The Pampered Young Master Is Adored at Art School - Chapter 7

Crawling into a warm bed after a hot winter bath was far too comfortable, so who would want to stay in the living room watching a projector?

“No,” Xu Chenjian refused heartlessly, his voice a bit raspy, “it’s bad for your eyes.”

He busied himself cleaning up the leftover dishes, “I’ll make you pork ribs again tomorrow morning. If you eat them once, you have to toss the rest. They shouldn’t be reheated for a second meal.”

“I know, I know, Brother Jian is the best.” Su Zhan cheered up again, stretching his limbs as he went to look through the little gifts Xu Chenjian had brought him.

There was a Chrome Hearts cross ball necklace, a loose Montana sapphire, and a small cardboard ticket stub encased in acrylic.

The ink from the old typewriter was a bit faded. Su Zhan looked at it repeatedly, letting out a cry of surprise before asking tentatively, “What year is this from?”

“1988, the Broadway version,” Xu Chenjian said softly.

A paper ticket stub for Waiting for Godot from the eighties. This object was older than Su Zhan himself, a souvenir from an era that was now out of reach. Su Zhan felt the acrylic frame was too modern, so he hunted for a small walnut wood frame to house it carefully on his bookshelf.

The entire bookshelf was filled with little gifts Xu Chenjian had brought him, mostly ticket stubs and programs from classic plays. Their sentimental value far outweighed their actual worth. To an outsider, this was just a wall of scrap paper, but to Su Zhan, it was a collection of priceless treasures.

However, his lease would expire soon, and he would have to move into a student dormitory next semester to save money. In a room shared by three people, he wouldn’t have the space for these little trinkets anymore. They would have to be packed into boxes, never to see the light of day again.

Xu Chenjian took out a pair of tweezers, picking up the Yogo sapphire to hold it against Su Zhan’s ear, “A bezel setting?”

Su Zhan had a single ear piercing, the only part of him that looked a bit rebellious. At first glance, he seemed far removed from the arts academy students who were all about tobacco, alcohol, and tattoos, but dressing with such elegance at an arts school was its own form of individualism.

The Yogo sapphire looked like a tiny cornflower, matching Su Zhan’s name. Xu Chenjian had bought half a carat for himself as well. He was just waiting for Su Zhan’s approval before he took his own loose stone to be made into a pinky ring, with the sapphire hidden on the inner band.

Su Zhan looked in the mirror and nodded slightly, “But I usually wear plain diamonds more often.”

Once everything was tidied up, Su Zhan took a hot shower and dragged a duvet onto the sofa to watch Licorice Pizza on the projector.

He and the duvet occupied two of the three seats on the sofa. Su Zhan still felt a bit awkward. Previously, he could take up the entire sofa by himself, but now he had to curl up.

Xu Chenjian noticed his hesitation and naturally rested Su Zhan’s feet on his lap, gently massaging the arches of his feet.

Su Zhan suddenly pulled his feet back, making the atmosphere awkward. He huddled under the duvet, “It’s cold if my feet are out.” Su Zhan had never found this strange before, but today he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Xu Chenjian’s hand froze for a long moment before he placed it properly by his side. The heater was on, so it definitely wasn’t cold with his feet out.

“Does Xiao Su have any new friends lately?” While watching the movie, Xu Chenjian was distracted. He thought of that nouveau riche style McLaren and attributed Su Zhan’s unintentional distance to that “new friend.”

He had stayed in the US a few years longer than Su Zhan and knew exactly what most Americans were like. Their passion was only skin deep and they were good at deceiving people. Su Zhan had a simple nature and might be led astray or influenced badly.

“Not exactly a new friend.” Su Zhan was glued to the movie. The seventies atmosphere and the youth of the protagonists had him hooked, making him a bit dismissive toward Xu Chenjian.

Xu Chenjian, however, read this as him hiding something.

“Once my project is finished, I’ll apply for remote work and move to the West Coast, okay? Then I can cook for you often. Your winter break is coming up soon, too.”

“Don’t.” Su Zhan nearly bit his tongue, his attention snapped away from the movie.

Su Zhan stammered, “I mean, doesn’t your company adjust your salary based on the local cost of living? Moving to a small place like S-City would mean a pay cut for you.”

“Xiao Su has grown up, are you afraid of me watching over you?” Xu Chenjian was smiling, but the emotion in his eyes was heavy.

“Even if you wanted to watch, could you really keep an eye on me? How old am I now?” Su Zhan just assumed Xu Chenjian was acting like the overbearing older brother again and didn’t pay much attention, turning back to the movie.

“Not all culture here in America is good,” Xu Chenjian said, his peripheral vision catching a scene of the female lead acting drunk, a perfect embodiment of American decadence, yet Su Zhan was watching with great interest.

Xu Chenjian stopped talking, secretly deciding to move to the West Coast for a while after the project to spend the winter break with Su Zhan.

If he didn’t try, how would he know if he could keep an eye on him?

By the end of the movie, the protagonists had a happy ending, with the childhood partners becoming husband and wife. Xu Chenjian surprisingly felt the movie wasn’t that bad.

Su Zhan had completely merged with the duvet and wanted to sleep on the sofa with a kick of his legs, “Brother Jian, you take the bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“No.” Without warning, Xu Chenjian picked Su Zhan up horizontally, intending to carry him to the bed.

Su Zhan’s sleepiness was startled away by the sudden movement. He nearly tumbled out of the duvet like a cicada shedding its skin. He stared with wide, round eyes, “How old am I!”

“Twenty. In America, you can’t even buy alcohol yet,” Xu Chenjian said calmly, wrapping the duvet back around Su Zhan and patting his shoulder. “Go sleep inside, otherwise I’ll wake you up when I cook tomorrow.”

“I’ll be twenty one in a few months! I sleep on the sofa anyway when you’re not here.” Su Zhan was truly exhausted. He let out a yawn and carried the duvet toward the bedroom. Before closing the door, he turned around, “Brother Jian, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

The door closed, and Xu Chenjian watched it for a long time. He felt the lingering warmth on the sofa, found a blanket, and rested his head on the armrest where Su Zhan had just been lying.

By the side of the road outside the apartment, the shadow of a McLaren sat lonely. The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car caused a layer of white mist to form on the windows.

Dylan had been sitting in the car for over three hours, staring at the lights of Su Zhan’s apartment from afar.

He saw two blurry figures pass by the window one after another, then the lights went out. The man who cooked for Su Zhan hadn’t come out; Su Zhan had let him stay the night.

He sat in the car for a long time afterward, the emotions in the song lyrics turning from meaningless to crystal clear. Dylan found it grating and finally turned off the music, letting the sound of the engine drown out the stubborn whispers in his mind.

He wanted to step into Su Zhan’s apartment, stay there, and then sleep with him.

***

The next morning, Su Zhan woke up naturally to the aroma of breakfast. Soup dumplings were steaming in the pot, and the bottom layer of the rice cooker held chicken porridge. The promised ribs had been made with a red sauce, a different flavor as if fearing Su Zhan would get tired of them.

Xu Chenjian had already left. He was rushing to a meeting, and the drive from S-City to LA took several hours.

While Su Zhan ate his porridge, the two checks signed by Dylan sat by his hand. Later, he could go deposit the money and feel secure with the cash in his account.

Dylan sent a message: “Good morning. Could you please accompany me today to pick out a gift for my sweetheart?”

Of course he would go!

Su Zhan considered himself well-traveled and experienced. Even if he worked in the service industry, he would be top-tier. He would be the best shopping guide!

He hoped Dylan would embrace the American cultural spirit and give him a little tip for his service.

“I’ll pick you up in the afternoon? We can go to North Court, the shops there are a bit better.”

Su Zhan agreed. After finalizing the time with Dylan, he went to the theater to finish his performance for the day.

After the show ended, Su Zhan waited by the road near the arts academy. He didn’t see the McLaren, but instead saw an Aston Martin DBS he had never seen before pull up in front of him.

The window rolled down. Dylan was wearing an ivory casual shirt today with two buttons undone, the silhouette of his chest muscles faintly visible. A metallic glint flashed at his collar, Dylan had even put on a necklace. He was flat out showing off! Americans really don’t understand humility!

Dylan took off his sunglasses, seemingly unintentionally tossing a wink, “How do I look today? And my hair?”

Only then did Su Zhan notice Dylan had styled his hair! He had been too busy looking at the results of his gym workouts.

“It… it’s not bad,” Su Zhan whispered.

He felt his face heating up. Dylan must have caught him admiring his physique; how embarrassing.

“Really? I don’t think the necklace matches well.” Dylan narrowed his eyes slightly, pulling at his collar with two fingers. “I was hoping you could help me pick another one.”

Dylan noticed Su Zhan’s gaze, shy yet wanting to look. It was truly amusing and made him want to tease him. Of course, Dylan was also very confident in the results of his training.

Muscles like these were meant to be seen.

“Pick it later, pick it later!” Su Zhan became incoherent, momentarily unsure whether to say “wait” or “later,” his tongue getting tied.

He sat in the car and rubbed his face, wondering if Dylan was laughing at how thin-skinned he was, or if any other classmates had seen his embarrassed state.

Su Zhan had never found a half hour drive so grueling. He didn’t even dare to look at Dylan when he spoke.

Dylan looked far more dazzling than his more down to earth appearance yesterday. When he put effort into his look, he didn’t look like an engineering student at all. He was all “hot” and no “nerd,” looking more like a playboy who trifled with the world.

But Su Zhan knew his story of unrequited love. Such a white guy was practically an endangered species in America.

Unlike most general malls, North Court was like a garden. The open-air area was vast, with luxury brands lined up throughout the courtyard. These high-end brands focused on an atmosphere that made you feel at home. Entering each shop brought perfectly judged hospitality. Even in his wealthier days, Su Zhan hadn’t dared to come here often; he would always get overwhelmed and accidentally max out his cards.

Today was the same. As soon as Su Zhan arrived, his eyes drifted toward a boutique. With just one look, he fell in love with a Lemaire shirt on a mannequin.

“What do you want to buy today?” Su Zhan retracted his gaze, remembered his balance, and sighed inwardly.

Poverty caused his service awareness for his client to take over again.

“What were you just looking at? It looks great.” Dylan’s smile was meaningful. “He is a person with great taste. He’ll probably love whatever you pick out.”

“We can’t pick based on my taste. Everyone’s preferences are different.” Su Zhan was a bit hesitant. He knew Americans were good at sweet talking, but he’d be foolish to actually believe it.

Dylan pushed Su Zhan into the boutique, “Pick what you like first, and then I’ll choose something for him from the ones that suit you. How about that?”

Unlike brand flagships, boutiques already had a selection curated by the buyer’s taste.

Su Zhan and Dylan were lucky today; the owner happened to be in. Usually, he stayed behind the counter while the sales assistants greeted guests, but today, after seeing Su Zhan coordinate an outfit, he came out to welcome them.

“This set will look very suitable on you.” His gaze held appreciation but remained professional. He quietly instructed someone to bring over several more outfits and placed them within Su Zhan’s reach. It wasn’t a hard sell, but rather a subtle form of communication.

As expected, Su Zhan took a liking to them. He felt like he had escaped into a playground far from the pressures of reality. Dylan was patient, sitting in the shop watching Su Zhan change into one outfit after another.

The owner was also very attentive to Su Zhan, even going out specifically to help him choose a shirt not currently in the shop just to complete a look that suited him.

After trying things on for over an hour, Su Zhan finally sat down on the sofa.

Dylan handed Su Zhan a glass of juice, “Should I call over a fit model?”

Su Zhan shook his head, “I’m supposed to be your model. Why would a model need a model? Did you see anything you liked just now? Or something for your sweetheart?”

Su Zhan pointed to several coordinated sets he had picked out, “Do you want me to try them on again so you can decide?”

Dylan’s gaze was dark, landing on Su Zhan’s collar. Su Zhan had changed in a hurry and missed two buttons, leaving a small patch of snow-white chest visible during his movements, but Dylan didn’t mention it. He said nothing.

Dylan: “But they all look so good, what should I do? I’ll buy them all.”

“He is so lucky.” Su Zhan stared blankly at the row of elegant, beautiful clothes.

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