Chapter 14: His Gaze Lingered on His Lips

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Shen Shuyi woke up with a throbbing head. He hadn’t heard his alarm and had no idea what time it was.

Reaching toward the nightstand, he realized the bed was different from his dorm room’s. His phone wasn’t where he expected it to be.

Ruffling his hair, he sat up and noticed his lips hurt. Not just the corners or edges, but even the inside of his mouth felt raw.

Had he gotten heaty from drinking?

Remembering he was in a hotel, Shen Shuyi got up and checked his reflection in the bathroom.

It wasn’t until he reached the bedroom door that he realized this wasn’t the room originally assigned to him. It looked more like Xie Chenzhou’s.

Had he slept in Xie Chenzhou’s room last night? Then where had Xie Chenzhou slept?

Glancing down at his clothes, he saw he was still wearing the wrinkled wedding suit from yesterday.

The bedroom door was ajar. Stepping out, he found Xie Chenzhou curled up on the sofa in the living room.

Though spacious, the sofa couldn’t have been comfortable for someone as tall as him. Even in sleep, Xie Chenzhou’s brows were furrowed, and his long legs bent awkwardly over the edge.

This was a hotel suite. Aside from the master bedroom, a smaller guest room sat opposite it. Even if the bed there was small, it would have been more comfortable than the sofa.

Shen Shuyi went to the bathroom to examine his lips, swollen and marked with small cuts. The faint scent of alcohol and scented oil still lingered in the air.

Fragments of memory returned. In his hazy recollection, Xie Chenzhou had tried to escort him back to his room in the elevator, but Shen Shuyi had clung to him. In the end, Xie Chenzhou had no choice but to bring him back to his own room.

Had they kissed?

Shen Shuyi pressed a hand to his forehead. He couldn’t remember whether he had kissed Xie Chenzhou first or the other way around. But Xie Chenzhou wouldn’t have initiated it, would he? He always seemed composed and restrained, the epitome of self-control.

From what Shen Shuyi could recall, Xie Chenzhou had only been trying to steady him while he draped himself over him. If Xie Chenzhou had wanted to take advantage of the situation, it wouldn’t have ended with just a kiss.

A shiver ran down Shen Shuyi’s spine. How could he have been so shameless, drunk-kissing Xie Chenzhou like that?

At least Xie Chenzhou, despite his cold exterior, had a decent temper. And he must have been slightly tipsy too, otherwise he could have pushed Shen Shuyi away.

Had he really been that aggressive, clutching him, biting and nibbling? If his own lips were swollen, Xie Chenzhou probably hadn’t fared much better. No. Xie Chenzhou was an Alpha. His body was more resilient.

Shen Shuyi sighed. He must have caused quite a scene last night. Otherwise, Xie Chenzhou wouldn’t have slept on the sofa, probably worried he might act up again in the middle of the night.

So his alcohol tolerance really was that bad.

Shen Shuyi felt regret. Their relationship was more of a collaboration. He wasn’t sure if Xie Chenzhou had gained anything from the marriage business-wise, but Shen Shuyi had benefited. Xie Chenzhou had secured him an internship.

Without him, he wouldn’t have had the connections to intern at a top-tier hospital, let alone get an internal referral. Even though nothing was guaranteed, he still owed Xie Chenzhou his gratitude.

And yet, on the very first day of their marriage, he had already made a mess of things. He really couldn’t drink anymore.

Gritting his teeth, he washed his face. It was still early, so he tiptoed back to the bedroom, grabbed a blanket, and carefully draped it over Xie Chenzhou.

The air conditioning was on, and sleeping like this must have been chilly. Though it was too late to make much difference, Shen Shuyi couldn’t just do nothing.

He planned to slip back to his own room to freshen up and change.

But the moment the blanket touched Xie Chenzhou, his hand shot up, gripping Shen Shuyi’s wrist with enough force to nearly snap it.

Shen Shuyi yelped.

Xie Chenzhou snapped awake, immediately loosening his hold. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his irises streaked with red veins.

Had he not slept well all night?

Forgetting the pain, Shen Shuyi asked, “Are you okay, Mr. Xie? Did you not sleep well last night?”

“I’m sorry for the trouble,” he said guiltily. “I’ll go back to my room now. Why don’t you rest in the bed for a while?”

Remembering the crumpled sheets, he added, “Or you could sleep in my room instead.”

Xie Chenzhou sat up silently, suppressing the pheromones threatening to spill out. “No need.”

A sleepless night was nothing. His gaze flicked to Shen Shuyi’s lips.

“Um,” Shen Shuyi covered his mouth. “About last night, I’m really sorry for overstepping. I didn’t mean to.”

Overstepping?

Xie Chenzhou said nothing.

“Are you not going back to sleep? There’s not much time left anyway,” Shen Shuyi glanced at the daylight. “I’ll go change first. Should we have breakfast together later? Should we order room service?”

He looked genuinely apologetic.

After a long silence, Xie Chenzhou said, “Room service.”

“Okay, I’ll go shower and be right back.” Shen Shuyi took his key and left.

Xie Chenzhou also got up, calling housekeeping to deliver the freshly laundered and pressed clothes Shen Shuyi would wear. Then he requested breakfast to be sent to the room in an hour before washing up.

An hour later, Shen Shuyi returned neatly dressed.

He hadn’t expected Xie Chenzhou to be so thoughtful, even arranging for his clothes to be cleaned and pressed.

Today, he had an interview at Xie Chenzhou’s company. The HR department had notified him a week in advance.

He wondered if they knew yesterday had been his and Xie Chenzhou’s wedding day. Probably not.

Now that he thought about it, Xie Chenzhou had it rough too. He still had to work today.

The outfit had been the one Shen Shuyi wore before yesterday’s styling session. Though it would have been fine to wear as-is for the interview, the pressed version was more presentable.

Breakfast was laid out on the table. Xie Chenzhou had changed into a fresh suit and even set out utensils for Shen Shuyi.

As Shen Shuyi approached, he noticed Xie Chenzhou’s phone on the table, mid-video call with Zhao Jian.

“There’s a meeting this morning that requires your attendance. In the afternoon, Mr. Hu from Dongxi Technology will visit the company. You’ll need to meet him. Also, regarding the two proposals we discussed earlier,” Zhao Jian said.

Xie Chenzhou listened in silence until he noticed Shen Shuyi entering. He stood and pulled out a chair for him.

Zhao Jian heard the movement. “Ah, Mr. Xie, I’ll stop here. The driver will pick you and Mr. Shen up shortly.”

Xie Chenzhou gave a quiet “Mn” before ending the call.

Shen Shuyi sat down as Xie Chenzhou said, “Uncle Qian has already taken care of your luggage. If it’s inconvenient to return to campus later, you can have the driver take you home.”

Shen Shuyi nodded.

It was true. With the internship, going back to school wouldn’t be as easy. Xie Chenzhou had already sent him the driver’s contact information.

Shen Shuyi felt dazed. He’d never been good at imposing on others, yet Xie Chenzhou seemed to have everything planned out.

The thought deepened his guilt. All he’d done so far was cause Xie Chenzhou trouble, even taking advantage of him last night.

As Shen Shuyi began eating, Xie Chenzhou placed a steamed bun on his plate. His gaze lingered on Shen Shuyi’s lips.

Under the scrutiny, Shen Shuyi grew restless.

Just when he thought Xie Chenzhou wouldn’t bring it up, he said, “The driver will bring anti-inflammatory ointment for your lips. I’ll go with you to the company for the interview.”

Shen Shuyi stiffened. “Okay.”

“I… um…” Halfway through the meal, Shen Shuyi couldn’t hold back. “I blacked out a bit last night, so I wasn’t in control of my actions. I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize my alcohol tolerance was this bad. I usually don’t drink.”

After a pause, he added, “Mr. Xie, I hope you can forget about what happened.”

He made a pleading gesture. “Please.”

Xie Chenzhou’s grip on his chopsticks tightened.

He knew Shen Shuyi had misunderstood, thinking he had been the one to initiate the kiss.

But to ask him to forget, to pretend it never happened, it still stung.

Had he done something wrong?

Xie Chenzhou reflected. Yes. Everything.

He might never get it right. It wasn’t enough. He needed to be even better to Shen Shuyi. Good enough that Shen Shuyi could never leave him. Only then would those hurtful words stop.

Forget? Act like nothing happened? Impossible.

A storm brewed in Xie Chenzhou’s eyes, invisible to Shen Shuyi.

He would never forget.

If anything, he regretted not kissing Shen Shuyi harder last night, until his lips were raw, until he couldn’t get out of bed, until he was trapped in that room, completely at Xie Chenzhou’s mercy.

But he couldn’t let those thoughts run wild.

He had to restrain himself.

Lowering his gaze to conceal the hunger in his eyes, Xie Chenzhou placed another steaming bun on Shen Shuyi’s plate. 

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Translator note: 📌

I will be posting 2 chapters everyday at 9:30 PM ~ Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) zone.

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter~ cherries 😘