DCTMOAS Chapter 16

During the official National Day holiday, everywhere was packed with people. But this gym wasn’t too crowded, thanks to its member-only admission policy.

Chu Cheng changed in the locker room and headed to the swimming area during a quiet early afternoon slot. Distracted while packing earlier, he’d forgotten to bring his goggles, so now he could only rely on instinct, keeping his eyes closed to navigate.

It was already mid-autumn, and the weather had turned chilly. The first touch of water felt cold, but Chu Cheng dived beneath the blue surface and picked up speed, trying to warm himself with motion.

Soon, he’d completed two laps in the lane. As he surfaced and reached out to press the reset button embedded in the poolside wall, he was met with an unexpected sensation.

Instead of the springy button he anticipated, his palm landed on something cool, bony, and surprisingly firm.

“Whoa—!” Startled, Chu Cheng frantically kicked off the pool wall and swam backward, wiping the dripping water from his face and opening his eyes.

Sure enough, someone was standing at the pool’s edge—and it was a familiar face.

Yu Siting stood tall above him in nothing but black swim trunks. What Chu Cheng had accidentally touched must’ve been the top of his bare foot.

Still shaken by the sudden scare (and the splash of water he’d inhaled), Chu Cheng didn’t even care who it was—his fight-or-flight reflex kicked in and he blurted, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Yu Siting paused at the insult but managed to keep his cool, calmly responding, “Let’s be clear—you’re the one who suddenly shot up out of the water and scared me. And you’re in the wrong lane.”

His sharply defined features, strong and masculine, exuded a powerful physical presence. Especially his eyes—intense and commanding, needing no extra expression to make you feel the pressure.

Chu Cheng was stunned for a moment. As the fright slowly faded, he instinctively turned to look at the lane markers by the pool. Sure enough, he had entered the wrong lane from the very beginning.

Now things were getting a little awkward.

After a few seconds of silence, it was Yu Siting who broke the ice: “Calmed down? Mind moving aside?”

With no other choice, Chu Cheng quietly dove under the lane divider to the adjacent lane. Seeing that his momentum had faded, Yu Siting didn’t press the issue. He simply did a few warm-up exercises and then jumped into the pool.

Chu Cheng’s stamina wasn’t great to begin with, and after being scared earlier, he had lost half his strength. He soon grew tired and climbed out of the pool. But he didn’t leave. Instead, he sat down nearby to rest.

He figured he’d wait for Yu Siting to come up and offer him a bottle of water as an apology. That way the guy—who held grudges like no one else—wouldn’t use this as fuel for another future attack.

That was Chu Cheng’s plan, but no matter how long he waited, Yu Siting showed no signs of leaving the water. Sitting there doing nothing felt a bit too intentional, so he decided to go to the service counter and ordered a cup of instant noodles, settling into a wicker chair to eat.

Last time he swam with Yu Siting, Chu Cheng had been too focused on keeping up to really observe him. This time, he had the chance—or rather, the pleasure.

Because Yu Siting’s freestyle stroke was beautiful. To anyone watching from the edge of the pool, it was a display of strength and grace.

His body was perfectly aligned with the water, parallel to the bottom of the pool. Every arm rotation and kick was smooth and powerful, full of tension. When he flipped at the end of the lane, the underwater turn was agile and strong, showing off the taut, sexy line of his shark-like waist without reservation.

His physique was striking—muscular yet lean, with ideal proportions that anyone would envy.

Chu Cheng looked down at his own limbs and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Sure enough, his own pale, slender frame had no persuasive power in comparison.

When he finished this quiet comparison and looked back up, the pool seemed empty.

Huh? He’d been waiting all this time—did the guy just leave without a word?

Chu Cheng quickly slurped the noodles and got up to look for him.

As he turned around, he saw Yu Siting stepping out of the shower room in a bathrobe, casually pulling out half of a white belt from behind to secure the robe at his chest as he walked. Even with damp hair and a loosely tied robe, he radiated a cool, ascetic aura.

Cough—Chu Cheng choked, overwhelmed by both the sudden visual impact and a mouthful of instant noodles.

Yu Siting walked over unhurriedly. “Why are you eating so fast? I’m not hungry.”

The implication: Relax, I’m not about to steal your food.

Chu Cheng quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe himself and awkwardly changed the subject: “Did you come alone today? I didn’t see Lu Yan.”

Yu Siting sat down beside him and replied nonchalantly, “You think of him as my son too?”

Chu Cheng was caught off guard. “Huh?”

Yu Siting sighed, “He has his own family. He went back to Beijing for the holidays.”

Chu Cheng finally smiled. “Oh~ So he’s your sister’s kid?”

Yu Siting nodded. “Yeah. His parents are usually too busy, so I’ve been taking care of him.”

Once they started chatting, Chu Cheng completely forgot about apologizing. It was clear now that Yu Siting didn’t take that little incident to heart at all.

“Aren’t you from Beijing too? Why didn’t you go home during the break?” Yu Siting leaned back in the rattan chair, asking casually.

Chu Cheng paused for a second. “How do you know I’m from Beijing?”

They had only met once in the capital, and it was during graduation season. At most, one would assume Chu Cheng just studied in Beijing.

There was a brief flicker of something in Yu Siting’s eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He answered, “I heard Zhou Jin mention it once. He said he had a few meals at your place during college. You two were alumni at the Normal University, right?”

Did Senior Zhou just casually sell me out like that?

Chu Cheng was suspicious but didn’t show it. He probed further, “Did he say anything else?”

“That’s all. Just something he mentioned in passing.” Yu Siting didn’t seem to care much and followed up, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Seeing that Chu Cheng looked confused, he rephrased it more directly: “With your qualifications, you could easily have stayed in Beijing to work in the same field. There’s really no need to come all the way to Tingzhou.”

“Oh, that…” Ever since he started working, Chu Cheng had gotten used to being asked this question. “Well, I guess you could say this fulfills half of my ideal life. I’m not too ambitious—don’t like big cities, the high pressure, or all the social games. Plus, I don’t want to be too influenced by my family.”

“Tingzhou is great. It may be a second-tier city, but the environment and climate are excellent, and the economy’s not bad either. It has everything I want. Most importantly, it’s close to Beijing. Even if I don’t want to live at home, my parents are getting older, and I can’t go too far.”

Yu Siting listened quietly and then said, “Hmm, got it. So your whole life plan is to water the wildflowers and weeds of the motherland in some remote place, then retire and live in the mountains nearby. And now you’ve only completed half of it, right?”

He said it with a straight face, which made Chu Cheng laugh. “Exactly. Though it’s even more laid-back than that.”

“And… you fought with your family over this?” Yu Siting suddenly added.

“No, no. The reason I didn’t go back this break is just because they happen to be away. The old man at home got invited somewhere… tsk, anyway, he’s pretty busy.”

Chu Cheng realized Yu Siting misunderstood and quickly clarified—but almost slipped up himself. He swiftly changed the subject. “But really, staying here is kinda boring. I might as well go home, see some friends, and sleep in my own bed.”

Yu Siting thought for a moment and didn’t press further. Instead, he asked, “I heard from Lu Yan that you got a new bike?”

Chu Cheng let out a silent sigh of relief. “Yeah, my uncle gave it to me.”

“I saw it. Your uncle has great taste,” Yu Siting continued. “I’m planning a ride to Maple Valley in a few days. If you’re bored, wanna come along?”

…Huh?

The sudden yet not at all awkward invitation really caught Chu Cheng off guard.

Because road bikes aren’t exactly suitable for commuting, his bike had only seen daylight the day he first got it—he rode it home and then never took it out again. Ever since moving to Tingzhou, work had kept him too busy, and he hadn’t had the chance to explore any of the nearby scenic spots.

Of course, Chu Cheng wanted to go.

But what if he slowed them down on the way? Knowing Yu Siting’s personality, would he just leave him behind if he got impatient?

“Just the two of us?” Chu Cheng asked cautiously.

Yu Siting tilted his head, his eyes showing a hint of confusion. “Do you have other friends who want to come too?”

Chu Cheng: “…”

If I had other friends, I probably wouldn’t be going on a trip with just the two of us.

Chu Cheng thought about it for a moment before asking again, “I’ve never heard of the place you mentioned—is it far?”

Yu Siting replied, “If we leave early, we can go and come back in a day.”

If that’s the case, even if he did get left behind, he should be able to find his way back on his own.

Chu Cheng nodded. “Alright, I’ll go.”

“Okay. I’ll call you with the exact time.” After saying that, Yu Siting stood up, pulled open his bathrobe, and turned his tall, confident back to him. As he stretched his arms, he added, “You go ahead and keep eating. I’m going to swim a few more laps.”

Chu Cheng was speechless. No wonder he still had such a great body even after pulling all-nighters with a bunch of high schoolers—what a stamina monster.

Wait… hold on?

Did he actually come ashore just now because he saw me lingering around like I had something to say?

The math teacher was indeed a man of his word when it came to time. Exactly two days later, Yu Siting finally sent a message to Chu Cheng.

[Can you head out tomorrow morning? I’ll come pick you up.]

[Sure.]

The message came in just as Chu Cheng was packing his cycling gear into his backpack, so he added another question.

[Do I need to prepare anything?]

[Yu Siting: Just bring yourself and your bike.]

Just a few short words, but no matter how many times Chu Cheng read them, it gave him the odd feeling of negotiating with a kidnapper.

Something like, “Come alone. Bring the money.”

He waited two more minutes, just to make sure there wouldn’t be a follow-up message saying “No cops,” before replying with a simple “Okay” and went back to packing his backpack.

The next day, before sunrise, Chu Cheng was woken by his alarm. Once he had mostly finished getting ready, he received a WeChat notification.

[Yu Siting: I’m downstairs.]

[Okay, coming.]

Chu Cheng quickly typed out a short reply, ran his fingers through his mostly air-dried hair in front of the mirror, slung his sports backpack over his shoulder, and wheeled his bike out the door.

It was still some time before sunrise. The night sky was draped in thin fog, faint stars glimmering in the haze. The breeze carried a slight chill, cool against his skin.

Chu Cheng tightened his jacket as he walked out of the apartment complex. Bathed in the soft glow of the streetlamp at the gate, he saw Yu Siting standing there in a dark-colored tracksuit. Behind him was a rugged off-road vehicle Chu Cheng hadn’t seen before.

He had to admit—this man had definitely toned down his true personality to maintain a professional image at school.

“Morning,” Yu Siting straightened up when he saw Chu Cheng approaching with his bike. He opened the trunk of the SUV, revealing a road bike already inside.

“It really is early,” Chu Cheng said while stifling a yawn. He glanced at the remaining space in the trunk, then at his own bike. “There’s no room left. I guess we’ll have to take the wheels off?”

Yu Siting nodded, “Give it to me.”

As soon as he spoke, he squatted down and, with practiced fingers, found the quick-release lever. Without needing any tools, he swiftly disassembled the bike to a size that could fit perfectly into the trunk.

Chu Cheng helped out from the side and, as he leaned in to place his bike inside, he noticed up close that Yu Siting’s road bike was almost identical to his own.

No wonder Lu Yan had recognized it at a glance back then.

Surprised, Chu Cheng asked, “Your bike…”

“I told you—your uncle has good taste,” Yu Siting said with a faint smile, closing the trunk. “Get in.”

“So that time, you were indirectly praising yourself, huh?” Chu Cheng chuckled, walking around the car to get into the passenger seat.

Yu Siting didn’t respond to that quip. He started the engine and turned on the heater, raising the temperature a little. “It’s a long ride. If you’re sleepy, feel free to catch some more rest.”

That had been Chu Cheng’s plan anyway. He nodded, buckled his seatbelt, and draped his jacket over himself like a blanket.

Yu Siting’s car, like all the ones he owned, was spotless. The seatbacks were soft and comfortable. There wasn’t any noticeable air freshener, but the interior held a faint, calming scent of pine needles.

Already drowsy, Chu Cheng found the scent reassuring. Before long, his eyes closed and he drifted off.

Yu Siting drove for a while, and when he saw a small bun shop open early by the roadside, he was about to ask if Chu Cheng wanted breakfast. But when he turned his head, he found the other half-asleep, his face buried in his collar, handsome features relaxed and breathing steady.

This guy’s really trusting… He could be kidnapped and still sleep through it.

Yu Siting turned his eyes back to the road, steered the vehicle, and parked in front of the small shop.

About an hour later, Chu Cheng’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he slowly moved his numb arm.

From the driver’s seat came a voice: “Awake?”

“Mm,” Chu Cheng responded in a low tone, pulling his jacket tighter around himself, still groggy.

“Perfect timing. You’re just in time,” Yu Siting said, nodding toward the front windshield.

Still bleary-eyed, Chu Cheng followed his gaze and realized they were now driving down a straight, endless road. As he lifted his eyelids higher, he noticed what Yu Siting was referring to.

A sky full of dawn light.

Golden-orange hues pierced through the atmosphere, diffused by refraction, gently illuminating the sky and dyeing the soft, rolling clouds a warm blush.

Perhaps because of the low humidity, the colors weren’t blazingly vivid like a firestorm, but more like the soft tones of an oil painting—gentle, yet breathtakingly romantic.

“Oh—” Chu Cheng’s eyes widened slightly as he leaned forward to get a better look. Then he quickly fumbled around for his phone.

But instead of taking a picture to capture the rare and stunning sunrise, he swiftly opened the weather app.

There’s an old saying: Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Was it going to rain today?

Author’s note:

Big Bro: ? Damn. Classic straight guy move.

[You get a holiday trip, and Yu Siting is the one inviting you.]

Chu Cheng: Guess this is what they call a mixed blessing.

[You get a holiday trip—with Chu Cheng coming along.]

Yu Siting: Isn’t that just the cherry on top?