Chapter 38: The Esteemed General’s Shamelessness (1)
Editor: SleepyMango123
“Don’t,” Shen Zhifan couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s pretty funny.”
Yan Shuo, “…”
The esteemed General thought of his drunken actions last night, and somewhat dejected, commemorated his own image that could never be retrieved.
Shen Zhifan heard the silence, yet his heart was inexplicably light.
“Oh, right—”
“I—”
The two of them spoke at the same time, then both sunk into an awkward silence. Yan Shuo laughed lightly.
“You go first.”
“Actually, I don’t have anything important to say,” As Shen Zhifan spoke, he walked into his house and poured himself some water. He’d been a bit dry-mouthed since just then, “How about you go first?”
“En…Alright, I just wanted to ask,” Yan Shuo couldn’t help but clear his throat. He held a wine glass with a faint golden-coloured liquid inside, but didn’t drink it, simply looking at it calmly. “Last night, I did something to you, right?”
Shen Zhifan, unprepared, spit out most of his water with a ‘pfff!’.
Yan Shuo didn’t think his reaction would be so strong, and suddenly swallowed the words he’d been about to say.
“I…Well, you,” Shen Zhifan was somewhat incoherent. Thinking of last night’s situation, he couldn’t help but redden, and could only say dryly, “You are really too direct.”
Yan Shuo’s heart jumped, afraid that he’d scared the other again, “Then, I shouldn’t ask.”
“…It’s fine,” Shen Zhifan answered quietly, “Actually, it wasn’t much, you just…kissed me a little.”
It was just a kiss.
His voice and tone lifted Yan Shuo’s spirits. Even his irritation from coming home for the dinner party was somewhat mitigated.
“Yan Shuo, why aren’t you coming out yet?”
The canary was chirping from outside. Annoyed, he directly locked the door.
Alright, now that was out of the way.
“The noise on your side seems to have gotten quieter,” Shen Zhifan asked, suspicious, “The family dinner party should be very lively, right?”
“It’s alright,” Yan Shuo put down the wine glass, taking and lighting a cigarette from a drawer, “My relationships with them are nothing great.”
Suddenly hearing this, Shen Zhifan was somewhat dazed.
“Today is a public holiday on the emperor planet. At the end of the year, most families will get together.” Yan Shuo didn’t want to make Shen Zhifan sad, so he continued, “But it’s just a holiday on the emperor planet, most other places wouldn’t have it.”
“…Ah, so it was like this,” Shen Zhifan pulled open the window curtains, looking at the fireworks glittering outside, the blaze lighting up his upturned face, “Before, we would also celebrate the new year, but…”
But , Shen Zhifan suddenly froze.
But it wasn’t like that today, and it was difficult to ever have a family gathering again.
Even Shen Zhirou wasn’t home. He glanced inside and didn’t find anyone; he guessed that she’d gone out to have fun.
Yan Shuo fell silent for a moment. Sure enough, there hadn’t been a way to avoid this topic.
“Zhifan.”
Shen Zhifan suddenly heard his name called by the other man, and his heart shook. His dismalness from just then was slowly pushed under by his emotions.
“Don’t be sad, I will stay with you.”
His eyelashes trembled, and his mood eased somewhat, but there was still some pressure. “I…I don’t remember actually so it might have been better, but to part forever, I’ve only thought about it before. I never thought it would be so sudden.”
He was incoherent, and it almost sounded like he was drunk, but Yan Shuo understood.
Whether it was separated in life or in death, there would forever be a mountainous weight.
“But it’s fine,” Shen Zhifan took a deep breath, “That’s all in the past after all, and humans…have to look forward.”
Yan Shuo let out a breath, the fireworks outside scorching hot—but the light that hit his face was somehow cold.
He wanted to hold the other, but it was a little difficult.
Right now, he was at the centre of the emperor planet, while Shen Zhifan was at the southern part, a long distance between them.
“In your eyes,” Yan Shuo asked slowly, “What kind of person am I?”
“…En?” Shen Zhifan blanked, then reacted immediately, “You’re very powerful ah. When I was younger, you were already really powerful—I, I always remember back then…”
“Zhifan,” Yan Shuo seemed to be forcing a smile, “Can you not call me so formally <sup>1</sup> Shen Zhifan has been using the formal ‘you’ every time he talks to Yan Shuo again?”
Shen Zhifan’s face was aflame once again, “I don’t know how else to call you.”
“Calling me like that, just then,” Yan Shuo paused, “Makes me feel like I’m so old, like I’m swindling a child or something.”
Shen Zhifan couldn’t drink his water in peace, so he put the cup down.
“N-no, you’re still very young.”
Shen Zhifan tried to explain helplessly, using his fingers as he counted, “When you were twenty-one, I was sixteen – there’s only five years between us. Five years, five years isn’t a lot, the auntie that was my neighbour was ten years younger than her husband, but they were still very affectionate, en….right.”
Yan Shuo couldn’t help but laugh, imagining the reddened cheeks and innocent eyes of the youth, and couldn’t hold back his teasing, “En, right. In any case, I’m your husband.”
Shen Zhifan hadn’t quite reacted, but when he did, his fingers started to shake.
He couldn’t help but crouch down; Shen Zhifan liked to crouch down when he got nervous.
“Don’t make fun of me.” A little ashamed, he spoke angrily.
“I’m not willing to make fun of you.” The other man answered him readily.
“…”
Defeated, Shen Zhifan’s face was as red as a pomegranate; he couldn’t stop himself from launching his body onto the sofa and rolling around.
“What are you doing?” Yan Shuo heard some strange noises from the other end of the line.
Shen Zhifan hesitated for a moment, but was still very honest towards his male god, “Rolling on the sofa.”
Yan Shuo’s voice suddenly deepened, “Rolling with who on the sofa?”
Shen Zhifan blanked again; Yan Shuo’s voice deepening like that was quite scary. WIth a sharp edge like that, it sounded like he could stop little kids from crying at night, “Just—by myself.”
Yan Shuo was laughing inside, and he almost couldn’t maintain his tone, “Really?”
“Really ah!” Shen Zhifan earnestly replied, “It’s just me by myself.”
“Then, next time,” Yan Shuo’s throat tightened, “Do you want to try it with me?”
Again, Shen Zhifan was slow to react; after all, his male god’s image was always too high and profound. When he did, he could only helplessly shout, “Y-You’re really shameless!”
Yan Shuo was so pleased that he almost laughed out loud.
“I always,” Shen Zhifan was teased to the point where he had to separate his sentence, “Thought that you were such an upstanding role model.”
Yan Shuo was completely tickled by him, “En, aren’t I?”
“A role model wouldn’t casually flirt with other people,” Shen Zhifan hugged a cushion, imagining that it was Yan Shuo, blushing as he idly poked at it.
“I’m not casually flirting with others,” Yan Shuo seemed to be earnestly explaining, “You’re not ‘other people’ ah.”
Shen Zhifan, still flushed, was speechless.
“Alright,” Yan Shuo looked down at the time, “I won’t tease you anymore. Sleep early, baby.”
Just as Shen Zhifan was about to react, the last nickname scared him so much that he almost dropped his phone.
“Don’t call me random things ah.”
Shen Zhifan was heated.
“How is it random?” Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow, “Like this? Baby, baby, baby?”
Shen Zhifan, “…”
For the first time, Shen Zhifan found that there was this actually kind of side to his role model, his male god.
“You’re more different than I imagined,” Shen Zhifan pretended to be angry, “Return my male god to me, okay?”
Yan Shuo couldn’t stop himself from smiling, “Baby, you must have misunderstood your male god.”
“But it doesn’t matter. Next time, on the couch, I can let you thoroughly understand.”
Shen Zhifan, who’d been lying on the sofa, now almost couldn’t look straight at it after he said this.
“I’m going to sleep.” Shen Zhifan, his face red, interrupted him. Then, he deadpanned, “I hope that from now on, your thoughts can move a step closer towards sublimation.”
“No need,” Yan Shuo felt that he didn’t need his image or his face anymore, and started to act shamelessly, “I hope the physical distance between my body and yours can move a step closer towards sublimation.”
…Shen Zhifan was completely shocked.
“Goodbye!” Flushing with shame, he wanted to hang up. However, he somehow couldn’t press the button, or he was reluctant to.
The other man seemed to have noticed his reluctance, and finally became a little more serious.
“Goodnight.”
“…En.” Shen Zhifan answered softly.
“Oh, right,” Yan Shuo suddenly remembered something, “I almost forgot the most important thing.”
Shen Zhifan blanked, “What now?”
“En, it’s what I said before,” Yan Shuo spoke slowly, his voice like faint sheets of rain falling into an ancient well, “The things I did to you yesterday, I just wanted you to know that—”
Shen Zhifan thought that he wanted to apologise, and hurried to say, “It’s fine, actually, I…”
“I’ve always wanted to do that to you.”
Shen Zhifan, “…”
Hey, he really became shameless overnight.
Yet Shen Zhifan could only redden, not even having the strength to speak more, “Fine, fine, as long as you’re happy.”
Yan Shuo propped up his chin, imagining the youth’s embarrassed appearance, “You’re so cute, baby.”
“Just you wait,” Shen Zhifan had a burst of energy, “I also have a lot of things that I’ve always wanted to do to you!”
Yan Shuo finally laughed out loud, almost unable to stop.
Listening to him laugh, Shen Zhifan suddenly realised what he’d just said, but since he couldn’t take it back, he could only brace himself and keep listening.
“Alright, I’ll wait.” In the end, Yan Shuo finished off the faintly golden drink in his glass, “I’ll wait for you to come do those things that you’ve always wanted to do to me.”
Shen Zhifan felt that he himself had also become shameless, “You don’t even plan….you don’t even plan to confess? Are you so irresponsible?”
“I don’t plan on it, “ The esteemed General spoke cleanly, extremely honest, “Moreover, I’d like to take responsibility for you on the sofa.”
1
Shen Zhifan has been using the formal ‘you’ every time he talks to Yan Shuo