The next morning, Shen Yuan spritzed his cologne to his neck and wrist, spreading the alluring scent of rose to his room, and wore his ring. He checked how far Mu Chen was and, sensing he was only minutes away from his place, left his room and went downstairs to go to the kitchen.
7 minutes later, the bell rang. He went to the front door and unlocked the gate from the intercom before going to the front door to welcome Mu Chen.
A sleek leather shoe appeared from the passenger seat, and Mu Chen stepped out of the car. He wore a set of dark beige summer suit and a black turtle neck with a simple silver necklace adorning his collar.
His bangs were parted off his face and lightly gelled to hold the style in place, diminishing his amiable features. The slant of his eyebrows brought a new light to his eyes, giving his smile a dangerous appeal.
"Is this also a part of your training for the future to come?" Shen Yuan crossed his arms.
"That is?"
"Date practice."
Mu Chen blinked and covered his laughter. He pulled Shen Yuan into his arm and grinned. "If it is, then are you going to act as my lover?"
"Depends on the job requirement." Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "And how far."
"How far are you willing to go?"
"As far as your skill can make me."
"It seems that you're underestimating me." Mu Chen nuzzled his nose into the crook of Shen Yuan's neck and took a whiff. "You're already putting yourself at a disadvantage with such an appetizing smell."
"It's good that I whet your appetite." Shen Yuan pushed Mu Chen off him and patted his chest. "The food will get cold. Let's have breakfast."
"Of course." Mu Chen raised his two hands in compliance.
He wore the guest slippers given to him and followed Shen Yuan inside. Not the faintest noise was heard nor a single servant was seen. Not a single person.
Instead of the dining room, Shen Yuan brought him to the family room where the pantry was. Two portions of breakfast were already served on the island table, and he watched Shen Yuan preparing the cups himself. "Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee," Mu Chen answered. He couldn't help but ask, "Where is everyone?"
"I told you something's going on in my house, didn't I?" Shen Yuan brewed a cup of coffee for Mu Chen and a cup of osmanthus tea for himself. "It's already like this when I got back the other day. My dad said my mom fired all our servants in a fit of rage and now both of them are on different ends of the world. So dramatic."
"…How can you stay so calm?"
"I'm not close with them. They're barely present because of their work. Whatever the outcome is, it's not like they'll let me become homeless, so I don't really care." Shen Yuan brought the drinks to the table and took his seat before turning on the television and settling the volume down.
"I have to say, that's a good mentality to have." Mu Chen's eyes softened and he reached out to tuck back Shen Yuan's loose strands. "But no person can live by himself. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me. My door is always open for you."
Shen Yuan's stomach fluttered and he felt a little funny. It had been a while since someone made him feel like this. Last time was the sweet little boy he had to deceive to get to his father on his first mission when he—dared he say—was still morally pure.
He didn't think he would relive such a pleasant feeling again from a vulture. Under a fake scenario nonetheless. The link was working a little too well.
"So, if no one is here, you make this yourself?" Mu Chen looked at the beef congee and eggrolls in front of him, wondering which he should try first.
"Yeah. You should eat them together." Shen Yuan picked up his chopsticks. "I made the eggrolls on the sweeter side to balance the congee."
Mu Chen tried a bite of the egg roll first and was sincerely surprised by the taste. It was the first time he tried sweet eggrolls and he wasn't sure how it'd taste, but now he would be convinced if someone told him eggrolls should've been sweet all along. It was both firm and soft, almost like a pudding.
"How is it?" Shen Yuan waited in expectation.
"9 out of 10," Mu Chen rated before taking another bite.
"Huh? What's the minus one point for?"
"Because you're not going to cook this for me every day."
It took a moment for Shen Yuan to process it and he let out a small laughter. "The president is surprisingly petty. If I offer to make it for you anytime you come by, can I get that one point?"
"The judge agrees to make some revisions. 10 out of 10." Mu Chen chuckled and picked up the spoon. "Now, for the main dish."
He took a mouthful of the congee and paused.
"It's deer meat. Apparently, my friend hunted it themselves." Shen Yuan also took a bite and hummed in satisfaction. "It was a bit difficult figuring out how to cook it, but I think I did well."
Mu Chen stared at the evenly mixed mincemeat in his congee as he savored it in his mouth. It was then the news anchor's words entered his ears, and he raised his attention to the television.
The screen showed a scene of a crime, sealed away by police and forensics. A body was found in a public park's men's toilet missing a head and a leg that was yet to be found.
No identification of any form was found on him and the police had yet identified who the body belonged to except that he was a male and that he was killed early this morning. From his clothes, it was highly likely he was doing his morning jog around the area, so the police would try to see if anyone in the nearby neighborhood could recognize him.
Mu Chen slowly slid his gaze back to Shen Yuan, enjoying his meal without a change in his face. Was it his friend? No, but his package came at night.
"What? Does it taste weird?" Shen Yuan tilted his head. "Or you don't like deer meat?"
"No. It tastes very good. You cooked it well." Mu Chen stirred his congee in thought.
Now he understood why Shen Yuan didn't taste anything strange when he ate in his house. Every normal person he fed it to had never been able to swallow it, let alone enjoy it. Turns out, someone had been feeding him with it.
"You don't have to lie."
"I'm not lying." Mu Chen took another bite and smiled. "I'm curious about this friend of yours. How did you meet them?"
"He's the son of my father's acquaintance. His parents love to travel around the world and they usually visit us when they stop by here." Shen Yuan whipped out a story on the spot. "Since he sent this to me under his name, I guess he's traveling on his own now. The meat wasn't enough for two people though, so I had to order more."
Mu Chen's spoon halted.
"Well, I can imagine it's not easy transporting raw meat." Shen Yuan took a sip of his tea and smiled at Mu Chen. "But eating it by myself is too pitiful and I have a feeling you'll like it. Did my guess miss?"
"No, not at all." Mu Chen continued eating his congee, though his eyes never left the other's figure, taking in his every movement.
"Good. It's not every day you can eat deer meat. Maybe you should add them to your farm." Shen Yuan continued eating.
"…" Mu Chen narrowed his eyes.
Shen Yuan suppressed his laughter while feigning ignorance to Mu Chen's burning curiosity.
A finger definitely wouldn't be enough for two people, so he had to fetch some more. Well, it was a romantic gesture if anything, so he decided to keep the finger instead since he got a whole leg anyway.
The reaction was worth it. When else could he psychologically mess with a vulture?
Once they finished their meal, he rinsed the dishes in the sink, tossed them into the dishwasher, and they were good to go. He opened the gate from the intercom and set the timer to close it before leaving the house and entering the car with Mu Chen.
"Have you locked the doors?" Mu Chen asked.
"Yeah. All good."
"Windows?"
"Does it matter if I lock the windows? If a burglar comes, they're going to break them anyway. It's not like they're made out of bulletproof glass."
"Shen Yuan." Mu Chen frowned, unamused.
"I did. I did." Shen Yuan spread his hands helplessly. "I'm just saying."
Mu Chen sighed and tapped on his communicator. "I'll send in some security."
The car soon drove away once everything was settled. As they left the gate, Shen Yuan noticed something from the corner of his eye and glanced outside the window to catch—for a brief second—a figure standing at the end of the street across his place, opposite the direction they took.
He tapped on the armrest in anticipation.