The place Shen Yizhou had chosen was luxurious from every possible angle. It was an elegant restaurant perched in the heart of the city, its tall windows overlooking the most dazzling parts of the nightscape. Sitting by the window, one might feel as though they were gazing down upon a bed of scattered stars, rather than mere city lights.
Well… that was an exaggeration.
An exaggeration Ephraim fully intended to type out and post later, to brag to his followers.
The whole ride over, Ephraim had been practically buzzing with excitement, though a little puzzled too. After all, wasn't it usually Shen Yizhou behind the wheel? Ephraim had gotten used to the man's peculiar driving habits: the unnecessarily winding routes, the inexplicable detours, the bumpy shortcuts… it had long convinced Ephraim that Shen Yizhou must have some odd hobby of testing himself on difficult roads.
But tonight, with Mister Huang driving them, Shen Yizhou had instead chosen to sit beside him in the back seat.
'He must have wanted to keep me company. To sit closer. What a gentleman.'
And then-
'Wow. What a fine place he picked. What a gentleman.'
'Oh! He's pulling out my chair. What a gentleman.'
'Look at him… staring at me so seriously, not even glancing at the menu. Is he looking to see if I like the place? What a gentleman.'
[Rachel: Cupcake, I can practically hear your thoughts. These are just basic manners, Ephraim. No need to be this touched.]
[Ephraim: I hope to be shown basic manners everywhere because, wow, this is attractive. Honestly though, it's probably just me being swayed by all his recent gestures. You know, like when an idol does something extra cute and you end up obsessed for a while? He's cute.]
Of course, Shen Yizhou couldn't possibly hear the extent of the favor being granted to him inside Ephraim's head. If he could, he might've felt secretly pleased.
He had, after all, planned tonight very, very carefully.
To begin with, the restaurant he'd chosen was famous for its meat-based dishes, particularly how they handled the rarer, more expensive cuts. Shen Yizhou had done his research. From what he'd observed, the boy sitting in front of him seemed to favor meat and chicken dishes, even back at home. Basing his assumptions on this, he had shortlisted a few of the city's best meat specialty restaurants.
It was Zhou Gao who had casually mentioned that expensive places tended to make people feel special.
Shen Yizhou, not entirely understanding the logic, obediently filtered his list down to the most high-end options.
Out of those, he settled on this place, not just for its reputation, but also for the security. The establishment was well-guarded, offering privacy and a good view. With Ling Xiaoyu's rising popularity, Shen Yizhou thought it safest to dine somewhere discreet.
Truthfully, he'd even considered booking out the entire floor. But in the end, refrained. He'd noticed that the boy seemed to enjoy a bit of background company, the kind that didn't necessarily interact with him, but filled the space.
Everything had been carefully accounted for.
And then… the menu arrived.
Without hesitation, the boy ordered dish after dish, not a single one containing meat.
'Why… I thought you liked meat…'
On the other side of the table, Ephraim, totally unaware of Shen Yizhou's slow forming panic, wasn't feeling much better. In fact, he was a little aggrieved.
But… that was the issue of having a temporary crush.
He wanted to appear his best in front of Shen Yizhou. Scarfing down on variety after variety of meat he ordered himself would make him seem like a glutton, he thought.
Ephraim conveniently ignored that the man had more than once witnessed his gluttonous tendencies while having dinner together at his home. To Ephraim the 'now' in a relationship mattered. Not the 'then'.
He remembered back in his past life, when he'd been smitten with someone for a short while, he'd gone online to research ways to seem more likable. And the first thing that always appeared on those lists was - appearance.
He had, back then, gotten somewhat attached to keeping himself well-maintained, secretly taking care of his diet and appearance, all to seem a little prettier, a little more desirable.
Those habits had faded after the person he liked passed away.
And when he came to this world, he'd promised himself to let loose, live freely, and not fuss over such things anymore.
But now… here he was again.
Another person he wanted to, well, look his best for.
It didn't help that just before trying on the dress earlier, he'd checked his weight and discovered he had gained quite a bit. Quite a bit he was absolutely not proud of.
And so, here he was, sitting in an extravagant restaurant, ordering only the dishes he thought wouldn't add to his weight. It was also, admittedly, to appear a little more demure in front of Shen Yizhou.
After all, one of those countless "How to Attract a Guy" articles he'd read once upon a time had listed: appear delicate.
So Ephraim did just that, very delicately, very demurely nibbling away at his three varieties of salads.
Perhaps, not quite as delicately, he kept stealing glances at Shen Yizhou's steak.
Shen Yizhou, naturally, noticed.
He lowered his gaze to the food in front of him, falling silent for a moment.
'Maybe Little Yu impulsively ordered the wrong thing, and now feels too embarrassed to say it.'
He supposed such situations happened sometimes.
Without a word, Shen Yizhou raised his hand, called the waiter over, and calmly ordered a few more meat dishes before turning back to his own plate.
Ephraim looked at him quietly, before leaning in and whispering,
"Mister Shen… you like meat a lot?"
"I prefer seafood," Shen Yizhou replied evenly.
"Then… why?"
"It was impulsive," the man said, his face calm, stoic as always. "I might not be able to finish them all. It would be a bit embarrassing to leave them uneaten after ordering so much… Would you help me, Little Yu?"
Not a single trace of embarrassment on that face. Utterly composed.
Ephraim, however, was internally delighted by this so-called clumsy mistake of Shen Yizhou's. All hints of reluctance and determination flew out the window instantly.
'Well… if I must. It's not like I have a choice. My man's asking me for help. I'll just be more careful starting tomorrow.'
The rest of the dinner passed in a light, pleasantly warm atmosphere.
Ephraim chattered on about anything and everything, his face bright with jubilant smiles. In between his endless talking, he carefully gauged many of Shen Yizhou's interests.
For starters, it seemed the man liked his greens.
Shen Yizhou ate most of the vegetable dishes Ephraim had ordered with the same calm, unchanging expression.
This, naturally, made Ephraim even happier. He wouldn't have to suffer through the mountain of salads he'd ordered. Mister Shen was doing it for him.
"Mister Shen, can I take a picture? Don't worry, I won't include your face. Just your hand."
Shen Yizhou silently extended a hand while taking a sip of wine with the other.
His movement paused when the boy reached over and gently intertwined their fingers across the table.
Shen Yizhou lowered his gaze, staring at the slender, delicate fingers now laced tightly with his own, the soft caress of fingertips occasionally brushing against his knuckles.
Ephraim hummed happily, leaning back slightly to find the best angle for a shot.
Then, without letting go, he lifted Shen Yizhou's hand towards his lips, pausing midway to meet the man's gaze.
"May I?"
Shen Yizhou cleared his throat softly, glancing away for a moment before returning his gaze to Ephraim, his voice gentle.
"For a picture?"
"Well… yes. But mostly because I want to. You have very handsome, really sexy veins, Mister Shen. I couldn't help it. The picture's just a bonus."
Shen Yizhou was quiet for a moment, his gaze dropping to his wine glass as if it could hide his thoughts.
Then, lightly, he said, "Do whatever you want, Little Yu."
Ephraim's eyes sparkled at those words.
He carefully brought the back of Shen Yizhou's hand to his lips, planting a light kiss there before quickly snapping a selfie, capturing Shen Yizhou's hand to his lips in the frame.
Afterward, a tiny bit of shyness bloomed in his chest. He let go of Shen Yizhou's hand, retreating a little, though he couldn't quite wipe the giddy smile off his face.
Inside, he was already chuckling to himself in delight.
[Ephraim: Maybe I'm really not cut out for flirting. Look. He's not reacting at all.]
[Rachel: I thought the same a while ago, my dear. But trust me, you're at your best when you aren't trying so hard to be perfect.]
[Ephraim: I don't know… Look at him. He's-]
Ephraim barely swallowed a surprised hiccup when Shen Yizhou suddenly reached out and took his hand again.
This time, Shen Yizhou gently brought the back of Ephraim's hand to his lips, pressing a light, deliberate kiss against it.
Then, with a calmness completely at odds with his ears, now burning bright red, he set Ephraim's hand back down on the table, his fingers lingering just a little longer before he let go, and returned to his meal like nothing at all had happened.
Ephraim, too shy to notice the redness creeping up Shen Yizhou's ears, lowered his gaze to his own fidgeting fingers.
A small, pleasant warmth bloomed in his chest.
A quiet moment passed between them, filled only by the soft clink of cutlery and the city lights twinkling beyond the window.
Then Shen Yizhou's voice came, low and gentle, like a ripple across still water.
"I joined the gym you recently joined yourself, Little Yu."
Ephraim looked up, blinking in surprise before breaking into a bright, delighted smile.
"Really? How come? I thought Mister Shen always worked out at home every morning."
"I do," Shen Yizhou replied evenly. "But that's only enough to keep me in shape."
Ephraim tilted his head curiously. "You want more than that, Mister Shen?"
"I was hoping to build up more strength. That gym has a good reputation."
Ephraim was just about to ask what kind of strength he was after, but before he could, Shen Yizhou looked up at him, gaze steady, holding it for a moment.
Then, in the same calm, serious tone, he added,
"I believe… if I become physically fitter, I'll have the strength to take on a bear in the future."
Ephraim blinked, confused. "Pardo- Oh…"
[Rachel: Pfft-]
[Ephraim: Quiet, Rachel… This… this… this is so sweet… Oh my gosh… Can I assume he wants to go out with me now? Can I? CAN I?]
[Rachel: Ahem… Ahem. Sorry, Honey, couldn't help it… But, well, you didn't actually specify why you sent him that message back then. You just told him to learn how to defeat a bear. He's… doing as you asked.]
[Ephraim: Aw… bummer… But… that's still adorable. He's following my words like that. Oh my - Rachel, I think I've found the one in this world. He's so lovable. What do I do? What do I do?]
[Rachel: Mm, you two really are something… Oh - by the way, Ephraim.]
[Ephraim: Hm?]
[Rachel: Wang Jianyuan just arrived.]