One-way Access

Xia Wennan had yet to figure out what was currently happening. His upper body was at Ming Luchuan’s mercy, his feet stumbling over each other as the other man towed him along. “President Ming, what are you doing?” he asked. 

Ming Luchuan’s tone was laced with stifled fury. “I told you not to call me President Ming.”

“Huh?” said Xia Wennan.

Ming Luchuan dragged Xia Wennan all the way to the bathroom and dumped him in the bathtub, saying, “Strip!”

Xia Wennan covered his chest in alarm. “What are your intentions towards me?”

Ming Luchuan towered over him, looking down. He was practically gnashing his teeth as he asked, “Xia Wennan—are you sick in the head?”

Xia Wennan put down the hand covering his chest and wrapped them around his head instead. “Oh no, I’ve been found out!”

Ming Luchuan took a deep breath, took off his suit jacket that had been creased from dragging Xia Wennan, unbuttoned his shirt, and rolled up his cuffs. 

Xia Wennan sat cross-legged in the bathtub. He looked up at Ming Luchuan and called out, “President Ming.”

Ming Luchuan paid him no heed.

Xia Wennan patted his chest. “Look at me.”

Ming Luchuan turned on the shower. In an instant, hot water sprayed out and drenched Xia Wennan’s head.

It didn’t take long before Xia Wennan was soaked from head to toe, but the fact that he was sitting cross-legged in the bathtub escaped his notice entirely. He patted his chest again and bellowed, “Ming Luchuan, I told you to look at me!”

Ming Luchuan glanced at him at long last. “I told you to take your clothes off.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Wennan grabbed hold onto the edge of the bathtub and stood up on shaky knees. He was still wearing slippers and narrowly slipped in the tub.

Ming Luchuan reached out to steady him.

Xia Wennan batted Ming Luchuan’s hand away. “I don’t need your help.” He took hold of his sopping wet T-shirt and pulled it over his head, cast it aside, and said, “I told you to look at me.”

Ming Luchuan looked at him expressionlessly. 

Xia Wennan then began taking off his pants, slipping off his damp shorts and slippers and wrapping them in a bundle, before reluctantly removing his briefs. Standing under the showerhead, he took a deep breath, but before he could speak his mind, he inhaled water through his nose and bent over and coughed in pain.

It took a good while before he could prop himself up against the wall and stay on his feet, which was when he told Ming Luchuan, “I’m an upright and dignified person. I don’t have anything to hide.”

“What on earth are you on about?” Ming Luchuan’s voice deepened. 

“Although my brain isn’t working like it’s supposed to right now,” Xia Wennan began, “as long as I, Xia Wennan, am alive, I’ll always be that amazing, genius perfumer.”

Ming Luchuan was silent for a moment before he said, “You are.”

The water got into Xia Wennan’s eyes. He scrubbed them with his hand and flung his head back in discomfort, asking, “I’m what?”

The water on Xia Wennan’s face landed on Ming Luchuan. He wiped it away with a finger. “You’re whatever you want to be.”

Xia Wennan reached out to clap his shoulder. “You get me.”

A damp handprint was left on the fabric over Ming Luchuan’s right shoulder. “Has your shower sobered you up yet?”

In lieu of answering his question, Xia Wennan barrelled on, “You were the only one by my side when I woke up. Even though I’ve never said so, I’m actually really grateful to you.”

“Really? Don’t you want to divorce me?”

Xia Wennan nodded. “I don’t think we work as husbands—but we can still be bros.”

“No one wants to be your bro,” Ming Luchuan’s tone was already icy. 

His words went unheard, and Xia Wennan simply spoke to himself, “Predestined bros from a past life.” After that, he suddenly recalled an important matter and said, “By the way, someone once said that there’s a red mole on my butt. You have to help me check—is it really there?”

“What if it’s there? And if it isn’t there?”

“If it isn’t?” Xia Wennan seemed a little angry. “If it’s not there, that means he tricked me! I’ll beat his ass!” He then turned his back to Ming Luchuan, braced his hands on the edge of the tub, and bent over. “Hurry up and check for me.”

As he bent over, Xia Wennan immediately felt his blood rushing to his head, and his dizziness grew tenfold. The sound of water in his ears isolated him from the outside world. It was only once he’d bent over did he recall his initial purpose, so he asked loudly, “Is it there?”

When he didn’t hear an answer, he had no choice but to turn around, only to realise that Ming Luchuan was no longer in the bathroom. He was the only one inside. 

Xia Wennan dumbly froze in place for a while. He slowly slid down until he lay on his back, staring at the drops of water trickling down his head. His body felt light as a feather, and he gradually lost his consciousness.

Xia Wennan slept very deeply. The last time he slept so soundly was probably during his coma following his car accident. He sank into a void of silence, and his sleep was devoid of dreams. 

His consciousness returned to him in stages. He felt a splitting headache before opening his eyes, and the pain wasn’t limited to that—it was as if his body was severely worn out, as if he had yet to recover from a serious illness. 

He opened his eyes to faintly unfamiliar surroundings, but he couldn’t mull over that at the moment because his entire focus was on the fact that he and Ming Luchuan were in the same bed. The man was lying next to him, fast asleep, so Xia Wennan pushed at him and asked, in a pained tone, “Did you beat me up?”

When Ming Luchuan opened his eyes, the first thing he did was move back to keep his distance from Xia Wennan. “Do you remember what happened last night?”

“Last night? What happened?” Xia Wennan could only recall buying beers on his way home, and the last thing he remembered was drinking in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ming Luchuan simply said, “You got wasted.”

Xia Wennan lifted a hand to his head. “Really? I’ve never been wasted.” He’d gone out for drinks with his classmates before, but at most he’d only gotten a little tipsy. He’d never drank until he passed out before. “What did I do?” he asked, and it was only then that he realised that he was butt naked under the blankets. His eyes then snapped to Ming Luchuan, and his question became, “What did you do to me?”

“What did I do to you?” Ming Luchuan scoffed. “You’re the one who stripped naked and knelt in front of me and ordered me to look at you.”

“There’s no way!” Xia Wennan didn’t even pause to consider before immediately denying it. 

“Believe whatever you want.” Ming Luchuan tore away the blanket and got out of bed.

Seeing that Ming Luchuan was still dressed in his nightclothes, Xia Wennan felt a little relieved. While Ming Luchuan entered the bathroom, he lifted the blanket and examined his body. Upon finding no unusual marks, he hurriedly climbed out of bed and opened the door to return to his own bedroom. 

When he emerged from his room in a clean pair of clothes and found that Ming Luchuan was in the kitchen, he walked over and saw that the man was frying eggs. 

Ming Luchuan had a sharp and distinct side profile. His lips were shut tight, and his thick lashes were slightly downcast.

“Still upset?” Xia Wennan asked as he drew near. 

Without sparing a glance his way, Ming Luchuan quietly shuffled aside. 

Xia Wennan was a little hurt. “What’s with the sudden distance?”

“Are you aware that you still reek of alcohol?” said Ming Luchuan.

Xia Wennan covered his mouth with both hands. “Sorry.”

Ming Luchuan fried eggs, made toast, brewed coffee, and brought everything to the table. He and Xia Wennan sat across from each other and had breakfast.

“Was I really that wasted?” Xia Wennan probed.

Ming Luchuan’s gaze pierced into him. 

Xia Wennan tried again, “Did you do anything to me or not?”

“Hmph!” 

Xia Wennan inwardly dismissed that. He first apologised, then took a slice of bread and spread butter all over it before taking large bites. “You’re not going to work today?” he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ming Luchuan picked up the coffee in an elegant manner and sipped it unhurriedly. After a while, he put it back down and said, “I’m accompanying you to the hospital for a check-up.”