Zhuang Yihan had spent years immersed in the business world, but his alcohol tolerance wasn't very good, because no one had ever dared to force him to drink. Today, he was in a bad mood and drank a bit too much. In the middle of the night, a burning pain started in his stomach. He accidentally rolled off the bed, stumbled to his feet to find the bathroom, but couldn't get his bearings at all.

Creak—

The glass balcony door opened and closed, making a soft sound as it slid, as if someone had walked in.

Zhuang Yihan's head was splitting. He tried hard to open his eyes, but could only see the halo of the hotel's dim, yellow ambient lighting. Everything else was a blur. In the confusion, he didn't know who reached out to steady him, asking in a low voice with three words:

"Want to puke?"

This embrace was too cold, carrying the dampness of the wind and rain. Zhuang Yihan couldn't help but shiver for a moment, and his head even cleared a little. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been helped into the bathroom by the other person.

Drunk people often have no sense of decorum, and even Zhuang Yihan was no exception. He held onto the toilet and vomited his guts out, soiling Chen Shu's clothes in the process. Yet, the latter showed no impatience, his arm firmly catching Zhuang Yihan's limp, sliding body, patting his back intermittently.

Perhaps it was because they weren't close in their previous life, but Chen Shu had never seen a Zhuang Yihan like this—disheveled and haggard, his face pale from vomiting, even looking a bit pitiful.

'He really looks...'

'How interesting.'

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow slightly. While thinking this, his actions became even gentler. He found a clean towel to wipe Zhuang Yihan's face. The man leaned against his chest with dazed eyes, the corners of his eyes flushed a beautiful crimson, yet his expression was cold and withdrawn, creating an extreme sense of contradiction.

Zhuang Yihan mumbled to himself, suddenly uttering a muffled name: "Jiang Xi..."

Chen Shu's movements paused.

Zhuang Yihan, with his eyes closed, leaned against his chest and repeated it again in a low voice. This time, it was clearer: "Jiang Xi..."

Chen Shu's hand slowly dropped.

Jiang Xi.

This name was both strange and familiar to Chen Shu. Strange because he had never met the person, and familiar because he had heard it from others' mouths no less than a thousand times.

Zhuang Yihan's unattainable love, and the thorn in Chen Shu's side.

It was because of this person's existence that in his previous life, Chen Shu had spent a full nine years without being able to enter Zhuang Yihan's heart. It was like a bruise on his body that would never heal—a faint color, seemingly traceless, but only he knew that it would hurt no matter how many times he pressed it.

Chen Shu slowly exhaled, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart. He lowered his head and forcefully pinched Zhuang Yihan's chin, staring at him expressionlessly. The warm yellow light from above failed to bring any warmth; instead, it made the sarcastic curve of his lips all the more distinct:

"Zhuang Yihan, I thought I would be angry."

Chen Shu leaned close to his ear, the corner of his lips curling slightly, and mouthed silently: "But I'm not. Knowing that you, like me, can't have what you want, I feel gratified..."

In this life, he would walk out of the cage called 'love'. From the past life to this one, the only person trapped inside would be Zhuang Yihan.

'See, thinking of it this way, it feels even more satisfying.'

Despite this, Chen Shu's face showed no trace of joy. He bent down, picked Zhuang Yihan up from the floor, walked out of the bathroom, and placed him on the bed. Then he turned back and returned to the bathroom.

His clothes had been soiled by vomit just now. Fortunately, he had brought his backpack when he left the club's locker room, and it contained a change of clothes. Chen Shu walked into the bathroom, took off his dirty clothes, and tossed them aside. He turned on the showerhead and began to bathe. Through the translucent glass door, the gurgling sound of water could be faintly heard.

It was now close to dawn. Before long, Zhuang Yihan woke up from his drunken stupor. He groggily opened his eyes, and his gaze fell upon the gently swaying curtains. Sunlight poured into the room through the gap, and a faint scent of incense floated in the air. If not for the cozy design style of his surroundings, which was completely different from his home, he would have almost thought he had returned to another one of his residences.

Zhuang Yihan frowned, enduring the headache from his hangover as he sat up. Although he had drunk to the point of blacking out, he could still recall some fragmented pieces if he thought back carefully.

'Confessing to Jiang Xi, only to be rejected. Zhuang Yifan bringing a group of his degenerate friends for a drinking party, insisting on dragging me along to get me drunk, and even joking about ordering a male model for me...'

'Wait... a male model?!'

Zhuang Yihan's expression changed slightly. He finally realized that someone seemed to be taking a shower in the bathroom. He reflexively looked towards the bathroom, then abruptly looked down at the blanket, only to find his clothes were all properly on. Only then did he quietly sigh in relief.

"You were drunk last night. Don't worry, nothing happened."

A deep, indifferent voice suddenly sounded in the air, carrying a hoarseness from a sleepless night that made one's ears tingle for a moment.

Hearing this voice, Zhuang Yihan couldn't help but feel annoyed. His gaze swept over dangerously, but the moment he looked, he was stunned.

He saw a man with an unfamiliar face who had emerged from the bathroom at some point. The man wore a pair of casual pants on his lower half but hadn't had time to put on a shirt. His youthful, vigorous body was exposed to the air, and the overwhelming scent of hormones was dizzying. In the sunlight, one could clearly see tiny water droplets slowly sliding down the lines of his abdominal muscles, finally disappearing silently into his waistband, exuding a subtle sexiness.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs. If anyone were to see this heart-pounding scene, nine out of ten people would be so turned on their legs would go weak, and the last one would get hard.

Zhuang Yihan was first stunned by Chen Shu's exceedingly handsome appearance, then he was caught off guard by the man's cold and bewitching eyes. He felt they were as unfathomable as a vortex. The questions on the tip of his tongue inexplicably wouldn't come out, and he could only watch as the other person nonchalantly walked out of the bathroom, dried his hair with a towel, and then took out clothes from his backpack to put on piece by piece.

Faced with such supreme beauty, even Zhuang Yihan's usually clear and rational mind couldn't help but crash for a moment. He subconsciously asked, "Then what were you showering for?"

Hm?

Chen Shu was originally sitting on the end of the bed with his back to Zhuang Yihan, putting on his shoes. Hearing this, he couldn't help but pause. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the other man, only to find Zhuang Yihan sitting on the bed like an idiot. He raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking, 'Has his brain broken?'

According to the script from their previous life, Zhuang Yihan should be glaring at him coldly right now, then telling him to get out of the room in a murderous tone.

'"Then what were you showering for?" What kind of new opening line is this?'

Chen Shu let out an inexplicable light laugh, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He asked with great interest, "Does one have to have sex to be able to take a shower?"

His appearance was simply too deceptive. Having shed the meek and timid personality of his past life, at first glance, you would marvel at how such a good-looking person could exist in the world. At second glance, you might just be utterly captivated, instead of wondering how much malice was hidden inside him or what he was plotting against you.

For example, right now, even when he was blatantly saying the most indecent things, he wasn't detestable.

Zhuang Yihan choked on his words, his face inexplicably growing hot, because he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have vomited all over the place last night and had even soiled Chen Shu's clothes.

He didn't know what to say. The air fell into an awkward silence.

Chen Shu didn't speak either. He was waiting, waiting for Zhuang Yihan to say the line telling him to get lost. However, even when the hotel staff rang the doorbell to deliver the ironed suit, the other man remained silent, like he was mute.

Chen Shu was in no mood to drag this out any longer; he had to hurry back to school for class later. He stood up, hung the suit jacket on the hanger, slung the black single-strap sports bag over his shoulder, and prepared to leave. But a voice suddenly sounded from behind him: "What's your name?"

Even though Zhuang Yihan had been drunk, he could sense that someone had taken care of him all night. If the other person was a male model from the club, it would be good to get his name to give him a tip—

This was his current thought, but whether there were some more hidden intentions, that was unknown.

Hearing this, Chen Shu's steps faltered, but he didn't turn back. Various scenes from his past life flashed rapidly through his mind. The root of all his suffering seemed to stem from meeting Zhuang Yihan. He silently tightened his grip on the doorknob and casually uttered a sentence:

"There's no need for someone you'll only meet once to know my name."

How foolish must a person be to fall in the same place twice? Chen Shu would absolutely not make the same mistake again.

In his previous life, following Zhuang Yihan, he might not have been able to become his most beloved lover, but he was definitely his most capable assistant. He was familiar with future business trends and had even founded his own business. In this life, he could live very well even without the other's help. Why would he repeat the same mistakes?

'That's right, there's no need.'

Chen Shu left the hotel room without a single look back, his pace quickening. When he reached the sidewalk, he suddenly broke into a full sprint. His breathing became ragged, and a tearing pain spread through his chest from the lack of oxygen. The swift wind whistled past his ears, and the surrounding noise instantly became very, very distant. He could only hear his own heavy breathing.

Chen Shu knew what his refusal of Zhuang Yihan's question represented. That sentence had severed the last possible thread of connection between them.

He desperately warned himself inwardly, 'Forget it, Chen Shu, forget everything from your past life! Forget the things you once desperately earned, forget the contempt and disdain of those people, forget the person you once both loved and hated!'

'In this life, you didn't touch Zhuang Yihan. You don't have to be entangled with him, and you don't have to spend a full nine years tossing and turning with regret over that mistaken night, atoning with your entire life!'

The trajectory of fate had already changed since last night. From the moment the sun began to rise, his and Zhuang Yihan's lives would return to their original positions, like two infinitely extending parallel lines that would never intersect again. This was the correct path.

Chen Shu ran swiftly against the wind, feeling as if the stagnant air that had been weighing on his chest for nine years was finally expelled. His life could finally have a brand new start, just like the faintly lit clouds ahead, where the gloom would eventually be dispelled by the sun.

However, Chen Shu forgot one thing.

Sometimes, destiny is not two diverging tracks, but two rusty gears locked tightly together. They cannot deviate from their path and can only turn slowly, day after day. This means that those who are meant to meet will eventually meet again; it's only a matter of whether time will be late.

Zhuang Yihan never expected that he would be snubbed in this life. He had taken the initiative to ask for a name, only to be rejected. After finishing his shower and coming out of the bathroom, he unexpectedly saw an ashtray on the coffee table on the balcony, filled with burnt-out cigarette butts—

It seemed the other person really hadn't entered the room much at all last night.

Zhuang Yihan's gaze was deep, his thoughts unreadable. He casually wiped his wet hair with a towel, then pulled his phone out from under the pillow. But instead of immediately calling his secretary to pick him up, he dialed Zhuang Yifan.

At six in the morning, Zhuang Yifan was most likely still awake. This didn't mean he was an early-to-bed, early-to-rise health enthusiast; it only meant he liked to pull all-nighters. The phone rang twice before it was answered. A burst of noisy music came from the other end, making it impossible to hear anything clearly. Zhuang Yifan had to walk to a quiet place to speak:

"Bro, what's up?"

Zhuang Yihan's brow furrowed slightly. He took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. A strand of his damp, ink-black hair silently slipped down, a stark contrast to his fair skin. His features appeared even colder amidst the swirling smoke, his voice low and his emotions indiscernible:

"Did you find that male model yesterday?"

"Uh..."

Having found a male model for his own brother to spend the night with, it would be a lie to say Zhuang Yifan wasn't scared. But hearing that Zhuang Yihan's tone was relatively normal and not like he was there to condemn him, his courage grew a little: "I found him. What's wrong?"

Zhuang Yihan narrowed his eyes. "His name."

Zhuang Yifan: "What?"

Zhuang Yihan frowned and repeated, "His name."

Zhuang Yifan: "Huh? Oh, oh, oh, wait, let me ask."

How would Zhuang Yifan know what that male model's name was? He only ever remembered their numbers. He had to call the manager over to ask. Zhuang Yihan, however, showed no impatience and waited patiently. About three minutes later, he finally got the answer.

"Chen Shu."

The environment on Zhuang Yifan's end was noisy. Afraid that Zhuang Yihan hadn't heard clearly, he repeated it again at the top of his lungs after saying it,

"Bro, that guy's name is Chen Shu!"

'Shu', as in forgiveness,

'Shu', as in an unforgivable sin...