Chapter 23#
How could he be so shameless?#
This was Jian Yunchen’s second time setting foot in Qin Mu’s residence.
Qin Mu’s apartment was on the top floor.
A two-story suite spanning over 300 square meters, with minimalist black, white, and gray decor, so cold it resembled a show apartment. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s brilliant nightscape glowed, and the iridescent neon lights streamed through the glass, casting colorful shadows on the floor.
Qin Mu didn’t seem to expect guests to ever visit here; he didn’t even have extra slippers.
Jian Yunchen silently followed behind Qin Mu, his bare feet treading on the cold marble floor.
Qin Mu rummaged through the shoe cabinet, pulled out a pair of fuzzy winter slippers, and tossed them at his feet.
“Put them on.”
Jian Yunchen didn’t move.
Qin Mu glanced at his expression, almost laughing in exasperation: “You still dare to disdain me? They’re new, never worn.”
After Qin Mu transmigrated, he almost completely renovated all his belongings, preparing everything according to his own preferences.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jian Yunchen slipped on the dark blue cotton slippers. His heels stuck out quite a bit, making his ankles appear even more slender and fair.
He obediently sat on the sofa, watching Qin Mu’s busy back. The kitchen was open-plan. Qin Mu walked around the kitchen a few times and came out with a glass of milk.
He handed it over casually.
“……”
Jian Yunchen took it with a strange expression.
He hadn’t drunk milk since he was six years old.
Was he trying to coax him like a child?
Qin Mu also poured himself a glass, but it was just plain water. He tilted his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, and most of the water in the glass was gone. “The room is at the back; there’s a bathroom inside, and you can pick any clothes from the wardrobe to wear.”
He paused slightly here, chuckled, and said teasingly, “This time, you don’t have to secretly hide my clothes anymore.”
Jian Yunchen took a sip of milk. The faint milky smell made him unconsciously frown. He looked up and instinctively retorted, “Who hid your clothes…”
Remembering the jacket still hanging in his dorm wardrobe, Jian Yunchen sulkily closed his mouth.
Qin Mu chuckled softly, put down the glass, and turned to go upstairs.
Qin Mu’s steps up the stairs were very steady; he really didn’t look drunk. It wasn’t until his back was obscured by the bedroom door that Jian Yunchen slowly withdrew his gaze.
He also wasn’t sure why he had followed him in a fit of impulsiveness.
For no particular reason, Qin Mu’s words weren’t actually out of line, but that compliment about his appearance…
He couldn’t tell if it was meant for “Jian Yunchen” or “Jiang Yunhan.”
He could only silently be unhappy because of that one sentence, and chasing after him was just to ask for clarification.
Who exactly was that sentence complimenting?
Jian Yunchen turned on the shower. Mist filled the air, and the bathroom quickly became warm. He stood under the shower, letting the hot water slowly wash over his body.
His soap-covered hand glided over his body, and he accidentally touched the scars on his back. The abrupt sensation made him pause slightly.
Very ugly.
He knew.
Those scars were from Jian Xin hitting him when she was in a fit of addiction. New wounds mingled with old ones; often, before they healed, new ones were added. The young him still didn’t understand why that small packet of white powder could turn a gentle mother into a demon.
He could do nothing but dodge.
Couldn’t cry.
Crying would provoke Jian Xin, and he would be beaten more severely.
A closed wardrobe, the pungent smell of blood, floating dust, the faint light filtering through the closet’s cracks, and all sorts of unbearable sounds, hunger, pain—these collectively formed the first half of his life.
Jian Yunchen let out a breath and turned off the hot water.
That answer no longer mattered.
His slightly long hair, damp with steam, drooped by the corners of his eyes, which were also faintly red from the moisture. His lips, however, were extremely pale, making him look exceptionally spiritless.
Jian Yunchen was pulling his bathrobe closed as he walked. As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, his footsteps abruptly halted.
Only a faint bedside lamp was on in the bedroom. Qin Mu was sitting on the bed-end bench, his legs crossed, arms stretched back, propped on the mattress. Seeing him emerge, he first blatantly scanned him up and down, then slowly withdrew his gaze, letting out a very frivolous whistle.
“……”
Jian Yunchen gave him a faint glance, his hands not stopping, very quickly tying the belt of his bathrobe.
“This is my room. Aren’t you going to knock?”
Qin Mu withdrew his arms, supporting his chin with a smile: “If I recall correctly, this is my house.”
“……”
Qin Mu blinked innocently: “I knocked, you didn’t hear it.”
Jian Yunchen’s temple twitched: “What is it?”
Qin Mu’s fingertips hooked a piece of black fabric from the side, dangling it loosely between his fingers: “Here, I brought you underwear.”
He smiled and uttered two words: “New ones.”
Jian Yunchen’s calm face finally couldn’t help but crack a little. How could he be so shameless?
He walked quickly, wanting to snatch the black fabric, but Qin Mu dodged, raising his wrist, making Jian Yunchen miss.
Jian Yunchen’s wrist was firmly grasped. In the brief moment of his slight daze, he was pressed against the back of the sofa by Qin Mu. His bathrobe was slightly open, revealing a patch of dazzlingly white skin. This time, Qin Mu’s gaze didn’t shift even slightly.
He straddled him, pressing down on Jian Yunchen’s waist, easily pinning down all his struggling hands. Jian Yunchen’s face turned cold, and he glared at him, “Let go.”
Instead of retreating, Qin Mu advanced, pressing down deeper. In an instant, only Qin Mu’s scent surrounded Jian Yunchen.
He moved his wrists, which were tightly held but not painfully so. Not understanding what new madness Qin Mu was up to, he could only try his best to control his breathing, “What are you doing now? Let me go.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu smiled indifferently, his thumb idly stroking the delicate skin on the inside of the wrist he held.
He freed one hand and poked Jian Yunchen’s cheek. The feel was very nice, so he switched to pinching, watching that tender skin slowly turn slightly red.
With the flesh on one side of his cheek being pinched, Jian Yunchen’s deliberately maintained coolness broke. He looked up, glaring, but his words came out a bit garbled: “Don’t pinch me!”
His expression was fierce, but the corners of his eyes were red, and his tone was mumbled, sounding more like a pout than a protest.
Qin Mu curved his lips and let go of his hand.
“What is it that you needed to specifically rush here to tell me?”
Jian Yunchen’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at him. He had always thought Qin Mu hadn’t sobered up yet. Had he been conscious all along?
He instantly mustered greater strength to resist, but was ruthlessly suppressed.
He gritted his teeth. His bathrobe was disheveled, and his upper chest was almost completely exposed. He turned his body, trying to cover up: “Do I have to say it like this?”
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, easily grasping both his wrists, crossed and held tightly. It wasn’t until the other stopped resisting that a satisfied look slowly emerged in Qin Mu’s eyes: “Just say it like this.”
Jian Yunchen only regretted that he had been busy with part-time jobs all these years, letting his physical fitness decline. Sooner or later, he should go learn some Muay Thai and have a good fight with him.
He gritted his back teeth, his dark eyes shimmering with a layer of moisture from his resistance, “Tang Qi contacted me.”
This remark was somewhat unexpected for Qin Mu.
He straightened up slightly, looking down at him, his gaze slowly beginning to sweep over the open parts of the bathrobe.
Jian Yunchen didn’t notice his gaze, continuing to speak on his own, his tone tinged with mockery.
“Heh, you’ve offended Qin Zheng. Do you think he’ll let you off easily?”