When they returned to the villa, the two grilled sausages were still warm.
Chu Yi gave one of the sausages to Uncle Wen.
Butler Wen took the sausage, looking puzzled. “Did you get this from the hotel at the social event?”
“No,” Chu Yi shook his head. “I bought it at the movie theater. It’s so delicious!”
Noticing Shen Jin following behind, Butler Wen asked, “You went to see a movie?”
Chu Yi nodded. “Mm-hmm. Shen Jin took me to see a movie. I thought the sausages at the theater were really good, so I wanted you to try one too. It’s still warm—sausages taste best when they’re hot.”
Butler Wen’s heart softened at Chu Yi’s thoughtfulness. He couldn’t help but wonder how Chu Yi, who was supposed to be at the social event, ended up watching a movie with Shen Jin.
The old man and the young man munched on their sausages together.
“The sausage tastes pretty good,” Butler Wen commented.
Chu Yi puffed up with pride. “Right?”
The sausage was indeed delicious; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to distract Chu Yi.
Just watching a movie had made Chu Yi cry so bitterly. Shen Jin couldn’t imagine how much more fiercely he would weep if they watched a particularly sentimental film or TV series.
Watching Chu Yi happily munching on a grilled sausage, Shen Jin noticed his eyes were still a bit swollen, something he hadn’t noticed before.
After crying, Chu Yi’s eyes would always be slightly red and puffy, and they’d feel uncomfortable to some extent.
But Chu Yi didn’t pay it much mind. He returned to his room, turned on his computer, and was about to go online when he heard a knock at the door.
When he opened the door, Shen Jin frowned at the sight of the open laptop.
*He’s already watched a movie for over two hours, cried his eyes out, and now he’s back on the computer? How can his eyes possibly feel comfortable?*
Seeing the item in Shen Jin’s hand, Chu Yi asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“An eye mask,” Shen Jin replied. “For soothing your eyes. They’re swollen.”
Chu Yi waved it off. “It’s fine, it’ll go down soon.” His eyes always got red and puffy after crying—he was used to it.
*What can I do? My tear ducts are just too sensitive.*
Seeing Chu Yi’s nonchalant and accustomed attitude, Shen Jin’s brow furrowed slightly. “You cried for so long. Your eyes must be uncomfortable. This mask will help soothe them. Don’t use the computer for now.”
Chu Yi was about to protest that he was fine, but seeing Shen Jin already tearing open the packaging and insisting he wear it, he fell silent and accepted the mask.
At first, Chu Yi thought it was just a regular eye mask, but he realized it was different the moment he put it on.
After wearing it for a while, he felt a gentle, cooling sensation around his eyes—refreshing and soothing, not at all irritating. It was as if his delicate, sensitive eyeballs were being bathed in a clear spring, instantly relieving the previous swollen, gritty feeling.
Moreover, Chu Yi detected a faint, pleasant herbal aroma, which was incredibly calming.
With the eye mask on, he couldn’t open his eyes or see anything. Yet Shen Jin’s presence in the room was so palpable that Chu Yi felt compelled to break the silence.
“How long do I need to wear this?” Chu Yi asked.
“Half an hour,” Shen Jin replied.
Chu Yi hummed in acknowledgment. Without a clock, it was hard to gauge how long half an hour would feel. Fortunately, he had his phone.
Just as he reached to remove the mask and grab his phone, Shen Jin pressed his hand down. “It’s best not to take it off midway. The effect will be significantly reduced.”
Chu Yi immediately stopped trying to remove the mask. His right hand began groping around the bed—he remembered leaving his phone here earlier.
Chu Yi’s fingers were long and slender, their tips rosy pink, and his wrists delicate. He had no idea how alluring he looked as he groped around on the bed.
Shen Jin calmly retrieved the phone from where it lay, moving it away from Chu Yi. Then he extended his own hand. Just as his fingers hovered an inch away, Chu Yi’s hand brushed past, searching elsewhere.
Shen Jin raised an eyebrow and reached out again.
No matter how he groped, Chu Yi couldn’t find the phone. He was puzzled. He distinctly remembered leaving it right here before putting on the eye mask. Could he be mistaken?
Chu Yi reached forward again, this time grasping a large hand. The moment he touched it, the hand gently closed around his.
Despite the warmth of the room, Chu Yi’s hand was still a little cold.
Shen Jin wore a smug smile, though his voice remained calm. “What are you looking for?”
Startled by the sudden contact with Shen Jin’s hand, Chu Yi hesitated, unsure whether to pull away or keep holding on. If he let go abruptly, Shen Jin might think he was repulsed. So he remained still. “I’m looking for my phone.”
Shen Jin frowned. “You want to use your phone while wearing an eye mask?”
Chu Yi explained, “You said I need to keep the compress on for half an hour. I wanted to set a timer.”
“No need to set a timer,” Shen Jin said. “I’ll tell you when it’s time.”
It was a good thing Chu Yi was wearing the eye mask, or he would have widened his eyes in surprise. This meant Shen Jin would stay with him for half an hour.
Lately, Shen Jin had been acting a bit strange, but he was also being incredibly kind to Chu Yi. Chu Yi felt indignant on Shen Jin’s behalf. Why did people think Shen Jin was cold-blooded, heartless, and a psychopath? It was completely wrong. He was clearly a very, very good person who had never looked down on Chu Yi.
Lying on the bed with the eye mask felt incredibly soothing, like invisible hands were gently massaging his eyes. Chu Yi relaxed completely and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
Shen Jin had expected Chu Yi to want to talk. After waiting for a while and noticing Chu Yi’s complete stillness, he stared at Chu Yi’s face for a moment and concluded that he had fallen asleep.
Shen Jin smiled. This meant Chu Yi was no longer afraid of him.
He grabbed the nearby blanket and draped it over Chu Yi.
When the blanket reached Chu Yi’s chest, Shen Jin paused, his gaze lingering on Chu Yi’s face.
The eye mask covered nearly half of Shen Jin’s face, with a few stray strands of hair resting lightly against it.
Beneath his delicate, handsome nose lay lips as soft and pink as peach blossoms.
After returning, Chu Yi changed into looser clothes and lay down on the bed. His collar had slipped open slightly, revealing a sliver of his snow-white collarbone.
His pale neck and the prominent Adam’s apple were fully exposed to Shen Jin’s gaze.
Shen Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Chu Yi was sleeping soundly, the eye mask obscuring his vision and leaving him completely unaware.
Shen Jin felt his heart racing faster and faster.
The two were now so close that their noses nearly touched. Shen Jin could smell the herbal scent of the eye mask, so close that a slight tilt of his head would bring his lips to Chu Yi’s.
The sleeping Chu Yi remained oblivious to Shen Jin’s burning gaze, a man’s raw, undisguised look with a spark in his eyes that could ignite into a raging fire with the slightest provocation.
But Shen Jin knew he couldn’t act. Chu Yi was timid and would be frightened, his eyes turning red with tears.
Finally, Shen Jin carefully brushed aside Chu Yi’s hair and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, holding it there for several seconds.
After tucking Chu Yi in, Shen Jin left the room.
Shen Jin had always been remarkably self-disciplined. He buttoned his shirts meticulously to the top, showed no interest in physical beauty, and earned the deep admiration of Gu Jin and their peers. While others their age reveled in leisure, Shen Jin abstained from such indulgences, never allowing himself to get drunk.
In some respects, Shen Jin’s self-control bordered on the obsessive.
Returning to his own room, Shen Jin felt a sudden heat rising within him. At first, he dismissed it, assuming it would subside on its own. Yet Chu Yi’s face kept surfacing in his mind, particularly those alluring lips.
He recalled the sensation of kissing Chu Yi’s smooth, delicate forehead—a lingering warmth that lingered on his lips, refusing to fade. He remembered Chu Yi’s tear-reddened eyes, their crimson edges blurring like ink bleeding into paper.
The more Shen Jin tried to suppress these thoughts, the more his mind defied his commands. Determined to conceal his loss of control, he frowned, rose, and retreated to the bathroom.
Warm water cascaded over Shen Jin’s head, flowing down his entire body.
Shen Jin possessed an exceptionally well-built physique, with broad shoulders and a muscular back that exuded both power and grace. His perfectly defined eight-pack abs and V-shaped lower abdomen were a testament to his dedication.
He also possessed an extraordinary physical endowment that set him apart from ordinary men.
Despite the frigid weather outside, the bathroom’s temperature seemed to keep rising, yet Shen Jin still felt unbearably hot.
With his eyes half-closed, he quickened his pace, but he couldn’t finish. Frustration began to gnaw at him.
Closing his eyes, he pictured Chu Yi lying quietly on the bed, blindfolded. Shen Jin redoubled his efforts.
Amidst heavy, ragged breaths, the rushing water washed away the evidence from his hands and body.
Shen Jin exhaled deeply.
Chu Yi slept for an hour before waking up.
As he emerged from the room, he ran into Shen Jin, who had just finished showering and changed clothes.
“Didn’t you say you’d wake me?” Chu Yi asked, surprised. How had he slept so soundly that he didn’t notice Shen Jin leaving? Glancing at the time, he realized he’d been asleep for a full hour.
Shen Jin stepped forward and looked down at him. “Do your eyes feel any better?”
Chu Yi smiled. “Mm, much better. This eye mask really works.”
In the past, even after washing his face after crying, his eyes would still feel uncomfortable. But he was so used to it that he never thought much about it, never paid it any attention.
No one had ever cared whether his eyes hurt or felt uncomfortable after crying. No one had ever bought him treats to stop him from crying, except Shen Jin.
After using the eye mask Shen Jin had given him, the lingering discomfort from crying vanished completely. Chu Yi felt his vision was even clearer than before.
Shen Jin looked down at Chu Yi. His eyes were no longer swollen, and the redness had faded, leaving only a faint blush at the corners.
“Let’s go downstairs for dinner,” Shen Jin said.
“Okay,” Chu Yi replied.
As they descended the stairs, Chu Yi noticed that Shen Jin had taken a shower.
“You showered so early today,” Chu Yi remarked. “Did you work out earlier?”
