A Reckless Proposition and an Unexpected Morning

Having concluded his inspection of the construction site and shared a casual meal with the project’s representatives, it was already eight in the evening when he finally settled into his private car.

He rubbed his temples, instructing the driver, “Let’s head back.”

The driver informed him, “The butler asked me to tell you that Madam and Miss Bai have arrived and are currently at your residence.”

Instantly, the man’s gaze turned frigid.

The driver felt the temperature in the car drop several degrees, a prickling sensation creeping across his scalp.

“Just moments ago, Madam called me, subtly probing whether you had any engagements today, and if you’d had anything to drink.'”

The man let out a cold scoff.

‘It seemed his dear mother had yet to abandon her ambition of making Bai Jing her daughter-in-law.’

“Do you still wish to return?’ the driver inquired cautiously.

Having no desire to play along with their charade, the man simply stated, “Take me to Emerald Oasis.”

Emerald Oasis was his other residence, an expansive estate boasting exquisite landscaping.

“Very well, sir.'”

The driver started the car, merging into the bustling flow of traffic.

Reaching into his pocket for his phone, the man also pulled out the golden leaf he had casually tucked away earlier.

As he gazed at the whimsical phrase ‘I’ll support you!’ etched onto the golden leaf, the captivating, lively eyes of the young man from earlier suddenly materialized in his mind.

‘Everyone else sought to climb the social ladder through his status and position; only this person dared to defy convention, proposing to take him on as a kept man.’

A faint, almost imperceptible curve graced the man’s lips.

“No need to go to Emerald Oasis,’ he rescinded. ‘Take me to Fenghe Si Hotel.'”

****

Hearing the doorbell chime, Si Xi was overcome with elation, quickly adjusting his clothes before hurrying to the door.

When he saw the monitor screen display the man who had so captivated him that afternoon, standing right at his door, his heart abruptly began to pound.

‘He actually came!’

Si Xi’s smile was harder to suppress than the recoil of an AK-47; he struggled to compose himself, then pulled open the door.

“You’re here,’ he greeted. ‘Come on in.'”

With that, he stepped aside, gesturing for the man to enter.

Having showered earlier, he was clad in a bathrobe, its sash loosely tied around his waist, subtly outlining his slender figure, while the V-neck offered glimpses of his fair skin.

‘Both innocent and alluring.’

Since he had come all this way, and with such beauty before him, Si Xi assumed the man would embrace him the moment he stepped inside, then quickly get down to business.

However, the man seemed oblivious to the evening’s implicit theme; upon entering, he walked over to where Si Xi had been sitting, took a seat in another chair, and remarked, “The view here is quite pleasant.”

‘You can see the pleasant view, but you can’t see the even more pleasant person right here!’

Yet, considering this was likely the man’s first opportunity to stay in a five-star hotel’s presidential suite, it was hardly surprising that he would be awestruck by its luxury and magnificent scenery.

Si Xi felt too shy to rush straight to the point.

Besides, his heart was racing so wildly he felt clumsy, his mind a constant barrage of booming fireworks.

‘What should he do now?’

His head spun dizzily, as if he’d consumed counterfeit alcohol.

‘Ah, right, alcohol!’

Si Xi finally realized what to do.

“How about a drink?’ he offered.

The man did not refuse.

The room had a liquor cabinet; Si Xi selected a bottle, retrieved two stemmed glasses, placed them on the table, and poured half a glass for each of them.

They clinked glasses, and Si Xi took a small sip, then another.

‘Why was this man so composed?’

‘He was so impatient; how could he quickly get to the main event?’

‘If only he had known, he should have pretended to have just finished showering, opening the door with only a bath towel wrapped around his waist.’

‘That way, the man would have lost all self-control at first glance, unable to resist, leaving no room for such prolonged romantic dalliance.’

“Your surname is Xi, what’s your full name?’ the man suddenly asked.

“Si Xi, the ‘shi’ from ‘time.’ And you?'”

“Jing Chen; ‘Jing’ as in scenery, ‘Chen’ as in deep or heavy.'”

‘Jing Chen… Si Xi silently repeated the name, finding it incredibly pleasant to the ear.’

“You seem older than me, so I’ll call you ‘older brother’ from now on, alright?”

Jing Chen merely hummed in noncommittal agreement.

He gazed out at the myriad lights of the city and the long, flowing streams of traffic, relaxing back into his chair with a hint of languor.

“Why would you want to keep me?'”

Si Xi stated matter-of-factly, “Because you’re handsome!”

Jing Chen raised an eyebrow.

“So, you want to keep any handsome man you see?'”

“Well, if they possessed your kind of beauty, probably. So, you see…’

Si Xi set his wine glass on the small table, then rose and swung his leg over, straddling Jing Chen’s lap, reaching up to cup his chin.

“You must maintain your good looks and keep me happy for me to keep spending money on you.'”

…

Jing Chen let out a soft laugh.

Before he could utter another word, Si Xi’s hand, still cupping his chin, tightened its grip.

“Alright, stop dilly-dallying,’ Si Xi declared. ‘I’ve already taken the initiative to sit on your lap, so are you going to do something or not?'”

The young man who had just moments ago appeared utterly bewildered now seemed like a different person.

Jing Chen noticed the slight blur in his eyes, then glanced at his empty wine glass.

“Are you drunk?'”

“Bullshit! You think I could get drunk on this little bit of wine?'”

After asserting this, Si Xi’s hand moved to caress Jing Chen’s face, chuckling softly.

“So handsome. I’d willingly lose everything for this face.'”

Overwhelmed and captivated by the close-up assault of such beauty, Si Xi’s alcohol-addled mind succumbed to instinct, and with audacious courage, he leaned down and kissed Jing Chen.

The young man’s lips and tongue were soft, imbued with the rich aroma of red wine.

Jing Chen hesitated for a moment, then reached out to gently push him away.

As their lips parted, Si Xi clicked his tongue.

“You’re already here, so stop pretending to be innocent. It’s not like I’m not paying.'”

…

“Oh, I get it now.

You must be upset that I haven’t paid yet.'”

Si Xi reached for the phone on the table, opened WeChat, and with a flourish, said, “Here, older brother will transfer you 100,000 first.”

‘Excellent, he’s even calling himself “older brother” now.

He must be quite drunk.’

Seeing Jing Chen remain still, Si Xi reached out to feel for his phone, his hands lingering suggestively as he did so.

‘Jing Chen truly lived up to his background working on construction sites; his physique was lean yet powerful, the kind that looked slim in clothes but was muscular beneath.’

‘Let him feel for eight-pack abs.’

A soft gasp of delight escaped him.

As Si Xi’s hands grew increasingly bold, and with such beauty in his arms, Jing Chen was no stoic sage, impervious to temptation.

With Si Xi so recklessly igniting his desires, his own breathing gradually grew erratic.

He caught the young man’s fair, slender ‘wandering hand,’ his gaze deep and serious.

“Are you certain you want to pursue this kind of relationship with me? No regrets?'”

“With how handsome you are, I’d regret it if I *didn’t* sleep with you! Besides, what’s wrong with this kind of relationship? Boyfriends cheat, husbands stray; men are only truly honest when they’re in bed!'”

Si Xi finished with a ‘tsk,’ adding, “Honestly, why are you being so prudish? It’s just a couple of touches, you’re acting like a pure maiden being teased! Come on, come on, I’ll let you touch me too.'”

Si Xi seized his hand in return, guiding it into the opening of his own robe.

“See? Though I don’t have powerful pecs, the feel isn’t bad, is it?'”

…

“Heh heh, now it’s my turn to feel your chest, and you can’t refuse!'”

As Si Xi eagerly reached out, before his hand could even brush Jing Chen’s clothes, he was suddenly swept up into a bridal carry, and Jing Chen began walking towards the suite’s luxurious bedroom.

“Hey, I haven’t even touched them yet! You’re breaking the rules of engagement! Put me down!'”

Jing Chen gently placed him on the soft bed, then leaned over him, pinning his restless hands.

He whispered into Si Xi’s ear, “The best part to touch on a man isn’t his chest; I’ll show you where.”

…

When Si Xi awoke, it was already the morning of the next day.

His bones felt utterly dislocated, his body aching as if he’d been beaten by eighteen hulking men; every movement brought a fresh wave of pain.

‘Damn it, which bastard son of a b*tch ambushed him?!’

Si Xi opened his eyes, gazing at the cream-colored ceiling as memories of the previous night slowly trickled back, his face flushing crimson in an instant.

Then, his complexion shifted from red to green, and from green to black, displaying a range of colors more vibrant than a painter’s palette.

He had always been a lightweight when it came to alcohol; yesterday, he had merely intended to use it as a courage booster.

Little did he know, a single drink would make him brazenly audacious.

That damn Shao Xun was probably still harboring thoughts of his ‘white moonlight,’ so their most intimate contact had only ever been hugs and kisses.

Consequently, Si Xi had no prior experience, making last night his first time.

Si Xi had once heard a ‘little 0’ friend complain that their partner was insensitive, making their first time agonizing, while their partner, like an inexperienced youth, only knew how to charge ahead, making the experience anything but pleasant.

However, after Jing Chen realized it was his first time, he seemed to lose control for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, tending to him with absolute patience and perseverance, making the experience exceptionally comfortable.

‘Perhaps this was the restraint and charm of a mature man.’

But to say it was good, yet not *that* good, Si Xi sat up, pulling his bathrobe tighter, and looked towards the waste bin beside the bed.

“One, two, three, four…”

‘Four condoms!’

‘No wonder he still felt the world swaying after he passed out yesterday; was this even a human being?!’

After his indignation, Si Xi couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly.

‘He truly was a construction worker; his stamina was incredible, his physique superb, those eight-pack abs absolutely fierce.’

‘He was grateful for Shao Xun’s grace in breaking off their engagement; otherwise, how would he have ever gotten to sleep with such a prime specimen of a man?’

“What are you giggling about?'”

Jing Chen emerged from the bathroom, a bath towel wrapped around his waist.

Having just showered, his hair was damp, droplets of water clinging to the ends, tracing paths down his chest, following the sculpted lines of his impressive abs before disappearing beneath the short towel, sparking a myriad of tantalizing thoughts.

In that moment, the phrase ‘a feast for the eyes’ took on a vivid, tangible form.

“You’re truly handsome.'”

Si Xi offered his compliment without the slightest reservation.

No sooner had the words left his lips than the man’s captivating face suddenly loomed large before him.

Si Xi’s mind once again felt dazed by the assault of beauty, his heart pathetically hammering in his chest.

“Wha—what are you doing?'”

‘He really couldn’t take much more.’

‘However, with such beauty before him, he wasn’t entirely incapable either.’

As Si Xi’s mind wandered, he heard Jing Chen’s voice, low and husky, say, “Paid services should be enjoyed in moderation.”

“Huh? What?'”

Before Si Xi could fully grasp the meaning of those words, the man reached out, gathered the loosely draped bathrobe around him, and tied a fiendishly ugly knot at his waist, practically cocooning Si Xi like a silkworm.

…

Si Xi was so exasperated he laughed.

‘Who was it that didn’t know moderation, exactly?’

Jing Chen picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and put them on.

Si Xi, leaning languidly against the headboard, watched him button his shirt, one button at a time, transforming back into his aloof and ascetic self.

“Are you going back to work at the construction site?’ he asked.

…

For a fleeting moment, an unreadable expression flickered in Jing Chen’s eyes, then he simply hummed in affirmation.

Si Xi declared, “We’ll have dinner together tonight.”

‘It was not a question, but a command, with no consideration for the other’s availability or consent.’

‘This offered far more emotional value than merely dating someone!’

As a kept man, Jing Chen was quite perceptive, and simply replied, “Alright.”

Before leaving, Si Xi added Jing Chen on WeChat, glanced at his own balance, and transferred him 200,000.

‘Heh heh, he was very satisfied with his new acquisition, so he had to start by giving generous perks.’