TYRPSM Chapter32

Nie Yunshen’s birthday falls on August 22nd, the very last day of Leo zodiac sign. However, he hadn’t gone out of his way to mention this to his live-in partner. He felt that a grown man specifically telling his boyfriend his birthday seemed a bit “extra.” Besides, he couldn’t help but fantasize that Shu An actually already knew; after all, the guy had been nursing a crush on him for over a decade, right? Surely, he wouldn’t miss a detail like that, right?

However, a few days before the big day, when Shu An suddenly announced he had to go to City S on a business trip, Director Nie’s heart, which had been brimming with anticipation for half a month, finally hit the floor with a dull splat. He poked at his Thai jasmine rice quite indignantly and even the braised ribs Shu An had specifically made for him lost their flavor in an instant.

Sitting across the table, CEO Shu noticed his distraction and tapped on his bowl, sternly reminding him to focus on his meal.

Nie Yunshen curled his lip and asked, looking thoroughly displeased, “When are you coming back?”

“Around three to five days,” Shu An said before placing a piece of pan-fried ribbonfish into his bowl. “Depends on the project’s progress.”

“Oh.” Nie Yunshen reached out and grabbed the golden, crispy fish to gnaw on. With his mouth occupied by delicious food, he temporarily stopped obsessing over the birthday. Shu An didn’t give anything away, remaining as thoughtful and attentive as ever. After dinner, he reflexively headed into the kitchen to clean up while Director Nie took his usual place, sprawled like a lord on the sofa, eating fruit and watching TV.

Before heading to bed, Nie Yunshen mentioned that he was going back to his parents’ place for dinner on Saturday. Shu An said ‘fine’. Nie Yunshen then added that he’d be going out for karaoke with Du Cheng and the guys afterward. Shu An still said ‘fine’. Nie Yunshen rolled his eyes and declared that if he drank too much, he wouldn’t be coming home.

Shu An glanced at him before asking with a hint of confusion, “If you don’t come home, where are you going?”

“Picking up girls.”

CEO Shu raised an eyebrow. “You’ve bent this far and you think you can snap back straight?”

Director Nie announced with immense pride, “Laozi swung both ways!”

And then…

There was no “and then.”

The overconfident Director Nie was flipped over and worked over by the tirelessly athletic Boss Shu until the wee hours of the morning. Eventually, unable to take it anymore, he was forced to beg for mercy in a raspy voice while blurting out “sweetheart”, “baby”, and “darling” in a desperate blur, repeatedly promising he would never “go straight” again. Only then did the satisfied Boss Shu let him off, a move that directly resulted in the exhausted victim taking half the next morning off.

Sprawled on the bed, Director Nie reflected on the pain in his “end”: Trash-talking is risky; arrogance requires caution!

Once he finished reflecting, his thoughts drifted back to Shu An: You bastard, just get lost already. Better yet, stay on your business trip for half a month and don’t come back. I need to rest my ass!

And so, Shu An actually did pack his bags and “got lost” briskly that afternoon; his flight was at 2:00 PM.

·

Over the next few days, the entire Risk Management department walked on eggshells, terrified of inadvertently crossing their boss. Even the cleaning lady instinctively lightened her footsteps whenever she passed the Risk Director’s office, fearing she might disturb the tyrant within.

“Thud!” A heavy sound echoed as if something slammed against the door. This was immediately followed by Nie Yunshen’s roar: “How many years have you been at Bank F? Even a fresh intern knows the basics, so how the hell do you not? You actually dared to submit a case with a debt-to-asset ratio exceeding 70%? What am I even paying you people for!”

A few minutes later, Xiao Zhao emerged from the director’s office while clutching his documents and looking utterly dejected. A group of colleagues, who had been listening intently outside, rushed over to offer their condolences.

Colleague A: “Don’t lose heart, don’t be discouraged. I just got chewed out yesterday because I miscalculated the NCAO as well.”

Xiao Zhao with a look of tragic indignation: “But Boss was the one who taught us not to just look at the numbers when analyzing a case! He said to look at the actual operating conditions and profit models, and that we could consider cases with a debt ratio over 70% on a case-by-case basis. That’s why I submitted it!”

Colleague B patted his shoulder: “Forgive him. People going through breakup usually aren’t very reasonable.”

The crowd was shocked: “The Boss broke up?!”

Colleague B: “Just a guess…”

The Crowd: “Pah! Don’t go spreading rumors without cold, hard evidence! If the Boss actually broke up, our lives in this ‘hell on earth’ will never end, you know!”

The office door suddenly swung open with a whoosh. With the speed of a lightning bolt, or perhaps faster, everyone teleported back to their seats. Some began typing reports frantically, while others picked up phones; it was a scene of utter prosperity and hard work, a picture-perfect “busy” office. Only poor Xiao Zhao was left standing there clutching his folder, completely failing to process what had just happened alone.

“Zhao Fengshou! If you’re so damn bored, you’re coming with me to Nanwan this afternoon for a site inspection!”

Xiao Zhao nearly burst into tears. “Boss…”

Nie Yunshen didn’t even bother looking at him. He turned on his heel and strode out of the Risk Management department before heading straight for the Business Department with his head held high.

Twenty minutes later, news broke that Director Nie and Director Du had nearly come to blows in the office.

Every member of the Risk Management team was overjoyed by this news. After all, the brothers in the Business Department needed to share the wealth and the woe; it was only fair they helped shoulder Director Nie’s sudden, inexplicable bout of mania.

By the time Friday’s closing bell finally rang, every employee breathed a secret sigh of relief. Before shutting down their computers and fleeing the office, they muttered silent prayers, hoping that by next Monday, their “respectable, beloved, wise, and martial” leader would have returned to normal!

·

After finishing an annual review case that was due, Nie Yunshen finally processed the return of his system authorization and realized his stomach was growling. He grabbed his phone to check the time, it was nearly 8:30 PM. To his surprise, two WeChat notifications were waiting on the screen.

He swiped in to check. Both were from Shu An.

The first: “Are you off work yet?”

The second: “Remember to eat.”

Nie Yunshen slammed the phone face-down on his desk with a huff. “You’re a thousand miles away acting like the Emperor of S-City, and you’re still trying to manage whether I eat or not!”

Still feeling unsatisfied, he picked the phone back up and glared at Shu An’s profile picture while muttering venomously, “If you’re so capable, why don’t you come pick me up from work and take me to dinner yourself!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than a knock echoed through the silent office.

Nie Yunshen jumped, his brain short-circuiting for a second. He fixed his gaze on the door, blinking quickly as his heart flipped wildly in his chest. Holy crap… Shu An wouldn’t actually be back from S-City, would he? Is this really happening?!

It turns out surprises are about as real as unicorns. Before he could even ask who it was, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Du Cheng poked his head in cautiously. “Still not off work?”

Nie Yunshen desperately wanted to unscrew that head and toss it out the window.

“What are you doing here?”

Du Cheng pushed the door open and marched in, standing tall before him. He held up a food bag and announced four words with perfect enunciation: “Delivery by imperial decree.”

Nie Yunshen looked at him, his head filled with question marks.

As Du Cheng opened the high-end kraft paper bag and began laying out the gourmet containers one by one, his mouth didn’t stop moving for a second.

“Your CEO Shu was worried you’d skip dinner while working late, so he specifically ordered a meal for you from Banyan Tree. Since delivery drivers can’t get into our building, he had to call and ask me to go down and get it. I can handle being a gofer, but I didn’t even get a portion of the dinner for myself, could you please ask CEO Shu to start acting like a human being for once?”

“Fine with me ah,” Nie Yunshen replied with shameless nonchalance. “After all, the client is God. Or maybe I should just suggest the Lans Group move their business to another bank?”

“……” Du Cheng struggled with every fiber of his being not to punch the smug, “villain-in-power” look right off Nie Yunshen’s face. “Forget it, forget it. I’ve already had my fill of ‘dog food’, I’m not even hungry anymore.”

Nie Yunshen picked up his chopsticks, popped a fragrant matsutake shrimp ball into his mouth, and asked while chewing, “Are you free tomorrow night? Let’s gather a group, call Xu Dong, Xiang Qing, and the others and go out for a few drinks.”

Du Cheng rejected him instantly. “I’m busy. I’m taking my goddess to a concert.”

Director Nie was incensed. “What kind of concert! Do you even understand music?”

Du Cheng blinked. “Exactly because I don’t understand it that I need to listen to more of it.”

Nie Yunshen thought for a moment and decided to try a different tactic. “You do realize you’ll never catch her like this, right? Goddesses like cool, aloof types, not loyal little lapdogs.”

Du Cheng gave him a dry Heh. “As if you’ve ever chased a goddess before.”

Nie Yunshen nearly choked. “I’ll have you know the goddess I chased back in college was way prettier than yours!”

“But last time, you clearly said the one you chased was a handsome guy!”

“……” Nie Yunshen was speechless. He pursed his lips and immediately switched tactics to the “pity party” route. “Tomorrow is my birthday, and Shu An isn’t even home. I’ll be all alone and miserable. As my brother, shouldn’t you stay and keep me company?”

Du Cheng frowned, looking at him with a deeply conflicted expression for a long while. Finally, he patted Nie Yunshen on the shoulder and said, “I think the goddess is still more important!”

After dropping that bombshell, Director Du turned on his heel and bolted without looking back.

Nie Yunshen raised his hand, tempted to hurl the food container at him. However, he hadn’t finished eating yet and couldn’t quite bring himself to waste it. Instead, he could only roar at Du Cheng’s retreating figure as the man made his great escape, “Surname Du! Don’t you dare think a single one of your cases is getting past me from now on!”

Once Du Cheng successfully fled the Risk Management department, he glanced back to make sure Nie Yunshen wasn’t actually chasing him down for a beating. With his heart still racing, he pulled out his phone and dialed Shu An, who was far away in City S.

“Mission accomplished, but your Director Nie is absolutely feral lately. I almost got bitten to death!”

On the other end of the line, Shu An replied with an air of effortless calm, “The Lans Group will increase its deposits at Bank F by 20% for the third quarter.”

A grin instantly blossomed across Du Cheng’s face. “I knew CEO Shu wasn’t the stingy type! If you need anything else, just say the word…”

·

Nie Yunshen ate the gourmet meal sent from over a thousand miles away, and the fire of his resentment cooled just a tiny bit. Once the containers were empty, he packed up his things, shut down his computer, and left the office.

The workspace outside was eerily quiet; the employees had all long since vanished. The lights over in the Business Department were also out, it seemed that Doberman, Du Cheng, had been unable to wait another second to go and grovel before his goddess.

Nie Yunshen gave him a mental middle finger before opening WeChat to send out a call to his group of buddies, asking who was free to go out and “get wild” tomorrow.

However—

Xu Dong said he had to take his kid to summer camp; Xiang Qing mentioned it was his mother-in-law’s 60th birthday; Tan Wei said he was meeting his future in-laws for the first time… all of them had monumental, unskippable events. It was as if, overnight, the entire world had collectively developed amnesia regarding his birthday.

Feeling like he’d just taken a critical hit of 100,000 damage, Nie Yunshen had no choice but to turn to his own mother for comfort. After all, in this world, surely no mother would forget the day she went into labor?

But reality decided to hit him with another “didn’t see that coming.”

“What? Are you and Dad going abroad for a vacation? Since when?”

“Oh, you child, when have you ever actually kept track of your parents’ business? This year is our 35th wedding anniversary; we’ve been saying forever that we were going to take a trip.”

“But didn’t you guys just get back from overseas last month?” The frequency of these vacations is getting ridiculous!

“Well, like you said, that was last month. It just so happens that An’an is on summer break, and your big brother and his wife are free too, so we’re taking the kids along for a little trip…”

“Even Big Brother and Sister-in-law aren’t home?” Is this entire family doing this on purpose?

His mother countered with a bewildered question: “That’s right. Is there a problem?”

Nie Yunshen took two very deep breaths before asking, with a forced sense of calm, “Mom, do you even know that tomorrow is my birthday?”

“I know ah,” his mother said cheerfully. “I’ll send you a red envelope on WeChat in a bit.”

“……” Nie Yunshen felt a sudden, strong urge to just give up on life. “Is it really appropriating for you to just dump your son like this and not care?”

“Didn’t you say yourself that you wanted to spend the day with your boyfriend, just the two of you?” His mother suddenly had a thought and let out a small gasp. “Aiya, Son, you didn’t… you didn’t break up, did you?”

“……”

His mother continued, “Well, even if you did break up, there’s nothing we can do about it now. The tickets are already bought, and it would be such a waste to cancel them. Just wait until we get back, and then we’ll comfort you ah…”

This is definitely not his real mother!

Feeling exceptionally tragic and indignant, Nie Yunshen hung up the phone. He went home and dug up a few blockbusters he’d downloaded recently, planning to spend his birthday curled up in bed alone.

Unfortunately, he had vastly underestimated his own ability to relax. He hadn’t even finished one movie before he was out cold, sleeping like the dead. He wasn’t woken up until the next day by the persistent, incessant ringing of his phone.

·

Groping blindly with his eyes shut, he extended an arm to snag the phone off the nightstand. When he spoke, his voice was thick with the nasal weight of someone not yet fully awake.

“Hello…”

“Yunshen.”

Shu An’s deep, sexy voice drifted through the line, sending an instant shiver through Nie Yunshen’s half-conscious body. He thought he was dreaming.

“An Ge…” Nie Yunshen murmured unconsciously. His tone was hazy and his pronunciation lazy, a combination that caused the person on the other end to catch their breath. There was a brief pause before the response came.

“Mm.” If Nie Yunshen had been fully awake, he would have noticed that his “An Ge’s” voice was a bit husky. “Are you not out of bed yet?”

“Mmm… no.” Nie Yunshen rolled over, hugging the duvet, still lost in a fog. “Are you back?”

“Not yet.” Shu An took a silent moment to steady his nerves before continuing. “I left in such a hurry that I forgot I was supposed to attend an industry design salon today. The host is an old friend from my years in the UK, and I’d feel bad standing him up. Could you go in my place?”

Nie Yunshen let out a yawn while muttering with his eyes still squeezed shut, “It’s probably not a good idea for me to go… to a professional private salon like that.”

“It’s fine. He knows you’re my boyfriend.”

“Huh?” This sentence jolted Nie Yunshen wide awake. “You came out to your friend?”

“He was my best friend in the UK. He’s always known there was someone I loved in my heart; now that we’re finally together, of course I had to tell him right away. Didn’t you also disclose our relationship to your family and friends?”

Nie Yunshen had indeed mentioned it to his parents, telling them he had a stable partner—a man. However, the timing for both sides had never quite lined up; one thing led to another, delays happened, and they still hadn’t officially met. As for his close friend Du Cheng and his classmate Feng Hao, they were naturally more than happy to see the two of them so intimate.

On the other hand, Nie Yunshen didn’t know much about Shu An’s social circle. The Huo family was small, Shu An had almost no contact with his mother’s side of the family, and he had spent the last decade living abroad. Come to think of it, this was actually a chance to proactively step into Shu An’s world.

Nie Yunshen pondered groggily, his consciousness still a bit hazy and out of sync from being woken up.

Shu An’s voice dropped even lower, sounding a bit dejected. “If you don’t want to, then just pretend I never asked…”

“When did I ever say I didn’t want to? It’s just a private salon, isn’t it? Send me the time and address.”

Nie Yunshen absolutely could not handle this side of Shu An. He knew perfectly well that this man was a master of these little psychological “tricks,” but the moment he remembered Shu An had pined for him for ten lonely years in the UK, a wave of guilt would wash over him. No matter what Shu An asked for, Nie Yunshen could never find it in his heart to say no.

Shu An sent the address over immediately: a villa complex called Moon-Foot Mountain Manor, one of the most elite luxury residential areas in City Z. The time was 6:30 PM tonight.

Realizing he didn’t have anything better to do anyway, Nie Yunshen got out of bed and pulled out a bespoke suit he rarely had an occasion to wear. In the afternoon, he even went out specifically to get his hair cut and styled. After all, if this was a private salon that Shu An valued so highly, the attendees were bound to be industry titans. He couldn’t let his man lose face.

·

At 6:20 PM, he pulled up to Moon-Foot Mountain Manor punctually, behind the wheel of his commanding Jeep Grand Cherokee. The security guard at the entrance meticulously cross-referenced his identity with the owner via phone before granting him access and providing specific driving directions.

The manor was vast, featuring dozens of stunning villas with unique architectural styles scattered across the grounds, each boasting a massive private garden and an independent swimming pool.

Nie Yunshen slowed his speed as he drove toward District D as instructed. He soon reached his destination: Villa #27.

The decor of this villa was remarkably understated, yet every detail radiated intentionality. Even the seemingly ordinary rockery in the garden was a complete piece of Taihu stone, specially transported from the Jiangnan region.

A fair number of luxury cars were already parked in the courtyard; it looked like most of the guests had arrived.

Just as Nie Yunshen brought his car to a steady halt and before his foot even hit the pavement, he saw a strikingly handsome man walking toward him.

The man wore a simple shirt and slacks with the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows. It was a common outfit, yet on him, it appeared exceptionally refined and elegant. His height looked to be at least 185 cm, with broad shoulders and long legs. Even by Nie Yunshen’s highly critical standards for men, this person’s looks and physique were definitely on par with Shu An’s.

“Are you Mr. Nie?” The man called out before he even reached him.

Nie Yunshen straightened his suit jacket and extended his hand.

“Hello, I’m Nie Yunshen. I’m here representing Mr. Shu An of the Lans Group.”

“Shu An has mentioned you to me many times.” The man shook his hand before offering a very friendly, familiar smile. “I was his senior back in the UK; you can just call me Chu Yi.”

“Brother Yi,” Nie Yunshen replied, quickly catching on. Since this was Shu An’s senior, how could he be so impolite as to use his full name?

The smile on Chu Yi’s face deepened. He stepped aside and made a “please” gesture before leading him toward the house.

The two walked through the garden and entered the living room, which had been arranged like a small, private club. About a dozen people were already there, standing in small groups. Everyone was dressed in formal suits and evening wear; it looked quite grand.

The entire living room was decorated with lisianthus and white roses, creating a warm and beautiful atmosphere. Along the left side, a spread of exquisite Western-style buffet items and various pastries had been laid out. At a glance, they were all, surprisingly, exactly to Nie Yunshen’s taste. Even the red wine was the specific brand and vintage he preferred.

Right in front of the living room was a projection screen that spanned an entire wall. Currently empty, it was probably intended for design notes or portfolio showcases later.

Nie Yunshen didn’t know much about real estate planning or design; he was truly just there as Shu An’s proxy. His only plan was to find a quiet corner to sit in and avoid interacting with anyone if possible.

The other guests, however, clearly had different ideas. The moment he stepped through the door, the men and women who had been chatting and drinking shifted their gaze in unison to focus on him. These looks ranged from curiosity and surprise to admiration, there were even one or two less-than-friendly, scrutinizing stares. It left Nie Yunshen completely bewildered, and he began to suspect that something was “off” about this so-called private salon.

Chu Yi didn’t give him much time to think. Upon entering the room, he walked straight to the side and whispered something into the ear of a younger man. Suddenly, the lights in the entire living room went out.

The abrupt darkness triggered an instinctive sense of alarm in Nie Yunshen’s brain. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, the sound of a violin drifted in from the front left of the room.

Right after the music, images started flashing across the screen before him. The first thing to come into view was a vast expanse of azure sea, as clear and pure as a gemstone. The scenery, including fine white sand, chasing waves, soaring gulls, and drifting clouds was breathtakingly beautiful. As the aerial drone footage panned across the landscape, a red line slowly emerged, circling a sprawling, irregular rectangle of land that backed onto the mountains and faced the open sea. At that exact moment, the text “Z-Nanwan-A9-03” appeared at the top of the screen.

Nie Yunshen was intimately familiar with this string of numbers; the LanS Group had held a massive victory banquet when they won the bid for this plot of land not long ago. It was also at that banquet that Shu An announced a partnership with the world-class architectural firm GNC to create a new benchmark for hillside luxury living in City Z.

This meant GNC had produced the design blueprints in less than ten days, an efficiency level that was absolutely terrifying. Was Shu An attending this salon just to give the industry a sneak peek at the planning and design of the Lans Group’s new project? That didn’t make sense; shouldn’t all progress on this project be kept strictly confidential until the official press conference? Was it really a good idea to just broadcast it in front of everyone like this?

Nie Yunshen frowned, puzzled at first, but then thought better of it: a man as brilliant as Shu An surely had a reason behind his actions. When it came to business matters, it was best not to overthink things. With that thought, he relaxed slightly and began to truly appreciate the design drafts and 3D dynamic simulations from GNC.

The A9-03 plot boasted a unique geographical advantage, nestled against the mountains and facing the sea. The entire project was built into the hillside with uniquely designed villa clusters scattered amidst the cover of lush trees. From the exterior architecture to the interior decor, from the courtyards to the main houses, every flower, blade of grass, stone, and piece of wood seemed infused with the designer’s most romantic imaginings.

In front, one could watch the tides and listen to the waves; behind, one could climb high to gaze into the distance. A lavishly constructed private mountain trail led directly to the summit. Amidst the undulating greenery and the mist-shrouded peaks, the villa rooftops peeked through the foliage. Occasionally, a weary bird would return to its nest, its spreading wings gilded with a dreamlike golden edge by the lingering rays of the setting sun.

The 3D simulation was so immersive that Nie Yunshen felt himself drawn into one of the villas by the soft, soothing music and the magnificent visuals. His feet seemed to step onto black walnut flooring; his hand seemed to touch a door handle etched with delicate patterns. With a gentle turn, warm light spilled out from within enveloping him in a gentle embrace. He stood at the doorway and saw Shu An standing not far away, smiling as he reached out both hands toward him.

Where is the shore when one is lost in the deep clouds?

Where my heart rests, that is the shore.

Nie Yunshen felt his eyes grow damp. He stared at the project name that flashed onto the screen after the presentation ended, unable to look away for a long time.

Four words were written there: Cloudy Left Bank.

The violin had stopped playing at some point, replaced by the sound of thunderous applause ringing in Nie Yunshen’s ears. When the living room lights brightened again, he turned toward the entrance as if by reflex. And there, he saw Shu An. Just as he had imagined moments ago, Shu An was smiling while reaching out both hands toward him.

Nie Yunshen strode over, clamped a hand firmly around the back of Shu An’s head, pulled him close, and lunged forward. He captured those long-awaited, warm lips in a fierce, reckless, and deeply passionate kiss.

Shu An wrapped his arms around Nie Yunshen’s waist, letting him have his way while enjoying and reciprocating Director Nie’s rare display of public initiative and fervor. The applause continued unabated, punctuated by a few good-natured whistles.

When the kiss finally ended, both of them were slightly breathless. Shu An’s already deep voice had taken on a husky edge, sounding incredibly sexy.

He used that devastatingly “foul” voice to say, “Happy Birthday” as he pressed right against Nie Yunshen’s ear.

At such close proximity, Director Nie’s face was brimming with smiles, but his gaze remained burning and intense as he spoke.

Amidst the good-natured jeering of the crowd, his voice dropped so low that only the two of them could hear, “I’ll settle the score with you when we get back.”

It sounded both fierce and ruthless.

—The process of “settling the score” can’t be posted; use your imagination—

Nie Yunshen felt comfortable all over after having his fill. Without even bothering to clean up, he spread his limbs and slid onto the floor before turning his head to plant a kiss on a random spot on Shu An’s body.

Oh, An Ge was lying flat from exhaustion; he had kissed Shu An’s waist.

Nie Yunshen simply couldn’t control the upward curve of his lips, and he seriously contemplated whether they could go for another round.

But it was a rare occasion for An Ge to be on the bottom; having just finished, if they started again, could he take it?

Nie Yunshen began to feel genuinely distressed for him.

While he was wavering, he sighed with casual emotion.

“Laozi felt damn good, what a great birthday gift! By the way, sweetheart, when is your birthday? I need to get prepared!”

With Boss Shu’s grand gesture, Director Nie felt a bit of pressure.

But Shu An didn’t reply.

Nie Yunshen waited for a moment and then turned his head to look at Shu An.

He thought Shu An was too tired to speak, but this turn of his head captured a flicker of inexplicable hesitation from the other party.

This expression lasted only a split second; anyone else would likely have thought their eyes were playing tricks on them, but the youngest CRO in the history of Bank F narrowed his eyes amidst the lazy, post-coital languor.

Something was wrong.

He stared at Shu An. After two or three seconds, the man being watched cleared his throat as a rare trace of awkwardness surfacing on his face.

“My birthday… is August 23rd.”

His voice was hoarse and raspy.

Nie Yunshen felt terribly distressed for him. He rolled over to kiss Shu An, murmuring with sickening sweetness, “Your throat is all hoarse from screaming.”

Once the kiss ended, Shu An’s lingering awkwardness and hesitation dissolved into slight panting, while Nie Yunshen took pride in the fact that Shu An actually hadn’t punched him.

Only then did Nie Yunshen have a moment to process the date Shu An had mentioned. His first words were, “You’re actually a freaking Virgo.”

Immediately followed by: “Holy shit, there’s no time left to prepare a gift?!”

With a complex expression, Shu An watched as the man scrambled up, muttering to himself about what to do, what to do, in the middle of the night…

·

Shu An couldn’t even get a word in to say it wasn’t necessary.

After a full minute, the rambling Nie Yunshen was suddenly struck by a freezing spell. He turned back to look at Shu An before uttering two soft yet clear words.

“An—Ge?”

Shu An looked at him innocently before letting out a light cough after a long pause.

“……”

A raspy throat was nothing.

Director Nie decided that this big liar, who had coaxed him into calling him “Ge” countless times, wouldn’t be getting out of bed for three days.

---

T/N: That’s it. That’s the end ^^ thank you all for the support. Happy reading, everyone!