DCTMOAS Chapter 71

In early August, as the new school term at No.10 High School approached, Chu Cheng and Yu Siting returned from their blissful vacation.

The second day back in Tingzhou happened to be the Qixi Festival—Chinese Valentine’s Day. It was the couple’s first Valentine’s Day since confirming their relationship, and naturally, they were set on spending it together in sweet, romantic bliss.

From early morning, Teacher Chu personally made a heart-shaped breakfast. At noon, they exchanged gifts. In the afternoon, they went shopping and picked out outfits for each other. The entire day was like a honeymoon—intimately wrapped up in one another, barely spending a moment apart.

“I haven’t seen our precious boy all day,” Chu Cheng said as he walked leisurely through the shopping mall, holding a cup of orange C Americano.

Behind him, Yu Siting carried several shopping bags—all filled with stylish workwear in a professional tone, which he had helped Teacher Chu pick out. The goal? Keep certain someone from blending too well into the sea of handsome high school boys when the semester started.

“If he really lacks that much self-awareness, he’ll get kicked out eventually,” Yu Siting said flatly.

Chu Cheng chuckled, “But isn’t it a bit mean to just leave the kid behind all the time?”

Yu Siting, unable to tolerate that his date was thinking about someone else mid-date, reminded him: “Teacher Chu, you’re only five years older than him. Stop treating him like a child. When you were his age, you were already in your third year of university.”

“Are you seriously jealous of my nephew?” Chu Cheng tossed his empty cup into a nearby trash can, then spread his hands. “You’re only a few years older than me yourself, and you still treat me like a kid.”

“That’s different.” Yu Siting didn’t argue further.

As he looked up, he noticed they had arrived at Lu Yan’s favorite casualwear store. After a moment’s pause, he suddenly suggested, “Then how about we buy him a couple of new outfits as a peace offering?”

“Sure.” Chu Cheng agreed and walked inside to personally pick them out.

They’d come here so often that the sales assistant who greeted them already looked familiar.

The staff member welcomed them enthusiastically, just like always: “Welcome! We’re having a special Qixi promotion—basic menswear is 50% off. If you purchase a men’s item, you can receive a free matching—”

Before she could finish saying women’s item, she spotted Teacher Yu carrying the bags behind him and abruptly stopped herself.

Of course, she remembered this frequent customer duo clearly. In her memory, aside from a teenage boy who occasionally came with them, there was never anyone else. And certainly no one was wearing women’s clothing.

Chu Cheng didn’t mind at all. Smiling, he explained his request: “No need for a couple sets. I’d like to pick out two sets of light-colored summer casualwear for a high school boy. He’s about my size.”

“Of course, let me show you some options,” the sales assistant quickly regained her composure and led them deeper into the store to browse.

When Chu Cheng came out with the clothes he’d picked, Yu Siting was leaning casually against the bar, waiting for him.

The moment Yu saw the clothes in Chu Cheng’s hands, he didn’t comment right away. Instead, he turned to the store clerk at the counter and said, “Let’s check out. Please pack everything together.”

“You bought something too?” Chu Cheng handed the summer clothes to the assistant and stood by the register.

But he didn’t have to wait for an answer—because the clerk had already crouched behind the points redemption shelf and pulled out a brand-new, limited-edition gift item.

Chu Cheng stared in surprise at the oversized couple hoodie that looked all too familiar.

Well, damn. He’d just been sneakily shown what it really means to “come for the wine but get drunk on something else.” If he hadn’t chosen two extra outfits for Lu Yan, Yu Siting wouldn’t have even hit the 8,000 yuan spending threshold to redeem the hoodie.

“I was just wondering why you changed your mind so fast.” Chu Cheng leaned against Yu Siting’s shoulder and whispered, “Is this how all math teachers operate? Always three steps ahead?”

Yu Siting wasn’t ashamed at all—he even raised the corner of his mouth proudly and replied in the same hushed tone, “You language teachers should know this line: If you want to write about the wind, you can’t just write about the wind.”

Ah yes—so this was what it looked like when someone truly mastered subtlety, understatement, and poetic double entendre. If only the class homeroom students had this kind of literary intuition, their average language scores would’ve skyrocketed by now.

Chu Cheng shot him a meaningful glance, then quietly pinched his arm and mouthed, “Wear it at home.”

Yu Siting took the pain like a champ, unfazed, his arched eyebrows saying: Doesn’t matter—I bought it, and that makes me happy.

They walked out of the brand store just as it was getting close to dinnertime.

Yu Siting had already made a reservation at the rooftop Western restaurant—Chu Cheng’s favorite place. The view from up there let him dine while overlooking the glittering cityscape of Tingzhou, giving him a sense of rediscovering the city from a different angle.

While waiting for their food after ordering, a server came over holding a huge bouquet of roses. He leaned in slightly and asked, “Excuse me, may I ask which of you is Mr. Chu? These roses are from Mr. Yu.”

Chu Cheng blinked, momentarily stunned, before raising his hand to accept them.

Growing up surrounded by flourishing blooms at home, he had never really developed any special affection for flowers.

But roses… roses were different.

Especially vibrant red ones. This flower had a charm all its own—its fragrance delicate yet intoxicating, drifting through the air like the lingering breath of a passionate lover.

Chu Cheng admitted that he really liked them. Glancing around the restaurant, he laughed lightly, “Still, it does feel a bit weird for a man to receive flowers. All the other tables are men giving them to women.”

The server, completely unfazed, responded naturally, “Giving flowers is simply a way of expressing love. It has nothing to do with gender. These roses are beautiful. I wish you both a wonderful evening.”

The reception staff here dealt with all kinds of people every day. Thanks to their various training sessions, they were both professional and inclusive. Even when standing in front of a same-sex couple, they wouldn’t show any odd reactions. And while their well-wishes might’ve been part of a rehearsed script, they still sounded genuinely pleasant.

Chu Cheng toyed with a flower petal between his fingers and looked at the person sitting across the table. “Thank you, Mr. Yu. This might be the first bouquet of roses I’ve ever received in my life.”

“You think I’d believe that?” Yu Siting stared at his face—radiant under the soft, beautiful lighting.

Back in Beijing, while dining at a lounge with Xu Chuan, he’d heard more than a few stories (thanks to wine-loosened lips) about how “Young Master Chu” had admirers lined up throughout his college years. A professional heartbreaker like that? Surely he’d been gifted more than one rose.

“I meant the first one I’ve formally accepted.” Chu Cheng wasn’t fazed by the teasing—he kept smiling anyway.

They chatted while enjoying their meal, and not long after, the same waiter approached their table with yet another large bouquet of roses.

Yu Siting looked at the flowers on the table and reminded him, “They already delivered one.”

The waiter blinked in surprise and checked the card. “This is a separate one—ordered by Mr. Chu Cheng, for Mr. Yu.”

“You’re giving me flowers?” This time, it was Yu Siting who looked surprised.

Chu Cheng’s eyes curved into crescents. “Why not? I want to show my love too.”

Yu Siting quickly echoed back, “Then this is also the first bouquet of roses I’ve ever received—the kind you formally accept.”

“No wonder you’re the top homeroom teacher—you learn fast.” The two of them clinked their glasses together with soft cheers.

After dinner, they headed out for a walk to help digest and enjoy the romantic Qixi Festival atmosphere. The only odd part? Each of them was carrying a huge bouquet, which made them look a little ridiculous.

It was normal to give flowers on Valentine’s Day—but how often do couples exchange matching giant bouquets of roses on the same night?

They strolled down the pedestrian street, and Yu Siting naturally took the hand that Chu Cheng wasn’t using to hold the flowers, letting his warmth seep into the space between their fingers.

Couples were everywhere. Everyone was lost in their own sweet little world, too busy to notice anyone else.

But Chu Cheng still felt a bit uneasy. After all, this was Tingzhou. If they kept parading around like this and ran into a pair of his students who happened to be dating… that would be quite a situation.

Noticing his hesitation, Yu Siting asked, “Then what kind of activity does Mr. Chu want next?”

Chu Cheng stopped walking and stared into Yu Siting’s eyes, eyes shining brightly in the night. Then he grabbed his wrist and guided his hand into the pocket of his pants.

Yu Siting’s fingers brushed against a square-shaped, plastic-wrapped package—its edges thin and sharp, the texture cool and fluid to the touch.

He instantly knew what it was. Looking down at Chu Cheng, he asked nothing.

“Didn’t you ask earlier what I had in mind?” Chu Cheng murmured, cheeks tinged with a faint blush that was hard to notice in the night. “Well… I did a bit of studying. This activity—would you like to join me?”

“This activity… kinda requires two people, doesn’t it?” Yu Siting stared straight at him. “Did you bring anything else?”

Chu Cheng froze for a second and stammered, “Do I need… something else?”

“Seems like your studying wasn’t thorough.” A teasing smile played on Yu Siting’s lips. His voice dropped an octave, rough and low. “But no worries—I’ve got it.”

Honestly, it looked like they’d come up with this whole idea on a whim, but somehow, on this special holiday evening, they’d managed to book the most comfortable hotel room—and even had all the essentials ready.

Chu Cheng couldn’t tell if Yu Siting had planned this in advance or not.

He had a home to go back to—so why did it all feel like an illicit affair?

Maybe it was nerves, but Chu Cheng’s mind was suddenly a mess of scattered thoughts. Not that it mattered. The moment they stepped into the hotel room, there was no time left for overthinking.

Yu Siting shut the door and casually tossed the bouquet aside, pushing Chu Cheng up against the wall for a deep kiss. He’d noticed before that Chu Cheng’s neck and ears flushed the moment they were touched—sensitive to the point of being endearing.

They only parted reluctantly when they needed to breathe and took turns showering.

Chu Cheng was the last to shower. When he stepped out, he saw Yu Siting standing in front of the speaker, wrapped in a towel, apparently deciding which music to play.

Most of the songs in his playlist were jazz.

From classic jazz to the soft freedom of bossa nova—some tracks offered soul-soothing calm, others stirred an unnamed excitement.

Chu Cheng walked up behind him and pressed his cheek against the strong, straight back of his lover.

To Yu Siting, that was a signal. His Chu Cheng was ready.

He reached back, threading his fingers into the damp hair, wrapping an arm around his waist, and leaned down to kiss him.

Chu Cheng walked out barefoot, the soles of his feet still damp and a little slippery, worried he might slip.

But that concern vanished quickly.

Yu Siting had already lifted him up in his strong arms and carried him to the bed. Chu Cheng’s entire body was light and soft, like a feather, falling backward as he was laid down.

In his flustered state, his hand grabbed onto a rosebud on the bed. As his fingers trembled, he tore off several petals and clutched them tightly. The vibrant red bloomed like flames in the center of his palm.

Yu Siting, worried he might prick his hand on a thorn, gently covered Chu Cheng’s fingers with his own, interlacing them, and whispered with a deep breath, “Don’t be afraid. Just leave it to me.”

“Mm.” Chu Cheng raised his arms and wrapped them tightly around his lover’s neck.

He tilted his head back to kiss the trembling lashes of the man above him, completely surrendering to this person who took the lead in everything—yet remained endlessly gentle.

The rose petals scattered across the bed were crushed and strewn everywhere. Their rich fragrance clung to the air like an intoxicating spell, wrapping around them, making it impossible to break free.

The next morning, soft daylight poured into the room through the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Yu Siting was the first to open his eyes. He didn’t wake the person beside him—he simply pulled the covers up over him and got out of bed as quietly as possible.

A long while later, the person left in bed stirred slightly, stretching out two pale, lotus-root-like arms from beneath the soft blanket.

Yu Siting knelt beside the bed, reaching out to gently brush aside Chu Cheng’s soft, fine hair. He pressed his forehead lightly against his and asked how he was feeling.

“I’m okay,” Chu Cheng murmured, eyes half-closed and voice weak and soft. It hadn’t hurt as much as he’d imagined—more of a dull ache and soreness afterward that made him not want to move at all.

He caught the lingering scent of minty toothpaste on his cheek, and with some effort, lifted his head to nuzzle the tip of Yu Siting’s nose like a lazy cat.

Yu Siting smiled quietly.

The truth was, he had been very restrained last night. After all, it was the first time—he wanted to leave a gentlemanly impression. But seeing Chu Cheng wrap his arms around his neck and take the initiative made him doubt himself.

Maybe… he had underestimated him.

So Yu Siting raised his hand and started unbuttoning the shirt he’d just put on, leaning in to whisper by his ear, “Mr. Chu, you seem like you could go another round.”

Chu Cheng froze for a second before realizing what he meant. His expression changed instantly as he scolded, righteously, “Button it back up.”

“You’re the one tempting me,” Yu Siting said innocently.

Chu Cheng ducked back under the covers and mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “…Next time.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear—that you’re already looking forward to next time.” Yu Siting whispered, ruffling his hair. “Want to get up and eat something?”

Chu Cheng muttered, “I want to sleep a little longer.”

“Alright.” Yu Siting climbed back into bed without undressing and lay beside him, pulling the thin towel blanket over them as he held him for a bit more rest.

Chu Cheng, truly exhausted yet comforted in the secure embrace, quickly drifted into a new round of sleep.

When he woke again, the sun was already past its peak.

Yu Siting was reclining on the lounge chair by the sofa, long legs crossed, barefoot, using the hotel TV screen to mirror his phone and work on lesson plans.

Chu Cheng opened his eyes blearily, his body still tired but less sore. Shirtless, he got up and took a shower. When he came out, he realized he couldn’t find his clothes, so he had no choice but to drape himself in a large bathrobe.

“Your shirt got stained with rose petal juice,” Yu Siting said, lifting his head. “I had housekeeping send it out to be cleaned. Same with mine.”

Chu Cheng walked over to the sofa and noticed that Yu Siting had changed into their oversized couple hoodie.

“Mr. Chu,” Yu Siting waved him over. “Care to join the start-of-semester co-homeroom teacher meeting?”

Even though Chu Cheng had once sworn he’d never wear that hoodie together with him… the look in Yu Siting’s eyes at that moment—casual, almost lazy—carried a kind of irresistible pull, as if it were laced with some sort of magic.

Maybe… lying in his arms for a while wouldn’t be so bad?

Finally, Chu Cheng made up his mind, shrugged off the robe, and slipped in under the hem of the hoodie.

The oversized hoodie had enough room for both of them to press together in close contact. He felt Yu Siting’s arms wrap naturally around his waist, pulling him in close.

Yu Siting shifted the new semester’s plan from his phone so they could look at it together. “Any thoughts?”

Chu Cheng glanced down at the hoodie he’d previously looked down on and reevaluated, “It’s actually kind of creative.”

“Mr. Chu, I was asking about the semester plan. What are you talking about?” Though Yu Siting fully understood, he still teased him shamelessly.

Chu Cheng leaned his head against Yu Siting’s chest and replied calmly, “I was talking about that.”

Warm sunshine, a lazy afternoon, and a moment thick with sweet affection—obviously, not everything in this scene was about work.

Yu Siting tapped away at the spreadsheet for a while before something came to mind. He shifted the subject and asked, “Once we go back home—are you moving upstairs, or should I move downstairs?”

“At this rate, you’ll have to cut the rent in half,” Chu Cheng replied, head down, seriously filling in the language curriculum section of the plan.

“No need to cut it—I can accept payment in other forms.” Yu Siting’s gaze dropped to the pale skin of Chu Cheng’s neck, where a few faint marks from the night before still lingered.

Chu Cheng paused mid-tap on the grid of his phone and turned his head to glare. “You can’t go changing the contract terms on a whim.”

“We don’t have a contract,” Yu Siting reminded him, withdrawing his gaze and pretending to return to work—but his voice dropped, low and shameless. “Per our agreement, you’re welcome to put up a big-character poster at the school gate and expose me.”

Chu Cheng: Excuse me?

Do you even hear yourself right now?

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Author’s Note:

Big Bro: You think I took you biking, swimming, hiking just for fun? Otherwise, go ahead and call the cops.