He finally managed to tear his eyes away from the screen, only to look up and see Jamin squinting at him.

Fang Chen felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt. He coughed and pretended to be casual. “What is it?”

“You should look in a mirror. Your face is as red as an apple,” Jamin pointed out bluntly.

“…” Foreigners sure are direct.

Fang Chen subconsciously raised a hand to his face, his voice muffled. “No… I was thinking about something else.”

Jamin snorted softly. “Did I say what it was about?”

Seeing Fang Chen’s nervous look, he patted him on the shoulder. “Relax, Seth’s body is amazing. It’s normal to like it.”

“It’s not that,” Fang Chen instinctively retorted. He bit his lip and said deliberately, “I like skinny guys.”

Jamin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Then you have really bad taste.”

Bad taste it is, then.

Fang Chen pretended not to hear and quickly grabbed a mop to get back to work, using it as an excuse to escape Jamin’s questioning.

The next day, Fang Chen and Jamin waited in the coffee shop for a while before Chuck pushed the door open.

The two of them hugged and kissed right in front of Fang Chen.

Even though it had been some time since he had transmigrated into the book, Fang Chen was still so awkward that his eyes darted everywhere.

He let out a slight sigh of relief when they finally sat down.

Jamin enthusiastically introduced the two of them. Chuck didn’t waste any time either, pulling a stack of tickets from his bag and placing them on the table.

“Since you’re Jamin’s friend, I’ll sell them to you for a thousand apiece, too,” Chuck said generously.

Fang Chen smiled but didn’t answer right away. He picked up a ticket, feigning interest and fiddling with it in his hands. He then casually lifted the ticket a little higher.

Sure enough, the corner of this ticket was also off.

A few seconds later, Fang Chen put the ticket down and spoke in a pleasantly surprised tone, “That’s great, Chuck. Thanks so much.”

“But how did you get so many tickets? That’s amazing.”

Chuck shrugged. “It’s simple. You know, as a member of the club, there are always some internal channels.”

Fang Chen beamed. “Wow! That’s so cool.”

He didn’t ask any more questions and paid without fuss.

After stashing the tickets away, Fang Chen didn’t linger. He slung his bag over his shoulder and got up to leave. “I won’t disturb your date. Jamin, you can come back to the shop later. I happen to be free today, so I can cover your work.”

“Oh, baby! You’re the best!”

Jamin blew him a series of kisses.

Fang Chen smiled and waved, but after he walked out of the coffee shop, the smile on his face gradually faded.

He wouldn’t be selling these tickets for now.

If possible, Fang Chen wanted to show them to Seth, since he was the only other person from the club he knew.

The problem was—

Wouldn’t that be a bit too nosy?

His relationship with Seth hadn’t reached that level of familiarity. But then again, Seth had transferred a hundred thousand dollars to him. For the money’s sake, it wasn’t entirely out of the question…

Fang Chen had an argument with himself in his head. In the end, he hesitantly returned to the shop with his bag, still not making the call to Seth.

Having grown up in an orphanage, Fang Chen had his own set of survival rules, the most important of which was to never cross boundaries.

Especially with people who weren’t from the same world as him.

Fang Chen worked his shift, then covered Jamin’s, so busy he was dizzy. When it was finally time to clock out, he was about to go change when his boss stopped him.

“Chen, a last-minute order. Go make a delivery.”

Fang Chen grimaced. “But I’m off the clock…”

“There’s overtime pay.”

“I’ll go! Boss, I’m on my way right now!”

Pizza in hand, Fang Chen hopped on his little scooter and glanced at the address on his phone, frowning.

Usually, his deliveries were mostly on campus, with rare ones off-campus to the surrounding apartment buildings. But this one was in the city center.

Fang Chen followed the GPS, starting and stopping. The route twisted and turned so much that he eventually got confused himself.

He parked his scooter to the side, scratched his head, and looked up at the row of shops in front of him.

Which one was A09?

After searching for a while, he worried about getting a customer complaint for the delay and decided to ask a passerby.

But as he turned his head, he saw a familiar figure.

Fang Chen froze for a second before quickly ducking to the side.

“Hey, Cessy, how much have you made recently?”

“Just a little pocket money…”

Fang Chen cautiously peeked his head out from behind a pillar after the two men had entered a shop.

Cessy?

Didn’t he say his name was Chuck?

Fang Chen swallowed, his heart starting to race. He tremblingly pulled out his phone and called Seth.

The man answered quickly. “Fang Chen?”

“The people you mentioned, the ones selling fake tickets, have you found them?”

Seth paused. “Not yet…”

“I think I’ve found them,” Fang Chen cut in, speaking quickly. “There are two of them. No, at least two.”

Seth’s voice grew serious. “Tell me your address. Don’t move, and don’t get into a conflict with them. Wait for me to get there.”

After hanging up, Fang Chen squatted outside the shop. Worried he was too conspicuous, he found a corner to hide in.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the roar of an engine approached. Fang Chen looked up and blinked.

Seth had actually come on a motorcycle.

Of course, unlike Fang Chen’s small, beat-up scooter, the man’s vehicle was all black, tall, and massive, almost half a person’s height.

How much must that be worth?

Before Fang Chen could finish admiring it, the man had already strode over. He reached out, pulled Fang Chen to his feet, and looked him up and down with a frown. “Are you hurt?”

Fang Chen obediently shook his head and pointed behind him. “They should still be in there. I’ve been watching the door, and no one came out. It’s the one with the black hat and the eagle tattoo on his shoulder.”

Seth said grimly, “Wait here for me.”

Still waiting…

Fang Chen felt like his legs were numb from squatting.

The man quickly added, “It’ll be quick.”

Fang Chen looked up and nodded.

But he didn’t really believe him. How quick could it be? Wasn’t Seth going inside to catch them?

He continued to play mushroom at the entrance.

But not two minutes later, a commotion erupted from inside. Fang Chen hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed to the door and peered inside.

It was a bar, but there weren’t many people inside. At that moment, they were all standing to the side, staring in shock at the man throwing punches in the middle.

Seth hadn’t planned on getting physical.

He had just wanted to tie the men up and wait for the police.

But unlike Fang Chen, who would just let himself be tied up without a peep, almost offering his hands himself, these guys wouldn’t be so cooperative.

He didn’t want to make Fang Chen wait long, so he didn’t bother with a drawn-out struggle. He threw a kick that sent one man flying, crashing into the liquor cabinet on the opposite wall. Bottles shattered and fell to the floor with a clatter.

Whoa.

Fang Chen’s eyes widened.

It was like watching an American action movie.

The man casually pulled down a decorative rope, tied the men together, and then looked up toward the doorway.

Across the wreckage-strewn floor, their eyes met from a distance.

Police cars arrived, and a crowd of onlookers gathered at the shop’s entrance.

Compared to catching counterfeit ticket sellers, the news of Seth Bolton getting into a fight was far more explosive. Joey was so furious he had called Seth more than ten times.

But Seth didn’t answer a single call.

“Can I really sit on it?”

“Of course you can.”

“It’s so big.”

The man easily lifted Fang Chen with one arm and placed him on the motorcycle.

“You can take it for a spin if you want.”

“Me?” Fang Chen quickly shook his head. “I can’t handle a beast like this. I can only ride the small kind for deliveries.”

Wait!

Deliveries!!

His pizza!!

Fang Chen frantically pulled his phone out of his bag. Unsurprisingly, it was full of missed calls from his boss. He nervously called back and, in addition to a scolding, received the good news that his wages would be docked.

Whatever…!

Fang Chen was good at consoling himself.

He’d just consider the pizza his late-night snack. He hadn’t eaten anything anyway.

At that thought, he looked up and said, “It’s getting late. I should head back.”

Seth stood beside the motorcycle with his arms crossed and grunted in agreement.

Fang Chen felt a bit awkward.

Seth had lifted him up. How was he supposed to get down? The bike was too tall for him, and he was afraid he’d twist his ankle if he jumped.

After all, he was a fragile university student.

The kind who gets dizzy just from standing up after squatting for too long.

But asking Seth to lift him down…

That was even more awkward.

Fortunately, Seth finally spoke. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Fang Chen, “???”

No way, is he eyeing my late-night snack again?

“Let’s have dinner together. As thanks for your help today, and for treating me to fried chicken last time.”

Fang Chen shook his head. “It was nothing. I’m not hungry…”

“I know a pretty good Chinese restaurant.”

“Get on.” Fang Chen scooted back on the seat and looked at Seth seriously. “Let’s go quickly.”

The man seemed to smile briefly before swinging himself onto the motorcycle. He didn’t forget to whisper, “Hold on tight.”

Whoosh!!!

Riding this kind of motorcycle was completely different from his little scooter. With a roar of the engine, it shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

The wind was so strong it blew Fang Chen’s hair all over the place, making him look like a scruffy puppy.

But he was overjoyed. Instead of listening to Seth and holding on tight, he spread his arms wide, letting the wind rush against him.

Fang Chen felt like he hadn’t been this happy since he had transmigrated into this unfamiliar world.

So cool!

Catching the fake ticket sellers was cool, watching Seth fight was cool! Riding a motorcycle was even cooler!!

Sniff, sniff~

This is the smell of freedom.

Wait!

That’s not right!

This smells a bit like barbecue.

o.O!

“Want to eat this?”

Seth turned back to confirm with Fang Chen again.

Fang Chen nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

It was a barbecue stand at the entrance of a park, and the aroma was carried by the wind, wafting straight into his nose.

Just one sniff was pure bliss.

One bite would send his soul to heaven.

It was the taste of home~

Seth, of course, had no objections, so their trip to a Chinese restaurant turned into eating skewers at a roadside stall.

“This is also Chinese food,” Fang Chen argued righteously. “You know acupuncture? This is what we’re doing, acupuncture.”

He pulled the meat off the metal skewers with a flourish.

Such energetic acupuncture.

Life truly is as chaotic as it is spicy and savory!

Because it was a roadside stall, the tables and chairs were simple. The plastic stool was more than enough for Fang Chen, but Seth looked slightly awkward sitting on it.

The man’s legs were bent, and his pants were creased. He undid the cuffs of his shirt and casually rolled them up, revealing his strong forearms.

Fang Chen had only seen Seth’s great physique in pictures. In real life, Seth was almost always impeccably dressed, with even his buttons done up properly.

This was the first time he had seen any part of his body exposed, and although it was just his forearm, Fang Chen couldn’t help but glance over.

The man was opening a bottle of soda. His fingers hooked the pull tab, and with a slight exertion, veins popped on his forearm, tracing over the beautiful muscle definition.

Suddenly, the skewer in his hand didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.

A can of soda was passed in front of him. Fang Chen came back to his senses slightly and looked up to meet the man’s dark eyes.

Seth nonchalantly tilted the can.

“Thirsty?”

---

Author’s Note:
Non-canon bonus theater
(Chinese Spa: Revealing a Foot)

Fang Chen learned Chinese massage online and decided to show off his skills to Seth, not forgetting to boast, “This is a very ancient martial art from my country.”

Seth played along and nodded, leaning in to kiss him. “Thank you, baby.”

Fang Chen pushed his head away forcefully and commanded, “Lie on your stomach.”

He followed the method from the video, kneading and massaging. However, the man’s muscles were rock-hard. Before he could make much progress, Fang Chen’s own hands were sore and tired.

He stood up in frustration and kicked Seth. “No more massaging!”

Seth could only coax him. “Baby, why don’t you step on my back? You don’t have to massage me, just walking on me will feel very comfortable.”

And so, “showing off a skill” (literally, “revealing a hand”) became “revealing a foot.”

But Seth loved this kind of “massage” and often asked Fang Chen to walk on his back barefoot after his competitions.

In a later interview, he even boasted, “My lover is very considerate. He often helps me relax with a spa at home.”

However, Fang Chen saw it and found it embarrassing, so he had to contact the media to have the interview retracted.