Chapter 31: Half
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Lin Su walked Shi Wenze out of the residential complex and, for a fleeting moment, considered walking with him—maybe even staging a dramatic, romantic, morally questionable elopement scenario. But in the end, he didn’t go through with it. Mostly because Shi Wenze didn’t seem to have the same idea. With both hands stuffed indifferently into his pockets, Lin Su turned and began heading back home. “Be safe on the road.”
Shi Wenze caught him by the waist with one arm and pulled him back into his chest. Lin Su was caught off guard, his back slamming firmly into solid muscle. He couldn’t help but think, Damn, this guy really does have a nice body. Still, he kept his face cool and refined, holding onto that aloof artistic aura. “What are you doing?”
“Are you renewing the pass tomorrow?” Shi Wenze asked.
“No,” Lin Su replied flatly. “Not renewing it.”
“Well, it hasn’t expired yet,” Shi Wenze said as he rested his chin on Lin Su’s shoulder. “Let me hold you a bit longer.”
Lin Su didn’t reject the perfectly reasonable request—after all, the day pass was still valid. He leaned back slightly, fingers curling around Shi Wenze’s hand where it rested on his waist. Together, they stood in silence, watching the nearby flowers and greenery, and the glittering stars in the distance.
After a while, Shi Wenze asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about the existential threat to the possibility of freedom,” Lin Su answered.
Shi Wenze fell silent. That sounded like something straight out of Patrick Star’s brand of philosophy. And unfortunately, he wasn’t equipped to decode that right now. So instead, he pressed a soft, unrestrained kiss to SpongeSuSu’s ear, then quickly hopped on his motorcycle before the crisis of card expiration could catch up to him. “Get some rest,” he called.
Lin Su didn’t manage to stop him in time. He regretted bringing up philosophy—should’ve known that would scare him off. A simpler topic would’ve kept him around longer. He mentally took notes as he crunched through fallen ginkgo leaves on the way back. The moment he stepped through the door, his mother blocked his path. “Why were you out so long?” she asked.
Standing in front of the shoe bench, Lin Su replied, “You’re a middle-aged comrade. Are you sure you want to know the intimate details of my love life?”
Si Longqiu remained unfazed. “You two aren’t even official yet.”
“We were just discussing whether humans can truly be free under the laws of nature.”
She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “That boy Shi doesn’t seem like the kind who understands Kant.”
Lin Su nodded solemnly. “I’ll be sure to pass that along to him.”
“…What kind of son tries to stir up trouble like this?” she muttered as Lin Su slipped past her and darted up the stairs to sleep.
The gallery business was all taken care of. Everything had gone smoothly. Logically, he should’ve been relaxed—but for some reason, maybe because he’d napped too much during the day, Lin Su couldn’t fall asleep. Not even a little. He hugged his blanket and stared at the ceiling, watching time crawl by.
At 2 a.m., he found himself reminiscing about how good his nap had been earlier. Was there some hidden hypnotic effect in that tattoo parlor? It was hard to say—otherworldly places didn’t operate by ordinary rules. Who’s to say there wasn’t a superpowered sleep monster living in that alley? But his boyfriend pass was going to expire tomorrow. Lin Su sat up, thinking things through. Then, taking an unexpected detour, he called Du Siyue. The other end of the line was a chaotic blur of noise—clearly, he hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Amid the din of lights and nightlife, Du Siyue shouted, “Wanna go out?”
“No,” Lin Su replied. “Can I sleep at your place?”
“My place? Sure,” Du Siyue said. “My mom’s there, but make yourself at home. You can crash in my room if you want. Did your house flood or something?”
“No. Just asking.” Lin Su hung up, tossed the phone aside, and came to a philosophical conclusion— Even if you’re not a boyfriend, just a regular friend, staying the night somewhere is totally normal. If it was okay with Du Siyue, then it should be okay with Shi Wenze too. Totally reasonable.
So the next day, when Shi Wenze came home from work on his motorcycle, he saw Lin Su sitting on a small stool at the mouth of the alley, holding two shopping bags.
“Got here a bit too early,” Lin Su said. “Xu You wasn’t home, so I couldn’t get in. I went to the supermarket and bought some groceries instead.”
Shi Wenze took the bags and hung them on his handlebar, instantly transforming from rugged rebel to stay-at-home husband. Then he nodded toward Lin Su. “Left pocket. Grab it yourself.”
Lin Su reached into the pocket and felt something cold and metallic.
“It’s your key,” Shi Wenze said. “If I’m not home, just let yourself in.”
The bed-crashing plan was going far too smoothly. Lin Su held the thin piece of iron between his fingers and asked, “Where’s Xu You?”
“He’s at cram school. Signed up for a single-subject exam next month,” Shi Wenze explained. “If he passes, make him treat you to a meal.”
Lin Su wasn’t particularly interested in that. He followed Shi Wenze home, then casually asked, “Mind if I nap here in the future?”
“Of course not. You’re welcome 24/7,” Shi Wenze said as he washed his hands. “How about some salt-baked chicken?”
Lin Su nearly choked. He’d thought this was something vague and ambiguous—something romantic, tinged with rosy overtones. Something worth dragging out in a back-and-forth dance of feelings. But somehow, both Du Siyue and Shi Wenze were way too straightforward about it.
“Welcome 24/7”? It sounded more like a train station motel. Actually, those might even be better—at least some of them offered optional adult entertainment. Meanwhile, all he was getting here was…righteous salt-baked chicken.
Shi Wenze pulled a linen apron out of one of the grocery bags and gave it a curious look.
“I bought it,” Lin Su said from the kitchen doorway, cool as ever. “That one you had before—too ugly. It looked like a freebie from a chicken bouillon brand.”
Shi Wenze blinked. “…Thanks?”
The apron was clearly worth the money—it had a crisp, high-quality fabric and a soft, artistic vibe in its fresh, minimalist colors. Lin Su stepped up behind him and yanked the apron strings tight, wanting to see just how slim that gym-trained waist really was. He had to admit, the scene looked straight out of Gone with the Wind—except Mammy would never have let Scarlett show cleavage before three in the afternoon. Meanwhile, all he wanted was for Shi Wenze to take off his T-shirt and wear only the apron, like one of those TV-inappropriate “hot guy in the kitchen” moments.
Shi Wenze frowned. “I can’t breathe.”
Lin Su mentally replied with a classic film line: Just grab onto something and suck it in! Then he loosened the ties a bit and walked off like nothing happened. “I want creamy mushroom chicken.”
Shi Wenze, who preferred Chinese cuisine, was eager to please. He opened the Xiachufang app to look up a Western recipe. The vintage cabinets were hung low, so he had to hunch slightly while cooking. Combined with his tall frame, it gave him an oddly cautious and adorable look.
Upstairs, Lin Su carried another plastic bag to the bathroom and began replacing everything. The pink, peach-scented girly products were gone. He’d bought two new towels, face wash, moisturizer, shaving foam, razors—everything laid out neatly, item by item. He even took two sprigs of the lisianthus he’d bought yesterday and arranged them in a small vase beside the sink.
After tidying up, he stood there for a moment and looked around. Soft décor really was addictive. He figured he’d hire someone to change the curtains in a few days.
Shi Wenze’s creamy mushroom chicken turned out to be a great first attempt—tasted fantastic. The only problem was the tableware: they were using freebie plates plastered with the giant Bangbang Chicken logo. Not very chic.
“I’ll go buy some proper dishes when I get the chance,” Shi Wenze offered.
“Let’s go together,” Lin Su said, scooping up a spoonful of chicken. “If the auction event at Jiayong ends early, there’s a mall nearby.”
Shi Wenze tossed the salad and even crushed the eggs for him, scooping some up and offering it directly to Lin Su’s lips with one hand—while cupping the other beneath it in case anything dropped. He really was the picture-perfect boyfriend. Not a single flaw in sight. As Lin Su ate, he couldn’t help but wonder if the guy had secretly studied a few romance dramas. The only thing not so romantic was that they had to wash the dishes afterward.
“I could get you a dishwasher,” Lin Su offered.
Shi Wenze laughed. “Sure, but save it for the new place. Come with me to check out some houses when you have time.”
Back to the familiar subject.
“How much do you have saved for a down payment?” Lin Su asked.
Shi Wenze handed over his banking app for inspection.
Lin Su tallied the balance and checked the investments, then returned the phone. “We’ll go fifty-fifty.”
Shi Wenze blinked. “Fifty-fifty what?”
“The down payment. Half each.” Lin Su leaned against the kitchen doorframe, casually counting the floor tiles as if it didn’t matter. He hadn’t officially won the guy over yet, but the real estate market wasn’t going to wait for love to catch up. Home prices were bound to rise again.
Flirting was fun, but Lin Su refused to let the developers make a fool of him. He liked to keep his finances crystal clear. Shi Wenze looked at him quietly, the kind of look that would’ve belonged in an artsy Wong Kar-Wai film if filtered the right way. But truthfully, the only thought in his head was: My wife is adorable. I want to kiss him. Also… other things.
Desire wasn’t shameful—it was natural. What was shameful was that he still hadn’t actually won the guy over yet. What kind of hunter had such a poor success rate?
“You haven’t finished the dishes,” Lin Su reminded him.
Shi Wenze dried his hands. “Come here.”
Lin Su didn’t move. “What for?”
“You didn’t swipe your card before dinner.”
“…Excuse me?”
Swiping a card before meals had become a given by now. But Lin Su still had to stress, “I only have one card right now.” So please keep your… actions… within the dining card boundary, or I’ll call 19191 to file a complaint— Hiss. Shi Wenze pulled him close and bit down on his neck, hard enough to leave a neat row of marks. This method of card-swiping was completely unacceptable, Lin Su thought.
Shi Wenze might’ve agreed, because after biting, he ran his tongue over the spot in slow, teasing strokes. It made Lin Su’s spine go numb. He tried to push the other man away, but was only held tighter. Shi Wenze’s palm pressed firmly against his back, wrinkling the soft cotton of his shirt and revealing a small sliver of pale skin. Post-transformation qilin strength was a bit uncontrollable, and so, apparently, was lust.
Lin Su realized this just in time, and instead of struggling, simply patted the back of Shi Wenze’s head and stayed still—waiting until he finally calmed down. Shi Wenze didn’t want to let go. But Lin Su said, “My mom’s home.”
Shi Wenze: “…”
In the end, he still drove him back to Qinghu Garden. Lin Su walked up the stairs with one hand over his neck.
Lin Lu glanced up. “So this is what you meant by ‘I haven’t won him over yet’?”
Lin Su paused. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
Lin Lu raised an eyebrow. “That location is really hard to do by accident.”
“He couldn’t control it—”
“Stop right there!” Lin Lu slapped her hands over her ears, horrified. “No, no, no! I don’t need that kind of detail!”
Lin Su watched her flee the scene, feeling a little hollow inside. What are you running for? This is purely a matter of basic human biology!
Thursday afternoon, the seamstress finally finished altering the Armani suit. A proper fit changed everything—suddenly he was saying goodbye to sketchy secondhand realtors and hello to suave CEO energy. Even Zhou Yuansong looked surprised by the glow-up, and used the opportunity to elevate his own stock: “You know, I looked just like you when I was your age.”
Lin Su was satisfied with the new look. But at the same time, he couldn’t help thinking— The Demon Administration really wasn’t that rich. Whether it was chasing someone or attending a banquet, it always came down to that same Armani set.
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