Chapter 27
Waking up hungover was the worst. Shen Yan groaned as he sat up in bed, clutching his pounding head. After a few moments, he blinked at the view outside the window: an endless stretch of ocean, which slowly reminded him of where he was.
Then bits of last night’s memory started coming back, though hazily. He remembered leaving the Su family home with Su Yunzhe, but after that… everything was a blank.
Damn it!
He shot up, mortified—he’d blacked out!
“Shen Yan, could you be any more careless?” he muttered, knocking himself on the head.
Just yesterday, Su Yunzhe had nearly caught on to his secret, and now he’d gone and gotten himself blackout drunk in front of him! But, really, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Who could resist the amazing drunken shrimp and crab that Su Mubai made at home? They were doused in potent liquor, but they tasted so good that Shen Yan couldn’t help himself. Who would have thought the delayed effect would knock him out cold?
Getting drunk enough to black out from drunken shrimp and crab—he’d sound ridiculous trying to explain it.
At least Su Yunzhe hadn’t figured him out, it seemed. He was still dressed in last night’s clothes, and if Su Yunzhe had really discovered his secret, he’d probably be waking up not in bed but at the bottom of a fifty-story drop by now.
Shen Yan didn’t usually think of himself as so absent-minded, yet somehow, whenever he was around Su Yunzhe, his guard slipped. But, fortunately, Su Yunzhe had always been a gentleman, never taking advantage, or Shen Yan’s secret would’ve been out long ago.
No, he really couldn’t let this happen again!
After giving himself a stern mental reminder, he got up and headed to the bathroom.
A hot shower washed away the sticky feeling of yesterday, and he felt much more refreshed. Once he finished tidying up the bedroom, he went downstairs.
It was already close to eleven.
Although he’d had a big dinner last night, skipping breakfast made his stomach feel hollow, like it was staging a protest.
But Su Yunzhe wasn’t in sight, so Shen Yan wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge to see if there was anything quick to eat.
Other than milk, everything else was raw.
Glancing between the various ingredients and the kitchen cookware, he abandoned the idea of cooking. Instead, he poured himself a glass of milk and grabbed a cucumber, taking a few bites to tide him over.
Midway through his cucumber, Su Yunzhe came downstairs.
He was dressed casually in workout gear—a t-shirt and shorts that showed off toned shoulders and long legs. With his tousled hair and beads of sweat on his forehead, he looked like he’d just finished exercising, exuding a kind of rugged male charm that was undeniably attractive.
Shen Yan looked up at the sound, taking in the sight, and forgot to chew the cucumber in his mouth.
The second Su Yunzhe saw him in the kitchen, irritation flared up.
He would never forget last night’s experience.
There he was, caught up in the heat, responding to Shen Yan like some infatuated teenager, only to gradually realize… the other person wasn’t reacting.
When he’d finally, reluctantly, pulled away from those soft lips, he looked up and found…
Shen Yan had fallen asleep!
Su Yunzhe swore he nearly lost it right then, fighting the urge to toss the guy off the top floor.
Of course, that would be illegal!
The kicker was… he couldn’t even bring himself to stay mad!
For the first time, Su Yunzhe understood the meaning of true frustration. Here he was, completely worked up with no way to vent it, forced to carry this oblivious drunk upstairs and toss him onto the bed.
Then he’d had to go cool off with a cold shower.
Not that it helped much; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent the whole morning pounding away his pent-up energy at the gym. Finally feeling somewhat composed, he came downstairs… only to find the culprit half-heartedly munching on a cucumber at the table.
Shen Yan had the cucumber in his mouth, biting it half-heartedly, blinking those innocent, bright eyes up at him.
Damn!
The fire Su Yunzhe had worked so hard to douse flared right back up again.
No, he couldn’t keep letting this slide. Today, he’d get even—for last night and this morning.
With that decision in mind, he strode over, but before he could say anything, Shen Yan suddenly stood up, moving close to him and staring with surprise at his lips. “President Su, what happened to your lip? It wasn’t like that yesterday.”
Su Yunzhe paused, remembering how his lip had gotten busted last night—thanks to this intoxicated kitten’s accidental bite. But he’d been too caught up in their kiss to care at the time.
Not a big deal, sure, but was it really appropriate for the culprit himself to be staring at him with such innocent concern?
He could feel his patience fraying. Holding onto his last bit of composure, he watched as Shen Yan, still oblivious, held up his half-eaten cucumber. “Are you feeling dry or irritated? Maybe you’re heaty. You should have some cucumber; it’ll help cool you down.”
Su Yunzhe’s gaze narrowed as it zeroed in on the half-bitten cucumber. He took a step forward, closing the distance. “No thanks. I’m more interested in something else.”
“Something else?” Shen Yan echoed in confusion.
“Yes. Something else.” By now, Su Yunzhe had Shen Yan pressed between himself and the table, standing so close their bodies nearly touched.
Even Shen Yan couldn’t ignore the strange tension anymore, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to slip away. But Su Yunzhe’s arm shot out, blocking his only escape route.
With an uneasy smile, Shen Yan offered, “Then… well, you could make it yourself. I’m not much of a cook, really.”
What’s going on here? Why was Su Yunzhe acting so weird in the middle of the day?
Could he have offended his benefactor while he was drunk last night?
He didn’t remember, but his imagination started running wild, conjuring up all kinds of potential disasters, each one making him feel more and more nervous.
“Uh…”
“You wanted to know how my lip got injured, didn’t you?”
Shen Yan was just thinking he should probably apologize when Su Yunzhe cut him off.
He nodded instinctively, but as he met Su Yunzhe’s eyes, a strange sense of danger crept over him. He quickly shook his head, but it was too late—Su Yunzhe had grabbed his chin, locking their gazes, and ground out through gritted teeth, “You bit it!”
“Huh?” Shen Yan’s eyes widened in shock, as if he’d misheard. “Wait… I… you… Are you sure?”
His mind was a chaotic mess.
What did that mean? He’d bitten his lip?
Did that mean… he’d kissed Su Yunzhe?
At that thought, Shen Yan’s heart started racing wildly, and a faint blush crept across his cheeks.
To Su Yunzhe, he looked utterly enticing.
Su Yunzhe arched a brow, his expression severe. “Trying to deny it, huh? Let me set the record straight. Last night, you didn’t just bite me.”
“Then… I… what else did I do?” Shen Yan, overwhelmed and utterly confused, was drawn right into Su Yunzhe’s trap.
“You took a lot of liberties with me. If I hadn’t resisted with all my strength, we’d probably still be upstairs right now.”
Seeing Shen Yan’s face flush deeper, his clear eyes clouded with embarrassment and uncertainty, Su Yunzhe’s heart sang with satisfaction.
Serves you right for leaving me high and dry last night!
While Su Yunzhe relished his little victory, Shen Yan was genuinely terrified.
His tolerance for alcohol was low, so he’d never allowed himself to drink too much. He barely knew what he was like drunk and had never experienced being so out of control. He couldn’t quite believe he’d gotten that bold… but…
Got to admit, Su Yunzhe’s good looks really hit him in the right spot.
Who knows—maybe he really would have acted on impulse.
And looking at Su Yunzhe’s busted lip, it really did look like a kiss gone wrong.
So… so he had actually taken advantage of Su Yunzhe and dragged him to bed?
The more Shen Yan thought about it, the more he wanted to find a hole to crawl into—and maybe even thank Su Yunzhe for fighting him off. Otherwise, they might not only have stayed in bed until now, but he’d probably be nursing a bruising instead of embarrassment.
“Think you can get away with just staying quiet?” Su Yunzhe sensed that Shen Yan’s brain was still out of commission, so he seized the chance to take control.
“Then… what do you want?” Shen Yan asked instinctively, still trying to process.
“Let me bite you back!” Su Yunzhe declared.
“Oh!” Shen Yan’s brain lagged behind, nodding absentmindedly before his mind caught up. Eyes widening in shock, he sputtered, “Huh?”
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow. “You bit me; it’s only fair that I bite you back, don’t you think? I’m not even holding the whole kissing and undressing thing against you.”
Right now, Shen Yan’s brain felt like mush, barely able to process a thing. Su Yunzhe’s logic… kind of made sense. But…
Biting back didn’t sound… quite right.
“Uh… I didn’t mean it. I was drunk. President Su, please let it go. Don’t hold it against a drunk man, alright?” Shen Yan looked at him pitifully, trying to plead his case.
“No way!” Su Yunzhe refused to budge. His voice barely faded before he wrapped an arm around Shen Yan’s waist, leaning in close.
As Su Yunzhe’s flawless face approached, Shen Yan’s heart pounded wildly, his nerves so intense he thought they’d explode.
Unconsciously, his eyes drifted shut, lips pressing together as if… waiting for Su Yunzhe to… kiss… no, no, bite him.
But… no, this couldn’t happen!
“President Su!”
Almost at the last second, Shen Yan’s mind snapped back. Hands pressed against Su Yunzhe’s chest, he lowered his gaze, unable to look him in the eye. “President Su, I apologize for last night, but it was unintentional. If you’re mad, I understand, and I’ll make it up to you. But a… a bite… isn’t quite appropriate. I… I’ve been married. I can’t just… with another man… ah!”
Shen Yan didn’t get to finish before Su Yunzhe suddenly grabbed his hand and gave it a quick bite.
It wasn’t too hard, just enough to startle him into yelping. He looked up to find a flash of annoyance in Su Yunzhe’s eyes.
But it was gone in an instant, replaced by… was that regret? Even tenderness?
Seeing the faint mark his teeth had left on Shen Yan’s smooth, pale hand, Su Yunzhe suddenly felt a pang of guilt, inwardly cursing himself for his rashness.
He led Shen Yan to the sink, rinsing the mark gently with cool water, then dabbing it dry with soft paper towels, his motions almost absurdly gentle.
But the mark wouldn’t fade immediately, which only deepened his remorse. He held onto Shen Yan’s hand, his deep eyes reflecting unmistakable care and regret.
Shen Yan let him hold his hand, his gaze fixed on Su Yunzhe’s face. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “President Su, do you have… a thing for hands?”
Su Yunzhe looked up. “Hmm?”
Shen Yan laughed. “I thought it was strange before. Last time, I just had a tiny cut, nothing serious, but you insisted on bandaging it yourself and even told me not to get it wet. Honestly, I thought it was a little odd at the time. But if you’re into hands, it’d make sense. I get it, though—people have always said my hands are nice. I even had offers to model them.”
Su Yunzhe didn’t respond, just gazed at him intently.
Shen Yan continued, “If you’re a hand guy, and you seem to like my hands, then how about this: since you just bit my hand, let’s call it even. We’re all squared up now, okay?”
