Chapter 5: Caught Trying on the Skirt — Asking a Man to Help Remove It…
Knock, knock.
“Ge, the clothes…”
There was a sudden knock at the door. It opened a crack, and the movement inside the room froze instantly.
“Wait, don’t come in yet!”
Jiang Yunian looked toward the door in a panic, one hand awkwardly hidden behind his back.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yan had already stepped inside. Taking in the scene before him, his footsteps paused. He opened his mouth slightly: “The door wasn’t closed…”
His gaze swept over Jiang Yunian, his Adam’s apple bobbing almost imperceptibly.
He set the clothes down on the bed and walked closer. “Ge, what are you doing?”
“I…” Jiang Yunian clutched the hem of the skirt, averting his gaze uncomfortably, looking somewhat helpless.
“So Ge likes… this kind of thing.”
Jiang Yan extended a knuckle to smooth out a wrinkle on the sleeve, his tone carrying a hint of probing curiosity.
“No,” Jiang Yunian’s face flushed red instantly. “…A classmate gave it to me.”
“Ge is saying,” Jiang Yan chewed over his words slowly, “a classmate gave it to you, so you just wore it?”
That seemed to be… the logic, but why did it sound so strange when he said it?
“It’s very pretty.” Jiang Yan touched the fabric of the skirt, looking quite interested.
While he praised the skirt, his gaze was glued to the cinched waistline.
So thin.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and looked down.
Legs are white, too. Straight and long.
Jiang Yunian was completely unaware of these thoughts. He stood with his back arched stiffly, feeling the embarrassment of a child caught red-handed by a parent.
“It’s just too short.”
Jiang Yan critiqued, his fingertips tapping the edge of the hem. “However, wearing it at home is fine.”
Wear it at home? Jiang Yunian pursed his lips. That won’t work; I still have to go out to shoot videos.
But seeing Jiang Yan’s reaction, if he knew the truth, he would probably think Jiang Yunian was sacrificing his dignity to film that kind of adult movie.
Seeing his silence, Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes, his tone laced with disbelief. “Ge isn’t planning to wear this outside, is he?”
Sure enough, Jiang Yan was even more traditional than he was.
“No, I’m not.” Jiang Yunian lowered his head guiltily. “I was just trying it on.”
Jiang Yan’s expression softened slightly, and he said, half-seriously, half-jokingly, “If Ge feels there’s no one to appreciate it, wearing it for me is fine too.”
Jiang Yunian nodded indiscriminately. His mind was entirely focused on the zipper stuck behind his back. He had been struggling with it for ages but didn’t dare use force for fear of ripping the dress. He had been arching his body awkwardly this whole time. “This… can you help me with it?”
“I help you?” Jiang Yan asked uncertainly.
Asking a man to help take off a skirt… was no different from seduction.
“Mn,” Jiang Yunian said. “Be gentle…”
It hurts if it scrapes the skin.
Be gentle?
Jiang Yan paused. The hand he placed on the other’s back unconsciously lightened. Holding that thin shoulder and turning him around, his breath hitched when he saw that expanse of pure white skin.
His Ge was hinting at him so strongly; if he didn’t do something… it would seem impolite.
After waiting a long time without any movement, Jiang Yunian leaned back in confusion. Why is Jiang Yan’s expression so weird?
“Is it hard to unzip?”
Jiang Yan snapped out of it, tearing his gaze away from the beautiful scenery with difficulty. He missed the watery sheen and shyness in the other’s eyes, which only further solidified his belief in the so-called “seduction.”
The zipper slid down slowly. The silver chain stopped at the slender waist, reflecting in the depths of Jiang Yan’s dark eyes.
That was the part twisting just now. His Ge looked honest, but unexpectedly, he was quite open in private.
If I really did something, it seems he wouldn’t be able to resist either.
“Is… is it done?”
A damp, cold wind blew in, making Jiang Yunian’s teeth chatter. His voice was small,透着股 (imbued with) a sense of innocence. The rain had gotten heavier, and the window wasn’t closed yet. It was so cold.
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, but the hand reaching into the waist couldn’t proceed any further.
Forget it. If I really did it, Ge would cry.
Coaxing him would be a hassle.
Jiang Yan grabbed his waist, turned him around to block that fatal view, and then let go.
“It’s done.”
After walking out of the room, Jiang Yan suppressed the heat rising in his body and cursed softly under his breath.
The next afternoon, Hao Meng led Jiang Yunian to the dance club’s dressing room.
There were no activities recently, so the place was empty. Hao Meng pushed him into the changing room while she organized her makeup bag. A few minutes later, Jiang Yunian pulled back the curtain, tugging at the hem of the dress.
“Wow!” Hao Meng’s eyes lit up. “This looks way too good!”
She had ‘cute aggression.’ Seeing Jiang Yunian’s shy and timid appearance, she couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle him.
“You’re so white, you’re almost catching up to me.”
Jiang Yunian covered his face. He was naturally fair.
“Your butt is perky, too.”
Hao Meng circled him, clicking her tongue in admiration. Jiang Yunian, flushed and heart pounding from the praise, stood stiffly on the spot like a wooden block.
When she circled back to the front, Hao Meng’s face suddenly changed.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yunian looked down at himself.
Hao Meng shook her head regretfully, leaned into his ear, and said with great seriousness, “You’re flat-chested.”
Jiang Yunian: “…”
Sometimes listening to her talk made him feel truly helpless. He wasn’t a girl; it would be weird if he wasn’t flat, okay?
“Guys work out their pecs too,” Hao Meng said lecherously. “You like Eddie Peng, right? Those pecs, so energetic. Look how stylish he is in tight clothes.”
Like many straight men, Eddie Peng was the perfect male god in everyone’s heart. Jiang Yunian nodded in agreement. Bigger pecs did look good, and healthy too.
“So what do we do?”
It was too late to work out now.
As if waiting for that exact sentence, Hao Meng smirked at him. Like a magic trick, she stuffed a packet of something into his hands and threw him a wink.
The look in her eyes was too dangerous. Jiang Yunian sensed something was wrong. He tore open the packaging and, sure enough…
Inside was a bra stuffed with sponge padding and a few silicone inserts.
Jiang Yunian imagined the scene and felt unbelievably ashamed.
“Dedicate yourself to the job,” Hao Meng goaded him. “You’re not going to refuse, are you?”
It’s all for survival. Jiang Yunian held the packet and made a grim resolve. “I’ll wear it.”
Hao Meng’s smile deepened. “Need help?”
Jiang Yunian shielded himself. “No need, I can do it.”
After changing, he touched the slight bulge on his chest. He felt uncomfortable all over, like he was being strangled by ropes.
“See? Isn’t that much better?”
Jiang Yunian blushed and didn’t speak.
Hao Meng knew he was thin-skinned, so she stopped teasing him. After finishing the makeup and confirming everything was fine, they quickly set the shooting time.
Wednesday afternoon, Xichun Road outside the school.
On his way home, Jiang Yunian ran into those neighbor aunties again, their gossip flowing endlessly.
“Their pants were soaked in the lake! A few stinky brats crying all the way home with their bare butts exposed—how could it be fake?”
“Especially that kid from Old Liao’s family. He bullies my Er-Bao all day long. Finally, someone sorted him out. Serves him right!”
“Who did it?”
“Who knows? They were all scared witless, hiding at home daring not to come out…”
“I need to tell my son to stay far away, don’t want him getting led astray.”
“Hey, shh, someone’s coming.”
The gossip stopped abruptly.
Jiang Yunian caught the gist of it. It seemed those little punks had been taught a lesson. Hearing it suddenly, he felt a bit relieved.
“What are you laughing at?”
The smile on Jiang Yunian’s face froze. A burly figure blocked his path. It was “Old Liao” whom they had just mentioned—Liao Guilin, a notorious scoundrel in the neighborhood.
Liao Guilin was holding a pair of dripping wet jeans, his eyes bloodshot and bulging, full of rage.
Hit the muzzle of the gun. Jiang Yunian didn’t want to be cannon fodder, so he quickly shut his mouth, lowered his head, and walked away fast.
Behind him, Liao Guilin’s exasperated roar could be heard from a distance.
“Damn it! Don’t let me catch whoever bullied my son, or I’ll make you suffer!”
Jiang Yunian shrank his neck and didn’t look back.
“I’m back.”
Jiang Yunian opened the door, but no one answered inside.
On the shoe rack, the sneakers Jiang Yan usually wore were missing.
Walking inside, the living room was quiet. The windows he had closed tight before leaving in the morning hadn’t been touched. The only oddity was a few trails of undried water stains on the floor; otherwise, there were no signs of movement.
At this time, where could Jiang Yan go?
Water…
Jiang Yunian stared at the unexplained water stains on the floor, the auntie’s words suddenly echoing in his ears.
“Pants stripped and thrown in the lake… crying all the way home with bare butts… how could it be fake?”
A vague, ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Those little hooligans hadn’t been dealt with by anyone for so long, so why suddenly…
Jiang Yunian didn’t have time to think it through. Jiang Yan’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, he was unfamiliar with the place, and he didn’t have a phone. He just hoped Jiang Yan was only walking nearby and hadn’t gotten into trouble.
He asked Auntie Wang next door, who said she saw him go downstairs but didn’t know where he went.
Passing by that street again, a crowd had gathered by the roadside. Liao Guilin had somehow gotten into a conflict with someone, his voice raised high.
“Was it you? Huh?!”
“It was you, you brat, bullying my son, right? I’m gonna beat you!”
Heads were bobbing in the crowd, packed tight so no wind could pass. Jiang Yunian stood on his tiptoes and only saw a tall figure being shoved. Such height was rare around here.
Jiang Yunian’s heart leapt to his throat.
“Ah Yan…”
The narrow road was in chaos—people shouting accusations, people helping to curse, people acting as peacemakers, and people just jeering for the show. It crackled like stir-fry in a hot wok.
“Stop pushing!”
Jiang Yunian got stepped on by someone unknown just as he was about to reach that tall shoulder. The person seemed to sense something and turned around—but it was a stranger’s face.
He let out a half-breath of relief as he was squeezed out of the crowd. There was a large footprint on his shoe; it didn’t hurt, and he didn’t feel it.
A motorcycle roared past, the wind it kicked up messing up the hair on his forehead.
Jiang Yunian looked up.
A few meters away, Jiang Yan stood quietly, taking in all of his disheveled state.
“Why are you joining the fun?”
His voice was lower than usual, almost drowned out by the noise.
Jiang Yunian looked at him and walked over dazedly.
The slight displeasure on Jiang Yan’s face vanished instantly. He raised a hand to fix Jiang Yunian’s messy hair and collar.
“You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
Jiang Yunian shook his head. “Where did you go?”
He was still a bit shaken. “I thought you…”
“Thought what?” Jiang Yan fished a tissue from his pocket, crouched down, held his ankle, and carefully wiped the dirt off his shoe, not even missing the crevices of the shoelaces.
Jiang Yunian suddenly couldn’t speak. Jiang Yan was so well-behaved; how could he possibly lower himself to fight with children?
What did a few drops of water prove? He preferred to believe the little hooligans were lying; it wasn’t like they had only been doing evil for a day or two.
A loud crash erupted behind them. Liao Guilin had kicked over a fruit stand, sending oranges rolling all over the ground. Jiang Yan didn’t even look back. He balled up the used tissue and tossed it casually into a trash bin.
“Thought I ran away?” He hooked the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Yunian felt a bit guilty. He had to admit, for a split second, he was afraid Jiang Yan had suddenly disappeared just like he appeared, but mostly he had been worried.
“Don’t worry.” Jiang Yan pinched his cheek, which was flushed red from the squeeze of the crowd, with little concern. “Ge’s debt isn’t paid off yet; I won’t run.”
Jiang Yunian had fair skin, so the blush was particularly obvious, fanning out like a small smear of rouge. It made Jiang Yan’s throat tighten.
“I didn’t mean that.” Jiang Yunian pointed at the crowd arguing fiercely and whispered, “I thought the person inside was you…”
“Ge thought I beat up a child?” Jiang Yan looked over, his eyes indifferent. “Who would be that bored?”
Jiang Yunian felt he had wronged him and agreed softly, “Mn, I think so too.”
The glass door reflected their figures—one head bowed, one face upturned—as the setting sun stretched their shadows long.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Yan pulled him away, blocking the chaos behind them. “Let’s go home. Tonight, Ge can taste my cooking.”
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