Brother, you smell good - 78

 

| BYSG | Help Each Other | 78

Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei dawdled in the courtyard for quite a while before finally opening the door and going inside.

With Father Cheng’s patient explanation, Mother Cheng eventually understood what he was trying to express.

The four of them felt a bit awkward.

However, this slight awkwardness actually helped ease a lot of the initial tension.

Sitting at the table filled with a lavish lunch, the atmosphere gradually relaxed from its initial stiffness.

In fact, it wasn’t much different from the many times Shen Yu had visited Cheng Mofei’s home before—except that his parents were noticeably more enthusiastic this time.

After finishing their meal, the two of them didn’t head back to school right away. Instead, they stayed at home and didn’t return that night either.

Yancheng’s winter break started in early January, and with December being the exam month, many of their courses had already wrapped up. Their usual Monday morning class had ended, so staying over for a night didn’t pose any issue.

Besides, Fang Xiang was arriving in Yancheng on Monday, and they planned to pick him up together. Leaving straight from home after lunch tomorrow would be even more convenient.

This was the first time in Shen Yu’s life that he had ever stayed overnight at Cheng Mofei’s house.

Cheng Mofei had specially prepared an exceptionally comfortable new pillow for Shen Yu, placing it right next to his own.

In addition to that, he had also prepared duplicates of many daily necessities, as if he was planning for Shen Yu to come over and stay frequently in the future.

Fortunately, Cheng Mofei’s bedroom was already quite spacious, so turning it into a shared room was more than manageable.

As night fully set in, Cheng Mofei dug out an old set of his pajamas from the wardrobe and even ordered delivery for a few pairs of disposable underwear in Shen Yu’s size.

With a dryer at home, they could wash and dry clothes immediately, making it convenient for the next day.

“I have a bathtub in my bathroom. Do you want to use it?” Cheng Mofei asked, blinking rapidly, a clear sign that his mind had started wandering elsewhere.

He still remembered how, a long time ago, he had wanted to give Shen Yu a proper scrub in the bath.

After soaking in the tub, it would be the perfect time to give him a gentle scrub.

Cheng Mofei had some basic bath tools in his bathroom, just enough for a light scrub. Since it was Shen Yu’s first time experiencing this, he couldn’t be too rough.

Now that everything between them had been laid bare and they were officially together, Shen Yu naturally didn’t mind being physically close or even seeing each other without reservation. 

So, he nodded and openly invited, “Do you want to join me?”

Surprisingly, the one who had initiated the topic, Cheng Mofei, suddenly felt a little shy. But he didn’t back down, he blushed slightly and agreed with red-tipped ears.

Taking a warm bath in winter was already a luxury, but doing it with the person you loved made it even better.

Cheng Mofei even went to his mom to ask for a bath salt ball. It wasn’t his favorite orange-scented one, but it was still fragrant enough and would do for now.

Next time, he would make sure to stock up on orange-scented bath salts—so he and Shen Yu could enjoy more baths together.

After filling the tub, the two of them finally started undressing.

The once oblivious, shameless straight guy now didn’t dare to let his gaze wander anywhere near Shen Yu. He kept his head down, focusing on taking off his own clothes properly. 

Once done, he just stood there stiffly, pretending to busy himself by rearranging items on the shelf as if it were the most important task in the world.

That was until Shen Yu, already seated in the tub, called out to him.

Cheng Mofei froze for a second before finally gathering the courage to shift his gaze toward him. Meeting Shen Yu’s eyes, he obediently walked over, carefully stepping into the tub. 

The warmth of the water wrapped around him as he lowered himself in, legs slightly bent, his gaze instinctively cast downward.

The bathtub wasn’t small, but it wasn’t exactly spacious either, having two grown men soaking in it inevitably led to some physical contact.

Shen Yu quickly noticed Cheng Mofei’s embarrassment. Remembering all the times he had suffered under this former straight guy’s obliviousness, he suddenly felt an urge for a little playful “revenge.” 

Smirking slightly, he deliberately teased, “Are we just going to sit here stiffly like this?”

Cheng Mofei blinked nervously and immediately tried to change the subject. “Do you… want to watch something? There’s a phone stand right here, we can find something to watch.”

"I don't want to watch."

"Then…"

Before Cheng Mofei could finish his sentence, his words abruptly cut off.

Shen Yu suddenly leaned in closer, slipping his hand under the water to brush over Cheng Mofei’s abs.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he followed up with a teasing remark, "No video could be more enjoyable to watch than you."

Shen Yu had always been the composed and reserved type, rarely showing a playful or flirtatious side.

But people weren’t one-dimensional or unchanging. Right now, it was just the two of them—there was no need for restraint.

Cheng Mofei’s Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily, his body tensing slightly.

A thought flashed across his mind, clear and undeniable—"Shen Yu is teasing me."

His mind wandered back to a long, long time ago, back when he still considered himself a "straight guy." He had once brazenly let Shen Yu touch his abs, even complaining that Shen Yu’s touch was too light, that it tickled. 

He had even grabbed Shen Yu’s hand and pressed it harder against his muscles.

And now…

Cheng Mofei couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly grabbed Shen Yu’s restless hand, stopping it from wandering any further.

His lips pressed into a tight line, and his light brown eyes were filled with panic.

Something was threatening to rise uncontrollably.

Shen Yu blinked innocently but made no move to pull his hand back. Then, out of nowhere, he casually brought up an old memory. “Do you remember the movie we watched together the first time I came to your house?”

Just a second ago, Cheng Mofei had been drowning in a wildfire of emotions. Now, Shen Yu’s sudden remark yanked him back to reality with a jolt.

He wasn’t sure why Shen Yu had suddenly brought this up, but he still obediently answered, “I remember. Why?”

Shen Yu’s tone was calm as he said, “There was something I held back from telling you at the time, and later I forgot. Lukas and Aiden weren’t just good brothers. They were lovers.”

Cheng Mofei: “……”

Cheng Mofei carefully sifted through his faded memories of the movie. The first thing that came to mind was how the two protagonists had supported each other.

Back then, he had naively thought they were just really close brothers.

So… so they weren’t brothers at all?!

And to make matters worse, he had even modeled his own interactions with Shen Yu after them…

Almost without thinking, Cheng Mofei blurted out, “Did you pick that movie on purpose for me to watch?”

Shen Yu let out a small “Mm”, thinking to himself that Cheng Mofei wasn’t too slow after all. “But a lot of scenes were cut. I didn’t expect that. In the original version, they actually confess to each other later. I was so pissed when I found out.”

As he spoke the last sentence, he unconsciously puffed out his cheeks in frustration.

Seeing this adorable expression, Cheng Mofei felt an itch in his heart.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t hesitate to lean in and kiss him.

But right now…

His body’s reaction made him too afraid to move even an inch.

He had nowhere to escape, yet he was terrified of being found out.

Or rather… he had probably already been found out.

Shen Yu clearly wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. He deliberately asked, “Do you remember what you said back then?”

What he said back then…

Cheng Mofei’s Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly.

He had said some… rather embarrassing things.

Before he could muster a response, the hand he had been gripping suddenly slipped free, acting in his place to provide the answer.

“!”

Cheng Mofei’s mind went completely blank.

At that moment, he lost all control over his own body.

Shen Yu’s hand was soft and dexterous, completely different from his own.

The bath salt ball had tinted the hot water with a hazy, indistinct color, obscuring their vision while amplifying every other sensation.

…

The water in the bathtub was now contaminated.

Cheng Mofei, who had only just begun to relax, instantly tensed up again. His entire body felt like it was burning, his skin flushed a deep red. 

Panicking, he scrambled to say, “Y-You should get up first! I’ll drain the water and refill it!”

“No rush,” Shen Yu, however, remained calm. He pulled back slightly, leaning against the edge of the tub. Then, with a teasing smile, he murmured a few simple words—

“Now help me too.”

After all, they had always helped each other.

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