Chapter 45: The Advisor’s Call

After Ming Ying finished saying this, he couldn’t help himself and turned his head, leaning against the door frame and laughing.

The next second, he heard Silas ask, “Is there any coffee?”

“Huh?”

Before Ming Ying could react, the person in front of him suddenly moved—

Silas pulled the door open, walked in, and closed it behind him.

Bang.

The action was clean and crisp, making one’s heart surge.

The living room lighting was also dim. Silas asked him, “You’ve showered?”

Ming Ying snapped back to his senses and coughed. “Not yet. I was about to, but you came up too fast.”

Silas raised his hand to touch Ming Ying’s face and chuckled softly. “So, you’re blaming me?”

The familiar touch, the familiar tone, like a lit fuse, sparked and crackled in the dimness, flames leaping.

Ming Ying snorted, no longer feeling shy. He directly reached up and wrapped his arms around Silas’s neck.

Silas, on the other hand, simply reached out, lifted him up, and carried him.

Ming Ying usually didn’t like Silas carrying him, but he unexpectedly found this position wasn’t bad.

Amidst the kisses, Ming Ying just wrapped his legs around the old bastard’s waist like that.

Arriving at the room door, Silas kicked Ming Ying’s door open. It startled Ming Ying, who pulled his face back and said, “Damn, take it easy! If you break this, we have to pay for it!”

Silas wasn’t very pleased with his distraction. He pinched his face and pulled him back to continue the kiss.

Ming Ying was kissed into a daze, his brain starved of oxygen, panting breaths constantly escaping the corner of his mouth.

By the time he was aware, he was already pressed against the door panel of his room.

“Mmph—”

Just when things were getting intense and about to ignite, a harsh ringing suddenly sounded.

Bring-bring-bring—

Ming Ying opened his eyes—that was his own ringtone!

Damn it, who was calling him at a time like this!

—Wait, not many people even had his contact info to begin with. Someone calling him at this hour…

Ming Ying hurriedly said, “Baby, let me take this call, what if it’s something urgent…”

Thankfully, Silas still had a thread of reason left at this moment. He squeezed Ming Ying’s waist, made an “mm” sound, and let him go.

Panting heavily, Ming Ying moved around Silas. His hair was messy, his face was red, his towel was hanging half-off. In short, he looked thoroughly debauched in every way.

But he couldn’t bother with any of that right now. He walked over, scooped up the phone vibrating incessantly on the table, slid the screen open, and upon seeing the caller ID, nearly had a heart attack—Thomas!

Ming Ying facepalmed.

Goddamn, getting a call from your advisor right when you’re about to get it on—who could understand this feeling?

Silas came up from behind. Ming Ying turned his head, gestured for him to be quiet, and then answered the phone.

Even then, not reassured, he actually reached out and covered Mr. Aston’s lips.

He couldn’t be blamed for this act of rebellion; it was really because this old rogue had a previous record.

As for Silas, the moment Ming Ying covered his mouth, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thomas, yes,” Ming Ying said into the phone, still panting. “Where am I right now? I’m… I’m at home.”

“What?” Ming Ying frowned. “You need it right now? …Fine.”

The call disconnected.

Ming Ying withdrew his hand and slowly looked at the man standing beside him.

“…”

Amused, Silas said, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Ming Ying started to tattle, also smiling. “Boss, what do I do? I’m being forced to labor now.”

Silas asked, “What did Thomas ask you to do?”

Ming Ying felt like Mr. Aston was about to deliver justice for him. “Start a video meeting.”

Silas frowned, glancing at his wristwatch. “A sudden meeting at this hour?”

Ming Ying said, “Uh…”

Silas said, “I’ll call and ask.”

Saying this, Silas moved to get his phone. Seeing this, Ming Ying hurriedly pressed his hand down and lowered his head. “Alright, I admit, I was too excited earlier and forgot that Professor Thomas has a meeting tonight. He’s on a business trip abroad now, so there’s a time difference.”

“…”

The air was still for a second.

Silas said, “Ming, when I asked you yesterday if you had anything going on today, how did you answer?”

How did he answer… how else could he answer?

Of course, it was “Mm-hmm, I’m free, at your disposal”…

Ming Ying seemed a little aggrieved as well. “Well, who could’ve guessed that our date wouldn’t be over by eleven at night?”

The kid was being completely unreasonable. Silas slightly curved his lips. “Mm. So it’s my fault again.”

Ming Ying quickly coughed and took his hand. “Just sit on my bed for a bit, okay? This meeting will be half an hour tops, it won’t take too long—”

Pushed by him to the bedside, Silas stopped. “Ming, the bedside is too narrow. I can’t even stretch my legs out.”

Ming Ying immediately ran his mouth. “Mm-hmm, how about you wait for me on the bed then?”

The two looked at each other.

Ming Ying: “…”

Silas smiled at him. “I’m not used to wearing clothes in bed, as you should know.”

Although this sentence sounded very strange, Ming Ying indeed knew this. Silas seemed to have a bit of a cleanliness quirk; if clothes had been worn outside, he wouldn’t wear them in bed.

But for this old rogue to really strip naked and wait for him in bed… just imagining that scene…

However, before Ming Ying could even start imagining, he got a knock on his forehead. Silas said, “I’ll wait in the living room.”

Ming Ying clicked his tongue. “What if those two come back, then what?”

“…”

Silas asked, “What’s the issue?”

Ming Ying said, “Those two are GAY. I don’t want them looking at you.”

“…”

Damn, what was he saying.

Silas glanced at him. “Fine, I’ll wait on that sofa then.”

The sofa he referred to was a single-seater located at the foot of Ming Ying’s bed.

Ming Ying disagreed again. “No, you’ll be in the frame there—my computer is at the front.”

“…”

Silas paused, then nodded. “So, I absolutely must stay in this spot where I can’t even stretch my legs out, for at least half an hour.”

“At most half an hour!”

Silas looked at him.

Ming Ying clasped his hands together, bowing and bowing, faking cuteness. “Boss, I’m begging you. Aren’t you bosses supposed to be the most reasonable? What’s more, you’re this handsome…”

He was pretty slick with the flattery. Silas laughed and patted his head. “Hurry up and go turn on your computer.”

Ming Ying kissed him again before going to boot up the computer.

After entering the meeting, Ming Ying discovered he was the first one there. No one else had joined yet.

So he muted his microphone and looked at the man sitting on his bed.

That look made him burst out laughing again.

Poor Mr. Aston, tall and broad-shouldered, had to bend his legs in this tiny square of space. And yet—wait, what was he looking at?

Ming Ying stood up. When he saw what Silas was holding, his heart began to wail frantically—NO!

That was the pornographic magazine (GAY edition) Mark had given him before they’d left that morning.

Mark’s exact words had been: “Ming, congratulations on discovering the truth of this world. This is my gift to you. Here, you can find the purest joy.”

At the time, Ming Ying had thought he was recruiting for a religion. But the moment he’d taken it, his mind had been assaulted by the stimulating images of two naked men in various poses.

But for some unknown reason… he hadn’t thrown it away.

He’d even stealthily placed it on his bedside.

…

On the other side, because Ming Ying had suddenly bolted out of the camera frame, Thomas started calling for him on the computer. “Ming?”

Flustered, Ming Ying hurriedly unmuted his microphone. “Thomas, I’m here.”

Thomas asked with concern, “No accidents happened, right?”

Ming Ying replied against his conscience, “No, I was just about to go make a cup of coffee. It’s a bit too late.”

Hearing this, Thomas started apologizing because he was simply too busy and could only hold the meeting at this time slot. He guiltily approved Ming Ying’s request to make coffee.

Ming Ying muted his mic, flew over at lightning speed, and snatched the book out of someone’s hand. “Hey, you.”

Silas didn’t stop him, only asking, “Is this your bedtime reading?”

Ming Ying: “…”

Ming Ying coughed, trying to salvage his image. “Bathroom reading, bathroom reading.”

Silas nodded. “Mm, bathroom reading.”

Immediately following, Ming Ying watched as Silas’s gaze drifted from himself to the bathroom. That look was very clear: Why would bathroom reading material be on the bedside?

Hell.

Ming Ying laughed and changed the subject. “Boss, I’ll go make you a cup of coffee.”

Silas reached out to hold him back. “You go back first. I’ll make it.”

Ming Ying let out an “Ah”. “Can you find everything?”

Silas said, “The place isn’t that big. Nothing hard to find.”

“…”

Ming Ying thought to himself, I’m just going to pretend I didn’t catch the sarcasm about my place being small…

And so, student Ming Ying sat back down. Not long after, a cup of warm… milk appeared at his hand.

Yeah. Milk.

And a certain someone wasn’t drinking coffee either but was drinking the dark beer he had treasured in the fridge.

Thus, while student Ming Ying attended the meeting, facing his advisor’s nitpicking, each time he looked up, he could see his advisor’s boss sitting on his bed, drinking.

Ah, there really was no other student who had reached this level.

…

Twenty minutes later, the video meeting ended.

In just those twenty minutes, Ming Ying felt his eyelids couldn’t hold up. The moment he exited the meeting, he nearly collapsed onto the desk.

Thankfully, a pair of hands caught his chin in time.

Ming Ying instinctively nuzzled that hand. After nuzzling, he sobered up a little. “Silas?”

“Mm.”

Silas picked him up. “Tired? If you’re tired, go to sleep.”

Ming Ying responded in a daze, “Sorry.”

Sorry for bringing him over here, not only not getting any enjoyment, but having him sit through a meeting with him, and then passing out from sleepiness at the end.

Silas rubbed his back and chuckled. “You’ve improved.”

Knowing to admit fault was indeed an improvement, so Silas’s tone actually carried a hint of… gratification?

“Go wash up first. Get to bed early.”

Ming Ying made an “mm” sound, let go of him, and shuffled towards the bathroom, rubbing his eyes.

Then, just like he did every single time, student Ming Ying started taking off his clothes as soon as he reached the bathroom door.

First the bathrobe, then the towel, then the underwear.

After everything was off, his fair legs, his lean waist, his perfectly round behind, his sin-tempting body were all exposed like this.

Hit by a gust of cold air, Ming Ying sobered up again. He rubbed his eyes, saw that the bath towel had fallen on the floor, and bent down to pick it up—

It was in that instant that Ming Ying sensed someone walking up from behind.

Before Ming Ying could react, he heard the person behind him say, “Ming, I’ll shower with you.”

“?!”

“OW—”

First, Ming Ying almost shrieked from the pain in his backside.

He clawed at Silas’s arm. “What are you doing! Don’t you make any sound when you walk? Also, could you lighten up your hand…”

Silas squeezed hard and hooked his lip, asking, “Ming, is the head above running the show, or is the head below?”

“…”

Following his gaze, Ming Ying looked down. Hell.

He’d actually been aroused by this old rogue just like this.

“Shower together,” Silas repeated again.

Ming Ying, panting roughly, was dragged into the bathroom. Out of instinctual fear, he immediately said, “I don’t want to—”

Silas then turned his face to look at him, with that same expression, frowning. “Ming?”

What student Ming Ying feared most was this Silas who didn’t bother to hide his desire. Because just thinking about what was coming next made him tremble; he felt pleasure without even having to do anything.

Fear and excitement intertwined, the former even acting as a catalyst for the latter.

And so, Ming Ying blinked his eyes. Under this gaze, he slowly released his grip on the bathroom door frame.

Fuck, the moment this old man looked at him, he actually couldn’t control his reactions.

Click.

The bathroom door closed, and a layer of fine mist slowly gathered on it.

Not long after, from inside came the sounds of intense crying and splashing water—the former indistinguishable as pain or pleasure, the latter indistinguishable as running water or something else entirely.

…

The next day, when Ming Ying woke up, the old rogue was already standing by the window in his room, on the phone.

Once again, looking impeccably dressed, the picture of a cultured gentleman.

Ming Ying cursed under his breath, then exhaled and attempted to turn over.

This tiny movement made him suck in a cold breath.

Silas, standing by the window, heard the movement and glanced back. Immediately after, he said something into the phone and hung up.

Silas walked to the bedside and touched Ming Ying’s face. “Awake? Want to sleep more?”

Ming Ying buried his face deeper into the blanket. “I want to sleep a little longer.”

Silas sighed. “Ming, it’s already ten o’clock.”

“…”

Ming Ying scoffed and lifted his face again. “Ten o’clock? Boss, do you know what time you were messing around until last night?”

Last night, from the bathroom, to the bed, and then to his desk, chair, sofa…

Ming Ying had never felt his room was so large before.

He had meant to take this old man down a peg, but he hadn’t expected Silas to actually ask him back, “What time?”

“…” Ming Ying’s lips moved. “How the hell would I remember…”

Silas smiled and kissed the top of his head. The kid was lazing in bed, and he was partly to blame. He said, “If you want to sleep, sleep a bit more. I’ll start helping you pack your luggage first.”

Ming Ying shifted in the blankets again. “What’s the rush?”

Silas said, “Ming, I have to go on a business trip.”

“Huh?”

Ming Ying was shocked. He sat up abruptly—too abruptly, and his face twisted.

“Damn, I told you to take it easy last night.” Ming Ying reached back to support his own waist.

But as he did, he saw the ligature marks on his wrist…

So he lifted the blanket, wanting to find some clothes to put on.

But that lift exposed his chest and thighs, ravaged beyond recognition…

Ming Ying was so pissed off inside.

“I should just take a loudspeaker and tell everyone what a pervert you are.”

Silas took a sip of coffee and said upon hearing this, “I don’t mind.”

“…”

Damn, he really had no way to deal with this old pervert.

As Ming Ying was still fuming, Silas walked over and handed him his clothes. “Get up and eat something first, then pack up and go home.”

And so, student Ming Ying, who had been fuming just a moment ago, got happy again because of this phrase “go home.”

Even his morning grumpiness vanished. He slowly crawled up, not forgetting to share a kiss with the person by his bedside.

“How many days are you going for? Where to?”

“Leaving tomorrow. Going to Melbourne’s BMI Laboratory to inspect a project. Back in New York next week, but we won’t be able to meet.”

Oh. Right, because of N-Cube…

“So that means after the competition ends?”

“Ming, after the competition ends, I still have to go back to Melbourne. It’ll probably take another week.”

Ming Ying was unhappy now. “Then why were you in such a hurry to have me move in? To guard an empty bed?”

After saying it, he felt like something was off, and he coughed. “Move, I’ll move. You think I’m scared.”

Silas laughed.

Then, as if remembering something, Ming Ying gestured to him. “Boss, say, if I win the N-Cube Gold Award—would you give me an extra reward?”

Silas looked at him. “What do you want?”

“Mm… haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll owe you one for now.”

Silas said, “Mm, I’ll remember that. So where does your confidence come from?”

“What, mocking me?”

“No, I’m trying to learn from it.”

“From you.”

Ming Ying clicked his tongue and pulled on his clothes. “I feel like I gained a lot yesterday. Really happy.”

Silas didn’t want to dampen the kid’s enthusiasm or drive either. He smiled and said, “Happy is good.”

…

Before leaving, Silas wanted Ming Ying to move some of his stuff over while he was still there.

Ming Ying packed for a long while, but his mind was elsewhere.

Because he suddenly remembered something—Silas’s birthday was at the end of October.

If that was the case, then he wouldn’t be able to see him on his birthday either.

The more he thought about it, the more distracted Ming Ying became.

Right until the moment they were about to zip up the suitcase. Silas suddenly asked, “Ming Ying, are you sure you want to bring this?”

“Huh? What?” Ming Ying snapped back to attention.

Looking down, he saw his suitcase was stuffed with many books.

“What about it? I definitely have to bring these textbooks.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“Look carefully.”

“I did look. Aren’t they all books? What’s wrong with you, trying to stop me from learning?”

“I’m talking about the one at the very bottom.”

“The very bottom…”

“Ming, our home doesn’t lack bathroom reading material.”