UI Chapter 50

Shen Ran was still lying on the sofa when Zhao Jiyu kissed him. Even if he wanted to push him away, the angle made it impossible to use any real force—unless he was willing to completely throw him off without restraint.

Zhao Jiyu’s kiss seemed gentle on the surface, but his tongue had already slipped inside, giving Shen Ran no space to breathe. His eyes quickly became misty from the intensity of the kiss. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of Zhao Jiyu’s legs still planted on the floor. The thought of pushing him off flashed through his mind, but before he could act on it, the thought shot too far, soaring beyond his grasp—vanishing soundlessly into the sky.

Zhao Jiyu pinched his chin, turning his face towards him, then reached for his waist, trying to make him relax. Shen Ran’s eyes were half-closed, his vision blurred, and with his breathing hindered by the kiss, his head felt swollen and unable to think. His entire body softened.

Just then, Zhao Jiyu suddenly stopped, pulled down the hem of his T-shirt, and wrapped his arms around him with a sigh.

A sliding door sound came from behind him, followed by someone calling out,
“Jiyu! Why did you go out to sea alone again without—”

The voice abruptly cut off. Shen Ran’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively looked towards the glass door, only to see two young men standing there. The one in front wore a light-colored sports outfit and had delicate features, while the one behind him, dressed in a black tank top and basketball shorts, wore a baseball cap. Despite the cap, Shen Ran recognized that face.

“You…” Wei Qi stood frozen in place as if stunned, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. He pointed at the two people embracing on the sofa, seemingly struggling to find the right words. Behind him, Huang Qianxu clenched his fist and covered his mouth, then hooked an arm around Wei Qi’s shoulder, pulling him away before he could say anything inappropriate.
“Let’s go. We’ll talk later.”

“Wait!” Wei Qi turned back. “Jiyu, come outside for a moment!”

Zhao Jiyu lowered his gaze to the person in his arms. As soon as their eyes met, Shen Ran immediately looked away, turning towards the sofa. Noticing his ears were completely red and that he was trying hard to calm his breathing, Zhao Jiyu brushed a few strands of hair from his temple and whispered,
“Don’t worry, they’re my friends. I’ll be right back.”

Shen Ran kept his eyes shut tight. When the weight on his body disappeared, he heard Zhao Jiyu’s footsteps in flip-flops moving away, followed by the sound of the sliding glass door closing.

After a while, he turned his head. The deck was now empty; Zhao Jiyu and Huang Qianxu stood on the wooden walkway outside, engaged in conversation.

Propping himself up from the sofa, Shen Ran glanced downward at his disheveled state and quickly grabbed a cushion to cover himself. Leaning his head back against the chair, he was overwhelmed by a storm of emotions—embarrassment and shame crashing over him like a delayed typhoon, making his chest feel unbearably tight. For a long moment, he didn’t have the courage to open his eyes and look at the figures outside.

Zhao Jiyu didn’t talk for long before returning. By then, Shen Ran was no longer on the sofa. Zhao Jiyu followed the stairs down to the cabin, where the sound of running water came from the bedroom.

Pushing open the slightly ajar door, he approached the figure washing his face at the sink.

Sensing someone behind him, Shen Ran turned off the faucet. Zhao Jiyu grabbed a face towel and handed it to him.
“Those two were my friends—Huang Qianxu, whom you’ve met before, and the other one is Wei Qi.”

Shen Ran didn’t look directly at Zhao Jiyu. He wiped the water from his chin with the towel, his gaze avoiding the bright mirror in front of him.

Zhao Jiyu continued,
“They understand boundaries. Don’t worry about it.”

After tossing the damp towel into the trash bin beside him, Shen Ran turned to leave, but Zhao Jiyu caught his wrist, pressing his chest against his back. Feeling the tension in Shen Ran’s body, Zhao Jiyu’s voice softened.
“Are you hungry? What do you want for lunch?”

Just as Shen Ran was about to respond, another voice interrupted.

From the second-floor staircase, Old Wu called down, “Jiyu, Boss Fan got hit by some reckless driver on the way here. The traffic police are handling it now, and he said the replacement delivery might be delayed by an hour.”

Zhao Jiyu frowned, then replied that it wasn’t necessary to send it over anymore. But before he could finish, the person in his arms had already pulled away, walking past him and heading upstairs.

Stepping onto the deck, the salty sea breeze hit Shen Ran’s face, ruffling his soft hair and making his T-shirt and beach shorts billow.

The yacht was still docked at the pier, and on the wooden walkway, people in light summer clothing occasionally passed by, preparing to set sail. Huang Qianxu and Wei Qi had also been dressed casually earlier—since they were Zhao Jiyu’s friends, they were probably here for a day out at sea as well.

It was just… how did they end up arriving at the most inconvenient moment?

Sitting down on a lounge chair nearby, Shen Ran wanted to rest for a bit. Not long after, he heard footsteps approaching. Thinking it was Zhao Jiyu, he grew more irritated, but then he heard Old Wu’s voice beside him.

“You should wear sunglasses—the UV rays at sea are way too strong.”

He took it, and Old Wu handed him a white bottle of sunscreen as well.
“Make sure to apply it evenly, or you’ll end up with patchy tan lines—one part dark, one part light. That’d be embarrassing.”

Old Wu spoke in a joking tone before heading off to take care of other things. Shen Ran looked at the familiar sunscreen in his hand, then at the aviator sunglasses that had originally been on Zhao Jiyu’s face. His gaze shifted toward the person inside the cockpit, checking the instruments.

After applying sunscreen to his arms and calves, Shen Ran put on the sunglasses and lay back on the lounge chair, enjoying the sea breeze. The outdoor sunshade beside him blocked the scorching sunlight, while the soft sound of waves filled his ears. His mood gradually relaxed, and he was just about to drift off when the smell of food wafted over.

Old Wu placed a tray on the small table beside him. On the tray was a bowl of fragrant tonkotsu ramen and a serving of golden, honey-glazed chicken wings.

“For now, just have a simple meal for lunch,”
Old Wu said.
“I’ll prepare a feast for dinner.”

Shen Ran took the chopsticks and thanked him, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the driver’s seat.
“Has he eaten?”

“He said he wasn’t hungry and would eat later.”

“How come?”

“Probably an upset stomach. Not sure what he ate yesterday, but he had a stomachache this morning,”
Old Wu said, looking a little helpless.

Shen Ran paused, his grip on the chopsticks tightening slightly. Zhao Jiyu hadn’t shown any discomfort earlier, but now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen him eat breakfast either—he had only made a fresh sandwich for Shen Ran.

Shen Ran asked,
“Last night, we had marinated seafood. Could that be the reason?”

“Marinated seafood?”
Old Wu thought for a moment.
“That could be it. Maybe it wasn’t fresh enough.”

Shen Ran had a strong stomach, but knowing that it had been his idea to eat marinated seafood last night, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. He asked if Zhao Jiyu had many food allergies.

Old Wu replied, “Not too many.” But then, as he casually listed them, he ended up naming more than a dozen ingredients.

“He wasn’t always this sensitive. It all started after he got sick when he was younger and never fully recovered. That’s why his stomach is so weak now.”

Old Wu had been with Zhao Jiyu for more than four years, and because he took care of his meals, he was particularly knowledgeable in this area. When Shen Ran asked what illness it was, a man in uniform holding a walkie-talkie suddenly called out to Old Wu from the wooden walkway, reminding them that they could set sail.

Old Wu went into the cockpit to assist Zhao Jiyu, while Shen Ran stared at the bowl of rich tonkotsu ramen in front of him and suddenly lost his appetite.

As the yacht left the port, he stood by the railing, put on his headphones, and gazed at the vast sea ahead, unaware that someone had approached him from behind.

A hand took one of his earbuds and placed it in their own ear. Zhao Jiyu leaned against the railing beside him and smiled, “This song is nice.”

Shen Ran was listening to Jay Chou’s Mermaid, a song with a beautiful melody but sorrowful lyrics.

“Yeah,” Shen Ran nodded,
“It suits the mood.”

Zhao Jiyu brushed aside his windblown bangs, then turned his back to the sea. Stretching his arms upward with his palms pressed together, he suddenly leaned back in a fluid motion.
“A mermaid’s diving posture is very graceful.”

Shen Ran was startled by his sudden movement and didn’t even catch what he had said. Instinctively, he grabbed Zhao Jiyu’s arm and pulled him toward himself.

Zhao Jiyu’s momentum carried him straight into Shen Ran’s arms. He was three centimeters taller than Shen Ran, making it easy for his chin to rest on Shen Ran’s shoulder. Feeling the stiffness in Shen Ran’s body, he lifted his arms to wrap around Shen Ran’s neck and smiled, “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll fall?”

Shen Ran held Zhao Jiyu’s waist. His mind told him to push this person away, but with only a waist-high railing behind Zhao Jiyu, he had no choice but to say,
“Joking about this isn’t funny at all.”

Zhao Jiyu laughed silently, resting his head on Shen Ran’s shoulder as he watched the coastline fade into the distance.
“Let’s go swimming later.”

Shen Ran didn’t respond. Zhao Jiyu glanced at the small table with food on it.
“Why aren’t you eating? You love Old Wu’s ramen and chicken wings.”

Shen Ran parted his lips slightly, staring at a white lighthouse in the distance before closing them again.

Seeing that Shen Ran remained silent, Zhao Jiyu didn’t push him. Instead, he enjoyed the embrace for a while before reluctantly letting go.
“I’m going to change into my swim trunks.”

As soon as the warmth left his arms, Shen Ran’s palms felt empty. He gripped the railing in front of him as the sound of footsteps faded behind him, growing more distant until they disappeared. He then lowered his gaze to the earphone cord dangling in front of him.

He picked up the earbud—it still carried Zhao Jiyu’s lingering warmth. He put it back into his ear and continued gazing at the deep blue sea.

Not long after, the yacht stopped. Zhao Jiyu returned, now wearing champagne-colored, snug-fitting swim trunks. The sunlight reflected off his fair, smooth legs, making Shen Ran think of the mermaid they had just talked about.

After putting on his swim cap and goggles, Zhao Jiyu stepped over the railing, took a deep breath, and leaped into the water.

His dive was perfectly executed, barely making a splash. Shen Ran watched as he sank beneath the surface before quickly emerging again, his long limbs extending gracefully as he glided forward like a pale fish, swimming farther and farther away.

Following that captivating figure with his eyes, Shen Ran suddenly felt the urge to enter the water himself. Just as he was considering going back to change into his swim trunks, the person in the water suddenly dipped below the surface.

Then he surfaced briefly—only to sink again. This time, only a trail of bubbles remained.

The last time they went out to sea, Zhao Jiyu had nearly drowned. Shen Ran realized that Zhao Jiyu hadn’t done any warm-up stretches earlier, and his heart leaped into his throat.

There was no time to call for Old Wu. Without hesitation, Shen Ran pushed himself over the railing and plunged into the sea, swimming swiftly toward where Zhao Jiyu had disappeared.

The weather was excellent today, and the seawater was crystal clear—but that was just the illusion of the shallow waters. The yacht had been sailing for more than half an hour and had long since entered deep-sea territory, where underwater visibility was at most two to three meters. Shen Ran anxiously searched around but saw nothing, so he surfaced and shouted Zhao Jiyu’s name.

Apart from their yacht, there was no other movement on the water. Shen Ran’s eyes turned red with urgency as he took another deep breath and dove back down.

He searched for a while longer but still couldn’t find anything. His rapidly pounding heartbeat echoed in his ears, and combined with the pressure of the seawater, a sharp pain pierced deep into his ear canals. But he couldn’t care less. Just as he was about to call for Old Wu’s help, a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around him from behind, pulling him up to the surface.

The moment he saw Zhao Jiyu, Shen Ran felt as if he had finally found solid ground beneath his feet.

But it was just an illusion—because even now, his feet were still suspended in water. Only his heart had settled back into place.

Zhao Jiyu removed his goggles, wiped the water from his face, and before he could say anything, Shen Ran grabbed his arm tightly.
“Did your leg cramp again just now?”

Zhao Jiyu had intended to play a prank and give him a little scare, but he hadn’t expected Shen Ran’s reaction to be much more intense than last time. While searching for him in the water, Shen Ran’s movements had become frantic and disordered. Afraid he might drown, Zhao Jiyu had quickly swum over to grab him.

Floating together on the water’s surface, their bodies pressed closely against each other. Zhao Jiyu’s expression carried a hint of guilt as he grasped Shen Ran’s wrist and said,
“I just wanted to tease you. I didn’t expect you to be this scared. It’s my fault.”

Shen Ran was stunned for a few seconds. Zhao Jiyu watched as the anxious look in his eyes quickly shifted to a calm indifference. Then, Shen Ran wrenched his hand free.

A forceful shove to the chest sent Zhao Jiyu drifting half a meter backward due to the water’s inertia. Without looking back, Shen Ran swam toward the yacht.

Zhao Jiyu knew he was angry. He quickly caught up and embraced him from behind again, whispering against his ear,
“Shen Ran, I know I was wrong. Don’t be mad. I just wanted to see if you cared about me.”