GT chapter 5

“What did you have for lunch?”

That was the first thing Luo Jin asked as he came through the door, changing shoes as he spoke.

“Didn’t eat,” Duan Xingchi replied honestly.

“You didn’t eat? Why not?”

“I didn’t know what to eat.”

Duan Xingchi set his tablet on the sofa and looked toward him. Luo Jin met his gaze—and instantly, the image of Duan Xingchi’s bare torso from earlier popped into his head.

Beautiful bodies, he thought, are hard to forget—no matter the gender. With that half-amused thought, he carried the bag of fresh shrimp he’d bought into the kitchen.

The young master liked shrimp—something Luo Jin had learned from Duan Cunshan and Qi Qing.

Duan Xingchi scrolled through a few videos, bored, then wandered into the kitchen. This time, Luo Jin noticed immediately.

“Sweet and sour shrimp okay?”

“Yeah.”

“From now on, I’ll have the driver bring you lunch from the company cafeteria. The food there’s decent.”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”

“Not at all.”

The company drivers didn’t have much to do anyway.

Luo Jin fished the cooked shrimp from the pot and began peeling them one by one, removing the heads and veins.

Duan Xingchi stood silently behind him, watching. Luo Jin turned back. “Xing Chi, why don’t you wait outside—”

But Duan Xingchi was watching him intently—only his gaze wasn’t fixed on Luo Jin’s face, but his waist. The look made Luo Jin freeze for a moment. He followed the boy’s gaze down to the apron around his own body.

…What?

“Go wait outside,” he said quickly. “It’ll be a while before it’s ready.”

When he finished speaking, Duan Xingchi straightened up, his eyes shifting away. “Okay.”

Once he left, Luo Jin could still feel the heat where those eyes had lingered on his waist. Was it just his imagination?

“Sweet and sour shrimp and stir-fried green beans with pork—come eat, Xing Chi.”

Luo Jin set the dishes on the table before finally taking off his apron.

For two grown men, finishing two dishes was easy. While Luo Jin cleaned up, Duan Xingchi sat on the sofa, staring blankly into space.

He was already in much better shape than the day before. Maybe it was the swim that left him feeling a bit energized. He’d had less coffee today and wasn’t as sleepy as yesterday. At this rate, his jet lag would probably be gone in a couple of days.

When Luo Jin sat down on the sofa, he saw Duan Xingchi staring emptily at nothing in particular.

It was too awkward for the two of them to just sit there in silence, so Luo Jin suggested, “Xiao Chi? Want to watch a movie together?” He picked one at random — a French romance film.

The opening scene was the two leads kissing.

Duan Xingchi snapped out of his daze and shook his head. He wasn’t interested in that kind of heterosexual romance film.

Luo Jin wasn’t that into it either, and watching a love story with another man did feel a bit weird. He tossed the remote to Duan Xingchi. “Then pick whatever you want to watch.”

Duan Xingchi took it, though he wasn’t sure what to choose either. The things he wanted to watch were probably things Luo Jin couldn’t accept.

While he browsed for a movie, Luo Jin went to wash some fruit. As he got up, Duan Xingchi’s gaze followed him unconsciously. To be fair, Luo Jin’s ass was quite full. Even though his bathrobe was loose and didn’t fit snugly, the outline was still faintly visible.

When Luo Jin came back, the movie The Legend of 1900 was playing on the TV.

Duan Xingchi didn’t really know what Luo Jin liked, but picking a classic was never a mistake.

“The grapes are really sweet. Try some.”

Luo Jin handed half the bunch to Duan Xingchi. When Duan Xingchi took it, his fingertips brushed against Luo Jin’s palm — just for a second, but long enough for Luo Jin to notice how cool the young man’s hands were.

…. 

By the time the movie ended, it was already late. Luo Jin decided to take a shower.

Halfway through, he suddenly realized he was in the downstairs bathroom — and his clean clothes and towel were upstairs.

He looked at his dripping body, lost in thought.

Should he ask Duan Xingchi to bring them? He probably hadn’t gone upstairs yet. But what if he did soon? He couldn’t exactly walk upstairs dripping wet and naked. And since their bedrooms were right across from each other, if Duan Xingchi hadn’t closed his door and happened to see him naked… that would be pretty perverted.

Still, the young master looked cold on the outside, but surely he wouldn’t “ignore someone in need.”

“Xiao Chi?”

Luo Jin cleared his throat, turned off the water, and called out.

Duan Xingchi was on a video call with his friend Jiang Yiming. Hearing Luo Jin’s voice, he said to Jiang, “Hold on a sec.”

He walked to the bathroom door. “What’s up?”

“In my room’s bathroom, there’s a towel and some underwear in the cabinet. Could you grab them for me? I forgot there aren’t any down here.”

“Sure.” Duan Xingchi agreed easily, going upstairs while still on the video call.

Jiang Yiming, hearing Luo Jin’s voice through the call, asked, “How is he?”

“In what way?”

“I mean his personality, character — what else?”

Duan Xingchi chuckled. “He’s a good guy.” Probably good in other ways too.

“That’s good. But seriously, you two living together like this every day — you’re not catching feelings for him, are you, Duan ge?”

Duan Xingchi took out Luo Jin’s towel and underwear — even choosing a new, unopened set so Luo Jin wouldn’t feel awkward.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Yiming sensed something was off. Back in Country Y, there had been plenty of people pursuing Duan Xingchi — rich young heirs like them, and even strikingly handsome models. But whenever he asked if Duan Xingchi liked any of them, Duan would always give a flat “no.” Never an uncertain “I don’t know.”

“No way, Duan ge…”

“Alright, I’m hanging up. I’m giving him his stuff.” Knowing Jiang would never stop gossiping, Duan Xingchi ended the call decisively.

He knocked on the bathroom door planning to just leave them at the door — but the door suddenly opened.

Duan Xingchi looked over, startled for a moment by the sense of intrusion. Thankfully, the bathroom had a separate dry and wet area, and a glass wall fogged with steam between them. He couldn’t actually see anything clearly.

Since Duan Xingchi couldn’t see him, Luo Jin couldn’t see Duan Xingchi either — which made the young master bold enough to glance a few times more. The mist blurred Luo Jin’s silhouette, revealing just enough shape to stir one’s imagination.

Duan Xingchi narrowed his eyes slightly. Luo Jin noticed he wasn’t leaving and asked uncertainly, “Something else, Xiao Chi?”

“No, I’ve left them here.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Duan Xingchi backed out and closed the door behind him.

The click of the doorknob echoed softly. Only then did Luo Jin realize he’d been holding his breath the whole time. When Duan Xingchi finally left, he relaxed.

He didn’t even know why he was so nervous. They were both men — seeing each other shouldn’t be a big deal. If it were Lu Zhiyan or Pei Xinan, he might’ve even dragged them in to shower together.

Maybe he just wasn’t that familiar with the young master yet.

Closing his eyes, Luo Jin stood under the shower as the warm water poured over him, washing away the lather.

After drying off, he stood before the mirror, studying his own body.

He’d always thought he’d trained himself well — lean muscles, just the right definition. He looked good in clothes and even better out of them. But after seeing Duan Xingchi earlier — a young man eight or nine years his junior, whom he still thought of as a “kid” — Luo Jin had to admit the young master’s body was better than his.

Was it youth? Better physical adaptability? Or did he have some special training routine?

When he went upstairs, Duan Xingchi’s door was open. He was leaning against the bed, doing something on his phone.

Luo Jin walked over and leaned against the doorframe. Duan Xingchi had already noticed him, but Luo Jin still knocked politely.

Duan Xingchi put down his phone and looked at him. Perhaps to avoid getting his clothes wet from his still-damp hair, Luo Jin had draped his pajamas over his arm, leaving his upper body bare. The skin exposed to the air was a healthy, even wheat color. In G City—a typical southern city—he somehow didn’t have any tan lines from wearing a tank top.

Slightly raised pectorals, clearly defined six-pack abs, and further down—the prominent hip bones and the white bath towel wrapped around his waist.

It looked like it could fall off at any moment.

Luo Jin had intended to speak, but the young master didn’t bother to hide the way his eyes swept him from head to toe. Under that kind of gaze, Luo Jin became slightly flustered.

Duan Xingchi, noticing that Luo Jin seemed a little unsettled by his stare, pulled back his gaze. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Luo Jin waved his hand, but perhaps his movement was too big—the towel slipped and nearly fell. He quickly grabbed it and tied it into a tighter knot.

“Well—”

“I actually just wanted to ask,” Duan Xingchi said calmly, “how do you usually work out to keep your body like that?”

His eyes scanned Luo Jin again, his tone casual. “You’ve got a great physique.”

“Ah?”

The sudden compliment caught Luo Jin completely off guard.

Duan Xingchi repeated, “You’ve got a great physique.”

The unspoken meaning: there’s no need to train more—it’s already very good.

Looking at Duan Xingchi’s suddenly closer face, Luo Jin straightened up. The kid was tall, with shoulders a bit broader than his, and standing this close, the pressure was palpable. “Thanks,” Luo Jin said.

“You’re welcome.”

Duan Xingchi knew Luo Jin felt a bit self-conscious about their height difference, so he bent his knees and leaned against the doorframe, making their eyes level.

He stared at him again—an all-too-familiar gaze. Maybe it was because Duan Xingchi was just too handsome, but even though they were both men, Luo Jin couldn’t help blushing a little.

He pointed behind him with his thumb. “Then, I’ll head back.”

Duan Xingchi nodded. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Once Luo Jin closed his bedroom door, Duan Xingchi finally looked away.

It wasn’t Luo Jin’s imagination—Duan Xingchi really did like watching him. In his mind, this behavior felt like a branch that had grown beyond the polite, safe distance between them—a deliberate crossing of boundaries he was fully aware of.

He hid the unexpected feelings that had sprouted the first time they met under a mask of indifference, using that detachment as camouflage while secretly indulging in Luo Jin’s nervousness, fluster, and confusion.

It gave him a kind of wicked satisfaction.