FLME Ch25.1: Grown up

After lunch, Yu Wen downed a cup of cold medicine. Xie Heyu brought a thermometer, “…No fever.”

36.9°C.

Yu Wen felt pretty good. He had woken up with a splitting headache, but after taking medicine, he felt much better. Although he felt lazy and weak, it wasn’t too bad.

“Teacher Xie, you can go back to your work. I’ve recovered from the fever, so you don’t need to watch over me.”

“…Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Not at all.” Yu Wen didn’t understand why he asked, “I said I feel fine. I’m not lying. Most people feel sleepy when they’re sick, but I don’t at all.”

Xie Heyu gave him a deep look, showing no emotion.

He picked up his computer, “I didn’t bring my dorm key. I’ll wait until my roommate returns. Can I stay here for two hours?”

Yu Wen thought about it. As long as it wasn’t to look after him, it was fine.

Receiving more kindness than usual without reason made him feel pressured, even though Xie Heyu was a genuinely good person.

“Then make yourself at home. Don’t be restrained.” Yu Wen was quite generous.

Xie Heyu had already opened his laptop and started typing, “Thanks.”

Ten minutes later.

Xie Heyu sighed helplessly, looking at the person who had fallen asleep leaning on his shoulder, “…Fell asleep again.”

Yu Wen slept uneasily, furrowing his brows and making little noises.

The cold medicine contained sleep-inducing ingredients; not feeling sleepy would be unusual. Xie Heyu was worried he would sleep poorly again, which was why he stayed.

Sure enough, while he was working on his proposal, Teacher Yu glanced at it and fell asleep on his shoulder.

Xie Heyu moved his laptop aside and gently picked up Yu Wen.

Teacher Yu was very light, like a fluffy ball of cotton in his arms.

But he had some muscle. His early dance training left its marks on him: a straight posture, a long neck, full and plump hips, and a flexible waist.

Xie Heyu kept his gaze steady, but Yu Wen rolled on the bed, burying his face in the pillow, his waist pressing on a stuffed toy, raising his hips—

The loose waistband got stuck on his hipbone, revealing a strip of white underwear. His two buttocks stretched the light-colored fabric without a wrinkle, hinting at an incredibly tantalizing texture.

Below that, the hem of his T-shirt was caught at his ribs, exposing a slender waist with an extraordinarily beautiful curve.

It was hard to look away.

Xie Heyu stood by the bed in silence for a full minute.

He had always known he was different from his peers, sensing it during puberty. He had no feelings for the opposite sex and only had a weak reaction to “Romance” films.

Though he never told anyone, he vaguely understood he was gay—but knowing it and experiencing it were two different things.

Xie Heyu looked down at his own reaction.

“Tsk…”

He couldn’t help but scratch his head.

Yu Wen liked to play with his hair when thinking, and Xie Heyu had always found that gesture cute, until now…

The slight pain from pulling his hair helped him wake up a bit.

So playing with your hair really means you can’t figure it out.

How could it be… so easy…

The heat spread from an unknown place, creeping up his ears like a chaotic fire burning vigorously.

Twenty years of restraint left him unprepared for such a strong reaction. Being able to do everything well meant absolute rationality and self-control. He was good at suppressing unnecessary thoughts, but now… some thoughts couldn’t be suppressed just because he wanted to.

He liked Yu Wen; he had to admit that. He liked him from the first glance. That day, Yu Wen was wearing a white T-shirt with a black jacket, and when he arrived, he ran into a heavy rain, getting completely soaked. His eyes, clear and pure, combined with a charming tear mole, made him look as innocent as a glass of sugar water.

When he ran over, Xie Heyu lifted his eyes to meet his gaze and distinctly heard his heart skip a beat.

But in just one second, he lowered his eyes again—the PowerPoint wasn’t finished.

In the face of the highest priority task, even if there was a tumultuous storm in his heart, he had to sit firmly in place and complete what needed to be done.

This had been his guiding principle for twenty years.

But at this moment, this principle was slightly shaken.

Clearly, he had decided to adopt a “boiling frog” strategy with Yu Wen, swearing not to let Yu Wen sense any of his feelings. He even specifically looked up “how to avoid blushing when facing a crush.”

His top priority in front of Yu Wen was to suppress any sign of affection.

But—

His body was far more sordid than he had anticipated.

Xie Heyu fell into deep self-doubt, but a timely phone call rescued him.

The phone on the bedside table was on silent mode, but the screen lit up, flashing the name Xie Jiamao. Xie Heyu had never found Xie Jiamao’s name so pleasing before. He hurriedly covered Yu Wen with the blanket and quickly walked to the balcony, taking several deep breaths of cold air until he finally felt a bit calmer.

“Hello,” he answered the phone.

There was silence on the other end, then a heavy voice asked, “Who are you?”

Xie Heyu glanced at the contact, confirming it was indeed Xie Jiamao.

“It’s me,” he replied concisely.

“…I know it’s you, but who are you? Where is the owner of this phone? Did you find his phone, or did you kidnap him? What do you want? A ransom—”

Xie Heyu glanced at the contact again.

The contact was correct, but this didn’t seem to be his phone.

He had picked up the wrong one.

Their phones were the same brand and model, both of them disliked flashy phone cases, and only the subtle differences in the reflective back could distinguish them if one looked closely.

Xie Heyu felt annoyed but maintained his indifferent tone. He even deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound colder due to some unknown embarrassment.

“I am Xie Heyu.”

“…”

After a two-second silence on the other end, Xie Jiamao said, “That makes sense.”

Though it was unclear what made sense, Xie Jiamao found it very normal for Xie Heyu to be holding Yu Wen’s phone.

“Where’s Xiao yu? I need to talk to him.”

“He’s sleeping.”

Xie Jiamao had called to inform Yu Wen about two new scripts that had come in, wanting him to review them and make a decision. However, upon learning that Yu Wen was ill, he refrained from saying much more, only expressing concern and urging Xie Heyu to take good care of the company’s golden boy.

Before hanging up, he suddenly realized something seemed off.

“Why are you at Xiao Yu’s place?”

“I am his assistant.”

“…Temporary assistant, just for a week, which has long passed.”

“You asked me to come.”

“Bullshit! When did I tell you to go to his place?! And you’re busy with finals; how could I dare bother you!”

“To take care of him for you.” Xie Heyu leaned against the balcony railing, speaking casually, “You’re his manager. Isn’t it negligent to completely leave him unattended?”

Xie Jiamao couldn’t refute that.

“Since you’re taking care of him for me, after the exam week, you might need to accompany him on a few engagements. I don’t have the time, and I don’t trust anyone else.”

Xie Heyu nonchalantly replied, “Mm.”

“I’ll have plenty of time in the second half of the year.”

—

When he went back inside after the call, Yu Wen had changed positions, his hands and feet that had been tucked under the blanket now sprawled out again.

He was sleeping with arms and legs spread wide, beaming with a smile, seemingly having a pleasant dream.

Xie Heyu didn’t have time to fantasize about his exposed belly; he only felt the cold. He immediately pulled the blanket snugly over him.

In less than two minutes, a white, jade-like leg stretched out again.

Frowning unconsciously, Xie Heyu pulled the blanket back and discovered that the sleeping beauty had somehow taken off his pants.

His white boxer briefs encased his firm, well-shaped buttocks and thighs, with the edges digging slightly into the soft, plump flesh. The T-shirt had ridden up to his chest, one step away from being discarded.

Xie Heyu tucked the leg back in, securing the blanket at both ends, and sat on the edge of the bed, massaging his temples.

…It seemed he wouldn’t be able to leave today.

But that was a secondary issue. The bigger problem was…

Could he really endure such a test?

After sitting there in deep thought for a while, he finally took out his phone and opened the search engine.

How to suppress physiological reactions to a crush?

Is it normal to have a reaction every time you see your crush?

How to cover it up if you accidentally react?

Scrolling through, he accidentally clicked on a highly participated thread titled “Beginner’s Guide to Training Your Little Bottom, Make Him Crave You.”

Not paying attention, he clicked it open, and ten minutes later, his right eyebrow rose, as if discovering a whole new world.

—

After sleeping until evening, Yu Wen woke up to find it dark outside.

The blanket was warm and cozy, just a bit heavy. It took him a moment to realize the weight was from an arm draped across his waist.

There was a warm body pressed against his back, an unfamiliar male scent mingling with a faint laundry detergent fragrance, intruding upon his private space.

Yu Wen’s mind fogged for a moment before he turned to look back.

His movement was a bit large, waking Xie Heyu instantly. Yu Wen found himself staring into a pair of slightly narrowed, bloodshot eyes.

“Yu Wen…” Xie Heyu slept lightly, waking quickly, though his brain was clearly slower to boot up. He squinted his eyes tightly as if trying to ease the dryness.

He always called him “Teacher Yu” so properly; this was the first time he called him by his full name.

His voice was hoarse, inexplicably sexy. Coupled with his breath hitting his ear, Yu Wen was stunned for two seconds. The awkward astonishment of waking up and finding himself intimately hugging a same-sex person instantly disappeared.

Yu Wen: Oh? Sounds nice.

He even had the idea of having Xie Heyu record an alarm ringtone to wake him up, but now was obviously not the time to mention that.

“Teacher Xie, did I wake you?” Yu Wen turned over and asked.

Xie Heyu closed his eyes and shook his head, then suddenly realized something and abruptly opened his eyes.

Yu Wen met his close and straightforward gaze, sensing a trace of nervousness from his suddenly constricted pupils.

Yu Wen didn’t speak, and neither did Xie Heyu.

After a while, Xie Heyu explained, “You were holding my hand, so I couldn’t leave, and…”

Yu Wen belatedly moved his fingers.

His palm was loosely holding a hand, the muscles of the forearm were tense, and he could faintly feel the protruding veins.

It was Xie Heyu’s hand.

Being held by him like a pillow.

“…I’m sorry,” Yu Wen slowly released his grip.