Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 17

Chapter 17

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The atmosphere suddenly became a bit delicate. Li Ziyou, sitting between them, looked around blankly. Xu Yan felt that if this continued, others would start suspecting he had a secret crush on Li Ziyou. He looked up and saw Shen Zhi walking over from the other side. Someone over there was singing and pulled Shen Zhi, stuffing the microphone into his hand, but he pushed it back – refusing to sing. When he sat back down, Xu Yan pushed a drink towards him and said, "Drink." Indirectly shifting the blame onto Shen Zhi, as Qiu Hao was unlikely to ask Shen Zhi for a drink.

Shen Zhi had no idea what had happened. He felt a bit dizzy and sank into the sofa, staring at the glass for a while before asking Xu Yan, "Why aren't you drinking?"

"I have something to do tomorrow morning. I don't hold my liquor well and it's hard for me to wake up if I drink." Xu Yan answered honestly. His heart was racing because it had been a long time since he had talked properly with Shen Zhi.

Shen Zhi lifted his eyelashes to glance at him, then reached for the glass. Qiu Hao on the other side almost stood up to stop him but then sat back down, pursing his lips. Shen Zhi took a sip of the drink, and others called out to continue playing dice, but he shook his head and leaned back on the sofa without moving. Xu Yan was just about to muster the courage to ask if Shen Zhi was feeling unwell when Li Ziyou's phone rang. It was her roommate, who was nearby, asking if she wanted to go back together.

"I can take you back," Qiu Hao said, putting his arm around her.

Li Ziyou was still hesitant, so Xu Yan said, "It's a bit late. How about you go back with your roommate? It’s more convenient for girls to have each other's company." It was too tricky; without evidence, he couldn't tell Li Ziyou that her boyfriend was acting off. Besides, Qiu Hao was Shen Zhi's friend, and today was Shen Zhi's birthday. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't the right time to bring it up.

"Then I'll leave first, I have class tomorrow." Li Ziyou said, standing up unsteadily. Qiu Hao glanced at Xu Yan, who calmly met his gaze.

When they left, Xu Yan followed them out of the hall and downstairs. He watched Li Ziyou and her roommate get into a taxi before he sighed in relief. Qiu Hao stood by the roadside. Xu Yan walked over and said, "Give me the room card." Qiu Hao lit a cigarette, glanced at him, and handed him the room card. Xu Yan took it without a word and turned back to the hotel.

The others were getting wilder in the room, while Shen Zhi quietly leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed. Xu Yan walked over, leaned down, and asked, "Where are you feeling unwell?" Shen Zhi slightly opened his eyes but didn't speak. Xu Yan noticed his face seemed a bit red and couldn't help but reach out and touch it – it was very hot; he had really drunk too much.

A teammate beside him suggested, "Why don't we take Shen Zhi back first?"

Xu Yan nodded, remembering that the room Qiu Hao had booked with his ID hadn't been checked out yet. It would be a waste not to use it, so he said, "Let Shen Zhi sleep at the hotel tonight. You guys continue playing, I'll take him."

He helped Shen Zhi up. A teammate opened the door for them and sent them to the elevator. Xu Yan supported Shen Zhi and gave an OK gesture to the teammate, saying, "Go have fun. I'll leave directly later, I still have to catch a bus with my classmates tomorrow morning." The teammate nodded, gave him a few reminders, and the elevator doors closed.

Xu Yan, holding Shen Zhi by the waist, looked for the room. Shen Zhi's breathing was rapid. Xu Yan turned to see his face flushed unusually red and asked, "Uncomfortable?" Shen Zhi impatiently frowned, tugged at his jacket collar, and muttered, "Hot..." Xu Yan quickly soothed him, "Okay, okay, I'll take off your clothes as soon as we get to the room."

By the time they found the room, Shen Zhi's condition had worsened. His brows were tightly knitted, and his eyes were flushed, with beads of sweat on his forehead. Xu Yan swiped the card, opened the door, and helped Shen Zhi inside. Before he could even insert the card into the slot, he was pushed back with considerable force. Xu Yan's back hit the wall, and he opened his eyes wide in the dark. He was about to speak when Shen Zhi pressed against him. In that unexpected moment, Xu Yan thought Shen Zhi was going to hit him, but soon something hot pressed against his lips – Shen Zhi was kissing him.

Shen Zhi held Xu Yan tightly. Through the thick jacket, Xu Yan could feel Shen Zhi's body heat and his forceful heartbeat. Xu Yan's temples throbbed like drums, his body shivered with excitement and nervousness, and his back tingled. Shen Zhi's kiss was almost biting. He lifted his hand to grip Xu Yan's jaw, forcefully pushing his tongue inside. Xu Yan made a few muffled sounds, realising something was pressing against his lower abdomen. Suddenly, he pushed Shen Zhi away.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he could barely make out the other man’s face. Xu Yan gasped for breath, saliva still clinging to his lips. He wiped it off with a trembling hand and asked, "Do you know who I am?" Even if he was overjoyed, he realised that Shen Zhi was drunk, and some things, while they might deceive oneself, shouldn't be left unclear.

Shen Zhi didn't answer, quickly closing the distance again. He lowered his head and kissed and sucked on Xu Yan's neck and Adam's apple. Xu Yan froze, then suddenly heard Shen Zhi murmur, "Yan Yan?" His voice was a bit muffled and had the flavour of thirst and eagerness. Xu Yan's mind went blank for a moment, his blood boiling, his soul trembling. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Shen Zhi's neck, kissing the corner of his mouth. The two clung to each other tightly. Xu Yan’s coat fell open, and Shen Zhi’s hand slipped under his sweater, up to his waist, then higher. His fingertips felt like they were on fire, scorching a path up Xu Yan’s body, making his legs weak.

【They didn't go further, just touched, specific details omitted】

When Xu Yan got out of bed, his legs were still weak, and his palms were sweaty, unsure if it was Shen Zhi's sweat or his own. He went to the bathroom to clean up, then came out with a warm towel to wipe Shen Zhi’s face and neck, using tissues to clean up other areas. Finally, Xu Yan covered him with a blanket and laid down on the pillow next to him, watching him. He didn't know if it was the alcohol making Shen Zhi reveal his true feelings or if his rationality was simply scattered, but what if – what if Shen Zhi really had some feelings for him?

"Happy birthday," Xu Yan whispered. He leaned over and kissed Shen Zhi’s forehead, his nose, his cheeks, his lips, and his chin. Shen Zhi frowned. Xu Yan thought he was displeased and was about to pull back when Shen Zhi opened his mouth. Xu Yan tentatively licked his lips, his tongue exploring inside, and Shen Zhi gently hooked it with his own. They kissed messily for a while. Xu Yan saw Shen Zhi half-open his eyes, staring at him, though clearly not fully awake. Soon, Shen Zhi closed his eyes again, turned his head, and fell asleep.

Xu Yan stayed in the room until after ten, making sure Shen Zhi was deeply asleep, then got up, put on his coat, and quietly left, returning to the dormitory just before the curfew.

Xu Yan didn’t sleep all night, yet felt very energetic the next morning as he got up to catch the bus with his classmates. The journey took two and a half hours, and he didn’t dare close his eyes, afraid he might miss a message from Shen Zhi. But until they were about to get off the bus, there was no reply to his text, "Are you awake? Still feeling dizzy?" Meanwhile, the classmate next to him woke up from a nap – He was a high school classmate of Shen Zhi, who had also been at the birthday party last night and had returned very late, exhausted.

"You've got a lot of energy, huh?" The classmate yawned. "Oh, you left early last night."

As soon as he said that, scenes from the previous night replayed in Xu Yan's mind like a movie, making his heart race. He pretended to be casual and said, "Yeah, I left a bit earlier than you guys."

"Ai, I wonder if Shen Zhi’s chances of getting a girlfriend have increased after last night," the classmate suddenly said out of the blue.

Xu Yan froze, thinking he knew about what happened between him and Shen Zhi... but that was impossible. He looked out the window, then turned back, asking calmly, "What do you mean?"

"Well, er, it’s not really a big deal," the classmate said, shifting to a more comfortable position and leaning back. "Shen Zhi had a girlfriend in high school, a school beauty named Tang Yunyan. After she graduated and went abroad, they broke up but seemed to have kept in touch. Last month, I saw on Weibo that she was back in our city during a holiday. She posted a photo, and though it only showed a guy's wrist, the watch looked like the one Shen Zhi often wears, so it was probably him."

"Then last night, maybe after we cut the cake, Shen Zhi got a call. I caught a glimpse and saw it was from Tang Yunyan. Shen Zhi went out to take the call and drank a lot when he came back. Ai, I’m being nosy, but Shen Zhi hasn’t dated anyone in over two years. I think he and Tang Yunyan still have feelings and might get back together."

"They really suit each other. Tang Yunyan’s family is wealthy, she’s smart, did well in school, and she’s studying design abroad, mingling with industry big shots even before graduation, attending fashion shows and all that. I’m envious." The classmate continued, laughing slyly and lowering his voice. "Shen Zhi and she were quite close in high school. You couldn’t tell in public, but once I overheard him calling her ‘Yan Yan’ very naturally. I guess that’s what he called her in private. Damn, I was shocked Shen Zhi could call his girlfriend like that!"

As he finished speaking, the bus stopped. Everyone gathered their things and got off. Xu Yan numbly stood up, reaching for his backpack on the luggage rack. The water bottle in the side pocket slipped out and hit his head. The classmate gasped and asked if it hurt. Xu Yan stood there, dazed and pale, and after a while, he responded, "It doesn’t hurt. I’m fine."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 21, 2024 by Angel

Edited: June 27, 2024 by Angel