Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 80

Pride

They had returned late last night, and Shen Zhiyu, uncharacteristically, didn’t push things too far, letting Jiang Zhou go after two rounds.

Shen Zhiyu was very clingy, and Jiang Zhou wasn’t sure when exactly the two of them started sleeping together.

Jiang Zhou’s chronic insomnia had been unknowingly cured by Shen Zhiyu. He slept soundly every night, sometimes even failing to wake up in the morning, his biological clock completely messed up.

For this reason, Jiang Zhou had specifically set an alarm.

The alarm for Saturday hadn’t been turned off, and its crisp ring broke the peaceful, beautiful dream.

Jiang Zhou reached out annoyedly, searched for the device, turned off the alarm, flipped over, and continued sleeping.

Not long after he drifted off, the doorbell rang again.

Shen Zhiyu called out loudly, “I heard you.”

The doorbell stopped, and Cai Zhiyang’s voice came from outside the door, “Yu Ge, we leave in half an hour!”

“Alright.”

Jiang Zhou was groggy and didn’t hear what they were saying. He instinctively burrowed into the man’s arms, mumbling reluctantly, “So sleepy—”

What Shen Zhiyu enjoyed most was Jiang Zhou’s state right after waking up. Because his consciousness hadn’t fully returned, the so-called shackles of status hadn’t been established, so he would subconsciously cling and act spoiled, possessing a natural, sweet innocence.

Shen Zhiyu hugged him, lightly stroking his back in a soothing rhythm, like comforting a child. “Mhm, no rush. Sleep for another twenty minutes.”

Jiang Zhou suddenly woke up with a start and sat up in bed.

“Cai Zhiyang! He knows about us!”

Shen Zhiyu gave him a look that said, ‘You just figured that out?’

Jiang Zhou thought back and realized that Cai Zhiyang had always cooperated very subtly during their joint live streams.

So that was it.

Seeing that Jiang Zhou was clearly awake, Shen Zhiyu asked, “Do you want to sleep more?”

Jiang Zhou had just been startled awake; how could he possibly fall back asleep? He shook his head.

“Then get up and wash up. I’ll take you to breakfast.”

They had returned too late last night, and Jiang Zhou had been focused on taking care of Cai Zhiyang, completely neglecting to notice the hotel’s appearance.

When he woke up today, he realized the hotel was situated on a grassland, consisting of small wooden cabins.

The restaurant was open-air, offering a rich variety of dishes with strong ethnic characteristics.

Jiang Zhou noticed that, apart from the staff, there were only the four of them on this stretch of grassland.

Sitting next to Cai Zhiyang was a tall girl with slightly darker skin, a high nose bridge, and large eyes—a beautiful minority ethnic appearance.

The girl introduced herself as Gu Na, the owner of the hotel.

Jiang Zhou glanced at Shen Zhiyu, who nodded back.

Jiang Zhou understood that Gu Na was the one who had taken care of Cai Zhiyang last night.

“Hearing you were coming, Gu Na specially brought her fiercest horse, a purebred Akhal-Teke named Flame.”

Gu Na blew a whistle. Soon, a staff member led a horse over. The horse was pale gold all over, slender, with smooth lines, and its beautiful coat shone with a metallic luster in the sun.

The horse looked somewhat aloof, snorting and breathing heavily, refusing to look at anyone.

From their conversation, it was clear that Shen Zhiyu knew how to ride, and his skills were apparently quite high, warranting the special bringing of a fierce horse.

Jiang Zhou hadn’t known this. Shen Zhiyu had never mentioned riding in his public sports activities or interviews.

Shen Zhiyu seemed to know what Jiang Zhou was thinking and replied, “I only started riding late last year. Haven’t done it for long.”

Jiang Zhou hadn’t asked anything, yet the other party immediately understood his thoughts and proactively told him.

This gave Jiang Zhou a feeling of being favored and specially noticed.

He softly acknowledged it.

Shen Zhiyu then asked, “Do you want to watch me ride?”

Cai Zhiyang and Gu Na both looked at him expectantly.

Shen Zhiyu’s question was phrased as if he wouldn’t ride if Jiang Zhou said no.

This gave Jiang Zhou’s words significant weight.

Jiang Zhou’s face flushed instantly. He nodded shyly.

Shen Zhiyu deliberately teased him, “What did you say? I can’t hear you. Oh, you don’t want to?”

Then, he spread his hands toward Cai Zhiyang and Gu Na, looking helpless. “No choice. My Zhou Zhou doesn’t want to watch, so I’ll have to disappoint your kind intentions.”

Jiang Zhou grew anxious and quickly said ‘want’ three times. Only then did Shen Zhiyu relent. “Alright, then I’ll take a spin.”

Shen Zhiyu walked up to Flame and held out his hand, allowing the horse to sniff his scent.

Flame suddenly reared up and neighed, its front hooves leaving the ground.

Jiang Zhou was so frightened he almost rushed over.

Cai Zhiyang stopped him. “Mr. Jiang, don’t worry, Yu Ge can handle it! Trust him.”

Jiang Zhou sat back down, but his gaze was fixed nervously on Shen Zhiyu and Flame.

Shen Zhiyu stood still, looking down, seemingly talking to Flame. When Flame’s front hooves landed, Shen Zhiyu quickly and gently stroked its neck.

Flame shifted its feet restlessly but remained calm. Then, Shen Zhiyu stepped into the stirrup and mounted.

The moment he swung onto the horse’s back, Flame let out a long neigh, raising its front hooves high, almost standing vertically.

Jiang Zhou watched, his heart pounding.

Shen Zhiyu tightly gripped the horse’s belly with his legs, his upper body pressed close to the horse’s neck, sitting firmly without falling.

Flame landed its front hooves, immediately arched its back, and bucked violently, trying to throw the rider off.

Shen Zhiyu was like he was grown onto the saddle, rising and falling with the horse’s rhythm. The reins were alternately tightened and loosened, perfectly controlled. At the same time, he leaned down and whispered something into the horse’s ear.

Before long, Flame’s frenzy gradually subsided. Although it was still snorting and stamping its feet, it no longer tried to throw the person off.

Shen Zhiyu lightly kicked the horse’s belly, guiding it to walk slowly. After a few laps, it began to trot.

Flame seemed to slowly accept its new rider, and its pace became smoother and smoother.

Gu Na blew a loud whistle, cheering for him.

Jiang Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Flame began to gallop freely across the grassland. Sunlight shone on their speeding figures, beautiful like a painting.

Jiang Zhou stared intently at the figure galloping across the grassland, his eyes shining with bright, fervent light.

This was Shen Zhiyu—even though he hadn’t been riding for long, he was so outstanding.

At this moment, this excellence and brilliance were presented to him in the most direct and breathtaking way.

Jiang Zhou silently touched the cool bracelet on his wrist, waiting for the turbulent surge of punishment to rise up.

But it didn’t come. Instead, what arrived was an unprecedented sense of pride.

The person he loved was so outstanding, so wonderful.

And this wonderful, outstanding person loved him.

Jiang Zhou blinked, and tears fell quietly, without warning.

“Mr. Jiang, look at you, crying tears of joy!” Cai Zhiyang pulled out some tissues for him. “I told you Yu Ge would be fine. Look how worried you were.”

Jiang Zhou wiped his tears, taking the out Cai Zhiyang offered. “I apologize. It’s my first time seeing this; please excuse my reaction.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Jiang, I understand. I was once scared to tears by Yu Ge too.”

“We were out at sea with a group of friends. When we reached the middle of the ocean, everyone was bragging about who dared to jump into the sea, saying whoever did could be everyone’s ‘dad’ for the day.”

“Yu Ge didn’t say a word and just jumped straight in.”

“That scared me half to death. I almost cried myself dry. You have to know, I organized that trip! If Yu Ge had died in the sea, I’d have to follow him in atonement! Thankfully, Yu Ge came back up completely unharmed.”

“Everyone said Yu Ge was simply a lunatic!”

“Hey, Mr. Jiang! Don’t laugh, but I think you two are quite similar in that regard.”

“We’re similar?” Jiang Zhou was incredulous.

“Yeah. I can’t quite describe the feeling, but there’s a certain madness in both of you. Just like your performance last night—you like pushing things to the extreme before delivering a sudden, dramatic turn.”

“It gives the exact same feeling as Yu Ge.”

Jiang Zhou recalled his cooperation with Shen Zhiyu last night. Shen Zhiyu seemed able to precisely anticipate his every landing point and return point, providing the perfect drum beat accompaniment in between.

In the beginning, Jiang Zhou was just following the trend, playing because Shen Zhiyu was playing. Later, he slowly found a bit of fun in it and developed his own style.

The style Shen Zhiyu accompanied last night wasn’t the style Jiang Zhou had learned, but Jiang Zhou’s own unique style.

Yet, even so, Shen Zhiyu seemed to understand all his transitions and developments.

Jiang Zhou looked at the figure in the distance, approaching from the grassland. His heart stirred, and he suddenly ran toward him.

When he reached the front, he didn’t know what to say, only looking up at him.

Shen Zhiyu was sitting on Flame, the sunlight pouring down from behind him, coating him in a soft halo. Fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his smile was bright. “What is it?”

Jiang Zhou stood on his tiptoes and tugged at Shen Zhiyu’s hand. “I want to kiss you.”

Shen Zhiyu leaned down, lowering his head to capture Jiang Zhou’s lips.

A faint scent of grass permeated the air around them. Jiang Zhou tasted the clear, cool breath on his lips.

Jiang Zhou kissed him very gently, like a soft evening breeze brushing across the water’s surface.

Loud whistles erupted from the restaurant.

Jiang Zhou didn’t push him away. He delicately traced the contours of the other’s lips, cautiously exploring bit by bit. Their soft lips touched, brushing against each other intermittently, occasionally deepening, carrying a lazy, lingering desire, as if they had endless time to waste.

Shen Zhiyu savored this soft tranquility.

Gu Na led Cai Zhiyang, the obvious third wheel, away.

Jiang Zhou’s neck was tired from craning, and he finally pulled away from Shen Zhiyu.

Shen Zhiyu suddenly bent down and reached out his hand. “Want to try?”

Jiang Zhou was stunned. “What?”

His speaking lips were soft and rosy, glistening with a moist sheen under the sunlight.

Shen Zhiyu felt a pang of desire, unable to resist leaning down for another quick kiss. “Come up. I’ll take you for a ride.”

“I don’t know how to ride a horse—” Before Jiang Zhou could finish his sentence, Shen Zhiyu pulled him onto the horse’s back, seating him in front of him.

Flame nervously stamped its feet a few times but quickly calmed down under Shen Zhiyu’s control.

“Hold on tight,” Shen Zhiyu whispered into Jiang Zhou’s ear. His arms wrapped around Jiang Zhou’s waist, securing him firmly in his embrace. He held the reins with one hand while the other gently stroked Flame’s neck.

Jiang Zhou felt the warmth of Shen Zhiyu’s chest and the rise and fall of his breathing through the thin fabric, and his face instantly burned.

Before he could adjust, Shen Zhiyu gave a light shout and spurred the horse into a gallop.

Jiang Zhou’s startled cry was swallowed by the whistling wind.