As soon as dinner was over, Jiang Yuan slipped away under the pretext of needing to write a business proposal.
Professor Xie sat at the dining table with a furrowed brow, unable to fathom how he had fallen out of favor in just a single day. His young boyfriend, who had been as passionate as fire only yesterday, was now running away after the slightest flirtation, leaving him standing there in a state of restless frustration.
"Jason," Xie Chengnan called out to the small robot passing by. "Was there anything unusual about Xiao Yuan after he came home?"
Jason thought very hard.
【Xiao Yuan went to the third-floor gym.】
"What did he go to the gym for?" Xie Chengnan arched an eyebrow in surprise. Since he had moved in, Jiang Yuan had never once stepped foot in that room.
Jason: 0.0
【He practiced with the arm exerciser and dumbbells for two minutes, then left while muttering to himself.】
Xie Chengnan: "..."
Two minutes... that was indeed Young Master Jiang’s style.
Curious, Xie Chengnan asked, "What was he muttering?"
Jason repeated it faithfully.
【"Xie Chengnan, that old beast. I can't provoke him, but can't I at least hide from him?"】
The "old beast" in question: "..."
Well, case closed. It turned out he had simply scared the boy.
Xie Chengnan pressed a hand to his forehead, caught between laughter and tears. He felt he had been quite restrained, but clearly, his young boyfriend did not share that sentiment.
Hiding in the study, Young Master Jiang was oblivious to the gloom downstairs. He had his feet propped up on the desk, arms crossed, staring blankly at a document that remained stubbornly empty.
There were many existing live-streaming platforms in the country, but only two were truly famous: "Youyu," which focused on gaming, and "Xiuse," which focused on entertainment and leisure.
The "Onion Live" platform he had been handed was practically a ghost town. Even during peak evening hours, the real-time concurrent users only reached four digits—likely not even a fraction of the others' spare change.
Jiang Yuan logged out of the administrator account the company had provided and registered a new, ordinary account to browse the platform.
In truth, the platform's interface design wasn't bad. It lacked gaudy elements, opting for a clean and sophisticated style that suited Jiang Yuan’s aesthetic perfectly.
However, the overall quality of the streamers was beyond criticism—mostly because there were too many faults to even begin.
Jiang Yuan clicked through the recommended rooms on the homepage one by one, only to have his sensibilities shattered by the vulgarity of the content.
The female streamers were all heavily made up and scantily clad, doing nothing but posing suggestively and telling dirty jokes to the camera. The male streamers were equally bizarre; leaving aside their "abstract" looks, almost every one of them had a cigarette dangling from their mouth like a common thug, unable to go two sentences without swearing.
One could only say it was a miracle the platform hadn't been shut down by internet security yet.
With a wooden expression, Jiang Yuan drifted like a ghost into the studio next door.
"What's wrong?" Xie Chengnan stopped his work, noticing his boyfriend's pale complexion.
Jiang Yuan reached out to cup his boyfriend's handsome face, staring at him for several minutes before finding his voice. "I came to wash my eyes..."
Professor Xie was a bit baffled, but he could hear the appreciation for his looks in the boy's voice. His lips curled into a slight smile. "Tired?"
"Exhausted..." Jiang Yuan collapsed into his arms. "Mentally exhausted."
Xie Chengnan stroked the boy's hair and asked, "Do you want to watch me assemble a robot?"
Jiang Yuan’s eyes lit up, tossing his malaise to the back of his mind. "Is it the companion you promised to make for Jason?"
"Yes," Xie Chengnan explained. "It’s actually a prototype I started before returning to the country. I couldn't finish it due to some technical issues."
Jiang Yuan looked at the components with curiosity. "Are they resolved now?"
"Not yet." Xie Chengnan took out a pair of safety goggles and put them on him. "But I've found a way forward. I plan to build the frame first and refine it slowly later."
Once the goggles were on, Jiang Yuan sat down obediently to the side, quietly watching Xie Chengnan work. Eventually, his gaze drifted and settled on the man's profile.
The large goggles covering half his face didn't detract from the man's handsomeness; instead, they lent him a different kind of charm.
Those well-defined hands nimbly manipulated various metal tools, exuding a sense of power and skill that could not be ignored.
Jiang Yuan rested his chin on his hand, involuntarily reminiscing about the overwhelming pleasure those same hands had brought him the previous night...
Xie Chengnan happened to set down a tool and turn his head, meeting Young Master Jiang’s flushed face. Concerned, he asked, "Is it too stuffy in here?"
Jiang Yuan’s eyes flickered. He cleared his throat. "No... not at all."
Still worried, Xie Chengnan tested the temperature of the boy's cheek with the back of his hand. He frowned. "Your face is so hot. Go take a shower and get some rest."
Jiang Yuan shook his head. "I'll wait for you to finish."
Xie Chengnan didn't argue; he simply began packing away his tools.
Jiang Yuan checked the time and realized he had been sitting there for two whole hours. A flash of inspiration struck him—he felt as though he had grasped a thread of an idea, but upon closer thought, he couldn't quite pin it down.
In a daze, he was led out of the studio by Xie Chengnan and into the guest bedroom. By the time he snapped back to reality, he was standing before the bathroom sink.
A change of clothes was neatly placed on the rack, and Xie Chengnan was leaning over, squeezing toothpaste for him.
Jiang Yuan thought again of the associations those hands triggered, and his heart rate accelerated sharply.
When desire strikes, so-called logic becomes a fleeting, ethereal thing.
Xie Chengnan watched as the buttons of his shirt were torn open, clicking against the floor tiles and rolling away.
Jiang Yuan’s burning lips pressed against his, licking and tracing with earnest intensity before deepening the kiss, as if trying to sear himself into the man's very soul.
The two stumbled into the shower, filling the space that was originally quite spacious.
Xie Chengnan fumbled to turn on the showerhead. The moment the hot water hit his body, Jiang Yuan tensed. He felt the last vestige of coolness finally driven from his extremities, leaving only the warmth of a blazing sun to envelop him completely.
The hands that had been manipulating tools moments ago were now setting him on fire, igniting a prairie blaze that also sparked the young master's stubborn competitiveness.
Jiang Yuan reached out to push Xie Chengnan back slightly, then, under the man's incredulous gaze, he slowly knelt down.
The scene seemed to expand frame by frame, every detail transmitted with unerring accuracy to Xie Chengnan’s brain.
The youth looked up at him, the corners of his eyes flushed red and shimmering with moisture, looking as beautiful as a dream amidst the bathroom's swirling steam.
His fingers were long and soft, like a pianist stroking beloved keys, both devout and fervent.
His voice was stifled, unable to sing even a broken note, yet it was so beautiful it made one's heart tremble.
Only the sound of ragged breathing remained in the bathroom. The dual stimulation of sight and touch sent Xie Chengnan peaking rapidly before he crashed heavily back to reality.
Jiang Yuan knelt on the cold tiles, feeling the warm water flow over his knees, much like the hand currently stroking through his hair—gentle and restrained.
He looked up into Xie Chengnan’s dark, heavy eyes. His small Adam's apple bobbed as he slowly revealed a somewhat triumphant smile. He whispered, "Dear Mr. Xie, I believe I won today."
Xie Chengnan’s "return gift" left Jiang Yuan utterly defeated.
Afterward, the two lay in bed together, one looking satiated and the other completely exhausted.
Jiang Yuan didn't even want to move a pinky finger; he could only move his lips to curse. "Old beast... you're not human..."
Xie Chengnan looked at him innocently. "You seemed quite energetic back then."
"Does looking energetic mean you can go again?!" Young Master Jiang looked indignant.
Knowing he was in the wrong, the older man cleared his throat and said guiltily, "I won't dare next time."
"There won't be a next time, I'm telling you," the young master croaked out a threat. "If there's a next time, I'll take your surname!"
Professor Xie didn't dare mention it, but he had recently seen a piece of advice online: Never set a "flag."
***
