UI CH 47

Shen Ran didn’t even know how he had walked out of Ji Minglun’s home.

He hadn’t even greeted Jiang Lin, nor had he taken the materials he came for. After stepping out of the residential complex, he first bought a bottle of ice water, then stopped by a pharmacy to buy large band-aids to cover the bite mark.

The bathroom mirror was wide and bright, making his complexion look even worse. He had really been too careless this time—forgetting about the marks Zhao Jiyu had left on him the previous night. Now, both Ji Minglun and Zheng Mingjin had figured out Zhao Jiyu’s identity at the same time.

However, there was no need to explain anything to Ji Minglun. Zheng Mingjin, on the other hand, was different—he was still waiting for Shen Ran to call back.

After staying in the bathroom for a few minutes to collect himself, Shen Ran walked out and dialed Zheng Mingjin’s number.

The call barely rang once before the other end picked up.
“Talk. What the hell is going on?”

Shen Ran didn’t want to explain over the phone, so he asked, “Are you free tonight?”

“Yang Xin has dinner plans with my mom tonight. After ten o’clock is fine.”

“Then let’s meet after ten and talk.”

Zheng Mingjin agreed, and Shen Ran reminded him once again not to slip up in front of his mom.

After hanging up, Shen Ran gazed at the traffic flowing along both sides of the road. A sudden sense of uncertainty washed over him—he didn’t know which direction to go or where he was supposed to be.

A passing private car reflected the setting sun’s glow on its windshield, and the blinding light reminded him of yesterday evening—the exhilarating rush of galloping alongside Zhao Jiyu into the western sunlight.

And then he realized—Zhao Jiyu had been holding him the entire time, speaking frequently into his ear. At that moment, he hadn’t thought anything of it. Even when their faces accidentally got too close, he hadn’t snapped back to reality immediately. It never even crossed his mind that he should pull away and maintain some distance.

A road without a clear destination made even his own footsteps feel lost. By the time he stopped walking, he had unknowingly arrived near Ji Minglun’s neighborhood shopping district.

The heavy summer heat hung thick in the air, refusing to dissipate even as evening approached. Shen Ran stepped into the mall, continuing his aimless wandering. In the central event area on the first floor, a women’s clothing sale was underway, with many shoppers browsing the racks. He glanced over and noticed that the brand’s styles suited someone of Xu Huijuan’s age.

His mother had spent most of her years in their hometown, rarely going out except for the occasional market trip. For the past few years, whenever he saw clothes that suited her, he would buy them for her. Each time, she would scold him for wasting money, but once she put them on, she would smile from ear to ear.

After picking out a few summer outfits, Shen Ran selected three more sets for spring and autumn. Once he checked out and took the two large shopping bags from the sales assistant, he continued upstairs.

The second floor’s women’s clothing stores had a more refined aesthetic, catering to younger women. As he passed by a boutique specializing in pastel-colored designs, he caught sight of a mannequin in the display window dressed in the latest autumn collection. The image stirred memories of the times he had accompanied Li shopping.

That morning, Li Ting had left. While checking his phone earlier, he had come across a farewell post on her social media. The photo showed the departure sign at Gaoqi International Airport, and beneath the post, many of their mutual friends had liked and commented with well-wishes.

At the time, he had been in Zhao Jiyu’s room, freshly showered and dressed, with a clear blue sky visible through the window. Zhao Jiyu, wearing his work overalls for washing the horses, was squatting beside the Cayenne in the yard, fixing its tires.

Shen Ran had been staring at that figure, his phone screen darkening unknowingly, until Zhao Jiyu finished and walked into the villa. Only then did he look away, turning his gaze to his now-black phone screen.

Not long ago, the one by his side had been Li Ting. How had things changed so quickly? Why was Zhao Jiyu already hinting at whether he should consider dating a guy?

Where had things gone wrong? He had only just met Zhao Jiyu—how had even his sexual orientation started to shift?

Suddenly, someone bumped into his right arm, and the next moment, he felt a chill on his skin. Before he could turn around, a soft gasp reached his ears.

He looked down to see liquid sliding down his arm—it was coffee.

At the same time, a fair hand quickly took the shopping bag from his grasp.

“That was close! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

It was a pleasant-sounding female voice. Shen Ran looked up, and the moment their eyes met, both of them froze.

“Shen Ran?”

Shen Ran hadn’t expected to run into Yu Xuetong in a place like this. She was holding a cup of coffee with some spilled on the lid and said,
“Sorry, my cup was too full.”

Yu Xuetong looked apologetic. Some coffee had splashed onto her hand as well, but thanks to her quick reflexes, Shen Ran’s shopping bags remained untouched.

“It’s fine,”
Shen Ran smiled and reached out to take the bags.
“I’ll just go wash my hands. Give them to me.”

But Yu Xuetong didn’t hand them back. Instead, she pointed to a restroom sign nearby.
“Let’s go together. I need to wash my hands too.”

There was a shared sink area between the men’s and women’s restrooms. After they both washed up, they walked out together.

“Check your clothes again,”
Yu Xuetong reminded him as they walked.
“If there’s a coffee stain, I’ll compensate you.”

“No need,”
Shen Ran smiled.
“The bags are fine, so the clothes should be too.”

“Alright then,”
Yu Xuetong said.
“Anyway, Jiyu has my number. If you find any stains later, just have him contact me.”

Shen Ran kept his polite smile as they reached a fork in the path. Yu Xuetong glanced around before speaking again.

“Since you’re already shopping here, can you do me a favor?”

“Go ahead,” Shen Ran replied.

“This mall wasn’t here when I left the country, and these heels aren’t exactly comfortable for walking around,”
Yu Xuetong said, glancing down at her shoes—slender stilettos at least seven centimeters high. She smiled a little awkwardly.
“I actually came to buy a tie for Jiyu. I couldn’t find a familiar brand downstairs. Do you know if they have one he likes here?”

Shen Ran had only met Yu Xuetong once before, in Zhao Jiyu’s car. They hadn’t spoken much. Why was she asking him this?

“What kind of tie are you looking for?” he asked first.

“We have a last-minute banquet to attend tonight, and he’s in a meeting right now, so he can’t answer his phone.”
Yu Xuetong looked slightly frustrated.
“I wanted to grab one from his house, but I don’t have the code to get in.”

Shen Ran had been staying at Zhao Jiyu’s place for a while. He often hung up and took down laundry, so even if he hadn’t known the brands at first, he had become familiar with them. He also had a pretty good grasp of Zhao Jiyu’s clothing preferences.

“Hold on,” he said, unlocking his phone.

He typed a brand name into an orange-colored app and found that there was a store on the fourth floor. Yu Xuetong had studied abroad since middle school, so she wasn’t as familiar with domestic apps as he was. She followed him to the store.

When they reached the tie section, the store clerk listened to Yu Xuetong’s request and brought out a selection for her to choose from. While she browsed, Shen Ran stood to the side, feeling bored. His gaze wandered to the nearby belt section, where he noticed that even the simplest belt cost four or five figures. The accessories beside them—gem-encrusted cufflinks and tie clips—were even more extravagant.

While he was momentarily distracted, Yu Xuetong was torn between two ties. She didn’t find the store clerk’s opinion helpful, so she asked Shen Ran for his input.

Shen Ran examined the two ties—one with a gray diamond pattern and the other with a black houndstooth design. Both suited Zhao Jiyu’s temperament, but Shen Ran recalled that Zhao Jiyu had left home wearing a dark purple slim-fit dress shirt. He asked, “Did he change his clothes?”

Yu Xuetong replied, “No.”

“The silver-gray one would match better,”
Shen Ran said, pointing to a tie in the glass display case. Under the store’s lights, it shimmered with a subtle pearlescent sheen, exuding quality.

Yu Xuetong had the clerk take it out and compared all three ties side by side.
“Wouldn’t this silver-gray one be too plain?” she wondered.

Shen Ran recalled that Zhao Jiyu’s wardrobe lacked bold-colored fabrics. Even his silk underwear only went as far as an understated jade green.

But he remained polite and said, “It’s up to you.”

After a brief consideration, Yu Xuetong told the clerk,
“I’ll take all three. Wrap them up, please.”

After purchasing the ties, she moved on to picking out a tie clip. This time, Shen Ran didn’t offer any opinions. Instead, he took a phone call and stepped outside to wait. It was quite a while before Yu Xuetong came out.
“I really troubled you today,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have finished so quickly without your help—finally, my feet are free.”

Glancing at her delicate high heels, Shen Ran chuckled.
“No worries. I’ll be off then.”

“Wait, let me buy you a drink as thanks,” she offered.

“It was nothing, really. No need to be so formal.”

“It’s not about formality. I was planning to get a drink anyway.” She made a motion of holding a cup, referring to how she had thrown away her previous coffee while washing her hands.

Since she insisted, Shen Ran didn’t refuse. They went to a trendy bubble tea shop on the first floor. Yu Xuetong ordered a fruit tea, while Shen Ran noticed they had sea salt watermelon coffee and chose that.

The shop was busy with many orders, so they waited nearly twenty minutes. During that time, Yu Xuetong’s phone rang twice. Each time, she stepped aside to answer.

The second time, while she was still on the call, their order was ready. The store clerk called out their number, and Shen Ran picked up both drinks. Just as he was about to hand one to Yu Xuetong, he saw her waving at someone nearby and finishing her call.

Following her gaze, Shen Ran was surprised to see Zhao Jiyu approaching.

When he reached them, Zhao Jiyu’s first words were,
“What a coincidence.”

Avoiding his gaze, Shen Ran stayed silent, while Yu Xuetong casually said,
“Good thing I ran into Shen Ran today. I had no idea these new shoes would be so hard to walk in.”

Shen Ran was holding both drinks, one labeled sea salt watermelon coffee. Zhao Jiyu reached out, took a sip from it, and handed it back.
“Not as good as the one from last time.”

Shen Ran stared at the straw that Zhao Jiyu had just used, momentarily at a loss for words. Before he could respond, Zhao Jiyu turned to Yu Xuetong.
“Did you get the ties?”

“Yes.” Yu Xuetong pulled out three exquisite boxes from the shopping bag.
“See which one you like.”

The semi-transparent boxes allowed a clear view of the ties inside. Zhao Jiyu glanced over them and picked the silver-gray one. “This one.”

Yu Xuetong’s gaze flitted between him and Shen Ran before she laughed.
“Looks like I’m still not a qualified ‘girlfriend’—I don’t even know your preferences.”

Zhao Jiyu looked puzzled.

Yu Xuetong explained,
“Shen Ran chose this one. The other two were my picks.”

Zhao Jiyu turned to look at Shen Ran.

Since earlier, Shen Ran had been deliberately looking away, his posture stiff and unnatural. Now, the color on his neck and collarbone visibly deepened.

“You go wait in the car for a bit. I need to talk to him,”
Zhao Jiyu said, pulling out his car keys and handing them to Yu Xuetong.
“It’s parked in the lot across the street.”

Yu Xuetong took the keys, picked up her own drink, and said,
“See you next time,” before leaving.

Shen Ran watched her back as she walked away, but before he could react, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Zhao Jiyu led him upstairs toward the restroom.

The mall was bustling with people. Shen Ran instinctively wanted to pull away, but just as they stepped onto the escalator, Zhao Jiyu let go first. He casually slipped the hand that had held Shen Ran’s into the pocket of his dress pants.

The second-floor restroom was less crowded and noticeably cleaner. Zhao Jiyu pushed open the door and walked in. There was no one in front of the mirror. He took the coffee from Shen Ran’s hand and handed him the tie box.
“Open it for me.”

Shen Ran took out the tie. Zhao Jiyu asked,
“You know how to tie one, right?”

Shen Ran gave a small nod. He had attended academic conferences with professors before, and formal attire was required. But the moment he nodded, he regretted it—Zhao Jiyu had already lifted his collar and said, “Help me tie it.”

A man was washing his hands at the nearby sink, holding a phone between his ear and shoulder while talking. Aside from him, no one else was around.

Feeling uncomfortable, Shen Ran muttered,
“Tie it yourself.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t move.
“Are you afraid you’ll mess it up?”

The provocation worked instantly—Shen Ran always fell for it. He shot Zhao Jiyu an annoyed glare. Zhao Jiyu expected him to argue back, but instead, Shen Ran looked away, looped the tie around his own neck, and started tying it.

He didn’t tie ties often, and this particular knot wasn’t one he was very familiar with. He had to go over the steps twice in his mind before he got it right. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly realized that, at some point, Zhao Jiyu had leaned in much closer.

Their eyes met. Instinctively, Shen Ran looked down at the tie knot in his hands and gave it a sharp tug.

A faint gasp escaped Zhao Jiyu. “Tight.”

Realizing he had just won back some ground, Shen Ran couldn’t stop the slight smirk from forming at the corners of his lips. Zhao Jiyu stared at him for a moment, then straightened up, not even bothering to check himself in the mirror. Instead, he asked, “Does it look good?”

Thinking Zhao Jiyu was questioning his tie-tying skills, Shen Ran snatched his coffee back and turned toward the exit. “If it doesn’t, just redo it yourse—”

Before he could finish speaking, his left wrist was suddenly grabbed again.

Taking advantage of the fact that the restroom was empty, Zhao Jiyu leaned in from behind and whispered,
“I was asking if the tie you chose for me looks good on me.”

Shen Ran’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the cup. The heat of Zhao Jiyu’s breath seeped into his ear, and he was reminded of the outcomes of their previous intimate encounters.

Just then, the restroom door was pushed open. The person who entered stopped in their tracks upon seeing their unusual posture. Shen Ran immediately withdrew his hand and left without looking back. Zhao Jiyu turned to glance at the mirror, tossed an empty box into the trash can, and followed him out.

Shen Ran hadn’t gone far when Zhao Jiyu quickly caught up.
“I still have some time. I’ll take you home first.”

“No need. I have dinner plans with Mingjin tonight.”

Shen Ran looked toward the mall storefronts on the other side. His gaze landed on the bandage at the back of Zhao Jiyu’s neck, covering a bite mark. Zhao Jiyu fell silent for a moment before saying,
“Alright, then I’ll head off.”

Shen Ran made a vague sound in response but still didn’t turn back. He only started to move again when the sounds behind him completely disappeared, assuming that Zhao Jiyu had left. But just as he turned around, he felt sudden warmth on his cheek.

It turned out that Zhao Jiyu hadn’t left at all. Instead, he had deliberately lingered and took the opportunity to kiss him the moment he turned around.

Zhao Jiyu took a step back, pulling away after getting his way, but instead of provoking Shen Ran further, he simply smiled and changed the subject.
“You really do know me best. I like this tie a lot.”

After saying what he wanted to say, he finally left for real this time.

Shen Ran watched his retreating figure until Zhao Jiyu melted into the crowd and was no longer in sight. Even then, he remained frozen in place, unable to snap out of it. Meanwhile, the erratic beating in his chest was as noisy as the energetic background music of the mall, making it impossible for him to calm down.