Chapter 63: The Hypocritical Senior 05 Part 1

Li Xia emerged from the bathroom wrapped only in a towel, droplets of water still clinging to his skin.

He glanced at the man on the sofa, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Senior, my clothes got soaked. Could I borrow something of yours?”

Yu Sui had been deep in thought about how to handle the situation when he heard the request. He looked up.

“You…” He didn’t believe a word of it.

Still, leaving the young man like that would be too awkward, so Yu Sui stood up.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he headed into the bedroom.

Li Xia stared at his back, his heart racing with excitement at the thought of stepping into the man’s private space.

Yu Sui glanced toward the bed before opening the wardrobe.

He pulled out a shirt he had never worn and handed it to Li Xia.

Li Xia stared at the garment in his hand, his ear tips burning hot.

It was… something the senior had worn.

The very idea sent a thrill through him.

Li Xia took it and returned to the bathroom to change.

Yu Sui walked to the bedside table and picked up his glass for a sip of water. His hand trembled unexpectedly, spilling the contents all over the quilt.

He muttered about his rotten luck, his expression unchanging.

Li Xia stood before the mirror for a long while, convinced the shirt was infused with Yu Sui’s scent.

He ran his fingers through his slightly curly black hair one last time before pushing the door open.

“Senior?” He froze at the sight of Yu Sui’s troubled expression. “What’s wrong?”

“My quilt and sheets got wet,” Yu Sui sighed. “I can’t sleep without this bedding.”

Li Xia fell into thought. He couldn’t help wondering about Yu Sui’s intentions—surely the secondary bedroom?

It was a two-bedroom apartment with a living room. There were no extra rooms.

Inviting him to share the master bedroom would be too obvious, so…

He licked his lips. “How about tossing it in the dryer?”

“I prefer line-drying in the sun. Anything else feels off,” Yu Sui replied.

The test was over. Li Xia was certain of Yu Sui’s intentions now.

Nerves suddenly gripped him. “Ahem. The secondary bed should be big enough for both of us, right?”

Su Shan, hidden under the bed, perked up his ears.

The two of them were going to sleep together?

That was way too intimate—and Li Xia’s tone…

A chill ran through him. It was disgusting.

Yu Sui had known the kid was sharp. He shook his head. “I drank tonight. I won’t be able to sleep.”

“What about you?”

Li Xia’s pupils shrank. He stared at Yu Sui in a daze. Was this… some kind of hint? Wasn’t it a bit too fast?

“I… I can’t sleep either.”

“Perfect, then. Let’s go over the textbook.” Yu Sui eagerly opened the bedside drawer, grabbed two books, and headed out.

Li Xia blinked in confusion before trailing after him, his emotions a tangled mess.

The senior really loved to tease. He knew exactly what Li Xia was thinking and still pulled this…

He bit his lip, a mix of shyness and irritation bubbling up from Yu Sui’s playful torment.

Sitting beside him, Li Xia gazed at the man’s serious profile.

“Read,” Yu Sui prompted.

Li Xia bowed his head, looking distinctly unenthusiastic.

Su Shan couldn’t hold back a snicker from under the bed.

He could already picture Li Xia’s frustrated pout.

Yu Sui didn’t dare share a room with the young man, but crashing on the living room couch felt risky too. So why not skip sleep altogether and study?

[……] I’m done with this.

Li Xia had been busy all day and riding high on adrenaline earlier. Now, in the quiet as they read, his head began to nod.

His eyes half-closed as he yawned. “Senior, I can’t anymore. I need to sleep.”

“Sleep, then,” Yu Sui said without looking up.

Gradually, Li Xia began to lean toward him.

Yu Sui’s shoulder sank under the weight. His body went rigid, though he wasn’t remotely surprised. “See what I mean?”

[You really do know everything.]

Yu Sui propped him up. “Go sleep in the secondary room.”

“What about you?” Li Xia mumbled drowsily, forcing himself upright.

To stay awake, he rubbed his face.

In that casual moment, he revealed his long, pale fingers, his curly hair tousled, his wide eyes heavy with sleep—innocent and utterly endearing.

Yu Sui suspected it was deliberate. The kid was crafty.

He turned his face away. “I’m not sleepy.”

“Okay.” Li Xia rose unsteadily but misjudged his step and bumped into the table.

Yu Sui jumped, instinctively reaching out to steady him. “Try being a little more careful.”

“It’s probably the medicine…” Li Xia muttered softly.

Only then did Yu Sui notice the thick congestion in his voice. A pang of guilt hit him unexpectedly.

The poor guy had a cold, and here he was, keeping Li Xia in the living room for so long.

Yu Sui pressed his lips together and said nothing.

He pushed open the door to the secondary bedroom.

Yu Sui pulled back the quilt, gesturing for Li Xia to lie down. He tucked him in carefully before settling at the table by the window.

With the AC on, he wasn’t worried about catching a chill.

“You… Senior, are you going to stay and watch over me?” Li Xia gazed at him in surprise.

“I’m just finding a spot to read.” It was the truth.

“Okay.” Li Xia’s lips curved into a smile.

The senior lived up to his reputation. Right now, in his most vulnerable state with the illness, a little companionship could easily melt his heart.

Sleep overtook him; he truly couldn’t fight it anymore. “Senior, goodnight.”

Yu Sui nodded without looking up.

Once the living room fell silent, Su Shan cautiously crawled out from under the bed.

His footsteps light, he cracked open the door. The living room was empty. He frowned. Had they…?

Su Shan peered toward the secondary bedroom, then eased the door open for a look inside.

There was a man slumped asleep over the table.

What was going on? They weren’t sharing a bed?

Having spent too long crammed under there, his limbs felt numb.

Su Shan didn’t go in. He slipped away quietly.

The next morning, Yu Sui woke to find himself in bed. He stared blankly for a few seconds before realizing it was the secondary room.

His expression turned grave.

He sat up and tugged at his collar, inspecting himself. No marks. He let out a breath of relief.

Li Xia walked in just as Yu Sui was fiddling with his clothes. “Senior?”

Yu Sui froze and looked over. “Ahem. What… what happened to me?”

“I woke up this morning and saw you passed out on the table,” Li Xia said, his eyes brimming with emotion. “Did you… stay up all night watching over me?”

Oh no, Yu Sui thought. He frowned. “No, that’s not it.”

He threw back the quilt and headed out to freshen up. “You’re awake. Head on home.”

His tone was downright icy.

But Li Xia figured the senior was just embarrassed at being found out.

“I picked up breakfast,” Li Xia offered.

Yu Sui paused mid-step. “Mm.”

He stepped into the bathroom.

When he emerged, Li Xia was on the sofa. Yu Sui frowned but said nothing, sitting down to eat.

Li Xia watched him.

“What are you staring at?” Yu Sui shifted uncomfortably. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah.” Li Xia nodded.

“Go on home first.” Yu Sui couldn’t take that gaze.

Li Xia smiled and stood. “I’ll wash the clothes and bring them back once they’re clean.”

Only then did Yu Sui remember he was still wearing his shirt. “No need.”

Li Xia’s eyes lit up. “You… I…”

Seeing him jump to conclusions again, Yu Sui cut in quickly. “That shirt doesn’t suit me anyway. It was a gift from a brand collab. Never worn it. Might as well give it away.”

In other words, don’t get the wrong idea.

“So it’s brand new, then.” Li Xia’s throat bobbed. “What about… the underwear? New too?”

Yu Sui blinked, then caught on as Li Xia flushed deeper. His expression soured. “Of course. What else?”

“I…” Li Xia cleared his throat. “It’s… a bit small…”

Yu Sui’s lips thinned. This guy…

“I…” Li Xia glanced at his silence and panicked, realizing he’d said the wrong thing. “Senior, sorry…”

“Just go rest.” Yu Sui had no patience for this back-and-forth.

He was still annoyed. The kid really knew how to brag.

Li Xia hesitated, then left without another word, carrying his dirty clothes.

Once he was gone, Yu Sui finished eating and called in a cleaning service. They swapped out every sheet and duvet cover.

He hadn’t slept much the night before, so he skipped the morning schedule.

Li Xia, however, couldn’t play hooky.

Still wearing Yu Sui’s clothes, he showed up at the company.

He spent the entire morning grinning like he’d won the lottery.

Su Shan passed by and caught that expression. It grated on him.

Why was he so damn happy?

He wouldn’t stand for it.

Li Xia kept checking his phone—no messages from Yu Sui.

He was probably still sleeping.

In the afternoon, Yu Sui arrived.

His hair was tousled, lending him a lazy air, but the trench coat and slacks kept his mature vibe intact.

Minmin found Yu Sui and showed him the edited clip. Once he approved, she had her assistant log in and post it.

Li Xia, sitting nearby, shared the video too.

He tapped play, his eyes gleaming.

Yu Sui had a huge fanbase, but they were die-hard solo stans. This was their first time seeing him in a duo collab video, and some weren’t having it.

[Bro, you switching teams now?]

[Hubby pulling all-nighters as the bottom outside.]

The comments were a minefield of content that made Yu Sui want to die inside.

The co-created video still netted Li Xia a ton of new followers.

He ignored the noise, just liking and replying “99” to the well-wishes.

“What are you doing?” Yu Sui avoided the screen, but his peripheral caught Li Xia’s furtive taps. He frowned.

“I…” Li Xia flushed, busted.

Minmin leaned over. “You’ve got the right idea.”

Li Xia coughed lightly.

Yu Sui’s face looked positively ghastly. This bastard wasn’t even bothering to pretend anymore.

He tensed up but held his tongue.

At eight o’clock that evening, Yu Sui went live.

The moment he switched on the camera, viewers spiked past ten thousand.

He glanced at the comments, his eyelids twitching furiously. Sure enough, they were all asking about that video.

This was the last thing he wanted to address.

Yet facing the lens, he had to keep up a friendly front.

“We’re good friends.”

[What kind of friends hug that tight?]

[Yeah, exactly.]

[This whole series is couples filming, right?]

[Obviously Minmin’s handiwork. Everyone knows her stuff is either BL or GL.]

Yu Sui’s smile nearly cracked.

“I’m working with Li Xia on a drama,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Li Xia was streaming too—clearly a deliberate company move.

They were riding the wave of hype to give their show some exposure.