Outside the door, Li Chenzhou’s figure appeared exceptionally tall and straight through the distorted view of the peephole. He was wearing a well-tailored dark suit, appearing as meticulous as ever, but Lin Yang keenly captured a hint of difference.
His tie was slightly loosened, and a few strands of hair, usually groomed perfectly, hung over his forehead. The icy pressure surrounding him seemed to have weakened, replaced by an indescribable, heavy atmosphere.
Lin Yang’s heart rate suddenly accelerated, and his fingertips turned ice-cold. He had just finished processing the news of Li Chenzhou’s thunderous cancellation of the cooperation due to that insignificant scandal, and now the man himself was outside the door, showing a trace of near-dejection he had never revealed before.
He took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.
The moment the door opened, a faint, crisp scent of alcohol, mixed with Li Chenzhou’s habitual cold woody fragrance, wafted toward him.
He’s been drinking?
Lin Yang froze slightly. In his memory, Li Chenzhou’s self-control was almost terrifying; he rarely showed signs of intoxication in front of others, let alone coming home smelling of alcohol like this.
Li Chenzhou raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Lin Yang’s face. Those deep eyes were not as clear or sharp as usual; they were covered in a thin layer of mist. His gaze was somewhat scattered, yet when it focused on Lin Yang, it revealed a stubborn, almost blunt concentration.
His cheeks seemed to be stained with a very faint flush. Although he still lacked expression, the aura he radiated had softened significantly, even carrying an undetectable trace of feeling wronged.
“You…” Lin Yang opened his mouth but did not know what to say. Should he question him about the cooperation? Or ask why he had been drinking?
Li Chenzhou did not answer. He simply stepped inside, his movements appearing a bit slower than usual. He closed the door behind him but did not head straight for the living room or study as he normally would. Instead, he stood right there in the entryway, staring fixedly at Lin Yang.
The light in the entryway was not bright, casting dark, indistinct shadows on his face. He just looked at Lin Yang in silence. His gaze was so complex it made Lin Yang feel flustered; within it was scrutiny, confusion, and a type of hurt emotion that Lin Yang had never seen in his eyes before.
The two were at a standstill, the air seemingly frozen. Lin Yang felt incredibly uncomfortable under his gaze and instinctively wanted to step back to avoid this suffocating stare.
The moment his feet moved slightly, Li Chenzhou suddenly moved. He took a step forward, his movement so fast that Lin Yang had no time to react, and then he reached out with both arms, pulling Lin Yang into a tight embrace!
Lin Yang froze completely, his mind going blank. Li Chenzhou’s hug was forceful and dominant; his arms were like iron bands around Lin Yang’s waist and back, nearly squeezing the breath out of him. The man’s chest was broad and warm. Through the thin fabric of their clothes, Lin Yang could hear a heartbeat that was steady yet much faster than usual. That scent, mixed with alcohol and a cold chill, firmly wrapped around him.
This was too abnormal! It exceeded everything Lin Yang knew! Why would Li Chenzhou hug him? And in such a dependent, non-negotiable posture?
“Li… Li Chenzhou?” Lin Yang’s voice trembled from shock and lack of oxygen. He tried to struggle. “Let go of me!”
However, instead of letting go, Li Chenzhou held him even tighter. He rested his chin in the crook of Lin Yang’s neck. His warm breath fanned across Lin Yang’s sensitive skin, bringing a wave of tremors. Then, Lin Yang heard him mumble in a slurred voice with a heavy nasal tone—a tone completely different from his usual cold voice:
“Not allowed… to look at him.”
The voice was very low and blurred, like a dream-talk, yet it carried a childish arrogance and stubbornness.
Lin Yang’s whole body jolted, and his struggling movements instantly ceased. Not allowed to look at whom?
In a flash of insight, he understood. It was Bai Lu. It was that damned scandal! So, cancelling the cooperation wasn’t enough? Even while drunk, this was the thing he couldn’t stop thinking about?
A sense of utter absurdity swept over Lin Yang once again. The Li Chenzhou who was cold and ruthless in the business world, the Li Chenzhou who only knew how to use acquisitions, bans, and cancellations to express dissatisfaction, was now like an awkward child, holding him and declaring sovereignty in this naive way.
“You… let go of me first!” Both ashamed and annoyed, Lin Yang pushed against him with force.
The drunken man was as heavy as a mountain; Lin Yang’s struggle was like an ant trying to shake a tree. Li Chenzhou seemed annoyed by the resistance. He gave a dissatisfied huff, held on tighter, and even rubbed his head against the crook of Lin Yang’s neck, continuing to mumble indistinctly, “Only… look at me… Mine.”
“Who is yours!” Lin Yang’s face turned red with anger. Using both hands and feet, he finally managed to break free from the embrace. He stumbled back several steps, leaning against the cold wall and panting heavily, glaring warily at the man whose behavior was so abnormal.
Because of the sudden break, Li Chenzhou’s body swayed, and he barely managed to stand steady. He raised his head, looking at Lin Yang with hazy eyes. Those deep eyes were filled with incomprehension and a sense of being wronged, as if accusing Lin Yang of why he had pushed him away.
He just stood there with his suit wrinkled, his hair messy, his tie crooked, and an unnatural flush on his face. His eyes were watery, like a large dog abandoned by its owner, completely devoid of his usual coldness and majesty.
Looking at this unprecedented version of him, Lin Yang’s heart felt as if it had been struck by something, neither lightly nor heavily. An extremely strange sensation began to grow.
He looked a bit pitiful. Even a little cute?
As soon as that thought popped up, Lin Yang startled himself! He quickly shook his head hard, trying to throw that dangerous idea out. Cute? Li Chenzhou? Does that word have even a cent’s worth of a connection to him!
Just then, Li Chenzhou seemed to have exhausted his strength. His body swayed, and he looked as if he were about to fall forward. Lin Yang instinctively reached out to steady him.
Li Chenzhou took the opportunity to lean most of his weight on Lin Yang. His head tilted, resting on Lin Yang’s shoulder, while his mouth unconsciously continued to murmur in a low voice, “Not allowed to look… is mine.”
His breathing gradually became steady and long. He had actually… fallen asleep leaning against Lin Yang.
Lin Yang froze in place, unable to move. Li Chenzhou’s warm breath brushed against his earlobe, bringing a tingling sensation. The man’s heavy weight was difficult to support, but Lin Yang didn’t dare move, fearing he would wake this troublemaker who might be truly drunk or just pretending.
He looked down at Li Chenzhou’s sleeping face so close at hand. When asleep, the man had retracted all his sharp edges. His brow was relaxed, and his long lashes were lowered, casting faint shadows under his eyes. Because of the alcohol, his lips were redder than usual and slightly parted, making him look somewhat harmless.
Lin Yang’s heart rate unknowingly slowed down. This was the first time he had observed Li Chenzhou so closely and without obstruction. Putting aside the fear, anger, and confusion, from a purely physical standpoint, this man indeed possessed the assets to make one’s heart skip a beat.
But…
Lin Yang’s eyes dimmed. The cold despair when he fell from the building in his previous life, the calculated control after his rebirth, the hopes that were extinguished, and those invisible shackles—none of this could be offset by a handsome face.
Yet, that defenseless sleeping face and that childish “not allowed to look at him” were like two needles piercing his hard outer shell, allowing him to glimpse a completely different core.
Li Chenzhou, what kind of person are you exactly? Why can you coldly crush someone’s hope on one hand, while using this laughably clumsy method to express your distorted care on the other?
With a complex heart, Lin Yang supported Li Chenzhou, moving his feet with difficulty as he tried to get him to the bed in the guest room. Although Li Chenzhou looked lean, his weight was substantial. Lin Yang used every ounce of strength he had to half-drag and half-carry him to the bedside.
Just as he was about to lay Li Chenzhou down, the man seemed to sense something. His arms instinctively tightened again, and he mumbled, “Don’t go.”
Lin Yang’s movements paused. Looking at Li Chenzhou’s slightly furrowed brow even in sleep, that soft place in his heart was poked once more. He sighed and eventually pried Li Chenzhou’s arms open, settling him on the bed and tucking him in.
After finishing all this, Lin Yang stood by the bed, looking at Li Chenzhou’s sleeping profile. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, outlining his quiet silhouette.
Everything that happened tonight had far exceeded his expectations. The alternate Weibo account, the passable soup, the “potential” acting review in the theater, the cancelled cooperation due to the scandal, and now this Li Chenzhou who was childishly dominant yet vulnerably dependent after drinking.
These fragments pieced together, pointing toward a possibility he could no longer ignore. Perhaps Li Chenzhou was not entirely indifferent or merely using him. Perhaps, beneath that icy shell, there were things hidden that even Li Chenzhou himself did not know how to express correctly.
This realization made Lin Yang feel panicked, yet a sliver of expectation he didn’t dare examine closely began to grow. He shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. He couldn’t be deceived by these appearances. The bloody lesson of his previous life was still before him; he could not repeat the same mistake.
He took one last look at the sleeping Li Chenzhou on the bed, turned, and softly closed the door.
Back in his own bedroom, Lin Yang lay on the bed but had no desire to sleep. Li Chenzhou’s “not allowed to look at him” and his childish sleeping face repeatedly surfaced in his mind. He pulled up the quilt and covered his head, trying to block out these images that were disturbing his peace of mind.
In the guest room, the “fast asleep” Li Chenzhou slowly opened his eyes after Lin Yang closed the door. Those eyes were perfectly clear; where was there any hint of drunkenness?
He raised his hand and looked at his fingertips, where a faint, pleasant scent from Lin Yang seemed to remain. The corners of his mouth hooked up in an almost imperceptible, very shallow curve.
It seemed that an occasional “loss of control” was quite effective.