panic in Shen Yan’s eyes when he’d suddenly sobered up, as if he’d wanted to escape from him in fear.
It wasn’t the first time.
At the company anniversary event, when he’d taken Shen Yan to get Duan Yang’s autograph, there was also that moment when Shen Yan seemed to instinctively want to pull away from him, like he viewed Su Yunzhe as a dangerous person he couldn’t get too close to.
But… why?
Su Yunzhe pressed his fingers to his brow, puzzled.
Shen Yan woke up late the next morning to find that Su Yunzhe had already left.
In the dining room, he sat eating the breakfast that Su Yunzhe had thoughtfully left behind, replaying last night in his head with a sigh.
Maybe it was time to move out.
Living at Su Yunzhe’s place was unbelievably comfortable, plus he didn’t have to cook for himself. Compared to his rented place, it was like heaven on earth, and he really wanted to stay a few more days.
But… better not.
Though Su Yunzhe was incredibly easy to get along with 99% of the time, that remaining 1%? Pretty risky.
Besides, Shen Yan was still pretending to be a girl. Staying under the same roof with Su Yunzhe indefinitely would be a recipe for disaster.
Just imagine: a total straight guy finding out that the person he thought he was sponsoring was actually a guy? Unthinkable.
So, best to go home.
After finishing his breakfast, he texted Su Yunzhe to say goodbye and left.
As he was leaving, Su Yunzhe texted back: “I already tidied up the guest room.”
Shen Yan: “…”
He wanted to text back, “Damn you!”
Acting like he hadn’t tidied up the last time he left, honestly…
What is this guy’s deal?
He decided to ignore it.
After a few metro transfers, he finally crossed half the city and returned to his rental.
The moment he opened the door, a musty odor hit him, and he wrinkled his nose, rushing to open all the windows to air the place out.
The place was dry, but a bunch of old junk seemed to have surfaced from god-knows-where, leaving the apartment a dirty mess. And the pipes were still broken.
His scalp prickled at the mess, and he stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what to do.
First, he grabbed a small ad from the hallway and called a plumber. Then he hauled his bedding to the rooftop to air it out and got to cleaning.
It wasn’t until around three in the afternoon that he finally managed to get the place in decent shape, though there was still a lingering smell. So he decided to go out to buy some flowers to freshen the place up.
Before that, he swung by the mall and bought himself a laptop. Now that he had some money from Su Yingying—seven grand, actually—he figured he’d clear it with Su Yunzhe, considering he’d taken his “boss’s” sister’s money without knowing if that’d cause a problem.
But when he’d mentioned it, Su Yunzhe had simply replied, “She paid you for something she wanted, didn’t she?”
So Shen Yan had pocketed the cash with a clear conscience—his very own lifesaver fund.
With that money, he could now afford a high-end laptop, a fancy electric kettle, a nice bouquet to liven up the place, and even dinner at a restaurant.
He got home after dinner around eight, tried out the laptop with a quick game, then decided to shower and sleep. As he got ready, he noticed rain had started to fall outside at some point, the drops echoing clearly against the old, rusty burglar bars in the quiet of the night.
Curled up on his couch, Shen Yan stared out the window for a while, then slowly got up to close it before grabbing his clothes for a shower.
Suddenly, he froze.
Oh, no.
He’d left a pair of underwear at Su Yunzhe’s place!
Men’s underwear!
Instinctively, he rushed to the door, ready to dash over and destroy the evidence, but stopped, realizing if Su Yunzhe had already seen it, going there would only make him look suspicious. And if Su hadn’t noticed, him showing up now would look… questionable.
Stay calm. Right now is not the time.
Thankfully, Su Yunzhe had regular cleaners, so he was unlikely to go into the guest room himself. No way he’d notice.
If he just went early tomorrow, right after Su Yunzhe left for work but before the cleaners arrived, he could sneak in and retrieve it.
Luckily, he hadn’t returned Su Yunzhe’s spare key. Originally, he’d meant to hand it over next time they met, but now it had its use.
In the dim morning rain, Shen Yan woke earlier than usual, anxiety tugging him out of bed. He pushed through the crowds in the packed morning subway, all the way to Clear Water Bay. When he reached the station, the drizzle had grown heavier, so he bought a cheap umbrella and walked quickly, hoping the rain would hide him in case anyone noticed.
It was around 9:30, and Shen Yan was confident Su Yunzhe had already left for work. Just to be safe, though, he lingered in the lobby for a bit longer, then took the elevator up, stomach twisting in knots. Why am I so nervous? he wondered. I’m just here to grab my own stuff, not stealing anything. But he couldn’t shake the feeling, and it only cemented his certainty that he was absolutely not suited for a life of crime.
Inside Su Yunzhe’s place, he tiptoed through, moving as silently as possible. He let out a relieved breath when he finally reached the guest room and found his misplaced underwear. Just as he was tucking it away, a loud knock at the door startled him. Heart racing, he whirled around, shoving the underwear behind him—only to find himself staring right into Su Yunzhe’s curious gaze.
“S-Su… Su… President Su! Why… aren’t you at the office?” Shen Yan stammered, fingers suddenly slick with nervous sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, feeling as if it would leap out at any moment.
Oh, God. What rotten luck! He’d misjudged Su Yunzhe’s schedule entirely. This was a disaster.
Su Yunzhe leaned against the doorway, expression amused yet unreadable, eyes zeroed in on Shen Yan’s hand. “So, am I interrupting something?”
“No! I mean—no, not at all.” Shen Yan scrambled for an excuse. “I…I actually came to drop off your spare key. I forgot to return it yesterday when I left.”
But the explanation sounded weak even to him. He felt utterly exposed, especially since he’d snuck in like a burglar. He swallowed, wishing he could turn invisible.
“Just the key, huh?” Su Yunzhe’s gaze lingered, clearly unconvinced.
“And…well, I also came to pick up something I left behind. My own stuff.”
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow. “Really? And what would that be?”
“Uh, just some clothing,” Shen Yan mumbled, already regretting the words. He could tell Su Yunzhe wasn’t going to let this go.
“Let’s have a look then,” Su Yunzhe said, folding his arms. “Or I could just call the police and let them sort it out. Your choice.”
This was maddening! Shen Yan could barely contain his frustration. Clearly, Su Yunzhe wasn’t buying his story, but he also didn’t actually believe Shen Yan would steal anything. After all, Su Yunzhe was the one who’d given him a key in the first place! Shen Yan sighed inwardly, realizing Su Yunzhe only wanted to see what he’d come back for.
“Seriously?” Shen Yan begged, looking up at him with a puppy-like plea in his eyes. “Does it matter that much? It’s…uh, a lady’s item.”
Su Yunzhe, however, didn’t budge, clearly waiting for Shen Yan to show him.
At last, realizing he was out of options, Shen Yan clenched his fists, temper finally fraying. “Su Yunzhe, you’re insane! It’s just underwear, alright? Mine. I didn’t want to leave it here, so I came back to get it. Satisfied?”
With that, Shen Yan grabbed the underwear, shoving it into his bag with as much dignity as he could muster. He looked back up at Su Yunzhe, defiant. “There. Now, if you still don’t believe me, go ahead—call the police. I’ll wait right here.”
After his outburst, Shen Yan brushed past Su Yunzhe, making a show of bravado as he strode out of the room and plopped himself down on the living room sofa. His movements seemed effortless and bold, conveying a “no regrets” attitude. But in reality, his insides were churning with nerves, worrying that he’d pushed Su Yunzhe too far. If Su Yunzhe got angry enough to call the police or break things off, Shen Yan wasn’t sure he could handle the fallout.
Yet in that split second earlier, he’d weighed his options and decided he couldn’t risk letting Su Yunzhe see the men’s underwear. There was no way he could explain it, and he shuddered to think of the consequences if SuYunzhe ever found out the truth about him.
Ten minutes later, Su Yunzhe descended from upstairs, now dressed casually, his expression as calm as ever, as if their heated moment had never happened. Passing by Shen Yan, he casually remarked, “Let’s go. I need you to come with me somewhere.”
Shen Yan, who’d been anxiously waiting on the sofa, felt somewhat reassured, though he trailed behind Su Yunzhe cautiously, sneaking glances to gauge his mood. Su Yunzhe suddenly turned, catching Shen Yan’s gaze directly, and smirked, “Taking my money and still daring to throw a tantrum? You’re braver than I thought.”
Caught off guard, Shen Yan gave an awkward laugh, trying to smooth things over. “Sorry, President Su… I was just embarrassed, that’s all. I swear it wasn’t intentional, and it won’t happen again! I promise.”
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hope you can keep that promise.”
“Absolutely!” Shen Yan assured him with eager nods, though a small part of him was surprised at Su Yunzhe’s leniency. Su Yunzhe was right; taking his money and acting out was bold to the point of being unreasonable. And he had sneaked into Su Yunzhe’s place—if Su Yunzhe had doubted him and reacted with anger, it would have been understandable. Instead, he’d gotten away with nothing more than a pointed look and a sarcastic comment.
It was hard to believe Su Yunzhe had let him off so easily, especially since his tone hinted that he didn’t really believe Shen Yan could keep his promise for good.
