Chapter 26
Shen Yan: “…”
He suspected he’d misheard but saw Su Yunzhe looking at him with a smile, an expectant glint in his deep eyes.
Somehow, Shen Yan felt a little self-conscious. He awkwardly brushed his hair aside and changed the topic, saying, “Since we’ve got nothing to do right now, why don’t you show me around your place?” He stood up, glancing towards the upper floor, clearly intrigued.
Actually, calling him “Yunzhe” was no big deal. Shen Yan was used to addressing close friends by their names or nicknames.
But the way Su Yunzhe looked at him with that hopeful gaze made it feel… different. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated, swallowing them back.
Thankfully, Su Yunzhe didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he pulled Shen Yan up and led him upstairs, feigning indifference. “There’s nothing much to see. Just a lot of space, really.”
Shen Yan chuckled. “You never know! I might stumble upon an old photo album full of embarrassing childhood photos, or maybe find a love letter you wrote to some girl… Well, that last one’s unlikely, but surely there are love letters from girls to you?”
Though he’d come up with the tour as an excuse, Shen Yan was genuinely curious—this was, after all, where Su Yunzhe had grown up.
“Nope!”
“Really? I don’t believe it! Feng-ge told me you were quite the heartthrob back in school.”
They reached the third floor, and Su Yunzhe opened the door to the last room, motioning Shen Yan to enter. “You can see for yourself.”
Curious, Shen Yan peeked in to find a bedroom—clearly one from his school years. There was a desk stacked with English dictionaries and various reference books.
The bookshelves were filled with classic novels, a few CDs, and mostly academic materials. The top shelf held an assortment of figurines—mecha models that boys loved. In one corner were a guitar, basketball, and tennis racket, all showing signs of disuse.
Shen Yan walked over to the desk, flipping through a book on top. To his surprise, he found the practice exercises all completed. “Wow, so diligent! Back in high school, I bought tons of these workbooks too, but barely finished half… Oh? What’s this?”
A thin slip fell out from between the pages. Bending down, Shen Yan picked it up and flipped it over. It was a photo.
Judging by the faded quality, it was quite old.
The picture showed a beautiful young woman, around twenty years old, dressed in stylish clothes from twenty or thirty years ago, her hair permed and her smile radiant.
This is…
Shen Yan realized instantly. Su Yunzhe spoke up, “My mom. She passed away when I was very young.” He took the photo, slipping it into another book without looking back.
His head was slightly lowered, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes, and from Shen Yan’s angle, only his profile was visible. For a moment, the atmosphere felt inexplicably heavy.
Shen Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.
Qin Mofeng had once mentioned that Su Yunzhe’s family situation was complicated. When he visited his grandparents’ house, it was only Su Yunzhe and Su Mubai there, so Shen Yan had already guessed that his mother was no longer around.
Since Su Yingying was eighteen, it was clear that his mother had passed away many years ago.
Su Yunzhe had probably come to terms with it long ago.
But still, seeing his mother’s picture fall out of his high school book like this left Shen Yan feeling unsettled, even… sympathetic.
He wondered if, on all those late nights in his senior year, Su Yunzhe might have pulled out this photo just to look at it.
Su Yunzhe noticed Shen Yan’s long silence and glanced up, catching the clear, soft look in Shen Yan’s eyes, a look full of warmth and tenderness.
A strange feeling stirred in Su Yunzhe’s heart. He reached out, brushing Shen Yan’s cheek. Remembering their relationship, however, he shifted his gentle touch to a firm pinch, smiling. “Don’t look at me like that. Honestly, I barely remember her. I found this photo at my grandma’s house in high school and just tucked it away in a book. I don’t have any of those tragic scenes you’re imagining!”
Shen Yan yelped at the pinch, rubbing his cheek and glaring at him with a pout. “I was just concerned, okay? Trying to be nice here! Fine, forget it. I’ll go look for some love letters from girls instead.”
Of course, he didn’t expect to find any, but he did discover an old photo album tucked away at the back of the bookshelf.
“There’s actually one here!” Shen Yan exclaimed in surprise, lifting the album toward Su Yunzhe with a sly smile. “Let’s see what embarrassing stuff you did as a kid.”
Su Yunzhe leaned casually against the wall, shrugging. “Go ahead. I’ve been handsome since I was little!”
Shen Yan was skeptical.
His own childhood albums were filled with silly photos, like him in pigtails, dresses, animal costumes, and even smeared with chocolate all over his face and hands. His family seemed dedicated to documenting every embarrassing moment, so in Shen Yan’s experience, childhood albums were generally full of such unflattering memories.
“Really? Let’s take a look.”
He sat on the bed and opened the first page, revealing a photo of an 8-year-old Su Yunzhe standing at his school entrance in his uniform, wearing a red scarf.
Though twenty years younger, his face was unmistakably Su Yunzhe’s.
He wasn’t exaggerating—he really had been handsome since childhood.
And all the photos looked fairly normal. The only exception was a birthday photo where a bit of cream had been smudged on his face, but he still looked pretty cool overall.
This made Shen Yan believe even more in what Qin Mofeng had told him about how Su Yunzhe once refused to attend school for a week after getting a bruise on his face in a fight.
This guy was clearly very conscious of his image—apparently, even from a young age.
Shen Yan felt a bit let down. “Come on, not a single embarrassing photo? That’s impossible! Now I don’t even feel like looking.”
Despite his words, he continued flipping through the album, unable to resist his curiosity.
Meanwhile, he missed the sudden strange glint in Su Yunzhe’s eyes as he stepped over. “Alright, let’s go. Dinner’s ready.” With a quick motion, Su Yunzhe snatched the album from Shen Yan’s hands, closed it, and tossed it on the table.
Shen Yan hadn’t finished. “Hey, there were just a few pages left! Let me finish!” He reached for it, but Su Yunzhe was faster, pulling it out of reach.
Shen Yan froze, then realized what was going on. With a mischievous grin, he lunged, laughing, “So, you do have some embarrassing photos! Come on, I won’t laugh at you! Really, everyone has some silly childhood photos; don’t worry, just let me see…”
Despite his earlier confidence, Su Yunzhe held the album tightly now, firmly refusing to let Shen Yan get to it.
The two wrestled over the album, neither noticing their compromising position.
So, when Su Yingying, unable to stand the noise any longer, barged in, she was greeted by the sight of Shen Yan practically lying on top of Su Yunzhe on the bed. Shen Yan’s hand was reaching behind Su Yunzhe, while one of Su Yunzhe’s hands was behind his back, holding the album, and the other hand was wrapped around Shen Yan’s waist.
Su Yingying’s face instantly turned icy. She shot Shen Yan a fierce glare, said nothing, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
The door had barely opened when Shen Yan noticed, and he realized just how suggestive their position looked. He hurried off the bed, planning to explain to Su Yingying, but she didn’t even give him a chance.
Shen Yan was baffled by her glare.
He knew he and Su Yunzhe weren’t actually a couple, so things had admittedly gotten a bit out of hand just now. But as far as Su Yingying knew, he was Su Yunzhe’s girlfriend.
What’s so strange about a girlfriend and boyfriend being close in a room together?
They were just wrestling over an album! Even if they’d been doing something more… personal, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Wasn’t the real issue that Su Yingying didn’t even knock before entering?
Plus, she glared at him without saying a word. It just didn’t make sense.
Poking Su Yunzhe, he whispered, “What’s up with your sister? She seemed so sweet last time I saw her. Today she’s acting like a completely different person. Do you think she’s still upset about that $70,000 bag? That can’t be it—you guys are well off… Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? I wasn’t finished looking!”
Before he could finish, Su Yunzhe had discreetly placed the album on the top shelf of the bookcase.
“Let’s go, I’m starving. Dinner’s ready!” Su Yunzhe said, pulling him toward the door, giving Shen Yan no chance to reach the album.
This only fueled Shen Yan’s curiosity further. He was more determined than ever to find out what hidden gem of a photo had Su Yunzhe so worked up.
He decided he’d sneak back in later when Su Yunzhe wasn’t paying attention.
But, as it turned out, he forgot.
Because Su Mubai was an exceptional cook, he had prepared a feast that was far tastier than the private kitchen meal they had eaten earlier that day.
The dishes were particularly outstanding, especially the drunken chicken, shrimp, and crab—absolute masterpieces.
Shen Yan, a seafood lover, found Su Mubai’s secret recipes perfectly catered to his taste. By the end of the meal, he felt like he was floating, utterly delighted.
“Uncle, you’re amazing! This is the best meal I’ve ever had. How did you get so good at cooking?”
Su Mubai smiled warmly. “If you like it, come over more often. There are plenty more dishes I haven’t made yet.”
Shen Yan’s eyes sparkled. “Really? I’ll definitely come often!”
Watching from the side, Su Yunzhe couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation, thinking that Shen Yan seemed so easily won over. Just offer him good food, and he’d be lured away in no time.
Even in the car, Shen Yan couldn’t stop raving to Su Yunzhe. “Your dad is incredible! Isn’t he supposed to be like you, some kind of powerful CEO? How does he know his way around the kitchen so well? Wait a second—you’re also good at cooking. So…”
He turned to Su Yunzhe with big, blinking eyes. “Is cooking genetic? But… my mom’s a great cook too, and yet my brother, my sister, and I are all completely hopeless in the kitchen. Why is that?”
The more he thought about it, the more baffled he seemed, his head tilted in puzzlement, brows furrowed deeply.
Su Yunzhe glanced at him and noticed Shen Yan’s slightly flushed cheeks and relaxed, unguarded demeanor.
Wait… was he drunk?
Thinking back, most of the drunken shrimp, crab, and chicken had gone to Shen Yan, and Su Mubai used potent liquor for those dishes. Shen Yan had probably consumed the equivalent of half a bottle of wine.
And as Su Yunzhe recalled, Shen Yan’s tolerance was notoriously low. Two glasses of wine would leave him tipsy, so half a bottle? He was likely more than a bit tipsy by now.
Su Yunzhe handed him a bottle of water. “Here, have some water. So, you have a brother and a sister?”
Shen Yan, whose mouth did feel dry, eagerly took a big gulp of water and nodded. “Yep! My brother and sister have always had my back. When I was in school, I had free rein since they were always there to support me. Though, they could be a bit mischievous too. I remember when I was in second grade, my sister was graduating from elementary school, and for their end-of-year performance, they needed a kid to dress up as a princess. Since they couldn’t find a girl, she made me…”
“She made you what?” Su Yunzhe couldn’t help but ask when Shen Yan’s voice trailed off.
But just then, Shen Yan—who had been chatting away non-stop—had fallen asleep, curled up in the car seat.
His long hair fell over his pale face.
Su Yunzhe pulled over to the side of the road, adjusted Shen Yan’s seat, and gently repositioned his head to make sure he’d be comfortable when he woke up.
After raising the temperature in the car a bit, he drove back home.
Shen Yan was calm and quiet while drunk, sleeping soundly the whole way.
But as soon as they arrived at Su Yunzhe’s place, Shen Yan suddenly woke up.
Su Yunzhe was just about to unlock the door and, with one arm around Shen Yan, was holding him steady against his shoulder as he reached for the key. Then, Shen Yan’s soft voice drifted over, “Mmm… Su Yunzhe…”
Leaning against him, Shen Yan rested his face in the crook of Su Yunzhe’s neck. His warm breath tingled against Su Yunzhe’s ear as he spoke.
In that instant, a jolt ran through Su Yunzhe, and his hand instinctively tightened around Shen Yan’s waist, pulling him closer.
But he quickly loosened his grip, looking down at Shen Yan. “You awake?”
Shen Yan clung to Su Yunzhe like an octopus, both arms around his neck, nuzzling him like a kitten. In a soft, slurred voice, he murmured, “Su Yunzhe… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to lie to you…”
Su Yunzhe, feeling his breath growing heavier under Shen Yan’s touch, almost couldn’t resist taking things further right then. But hearing those words, he paused, slightly taken aback, and asked quietly, “What did you lie to me about?”
Shen Yan raised his head, his normally bright eyes misty and soft, a bit dazed and innocent. “It’s just… it’s just…”
He blinked, the words caught in his throat, before he shook his head. “Can’t say… I can’t tell you… If you knew, you’d be mad, you’d definitely…”
The thought seemed to sadden him, and he dropped his gaze, sounding disheartened. “If you knew, you’d probably never want to speak to me again.”
A pang went through Su Yunzhe’s chest—was it sympathy or… joy?
“To hell with waiting for the ‘right time’!”
With Shen Yan tempting him like this, if he kept waiting, could he still call himself a man?
He carried Shen Yan through the door, slamming it shut, and pinned the tipsy troublemaker against it, capturing his lips in a deep kiss.
Su Yunzhe had always found it curious that Shen Yan, for all his terrible tolerance, never carried any alcohol scent when drunk. Even now, while muttering nonsense, his mouth tasted clean and sweet.
And he was especially obedient.
Pressed against the door, breathless from the kiss, Shen Yan’s arms remained around his neck, purring softly, like a little cat.
The sound drove Su Yunzhe to the edge. Even kissing didn’t feel like enough. His hand slid down from Shen Yan’s back, lifting the hem of his shirt…
Then, in an instant, the usually compliant Shen Yan froze, suddenly struggling to push him away.
Unprepared, Su Yunzhe stumbled back, bumping into the wall as Shen Yan, unsteady from the alcohol, fell right along with him.
“Ah…”
Su Yunzhe grunted, feeling a sharp sting in his lip. He reached up to touch it—yup, he was bleeding.
The culprit, realizing he’d messed up, looked up with dazed eyes that landed on the bleeding lip. Leaning forward, Shen Yan brushed his tongue gently over it, whispering with such a soft, apologetic tone, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it… does it hurt?”
Damn it!
This was torture!
Su Yunzhe felt that his twenty-eight years of self-control had just gone to the dogs.
Right now, he had only one thought: he was not letting this little troublemaker go.
With urgent movements, he gathered Shen Yan back into his arms, collapsing onto the couch with him. The faint taste of blood only fueled his inability to hold back…
