NANSO Chapter 34

TL: Hua

Xie Yu and Shen Ci walked side-by-side through many years together. Xie Yu had traveled independently across five continents during his five years abroad, and now he took Shen Ci with him to tour various countries, try new foods, and experience different cultures.

One lazy afternoon, lying in a rocking chair on an island, Xie Yu confessed to Shen Ci that he was from another world and had come for a mission.

At that moment, he was wearing beach shorts and floral sunglasses, with a cola straw still in his mouth, while Shen Ci sat beside him, applying sunscreen to his chest muscles.

“Mm,” Shen Ci hummed noncommittally, continuing to rub in the sunscreen.

The vacation sun had tanned Xie Yu a shade darker, but he was still handsome. The muscles under Shen Ci’s palm were relaxed and soft to the touch. Xie Yu rolled over and caught his hand, looking suspicious: “You’re so calm? You don’t think I’ve gone mad again, do you?”

Shen Ci sighed slightly: “Though it sounds strange, I’ve long felt that you and ‘him’ aren’t the same person.”

A person’s appearance can change, their personality can change, but how can the core of their nature change? Beneath Xie Yu’s relaxed and carefree exterior lay gentle bones and blood. How could Shen Ci believe that he had once been arrogant and domineering, had whipped innocent people, and had placed his own happiness above the suffering of others?

“Really?” Xie Yu raised an eyebrow. “You felt it long ago, but specifically when?”

Shen Ci’s movements paused, and he suddenly averted his gaze.

It was strange; they had been on vacation for so long, and Xie Yu’s arm skin was tanned to a wheat color, yet Shen Ci was still so fair, so much so that even a slight flush on his face was incredibly noticeable.

Xie Yu’s eyebrows arched even higher.

Shen Ci was, of course, very easy to tease. He was thin-skinned, blushing at the slightest provocation. Xie Yu also enjoyed teasing him with suggestive remarks, but with too much teasing, he gradually became desensitized. Now, other than during intimate moments, it was rare to see that expression on his face.

Xie Yu crossed his arms: “Tell me, when exactly?”

Shen Ci: “…Are you sure you want to hear?”

Xie Yu: “Of course I want to hear.”

Shen Ci sighed, “But I’m afraid you’ll be unhappy if you hear it.”

Xie Yu: “How could I be unhappy because of this… Wait a minute!”

He saw Shen Ci’s gaze shift downwards, slowly landing on Xie Yu’s colorful beach shorts.

Xie Yu looked down.

“…?”

“!”

He sat up incredulously, pulling a towel from the side to cover his beach shorts: “No way, that kind of thing?”

“Mm.”

As Xie Yu moved around, the sunscreen slid down his chest, dripping onto the beach chair. Shen Ci raised a hand to press him back down, continuing his movements: “You know, Young Master Xie has quite the reputation. If he were to be in love, he should be very skilled, but…”

Shen Ci shook his head slightly, swallowing the rest of his words, an expression of wanting to speak but holding back.

Xie Yu: “???”

His face was rarely so contorted: “But what?”

Shen Ci sighed, “If I say it, you’ll get angry…”

Xie Yu clenched his fist: “Say it!”

Shen Ci slowly said, “If I had to say, you were very inexperienced and lacked method, like it was your first time in a relationship.”

“…”

Seeing Xie Yu almost turn to stone, Shen Ci added, “Actually, it wasn’t too bad.”

Shen Ci was always quite enduring. Once, with a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius, he still said he was fine and wanted to get up for work, only to be pressed down by Xie Yu to sleep for a whole day. If he said he was “comfortable,” it actually meant he was uncomfortable.

Seeing Xie Yu’s face getting darker and darker, Shen Ci hesitated for a moment, then still comforted him: “You’re improving very quickly.”

Xie Yu’s face was covered in black lines: “Assistant Shen, are you trying to coax me like a child? Should I say thank you?”

The conversation, which started seriously, gradually veered into strange territory. When night fell, they lay on the net bed of the water villa, gazing at the stars, and decided to delve deeper into the daytime’s issues.

After exhaustion, Xie Yu held Shen Ci in his arms and gently kissed his forehead.

The next day, almost at noon, Xie Yu struggled to wake up, reaching out to his side and finding nothing.

“…?”

Since they started their vacation, Shen Ci had been sleeping until they naturally woke up together every day. This was the first time Xie Yu hadn’t found him.

…Where’s my wife?

He opened his eyes, looked around, most of his sleepiness gone, and then he sat up abruptly from the bed.

This wasn’t their vacation cottage.

A balcony, a suite, heavy mahogany furniture, huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and a round bathtub next to the floor-to-ceiling window.

This was a suite in a Jiangcheng hotel.

Xie Yu instantly thought it was a clumsy prank, but no matter how influential someone was, they couldn’t transport him across half the Pacific Ocean while he was sleeping. Xie Yu opened his phone, and the time displayed was nine years ago.

There were still two full years until the story began, when he and Shen Ci signed the contract.

In other words, his wife didn’t even know him yet.

Xie Yu cursed under his breath, rolling out of bed. He scrolled through his phone contacts from top to bottom, then bottom to top, finally selecting Zhou Yang: “Hey, buddy, help me find someone.”

In his faint memory, Zhou Yang’s family had shares in A University, so it wouldn’t be hard to find a student.

At this time, Xie Yu, Zhou Yang, and He Zhiyuan had not yet gone their separate ways; the three were inseparable. Before long, Xie Yu received a call.

Zhou Yang’s voice came through: “The person you’re looking for took a work-study job from the Student Affairs Department. They should be handing out flyers on Qunxing Avenue.”

Handing out flyers?

Xie Yu instantly remembered a day after they had opened up to each other, when Shen Ci said he had handed out flyers in the summer, earning 15 yuan an hour, and inside the thick mascot head, sweat had soaked through his shirt and hair, almost causing him to suffer heatstroke and collapse.

He looked out the window. It was the height of summer, the sunlight was scorching, and under the dazzling sun, every piece of land was being intensely baked.

He couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wear a mascot head in such weather.

Xie Yu quickly got dressed, rushing out the door. During this, Zhou Yang’s incessant chatter continued: “Hey, hey, Xie Yu, why are you looking for him? I hear a car starting. What are you doing?”

Xie Yu: “Looking for my wife.”

He abruptly hung up the phone.

Young Master Xie’s car at this time wasn’t a low-key luxury Bentley but a champagne-gold convertible sports car, flashy and eye-catching. Xie Yu paid no mind, stomped on the accelerator, sped onto the main road, then slammed on the brakes in front of Qunxing Avenue, and stepped out.

At the end of the street, Shen Ci weakly clutched the railing, his stomach cramping.

Uncomfortable, so uncomfortable. Sweat dripped down his hair, and his shirt clung to his body, soaked. Shen Ci didn’t even have the strength to take off the mascot head. He was dizzy, his body trembling slightly, his eyes staring blankly forward through the mascot’s two eyeholes, not focusing anywhere.

So uncomfortable… but if he stopped now, he wouldn’t get a day’s wages.

15 yuan, 10 hours, was more than a week’s worth of food money.

Shen Ci looked down. He still had a thick stack of flyers in his hand, the top few pages soaked with sweat, sticking to his hand.

He thought, dizzy and lightheaded, “I have to finish handing them out.”

Shen Ci stood up, leaning on the railing. Pedestrians hurried by, but his movements were slow. Often, people would pass before he could even extend a flyer. His arm was hit countless times, and after half a day, the stack in his hand hadn’t diminished much.

Shen Ci pursed his lips inside the mascot head, quietly clenching the edge of the costume. His gaze fell in the distance, seeing someone walking towards him.

The person approaching was tall; his features were unclear to Shen Ci, but his silhouette was handsome. He probably wasn’t someone difficult to talk to; he might take a flyer.

Shen Ci steadied himself, holding the mascot head, and extended the flyer in his hand: “Hello, sir…”

His voice was terribly hoarse, and upon closer listening, it was somewhat grating and frightening. Shen Ci pursed his lips, forcing a faint smile: “Sir, our new store is opening…”

Before he could finish, all the flyers in his hand were snatched away.

Shen Ci was startled. Just as he was about to try and retrieve them, he was grabbed by the shoulder and firmly pressed down onto a long bench.

“…Sir?”

Xie Yu lifted his mascot head with one hand.

The little bear’s head was placed beside the chair. The person inside the mascot head was flushed, and the corners of his eyes were moist. Fresh air suddenly rushed in, and he took two hurried breaths, then, with his remaining rationality, said, “Sir, I’m working; please give me back my head.”

Xie Yu had never seen Shen Ci like this.

He was refined and polite, and a little shy. At this time, his grandmother’s illness, though serious, wasn’t yet desperate, and Shen Ci hadn’t been worn down into a lifeless state by life. He looked very vibrant.

Xie Yu said, “You have heatstroke; you can’t work anymore. If you continue, your life will be in danger.”

He grabbed the little bear’s zipper: “Come out quickly.”

Without waiting for Shen Ci to refuse, Xie Yu had already pressed the little bear’s short, chubby, round tail and stripped off the entire costume. The person inside was indeed soaked, his shirt clinging to his body in wrinkles, revealing the cool, pale color of his skin.

Xie Yu forcefully pulled him out of the costume, holding him with one hand and the mascot suit with the other: “Let’s go; you need to go to the hospital.”

At this time, Xie Yu had been working out for a while, and Shen Ci was feeling dizzy. Xie Yu pulled him like he was pulling equipment in the gym, and he did it easily with enough strength to spare.

Xie Yu didn’t explain anything, and Shen Ci was forced to follow. His throat was so dry he couldn’t call for help; he could only vaguely think: Am I being kidnapped?

But when Xie Yu swung open the car door, Shen Ci dismissed that thought.

The convertible sports car parked by the roadside was flamboyant and eye-catching. The emblem was a shape Shen Ci didn’t recognize, but just from its streamlined body and striking color scheme, Shen Ci could guess it was worth a fortune.

The car’s owner didn’t need to kidnap him because his family couldn’t afford even one percent of this car’s value.

Shen Ci’s steps were unsteady; he couldn’t even get into the car normally. So Xie Yu picked him up and placed him in the passenger seat, then leaned over to fasten his seatbelt, and even unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him in passing.

Then Xie Yu started the ignition, causing a loud roaring sound, and he said, “I’ll take you to the nearest hospital. You need an IV drip.”

Beneath him was a soft leather seat with intricate patterns and a delicate feel. Shen Ci vaguely thought: If he had the money for this car, he could have given his grandmother the best medicine, hired the best doctors, and had her stay in a single room so that she wouldn’t have to wake up from a light sleep every night.

He was almost half-carried into the hospital by Xie Yu. This stranger didn’t mind that he was covered in sweat. Instead, he carefully settled him onto a chair, then single-handedly took care of the registration, consultation, and getting medicine. After that, he was taken to the infusion area, and only when the needle entered his vein did Xie Yu sit down beside him.

Shen Ci was very confused, extremely confused. He didn’t know the young man beside him, yet Xie Yu was so familiar with him, as if they had lived together for many years. He hesitated slightly, his fingers twitching, seemingly wanting to curl up: “You?”

Xie Yu was looking at the medication instructions. Hearing this, he looked up: “Don’t move your hand; be careful not to dislodge the needle.”

“…”

He spoke with such naturalness and intimacy, as if he was inherently supposed to be there, accompanying Shen Ci during his IV drip.

Shen Ci hesitated: “Sir, do we know each other?”

Xie Yu: “We do and we don’t. If I had to say, we don’t right now.”

His words were ambiguous. Shen Ci’s dizzy brain churned for a long time, unable to decipher his meaning. He was simply too uncomfortable. Halfway through the IV drip, he closed his eyes in exhaustion and fell asleep.

When he woke up, he was slumped to one side, his head resting perfectly on Xie Yu’s shoulder.

The time pointed to nine o’clock. This person had been sitting there for nearly four hours of infusion.

The position with his shoulder pressed down was uncomfortable; blood couldn’t circulate. His arm was probably numb after four hours.

Shen Ci lifted the arm that wasn’t being used for the IV and gently massaged it for him: “You?”

Xie Yu showed no discomfort. He put down his phone, his gaze calm: “It’s late. Should I take you back to school? But it’s a bit far. By the time we drive back, the dorm might be locked.”

A University’s undergraduate dorms are locked at 10 PM.

Without waiting for Shen Ci to hesitate, Xie Yu said, “It’s not a good idea for you to sit in a car for a long time now. I’m afraid you’ll vomit again. Can you stay in a hotel nearby for one night? You can go back tomorrow morning.”

“…”

For a stranger to invite him to stay in a hotel seemed like an impolite request, but Xie Yu’s gaze was gentle, with no hint of coercion or seduction, as if he truly was just worried about the long journey and Shen Ci’s discomfort on the way.

“Oh, I apologize.” Xie Yu was the first to react: “Don’t worry, we’ll get two rooms. I won’t stay with you.”

“…”

If someone else said this, it wouldn’t be credible, like the so-called “I’ll just touch it,” but for some unknown reason, or maybe he was possessed by a ghost, or maybe his brain wasn’t working after having heatstroke, Shen Ci hesitated for a moment and actually nodded.

And Xie Yu truly booked two rooms.

He handed the room card to Shen Ci, then entered his own room without looking back. He didn’t come out all night, let alone check on Shen Ci. It wasn’t until breakfast time that he knocked on Shen Ci’s door.

When Shen Ci opened the door, Xie Yu was standing there. He was dressed in pure white casual clothes, his hair casually combed back. Sunlight streamed from the glass window behind him, casting a golden silhouette around him. His figure was tall and slender, and his appearance was exceptionally handsome.

The forums had never mentioned that the violent Young Master Xie was so handsome.

Shen Ci was slightly stunned for two seconds, then politely greeted him: “Mr. Xie.”

Xie Yu paused, then smiled: “You found out who I am.”

Shen Ci wasn’t foolish. Although he had indeed been muddled yesterday due to his physical condition, he later realized what was happening and became cautious.

There is no other car like Young Master Xie’s with consecutive license plates in the whole Jiangcheng.

Shen Ci didn’t frequent their circle, but he had seen many rumors on forums detailing how Young Master Xie was brutal in his methods and how many people he had played with into the hospital. There were even accompanying pictures, showing a certain internet celebrity’s bleeding back, solid evidence that couldn’t be denied.

But Shen Ci couldn’t connect the legendary person with the young man from yesterday. Although their time together was brief, yesterday’s Xie Yu had been clearly patient, meticulous, and exceedingly gentle, nothing like the rumors.

He began to wonder if the rumors were wrong or if he had misjudged him.

Knowing Xie Yu’s identity, Shen Ci inevitably felt reserved. The Xie Group was a local pharmaceutical giant, holding many resources, perhaps even some that could save his grandmother. Such a person Shen Ci couldn’t afford to offend.

He ate breakfast with Xie Yu, feeling uneasy and confused. Xie Yu drove him back to school, chatting casually during the ride. Xie Yu spoke more, and Shen Ci responded occasionally. They seemed like old friends catching up. Xie Yu didn’t mention any compensation.

Shen Ci thought: If Xie Yu was truly just a kind passerby, what could he do to repay yesterday’s care?

But just as he was about to get out of the car, Xie Yu suddenly stopped him and handed him a contract.

Young Master Xie rubbed his nose and said, “Take a look first. The terms are negotiable.”

Shen Ci understood.

He considered himself to have nothing of value. Besides his appearance, there was nothing about him that Young Master Xie would covet, nor was he worthy of such meticulous care and kindness. But when the contract truly landed in his hand, Shen Ci still felt a little sad.

Yesterday’s kindness really had another purpose. That gentle and kind young man, after all, didn’t exist.

Xie Yu saw the unease in his eyes but said nothing. He simply made a gesture and smiled: “Call me when you’ve thought it over.”

He expected Shen Ci to hesitate for two days, but that evening, he received a call from him.

Shen Ci’s voice on the phone was tense, a little confused, and perplexed. He anxiously asked, “Mr. Xie, I’ve read the contract, but…”

Xie Yu smiled: “Not satisfied? We can change it if you’re not satisfied.”

His tone was quite indulgent.

“No, no!” The volume on the phone rose, then fell back. Shen Ci held the receiver, as if avoiding people. He asked softly, “I saw my rights, but what are my obligations?”

A contract’s parties should both enjoy rights and perform obligations. In Shen Ci’s original thoughts, Young Master Xie would provide money and medical conditions, while he would offer his body, agreeing to some non-fatal “activities.” But this contract wasn’t like that. Xie Yu made no demands. He didn’t ask Shen Ci to sleep with him, nor did he demand anything else, yet he promised to pay a huge sum of money, enough for Grandma to get better medical care and for Shen Ci to finish university properly.

This was a contract that only had rights but no defined obligations.

It was like a pie falling from the sky.

Xie Yu heard the sounds from the other end and could imagine the thin-skinned, easily embarrassed Assistant Shen carefully hiding in a corner of the school, nervously and bashfully probing the conditions he offered. Just thinking about it made him feel better.

“There are no other obligations, only one.” Xie Yu’s voice on the phone was lazy and relaxed. Shen Ci held his breath, listening as the other party slowly said, “First, eat well. Second, sleep well. Third, well, third, study well.”

“…”

What kind of demands were these? In the entire Jiangcheng, there wasn’t a single contract like this.

Shen Ci paused, asking hesitantly, “…Mr. Xie?”

“Oh, and there’s one last rule.”

For some reason, hearing this, Shen Ci actually felt a sense of relief, a strange feeling that “he finally had something to do, so he wouldn’t be freeloading.”

Shen Ci steadied his phone and stood properly: “Mr. Xie, I’m listening. Please go ahead.”

Xie Yu’s slightly stern voice came through the receiver: “Finally, you’re not allowed to take overtime work-study jobs, you’re not allowed to hand out flyers on the street in the summer, you’re not allowed to wear mascot heads, and you’re certainly not allowed to get heatstroke and end up in the hospital, got it?!”

Shen Ci’s hand, holding the phone, trembled, and his heart pounded uncontrollably in his chest.