Zhou Ruo An stayed in Lin Yi’s shabby little house for three days. Honestly, aside from the things that happened in bed being annoying, everything else was fairly comfortable.
Lin Yi did not give him any special treatment. He cooked, and occasionally helped him get dressed, though only when Zhou Ruo An was completely limp with exhaustion yet still insisted on putting clothes on.
Zhou Ruo An did not know what kind of illness he had developed, but he actually liked watching Lin Yi help him put on socks. The man would be bare-chested, cigarette clenched between his teeth as he crouched in front of the bed, gripping Zhou Ruo An’s ankle and resting it on his knee while slowly pulling the sock up inch by inch. If not for the way his hand would later trail upward along the skin, Zhou Ruo An might almost have felt like he was being genuinely cherished.
Those messy thoughts came quickly and vanished just as fast. More often than not, Zhou Ruo An would abruptly pull his foot back and turn his face away, refusing to look at the man crouching before him any longer.
Other than when he became clingy during intimacy, Lin Yi was generally not a clingy person. Sometimes Zhou Ruo An would even forget he was half-imprisoned there, slipping into old familiar memories and feeling as though Lin Yi was still that dependable bro who would do anything for him. Their interactions became easy, even pleasant.
But those illusions were always shattered quickly. Whenever Lin Yi kissed him, refusal was not allowed.
Sometimes Zhou Ruo An would merely go through the motions. Sometimes he would bite him out of frustration. Lin Yi never became impatient. If one kiss did not go well, then he would try twice. If twice did not work, then three times. Eventually Zhou Ruo An would be worn down until all his temper disappeared, leaving him no choice but to part his lips on his own and stick out his tongue for the man to suck and taste.
Afterward, Zhou Ruo An wiped at the dampness on his lips and said coldly, “Lin Yi, I seriously feel like you’re training a dog.”
Lin Yi laughed and pecked his lips again. “You’re not easy to train. If I train you badly, you’ll bite back.”
Zhou Ruo An shoved him away and sat down on the sofa with his legs crossed, coldness filling his eyes. “How about you find someone else to train? These days even marriages end in divorce. You really don’t have to focus all your attention on liking me alone.”
Lin Yi rubbed the top of Zhou Ruo An’s head and pressed down slightly as he used the leverage to stand up from the sofa. His reply was casual. “Sure. Once I meet someone else I like, I’ll say goodbye to you.”
He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. “What do you want for dinner?”
The way Lin Yi said it sounded exactly like something a scumbag would say. Zhou Ruo An sat there expressionlessly for a while before speaking. “You don’t need to make my portion. I’m heading out later.”
Lin Yi did not even turn around. “You entered this place three days ago at exactly 10:03 PM.”
In other words, not even one minute less counted.
Zhou Ruo An sighed. “Old Master Jin invited me to play golf. If you really can’t survive without me, then come along.”
Lin Yi turned around, his gaze slowly sliding from Zhou Ruo An’s face down to his chest. After staring for quite a while, he finally answered, “Sure.”
Fuck.
Zhou Ruo An gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the urge to slap himself.
…
Zhou Ruo An never fought an unprepared battle. Ever since setting his sights on the position of general manager of Jinggui Electronics, he had been familiarizing himself with the factory’s operations while also studying management under Old Master Jin.
Zhou Ruo An thirsted for knowledge, but the old man himself was unreliable. Every single day he taught him wine tasting and golf instead. Chefs from five-star hotels and Michelin restaurants were invited daily into the old rundown apartment. Zhou Ruo An sampled dish after dish, tasted wine after wine, and within a month had already adopted some of the manners of high society.
“These things are all superficial tricks,” Old Master Jin said while sitting on the worn-out sofa, though his demeanor remained imposing. “But some doors can only be opened with superficial tricks. Without them, it’s difficult to survive in the world of capital. Even if you manage to climb onto the table, the people already sitting there will still laugh at you.”
Because of that, several membership cards to luxury clubs appeared in Zhou Ruo An’s pockets, including one for a golf course.
On the course, Zhou Ruo An swung the club and sent the ball flying. The shot itself was mediocre, but his posture was beautiful. Old Master Jin sat beneath the umbrella’s shade and enthusiastically applauded several times.
Zhou Ruo An tossed the club to the caddy beside him and walked back toward the umbrella. The sunlight of early spring was not harsh, only warm and gentle, draping itself around the approaching young man. When it settled across the corners of his eyes and brows, he looked like a painting of spring itself.
After wearing a sour expression for several days, Zhou Ruo An had finally softened a little. Sitting beside Old Master Jin, he casually asked, “How was that?”
“You’ve only practiced for a few days and already look decent. Xiao Zhou, you do have some talent.” The old man’s gaze dropped toward Zhou Ruo An’s waist. “But today your waist seems weak. It affected your swing.”
Zhou Ruo An was drinking water and nearly choked when he heard that. Slightly speechless, he only muttered, “I haven’t been feeling too well lately.”
Seeing him glance toward the reception center in the distance, Old Master Jin followed his gaze. “If you needed something, the staff could’ve brought it over. Yet you insisted on making Xiao Lin go himself.”
While Zhou Ruo An played golf, Lin Yi accompanied him. He had been sitting quietly beneath the umbrella the whole time, speaking little and not acting particularly friendly toward Old Master Jin either.
Zhou Ruo An hated seeing Lin Yi idle, so he deliberately ordered him back to the car to fetch something. The course was enormous, and even by cart the round trip took a long time.
Zhou Ruo An tightened the cap on his water bottle and said slowly, “I just don’t want to see him.”
Old Master Jin was long past the age of enjoying gossip, but he still could not help asking, “You two… what exactly is going on?”
Zhou Ruo An stared out over the lawn ahead of them, sounding somewhat helpless. “Old man, I won’t hide it from you. Recently he’s gotten attached to me.”
“Do you owe him money?”
“No.”
“Do you owe his boss money?”
Zhou Ruo An laughed softly. “Does he really look that much like a hired thug to you?”
The old man’s eyes were sharp, though still doubtful. “The way he looks at you seems pretty gentle. Doesn’t seem malicious.”
The water bottle cap tightened further beneath Zhou Ruo An’s fingers. A cold smile tugged at his lips as he spoke lazily, “He’s into me.”
Old Master Jin remained silent for more than ten seconds. When he finally spoke again, his face was still blank with confusion. “What exactly does he like about you?”
“Me as a person.”
Old Master Jin was already over eighty years old, his skin rough as bark. Yet now a flush suddenly spread across his face like an old tree catching fire, as though he might keel over on the spot.
“He wants to…” The old man, who had never encountered homosexuality in his life, carefully searched for the proper wording. “Establish a romantic relationship with you?”
That phrasing startled even Zhou Ruo An for a moment. The concept of “romance” felt unfamiliar to him. Up until now, in relationships between men and women, he had only ever considered satisfying physical needs. As for the “liking” Lin Yi spoke of, it probably just meant wanting to sleep with him.
“I guess so,” he answered vaguely.
Old Master Jin had withdrawn from worldly affairs for many years and rarely worried about anything anymore. Yet now he looked deeply troubled.
At that moment Lin Yi returned in the cart and stepped beneath the umbrella. Sitting down beside Zhou Ruo An, he handed something over. “Your backup phone.”
Zhou Ruo An took it and offered a perfunctory thank-you before casually tossing it onto the table without any intention of using it immediately.
Then he stood up and deliberately put distance between himself and Lin Yi. “I’m going to hit a few more balls.”
Lin Yi watched the elegant figure walking farther away. Picking up the bottle of water Zhou Ruo An had just been drinking from, he unscrewed the cap and slowly took a sip.
After several swallows, Lin Yi continued staring ahead and spoke loudly enough for everyone under the umbrella to hear. “You’ve been staring at me this whole time. Is there something you want?”
Only then did he turn toward the old man beside him. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Old Master Jin glanced toward Zhou Ruo An in the distance, as though finally making up his mind. Straightening his back slightly, he assumed the imposing demeanor he once used in the business world and said almost oppressively, “Lin Yi, right? Tell me—what would it take for you to leave Xiao Zhou?”
The young man holding the water bottle frowned faintly. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
The old man smiled disdainfully, cold light gleaming beneath his sagging eyelids. “Twenty million. Take the money and disappear forever. Stop bothering Zhou Ruo An.”
“What?”
“Not enough?” The old man pushed a checkbook toward him. “Write whatever number you want.”
“Holy shit.”
Zhou Ruo An, who had just finished hitting a ball and was walking back, could hardly believe his ears. “Old man, have you been watching too many TV dramas?”
Futile Devices Scans 
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