9 Agreed

Lu Mi sat in his gaming chair, feet resting on the seat, curled up with his chin tucked against his knees, right hand gripping his phone.

On the other end of the line, Shen Tan did not speak, though there was a faint background noise. It sounded like a woman’s voice.

Lu Mi lowered his gaze to the soft carpet, breathing shallowly, waiting until the indistinct background noise faded before he spoke: "Mr. Shen."

He did not know why Shen Tan had suddenly called him. It sounded as if he were busy, or perhaps engaged in some important social appointment.

Shen Tan seemed to have been waiting for him, as he promptly replied with an "Mm," then asked, "What color do you like?"

Unprepared for such a question, Lu Mi was stunned. "I like any color."

In truth, he had no favorite color; even if he did, it wouldn't matter. No one cared, and he didn't care himself.

"I thought you would prefer light colors," Shen Tan said, his tone indifferent, as if he weren't surprised by the answer. "You sound quite open-minded."

It was only a matter of color; how could one use a term like "open-minded" for that?

Lu Mi opened his mouth, trying to defend himself. "I..." But once he started, he didn't know how to justify it. He had always been one to defer to others' opinions, whether it was Lu Nande or anyone else. And that was even more true when it came to Shen Tan.

Realizing this, Lu Mi pursed his lips, one hand kneading his own lower leg, and fell silent.

The breathing on the other end of the line grew slightly heavier than before.

Shen Tan leaned back on a sofa in the shop, nodding at a rack of clothes pushed over by a staff member. With a slight curl of his lips, he asked Lu Mi, "What were you going to say? Are you not speaking because you’re angry that I called you open-minded?"

"I'm not angry," Lu Mi hurriedly refuted, his speech faster than before.

"Then is it because you don't want to talk to me, having left immediately after I kissed you tonight?"

Chen Xiu, who had been busy following the staff to pick out clothes and waiting for Shen Tan’s final decision, looked at him in disbelief upon hearing this. Was Shen Tan flirting with the boy on the other end?

Chen Xiu: "..." In the past, she could hardly imagine someone like Shen Tan saying such things.

Shen Tan wore a faint smile.

Lu Mi abruptly grabbed his own ankle, his ears turning bright red. "No, it's not that. I don't not want to talk to you."

He couldn't possibly be angry at Shen Tan over something like that, nor would he refuse to speak to him. He had no standing or qualification to do so.

Lu Mi's voice sounded flustered, yet it lacked any aggression—just like when they kissed, where he had offered no resistance. Shen Tan narrowed his eyes and hummed, "Even so, things like this will happen often in the future."

Lu Mi knew exactly what Shen Tan was referring to without being told. His face flushed completely, and he subconsciously bit his lower lip. Before he could respond, Shen Tan changed the subject. "But since it's not that you don't want to talk to me, what were you trying to say earlier? Or rather, what did you want to say to me before I called you?"

Surprised that Shen Tan had noticed, Lu Mi rubbed his chin against his knees. "I..." He still didn't know how to bring it up; he feared rejection, and he feared Shen Tan might think he was pushing his luck.

"I’m going abroad tomorrow. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, so I won't have time to look at the messages you send." Shen Tan spoke in a measured, deliberate tone.

The implication was clear. If he didn't speak now, he wouldn't have another chance.

Staring at the beige carpet for a moment, Lu Mi pressed his lips together and looked toward the doorway. Across from him was the bedroom—a beige-styled room that felt at odds with Shen Tan. Recalling Shen Tan’s comment about thinking he preferred light colors, Lu Mi took a deep breath and said cautiously, "Mr. Shen, may I go to sleep at twelve? I need to stream tonight, and if I don't meet the required hours, I won't get..."

His voice trailed off, losing confidence. After all, the base salary from streaming was negligible to Shen Tan; the gifts Shen Tan had already showered upon him were worth far more than his salary. Yet, Lu Mi didn't want to give up that money. To him, it was a guarantee for the future.

"You may."

Lu Mi hadn't expected Shen Tan to agree so readily; he had already braced himself for a refusal. Having never had a request of his so easily granted by anyone, his heart raced. He was silent for a moment before stammering, "Th-thank you, Mr. Shen."

"Before you thank me, you should consider that I was the one who set the ten o'clock bedtime, and you were perfectly free not to follow it." Shen Tan had long guessed what Lu Mi wanted to say. It was just that Lu Mi was more obedient, and more afraid of him, than he had imagined.

Shen Tan closed his eyes, remembering how Lu Mi had pushed him away. He touched the small cut on his lip.

Lu Mi’s soft voice came through the phone. "...I thought it was a house rule that had to be followed." The concept of a curfew was foreign to Lu Mi, but strangely, it provided a sense of security. But it turned out it wasn't a rule at all?

Then again, Shen Tan probably just said it in passing. He didn't have much time to come home, let alone supervise what time Lu Mi went to bed.

Lu Mi lowered his eyes; the joy of being allowed to stay up until twelve seemed to dim.

"It is a rule, indeed." Shen Tan chuckled. For some reason, his voice sounded somewhat pleased. "You should go to sleep now. The new rule takes effect tomorrow."

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Mi turned to look at his computer, which he hadn't yet turned on, and whispered, "Okay, Mr. Shen."

Too much had happened today; he really wasn't in the state of mind for ranked matches. Normally, if he wasn't feeling sharp, he would play a casual match to warm up, but today, he decided not to stream at all. He could just start an hour earlier tomorrow. He didn't have classes in the afternoon anyway, and Shen Tan wouldn't be home.

A moment later, Lu Mi added softly, "Good night, Mr. Shen."

Shen Tan gave an "Mm." Just as the call was about to end, he heard Lu Mi whisper, "...I do prefer light colors."

After saying this, Lu Mi didn't dare wait to hear Shen Tan's response. He had simply been under the illusion that Shen Tan called specifically to ask if he had something to say. But it was only an illusion.

Shen Tan let out a laugh—a more pronounced laugh than before—which left Lu Mi no longer doubting whether he had misheard.

A woman's voice drifted from Shen Tan’s side. Shen Tan quickly replied, "I know," his voice sounding faintly amused.

The call was then disconnected.

Lu Mi lowered his eyes, leaning against his knees as he stared at the disconnected call screen, unsure of who that "I know" was directed toward. But it didn't matter. Just as it didn't matter whether he truly preferred light colors.

Back in the bedroom, Lu Mi took a shower before lying down. It was only a little past nine; he rarely rested this early. Before college, he had studied late into the night to get into a good school, and the dim lights in his room at the Lu house often hindered his progress. Later, in college, he stayed up late for his streams.

Going to bed this early made it hard to fall asleep. Perhaps it was because too much had happened today, and he had already taken a nap in the evening. Looking at the sofa opposite the bed, images of Shen Tan being there filled his mind.

Lu Mi quickly got up to turn off the lights. Once the bedroom was plunged into darkness, he logged into the streaming platform to post an announcement that he would not be streaming tonight.

Before he could log out, he saw a message from the guild manager: "Not streaming again today?"

"Forget it. Did you chat with that boss who gives you gifts? Do I have to teach you how to do everything? Can you play games with them? Can you learn from other streamers?"

Perhaps because Shen Tan’s gifts were substantial enough, the manager had temporarily forgotten about A-Mo. In the past, Lu Mi had other big spenders, though they were only "big" in relative terms, and he had tried playing with them. But Lu Mi had his own playstyle; when at a disadvantage, he focused on his own development and couldn't cater to the boss’s emotions. He wasn't talkative, either, and couldn't provide the "emotional value" other streamers provided. Those bosses eventually stopped coming. But back then, the manager hadn't bothered him about it.

But Shen Tan was so busy; he wouldn't play games at all.

Lu Mi replied: "He doesn't play games."

Manager: "If he doesn't play games, then chat with him more! Can you chat? Don't be a dullard! Learn from A-Mo!"

A-Mo was a top streamer who was very good with words, attracting many big spenders to his channel.

Manager: "Is that boss a man or a woman? You've been a streamer long enough to know the importance of big bosses, right? The platform is launching a new event soon. The higher the gift value, the more exposure you get. If you make them happy and get them to gift more, you might have a chance..."

Lu Mi read the messages, his lips pressed together. He replied only: "I am a technical streamer."

Manager: "I haven't seen you go pro."

Ignoring whatever else the manager sent, Lu Mi exited their private chat. Even if he hadn't known it was Shen Tan, he wouldn't have reached out to the person. And now that he knew it was Shen Tan, he certainly wouldn't.

Shen Tan had already given him too much. He couldn't want for more, nor could he rely on Shen Tan. One day, Shen Tan would lose interest in him.

Lu Mi didn't remember when he fell asleep. When he woke the next morning, he realized he had forgotten to set an alarm. He had morning classes, and at this rate, he would likely miss the first one. Shen Tan’s house was a distance from the university, and the villa area was remote. Lu Mi had checked yesterday; even the nearest station was a thirty-minute walk away.

In all his time at university, Lu Mi had never been late. He hurriedly got up, washed, changed, and rushed downstairs.

Downstairs, Auntie Wang saw him rushing out and immediately stopped him. "Mr. Lu, you haven't had breakfast yet."

Lu Mi: "..."

He came to an abrupt halt. He didn't have the habit of eating breakfast, and his daily meals were irregular. He glanced at the time, but before he could say he was going to be late, Auntie Wang spoke as if she knew what he was thinking: "Don't worry about being late. Mr. Shen has arranged for a driver to take you to and from school. There is plenty of time to eat first."

Auntie Wang looked at Lu Mi’s still-tousled hair; the shy, timid boy looked less uneasy than he had yesterday.

Hearing this, Lu Mi was stunned. He stood for a few seconds, gripping his backpack straps, before responding, "Okay."

Shen Tan had already arranged everything. Before this, Lu Mi had to arrange everything himself.

The breakfast was lavish. Perhaps fearing it wouldn't suit his taste, Auntie Wang had prepared several different styles. Lu Mi wasn't particularly picky.

"What would you like for lunch? Home-style or something from outside?" After he finished eating, Auntie Wang asked about his preferences, though she didn't ask him to name dishes, but rather to choose from a selection.

It was the same method Shen Tan had used last night. Perhaps because of that, Lu Mi made his choice decisively, even though he had never been picky about food before.

Auntie Wang made a note, checked the time, and smiled at Lu Mi. "Mr. Shen said to wait a little after breakfast. Looking at the time, they should be here now."

"What?" Lu Mi’s hands, resting on his knees, tightened on his trousers.

But hadn't Shen Tan said last night that he was going abroad? Was he lied to again?

Lu Mi subconsciously bit his lower lip, his gaze following Auntie Wang toward the door, his nerves fraying.

A moment later, Auntie Wang opened the door. But standing there was not Shen Tan, but several staff members pushing clothing racks.

Lu Mi relaxed his grip, though he didn't feel particularly happy that it wasn't Shen Tan. He licked his lips, his attention quickly drawn to the racks filled with clothes.

They were all in light colors—not expensive designer brands, but suitable for the season, his age, and his style and appearance.

Auntie Wang was beaming. While directing the staff, she told Lu Mi, "Mr. Shen gave instructions before he boarded his flight this morning. He said he would have someone send clothes over. He picked them all out himself."

Lu Mi stood frozen, suddenly recalling Shen Tan asking him what color he liked last night.

...Was it to pick out clothes for him?

Once the clothes were all brought in, Auntie Wang asked, "There’s still time, would you like to try them on, Mr. Lu?"

After a long moment, Lu Mi nodded, dazed, and looked at her. "I'd like to try them."