Chapter 60

Yu Chucheng shuddered at this sudden confinement, a cold chill running down his back.

He grit his teeth, his breathing hitching slightly faster than before, and his heartbeat began to preheat and accelerate. He used to think the bathroom in this apartment was quite large—spacious, bright, and with a window for ventilation.

But now, he found it difficult and taxing even to turn around in this space.

“Yeah, why?” Yu Chucheng began to feel inexplicably nervous. Duan Huaijin’s tone was no different from usual, like a natural, casual question, but his intuition told him that Duan Huaijin seemed a bit unhappy.

“She’s Ji Zhou’s cousin. Last time I went to the hotel with Ji Zhou, it was to help her settle the score with a scumbag. Besides, she’s a Beta; we’re just very good friends.”

Yu Chucheng blurted out whatever came to mind like a spilling bag of beans.

“How did you know her game ID was Xiao Shu? Have you two played together?”

Duan Huaijin’s eyelashes lowered slightly.

So Xiao Shu was just a game ID, not some deeply significant nickname.

“No.” The strength in Duan Huaijin’s hand loosened slightly as he looked down, staring at the segment of lean, firm waist before him.

Yu Chucheng’s exposed skin was usually white enough, but he hadn’t expected his waist to be even whiter. Not only was it white, but it was well-proportioned, with smooth lines and not a trace of extra fat.

The wet medicinal liquid trickled down that waistline, looking as if it were about to soak the clothes nearby. Duan Huaijin reached out and wiped it away with his palm.

“Hah—ugh—!”

Caught off guard, Yu Chucheng’s eyes flew wide, and his whole body jolted forward with a violent shudder.

Crap. I think I just made a very shameful sound.

Duan Huaijin also froze instantly, feeling as if his heart had been stepped on by the soft paw of a cat with its claws retracted.

Yu Chucheng’s face exploded into a brilliant red, and the temperature of his skin shot up instantly. He covered his mouth, pulling down his shirt in a state of terminal shame and indignation, babbling nonsensically, “The weather is great today, I’m going out first.”

With that, his limbs moving in stiff unison, he found a gap and slipped out of the bathroom as if his feet were greased.

Duan Huaijin looked at the residual liquid on his palm. A fire suddenly ignited in his chest, burning with a heat that left one’s mouth dry and throat parched. He tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing heavily. It took a long time to suppress that surge of restlessness.

“Chucheng? Chucheng?”

The person opposite him called twice before Yu Chucheng snapped out of his daze. “Huh? What is it?”

Xin Yihuan handed over the coffee menu. “I’ve made my choice. Take a look at what you want to drink; it’s my treat.”

Yu Chucheng rubbed his ear and took it. “No need. We agreed before I came that I’m treating you.”

Since hanging up on Xin Yihuan last time, Yu Chucheng had been looking for a chance to thank him in person. After all, it had been too rushed; [stolen content]he had hung up before Xin Yihuan even finished speaking.

Xin Yihuan was thrilled to receive Yu Chucheng’s message and agreed immediately. The two met at a cafe not far from the apartment. After ordering coffee, Yu Chucheng also ordered some desserts for Xin Yihuan.

Xin Yihuan hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help asking, “Did you go find Duan Huaijin later that night?”

Yu Chucheng propped his chin on his hand, withdrawing his gaze from the pedestrians passing outside the glass. “Ah, yeah. I mainly wanted to thank you for telling me that news today. If you run into any trouble in the future, just tell me. I’ll do my best to help you.”

Hearing that he hadn’t been asked out specifically for a “date,” Xin Yihuan bit his lip with a trace of dejection.

The server soon brought the rich, fragrant coffee. It was a bit hot, so Yu Chucheng sipped it slowly, the sunlight spilling over him in a quiet, beautiful glow. Xin Yihuan watched him, somewhat mesmerized, feeling a sudden impulse to confess his feelings directly.

“I…”

“I finally found you! Please, you have to help me!”

A voice interrupted Xin Yihuan’s unspoken words.

Duan Haixiang was wearing his construction site clothes, covered from head to toe in dust, with a pair of frayed army-green cloth shoes. When he pushed the door open, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

Yu Chucheng looked up to see Duan Haixiang walking straight toward him with a clear target, muttering pleas for help.

“I didn’t want to come to you, but I’ve got no choice left. The debt collectors are sleeping at our construction site and showing up at my house every few days. Please give me some money. I swear I’ll pay you back later.”

Yu Chucheng initially just thought the man looked familiar, but hearing about gambling debts, he remembered—this guy was Duan Huaijin’s adoptive father.

Duan Haixiang looked like he had just come from the site, a layer of dust still on his shoulders. His skin was dark, his lips chapped. He walked right up to Yu Chucheng and was about to kneel, looking like a pitiable man with no way out.

Xin Yihuan frowned, unpleasantly grabbing Duan Haixiang. “Who are you?”

Duan Haixiang didn’t want to deal with him at all; he shoved Xin Yihuan aside and reached out to hug Yu Chucheng’s leg. Yu Chucheng was pinned in his seat by Duan Haixiang, unable to stand or pull his leg away.

“This is a mess of your own making. Why should I help you pay your debts?”

Duan Haixiang rubbed snot and tears onto Yu Chucheng’s pants. “Aren’t you dating my son? For the sake of me being his father, help me out. Otherwise, the debt collectors will keep coming. What if they go crazy and do something to Duan Huaijin one day?”

Xin Yihuan heard the sound of his own heart breaking. He looked at Yu Chucheng. “You and Duan…”

Yu Chucheng’s head felt twice its size. “Who told you we were dating?”

Duan Haixiang paused. “I—I saw it with my own eyes. At the mouth of the alley, you two were hugging.”

The mouth of the alley?

Yu Chucheng suddenly remembered the sound in the alley that night. A black cat had run out and he thought he was overthinking it; it seemed someone really had been lurking in the shadows watching them.

Yu Chucheng stared into Duan Haixiang’s eyes. Duan Haixiang’s gaze flickered; he was clearly lying. Besides, if it really had been him that night, why wouldn’t he have just come out and asked for money then? It would be more tragic and “real” to beg in front of both Duan Huaijin and him, right? Why wait until now so sneakily?

It seemed someone was deliberately trying to draw the fire toward him.

Yu Chucheng gave a snort. “Why ask me for money? Doesn’t your son have any?”

Duan Haixiang shook his head frantically. “His family keeps a tight grip on things; he can’t pull out that much money at a moment’s notice. It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have gambled…”

Midway through, Duan Haixiang realized something was wrong and shut his mouth abruptly. He looked at Yu Chucheng in terror.

Was this kid baiting him or just asking randomly?

Xin Yihuan, standing aside, was lost. What did “his family keeps a tight grip” mean? Wasn’t Duan Huaijin his son?

Yu Chucheng knew Duan Haixiang had accidentally let it slip that he was talking about Zhang Hanzhou. He knit his brows. Only a few hundred thousand—the pocket money his brother tossed him was often that much. How could Zhang Hanzhou, the Eldest Young Master of the Zhang family, not produce that? This was too strange.

Duan Haixiang’s small eyes darted rapidly. He hurriedly grabbed Yu Chucheng’s leg again, sobbing with tears and snot.

“I really don’t want to affect your relationship or come begging you, but if this goes on, I won’t be able to live. If you don’t help me… then, then those debt collectors are going to find Duan Huaijin. You surely don’t want him to be threatened, right?”