Chapter 16

The more time passed, the more anxious Shen Yu became.

How could he not be anxious? The thought of having to face Zhou Jinsheng eight years in the future in just ten days made Shen Yu’s head throb.

He still had no suitable excuse prepared for suddenly disappearing.

Even ending the exchange program and naturally leaving Jingyang wouldn’t be an appropriate reason. For Zhou Jinsheng, if he left like that, it probably wouldn’t be long before he was completely forgotten.

Like a dragonfly skimming water—after the ripples faded, nothing remained.

When they met again, Shen Yu could imagine standing in front of Zhou Jinsheng, only for Zhou Jinsheng, surrounded by a crowd, to pause, his calm gaze sweeping up and down Shen Yu before asking:

“Who are you?”

No way!

Shen Yu immediately bolted upright in bed.

Jingyang had been holding a short-term study trip these past few days, with the location set on Cathead Island opposite Azure Water Bay, named for its outline resembling an owl’s head.

Cathead Island was about three hundred kilometers from Shangjing’s coastline, a secluded island isolated from the world.

Word was that there were plans recently to develop it into a health resort base, mainly attracting retired cadres to spend their later years there, along with experts from various fields—including but not limited to technology, medicine, entertainment, and business—to build a new ecosystem on the island.

By then, money and power would flow into the island like endless living water. Plenty of people had their eyes on the project and wanted the development rights. Setting the study trip on Cathead Island was probably meant to let these future heirs scout it out.

The isolated island remained undeveloped, with limited tourism options and inconvenient travel.

Most travel on the island relied on electric vehicles—either two-wheelers or large trucks hauling seafood. Most accommodations were local homestays.

Seagulls soared across the horizon. The endless sky had been washed blue by the sea. At the edge of the light, a cruise ship cut through the waves, and in the distance, a black island came into view.

Slopes extended from the island’s north and south sides, plunging straight into the sea where waves crashed.

The massive ship emblazoned with the deep silver white sail emblem floated across the ocean like a cloud, docking at the natural black rock harbor formed by towering boulders on either side.

Sea breeze swept in as boys and girls in Jingyang school uniforms disembarked one after another.

Jingyang’s school uniforms were stylish—many people took pride in wearing a set.

At a glance, the girls wore sweater vest skirts in a Western style, while the boys wore white shirts and trousers. The strong sea wind lifted hems in layers as they walked.

The deep silver white sail emblems on their chests gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, more dazzling than the sun itself.

“Zhou Jinsheng, what the hell are you thinking? Zhou Mingli’s return banquet—you’re not coming back to keep watch, and you’re going on some damn—”

Back then, Zhou Jinsheng’s father had come out of the closet and been kicked out the door. Zhou Mingli had flown abroad to settle right after, and now he was returning at the very moment Zhou Jinsheng came of age.

He claimed to stay out of worldly affairs, yet he never missed these big events—his shadow lurked everywhere. The more Chi Xianli thought about it, the more off it felt.

And yet Zhou Jinsheng, who usually raced horses, rock-climbed, skydived, and raced cars, was now off to some study trip?

Chi Xianli’s roar blared from the receiver. Zhou Jinsheng, who had anticipated it, held his phone away, successfully avoiding being deafened.

He lounged lazily under a coconut tree, sunglasses propped casually on his forehead, his bangs wild as he gazed into the distance.

The coastline stretched along North Port, sea and sky blending, seagulls soaring freely.

Shen Yu held bread, feeding the seagulls.

Once Chi Xianli finished raging, Zhou Jinsheng finally brought the phone back. “It’s not a wedding. He doesn’t have the clout to make me come welcome him.”

What kind of logic was that?

“No, that’s not the point. Why do I feel like you’ve been acting weird lately? Fuck—” Chi Xianli thought of something and suddenly yelled, “Is it that exchange student? Shen something—Shen Yu? Right, is it related to that Shen Yu?”

Zhou Jinsheng’s lips curved. “Didn’t expect your brain to actually work.”

“Fuck, Zhou Jinsheng, that’s not cool to curse like that. Hold on—” Chi Xianli caught on, his volume spiking. “Holy shit, what do you mean by that??”

“The meaning is—” Zhou Jinsheng paused.

In his line of sight, a girl suddenly approached Shen Yu from behind and patted his shoulder. Shen Yu, focused on feeding the seagulls, turned around, and the two began chatting and laughing.

Shen Yu glanced toward Zhou Jinsheng midway, then looked away, smiling as he handed her some food from his hand.

The two fed the seagulls together, drawing quite a bit of attention.

Shangjing East City Equestrian Club.

Fresh off a lap, a thin layer of sweat covered Chi Xianli. He sat in the front row of the stands, magazines and newspapers on the table beside him. Hearing Zhou Jinsheng’s response on the phone, Chi Xianli raised a brow, clearly hooked, and couldn’t help crossing his legs.

But he waited ages, and the other end said nothing. Out of respect for Zhou Jinsheng, Chi Xianli held his patience a bit longer—only to hear a “beep beep beep” busy tone.

“…”

Chi Xianli pulled the phone to his face.

The screen was black.

Fuck, he’d been hung up on?

About to curse, Zhou Yaoshu appeared out of nowhere in an elegant gray knit sweater. He must have just exercised—his face finally had a faint flush, giving his sickly pale complexion some color.

Zhou Yaoshu sat beside Chi Xianli, his smile perfectly measured, without the slightest deviation.

He casually turned his head and asked, “Shen Yu? Is that brother’s new friend at school?”

The word “brother” twisted through a thousand turns, giving Chi Xianli goosebumps.

He didn’t like Zhou Yaoshu—his aura was effeminate and uncanny, like a snake hiding in a damp, cold place, ready to lunge and bite at any moment.

Chi Xianli brushed it off casually, eyes scanning around for an excuse to slip away.

In the nearby paddock outside the stands, a young man in equestrian gear sat astride a horse. His strong legs controlled the steed beneath him. Yu Xiao rode over, movements steady and handsome, deftly guiding the horse over the final obstacle.

Chi Xianli’s eyes lit up. He whistled teasingly.

Yu Xiao heard and turned, sweat on his side profile, looking dashing and valiant.

Chi Xianli hurriedly asked, “Yu Xiao, you didn’t go to Cat Ear Island?”

Yu Xiao steadily reined in his horse, looking down from horseback first at Chi Xianli, then at the quietly smiling Zhou Yaoshu beside him.

His gaze dropped, instantly understanding. He corrected flatly, “Cathead Island.”

“Who cares if it’s Cat Ear or Cathead? Good thing you didn’t go—Zhou Jinsheng says it’s boring as hell.”

Chi Xianli stood, squinting at the obstacles on the field, lips curving in eagerness. “Rested enough? Wanna race?”

“Sure.”

The Chi Xianli who had been in the stands a second ago was now in equestrian gear, dashing onto the field.

Zhou Yaoshu’s expression cracked like porcelain, but the fissures quickly mended, glazed over with a brilliant sheen.

Zhou Yaoshu hooked his pale lips and dialed a number, issuing a cold order to the person on the other end. “You can make your move.”

Jingyang had arranged with the local residents beforehand—one room per person—renting a village near North Port as their homestay. The island’s infrastructure was backward, so the homestay conditions naturally couldn’t compare to the city, but it was by the sea. A gentle sea breeze blew, and opening the door revealed the ocean under the night sky.

Shen Yu and Zhou Jinsheng’s rooms were on the second floor, right across from each other. Beyond the balcony was the villagers’ freshwater lake for drinking, separated from the sea by an unassuming embankment.

After showering in the communal bathroom, steam rose from Zhou Jinsheng’s muscles. The homestay irked him—he had no idea why he’d come to this dump to suffer. With a sullen face, he passed Shen Yu’s room and noticed the door wasn’t locked.

A through breeze pushed it open with a creak, leaving a gap ajar.

Zhou Jinsheng paused mid-towel on his hair.

He stopped and called out tentatively, “Shen Yu?”

No response. Zhou Jinsheng raised a brow and pushed the door open. The room was empty—Shen Yu was indeed gone.

So late? Where could he be?

Pondering this, he faintly heard voices from the balcony outside.

Suspicious, Zhou Jinsheng walked over and peered down toward the source.

Shen Yu and the girl from earlier—who had fed the seagulls with him—stood under a cluster of palm trees outside the homestay, chatting and laughing. This time, up close, Zhou Jinsheng recognized her. He wasn’t close, but they’d crossed paths a few times.

Chen Miaomiao handed Shen Yu a gift bag. They chatted and laughed for a good while before she waved goodbye and left.

They seemed on good terms.

Right—he’d often seen Shen Yu greeting her before. She’d even spoken up for him in music class.

So, they had mutual feelings?

Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes.

Shen Yu held the pastries Chen Miaomiao had personally made for Zhou Jinsheng, watching her back disappear down the stone path.

Chen Miaomiao seemed carefree and unconcerned on the surface, but she was actually very thoughtful. Worried Zhou Jinsheng wouldn’t be used to the bland island food, she’d specially made some sweets.

Shen Yu: 【Should I improve my cooking skills and capture Zhou Jinsheng’s stomach in one go?】

007 chose his words carefully: 【Host, are you sure your cooking isn’t an attempt to murder the target?】

Shen Yu fell silent.

Sensing the gaze from above, Shen Yu looked up. Through the palm leaves, he spotted a white figure on the balcony.

Their eyes met. Zhou Jinsheng frowned and turned to leave.

Shen Yu saw clearly and didn’t understand why the guy walked away the moment he spotted him. How had he offended this ancestor?

Instinctively, Shen Yu shouted, “Zhou Jinsheng, wait—give me a sec.”

Zhou Jinsheng didn’t look back, vanishing from the balcony quickly.

Shen Yu’s heart sank.

He raced upstairs three steps at a time, panting. The homestay stairs weren’t great—running made them creak and groan like thunder.

No time to worry about aggro from the neighbors. Shen Yu shoved open his door.

Zhou Jinsheng hadn’t left. He sat on Shen Yu’s bed like a lord, arms crossed in a bathrobe, fingers tapping his arm idly. His narrow eyes drooped, lashes casting shadows.

As if he owned the room.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Jinsheng lifted his lids, gaze landing on the bag in Shen Yu’s hand. He raised a brow, voice frosty as ice shards. “Why’d you come back?”

Shen Yu’s mouth twitched. He glanced around. Zhou Jinsheng’s posture made him momentarily doubt if it was his room. Seeing his suitcase still there, he cursed, “Get out—this is my room.”

Zhou Jinsheng remained composed, drawling an indifferent “Oh.”

Shen Yu eyed him suspiciously, quickly reading the mood. Probably unhappy with the homestay.

He sat on the bed’s edge, leaning close to Zhou Jinsheng and dangling the gift bag temptingly. “Wanna eat~?”

Zhou Jinsheng badly wanted to punch him but stayed tough. “No.”

“No way—smells amazing even through the bag. Not tempted?” Shen Yu sniffed the bag, feigning confusion.

Zhou Jinsheng shot him a smiling sidelong glance. “You a dog or what? No. Toss it.”

Remembering Chen Miaomiao’s instructions, Shen Yu insisted, “Can’t— she made them specially for everyone. One per person. You have to eat!”

Zhou Jinsheng eyed him suspiciously. “One per person?”

Shen Yu: “Yeah, wanna try?”

Looking at Shen Yu’s two fingers holding the bag, Zhou Jinsheng’s tone lightened considerably. “No thanks.”

“Fine, I’m going to shower first.” Rejected twice, Shen Yu frowned. He scanned the room—no fridge in the homestay room, not great for keeping it fresh.

Shen Yu grabbed a change of clothes from his suitcase, toiletries in one hand, sweets in the other. After hunting around on the way to the communal showers, he finally spotted a fridge at the front desk.

He carefully handed the sweets to the homestay owner for safekeeping, then went to shower.

The communal shower’s water temperature took forever to adjust. When he emerged, a chill hit him, and Shen Yu couldn’t hold back a string of sneezes.

Conditions were pretty rough—no wonder Zhou Jinsheng reeked of bad temper.

Shen Yu dried his hair and returned to his room. Looking up, he saw Zhou Jinsheng lounging on his bed, playing on his phone at ease.

Shen Yu raised a brow and teased, “Seriously, Zhou Jinsheng? You really think this is your room?”

Zhou Jinsheng glanced up from his phone and countered, “What, can’t I?”

That look and tone seemed off no matter how one saw it.

007 analyzed: 【Although Zhou Jinsheng likes men, the Host is a straight guy. The Host doesn’t even know Zhou Jinsheng likes men, but the Host intends to build favor through this angle, so it’s perfectly reasonable with no cause for refusal.】

Shen Yu: 【……】

The air conditioning unit was old and faulty somewhere, set to the lowest temperature as cold gusts blew intermittently.

Shen Yu lifted the blanket on one side and pushed Zhou Jinsheng’s shoulder to shove him inward. “Fine, fine. Please lift your butt, Young Master Zhou, and make some room for me.”

Shen Yu still carried the damp warmth from his shower. Zhou Jinsheng shifted inward along with the force, leaving space for Shen Yu.

Shen Yu lay down, turned off the light with one hand, and checked his phone. Several messages from Father Shen and Mother Shen waited for him.

Dusk gathered outside the window, stars hung in the night sky, and faint moonlight filtered through the heavy curtains into the room. By that dim glow, Zhou Jinsheng turned his head to look at Shen Yu.

They lay very close. A thin stream of cold air lifted the black hair from Zhou Jinsheng’s forehead. He raised a brow and teased, “Just chatting under the covers?”

“No chatting. Two guys—what else is there to do? Pure sleep.” Shen Yu set his phone aside, laughed and cursed as he lightly kicked Zhou Jinsheng, then yanked the blanket over him before sliding under the covers with his back turned and eyes closed.

Zhou Jinsheng suddenly asked, “By the way, when did you get so close with Chen Miaomiao?”

Shen Yu turned to face him and racked his brain for compliments. “We just got familiar somehow. She’s good to people, righteous, fun, and pretty too. Who could refuse to be friends with a girl like that?”

“……”

Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes. “Oh.”

That reaction was too perfunctory. Shen Yu probed, “Is she your type?”

Zhou Jinsheng frowned slightly and countered, “Do you like her?”

Shen Yu paused, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Not my type.”

Zhou Jinsheng raised a brow. “Then what type do you like?”

“No fixed type, really. I love what I love—mutual resonance is what matters. But how many people in this world can truly vibe on the same wavelength? Though it’s not like there aren’t any—”

Laughter laced Shen Yu’s voice, light as the breath brushing his lips.

In the darkness, the flowing moonlight resembled mist, cloaking their silhouettes together.

As if they were one.

Zhou Jinsheng laughed. “Me?”

“Yo, pretty narcissistic.”

Zhou Jinsheng hooked his lips. “Who else, then?”

Shen Yu voiced his dissatisfaction. “I’ve said so much already. Isn’t it your turn?”

Zhou Jinsheng closed his eyes and shook his head, refusing the topic. “None.”

“That’s so immoral, Zhou Jinsheng.” Shen Yu’s eyes darted as he suddenly reached out to tickle Zhou Jinsheng’s waist through his bathrobe.

Zhou Jinsheng dodged backward but couldn’t escape—the inner side of the bed pressed against the wall with nowhere to go.

Zhou Jinsheng thrashed around on the bed, laughing until he could barely breathe. “Fuck, haha, Shen Yu, you playing dirty, huh—”

Shen Yu hadn’t expected it to work so well. He pinned Zhou Jinsheng’s upper body with his elbow while his other hand kept tickling. Smugly, he threatened, “Making you not talk. Spill it or not? Spill and I’ll let you go.”

The sheets tangled in the struggle. Zhou Jinsheng gasped for air, but Shen Yu had him by his weak spot. Every twitch brought swift suppression, soft and hard combined.

Zhou Jinsheng itched with fury, still spitting threats through his laughter. “Shen Yu, stop tickling—haha—you believe I won’t—”

Shen Yu clamped down his resistance and struggles, narrowed his eyes, and pressed his advantage without fear. “Believe you won’t what? Hmph, little punk—”

“Ugh—” It felt like he bumped into something. Zhou Jinsheng suddenly frowned and let out a pained grunt.

Shen Yu’s grip loosened. “What?”

Before Shen Yu could react, his wrist was seized tight.

Shen Yu felt the world spin as Zhou Jinsheng flipped him over, slamming him into the soft mattress.

Like a swift leopard, Zhou Jinsheng’s hair scattered wildly. He surged up in an instant—the bed dipped under him. Quick and ruthless, he grabbed Shen Yu’s offending wrist, pinned it to the headboard, then bore down hard, clamping all of Shen Yu’s resistance.

Their eyes met.