Chapter 3: Get Up, Drink Your Coffee
The neon lights of Lan’an City glittered in the late night.
A sea-blue McLaren roared down the road, then screeched to a halt in front of a supermarket. The man lowered his head to unbuckle his seatbelt, then paused.
“What the hell is wrong with me?”
Zhou Yili cursed himself, even when he was being ruthless.
He’d just casually said something, and he actually came to the supermarket?
Crazy.
In the distance, under the night sky, the city’s neon lights were scattered, the streams of light converging into a long river. The “Half Awake” bar sign flickered with brilliant light, revealing another glamorous side of the city.
With a ‘click’, he fastened his seatbelt again.
He stepped on the gas and sped towards the edge of the city.
“Dude, where are you?”
On the other end of the phone, against a background of lively, upbeat music, Sheng Que loudly questioned him, “I’ve got the booze and the beauties ready for you, did you drive your car into a ditch?”
“…”
Zhou Yili rested one hand on the steering wheel, his wrist bones elegant and refined, casually and indifferently replying, “Lost interest.”
Sheng Que didn’t pick up on any deeper meaning.
He scoffed, “Yeah, right, you’re into men now.”
To be precise, it wasn’t that he liked men.
Once upon a time, Young Master Zhou’s ideal type was a Marilyn Monroe-esque sexy beauty, but then he inexplicably veered off course and never looked back.
“So you’re not coming for drinks?”
Sheng Que hiccuped drunkenly, his inhibitions lowered by the alcohol:
“Did you see the hot searches? Your Shen ge has fallen from grace, we should pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate!”
Silence fell for a moment after he finished speaking.
Even through the call, Sheng Que felt inexplicably cold.
He quickly urged the beauty in his arms to hold him tighter.
Suddenly, a cold laugh came from the other end, followed by the sound of a car parking, “Brother doesn’t feel like drinking tonight.”
Zhou Yili casually picked up his phone, tapped and forwarded Sheng Que’s WeChat location.
“Just want coffee.”
【z】: Reporting one idiot and twelve beauties. Arrest them?
【CEO of Fu Corporation – Fu Chen】: …
【CEO of Fu Corporation – Fu Chen】: Meeting’s over, I’ll be there.
Sheng Que was a typical spoiled rich kid. His parents died when he was young, and the vast family poured all their affection on him.
This led to him going further and further astray.
When a sapling grows crooked, there’s always someone to straighten it. His mother’s scholarship-winning protégé from her younger years became the only person who didn’t spoil him when he grew up.
He would take time out of his busy schedule to see what mischief this orphaned protégé had gotten into.
Sheng Que was afraid of him the moment he saw him.
“Are you crazy?” Sheng Que asked suspiciously, “Going out for coffee in the middle of the night? You’re not sleeping tonight?”
Zhou Yili had done something wrong and enjoyed it.
“Mm, mind your own business.”
Sheng Que: “?”
…
The globally limited edition sea-blue sports car sped down the road, finally reaching a coffee shop with its lights on after half an hour.
Zhou Yili got out of the car, pulling his hat down.
“One Americano, no ice, no sugar, no milk.”
The barista, originally drowsy, was instantly awake at the mention of the “three nos.”
…Is he drinking medicine?
She looked up, her fatigue from a busy day melting away at the sight of the handsome man.
Kindly reminding, “Without anything added, it’ll be very bitter, you know.”
The cold and aloof man lazily crossed his arms, his gaze falling on the coffee machine, a cold sneer playing on his lips without expression.
“Mm, bitter enough to kill him.”
“…”
“Have a nice day, handsome! Come again soon~”
Watching the man disappear outside the glass door, the barista belatedly realized that he looked familiar, like a popular celebrity.
What was his name again…?
Ah, right.
Shen Yili!
Shen Yili leisurely returned home with a cup of coffee.
The fingerprint lock beeped, he stood at the entrance, looking towards the warmly lit living room.
Usually, when he returned, it was a dark night.
Now, it was a different scene.
A feather lamp cast a soft light, the other person nestled asleep on the sofa, a section of collarbone peeking out from his white shirt, a thin silver chain shimmering faintly.
…When did this guy start wearing jewelry?
Zhou Yili had been flamboyant since childhood; for a period of time, he loved wearing jewelry.
Shen Jixing, who was his piano tutor at the time, was cold and unapproachable.
He simply commented, “Gaudy.”
Like a peacock showing off its feathers.
Back then, Zhou Yili was young and arrogant.
He deliberately spread his legs, bumped him with his knee, bit his necklace, tilted his head, and chuckled softly, “Mind your own business. It’s not for you to see, is it, Teacher Shen?”
Zhou Yili walked to the sofa with the coffee.
The thin silver chain lay on his collarbone, disappearing into a shallow curve of light, making his skin look white and glowing.
His Adam’s apple inexplicably bobbed, then he kicked the sofa.
“Get up, drink your coffee.”
“…”
Shen Jixing was a light sleeper, opening his eyes to the tall figure backlit by the light.
Zhou Yili shook the coffee in his hand, smiling without a trace of sympathy, almost annoyingly.
“Touched?”
This scene was no different from Pan Jinlian asking him to drink medicine.
Shen Jixing rubbed his temples, his excellent temperament preventing him from saying anything. He reached for the coffee that was suspended in mid-air, his tone calm, “Thank you.”
He couldn’t reach it.
Shen Jixing looked up: “?”
Two seconds later, Zhou Yili coldly retracted his hand.
Like a mischievous North American lion who got no response, he listlessly slipped his hand into his pants pocket and walked upstairs without looking back.
“Wait.”
Shen Jixing took a sip of coffee, looked up and asked, “Which room am I sleeping in tonight?”
Zhou Yili stopped.
After a moment’s thought, he lazily tilted his head towards the second floor, “The left one.”
“Okay.”
Shen Jixing looked away, glanced at the coffee, and didn’t speak again.
The person at the stairs shifted his feet, as if he had thought of something. His lazy and relaxed tone drifted over, “That room hasn’t been used. The housekeeper cleans it once a week. If you think it’s dirty and don’t want to stay…”
Before Shen Jixing could speak.
He leaned against the banister, his back against the curved luxurious stairs, his arm bent as if posing for a magazine cover.
Friendly suggestion, “Go and squeeze with the stray dogs downstairs. That’s fine too.”
“…”
Shen Jixing’s calm gaze finally shifted slightly.
He had a very typical cold face, and it was rumored that the industry was quite afraid of him. Zhou Yili, clearly, feared nothing.
He smiled charmingly and dissolutely, slowly stepping up the stairs.
The black diamonds on his ear shone, as bright as his smile.
“Childish.”
Shen Jixing concluded calmly.
Zhou Yili had always been like this, flamboyant and showy.
You can’t ignore him, you can’t ignore him, otherwise he will keep provoking you.
Until his eyes are full of him, only him.
Shen Jixing tilted his head and finished the coffee, then went upstairs.
There were only two rooms on the second floor.
Even the guest room was exquisitely decorated, clean and tidy like a model room.
Zhou Yili was a rich young master who didn’t lack money; to exaggerate, he was a young master who would inherit billions if he didn’t mix well in the entertainment industry.
Shen Jixing remembered that he hadn’t transferred the coffee money to the young master yet.
He turned on his phone; there were eight missed calls from Pei Ming. The lack of further calls meant he had given up.
Shen Jixing opened his WeChat list and clicked on the small letter ‘z’ next to the last person on his list, Zhou Yili.
Their chat history stopped four years ago.
The same four words appeared on the same page, only three days apart.
—June 30, 2020—
【z】: I graduated.
—July 3, 2020—
【z】: I debuted.