I Can Still Salvage It

Shen Mian lay weakly on the bed, his eyes slightly swollen from sobbing too much from pleasure last night. The bottom of his eyes had a pinkish shade, making him look pitiful yet adorable.

He wasn’t wearing a bathrobe, and the clear marks of kisses were visible on his body, extending from the back of his neck all the way down his spine.

Pei Zhiyi regained his gentleness and fed him warm juice.

Shen Mian bit the straw and drank the juice, feeling that he wouldn’t be deceived by Pei Zhiyi anymore. After all, that damn scoundrel had pressed him down three times, even crying and begging for mercy was useless.

Shen Mian shook his head halfway through drinking, indicating that he didn’t want it anymore. Pei Zhiyi placed the juice on the bedside table, sat on the bed, and pulled Shen Mian back into his embrace. He affectionately rubbed Shen Mian’s head, without saying anything, but it carried the meaning of a satisfied beast.

Shen Mian lay on top of Pei Zhiyi, feeling tired.

He recalled the things Pei Zhiyi had said to him on the bed last night and curiously asked in a hoarse voice, “Did you really dream of me often before? Did you treat me like this in your dreams too?”

He stared at Pei Zhiyi and asked again, “Are you like this with me in your dreams as well?”

He wasn’t interrogating or blaming, he was just a bit curious.

Pei Zhiyi didn’t hide anything either. He touched Shen Mian’s hair and lazily replied, “It was even more excessive than this.”

Shen Mian exclaimed, “People are really not what they seem. I won’t trust you anymore, you are truly a scoundrel.”

Pei Zhiyi didn’t argue. He kissed Shen Mian’s forehead and said, “I was never a gentleman, especially not when it comes to you.”

Because Shen Mian was exhausted the night before, they rested until evening before starting their journey back home.

In the morning, when they had breakfast, the room service not only brought them breakfast but also a bouquet of fresh roses and red bean paste. It was a gift from the couple suite. Although the waiter explained that the red bean paste was a special snack of the hotel, Shen Mian blushed from his neck to his red ears, suspecting that the waiter could tell what “good things” he and Pei Zhiyi did the previous night.

After the waiter left, Shen Mian couldn’t wait and kicked Pei Zhiyi. His eyes were filled with shyness and irritation, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Pei Zhiyi wasn’t angry at all, but rather in a good mood.

Across from him, Shen Mian sat in the morning light, wearing only a blue bathrobe. He looked beautiful, like a piece of delicate jade. The red color of the roses reflected on his eyebrows, adding a touch of charm. Even when he glared at him complainingly, he still resembled an exquisite beauty in a painting.

In the end, Shen Mian finished eating the bowl of red bean paste, and then he and Pei Zhiyi lay on the bed watching a movie.

During that time, system 007 appeared once and quietly announced that they were awarded 100 points for completing a hidden mission.

“Congratulations to host Pei Zhiyi for completing the hidden mission. Host Shen Mian, you also receive 100 points.”

This time, 007 didn’t need to explain, and Shen Mian knew exactly what those points were for.

Although 007’s electronic voice remained flat, Shen Mian could sense a teasing tone.

He couldn’t argue with a system, so he buried his face in the covers. Fortunately, after saying that, 007 went offline. Recently, it had been absent frequently, seemingly occupied with matters related to the main system.

Pei Zhiyi stroked Shen Mian’s hand and quickly calculated their accumulated points in his mind. He announced, “We only need 80 more points.”

Shen Mian’s happiness was evident on his face. “Really?”

Pei Zhiyi couldn’t help but smile. “Really.”

They were very close to reaching 1000 points, just a step away.

Considering the time, they had less than a month left for the mission.

Around five o’clock, Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi checked out and left. They were picked up by a driver from the Pei family. The journey was not too bumpy, and Shen Mian had applied some ointment on his butt, but he still felt a bit sore and swollen.

Upon arriving home, Yu Lian and Su Ying had just returned from shopping with Shen Yu. The five of them entered the house together, and Shen Changhe had just finished preparing dinner. The table was full, and the three adults even opened a bottle of red wine.

Su Ying asked Shen Mian, “How was the hot spring hotel you went to? If it’s good, your aunt and I might go there too.”

Shen Mian looked into his mother’s eyes, feeling a bit guilty, and replied, “It’s alright, not much different from other hotels.”

He was clearly downplaying it, as that newly opened hotel was known for its service and great scenery.

After hearing his answer, Su Ying lost interest and went to tell Shen Changhe about the art gallery they visited in the afternoon.

After dinner, Shen Mian sat on the sofa and played a game with Shen Yu. Then he made an excuse to take Pei Zhiyi back to the room, saying he had homework to do.

Su Ying found it strange. “I’ve never seen you so diligent before.”

Shen Mian pretended not to hear and quickly pulled Pei Zhiyi upstairs.

But as soon as the door closed and locked, he revealed his true self, whining and complaining in Pei Zhiyi’s embrace, “My butt hurts.”

Pei Zhiyi knew he was at fault, but since he had helped him apply the ointment, he didn’t have any other tricks up his sleeve for the time being. In the end, he could only hold Shen Mian with one hand and let him sit on his lap, while using his other hand to help Shen Mian with his winter break homework.

Previously, he would only supervise Shen Mian as he did his homework. When it came to academics, he was more reliable than Su Ying and Shen Changhe. Not only did he not allow Shen Mian to do less, but sometimes he even assigned additional problems, which had once driven Shen Mian to the point of wanting to run away from home.

Now, Shen Mian leisurely sat in Pei Zhiyi’s embrace, eating cake, with cake crumbs scattered all over him.

He thought, so this is the treatment for newlyweds in the bridal chamber. If they were to do it every night, wouldn’t Pei Zhiyi be helping him with homework all the time?

As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t even eat the cake anymore, and his restless fingers began to touch Pei Zhiyi’s collarbone. There was a red bite mark there, imprinted on Pei Zhiyi’s fair skin like a medal.

He traced that patch of skin with his fingers, moving upward, until he reached Pei Zhiyi’s rolling Adam’s apple.

Pei Zhiyi’s writing speed became slower and slower, and in the end, he simply stopped writing. He lifted Shen Mian’s face and exchanged a long sensual kiss with him.

The fountain pen rolled off the table, splattering ink on the wooden floor.

A hint of night breeze seeped through the window gap, gently lifting the corner of a page of the book on the table. The printed line of poetry read, “On this evening, seeing this beloved.”

The two of them were inside the house doing something, completely unknown to the others in the house. The others played cards and chatted together, commenting on how Pei Zhiyi and Shen Mian had been brothers for so many years and still stuck together, never getting tired of each other.

Yu Lian threw down two sevens and said, “Mainly because Mian Mian has a good personality. If it were someone else, Zhiyi would have lost his temper a long time ago.”

Su Ying shook her head. “Forget it, it’s just that Zhiyi spoils our little fool. He even made plans for Mian Mian’s university. By the way, did Zhiyi tell you which university he wants to attend?”

Yu Lian didn’t actually know. Pei Zhiyi always had his own ideas and rarely discussed such matters with her and Pei An.

The few of them played cards leisurely and chatted away. When it was half past ten, Yu Lian went to knock on Shen Mian’s door and asked Pei Zhiyi to go back with her.

They had agreed to spend the day at their grandparents’ house.

Shen Mian escorted Pei Zhiyi to the courtyard. In front of the parents, he couldn’t say anything, but his eyes were filled with reluctance.

Pei Zhiyi also couldn’t move his feet, standing like a statue at the front door.

They had just spent many nights together, but that night they would be separated. Neither of them wanted to part.

Finally, Yu Lian brought the car over, and Pei Zhiyi had no choice but to leave.

“I’ll come to see you in a couple of days,” he said in a low voice.

Shen Mian nodded obediently, watching Pei Zhiyi’s back from behind the fence. It was then that he fully understood the heartache of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

1The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, also known as the Chinese legend of “Niulang and Zhinü,” is a famous love story in Chinese mythology.

It is often referred to as the Chinese equivalent of the Western tale of Romeo and Juliet.

According to the legend, Niulang (the Cowherd) and Zhinü (the Weaver Girl) were two celestial beings who fell in love and got married. However, their union was forbidden by the gods, and they were separated, forced to live on opposite sides of the Milky Way

The story represents the longing and yearning for love, as well as the belief that true love can overcome all obstacles, even the vast separation of the stars. It has been a source of inspiration for numerous poems, songs, and works of art throughout Chinese history.

1The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, also known as the Chinese legend of “Niulang and Zhinü,” is a famous love story in Chinese mythology.

It is often referred to as the Chinese equivalent of the Western tale of Romeo and Juliet.

According to the legend, Niulang (the Cowherd) and Zhinü (the Weaver Girl) were two celestial beings who fell in love and got married. However, their union was forbidden by the gods, and they were separated, forced to live on opposite sides of the Milky Way

The story represents the longing and yearning for love, as well as the belief that true love can overcome all obstacles, even the vast separation of the stars. It has been a source of inspiration for numerous poems, songs, and works of art throughout Chinese history.