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Chapter 66 – Dressing Up
After the first snow, the sky gradually cleared. The cold-resistant shrubs and trees in Metropolitan Park were coated with a thin layer of pure white, glistening transparently under the sunlight.
In the distance, the deep-blue lake rippled gently, with a bird-shaped lighthouse standing at its center.
Shen Sijia gazed at the scenery receding outside the window, glanced at the driver in front, and lowered her voice to ask, “Who exactly is Suisui’s boyfriend?”
Zhou Xun beside her replied leisurely, “You’ll see him soon enough. Why the rush?”
Shen Sijia had been kept in suspense the entire way, especially after realizing Zhou Xun knew before her. She couldn’t help muttering, “Why didn’t Suisui tell me first? I knew him first than anyone else.”
Last night, Jiang Liusui had suddenly asked if she had time, wanting her and Zhou Xun to meet his boyfriend. Shen Sijia had been stunned when she saw the message, taking a long moment to process it.
She had a rough idea of Jiang Liusui’s situation. Hearing that he was in a relationship, she felt genuinely happy for him. And from his tone… it seemed they had been together for a while?
After the initial happiness came a pang of heartbreak reserved for CP fans.
“Probably worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it right away.”
“I guess so,” Shen Sijia sighed, completely missing Zhou Xun’s implication. “My ship has officially sunk.”[mfn]“My OTP is completely BE.” OTP = one-true pair, BE = bad ending[/mfn]
Zhou Xun’s words carried a hidden meaning: “Maybe there’s still hope.”
“What hope? No matter how invested I am, I can’t keep shipping him once I know he has a boyfriend.” Shen Sijia glanced out the window again, confirming the car had entered a private residential area, and couldn’t resist asking once more, “Who is it? Living in Metropolitan Park? This person must be pretty wealthy.”
“……” Zhou Xun suppressed a laugh and shook his head.
They took the elevator all the way to the top floor. As the doors opened, Shen Sijia rushed in: “Suisui!”
“Here.”
Jiang Liusui had been arranging ingredients for hotpot with He Yujing. Hearing her excited voice, he stepped out from the dining area.
“Long time no see! Let me look at you! Have you lost weight? Is it from filming?” Shen Sijia scrutinized him, then held her arm next to his. “Seriously, your arm is almost as thin as mine—”
Zhou Xun, unable to watch her manhandling him right off the bat, interjected, “Watch it.”
Shen Sijia blinked and promptly withdrew her hand. “Oh right, you’re a taken man now.”
She glanced around. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
“There are new slippers over there.” A voice came from around the corner.
He Yujing gestured toward the shoe cabinet and greeted them, “Hi, this counts as our first meeting, right?”
Zhou Xun nodded. “Hello.”
He Yujing smiled. Beside him, Shen Sijia stared blankly at him, then suddenly pinched Zhou Xun hard.
“Am I dreaming? Why do I see gege here?” Shen Sijia looked dazed, increasing the pressure. “Zhou Xun, does it hurt?”
“What do you think?” Zhou Xun gave a strained smile. “Pinch me again and I’ll really retaliate.”
Shen Sijia seemed to wake from a dream. She let out a short squeal, then covered her face. “I-I… uh… hello! Yu-ge, I’m your fan!!”
She looked at He Yujing, then turned her head to glance at Jiang Liusui, her face wearing a dazed expression of pure bliss: “This is a scene straight out of my dreams! Together in the same frame…!”
And it’s the home version too!
Jiang Liusui saw how utterly flustered she was and couldn’t help but laugh aloud. He Yujing deliberately pressed his elbow down on Jiang Liusui’s shoulder, leaning most of his weight against him: “How about this one? Ever dreamed of this?”
Shen Sijia covered her face, her cheeks flushed bright red as she nodded frantically, looking so excited she might burst into tears.
Jiang Liusui couldn’t bear it anymore: “Stop teasing her.”
If He Yuing kept this up, he was afraid Shen Sijia might actually faint on the spot.
Jiang Liusui patted He Yujing, signaling him to let go, then said to Shen Sijia and Zhou Xun: “Come eat, you came at the perfect time. The pot’s already hot.”
“Who cooked this? Can we really trust it?” Zhou Xun teased, remembering how they used to argue every night over who should make dinner when he stayed at Jiang Liusui’s place.
“Are you looking down on me?” Jiang Liusui casually picked up a takeout bag from the floor, the words Haidilao[mfn]a restaurant chain famous for their hotpot[/mfn] glaringly obvious, “Definitely didn’t pass through my hands, although I did personally light the fire.”
Zhou Xun let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Well, that’s fine then.”
Jiang Liusui was speechless for a moment, then waved a hand in front of the still dazed Shen Sijia: “Young Lady? Time to eat.”
For convenience, the hotpot was set up directly on the built-in induction stove on the island counter, with various ingredients arranged around it. Everyone sat around the island.
Outside the window, snow began to fall again. The room was warm with heating, and steam rose from the twin-flavored hotpot. Only when they started putting food in the pot did Shen Sijia finally come to her senses: “Oh right, Suisui, where’s your boyfriend?”
Jiang Liusui froze for a second, meeting Shen Sijia’s curious gaze.
So all that earlier excitement was just pure fangirling—she hadn’t even considered He Yujing’s identity.
Just as he was about to explain, He Yujing picked up a cooked shrimp ball and placed it in Jiang Liusui’s bowl: “Aren’t I right here?”
Shen Sijia gripped her chopsticks, completely stunned.
After a moment, even Zhou Xun froze, flustered, reaching for a tissue box. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Shen Sijia: “I-I-I’m so happy!! These are tears of happiness!!”
After saying this, she couldn’t help but confirm: “Really? Are you two really together?”
Shen Sijia’s reaction was so exaggerated that everyone was amused, even He Yujing laughed: “Guaranteed authentic.”
After Shen Sijia dried her tears, she could no longer contain her curious nature and began incessantly asking about details of their relationship—how long they’d been dating, who confessed first… Jiang Liusui cooperatively answered each question, and He Yujing would chime in appropriately.
Shen Sijia kept exclaiming in amazement, getting so emotional she nearly sobbed again.
Jiang Liusui had originally been worried that He Yujing might not have much to talk about with them, but this completely eased his concerns.
Finally, Shen Sijia remembered that He Yujing was about to go abroad for his tour and asked: “So you’ll be separated for quite a while, right?” If she remembered correctly, the tour would end around Chinese New Year?
“That’s why I made an appointment with Teacher Jiang. After he finishes filming, he’ll accompany me on tour for a while.”
Halfway through speaking, He Yujing popped open a can of soda with one hand and placed the freshly opened drink in front of Jiang Liusui, swapping out the empty can he had just finished.
Jiang Liusui took a sip and then told Shen Sijia, “About ten days or so.”
In the middle of the month, he would return to China to shoot his first brand commercial since debut.
Since it was his first endorsement, Wang Cen had carefully screened all available options, passing over some with high endorsement fees but mismatched brand aesthetics. In the end, they chose the makeup line of a certain high-end luxury brand.
“Wow! Amazing!”
Shen Sijia watched their subtle interaction with a beaming smile. During the meal, both had acted naturally without any particularly intimate gestures. Yet the intimacy between them was enough to make her heart flutter. It felt as if the whole world was floating in pink bubbles.
After the meal, Shen Sijia went to the restroom. When she returned, Zhou Xun was standing alone in the hallway of the living room, looking at the paintings. Glancing around, she asked, “Where are Suisui and Yu-ge?”
“In the kitchen,” Zhou Xun replied, amused as she moved to follow them. “Can’t you give them some privacy?”
“I rarely get to see Suisui. We haven’t finished catching up yet.” Wanting to ask Jiang Liusui more about his filming experiences, Shen Sijia headed toward the dining area.
Jiang Liusui was cleaning up in the kitchen with He Yujing. Normally, a housekeeper would handle it, but since they were free, they decided to do it themselves.
After loading the dishwasher, He Yujing watched Jiang Liusui slowly washing his hands by the sink, his long eyelashes slightly lowered. This warm, domestic scene suddenly made him appreciate the simple joy of household chores. Half-jokingly, he proposed, “How about we take turns cooking and cleaning? Eating takeout all the time isn’t good for us.”
“…?”
Accustomed to his occasional whims, Jiang Liusui didn’t immediately question today’s particular brand of madness, instead responding, “Isn’t the housekeeper usually the one who cooks?”
“We can tell them not to.”
Seeing his confident delivery, Jiang Liusui played along: “Alright then, what would you like for dinner tonight?”
He Yujing promptly listed several elaborate dishes. At first Jiang Liusui maintained a gentle, indulgent expression, but as the requests grew increasingly unrealistic, he elbowed He Yujing lightly: “Stop, that’s enough dreaming for today.”
Chuckling softly, He Yujing reached out and embraced Jiang Liusui from behind, relaxing fully against him while idly playing with his fingers.
Shen Sijia suddenly froze in her tracks.
Eyes wide, she stared blankly at the scene, cheeks warming as she mentally chanted, “Don’t look! Don’t look!” and quickly turned to leave.
But as she rushed into the living room, she realized something was off—
Such a rare opportunity—why hadn’t she watched longer?!
When fangirling with friends she could spout the wildest comments, yet in real life just some hand-holding made her shy?!
“Looks like your friend stopped by just now.”
“It’s fine.” Feeling the person behind him lift his head slightly, Jiang Liusui responded unconcernedly, “It’s not like we’re doing anything shameful.”
He Yujing laughed softly before burying his face back into the crook of his neck.
Accompanying He Yujing on his overseas tour would take over a week. While packing, Jiang Liusui was unsure what clothes to bring. He Yujing glanced over as he passed by and said, “Just bring whatever.”
Considering that he was going along to accompany him on the tour, Jiang Liusui thought it really wasn’t necessary to put too much thought into his outfits.
Jiang Liusui checked the weather and packed a few jackets and hoodies.
The first stop of the U.S. tour was Los Angeles. They arrived at the airport in the early hours of the morning. Jiang Liusui hadn’t slept much on the plane, and as soon as they landed, drowsiness washed over him, leaving him feeling a bit dazed.
Beside him, He Yujing was casually filming a video with his phone, pointing the camera at Jiang Liusui.
“We’re here,” he said. “This guy’s been sleepy the whole time, looking kind of dumb.”
Jiang Liusui pretended to hit him. He Yujing let him slap him a couple of times and asked, “Teacher Jiang, any comments?”
“I have two points to make,” Jiang Liusui said, seeing that He Yujing wasn’t fighting back, so he resorted to verbal attacks. “First, He Yujing is a drama queen. Second, show some respect for Teacher Jiang.”
He Yujing deliberately moved the phone camera farther away. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
“……” Jiang Liusui, annoyed, locked onto his throat in mock frustration.
The rest of the team watched with amusement. The makeup artist quietly asked Lin Chong, “How long has EVIN had a boyfriend?”
She took a closer look, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she remembered something. “I’ve seen him before! Didn’t he come backstage during the first show?”
Lin Chong wasn’t entirely sure about the exact timeline either and nodded. “It’s probably been a while.”
In his memory, not long after they met, He Yujing’s attitude toward Jiang Liusui had already been quite ambiguous.
By the time they reached the hotel, Jiang Liusui washed up and immediately collapsed into bed, not waking up until the sky was bright the next day.
Seeing he was awake, He Yujing sat by the bed and gently stroked his neck and cheek.
Jiang Liusui narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the touch of those slender, elegant fingers on his skin, and couldn’t help letting out a soft, contented hum.
“Awake?” He Yujing watched him, looking like a little fox being petted, his whole body arching comfortably. Amused, he said, “Let’s go out for a bit first. I borrowed a yacht from a friend. This afternoon, I’ll take you out to the sea.”
He had deliberately arrived a day early. With no work today, he could spend the day on a date with Jiang Liusui.
Jiang Liusui nodded and got out of bed. As he did, He Yujing gave him a light smack on the butt. Jiang Liusui widened his eyes and, as he passed by, retaliated by stepping on He Yujing’s foot. The other man smacked his other side and gave him a pinch.
Being manhandled first thing in the morning, Jiang Liusui gritted his teeth. “He Yujing…”
“I’m sorry,” the one being called immediately backed off, coaxing him. “Go wash up. I won’t tease you anymore.”
Taking advantage of Jiang Liusui going to the bathroom, He Yujing picked out a white shirt, a light blue ripped sweater, and wide-leg pants from his own suitcase and hung them in the closet.
Just as Jiang Liusui finished washing up and was about to dig through his own suitcase for clothes, He Yujing asked, “Want to wear my clothes?”
“Probably not,” Jiang Liusui said without much thought. “Your clothes are too big for me. It wouldn’t be comfortable.”
Just as he reached for his own hoodie, He Yujing took his hand and pulled him into the closet.
“Wear mine,” He Yujing said, tugging at his waist, a mix of intimacy and possessiveness in his tone.
Jiang Liusui looked at the hung clothes and thought that although they were a bit oversized, they were all quite stylish. He had initially intended to agree directly but changed his mind on a whim, deliberately saying, “No.”
He wanted to tease He Yujing and see how he would react.
He Yujing didn’t waste words and directly started undoing his pajamas. Jiang Liusui struggled briefly, but the walk-in closet wasn’t particularly spacious. Before he could dart away, he was caught. He Yujing pulled Jiang Liusui’s wrists behind his back, holding them with one hand while the other reached around to leisurely unbutton his pajama shirt. “So unwilling?”
“Alright, alright, I’ll wear them.” With his hands held behind him, Jiang Liusui felt like a captive under his control and couldn’t help but blush. “I was just teasing you. Let go.”
“I’ll help you dress.” He Yujing did release his hands but made another request. “Look in the mirror.”
Jiang Liusui instinctively glanced at the full-length mirror in the walk-in closet. Watching He Yujing help him out of his pajamas and then dress him piece by piece, the heat in his cheeks gradually intensified.
They had done something similar before at home, but back then, it was in He Yujing’s walk-in closet… He had even ended up kneeling on the carpet, unable to bear it.
“Your face is so red, Suisui.” He Yujing mischievously stroked his cheek, clearly aware of what he was thinking. “Wait here, I’ll go get your jewelry.”
“Am I a doll or something?” Jiang Liusui muttered under his breath, then thought of something and turned to ask He Yujing, “Then are you the little girl?”
“Go on,” He Yujing teased him. “Keep talking, and I’ll pick the ugliest ones for you.”
When He Yujing returned, he brought several necklaces, along with bracelets and rings of various designs. Jiang Liusui looked at the reflection in the mirror—he was dressed entirely in shades of blue, while He Yujing wore white. Somehow, He Yujing had managed to make the two different color schemes look like matching outfits.
As they left the hotel, He Yujing answered a phone call—it seemed to be from the friend who had lent him the yacht.
Walking side by side, Jiang Liusui suddenly felt an intense gaze directed their way. Out of professional instinct, he glanced in the direction it came from.
Not far away stood a girl with long blonde hair. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be Asian. She was staring straight at them, her eyes tinged with a shadow of gloom.
For a moment, Jiang Liusui thought she might have recognized He Yujing or himself, but the girl quickly lowered her head and disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Liusui frowned.
It was probably just a coincidence, right?
He had considered asking He Yujing if he had noticed—after all, He Yujing was more sensitive to such gazes—but He Yujing was fully focused on the call. Jiang Liusui decided not to dwell on it and brushed off the insignificant incident.
After hanging up, He Yujing affectionately slung an arm over his shoulder. “They invited me to dinner tonight. Do you want to go? If not, we can do our own thing.”
“Sure.” Jiang Liusui asked curiously, “What kind of friends are they?”
“One is a high school classmate, and the other I met later…” As he spoke, he opened the car door for Jiang Liusui and got in from the other side.
Jiang Liusui wore ill-fitting clothes, with overly long cuffs covering his palms and only revealing a section of his fair fingertips. For convenience, he lowered his head in the car to roll up his sleeves. He Yujing watched his movements, finding him utterly adorable no matter how he looked, and mischievously pinched his cheek as if to stir up trouble.
Jiang Liusui shot him a reproachful look, then realized that before leaving the country, He Yujing had told him to just pack freely. “Did you plan this all along?”
He Yujing neither confirmed nor denied it. Jiang Liusui was always indulgent with him in such matters: “Then I’II trouble you to be my stylist these next few days?”
“Of course,” He Yujing leaned back casually and replied smoothly, “It’s my honor.”
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