UI CH 27

The dim room made it difficult to see around, and Shen Ran wanted to turn on the light but was afraid of waking Zhao Jiyu, so he quietly searched around.
They were sleeping on the tatami in a private resting room, which was slightly wider than a regular single bed, but still crowded for two men.

Shen Ran couldn’t understand why Zhao Jiyu insisted on sharing a bed with him. As he changed, he was worried that the substance on him would get onto Zhao Jiyu, so he moved like a thief. Finally, he found tissues on the stool at the foot of the bed.

He took a few tissues to wipe himself, then felt Zhao Jiyu’s waist to make sure his bathrobe was clean before feeling relieved. He quickly got out of bed and left.

The large wall clock outside pointed to 4:55. The entire rest area lobby was softly lit, and there were hardly any people moving around. Shen Ran followed the signs on the wall to the nearest public shower area, found a corner spot, and turned on the water to rinse himself.

The dark blue bathrobe became even darker when wet. He rubbed the mark on his abdomen until it was completely gone before loosening his waistband.
After showering and changing into a clean bathrobe, he felt hungry and walked towards the dining area.

Breakfast was already being served at this time, and a few guests were sitting in the dining area eating. Shen Ran went to the buffet area, took a bowl of savory tofu pudding and some freshly fried dough sticks, and turned to find a seat when he noticed a familiar figure in the row by the window.

The dim light cast the outline of the man’s profile onto the window, like a silhouette from a movie. His slender fingers held a marble egg, peeling the shell slowly. A drop of broth slid down his index finger. He lifted his hand, his thin lips gently sucking the joint.

Shen Ran stared at his movements, and a scene from their time in bed together flashed in his mind—when the man had grabbed his finger and lightly bit it. As if sensing his gaze, the man turned around, his lips still wrapped around his finger when he saw him.

The moment their eyes met, Shen Ran snapped back to reality. Zhao Jiyu smiled at him, took a tissue to wipe his hands, and placed the peeled marble egg into a clean little bowl, pushing it to the opposite seat.

Shen Ran braced himself, sat across from him, and heard him ask,
“Eating just this little?”

Without looking at the tea egg Zhao Jiyu had placed marble egg front of him, Shen Ran took a bite of his fried dough stick. “Not very hungry.”

Zhao Jiyu nodded slightly and continued peeling a second marble egg.

Since he wasn’t speaking, Shen Ran felt even more uncertain. Especially considering how early Zhao Jiyu had woken up—had he noticed his wiping actions earlier? His mind raced, and his nerves were so frazzled he had no appetite.

When Zhao Jiyu placed the second peeled marble egg into the bowl, Shen Ran finally couldn’t help but ask,
“Why are you up so early?”

“I’m a light sleeper,”
Zhao Jiyu pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands.
“The slightest noise wakes me up easily.”

The spoonful of tofu pudding slipped back into the bowl due to the sudden tilt, and the fried dough stick stuck in his throat. Shen Ran tried twice but couldn’t swallow it down, so he had to gulp several large mouthfuls of his drink.

“When you closed the door, I woke up. Later, I saw you go to take a shower. I figured you’d come to have breakfast after, so I came over to wait.”

Zhao Jiyu spoke as if he had just finished a strenuous exercise, needing to catch his breath. Instead of saying it all at once, he split his words into two sentences with an unnecessarily long pause.

Shen Ran set his bowl down, feeling like he’d just gotten off a roller coaster, his heart still pounding rapidly in his chest.

“Eat the egg,”
Zhao Jiyu reminded him.
“I just had one, and it tasted pretty good.”

Shen Ran picked up a marble egg and shoved it into his mouth, lowering his head to eat with the tofu pudding. When he finished, Zhao Jiyu asked, “What else would you like? I’ll go get it.”

Other than the marble egg, Zhao Jiyu only had coffee in front of him. Remembering the steak he saw cooking earlier, Shen Ran said,
“Get me a steak.”

“What do you want to drink?”

“The same as you.”

Zhao Jiyu stood up to get more food. Watching his back as he walked away, Shen Ran slumped against the chair, finally feeling his shoulders relax a little.

He took out his phone from his bathrobe pocket and unlocked it.

After a whole night, the school group chats were filled with unread messages again. He skimmed through them—nothing important. However, Deng Feng had sent him an invitation to his sister Deng Yi’s birthday party. It was scheduled for next week, at the pool in the hotel at Fantawild Adventure.

When they had traveled to Xi’an last time, Deng Feng had mentioned throwing a birthday party for Deng Yi, and Shen Ran had promised to attend.

As he mentally calculated how to swap shifts, he didn’t notice Zhao Jiyu returning. Zhao Jiyu glanced at the digital invitation on his screen and asked, “Whose birthday is it?”

“A friend’s sister,”
Shen Ran replied casually. Then he remembered he hadn’t prepared a gift yet and asked,
“Do you have experience buying gifts for girls?”

Zhao Jiyu sat down and placed the knife and fork in front of him.
“What kind of gift are you thinking of?”

Shen Ran wanted to say something not too expensive, preferably practical. But then he realized Zhao Jiyu came from a wealthy family—asking him for advice might not be helpful. So he shook his head.
“I’ll figure it out myself.”

Shen Ran put down his phone and started cutting his steak. Zhao Jiyu took a sip of coffee, observed him for a moment, and said,
“You’ve never given a gift to a girl before?”

Chewing the tender steak, Shen Ran said,
“I’ve only done it twice.”

“For Li Ting?”

Zhao Jiyu had a knack for bringing up sensitive topics, but Shen Ran no longer felt the same resistance as he did last night.

“Yeah, I gave flowers and a bracelet, but those aren’t really suitable for someone you’re not close with.”

“That’s true.”
Zhao Jiyu rested his left hand under his chin, his gaze drifting casually out the window.
“I’ve always wanted a bracelet myself, but I haven’t come across the right one. I wouldn’t like it if it came from someone I wasn’t close with.”

Taking a sip of black coffee, Shen Ran glanced at Zhao Jiyu’s wrist.
“Do a lot of people give you bracelets?”

Zhao Jiyu usually didn’t wear accessories, except for the three delicate blue diamond earrings on both ears, often hidden beneath his hair.

Shen Ran looked at his wrist and suddenly noticed how attractive his entire hand was. His skin was fair and smooth, with long, elegant fingers and full, well-shaped nails. His hand seemed perfect not only for bracelets but also for rings.

Zhao Jiyu responded with a soft “Mm,” then picked up a small piece of sandwich and continued gazing out the window.

A sliver of light pierced through a crack in the distant sky. Two birds flew over the treetops nearby, and Zhao Jiyu’s eyes followed them until they disappeared. He then turned back and said,
“If it’s just a casual friend, a small decorative item would be fine.”

“That’s a good idea,”
Shen Ran said happily.

Zhao Jiyu took out his phone and unlocked it.
“Keep eating. I’ll help you pick something.”

Shen Ran lowered his head and ate, but soon realized that whatever Zhao Jiyu chose would probably be expensive. Just as he was about to politely suggest handling it himself, Zhao Jiyu turned the phone around and showed him the screen.
“How about this?”

Shen Ran hadn’t expected him to find something so quickly. He looked at the item—a set of artful gold-trimmed white porcelain bird figurines. The price was even more surprising: a set of four in different sizes for only 39 yuan. However, Shen Ran hesitated.
“Isn’t that a bit too cheap?”

Zhao Jiyu frowned, put away his phone, and said,
“You only make 18 yuan an hour at your part-time job, right? 39 yuan is like working for free for two hours.”

When he put it that way, it did make sense. Shen Ran pondered for a moment before Zhao Jiyu added,
“Don’t worry, I’ll make it look nice with some good packaging. I guarantee it’ll look like it’s worth 390 yuan when you give it away.”

Shen Ran choked back a laugh and couldn’t help but say,
“I didn’t expect you to have such a frugal side.”

Zhao Jiyu placed the order on his phone. Once he saw Shen Ran had nearly finished eating, he said,
“Pack up and get some rest.”

After only two hours of sleep last night, Shen Ran felt drowsy now that he was full. The two of them headed back to the locker room to change. When they got into the car, Zhao Jiyu asked, “Do you want to contact the landlord and get your things back now?”

“It’s too early,”
Shen Ran glanced at the car’s display screen.
“And I haven’t gotten the landlord’s phone number yet. Let’s do it next time.”

Zhao Jiyu started driving home. On the way, Shen Ran couldn’t resist his sleepiness and dozed off again. Once home, he went straight to the guest room to catch up on sleep. Zhao Jiyu was also tired, but he had received a call from Old Tang on the way, asking him to go to the office that morning.

Old Tang was Zhao Xinhong’s secretary. Since Shen Ran was right there, Zhao Jiyu hadn’t asked too many questions. After changing his clothes in his room, he called Old Tang back to ask what was going on.

The Zhao family’s business was currently managed by Zhao Jiyu’s father, Zhao Xian, along with his uncles.
Zhao Xinhong, as the chairman, still had a say in the company. Old Tang said there was a promising environmental cooperation project, and Zhao Xinhong wanted him to learn about it.

There had been a few times before when Zhao Xinhong suggested he learn about the company, but Zhao Jiyu had never been interested. Plus, Zhao Xinhong knew he and Zhao Xian often argued when they met, so he never forced him. But this time was different—Old Tang said the project involved collaborating with the Yu family.

On the way to the office, Zhao Jiyu messaged Yu Xuetong.

[I’m already in your grandfather’s office. Your dad’s here too.] Yu Xuetong quickly replied.

Zhao Jiyu had already guessed it would be impossible to completely avoid Zhao Xian. He didn’t respond further, lit a cigarette at a red light, and, remembering he’d be eating out for lunch, reminded Old Wu to make sure to cook for Shen Ran.

When he arrived at the company, Zhao Jiyu entered Zhao Xinhong’s office. As expected, Zhao Xian was sitting on the guest sofa, hosting Yu Bo and Yu Xuetong. Zhao Xinhong was nowhere to be seen.

When Zhao Xian saw him, he scowled and said,
“Why are you so late? Making your elders wait for you so long.”

Zhao Jiyu sat down next to Yu Xuetong and greeted Yu Bo, “Grandpa Yu, how have you been?”

Yu Bo, who was about the same age as Zhao Xinhong, still looked healthy and vigorous. He looked at Zhao Jiyu and said, “Very well, thank you for asking.”

Zhao Xian said, “Pour your Grandpa Yu a cup of tea.”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at him. Before he could move, Yu Bo laughed and said,
“Let’s wait until we eat. I’ve already had plenty.”

“By the way, Jiyu, how are you getting along with my granddaughter? She’s been spoiled since she was little—you’ll need to be patient with her.”

Zhao Jiyu smiled modestly and said,
“Not at all. Xuetong is very thoughtful. She’s often the one being patient with me.”

Yu Bo had watched Zhao Jiyu grow up and knew his temperament well. He reached out and patted Zhao Jiyu’s leg. At that moment, the office door opened, and Zhao Xinhong walked in with his hands behind his back. He glanced at Zhao Jiyu and asked with concern, “Why do you look so tired? Didn’t sleep well last night?”

As soon as Zhao Jiyu saw Zhao Xinhong, he visibly relaxed. “Yeah, I’ve been busy with two projects lately. The schedule is really tight.”

Zhao Xinhong immediately knew those words weren’t meant for him. Sure enough, Zhao Xian continued,

“How busy can you be studying history? Focus and properly follow up on this project. You’ll learn a lot.”

Zhao Xian placed his hand on Zhao Jiyu’s shoulder, giving it a timely squeeze, and changed the subject, “Old Yu, it’s about time. Let’s head to the meeting room to hear their report.”

“Alright.”

Yu Bo stood up, and Yu Xuetong accompanied him. Zhao Xian instructed Zhao Jiyu to take them to the meeting room.

On the way, Yu Xuetong took advantage of Yu Bo looking down at his phone to get closer to Zhao Jiyu. In a voice only they could hear, she said, “Just now, while your grandpa was away, your dad brought up our engagement to my grandpa. What should we do?”