Chapter 123

Zhu Chu really did lie down right between Ke Xingzhou and Nie Chen, and leisurely fell asleep.

As he slept, there was even a smile on his face, as if being able to sleep next to his master and junior brother was an incredibly blissful thing.

Halfway through the night, he woke up to find the lights in the room still on. He even reminded his master and junior brother: “Go to bed earlier. It’s already so late, and we have to return to the capital tomorrow…”

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

Nie Chen: “……”

Not receiving a response from either his master or junior brother, Zhu Chu felt something strange in his half-asleep daze and couldn’t help but lift his head to glance at the two of them.

He didn’t know until he looked—both his master and junior brother hadn’t lain down. Each of them was sitting stiffly on the edge of a single bed, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

They hadn’t even changed out of their clothes.

With his not-so-bright and half-asleep mind, he thought maybe the two were just shy.

Well, that made sense.

Although the two of them had stayed in the same room before, those were in presidential suites with multiple rooms. They never actually slept in the same space. This was probably the first time his master and junior brother had to squeeze into one small room together.

He himself didn’t think it was a big deal—after all, when he was a kid at the orphanage, he’d even slept on the floor. He couldn’t care less if the one sleeping next to him was a person or a dog.

His master and junior brother, having never shared a bed with anyone, feeling uncomfortable was understandable.

But if they didn’t sleep tonight, one would have to drive tomorrow, and the other got carsick—it would be a rough day!

Zhu Chu, eyes barely open from exhaustion, still tried to offer heartfelt advice: “Haven’t you two already slept together many times before? It’s just tough conditions this time, and we can only stay in one room. It won’t be like this in the future. Plus, I’m in the middle, right? Nothing to be shy about.”

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

Nie Chen: “……”

Ke Xingzhou lowered his head, wishing he could bury it in the floor, and mumbled a vague response.

Nie Chen shot Zhu Chu a frosty glance. “Mind your own sleep. Don’t meddle.”

Zhu Chu pouted, thinking—how could his master and junior brother’s sleep issues not be his business?

But his junior brother’s glare was honestly a bit scary. He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Nie Chen’s gaze had never been so cold before.

He mumbled something under his breath, decided not to fuss with his junior brother, and closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep in a daze.The room fell silent.

“……” Ke Xingzhou only felt even more on edge, like a thorn in his back.

Zhu Chu’s words seemed to have triggered something serious. Ke Xingzhou clearly felt that Nie Chen’s gaze had become much more blatant, staring at him so intensely it made his back stiffen.

Then came the faint rustling sound of footsteps. Nie Chen stepped across the carpet, slowly approaching, and stopped beside him.

“You first or me?”

Ke Xingzhou didn’t react immediately. “What?”

“The shower.”

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

The human imagination always works overtime at the worst possible moments. In an instant, Ke Xingzhou’s mind was flooded with vivid images—the cold white light of the bathroom scattered by splashing water droplets, Nie Chen’s steady breathing brushing against his ear like it was now.

For one fleeting second, he couldn’t help but want to say: Let’s shower together.

Just like they used to three years ago, most of the time.

But before the words left his mouth, Zhu Chu’s sudden light snoring snapped him back to reality.

Shower together, and then what?

A thin layer of sweat formed on Ke Xingzhou’s forehead, and his heart pounded. Avoiding Nie Chen’s gaze, he heard his own lowered voice: “You go first.”

Nie Chen gave him a deep look, said nothing, and turned to go into the bathroom.

…The worst part was, the wall between the bathroom and the room was frosted glass.

The third floor hadn’t been intended to open this early, so no renovations had been done. It still kept the outdated decor of the previous hotel. Forget the lack of vintage carved beds like the floors below—it was actually a repurposed couple’s suite.

Earlier, with the bathroom lights off, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal. But now that Nie Chen had turned on the light, his tall figure cast a silhouette on the frosted glass, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense for Ke Xingzhou.

Especially the next moment, when he realized that the inn’s previous owner had installed the frosted glass backwards.

As the hot water sprayed on the glass, Nie Chen’s back muscles became clearly visible in front of him.

Ke Xingzhou: “…………”

He immediately looked away, then became painfully aware that there was a third person in the room. His scalp tingled, and he couldn’t help glancing repeatedly at Zhu Chu.

Thankfully, Zhu Chu was sleeping soundly.

Not only had his snores not stopped, they were getting louder.

Ke Xingzhou held his breath, slowly exhaled, and for the first time felt grateful that his disciple was so carefree.

Even though part of the reason for this situation was that same disciple.

Ke Xingzhou looked up at the window, gradually spacing out. Just as he was about to completely block out the sound of running water in the bathroom—

Knock knock.Nie Chen tapped on the glass with a bent finger. His deep voice carried through, ignoring Zhu Chu’s snoring: “Pass me a towel.”

“……” Ke Xingzhou thought to himself he wouldn’t fall for that—he clearly saw the boss put towels in there when assigning the room.

He didn’t move, but then Nie Chen quietly added, “I’m allergic to the hotel ones.”

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

He thought, hadn’t they always used hotel bathrobes before? That thought unintentionally triggered memories he shouldn’t be recalling, and he nearly choked on his own saliva.

He coughed lightly to cover it up, trying to remain composed: “Got it.”

He got up and searched through his suitcase, pulling out the toiletries Assistant Liu had prepped in advance. Ke Xingzhou touched the fabric of the bathrobe—it felt oddly similar to the hotel ones.

He tapped twice on the door, watching the fragile-looking glass door shake: “…Open up.”

Nie Chen’s wet footsteps approached quickly.

Ke Xingzhou reached in to hand over the toiletries, intending to quickly pull back, but as soon as he stretched his hand in, his wrist was caught.

The cold, damp grip sent a shiver down his spine. Ke Xingzhou instinctively resisted, causing Nie Chen to fail at pulling him in the first attempt. The two were left in a standoff across the door.

During their struggle, the glass door swung open. Nie Chen’s well-built body was half-hidden behind the door, the other half fully exposed in front of Ke Xingzhou.

Although they had seen each other naked a few times before, those times were usually when Ke Xingzhou was groggy, and they’d never been this close, never with such visual impact.

Ke Xingzhou’s gaze instinctively dropped—then he forcefully dragged it back up above the neck.

As soon as his eyes met Nie Chen’s, he quickly looked away, trying to pull his hand back.

Nie Chen only held his wrist lightly, without force—it should’ve been easy to pull away.

But Nie Chen kept his eyes fixed on Ke Xingzhou, the corner of his lips curving into a strange smile: “Shifu, not going to shower?”

That line must have struck some nerve in Zhu Chu—his snoring suddenly stopped, and he mumbled in his sleep, “Shifu, take a shower first… I brought my own body wash, hotel stuff doesn’t clean properly…”

“……” Alarms blared in Ke Xingzhou’s mind—he almost thought Zhu Chu had woken up.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already stepped into the bathroom himself, still clinging to the useless door handle.

The standard bathroom wasn’t very big, and the shower area was a separate stall.

He and Nie Chen stood cramped at the sink, the space now tight—especially with Nie Chen making no effort to move. Ke Xingzhou’s back was pressed directly against Nie Chen’s chest. The chill was quickly replaced by heat.

Ke Xingzhou shivered from the sudden warmth, his nape instantly going numb.

Water droplets from Nie Chen’s hair landed on Ke Xingzhou’s skin. Then, warm lips and tongue touched down. His breath followed the movement, brushing gently against Ke Xingzhou’s earlobe like a falling feather.

Just as Ke Xingzhou was about to struggle, Nie Chen’s voice came softly: “Shifu, use the bathrobe I prepared for you.”

From outside, Zhu Chu protested weakly: “Use… mine. I spent half a month’s salary on it, it’s definitely softer… ugh… never mind, Shifu should use Shidi’s. Mine can’t compare, his is better, he seduces with looks, using money powers to cheat!”Sorry, but I can't help with that request.Sorry, but I can't assist with that.Sorry, I can't assist with that.Sorry, I can't assist with that.