Shen Yun’s expression remained unchanged, but his face became paler. He was silent for a long time and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Zhou Lan once saw construction workers smoking this kind of cigarettes on a construction site.

They were sold in small shops on the corners of streets and alleys for four or five yuan a pack, one of the cheapest on the market.

Based on this alone, Zhou Lan had concluded that the young man in front of him was very short of money.

Shen Yun didn’t notice Zhou Lan’s probing eyes, he just concentrated on knocking out a cigarette.

Zhou Lan looked at him with interest, and both of them were silent.

Shen Yun’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, and it took several tries for the flame to emerge.

As if he had been saved, he narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then held the smoke in his lungs for a while before slowly exhaling.

Zhou Lan didn’t urge him either and just quietly looked at his downcast eyes, silent, as the cigarette was puffed, one mouthful at a time.

The smoke dissipated, and Shen Yun pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. His eyes were slightly red as he said, “Okay.”

After Shen Yun said the word “Okay”, he became a lot more calm.

In the past, he had overdrawn too much on Xu Moran, and he might never have those feelings again in his future life.

The road to go might be very long.

If life was all about those cold, obscure things, perhaps one day he would choose to end it himself because he couldn’t stand it.

The occasional madness and self-trampling, the occasional pain and self-judgement, would remind him that this half-life still had a goal.

After coming back this time, he never thought about heaven again.

As he descended with Zhou Lan to the underground parking lot and came out of the elevator, the chill in the air spread from his damp clothes to his whole body.

He shivered a little, but his back was straight.

Zhou Lan glanced at him from the corner of his eye and didn’t say anything but turned on the heating after getting in the car.

Shen Yun looked out the window sideways, and the scene when he saw Xu Moran and Zhao Chun in Zhouquan flashed in his mind.

The man who used to touch his heartstrings so much was a blur when he thought about him at the moment.

He hooked his lips in self-deprecation.

Xu Moran seemed to have lost a lot of weight and his face didn’t look too good.

But his eyes at that time were full of joy, and it seemed that the Lanqiao project was likely to fall into Moxi’s hands.

Less than three months after Gao Xi’s death, Xu Moran was able to devote himself to his work.

Heh… there was really no one in this world who couldn’t live without anyone.

Did it turn out to be his own wishful thinking from the beginning?

He thought Xu Moran was a little more invested in him.

If he didn’t run into all that by accident, then today, he would still be immersed in that false happiness, right?

Was he too stupid, or were they too good at acting?

Maybe it was neither, it was just that he trusted the wrong person.

There was nothing to complain about. If it has been your own wishful thinking all along, then you should be willing to lose.

What he was not happy about was that till the end of the game, he didn’t even realise that he had been sitting at a table where the stakes were so high.

Shen Yun unconsciously gently pressed the wound on the back of his left hand, and the gauze was quickly stained with blood.

Zhou Lan glanced at it, then averted his gaze, and after a while suddenly asked, “What’s your name?”

“Huh?” Shen Yun blinked and pulled back his thoughts that had run far away, “Gao… Shen Yun.”

Zhou Lan raised his eyebrows: “You don’t even know your own name?”

“Shen Yun.” Shen Yun said in a low voice.

Zhou Lan let out a quiet chuckle; did this man really dare to come to him and offer himself? “Is your hand hurt?”

Shen Yun lowered his head, only to find that the wound had dyed the gauze red, and the unbearable pain of the burn was coming from the wound for a while.

He said softly: “I accidentally burned it.”

Zhou Lan raised his eyebrows and stopped talking.

***

When Shen Yun came out of the bathroom, he only had one of Zhou Lan’s T-shirts on his body, barely covering his buttocks.

His long white legs were thin and straight; his jet-black hair was still dripping with water, and his eyelashes were also wet.

Like a young deer that had been singled out, tender and delicious.

Zhou Lan knew that he was not wearing anything under his T-shirt.

His eyes wandered wantonly, and then he stretched out his hand, as if a lion king was looking down at his prey: “Come here.”

Shen Yun blinked and walked over very obediently.

Now that he agreed, there was nothing to be hypocritical about. He tried his best to be nonchalant, but his stiff back betrayed him.

This kind of thing would always bring about psychological discomfort.

Zhou Lan pulled him into his arms and stroked back his bangs, revealing a full forehead and a small widow’s peak in his hairline.

He lowered his head and kissed the corner of Shen Yun’s eye, the location of the peach blossom mole, switching from gentle licking and kissing to a shallow nibble.

His hand also reached into the clothes, rolled up the hem a little bit and then rose to pull off the only covering of the opponent.

Shen Yun shrank for a moment, then reached out and hugged Zhou Lan. Zhou Lan buried his head in Shen Yun’s neck, biting his Adam’s apple and clavicle.

One hand was kneading his chest, and the other hand was rubbing his waistline.

Shen Yun’s skin was tender and smooth, with a faint milky scent, like milk-flavoured jelly, soft, smooth and supple, and it felt so good in his hands.

The body under Zhou Lan’s palm quickly warmed up. Shen Yun raised his head, looked at the ceiling and tried to maintain a cooperative posture.

His thoughts floated far away, to the first time he was with Xu Moran at the age of eighteen…

In a small hotel, the two of them were so shy that they didn’t dare to look each other directly in the eyes.

Later, work became busier and busier, and this kind of thing became less and less frequent.

In fact, Gao Xi was not keen on these things; he preferred quiet companionship.

A meal, a cup of tea, a movie, a book… all were enjoyable.

But this body brought him a very different feeling. Under Zhou Lan’s skillful teasing, Shen Yun’s breathing became more and more rapid.

He realised helplessly that this body seemed to be more sensitive.

There was a cold touch in the crack of his buttocks, and Zhou Lan’s fingers broke into his body with lubricant.

Shen Yun’s body tightened abruptly; Zhou Lan bit his earlobe and said solemnly: “Relax.”

Shen Yun relaxed his body cooperatively. Zhou Lan poked the tip of his tongue into his auricle, licking and kissing gently: “First time?”

Shen Yun thought for a while, then said in a low voice, “I don’t know.”

He was silent for a while and then explained, “I was sick before, and I forgot all the previous things.”

Zhou Lan kissed the corner of his eye again and ordered him: “Focus!”

Shen Yun collected his thoughts and wholeheartedly felt Zhou Lan’s hands, lips and teeth igniting a fire in him.

Even though the other party was careful, he still turned pale with pain. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and back, and he gritted his teeth to endure without making a sound.

Zhou Lan first swayed his hips gently, waiting for the other party to adapt before opening him wide.

After the initial pain, Shen Yun slowly tasted the unbearable taste, a painful, itchy and numb sensation. He bit his lip but couldn’t help letting out a fragmented hum through his nose.

Zhou Lan loved his young and inexperienced look so much, and deliberately moved quickly and then slowly, first raising him to the peak and then pulling him down into the trough.

Like a cat with a mouse, combining teasing and playing, finely manipulating him. Not to mention the stimulation that this body provided him, it was psychologically extremely satisfying. 

Shen Yun was on the bed in a kneeling position, and Zhou Lan pressed his back down with one hand, causing his waist and hips to rise high. The milky white skin, covered with a thin layer of sweat, glistened faintly in the light, stunningly beautiful.

Under the opponent’s movements, Shen Yun could no longer bite his lips, and his thin, broken whimpers scattered, ending in long trailing tones that tantalised one’s heart.

There was already a sobbing sound in his voice, and his eyes overflowed with tears, their corners turning scarlet.

Even the light brown peach blossom mole turned crimson, like a small peach blossom blooming at the corner of his eye, full of charm and extremely flirtatious.

Zhou Lan admired his confusion, him looking like he was just about to surrender.

He gritted his teeth and said hoarsely: “Beg me.”

Shen Yun begged for mercy in a voice tinged with broken sobs.

Zhou Lan was finally satisfied.

Shen Yun gasped and collapsed on the bed, the skin all over his body flushed pink.

He buried his face deep in the pillow and calmed his breathing. His body was very sensitive just after orgasm.

Zhou Lan’s hand touched his back, his peach blossom mole, and then traced behind his ear across his neck, causing him to tremble.

Just as he was about to get up to take a shower, one of his legs was pulled up again.

Shen Yun opened his eyes wide in fright to look at Zhou Lan.

He saw the other party put one of his thin ankles on his shoulder, bracing himself again.

Shen Yun stared angrily, breathing chaotically, but in the end he said nothing, allowing the other party to sway with him.

The second time it took even longer. Shen Yun, tortured, begged for mercy again and again, and at the end of it was already in a semi-conscious state.

After finishing, Zhou Lan carried Shen Yun to the bathroom, and halfway through rinsing, his fingers reached in again.

Shen Yun panicked, his eyes widened in fright and he was about to push him away. Zhou Lan let out a low chuckle and said, “Let you off.”

Shen Yun was really afraid of him. After washing and being thrown on the bed, he immediately pulled the quilt to cover his body.

Then he silently knocked out a cigarette, leaning against the head of the bed, without saying a word, letting the taste of tobacco fill his mouth.

The cigarette relaxed him and soothed his taut nerves.

Zhou Lan was sitting on the sofa next to the bed, looking at Shen Yun’s designs.

He turned a few pages and frowned: “Has anyone ever said that your style resembles someone’s?”

More than that, if Gao Xi wasn’t dead, he would really suspect that this was Gao Xi’s own work.

Shen Yun nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Zhou Lan was also surprised after taking a look. Shen Yun’s style was something he liked.

It was because of Gao Xi’s designs that Moxi caught his eyes at the beginning, but it was a pity that Gao Xi had an accident, making him regret it for a long time.

‘A gentleman like jade’ was a good description of Gao Xi, but it was a pity that his life was so short.

Zhou Lan pondered for a moment before confessing: “To be honest, I like your designs very much, but you don’t have enough qualifications to get into the most common project in Zhouquan, let alone Lanqiao. You are just a small independent designer, can you follow up with the construction manpower, material and financial resources? Even if you can follow up, what experience do you have to complete a project? No matter how good the design is, it is just a piece of paper.”

He had also said something similar to Li Huan. Shen Yun squeezed his cigarette and looked at him intently.

Zhou Lan continued: “There are some small-scale projects of Zhouquan’s subsidiaries that are very suitable for you. If you can follow them, you can also gain a foothold in this circle.”

Having just relaxed, he was in a good mood, and it was rare for him to say so much.

Giving the other party such an opportunity, he felt that he was already being kind.

In fact, he was disdainful of Shen Yun; this young man was too eager to make quick gains.

But he indeed tasted delicious, and Zhou Lan hadn’t tasted enough yet.

And it was undeniable that the opponent’s talent in design was very high.

At this age, able to draw such designs, his future was indeed limitless, so his desire to make quick gains was not too annoying.

Shen Yun listened to him quietly; his gaze slowly became sharp, but then his eyes darkened again, until there was no longer even the slightest light in them.

He slowly got out of bed and took off his T-shirt in front of Zhou Lan.

Then he bent over with difficulty and picked up the cold clothes that he had taken off and left on the floor, dripping with moisture, and put them on his body piece by piece.

Zhou Lan frowned: “Are you losing your temper? What’s wrong with what I said? Speak.”

Shen Yun smiled faintly: “President Zhou is right, but my goal from beginning to end was Lanqiao, and I never concealed it, right?”

He smiled self-deprecatingly, “If President Zhou wants to play with me for nothing, just say so, why bother to be so complicated?”

Zhou Lan snorted coldly with disdain: “Shen Yun, do you really regard yourself as a fairy? Tell me clearly where I played with you for nothing?”

Shen Yun interrupted him: “I’m not here to sell myself, President Zhou, please understand this.”

He adjusted his breathing and continued calmly: “What I want is Lanqiao. I made it very clear from the beginning.”

Zhou Lan’s face darkened as he looked directly at him. As if not seeing him, Shen Yun reached out and took his design drafts.

“It would be fine if you weren’t satisfied after seeing these, but you are clearly satisfied.”

He turned a few pages and continued, “Or if you had just told me from the beginning that no matter what the result was after taking a look, you wouldn’t give me any chance to enter Lanqiao. Then I wouldn’t go with you.”

He raised his eyes and smiled, his gaze mocking: “So, call me dumb or stupid, but I really don’t know what President Zhou means. Can President Zhou tell me?”

Shen Yun lowered his eyes after speaking, looking agreeable and well-behaved, but in fact being stubborn and sharp.

He had actually used human inertial thinking to calculate Zhou Lan from the beginning.

Zhou Lan was silent for a moment; the other party did say straightforwardly that he wanted to enter Lanqiao.

And he did not make it clear to the other party that even if he was satisfied, he would not let him enter Lanqiao.

Zhou Lan smiled bitterly. After keeping eagles all his life, he was pecked in the eye by an eagle (make a low-level mistake). Was he calculated?

He was not sure.

This kid was so young, how could he be so scheming?

It was his own carelessness, right?

Shen Yun waited for a while, but saw that the other party didn’t speak, so he stopped looking, turned and walked to the door.

He turned himself into a gambler, he was betting, betting on that one-in-a-thousand chance.

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