TL: Hua
Chapter 10: Thighs
When they saw the drink Xie Yu pointed to, not only Shen Ci but even the attendant was stunned.
“You’re the first customer to order milk tonight,” the attendant said, pouring milk while teasing them. “You brought your boyfriend on a cruise just to drink milk?”
Shen Ci was taken aback: “No…”
He was a contract partner Xie Yu had signed, not a boyfriend.
Xie Yu, however, said, “He has a sensitive stomach; drinking alcohol makes him vomit.”
The attendant had worked on the boat for several years and had seen all kinds of guests. He glanced between Shen Ci and Xie Yu. Xie Yu was dressed in luxurious clothes, covered in high-end brands; even his watch was diamond-encrusted. Meanwhile, Shen Ci was dressed in plain attire. Seeing this, he mostly understood and chuckled, “Not a boyfriend now, but who knows about the future?”
Xie Yu scoffed, “He’s thin-skinned; don’t tease him.”
The milk didn’t need mixing; it was ready in under twenty seconds. Xie Yu took it and handed it to Shen Ci. Warm steam rose, carrying the scent of milk. Shen Ci held the cup through his sleeve, feeling his whole body warm up.
He lowered his gaze: “…Thank you.”
“No problem.” Xie Yu looked out at the river: “My yacht has arrived. Get ready to board.”
—
Half an hour later, Shen Ci sat in Young Master Xie’s private yacht, holding the packed hot milk. Beneath him was a soft fabric sofa, so soft that he completely sank into it just by sitting on the edge.
Looking out the yacht window, he could see another boat gradually moving away—the one they had just disembarked from. Its lights were a dazzling, garish neon, reflecting on the nearby river water, making it appear decadent and alluring. The yacht he was currently on, however, was clean and tidy, with warm yellow lighting. It glided smoothly on the river, and the distant pier was faintly visible. In ten minutes at most, they would dock.
Shen Ci felt a little disoriented.
He had gotten off that boat so easily, without paying any price.
When he and Xie Yu first met, Young Master Xie had set a safe word, saying that when he couldn’t bear it anymore and spoke that word, everything would stop.
Shen Ci had dismissed it as a clumsy joke. He didn’t believe a mere word could restrain Xie Yu, nor did he believe the arrogant Young Master Xie would consider his feelings. It was merely a common tactic of those in power, like a cat playing with a mouse, offering cheap hope then retracting it, enjoying the struggle of those beneath them for amusement.
But perhaps the towel covering his head in the rain, the lollipop handed over when he had low blood sugar, and the few days they spent together, Xie Yu did not have the rumored violence, nor did he use any means against him, which gradually relaxed Shen Ci’s vigilance. So, on that island-like cruise ship, in that smoke-filled private room, he spoke the word, like a drowning person desperately trying to grasp a lifeline.
In the few seconds when Xie Yu looked at him in surprise and then fell silent, Shen Ci thought that his struggle must have appeared pathetic and ridiculous.
He was clearly a fish on the chopping block, yet he presumed to call a halt to the executioner’s game.
But it actually worked.
Xie Yu seemed to have brought him simply to show him off to friends and make an appearance. After Shen Ci spoke the word, Xie Yu took him away without even asking for a reason.
This safe word was actually effective.
Incense was lit in the cabin, an oud and sandalwood scent. Coupled with the undulating river water, it brought to mind a forest after rain or an ancient temple deep in the mountains, where people lit fires and slept in tents, listening to a drizzling autumn rain.
Shen Ci, enveloped by the soft sofa, felt a little drowsy.
This was a somewhat novel experience. By Young Master Xie’s side, he had always been on edge, ready for any sudden aggression. Even on the first night, sleeping in the hotel bed was merely a brief rest, not true sleep.
But now, it was as if the bottomless abyss suddenly had a bottom line, as if the toy had suddenly grasped the game’s stop button, and he finally relaxed.
Shen Ci looked up. Xie Yu sat opposite him. Young Master Xie was still slumped on the sofa, his long legs folded, idly scrolling on his phone, his posture noble and languid, like a large, boneless cat.
However, despite the outwardly calm appearance, Xie Yu’s mind was about to explode with noise.
System: “Ahhhhhh, Host!”
“Host, what are you doing, Host!!!!”
“Tonight is a major plot point; you have so many lines you haven’t said yet, ahhhhhhhh!”
“It’s broken! It’s broken! It’s completely broken!!!!”
“You’re going to fail if this keeps up, ahhhhhhhh!”
Xie Yu’s forehead throbbed with veins: “Can you calm down a little?”
The system was agitated, like a melodramatic heroine in an old Hong Kong romance movie: “How can I calm down! How do you expect me to calm down!!!”
Xie Yu felt a subtle shift in his mood, thinking that he and the protagonist hadn’t even developed anything yet, but he was already having a rom-com dialogue with an electronic entity. He pressed his forehead: “No, think about it. Isn’t this for my persona?”
System: “Huh? What persona?”
Xie Yu patiently explained, “Shen Ci just said the safe word. In a special game, what does a safe word represent?”
System: “?”
It hesitated: “A bottom line that cannot be crossed?”
Xie Yu: “Shen Ci said the safe word, and I am an unusually ‘professional’ person. So, according to ‘professional’ practice, what should I do?”
System: “…”
“Immediately stop the game, remove the submissive from the scene, and if the submissive is still on the verge of collapse, soothe their emotions.”
Xie Yu: “I immediately stopped the game, removed Shen Ci from the scene, and bought him hot milk to soothe his emotions. Isn’t that the professional conduct a professional should have?”
System: “…?”
This thing actually had “professional conduct”?!
It felt a bit twisted, unable to argue for a moment, only saying, “But I still have to deduct points from you.”
It listed Xie Yu’s problems: “You didn’t say many lines. Although the protagonist felt shame and humiliation, it wasn’t intense enough; it didn’t reach the threshold, and also…”
Xie Yu was shocked: “This thing has a threshold? Give me a break!”
The system righteously said, “We are a legitimate system! We have strict evaluation standards!”
Xie Yu: “Alright… What else? Go on.”
System: “Your physical contact also falls far short of the standard.”
The original text had many detailed descriptions of physical contact, but Xie Yu only grabbed a wrist tonight, which was completely insufficient.
Xie Yu knew he was in the wrong and waved his hand, indicating it could deduct whatever it wanted. The previous two times had been over sixty points, so averaging it out, it wasn’t a big problem.
After the argument between the human and the system ended, a long ship’s whistle sounded, the hull swayed slightly, and the staff secured the mooring lines—they had docked.
Xie Yu stepped ashore and found his Bentley. He had been drinking and couldn’t drive, so he had called for a driver. Now that the driver had arrived, Xie Yu tossed him the keys and opened the rear door.
The original owner had a high alcohol tolerance, developed from indulging in pleasure with his cronies. Xie Yu’s alcohol tolerance was average. He had mixed and drunk some champagne and red wine and was already a bit tipsy. He half-lay on the cushion, closing his eyes for a short nap.
In the front were the driver and an empty passenger seat. Shen Ci hesitated slightly, then got into the back seat with Xie Yu.
Xie Yu lifted his eyelids, half-drunk, half-awake, like a lazy big cat. He looked at Shen Ci, remembering the unfinished plot, and suddenly tapped the system: “System, that physical contact requirement, it can happen anytime tonight, right?”
The system was still angry, its tone flat: “Yes, you were originally supposed to stay on the boat all night and only get off tomorrow morning. It could happen anytime.”
Xie Yu chuckled softly: “That’s easy.”
The back seat of the business-class Bentley was spacious; he and Shen Ci sat on opposite sides, keeping to themselves. Yet, Xie Yu raised a finger, feigning a rub of his forehead, and let out a soft sigh.
The driver heard the movement in the back and quickly asked, “Young Master Xie, are you alright?”
Xie Yu: “Mmm, I’m fine, just a little dizzy from drinking.”
Shen Ci, who had been sitting properly, also turned his head at the sound, looked at Xie Yu’s face for a moment, and then quickly looked away.
The driver, however, didn’t want to miss an opportunity to be helpful and quickly said, “There’s a pharmacy up ahead. Should I go buy some hangover medicine?”
Xie Yu: “No need, I’ll be fine if I just lie down.”
Driver: “The rear seats can be adjusted to a reclining position. Would you like me to help you…”
Before he finished speaking, Xie Yu swayed to the side, collapsing directly onto the person beside him, his head resting on his thigh. He just lay there, leaning on him.
Shen Ci jumped, raising a hand to push him away, but how could Xie Yu let him? He rubbed his forehead, muttering, “This wine really gives you a headache.”
He was half-drunk, half-sober, groaning and complaining of a headache, his voice strangely soft. Shen Ci paused, his fingers hovering three inches above Xie Yu’s forehead, then finally pursed his lips and lowered them.
Remembering the lines he hadn’t spoken, Xie Yu half-opened his eyes and grumbled, “Assistant Shen, what’s wrong? Can’t I lie on this leg?”
Shen Ci lowered his gaze to look at him but said nothing.
This line was from the original text, spoken by the original owner at the party. The novel described Shen Ci’s expression as cold as ice at the time, indeed giving Young Master Xie no good impression. He made an excuse to go to the restroom and directly pushed him off his leg.
Of course, Young Master Xie in the novel couldn’t swallow that insult. He grabbed Shen Ci’s collar and slammed the back of his head against the wall, stunning him on the spot. Young Master Xie still wasn’t satisfied, so he choked Shen Ci’s neck and kneed him in the lower abdomen. Shen Ci immediately clutched his stomach and vomited, curling up. Young Master Xie then yanked him and threw him onto a chair, stripping his clothes in front of a crowd.
Xie Yu still remembered the description of this part, which said that Shen Ci was grabbed by the hair, forced to lower his head, his neck and back arching into beautiful curves, his skin, like warm jade, exposed to the air, breaking out in goosebumps, making one want to pinch and fondle him.
In normal times, Xie Yu wouldn’t react to such descriptions, but now, having drunk some wine and resting his head on Shen Ci’s thigh, his gaze lingered on his collarbone and neck. He truly found a certain allure, feeling quite aroused.
After all, Assistant Shen was indeed very handsome. His features were clear and stern, dignified and peaceful. Standing there, his skin was like white glaze, reminding one of expensive antique porcelain in a glass display cabinet.
To be able to hold and play with such porcelain in one’s hands would certainly be one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Xie Yu thought to himself: What a sin! How could I be like the pervert in the original text, thinking about defiling the protagonist?
He quickly reined in his thoughts and continued to deliver his lines.
“Assistant Shen, according to our contract, never mind your leg, every inch of skin and flesh on your entire body belongs to me.”
According to the plot, Shen Ci should struggle violently, but Xie Yu waited for a long time, and the other party didn’t move.
Xie Yu: “?”
He continued to act, squinting slightly as required by the script, his expression dangerous: “Assistant Shen, don’t forget whose grandmother’s quota…”
In the novel, this line was like a trump card. Every time Xie Yu said it, Shen Ci would become obedient. This time was no exception. According to the script, he would instantly stiffen, then go limp, like a soulless puppet, gazing into the distance with an empty, vacant stare.
However, before Xie Yu could finish, Shen Ci suddenly sighed.
He closed his thighs, letting the most fleshy part steadily support Xie Yu’s head. Then he turned his head, looking awkwardly out the window, and said flatly, “If you want to lie down, then lie down.”
Xie Yu: “Huh?”
This completely stumped Xie Yu.
His head was still numb from the alcohol and not quite clear. He thought to himself: …What the heck? What do you mean, ‘If I want to lie down, then lie down’?
He frowned and waited for a long time, but Shen Ci, this aloof good student, really just silently allowed Young Master Xie to use his leg as a pillow, his two straight, long legs resting obediently, unmoving.
Xie Yu: “…”
Honestly, if Shen Ci had struggled desperately, resisting to the death with fierce virtue, he could have continued to play the villain role and finished the act properly. But with Shen Ci letting him lean on him like this, he actually felt awkward.
The pair of legs he was resting on were long and straight, well-proportioned, with just the right amount of flesh on the thighs—neither overly thin nor stout—making for a very comfortable pillow.
Shen Ci didn’t have many good clothes; they were all old, frayed, and baggy, not showing off his leg shape. But Xie Yu just had to imagine how good those legs would look in a suit.
He pulled his wild thoughts back: “Shen Ci, I bought you clothes; why didn’t you wear them?”
He tried very hard to get into the bully character: “Go back and wear them for me; I want to see.”
Shen Ci lowered his gaze to look at him but said nothing.
Xie Yu persisted: “Remember, your legs are mine to rest on whenever and wherever I want.”
This was also a line from the original text.
Shen Ci looked at him again, still saying nothing.
Xie Yu: “…”
His head really started to ache this time. Feeling disoriented and something being off, he stopped bothering Shen Ci and weakly ordered the driver, “Drive home quickly. I’m so sleepy.”
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Hmm, lol.