Shen Liu could recite Qin Mu’s home address from memory—which street, which residential complex, which building, which unit, which apartment number—yet this was the first time he had actually stepped through this door.
Hearing the noise, Beiwei came out of the cat bed as usual to greet. Upon seeing it was a stranger, it stopped two steps away, tilting its head to examine him warily. Dongjing let out a rough meow as well and stood up, glaring fiercely at this unfamiliar intruder. Its plump fur exuded a particularly imposing aura.
One man and two cats stared at one another for several seconds.
Shen Liu squatted down, crooked his finger at them, and called out with a smile, “Meow.”
Qin Mu did not return until well past midnight. The sofa in the living room was completely occupied. The tall, long-legged Shen Liu was wearing Qin Mu’s T-shirt, cradling Beiwei in his arms, with Dongjing curled at his feet. Half the blanket was dragged on the floor, and he was sleeping soundly.
Qin Mu smiled helplessly and gently tried to cover him properly with the blanket. Unexpectedly, the moment he moved, Beiwei woke up. Seeing that it was him, the cat wriggled free and leapt to the floor. Shen Liu was jolted awake, his foot bumping into Dongjing and provoking the chubby orange cat to shake its paw with a dark expression to protest.
“What time is it?” Shen Liu squinted sleepily at his phone, still unable to resist mouthing off. “Why are you staying up so late at your age?”
Qin Mu glanced at him. “You’re the oldest one in this house.”
“…,” The old man Shen stood up and casually slammed the blanket down over Dongjing like Mount Tai pressing down, forcing the cat to struggle for a long while before wriggling free, letting out an indignant yowl.
“You’re way too fat,” Shen Liu said without the slightest guilt, patting its backside. “Move around more. It’s good for body and mind.”
Dongjing bristled, glared, rolled off the sofa, and retreated back to its nest.
“You’re getting along quite harmoniously,” Qin Mu said as he took a bottle of mineral water out of the fridge.
“They’re your cats. Of course we should love each other.” Shen Liu curved his lips in a smile, one hand in his pocket as the other plucked the bottle straight from Qin Mu’s hand.
Qin Mu thought he was going to drink it and was about to grab another. Instead, Shen Liu found a cup, poured him some hot water, mixed in a small amount of cold mineral water, and handed it over. “Drink it warm.” After that, he leaned in to sniff and asked, “Was the case tough? Why did you smoke so much?”
Qin Mu laughed. “Are you a cat or a dog?”
“I’ll be whatever you want me to be.” Shen Liu smiled as he leaned against the fridge. “But let’s call it a night. We’re both getting on in years. We should focus on staying healthy; staying up all night indulging in debauchery isn’t good for you.”
Qin Mu had not been thinking in that direction at all. He shot him a sideways look. “If that’s the case, then for the sake of both our health, you’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“…,” Shen Liu, having hoisted a rock only to smash his own foot, hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, slipping smoothly into a pitiful act. “Then I’ll just sleep in the living room. At least I’ll have two cats for company.”
Qin Mu knew he was playing his familiar retreat-to-advance trick again and deliberately did not indulge him. He curved his lips. “Suit yourself.” With that, he set the cup down, gently patted Beiwei on the head, and went to take a shower.
Since his scheme failed, Shen Liu complained to Beiwei, “It’s bad enough he won’t let me into the bed, but we’re both cats. Why does he only pet you and not me?”
Beiwei probably thought this man had something wrong with his head. It ignored him and walked away with a feline gait.
When Qin Mu came out of the shower, he discovered that the someone who had claimed he would sleep in the living room had already seized his bed. He even curled up guiltily under the blanket, eyes shut, pretending to be asleep. Qin Mu did not expose him. He turned off the light, lay down on the other side facing outward, and silently began counting down in his head.
“Ten, nine, eight… four, three…”
Before he even reached ten seconds, the person behind him had already pressed close, an arm lightly dr4p3d around his waist, pulling him into an embrace.
In the darkness, the corner of Qin Mu’s lips lifted slightly, and he closed his eyes in quiet contentment.
After Shen Liu moved in, he showed no intention of leaving.
Qin Mu was swamped with merger-and-acquisition cases to pay attention to and had no time to spare, so he simply let him be. With this tacit permission, a certain Mr Shen lived quite contentedly in Qin Mu’s home, not treating himself like an outsider in the slightest. Today he planted a row of flowers, the next day he raised two fish, and the day after he tinkered with discarded small appliances. From time to time, he went to the law firm to drop by, and before long, he had gotten familiar with everyone there. At first, people thought Shen Liu was coming by so often because he had his eye on one of the young women at the firm. After analysing it back and forth and seeing that he showed no particular attentiveness to anyone, they eventually began to sense something unusual—
Whenever Shen Liu came, no matter how busy Qin Mu was, he would always carve out a bit of time to sit alone with him.
When Qin Mu got busy, he often forgot to eat. No one else dared to urge him, but whenever Shen Liu brought food, he would eat every single meal.
Whenever Shen Liu delivered food, Qin Mu’s portion was always packaged separately, with extra ingredients added.
Whenever it rained, no matter how late it was, Shen Liu would come to pick Qin Mu up. It was said that Qin Mu had night blindness. Although it was not severe, he had trouble seeing clearly on rainy nights.
When Shen Liu was around, Qin Mu’s normally austere and chilly presence seemed to soften a little. The younger staff who usually did not dare joke around in front of him occasionally found the courage to crack a few jokes.
Combined with Lawyer Qin’s usual cold, distant demeanour and his complete lack of romantic rumours involving women, the onlookers arrived at a very bold conjecture. This conjecture was eventually confirmed by Lawyer Zhou letting something slip. Upon hearing that the two of them had fallen for each other in their youth and then been separated for a full ten years, the gossiping crowd sighed with emotion and began actively creating opportunities for Shen Liu, steering him right into Qin Mu’s path.
Qin Mu said, “…Are you that free?”
Shen Liu replied, “Mm. Very free.”
Qin Mu said, “If you’re free, go find a job.”
Shen Liu said, “That makes sense.”
That afternoon, Shen Liu appeared again, holding a cup of coffee.
Qin Mu frowned. “Why are you still here?”
Shen Liu set the coffee beside his hand, tugged at his shirt, and revealed the badge on his chest that read Special Assistant. He smiled brilliantly. “I just started at noon. The badge was made on the spot. Does it look good? From today on, I’m your special assistant.”
He even put extra emphasis on the word ‘special’.
Qin Mu nearly snapped the pen in his hand. “…Call Zhou Yi in here.”
Shen Liu’s job as a ‘special assistant’ lasted less than an hour before he was relieved of duty. In truth, he had only wanted to tease Qin Mu a bit and help him relax. He had no intention of actually disturbing him or diverting his attention.
After more than a month of relentless work, the formal merger contract was finally signed. That evening, Zhou Yi treated the entire law firm to dinner at a unique restaurant. Hotpot and barbecue paired with ice-cold beer were served, and everyone drank themselves into high spirits. Qin Mu could not handle alcohol. He could not withstand the constant toasts, cup after cup, but out of courtesy, he had no choice but to keep up appearances, forcing himself to hold on until Shen Liu came to pick him up, at which point he finally allowed his drunkenness to show.
Shen Liu dr4p3d Qin Mu’s arm over his own shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked toward the parking lot. Qin Mu leaned his weight over softly, his steps swaying, walking in a crooked line. Seeing him this drunk, Shen Liu worried his stomach would feel unwell and gave him a punitive pinch at the waist, saying, “You’ve really gotten bold, drinking this much.”
Qin Mu felt the pain, let out a sound, and threw a tantrum. “I can do it myself.”
Shen Liu chuckled and loosened his grip. “Sure. Go back by yourself.” Though he let go, his hands still hovered protectively at Qin Mu’s sides.
With the support gone, Qin Mu stepped forward only to feel the world spin. He staggered half a step backwards, his back pressing against Shen Liu’s chest.
“Still talking tough?” Shen Liu asked.
“Then just leave me here if you’ve got the guts.” Lawyer Qin, who usually convinced others with reason, was now throwing an unreasonable drunk fit.
Shen Liu laughed and coaxed him into conceding. “I don’t have the guts. I wouldn’t dare. Lord Qin, I’ll take you home.”
It took some effort to get him into the car and buckle his seat belt. Afraid that Qin Mu would feel dizzy and uncomfortable, Shen Liu drove very slowly. The air-conditioning was on inside the car, and a song was playing.
“…Hot summer nights, mid-July,
When you and I were forever wild,
The crazy days, the city lights,
The way you’d play with me like a child,
Will you still love me?”
Qin Mu tilted his head and leaned against the car window. Under the night curtain, the lights blurred his outline. His closed eyes hid their usual sharpness, making his entire face look unusually gentle. It was hard to tell whether he was listening or already asleep.
When the car came to a stop, Shen Liu called him softly, “Log.” Qin Mu answered, opening his eyes. “Are we there?”
“En.” Shen Liu supported him upstairs and brought him home. Qin Mu, however, refused to go straight to bed and stubbornly insisted, “I smell all over. I need to shower.”
“Sure. Go wash.” Shen Liu curved his lips and directly scooped him up around the waist, carrying him into the bathroom.
Before Qin Mu could recover from his dizziness, his clothes had already been stripped off. The showerhead overhead roared as water poured down, steam fogging everything before his eyes. The man pressed him against the wall, pinched his chin, and kissed him.
“Mmh…” Qin Mu grew even dizzier from the kiss. His footing faltered, and he had to cling tightly to the other man’s body. Their tongues entwined, and the shameful sounds were masked by the rush of water, while desire rose brazenly and unchecked. His remaining shred of reason still resisted. Qin Mu struggled to push him away. “You’re taking advantage of me…”
“How could I be? I’m just paying back what I owe.” Shen Liu poured shower gel onto his chest and gently rubbed it in, giving special attention to the two sensitive protrusions. His voice was exceptionally tender. “You kissed me while you were drunk. Of course I have to return the favour, right?”
“Right my ass…” Qin Mu was dizzy but not completely out of it. He tried to grab the two misbehaving hands, but his willpower was not enough. His body swayed as Shen Liu pressed him and washed him from his upper body down to his lower. Unable to endure it any longer, he gritted his teeth. “Get out. I’ll do it myself.”
Shen Liu caught his hand and pressed it against his half-hard c0ck, smiling ambiguously. “Sure. Do it yourself.”
Qin Mu reacted sluggishly and tried to pull his hand back, but the man encircled him from behind. Shen Liu pinned him to the wall, licking and biting his ear as he threatened softly, “If you won’t do it yourself, I’ll help.”
The weak resistance was subdued in moments. Shen Liu held Qin Mu’s hand, half forcing and half coaxing him to grip his c0ck and stroke back and forth, luring him little by little into the rushing current of desire. Qin Mu panted and tilted his head back. Water droplets fell like rain, sliding over his trembling Adam’s apple, taut neck line, solid chest…all the way down. When Qin Mu had sunk into desire, and the movement of his hand became instinctive, Shen Liu released his hold and lightly kissed the corner of his lips. “Good boy. Let me see you climax.”
Pleasure shot forth like an arrow loosed from the bow, like a fire that burned through the body, already impossible to stop. Qin Mu stroked himself a few quick times and came with a low gasp, dizzy and dazed as he collapsed into Shen Liu’s arms, cursing weakly, “Bastard…”
“I’m still hard.” Shen Liu thrust his hips forward and poked him in grievance.
“Serves you right.” Qin Mu turned ruthless after the fact.
“Mm, I deserve it. You’re the master. What you say goes.” Shen Liu kissed his damp forehead, dried his body, blow-dried his hair, and carried him to bed. Just as he was about to go back to the bathroom to clean up, his wrist was caught.
“Sleep,” Qin Mu said with his eyes closed. “Hold me.”
Shen Liu froze for a moment, then smiled. “As you command.”
Translator/Author’s Note:
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