After The Flower Of The High Mountain Meets The Rough Man Ⅱ Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Movie

“Darling, someone is watching. Cooperate with me…”

A reward??!!

Ji Shen was frantic. He reached out and pushed Shen Jixun’s arm. “Ge, Ge, this isn’t the reward I wanted. Wait, I didn’t ask for this reward!”

But Shen Jixun was already asleep.

Ji Shen didn’t dare to actually shake him awake, because he had already discovered one of Shen Jixun’s little secrets.

Shen Jixun was a bit of a late riser and had a slight temper when woken up.

Seeing that he couldn’t wake Shen Jixun, Ji Shen had no choice but to lift him up in a princess carry. As he walked upstairs, he mumbled, “Ge, I’m not taking advantage of you. You took advantage of me today. You absolutely can’t go back on your word when you wake up tomorrow.”

Ji Shen carefully placed Shen Jixun on the bed, cautiously avoiding his long hair, and thoughtfully tucked the corners of the quilt around him.

He didn’t dare turn on the crystal chandelier overhead, fearing the light would be too harsh.

So the room was only illuminated by the dim yellow light of the bedside lamp. Ji Shen slowly crouched by the bed, resting his arms on the edge and his chin on the back of his hands, meticulously tracing Shen Jixun’s sleeping face.

Shen Jixun’s father had said today that he wasn’t worthy of Shen Jixun.

Although he knew that Shen Cong’s words were spoken in anger to prevent the two of them from being together, Ji Shen actually didn’t disagree. He even wanted to nod in agreement, because the first time he saw Shen Jixun that night, he thought that someone as beautiful as Shen Jixun could only be matched by someone extremely, exceptionally outstanding.

He hadn’t thought then that he would ever be involved with Shen Jixun.

He hadn’t thought then that his sexual orientation would waver so quickly.

Just now, when Shen Jixun kissed his earlobe, his heart reacted first, pounding wildly and erratically.

Was this the reaction a straight man should have after being kissed by another man?

Ji Shen sank into a swamp of frantic self-doubt.

It was already the middle of the night.

Too much had happened during the day and before bed. Ji Shen had only planned to stay for a little while, but perhaps the air conditioning in the room was set too high.

Ji Shen actually fell asleep in that position.

In the latter half of the night, Shen Jixun woke up groggily. The light from the bedside lamp made it hard for him to open his eyes, and the person in his field of vision seemed blurry.

He closed his eyes to recover, then opened them again and saw Ji Shen asleep, slumped over the side of the bed.

The memories from before he fell asleep slowly trickled into his mind like flowing water.

Oh.

He had done something foolish.

Shen Jixun’s expression was cold as his gaze shifted to Ji Shen’s sleeping face.

He had never done such a foolish thing before. It must be because he had spent too much time with Ji Shen and was getting infected.

He felt inexplicably angry and raised his hand to pinch Ji Shen’s face. He didn’t use much force, just gently squeezed a few times.

The sleeping person shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his head and mumbling, “Ge, reward…”

Shen Jixun immediately pulled his hand back.

He turned over to face Ji Shen, slowly reached out, took Ji Shen’s hand, and brought it to his own forehead.

Shen Jixun moved closer, resting against Ji Shen’s hand, and closed his eyes again.

*

The morning light leaked through the gaps in the curtains, the orange-gold light drawing a streak in the air, piercing the darkness of the room.

The chirping of birds came from outside the window.

Shen Jixun pulled the quilt over his head, his brows deeply furrowed.

Waking up after being drunk was always like this. His head felt heavy, as if filled with molten iron, and he couldn’t lift his eyelids.

After about ten minutes of recovery, he slowly pulled back the quilt, revealing half his head and his messy long hair.

Shen Jixun stretched out his hand and fumbled around the headboard, finally finding his phone on the nightstand.

It was half past eleven.

His head was so dizzy.

Shen Jixun propped himself up on the bed and slowly sat up, holding his head and shaking it slightly, barely regaining some clarity.

Ji Shen, who had been sleeping by the bed last night, had clearly been up for a long time.

Shen Jixun changed his clothes before walking downstairs.

The sound of Ji Shen humming and cooking came from the kitchen.

Shen Jixun leaned against the kitchen doorframe, arms crossed, quietly watching Ji Shen’s busy back.

He seemed to be a good cook. Ji Shen looked busy, but he was actually very organized. There hadn’t been an apron in the house originally, so the pink, ruffled apron Ji Shen was wearing must have been something he bought himself.

What truly awful taste for a straight man.

Shen Jixun scoffed.

That sound made Ji Shen, who was focused on cooking, realize someone was behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Shen Jixun leaning against the doorframe, watching him.

Ji Shen selectively pushed the events of last night to the back of his mind. After all, anything that happened while drunk didn’t count.

“Ge, you’re up?!” Ji Shen’s tone was excited.

Shen Jixun raised his chin at him, a smile playing on his lips. “You like this kind?”

Ji Shen was confused. Following Shen Jixun’s gaze downward, he noticed the apron he was wearing. He quickly blushed and explained, “Ge, you misunderstood! This was a free gift when I bought groceries! I just used it because the size was right.”

Shen Jixun nodded, but his expression didn’t show belief.

Ji Shen quickly changed the subject. “Are you dizzy? You drank so much last night. If you’re dizzy, I made some soup here. You can have some early.”

Shen Jixun was only drunk, not suffering from amnesia. Not all of last night’s events had vanished from his mind; he remembered a large part of it, at least the parts he shouldn’t forget.

But Ji Shen hadn’t mentioned it today.

It seemed he intended to let the matter drop.

Since that was the case, Shen Jixun chose to cooperate.

“I’m fine. What’s for lunch?”

Ji Shen quickly introduced the lunch he was preparing to Shen Jixun.

After they chatted casually for a couple of minutes, Shen Jixun’s phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and walked to the balcony to answer the call.

“Sir, it has been confirmed. He has an illegitimate son who is three months older than you.”

Shen Jixun let out a laugh—a deeply sarcastic, cold laugh. His eyes were icy as frost and snow, and the atmosphere around him chilled accordingly. “Can you find him?”

“It’s very difficult. He has hidden the person very well. We tried investigating through Dai Yingying, but it was useless.”

Shen Jixun was silent for a moment, then reassured them, “It’s already very good that you managed to find out he has an illegitimate son. I don’t blame you for not finding the person. He has always been very cautious; this isn’t a simple matter.”

“Just keep investigating.”

“Yes,” the other party replied.

Shen Jixun hung up the phone.

An illegitimate son who was older than him… Shen Jixun scoffed.

His eyes looked desolate.

“Ge, lunch is ready.” Ji Shen’s voice broke through, and a glimmer of light touched those desolate, lonely eyes.

Shen Jixun snapped back to reality. He casually tied his long hair up with a hair tie and returned to the dining table in the living room.

The lavish spread of dishes clearly showed that preparation had begun very early.

Shen Jixun didn’t understand why Ji Shen would go to such lengths for him.

He was certain Ji Shen didn’t harbor any special feelings for him. Was this merely repayment to an employer?

“You don’t need to make dinner today. Change your clothes this afternoon, and we’ll go to the cinema together to watch a movie.” Shen Jixun took a sip of the pork rib soup and said slowly.

Ji Shen immediately nodded and agreed, then asked, “Ge, can we watch *Stitch*? I checked, and it’s a new release!”

Shen Jixun: ?

He wished his ears were malfunctioning.

Evidently, they were not.

The idea that Ji Shen was a mature man was truly a terrible thought.

Shen Jixun didn’t want to be a spoilsport. He nodded expressionlessly. “Whatever you want. It’s the reward you earned anyway.”

Ji Shen felt even more that Shen Jixun was a considerate and good employer.

Although Shen Jixun didn’t want to be a spoilsport, there were some things he had to remind Ji Shen of. “Ji Shen, after last night, almost everyone in the circle knows about our relationship.”

“So when we go out today, you must constantly remember our relationship. Don’t give my father a chance to catch me out, otherwise the consequences…” Shen Jixun didn’t want to say anything too cruel at the dinner table, so he stopped there.

Ji Shen knew what he was going to say.

Probably something like, “Ji Shen, if you mess this up, I will definitely kill you.”

The first time he heard it, it truly startled Ji Shen. Hearing it now… well, it was still frightening.

“Understood, Employer Sir!” Ji Shen replied with vigor.

After lunch, Shen Jixun returned to his room for a nap.

Ji Shen didn’t have a habit of napping. He used the time to study for his postgraduate entrance exams for an hour and a half in the study.

His grades during his school days weren’t bad.

Ji Shen loved to study. If it weren’t for the sudden debt, he might have already earned his master’s degree two years ago.

But he was naturally optimistic, and it wasn’t too late for him now.

*

Shen Jixun woke up from his nap around three or nearly four in the afternoon.

The two of them quickly tidied up and went out to see the movie together.

Shen Jixun was driving.

Ji Shen didn’t have a driver’s license and couldn’t drive, which surprised Shen Jixun.

Shen Jixun hadn’t seen a movie in over a year. While he was using his phone to redeem the tickets, Ji Shen had already bought two large bags of popcorn and two bottles of cola.

Shen Jixun sighed, full of helplessness. He proactively took the cola from Ji Shen’s hand, lifted his foot, and walked forward. “Follow me.”

“Oh, oh, okay!” Ji Shen scurried along behind Shen Jixun.

This cinema was in the most bustling area of the city center. Even bad movies drew large crowds. The noisy adults and children playing along the way almost made Shen Jixun lose his temper.

One particularly unruly child slammed into Shen Jixun without even an apology.

Shen Jixun felt that choosing to come to this awful place with Ji Shen instead of watching a movie in his home theater was pure madness.

The cola cup he was holding was about to be crushed out of shape.

It was Ji Shen who, with great perceptiveness, took the items back from his hand and coaxed him, “Ge, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Kids are just like that.”

“Ge, the first movie I’ve ever had a private screening for was with you. You’re really too kind.” Ji Shen desperately searched his mind for words to distract him.

Shen Jixun coldly snorted.

They finally reached the end of the hall and their privately booked screening room.

The two of them chose an excellent viewing spot and sat down next to each other.

The movie started.

Ji Shen laughed heartily. Shen Jixun was expressionless.

Midway through the movie.

Ji Shen was solemn. Shen Jixun was expressionless.

The movie ended.

Ji Shen was sobbing. Shen Jixun looked disgusted.

Shen Jixun couldn’t understand how someone could be so genuinely emotional while watching a movie.

“Stop crying.” Ji Shen was still wiping away tears after leaving the cinema. Shen Jixun, with slight distaste, handed him his handkerchief.

Ji Shen took it and wiped his eyes. “Ge, don’t you think it was touching?”

Shen Jixun: “Hmm, maybe.”

Suddenly, Shen Jixun paused. He looked back. Behind them were other audience members leaving after the movie.

But based on his sensitivity to cameras, someone was definitely following them.

“A’Ji.” Shen Jixun took the handkerchief from Ji Shen’s hand and gently wiped away his tears. Ji Shen was so startled that the hairs on his arms stood up.

Shen Jixun smiled tenderly, but his words were serious: “Someone is watching, darling. Cooperate with me.”

Ji Shen was greatly shocked. “Is your father a pervert?”