Unlike the impulsive and fiery Chen Zemian, Chen Qingyu was true to his name—Qingyu (Light Feather)—possessing a serene composure that remained unruffled no matter the circumstances. Yet, beneath that calm exterior burned an inexhaustible energy, which he often used to drop unexpected bombshells.
His simple command to “put some clothes on” instantly turned the instructional handcuffs into a piece of sex-play gear. The air in the living room froze solid.
In the nick of time, Chen Zemian’s quick wits sparked. He cleared his throat, breaking the suffocating silence. “Haha, who plays with handcuffs without clothes on? You’re so funny, Dad.”
Lu Zhuonian: “…”
Great. Not only had he failed to clarify the clothing situation, but he had also exposed the fact that they did play with handcuffs.
Chen Qingyu leaned back on the sofa, watching his son with an air of composure. “Tell me how you play with them.”
That was an excellent question. Chen Zemian instinctively glanced at Lu Zhuonian. But to look at Lu Zhuonian right now was practically the same as ratting out his accomplice.
Following Chen Zemian’s gaze, Chen Qingyu’s eyes narrowed, the murderous intent hidden beneath his mild tone impossible to conceal. The one-person game instantly turned into a two-person play.
Chen Zemian’s heart sank. Chen Qingyu was starting to resemble his father from before the transmigration so much that he kept forgetting Chen Qingyu had been an undercover agent in this world—one who had infiltrated a high-end nightclub. The place had been notorious for its sex work during its heyday. How could Chen Qingyu have spent years there and not have seen things?
He had been too careless!
It wasn’t surprising that Lu Zhuonian and Chen Zemian had underestimated him. Since Chen Qingyu’s appearance, he had maintained an air of elegant, transcendental detachment, making it hard to connect him with the glitz, glamour, and debauchery of such a venue. It was this very supernaturally aloof façade that caused them to overlook the possibility that Chen Qingyu not only might understand, but that he understood very well, perhaps even having vast experience.
Chen Zemian suspected his dad was doing this on purpose.
Yan Luo was downstairs fiddling with the handcuffs, maintaining a detached, uninterested facade, yet secretly, his ears were perked high. He was even using the reflective silver surface of the handcuffs to surreptitiously observe the scene.
Chen Zemian was a master of bullying the weak. Catching Yan Luo trying to sneak a peek, he immediately redirected the attack toward him. “Adults are talking! Kids, no listening in!”
Yan Luo looked up, full of innocence. “Oh, I’ll leave then.”
Chen Zemian instantly brightened, his expression changing. “I’ll walk you out.”
Chen Qingyu silently watched his precious son perform. Chen Zemian was scrambling to hustle Yan Luo toward the door and, on his way, picked up the instructional handcuffs, clearly intending to make them vanish without a trace.
Applying the principle of “waste not, want not,” Yan Luo asked, “This lock is kind of interesting. If you don’t want it, can I take it apart and play with it?”
Chen Zemian delivered Yan Luo—and the lock—downstairs.
Xiao Kesong also became intrigued when he saw the handcuffs and joined the tutorial on how to pick the lock with a wire. Lock picking must require a certain talent; Chen Zemian had fumbled with Yan Luo for ages without figuring it out, yet Xiao Kesong was the one who finally cracked it.
In great spirits over his new skill, Xiao Kesong demonstrated it for Ye Chen several times, then went outside to show off his feat before heading off to teach Liu Yuebo and Xue Duo.
Yan Luo filmed a video and sent it to Chen Zemian, subtly suggesting that some people could learn, thus proving his teaching skills weren’t lacking.
Chen Zemian immediately presented the video to his father, attempting to convince Chen Qingyu that these were, in fact, innocent handcuffs. “Dad, look, my friends are all really interested in how to open the handcuffs.”
Chen Qingyu spared it a glance, starting the conversation at frame zero. “Was he cuffing you, or were you cuffing him?”
Chen Zemian: “…”
Lu Zhuonian lightly cleared his throat behind his fist. “I’m going to go wash some more fruit.”
Chen Zemian shot off like an arrow toward the kitchen. “I’ll go with you!”
Chen Qingyu remained still, sitting calmly on the sofa, watching the two figures fleeing in panic before placidly withdrawing his gaze.
In the kitchen, Chen Zemian was already contemplating a window escape. He opened the window, sizing up the ledge outside. Finally, he concluded, “I can jump to Kesong’s place on the eighth floor. It’s only three stories; no big deal.”
Lu Zhuonian grabbed Chen Zemian by the collar of his shirt. “Are you crazy?”
Learning from his last mistake of being overheard, Chen Zemian pressed his back against the wall, carefully peered into the living room, and whispered, “Lu Zhuonian, I swear I’m never playing those weird games with you again!”
Lu Zhuonian laughed incredulously. “Who was the one who wanted to play?”
“Leaving everything else aside, the handcuffs were absolutely your idea first,” Chen Zemian’s memory was uncannily clear for once. He frowned, recalling the situation. “The day Fu Guanlan cuffed me and took me to the station, you said you had never cuffed anyone before.”
Lu Zhuonian corrected him. “I said, ‘I haven’t even let myself cuff you yet.’”
Chen Zemian’s ear twitched slightly. Hearing a sound in the living room, he immediately raised a hand in a shushing gesture. He peered out again, saw his father still sitting securely on the sofa, and dropped his hand to signal Lu Zhuonian to continue their spat.
Chen Zemian cited his sources. “It’s true I bought the first pair of handcuffs, but you were the one who installed the ankle chains in the basement. That time at the basketball court, you said you wanted to lock me in the basement…”
“Is this really the time to talk about that?” Lu Zhuonian abruptly clamped his hand over Chen Zemian’s mouth. “Stop with the scene-by-scene recap! Your dad comes and goes like a ghost; he’ll hear you again in a second.”
Chen Zemian immediately craned his neck to check his father’s location. Only when he was sure did the knot of anxiety in his chest finally loosen. “He’s still in the living room.”
Lu Zhuonian brought the washed fruit back to the living room as if nothing had happened, offering it to Chen Qingyu.
Chen Qingyu understood the art of relaxation and tension. He didn’t continue to torment the anxious young couple. After sitting for a while longer, he left with a flourish.
Chen Zemian breathed a deep sigh of relief and headed downstairs to join Xiao Kesong and the others to discuss what they would do over the next few days.
Downstairs was even livelier. Xiao Kesong and Liu Yuebo were still absorbed in the handcuffs. Both agreed it was a very useful skill. Referencing movie plots, they were testing the practicality of various fancy lock-picking methods. The two of them were simple-minded, stuck at the primary stage of ‘seeing a mountain as a mountain,’ and never thought to delve into the handcuffs’ origin. Who would specifically buy handcuffs to learn lock picking for no reason?
Xue Duo had actually considered this possibility, but the thought had merely flashed through his mind and he didn’t pursue the reason.
Of the four, only Ye Chen leaned against the wall, arms crossed, gazing at Lu Zhuonian with a look that saw through everything.
Lu Zhuonian remained nonchalant and composed. “Is there something you need?”
Ye Chen countered, “Can’t I look at you if I don’t need anything?”
Lu Zhuonian: “No, you can’t.”
Ye Chen chuckled lightly. “Then, yes, I need something.”
Lu Zhuonian was sparing with his words. “Say it.”
As his gaze shifted, an idea struck Ye Chen. He suddenly spoke up in a loud voice. “These handcuffs look fun. Where did you buy them? Send me the link.”
The remark instantly drew everyone’s attention to Chen Zemian. After all, he was the one who had produced the handcuffs and the first one to suggest learning lock picking from Yan Luo.
Chen Zemian, who was eating potato salad, paused slightly.
Xiao Kesong chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, send me the link. I want to buy one too. Also, I think I’ve played with yours so much I might break them. I’ll buy you a new one later.”
Liu Yuebo also said, “Me too. Why don’t you just send it to the group chat?”
Chen Zemian couldn’t possibly send a link to an adult toy store to the group chat. He could only fabricate an immediate excuse. “I didn’t buy it online.”
Liu Yuebo: “Then tell me the store’s location.”
Chen Zemian bit the bullet. “There is no store. I just saw it at a street stall while I was out shopping. I have no idea where it was.”
Hearing this, Xiao Kesong and Liu Yuebo looked disappointed.
Ye Chen leisurely commented, “America truly lives up to its name as a country of liberalism, selling handcuffs openly at a street stall in broad daylight.”
Chen Zemian: “…”
Lu Zhuonian gave Ye Chen a faint look. Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.
Unlike Chen Zemian, who was prone to abandoning his teammates, Lu Zhuonian was fiercely protective. Seeing Ye Chen deliberately opening his mouth to tease them, Lu Zhuonian simply got up. “We’re going back.”
Xiao Kesong looked up, his tone puzzled. “Leaving already? We just got here.”
Lu Zhuonian didn’t even bother with an excuse. “Yes, we’re leaving. Chen Zemian.”
Xiao Kesong complained, “You can leave, but Chen Zemian is still playing with me.”
Chen Zemian was also mentally exhausted for the day. He put down his salad. “Let’s play tomorrow. I’m a bit sleepy. I’m going back to sleep.”
Xiao Kesong glanced at the clock. “It’s nearly four. We’ll be eating dinner soon. You’re going to sleep now?”
Chen Zemian retorted logically, “If I’m sleepy, I sleep. Does it have to be about the time?”
Xiao Kesong shrugged, then bent his head back down to play with the handcuffs and the wire. “Fine, then contact me when you wake up. Boston has a pretty rich nightlife. Let’s go out tonight.”
Chen Zemian said goodbye to the others and headed upstairs. As he left, he also took Yan Luo with him, lest Xiao Kesong and his friends take the boy to bars or nightclubs and corrupt the child.
Not long after the three of them arrived home, the doorbell rang.
Chen Zemian had just stepped out of the bathroom and was wiping his hair as he went to open the door.
Outside, Xiao Kesong and Liu Yuebo stood side-by-side at the entrance.
Chen Zemian was surprised. “What is it?”
“Where’s the key?” Xiao Kesong held up his wrist. Liu Yuebo, who was cuffed to him, simultaneously raised his arm. “I wanted to try a high-difficulty move, and now it won’t open.”
Looking at the cuffed-together Xiao Kesong and Liu Yuebo, Chen Zemian’s first instinct wasn’t to grab the key, but to call Lu Zhuonian to come and watch the spectacle.
Yan Luo was in the living room. Hearing the commotion, he knelt on the sofa and peered out.
Liu Yuebo had lost most of his dignity in front of Chen Zemian over the years. Annoyed, he shoved Chen Zemian and walked off with the living key, Yan Luo.
The disadvantage of having too large a house was immediately evident. By the time Lu Zhuonian reached the foyer, the three of them had already vanished.
Because everything happened so fast, Chen Zemian only managed to snap one blurry photo. He regretted that Lu Zhuonian hadn’t witnessed the brilliant scene firsthand. Pointing at the phone screen, he laughed uncontrollably, recounting what had just happened.
Chen Zemian had just showered, his hair still wet, his entire being enveloped in a warm, fresh steam.
Lu Zhuonian lowered his eyelids, his eyes not on the screen, but fixed intently on Chen Zemian.
When Chen Zemian finished his story and looked up, he was met squarely by Lu Zhuonian’s gaze, which was as gentle as a warm breeze. Lu Zhuonian’s lips held a slight smile, as if all the gossip and amusing stories in the world combined couldn’t captivate his eyes as much as Chen Zemian could.
In that instant of eye contact, Chen Zemian’s heart fluttered. He suddenly forgot what he was going to say and, after a half-second of stunned silence, felt a sudden flush of shyness.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Chen Zemian lightly punched Lu Zhuonian’s shoulder. “Hey, I’m talking to you! Were you even listening?”
Lu Zhuonian’s Adam’s apple subtly bobbed. “No.”
Chen Zemian’s ears grew hot. He walked past Lu Zhuonian and into the house, muttering, “I don’t know what you’re thinking about.”
“Just now, I was thinking of kissing you,” Lu Zhuonian said, his gaze following Chen Zemian’s back. “Now, I’m thinking of…”
Hearing the progression, Chen Zemian’s internal alarm bells went off. Guessing that Lu Zhuonian was about to say something outrageous, he whirled around and flashed back in front of him.
Lu Zhuonian had anticipated Chen Zemian’s move. The moment Chen Zemian leaped toward him, he raised his arm and caught the person securely in his embrace.
Chen Zemian wrapped himself around Lu Zhuonian and lowered his head to kiss him.
Lu Zhuonian locked the door behind them and returned the embrace.
Heartbeats intertwined in the stillness. Amidst the whispered intimacies, the whole world suddenly went quiet. All things vanished in that moment; in their eyes, only each other remained.
Chen Zemian clamped down on Lu Zhuonian’s lip, fiercely kissing the words “fucking you” back down his throat.
— * — * — * — * — *
The author has something to say:
Cat & Cat Climbing Frame
~
TL has something to say:
If you enjoy what we do, consider supporting us on 
! Every little bit means the world!
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
