I’ve been sick for the past few days and a bunch of things going on irl so the update might be sporadic for a while 🫠🤞
Xie Yu blurted out, “Damn!”
Under the combined stimulation of his hangover, alcohol, and the skin beneath his palm, he could barely restrain himself. He wanted to invade, to force, to rub against him, to hold the person in his arms tightly, to kiss him, and to do more things… He stickily kissed Shen Ci’s earlobe, biting and grinding it with his teeth, tormenting the small, soft flesh until it was red and swollen. After Shen Ci hissed in discomfort, he gently enveloped it, licking it to soothe.
The wet, soft touch of lips and tongue came from his earlobe. The piercing earring, which passed through his flesh, was astonishingly hot; his entire ear seemed to be burning. Xie Yu, however, kept clinging to it, even taking the earring into his mouth, playing with it thoroughly before softly asking, “Assistant Shen, are you treating me like Liu Xiahui?”
Only Liu Xiahui could remain unperturbed in such a situation.
Hot breath caressed his ear, giving Shen Ci goosebumps. His body screamed to escape, but his will kept him rooted. He even gripped Xie Yu’s arm, met his gaze, and asked, “Why do you want to be Liu Xiahui?”
As he spoke, he lifted his leg and wrapped it around Xie Yu’s waist. “Come.”
Xie Yu could no longer be Liu Xiahui.
…
This commotion lasted until almost noon.
They kissed and embraced until they were exhausted. Shen Ci wiggled his fingers with difficulty, reaching out from under the covers. “We didn’t make lunch.”
There were radishes and spare ribs stocked in the fridge. They had originally planned to make soup today, but soup takes at least three hours to stew. If they really made it, they’d be eating in the afternoon.
Xie Yu pressed him back down. “Don’t bother making anything; let’s go out to eat.”
The embrace was warm. They held each other peacefully for a while. Shen Ci suddenly wrapped his arms around Xie Yu, pressing tightly against him.
He stared into Xie Yu’s eyes. “Mine.”
From the initial feeling of inferiority and uneasiness in the contractual relationship to the five years of disappearance without saying goodbye, and now, covered in kiss marks, he could finally declare: this was his.
Xie Yu rubbed the back of his head, then squeezed his back, sighing, “Okay, yours.”
He was already planning to stay for him; of course, he was his.
The person in his arms softened, finally calming down, only clinging even tighter.
After lingering a bit more, they each washed up, got dressed, and headed out.
Shen Ci was supposed to be working. With the company in its early stages, he should have been busy, but neither of them mentioned it. They tacitly pretended it wasn’t an issue.
Xingfu Community was in the old city, with several commercial districts nearby. They got into the car. Shen Ci originally planned to find the closest one, but Xie Yu searched on his phone for a moment, located something, and said, “Let’s go to this one.”
Shen Ci was puzzled but didn’t object, letting Xie Yu step on the gas and drive onto the main road.
The Santana was over a decade old, a car Xu Qingshan didn’t want anymore. Its parts were old, and the ride was a bit bumpy. Every time they turned or went over a speed bump, Xie Yu would subtly glance at Shen Ci. Shen Ci initially pretended not to notice, but eventually, after too many times, he looked back impatiently. Xie Yu then coughed. “Are you feeling alright?”
Shen Ci pressed his lower abdomen. Although it had been a long time, the unfamiliar sensation still lingered there. “…A little strange, but okay.”
Xie Yu: “Next time, let’s take your car.”
Driving the Santana was a temporary measure. Xie Yu initially thought he wouldn’t be staying long, so any car would do. Now that he planned to stay permanently, there was no need to avoid using a better car.
Shen Ci said, “Okay, I’ll give you the keys later.”
They walked around the mall, and Xie Yu chose a light Cantonese restaurant. He ordered some dim sum and congee for Shen Ci. When it was time to pay, Shen Ci naturally pulled out his card to swipe. Xie Yu took the card away and replaced it with his own QR code, saying, amidst Shen Ci’s bewildered gaze, “It’s not your turn to pay right now. I have something I want you to buy later.”
Only then did Shen Ci say, “Okay.”
Xie Yu led him directly to the top floor and turned to an independent studio of a certain jewelry brand.
Shen Ci, who had been quiet and uninterested in his surroundings, suddenly paused when he saw the brand logo and instinctively touched his earlobe.
He still kept the ear clip box; it had this exact logo.
He held Xie Yu’s hand, a certain guess growing wildly in his mind. “This is?”
Xie Yu turned to look at him, amused: “Didn’t you say this morning that I was yours? Don’t you want to pick out a matching piece of jewelry for me then?”
He pulled Shen Ci into the store, handed him a thick set of custom design manuals, and took another one himself: “Take a look. What do you want me to wear? Earrings, collarbone chains, bracelets, anklets, and rings… Oh, no rings.”
Shen Ci paused, flipping through the book, then looked up at him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed: “Why no rings?”
Among all jewelry, a ring carries the strongest sense of belonging.
Xie Yu was busy choosing designs and, without looking up, stated matter-of-factly, “We’ll need wedding rings, you see. Those have to be a pair; a single one won’t do.”
Shen Ci froze, the tips of his ears turning a little red. He nervously glanced around. The sales assistants, with their keen service awareness, looked up at the ceiling and down at the floor, pretending not to hear.
Xie Yu noticed his silence, thinking he wasn’t satisfied, and flipped through the catalog, making a rustling sound, turning to the less common styles at the back: “Hmm, you don’t like any of these. Alright, what do you like?”
He moved a little closer to Shen Ci, motioned for the sales assistants to leave, and spread the manual in front of him: “Armlets are also an option, and I can accept leg rings; it’s just that these two are too impractical for daily wear. You can’t wear them often. Hmm, if you want to see, a belly button ring isn’t out of the question either…”
Shen Ci couldn’t help but imagine the scene, then suddenly gripped his hand, his fingertips trembling: “Enough! Stop it!”
Xie Yu glanced sideways, scrutinizing him at his leisure, his eyes narrowing like a fox, feigning surprise: “You don’t want to see? You really don’t want to see?”
“…”
Shen Ci’s ear tips were a deep crimson, and he was restless. He pushed Xie Yu away, spread the catalog in front of the sales assistant, and hastily said, “A bracelet, get me a bracelet!”
He seemed so afraid of being a step too slow, fearing Xie Yu might spot something strange again.
Xie Yu shrugged, deliberately fanning the flames in his ear: “A bracelet, huh? A bracelet sounds a bit boring…”
Shen Ci felt like he was burning up.
He hurriedly filled out the order, then chose a style. The designer was supposed to offer a one-on-one video consultation, but Shen Ci had no concept of jewelry. He touched the “X” on his earlobe and simply said, “I’d like it to feature the initial of my surname.”
“Your initial, let me see… ‘S’, right?”
Shen Ci nodded: “Yes.”
Xie Yu’s name hung from his earlobe, and his name would be on Xie Yu’s wrist.
Xie Yu was casually sitting nearby, listening to Shen Ci finalize the details, when the system, which hadn’t appeared for a long time, suddenly popped up with an exaggerated tone: “Wow, Host, your wife’s last name starts with ‘S’!”
Xie Yu: “You just found out today… Wait a minute.”
He understood another meaning from the system’s loaded words.
System: “And your wife chose a forest-themed design. If I’m not mistaken, that brand’s forest series is famous for its intricate intertwining thorns and vines? Wow, ‘S’, thorns, and vines… does this not somehow coincide with the original text?”
Xie Yu: “…” He looked disgusted, refusing to make the association: “Enough, don’t say any more, you perverted system.”
They chose the style, paid the deposit, and now just had to wait for the designer to produce the initial draft. After revising and finalizing it, they could pick it up.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Shen Ci was in a good mood. He was visibly happy, even pulling Xie Yu to try desserts and pastries he had been reluctant to try before. It wasn’t until night fell that they left the mall.
There were many people dressed in mascot costumes at the entrance, handing out flyers within the crowd. The mascots’ large heads were a bit cumbersome, and they stumbled occasionally as they were swept along by the crowd.
Shen Ci and Xie Yu walked past them. Shen Ci suddenly said, “I used to do that part-time job too.”
Xie Yu: “What?”
Shen Ci: “Wearing a mascot costume and handing out flyers.”
Xie Yu was startled: “When?”
Shen Ci: “Before I met you, when I was still studying at A University.”
He seemed a little nostalgic: “That was one of the easier part-time jobs to find at school. Tutoring was more relaxed, but it wasn’t always available. Sometimes when it wasn’t, I’d go out on weekends to hand out flyers. It was usually 10 yuan an hour, but wearing the mascot costume was more expensive, 15 yuan an hour. I especially liked handing them out in winter because I didn’t have thick clothes, and the mascot costume was warmer. Summer was a bit of a torment; once I almost got heatstroke and nearly had to be hospitalized.”
Xie Yu could imagine the scene: Shen Ci, not good with words, clumsily putting on the mascot costume, handing out flyers one by one on the roadside, sometimes stumbling when squeezed by the crowd. If it were summer, his shirt and hair would be completely soaked.
Xie Yu’s voice was a little tight: “What happened then?”
Shen Ci: “Nothing much after that. My head was spinning; I couldn’t attend classes. My roommates had all gone to class, so I lay in the dorm calculating how much it would cost if I couldn’t hold on and had to be hospitalized. Later, I figured out that a week of handing out flyers barely covered the hospital fees, so I felt really wronged. I just covered myself up, and when I woke up, my pillowcase was soaked. But fortunately, I recovered in the afternoon and didn’t need to go to the hospital.”
His tone was calm and even cheerful because he was very happy today, as if he was just sharing past experiences with someone he liked in a very ordinary way.
Xie Yu, however, couldn’t take it anymore.
At the bustling mall entrance, he suddenly grabbed Shen Ci and pulled him into a full embrace.
Shen Ci was a little surprised. He first struggled uncomfortably, then reached out and patted Xie Yu’s back. They were both wearing thick down jackets. Xie Yu’s buttons were open now, so Shen Ci could press directly against his chest, feeling warm, like hugging a big fluffy cat.
Shen Ci rubbed against the big cat. He was truly happy today, his thoughts jumping around. One second he was talking about handing out flyers, and the next he said, “Xie Yu, you’re so warm.”
Then he heard the big cat say in a muffled voice, “I wish I had come earlier.”
Shen Ci looked up: “Hm?”
Xie Yu, however, sighed quietly: “Nothing.”
He sniffled, changing ‘come’ to ‘met,’ and his tone was a bit fierce: “If I had met you earlier, I would have forced you to take off that mascot costume, then thrown the contract in front of you and asked, ‘Do you want living expenses? Do you want a spot for treatment? Then put down those flyers and roll over here and be my wife!'”
Shen Ci chuckled.
Those unbearable, painful times had become memories. Shen Ci himself was already indifferent, but if someone cared for him, if someone was willing to love him more because of those pains, that was good.
He softly said, “But then I would definitely think you were a pervert.”
Xie Yu: “Heh, didn’t you think I was a pervert when we first met?”
“…”
Shen Ci turned his head away from him, whispering, “I did.”
Young Master Xie was infamous; ask ten people who knew him, and probably nine would think he was a pervert.
Xie Yu tightened his arms: “Then what does it matter if you think I’m a pervert? You’re still going to end up as my wife anyway.”
They walked along the commercial street. Xie Yu politely accepted every flyer handed to him. By the time they walked the length of the commercial street to where the car was parked, he had a thick stack of flyers.
Shen Ci thought he was just holding them and would throw them away later, but to his surprise, when they got home, Xie Yu took the flyers upstairs, divided them into several stacks, and began reading them under the desk lamp.
Shen Ci curiously leaned over. The covers were colorful promotional images, and below them were floor plans and specific locations—Xie Yu was looking at real estate agent advertisements.
Shen Ci asked, “Do you want to buy a house?”
Xie Yu’s current apartment was a bit old and small. It was just right for one person but cramped for two. If they cooked together, the kitchen wouldn’t have enough space.
Moreover, old houses always had various problems: the pipes were severely aged, and it leaked every now and then on rainy days, and the air conditioning wasn’t great either. Xie Yu had been making do, but now that he planned to stay, he could buy a new one. As for the Xingfu Community apartment, they could tidy it up occasionally as a way to account for the original owner’s mother.
As for Shen Ci, he had never bought a house. He used to live on the top floor of a hotel, reminiscing over objects. Later, Xie Yu returned, so there was no need to look at objects or reminisce about people, and he moved in with Xie Yu.
Xie Yu said, “Yes, I plan to.”
The flyers were all for recently opened properties, mostly mid-rise and high-rise buildings, with areas ranging from 60 to 120 square meters, suitable for both living and upgrading.
Shen Ci, however, said, “You can choose anywhere in Jiangcheng. A large flat by the river is also fine.”
He was referring to the few buildings in the city center with prime river views.
Xie Yu’s hand, holding the flyers, paused and stopped.
He had always treated this world as a game, without much sense of reality. Every time Shen Ci spoke to him, he never put on airs, so Xie Yu had forgotten that Shen Ci was now a highly sought-after figure in Jiangcheng.
Xie Yu realized belatedly, muttering to himself, “Wait, so I’m a kept man now?”
The system looked at him disdainfully: “Brother, the contract was signed, and you’re just realizing this now?”
“…”
Although staying in this world was unexpected, and having a male spouse was also unexpected, being a kept man by his wife was certainly not something Xie Yu had anticipated.
Xie Yu put the brochures aside, his expression rarely serious: “Hold on, let’s talk about buying a house later. Tell me again about the situation with Xie Group’s stock recently?”
Shen Ci didn’t know why he suddenly became interested in stocks, but he still explained everything in detail.
The main shareholders of Xie Group now were just him and Xie Yuanhai. Xie Yuanhai had slightly more shares than him, and the remaining equity was quite dispersed.
Xie Yu listened calmly. It was late at night. Shen Ci had skipped work today and couldn’t skip tomorrow, so he yawned. The two embraced and fell asleep.
Shen Ci quickly fell asleep, but Xie Yu had something on his mind. He was thinking about the equity structure when the system suddenly appeared silently.
The glowing small screen circled Xie Yu, exclaiming in wonder, “Oh my god, I’m not mistaken, am I, Host? You’re finally going to pursue a career path?”
Xie Yu was silent for a moment, then sighed, “Well, I have to support my wife, don’t I?”
He couldn’t let Shen Ci pay every time they went out.
Xie Yu had studied economics during his overseas studies, a major chosen by Xie Yuanshan. However, what he learned in school was merely superficial, and it required a lot of practical experience. But Xie Yuanshan was dead, and Xie Yuanhai would not teach Xie Yu. Xie Yu was not proficient in the actual operation of the company.
System: “Host, I can help you.”
Xie Yu: “Hm?”
System: “Although my exterior is artificial intelligence, to support a machine as intelligent as me, my core is a state-of-the-art supercomputer.”
“Once you enter the company, I can simulate and traverse all possibilities, analyze and learn from all past cases, choose the optimal decisions for you, and assist you in achieving your wishes.”
It smiled subtly: “Originally, you could have gone home, but since you gave that up, I can assist you. I’ll unbind once you succeed.”
It had its next mission to do, after all.
Xie Yu: “Thank you.” Although the system was very unreliable, and he, the host, was also very unreliable, in the end, the outcome was actually not bad.
I suddenly love the system
i hope u feel better!!!