A night passed quietly. The faint sunlight squeezed through the gap in the closed curtains, carrying the unique softness of late autumn, not as harsh as the scorching summer sun.

Zhuang Yihan woke up from last night's hangover, feeling a dull ache in his head and an indescribable fatigue and emptiness in his body. He closed his eyes and frowned, pushing himself up from the bed with difficulty. At that moment, the thin blanket quietly slipped off with the soft rustle of silky fabric.

Whoosh—

His naked body, now uncovered, revealed a collarbone and chest covered in red marks, which were particularly conspicuous against his fair skin.

Zhuang Yihan was startled at the sight. For some reason, the tips of his ears turned bright red.

Chen Shu hadn't slept all night.

When Zhuang Yihan came out, he saw him leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed, resting. His well-defined profile flickered in and out of view in the light and shadows from the curtains. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, betraying his fatigue. He opened his eyes at the slightest sound.

"Why didn't you sleep on the bed?"

Zhuang Yihan walked over and naturally sat in his lap, facing him in an extremely intimate position. Although he was wearing a black bathrobe, the slightly loose collar couldn't hide the traces of last night's debauchery. His sexy chest was partially exposed, a flash of fair skin dazzling the eye, making it easy to imagine he was naked underneath from top to bottom.

Chen Shu didn't have the time to wonder why Zhuang Yihan had suddenly become so dependent on him. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wake his tired mind a little. "The sofa is the same."

Zhuang Yihan raised an eyebrow expressionlessly, thinking, 'What does he mean, the same? I'm on the bed, am I on the sofa? Is Chen Shu really that dense, or is he impotent? How could he hold back after what we did yesterday?'

Zhuang Yihan recalled what had happened in the bathroom yesterday, and his cheeks, which had just cooled down, started to feel hot again. He reached out to wrap his arms around Chen Shu's neck, resting his chin lazily on the other's shoulder. His voice was husky, as is common in the morning, and held a hint of imperceptible annoyance. "I drank too much yesterday."

Sometimes, it only takes one night for two people to go from intimate to even more intimate.

Zhuang Yihan was a person of many rules. This could be seen from the fact that he hadn't allowed Chen Shu to touch him for nine whole years in his past life. But if you could successfully break through his defenses, then there were no rules to speak of. You could run wild, and it wouldn't matter; he would protect you no matter what. The Jiang Xi of the past was a living example.

Chen Shu hummed nonchalantly. "I know."

His sexy voice tickled one's ears, but his expression was impossible to make out.

Zhuang Yihan couldn't help but let go and look at Chen Shu, only to see him lazily propping up his head, his eyes gazing at him with a half-smile. Those eyes were simply too beautiful; no matter how many times he looked, he would be dazed.

Zhuang Yihan averted his gaze, feeling a little uncomfortable, the tips of his ears hidden under his hair turning red. "What are you smiling at?"

Chen Shu was, of course, laughing at Zhuang Yihan for cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Despite being a poor drinker, he insisted on competing with Jiang Xi, who could hold his liquor well. In the end, what good did it do besides getting himself drunk?

Little did he know, the more he suffered, the happier Jiang Xi was.

It seems love really does make people foolish.

Chen Shu patted his waist and didn't answer, simply saying, "Since you're awake, get some proper rest today. I have classes today, so I have to go back to school later."

Zhuang Yihan's eyelid twitched. "Classes?"

Chen Shu: "Yes, I'm still a student."

Zhuang Yihan: "..."

'What does that mean? Is he saying I'm old?'

Seeing Zhuang Yihan remain silent, Chen Shu stood up and went to the guest bathroom to wash up. He seemed very familiar with this house, always able to find what he needed from the cabinets with unerring accuracy—disposable toothbrushes, towels, things that even Zhuang Yihan himself might not remember where he put them.

Zhuang Yihan didn't think much of it. Seeing Chen Shu brushing his teeth and washing his face, he also turned and went to the bedroom to wash up. After getting dressed, he suddenly remembered something and decided to find a clean change of clothes for Chen Shu as well. His fingertips slid across the rows of new, high-end custom-made clothes in the wardrobe, finally stopping on a set of light-colored casual wear that had been worn before, and paused.

Zhuang Yihan was quite fond of this outfit and had worn it many times.

He paused for a few seconds, then, with a selfish motive that even he couldn't quite explain, took out the outfit. It still carried the faint scent of laundry detergent, mixed with the smell of cologne in the air, creating a scent unique to Zhuang Yihan's home.

When he walked into the living room, Chen Shu had just finished washing up. Zhuang Yihan nonchalantly handed him the clothes. "Change into a clean set of clothes before you go to class."

Chen Shu didn't think much of it, took the clothes, and went to the bathroom to change. Although he was slightly taller than Zhuang Yihan, the outfit was casual, not a tailored suit, so it fit him quite well. In fact, with his excellent figure and appearance, he looked strikingly good in it.

"I'm heading back to school now. Call me if you need anything."

Chen Shu planned to find Duan Chengcai to ask about last night, so he didn't stay long. However, just as he was about to leave, he was pulled back by Zhuang Yihan. The two adult men were squeezed together in the entryway. Despite the spacious area, the air suddenly felt ambiguously tight.

Chen Shu thought he needed something and looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"..."

Actually, it was nothing.

He just didn't want to separate for no reason.

Zhuang Yihan felt a strange sense of annoyance at his words. 'This person is a little too considerate,' he thought. 'I told him not to sleep on the bed, and he really didn't. I said I don't like having people stay over, and he really won't stay a moment longer. Why is he being so obedient?'

"What time do your classes end?"

"Pretty late. There's a quiz today, so I probably can't get out."

Hearing this, Zhuang Yihan grew even more restless. He lightly scratched Chen Shu's slightly protruding Adam's apple with his fingertip, an unconsciously provocative gesture. His voice was deep and lazy. "How about you quit school? I'll support you, hmm?"

Chen Shu was silent upon hearing this, inexplicably recalling what Zhuang Yihan had said to him in their past life.

[Chen Shu, these things are not your concern. What you should be concerned with is your own life. Study hard, find a good job in the future, and that will be enough.]

[Delaying your own life for someone else is a foolish thing to do. That's not how I taught you before.]

Yes, it was too foolish,

That's not how Zhuang Yihan used to teach him.

Chen Shu's gaze was deep and noncommittal. He raised a hand to brush aside the stray hair from Zhuang Yihan's eyes, a gesture he always performed with exceptional gentleness and seriousness. He didn't remind the other that their sugar-daddy relationship was only for one year. "No, thanks. I plan to find a good job after I graduate."

Zhuang Yihan raised an eyebrow. "You can come directly to my company."

After he spoke, he suddenly thought it was a great idea and his lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. "As my personal secretary."

Chen Shu couldn't help but find it amusing. "What, has D&H lowered its hiring standards so much that they're even taking university students who haven't graduated?"

Zhuang Yihan had just said it casually. He wasn't the type to think studying was useless; he just didn't want to be separated from Chen Shu. "Then how about I buy an apartment near your school, so you can come out and stay at night?"

Chen Shu went along with it and asked, "To have a tryst with you?"

He had so casually torn through the thin veneer, which was inevitably infuriating. The moment the words left his mouth, a sharp pain shot through his earlobe as expected—he had been bitten in retaliation.

Chen Shu hissed lightly.

Zhuang Yihan released Chen Shu's earlobe and snorted coldly, a smile that didn't reach his eyes on his face. "If not to have a tryst with me, who are you planning to have one with?"

Anyone who dared to cuckold him must have a death wish.

Chen Shu touched his earlobe, not annoyed. "So it's best not to buy anything. That way, you won't have to worry."

Zhuang Yihan was noncommittal. His long fingers slowly slid down Chen Shu's chest; even through the clothes, it was easy to feel the other's lean and firm physique. He finally hooked Chen Shu's belt and pulled him forward without warning, asking with an ambiguous tone, "You don't want me to buy you an apartment. Do you want to live at my place instead?"

Zhuang Yihan considered it and found that it wasn't a bad idea.

"I don't."

To be precise, he didn't care for it.

Chen Shu gently pulled his mischievous hand away. "I just want to live at school."

Ignoring the embarrassed and angry expression on Zhuang Yihan's face after being rejected several times, Chen Shu went straight to school for his classes. There was a quiz this afternoon, and no matter how often Duan Chengcai skipped class, he wasn't stubborn enough to miss an exam. It was just that their seats were a bit far apart, making it inconvenient to talk.

Chen Shu had long since finished the questions, keeping an eye on Duan Chengcai out of the corner of his eye. When he saw the other man hand in his paper and leave the classroom, he also stopped writing, handed in his paper, and left right after him.

"Where are you going?"

Duan Chengcai felt a sudden tap on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice by his ear. He turned around instinctively and saw it was Chen Shu, causing his tense body to relax. "I'm going to the cafeteria to eat. What's up?"

Chen Shu: "Let's go together. I haven't eaten either."

Duan Chengcai was rather surprised. "You're not eating out?"

Chen Shu rarely ate at school recently, as he was usually out with Zhuang Yihan. Hearing the question, he didn't explain much. "Yeah, I have an exam today, don't feel like going out."

Duan Chengcai shrugged indifferently. "The cafeteria it is, then. I'm fine with whatever."

When it was time for dinner, the cafeteria was packed, surrounded by students so densely that it was hard to move. The two of them could only order two simple stir-fry dishes and sit at a table near the corner. Although the food was good and cheap, it seemed neither of them had the appetite to eat.

Duan Chengcai casually poked at his food with his chopsticks, finding it a bit greasy and unappetizing. He simply put his chopsticks down and looked at Chen Shu across the table. "You wouldn't ask me to eat for no reason. Spit it out. What do you need me for?"

Chen Shu didn't like to waste food, so he ate his meal bite by bite. Whether it was a banquet costing tens of thousands or an eight-yuan rice bowl, it all seemed the same to him. He got straight to the point. "Do you know Chen Chuyao?"

Hearing that name so suddenly, Duan Chengcai felt as if he had been pricked by something, and his whole body felt extremely uncomfortable. He first shifted his posture uneasily, then tugged at his cuffs to cover his arm. After a series of meaningless small movements, he finally asked, "Why are you asking about him?"

Seeing him evade the question, Chen Shu bent his finger and tapped on the tabletop. Although his voice was casual, his attitude was impossible to ignore. "I asked you if you know Chen Chuyao."

Perhaps because he rarely saw Chen Shu looking so serious, Duan Chengcai answered even though he didn't really want to. His tone was indifferent. "I know him. The one who's keeping me. What's wrong?"

He chose the word 'keeping' to define their relationship.

Chen Shu showed no surprise. "I saw him yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Duan Chengcai raised an eyebrow, then seemed to remember something and said with a smile, "Oh, I almost forgot. Yesterday was Xue Miao's birthday. President Zhuang would definitely attend. I didn't expect him to take you along. It's not strange to run into Chen Chuyao."

After speaking, he asked, "What, did he find out you're my classmate and come looking for you?"

Chen Shu stared at Duan Chengcai motionlessly, wanting to know what he was thinking. "Did you offend him?"

"Offend him?"

Duan Chengcai burst out laughing as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "He's a rich young master, and I'm a venue male model. My ancestors eight generations back would only be worthy of licking his shoes. He could kill me with the lift of a finger. How could I possibly offend him?"

'Hmm,' Chen Shu thought, 'that's not wrong. Duan Chengcai slit his wrists for Chen Chuyao in his last life, nearly dying.'

"He told me to tell you to stop playing dead and not replying. If you don't go see him within a week, he'll show you what it feels like for someone to die."

Chen Shu perfectly relayed Chen Chuyao's words, then paused and stared at Duan Chengcai. "Although I don't know what happened between you two, I advise you to have less to do with people like Chen Chuyao. Otherwise, it won't do you any good."

Duan Chengcai let out a laugh, but it sounded utterly sarcastic. "A life? Is he even worthy of talking to me about a life?"

He shook his head as he laughed, staring at Chen Shu as if he had a thousand things to say, but in the end, only one sentence came out. He asked steadily, "Do you think there's any difference between people like Zhuang Yihan and Chen Chuyao?"

Chen Shu wasn't caught off guard. He calmly retorted, "Do you think there's a difference?"

Duan Chengcai's smile suddenly vanished. He leaned forward slightly, casting a dark, cold shadow on the corner of the table, and said to Chen Shu, word by word, in a low voice, "There's no difference between them. You know it, and I know it."

Without even finishing his meal, he stood up and left the cafeteria, leaving behind only the bustling crowd and the incessant clatter of bowls and chopsticks, which seemed exceptionally noisy.

Chen Shu lowered his eyes nonchalantly and took a bite of rice, thinking, 'Is there any difference between Zhuang Yihan and Chen Chuyao?'

Of course, there is.

They are just people in the same circle, but that doesn't mean they are the same type of person.

If they were the same type of person...

Chen Shu, for some reason, suddenly and slowly put down his chopsticks.

If Zhuang Yihan and Chen Chuyao were the same type of person, perhaps he wouldn't have fallen in love in his past life. He might even have lived a good life.

After all, in this world, terrible love is not to be feared. What's most feared is mediocre love—it's not bad enough to make your heart die completely, nor good enough to be uniquely yours. Even if the circumstances are different in this life, it is ultimately a belated mistake.

When Zhuang Yihan said last time that he would buy Chen Shu an apartment, he took it to heart. Before long, he found a readily available, fully furnished apartment nearby. However, since Chen Shu didn't have local residency, he didn't meet the conditions to purchase property in A City, so it had to be temporarily registered under Zhuang Yihan's name. They would handle the transfer of ownership after he graduated and started working.

"I've parked the car at your school gate. Come with me somewhere in a bit, and we can have a meal together."

After his morning meeting, Zhuang Yihan drove straight to the gate of Chen Shu's school to wait. He didn't tell him that they were going to see the new apartment today, planning it as a surprise. This subtle, joyful feeling was very strange to him; he hadn't even felt this way when preparing gifts for Jiang Xi in the past.

Although Chen Shu didn't know what Zhuang Yihan was planning, he guessed it wasn't as simple as just having a meal. He said over the phone, "Okay, wait for me for ten minutes. I'll be out soon."

He was in the academic building, which was close to the school gate, so it wouldn't take him long to get there.

As November approached, the weather grew colder. The leaves of the once-lush plane trees fell in sheets, carpeting a clean asphalt road all the way to its end. Bare branches stretched and wound towards the sky, trying to catch the last wisp of gentle sunlight of late autumn.

It was only then that people suddenly realized how quickly time passed. The end of the year was just a month away.

After hanging up, Zhuang Yihan sat in the car and waited, wondering if Chen Shu would like the apartment layout and if the decoration style was too subdued. Just as his mind was wandering, his phone suddenly vibrated for a moment, showing that someone had sent him a message.

Bzz—

It was Jiang Xi.

Since Xue Miao's birthday, Zhuang Yihan hadn't thought about Jiang Xi for a long time. That drinking session seemed to have severed the last thread of their acquaintance, and with it, the head-over-heels infatuation of the past receded like a tide, gradually replaced by reason and clarity.

Zhuang Yihan sometimes recalled the series of things he had done to pursue Jiang Xi and found it utterly incredible, as if he had been bewitched.

At this moment, he stared at the message from Jiang Xi on his phone screen. He felt neither joy nor excitement; instead, his gaze darkened, and he bowed his head in thought—

Jiang Xi hadn't said anything rude. He simply apologized for what had happened at the birthday banquet, then mentioned that the island tourism project his company had been developing was nearing completion. He wanted to invite Zhuang Yihan to inspect it next Tuesday. After all, when his funds were tight, it was Zhuang Yihan who had extended a helping hand and invested a considerable sum for a stake in the project. It was perfectly normal for him to inspect his investment.

As if to avoid suspicion, Jiang Xi specifically mentioned at the end that he could bring Chen Shu along for a yacht trip out to sea to relax, and that Fang Yiting and other close friends would be going as well.

It was logical and tactful, but it left one with a subtle feeling of unease.