Found Him! My 'Glass-Hearted' Ex is a Pop-Up Star - Chapter 15

“Why am I going to your house?” Ying Ruo was clearly startled by Duan Zhuyan’s sudden movement. His lips parted slightly, his cheeks puffed out in a defensive pout, and he became visibly alert. “It is not quite right to go to an ex-boyfriend’s house at this hour.”

Duan Zhuyan clicked his tongue and looked back at him with dissatisfaction. “And where do you think I am standing right now?”

Ying Ruo was speechless.

The room was so small that two steps brought them to the doorway. Duan Zhuyan already had his hand on the doorknob. He glanced back with a cold look. “With your skills, if you tried to cook personally, were you planning to starve me to death? Besides, this place does not even have room for two people to sit. Are you planning to stand and hold your bowls like you are begging for food?”

Ying Ruo felt like crying. That was so mean. As expected, he really did look down on his place.

“Hurry up and follow me.” Duan Zhuyan opened the door and gestured for Ying Ruo to come out. “Come to my place. I will cook for you.”

Ying Ruo had wanted to defend his home, but when he heard those words, he looked up and asked, “You know how to cook?”

Duan Zhuyan frowned. “Is that not allowed?”

“No, no, no,” Ying Ruo shook his head hurriedly. “I just thought with a face like yours, you would probably blow up the kitchen. I did not expect you to actually be able to cook.”

Duan Zhuyan was confused.

Seeing his expression shift, Ying Ruo quickly corrected himself. “I mean, you look so noble, like someone who has never done manual labor in his life.”

“Why do you talk so much?” Duan Zhuyan did not bother with him further. He simply said, “I dare you to try not coming.”

Ying Ruo was silent. He was being bullied again. He truly did not dare to refuse, so he slunk out of his apartment and obediently got into Duan Zhuyan’s car.

The sky had long since turned black. London in autumn carried a sense of desolation. The streetlights had flickered to life, their orange halos stretching shadows long as they settled into the cool air. The car was quiet. No music or radio played. Only the soft hum of the engine and the sound of their breathing filled the space. Ying Ruo did not know what to say, and fearing he might say the wrong thing, he sat silently in the passenger seat.

After a while, Duan Zhuyan gripped the steering wheel, looked straight ahead, and spoke quietly. “You wanted to find your memories, right?”

Ying Ruo looked at him. Light and shadow flowed past them, carving out a sharp, dark silhouette. The man’s faint woody scent was incredibly prominent in the narrow cabin.

“That is also a place where you used to stay.”

Ying Ruo was genuinely curious about what Duan Zhuyan’s home looked like. He had many ideas along the way. Would it be grand and luxurious? Or perhaps a cold, minimalist style in black and white? That seemed like something Duan Zhuyan would have.

However, reality was completely different from his imagination. The living room floor was a warm, natural wood color. The sofa was large with a plush rug in front of it. The kitchen was open-plan, connected to the living room, with clean countertops holding various seasonings and cooking tools. There were large floor-to-ceiling windows next to a wall-to-wall bookshelf filled with small trinkets and a pot of bright green mint.

It was incredibly cozy and felt very lived-in. It was also significantly larger than Ying Ruo’s place; his entire studio felt smaller than this man’s entryway.

Ying Ruo looked around in wonder. Was Duan Zhuyan actually someone who loved life this much in private?

The man who supposedly loved life was currently looking cold and aloof. He was wearing a black motorcycle jacket that seemed out of place in this cozy home, with a full set of earrings that looked incredibly cool. He leaned over and placed a pair of cat-faced slippers in front of Ying Ruo.

“What are you looking at me for?” Duan Zhuyan asked. “These were yours to begin with.”

Ying Ruo looked at the slippers. They were cute and warm, exactly the kind of thing he liked. Duan Zhuyan had mentioned he had been here before, but to have dedicated slippers? Did he come here often? It was not impossible; friends visit each other all the time.

Duan Zhuyan took off his jacket, hung it on a rack, and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his firm, well-defined forearms. “Is there anything specific you want to eat?”

“Anything is fine. I am not a picky eater,” Ying Ruo replied.

As if he knew that would be the answer, Duan Zhuyan took meat and vegetables out of the fridge. “Then we will have shredded pork with garlic sauce and braised ribs.”

Ying Ruo was amazed. It was Chinese food! He had not had a proper Chinese meal in a long time.

“You are so impressive, Duan Zhuyan,” Ying Ruo said happily. “Thank you. Sorry to bother you again.”

Duan Zhuyan did not speak; he only gave a small nod.

Ying Ruo was in a great mood. This place felt fresh to him. He wandered around the living room like a small animal familiarizing itself with a new environment. Duan Zhuyan stood in the nearby kitchen, his eyes cold but his gaze locked onto the person outside.

The youth stood before the bookshelf, leaning over slightly. The small swirl of hair on the top of his head was incredibly cute as he looked at the books with curiosity. His eyes were bright, his face was delicate and beautiful, and his soft red lips looked very kissable. It was a sight that made it hard for anyone to look away.

Duan Zhuyan’s pupils were dark. That bookshelf was where he had once pressed him down to kiss him. The person beneath him had been too weak to struggle and could only open his mouth to let Duan Zhuyan take whatever he wanted. Those soft lips would get swollen from the pressure, and he could only whimper small pleas for mercy in a beckoning voice, yet he would still try his best to kiss back.

“Are these awards you won?”

The thought was shattered as Ying Ruo pulled him back to reality. Ying Ruo pointed at a trophy on the shelf and smiled. “I did not know you did boxing.”

Duan Zhuyan’s mind was a mess. Seeing Ying Ruo’s beautiful face again only made his mood worse. He ran a hand through his hair irritably. His ears and neck turned red. He looked down and said crossly, “What is so interesting about that stuff?”

Ying Ruo thought it was very important. Now he knew the man’s combat ability was so high; if he actually made him angry, he might get flattened with one punch. There was not just boxing, but also skiing and shooting trophies. Ying Ruo also saw many of Duan Zhuyan’s academic achievements, published papers, world-renowned project awards, and documents from his volunteer work and research collaborations.

He was truly, truly impressive. His temper was just a bit too fierce.

Duan Zhuyan was feeling extremely agitated. He grabbed a knife and slammed it down onto the ribs. With a heavy thud, the rib was severed and the knife embedded itself into the cutting board.

Ying Ruo was terrified. Help! He had only mentioned the trophy. What was wrong now?

Duan Zhuyan finished chopping the ribs, put them in a pot to blanch, and went to wash another pot while preparing the rest of the ingredients. At that moment, a head popped up beside him. Ying Ruo had walked over and was looking up at him obediently. “Do you need help?”

Duan Zhuyan could not help but look at Ying Ruo’s lips, but he immediately looked away. His ears began to burn. His voice was stiff. “Go sit outside.”

“I want to help,” Ying Ruo said sincerely. “We agreed that I would be the one cooking, but now you are cooking for me. I feel a bit guilty.” Those large eyes looked at him brightly. “Can I, Duan Zhuyan?”

Duan Zhuyan was at his limit. When the youth spoke, his plump lips moved in a way that revealed a glimpse of his tongue. Duan Zhuyan could not withstand that level of cuteness. He was instantly defeated. After stuttering for a moment, he said uncomfortably, “Then help me turn on the faucet.”

“Understood!” Ying Ruo replied.

For some reason, Duan Zhuyan felt that Ying Ruo had the potential to be a kitchen disaster. He started to say, “If you are only here to make things worse, then…”

Before he could finish, Ying Ruo turned on the faucet. Not knowing the water pressure, he instinctively turned it to the maximum as he did in his own studio. In the next second, the high-pressure water hit the pot in Duan Zhuyan’s hand and sprayed everywhere, soaking Duan Zhuyan’s clothes completely.

Duan Zhuyan was stunned. Ying Ruo was frozen. “Oh no.”

The man’s chest and abdomen were drenched. Underneath his jacket, he was wearing a shirt; the thin fabric now clung to his muscles, rising and falling with his breath. Ying Ruo stared for a few seconds before his face changed. Terrified, he shut off the water and apologized repeatedly. “I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry!”

Thinking of that boxing trophy, he was afraid Duan Zhuyan would grab him by the collar. He hurriedly reached out to help wipe him down. In the emergency, Ying Ruo used his sleeve to press against the wet shirt to absorb the water. His slender fingers rubbed across Duan Zhuyan’s chest and abdomen through the fabric.

Duan Zhuyan’s waist was tight and narrow, and his abdominal muscles were well-defined. He was clearly naturally gifted and worked out often. He felt hot, as if he were radiating heat. Ying Ruo was in a panic and was about to wipe further down when his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

A large, well-defined hand gripped Ying Ruo’s fair wrist through the sweatshirt. The sensation was prominent, as if his wrist were being swallowed by the palm. Duan Zhuyan moved the wandering hand away, his ears turning red. He breathed heavily, his entire body tense. His voice was deep, rough, and incredibly raspy. “Do not touch me.”

Ying Ruo’s long eyelashes trembled. Duan Zhuyan’s grip was so strong that it actually hurt a little, pressing into the soft skin of his wrist. Realizing he was using too much force, Duan Zhuyan let go. He pulled back Ying Ruo’s sleeve to make sure it was not red before turning away in a bad mood. “Go get me a dry set of clothes.”

Ying Ruo did not dare to disobey. “Ah, oh, okay, I will go right away!”

He ran into the bedroom and opened the closet to find a clean shirt. Just as he was about to head back, he realized something was wrong. How did he know exactly where the clothes were kept?

Ying Ruo stood there for a moment before looking around the room. It was a bedroom with a large double bed covered in flat, dark gray sheets that smelled faintly of wood. On one side of the bed sat a teddy bear. Ying Ruo recognized it immediately; it was the bear he used to sleep with back in China. He had not found it at his place and thought he had left it behind, but here it was on Duan Zhuyan’s bed.

Then, underneath the bear, he saw a purple box. It was a box of condoms.