Chu Yifeng did not return to the hotel until nearly eleven. The moment he entered, he realized someone was inside. The hotel would never make such a stupid mistake, and a thief was even less likely, so it had to be someone he knew. He guessed Shen Yuan or one of his relatives, but the one person he never considered was Wang Cheng.
The reason was simple. Wang Cheng was supposed to be attending his eldest cousin’s engagement banquet tonight. There was no reason for him to come looking for Chu Yifeng at this hour. Even if the banquet had ended, his parents would never let him go out in the middle of the night. That assumption vanished the moment Chu Yifeng saw Wang Cheng sitting cross-legged on a lounge chair on the balcony. Chu Yifeng slid open the balcony door and stepped outside.
Hearing the sound, Wang Cheng turned around, lifted the bottle in his hand, and grinned. “Yo. You’re finally back. I’ve been waiting forever.”
Chu Yifeng’s gaze fell on the four or five bottles scattered around him. At the same time, the strong smell of alcohol hit him. He had already drunk this much. Realizing something was clearly wrong with Wang Cheng, Chu Yifeng took the bottle from his hand. “You’ve had too much.”
“What? No way. I’ve only had three bottles. I can still drink another three.” The drunk Wang Cheng obviously could not count. There were clearly six bottles, yet he insisted on cutting the number in half.
Chu Yifeng was now certain he was drunk. He slid an arm under Wang Cheng’s and wrapped it around his upper body to pull him upright. Before Wang Cheng had even found his balance, he leaned over and kissed him. Then he took over completely. Chu Yifeng no longer needed to hold him because Wang Cheng wrapped himself around him instead, drinking in the saliva from Chu Yifeng’s mouth as though it were some heavenly nectar. The situation lasted only a few seconds. Once Chu Yifeng reclaimed control, he kissed Wang Cheng until his arms and legs went weak and he no longer had the strength to stir up trouble. Only then did Chu Yifeng carry him into the bathroom.
Hot water poured over his head, and some of the drunken haze seemed to wash away with it. Wang Cheng immediately sobered a little. He wiped his face and rested his head against Chu Yifeng’s shoulder.
“Let’s do it.”
This time, however, Chu Yifeng did not become eager the way he usually did. He pressed Wang Cheng against the wall, supported his chin with one hand, and looked down at him with an imposing expression. “What happened?”
Wang Cheng remained silent for a long time. “…Something happened that completely overturned my ‘three views.’ I still haven’t recovered. Can you imagine what it feels like to have all three of them overturned?”
Elio’s Notes: The Chinese term 三观, literally “three views,” refers to a person’s worldview, outlook on life, and values. Chu Yifeng’s deadpan question plays on the phrase as though Wang Cheng literally means three separate things.
“Which three?”
“You only need to answer yes or no.”
“I don’t know what you mean by the ‘three views.’”
Wang Cheng suddenly raised his head and glared viciously at him. “Are you deliberately picking a fight with me? Can’t you see how helpless I look right now? Aren’t you supposed to comfort me at a time like this? Why are you arguing semantics with me? Are you even my lover?”
“I’m your boyfriend.”
Seeing that Wang Cheng could still lose his temper and argue back, Chu Yifeng finally relaxed.
“Tch. Forget it. We’re not doing anything.” Wang Cheng shook off his hand. Chu Yifeng had completely ruined the mood for sex. Wang Cheng tried to walk around him and leave the bathroom.
Chu Yifeng grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, trapping him once more between the wall and his own body. Then he tugged Wang Cheng’s shirt free and pulled off his belt. Moments later, Wang Cheng was completely naked. Unwilling to be the only one exposed while Chu Yifeng was still dressed, he stripped Chu Yifeng too. The two stood naked face-to-face. Wang Cheng’s legs instinctively wrapped around Chu Yifeng’s firm, powerful waist, and the two began making out in the bathroom.
From the bathroom to the bed, from the bed to the balcony, the traces of the two men’s activities ended up almost everywhere. Wang Cheng had never been this uninhibited before, but tonight he could no longer care. The frustration packed inside him needed an outlet before he could feel better, and once the alcohol in his body surged back up, his thoughts blurred again. When he sobered later, he might be grateful that the presidential suite occupied the hotel’s highest floor. It overlooked much of Shanhai City’s nightscape, while no one below could see the balcony unless they used binoculars.
The result of that indulgence was an aching waist and sore back. By the time Wang Cheng woke up, it was nearly ten. Every bone in his body felt as though a truck had rolled over it. Remembering the absurdity of the night before, he retained only scattered impressions. He pressed his temples and groaned, then collapsed facedown again. He had never imagined he too could overindulge like this. Still, after venting everything, his mood was much better. Once he calmed down, he went over what happened yesterday again. He became so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice Chu Yifeng enter until the mattress beside him sank slightly.
“Breakfast is already here. Get up and eat something first.” Chu Yifeng handed him a glass of water he had just poured.
Wang Cheng lifted the blanket and exposed his bare upper body. Because they had held nothing back last night, the mess was not confined to his lower half. Blue and purple marks covered plenty of his upper body too, all evidence of the previous night. Wang Cheng was certain Chu Yifeng had at least as many bruises as he did.
The room had warm air conditioning, so Wang Cheng did not feel cold. He sat up, took the glass, and drained it in one go. The warm water slid down his throat like heat spreading through every channel in his body. He felt considerably better, and the aftereffects of drunkenness eased as well.
“Get out. I’m changing.” Wang Cheng handed the glass back and began shooing him away.
Chu Yifeng raised a brow. “It’s not as though I haven’t seen you before.”
Wang Cheng rolled his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll get horny again. I have no intention of putting out the fire for you.”
Chu Yifeng smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m a considerate boyfriend too. Your enthusiasm last night already fed me well enough. We can save the rest for next time.”
“Go to hell.” Wang Cheng grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Chu Yifeng caught it and conveniently carried it out with him.
The hotel breakfast centered on plain congee, which Chu Yifeng had specifically requested. Wang Cheng had no objection. He had never been some pampered young master. Still, he glanced at Chu Yifeng sitting opposite him, staring at him without any intention of going to work.
“Are you really going to keep looking at me like that?”
“Feeling shy?”
Wang Cheng nearly splashed congee all over his face.
“Do I look like…” He stopped halfway through, thought about it, and changed his wording. “I’ve never even known what shyness is. It just feels strange when you keep staring at me like this.”
“Then eat faster. I have something to ask you.”
The moment he heard that, Wang Cheng deflated. He did not need to guess what Chu Yifeng wanted to know. His behavior yesterday had indeed been abnormal. He finished breakfast quickly, and the two went to the living room. The presidential suite’s living room was enormous, almost the same size as the one in their apartment. In fact, the entire suite was laid out much like a home, with a study, bedroom, living room, reception room, and everything else.
Chu Yifeng’s laptop sat on the coffee table, its screen still lit. Clearly, he had been working before this.
Chu Yifeng closed the laptop, and the prominent brand logo on the lid immediately went dark. Then he sat beside Wang Cheng. “Tell me.”
Wang Cheng rubbed his nose and, for a moment, had no idea where to start. Finally, he simply lay down on the sofa with his head resting on Chu Yifeng’s thigh and his legs propped on the armrest. After a brief silence, he figured out how to phrase it.
“Didn’t I tell you I was going with my parents to my eldest cousin’s engagement banquet last night? Everything was going pretty smoothly at first, but something happened midway through. I got into an argument with my eldest cousin’s fiancée.”
Chu Yifeng immediately noticed the tiny pause when Wang Cheng said parents. Wang Cheng himself did not seem to realize it and continued. “Can you imagine discovering that the parents you’ve called Mom and Dad for more than twenty years aren’t your biological parents? I know something like that has happened plenty of times in a country as huge as ours, but when it suddenly happens to you, it’s still hard to accept.”
Chu Yifeng raised a brow, though his face showed little surprise. He only asked, “What exactly happened last night?”
“It was all my eldest cousin’s fiancée’s fault, that bitch. She actually dared call me a bastard. I should’ve slapped her a few times first. The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get.” Wang Cheng did not notice Chu Yifeng’s expression. By now, he genuinely loathed Wang Xiaoyan. If not for her, he would never have learned this. Even if it was true, he still wished he could have gone his entire life without knowing. His parents had treated him so well, better than many parents treated their biological sons. He had never imagined this outcome. The people he always thought were his birth parents were not. Someone who had never experienced that kind of gap could not possibly understand it.
Chu Yifeng frowned. “What did your parents say?”
“They didn’t deny it, but they didn’t confirm it either. So I knew Wang Xiaoyan was almost certainly telling the truth. Both my eldest uncle’s and second uncle’s families knew. Now I finally understand why Old Madam Wang and her husband never liked me when I was young. I’m not a descendant of the Wang family at all.” Wang Cheng did not have much affection for those relatives anyway. Learning the reason now did not stir much emotion. At most, it gave him the sense of finally understanding the truth. People usually became sentimental at night and started remembering the past when something touched them. Wang Cheng, on the other hand, began reminiscing about his childhood under broad daylight.