Northern European dining culture followed the ‘separate servings’ style—every dish was divided into four portions and served one after another.
Lin Wangye had eaten some crayfish in the afternoon and had already had a fair share of desserts, so he wasn’t too hungry for the main meal. Eventually, he ended up taking just a couple of bites of each dish before passing the rest to Shi Yuan and Lin Shen to avoid waste.
By the end, every drinking game turned into the endless ‘Who’s whose dad?’ battle, and Lin Wangye and Lin Shen, without even realizing it, were both a little drunk.
Shi Yuan, on the other hand, hadn’t drunk much at all, and Lu Chengxuan hadn’t touched a drop.
Full and satisfied, Lu Chengxuan drove Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan back to the Shenlin Esports Hotel.
Lin Wangye, drunk on alcohol, clung stubbornly to the seatbelt and refused to get out. Seizing the moment, he swore to Lu Chengxuan with full confidence: “Brother Lu, I’ll help you make tons of money! Within three years, we’ll open thirty branches in Ningchang, and in five years, Shenlin Esports Hotel will go global!”
Lin Shen, sitting in the front passenger seat, immediately frowned and turned around to argue.
“What do you mean ‘help him make money’? Any money you make first belongs to me! Got that, kid?”
“Got it!” Lin Wangye saluted him like a Young Pioneer with all seriousness. “First, I’ll get you a big house!”
Lin Shen pressed his index and middle fingers together near his temple, raising an eyebrow.
“Reliable!”
Lin Wangye, full of excitement, felt like there was still so much he wanted to say. He lunged toward the gap between the driver and passenger seats, trying to climb forward—but halfway there, Shi Yuan, both amused and exasperated, grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back.
“Alright, no more fooling around, behave,” he said, then looked up at Lu Chengxuan. “Thanks for bringing us back.”
Lu Chengxuan nodded and handed him a card.
“Keep this. If you need anything over at Sigwell, you can contact him.”
Shi Yuan took it and saw an English name on the card, followed by a string of numbers that clearly matched a phone number over there. He tucked the card away and said sincerely, “Thanks.”
“Mm. Take Xiao Lin back and let him rest,” Lu Chengxuan said.
Shi Yuan nodded and then looked at Lin Shen. “Let’s go.”
Seeing the backseat empty, Lin Shen immediately reclined his seat, stretched out lazily, and waved a hand. “Bye.”
After the goodbye, Shi Yuan helped Lin Wangye out of the car.
Lin Wangye wasn’t actually drunk to the point of losing control—he was fully aware of what he was doing—but his mind was a little hazy.
Even though he could walk perfectly fine, he pretended he couldn’t. The moment his feet touched the ground, he clung to Shi Yuan and shouted for him to carry him.
Drunk or not, Shi Yuan didn’t hesitate for a second. He bent down and lifted Lin Wangye steadily, holding him securely.
Lin Wangye waved at the slowly disappearing rearview mirror, hooked his arms around Shi Yuan’s neck, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear with a breathy voice: “Let’s go.”
The heat of summer had fully arrived, and his thin clothes did nothing to block the warmth pressing against him.
Even the breath at his ear felt hotter than usual.
Lin Wangye’s innocent-looking exterior was deceptively misleading. Shi Yuan knew he was doing it on purpose as he slowly walked into the building, carrying him along.
Once they were alone in the elevator, Lin Wangye immediately turned his head and bit down on Shi Yuan’s earlobe, swirling his tongue skillfully around it.
Feeling the sudden stiffening of the body pressed against him, Lin Wangye’s lips curved into a victorious smile. He leaned against Shi Yuan’s shoulder, running his fingertips lightly along his neck.
Shi Yuan, however, showed no reaction at all. When they stepped out of the elevator, he greeted the front desk as if nothing had happened.
The moment he swiped the card to open the door, he clearly heard two words whispered in his ear.
The first was a verb; the subject came after.
One of the most direct invitations in the world.
The instant they stepped inside, Lin Wangye suddenly felt the hands holding him release. The sudden sense of weightlessness made him grab onto the floor to steady himself.
Before he could even steady himself, he was yanked forward, the room spinning before his back slammed against the door, pressed down, and kissed—‘Bang!’ The door shut loudly behind them.
Almost instantly, Lin Wangye wrapped his arms around the person in front of him, using the door as leverage to lift his legs and hook them around Shi Yuan’s waist. As he responded eagerly, he pressed his body against him boldly and without restraint.
Their breathing echoed in the room, setting their ears on fire.
The lingering, intimate tension magnified infinitely within the enclosed space.
Soon, Lin Wangye was lifted and laid down onto the soft mattress. He kicked off his shoes, wrapping his limbs tightly around Shi Yuan, chasing every kiss as if afraid he would slip away. His unrestrained breaths fueled the other’s already burning desire.
No one could resist a lover teasing them so desperately.
Pushed to the edge, Shi Yuan finally surrendered, burning away the last traces of reason.
Lin Wangye, satisfied, welcomed the delicate, constant kisses, feeling soft touches trail down from lips to jaw.
The wild, intense assault sent shivers through every nerve in his body.
His soft, fragmented moans didn’t embarrass the boy at all. Instead, they seemed to be amplified, deliberately encouraging him to go further.
But just when he thought tonight he could finally give his body and soul completely, the impatient movements of the person on top abruptly stopped.
Lin Wangye, disheveled and lying on the bed, blinked in a daze. He saw Shi Yuan, still panting, fix his gaze on the left side of his shoulder and collarbone—and his vision darkened as panic set in.
Even so, he adjusted the slipped neckline from left to right, hooked his arms around Shi Yuan’s neck, and pressed close, whispering between breaths, “Keep going… don’t stop.”
Shi Yuan closed his eyes, returning the kiss wholeheartedly—but not in the way Lin Wangye had hoped. Instead, one hand held the back of his head while the other explored elsewhere.
“No, not there… mm…”
Lin Wangye’s stubborn resistance felt weak against the skilled touch holding his soft spot. Waves of pleasure rolled over him, each one stronger than the last, relentlessly testing the limits of his body until he finally gave in.
When the bright light finally faded, Lin Wangye felt utterly defeated. He raised a hand to wipe away the tears streaming from his eyes and shot a pitiful look at the person beside him. “You’re about to go abroad, and you won’t even let me have one bite… you’re clearly bullying me…”
Shi Yuan lowered his head, wiping his hands with a wet wipe, his expression somehow even more innocent than Lin Wangye’s.
“Who’s the one missing out here? How is that any different from blaming me?”
During their earlier tussle, his glasses had gone missing somewhere. Without his only barrier, Shi Yuan’s face now played its full role—his deep, penetrating eyes stared at Lin Wangye without any shield, deliberately adding a touch of helplessness and grievance.
Lin Wangye, already unable to close his legs properly, seriously wondered if he hadn’t been in the ‘refractory period,’ he might have just gone ahead and forced himself on him.
He touched the raised scar near his collarbone, then lifted his hand to gaze at the scar in his palm, sighing in despair.
“I’m really better now.”
“The doctor decides that, not you.”
Shi Yuan tossed the wet wipe into the trash and gave him a gentle smile, as if all the previous chaos and madness had never happened.
“Suit yourself,”
Lin Wangye pouted, muttering softly under his breath.
“It’s not like I’m the only one in a hurry anyway.”
“I’m not that impatient. I can wait until you’re a little older.” Shi Yuan bent down to ruffle his hair, then turned toward the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Don’t you… need my help?”
Lin Wangye called after him, the last words making him blush slightly.
Shi Yuan looked back at him, squinting his eyes a little, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
“Then… do you want to join me?”
Lin Wangye shot upright and jumped off the bed barefoot. “Yes!”
*
A few days later.
Ningchang International Airport, terminal building.
The flight to Sigwell was scheduled for 3 p.m. International tickets were expensive and hard to change, so to avoid any mishaps along the way, Shi Yuan arrived at the airport early to wait.
Strangely, Lin Wangye didn’t come along. When he heard the departure time, he complained that it was too early and that he needed more sleep before coming to see them off. Shi Yuan found it unusual but secretly hoped Lin Wangye would get some extra rest.
In the end, only Xu Suihe and Lin Shen arrived to see them off—and Shi Yuan wasn’t even surprised.
Fighting leukemia was a long, drawn-out battle. Xu Suihe had already completed two rounds of treatment and was steadily recovering, currently not hospitalized.
Confirming it was just the two of them, Shi Yuan composed himself and approached Lin Shen. “Why did you bring Suihe along too?”
“Lin Wangye asked me to bring her. He said she also wanted to see her brother one more time.” Lin Shen held Suihe’s hand and walked up to him, speaking in a gentle, coaxing tone. “Alright, say a proper goodbye to your brother.”
Xu Suihe wore a mask and a delicate, pale pink tulle dress. Shi Yuan immediately recognized it as the one Lin Wangye had painstakingly picked out for her. He released his suitcase, crouched down, and spoke to her.
“I’m going now. You need to behave and follow the doctor’s treatment, listen to Grandpa and Grandma, and also Xiao Lin.”
Xu Suihe was still very young. Because of her family situation and health, she hadn’t had many friends growing up. Her mother had passed away early, and she had never really experienced saying goodbye.
So she didn’t seem especially upset, and asked softly, “Is my brother going to be gone for a long time?”
Shi Yuan: “Just a little while.”
Suihe blinked her eyes. “How long?”
“Not too long.” Shi Yuan forced a smile, speaking gently. “I’ll be back before you grow up.”
Hearing that, the little girl nodded firmly.
“Then Suihe will grow up quickly.”
“Growing up a little slower is okay too.”
Shi Yuan smiled and patted her head. Finally, he held her hand properly, stood up, and looked at Lin Shen. “Lin Wangye isn’t coming?”
In fact, Shi Yuan had spent over ten days almost inseparable from Lin Wangye before today. It wasn’t until the day before yesterday that Lin Wangye left the hotel to go home and organize his things. They had even met yesterday.
Shi Yuan had already anticipated that Lin Wangye might not come to see him off. After all, Lin Wangye had deliberately avoided this topic for a long time.
“Yeah, Xiao Lin isn’t coming,” Lin Shen nodded helplessly. “He wanted to see you, but after hesitating for a long time, he called me. He said if he saw you, he wouldn’t be able to bear letting you go, he’d end up crying and regretting it.”
Shi Yuan hesitated. “Regretting?”
“Those were his exact words, passing them to you,” Lin Shen shrugged. After thinking for a moment, he added, “I guess he regrets letting you go abroad.”
Hearing this, Shi Yuan lowered his eyes and didn’t say anything.
Seeing this, Lin Shen raised a hand and patted his shoulder, comforting him. “It’s all set in motion already, don’t overthink it. Don’t worry about things back home—I’ll take good care of him. Nothing will happen again.”
Shi Yuan took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh.
“Thanks. You’ve already helped me a lot, but this one… I’ll have to trouble you with it.”
“We’re bros. Don’t worry about it.”
Lin Shen laughed broadly. Then, as if remembering something, he pulled a rectangular box from his pocket and handed it over. “Xiao Lin asked me to give this to you.”
The box, made of leather, had no wrapping. Shi Yuan opened it immediately and found a brand-new pair of glasses inside, finely made, with thin silver rims around the lenses.
Inside the box was also a folded note.
*
From now on, always shine brightly.
You are a pearl that has been covered in dust.
You are also a treasure belonging solely to the little puppy.
*
At that moment, Shi Yuan felt as if his heart had been struck by something sharp.
“He also asked me to pass along two more lines for you,” Lin Shen said.
Shi Yuan lifted his eyes. “What?”
Lin Shen took a deep breath, as if preparing himself mentally, and finally spoke.
“Once you’re settled over there, remember to send him a message.”
“Include a selfie wearing these glasses… and no clothes.”
*
Lin Shen: I don’t want to be part of your play.
Lin Wangye: Just remembering that I gave up my plan to go abroad for you makes me mad—consider this a little payback. Hang in there; it’ll be over soon.
TL: Starting today, new chapters will be released daily!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
