Ye Ran was carried into the car by Shen Shi.
He buried himself in Shen Shi’s chest, sobbing. His lips were flushed and swollen, his tongue hurt, and his neck hurt. Tilting his head up to kiss was really too hard. He couldn’t wrap his arms around Shen Shi’s neck, so once he was released he went limp, listless and drained.
After getting in the car, he suddenly realized that Xu Wen might now know he and Shen Shi had engaged in improper relations. The shame nearly crushed him. He held back his tears with difficulty, but moisture still clung to his eyelashes.
Shen Shi watched helplessly, lightly patting his back. His other hand leisurely picked up the Ye Corporation financial report. Even when reading the most absurd proposals submitted by shareholders who practically couldn’t walk without help, he could mark “Get lost” without batting an eye.
Holding someone in his arms didn’t seem to affect him at all. But between pages, lowering his head to watch Ye Ran’s every little movement with interest still revealed the difference.
He picked up another report.
His hand patting Ye Ran’s back stayed gentle, but his eyes darkened.
A dangerous, cold aura spread around him. For an instant, sharp fangs flashed at the corner of his lips. Ye Ran, who had been quietly trying to slip out of his arms, froze in fear and carefully burrowed back into Shen Shi’s neck.
Sensing something, Shen Shi slowed his breathing, placed a calming hand on his waist, and patted gently.
Putting Anna in charge of Ye Corporation was mainly to groom a competent successor.
Father Ye would retire sooner or later, and Shen Shi didn’t want Ye Ran to be troubled by the company’s mess when that time came.
Ye Ran only needed to peacefully draw his pictures and tend to his flowers. Everything else, people, problems, he would handle.
But he had underestimated the situation.
Ye Huaishan was sentimental and loyal. Over the years, he took on all the hard and heavy work himself, completely spoiling the group of people who had once “fought the world” with him.
Not only were they outdated and incompetent, they were also arrogant without skill. Ask them anything about the company and they couldn’t answer, but they were very good at flattering Anna.
Anna had nearly quit out of sheer frustration.
Thinking of this, Shen Shi slowly narrowed his eyes as an immature idea began to form.
In the driver’s seat, Xu Wen stayed silent the entire ride, barely breathing.
He was currently questioning his entire existence. It took him a long time to remember that, d*mn it, the Bentley had a divider. He had spent the whole drive uncomfortable, and Ye Ran was uncomfortable too. Realizing this, he immediately pressed the button for the divider.
The black panel rose slowly. In the silent car, the faint mechanical sound was painfully clear.
Xu Wen: “…”
I’m going to die, aren’t I?
He sucked in a sharp breath and glanced fearfully at the rear-view mirror. In it, Shen Shi’s expression became even more helpless. One hand held Ye Ran’s waist; with the other he set down the report unhurriedly and gently touched Ye Ran’s cheek, as if wiping away his tears.
His manner was warm, steady, and gentle, nothing like the cold, ruthless heir who held the power of life and death.
The divider fully rose.
Ye Ran’s tears finally fell. He was mortified. He thought Xu Wen must have realized something inappropriate and raised the divider on purpose.
He cried quietly, with no sound, just long lashes glittering with tears, the tip of his nose wet, the corners of his eyes stained a soft pitiful red, his gaze misty as he pressed his lips together.
To outsiders, he always appeared resilient and unyielding, but to Shen Shi he looked impossibly adorable.
Unable to resist, Shen Shi lowered his head. On the steadily moving highway, taking advantage of the darkness and Ye Ran’s obedience, he coaxed softly: “Little one, open your mouth. Let me see your tongue.”
“So pitiful. Why is it swollen, hm?”
At twenty-three years old—
Ye Ran finally understood the truth of a certain saying:
A man’s words cannot be trusted.
…
When they reached the Ye house, Ye Ran was still dazed from all the kissing. His pupils were unfocused, staring blankly at Shen Shi, who was about to carry him out of the car.
His slow brain finally caught up. His eyes reddened with panic as he shook his head, like a small creature sensing danger.
The expensive, well-tailored black coat draped over him covered him completely. Shen Shi calmly fastened the buttons. Kneeling on Shen Shi’s lap, Ye Ran looked into those deep, dark eyes. His pale fingers clutched the front of Shen Shi’s shirt tightly, not daring to move.
The lingering moisture at the corner of his eyes was wiped away. The rough pad of Shen Shi’s thumb brushed his soft eyelid, sending a shiver through him.
Ye Ran’s lips were red and wet. He whispered in a hoarse, tiny voice: “…I want to go back on my own.”
“Mm.” Shen Shi didn’t look up as he asked gently, “Where are your shoes?”
Ye Ran shifted his ankle. His shoes were still in the lounge. But there was no way he would allow Shen Shi to carry him inside. Chen Ma and Uncle Li were elderly. Even if they didn’t pass out from shock, it would definitely reach Father and Mother Shen afterward.
Thinking of having actually kissed Shen Shi, Ye Ran’s shame surged anew.
…How could he face Father and Mother Shen?
He didn’t want to live.
He spiraled again, entering a state Shen Shi found quite entertaining. His pale face glistened with a light sheen of sweat, soft and delicate, flushed like a plum blossom blooming beneath first snow.
Shen Shi sighed almost helplessly. His cold, detached mask simply didn’t exist when facing Ye Ran. Nearly thirty years old yet utterly undone by a much younger lover, he murmured softly, “Alright. I’ll put you down so you can walk.”
“…Mm.”
Hearing that, Ye Ran barely held back his tears. But the next second he felt the arm around his waist tighten. Shen Shi’s muscular arm held him firmly, preventing any movement.
Ye Ran looked up in confusion. Shen Shi lowered his gaze gently, his eyes deep and dark.
“Don’t want others to know about us?”
Ye Ran immediately sensed danger. His lashes trembled. He stayed silent.
Shen Shi wasn’t angry. He pinched his chin, stroking the delicate skin there with his thumb, and spoke softly:
“Ranran, I won’t force you.”
His voice was light, relaxed yet the words made Ye Ran’s pupils contract sharply.
“The better you behave… the longer you can keep it hidden. Understand?”
…
Ye Ran and Shen Shi entered the house one after another.
Chen Ma was in the living room watching a melodrama while knitting a scarf. Hearing the door, she immediately looked over. “Young master, where did you go—”
Her voice caught in her throat.
She was usually even more disciplined than Ye Ran, going to bed early. She hadn’t noticed he’d come home drunk the night before and felt guilty all day. No matter how tired she was, she insisted on waiting in the living room for him.
She had expected only Ye Ran. She did not expect Shen Shi to be with him. Her greeting instantly changed into one for both. “Young master? You’re not busy today?”
Outside, wind and rain raged. Downpour hammered the muddy ground, knocking the lilies of the valley and morning glories in the garden flat.
Ye Ran was wrapped tightly in Shen Shi’s coat. Head lowered, his jade-like face hidden by his bangs, quiet and silent.
Shen Shi, one step behind, wore only a thin vest and shirt. He entered the foyer, took the towel Chen Ma offered, and wiped off the rain.
“Mm. Not much work today.”
He sounded pleased. Chen Ma assumed he must have closed some major deal and smiled. “If only it could be this quiet every day.”
A faint smile touched Shen Shi’s lips. His gaze swept past the silent, bright-red-eared Ye Ran at his side.
“It depends on the person,” he said ambiguously.
Ye Ran couldn’t listen anymore.
He peeled off the coat, muttered “I’m tired,” and rushed upstairs.
He practically ran. The sneakers Shen Shi had put on him felt like they were burning.
All the confusion vanished.
His sneakers hadn’t been left in the lounge at all, they were in the office, which was why Shen Shi had “coincidentally” found them and caught him so easily. Even when he insisted on walking home barefoot, Shen Shi calmly retrieved the shoes from the trunk.
“Ranran,” Shen Shi’s low, smiling voice echoed in his ears along with the warm fingers cupping his ankle, “Don’t be so careless next time.”
Ye Ran could not bear to recall the embarrassment.
…Ah.
He really didn’t want to live.
That night he tossed and turned. Before sleeping, for reasons even he didn’t understand, he locked his bedroom door. Only after listening to the wind and rain outside did he finally fall asleep.
At midnight he heard something.
He woke in fright, staring at the door, only to realize it was thunder.
In the large bed, he hugged the blanket, drenched in sweat, staring blankly into space, trembling faintly.
The sensation of being grabbed by the jaw and forced into a deep kiss in his dream hadn’t faded. Shen Shi’s striking, domineering face lingered over him, whispering things that made his ears burn.
Even in dreams, he wasn’t spared.
He felt utterly uneasy, like a piece of tender meat watched by a graceful, powerful predator circling unhurriedly, only waiting for him to drop his guard, before devouring him whole.
“Boom—”
The rain grew heavier.
Wind mixed with rain slammed against the windows.
Amid lightning, Ye Ran turned on the bedside lamp. In the soft golden light, he let his thoughts drift until he fell asleep again.
…
He woke the next day at eleven.
Panicked, he washed up quickly. Going downstairs, he ran into Chen Ma carrying a bowl of millet porridge. Seeing him awake, she lit up.
“Young master, you’re up? This is the millet porridge the young master told me to make for you. No sugar added. Drink it while it’s hot.”
She chattered as Ye Ran obediently took the bowl and sat to eat spoonful by spoonful. Feeling talkative, she continued, “The young master really cares about you. Last night he told me not to wake you this morning, just let you wake naturally. And he asked me to call him once you got up.”
“The day before yesterday you went out to play. I went to your room but couldn’t find you, and it scared the young master half to death. He even left a meeting midway to rush home. But all that worrying was unnecessary, you’re already a grown man, there’s no need to keep such strict watch over you. How about we steam some crab for lunch today, and then fry up—”
Ye Ran slowly put down his spoon, pressing his lips together. His heartbeat was fast, but nothing unusual showed on his face.
“For lunch, crab is fine. And… fried rice with egg.”
Chen Ma: “Okay!”
She happily went to cook. At noon, only Ye Ran, Chen Ma, and Old Li were home. The dishes were simple, the meal simple too. The hairy crab was sweet and delicious. Ye Ran ate slowly. After eating, he went out to the garden to check on the flowers he had planted.
Yesterday, Old Li had braved the wind and rain to cover everything with tarpaulin. Now he held a cup of hot tea and sighed, saying, “We still need a greenhouse, or maybe build a glasshouse.”
Ye Ran was also holding a teacup, and nodded at his words. “Yeah… but let’s wait until spring.”
The rising steam from the cup blurred his eyes.
Behind him, Chen Ma was on the landline, glancing at him repeatedly, looking very puzzled. The cord of the phone was stretched taut as she leaned out, watching Ye Ran while talking nonstop.
Ye Ran seemed completely unaware. He finished his tea with Old Li, then went upstairs to take a nap.
The Ye family always took naps. Chen Ma and Old Li did too, Chen Ma because of her age and lack of sleep, Old Li because as a driver, he had to stay sharp. Even when Shen Shi was extremely busy, he would always take half an hour at noon to rest before driving again.
By the time they finished eating, it was almost one o’clock.
When Ye Ran went upstairs, Chen Ma watched him, wanting to say something but holding back.
Old Li had already noticed she was acting strange. He put down his enamel cup and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“How am I supposed to put this…” Chen Ma hesitated, finally deciding to ask Old Li for advice. “Just now the young master called me and told me to keep an eye on the young one, not to let him run around… But really, the young one is already so old, there’s no need to control him so much. And besides, weren’t the things that happened recently with the Cheng family already stressful enough? Going out to clear his head is a good thing.”
Old Li grew quiet. A few seconds later, he looked at her earnestly and said, “Chen Ma, I’ve followed President Shen for almost five years. In these five years, I’ve gone many places with him, met many people. My advice is—”
His expression turned serious. “Whatever President Shen says… you just do it.”
…
1:30 in the afternoon.
The sky was heavy and dim, clouds hanging low.
All of Beijing was shrouded in a gray curtain of rain.
The Ye house had no lights on; everything was silent.
At some point, a figure appeared on the stairs. Ye Ran was dressed casually, wearing just a baseball cap and mask. He tiptoed out of the front door. Thunder boomed, covering all traces of him leaving.
He took a deep breath as he stepped out of the entryway. The air was damp, seeping coldly into his lungs.
His mind was a mess. He didn’t want to think about anything now, he just wanted to leave Beijing as fast as possible, go anywhere at all. As long as he could hide from Shen Shi, anywhere was a good place.
Father Shen and Mother Shen were in New Zealand, and so was his own father.
New Zealand wasn’t a bad idea. But Ye Ran feared that if he actually went there, he might reveal something strange in front of Father Shen and Mother. And yet Shen Shi acted so recklessly that aside from going to them, anywhere else Ye Ran went, he would still feel unsure.
He convinced himself that the reason Shen Shi had kissed him yesterday must have been some kind of “hormonal illusion” created by living together day and night.
Just like before, when he trusted Shen Shi completely, so completely that even when he was about to get engaged to Cheng Jiaming, he still obediently agreed when Shen Shi told him not to contact Cheng Jiaming.
Now, in this huge Beijing city, only the two of them relied on each other.
Both single, the age difference only five or six years, not too big. It was possible for unrealistic thoughts to form.
Once he flew to New Zealand and put distance between them, those illusions would fade, and maybe their relationship would return to what it used to be.
Ye Ran persuaded himself. Holding an umbrella, he hurried out of the house. The villa district had no taxis, and the next flight was in two hours. Time was urgent. He jogged out of the gated area and finally waved down a car on the foggy roadside.
“Where to?” The driver asked in thick Beijing accent as he started the meter.
“Capital Airport.”
The rain was too heavy.
Water splashed over the hood and windows.
There were no pedestrians. Fallen leaves clogged the drains, curling at the edges.
They made every green light and soon reached the airport. Ye Ran scanned to pay, and his passport and ID were safely kept in his pocket. His pant legs were soaked, but since they were black, it wasn’t obvious. A cold gust hit him; his face paled from the chill, his dark eyes clear and glassy as he hurried inside.
Once inside, the sound of wind and rain vanished.
Warm air enveloped him. The bright, spotless terminal bustled with travelers. Ye Ran immediately went to check in. After getting his boarding pass, he found the quietest, most hidden corner and sat down, exhausted.
There was still over an hour until the flight.
As long as he got through this time safely, he could escape from Shen Shi and force their distorted trajectory back on track.
…
Time passed, second by second.
What usually felt like the blink of an eye now dragged unbearably, every second stretching into a year.
Nearby sat a group of students waiting for their flight. They wore headphones, watched videos, sometimes laughing out loud.
Ye Ran’s mouth was dry. After yesterday’s incident where his thirst caused all kinds of trouble, he wasn’t willing to risk it again. Restless, after thinking for a moment, he decided to buy water from the airport convenience store. After that, it would be about time to line up for security.
He entered the store. It was crowded, people just off a flight or waiting to board.
He didn’t waste time, bought a bottle of mineral water, paid, opened it, and drank a mouthful.
After drinking, his anxiety eased slightly.
He headed back to his original seat. It was in a corner with a wide view, allowing him to see several exits. Some sixth sense made him unable to relax at all. Even though he had arrived silently, until he actually boarded and flew to New Zealand, he remained tense.
The closer he got to his seat, the stranger he felt.
The university students were gone. Now, several young men sat there instead. Like him, they traveled light, each with Bluetooth earbuds, heads lowered, listening to music.
Ye Ran frowned unconsciously. His heartbeat sped up. His eardrums buzzed. He felt like a small, alert animal sensing a coming storm.
…Very strange.
His throat was dry. He swallowed.
He had the feeling he’d seen those men before.
That subtle feeling instantly fed his unease. Ye Ran stopped decisively, turning around without thinking, ready to run.
He spun around quickly, but before he could take a full step, he slammed into a wall of human muscle—
“Thud.”
A dull sound. Ye Ran jumped. His baseball cap nearly flew off. Dizzy, he looked up, apologizing, “Sor—”
The word “ry” lodged in his throat.
Ye Ran’s pupils trembled. His hat fell to the ground, revealing his terrified, bewildered eyes. His mind went blank. His lips quivered and quivered again before he finally gulped and stammered, “… Older Brother… Shen… Shen Shi…”
Like someone caught red-handed after doing something wrong… like someone who told a lie and was exposed by the person they lied to.
His voice trembled uncontrollably. He tried to retreat, only then realizing the arm locked around his waist, holding him completely still.
Shen Shi had somehow appeared behind him without a sound, dressed in a black coat, travel-worn, calm, and imposing. Several bodyguards in black stood nearby.
The bodyguards scattered, giving them space.
And once again, only he and Shen Shi remained in this little world.
Ye Ran’s panic grew. In his fear, Shen Shi patted his lower back. His touch wasn’t light or heavy. He leaned down, a large shadow falling over Ye Ran like a thick, inescapable darkness enveloping him completely.
Standing within that darkness, Shen Shi’s eyes were deep, but his voice was gentle and low. He touched Ye Ran’s earlobe with a smile and said:
“Little obedient one.”
“You let your tail show again.”
Author’s Note:
Honestly, that was a little scary, I scared myself writing it.
Old men are such hentai: scheming, calculating, deliberately watching their wife run away and then smiling as they catch them.
Big Ye’s struggle is far from over.
Forced possession, forced love, it should have that flavor now, right? Ovo
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get 5 or more chapters of Are All You Straight Guys Like This right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
