Chapter 28

After a simple midnight snack, Shen Yuze led Lu Ping to the guest bedroom.

The apartment wasn’t large (by Young Master Shen’s standards), and aside from the master bedroom, there were two other rooms: one guest bedroom and one converted into a study.

The bedding in the guest bedroom had already been replaced with a fresh set. Neatly folded on the pillow was a set of sea-blue pajamas. Just from the sheen, without even touching it, Lu Ping could tell they were real silk.

Shen Yuze said, “We didn’t have any new pajamas at home by coincidence, so I had the housekeeper prepare a set of mine. But don’t worry, they’ve been washed clean.”

Upon hearing that he had taken the host’s pajamas, Lu Ping immediately felt a bit embarrassed.

“You don’t need to go to the trouble of preparing pajamas,” Lu Ping said, not wanting to trouble Shen Yuze. “—I can sleep naked!”

If Shen Yuze had been drinking water at that moment, he definitely would have choked.

He stared at Lu Ping for a good while, confirming that this silly mouse’s “sleep naked” was just the literal meaning, with no other implications or hints. Indeed, the South was warmer than the North, and in the scorching summer, it was very common for boys to sleep in just their underwear with bare torsos.

As for anything else… Lu Ping couldn’t even tell that Eric was gay, which proved just how “pure” he was.

Shen Yuze slowly shifted his gaze away, no longer looking into Lu Ping’s eyes. “Wear them if I tell you to. Don’t argue with me.”

Next, Shen Yuze took him to the guest bathroom and taught him how to use the various fixtures, telling him where the hairdryer was and where the clean towels were.

Shen Yuze said, “The guest bathroom doesn’t have a bathtub. If you want to soak and relax, you can use my room. The master bathroom’s tub has a massage function.”

“No need, no need!” Lu Ping waved his hands repeatedly. “I’m not that delicate.”

“…” Shen Yuze raised an eyebrow at him upon hearing that.

Lu Ping quickly backpedaled. “Uh, I mean, I’m a rough guy who doesn’t like luxuries… uh, not that either… Anyway, don’t misunderstand. I absolutely didn’t mean you’re delicate!”

Sigh, this dumb mouth of mine just keeps digging the hole deeper.

Shen Yuze said, “Fine then, non-delicate Student Lu Ping. It’s very late now, so you can rest soon. As for me… I’m going to my bathroom to enjoy a nice soak, light some aromatherapy, add a bath bomb, play some music, and really indulge.”

Lu Ping had no comeback for his temperament. “You’re talking in reverse again, aren’t you?”

“No.” Shen Yuze gladly affirmed. “I’m telling the truth.”

……

After Shen Yuze left, Lu Ping took a thorough, refreshing shower.

When Lu Ping was little, his home had a solar water heater, which saved electricity but never got the water hot enough on cloudy days. Later, they switched to a storage electric water heater, and with a family of four, they had to stagger their showers or the water would run cold by the end.

Shen Yuze’s home was different. Even though it was the guest bathroom, the showerhead was large and dense. When he pressed the button, hot water flowed smoothly onto the boy’s bare back. Lu Ping felt like an ancient rain-summoning shaman witnessing a miracle, grinning foolishly at the “divine sign.”

Boys showered quickly. Lu Ping skipped the incomprehensible bottles and jars, simply washed up, dried off his body, gave his dripping hair a quick towel, and walked out of the bathroom stark naked to grab the pajamas nearby.

Shen Yuze was much taller than Lu Ping, with better proportions and long legs. When Lu Ping wore his pajamas, the pant legs bunched up at his ankles, and the sleeves covered his fingertips.

He wiped the steam from the mirror, his palm clearing a small clean patch on the massive surface. He looked at his small self in that little world: his usually neat hair now stuck up like a hedgehog, the sea-blue striped pajamas enveloping his body. Because they were oversized, the open collar revealed the boy’s straight collarbone and bobbing Adam’s apple.

The rising steam had flushed his face red. Lu Ping made a funny face at his reflection in the mirror. But in just half a minute, the steam fogged it up again, blurring his figure.

He returned to the guest bedroom and awkwardly circled the big bed twice, not sure what he was dawdling over.

After some utterly unnecessary internal debate, he decided to get into bed from the left side.

When he sank into the soft mattress and covers, a bold thought flashed in his mind—Damn! Was he sleeping on a cloud?!

The mattress was perfectly firm yet soft, supporting his body, and the pure cotton sheets were fluffy and plush. Lu Ping couldn’t resist rolling around on the bed before burying his head in the pillow mountain.

All the bedding had been washed and disinfected, carrying a non-irritating floral-herbal scent—likely from the Lu family’s laundry detergent. Lu Ping didn’t particularly like or dislike the smell, but if he had a choice, he thought Shen Yuze’s scent was nicer.

At that thought, Lu Ping quietly lifted the pajama collar and sniffed… Unfortunately, the washed pajamas no longer carried that familiar, longed-for aroma.

—Damn, what the hell was he doing? Secretly sniffing pajamas? Was he some kind of pervert?

Lu Ping felt deeply ashamed of his subconscious action. He flipped over on the bed, forcing himself not to think random thoughts.

His phone was charging by the bed. Lu Ping picked it up, hesitated, but couldn’t resist the itch and sent a text.

Lu Ping: Are you there?

The phone soon chimed with a reply.

Shen Yuze: .

Yeah, just a period. Very much Young Master Shen’s style.

Lu Ping: I thought you’d already gone to sleep.

Shen Yuze: No, just finished washing up. Planning to read a novel before bed.

Lu Ping: You read novels too?

Shen Yuze: Why wouldn’t I?

Lu Ping: …I just feel like reading novels for fun doesn’t suit you.

Lu Ping also liked reading novels: wuxia, sci-fi, mysteries… Of course, popular web novels too, though they were so long, often millions of words. He’d once binged a cultivation one so hard that he muttered qi-gathering incantations while walking down the street.

Lu Ping: What novel are you reading?

Shen Yuze: Pride and Prejudice

Lu Ping: …Sorry, I overstepped.

Shen Yuze: ?

Lu Ping: Nothing, but I read that book at the café today too—the English version. I read a bit aloud to Eric, and he corrected my pronunciation.

No sooner had he sent it than Shen Yuze’s call came through.

Lu Ping: “???” He picked up, stunned. “We’re just separated by a wall! Whatever you have to say, you could come over. Why call?”

Shen Yuze answered righteously, “Because I’m rich, and I’m lazy.”

Lu Ping: “…” Okay, fine. Young Master Shen’s sedentary persona remains unshaken.

Shen Yuze asked, “What else did you do at the café?”

“What else could we do? Just chat…” Lu Ping felt like he’d been infected by Shen Yuze; he didn’t even fuss over the wasted phone bill anymore. He lounged lazily in bed and asked languidly, “Shen Yuze, is my English pronunciation really that bad? Last time Teacher Wu called me up to read, the whole class laughed when I opened my mouth.”

“No problem. Just listen and practice more.” The night was deep, and Shen Yuze’s voice came through the receiver, now distant, now close. “If you want to learn later, come find me anytime.”

The familiar voice lingered in Lu Ping’s ears, like a low lullaby in the quiet night.

Lu Ping set the phone by his pillow, closed his eyes, and yawned. “I can’t keep taking advantage of you… How about this: if you’re bad at any other subjects, you can come to me.”

Shen Yuze agreed.

Lu Ping cheekily asked to “test the goods” first.

Shen Yuze asked how.

“How about… you read a bit of Pride and Prejudice for me,” Lu Ping said. “The English version, and make it sound nice.”

“You treating me like an English audio player?” Shen Yuze was utterly helpless, but he didn’t refuse Lu Ping’s request.

In the master bedroom, Shen Yuze turned off the overhead light, leaving only a dim yellow bedside lamp by the cabinet. Lu Ping knew only that the master and guest bedrooms were separated by a single wall, unaware that the beds were positioned right against it on either side, their headboards mere feet apart.

In this quiet night, the teenager leaned against his headboard, softly reading from the English book in his hand. On the other side of that wall, the boy sank into soft bedding, listening to the familiar, gentle voice carried over the airwaves.

They’d only exchanged a few words, but Lu Ping felt sleepier and sleepier. Perhaps it was the intoxicating night, or the high-proof drink, or the hot shower and snug pajamas… In any case, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted gently, softly, without resistance, into the depths of chaotic slumber.

Before fully falling asleep, Lu Ping vaguely heard Shen Yuze reading the novel’s most famous line.

That line was Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt confession to Elizabeth.

——”I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

……

Lu Ping had a dream.

Of course, no one realizes at first that they’re dreaming, especially when it’s so realistic—like a snippet from everyday life.

He dreamed he was in the classroom, as usual, scratching his head and wailing over an English test paper.

In the dream, he suddenly remembered Shen Yuze’s promise: no matter what English problems he had, he could ask Shen Yuze.

So Lu Ping immediately turned to his side—aha, Shen Yuze was right there, an arm’s length away, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hand.

Their homeroom teacher, Teacher Wu, strictly forbade pen-twirling because the ink splattered everywhere, and a dropped pen made noise that disturbed others. But Shen Yuze was always a maverick, never minding the rules.

Lu Ping had long noticed that Shen Yuze’s hands were very attractive—clearly jointed, with long, slender fingers. The ballpoint pen spun rapidly around the teenager’s knuckles before deftly returning to his palm, his movements light and nimble, highly watchable.

Lu Ping stared at Shen Yuze twirling the pen, entranced, until it “clack”ed onto the desk. Only then did he snap out of it.

Shen Yuze’s eyes fixed unblinkingly on him, asking what was up.

Lu Ping came to his senses and hurriedly shoved his test paper over, asking Shen Yuze to explain the questions.

Lu Ping’s English was too poor. Shen Yuze explained one paper, then another, then another, and yet another… By the time he’d gone through all of them, Lu Ping actually pulled out yet another one!

But in the dream, Lu Ping acted completely entitled, not feeling the least bit guilty for troubling Shen Yuze.

Shen Yuze couldn’t take it anymore.

Suddenly, the setting around them changed to somewhere else entirely: they were no longer in the classroom but had appeared in that café.

They sat facing each other in a secluded corner of the café. The noisy classmates around them vanished, the textbooks on the table disappeared, replaced by two glasses of wine.

Lu Ping jumped in fright, baffled by how they’d inexplicably switched locations. But before he could figure it out, Shen Yuze suddenly closed in on him, gripping his shoulders tightly with both hands.

“Lu Ping,” the handsome boy stared into his eyes, his tone laced with some kind of anger that Lu Ping didn’t understand, “did you ask me to the café on Friday night just so I could explain English questions to you? Were you just using me to take a few more photos and deceive your online fans?”

Lu Ping should have explained. He should have told Shen Yuze that, in his eyes, Shen Yuze had always been a distant, radiant existence—like a beam of light illuminating the shadowed version of himself.

He had run desperately toward Shen Yuze, wanting only to draw close to the light, to become the light… not to replace it.

But for some reason, Lu Ping couldn’t say a single word.

He stood frozen, watching as Shen Yuze slowly leaned toward him. At such close range, Shen Yuze’s exquisite features filled his entire field of vision without reservation.

The hands pressing down on his shoulders burned scorching hot, allowing no room for evasion…

And then—and then—

“Ring ring ring ring ring ring…”

A piercing alarm jolted Lu Ping awake from his sleep.

Lu Ping shot up from the bed, staring dazedly at the luxurious room around him.

He remembered now… Last night, he’d gone to the café to meet the foreign teacher, but ended up inexplicably clashing with Eric. It was Shen Yuze who had brought him home.

His phone lay right by his pillow, the alarm set for 5:30 a.m.—Lu Ping’s fixed wake-up time from Monday to Friday, when he had to get up early to help his mom set up her stall. It was Saturday, so he could’ve slept in naturally, but he’d forgotten to turn off the alarm before bed last night.

Still, thank goodness for the alarm… Thank goodness for the alarm. If it hadn’t gone off…

Lu Ping’s mind was a total mess. He clutched his head, let out a wail, and shrank back under the covers.

God, what kind of dream had he just had?

Shen Yuze was so good to him, yet in the dream, he’d treated him like he was the same type as Eric—just because he’d gotten a free English tutor, the dream Shen Yuze had gotten rough with him!

God, he really didn’t deserve such a great Shen Yuze!