This question caught Pei Yiyan off guard.
He had actually noticed Shen Yuqing’s gaze on him for a while but had chosen to ignore it.
So, after staring at him for so long, this was the question Shen Yuqing wanted to ask?
He wasn’t sure how Shen Yuqing had concluded that he was unhappy, but he still replied, “No.” Really, he wasn’t.
Shen Yuqing wasn’t entirely convinced. “Then why did you shake off my hand?”
Everything had been fine just moments ago.
“Didn’t react in time,” Pei Yiyan paused before adding, “And didn’t I let you hold it afterward?”
Shen Yuqing found his words a little strange. What did he mean by “let him hold it”?
And why were they even discussing something like this?
Shen Yuqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He cleared his throat. “Got it, got it. Ugh, I’m exhausted. Gonna sleep for a bit.”
With that, he leaned back against the seat, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes immediately, as if unwilling to continue the conversation.
Pei Yiyan watched him under the dim interior light of the car, belatedly realizing just what kind of topic they had been discussing. A trace of regret flickered in his eyes, and he decided to follow Shen Yuqing’s lead, leaning back to rest as well.
By the time they arrived home, it was already very late.
After showering, Shen Yuqing stepped out, drying his damp hair with a towel. Pei Yiyan wasn’t in the room.
He walked out while still rubbing his hair and saw Xiao Zhao handing a hairdryer to Pei Yiyan, who was seated on the sofa, already turning it on to dry his own hair.
Shen Yuqing approached, and Xiao Zhao explained, “Young Master, the hairdryer in the room is broken. I’ll get a new one tomorrow. For tonight, you and Young Master Pei will have to share this one.”
No wonder he hadn’t been able to find it earlier. Shen Yuqing nodded. “Go rest.”
Xiao Zhao acknowledged with a “Yes” before retreating to his own room.
Shen Yuqing sat down beside Pei Yiyan, watching as he slowly lifted the hairdryer to dry his hair. The movements were sluggish who knew how long it would take at this rate?
He yawned. “How much longer are you gonna take?”
Pei Yiyan turned off the hairdryer and handed it to him. “You do it.”
Shen Yuqing glanced down. Fine, if he had to, he had to.
He took the hairdryer, stood up, and moved behind Pei Yiyan before switching it back on.
Warm air streamed from the lightweight machine in his hand. Shen Yuqing lifted his other hand, slender fingers threading through the dark strands as the hairdryer followed his movements, drying Pei Yiyan’s slightly damp hair.
Pei Yiyan’s entire body stiffened. He had assumed Shen Yuqing would take the hairdryer to the bathroom not that he’d use it on him directly.
He turned his head slightly, voice low. “What are you doing?”
Shen Yuqing sounded puzzled. “Didn’t you tell me to dry it for you?”
Pei Yiyan recalled his earlier words. That wasn’t what he’d meant.
He had intended for Shen Yuqing to dry his own hair first, not to dry Pei Yiyan’s.
But at this point, the original meaning didn’t matter anymore Shen Yuqing had already taken action.
And soon enough, his hair was dry. Shen Yuqing turned off the hairdryer. “Done. Time for bed.”
He yawned again, this time actually taking the hairdryer with him to the bathroom.
Left alone on the sofa, Pei Yiyan hadn’t yet recovered from what had just happened.
After a long while, he finally raised his hand to touch his fluffy hair.
Shen Yuqing had blow-dried it meticulously not a trace of dampness remained. It was indeed much better than how he usually did it himself.
But why did these actions come so naturally to him?
In the past, not smashing things would have been considered a good mood.
Pei Yiyan pressed his lips together and lowered his hand. The heat from the hairdryer seemed to have seeped through his scalp and into his body.
His body grew warmer.
Pei Yiyan got up and walked expressionlessly to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water. Only after the cold water slid down his throat did he feel slightly better.
By the time Shen Yuqing finished blow-drying his hair and came out, Pei Yiyan was already lying in bed.
Good Luck was curled up in his arms, lazily flicking its tail now and then.
Shen Yuqing glanced at the clock on the dresser unnoticed, it was already half past eleven.
He wondered if Song Wangzhuo had finished his work yet.
The system was still tracking the waiter who had bumped into them, so Shen Yuqing couldn’t recall it to ask. He walked to the bed and picked up the personal terminal he had taken off earlier, checking it.
There were no messages from Song Wangzhuo.
Pei Yiyan watched Shen Yuqing’s every move. Tonight, Shen Yuqing seemed unusually preoccupied with his terminal.
Shen Yuqing set the terminal down apparently, the work wasn’t done yet.
He turned and lay down on the bed, yawning again.
His sleep schedule was impeccable the moment he touched the bed, he felt drowsy.
Seeing Shen Yuqing settle in, Good Luck meowed twice, understanding it was time to sleep. It stood up from Pei Yiyan and curled up in its usual spot.
Shen Yuqing lightly patted its rear. “You’ve got it made.”
Good Luck slowly opened its eyes to glance back at him before closing them again, quickly drifting off to sleep.
Shen Yuqing lay down swiftly. “I’m going to sleep.”
Pei Yiyan didn’t seem particularly tired, but after Shen Yuqing spoke, he slowly lay down as well.
Shen Yuqing looked at him, then turned over and switched off the light.
Only after the light was off did Shen Yuqing notice the curtains weren’t fully closed. He lifted his head to glance at them before lying back down.
The light wouldn’t reach the bed anyway, so Shen Yuqing couldn’t be bothered to get up and adjust them.
He yawned again today had been exhausting.
Rolling onto his side, he turned his back to Pei Yiyan and closed his eyes, ready to sleep.
Before long, the sound of steady breathing reached his ears. Pei Yiyan tilted his head slightly Shen Yuqing really slept soundly.
He slowly closed his eyes as well. At some point, he had stopped feeling wary of Shen Yuqing. In fact, after getting used to the sound of two different breaths beside him, his own sleep quality had improved significantly.
The day’s outing had indeed been tiring, and coupled with last night’s poor sleep, Pei Yiyan’s eyelids grew heavier.
The curtains in the room fluttered slightly in the breeze, swaying gently. The faint light from outside seeped through the narrow gap, casting a soft glow on the furnishings inside.
In his dream, Shen Yuqing felt as though he had stepped into a volcano.
His entire body was burning up, drenched in sweat. He wanted to escape, but his limbs felt impossibly heavy, leaving him unable to move.
“Hot…”
Shen Yuqing felt unbearably warm. He looked around, searching for something to fan himself with, when suddenly, something seemed to step on his face. Hmm.
Something felt off.
There was weight pressing against his collarbone.
It was… Good Luck!
Shen Yuqing abruptly opened his eyes. By the dim light from outside, he saw Good Luck squatting on him like a giant Buddha, its rear still facing his face while making a purring sound.
Shen instinctively tried to move Good Luck away, only to find himself immobilized. What was happening?
With a slight turn of his head, his nose brushed against the forehead of the person beside him.
That painfully familiar face. Wait.
Why had Pei Yiyan moved so close?
Moreover, his body was burning hot that “volcanic crater” from his dream must have been Pei Yiyan all along.
Shen glanced down to find the thin blanket had somehow slipped to their waists, revealing Pei clinging to him in an awkward embrace.
Pei was now sleeping sideways, pressing most of his weight onto Shen’s body. One long arm wrapped tightly around Shen as if trying to merge their bodies together, seeking to soothe some unspoken anxiety and panic.
Shen called his name twice, just like last night, but Pei showed no response.
He only held on tighter. Any movement from Shen would trigger an intense reaction, yet there were no signs of waking.
What was wrong with him?
Judging by his condition, he seemed trapped in another nightmare.
His body burned with the same feverish heat as last night.
Shen truly couldn’t understand.
With great effort, Shen freed his right hand and pushed against Pei, only for the man to bury his face deeper into the crook of Shen’s neck. The scorching forehead pressed against Shen’s skin felt like it might brand him.
Too intimate.
So intimate that Shen dared not move a muscle.
