We Are Not Dating! - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Body Temperature

It wasn’t until a few rays of sunlight leaked through the floor-to-ceiling windows that Jiang Zhiyu fainted from exhaustion.

His state throughout the entire night had been chaotic—sometimes losing control and shedding tears, sometimes pleading for mercy with a hoarse voice. Alcohol had paralyzed his reason, yet his bodily reactions remained sensitive; he followed his raw instincts to chase the body temperature of another person.

He lacked even the strength to flee, nor did he think to refuse, firmly dominated by unfamiliar sensory stimulation. By the end, his eyes were dry and his vision blurred. What surfaced after the frenzy wasn’t satiety, but an indescribable sense of emptiness and unease.

He tried to grasp onto something, subconsciously huddling toward the source of warmth.

The dream was dark and long. Everything prior felt like a spring night hallucination, something that could vanish along with the alcohol.

When Jiang Zhiyu was awakened by a ringing tone, he hadn’t had nearly enough sleep and thought he was still dreaming. He was wrapped entirely in a cashmere blanket and couldn’t move for a moment. After fumbling confusedly for a while, he silenced the alarm without a second thought.

“8:30”

He hadn’t been working in the office lately; why did he suddenly forget to turn off the alarm?

The confusion flashed and vanished. Jiang Zhiyu closed his eyes lightheadedly, failing to notice that the model of this phone was different from his own.

Napping until past nine, he finally gathered a bit of strength and habitually reached for the phone to listen to the news.

“The research report points out that US stocks may maintain high-level volatility. Continuous attention to inflation data is required. Last night, the three major indices all saw brief pullbacks…”

Listening to the host’s fluent broadcasting voice, Jiang Zhiyu huddled in the cashmere blanket half-awake, slowly replying to a pile of unread messages.

Zhou Ke: “That guy from Songcheng seems very interested in you. Why don’t you hurry up and “hug his thigh” (get on his good side)? The others competing with you to lead the team are all very shrewd; you should put in a little more heart.”

Jiang Zhiyu, full of fighting spirit: “My bones have been quite stiff since I was a kid. Where are his legs? I can’t bend down far enough to reach them.”

Grandma: [Image] Grandma sent a voice message, calling his childhood nickname in Suzhou dialect: “Rongrong, look at these flowers. Don’t always stay cooped up at home after work; go out more and relax.”

Jiang Zhiyu was selectively obedient: “(Heart) They look so beautiful! You’re a lady who’s both refined and strong!”

Finally, Tao Yibai sent a message of concern, sounding quite impressed between the lines: “Buddy, you downed so much at my shop, are you really okay? How are you feeling?”

The quality of those drinks was top-tier. On the second day of the hangover, he didn’t feel a headache, and his stomach wasn’t too uncomfortable. It was just that he had blacked out last night; Jiang Zhiyu only remembered how he got to this hotel.

How he found the room and how he took care of himself afterward—he had no memory of it at all.

Jiang Zhiyu wondered about it. As his logic gradually returned, he gained a bit of spirit and wanted to roll over to keep playing on his phone…

Why did he feel like his whole body ached the moment he moved?!!

Wait. He finally realized something was wrong and continued to think sluggishly. His legs didn’t seem to listen to him; the moment he lifted them slightly, they couldn’t stop trembling…

This thread of pain acted like a command, making Jiang Zhiyu snap awake as his clouded senses recovered. His body felt sore and weak, with a few places even stinging slightly. Jiang Zhiyu gazed at his surroundings blankly, and the scene that met his eyes was too much to look at.

From the window to the sofa to the bedside, crumpled clothes and accessories were scattered everywhere. There were even scattered remains of contraceptive packaging.

And they had been opened.

The impact was too great. Jiang Zhiyu took two seconds to digest this, then threw off the blanket and sat up!

No wonder he woke up feeling like a fool. Messing around after drinking—they actually used several condoms. How could he not have slept himself into a stupor?!

Fragmented memories flooded his mind. Jiang Zhiyu took a deep breath and turned his head toward the pillow. The warmth of a man remained on the bed, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Almost at the same time, the ajar bedroom door of the suite was pushed open, and the other man walked in from outside.

The two had crossed paths at the club not long ago, but they hadn’t exchanged names.

A one-night stand with a stranger. Jiang Zhiyu’s expression went blank; he didn’t know what kind of behavior was appropriate. His body reacted faster than his mind; his back trembling, he wrapped the cashmere blanket tightly around himself.

They had been intimate all night, and the residual warmth on the bedside hadn’t even dissipated, yet now he wanted nothing more than to wrap himself like a zongzi (rice dumpling), his tensed neck trying to shrink back.

Jiang Zhiyu thought he hadn’t shown any flaws and took the lead to speak, feigning calmness.

“I was drunk yesterday. I don’t quite understand why you are in my room?”

Being a city professional who needed to maintain dignity, he did his best to steady his voice, attempting to pierce the heart of the issue and seize the moral high ground. His thoughts were a bit messy as he added: “Normally, a second person shouldn’t appear here, right?”

The man seemed to want to explain this as well and handed something over.

“This is your key card.”

Jiang Zhiyu looked down at it, then turned his head. The room number was pasted on the internal landline on the nightstand.

…The quest for justice collapsed halfway; the number didn’t match his card!

Jiang Zhiyu moved his eyes away surreptitiously: “.”

The man didn’t take the opportunity to sit by the bed; instead, he retreated to a soft chair by the door. He proactively created a distance, appearing non-threatening and even coldly self-restrained.

“I also accidentally drank a lot last night,” his voice was deep and pleasant. “So when you entered the wrong door, I didn’t have the front desk handle it.”

Jiang Zhiyu had a slight recollection of how things escalated. His own bad behavior while drunk came first, leading them to lose control and reach this point.

He managed to cope: “Sorry, I misread the number. If it’s convenient, could you send me a QR code? I’ll transfer the room fee to you.”

“I wasn’t kicked out to sleep under a bridge; you don’t need to treat me,” Qi Shu glanced over indifferently. Seeing Jiang Zhiyu looking hesitant, he added: “Receiving money unclearly like this makes it seem like I’m providing ‘special services’.”

Jiang Zhiyu’s system crashed: “.”

The atmosphere in the room fell into a subtle stalemate. Both were waiting for the other to bring up the next topic. Jiang Zhiyu had so much he wanted to ask: Was this person healthy? What was his current relationship status? And how was this absurd mistake going to end?

Question marks appeared one after another. Before he could fully prepare, the man walked toward him.

Jiang Zhiyu was a bit nervous and braced himself to lift his face.

“This is my physical examination report from this year.” The man opened an archived online record. “I am not sick, and I am a celibate.”

He easily guessed Jiang Zhiyu’s thoughts and dispelled the doubts in one sentence. However, his aura easily created pressure; even though no conflict had arisen, Jiang Zhiyu still felt a bit awkward.

Jiang Zhiyu cleared his throat and slowly took the phone. The indicators on the screen were excellent. As he scanned over them, he also noticed “Chest Circumference: 102.”

When he was fully dressed, he looked tall and slender, and one couldn’t quite see his true physique. When he was fully exposed, he was indeed quite something—Jiang Zhiyu’s mind abruptly wandered into analysis.

The thought flashed by, and Jiang Zhiyu turned frustrated. What time is it? Why am I worrying about whether his chest measurement is accurate?!

He sullenly stuffed the phone back, then searched his own records to prove he also carried no risk of infection.

“I was on a business trip abroad last month and had a bout of low blood pressure, so I happened to have an exam. If there’s anything unclear, you can ask directly,” Jiang Zhiyu’s professional habits kicked in.

The other party read the report fluently: “Iron-deficiency anemia? Slight malnutrition?”

Jiang Zhiyu realized the man didn’t need help and gave a reassured “Mm.”

The man realized something and apologized with a very faint tone: “No wonder you fainted.”

Jiang Zhiyu: ?

When did he faint?

After a half-second daze, he reacted immediately. Wasn’t he the one who collapsed groggily onto the other’s pillow last night?!

Jiang Zhiyu closed his eyes, thinking through gritted teeth about how to win a round back.

“Sir, is it possible that you were over the top? Using up a whole box of ‘things’ in one night… was it your first time, so you didn’t know how to use them?”

Following his words, the other party glanced at the trash can. The items thrown inside were unsightly. Seeing him pause, Jiang Zhiyu thought: Is he finally having a moment of conscience?

But the next second, the man inquired: “Which one in there do you think was innocently wasted?”

Jiang Zhiyu: “…”

Since they were all put to use, they don’t count as wasted, right?

Director Jiang wasn’t even “innocently” weak-legged; all the accidents before him originated from his own mess last night.

Neither side had done the right thing. It would be too strange to apologize to each other; they had a tacit understanding and didn’t dwell on naive judgments of right and wrong. Discussing who should take responsibility was even more ridiculous; they were independent individuals, not objects to be possessed after sleeping together. They could each take responsibility for their own mistakes.

Jiang Zhiyu pondered for a moment: “I still don’t know your name?”

“That depends on what story you want to weave for yourself. If you want to say Tom, then I can pretend to be Jerry,” the other party said cleverly.

Hearing him play along, Jiang Zhiyu simply revealed his English name: “I don’t want to be a shorthair cat. My name is Fannar.”

The man wasn’t very surprised by his concealment and evasion, subsequently tearing off a piece of the hotel’s notepad paper.

Jiang Zhiyu didn’t know what he was writing, and their relationship hadn’t reached the level where they could make small talk. He wrapped himself in a bathrobe and went to the bathroom. Stepping barefoot on the floor, he almost fell back onto the bed. Jiang Zhiyu forced a calm posture, refusing to show even a hint of embarrassment.

Midway, someone came to deliver something. He vaguely heard a conversation about the man ordering two sets of clean clothes in the morning.

Soon, a voice came from outside.

“I saw your clothes were unwearable, but the size of the new ones might not be accurate. Try them on when you come out.”

Jiang Zhiyu was brushing his teeth and gave a muffled response: “Mhm.”

When he came out, the man was still in the bedroom. The European-style wooden door of the suite was ajar. Jiang Zhiyu hesitated for a while and stood in place without going over.

A set of clothes was folded on the sofa. He looked at the tag; the brand price was quite high. Jiang Zhiyu thought back to his conversation with Zhou Ke and couldn’t help but sigh that handsome guys made good money as escorts these days.

These clothes should be settled. Coincidentally, there was a stack of money in his soiled shirt—spare cash he had carried during his business trip and hadn’t used.

These clothes must cost at least ten thousand? Jiang Zhiyu felt flustered and counted out a dozen or so US bills.

He had torn a few buttons off the other’s clothes—he had to pay a little something as a token of apology, right? He took out a few more bills.

Even if the man didn’t need him to treat, the room fee should be split (AA), right? So Jiang Zhiyu placed all the money on the coffee table.

Immediately after, hearing a sound from inside the room, an alarm went off in Jiang Zhiyu’s subconscious. Enduring the soreness, he hurriedly got dressed. As if intentionally avoiding something, he whispered “I have something to do, I’m leaving first,” and fled the suite.

Stepping into the elevator without daring to look back, Jiang Zhiyu was instantly exhausted, leaning against the corner and letting out a long, long sigh of relief.

He hadn’t even held anyone’s hand in this life, yet he had already rolled in the sheets with someone. He added muddledly in his heart: And I slipped away right after putting on my pants. I’m practically a classic scumbag.

But he really wanted to be an ostrich right now…

Fortunately, the man didn’t look like an “innocent rabbit”; he probably wouldn’t try to be clingy. Their social circles had no connection, and there was no possibility of a sudden meeting. He’d just treat it as a confused, drunken night. Once he stepped into the sunlight, he’d be back on the right track.

The plan was perfect. Jiang Zhiyu was impressed with himself. He had run away so smoothly, and that man looked so detached; perhaps he would even be relieved that Jiang was being so self-aware.

Jiang Zhiyu limped to check out. Someone passed him from behind, carrying medicine up to the 13th floor.

Being ordered by the boss early in the morning to buy medicine, the lifestyle assistant’s gossip radar had been ringing the whole way. Unlike other executives who were flamboyant and extravagant, Qi Shu had never made him do this kind of task before.

Receiving the message from Qi Shu, the assistant had incredulously confirmed it twice: he really wanted him to buy anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling ointment.

Damn, so the boss plays that hard in private? The assistant sighed. As expected, capitalists are all beasts.

After reaching Room 1301, he knocked respectfully on the door. To his surprise, only Qi Shu was in the room. The assistant was puzzled but didn’t dare ask more.

“President Qi, should I put the medicine on the coffee table?” he asked tentatively.

Qi Shu had entered a spontaneous conference call. Hearing this, he took off his headset and turned off his microphone.

“Just throw it away,” he instructed noncommittally.

However, the assistant had already stepped quickly to the coffee table and discovered a stack of US dollars sitting there.

In front of Qi Shu, he tried to pretend he didn’t understand anything, but he couldn’t control his expression. A mixture of confusion over a collapsing worldview, surprise that transcended common sense, and even a fear of being “silenced” surfaced… The combination was quite a sight.

The assistant’s gaze lingered on the cash for a moment. When he turned back to Qi Shu, though he didn’t speak, he might as well have written a line across his face:

—Wow, you are so expensive!

Support We Are Not Dating!