Chapter 45: The Birthday Party

The air conditioner in the room was very effective. It warmed up quickly after being turned on, and everyone took off their coats and hung them on the rack.

In the center was a sunken living room. Soft warm yellow light spread across the floor. They all sat directly on the wooden steps.

Yu Xi looked at the pile of gifts on the square table. His nose tingled with emotion. “I’m already so happy that you all came. I told you not to prepare anything. How come you still…”

“That won’t do! You’re turning twenty. After today, you have to wait another ten years!”

“Exactly! If you don’t accept them, you’re not treating us as friends!”

The others occupied three sides of the square table. There was no room left, so Lu Shi had to sit alone on one side with Shen Zheming.

It wasn’t anyone else’s fault. Shen Zheming just looked too aloof and distant.

Lu Shi held a cup of hot tea, taking small sips to warm his stomach.

Shen Zheming casually pulled over a basket of nuts on the table and used the tools inside to crack them open.

Yu Xi was opening gifts nearby, with a bunch of people messing around and playing pranks.

Yu Xi opened a gag gift box. A clown popped out. He jumped up and chased the person who gave it around the room three or four times. Exhausted and out of breath, he glanced across.

Lu Shi held a small teacup with curling white steam. He leaned back comfortably against the steps, having found a soft cushion to support his back.

Shen Zheming cracked nuts but didn’t eat them. He placed them in an empty plate in front of both of them.

The battle was intense on one side, while peace and quiet reigned on the other.

Yu Xi understood. Shen Zheming was nearly done with university, older than them, and had been involved in Juliu Company’s affairs early on. He couldn’t really play with them.

But Lu Shi had just turned eighteen. He sat there like he was eighty, occasionally moving his neck and stretching his legs. And blowing on his teacup? What was that about?

Someone’s family sold braised snacks. Today, they specially brought homemade braised duck parts.

Since the lavish meal prepared by the five-star chef hadn’t arrived yet, everyone was hungry. That person picked up chopsticks and distributed some to each person.

When it was Lu Shi and Shen Zheming’s turn, Yu Xi clearly saw Lu Shi use the same method again. He picked out the braised duck hearts and duck intestines in front of him and gave them to Shen Zheming, claiming it was to let Shen Zheming nourish himself.

Shen Zheming didn’t say anything, nor did he stop him.

The two were as natural as an old married couple.

Huh? Something seemed off…

Yu Xi shuddered.

He seemed to be overthinking again.

Maybe Lu Shi was just being casual, and Shen Zheming just happened to be tolerant?

Maybe if Ding Wei were sitting next to him, Lu Shi would do the same.

Yu Xi forced himself to focus on opening gifts, but the two sat right across from him. It was hard not to glance at them.

Lu Shi was easygoing. Yu Xi always felt lucky to be friends with him. He got along with Lu Shi comfortably and harmoniously.

But precisely because of that casualness, the trust and closeness shown unintentionally, he had a feeling that one day Lu Shi would get caught because of it.

Not long after, the resort’s catering department delivered a lavish feast.

A few show-offs held hands and insisted on performing a birthday song. The result was a cacophony that made everyone want to cover their ears tightly.

After eating and drinking their fill, the girls leaned on each other, chatting about clothes and celebrity gossip. The boys played a popular card game.

Yu Xi dragged Lu Shi and Shen Zheming along. But this card-drawing game depended on luck, and Lu Shi’s luck had always been terrible.

Taking sixty points of damage from the opponent without even a chance to counterattack, Lu Shi was out.

“Each person has one chance to revive, but you have to draw an adventure card and complete the task on it,” Yu Xi explained. “Brother Lu, do you want to revive?”

Lu Shi had lost the first round without any resistance. He felt a bit unwilling. Without a second’s hesitation, he reached out and drew. “Of course I’ll revive.”

The back of the adventure card showed a cartoon devil. Without thinking, he knew the tasks would be embarrassing and cringe-worthy.

Lu Shi flipped it over and squinted. “Say to the nearest guy…” He didn’t read the rest.

The nearest person to him was only one: Shen Zheming.

The others grew anxious.

“Say what? Say what?”

“Why the sudden silence?”

Shen Zheming held his own card, his gaze slanting over.

Before he could see what task was on Lu Shi’s card, Lu Shi suddenly turned around, pressed one hand on the wooden step, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“Brother, can I touch your abs?”

The room fell silent. Even the chatting girls stopped talking.

Lu Shi’s silver-gray hair was fluffy and soft, with a few strands falling over his forehead. His extremely clean and handsome features magnified before their eyes. The warm yellow light hit his straight nose from the side, outlining sharp and well-defined lines.

Shen Zheming lowered his gaze.

The eyes before him reflected the indoor light, clear and pure, with slightly upturned corners.

But only Shen Zheming knew that these eyes could not only look at people with a half-smile, but also turn red-rimmed, with eyelashes wet and eyes hazy with moisture, willingly dropping defenses to reveal the most vulnerable nape of the neck.

Someone cursed, followed by a whistle.

“Harassment! Outright harassment!”

“What did I hear!”

Lu Shi threw the adventure card onto the table, revealing the text on it.

The requirement was exactly that sentence.

“That’s too easy for Brother Lu. Next time he loses, we have to make it harder.”

“Brother Lu didn’t even hesitate to say that.”

Lu Shi laughed sarcastically. “What do you mean? Implying I have thick skin?”

That person quickly waved. “No, no!”

“But having thick skin isn’t bad. A knife won’t draw blood.” Lu Shi rolled up his sleeves, his mind clearly on the game. “Come on, I’m revived. Who stabbed me just now?”

In the silence, Shen Zheming’s fingers unconsciously tightened, bending the card in his hand.

The group played until very late before stopping. In the middle, Shen Zheming received a phone call. He said he had work to deal with and went back to his room early.

It was nearly eleven. Everyone was tired.

Yu Xi said, “Everyone, go rest early. There are still many activities tomorrow.”

Lu Shi didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but since it was Yu Xi’s birthday, he slowly finished the cake Yu Xi had cut for him.

He put down the fork and was about to leave.

“Hey? Whose scarf is this?” Yu Xi held a scarf taken from a hook inside. Everyone else had taken their clothes, but this scarf was unclaimed.

Lu Shi recognized it at a glance. “It’s Shen Zheming’s. I’m next door to him. I’ll return it.”

Lu Shi took the scarf to Shen Zheming’s door. He knocked and called out a couple of times.

The sound of running water came from inside. Shen Zheming seemed to be showering.

Lu Shi leaned against the wall by the door, pulling out his phone to kill time watching videos.

He had just unlocked it when the sound of water stopped. Then came the sound of the door opening. “Come in.”

The heating was on strong indoors. To keep the warmth from escaping, Lu Shi stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“Brother Shen, you left your scarf…”

The words caught in his throat. He swallowed the rest.

Lu Shi looked at Shen Zheming, his eyes suddenly startled.

Shen Zheming had just come out of the bathroom. He was wrapped in faint mist, his hair still wet.

His white bathrobe was loosely tied, the collar gaping quite wide. The sharp collarbone and water droplets sliding down into his chest were clearly visible.

Lu Shi had thought Shen Zheming was already dressed, not expecting this situation.

He had barely wrapped himself in the bathrobe. So was Shen Zheming wearing nothing underneath?

Instantly, Lu Shi’s eyes flickered in panic.

Not knowing where to look, he simply turned his body around and stretched his arm back. “Here.”

The air was filled with the scent of shower gel from the bathroom.

Shen Zheming looked at the flustered back at the door. “We’re both guys. What are you nervous about?”

“That’s true, but it still feels a bit disrespectful.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“…”

The scarf was taken from his hand. Lu Shi let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed the door handle to open the door.

A hand reached out from beside his ear. The door had just opened a crack when it was pushed back.

Lu Shi’s body tensed slightly. His eyelashes fluttered. He felt a wave of heat approaching from behind.

He couldn’t imagine how Shen Zheming, with his cold face, could speak the following words so clearly and deliberately.

“Don’t you want to touch my abs?”

Lu Shi’s expression froze. His eyelids twitched.

When he had said that to Shen Zheming during the game earlier, Shen Zheming had no reaction. Lu Shi thought he was shocked by the words.

So much so that he forgot. Shen Zheming was a quiet pervert.

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