Chapter 25 Hmm, the rival is here!
Shen Beidao's hand, which was on Lin Yi's fabric, did not move away. Instead, it seemed as if he was testing some subtle critical point, and his fingertips slid upwards a short distance with very light force.
The skin beneath the fabric tightened instantly, the temperature in that small area noticeably rose, and the pulse beat clearly beneath the skin, though the rhythm was erratic, sometimes slow, sometimes fast.
"Why is this happening?" Shen Beidao's voice was low, his movements slow, the cotton fabric wrinkling slightly with his fingertips.
Lin Yi's breathing became deep and unsteady. He turned his head to avoid Shen Beidao's overly focused gaze, and a mumbled reply rolled out from his throat:
"What do you think? I...I'm a normal, healthy man too. If you touched me like that...I would have woken up long ago..."
Shen Beidao leaned back against the side of the armchair, raising his other hand to gently tuck the sweat-dampened stray hairs from Lin Yi's forehead behind his ear. "So... are you still going to endure it?"
Shen Beidao observed Lin Yi's violently trembling eyelashes, which seemed to be damp.
He continued in that calm, analytical tone, "Professor Shen will respect your wishes. If you want to stop, we can stop here now and pretend nothing happened."
Lin Yi's lips were trembling.
He didn't want to leave this warm, cozy space, nor did he want to push away this close-knit favoritism.
Reason warned him to push the person away, but his body honestly gave the answer; he couldn't help it, fully awake, his burning heat pressing against the fabric, clearly outlining the hidden contours.
Shen Beidao's gaze slid down, lingered briefly, then he looked up into Lin Yi's wet eyes and smiled triumphantly, "If you don't speak, I'll take that as your agreement?"
Ten minutes later...
The mushrooms withered, the umbrella leaked, and when emotions ran high, champagne was opened, thanks to Chen Beidao.
Shen Beidao got up and went to the coffee table next to him to get a few tissues. Lin Yi subconsciously raised his arm and covered his eyes with the back of his hand, as if he could escape everything that had just happened. He reached out with his other hand in a flustered manner, wanting to take the tissues.
The tissue did not fall into his waiting palm.
Shen Beidao took his hand and gently moved to the side. He knelt on the carpet in front of the sofa, looked up at Lin Yi lying on the sofa, and then carefully and gently wiped him with a tissue.
After wiping, he looked up at Lin Yi's hand, which was still stubbornly covering his eyes, smiled very gently, shook his head, and then said warmly:
"Appropriate sexual activity can effectively increase the level of immunoglobulin A, enhance the body's resistance, and help enhance the local immunity of the respiratory mucosa, which can help you recover from a cold faster."
As he spoke, Shen Beidao even adopted a bit of the academic tone of someone standing on a podium: "It's also similar to a gentle aerobic exercise, which can promote blood circulation throughout the body and accelerate metabolism."
Lin Yi slightly parted his fingers.
"It can also relieve stress, significantly reduce cortisol levels, and release endorphins and serotonin, bringing relaxation, pleasure, and a sense of satisfaction..."
"Shut up!" Lin Yi suddenly sat up from the sofa, feeling dizzy from the sudden movement.
He bent down and covered Shen Beidao's mouth with his hand. His whole face turned red, and even the skin on his neck and collarbone was tinged with a beautiful pink. He said angrily, "Teacher Shen, aren't you a little shameless? What happened just now was...it was an accident...it was a misunderstanding. Can you...can you please stop talking!"
He really is a teacher; he has to lecture people about this kind of thing!
Shen Beidao chuckled softly twice more under Lin Yi's warm palm. His warm breath sprayed onto Lin Yi's palm. He nodded, indicating his surrender, and then gently removed Lin Yi's hand.
He glanced down at Lin Yi's still sweaty palms, then took out two cool-feeling wet wipes and silently wiped them.
“I just put it on,” he said softly, as if coaxing a kindergarten child, “and it will have your own scent. But it’s best not to take a bath while you have a cold, as it can worsen your condition. Just wipe yourself clean.”
Is it done?
I didn't move!
He was the one holding my hand just now...
The cool, damp touch on his palm made Lin Yi recoil as if he'd been burned, "Stop rubbing, I'm perfectly clean!"
In his haste, he sprang up from the sofa, his pants still unbuttoned, hanging loosely between his lean waist and hips, revealing a small portion of the edge of his underwear and a clear section of his V-line, swaying precariously with his movements.
He turned around in a panic, frantically adjusting his pants, his fingers a little unresponsive because of what had just happened.
Lin Yi, wake up!
So what if his chest muscles are a little more defined than yours, his V-shaped physique is a little more upright and distinct, and his eight-pack abs and V-line are a little clearer and sharper?!
You...you'll get it with practice! How could you be so pathetic today, so easily defeated by his hands?!
He must be sick and his brain is all fried!
Lin Yi raised his hand and punched his forehead in frustration, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his body that had not yet completely subsided. He turned around again, and he tried his best to put on a stern face: "Shen Beidao, I came here today to ask you about Du Xiaoman, but that doesn't mean I forgive your previous deception. Let's keep things separate."
“Yes, I know.” Shen Beidao stood up.
After that "intimate care," the belt of his silk robe had come undone, and the robe slipped to the sides as he stood up, leaving his face wide open to Lin Yi.
His superior muscle definition was on full display under the living room ceiling light: broad, straight shoulders, full and firm chest and abdominal muscles, and a neat and beautiful waistline that disappeared into the loose hem of his bathrobe.
Lin Yi's heart started pounding uncontrollably again, and those ambiguous sensations from before flooded back into his mind.
He forced himself to look away, his voice even colder: "Then what are you standing there for? Take me back!"
Shen Beidao didn't say much, nor did he deliberately tighten his clothes. He just left them open, turned around, and confidently showed off his beautifully sculpted back muscles as he walked towards the bedroom: "Wait for me to change my clothes."
......
The next morning.
When Lin Yi woke up, his whole body was sore and weak. He recalled the time they spent together last night and wished he could bury his face in the pillow and never come out again.
He fumbled for his phone on the bedside table; the light from the screen was somewhat dazzling.
On the lock screen, there are two unread messages:
【Shen Beidao】 (7:30 AM): Are you awake?
[Shen Beidao] (7:32 AM): If you are bothered by what happened last night, I apologize.
Lin Yi stared at the two lines of text, thought for a moment, and replied:
[Who wants your apology? This is normal between brothers...] Delete
[Knowing you were wrong, you still did it. Were you doing it on purpose?] Delete
[I haven't even said I forgive you yet...] Delete
Time passed by, and the city outside the window began to bustle.
About ten minutes later, Shen Beidao, who had just sat down at his workstation in the German Department office at Jiangzhou University, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He put down the graduate thesis proposal he was reviewing and picked up his phone to unlock it.
The little rabbit is still asleep.
Simple, cold, and angry.
As Shen Beidao looked at those two words, he seemed to see Lin Yi's puffed-up little face in front of him.
He curled the corners of his lips upward and chuckled.
"Teacher Shen, you seem to be in a good mood?" Fang Yu walked in carrying a light brown kraft paper bag, with her usual gentle smile on her face. "Congratulations."
Shen Beidao looked up at her, his expression returning to calm: "Thank you, but no need, I've already had breakfast."
He gently pushed the paper bag that Fang Yu had casually placed on the table back a little. "What good news? Congratulations to me?"
"These are cranberry almond cookies that I tried baking at home this weekend. I brought them here for you to try. Don't be put off."
Fang Yu laughed heartily, opened the paper bag herself, and a sweet fragrance wafted out. "It's good news. The dean was very satisfied with the Sino-German cultural exchange translation project we collaborated on last time. He just told me that we'll have to follow up again in the later stages of development."
As she spoke, she naturally took out a beautifully crafted cookie and handed it to Shen Beidao: "Also, the school's newly built comprehensive building is about to be put into use, right? I heard that the dean personally reserved a separate office for you, facing south, with a great view and good lighting."
“In a few days, the dean will invite us to dinner, and I guess he will mention this matter... You don’t need to squeeze into our big office anymore.”
Fang Yu joked, "Don't you feel uncomfortable when I'm not by your side?"
Shen Beidao looked at the cookie that was handed to him.
He was thinking that if he could take some time to learn how to bake some cookies, pack them in a pretty box, and give them to Lin Yi…
Is this a reasonable reason for meeting without seeming too deliberate?
Fang Yu's hand, holding the biscuit, remained suspended in mid-air. This slightly intimate and even somewhat ambiguous gesture was caught in the eye by Li Rui, who had just pushed open the office door.
Li Rui stood at the door, holding a stack of documents in his hand. His gaze quickly swept over Fang Yu's hand that was handing him cookies and Shen Beidao's face, and he frowned.
"Teacher Shen!" Li Rui's voice was louder than usual, breaking the atmosphere of the conversation in the room.
Shen Beidao snapped out of his reverie, looked towards the door, and asked calmly, "Hmm? Li Rui, is something the matter?"
His gaze swept over the cookies in Fang Yu's hand. "Thank you for your kindness, Teacher Fang, but I'm currently on a sugar control diet and don't eat sweets much."
When Fang Yu saw a classmate come in, she took the cookies back and put them in a paper bag: "Okay, I'll leave them here. You can try them if you want."
Li Rui walked to the desk in a few steps, seemingly a little anxious, but under Shen Beidao's calm gaze, his momentum weakened, and he lowered his voice: "Teacher Shen, do you have a moment to come out now? I have something I want to talk to you about."
"Okay." Shen Beidao stood up and said to Fang Yu, "Teacher Fang, please excuse me."
The two of them went one after the other to a meeting room next door.
Shen Beidao closed the door, walked to the small refrigerator in the corner, took out a bottle of chilled cola, and handed it to Li Rui, his tone as usual: "I've roughly looked at the summary of the number of interns you submitted last week. Some details need to be adjusted, such as the information related to the internship companies..."
“Okay, I understand, Teacher Shen!” Li Rui suddenly interrupted him. He took the cola but didn't open it. The cold bottle seemed to calm him down a bit, but his eyes were still somewhat anxious. “I didn’t come here today to talk about the internship. I wanted to ask about Lin Yi, you…”
He took a deep breath: "You and Lin Yi, did you... date before?"
Shen Beidao watched Li Rui's excited yet restrained demeanor, something Li Rui, as his student, had never shown in all these years.
Shen Beidao pulled out a chair for him, gesturing for him to sit down: "Don't stand, sit down."
"I won't sit!" Li Rui's voice rose slightly, even carrying a hint of accusation. "Teacher Shen, since you've been together before, why did you pretend not to know him backstage at the school anniversary celebration?"
Shen Beidao looked at him quietly for a few seconds, then sat down on the chair next to him.
He crossed his legs and rested his hands loosely on his knees, his posture relaxed, yet he exuded an invisible pressure that belonged to a teacher and a controller.
“Li Rui.” His voice was calm. “This is my personal matter. Do I have any obligation to report it to my students?”
One sentence left Li Rui speechless.
He realized his lapse in composure; this unwarranted questioning had indeed crossed the line.
Shen Beidao continued to look at him, his eyes scrutinizing him, as if trying to see through his excited exterior to discern his true motives:
Why are you so agitated today?
Shen Beidao tapped his fingertip lightly on the table: "Your friend's relationship and who her boyfriend is doesn't require your approval, but you directly question your friend's lover?"
He paused deliberately: "Logically speaking, is this unusual concern because you have feelings for Lin Yi that go beyond ordinary friendship?"
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Author's Note: My darlings, I didn't update today because of a clip, but I'll update every day from now on~ Please support me and leave comments, that will motivate me to write more!
This is still a sweet story, but the melodramatic plot is there to add drama and make the story less boring.
I read so many comments today, thank you so much for your support! It made me realize that writing well will still get feedback. Love you!
I'm so tired from work today. I'm posting this on a schedule now. Goodnight! Any edits are just for fixing typos~
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