9 – “Good girl,” Yan Jin said, patting her on the head. “Next time you see him, remember to call him “Gege”.
Shen Yu’s expression betrayed his shock, there was no pretense. He’d already handled the situation quite well, anyone would be startled to find a stranger suddenly appearing in their room.
The bedroom light was on. Shen Yu was sitting on the sofa in his pajamas, a laptop resting on his knees. He looked completely relaxed. The soft yellow glow made his naturally delicate features appear even more refined. Against the hotel backdrop, he looked chaste yet inexplicably seductive, a conflicting yet perfectly harmonious blend.
Three in the morning was really not a good time for a conversation.
Shen Yu: “You…”
Yan Jin looked at him, his shoulders inexplicably relaxing. He plopped down on the sofa opposite Shen Yu and struck first: “It’s so late and you’re still awake. Are you cultivating immortality?”
Shen Yu quickly suppressed his look of surprise and called out his hypocrisy: “Are you sleepwalking, sitting right here in front of me?”
A bottle of red wine and a glass sat before Shen Yu; the glass was nearly empty, yet the bottle was still more than half full. Late at night, this man had been drinking while working, and he could hold his liquor quite well. Yan Jin said: “Can I have a sip?”
Shen Yu raised his hand in a “please” gesture, signaling for him to help himself. Yan Jin grabbed a wine glass from the room’s bar and poured himself half a glass.
Shen Yu’s gaze had already shifted back to the computer; his fingers rested lightly over the keyboard, but he didn’t move. Yan Jin downed the wine as if it were water, in one gulp. It didn’t quench his thirst, but it made him feel much better inside. After finishing, he set the glass down: “Can I stay here tonight?”
Shen Yu’s fingers twitched slightly on the keyboard. “As you wish,” he said. “It’s your room, after all.”
That simple “after all”strangely soothed Yan Jin’s heart, giving him a subtle sense of satisfaction. Deep into the night, Shen Yu didn’t ask why he’d suddenly shown up at the hotel, and Yan Jin didn’t bring it up either.
If Yan Jin had planned to stay from the start, he wouldn’t have rushed over at this hour. Clearly, something had happened that changed his plans. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t something pleasant.
Sometimes, not asking is a form of respect.
The room was fully stocked with everything he needed. As Yan Jin went to take a shower, Shen Yu, without looking up, said to him before he entered the bathroom, “Close the curtain.”
It was a suite for newlyweds, and the bathroom glass was designed to be both tempting and modest. Yan Jin was in a good mood and pressed his advantage: “What’s the matter? Afraid my body’s too good and you’ll feel ashamed by comparison?”
Shen Yu: “I’m afraid you’ll feel embarrassed.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I’m perfectly at ease.”
As he spoke, Yan Jin entered the bathroom but still pulled the curtain closed, blocking the glass. The sound of running water filled the silent room, its presence overwhelmingly strong. Perhaps it was the late hour combined with alcohol, or the moment when darkness and confusion intertwined, Shen Yu suddenly found himself unable to concentrate. The sound of water pounded in his ears and heart. Helplessly, he shut down his computer and poured himself another half glass of wine.
His gaze drifted to the bed. There was, of course, only one bed, a very spacious one, big enough for four or five people. They could comfortably lie down with clear boundaries between them.
They’d agreed to live together, but no one had explicitly discussed how they would sleep, and no one had even mentioned that the sofa was available for sleeping.
By the time Yan Jin finished tidying up and came out, Shen Yu had already lain down. Yan Jin simply chose the other side and settled in, facing away from him so they wouldn’t disturb each other. A moment later, he lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.
Every sound in the night seemed amplified. When Yan Jin heard a rustling movement beside him, he knew Shen Yu hadn’t fallen asleep either.
“The last time we lay together was back in college.”
Shen Yu’s voice drifted through the hazy night: “That was really a stroke of bad luck.”
It was during a department outing in their sophomore year, a hiking and camping trip. They’d picked a lousy mountain; a large livestock farm had just moved out, leaving the air thick with the stench of animal manure. Even the most beautiful scenery was spoiled by the smell in their breath.
When dividing up the tents, the guys were grouped in fives, leaving three people surplus. Since those three could enjoy a bit more space, everyone decided to draw lots first, then form the remaining groups. After the draw, the three lucky ones emerged: Shen Yu, Yan Jin, and Yu Feng.
Shen Yu and Yu Feng had dated during their freshman year but broke up by then, so they were already exes. Meanwhile, Yan Jin had already crossed paths with Shen Yu. The three of them held their slips of paper, staring at each other in silence.
Just imagine the awkwardness of these three being stuck together!
Given that Shen Yu and Yan Jin are rivals and can’t be placed next to each other, and Shen Yu and Yu Feng are exes who also can’t share a tent, how should the three of them be arranged? …Well, this is a no-go. Maybe we could swap people, but the teacher leading the trip is a stuck-up old-timer. To make management easier, he’d already said no one was allowed to switch tents at will. So what’s the solution?
In the end, they picked the least bad option from a bunch of lousy ones: Yan Jin slept in the middle. This was actually the solution Yan Jin had proposed first.
Shen Yu: “You’re being so kind?”
Yan Jin: “Just say whether you agree or not.”
Shen Yu, flexible as ever: “I agree.”
Signal in the mountains is terrible, you can barely make a phone call, and the internet connection is so unstable it might as well be nonexistent. Who can stand waiting over ten minutes just for a webpage to load? As for stargazing and outdoor activities, it’s fine for a little while, but spending the whole night under the stench that drifts over from time to time? That’s just too much, no matter how beautiful the stars are.
Not long after night fell, everyone crawled back into their tents. Those who’d downloaded videos on their phones, or brought a deck of cards, ended up being the ultimate winners. At the very least, the five of them could still play some games. But what about Shen Yu and the other two?
Once everyone else had retreated to their tents, the three still lingering outside looked particularly out of place.
The temperature in the mountains drops at night. Yu Feng sat for a while but couldn’t stand it anymore. He turned to the other two and said, “Um, I, I’m going in first.”
The other two nodded and continued to sit outside.
The campsite, of course, offered an unobstructed view overhead, with no trees to block the sky. The river of stars shone brilliantly, a sight one couldn’t see in the city, where the sky was veiled in artificial light and the stars’ glow was dimmed. The night sky was as clear as a stream, with black and indigo weaving together like a canvas dotted with stars. It seemed as though one could reach out and pluck a star, it was breathtaking… until the stench hit. It really stinks!
Yan Jin’s mind was racing with thoughts of how to handle things. He stole another glance at Shen Yu and saw that he, too, was nearly at his limit. Shen Yu exhaled deeply, unable to bear it any longer, and finally got up to slip into his tent. After the flap was drawn shut, Yan Jin followed, shuffling in slowly.
It was still early; the other tents were still in full swing, but the three of them had already gone to bed. A tent meant for five was snug for three; even through their sleeping bags, they couldn’t help but brush against each other, their presence was just too overwhelming.
Yan Jin, lying in the middle, tossed and turned. Finally, he turned toward Shen Yu. Shen Yu, of course, had his back to him, but perhaps because Yan Jin’s gaze was too intense, Shen Yu sensed something. After a moment, unable to resist, he turned his head to glance over, and that single glance happened to meet Yan Jin’s deep, steady stare.
Shen Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned back, exasperated. “What are you looking at?”
Yan Jin chuckled. “How would you know I was looking at you if you weren’t looking?”
“I was just rolling over… Don’t you close your eyes when you sleep?”
“Who said I was asleep? I can’t sleep. Am I not allowed to lie here and mess around? It’s too early. None of you are asleep yet, are you?”
Yu Feng, who had been sitting quietly nearby, suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
“Oh my,” he said, curled up in his sleeping bag, “I don’t know why, but I just find the two of you particularly amusing.”
The atmosphere eased.
Shen Yu: “We can’t compare to Young Master Yan. You’re so eloquent, you leave people completely bewildered.”
Yan Jin: “Not at all, not at all. Young Master Shen is as graceful as a jade tree; he doesn’t even need to open his mouth to have people wrapped around his finger.”
Yu Feng laughed even harder. Yu Feng was quite a character. While others would quickly duck out of the way, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire of their sarcastic banter, he listened intently. Or perhaps he sensed something others couldn’t perceive. How to put it? After going through a romance, he’d come to see Shen Yu in a new light, and understood him better than before.
It was by no means a pleasant trip, yet Shen Yu had enjoyed a rare night of sound, dreamless sleep. When he woke, the other two were already gone from the tent. By his sleeping bag, Shen Yu found a sheet of paper with a single line written in beautiful calligraphy:
“Long-lost souls, each in a distant corner of the sky, gazing at one another, each in a distant corner of the sky.”
Just like the others before it, he immediately knew who had written it.
How did we end up “each in a distant corner of the sky”? Shen Yu muttered under his breath. We didn’t even sit that far apart when we were looking at the stars… Well, okay, we were sitting at a distance, and I never even looked at his face. Even if we were closer, “gazing at one another” would still feel “distant”…
It really seemed like a question: “Why didn’t you look at me more?” So full of longing, Shen Yu chuckled, yet felt a pang of sadness. He carefully tucked the paper away.
They say the past is like fleeting clouds, yet here they were in the hotel, lying in a large bed. Once they started reminiscing, every scene came back to them vividly, as clear as it could be.
Each lost in their own memories, lost in their own thoughts, neither spoke. They drifted off to sleep amidst those memories, and the night passed.
Since they were going to be together, they woke up at the same time. Early the next morning, they got up and began getting ready one after the other.
Yan Anan, who rarely woke up early, yawned as she stepped out. Half-asleep, she reached for the doorknob and mumbled “Good morning” to Yan Jin… Huh? Huh!?
The guy standing next to my brother, the one who came out of the same room with him, who else would it be but Shen Yu!?
Yan Anan snapped awake instantly, her mouth forming a perfect “O.” Shen Yu smiled and greeted her: “Good morning.”
“Good—good morning!”
Her mouth felt like it wasn’t her own as Yan Anan stammered out her greeting. Shen Yu said, “I’ve got something to take care of, so I won’t be joining you guys for breakfast. See you later.”
As soon as he left, Yan Anan immediately grabbed Yan Jin’s arm. Yan Jin wiggled free: “Why are you pinching me?”
Yan Anan looked dazed and muttered, “I wasn’t dreaming…”
Her room was on the same floor as theirs. She’d been half-asleep earlier, but now she was certain: Shen Yu and Yan Jin had come out of the same room! Even if they had business to discuss, they wouldn’t meet in a room this early in the morning. Knowing their habits, the hotel café or lounge would be the usual spot for a chat.
Case solved. There’s only one truth! They slept together last night!
What’s going on? Have they finally evolved from rivals to lovers? If Yan Jin truly despised Shen Yu, he wouldn’t have agreed to share a bed with him. Yan Anan clung to her brother. “Tell me the truth—was that rivalry just a cover?”
Yan Jin: “We’ve been rivals since school, that’s true.”
If they’re rivals, what about the rest? Yan An’an felt clever: “So this is really my sister-in-law?”
“Good girl.” Yan Jin patted her on the head. “From now on, when you see him, remember to call him ‘gege’.”
T/N – Thank you so much for reading this novel! English is my second language, so the translation might not always be perfect. I try my best to stay true to the original story and not change the author’s meaning. If you spot any mistakes or awkward lines, feel free to let me know — I’m always happy to learn and improve 😁❤️.
