NANSO Chapter 9

TL: Hua

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Chapter 9: Porcelain

“It means allowing others, many, many people, to play together!”

Shen Ci froze, his face unchanged, but his fingers gripping the railing tightened, his knuckles turning white and blue, trembling slightly upon closer inspection.

His voice was strained. After a long silence, he finally squeezed out the words from his throat: “I see.”

So the games played on this boat were even more unbearable than the limits of his imagination.

Lin Yin dared not look at him, speaking in a rush: “I know you’re not from this circle, but once you’re on this boat, kilometers from shore, you can’t swim away. If you truly don’t want to, then go beg Young Master Xie! Plead softly, coax him into a good mood, maybe, maybe…”

Maybe what? Lin Yin couldn’t bring herself to finish.

Lin Yin knew Xie Yu’s reputation in their circle all too well. He Zhiyuan was already a thoroughly rotten person, but Xie Yu was even worse. He Zhiyuan asked Lin Yin to be his girlfriend, and Lin Yin could agree for the sake of money. But if it were Xie Yu, she would run as far as she could.

Would such a person let Shen Ci go just because of a few pleas?

As Lin Yin spoke, she felt her own helplessness. She hurriedly said, “Anyway, that’s how it is. You figure out what to do.”

With that, she rushed off, disappearing around the corner in a few steps.

The quiet returned, with only the sound of waves and wind between heaven and earth.

Shen Ci released the railing, only then realizing his fingers were like ice. The river wind drilled into his sleeves, making his body chill and numb. When he could no longer delay, he lowered his gaze and walked into the cabin, stopping in front of the private room. He paused for a while longer before raising his hand to push open the door.

The door hinges creaked softly as the door opened. Shen Ci looked inside. The rich second-generation heirs had already had three rounds of drinks, each swaying precariously.

Xie Yu sat at the head of the table, leaning back in his chair with a glass of champagne, his long legs crossed. His posture was unrestrained and dissolute, yet he showed no sign of intoxication. Seeing Shen Ci, he waved, gesturing for him to come and sit.

To his right, He Zhiyuan sprawled out drunk with three or four wine bottles in front of him. Seeing Shen Ci, he chuckled twice. He leaned over and spoke to Zhou Yang, his gaze lingering on Shen Ci. The two said something to each other and burst into laughter.

Meeting their gaze, a wave of nausea churned in Shen Ci’s stomach. He lowered his eyes, walked past the disheveled crowd, and sat beside Xie Yu.

Xie Yu took a sip of champagne: “Where did you run off to for so long?”

Shen Ci: “Stood on the deck for a bit.”

Xie Yu: “The deck? Isn’t it cold with all that wind on the river?”

Shen Ci: “Not cold.”

He had something on his mind, his expression cold, his tone even colder. Then he remembered Lin Yin’s advice to plead softly, and his body stiffened.

In fact, Shen Ci himself knew perfectly well that on this isolated boat, only Xie Yu’s word could spare him this humiliation. Unfortunately, he never begged anyone. Even if he wanted to plead for mercy, he couldn’t utter any soft words, so he remained silent and still.

As they spoke, the private room door opened again, and a few more people entered, all rich second-generation heirs who played together. The room became even noisier.

Shen Ci’s gaze swept across their faces, and remembering Lin Yin’s words “many, many people,” his expression darkened a few more shades.

As they took their seats, Lin Yin stood up, greeted them politely, then laughed and drank along. Only Shen Ci sat to the side, motionless, poised, and upright like a scholar in a private school. His demeanor was too calm and refined, utterly out of place in the smoke-filled room. Someone pointed at him and casually asked, “Who’s that?”

Before Xie Yu could reply, He Zhiyuan interjected, “Young Master Xie’s little lover, pretty, isn’t he?”

He winked suggestively: “Young Master Xie brought him especially tonight; you all get it, right?”

A burst of laughter followed.

Shen Ci couldn’t help but clench his fingers, his nails digging into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.

He felt cold all over. The room was filled with smoke, hot and stuffy, but even so, it couldn’t warm him up in the slightest.

For a scoundrel like He Zhiyuan, tonight was just an ordinary evening among countless nights of revelry, a game to pass the time and relieve boredom. But for Shen Ci, he was merely a toy in this game; no one cared about his feelings, and he didn’t even have the power to stop it.

By this time, there were already over ten people in the private room. He Zhiyuan urged everyone to play dice, and in between laughs, he lost a luxury car. Getting excited with the gambling, he still felt it wasn’t lively enough and shouted loudly, “Are there still people outside? Why aren’t they coming in? Where’s Fang Yu? He’s great at cards, and I haven’t seen Qin En in ages. Go ask if Zhang Siming is coming!”

Like reciting a menu, he rattled off many names, all well-known young wastrels in Jiangcheng. For a moment, he was the only one chattering in the entire private room.

Xie Yu sat calmly, a faint smile playing on his face, neither approving nor disapproving. He simply watched He Zhiyuan as if watching a monkey show. Suddenly, he turned to Shen Ci, suspicious: “Assistant Shen… are you cold?”

Shen Ci’s face next to him was alarmingly pale. He tightly clutched the hem of his shirt, wrinkling the fabric extensively.

Xie Yu: “Very cold? The air conditioning is already set quite high. Are you sick?”

As he spoke, he reached out, intending to check Shen Ci’s forehead temperature.

His fingers had barely touched the skin when Shen Ci suddenly reached out and clutched Xie Yu’s sleeve. He pulled with extreme force, gripping the pitiful fabric tightly, as if grasping a lifeline.

It was then that Xie Yu noticed him trembling slightly.

Xie Yu was startled: “Assistant Shen?”

“Xie Yu.” Shen Ci lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a small shadow over his gaze. He steadied his voice, “Do your previous words still count?”

Xie Yu: “Hmm?”

Shen Ci looked up at him, his eyes reflecting the cabin lights. He said, “Porcelain.”

Porcelain—this was the safe word Xie Yu had promised him during their first meeting.

Shen Ci understood that to end this game, he could only beg Xie Yu. Xie Yu was the dealer of the game, and he was a toy at the card table, helpless and without the power to call a halt. But he suddenly remembered that Xie Yu had indeed given him a promise.

He promised that if Shen Ci said that word, the game would end.

“Porcelain?”

Everyone present was stunned.

He Zhiyuan and Li Yang exchanged glances, quite puzzled. Shen Ci’s words were sudden and without context; none of them understood what he was trying to say.

He Zhiyuan scoffed, “Assistant Shen, you didn’t even drink, did you? Are you dizzy from the smell of alcohol?”

Shen Ci ignored him, simply staring fixedly at Xie Yu.

Xie Yu straightened up, frowning. He seemed slightly dazed, as if deep in thought. In the prolonged silence, Shen Ci gave a self-deprecating smile, his hands losing strength, then releasing Xie Yu’s clothes.

Indeed, how could a casual remark from a spoiled young master be taken seriously? Why had he believed it again?

Once the game began, did a plaything have any room to say no?

Shen Ci’s face was deathly pale, and his lips were also pale, as if all energy had been drained from him instantly. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, not saying another word.

Xie Yu rolled the word around on his tongue, silently repeating, “Porcelain?”

The word sounded familiar, but it wasn’t in the novel. He frowned, trying to recall, and finally, in a flash of lightning, he caught a clue.

A safe word.

Xie Yu hadn’t thought much when he said that word, and he was confident he would never use extreme measures, so there’d be no need for Shen Ci to use a safe word. He hadn’t really remembered it, but now…

He looked around. The party had only been going on for a few hours. The spoiled rich kids were having a blast. Although Shen Ci was there as company, he was sitting quietly, and no one was bothering him. The only one who caused trouble, He Zhiyuan, had been pulled away by Xie Yu halfway through. At most, it was smoky, he couldn’t use his phone, and it was a bit boring. But given Shen Ci’s tolerance in the novel, it shouldn’t have reached the point of needing a safe word.

But he looked at Shen Ci, and the protagonist indeed looked terrible. His fingertips were tucked into his sleeves, but it was still clear he was trembling severely.

…Cold?

Perhaps Xie Yu had stared for too long. Shen Ci leaned back with his eyes closed, his expression cold and calm, as if he hadn’t said anything. But on closer inspection, even his eyelashes were trembling.

He was indeed scared, very scared.

Xie Yu suddenly stood up.

He picked up his trench coat from the back of the chair and looked around: “Excuse me, everyone, I have something else to attend to tonight. I’ll be leaving first.”

Shen Ci’s eyes snapped open in surprise. Then, a sharp pain shot through his wrist as Xie Yu grabbed his wrist, directly pulling him up. Shen Ci stumbled two steps, and then something warm covered him from head to toe, enveloping him completely.

It was Xie Yu’s trench coat.

He Zhiyuan paused, instinctively reaching out to grab Shen Ci: “No, what time is it? You’re leaving already? Didn’t we say we’d stay up all night?”

Xie Yu brushed his hand away, holding Shen Ci firmly in his arms, not letting him be touched by anyone. He just said coldly, “I have an emergency.”

He pulled Shen Ci, quickly making his way through the cabin, directly leading him out of that brightly lit, hedonistic pleasure ground. His pace was extremely fast, as if a slight delay would result in something bad happening. Shen Ci stumbled, following him closely.

Xie Yu didn’t ask a single question, only held him as they walked through the dazzling cabin. The smoky atmosphere behind them was completely left behind, and a gust of river wind dispersed most of the alcohol smell.

They arrived at the observation deck on the upper part of the cruise ship.

Xie Yu said, “Sit down, wait here. I’ll have my family boat come pick us up.”

The cruise ship had already reached the middle of the river, and it would take a lot of time to return. Xie Yu simply called for someone to pick them up. He took out his phone, made a call, hummed a couple of responses, and finalized the arrangement.

Shen Ci sat down on the sofa. He had a sense of unreality, sitting cautiously on the edge, holding his clothes tight, and remaining silent.

This was the highest point of the cruise ship, with dozens of sofas placed in groups of two or three. A glass roof was built above, allowing a view of the starry sky. Looking left and right, one could see the high-rise buildings on both banks and the orange-yellow lights. Coupled with the gentle river breeze, it was quite pleasant.

The scenery was good, but the group of rich second-generation heirs didn’t come to a boat party to stargaze. There was no one else here, only a beverage counter that was still open.

The counter attendant had been sitting there for a long time, with no customers, idly tapping on his phone. Seeing Xie Yu and Shen Ci, he enthusiastically greeted them: “Would you two like some drinks?”

Xie Yu said, “Make me a Tequila Sunrise with extra alcohol.”

The attendant nodded diligently: “Certainly, sir.”

Orange-red liquid was poured into the glass, with a lemon wedge on the rim. The attendant pushed the glass to Xie Yu, then looked at Shen Ci. “And this gentleman?”

Shen Ci paused for a moment before realizing he was being addressed: “I don’t drink.”

The price of any random drink on the counter was equivalent to several days of his meals.

Xie Yu, however, said, “Aren’t you cold? Drink something to warm up.”

It seemed Xie Yu had anticipated Shen Ci wouldn’t speak, so he scanned the menu, as if deciding for him.

Shen Ci followed his gaze. Most of the menu consisted of alcoholic beverages: cocktails, straight spirits, brandy, tequila, and even Russian vodka. Many had a high alcohol content, even higher than the drink He Zhiyuan had offered. Shen Ci would definitely vomit after just one glass, but…

—This time, no matter which drink Xie Yu handed him, he would drink it.

It was just a single drink, and in exchange for Xie Yu taking him out, it was an incredibly worthwhile transaction.

However, Xie Yu turned the menu over and over, looking quite dissatisfied. Finally, he pointed to a particular item in the corner.

“Here, give him this.”

Shen Ci looked where he pointed and completely froze.

Hot milk.

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