Chapter 22

Lu Ping swore to the heavens—when a classmate visited home, wasn’t cleaning a basic courtesy? Changing bedsheets and covers was normal too! But why did it sound so weird coming from his mom’s mouth…

Shen Yuze smiled and glanced at Lu Ping before gladly agreeing to Lu Mom’s suggestion. He eagerly said he wanted to check out Lu Ping’s room.

What could Lu Ping do? He could only hug that huge stack of textbooks, looking glum as he led Shen Yuze toward his bedroom.

“I’ll say this upfront… My room isn’t big, and the decor isn’t fancy. Don’t mind it.”

The two climbed the creaky stairs to the second floor. Lu Ping’s room was right across from the staircase. The door was painted in old-fashioned reddish-brown, with some flaking at the frame. Crayon scribbles marked the bottom, and a dozen princess stickers were plastered on—clearly the handiwork of little An An.

Lu Ping let out a soft breath and solemnly pushed open his door. It was an action he did several times a day, but for some reason, opening up in front of Shen Yuze made his heart race, as if he himself was being laid bare.

In psychological terms, a bedroom represented one’s private domain. By inviting Shen Yuze in, Lu Ping was, in a way, allowing him into his world.

Shen Yuze stood at the doorway, feeling a mix of curiosity and solemnity as he surveyed the small room.

It was true—Lu Ping’s room wasn’t big. About ten square meters, with whitewashed walls and some damp stains at the ceiling edges. To the left upon entering was a double bed, with an English vocabulary book on the nightstand.

In front of the window sat his desk and bookshelf, both neatly organized. The books were arranged in an interesting way—not by genre, size, or author, but by color. Red spines with red spines, white with white… At a glance, each color stood neatly in its own slot.

The empty spots on the shelf held two family photos and a few assembled Lego sets.

A row of coat hooks was nailed to the blank wall space, with jackets, backpack, hat, and scarf all hanging tidily.

A full map of China was stuck to the sliding wardrobe door, with watercolor outlines of mountain ranges and dense sticky notes nearby listing key memorization points.

The room was filled everywhere with the vibe of a seventeen-year-old boy’s life. The moment Shen Yuze took it in, a thought popped into his head: Yes, this was it—this was Lu Ping’s room, his world.

With a “hey-oh,” Lu Ping dumped the teaching reference books onto his desk, which groaned under the weight. He flipped one open, got blinded by the dense English words, and quickly snapped it shut.

Shen Yuze followed behind, strolling in and peering around, finding everything novel.

He’d… never seen such a small bedroom before. No balcony, no private bathroom, no suite study—just a plain square box, yet it held a person’s childhood and youth.

Lu Ping felt a bit panicked. Seeing Shen Yuze in his shabby room, he suddenly recalled an idiom—”蓬荜生辉” (pénɡ bì shēng huī). The teacher had explained it in class: from a Yuan dynasty play, original line “贵脚踏于贱地，蓬荜生辉”—your noble feet stepping into my humble abode make it shine!

But the teacher had also quoted, “斯是陋室，惟吾德馨”—This is a humble room, but my virtue makes it fragrant!

Lu Ping silently recited Ode to the Humble Room twice in his mind for encouragement, then straightened up and said generously, “Shen Yuze, don’t just stand there. Sit wherever.”

Shen Yuze looked down at the tiny room: “…”

Sit where? There wasn’t even a guest sofa.

Lu Ping pointed at the bed: “On the bed.”

Shen Yuze paused for a few seconds, then said somewhat hesitantly, “Are you this forward with everyone?”

“Huh?”

“I’m only here for the first time, and you’re already inviting me onto your bed?”

Lu Ping’s face instantly turned red: “W-what bed! I mean sit on the bed! Sit on the bed!”

He wasn’t an adult yet, but he knew the stuff he should. Pubescent boys were the rowdiest; close guy friends in class always cracked dirty jokes. Lu Ping hadn’t joined in, but he’d overheard enough to know what “top/bottom,” “one-zero,” and “wash up and wait on the bed” meant.

He just hadn’t expected Shen Yuze to be so bored!

Seeing him blush, Shen Yuze pressed further: “Didn’t you say earlier I helped you and you owed me thanks? How are you going to thank me—with your body?”

“With your head!” Lu Ping huffed, stomping over to push him away from the bed’s edge before plopping down on the foot himself. He’d just changed the bedding yesterday—sky-blue checkered sheets laid flat, still scented with soap powder. “If you don’t wanna sit on the bed, sit somewhere else.”

Shen Yuze couldn’t help reminding him: “…You know that sounds really suggestive, right?”

Lu Ping: “?” It took him several seconds to process, and then blood rushed to his earlobes, red as if dripping: “Sh-Shen-Yu-Ze, what’s wrong with your brain!”

He grabbed the vocabulary book from the nightstand to chuck at him, but that wasn’t satisfying enough, so he swapped for a hardcover mystery novel hidden nearby. It flew like a large projectile—thankfully Shen Yuze was quick and blocked it precisely, unharmed.

Shen Yuze hefted the hefty “weapon” in his hand: “You like mystery novels?”

That hadn’t come up in the investigation on Lu Ping before.

Lu Ping bared his teeth threateningly: “Yeah, especially locked-room murders. Like in a tiny room, some bossy rich second-gen suddenly vanishes, leaving just one innocent, terrified witness… A few days later, savory meat scents waft from the house…”

To amp up the horror, Lu Ping made exaggerated clawing gestures. But he talked himself dry, while Shen Yuze’s expression didn’t budge.

Lu Ping found it lame: “…You’re not scared?”

Shen Yuze raised a brow: “If reading mysteries makes you a locked-room killer, how come reading Harry Potter didn’t teach you magic?”

“…” Right.

Shen Yuze walked back and sat beside Lu Ping. Shoulder to shoulder on the hard bed with its blue checkered sheets, neither spoke for a moment.

The room was quiet. Afternoon sun peeked through the window, casting golden light on the floor. Dust danced lightly in the beams, and laughter drifted through the unlatched door crack—An An begging Mom to tell the Queen Elsa story.

It was a cozy, lazy afternoon.

They zoned out for a good while, watching the sunlight creep from one floor tile to another.

Lu Ping felt himself drifting into a long daydream. He asked, “Shen Yuze, you sleepy? Wanna nap?” He turned, patting his soft big pillow.

His one-point-five-meter double bed could easily fit two. But since he slept alone, the wall side was piled with miscellany: tissues, half-read books, tangled earphone cords, even his sleep shirt.

It was really just a washed-out white T-shirt, frayed at the collar, baggy and shapeless, always slipping off to bare half a shoulder when worn.

Shen Yuze’s gaze lingered on the T-shirt before returning to Lu Ping’s face. He said softly, “No need.”

Not now, anyway.

“Let’s chat instead.”

“Chat?” Lu Ping thought—they’d already talked plenty at school. He racked his brain: “Shen Yuze, back in the Capital, when friends visited your place, what’d you do?”

“Play games and watch movies,” Shen Yuze replied.

The Shen family villa had dedicated media and gaming rooms.

Games… movies… But Lu Ping’s room had no console, no TV. His only electronics were a beat-up phone.

His toes curled in his slippers. He started reciting Ode to the Humble Room again mentally.

Suddenly, inspiration struck—he bolted upright. Now their faces were inches apart; Shen Yuze could see his reflection in those bright black eyes.

Lu Ping grinned slyly: “Wanna go horseback riding?”

Shen Yuze: “?”

Gazing at the boy’s close-up smile, Shen Yuze’s heart skipped inexplicably. He subtly leaned back, avoiding the intense gaze, and played along: “There’s a horse ranch here?”

“Yep, can’t compare to big-city ones, but there’s a spot to gallop.” Lu Ping’s eyes and brows danced. “C’mon, Prince Charming, I’ll take you to the ranch!”

What? A horse ranch in this backwater—er, simple, wholesome place?

Shen Yuze let Lu Ping pull him up and followed dazedly out. The bedroom door shut behind them, hiding the blue checkered sheets, soft pillow, mystery-novel nightstand, and dancing sunlight once more.

This was Shen Yuze’s first time in Lu Ping’s room, but it wouldn’t be the last.

Downstairs, the driver and “distant relative” resting in the living room stood instinctively. Lu Mom paused pouring tea: “No nap? Where to?”

Lu Ping: “Taking him riding!”

“Oh, Little Shen likes horses? Go have fun.” Lu Mom didn’t pry, just reminded them to stay safe.

Her attitude piqued Shen Yuze’s curiosity more. He’d thought “riding” was a joke—maybe Lu Ping would drag him to a kiddie carousel to embarrass him. But Lu Mom’s reaction suggested… there really was a ranch?

…

Twenty minutes later, Shen Yuze stood by the “ranch,” staring silently at the pen of horses probably older than him.

“Young fella, tourist? Horse ride?” The boss lady sidled up in thickly accented Mandarin: “Twenty yuan for ten minutes, free photo, costumes over there. C’mon!”

Before Shen Yuze could reply, Lu Ping shoved past to haggle fluently in North Shore dialect: “A’jia, I’m local—don’t rip me off! My classmate’s so handsome, riding here is free advertising. Discount, yeah?”

The boss lady was older than Lu Mom, but his sweet talk—A’jia this, A’jia that—left her beaming.

In the end, Lu Ping scored: just thirty yuan total, ride as long as they wanted.

Shen Yuze stared at the muddy horse ranch in front of him and the few decrepit old horses, unsure how to describe his current mood. “The horseback riding you mentioned… is this it?”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ping placed his hands on his hips confidently. “It’s a horse, isn’t it? Isn’t this a horse?”

In recent years, North Shore had been working hard to develop into a tourist town to attract visitors from nearby cities. One such tourist spot wasn’t far from Lu Ping’s home. It had farmstay experiences, beautiful mountains, water, and scenery. The Lu Family had come to play here many times.

These horses had originally been used by the farmstay to haul goods. Once they grew too old to pull loads, they were sold to the horse ranch for a “second career.” The old horses had gentle temperaments, unlike the fiery young ones. Tourists could ride them around for a lap, take some photos, and there wouldn’t be any danger.

What they called a horse ranch was really just an empty plot of land enclosed by a fence, less than two hundred meters in circumference, with the horse stables right next to it. This was by far the most rundown “horse ranch” that Young Master Shen had ever seen.

The boss lady brought over a mounting stool to help them get on the horses.

Shen Yuze didn’t need it at all. He stood on the horse’s left side, grabbed the reins firmly with his left hand, steadied the saddle with his right, stepped into the stirrup with his left foot while pushing off the ground with his right—and he smoothly mounted the horse’s back.

This set of mounting movements had been taught to him by a professional horse trainer. He’d practiced it countless times, and the motions were exceedingly graceful, flowing like water.

After mounting, he immediately tightened the reins. The old horse didn’t resist at all and obediently lowered its head to take the bit. With a bit of showing off, Shen Yuze turned to look at Lu Ping, expecting to see an expression of awe on his face. Instead… Lu Ping had already mounted his horse ahead of him!

Lu Ping was riding a chestnut horse whose forelock had been combed into a long braid draped to the side. He gently rubbed the horse’s forelock, and the horse’s ears twitched as it snorted.

Shen Yuze: “You know how to ride horses?”

Lu Ping laughed like a big goose, “ga ga ga ga.” “Man, there are still so many surprises about me that you don’t know!”

Shen Yuze: “…”

Lu Ping: “My grandpa lives in the countryside, and his family has horses. But it’s been a really, really long time since I last rode one.”

Though Lu Ping claimed it had been a long time, his movements weren’t rusty at all. He shook the reins twice, and the horse gradually picked up speed into a trot.

Seeing Lu Ping pull farther and farther ahead, Shen Yuze urged his horse to catch up. But for some reason, the old horse he was on continued to amble along leisurely, taking a casual stroll no matter what commands he gave—it refused to speed up.

Shen Yuze: “???”

It wasn’t until Lu Ping’s horse trotted a full lap around the field and returned to his side that he revealed the answer. “The horses here don’t understand Mandarin.”

Shen Yuze: “…”

……

They played at the horse ranch for a full afternoon, until the sun was about to set. Only then did they decide to head back.

Just as they were about to leave, the boss lady called out to them.

The boss lady said, “Handsome boys, how about I take a photo of you?” She pointed to the promotional board behind her, which was covered in photos of guests enjoying the ranch and various handwritten reviews.

“Huh?” Lu Ping froze at the mention of taking a photo, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet. “Take… a photo?”

He had an ordinary appearance and wasn’t the type who photographed well. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had his picture taken. Whenever he was in group photos, he always dumbly flashed a peace sign—doing it at seven years old, still doing it at seventeen, and probably still doing it at twenty-seven.

He knew full well that the boss lady wasn’t really interested in photographing him. She clearly wanted to snap Shen Yuze. A refreshing, handsome young man on horseback—that photo posted up would definitely draw in plenty of customers.

But based on his understanding of Shen Yuze, he definitely wouldn’t want to be used as free advertisem—

“—Sure.” Shen Yuze spoke up, his tone as natural as if they were discussing the weather. “Where should we take it?”

Lu Ping: “???”

The boss lady beamed with delight. “Right here in the horse ranch!” She enthusiastically directed their poses. “You two stand next to the horse, a bit closer… even closer!”

In a daze, Lu Ping stood beside Shen Yuze in front of the horse. He held the reins in his hand, a stiff smile plastered on his face. Originally, there had been about half an arm’s length between him and Shen Yuze, but under the boss lady’s directions, they drew closer and closer until their shoulders touched.

Even then, the boss lady wasn’t satisfied.

“Smile, handsome boys! Smile more happily!”

Lu Ping forced out a rigid smile while sneakily turning his head to peek at Shen Yuze’s expression. As expected, Shen Yuze’s face was impassive, his gaze distant as he stared straight ahead, without a trace of a smile.

……How strange. If Shen Yuze didn’t like having his photo taken, why had he agreed to this troublesome affair?

Just then, the flash went off abruptly.

Lu Ping jumped in surprise. He quickly turned to the boss lady holding the camera, complaining a bit, “A’jia, can’t you count down three-two-one before taking the shot?”

The boss lady said, “Okay, okay, okay. Let’s take another one. This time, get even closer! Three—”

Lu Ping muttered under his breath, “We’re almost stuck together already. How much closer?”

“Two—”

Lu Ping: “I shouldn’t have agreed to this photo if I knew it’d be such a hassle.”

“One—”

The moment “one” rang out, Shen Yuze unexpectedly lifted his arm.

The teenager’s palm was scorching hot as it gently but irresistibly draped over the shoulder of the boy beside him. At the same time, the elegant fragrance from his clothes overwhelmed the boy’s senses in an instant.

The flash flickered, capturing this rare moment of intimacy forever.