TYRPSM Chapter17

Ten years ago, they were a bunch of youths and Nie Yunshen was the rowdiest one at the graduation party, clutching a beer bottle and hunting people down to chug as he put on quite the show. In the end, before the first half was even over, he had been counterattacked by a group of brothers and turned into a drunken mess.

Ten years later, Director Nie didn’t even have that initial shred of bravado; he admitted defeat immediately, half-jokingly pouring out his grievances about the emergency at the bank and how he’d been so busy he hadn’t eaten a bite all day and nearly fainted in his office. The crowd went quiet for a brief moment, and then, in unison, gave Nie Yunshen a collective “Psh—”

It looked like they were letting him off for the time being, and Nie Yunshen breathed a sigh of relief.

The class commissary in charge of studies, a girl who had been attentive even back then, had called a waiter the moment the two of them walked in to order a few extra dishes. When the food arrived for him to fill his stomach, Nie Yunshen was filled with gratitude only to glance over and realize she was actually looking at Shu An.

What was with this intense urge to throw that “Psh—” right back at everyone? Director Nie viciously crunched through a sweet and sour spare rib with his back molars.

They say the tide turns every ten years, but as it turned out, the “feng shui” hadn’t shifted at all. Before he could even get a few bites of food down, Director Nie immediately fell into the same predicament he had faced back then. Feng Hao and a bunch of the guys started pinning him down to drink, while on the other side, Shu An was surrounded by a circle of girls just like the old days. The contrast in style was too stark; after two glasses of white liquor, Nie Yunshen felt like he was starting to float. He shoved aside the rowdy guys, walked over, and hooked an arm firmly around Shu An’s neck.

Shu An looked up at him, his eyes bright and seemingly flickering with a hint of a smile. Nie Yunshen gave his head a hard shake, but when he looked closer, Shu An didn’t seem to be smiling anymore.

He did, however, look remarkably serious.

The surrounding noise faded into the static background. Nie Yunshen leaned down before getting close to Shu An’s ear and asked in a low, wine-muddled voice, “What are you doing hiding over here?”

The shoulder and back tucked under his arm tense subtly. Beneath the surface, Nie Yunshen was rapidly gauging Shu An’s reaction.

Ever since Feng Hao had told him about that graduation party, he had been curious for a long time about what exactly happened that night while constantly trying to figure out how to coax some information out of Shu An. Instead, after a few seconds, the man said nothing at all; he simply reached up and brushed his hand against the hair on the side of Nie Yunshen’s head.

Fuck.

Getting handsy with Laozi in front of all these people.

Nie Yunshen gave his arm a very annoyed, forceful squeeze. Just as he was about to decisively let go, Feng Hao came over from behind them with glass in hand and called out with a grin, “Boss Shu.”

Shu An smiled and picked up the glass next to him to clink against Feng Hao’s. Nie Yunshen, with his sharp eyes, noticed it was filled with sparkling water and decided to be a nuisance: “Will you be alright? Do you want some marshmallows added to that too?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, before Shu An could even respond, Feng Hao gave Nie Yunshen a strange look. The latter’s heart skipped a beat as he belatedly realized his arm was still looped around Shu An’s neck, and the man beneath him wasn’t showing the slightest intention of avoiding suspicion either; he was perfectly composed.

Nie Yunshen jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned and suddenly stood up straight. Feng Hao froze for only a split second before laughing again, “Old Nie, move aside. You two are both based domestically, so you’ve got plenty of days ahead to drink and be cozy. I’ve got something to talk to Boss Shu about.”

Nie Yunshen’s mouth twitched, feeling like there was something slightly off about the first half of that sentence.

However, when Feng Hao had asked him to organize the gathering, he had specifically mentioned bringing Shu An along so there likely was indeed something to discuss. He glanced at Shu An’s face, which managed to feel aloof even while smiling, and felt strongly that this man was utterly out of place in such a setting.

Back then, Shu An was the famous “inaccessible flower” of the class to the point where no one dared to force him to drink at the graduation party. It was unexpected that things were still the same ten years later; he wondered why this guy was even willing to grace them with his presence here again.

Maybe it was just to accompany him.

Nie Yunshen let out a “haha”. Amused by his own thoughts, he patted Feng Hao on the shoulder and drifted off toward the boisterous drinking session on the other side.

When Nie Yunshen said his alcohol tolerance had improved, he wasn’t just bragging. Back at the graduation party, a mere two or three bottles of beer had been enough to lay him flat. This time, even though he had mixed red and white wine and tried to be as slippery as possible to avoid drinking, he was still forced to down five or six glasses. Yet by bracing himself against the wall, he could still walk a straight line by stepping so carefully he wouldn’t crush an ant with his eyes fixed firmly on the restroom.

He was almost at his goal when he suddenly felt a wave of confusion: was that icon for the men’s room or the women’s? He stopped in his tracks to stare and deliberate, his mind moving sluggishly and a bit dizzy. Let me think about this…

Suddenly, someone stood beside him and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Nie Yunshen turned his head and blinked and blinked again. Wait, this guy looks familiar.

Shu An stared back at him for five or six seconds before hoisting the fellow up and heading into the restroom.

Nie Yunshen groaned, “Hey… hey, who the hell are you—”

Shu An held him from behind while guiding him toward the urinals. His voice was incredibly gentle: “Lei Feng.”

Nie Yunshen let out a snort of laughter. He had been leaning lazily against Shu An’s chest but now he swayed as he tried to stand upright while laughing, “Piss off. Lei Feng helps people by handing out toilet paper in the stalls; he doesn’t stand here watching guys take a leak.”

He didn’t seem to care as he went to undo his trousers. Seeing that he appeared to be standing steadily enough, Shu An took a half-step back, a hint of amusement entering his voice: “Be my guest then. I won’t watch.”

Nie Yunshen squinted his eyes and let it fly with complete abandon, seemingly too drunk to care that someone was standing right behind him. Then again, he might have just forgotten, because the moment he finished his business, tucked himself away, and turned around to see Shu An standing not far behind him, he jumped a mile. His hazy, drunken eyes snapped wide open, he was clearly startled out of his wits.

Shu An was also watching him. The look of utter, blank confusion on Nie Yunshen’s face could almost be described as “cute.” Consequently, the trace of a smile on CEO Shu’s face deepened into absolute tenderness, laced with a bit of genuine amusement.

Nie Yunshen blinked hard again, suddenly broke into a silly grin, and threw his arms around Shu An. With a thick, slurred tongue, he blurted out:

“Happy Graduation! Finally… finally I can get far, far away from you. I’m so f*cking happy…”

Shu An’s body went rigid instantly.

Nie Yunshen’s heart gave a sudden, violent thud. For a second or two, he felt a flash of regret, thinking his little “play drunk to fish for info” trick might have backfired. But before he could decide whether to laugh it off and play it cool, his chin was suddenly seized in a firm grip by Shu An.

Shu An’s fingers were incredibly strong; as he tightened his grip, it felt as though he might actually crush Nie Yunshen’s jawbone. But Nie Yunshen didn’t even have time to feel the pain because the body he was holding suddenly erupted with a palpable, physical rage that blew his frantic little heart into smithereens.

What little remained of his drunken buzz turned into a cold sweat in a single second. Nie Yunshen wouldn’t admit he was terrified, but he truly had no time to react; all that escaped him was an instinctive, muffled groan. Suddenly, the pressure from Shu An’s hand loosened.

And then, Nie Yunshen’s mouth was blocked.

Shu An kissed him with utter brutality. It was a direct, predatory invasion. Nie Yunshen was so stunned his breathing cut out; he could only passively endure the clash of lips and tongues in a state of sluggish shock.

This violently intense, prolonged kiss felt like it would never end. Nie Yunshen’s knees went weak, but he was immediately caught in a death grip and slammed against the wall.

This is so f*cking… demonic…

Nie Yunshen let out a weak, pathetic groan. While the alcohol hadn’t actually blacked him out, it had certainly numbed his motor skills, leaving him completely unable to push Shu An away. In the end, he was forced into a deeply humiliating surrender, slurring a plea for mercy: “An… An Ge—!”

Shu An pressed his forehead against Nie Yunshen’s, his breathing heavy and ragged, while a sharp, burning fire flickered in his eyes. Both of them were gasping for air but Shu An seemed particularly unhinged. After a few seconds, he spoke in a low voice.

“If you hate me that much, then I’ll stay far away. —Do you really hate me?”

Nie Yunshen’s heart gave an inexplicable shudder. The voice of the teenage Shu An overlapped strangely with the man before him now and it felt as though a memory was suddenly trying to claw its way to the surface.

The image of that high-and-mighty “White Lotus” teenager from back then, perched on a bicycle and casting a sideways glance that was aloof and completely devoid of warmth, flashed through his mind.

Then another memory surfaced: his crew of brawlers sprawled across the ground in various states of ruin, leaving only himself half-kneeling, coughing and wheezing as he spat out a string of messy curses. He had watched with eyes wide as a spinning kick, impossible to dodge, whistled toward him, only to stop dead exactly half a foot from his shoulder.

And then there was the inter-school basketball tournament. He had been the organizing captain but a sudden change in the defensive lineup right before training started had forced him to sift through every eligible guy in school three times over. Finally, with extreme reluctance, he had gone to find Shu An, who never participated in group activities. That handsome face, which irritated him no matter how he looked at it, was silhouetted against the setting sun as he spoke indifferently, “Fine. But I prefer the offensive position.”

How had he reacted back then? He’d probably rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, hadn’t he? He seemed to recall snapping back, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

In the end, that second-choice lineup simply hadn’t been up to the task. The battle for the championship was grueling and fierce, yet they still lost by a narrow three-point margin. Captain Nie had fought until he was utterly spent; the moment the final whistle blew, the strength drained from his body, and he collapsed flat on the edge of the court in a fit of bitter regret.

Surrounded by the stinging glare of the overhead lights, he thought he had… caught a glimpse of Shu An’s expressionless face in a corner, his gaze burning as he watched him.

At the time, he had interpreted the heat in that gaze as a blatant attempt to enjoy his failure, and he had gritted his teeth while giving Shu An a middle finger. But now—

Shu An’s forehead was pressed against his own with their breaths tangling in the air, making it seem as if he might lean in for another kiss at any moment. Nie Yunshen’s tongue was tied in knots. He might have wanted to say “No,” or perhaps he wanted to utter a “Sorry” for the brainless, stupid provocation he’d attempted just moments ago.

But in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he suddenly reached up before pressing the back of Shu An’s head and pulling him close.

Then, he took the initiative and kissed him.

The scent of alcohol clung to their lips and teeth. Nie Yunshen felt perfectly justified in donning the “drunk and disorderly” cap once again, using it as a shield to shamelessly slide his hand beneath Shu An’s clothes. As he tugged up the hem of the shirt and made contact with the firm, tensed muscles of Shu An’s abdomen, Nie Yunshen couldn’t help but let out a low sigh.

He liked this body, as well as this person, even more than he had realized.

He was hard almost instantly.

Shu An cupped Nie Yunshen’s face with his hands, their tongues tangling as the kiss grew long and feverish. He allowed Nie Yunshen’s hand to wander over his body with reckless abandon, only grabbing his wrist when he started tugging at his belt. Shu An’s voice was hoarse as he spoke: “To the car.”

Nie Yunshen was still feeling the buzz of alcohol; otherwise, he never would have started a fire like this in a public restroom. Hearing the suggestion, he nodded dizzily and allowed himself to be hauled out by Shu An.