Chapter 11
After the race, there was a celebratory banquet. Tonight’s event was particularly grand. The club owner personally came to pick up Xi Shi. Seeing Zhong Yuxiao in the car, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Handsome, but his aura was too cold and aloof, not the type Xi Shi would like.
“As expected, you took first place as soon as you participated. But your speed was slower tonight. Is it because the car isn’t broken in yet?”
Xi Shi’s arm rested on the car door, his fingers tapping lightly. “There’s someone in the car. If I went any faster, I would have thrown him out.”
So it wasn’t the car’s problem, but the young master’s deliberate action. The owner secretly assessed Zhong Yuxiao, guessing his relationship with Xi Shi. “This is the first time I’ve seen you worried about the safety of someone else in the car.”
“He’s not just ‘someone else.'”
The owner was stunned. A flash of bright color caught his eye, and he looked closely, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Holy shit, was Xi Shi wearing…a ring?!
“Who is that person?”
Xi Shi didn’t want to explain.
Saying Zhong Yuxiao was his spouse implied they were in a real marriage. Saying they weren’t related wasn’t true either, since they did get a marriage certificate. In short, no introduction felt appropriate.
He simply wouldn’t introduce him.
“Mind your own business. If you’re so free, go wash the car.” Xi Shi got out of the car.
Zhong Yuxiao looked at his phone. “Can I get a taxi here? It’s almost ten, I need to go home.”
“Go home?”
Did the Zhong family have a curfew?
No, Zhong Yuxiao had gotten a marriage certificate with him. They lived together now, and there was no rule about when he had to be home.
Zhong Yuxiao said considerately, “You can continue having fun, just call me a taxi.”
He had just received the class schedule from Lincheng University. The teacher for the Art Appreciation course was sick and hospitalized, and his elective course had been moved forward. He had a class tomorrow morning, so he had to go back and familiarize himself with the textbook and prepare for the lesson.
As for Xi Shi, he could stay and play if he wanted. Even without their three-rule agreement, he wouldn’t interfere with the other party’s life.
For some reason, these words annoyed Xi Shi. His expression darkened, seemingly displeased, but he didn’t say anything, turning around and getting back into the car.
The owner was startled, not knowing what he had done wrong. “Young Master Xi, why are you back in the car?”
“Not playing anymore, going home.”
Xi Shi started the car.
Zhong Yuxiao was slightly surprised. “I didn’t ask you to take me home.”
“I want to go home and rest, got a problem with that?”
No, of course not.
He wasn’t going to refuse a free ride.
On the way back, Xi Shi drove very fast. Zhong Yuxiao could tell he was angry, but he couldn’t figure out how he had offended the young master again.
The other party was like a spoiled Maine Coon, beautiful, with a bad temper, often getting angry for no reason.
Arriving downstairs, Xi Shi didn’t get out of the car. “The passcode is 0221.”
After saying that, he drove away.
The car sped off, leaving Zhong Yuxiao in a cloud of exhaust fumes. He couldn’t help but curse, “Dog temper.”
He needed to be taught a lesson.
Bar.
Xi Shi downed his drink in one gulp. “Fill it up.”
You Jiayu waved at the bartender, took the bottle, and poured a small amount into his glass.
The brown liquid reflected a deep glow under the light. Xi Shi swirled the glass, the ice clinking against the sides.
“Fill it up.”
“It’s not even midnight yet, and you’re already drowning your sorrows?”
Xi Shi glanced at him and snatched the bottle. “Mind your own business.”
“…”
Speaking so aggressively, did he swallow a firecracker?
After he finished pouring, You Jiayu took the bottle and poured himself a glass. “I don’t have a ‘business.’ Why don’t you buy my dad? Since you got married, he keeps nagging me.”
They frequented this bar and had a lot of alcohol stored here.
“Tell me, what did Zhong Er do to offend you this time?”
Xi Shi paused. “How do you know he offended me?”
You Jiayu thought, dude, you’ve called me out three times in a week, and every time it’s about Zhong Er. If it’s not him, then who is it?
“I guessed.” You Jiayu jiggled his leg. They were sitting at the bar today, and the bar stools weren’t as comfortable as the booths. “You said just a few days ago that you had Zhong Er under control. What, did he turn against you after getting the certificate?”
“No.”
But it was almost the same.
Xi Shi took another sip. The chilled alcohol was refreshing, leaving a sweet and spicy aftertaste, just like a certain someone, gentle at first, but spicy and intense after a closer look.
“He’s not what I imagined.”
He wasn’t interested in nerds, but Zhong Er always made his heart itch, which meant Zhong Yuxiao wasn’t a typical nerd.
You Jiayu played his role as the supportive friend, prompting him, “How is he different?”
“He…” Xi Shi exhaled a spicy breath and, after some thought, commented, “He looks very fuckable.”
Not just his physique, but in many ways, he couldn’t explain it. Especially when Zhong Yuxiao made him bump into him and gave him the ring, his desire to fuck him reached its peak.
But Zhong Yuxiao wasn’t interested in him and told him to mind his own business.
Xi Shi turned the ring on his finger. The band fit perfectly.
You Jiayu suspected he had misheard. Very what?
Fuckable???
“Are you sick?”
“…”
Xi Shi slapped away his reaching hand. You Jiayu blinked and rephrased, “Not sick, then you must be horny. You want to fuck Zhong Er, the arranged marriage partner you initially looked down on and planned to dump at a suitable time… Xi Shi, Young Master Xi, you’ve fallen, you’ve succumbed to arranged marriage! What kind of love potion did Zhong Er give you?!”
“…”
Xi Shi kicked his leg.
“My new trousers!!” You Jiayu looked at the black shoe print on his calf and almost fainted.
“Good, it’ll prevent you from getting horny.”
“…”
“Ahhh, Xi Shi, pay for my trousers!” You Jiayu, fueled by anger, pounced on him.
“Don’t move!”
Xi Shi picked up his phone, looking at the notification that popped up on the screen.
[Night sent a message]
Zhong Yuxiao had taken the initiative to message him.
Ignoring You Jiayu, Xi Shi kicked him away without a second thought and quickly unlocked his phone.
It was a picture of the bed he had just bought.
Xi Shi’s breath hitched, his heart pounding. Why did Zhong Yuxiao send him a picture of the bed? A picture of the bed, a bed photo…was he hinting that he wanted to take some bed photos?
Right? Right? Right?!
You Jiayu looked down at his trousers, another shoe print now adorning them. He sighed, completely losing his temper. He couldn’t win in a fight, and he couldn’t win in an argument. He could only appease Xi Shi’s dog temper.
“What are you looking at?”
Xi Shi quickly put away his phone, a sweet smile on his face. “Guess.”
You Jiayu rolled his eyes. Guess my ass!
“Zhong Er messaged me, asking me to go home.”
Would he listen?
Of course not!
With Xi Shi’s dog temper, he should be cursing, telling him to fuck off and mind his own business.
You Jiayu had the script ready, but Xi Shi’s reaction was completely different from what he expected. The young master immediately stood up, smoothing his sleeves like a proper gentleman. “Drowning your sorrows in the middle of the night is something only lonely people do. And you, my friend, are a true, pure lonely person.”
You Jiayu: “…”
You Jiayu: “???”
Xi Shi’s dejected mood vanished, replaced by a smug and cheerful expression. “Put the drinks on my tab, enjoy yourself.”
You Jiayu was dumbfounded. Wait, what was going on?
“Where are you going?”
“Where else? Of course, I’m going ho—”
He stopped abruptly, looking at his phone screen, his smile gradually disappearing.
[Night: There’s no wardrobe, can I share half of the walk-in closet?]
It wasn’t an invitation, not a hint, he was just overthinking.
Zhong Yuxiao put down his phone and packed his books and computer.
He only realized after showering that he hadn’t unpacked his clothes. There was no wardrobe in the bedroom, and leaving his clothes in the suitcase for too long would wrinkle them.
Xi Shi had shown him around the apartment before. The master bedroom had a walk-in closet, quite large, enough for two people’s clothes.
He just didn’t know if the young master was willing to share.
After waiting for a while without a reply, Zhong Yuxiao figured Xi Shi probably hadn’t seen the message and was about to call him when he suddenly saw a line of text.
The other party is typing…
So he saw it.
Zhong Yuxiao waited for another three minutes, but the message still hadn’t arrived.
It wasn’t a long essay, why was it taking so long to type?
[Night: Did you break your hand?]
[XS: ?]
Zhong Yuxiao changed Xi Shi’s contact name.
[Night: You’ve been typing for a while now. Did you break your hand and can’t type, or are you just unwilling?]
He had been seen.
Heat rushed to his head, and Xi Shi, both embarrassed and annoyed, limped back to the bar counter.
“Weren’t you going home?”
“Not going back, who said I was going home?”
You Jiayu was confused. “Didn’t you say that yourself? Zhong Er asked you to go home… Tsk tsk, you’re no longer a lonely person, my friend. You’ve stepped into the grave of marriage, you’re about to fall in love, become a prisoner of love.”
“Love my ass!”
Xi Shi cursed. He was just momentarily blinded by lust, he wouldn’t fall into the whirlpool of love.
“Go home? The nightlife has just begun. Tonight’s drinks are on your tab.”
You Jiayu: “???”
Wait, why is it on my tab again?!
[Gold-Inlaid Radish: No sharing!!!]
[Gold-Inlaid Radish: Rent is one thousand yuan a day.]
The three exclamation marks fully conveyed Xi Shi’s anger and embarrassment. Zhong Yuxiao chuckled and, rounding it up, transferred 370,000 yuan to him.
[Night: An extra five thousand for you, go see a doctor and fix your hand-crippling problem.]
Xi Shi: “…”
Fuck.
After hanging up all his clothes, Zhong Yuxiao set an alarm for 7:30. Just as he was about to put down his phone, he received a new message.
[Gold-Inlaid Radish: You sleep in the master bedroom.]
[Night: ?]
[Gold-Inlaid Radish: Your bed is new.]
[Gold-Inlaid Radish: We’re parting ways in a year, I don’t want an ex-husband who died from excessive formaldehyde inhalation.]
[Night: .]
How could he tell the young master that the furniture store worker had given him a test certificate? All their products were tested for formaldehyde before leaving the warehouse, and only those that passed were delivered.
Forget it.
Zhong Yuxiao turned and went back to the master bedroom.
The young master’s kindness, if he didn’t accept it, would probably sulk again.
He had been angry so many times today, one more time, and he would explode.
The bed in the master bedroom was 2.4 meters wide, custom-made, almost a meter wider than the bed he bought. Two grown men could roll around on it without falling off. The mattress and bedding were new, and the bright red wedding quilt exuded a festive atmosphere.
Too eye-catching, Zhong Yuxiao’s eyes hurt from the brightness.
But it was good, at least it was clean.
Zhong Yuxiao wasn’t a clean freak, but the thought of Xi Shi possibly having rolled around in this bed with his lovers made him feel much better about the new red quilt and pillows.
It was almost eleven. He had spent too much time unpacking, so Zhong Yuxiao immediately turned off his phone and went to bed.
At the bar, Xi Shi was confused, asking sincerely, “What does it mean to send a period at the end of a sentence in a chat?”
