Chen Zemian gasped in small, sharp intakes, chilled by the ice.
Yet, he felt a soaring ecstasy.
He tugged on Lu Zhuonian’s hair, his abs flexing into beautiful lines, his body cooling from the point of contact with the ice all the way up to the tips of his hair.
Lu Zhuonian’s right hand rested lightly yet firmly on Chen Zemian’s knee, the knuckles protruding, the veins and tendons on the back of his hand distinct.
Chen Zemian laced his fingers with Lu Zhuonian’s, tilted the man’s sharply angled chin up, and bent down to kiss him. The ice, mostly melted by now, quickly dissolved into a pool of water under the exchange of their lips and tongues, trailing down the corner of their mouths in a long, tellingly ambiguous silver thread.
Chen Zemian slowly leaned back, his spine sinking into the soft mattress.
Lu Zhuonian braced himself on his hands, looking down at him, and asked, “Still want to eat ice?”
Chen Zemian’s chest rose and fell sharply. “Lu Zhuonian, you said I was the one with many tricks; you’ve got quite a few yourself.”
“If I don’t let you eat and don’t let you drink, and I don’t satisfy you properly, what if you run off?” Lu Zhuonian brushed his fingers across Chen Zemian’s flushed face. “If I can’t satisfy your appetite with food, I’ll make up for it elsewhere.”
Chen Zemian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Fine by me. A mouth is a mouth for eating, after all.”
Lu Zhuonian raised a hand and covered Chen Zemian’s mouth. “You’re much cuter when you speak less.”
Chen Zemian chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. “You don’t want to hear me talk? Then find a way to make sure I can’t even scream.”
Lu Zhuonian slipped his finger into Chen Zemian’s mouth, gently stroking his tongue. “You want to get kinky again, do you?”
Chen Zemian sucked and kissed Lu Zhuonian’s hand. “Yeah. The apartment doesn’t have a basement, and it doesn’t have a pool. I really wish we could go back home.”
Lu Zhuonian stroked Chen Zemian’s hair, his eyes full of amusement. “Then how about I buy you a few little toys to play with?”
Chen Zemian was both thin-skinned and eager to play. He grabbed Lu Zhuonian’s phone and handed it to him. “I’m too embarrassed to buy them. You do it.”
Lu Zhuonian took the phone and opened the delivery app. “But I don’t know what you want to play with.”
“Handcuffs, a collar, cat ears,” Chen Zemian tilted his head to look at the screen. “And, didn’t you want to cover my mouth? We can play with that, too. But you have to wear the cat ears.”
Lu Zhuonian traced Chen Zemian’s slightly feverish cheek down to his neck, saying meaningfully, “Oh, so the cat ears are for me, then.”
Chen Zemian said with great embarrassment, “The handcuffs and collar are for you too.”
Lu Zhuonian squeezed Chen Zemian’s soft cheek. “Alright, I’ll buy them for you.”
Chen Zemian wrapped his arms around Lu Zhuonian’s neck and gave him a loud peck on the chin. “You’re the best.”
The order was submitted. The vendor promised discreet packaging and delivery by the next day.
— * — * — * — * — *— * — * — * — * — *— * — * — * — * — *
Due to the slight indulgence the night before, Chen Zemian naturally didn’t get out of bed the next day.
Lu Zhuonian had two classes and a last-minute group meeting afterward. Before leaving, he kissed the sleepy Chen Zemian. “I’m heading to school. I might not be back until two or three in the afternoon.”
Chen Zemian didn’t even open his eyes, just hummed. “Mmm.”
Lu Zhuonian kissed Chen Zemian’s forehead again. “The express delivery is scheduled for around ten o’clock. I told him to leave it at the door. Remember to bring it in when you wake up.”
Chen Zemian roused himself slightly, but his words were slurred and incomplete. “I’ll wash up and wait for you to come back and play.”
Lu Zhuonian couldn’t help but smile. “Sleep.”
Chen Zemian went back to sleep and didn’t fully wake up until noon.
He put on his pajamas and first retrieved the package from the door, unpacking and cleaning and disinfecting each item.
The other items were all fairly standard. Though purchased in the US, they were probably still made in China.
The only item that was noticeably different was the silver, double-chained handcuffs.
They lay quietly in the box, exquisitely crafted, without any soft cloth or sheepskin lining, forming a stark contrast to the surrounding objects.
The toy handcuffs they had bought before could restrain his hands, but they were still toys; the chain between the two cuffs was long, creating a relatively large range of motion, making it easy for the restrained person to move. They also used a single-lock design, so even if the lock was engaged, a simple piece of wire could pick it open without a key.
The silver cuffs gleamed coldly. They looked more like a real set of handcuffs than a toy.
Not only was the distance between the cuffs very short, greatly restricting the restrained person’s movement, but they also featured a double-lock design that looked very difficult to open.
When Chen Zemian was a child, his dad had taught him how to pick locks, but he hadn’t learned it very well. He was too young, and his fingers weren’t nimble enough. By the time he was older, he couldn’t find a real pair of handcuffs to practice on.
Seeing a childhood “toy” again, Chen Zemian couldn’t resist. He went ‘click’ and cuffed himself, didn’t even eat lunch, just sat on the sofa with a piece of wire, trying to pick the lock.
He spent a long time poking at it without success.
Before Chen Zemian could recall the knack, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Chen Qingyu.
With both hands cuffed, Chen Zemian could only manage to tap the screen twice and turn on the speaker. “Dad, what’s up?”
Chen Qingyu’s voice came through the receiver. “Mr. Wilson came to Boston for business, so I came along. Where are you?”
Chen Zemian hurriedly grabbed the key to unlock the handcuffs. “I’m at home. Dad, have you eaten? Want to grab a bite together?”
Chen Qingyu glanced at the time, displeased. “It’s already 1:30, and you haven’t eaten lunch.”
Though he knew Chen Qingyu couldn’t see him, Chen Zemian guiltily stuffed the handcuffs into the sofa cushion. “I’m not that hungry yet. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
Chen Qingyu named a location: Copley Square, a very famous spot in Boston.
Lu Zhuonian had driven away in the G-Wagon, and the customized armored car always had a team of bodyguards following it—a mandatory package he couldn’t shake off. Chen Zemian could only take the Koenigsegg he had gifted to Lu Zhuonian.
— * — * — * — * — *— * — * — * — * — *— * — * — * — * — *
The sun was bright and the weather lovely in Copley Square.
Among the crowd, a man in a bespoke suit stood out, uniquely distinguished. Chen Zemian knew that back instantly; it was his father, Chen Qingyu.
He was standing in front of the fountain, his back to Chen Zemian, but as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he turned around just as his son approached.
Chen Zemian was delighted to see his father and unconsciously curved his eyes, breaking into a bright smile.
He was wearing a light-colored white T-shirt. The cut was excellent, the material looked supremely comfortable, outlining his tall frame and highlighting his long limbs. He looked clean and pure.
The simplest clothes are the most demanding, and Chen Zemian passed the test effortlessly.
Golden sunlight filtered through the tree canopy, and the shifting light and shadow draped him in a flowing halo.
In the sun, his flawless skin was pale and translucent, emphasizing his chiseled features. Chen Zemian’s eyes were spirited and bright; he looked like a handsome, refined youth stepped right out of a comic book. His striking good looks drew frequent side-glances from passersby.
Chen Qingyu looked at his son, satisfied with his appearance of robust health. He unconsciously curved his lips into an arc. “Mian Mian, come here.”
Chen Zemian heard his father call him and took a couple of short steps. “Dad! Have you eaten? There are a few famous Chinese restaurants here. How about I treat you to hot pot?”
Chen Qingyu agreed with a sound and casually asked, “Why haven’t you eaten yet? What were you playing at home?”
Chen Zemian choked on his saliva. “Nothing, why?”
Chen Qingyu squinted at Chen Zemian. “Since you were little, your two loves have been playing and eating. What could make you forget to eat if not playing? Are you messing with a new mobile game?”
“No,” Chen Zemian steered his father toward the hot pot restaurant. “You all told me to get more sleep, so I only just woke up at noon.”
Chen Qingyu maintained a policeman’s sharp vigilance. “Only just woke up at noon? What were you doing last night?”
Chen Zemian started coughing again. “Nothing!”
Chen Qingyu’s gaze landed on Chen Zemian’s collar, sweeping over the faint red mark on his collarbone. He silently sighed and looked away, deciding to ignore what he didn’t want to see.
Chen Zemian guiltily tugged at his collar, forcefully changing the subject. “Let’s eat hot pot, let’s eat hot pot! I want the butter-spicy broth, with tripe, duck blood, fish slices, and shrimp paste.”
When it came to his love for heavy oil, heavy salt, and heavy spice, Chen Qingyu was even more enthusiastic than Chen Zemian.
After all, if Chen Zemian had adopted his father’s habit of light eating from childhood, he wouldn’t have such a strong preference for unhealthy food.
But there were differences in people’s physiques. Chen Qingyu was not only physically strong but, like Lu Zhuonian, a high-energy person who only needed four or five hours of sleep to maintain his stamina all day. Chen Zemian didn’t have that much energy, but seeing his dad function perfectly well with little sleep, he followed suit and nearly killed himself.
Because of his stomach issues, Lu Zhuonian didn’t often let Chen Zemian eat spicy food. Furthermore, being a meticulous and slightly obsessive person, Lu Zhuonian disliked the oil and heavy smoke of hot pot and rarely ate it.
Chen Qingyu, however, truly loved hot pot, especially the butter broth.
When ordering, Chen Zemian’s pen flew across the menu, checking items quickly, giving the impression that the restaurant might close if he slowed down by two seconds.
“What’s your hurry?” Chen Qingyu hadn’t even finished looking at the first two columns of beef, lamb, and seafood before Chen Zemian had already turned the page to order staples and drinks. “You look like you’re being chased by a dog.”
Chen Zemian ordered a large pitcher of iced plum juice, specifically instructing the server to add ice, ice, and more ice. After handing over the menu, he answered his father’s question. “The dog isn’t chasing me, Lu Zhuonian is.”
Chen Qingyu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Are you very afraid of him?”
“It’s not exactly fear,” Chen Zemian said. “It’s just… I just don’t want to make him sad.”
Chen Qingyu said, exasperated, “He gets sad because you eat hot pot? He sounds quite fragile.”
“How to put this…” Chen Zemian scratched his face and lowered his voice. “Dad, remember I told you about the other timeline?”
Chen Qingyu: “What does that have to do with Lu Zhuonian?”
Chen Zemian nodded. “It does. He knows, or at least he suspects, that I suddenly appeared in this world. Although we haven’t talked about it explicitly, he can guess a little.”
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu lifted his eyelids. “Hasn’t he ever asked you about it?”
Chen Zemian lowered his lashes. “He sort of asked, but I didn’t tell him, and he said he didn’t need an answer and wouldn’t ask again.”
Chen Qingyu tapped the table with the back of his hand, reminding Chen Zemian to address his actual question. “So what does that have to do with him not letting you eat hot pot?”
Chen Zemian quickly glanced at his father and said with great embarrassment, “Because he doesn’t know how I came here, he’s always very worried that I might suddenly disappear. So I’m willing to let him manage me more. That way, he won’t constantly worry about losing control, and it gives him more security.”
The speech was both sincere and moving. Even if Lu Zhuonian hadn’t heard it himself, anyone else would have been touched to some degree.
But Chen Qingyu only took away one main point: “Then his control issues are quite strong.”
Chen Zemian: “…”
Chen Qingyu continued, “However, someone from his background always gets what they want, so a strong desire for control is only natural. The fact that he can go against his nature and refrain from asking you about your origin shows he has consideration.”
Before he could finish, Chen Zemian’s phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
Chen Qingyu looked down at the phone. Three characters were flashing prominently on the screen—
Lu. Zhuo. Nian.
Some people might not ask Chen Zemian where he came from, but they definitely had to ask where he was going.
The call connected, and Lu Zhuonian’s voice came through the receiver. “Why is your location showing ‘Old Sichuan Copper Pot Hot Pot’?”
Chen Zemian picked up his phone, covering the mouthpiece and coughing lightly. “My dad came to see me. I’m eating with him.”
Lu Zhuonian paused. “Are you eating the spicy broth or the clear broth?”
With his dad supporting him, Chen Zemian was emboldened and spoke with a touch of arrogance. “You just said ‘Old Sichuan’; who comes here to eat clear broth?”
Lu Zhuonian was amused and angry at the same time. “Eating the spicy broth? Doesn’t ‘it’ hurt?”
Chen Qingyu’s ear twitched. He caught the key phrase. His eyes shot up, and his hawk-like gaze instantly locked onto the phone by Chen Zemian’s ear.
Chen Zemian’s fingers clenched involuntarily around the phone.
Abruptly, Chen Qingyu asked, “Where does it hurt?”
Chen Zemian & Lu Zhuonian: “…”
— * — * — * — * — *
The author has something to say:
Mianmian, who do you think you inherited your sharp hearing from? 🤡
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Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
