Chapter 5
Shen Yan didn’t expect Su Yunzhe to not only refrain from leaving him in the car but to actually take him home.
The memory of Su Yunzhe immediately putting out his cigarette the moment he saw him flashed in Shen Yan’s mind, making him think that maybe the book’s description of Su Yunzhe had been somewhat exaggerated.
He chuckled to himself, deciding to drop those irrelevant thoughts and focus on enjoying the moment.
There was no denying that Su Yunzhe’s house was incredible. Even the guest bathroom had a stunning view. Lying in the bathtub, gazing out at the ocean, Shen Yan savored a rare moment of peace and relaxation.
Some music and a good book right now would make this perfect, he thought.
The thought made him suddenly feel homesick. Back home, he used to live like this every day, but ever since he inexplicably crossed into this world, his life had become a tangled mess.
Forget about a bathtub—his rented apartment didn’t even have a proper water heater. It ran on an outdated solar system, so on sunny days, things were fine, but on cloudy days, he had to heat water manually if he wanted a bath.
Speaking of heating water, he remembered his electric kettle had broken too, and the landlord refused to replace it, telling him to buy one himself—another expense.
The thought of money…
Shen Yan immediately stopped that train of thought. He couldn’t afford to let himself dwell on it; otherwise, he might end up shedding a tear or two from frustration.
What was done was done—no point agonizing over it now.
He was lucky enough that Su Yunzhe had brought him home. With such a golden opportunity, Shen Yan wasn’t about to miss out on enjoying it. So he cast aside those pesky worries and indulged in his bath, soaking until his skin turned red before reluctantly getting out of the tub. That was when he remembered—he didn’t have any clothes to change into. The only thing he had was the crumpled suit he’d tossed aside earlier.
His eyes kept drifting toward the suit, but he just couldn’t bring himself to put it back on. Wrapping a bath towel awkwardly around his chest, he decided to ask Su Yunzhe for some clothes to borrow.
The guest room was on the second floor, next to a simply but warmly decorated sitting room. From there, he could see the spacious, stylish living room downstairs. The high ceilings stretched seven or eight meters, with a massive floor-to-ceiling window offering a panoramic view of the ocean. The sight was breathtaking.
Standing there, Shen Yan felt as if he were floating on the sea itself, with the ocean breeze blowing gently against his face.
This is incredible!
Unable to resist, Shen Yan quickened his pace downstairs and pushed open the glass door to step out onto the balcony. The sea breeze, carrying the salty scent of the ocean, caressed his face, filling him with joy. He was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot he was barely dressed.
That was when Su Yunzhe walked out of his study and spotted Shen Yan on the balcony, standing there with his arms outstretched, bathed in sunlight, glowing against the backdrop of the sea, wrapped in nothing but a white bath towel.
Su Yunzhe narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting in a small smile. He pushed open the door to the balcony and walked over.
Shen Yan, hearing movement, turned and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Su, your house is amazing! I really love it here. If I could wake up in a place like this every day, I’d be in a great mood all the time.”
Shen Yan was genuinely impressed. As a homebody who rarely went out, he loved places with an expansive view, as it made him feel more at ease.
“You like it here?” Su Yunzhe’s lips curled into a smile, his gaze lingering on Shen Yan.
Completely absorbed by the scenery, Shen Yan didn’t notice the playful tone in Su Yunzhe’s voice. Still looking out at the ocean, he nodded, “Of course! Who wouldn’t love this?”
Su Yunzhe’s eyes roamed down from Shen Yan’s slightly concealed shoulder, where wet hair clung, to his long, lean legs. With a teasing tone, he said, “If you like it so much, why not just stay?”
“Huh?” Shen Yan thought he’d misheard, instinctively turning back to meet Su Yunzhe’s ambiguous gaze.
He froze for a moment, then uncomfortably adjusted the towel wrapped around him.
At 178 cm, Shen Yan wasn’t exactly short for a man, but the towel still seemed a bit inadequate. Though it covered everything important, he was still anxious about revealing too much, especially since he was trying to hide the fact that he wasn’t the woman Su Yunzhe probably thought he was.
He had double-checked in the mirror before coming out, making sure nothing embarrassing was exposed. But under Su Yunzhe’s suggestive gaze, he suddenly felt self-conscious, even though only his legs were showing.
Awkwardly, Shen Yan tried to change the subject. “Sorry for the trouble last night, Su. And, um… could you be kind enough to lend me some clothes?”
“Sure!” Su Yunzhe’s agreement came quickly. Shen Yan was just about to thank him when he noticed Su Yunzhe moving closer, his eyes carrying an unreadable emotion.
Almost instinctively, Shen Yan took a step back, only to feel the railing of the balcony behind him.
Su Yunzhe, with a casual motion, placed his hand beside Shen Yan, effectively pinning him between his body and the railing. Looking down into Shen Yan’s eyes, his voice lowered, “How about a white dress shirt?”
Shen Yan was momentarily caught off guard and instinctively nodded. “Sure.”
“Underwear? Need that too?” Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing as his gaze suggestively moved downward.
Even if Shen Yan was slow to catch on, he couldn’t miss the shift in the atmosphere now.
Not entirely sure what Su Yunzhe meant, but knowing full well he didn’t want to borrow Su Yunzhe’s underwear, Shen Yan quickly shook his head. “No, no need.”
Feeling uneasy, he shuffled his body to the side, trying to slip away from Su Yunzhe’s encroaching presence. But just as he was about to move, Su Yunzhe leaned in close to his ear, his low voice teasing, “So, nothing underneath? Just my white shirt, revealing bits with every step. Mmm, not bad.”
Su Yunzhe’s proximity and his voice echoing directly into Shen Yan’s mind conjured up an extremely vivid image in his head. His entire face turned bright red like a boiled shrimp, and he quickly pushed Su Yunzhe away, stammering awkwardly, “That’s… no need to trouble you, Su. I’ll just wear my clothes from yesterday.” He bolted out of there in a hurry.
Behind him, Su Yunzhe’s leisurely, mocking voice followed. “Are you sure you don’t want to sign a contract with me?”
Shen Yan had already pushed the glass door open but couldn’t help turning back in confusion. “What?”
Leaning lazily against the railing, arms stretched out, Su Yunzhe smirked, eyes gleaming with undisguised mockery. “Last night, you didn’t want me to misunderstand about Duan Yang, so you fell asleep in my car without a care. Now, you’re wandering around my house like this, wrapped in nothing but a towel. How do you expect me to interpret this?”
It finally dawned on Shen Yan—Su Yunzhe thought he was seducing him.
Seriously?!
Shen Yan felt both frustrated and amused at the misunderstanding. He wanted to explain but ultimately gave up, tossing out a simple “You’re overthinking this,” before rushing upstairs.
He couldn’t deny that it was partially his own fault. If the roles were reversed and he woke up to find a woman wandering around his house in nothing but a towel, then came over to borrow clothes, he’d probably think she was coming on to him too.
Especially after the night before, when Shen Yan had made such an effort to distance himself from Duan Yang, seemingly to avoid getting Su Yunzhe involved. Shen Yan knew his own intentions were pure, but from Su Yunzhe’s perspective, it must’ve looked completely different.
Reflecting on it now, Shen Yan realized that Su Yunzhe probably misunderstood him from the moment he got into the car. And then he went and fell asleep without a care in the world, only to be brought back to Su’s place. To top it all off, he’d just been wandering around half-dressed. Honestly, who wouldn’t think it was deliberate?
The more Shen Yan thought about it, the more he wanted to slap himself. How could I mess up this badly?!
He sighed, blaming his lack of self-defense instincts. After all, he wasn’t a woman, so he didn’t have the same awareness of how certain actions could be interpreted.
Note to self: be more cautious next time!
As he silently reflected on his missteps, Shen Yan fiddled with his crumpled suit from the day before, frowning deeply. He had a slight tendency toward cleanliness—not extreme, but enough that the idea of wearing yesterday’s clothes right after a bath was unbearable.
Just as he gritted his teeth and prepared to force himself into the wrinkled suit, there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice as sweet as an angel’s. “Miss Shen? I brought you some clothes.”
Shen Yan blinked in disbelief. He hurried to open the door and found none other than Lu Xiaoqing standing there, holding several shopping bags full of clothes, shoes, and even underwear.
Shen Yan was surprised and delighted. “Sister Lu, how…?”
Before he could even finish asking, it dawned on him—it must’ve been Su Yunzhe’s doing.
Sure enough, Lu Xiaoqing smiled and explained, “President Su called me while I was out with my child. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long, Miss Shen.”
Shen Yan quickly shook his head. “Not at all, you came at the perfect time. I just finished my bath.”
Though he smiled as he spoke, his mind was occupied with another thought. According to Lu Xiaoqing, Su Yunzhe must have arranged for the clothes before Shen Yan had even woken up.