Shoutout to Kari for the commission!
It felt as if time stood still for two seconds.
Le Cheng quickly recovered: “That’s right, we’re all friends, after all.”
Lin He offered a forced smile: “Hello. I’ve… heard of you before.”
Zhou Shirui remained expressionless and said nothing; dressed entirely in black, his complexion looked rather sallow.
Lin He wasn’t the type to make a fool of himself, especially with someone’s boyfriend present: “Le Cheng, since that’s the case, I’ll head out now.”
He glanced at Zhou Shirui but addressed Le Cheng: “Next time… see you at the hot springs.”
“Okay,” Le Cheng said. “Bye.”
Zhou Shirui unscrewed the cap on the water bottle on the table and said curtly, “Drink some water.”
Le Cheng took the bottle and obediently took two sips.
Zhou Shirui couldn’t help but ask, his tone very cold: “Are you going to the hot springs with him?”
Le Cheng nodded as she drank: “Yes.”
“But there are others there too,” Le Cheng added. “Our club president and the others…”
Zhou Shirui’s expression softened slightly. He asked, “How many people in total?”
He asked in such detail that Le Cheng found it a bit odd, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why, because Zhou Shirui seemed very calm and completely justified in his tone.
This sense of righteousness gave Le Cheng the illusion that Zhou Shirui was perfectly within his rights to ask, so he counted on his fingers and answered honestly, “I think there are seven people. Me, Xu Yuan, Lin He, Jiang Zhijie, a couple, and one other person I don’t know.”
Zhou Shirui’s tone was serious: “You went out with someone you don’t know?”
“Um…” Le Cheng knew Zhou Shirui was a serious person; he stammered for a moment before explaining, “That person knows Xu Yuan, so he’s not really a stranger.”
Zhou Shirui didn’t say anything for a while, and Le Cheng couldn’t help but glance at his expression. Only then did Zhou Shirui say quietly, “Mm. Let’s go back.”
“Okay.” Le Cheng nodded.
When he got back to the dorm, he saw that Lin He had sent him two messages on his phone.
[Lin He: Le Cheng, are you back in the dorm yet?]
[Lin He: Was Zhou Shirui a little upset today? It’s all my fault; I wasn’t very good about it.]
Le Cheng: ?
That sounded a bit odd.
He tapped the screen and typed.
[Orange: Zhou Shirui isn’t the type to hold a grudge. He isn’t angry.]
Lin He’s status stayed on [Typing…] for a long time, and finally, he just sent back a single [Okay.]
Le Cheng had class that afternoon. When he returned, he found Tan Xiaobai cooking in the dorm.
That’s right, cooking.
Le Cheng’s eyes widened slightly: “Xiaobai, you’re so bold, how dare you cook with a pot?”
Tan Xiaobai gave him a reassuring gesture: “It’s fine. My pot meets our school’s requirements, it has a very low wattage!”
Le Cheng wasn’t entirely convinced: “How do you know our school’s requirements?”
Tan Xiaobai looked like a reclusive master: “You wouldn’t know this, but I asked when I bought the pot on Taobao, they actually checked the bottom! They know it better than the principal.”
“…………” Le Cheng.
The sellers’ professional competence was truly terrifying.
While Tan Xiaobai tried his hand at making some spicy hot pot, Le Cheng turned on his computer, put on his headphones, and leisurely sketched the “male model” he’d promised to draw that morning.
Once finished, he edited the video a bit and posted it on Weibo and Douyin.
The comments section was filled with exclamations like, “Dinner’s ready! Dinner’s ready! Rolls, your cooking smells so good!”
Le Cheng casually skimmed through the comments, then opened Weibo to check his private messages.
Many people were complimenting him, and of course, quite a few were asking if he was taking on commissions.
Le Cheng couldn’t keep up with replying to all the messages, so he simply replied “Not accepting new commissions” to each one.
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Ma’am, are you still taking commissions? I’m willing to wait in line, I’m willing to wait!]
[Stealing Hearts, Runaway Guoli Orange: Sorry, my schedule is fully booked right now. I’m not taking any new commissions [hug] ]
After replying, Le Cheng moved on to the next private message. By the time he finished clearing his inbox, he noticed that Xiao Chen Extremely Rich was tapping him.
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Is it because of your schedule, Ma’am? It’s okay, I can wait, and I’m willing to pay extra!]
[Heart-Stealing Orange on the Run: Might it take a long time?]
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Ma’am, I can pay ten times the price. Please consider it, I really love your art style! It’s absolutely stunning QAQ! Can I commission you once? Ma’am, can you make this happen for me?]
How much?
Ten times?
Little Orange, who was broke and in debt, instantly gave in to the lure of money.
[Stealing Hearts, Runaway Guoli Orange: Okay, here’s my contact info. Do you have any specific requests? Feel free to let me know.]
Le Cheng had two WeChat accounts: one for personal use and one for work.
After adding Xiao Chen Extremely Rich, Le Cheng began chatting with her.
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Talented Creator, I’d like to commission a two-person illustration. The main elements are: winter, a little yellow duck, warmth, and a couple taking a bath together, that sort of thing.]
A two-person illustration, Le Cheng got it.
[Heart-Stealing Orange on the Run: Sure, can you send me character designs for the two of them? If you don’t have any, you can also describe their personalities, main traits, little quirks, and so on.]
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Artist, this is where it gets tricky. Actually, I’m a fan of the ship between you and your exclusive male model, and I reached out hoping to commission a ship illustration…]
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Pointing at my fingers.jpg]
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Pointing at my fingers guiltily.jpg]
Le Cheng: “???”
[Xiao Chen Extremely Rich: Sorry, Talented Creator. Even though I also think it’s a bit surreal to ship a couple right in front of the real deal and then have the real deal draw for me, I believe only you can create fan art that perfectly suits my taste!!]
Le Cheng was flustered for two seconds but reluctantly accepted the fact. After all, he often posts about Zhou Shirui himself, and while it’s normal for others to ship couples, this was a special case.
Still… having to draw himself… made him feel a little embarrassed.
[Stealing Hearts, Runaway Guoli Orange: No problem, we’ll discuss the specifics later.]
After discussing it with Xiao Chen Extremely Rich for a while longer, a pleasant money notification sound rang out. Le Cheng looked at the amount deposited into his account, and that tinge of embarrassment quickly vanished into thin air.
Is this the allure of money?!
Long live the power of cash!
To avoid delaying the deadlines for other commissions, Le Cheng decided that even when he went out to have fun, he’d bring his sketchpad along. He’d work day and night, no matter what, and absolutely not delay any client’s commission!
No sooner said than done. Le Cheng quickly began sketching.
Since he had to draw two people in a pseudo-thick-painting anime style, Le Cheng thought through the composition and brainstormed a few poses.
After half an hour of scribbling and erasing, he still hadn’t settled on anything.
Le Cheng set down his capacitive pen and stretched, feeling a bit tired.
He slowly logged into his account, transferred the money, and carefully reviewed all his outstanding debts, feeling an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
Great, one step closer to paying off all my debts!
“Le Cheng,” Tan Xiaobai called out to him through the steam, his tone solemn. “Now, the time has come for the Organization to put you to the test.”
A small question mark slowly appeared on Le Cheng’s face: “?”
“I remember there’s some wild mustard growing on the little hill behind the dorm,” said Tan Xiaobai. “Let’s take advantage of the dark, windy night and hurry over to pick some.”
Though they called it a “little hill,” it was really just a dirt slope in the innermost corner of the campus, one you’d never notice on a normal day. It was probably left over from when the campus was renovated.
Le Cheng followed them to the “hill” in a daze and began digging up the wild greens with a plastic bag in hand.
The trip was a success; they dug up quite a bit of mustard greens, enough for their dorm to eat for two meals.
However, as Le Cheng was jumping down from the hill, he tripped over a pebble. He was fine, he was dressed warmly, but his elbow hit the ground, causing a slight scrape.
The group hurried back to the dorm. Tan Xiaobai found some iodine solution to disinfect the wound, and Le Cheng applied it himself, wincing in pain but still urging him, “Xiaobai, quickly blanch the mustard greens, I want to eat them right now!”
“Okay,” Tan Xiaobai agreed readily. “Ziqing, hurry up and blanch them for our hero!”
After treating it, the wound gradually stopped hurting as much.
The next day, while having lunch with Zhou Shirui, Le Cheng had almost forgotten about the incident. It wasn’t until Zhou Shirui gave his arm a light tug that he let out a soft gasp.
Zhou Shirui asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Le Cheng raised his arm and rotated it. The scraped area didn’t hurt, it had already scabbed over, but as he moved it, there was a dull, aching sensation.
He mumbled, “I accidentally… took a fall yesterday.”
He was too embarrassed to admit he’d fallen while digging wild vegetables in the dead of night; otherwise, Zhou Shirui would surely think he was a gluttonous little boy.
“You fell?” Zhou Shirui gripped his wrist through his shirt, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Let me take a look.”
Le Cheng was still thinking about buying roasted sweet potatoes, so he said, “Let’s look at it after I buy some roasted sweet potatoes.”
“…Okay.” Zhou Shirui nodded. “I’ll go get them for you.”
Zhou Shirui returned quickly. Le Cheng was wearing a white down jacket, which made it a bit difficult to roll up his sleeves, so Zhou Shirui took him by the hand and led him to the infirmary.
The infirmary was nearly empty and well-heated. The school nurse asked them what they needed.
Zhou Shirui kept it brief: “Muscle pain after a fall.”
The school nurse nodded. “That shouldn’t be anything serious. Does it hurt anywhere near the bones?”
“No,” Le Cheng shook his head.
“I’ll prescribe a bottle of Red Flower Oil,” the school nurse said. “Rub it in, and you’ll be fine in two or three days.”
It was a simple remedy. Zhou Shirui took it, walked over to a nearby cubicle, and said to Le Cheng, “Roll up your sleeve.”
It was warm in there, so he wasn’t cold anymore. Le Cheng took off his down jacket, revealing a form-fitting sweater. His back was slender, and his neck was fair and long.
Le Cheng figured it would be more convenient to apply it here, so he wouldn’t have to fill the whole dorm with the smell of Red Flower Oil, and rolled up his sleeves.
He hadn’t noticed it yesterday, but after a night’s rest, a bruise had appeared on his normally fair forearm, it was rather jarring to the eye.
Zhou Shirui didn’t say anything, but his furrowed brow gave away his feelings.
Seeing that he hadn’t moved, Le Cheng quietly reminded him, “Could you help me open the cap?”
Zhou Shirui opened it and was about to pour it out instinctively when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Le Cheng’s hand reaching toward him and paused slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Le Cheng tilted his head.
“Nothing.” Zhou Shirui pursed his lips.
With his hand smeared with Red Flower Oil, Le Cheng rubbed the bruised area until it felt slightly warm, then looked up.
Zhou Shirui was quietly watching him.
Le Cheng held his arm up for a moment to let it air out, then heard Zhou Shirui ask, seemingly offhandedly, “With your arm injured from the fall, are you still going to soak in the hot springs?”
Le Cheng: “Of course I am.” He’d already promised them.
But this reminded him of something.
He thought of that sketch, he still hadn’t settled on a pose, and Le Cheng felt it was because he lacked a specific reference.
If Zhou Shirui agreed to go to the hot springs with him, having a live model would help him paint much better.
Zhou Shirui: “You’re still going to go?”
“Mm-hmm.” Le Cheng made up his mind; he was going to drag Zhou Shirui along. “Definitely going!”
Zhou Shirui’s breathing was a little uneven. When they’d met yesterday, Lin He had been dressed in flashy, garish clothes, which hadn’t left a good impression on him.
He didn’t understand what the appeal of going to a hot spring was for Le Cheng.
His expression was somber: “If you’re going, then go.”
“Well then…” Le Cheng blinked, “Could you come with me?”
Zhou Shirui was taken aback for a moment. His inner feelings suddenly became a bit complicated: “ “Why do you want me to go?”
“I… I want you to come,” Le Cheng feigned petulance. “Is that not okay?”
Seeing that Zhou Shirui wasn’t responding, Le Cheng seized the opportunity to grab his sleeve, tugged gently, and softened his voice: “Promise me… promise, promise, promise, ”
The faint trailing note sounded almost like a whine.
Why is he acting so cute again?
Zhou Shirui felt as if his heart had been squeezed, he didn’t move, but that sensation secretly lifted his spirits.
Le Cheng wiggled a little more and looked up to study his expression. Zhou Shirui’s face was impassive, betraying no emotion.
Just as he was about to say something else, he heard Zhou Shirui say softly, “All right.”
Zhou Shirui’s tone was flat as he looked at him: “I’ll go with you… just this once.”
Le Cheng was delighted; his eyes and brows immediately crinkled into a smile, and he said cheerfully, “Great! Then I’ll tell them!”
Zhou Shirui: “Mm-hmm.”
After getting dressed, Le Cheng followed Zhou Shirui out of the infirmary and strolled down to the dormitory building, where he waved goodbye to Zhou Shirui.
Le Cheng thought Zhou Shirui was truly a good person.
Judging by his expression, he probably didn’t like hot springs, but he’d still come along reluctantly at Le Cheng’s request.
Going to the hot springs with Zhou Shirui perfectly solved the problem with his manuscript, after all, the real person was right in front of him… Even though it wasn’t exactly a bath… but since it was a hot spring, they’d both be in the water, so he could use him as a reference without any qualms!
Le Cheng was over the moon.
***
Because of the holiday, they had three consecutive days off. The place Xu Yuan and the others had booked was in the neighboring city; the round trip was quick, so they could definitely enjoy two full days of fun.
Le Cheng packed a light bag and set off with Zhou Shirui.
They’d booked guesthouses right by the hot spring pools, all standard rooms, with the first to arrive getting the first number.
However, it wasn’t until the front desk explained the situation that Le Cheng realized Xu Yuan had been very considerate and booked a single king-size room for him and Zhou Shirui.
Le Cheng felt a bit awkward. On the surface, he and Zhou Shirui were a couple, but in reality, they weren’t at all! He didn’t mind, but he wasn’t sure how Zhou Shirui would take it.
Although his original intention was to play the role of a top, so his appearance didn’t have to be perfect, he’d nearly been mistaken for a pervert last time, and now he was still feeling a bit skittish.
Clutching the key card, he steeled himself and said, “Um… are we sharing a room?”
Zhou Shirui showed no reaction; after all, Le Cheng hadn’t booked the room, and besides, he could always sleep on the couch.
“Mm,” Zhou Shirui said. “Let’s go.”
Le Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed Zhou Shirui didn’t mind much, so he pulled his luggage to the door, swiped the card to open it, and found the room to be extremely spacious, with elegant and distinctive decor.
There were two sofas, an L-shaped one and a recliner, that looked very springy. Le Cheng set down his luggage and couldn’t resist sinking into the recliner and bouncing a little.
It was a rather childish thing to do. Zhou Shirui glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and pulled his luggage aside. Le Cheng, beaming, beamed at him, “It’s so soft and comfortable, you should try it, too.”
Zhou Shirui handed him a bottle of water: “Have a drink first.”
At 7:00 p.m., the sky had turned pitch black, and all eight of them had finally arrived.
Xu Yuan created a group chat and tagged everyone in it.
[Xu Yuan: Is everyone here yet?]
[Lin He: Everyone’s here.]
[Jiang Zhijie: I’m here.]
[Orange: Zhou Shirui and I are already here.]
[Chen Yuning: Xu Qing and I are here too.]
[Xu Yuan: Okay, then everyone can do whatever they want for now, and then we’ll go soak in the hot springs.]
After replying to the message, Le Cheng saw Zhou Shirui sitting at the desk, his slender fingers tapping away as he stared intently at the screen.
It looked like he was writing code, but Le Cheng couldn’t make sense of it, so he sat down on the bed, pulled out his phone, and, out of boredom, started looking up tips for soaking in hot springs.
After browsing for a while, Le Cheng got bored, so he pulled out his phone and played a game.
True to form, after struggling to reach the Diamond tier, he still lost three games in a row and nearly dropped out of Diamond.
Le Cheng tossed his phone aside. Feeling a bit hungry, he glanced at Zhou Shirui and saw how engrossed he was. He’d intended to call out to him to go eat, but hesitated for a moment.
A message popped up on his phone. Le Cheng took a look, it was Xu Yuan and Lin He inviting him to dinner.
[Xu Yuan: Have you eaten with Zhou Shirui yet? Want to join us?]
[Orange: Not yet.]
He glanced at Zhou Shirui, who was so focused, and decided to go eat with Xu Yuan and the others first.
[Orange: Hold on a sec, I’ll be right down to eat.]
After replying, he walked over to Zhou Shirui and whispered, “I’m a little hungry. I’m going to grab a bite.”
Zhou Shirui gave a soft “Mm-hmm,” and Le Cheng went to change his shoes. A moment later, he heard Zhou Shirui ask, “Are you going by yourself?”
While tying his shoelaces, Le Cheng said, “No, I’m eating with Xu Yuan, Lin He, and the others.”
Zhou Shirui’s fingers twitched slightly as he held the mouse. After a moment of silence, he said in a calm voice, “I’m hungry too. I’ll go with you guys.”
Le Cheng was a little surprised. “Great! Then hurry up and change your shoes, I’m starving.”
The two of them went downstairs together. There was a restaurant on the ground floor of the guesthouse, and it took Le Cheng a while to spot them.
Le Cheng immediately ran over. Lin He looked startled when he saw the two of them but didn’t say anything. Xu Yuan smiled and said, “The food here is delicious. It’s not my first time here. Come sit down and give it a try.”
The meal went by quickly, and after letting it sit for a while, they went back to change clothes.
The guesthouse and the hot springs were part of the same facility, and they provided traditional hot spring attire, but Le Cheng didn’t want to wear it, besides, he’d brought his own.
Zhou Shirui took his clothes into the bathroom, and the door slammed shut. Le Cheng picked out a pair of shorts from his suitcase, hesitated for a moment, then chose a loose white T-shirt as well.
If it had just been him, it wouldn’t have mattered at all, but with Zhou Shirui around, Le Cheng decided to be considerate of the homoph*bic straight guy.
He got changed in no time, shouted, “I’m all set!” and closed his suitcase.
Zhou Shirui pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out. Le Cheng tilted his head to glance at him. Zhou Shirui was wearing a black T-shirt and loose black shorts. His legs were long and straight, with smooth, defined muscles on his thighs.
Le Cheng had actually been wanting to ask all along: just how did Zhou Shirui build such perfect muscles?
His body’s DNA stirred instantly.
After silently staring for a couple of seconds, Le Cheng forced himself to look away.
No more looking, no more looking, I’m not allowed to look right now!
He’d stare at him eight hundred times when they soaked in the hot spring later!
Le Cheng crouched on the ground, huffing and puffing as he pulled his luggage. After organizing it, he stood up, set the luggage upright, and said to Zhou Shirui, “Let’s go.”
Zhou Shirui: “Mm.” His gaze drifted downward. Le Cheng had beautifully shaped legs and very fair skin, but there was a small patch of redness standing out on his knee. He moved a little closer and asked, “What’s that?”
Le Cheng glanced down. “Oh, I bumped my elbow just now. It’s nothing.”
Zhou Shirui said nothing. The two of them went downstairs to join the rest of the group.
Since they were both wearing shirts, the others were a bit taken aback.
Xu Yuan teased them: “Just like a couple, a ‘male virtue’ couple.”
Le Cheng smiled and joined in the banter: “‘Male Virtue, Male Virtue, Wai Rui Gu De. Do you even understand the true value of “Male Virtue”?’”
They had to walk along a gravel path to reach their destination. The bed-and-breakfast had done an excellent job with this, the path was lined with round stones, with a babbling stream flowing beneath them. If you listened closely, you could hear the sound of the water flowing, creating a very atmospheric vibe.
There was just one downside.
The path was very narrow, barely wide enough for two people, and it was hard to walk on.
Le Cheng and Zhou Shirui brought up the rear.
“The hot spring pools here have such a great atmosphere,” Xu Yuan said. “The landscaping is fantastic. The last time I came here, it was with…”
Xu Yuan suddenly stopped. Jiang Zhijie was a bit puzzled: “With who? Why didn’t you finish that?”
Xu Yuan sighed: “With my ex-girlfriend. We even took a lot of photos back then.”
“That’s too bad,” Jiang Zhijie patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder. “It’s okay, bring your new girlfriend here next time.”
Xu Yuan: “…………Thanks.”
“What about Le Cheng?” Jiang Zhijie asked innocently. “Is this his first time soaking in a hot spring?”
Le Cheng was staring intently at the ground, oblivious to their conversation.
He was thinking.
Since they were already at the hot springs, it was time to put Plan C into action.
Let’s hold hands.
He’d start by holding his hand really tightly.
Le Cheng recalled the last time they held hands, Zhou Shirui had pulled away without hesitation.
It’s okay, Le Cheng told himself. After all, they were at the very back; if Zhou Shirui pulled away, he’d just pretend to scratch his, it wouldn’t be awkward at all!
“Le Cheng?”
Being suddenly addressed snapped Le Cheng out of his train of thought. He blinked, looking a bit dazed. “What’s up?”
“Is this your first time at a hot spring?” Lin He asked with a smile. “Or have you been here before?”
Le Cheng hesitated. Before he’d time-traveled, he’d soaked in a hot spring, but he wasn’t sure if the original host had ever done so.
He decided to just say, “Um… I’ve been before.”
“I see,” Xu Yuan asked casually. “With friends, too, right?”
Le Cheng mumbled, “I think so, I think so…”
Seeing his vague response, everyone jumped on the bandwagon, teasing him: “What’s going on, Le Cheng? You’re not having one of those ‘ex-friends’ like Xu Yuan, are you?”
Ex-friends?
Le Cheng blinked a few times, looking a bit confused. He hadn’t heard a word of what Xu Yuan was saying; right now, his mind was completely focused on holding hands.
When he didn’t answer, the group fell silent again.
Zhou Shirui lowered his eyelashes and remained silent.
Someone bumped into his shoulder, it was Le Cheng. Zhou Shirui said flatly, “Watch where you’re going.”
“Oh…” Le Cheng nodded.
Zhou Shirui said nothing more. Suddenly, it felt as if his finger had been gently clasped.
It felt like a slippery little fish.
Zhou Shirui paused for a moment, then lowered his gaze. Le Cheng wasn’t looking at him, only the top of his head was visible, but the tips of his ears were flushed a faint crimson, making him look adorable, as if he were very shy.
Zhou Shirui’s growing irritation seemed to come to an abrupt halt.
His expression suddenly became somewhat indescribable. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, “Don’t hold my hand, it’s easy to trip.”
Le Cheng was actually very nervous, his heart pounding, but he still firmly refused: “No, I’m going to hold your hand!”
He’d expected Zhou Shirui to shake him off. But Zhou Shirui didn’t. Le Cheng looked up and met his gaze. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the corners of Zhou Shirui’s lips seemed to turn up slightly, though only for a moment. Then he heard Zhou Shirui say softly in an ambiguous tone: “…All right. But you have to walk a little slower.”
