Yao Shen scrambles away from the desk and Xin Hulei\'s phone.

"Uh, I was just passing by and heard it ringing, and saw the door was unlock-" he cuts himself short when he realizes how ridiculous he sounds. What the fuck is he saying?

Xin Hulei just watches him twist himself into knots, the faintest ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

Yao Shen sighs. "Fine, I was snooping." Before Xin Hulei can contest he adds, "but so were you! It\'s only fair."

Xin Hulei hums. "That\'s true, it\'s only fair."

That\'s not what Yao Shen expected to hear, but if Xin Hulei is giving him permission, he\'ll just go ahead with what he\'s doing.

"I\'m going to keep looking around, then, you can\'t stop me," he says over his shoulder, pacing the room while keeping an eye on Xin Hulei.

Xin Hulei takes a seat in one of the armchairs and gestures for Yao Shen to go ahead.

Gingerly, Yao Shen takes a look around the room, inspecting drawers and cupboards and finding nothing.

It might be his imagination but Yao Shen swears he can feel Xin Hulei\'s smugness irradiating from across the room.

Eventually, Yao Shen has to admit defeat.

"There\'s nothing here," Yao Shen says, nearly glaring at Xin Hulei. "It\'s like you barely spend any time in this room."

"That\'s because I don\'t," Xin Hulei says, unfolding himself from his seated position.

"What?" Yao Shen asks, blinking up at him. "Then where are you staying?"

"Let me show you."

Before Yao Shen even knows what\'s happening, Xin Hulei wraps one arm around his waist, and calls up the flames to whisk them somewhere else.

When Yao Shen blinks his eyes open he\'s in the living room of a modestly sized apartment. The view out of the panoramic windows tells him he\'s still in Hengdian -- he can even see the walls of the replica of the Forbidden City in the distance.

He steps away from Xin Hulei, putting some distance between them, and asks in a faint tone of accusation, "You have a house?"

Xin Hulei walks towards the open plan kitchen and opens the fridge, peering inside while humming. He comes back with a bottle of grass jelly soda for Yao Shen.

"You look warm," it\'s the only explanation he offers as to why he\'s giving Yao Shen grass jelly soda, of all things.

Yao Shen does like it, so he pops the tab open and takes a sip. It\'s cool and refreshing as expected, with little bits of jelly floating inside.

"Thanks," he grumbles under his breath, taking another small sip.

Xin Hulei gives him a long, unreadable look. Yao Shen feels himself heat up under the intensity of his gaze.

He drinks some more grass jelly soda to cool off.

Spring in Hengdian is quickly turning into summer.

Xin Hulei wanders off, and Yao Shen is too curious not to trail after him.

The apartment isn\'t too big, a modest open plan living room and kitchen, a master bedroom and en suite. It\'s beautiful and well-appointed, but not lavish or ostentatious, even though Xin Hulei likely has the money for it.

Unlike the plain hotel room, though, his apartment has lots of character.

One could even say that character is spilling out all over the place.

There\'s a crooked calligraphy wall hanging over the couch, with a poem about missing home. A few silk robes draped over the back of the couch and kitchen chairs -- the kind that wouldn\'t look out of place as costumes in \'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you\'.

The coffee table is littered with yellow-paged books, brushes, ink pots, and hand-painted talismans.

In the bedroom the picture isn\'t much better. It looks like a suitcase exploded all over it.

Heimao is asleep on top of a pile of clothes on the floor, and Jincan is curled up on himself in a little terrarium by the window.

Xin Hulei didn\'t turn on the lights, and the only source of illumination is the silver moonlight and light pollution coming in through the open windows.

It throws the whole apartment into shadow, giving it a feeling of unreality.

Yao Shen\'s tongue feels thick inside his mouth. The atmosphere is oppressive all of a sudden.

He wishes he hadn\'t finished his grass jelly drink.

"I didn\'t expect you to be so messy," Yao Shen says, before he can stop himself.

He flinches when Xin Hulei gives him another one of those complicated looks. "You don\'t think much before you speak, do you?"

Yao Shen shakes his head.

"It\'s cute," Xin Hulei says, and starts taking off his clothes.

Yao Shen panics. "What are you doing?" His pitch is high and scandalized, and he\'s doing his best to look anywhere but at Xin Hulei\'s body.

Xin Hulei ignores him and continues peeling off his clothes until he\'s down to his underwear. He looks exactly the same as he did in the hotel room, but this time Yao Shen isn\'t hidden behind a closet door.

The light coming in through the window limns Xin Hulei in silver, throwing the slim lines of his torso into sharp relief. Despite his best efforts, Yao Shen finds it impossible to look away.

He doesn\'t know what\'s happening. He wishes he could remember their one night together so he could at least know if his body\'s reactions are warranted or not.

Xin Hulei shortens the distance between them with long, unhurried strides. Yao Shen watches him approach like the incoming tide.

Slim fingers touch the edge of his jaw, before tipping his chin backwards.

Yao Shen\'s breath catches in his throat.