‘Cute?’
Wenyu didn’t think there was anything cute about him. He just felt he was incredibly stupid.
He was already feeling down when Yan Chen suddenly asked, “Are you going home for New Year’s?”
Wucheng was far, and going back and forth was troublesome. Usually, he didn’t consider it unless it was winter or summer break, plus, winter break was already near.
Ye Wenyu shook his head. “No.”
“Then I’ll be bold and steal some of your time.”
“Hmm?”
Yan Chen tilted his head and gently rubbed noses with him. “Wenyu, go on a date with me.”
Ye Wenyu thought that by “date”, Yan Chen meant something traditional, where they’d go out, maybe see a movie nearby, and grab some dinner.
But when he was dragged back to the dorm the next morning to pack a suitcase, he realized he had misunderstood.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
Yan Chen stuffed a scarf into the suitcase. “You’ll find out when we get there.”
Yang Liang and Dong Xi were both locals, so of course they were going home for New Year’s.
Since it was close by, they weren’t in a hurry. They even managed to sleep in and have breakfast before leaving.
By the time Ye Wenyu had almost finished packing, the two idlers came strolling in after breakfast.
…
“I’m not doing anything, I can’t be bothered to go squeeze in with the crowds traveling. I’ll probably head to my cousin’s place. He and his wife don’t get time off during New Year’s, so I’m helping them watch the kid. What about you?”
“I’m not going out either, I’m taking Lianlian back home to visit her grandparents.”
Lianlian was Dong Xi’s childhood sweetheart and girlfriend.
Most of the dorms nearby had already emptied out. The whole floor was quiet, and even through a door, their idle chatting could be heard clearly.
“You two are leaving campus together later?”
“Mhm, jealous?”
“Tch, what’s there to be jealous of? And your texts are so disgusting. You still send things like ‘muah muah’…so greasy!”
“What’s it to you if I send muah muah to my girlfriend? Oh right, I forgot..
you don’t have one. No one to muah muah with. Poor thing. Don’t be jealous, come here, let dad pat your head.”
“What the hell? Who’s your dad?” Yang Liang cursed while pulling out his keys. “I have no one to send “muah muah” texts to and I’m proud of it! My precious first kiss is still untouched! You sleazeball are the one who’s jealous.”
“Proud of what? Proud you’re of legal marriage age and still haven’t kissed anyone?”
“Are you looking down on me, huh?”
Yang Liang angrily pushed the door open, only to see Yan Chen standing right in the middle of the dorm with his arms crossed, doing nothing.
“Yan-ge hasn’t kissed anyone either! If you’re looking down on me, then you’re looking down on him too! You big…”
The furious Classmate Yang fell instantly silent.
Because the supposedly “never kissed anyone” Yan-ge turned his head and planted a big kiss on his boyfriend, then looked up and asked, “You mean like this?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Yang Liang: “…”
Yang Liang: “…”
Yang Liang turned to stone on the spot, which was both pitiful and hilarious all at once.
“Pfft!” Dong Xi couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. After a while, he barely managed to ask, “Wenyu, are you heading home?”
Ye Wenyu: “No, I’m going out with Yan Chen.”
“A date, huh.” Dong Xi guessed and grinned. “Where are you guys going? Scenic spots are packed during holidays. If you leave at this time, I think you will find traffic jams on the road.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t know either, so he decided to toss that question over to Yan Chen.
Yan Chen didn’t answer directly, only said, “No.”
After the two of them left with their luggage, Dong Xi gave the stone statue next to him a push. “Are you still in a daze? Wake up, move.”
Yang Liang blinked and came back to his senses, though not completely. “Wasn’t Yan-ge still chasing Wenyu? How, how did they end up kissing? Get on the bus first and buy the ticket later? So rogue?”
Dong Xi rolled his eyes and went back to packing while replying to his girlfriend’s messages.
Yang Liang stood there racking his brain for a while, then suddenly had a flash of enlightenment. “Damn it, he succeeded?!”
“He’so well hidden! We see each other every day and I didn’t even notice.”
“Wait, why didn’t anyone tell me!”
Dong Xi: “…”
Sometimes he really wanted to help his good brother donate his brain and get a new one. Maybe that would help.
–
Ye Wenyu was taken all the way to a private airport by Yan Chen, and then onto a plane. He was completely dazed. Was this really a date? Why did it feel more like a honeymoon?
He couldn’t help but ask Yan Chen again, “Where are we going?”
Yan Chen: “To sell my boyfriend.”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Yan Chen: “And have him count money for me.”
Ye Wenyu: “I won’t count it for you.”
Yan Chen: “Alright then, I’ll count it myself.”
Ye Wenyu was silent for a while, then muttered, “After chasing me for so long, you’d really be willing to?”
Yan Chen let out a low laugh, unable to hold back from pulling him into a hug and giving him a thorough squeeze. He really loved his boyfriend too much.
“Game over, you got me. I really can’t bear to.”
“It’s too crowded in China during the holidays. Let’s go experience the local customs of a foreign land.”
France was seven hours behind China. After more than ten hours of flight, they left in the morning, and when they landed in Paris, it was only around 3 p.m. local time.
However, due to the fatigue from the long flight and jet lag, Ye Wenyu was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open after getting off the plane. He yawned continuously as Yan Chen led him forward, his head uncontrollably leaning against Yan Chen’s shoulder.
Yan Chen switched from holding his hand to putting an arm around him, gently pinching his face to soothe him. “Hang in there, guaiguai. Let’s eat something at the hotel and then have a good sleep.”
Yan Chen had already booked the hotel in advance, or rather, there was no need to book at all, as this hotel was part of one of the overseas branches of the Yan Group’s business empire.
Ye Wenyu didn’t even register what he ate. After a quick shower, he curled up in bed and slept like the dead.
He didn’t dream at all through the whole afternoon and night. When he woke up, it was still dark outside. He was wrapped warmly in someone’s arms, and he slept so soundly that his bones were numb.
His brain took longer to wake than his body.
Date, Paris, hotel, boyfriend…after successfully stringing these key words into a coherent sentence, Ye Wenyu felt their tightly snuggled position under the blanket and his face and neck started heating up without a sound.
After all, even when they stayed at the off-campus villa before, Yan Chen would always give him the master bedroom out of concern he wasn’t used to it yet, and sleep in the guest room himself.
Yan Chen’s body temperature was higher than his. Hugged tightly like this, it was so warm that he almost felt winter was already over. It was reassuring, and very comfortable.
The little orange night light on the bedside table had stayed on all night. Ye Wenyu patiently waited for his boyfriend to wake up. With nothing to do, he lay there staring at Yan Chen’s sleeping face in a daze.
He also took the chance to sneak in a few kisses too, like a little animal stealing candy, and got his fill early in the morning.
But gradually, even the morning light was starting to shine through the window cracks, and his boyfriend still showed no sign of waking up.
Ye Wenyu glanced over several times. He was dying to go out and see what a Parisian morning looked like. Since waking up naturally was not happening, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He tugged on Yan Chen’s sleeve…no reaction.
Pinched his arm…still nothing.
Then poked his chest with a finger. The chest muscles were soft, but still no reaction.
So he simply lifted his head and rubbed his nose against Yan Chen’s chin.
That got a response.
Yan Chen vaguely kissed his forehead, wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him up a bit, then buried his face in his neck and took a deep breath. “What are you up to?”
His voice was low and hoarse, lazy and full of affectionate indulgence. It was overly pleasant to the ears, making Ye Wenyu’s earlobes tingle like they were electrified.
“It’s morning. I want to go out and play.” A little embarrassed, he hugged Yan Chen and whispered beside his ear, “Yan-ge, let’s get up?”
The hotel had its own restaurant that offered very classic and traditional French cuisine.
Since the whole hotel had central heating, people usually chose to eat first and then go back to their room to put on more clothes before heading out. Of course, if they were in a rush, they’d just wear their coats to the restaurant.
Yan Chen and Ye Wenyu naturally fell into the “usual” group.
The weather in early January in France was similar to Xuan City.
After breakfast, Ye Wenyu returned to the room to change into a light-colored cashmere sweater and a short white down jacket. Before they left, Yan Chen added a beige scarf on him. He looked fluffy and warm, very huggable.
So Yan Chen gave him a big bear hug at the door, and the warm and soft boyfriend fit perfectly in his arms.
Yan Chen wore a black coat in a style quite similar to Ye Wenyu’s. The elevator mirror reflected their figures, a surprisingly well-matched pair.
But once they reached the lobby, Ye Wenyu realized he had forgotten to bring his phone after changing.
Yan Chen offered to go back and get it for him, but just then a front desk staff member came jogging over to inform him that some information still needed to be entered. So Ye Wenyu took the room card and went back up himself.
When he came back down, he saw three or four young French girls gathered around Yan Chen, unclear what they were doing. As he walked closer, the bits of French conversation became clearer.
“……Tu es l’homme oriental que j’ai vu le mieux，J’espère que tu n’as pas de copine.” (You’re the best-looking Oriental man I’ve ever seen. I really hope you don’t have a girlfriend.)
“Tu veux peut-être me suivre à la fête ce soir？Je peux refuser tous les partenaires de danse pour toi.” (Maybe you’d like to come to the party with me tonight? I can turn down all my dance partners for you.)
Yan Chen kept his head down as he filled out a form, his expression unreadable. Without the usual lazy smile to soften his sharp features, his chiseled face looked cold and harsh.
Very soon, he handed the completed form back. “Désolé…”
The apology had just left his lips when he looked up and saw Ye Wenyu behind him. The frost between his brows instantly melted. “Mon copain est là.” (My boyfriend is here.)
The girls dispersed, and Yan Chen held Ye Wenyu’s hand and walked outside with him.
Though to say “held” wasn’t quite accurate. Yan Chen seemed to enjoy the difference in their hand sizes, and he liked to wrap Ye Wenyu’s entire hand in his palm protectively.
Outside, the street bustled with activity, and the crowd was full of distinctive white European faces.
Ye Wenyu turned his head to look at Yan Chen. His height far exceeded the average, and his deep, well-defined features were no less striking than those of Westerners. But his black hair and black eyes gave him that unique Oriental calm and restraint. He would stand out from the crowd wherever he went, and it would be hard not to notice him.
Thinking of the girls from earlier, Ye Wenyu subconsciously furrowed his brow. When they reached the side of the street, he suddenly pulled his hand out of Yan Chen’s.
Yan Chen paused mid-step and glanced sideways at him. “What’s wrong?”
No sooner had he spoken than the hand that had just been let go was pulled back again.
“Today it’s your turn to be my little kid.”
Cars streamed past in front of them. Ye Wenyu leaned against his arm, his breath turning into a mist in the cold air. “Classmate Xiao Yan, remember to stay with me all the time or you’ll get lost.”
