"You're Dirty."

For Shen Mingjin, it wasn't news that Xu Duwan's gaze was anything but pure when he looked at him. But for Xu Duwan to blatantly slip his fingers inside Shen Mingjin's shirt in front of everyone, touching wherever he pleased—now that was crossing a line.

Shen Mingjin's face darkened as he grabbed Xu Duwan's wrist and lifted his hand away with a cold voice.

"Stop touching me."

"Why not? Why can't I?"

Xu Duwan's brain was practically soaked in alcohol at this point, every nerve screaming not sober. He looked up, eyes glazed with a drunken haze, lips pouting in protest.

"I paid, didn't I?"

"...Even if you paid, it doesn't mean you can."

Shen Mingjin didn't have the patience to argue with a drunk. He effortlessly trapped both of Xu Duwan's wrists in one hand and pulled him close, his other hand lightly patting his waist.

"Be good."

And stop touching me.

The warmth of Shen Mingjin's palm brushed over Xu Duwan's waist like a passing breeze, but the sensation sent sparks flying through his spine, all the way to his brain. His scalp tingled, and he nearly let out a sound.

He completely forgot about the guy who had been taking photos. His face twisted slightly in grievance, his eyes turning even redder as he glared at Shen Mingjin, just about to ask if the money wasn't enough—

But the next second, his stomach churned violently. He clutched his chest, staggered against Shen Mingjin, and with a loud retch—

He threw up.

"..."

Shen Mingjin glanced down at the money-covered floor, now thoroughly polluted, and then at Xu Duwan, who was barely standing, drenched in cold sweat, looking too sick to even think about causing trouble.

A vein twitched on Shen Mingjin's forehead. He let out a deep sigh. Then, without another word, he bent down and hoisted Xu Duwan over his shoulder.

Xu Duwan, completely drained, clung weakly to his stomach, his pale face looking oddly well-behaved under the dim light. From Yu Fu's angle, the glow of the streetlamp cast soft shadows over his features, making him look fragile.

"Boss, I'm taking him to get changed."

Carefully stepping over the scattered money, Shen Mingjin turned back to Yu Fu with an apologetic smile.

"He's my friend. I can't just leave him like this."

Yu Fu, a man who had been in Ning City long enough to know which people to avoid messing with, only needed one look at Xu Duwan's expensive-looking outfit to know this was someone from a wealthy family. He quickly nodded.

"Go ahead. It's almost closing time anyway."

Shen Mingjin was about to say he'd come back later to clean up the mess, but Xu Duwan, still draped over his shoulder, groaned about how uncomfortable he felt.

Left with no choice, Shen Mingjin sighed and asked a coworker—a summer job worker—to help clean up before striding off with Xu Duwan in tow.

—

That night, Xu Duwan had thrown up all over himself. Not changing his clothes wasn't an option.

Shen Mingjin coaxed him like a fussy child, peeling off his shirt with surprising ease, planning to shove him into the bathtub.

But when it came to his pants, Xu Duwan suddenly refused.

Sitting stubbornly in the bathtub, he clutched his waistband like his life depended on it, unwilling to let go.

"Let go."

By now, Shen Mingjin was sweating from all the effort. Even a saint would struggle to stay patient at this point. His voice dropped, dangerously close to frustration.

"You're dirty."

"But… there's something in my pocket. Something you gave me."

Xu Duwan's voice was soft, almost pitiful. He slumped against the bathtub, gripping the edge with both hands, his dark, watery eyes staring at Shen Mingjin like an abandoned puppy.

Then, with a childish pout, he blew a tiny bubble in the water and growled,

"No one's allowed to take it away from me!"

Shen Mingjin shut his eyes for a second, ran a hand down his face, and wiped away the water dripping from his chin. He had no idea what he could have possibly given Xu Duwan that made him treasure it so much.

Still, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to think the way Xu Duwan did. Gently ruffling his damp hair, he spoke in the same tone he used to soothe his grandfather's mischievous little dog.

"Be good. I'll give you a new one later, okay?"

Xu Duwan half-submerged his face in the water, staring at Shen Mingjin with suspicion, as if judging whether he was lying.

Seconds passed.

Just as Shen Mingjin's forced smile was about to crack, Xu Duwan finally, reluctantly, loosened his grip on his pants, allowing Shen Mingjin to slip them off and toss them into the washing machine.

Shen Mingjin poured in the detergent, pressed the start button, and then walked back to Xu Duwan's side, rolling up his sleeves as he turned on the showerhead to wash him.

He had no stray thoughts, simply watching the warm water run over Xu Duwan's fair face and down his neck.

Testing the water temperature with his fingers, Shen Mingjin sat on the edge of the bathtub, ready to squeeze some body wash onto his palm and help Xu Duwan clean up. But just as he was about to apply it, Xu Duwan—who had been behaving like a well-mannered kitten—suddenly leaned back, tilting his neck away.

"Hm? What now?"

With one hand full of body wash and the other empty, Shen Mingjin reached out, raising an eyebrow as he tried to pull Xu Duwan closer.

"Come here, or I won't wash you."

Not washing him = Ignoring him.

Xu Duwan processed Shen Mingjin's words in his drunk and hazy brain, and his body stiffened in the water. His expression instantly turned nervous, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. After a moment, like a little kitten seeking attention, he slowly floated closer to Shen Mingjin.

Then, with great sincerity, he stretched out his hands, gently grasping Shen Mingjin's free hand and placing it on top of his own head. Looking up at him with expectant eyes, he whispered,

"Say it again."

"...What?" Shen Mingjin was confused. "Say what again?"

Xu Duwan's expression grew more anxious. His movements became a little more forceful, causing the glistening water to slide down his neck, pooling at his collarbone. The sight made Shen Mingjin avert his gaze in discomfort.

"The last thing you said," Xu Duwan urged, gripping Shen Mingjin's hand tightly and pressing it against his head. "Hurry up!"

"..." Shen Mingjin thought for a moment, then hesitantly repeated, "Come here, or I won't wash you?"

"Not that one!" Xu Duwan, frustrated, bit the edge of the bathtub.

"Uh… 'What now?'"

Completely offended, Xu Duwan sulked, swimming to the far corner of the bathtub and turning his back to Shen Mingjin.

"..." Shen Mingjin pondered for a while, racking his brain. After a long silence, a light bulb finally went off in his head. He took a deep breath and, in a low voice, called out to Xu Duwan's back,

"Be good."

Xu Duwan's ears twitched slightly. His face turned a faint shade of red as if he had just comforted himself. In an instant, he happily floated back over, resting his arms on the edge of the bathtub. His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he looked up at Shen Mingjin and softly pleaded,

"Say it again."

"...Be good?" Shen Mingjin finally understood.

"Mm!" Xu Duwan, satisfied, nuzzled against Shen Mingjin like an overexcited puppy, soaking him with water in the process.

"..."

After finally finishing this exhausting bathing ordeal, Shen Mingjin dressed Xu Duwan in pajamas, hoping to get him to sleep before heading back to clean up the mess left behind.

After all, he couldn't just leave all that money lying around.

With that thought in mind, he walked into the bathroom and picked up Xu Duwan's washed clothes. Just as he was about to hang them up to dry, a memory surfaced—the way Xu Duwan had clung to his pants earlier, stubbornly refusing to let go, saying something was inside that Shen Mingjin had given him.

Shen Mingjin hesitated.

He wasn't the type to invade someone's privacy, but Xu Duwan had been acting like a puppy guarding its food. It made Shen Mingjin, who had lost his past memories, incredibly curious—what exactly had he given Xu Duwan that was so precious?

Maybe… if he saw it, it could help him recover his lost memories.

With that thought, Shen Mingjin lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling slightly. After a moment of internal debate, he finally reached into the pocket.

He had expected to find something valuable.

But after rummaging through the entire pocket, all he pulled out was… a plastic bag.

Shen Mingjin's mind went completely blank.

Then, he was overwhelmed with confusion.

Xu Duwan's so-called precious gift—the one Shen Mingjin had supposedly given him—was nothing more than an ordinary, disposable, utterly unremarkable plastic bag?