Lower City District, Three Waters Lane.
Fu Mingchuan found a needle and thread in the cabinet. The pillowcase he was making for Xiao Er only had a few final steps left. Kitty was sprawled in a soft little nest nearby, watching cartoons. Seeing the blue cat on the screen being chased by a mouse, its green pupils were filled with disbelief.
After a long while, a few crisp knocks suddenly sounded in the quiet room: “Knock, knock, knock.”
Fu Mingchuan paused slightly, continuing his stitches with deliberate care. As the final stitch of the kitten embroidery fell, he heard the sound of the door lock opening. Beyond the orderly footsteps, there was even the soft clatter of firearms.
Kitty arched its back, hissing at the intruders who barged in, its fur standing on end like a fuzzy black mango pit.
Fu Mingchuan had long suspected the person who had rudely barged in the day before would make some kind of move. He just hadn’t expected it to be far more ruthless than he imagined.
A police officer in a black uniform stated matter-of-factly, “Searching for a fugitive.”
A row of police officers spread out. “Sir, please come with us.”
Fu Mingchuan’s expression was indifferent. He put down the needle and thread, stowed everything back into the cabinet, and slowly untied and folded his apron.
The police officer urged him impatiently.
Fu Mingchuan stroked Kitty’s head and spoke unhurriedly, “I want to see Director Qingshan.”
…
Shen Qiuxun’s eyes were unfocused. In short, the rice dumplings were delicious, no, wait…
He turned his head and saw Xu Zhiyuan, covered in scratches and bite marks, wearing only a pair of pants, setting the table. Scratching his head, he only remembered drinking a little last night and then blacking out.
Xu Zhiyuan sat down on the edge of the bed, saw his lazy, sleepy look, and leaned down to kiss his cheek. His voice was as low and magnetic as a cello: “Little Xun, how about I carry you to wash up?”
His tone was so sickeningly sweet it made one want to scratch their ears.
Shen Qiuxun lifted his eyelids to glance at him. Several fine, willow-leaf-like scratch marks adorned the man’s handsome cheek, terribly suggestive. From top to bottom, the marks looked like snow trampled by a flock of chattering chicks in winter—a complete mess.
Paired with the man’s already slightly wicked face, it looked utterly improper no matter how one viewed it.
His stomach, empty, grumbled at the right moment. Shen Qiuxun didn’t hesitate, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck, clinging to him like a koala. He buried his head in the crook of the man’s neck and mumbled a reminder: “Clothes.”
Xu Zhiyuan grabbed a bath towel, wrapped him up, and carried him to wash up as if coaxing a child.
Being waited on was bliss. Shen Qiuxun only needed to open his mouth, tilt his head back, and spit out water; close his eyes, then open them.
After washing up, he even needed to apply some skincare products, only stopping when his face felt soft.
Xu Zhiyuan was utterly charmed by this dazed, docile Shen Qiuxun. Unable to resist, he fiercely pecked the soft flesh of his cheek.
Shen Qiuxun’s bones felt lazy; he didn’t want to move at all. He just wrinkled his nose and glared fiercely at the man.
Carrying him back to the bed, Xu Zhiyuan opened the wardrobe, picked out two pieces of clothing, and knelt back on the bed: “Baby, let me dress you.”
Shen Qiuxun was still sitting in the center of the bed, dazed. The messy blanket covered him from the waist down, revealing his slender upper body. His tousled black hair sprouted several cowlicks. His lips were red, teeth white, but his expression looked very displeased.
Xu Zhiyuan carefully crawled over to dress him. A silk shirt, slippery against the skin, with a Prince collar and slightly ruffled cuffs. The loose fabric crisscrossed and tied at the waist, cinching a perfectly slender waistline. The pants were high-waisted and equally loose.
After dressing, Xu Zhiyuan wanted to carry him to the dining table, but was ruthlessly pushed away.
Shen Qiuxun was finally fully awake. He glared fiercely again, climbed off the bed to put on his shoes, and his legs wobbled slightly when he stood up. Trying his best to steady himself on the bed as if nothing happened, he walked out nonchalantly.
The black pants draped elegantly, making him look tall and slender. His shoulders and waist formed a perfect inverted triangle, silhouetted by the dreamy light and shadow, like an angel descending to the mortal world.
Xu Zhiyuan followed cautiously behind, his gaze involuntarily falling on the slightly red and swollen gland on the Beta’s neck, feeling an itch creep back into his gums.
Breakfast included milk, various exquisite and cute breads, vegetable salad, fried dough sticks, and hot chocolate.
As Shen Qiuxun ate, Xu Zhiyuan knelt on the carpet beside the sofa, massaging his legs. From the calves up to the thighs, he remembered how these legs looked draped over his shoulders.
The strong liquor-scented pheromones in the room seemed so thick they could ignite sparks in the air.
After the legs, he massaged his lower back. Little Xun’s waist was simply too thin. The slight dip along his spine was just the right shape for hot spring water to trickle down and pool into shimmering little puddles in the lovely dimples of his back.
As Xu Zhiyuan thought about it, he suddenly noticed a few specks of bright red on the carpet, exceptionally conspicuous.
He quickly tried to wipe them away with a tissue, and was then kicked to the corner by a coldly sneering Shen Qiuxun to kneel as punishment.
Once Shen Qiuxun had eaten and drunk his fill and patted his belly, he glanced at Xu Zhiyuan, whose ears were flushed red in the corner. He knew the man’s mind was still full of nothing but trash. He poured a glass of water into a tall-stemmed glass on the table and carried it over.
Xu Zhiyuan looked up, his dark green eyes sparkling. Shen Qiuxun expressionlessly pushed his head back down, then placed the glass on top of the man’s head. He yawned, “I’m going back to sleep. You stay kneeling.”
Walking over to the bed and burrowing under the covers, Shen Qiuxun propped himself up on one hand and threatened, “Sincerity works wonders, you know.”
“Okay,” Xu Zhiyuan tried his best to maintain his balance, keeping his waist straight, chest out, and head up, murmuring, “Good afternoon, Little Xun.”
This was a test of love! Adorable Little Xun, testing him with nothing more than a kitten’s claw-extending punishment.
When Shen Qiuxun woke up and checked his Lightbrain, he found two hours had passed. Looking up, he saw a certain someone kneeling spiritedly in the corner, the water glass on his head perfectly still: ?
‘Stamina’s really something.’
【I hate you.】
‘?’
Shen Qiuxun sat up and beckoned to him: “Come here.”
The man put down the glass and trotted over like a puppy summoned by its owner.
Shen Qiuxun lifted his chin: “Get dressed.”
The man slyly chose a matching couple’s outfit.
He turned and saw Little Xun stretching out a hand, his face cold as he said, “Carry me.”
The prince-style outfit suited Shen Qiuxun impossibly perfectly.
Xu Zhiyuan clearly still had energy to spare. He bent down, picked him up, and carefully kissed his hair ends, hearing the muffled voice buried against his neck: “I want to go skiing.”
“Is your body okay?”
No answer. His Adam’s apple was bitten fiercely.
Arriving at the ski resort, Shen Qiuxun finally deigned to walk on his own. Under Xu Zhiyuan’s guidance, he changed into a custom ski suit, a red and black ensemble. Shen Qiuxun had almost never worn such a vibrant, bold color, but it suited him surprisingly well.
The dark red fabric made his skin look fair with a rosy glow. His beautiful, languid features added a different flavor to the dark red ski suit—distinct from fresh fruit, a magnificent, understated style like red wine.
“Don’t I have an instructor?”
Xu Zhiyuan quickly changed his own gear: “I am one.”
Letting another man get close to Little Xun was more unbearable than killing him.
Shen Qiuxun had never skied before. His impression of it was still from the Winter Olympics on TV, representing their country and gliding smoothly across the snow.
Actually standing on the ski slope was a different sensation entirely. The very air he breathed carried the scent of the snowfield. His comprehension was terrifyingly good; after two trial runs, he found the knack. Once he could move independently, he didn’t like staying near Xu Zhiyuan anymore.
This smooth gliding was just so cool!
‘System buddy, look how cool I am!’
【Unsubscribe】
‘System Bro, look, aren’t I cool? Help me take a few pictures as a souvenir.’
The database was running a bit hot, but the System, grumbling internally yet compliant, diligently took photos, capturing the host’s stunning heroic poses.
After gliding alone for a while, Shen Qiuxun had proficiently mastered the basic techniques and began attempting some advanced ones. Just then, his Lightbrain vibrated. He clicked it open and saw two words from Xu Zhiyuan: Look up.
Shen Qiuxun stopped.
A person burst from the adjacent advanced slope in a blue and white ski suit. Tracing a smooth arc through the air, they landed and, accelerated by momentum, shot towards the sky again. Green colored smoke fireworks traced their path, spelling out a string of English in the sky: LOVE XUN.
Shen Qiuxun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: ‘So tacky… but the skiing was pretty good.’
【Who knows how many falls he took behind the scenes just to win your favor. Just petty favors from the rich.】
Shen Qiuxun paused briefly: ‘If you’re really so indignant, give me a rich-second-generation identity next time. Don’t bother with this useless stuff.’
The System fell silent.
‘Hmph, I know you too well, stinky System.’
【Not stinky, fragrant System.】
‘.’
Shen Qiuxun didn’t ski for long; he was just there to experience the fun. Overindulging would be missing the point. The two sat down for dinner.
Outside the wooden cabin, through the clean glass, the boundless snowfield merged with the sky. Where heaven and earth met, the sunset glow seemed like someone had knocked over a palette, spreading out freely. Warm orange light gently sprinkled on the snow, adding a touch of dreamlike color to this pristine white world, as if it were a natural watercolor painting.
Xu Zhiyuan was not in a good mood: Qingshan was more troublesome than expected.
Initially, Xu Zhiyuan didn’t care much. He thought threats and bribes would certainly make this Director understand that some things were better left untouched.
But the result seemed contrary to his expectations. Qingshan’s relationship with that fugitive was far closer than he had imagined. He’d had his people investigate the fugitive’s identity, and the submitted data seemed unremarkable.
But being too reasonable was itself unreasonable. If, as the data suggested, he was merely a minor government clerk, implicated and demoted to a street office in the Lower District, how did he become a fugitive?
Did his own wife even know he was harboring a threat?
“Keep quiet, I’m calling Kitty at home.”
Xu Zhiyuan snapped back to reality, expressionlessly warming milk for him: “A cat can answer the phone?”
“That’s my cat, it’s very smart.”
The call took a long time to connect. A chaotic chorus of meows came from the other end.
“Kitty, you’re not asleep yet?”
“Meow meow meow meow!” Master, come quick, help!
“Oh, you want to play a while longer? I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow!” Master, master, my cat bed has been overturned!
“Okay, okay, good baby.”
“Meow meow meow meow meow!” Come back and save the cat! My servant’s life is in danger!
“Mm, that’s settled then, I’m hanging up.” Shen Qiuxun stroked his chin, thinking: I wonder what Fu Mingchuan fed Kitty this time, for the little thing to be so agitated.
Maybe it just missed him? Ah, truly loved by cats, admired by flowers.
The next morning, an unfamiliar number called Shen Qiuxun’s account. Groggily, Shen Qiuxun answered. He was still held in Xu Zhiyuan’s arms. His movements brushed against the man’s powerful muscles and the warm breath tickled his ear.
Shen Qiuxun rolled to the edge of the bed: “Good morning?”
There was a pause on the other end before a somewhat familiar, mature male voice spoke:
“Hello, Mr. Shen. A fugitive was discovered in your rental unit. We need you to come to the police station for details. The address will be sent to your inbox shortly.”
“?”
