In the following days, Bai Yang earnestly reviewed Shao Cheng’s manuscript, not letting a single typo slip by. He marked areas that could be improved, treating this task as a top priority. Sometimes, Aunt Fang would come to call him for meals, and it would take quite a while to get his attention. After a couple of times of this, even Shao Cheng couldn’t bear it. He directly lifted Bai Yang from his chair and carried him over his shoulder downstairs.
Bai Yang lightly pounded Shao Cheng’s broad back, which was futile.
Under this diligent effort, the review of the initial draft was completed within a week.
Bai Yang stretched lazily, preparing to make himself some dinner.
For the past few days, Shao Cheng had gone back to his parents’ house for something, without sending any messages to Bai Yang. Bai Yang didn’t want to bother Aunt Fang to make him meals, as he was just a temporary guest. So, he took care of his meals himself.
While he was contemplating what to eat, his phone received a new message. Looking at it, it was Ji Xiaoyun inviting him to go shopping and have a meal.
He smiled wryly and replied, “[You want me to be your laborer again?]”
Ji Xiaoyun indignantly responded: “[I have a boyfriend now, okay! I told you before, you don’t care about me at all!]”
Only then did Bai Yang remember that Ji Xiaoyun had mentioned having a boyfriend before the winter break. However, due to his suddenly closer relationship with Shao Cheng, he hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.
He tried to console the annoyed Ji Xiaoyun and then immediately left the house. He reached the mall restaurant Ji Xiaoyun mentioned at a leisurely pace. To his surprise, there were several people there, including a girl he recognized – the Principal’s daughter, Zhao Ruotong.
Bai Yang greeted Ji Xiaoyun with a smile and jokingly said, “You’ve brought quite the crowd for a shopping trip.”
Ji Xiaoyun rolled her eyes at him, and then she introduced him to the group of people – her new boyfriend, two other couples, and Zhao Ruotong, who was there alone.
“Of course you know her, our famous school principal’s daughter, Zhao Ruotong,” Ji Xiaoyun said.
“Of course,” Bai Yang said with a friendly smile towards Zhao Ruotong, “Hello.”
Zhao Ruotong’s face turned slightly red, and she softly replied, “Hello…”
Bai Yang thought she might be a bit intimidated by him after witnessing him confront Song Chi, so he gave her an apologetic smile.
Since the other people were sitting in couples, Bai Yang ended up sitting across from Zhao Ruotong. The group of eight occupied a long table. Although Bai Yang wasn’t familiar with everyone, he quickly joined in the conversation. While chatting, he faintly sensed Zhao Ruotong stealing glances at him. He turned his head, offering her a warm smile, and asked, “Is there something on my face?”
“No, there isn’t,” Zhao Ruotong replied, blushing even more. She had a cute and charming appearance, resembling a ripe peach, pure and fragrant.
Bai Yang tried to make himself approachable and said, “I’m really sorry about what happened before. I beat up your boyfriend. But don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“I’m not… scared of you,” Zhao Ruotong replied, her cheeks reddening further. She looked both innocent and lovely.
Bai Yang was surprised by her response and chuckled, “So, I guess I did something good? Haha, well, at least I can rest easy now. I wasn’t sure whether to mention this, but if I ever see Song Chi again, I’ll probably still want to punch him.”
Zhao Ruotong giggled at his words, and the awkward tension that had been present earlier dissipated.
Just then, Bai Yang’s phone vibrated. He saw that Shao Cheng was calling, so he excused himself to answer the call.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Where are you?”
Bai Yang was taken aback but then realized that Shao Cheng was probably at home and hadn’t found him there. He replied honestly, “I’m out with some classmates, at the xx mall. I’ll probably be back in about two hours.”
After a brief pause, he asked, “Do you need me to come back now?”
“No, it’s fine.” Shao Cheng hung up the phone in his usual brief manner.
Bai Yang felt a bit helpless and returned to the group’s conversation.
The dinner took a long time, and by the time they were finished, it was already getting late, and rain had started to fall outside. The group decided to abandon their original plan of shopping and catch a taxi back home. There was a taxi stand right outside the mall, so it was convenient.
Bai Yang had taken a bus to the mall, and the bus stop was a bit of a walk away. Plus, he hadn’t brought an umbrella, so he was likely to get wet. Ji Xiaoyun asked if he wanted to share a ride, but he declined, saying it wasn’t on her way. He suspected that if she saw where he got off, a high-end residential area, she would pester him with questions. Shao Cheng probably didn’t want others to know about their cohabitation.
As they chatted and walked toward the exit, Zhao Ruotong, a couple steps ahead, remarked, “Wow, that car looks amazing.”
Bai Yang casually glanced over and was immediately taken aback.
The vintage Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance… It looked exactly like Shao Cheng’s car.
As if confirming his suspicions, the car door on one side opened, revealing a tall figure holding an umbrella. Shao Cheng stepped out, the umbrella lifting to reveal his trademark cold and composed expression.
In the curious gazes of everyone present, Shao Cheng walked straight up to Bai Yang. He furrowed his brows, his expression displeased.
“Didn’t you check the weather forecast before going out?”
“I…,” Bai Yang was so surprised he swallowed a gulp of saliva, stammering, “I didn’t check…”
Several people around them were familiar with Shao Cheng, but they hadn’t expected Bai Yang to know him too. After hearing their conversation, it seemed like they were quite close. Ji Xiaoyun couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Bai Bai, is he here… to pick you up?”
Before Bai Yang could respond, Shao Cheng glanced at Ji Xiaoyun and stated, “He lives at my place. So, of course, I’m picking him up.”
Everyone gasped in shock, even Zhao Ruotong couldn’t hide her astonishment, her hand covering her mouth.
Bai Yang was thoroughly befuddled. Shao Cheng had come to pick him up, which was already beyond his imagination. But now, he was openly revealing that they lived together. Did he really not care at all?
Shao Cheng didn’t give Ji Xiaoyun a chance to pry further and pulled Bai Yang to his side. He addressed both Bai Yang and the others, “Let’s go.”
On the way back, Bai Yang’s phone was bombarded with messages from Ji Xiaoyun. She was practically shouting through her texts: “[How did you manage to catch Shao Cheng, the handsome and rich one!! Tell me the truth!!!]”
Bai Yang felt helpless and replied, “[It’s not what you think. I’ll explain next time.]”
He glanced at Shao Cheng’s profile beside him, unable to understand the man’s thoughts.
Upon reaching home, Bai Yang brought out his laptop and reported the progress of the past few days’ work to Shao Cheng. “I’ve finished reviewing it. There aren’t any major issues. Can you take a look?”
Shao Cheng responded indifferently, “Sure,” and took the laptop to review the work. Bai Yang sat beside him, eagerly awaiting his reaction. However, Shao Cheng’s expression remained almost unchanged as he skimmed through a few pages before stating, “There’s too much to go through. I’ll look at it tomorrow.”
Bai Yang realized that it was quite late, so he said, “Alright, then. Rest early. I’m heading to bed.”
“Okay.”
Bai Yang grabbed some clothes from his room and went downstairs to the bathroom. Shao Cheng’s house had two bathrooms: one on the second floor and another on the third. The one on the third floor was mostly for Shao Cheng’s personal use, so Bai Yang usually used the second-floor bathroom.
As he showered, he reflected on the events of the evening.
Lately, Shao Cheng had been exceptionally kind to him. He had invited him to move in, kissed him, and even entrusted him with his private writing for review. And tonight, he had personally come to pick him up.
Bai Yang couldn’t help but feel happy about all this, but the more Shao Cheng did for him, the more Bai Yang’s inappropriate expectations and desires grew.
As these thoughts emerged, Bai Yang swiftly cautioned himself. Shao Cheng was just distant on the outside and warm on the inside; he couldn’t actually be interested or like him in any sort of way. They wouldn’t be able to progress any further.
Lost in his thoughts, Bai Yang was interrupted when the bathroom door suddenly opened.
Startled, Bai Yang turned his head and saw Shao Cheng standing in the doorway. Shao Cheng stated, “Aunt Fang mixed your clothes with mine. I brought them for you.”
“Thank you.” Embarrassed, Bai Yang turned away from Shao Cheng’s gaze. “I appreciate it. Next time, you can just let me get them myself.”
Shao Cheng remained silent. After a few moments, he calmly ordered, “Turn around. There’s no need to be shy.”
Bai Yang’s cheeks turned red. Although they had been intimate a few times, the current situation—Shao Cheng being fully clothed while he was not—made him feel awkward.
Shao Cheng’s commands were not to be disobeyed, so Bai Yang slowly turned around. He found himself standing bare in front of Shao Cheng, who was calmly assessing him. Bai Yang kept his head down, unable to meet Shao Cheng’s gaze directly. However, he could sense Shao Cheng’s eyes roaming over his body, igniting a small fire within him that centered in his lower abdomen.
In an attempt to conceal his growing arousal, Bai Yang crossed his legs.
“You’re getting aroused from just being looked at,” Shao Cheng teased.
Bai Yang blushed, stealing a glance at him. He wanted to argue, “It’s because it’s you looking…”
Shao Cheng didn’t say anything, and after a few seconds, he said in a low voice, “Take care of that yourself.” With that, he left the bathroom.
Bai Yang had thought Shao Cheng would do something, but nothing happened. He sighed, realizing that this was the reality—that Shao Cheng wasn’t interested in him in the least.
