UI CH 12

Zhao Jiyu’s portion did taste better, but Shen Ran didn’t switch. He focused on finishing his own, also delicious, steak.

Zhao Jiyu, after finishing his cigarette, began to eat as well. Seeing that Shen Ran wasn’t touching the lobster and shrimp, he placed some on his plate.

While they were eating, Old Wu was busy preparing dessert in the kitchen. The aroma of egg tarts wafted from the oven to the deck. Shen Ran put down his fork and glanced back. Zhao Jiyu smiled and said, “They’ll be ready soon. Old Wu’s dessert skills are also superb.”

After spending half a day on the boat, Shen Ran had figured out that Old Wu could not only sail a yacht but also cook. And judging by Zhao Jiyu’s demeanor, this wasn’t his first time at sea. He asked,
“Do you often come out to sea?”

Relighting a cigarette, Zhao Jiyu leaned back in his chair and said,
“When I’m in a bad mood, I come out to sea to get some fresh air. It’s quiet at sea, and no one talks incessantly.”

Shen Ran didn’t talk much to people he wasn’t familiar with, but he focused on the first part of Zhao Jiyu’s statement. Thinking back on his attitude today, Shen Ran hadn’t sensed he was in a bad mood, but perhaps he was hiding it.
Shen Ran looked out at the sea beside him, and Zhao Jiyu stopped talking as well. The atmosphere between them quieted down, and the sound of the waves gradually became more prominent.

Sitting in the deck chairs, their bodies swayed slightly with the waves. The setting sun at the horizon painted the clouds with a brilliant golden edge.

Shen Ran shielded his eyes with his hand and admired the view for a while before taking out his phone from his bathrobe pocket to take a few photos of the sunset.

“Let me take some for you,” Zhao Jiyu said, extinguishing his cigarette and standing up.
“There’s a camera in the room.”

“No need,” Shen Ran said.
“I’m just taking a couple of casual shots.”

“I was planning to take some too,”
Zhao Jiyu smiled back at him.
“The scenery today is perfect for a keepsake.”

While Zhao Jiyu went into the cabin to get the camera, Shen Ran answered a call.

Zheng Mingjin asked if he wanted to play basketball that night. Looking at the vast sea around him, he leaned back in his chair and said,
“I can’t make it tonight. Ask someone else.”

“Still busy at the shop?”
Zheng Mingjin was tying his shoelaces, already at the basketball court, with the cheerleaders practicing new routines behind him.

Shen Ran heard them on the other end of the line and, not wanting to talk about Zhao Jiyu, simply agreed.

“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard these past few days. You’re going out later, don’t wear yourself out,”
Zheng Mingjin reminded him.

“I’ll be careful,”
Shen Ran said, closing his eyes. In fact, he found the afternoon on Zhao Jiyu’s yacht quite relaxing, and there was none of the awkwardness he’d expected.

“Alright, I’ll be done playing around nine. Do you have time for late-night snacks?”

“Let’s do it another day. I’ll probably be busy until very late.”

“Okay, I’m going to play then.”
Zheng Mingjin hung up first. Shen Ran held his phone and relaxed for a moment before opening his eyes. He wanted to adjust his position to lean back more comfortably, but he didn’t expect Zhao Jiyu to be standing silently in front of him, startling him.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

“Yeah,”
Shen Ran said, bending down to pick up his phone from the ground and nodding towards the sea beside them.
“But I can’t make it. I canceled.”

Zhao Jiyu’s right hand hung by his side, holding a lightweight full-frame mirrorless camera. The lens was open, and the screen, facing the sunset, radiated golden light, illuminating a patch of smooth, bright skin on his leg.

Shen Ran refocused his attention and asked,
“Is this a mirrorless camera?”

“Yes,” Zhao Jiyu handed the camera to him.
“A DSLR is too much trouble; I’m too lazy to study it.”

Shen Ran had played with Ji Minglun’s DSLR, which cost tens of thousands, and indeed, its functions were complicated and not user-friendly. He took the camera, glanced at the Leica logo next to the lens, and then took a test shot of the sunset.
After zooming in on the details, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “These lens are amazing.”

Zhao Jiyu wasn’t very interested in photography. He had bought the mirrorless camera casually and usually left it on the yacht. Seeing that Shen Ran didn’t seem to be a novice, he asked,
“Do you like photography?”

Shen Ran laughed, his amber eyes lit by the sunset. His rosy lips revealed a bit of white teeth. He handed the camera back to Zhao Jiyu.
“This hobby is too expensive. I’ve only played with my senior’s DSLR.”

Zhao Jiyu knew about his family situation and handed the camera back to him.
“You take the photos. My skills are not good.”

Shen Ran moved to the side closer to the sunset, leaning half of his body against the railing. He raised his arms to find the right shooting angle. Zhao Jiyu sat in the chair where Shen Ran had just been, took out his phone, and started recording a video of him.

The sky wasn’t particularly blue that day. In the evening, the sunlight was cut into pieces by the thin sea mist, scattering across the sky and sea.

Shen Ran took pictures of the intense burning clouds on the left and snapped a few shots of the sea, which looked as if it had been dyed with golden paint.

When he turned around to take a few more shots, he noticed Zhao Jiyu holding up his phone and aiming it at him.

Shen Ran paused and asked, “What are you filming?”

Zhao Jiyu, unfazed, switched to the front camera and showed the screen to Shen Ran.
“A selfie.”

His expression was so natural that Shen Ran glanced at his face, which suited narcissism, and didn’t think much of it. He continued taking a few shots of the back view and then returned to Zhao Jiyu’s side, asking, “How do they look?”

As he flipped through the photos, Zhao Jiyu nodded in praise.
“Your skills are really good, much better than mine.”

Shen Ran’s seat was taken by Zhao Jiyu, so he sat in Zhao Jiyu’s chair.
“I only know a bit. I have a senior who’s really good with a DSLR. His photos always look professional.”

Zhao Jiyu’s fingers continued to swipe through the photos as he casually asked,
“Is he the senior who lent you his camera?”

“Yeah, he’s also on our basketball team.”

Shen Ran took a sip of the cold sparkling red wine. When he put the glass down, he realized that they had switched places, meaning he had just drunk from the glass Zhao Jiyu had been using.

He set the glass down and tried to act as if nothing had happened. Zhao Jiyu caught this with the corner of his eye and played along, pretending not to notice. He continued asking what he wanted to know. “Do I know him?”

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him. Ji Minglun from the Graduate School of Journalism and Communication, a core player on the school team.”

They were both sophomores. Zhao Jiyu barely recognized his own classmates, let alone those from the graduate school. He put the camera on the table and stood up.
“I’ll go check if the snacks are ready.”

When Zhao Jiyu brought out Old Zhao’s freshly baked mango tarts and coconut rolls, the rich, sweet aroma filled Shen Ran’s nose. It was the first time he had ever tried them.

Zhao Jiyu brought over a clean fork, and Shen Ran took another piece of the academy mango tart, popping it into his mouth. Unexpectedly, he ate it without blowing on it first.

Zhao Jiyu wanted to remind him to spit it out, but then saw him jump up, clutching his mouth and gasping.

“Spit it out,”
Zhao Jiyu reached for Shen Ran’s hand, but Shen Ran dodged him, gulping down the remaining cold liquid in his wine glass before finally sighing in relief, fanning his tongue with his hand.
“Why is it so hot?”

“Of course it’s hot, it just came out of the oven,”
Zhao Jiyu said, watching his tongue turn red. He poured him a glass of wine, and after Shen Ran finished it, he continued, “Why didn’t you spit it out earlier?”

“I don’t want to waste food.” Shen Ran reached for the wine bottle in the ice bucket, realizing he had used Zhao Jiyu’s glass again.

As the sun sank below the water, the night crept in from the distance. Shen Ran leaned back in his chair, feeling the sea breeze gradually cool, listening to the rhythmic rush of the tide, his expression more relaxed than during the day.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with the sea at night, but he had never experienced the beauty of twilight from the vast ocean, the bright moon overhead reflecting the scattered stars. It was a picture of serene tranquility.

After gazing up for a while, he picked up the mirrorless camera on the table and took a few photos of the moon.

Zhao Jiyu had music playing in the cockpit, a slow jazz tune that perfectly matched the singer’s languid voice, like another gentle wave washing over the ears.

Even though it was an unfamiliar melody, he swayed his head and hummed along occasionally.

The yacht’s engine silently stopped, and he heard his phone ring. Turning around, he saw Zhao Jiyu leave the captain’s seat and head downstairs with his phone.
Over ten minutes later, Old Wu came up with a bowl of thick bird’s nest and white fungus soup. Seeing him offer it, Shen Ran explained,
“I’m full, thank you.”

“It’s okay, this won’t fill you up. You can eat it later,” Old Wu said.

Shen Ran accepted the bowl.
“Is there only one bowl?”

“Jiyu is allergic to bird’s nest. He asked me to give this to you.”
Having spent the afternoon with Shen Ran, Old Wu no longer felt awkward. However, he had other tasks, so he left after delivering the soup.

Placing the bowl on the small table, Shen Ran sat back in the lounge chair, looking at his phone. After a while, his neck started to ache, so he changed his position.

As he turned, he glanced at the untouched bowl of soup and couldn’t help but look towards the cockpit stairs.

Zhao Jiyu had been downstairs for over an hour. He wondered what kind of phone call would take so long. He idly pondered, then continued to look at his phone for a while before feeling sleepy. After a few yawns, his hand holding the phone dropped. By the time Zhao Jiyu came back upstairs, he was already fast asleep on the chair.

Zhao Jiyu lightly touched Shen Ran’s thigh, then gently stroked his eye corner. Even on a summer night, the sea breeze could get chilly. He noticed the untouched bowl of bird’s nest and white fungus soup.

Zhao Jiyu gently pressed his finger against Shen Ran’s lips, then lightly pushed his way in, past his teeth, and touched his soft tongue.

Shen Ran held his finger in his mouth with a somewhat silly expression. Zhao Jiyu couldn’t help but smile, then gently pulled his finger away and leaned down to peck the corner of Shen Ran’s mouth, finally waking him up.

Shen Ran was still groggy. Before opening his eyes, he stretched lazily.

He had kept his bathrobe on securely all day, but with his stretching, the hem rode up a bit. Zhao Jiyu’s gaze lingered briefly at the exposed base of his thigh, but he quickly looked away before being noticed.
“Go sleep in the room. You’ll catch a cold if you sleep here.”

Shen Ran did feel a bit chilly. He followed Zhao Jiyu into the cockpit, listened to Zhao Jiyu give a few instructions to Old Wu, and then went downstairs, walked through the narrow hallway, and opened the door at the end on the left.

“Come in,”
Zhao Jiyu said.

It was the same suite where he had taken two showers earlier that day. He stood at the door, not going in.
“I sleep here? What about you?”

Zhao Jiyu’s hand was still on the door handle, his body half-turned as he answered,
“I’ll sleep here too. It’s a double bed—plenty wide.”

Though a lot had happened today, Shen Ran had managed not to overthink it, treating everything as normal between friends. But this moment felt entirely different.

He pointed to the door at the end of the hallway behind him.
“There’s another room. Can I go there instead?”

“That’s my grandfather’s room,”
Zhao Jiyu patiently explained.
“This yacht is his, and that room is always locked.”

There were only two bedrooms on the yacht. Shen Ran recalled that there was also a sofa in the upstairs cockpit. He turned to leave.
“Then I’ll go sleep on the sofa.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t stop him. Only when Shen Ran reached the corner did he ask,
“What are you afraid of?”

Shen Ran’s steps faltered. Zhao Jiyu watched as his shadow, cast by the hallway light, fell toward him, and continued to provoke,
“Or are you bothered by the last time we slept together?”

The harmonious atmosphere maintained all day was shattered by this one sentence. Shen Ran’s right hand rested on the stair railing. After a moment, he turned back to look at Zhao Jiyu.

“I was just joking.”
Before Shen Ran could get angry, Zhao Jiyu quickly offered him an out.
“That sofa is for Old Wu. He has to stay up and keep watch at night.”

Shen Ran still didn’t move. Zhao Jiyu went on,
“Come on. I won’t do anything.”

Despite Zhao Jiyu’s earnest tone, Shen Ran couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. There really weren’t many places to lie down on the yacht. There was a reclining chair on the deck, but the nighttime sea breeze was strong, and spending the night there would surely make him sick. Considering he had a trip to Xi’an in two days, he felt this kind of stubbornness was pointless.

Besides, why should he be afraid of Zhao Jiyu?

After a bit of mental preparation, Shen Ran calmed himself, stepped past Zhao Jiyu, and entered the room. However, he didn’t look at the bed, only standing by the tatami mat seating area.

Zhao Jiyu closed the door behind them.
“I’ll get you a toothbrush.”

“Thank you.”
Shen Ran’s tone was a bit stiff. Zhao Jiyu retrieved a new toothbrush from the bathroom cabinet. When Shen Ran took it, he realized it wasn’t a disposable toothbrush but a brand-new electric one.

“I don’t have the typical disposable hotel supplies,” Zhao Jiyu explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He picked up his own electric toothbrush from the marble countertop and began to apply toothpaste.
“Just make do with it.”

Looking at the electric toothbrush in his hand, which was clearly not cheap, Shen Ran hesitated before saying,
“How much was this? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Zhao Jiyu was about to put his toothbrush in his mouth. Hearing this, he chuckled.
“Are you really going to be so formal with me over a toothbrush? Just brush up so we can sleep early.”

Shen Ran wanted to say more, but Zhao Jiyu had already started brushing his teeth. He had no choice but to open the package. The two of them stood side by side in front of the sink.

The large glass mirror on the wall was spotless and bright, with the warm light behind it casting just the right amount of glow. Through the mirror, Zhao Jiyu’s gaze met Shen Ran’s. Shen Ran only looked back for a second before lowering his head to focus on the sink.

After brushing his teeth, Shen Ran used the disposable face towel Zhao Jiyu handed him to wash his face. Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Jiyu stopped him again, squeezing some lotion into his palm, saying the sea breeze was too dry and he should apply some to avoid discomfort.

Once Zhao Jiyu came out as well, Shen Ran asked,
“Which side do you sleep on?”

Since he couldn’t avoid it, he chose to accept it calmly, figuring it was just sleeping and there was no need to mind so much.
“I’m used to the right side,”
Zhao Jiyu replied.

Shen Ran walked around the foot of the bed to the left side, lifted the quilt, and sat down.

Zhao Jiyu took two black silk robes from the closet and turned back to look at him, saying,
“Change into this before sleeping, the bathrobe is too thick and uncomfortable to wear.”

Shen Ran had already put both legs under the quilt and hadn’t said he didn’t need to when Zhao Jiyu turned his back to him and started untying his belt. Before meeting Zhao Jiyu, Shen Ran had seen countless naked backs of the same sex in the basketball team and swimming pool locker rooms, and even Zheng Mingjin had stripped naked in front of him. But every scene he could face calmly in the past became impossible to look at when it happened to Zhao Jiyu.

It wasn’t that Zhao Jiyu looked any different from other men; following the man’s tall and graceful shoulder and back curve all the way down to his narrow waist, Shen Ran skipped over the rounded area covered by the fabric and looked at his legs.

Zhao Jiyu’s appearance was very androgynous, with slender but not feminine eyebrows and eyes, and a not slender figure. Every muscle on his body was just right.

Staring at those separated thighs, Shen Ran couldn’t help but recall the power of the thigh muscles and the constantly contracting abdominal muscles and the V-lines when he knelt in front of him and thrusted that night.

Shaking open the robe and putting it on, Zhao Jiyu turned around while tying his belt, just in time to see Shen Ran staring unblinkingly at his face. Caught in the act, Shen Ran shifted his gaze to the side, trying to appear natural, but the atmosphere was still subtle.

Glancing at Shen Ran’s flushed neck, Zhao Jiyu calmly picked up another robe and tossed it to him, “Change into this.”

Shen Ran went to the bathroom to change, and when he came out, Zhao Jiyu was already lying down.

The quilt formed a prominent arc, and Shen Ran braced himself as he returned to his side of the bed. As he lay down, he remembered the light was still on.

Just as he was about to get up and turn it off, an arm reached out from behind him.A voice whispered “I’ll do it” in his ear, followed by the light touch of thin silk fabric brushing against his cheek, carrying a faint orchid fragrance. With the arm reaching across to turn off the light, Zhao Jiyu’s chest pressed against Shen Ran’s arm.

As his fingers found the touch control on the headboard, the room went dark. As the silk fabric was moved away from his face, Zhao Jiyu retracted his arm and whispered another word in his ear. “Good night.