Chapter 42: An Unexpected Invitation

He sat on Tang Zhen’s thigh, embraced while playing the guitar.

“Is this what the task requires?”

A hint of confusion pulled Tang Zhen back into reality, and he repeated the previous action: “It is.”

“Oh,” Yan Chuan attempted to follow Tang Zhen’s teaching, plucking the strings to create a smooth melody.

This captivated his attention, making him almost forget that he was still sitting on the man’s lap.

“Is that how it goes?” Yan Chuan blinked and cast an eager look toward Tang Zhen.

Tang Zhen nodded, praising him, “Not bad.”

Yan Chuan smiled with his lips pressed together.

In his dark, bright eyes, Tang Zhen’s reflection seemed to pull him in deep.

Tang Zhen was nearly blinded by that smile and lowered his head under the pretext of checking the sheet music.

“Alright,” he announced, “the basic lessons are done.” He stood up hurriedly as if he were leaving: “I’ll head back now and come find you when I have some time.”

“You can also come find me,” Tang Zhen added with an invitation, “I have time during the day.”

As he spoke, he started packing his things, folding the sheet music neatly and placing it into the guitar case.

However, Yan Chuan suddenly pulled at his hand: “Could you wait a moment?”

That pull wasn’t very forceful, yet Tang Zhen reacted as if scalded, his wrist jerking suddenly.

The mask he had been maintaining began to crack, revealing his rare panic.

“Bang!” The cup of water, half-full, was knocked over, crashing to the ground, and water spilled alongside glass shards everywhere.

Tang Zhen was nearby, and a noticeable dark patch appeared on his clothing from the wetness.

“I’m sorry,” Yan Chuan said, looking at the distinct wet stains on the floor and then at Tang Zhen’s clothes, biting his lip, appearing quite troubled. “I didn’t mean to…”

He gazed at Tang Zhen, his long lashes trembling, his bright and glossy eyes veiled with a layer of mist, holding a hint of hidden anticipation.

Before Tang Zhen could say anything, Yan Chuan added, “Why don’t you change into something in the bedroom? I can wash it for you and return it after?”

The author has something to say:
Welfare
Chapter 21: Apartment 13
[???]
[What happened to the peanuts?]
[Ahhh Yan Bao, don’t let that wild man into your room!]
[Punches thrown, battling fiercely to chase away anyone who tries to steal my wife!]

The heated discussion in the live broadcast room was something Yan Chuan couldn’t see. He could only watch as Tang Zhen’s eyes darkened suddenly, nervously repeating, “You can change in my bedroom; I have a top you can wear.”

“I was careless just now.” Yan Chuan still held Tang Zhen’s hand, his delicate fingers resting on Tang Zhen’s strong arm.

His expressive brows knitted in slight worry as he said, “Just stay and change; I’ll wash it for you and return it. Otherwise, it’s not suitable for you to go out like this.”

Not suitable… in what way?

So, if he went into Yan Chuan’s bedroom and changed into a “Yan Chuan’s shirt” before coming out, would that be appropriate?

Wouldn’t he be scared of being caught? Entering a wife’s home and coming back out in another man’s clothes; or what if his husband noticed there was another man’s clothing in their home?

Tang Zhen instinctively thought of this dilemma. He almost voiced his concerns without thinking, but when he saw Yan Chuan’s slightly flushed face, he swallowed his words back down.

The person in front of him was already very anxious.

Tang Zhen’s gaze fixed on Yan Chuan, noticing how his originally pale cheeks now had a tinge of red, the corners of his eyes seemed almost stained with color. His curling, thick lashes trembled, and his soft, rose-colored lips parted just slightly, revealing white teeth, looking shy and awkward.

This reaction certainly did not suggest he would actively invite a man into his bedroom, especially not while his husband was away, using ambiguous words for the invitation.

“Alright,” Tang Zhen smiled, “if it’s not too much trouble.”

Ten minutes ago…

Yan Chuan hadn’t done it on purpose.

Just as Tang Zhen gathered his things and let out a sigh of relief, he suddenly received a task notification.

The familiar mechanical voice rang in Yan Chuan’s ear: “Task 3: Please invite a jobless man into the wife’s bedroom.”

Yan Chuan nearly knocked his cup over.

In the script, his identity was that of the “wife”; naturally, Tang Zhen was the jobless man then.

Why did it have to be at this moment, with this task?

He was to invite this… man, whose identity was that of a neighbor, into the bedroom, which was also his bedroom with his husband.

Was this truly appropriate?

However, the reality left Yan Chuan no room for excessive thought; opportunities were fleeting and too precious to waste. Moreover, his second task was still unresolved, dangling with uncertainty about when he would get another chance.

So, Yan Chuan impulsively grabbed Tang Zhen’s hand, pondering how to formulate an excuse when Tang Zhen dramatically knocked over the unfortunate cup, soaking his clothes.

Yan Chuan went with the flow and naturally spoke out the reason for inviting him to change clothes in the bedroom.

The reason seemed overly flimsy, and he could easily think of counterarguments himself. For example, their identities were sensitive, not the kind that could invite each other into a living room alone.

But, Yan Chuan couldn’t come up with any other excuse to have Tang Zhen enter his bedroom, so he stumbled through his words.

Fortunately, despite Tang Zhen’s strange response and his steady gaze locking onto Yan Chuan for a moment, he eventually agreed when Yan Chuan’s face turned bright red.

This was considered a successful completion of the task, Yan Chuan comforted himself, trying to ease his own thoughts.

He guided Tang Zhen inside, opened the wardrobe, and began searching for clothes.

“This one,” Yan Chuan pulled out a gray top from the closet, weighing it in his hand as he looked at the size, then handed it to Tang Zhen: “See if it fits.”

This shirt didn’t seem to suit Yan Chuan based on the size and didn’t look like something he would typically wear. But, his husband’s wardrobe was filled with formal attire consisting mostly of dress shirts, lacking any casual clothes like this one.