Chapter 56: Don't let your eyes linger

Xi Zirui lets himself be swept up in the kiss for longer than he should. 

It never ceases to amaze him how Han Yu always kisses him the same way in every world. No matter what else may change, his kisses are always filled with the same hungry passion.

He does like to change it up in bed, though, depending on the world, not that Xi Zirui is complaining, but that train of thought isn't going to help him put a stop to the kiss.

Han Yu always makes things difficult for him.

"We can't do this anymore," Xi Zirui says, pulling away on a sharp exhale.

Han Yu blinks down at him, incredulous. "Why the hell not?"

"I'm married," Xi Zirui says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Han Yu snorts and cuts the distance between them, wrapping one arm around Xi Zirui's waist. "As if that ever stopped you before."

Xi Zirui shrugs. "Maybe it should have," he says, and walks away from Han Yu and towards the metro station.

He doesn't need to look back to know Han Yu is keeping pace with him.

---

When they arrive back at the penthouse, Han Yu gives him a wide berth, keeping to the first floor while Xi Zirui stays upstairs in his and Su Xueyi's room.

It's not like he gets any pleasure out of turning down Han Yu, but if Xi Zirui wants their relationship from here on out to be built on something solid, he has to destroy and rebuild the image Han Yu has of him.

First order of business: not look like someone who just stepped out of the 'Rich Househusband Catalog'.

The problem is finding something that isn't prohibitively expensive and pastel colored in the original Xi Zirui's walk-in closet. 

Xi Zirui has half a mind to buy new clothes, the kind of clothes he likes, but the sheer wastefulness of doing that when he has an entire shop's worth of clothes to choose from stops him.

In the end he finds some black joggers and an oversized men's crop top and calls it a damn day.

Han Yu does a double take when he sees him come down the stairs.

Xi Zirui doubts he's ever seen the original look this casual. The guy wears silk pajamas.

He ignores Han Yu, stationed by the door like a guard dog, and takes a seat on the sprawling leather couch.

Under the massive flatscreen mounted over the electric fireplace sits a selection of all the latest video game consoles.

It makes Xi Zirui's upper lip curl in disdain, he doubts either Su Xueyi or the original have touched any of them. 

He's going to change that. 

"Do you want to play?" he asks, throwing one arm over the back of the sofa and craning his neck backwards to look at Han Yu.

Han Yu gives him a dumbfounded look but makes his way across the foyer and through the living room.

He turns on the playstation and picks two controls. 

Passing one to Xi Zirui, he asks,"Do you even know how to?"

Xi Zirui ignores the taunt and boots up the console. "Why don't you tell me after I wipe the floor with you?"

He's all riled up now, he scrolls through the library until he finds a competitive game. He chooses Mortal Kombat because it's been a while since he played fighting game and he wants to go easy on Han Yu. 

If he wanted to humiliate him, he would have picked the Switch and Mario Kart.

"Bring it on," Han Yu says, his lips curling in a smug smirk.

---

On the screen, Han Yu's character Sub-Zero is being disembodied by Xi Zirui's Kitana. 

They've gone two rounds without Han Yu even being able to get close enough to draw blood.

"H-how?" he groans, staring in disbelief at the pile of entrails that used to be Sub-Zero.

Xi Zirui throws his control towards the end of the sofa and crosses his legs. "The guys draw more blood, but the girls are faster and attack more times per minute. It's no use dealing powerful blows if you can't even get close."

Han Yu frowns and goes back to the character menu. This time he picks Jade.

"Best of three," he says, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Winner does everything the loser wants for a day."

Xi Zirui doesn't let his elation show. "You're on."

---

Three different fights later, three desperate character changes from Han Yu, but the result is foretold. Xi Zirui wins each round handily, and is courteous enough not to boast.

Han Yu groans in dismay and lets go of his control. "I don't know how, because I never saw you play, but I guess you're a master at Mortal Kombat or something."

Xi Zirui grins and inspects his nails. "Or something."

"What do you want as your reward?" The way Han Yu's voice drops on the last words makes it plain that he has his own ideas regarding just what Xi Zirui will have him do.

He's going to be disappointed.

"I want you to show me your favorite place in Beijing."

It takes Han Yu a few minutes to assimilate what Xi Zirui has just said, and when he does his eyes narrow in suspicion. 

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Do you want to go now, or-"

"Not today. Tomorrow. We can make a day out of it," Xi Zirui says, trying to keep his tone casual and not make it sound like he's asking Han Yu out on a date.

Ni Ni chimes. Xi Zirui grits his teeth. "It kind of sounds like a date, Host," she says, completely unprompted as always.

"I hope the short notice is not a problem," he says, darting a look towards Han Yu. "I'm going to be very busy soon."

Han Yu's sharp eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Doing what?"

He'll learn soon enough.

Instead of answering, Xi Zirui gets up and runs his fingers over Han Yu's exposed forearm thrown carelessly over the back of the sofa. "This was fun, we should do it again soon."

He feels the fine hairs on Han Yu's arm stand on end under his fingertips, and his eyes boring into the bare sliver of skin above his waistband as he walks away.

Xi Zirui goes up the glass staircase where he has an unimpeded view of the living room area, and where Han Yu is still sitting on the couch, looking up at him.

His eyes are drawn to Xi Zirui's chest. 

From his lower position he can look up under Xi Zirui's loose crop top and have a clear view of his slim abdomen and perky nipples. 

He's so distracted that he doesn't even notice Xi Zirui's pleased smirk.

---

When Su Xueyi arrives home, he finds Xi Zirui in the kitchen wearing an apron and chopping vegetables for a stir fry.

"You're cooking?" he asks, setting his briefcase over the marble counter.

No, he's performing open heart surgery. 

Xi Zirui keeps chopping bean sprouts and tamps down on the urge to roll his eyes.

"I was thinking you could help me," he says, smiling pleasantly.

Su Xueyi scoffs. "I don't know how to cook."

"Yeah, we should change that." This time Xi Zirui's smile is a lot less pleasant.

He flips the knife around between his fingers, and holds it, handle first, towards Su Xueyi. "Start by dicing the garlic."

Su Xueyi smiles, and despite the charming dimples that dent his cheeks, it's a smile full of disdain. "I have better things to do."

Xi Zirui slams down the knife on the wooden cutting board, shoving it so far inside the wood that it stands upright. "I wasn't asking."

He can't help his smirk when he hears a familiar chime. "Congratulations Host! CEO's favor has gone up by +1 point. Now at 33 of a possible 100."

Su Xueyi takes off his suit jacket and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. Xi Zirui finds him an apron. 

"I really won't be any good at this," he says, sheepishly pulling the knife out of the cutting board.

"I'll help you," Xi Zirui smiles, and it could almost be called sweet. "I'm sure you won't disappoint me."

Su Xueyi's gaze burns into his scalp even from across the counter.

---

It's an exaggeration to say Su Xueyi cooks, but he doesn't completely humiliate himself, which is something.

They eat together in the dining room, while Xi Zirui is treated to an incredibly boring account of Su Xueyi's day, and many other company matters.

He's bored by the conversation and lets it show.

"The food is delicious," Su Xueyi says, trying to come up with something to say after Xi Zirui's latest string of frosty hums. 

"We make a good team," he adds, and winks at Xi Zirui.

That's the opening he's been looking for.

"I don't think so, actually." 

Su Xueyi's smile slips.

Xi Zirui continues, "but I would like us to."

"How do you propose we do that?" Su Xueyi asks, his eyes wide.

"I have an idea, I'll tell you all about it some other time."

Su Xueyi frowns. "Why not now?"

Xi Zirui gets up from the table, his chair skids backwards on the marble floor. "Because I don't want to."

He smiles at Su Xueyi's confusion and makes his way back to the kitchen. 

Squeezing Su Xueyi's shoulder briefly when he walks behind his chair, Xi Zirui says, "Go up first, I'll clean up here."

Xi Zirui waits to hear the sound of Su Xueyi's socked feet on the staircase before filling up a container with food, glad it's still warm and he won't need to reheat it.

Han Yu's room is on the first floor, past the library and the study next to an utility closet. He's technically off the clock as soon as Su Xueyi gets home, but since Su Xueyi is an inconsiderate bastard that means it's well into the evening before he can have some time to himself.

Xi Zirui knocks, waits, and is not prepared for the sight that greets him once Han Yu opens the door.

Han Yu answers the door wrapped in only a towel. Wet hair clinging to his face and dripping water down his sculpted feature. Rivulets running down the sides of his high nose and into the divot of his sharp little cupid's bow. 

His skin is still pink from the shower and Xi Zirui's brain is close to short-circuiting. 

"That's just a figure of speech, Host is a human, he can't short-circuit," Ni Ni pauses. "But he can experience a nasal hemorrhage due to quickened blood flow."

She's not helping. 

Xi Zirui ignores her and shoves the plastic container into Han Yu's hands. "I made dinner, and I thought you might be hungry."

Han Yu looks from the container to Xi Zirui until an amused chuckle bubbles up from behind his lips. "I don't know what I should be more surprised about, that you cooked or that you brought me some."

"You can be surprised at how good it tastes," Xi Zirui says, smirking.

Brazen as ever, Han Yu sticks his pinky into the red sauce and brings it to his lips. "Spicy."

Xi Zirui shrugs. "So?"

Han Yu gives him a sideways look. "You don't like spicy food, I've always felt like you should, but you always insisted it burned your mouth."

His words make Xi Zirui's heart skip a beat. 

Han Yu 'felt' like Xi Zirui should like spicy food? Why? Could it be that in some way he remembers him from the other worlds?

It's probably just a random comment and Xi Zirui is looking for meaning in coincidences. Like all the lonely people do.

"I changed my mind." He smiles tightly and braces himself on the doorframe before kicking away with his knee and turning on his heel. "Have a nice meal, I'll see you tomorrow."

Han Yu's hand on his waistband keeps him in place. "Don't you want to come inside?"

A hundred different promises dance in Han Yu's molten gaze. It would be so easy to accept his invitation.

Xi Zirui shakes his head and walks away from the door "Goodnight, gege," he says, allowing himself that tiny indulgence.

Han Yu's voice follows after him down the hallway,"You're my senior by two years!"