Warm and cosy. Those were the two things that Wen Rui first noticed when he woke up. He was so comfortable that he couldn't bear to open get up and face the day yet, eyelids firmly shut as he chose to burrow deeper into the fluffy blankets—
Wait a minute. Since when did the thin covers provided by the school dormitories, which was mandatory for all students to use, become so snug? When did the mattress underneath him become so firm?
Wen Rui's eyes flew open and his brain flat-lined when he came face to face with a pair of dusky nipples on a toned chest.
…most importantly, when did his pillow become the solid naked chest of a man?!
"Oh fuck!" It was rare for him to swear but he couldn't help the panicked expletive that slipped out past his lips. He ransacked his memories of last night to try and figure out how he ended up in this situation but could only remember drinking numbly with a bunch of stupid young masters that were of no help at all—oh wait, and someone leading him away.
What was going on? Who was this man? Why were they in bed together? Did they end up doing anything?!
With a horrified yelp, Wen Rui scrambled to back away from the—the whoever this was, uncharitably planting an elbow in the man's ribs as a result. There was a sharp intake of breath as the man jolted awake, the arm thrown carelessly over his face coming down to shove Wen Rui off. Wen Rui wasn't expecting to be pushed so abruptly and toppled over the side of the bed with a pained, "Ouch!"
"You're so noisy," the man muttered, sitting up and rubbing at the bruise forming over the start of his very impressive abs. He yawned and ran a hand over his tired face, before deigning to glance at Wen Rui with one raised eyebrow. The unimpressed look on his face was so infuriatingly familiar that Wen Rui's brain short-circuited for the second time in a handful of minutes.
It was too similar. The man was older but it was still the same pair of dark deep-set eyes, the same pale skin. The same thin lips that were normally pressed into a bored line, only curling upwards whenever Wen Rui did something stupid in front of him. Like that time Wen Rui had missed an easy shot during a one-on-one challenge he had goaded Zhou Ye into accepting. And all because Wen Rui had noticed Su Jiali standing on the sideline with a bottle of water that wasn't meant for him.
"Are you even trying?" Zhou Ye had mocked, after winning 11-4, and Wen Rui had felt his face burn with embarrassment and rage.
What an annoying bastard. And now Wen Rui had somehow woken up with someone who looked like they could be said bastard's older brother. His even more handsome older brother.
"Who are you?" Wen Rui asked warily. "Did you—did you bring me here?"
Amusement flickered in the man's eyes but Wen Rui was too distraught to notice.
"Did you drink yourself stupid yesterday? Why are you looking at me like that?" The man said. "I'm the innocent person whose bed a little drunkard crawled into in the middle of the night. I should be the one asking whether you took advantage of me in my sleep."
"I didn't!" [I wouldn't, stop talking bullshit!!!]
Wen Rui couldn't believe this was happening to him. The man said Wen Rui crawled into his bed? But then how did Wen Rui get into his house in the first place?! He must be lying!
A quick look around the room revealed that they were not in a hotel like Wen Rui previously thought. The bedroom was furnished with posh minimalist furniture that looked expensive. The curtains were drawn, and outside the ceiling-to-floor windows was a breath-taking view of a familiar city.
At least he didn't end up transmigrating into a novel or something equally bizarre. But actually, that might be a better option than finding out he had a one night stand with Zhou Ye's relative.
[Although…] Wen Rui looked down at the oversized tee and shorts he was wearing. And then he looked at the man's naked torso. He didn't know exactly what went where when it came to the, um, intimate matters between two men, but as a curious teenage boy, he had obviously listened in to some of the coloured jokes his roommates would tell. If that thing was supposed to go in there…it would probably hurt, right? But apart from a splitting hangover, Wen Rui couldn't feel any discomfort anywhere else. So either nothing happened or…
Wen Rui's gaze became complicated as it trailed down to the man's waist.
"If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to think you do have nefarious intentions towards me."
"What?!" Wen Rui spluttered. "Of course not! I don't like men!"
The man's eyes darkened. "What's that got to do with anything?"
Somehow, it felt like the pace of the conversation was being controlled by the man. Confused and disoriented by the pulsing pain at the back of his skull, Wen Rui felt like he was being led around by the nose. "It means that I wouldn't attack you like a creep! No, wait! I wouldn't attack women either!"
The man scoffed. He threw the sheets back, revealing a pair of dark grey sweats that...was a bit thin because it didn't hide the formidable outline underneath. Wen Rui nearly choked in embarrassment. Well, at least he was certain he hadn't been slept...he would definitely be feeling it now—
His train of thought was derailed by the man's next sentence.
"You're lucky we're married," the man said, "otherwise I'd have called the police on you by now."
It was a strange feeling to be able to understand all the words coming out of the man's mouth individually but be unable to string their meaning together. Wen Rui gawked at the man as he stood up and reached for a watch on the bedside table that looked like it could cost the same amount as a small apartment.
"I'm sorry," Wen Rui said, feeling slightly hysteric. "Xiongdi, could you please repeat what you said? Because I think I just heard something ridiculous and I need to confirm that I'm not going crazy."
The man's back stiffened. When he turned around, his cold piercing stare was identical to Zhou Ye's. Wen Rui was struck with the sudden insane feeling that this was Zhou Ye himself, albeit not the same one that he knew. Logically this was impossible but Wen Rui believed it.
"You'd better not be regretting now." Zhou Ye's voice was low and dangerous. Wen Rui shrank backwards until he knocked against an armchair. He tried to use it to pull himself up but his knees felt weak and his head was really killing him.
"Regret what?" he asked plaintively. "I don't even know what's going on?" A sob escaped from his throat and he didn't bother stopping it. The man could look down on him, Wen Rui didn't care anymore. Anyone in his situation would be feeling sorry for themselves too.
A strange look crossed the man's face. "You're this upset about being married to me?"
"Of course I am!" Wen Rui wailed. "I don't even know who you are!"
"Wait." The man's eyes narrowed. In two quick steps, he was right in front of Wen Rui, gaze scrutinising. "You really don't remember me?"
"What? Am I supposed to?"
The man went back to the side table and opened it. He took a black leather wallet out and tossed it over at Wen Rui, who fumbled to catch it. He looked up in confusion at the man. What was he supposed to do with this?"
The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Open it."
Wen Rui obeyed. Inside was a bunch of invitation-only credit cards that Wen Rui recognised because his parents had them too, and a national ID card. It had a photograph of 16-year-old Zhou Ye on it, with his name printed clearly in black ink. He looked just like when Wen Rui first met him, standing at the front of class 2-1 and introducing himself in a disinterested voice.
It really was Zhou Ye. The wallet slipped from Wen Rui's fingers. He couldn't understand how this was real.
A hand reached out and caught his chin. Wen Rui was at such a loss that he didn't hit it away immediately.
"What's your name?" Zhou Ye was observing him with uncharacteristic seriousness. While he rarely smiled, his blank expression was usually one of unconcern. This was the first time Wen Rui had ever seen frown with more than just irritation.
"Wen Rui."
"How old are you?"
"…18." Judging from the worry that flashed across Zhou Ye's face, Wen Rui probably wasn't.
After a long pause, Zhou Ye stood up abruptly, heading back to his bedside table for the third time that morning to fetch a phone that looked sleeker than any model Wen Rui had ever seen. Just another sign that something was wrong with the world after he woke up.
Zhou Ye dialled something before pressing the phone to his ear.
"Cancel my morning meetings, book an immediate appointment with Dr Li, and inform the hospital that we'll need an urgent CT or MRI, both on standby following Dr Li's recommendation." Someone on the line said something and his gaze flicked over to Wen Rui. "No, it's not for me."
"It's for my husband."