MFELY CH86

Edited—

After resolving the matter at Jiang Xutao’s home, what remained was a wonderful vacation.

Everyone changed into relaxed attire—T-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops—completely matching this brilliantly sunny weather. Because of his constitution, Zhou Jiayu also preferred summer. They booked a seaside hotel and settled in.

However, after staying one day, Zhou Jiayu always felt like something was missing. He thought left and right but couldn’t recall it, so he had no choice but to ask everyone.

“What’s missing?” Shen Yiqiong drank iced beer, sprawled on a beach chair. “Can’t remember.”

“What’s missing?” Lin Jue was lying prone. “No idea…”

It was Xiao Zhi, who was playing in the water nearby, who suddenly said, “Where’s Little Yellow?”

Everyone: “…”

Lin Jue immediately straightened up, her expression rather awkward. “Ah, I remember. It should have arrived too. I’ll make a call and ask where it is…”

Then Zhou Jiayu saw Lin Jue pick up the phone and dial a number. After a series of mm-hmms and ahhs, her expression grew increasingly awkward. Finally, after hanging up, her eyes were full of guilt. “I’m sorry to Little Yellow.”

“What happened?” Zhou Jiayu was stunned. “Is it okay?”

Lin Jue said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s just that the people who transported it thought it was an ordinary yellow weasel and fed it several meals of cat food.”

Everyone fell into silence.

Zhou Jiayu silently averted his gaze, looking toward the azure coast, and said softly, “We wronged it.”

A few hours later, Little Yellow in its cage was delivered before them. The person who delivered it even told Lin Jue that this yellow weasel had a bad temper and told Lin Jue to be careful not to get scratched.

Lin Jue agreed repeatedly. After watching that person leave, she released Little Yellow.

“Kaka kaka kaka kaka!!!” The moment Little Yellow came out, it began shouting loudly. If it could speak human words right now, probably eighty percent of it would be cursing at them.

Lin Jue hurriedly said, “Little Yellow, we didn’t forget you. The situation was too dangerous. We were afraid you would get hurt, so we thought we’d finish handling the matter before bringing you over, right, Guan’er?”

Facing Little Yellow’s suspicious gaze, Zhou Jiayu very calmly said, “Yes, the situation at the time was truly terrifying… Shen Yiqiong, you tell Little Yellow exactly what happened back then.”

Shen Yiqiong was originally pouring beer into his mouth. Hearing this, he nearly choked to death. He coughed violently a few times and looked at Zhou Jiayu and Lin Jue grievously. However, grievance was of no use. His shibo and shiniang’s eyes at this moment were both cold-blooded and heartless.

“Alright.” Shen Yiqiong could only brace himself and say, “Let me tell you.”

Then Shen Yiqiong made up a thrilling story about them fighting dirty things in a house of bones. The plot was so captivating it could practically be written into a ten-thousand-word novel. Everyone, including Little Yellow, listened with great interest. In the end, when Shen Yiqiong concluded, Lin Jue even said, “That’s it?”

Shen Yiqiong’s mouth was parched from speaking. Upon hearing this, he angrily threw down his cup. “That’s it!!”

“Oh.” The few of them showed expressions of regret.

Although Little Yellow had been forgotten for a few days, Shen Yiqiong’s story soothed the wounds in its heart. It no longer dwelled on being forced to eat cat food and instead turned around to happily play in the water with Xiao Zhi.

A yellow weasel and a paper person frolicking by the azure sea—this scene was full of healing feeling—of course, whether passersby who saw it thought the same, Zhou Jiayu didn’t know.

Blue sky, white clouds, the sea, the beach, as well as fresh seafood and good beer.

Zhou Jiayu ate five cheese lobsters in one go that evening. In the end, it was so cloying that he kept pouring alcohol into his mouth.

Shen Yiqiong, on the other hand, was hopelessly addicted to salt-and-pepper grilled shrimp. But while eating, he didn’t forget to remind Zhou Jiayu to drink less. After all, Zhou Jiayu’s alcohol tolerance was a huge problem.

“My alcohol tolerance used to be excellent.” Zhou Jiayu was already speaking somewhat indistinctly. “I could drink three jin of white liquor, and as for yellow wine, a few cases was nothing…”

“Then what did you do before?” Lin Jue was also drinking nearby, propping her chin up and smiling as she asked.

“I was a civil servant.” Zhou Jiayu said vaguely. “V-very impressive…”

Everyone heard these words and tacitly laughed. Lin Jue also curved her eyes. “Not bad, not bad.”

Zhou Jiayu was clearly quite drunk. His entire expression grew increasingly blank. Finally, holding his phone, he declared that he missed his man and wanted to call his man.

Lin Jue, who had been watching the whole time, really couldn’t hold back anymore upon seeing Zhou Jiayu in this state. She dragged the phone out of Zhou Jiayu’s hand, dialed a number, and pressed speakerphone.

“Hello.” The phone rang twice before someone picked up. Lin Zhushui’s voice came from the other end, faint but carrying a gentle quality. He called out, “Guan’er.”

“Sir, Sir.” The moment Zhou Jiayu heard Lin Zhushui’s voice, he began shouting.

“Hm?” Lin Zhushui was clearly very sharp and heard that Zhou Jiayu’s state was off. “You’ve been drinking?”

Zhou Jiayu said with a thick tongue, “N-no… I just wanted to talk to Sir, talk.” After saying this, he first foolishly grinned, then said somewhat grievously, “Haven’t seen Sir for several days. I miss you so much.”

Lin Zhushui was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then let out a light sigh. His tone actually carried a kind of doting helplessness: “I’ll be back tomorrow. Are you in S City? Is the matter finished? Were you scared this time?”

Zhou Jiayu said proudly that with Sir not around, he wasn’t afraid at all.

The two asked and answered back and forth, the air full of the sour stench of romance.

In the end, Shen Yiqiong couldn’t take it first. He walked to a corner, hugged Xiao Zhi, and silently shed tears, saying he also wanted to have a romance like this. The understanding Xiao Zhi sympathetically reached out and rubbed Shen Yiqiong’s hair a few times to comfort him.

The more Lin Jue listened, the wider the smile on her face grew. She interjected, “Your Guan’er has been saying he misses you the whole time since getting drunk.”

Lin Zhushui wasn’t surprised at all to hear Lin Jue’s voice. He said, “You dialed the number?”

“How did you know?” Lin Jue was puzzled.

“He’s so timid.” Lin Zhushui said, “Even if he’s drunk, he probably wouldn’t dare call me.”

Lin Jue said that wasn’t necessarily true.

So in the latter half of the night, while the others continued eating and drinking, Zhou Jiayu hugged his phone and talked nonstop. Previously, when he was with Lin Zhushui, he had always been somewhat reserved because of nervousness. Now the alcohol had numbed his nerves, and he instead became lively.

Finally, when they returned to their rooms to rest that night, Zhou Jiayu placed his already burning-hot phone beside his pillow and mumbled drowsily to Lin Zhushui on the other end that he was sleepy.

“Sleep.” Lin Zhushui said, “See you tomorrow.”

Zhou Jiayu’s eyes slowly drooped, falling into a deep sleep. Until the moment he fell asleep, Lin Zhushui’s call was still connected. No one knew when it finally hung up.

The next day, when Zhou Jiayu got up, he felt as if his body had turned into a block of wood—numb from head to toe. He climbed out of bed and discovered that his phone had already shut down due to low battery. Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly. Clearly, it was already noon.

Zhou Jiayu vaguely remembered calling Lin Zhushui, but he had no memory whatsoever of what exactly they talked about afterward.

The headache after a hangover plagued Zhou Jiayu. After washing up, he went out of his room and saw that some of Lin Jue’s group were swimming in the pool, while others were sitting nearby and beginning to sunbathe.

When Zhou Jiayu walked over, Shen Yiqiong was having Xiao Zhi help him apply sunscreen. Xiao Zhi was applying it very seriously. Seeing Zhou Jiayu come over, he happily called out “Dad.”

“Xiao Zhi.” Zhou Jiayu rubbed his head. “Just how much did we drink last night?”

Shen Yiqiong said, “Six or seven cases.”

Zhou Jiayu: “Six or seven cases?! That much?”

Shen Yiqiong showed disdain. “You passed out after three bottles. The rest was all us.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” It wasn’t his fault his alcohol tolerance wasn’t good.

But it seemed he wasn’t the only one who got drunk. At least judging from their complexions, Shen Erbai and Shen Musi should also be suffering from painful hangover symptoms.

Vacation time was just like this. You could completely empty your mind, do nothing, think about nothing, and pretend you were a salted fish without much purpose.

Zhou Jiayu went to the nearby beach, dug a hole, and buried himself in it, leaving only his face outside. Of course, to prevent sunburn, Zhou Jiayu also had Xiao Zhi open an umbrella above his head to reduce UV rays.

The sand wasn’t cold. The sun had warmed it to a comfortable temperature. The seawater mixed within made the sand especially soft, very comfortable against the skin.

As Zhou Jiayu lay there, the sunlight before him suddenly darkened. He slightly opened his eyes and saw a person standing before him against the light.

That person gently called out to him: “Zhou Jiayu.”

The moment he heard this voice, Zhou Jiayu’s body had a feeling like an electric shock. A tingling, numbing sensation traveled from his fingertips all the way up until it electrified his heart.

“Sir.” Because he was buried in the sand, Zhou Jiayu couldn’t climb out for a moment. He could only begin struggling slowly, wanting to crawl out of the sand pile.

Lin Zhushui, however, slowly bent down and knelt on one knee on the sand. He said, “Don’t move.”

Zhou Jiayu stopped struggling. He saw Lin Zhushui’s face drawing closer and closer to him, until there were only a few centimeters of distance. Lin Zhushui’s voice was soft. He suddenly asked, “Did you close your eyes?”

“Closed.” Zhou Jiayu told a small lie.

Lin Zhushui’s lips pressed down the next moment—first on his forehead, then on the bridge of his nose, and finally on his lips that carried the taste of seawater.

Zhou Jiayu’s heart beat wildly. He loved to death that faint sandalwood scent between Lin Zhushui’s lips and tongue. The fragrance was like the person—elegant, gentle, yet carrying a sharp, cold edge.

The kiss gradually deepened. Both of their breathing grew somewhat ragged. Zhou Jiayu was somewhat aroused. His hand also struggled out from the sand pile, but his hand was full of sand. He didn’t dare reach out to hug Lin Zhushui. He could only slightly exert force to prop up his body, responding to Lin Zhushui’s kiss.

When the kiss ended, Lin Zhushui’s thin lips had turned a beautiful crimson color, which set off his skin to look even more fair and smooth as jade. He was truly a jade beauty one couldn’t take their eyes off.

“You really closed your eyes?” Lin Zhushui asked again.

Zhou Jiayu didn’t understand why Lin Zhushui was so hung up on this question. He said blankly, “Why must I close my eyes?”

Lin Zhushui fell silent.

Just when Zhou Jiayu thought he wouldn’t answer, he said, “The book said that if you kiss with your eyes open, you’ll discover the other person doesn’t look good.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Was it another book from Shibo? He laughed and said seriously, “Sir looks very good. Whether viewed up close or from afar, especially, especially good.”

Lin Zhushui furrowed his brows, his expression seeming somewhat disbelieving.

So Zhou Jiayu pressed his forehead against Lin Zhushui’s forehead and said in a small voice, “Sir is the best-looking person I’ve ever seen. Eyes, nose, mouth… as exquisite as a sculpture.”

Lin Zhushui said, “No one has ever said that to me.”

Zhou Jiayu was dumbfounded. He really hadn’t thought of this. Lin Zhushui had been blind since childhood, with extraordinary talent and a cold temperament. The people around him, in order to curry favor with him, wouldn’t dare to frivolously praise him for being good-looking. Perhaps he had never realized just how strong his appearance’s attraction was to others. Thinking to this point, Zhou Jiayu once again felt that he had picked up a great treasure.

“They’re all very afraid of me.” Lin Zhushui said, “Weren’t you afraid of me at first too?”

That was true. Lin Zhushui’s ice-cold aura did indeed make people somewhat fearful upon seeing him. However, after spending time together, one would discover that his temperament actually wasn’t that cold. At times, one could even say he was cute. Zhou Jiayu smiled and said, “I’m not afraid now.”

Lin Zhushui nodded, reached out and grabbed Zhou Jiayu’s arm, and pulled him out of the sand pile. The two of them then returned to the hotel one after another.

When they reached the hotel, Lin Jue greeted them with a smile. “Back?”

“Mm.” Facing Lin Jue’s smile, Zhou Jiayu somehow felt a bit embarrassed. Although his expression didn’t change, the tips of his ears began turning red again. He said calmly, “When did Sir return?”

“Him?” Lin Jue laughed heartily. “He just arrived. He put down his luggage and immediately went to find you.”

Zhou Jiayu let out a soft “oh.”

His entire body was covered in sand. Zhou Jiayu decided to take a shower first. After he finished showering and came out, the few of them had already begun discussing what to eat for dinner. In the end, they unanimously decided to rent a grill from the hotel and make BBQ themselves.

“Guan’er, didn’t you say before that your BBQ is especially delicious?” Shen Yiqiong said, “I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. Hurry up and give it a try while we’re on vacation this time.”

“Sure.” Zhou Jiayu agreed.

So the few of them began preparing BBQ ingredients and the grill. Zhou Jiayu said he knew a BBQ recipe. After cutting the meat, add honey and seafood soy sauce. The taste was especially good.

Shen Yiqiong drooled nearby, cheering and saying that whatever Shiniang made, they would love to eat.

Zhou Jiayu listened with a laugh that was also a cry, but in his heart he remembered the time Lin Jue joked about livestreaming herself eating Shen Yiqiong. If Shen Yiqiong had a flavor, it would probably be eighty percent chocolate.

The charcoal fire was lit. All kinds of BBQ ingredients were placed on the rack. Zhou Jiayu wore an apron and grilled meat nearby. Although the sun was strong here, the temperature wasn’t very high. As long as you stood in the shade, the temperature would quickly drop.

Shen Yiqiong and Xiao Zhi each held a plate and stood beside the grill, their faces full of covetousness. When the first piece of meat was grilled, the two of them shared the delicious food, eating until tears nearly fell.

Zhou Jiayu had always felt that their eating reactions were a bit exaggerated. But as a chef, seeing the eaters react this way actually made him quite happy in his heart.

“What did you encounter this time?” Lin Zhushui also received the meat Zhou Jiayu had grilled. He took a bite and also showed a satisfied expression, casually asking about their trip.

“Just a house full of bones.” Lin Jue drank beer and said carelessly, “Nothing major. Quite relaxed.” Only after saying this did she remember that she had lied before. She hurriedly glanced at the yellow weasel sitting beside her. Sure enough, the rather petty Little Yellow was staring at her with its bean-sized black eyes in condemnation, as if blaming her for forgetting the lie she had told.

“Cough cough cough.” Lin Jue coughed a few times and hurriedly added, “Actually, we did encounter some twists and turns.”

How could Lin Zhushui not detect the change in Lin Jue’s tone? But he didn’t ask in detail. He said indifferently, “It’s fine as long as no one got hurt. In the future, for this kind of matter, ask me first before bringing them out. Avoid any accidents.”

Lin Jue nodded in agreement, then asked Lin Zhushui where he had gone.

Lin Zhushui said something none of them had expected. He said, “I went to find Xu Jinghuo.”

“What? Xu Jinghuo?” Lin Jue instantly sat up straight. “Did you find him?”

Lin Zhushui nodded.

Lin Jue said, “Did you ask anything out of him?”

Lin Zhushui’s fingers gently tapped on the table and gave an answer: “He refused to say.”

Lin Jue propped her chin. “He’s a Xu clan member. I feel there’s a big problem with his motive for doing those things. There’s definitely someone behind him. I just don’t understand why he refuses to speak about it. The Xu clan is already gone. What else does he want to do?”

Lin Zhushui shook his head and didn’t continue the topic.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about him.” Lin Jue raised her wine glass. “Right now we’re on vacation. Don’t think so much. Enjoy the holiday to the fullest.”

The disciples responded one after another. Zhou Jiayu also drank a cup.

But since he had already drunk quite a bit yesterday, he didn’t dare drink heavily now and only lightly sipped.

The BBQ feast received everyone’s enthusiastic welcome. After eating and drinking their fill, the sky had already darkened. The nights here weren’t quiet. The evening wind blew across the seawater, rolling up layers of white foam that splashed onto the beach. The sea breeze carrying a salty, damp taste made one’s mood relax along with it.

Lin Zhushui had also drunk some alcohol in the evening. At this moment, his body carried a faint scent of alcohol. He sat beside Zhou Jiayu and softly asked if he wanted to take a walk by the sea.

Zhou Jiayu said yes, yes. So he was held by Lin Zhushui’s hand. The two of them, one in front and one behind, headed in the direction of the beach, leaving behind several single dogs showing expressions of envy.

“It’s making me want to fall in love too.” Lin Jue poured a large mouthful of alcohol into her mouth and mumbled.

“Me too.” Shen Yiqiong was a bit drunk, his expression sorrowful. “I definitely don’t want to fall in love at seventy-three. By then I’ll be so old I’ll be all wrinkled…”

“Forget it, don’t mention it. Drink!” Lin Jue raised her cup again.

Zhou Jiayu was led by Lin Zhushui, slowly walking along the coastline. He wasn’t wearing shoes. His feet stepped on the soft sand. Fine sand squeezed into the gaps between his toes, producing a slightly itchy, tingly feeling.

The two of them didn’t converse much, but the atmosphere was very good. Zhou Jiayu used the corner of his eye to look at Lin Zhushui’s profile, always feeling as if his heart was like an effervescent tablet dropped into water, constantly bubbling outward.

“You’re looking at me?” Perhaps Zhou Jiayu’s gaze was too fervent, for Lin Zhushui actually sensed it.

“Mm.” Zhou Jiayu was a bit embarrassed, but still admitted it. He said in a low voice, “Sir looks good.” After a moment of silence, he added another sentence, “No matter how I look, I can’t look enough.”

Lin Zhushui’s footsteps suddenly stopped. He slightly turned his head, facing Zhou Jiayu with his face, then in a serious tone said earnestly, “What should I do if I want to kiss you again?”

Zhou Jiayu hadn’t expected Lin Zhushui to say such words so naturally. After being stunned for a moment, he made an affirmative sound with red ear tips.

So that night, when Zhou Jiayu returned to his room, his lips were already somewhat swollen. He lay on the bed and kept rolling around everywhere.

Xiao Zhi looked at him with a baffled expression from the side and asked, “Dad, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Son, my silly son.” Zhou Jiayu hugged Xiao Zhi and rubbed his forehead against him. “I’m too happy—”

Xiao Zhi tilted his head, still looking like he didn’t understand.

So Zhou Jiayu didn’t explain anymore either. Humming a tune, he stroked Xiao Zhi’s head. “It’s nothing. You’re still young. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

But then he grew worried again. Now Mount She only had Xiao Zhi as the remaining paper person. When Xiao Zhi reached the age of taking a wife, what would they do? He didn’t know if it was because he had drunk too much or what, but Zhou Jiayu rarely became sentimental. He thought of his friends from before his rebirth and suddenly missed them a bit.

If possible, perhaps he should find time to go back and see them, Zhou Jiayu thought. His eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

Vacation time was always beautiful and short. The group played in S City for about ten-odd days before reluctantly returning home—because New Year was approaching.

“We have to go back to buy New Year goods.” Lin Jue said, “This year I’m going to make rice cakes… Guan’er, do you know how to make rice cakes?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “I know in theory, but I’ve never done it myself. Why suddenly want to make it yourself?”

Lin Jue said, “A whim?”

Zhou Jiayu just felt that Lin Jue was a bit strange but didn’t look into it.

In January, the atmosphere of New Year instantly grew thick. Red paper-cut window decorations were pasted on the glass, and fiery red lanterns were also hung under the eaves.

When Lin Po came over early to pay New Year’s respects, he happened to see Zhou Jiayu curled up in Lin Zhushui’s embrace dozing off. Lin Zhushui wrapped Zhou Jiayu in a blanket and held him in his arms, while he himself wore earphones as if listening to something.

Lin Po was startled by this scene and called out tremblingly, “Uncle.”

Lin Zhushui, however, seemed to have already guessed what he was thinking. He directly lowered his head and kissed Zhou Jiayu’s cool ear. “Get up. If you sleep too long, you won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Zhou Jiayu made a vague affirmative sound and refused to move.

A hint of helplessness seemed to appear on Lin Zhushui’s face, but he didn’t call Zhou Jiayu again. Instead, he made a shush gesture toward Lin Po.

So Lin Po had no choice but to sit on the sofa nearby, waiting for Zhou Jiayu to wake up naturally. Fortunately, Zhou Jiayu quickly woke up after sensing other people around him. Opening his eyes and seeing Lin Po, he felt a bit embarrassed and struggled to get up from Lin Zhushui’s embrace. But Lin Zhushui pressed him down and gently patted his back. “Put on your clothes first. Don’t catch a cold.”

Zhou Jiayu made an affirmative sound and curled up under the blanket to put on his outerwear.

Lin Po watched this scene with a stiff expression. Finally, he asked dryly, “Uncle…”

Lin Zhushui directly said, “From now on, he is also your uncle.”

Lin Po: “…”

Lin Zhushui said, “Any problem?”

Lin Po could only speak in a soul-wandering tone and called out, “Uncle Zhou.”

Zhou Jiayu was holding back laughter in his heart. His face deliberately showed full benevolence as he said, “Good boy. Uncle will make you something delicious.” In the end, he couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud himself.

Lin Po’s smile was even uglier than crying. He estimated that it would take him a very long time to figure out why Lin Zhushui had suddenly turned gay.

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Author’s Note:

Xiao Zhi has clothes. Shen Yiqiong can cut paper to make them for him, like making clothes for dolls when little. Sometimes when the mood strikes, he will even make him a little bow tie or a little hat and such.