Chen Ran looked at He Qian’s deathly pale face and dull eyes. He waved a hand in front of him. “He Qian, what is wrong?”
“Nothing, I am fine.”
He Qian lowered his head, swallowing with great difficulty. In the silent lecture hall, the sound of his swallowing was exceptionally clear. Zhou Xuying’s gaze swept through the crowd and locked onto He Qian’s startled pupils. His sharp eyes slowly moved away from He Qian and landed on Chen Ran, who sat beside him. A chill settled between Zhou Xuying’s brows, and his lips curled into a faint smile.
He Qian’s skin crawled instantly.
Zhou Xuying placed one hand in his pocket and began his speech with practiced ease. The maturity and stability gained from his thirty years of experience were on full display. There were faint sounds of praise and admiration from the audience. He Qian was the only exception. He was trembling, and the shaking was growing more intense. Finally, he had to press his hands under his thighs to force himself to remain steady.
Throughout the entire lecture, He Qian remained in a daze. It was not until the session ended that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up abruptly, desperate to leave, but someone bumped into him hard, making him stagger as if he might fall.
Chen Ran caught his arm. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine.”
He Qian shook his head. As he looked up to continue walking, he saw a cold, thin gaze land precisely on the point where Chen Ran’s hand touched his arm.
“Has your fever still not gone down? Why does your body feel so hot?” Chen Ran asked with concern.
“It is just stuffy in here.” He Qian pulled his arm back.
He walked out quickly with Chen Ran following close behind. As the two reached the door, they were stopped by their class advisor. “He Qian, Chen Ran!”
The advisor said, “Our class was drawn in the lottery for Mr. Zhou’s dinner tonight. He is inviting the whole class to the hotel for a meal. I need to take a headcount. Are you two going?”
Chen Ran looked at He Qian. “He Qian, are you going?”
He Qian took a breath and nodded. He Qian left quickly, leaving Chen Ran standing there staring at his retreating back with a smile. The class monitor patted Chen Ran on the shoulder. “Why are you and He Qian getting so close?”
No one in the class was particularly close to He Qian. The only person who could exchange more than two sentences with him was Chen Ran. Rumors said He Qian was a wealthy young master, and since Chen Ran’s family was poor, classmates whispered that he was sucking up to him. When the monitor was collecting personal data forms, he noticed that Chen Ran’s family section was blank. He felt more sympathy for Chen Ran than anything else; he did not think there was anything wrong with Chen Ran wanting to use He Qian’s status to get ahead.
Except, the situation had changed. The monitor leaned in and whispered, “He is being kept.”
“What?!”
“I joined a club with a sophomore. That senior has had some run-ins with He Qian. He is being kept, and the person is supposedly a man.”
Chen Ran furrowed his brow. “That cannot be true.”
He walked away quickly, repeatedly muttering that it was not possible. Even as he denied the first part, he found himself strangely anticipating the latter.
He Qian hurried to the entrance. As expected, a black Bentley was parked there. He pulled the door open and got in. Zhou Xuying was leaning against the seat with his eyes closed, resting. When He Qian closed the door, Zhou Xuying slowly opened his eyes, a sense of violence hidden beneath his arched brows.
Zhou Xuying looked toward the driver’s seat. Seeing the look in the rearview mirror, the driver tactfully exited the car. Outside the black tinted windows, He Qian could vaguely hear the voices of people passing by. Inside the silent car, He Qian’s breathing was heavy, feeling as if he might suffocate at any moment.
“He Qian.”
He Qian stared at the tip of Zhou Xuying’s nose. The man’s features were sharp and smooth. The white smoke he exhaled drifted through the warm yellow light of the car interior. Zhou Xuying reached out, his burning fingers landing on He Qian’s shoulder, pulling him forcefully into his embrace.
The fragile buttons of the shirt popped, clattering onto the floor mats. Zhou Xuying lowered his head and lifted He Qian’s hand, kissing the exact spot where Chen Ran had touched him. He did not like his things being touched by others. A wave of heated kisses burned He Qian’s lips. Zhou Xuying was arrogant, forceful, and unreasonable. He bit He Qian’s lip hard, his eyes dark and terrifying.
“I told you, do not let anyone touch you!”
The taste of blood spread between their teeth. He Qian’s lips trembled until he finally pushed the man away with all his might. Zhou Xuying’s body hit the car seat, his eyes turning predatory.
He Qian wiped the blood from his lip. “Are you a mad dog?!”
True to He Qian’s curse, Zhou Xuying was like a mad dog. His movements were feral, no different from a wild beast. He Qian wiped the spot Zhou Xuying had kissed over and over again. In the month and a half since he had lost his freedom, this was the first time Zhou Xuying had actually kissed him. It was as if the skin of the lover role had been torn away, allowing Zhou Xuying’s pathological love to surge forth.
As the air fell into a dead silence, Zhou Xuying’s phone rang. The ringtone disrupted the atmosphere. Zhou Xuying looked at the screen with irritation. It was Zhou Mingde, his father. Zhou Xuying immediately silenced the screen, and the ringing stopped. After a moment, it rang again.
Zhou Xuying loosened his tie with one hand, his interest completely gone. He sat up straight, wrapped an arm around He Qian’s waist, and answered the call. A roar came from the phone. He Qian could not hear exactly what the other person was saying. Based on Zhou Xuying’s responses, it was his father calling him home to discuss business, specifically, the matter regarding Zhou Xuying’s eldest brother, who was in prison.
Zhou Xuying’s stance was clear: he would not return and would not discuss it. After hanging up, he lit a cigarette. The glowing tip flickered in the amber car light. He sat with his legs apart, his eyes cold. Zhou Xuying always smoked when he was angry or in a bad mood.
Half an hour later, Zhou Xuying had the driver take them to the hotel. When He Qian finished showering and changed into new clothes, the room was empty. The driver was waiting at the door. “Mr. He, the young master had business to attend to. He instructed me to take you to the restaurant. You will return to the Zhou residence together tonight.”
He Qian nodded. When he reached the private dining room, the door was slightly ajar. Inside sat his classmates. Harsh discussions drifted from the room as they spoke recklessly about the rumors of He Qian being a kept man. Only Chen Ran was trying his best to explain. A female student spoke up in a mocking tone, “Chen Ran, you do not actually like him, do you? They say the big shot keeping him is a man.”
He Qian froze as he was about to push the door open. A boy in the room made a disgusted face. “Holy shit! He probably has a disease! Chen Ran, you better stay away from him!”
Chen Ran slammed his water glass down. “Are you not taking this too far? Do you have evidence? Saying these things can lead to legal consequences!”
A boy from the same dormitory argued with Chen Ran, “Just a month ago, he and his benefactor ended up at the police station! I heard this from a senior! Go ask him if you do not believe me! And the hickeys on his neck! Many people have seen them! What normal couple plays that dirty and low class?”
He Qian’s hands at the door trembled slightly. He did not care how others judged or viewed him. He was gay, and he knew he would have to face this sooner or later. What hurt him was that these words had come from Shen Xi’s mouth. Shen Xi felt like a stranger to him. He thought that even without their friendship, Shen Xi would still be a decent person. At the very least, he did not expect him to be someone who replaced sympathy with ridicule.
He Qian let out a cold laugh and pushed the door open. The moment he appeared, the entire room went silent. The girls who had been gossiping most fiercely lowered their heads and awkwardly drank their water. With a noise like that, it was impossible for him not to have heard. He Qian sat down at the nearest seat, his handsome face showing no emotion. His reddened lips were clearly visible to everyone.
Chen Ran dragged his chair over to sit beside him. “Do not take it to heart.”
He Qian looked into Chen Ran’s eyes. They were clear and filled with conviction. He believed in He Qian.