Lakeside Mansion.
As one of the top luxury residences in the capital, its occupants were all rich or powerful. When night fell and thousands of lights came on, the place was filled with the warmth of human life.
Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see Spring Lake not far away.
The night was cool, the mist hazy.
Lakeside Mansion seemed to float amid clouds and fog, ethereal like an immortal’s realm.
Early-spring weather changed quickly. Dark clouds pressed low; Ye Ran tilted his head up as if he could see the end of the night sky.
Jagged lightning brewed within the clouds, threatening to tear them apart and unleash a downpour at any moment.
The central air-conditioning was on inside; it was a bit warm.
Ye Ran took off his jacket and stared solemnly at the heavy clouds. “Will the lightning strike us?” he asked, worried.
Shen Shi, a step behind him, was momentarily startled then the corner of his lips curved. “It shouldn’t.”
He walked up behind Ye Ran, resting his chin on his shoulder. His straight nose brushed lightly against Ye Ran’s cheek, his breath low. “Or,” he murmured, “should we go get a room instead?”
Ye Ran: “…”
Even though he was a little tipsy, the walk back had mostly sobered him up. Feeling sticky with sweat and the lingering heat from the barbecue, he quietly pushed Shen Shi away.
“Oh,” he said with calm indifference, as if he hadn’t heard anything. He brushed Shen Shi aside and headed straight for the bathroom, yawning on the way. “That’s fine. I’m tired.”
Shen Shi raised an eyebrow as he was pushed away, his dark eyes following the sight of Ye Ran undressing.
He moved unhurriedly after him, watching with interest as Ye Ran, half drunk and a little irritated, fumbled about.
This side of Ye Ran was rare.
Usually, Shen Shi kept him on a tight leash, even at class or club gatherings, he wouldn’t drink much. Tonight, though, thinking that they’d finally made their relationship official in every sense, Shen Shi was in a good mood and had indulged him a little.
Ye Ran’s eyes were half-closed, his single eyelids folding into doubles from drowsiness. His long dark lashes drooped low, and as he walked, he absent-mindedly tugged off his clothes.
Bits of fabric scattered across the wooden floor.
He was wearing a white sweatshirt underneath; pulling it over his head revealed a lean, clean-cut frame, skin smooth and fair as jade, a narrow waist, hair black as ink.
Ye Ran didn’t notice a thing. He kicked off two black socks; his pale, beautiful feet, the same pair Shen Shi had “borrowed for use” more than once in the middle of the night, were traced with fine blue veins that wound up into his loose black trousers, which made his slim ankles look even more delicate.
At this point, the spark of amusement in Shen Shi’s eyes gradually faded. He narrowed them slightly, gaze dark and deep as he stared at Ye Ran’s feet, lost in thought.
Ye Ran had begun unbuckling his belt.
His long, pale fingers weren’t as nimble as usual; frowning at the stickiness on his skin, he sighed and kept wrestling with the belt.
The wide-leg pants were cinched by a broad belt with silver patterns to accentuate his slim waist.
After two failed tries, Ye Ran’s lips pressed into a thinner line. Before he could get annoyed and give up, a dark shadow slowly bent down. From above, the man’s cold, handsome features, the high brow ridge, the straight nose, the faintly smiling lips came into view.
Click—
The belt came undone. The loosened waistband sagged slightly, and the pale line of his waist showed faintly, the edge of his underwear peeking through.
Ye Ran blinked a beat late, his long fingers instinctively grabbing the hair of the man before him, black strands spilling through his fingers, hard to hold onto.
Shen Shi’s head was pulled back by him, his gaze naturally landing on Ye Ran’s face, the dark pupils thick as night. Neither light nor heavy, he asked him: “What’s wrong?”
Ye Ran froze. That moment of crisis he felt just now seemed like an illusion.
“…Nothing,” he came back to himself, let go, and hurriedly returned to worrying about taking a shower: “I’m going to shower.”
He walked past Shen Shi, eyelids drooping lazily, took off his trousers, barefoot, and walked into the bathroom.
Different clothes were scattered all along the hardwood floor; Shen Shi looked at them twice, expression unreadable, and quietly followed into the bathroom.
Not long after.
Water sounds rose in the bathroom, and after a moment, faint panting began.
……
They hadn’t been intimate much in a week, and Ye Ran had guessed Shen Shi wouldn’t let him go tonight but he didn’t expect Shen Shi to kiss him so fiercely.
Hot water poured down over him.
The bathroom filled with splashing sounds, heavy with steam.
The porcelain-white tiles were covered with a layer of mist. His breathing was rapid as he knelt on the ground, back pressed against the tile. The corners of his eyes flushed soft and wet, his hair soaked through by the hot water, lips weakly pressed together as he panted.
Shen Shi held him, murmuring lowly into his ear: “…Open your mouth.”
Ye Ran rested his chin on Shen Shi’s shoulder, needing a long moment before he turned his head and continued kissing him.
He had always been very obedient, and when it came to these things, he didn’t really resist Shen Shi, pure and inexperienced. After being shown a few videos by Shen Shi, although he blushed to his ears, he followed Shen Shi’s instructions, subconsciously feeling that such things weren’t shameful or something to avoid.
After being kissed for a while longer, his eyelids drooped. Those thin lids were hazy with steam and faint red. His black pupils shimmered like rippling lake water. His lips were pried open a bit roughly, his soft tongue kissed until swollen and red, like a ripe berry bursting with juice.
A string of saliva he didn’t manage to swallow slid down his jaw. Ye Ran really couldn’t take it anymore and instinctively turned his head to hide.
But Shen Shi lifted his eyelids, dark gaze locking onto him. The hand around his waist tightened, pulling him firmly back into his arms. Like a still-unsatisfied predator, he urged with a hint of roughness: “Your tongue… bring it out.”
Ye Ran drew a breath, tasting the slight bitterness of the hot water.
His eyes narrowed, pupils scattered and unfocused. The intensified kiss stole all his breath; after several seconds, he finally, pitiful and dazed, obediently opened his mouth. The soft, reddened tip of his tongue peeked out, docile as Shen Shi took it in, continuing to suck it.
The breath fed back to him was scorching hot.
Ye Ran, dizzy and dazed, saw the ceiling swaying. The hot water poured endlessly, the sensation lingering long. Suddenly, he heard a muffled rumble of thunder by his ear.
“Rumble—”
……
He flinched; Shen Shi, leaning against his shoulder, let out a low laugh. Pale, strong fingers pinched Ye Ran’s jaw, kissing his earlobe with sticky persistence while lifting his flushed, dazed face. His voice was low and hoarse.
“It’s raining, baby.”
An arm at Ye Ran’s waist lifted him easily, carrying him unhurriedly out of the bathroom.
Ye Ran’s vision blurred again; body soft, he slumped in Shen Shi’s arms. His eardrums buzzed, and amidst his trembling, he heard Shen Shi’s gentle coaxing.
“Baby, lift your head.”
He dazedly lifted his head. The living room was pitch black, lit only by distant city lights.
The clean floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the room inside.
He met Shen Shi’s deep, dark eyes in the window. Those eyes were fixed on him, and at his ear, Shen Shi softly asked: “Does it look good?”
He couldn’t speak, but Shen Shi suddenly smiled, not too heavy, not too light, and held him tighter: “If it looks good, look a little longer, hmm?”
*
Another day passed.
When he woke again, it was already Saturday noon.
After spending two full days tangled with Shen Shi, Ye Ran, young as he was, still felt overwhelmed. He climbed out of bed, eyelids drooping languidly, still carrying a faint flush that hadn’t faded.
Little items were scattered across the gray-white carpet — bells, ribbons, unopened c*ndoms… and so on.
Ye Ran didn’t want to look at them. His delicate, pale feet stepped onto the carpet, slowly making his way to the wardrobe. He pulled out a set of soft, comfortable loungewear.
The light brown loungewear was warm in color. Just after he put on the top, he heard a sound coming from outside the room.
Muffled, but sharp in an annoying way.
A bit like stir-frying.
Ye Ran: “……”
Suspicious, he put on the pants. With a guess in his mind, he opened the door and walked out.
As soon as he entered the living room, he saw the tall, slender figure in the kitchen.
Shen Shi had an apron tied around his waist. One hand held his phone, the other a spatula. His expression was cold, even his eyes carrying a clear “is this recipe broken” irritation and impatience.
Even so, he still frowned, rummaging around the counter, taking out a jar of salt. After checking the recipe twice, he scooped out a full spoon and added it in.
Ye Ran held back a laugh, casually leaning against the island to watch.
Shen Shi was making a simple, home-style dish: scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
A young master who didn’t even notice when an oil bottle toppled over was clearly encountering this troublesome task for the first time. After adding all the seasonings, he started stir-frying.
After a moment, he glanced at the small clay pot beside him.
Only then did Ye Ran’s attention move away from him and he realized Shen Shi had even cooked congee.
The congee bubbled gently, white grains soft and tiny, simmered with mushrooms, ham, and shrimp. Before long, the kitchen was filled with the fragrant aroma of seafood porridge.
Ye Ran watched silently for a while, then quietly left the kitchen and returned to the bedroom.
…
Ten or so minutes later, he lay in bed and heard the door being pushed open. Someone walked in softly, knelt by the bedside, leaned down, and gently kissed his jaw.
“Baby, get up and eat.”
He pretended to have just woken up, eyes hazy and unfocused, the loose collar of his loungewear slipping off one shoulder. Shen Shi patiently helped him sit up.
“What’s for today?” he asked lazily, half-kneeling on the bed. Before he’d finished stretching, he flopped against Shen Shi’s back, unwilling to move. “I don’t want vegetable porridge anymore.”
Shen Shi bent slightly, waiting until he was settled on his back before hooking an arm under his knees and carrying him out as if it were the most natural thing. “Something different today.”
Ye Ran’s cheeks curved with a small smile that he quickly suppressed. “Something tasty?”
“Tomato scrambled eggs and seafood porridge,” Shen Shi said.
“Wow,” Ye Ran asked, “did you order takeout?”
Shen Shi gave an ambiguous answer. “Try it first.”
Only when he was seated at the dining table did Ye Ran pull his gaze away from Shen Shi’s slightly red ears.
There were only two dishes on the table, it looked simple. The tomato scrambled eggs looked decent: golden eggs, the tomatoes glossy and soft. The seafood porridge was a pleasant pale green dotted with white, with chunks of shrimp and fragrant mushrooms peeking through.
Ye Ran couldn’t resist taking a spoonful of porridge first.
The taste was rich and fresh, the ingredients generous. The rice grains melted softly on his tongue; the shrimp was slightly overcooked, and the ham too but it didn’t affect the overall flavor at all.
Catching Shen Shi’s quiet, observing gaze from the corner of his eye, Ye Ran nodded enthusiastically. “It’s delicious!”
Shen Shi straightened, gave a faint “Mm,” and pushed the plate of eggs toward him. “Have some of this too.”
Ye Ran almost burst out laughing, barely managing to keep his smile in check.
He sat properly and picked up a piece of egg. One bite confirmed his suspicion, it was a little salty. But not overly so, and with the savory porridge together, it was actually… pretty good. “This is good too!”
Shen Shi nodded, face still calm and unreadable.
Ye Ran watched him, took another sip of porridge, and asked casually, “Which takeout place is this from? Let’s try another kind of porridge from them tomorrow, they’re really good.”
Shen Shi replied simply, “Okay.”
Ye Ran looked at him with a teasing smile. “Why aren’t you saying which restaurant it’s from?”
Shen Shi paused, about to answer, then met Ye Ran’s bright, amused eyes. A few seconds later, realization dawned, and he let out a laugh. “When did you find out?”
“When you were cooking the porridge.”
Ye Ran stopped pretending, satisfied, and went back to eating.
One spoonful of porridge and he felt warmth spread through his whole body, soothing down to his core.
Shen Shi looked at him helplessly. After a while, as if even he found his own earlier expression funny, his voice softened. “It’s really good?”
Ye Ran nodded seriously. “Super good!”
Shen Shi tried a bite of egg himself. His expression shifted slightly, then he set down his chopsticks, walked over, and filled Ye Ran another bowl. “If you like it, I’ll make it again tomorrow.”
Ye Ran thought for a moment. “Then I’ll wash the dishes later.”
“Wash the dishes?”
“Mm.” Ye Ran spooned up some porridge, his dark eyes glimmering with a clear, liquid shine. His long, upturned lashes framed a soft smile. Taking his time, he sipped and said, “Division of labor, only that way can we make it last.”
