Chapter 16

Zhong Nian met the inscrutable black eyes beneath the man’s frameless glasses, unable to discern the truth in his words.

But Sheng Chu did not seem like the type to joke around.

“…What do you mean?” he asked uncertainly.

“The literal meaning. I want you to be mine.” Sheng Chu’s features were handsome and stern, but his words made one’s face flush with embarrassment. “My body is very clean; I’ve never done it with anyone else. But you don’t need to worry about my skills being lacking. I’ve done theoretical preparations in advance, and the tools are all ready. I won’t let you feel any discomfort. I also don’t need you to actively please me. I can take the initiative to make you comfor—”

“Stop!” Zhong Nian pressed his hand over the man’s mouth without thinking. “Don’t say any more!”

He wasn’t embarrassed, but listening to it embarrassed him. What kind of people were in these rich circles…

The viewers in the Live Stream Room were also amused by the man’s bold move.

[Bro, did you break character…?]

[I’m going to write a letter to the game master system. This NPC has been possessed by a pervert.]

[Can’t blame him. If it were me meeting the Streamer, I’d do the same.]

[I thought you were so proper before, but now you’re groping and offering yourself up. Eye-opening.]

[I see he’s itching to serve the wife properly and prove himself.]

[Hey, your good brothers are still outside. Does he know you’re trying to steal his man?]

Zhong Nian was at his wits’ end, unsure how to respond. Going out would mean facing Zong Xing Yi awkwardly, but staying here…

“Mr. Sheng, please restrain yourself a bit. Your friends…” Zhong Nian tried to remind him, but halfway through, his palm began to itch.

Sheng Chu was smelling his hand!

The sensation in his palm was very clear. Sheng Chu’s high nose bridge pressed against it, and each inhale and exhale was distinctly felt. He sniffed heavily, his breath tickling intensely.

Zhong Nian quickly withdrew his hand, pushed the man away, bent down, and slipped through the gap to escape. He rubbed his now-damp palm vigorously against his clothes.

After being offended repeatedly, Zhong Nian no longer wanted to be polite with the man. He snapped irritably, “Are you a dog, Mr. Sheng?”

But even more unexpectedly, Sheng Chu showed no anger at being scolded. Instead, he chuckled lowly. “You really do smell good.”

He adjusted his crooked glasses, his palm brushing his nose tip, and sniffed again. “Just touching you leaves the scent on me.”

Zhong Nian glanced down inadvertently and noticed the bathrobe at the man’s waist tenting up. He was startled by this shameless side. “You… You really should let your friends see you like this.”

“Even if they saw, I wouldn’t hold back.” Sheng Chu remained composed, as if the one losing control wasn’t himself. He even added, “You can open the door and let them in.”

Zhong Nian ground his molars in frustration and finally spat out through clenched teeth, “You’re sick,” before abandoning the meal cart and fleeing.

As soon as he opened the door, he collided straight into Zong Xing Yi and Guan Shan Yue.

The two were very surprised to see him suddenly burst out of Sheng Chu’s room in such a disheveled state.

Zhong Nian didn’t care how they looked at him; he just wanted to leave. He coldly tossed out, “Your breakfasts are inside,” and walked away.

If they wanted to complain about his disrespect or negligence, so be it. Right now, he didn’t want to serve these crazy Young Masters anymore.

“Little Nian—” Zong Xing Yi snapped back and tried to chase after him, but was held back by the person beside him.

Guan Shan Yue: “Little Nian’s in a bad mood right now. You shouldn’t go.”

Zong Xing Yi halted, hesitated for two seconds, then turned and entered Sheng Chu’s room to ask what had happened.

Guan Shan Yue, unhurried, watched the young man’s figure disappear into the elevator before following.

“Nothing happened. I searched him, and it made him angry.” Sheng Chu’s expression was normal as he spoke half-truths and half-lies.

By now, he had straightened his bathrobe collar and sat at the dining table, starting to enjoy the cold appetizers. He said to the two standing men, “Come eat together. There’s still your portions on the meal cart if it’s not enough.”

Zong Xing Yi always trusted Sheng Chu completely. In his eyes, Sheng Chu was always right about everything.

In a way, Sheng Chu was like a half-brother to him—reliable, steady, mature… possessing all the qualities of an ideal older brother. From childhood to now, he had taught him many lessons on navigating the world and protecting himself wisely.

Without Sheng Chu, someone like him, who held no real power and had no ambitions, would have struggled to survive in the cutthroat Zong Family.

So when Sheng Chu brushed him off with a few words, even though Zong Xing Yi’s intuition told him things weren’t that simple, he suppressed his doubts, sat down, and ate together.

Guan Shan Yue sat beside Zong Xing Yi, lazily crossing his legs. He was also in sleepwear—an upper shirt and pants, even more casual than Sheng Chu’s earlier appearance. His shirt buttons were crooked, and his platinum hair was messily draped over his shoulders.

He yawned first, then joked casually, “You searched him and left him in that state. People who don’t know might think you did something beastly.”

Sheng Chu set down his coffee and coolly lifted his eyes to look at Guan Shan Yue.

Zong Xing Yi nibbled on his bread, observing Sheng Chu.

Guan Shan Yue smiled. “What’s wrong? I was joking. I believe our upright, never-touching-romance Young Master Sheng wouldn’t do such a thing. He absolutely wouldn’t lay hands on a little waiter. Right, Xing Yi?”

Zong Xing Yi paused, then nodded repeatedly. “Right.”

“But.” Guan Shan Yue changed tack. “Little Nian really is captivating. I liked him when I saw him too. Maybe later I won’t go back to sleep. I’ll go find him and teach him piano.”

With that, ignoring the others’ reactions, he buried his head and focused on the small wontons in front of him, as if his words were just a whim or self-muttered thought.

In the room, the three men harbored different thoughts, and for the first time gathered together, the atmosphere felt strangely off.

—

“Ding—”

Outside the elevator, the man in chef’s uniform leaned casually against the wall. He looked up at the sound, saw the figure he wanted, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray of the trash bin, and went to meet him.

“Back? Made me wait so long.” As he spoke, he noticed the young man’s off mood, raised a brow, and asked, “Did those Eldest Young Masters on the 10th Floor bully you?”

He leaned in close to inspect. Zhong Nian, annoyed, pushed his face away, then paused and grabbed the man’s collar, pulling him back.

The young man’s action was too sudden. Zhan Lu reflexively tensed his shoulders and arms, nearly counterattacking, but held back in the rush of fragrance. His attention focused entirely on the face inches away.

His gaze slid from the bright eyes to the water-red lips, his throat tightening involuntarily as he swallowed.

Then, the young man did something even more arousing.

He was smelling him.

Zhong Nian first sniffed the man’s body, then grabbed his hand and sniffed that too. His small nose twitched like a curious little animal gathering information through scent.

“What’s up? Like a little dog.” Zhan Lu said.

A familiar term. Zhong Nian quickly stopped the behavior resembling that lunatic and said, “The cigarette smell on you…”

Zhan Lu inexplicably tensed. “What’s wrong? Smells bad?”

“No.” Zhong Nian furrowed his brows, hesitating.

Zhan Lu said, “I’ll quit smoking from now on.”

The unthinking response earned him a strange look from the young man.

“Oh.”

Unclear what Zhan Lu was thinking, he quickly pulled out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and placed them in Zhong Nian’s hands, as if eager to prove his sincerity.

“Don’t doubt it. Here, all for you.”

Zhong Nian: “?”

What was he supposed to do with them? He didn’t smoke.