Oh no.
The second those words left his mouth, Chen Zhao knew things had spiraled completely out of control.
“You like me?” Qin Er pressed his fingertips against Chen Zhao’s cheek, sliding down to push lightly against his lips.
“How much do you like me?”
If he said he didn’t, would Qin Er beat him up?
Terrified of actually getting beaten, Chen Zhao squeezed his eyes shut and started spewing lies, his teeth chattering uncontrollably from sheer nerves. “Super… super much! Especially much! It was love at first sight for me, Brother! You’re my absolute favorite!”
“Love at first sight?” Qin Er raised an eyebrow.
“Of course!” Chen Zhao opened his peach blossom eyes, a faint sheen of moisture glistening in them. “Otherwise, why would I cling to you from the very first day we met…”
“Why do I only call you ‘Brother’ and no one else?”
“Why would I keep coming back to you over and over again, even after you rejected me?”
“You’re so mean.” Chen Zhao pushed him away, wrapping his arms around himself with a red nose and red eyes. “Do you still not understand how I feel?”
Qin Er froze.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course it’s serious! How could it be fake?”
Qin Er sat back, his brows knit tight in deep thought.
Chen Zhao stole a glance at the man, wondering what on earth was going through Qin Er’s mind.
He wasn’t still obsessing over Chen Zhao and Lili, was he?
What a scumbag! Wanting what’s in the pot while eating from his bowl!
“If you don’t feel the same way, just let me go,” Chen Zhao said, pressing his lips into a tight line.
Qin Er’s gaze shifted back to him. “What?”
Chen Zhao wiped away a tear. “I’ve invested so much time in this relationship, and I haven’t gotten a single bit of response in return. What’s the point of me staying here? You might as well just let me go.”
As he spoke, he unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the car door, only for a distinct, long fingered hand to pin his arm down.
“Come back with me,” Qin Er said.
Chen Zhao looked back and saw the dark, heavy gaze in the man’s eyes. Feeling a bit more confident now, he sat back down.
Qin Er leaned over to personally fasten his seatbelt for him.
The rich, woody scent of the man’s cologne enveloped Chen Zhao’s nose, making his head spin a little.
Click. The seatbelt buckled into place. Qin Er sat back and slammed his foot on the gas. The Porsche shot forward again, only this time, it went much faster, practically flying. The friction between the tires and the road felt almost nonexistent, as if the car were about to lift off.
Frightened, Chen Zhao grabbed onto the seat.
What is this old man doing?! Why is he in such a rush?!
He isn’t rushing back to sleep with me, is he?!
No way! Absolutely not!!
“Brother, slow down, slow down…” Chen Zhao pleaded. “The car is going way too fast…”
Qin Er stared straight ahead without blinking. His expression didn’t change, but he did ease off the accelerator.
Chen Zhao’s heart pounded violently against his ribs. His brain began working overtime, frantically trying to figure out what to do next.
His butt! The butt of a straight man! It was about to be lost forever!
“Wow… the scenery here is so pretty! Haha, Brother, look!” Chen Zhao feigned admiration as he gazed out toward the riverbank, looking anxiously at Qin Er.
Qin Er kept his eyes glued to the road. “Mm.”
From that point on, no matter what topic Chen Zhao brought up, Qin Er replied with nothing more than a monotone “Mm.”
Chen Zhao was practically reduced to tears from fright.
He quickly pulled out his phone and messaged his group chat.
Shiri: 【HELP!】
Shiri: 【Save me, ahhhhh!】
Meng Meng: 【? What happened?】
Shiri: 【I accidentally confessed to Qin Er just now, and now he’s taking me back to his villa! He’s not going to assault me, is he?! I’m so scared!!】
Meng Meng: 【Accidentally…】
Yu Zhou: 【Confessed…】
Meng Meng: 【Okay, that’s way too ‘accidental.’】
Shiri: 【Now is not the time to judge me! The main point is, Qin Er is taking me to his place right now, ahhhh!】
Meng Meng: 【Wait, wait, wait, don’t panic! Let’s think of a way together!】
Meng Meng: 【I got it! Honestly, two guys brushing lips really isn’t a big deal.】
Shiri: 【…What kind of bullshit advice is that?!】
Yu Zhou: 【I told you she was unreliable, see!】
Meng Meng: 【@Shiri, the most important thing right now is that you can’t let him find out you’re actually a guy, or everything we’ve done goes down the drain!】
Shiri: 【Right, you’re right.】
Meng Meng: 【So you have to do your best to keep him calm. If necessary… you might have to make a little sacrifice.】
Shiri: 【…Let me think about it.】
Locking his phone, Chen Zhao clutched his chest.
Looking around, he realized the car had already driven back into the villa complex.
Chen Zhao felt as if a countdown timer were ticking away inside his head.
When the car pulled up in front of the villa, Chen Zhao scrambled out of the passenger side. Qin Er got out from the other side and extended a hand toward him. “Wanwan, come here.”
Chen Zhao: “Brother, I just realized this garden is so pretty!”
Qin Er’s brows lowered, his dark eyes looking heavy and intense. “Come here.”
Chen Zhao froze in place, allowing the man to reach out and pull him over.
Fine. He’d just play it by ear. If Qin Er tried to do anything to him.
Click. The door opened.
Chen Zhao was instantly dazzled by a vivid splash of bright red.
Ninety-nine plateau red roses, dripping fresh and vibrant, were wrapped together in black paper and set beside the dining table. In front of them sat an extraordinarily lavish candlelit dinner.
Chen Zhao was genuinely stunned.
“Brother, this is…”
“I thought it should be done properly.”
Chen Zhao looked up at Qin Er. The man picked up the roses and walked toward him. “I’m going to ask you one more time.”
“When you said you liked me, was that really true?”
Chen Zhao’s heart skipped a beat.
At a time like this, there was nothing else he could say. For the sake of his revenge, what was a little more sacrifice?
“Brother, did you set all this up specifically to confess to me?”
“You could put it that way,” Qin Er said.
Chen Zhao bit his lip. “Then okay. I’ll tell you, Brother, it’s true that I like you.”
A bright spark flashed in Qin Er’s eyes. “Swear it.”
Chen Zhao: “I, Chen Wan, swear that I really do like Qin Er. If I am lying, may lightning strike me down!”
Anyway, the one swearing was Chen Wan, not Chen Zhao. What did a silly oath matter?
Qin Er stepped closer, reaching out to wrap an arm around his waist. His large palm gently stroked the side of the girl’s waist.
The girl’s waist was incredibly slender, feeling as though it might snap under the slightest pressure.
Holding the bouquet of roses, Chen Zhao quietly tried to push him away. “Brother… how about we eat first? I’m so hungry.”
Qin Er looked deeply into his eyes, then led him over and gallantly pulled out a chair for him.
Chen Zhao gave a charming, delicate chuckle and set the roses aside, inwardly screaming for help.
Determined to drag out as much time as possible, he ate painfully slowly. The hand holding the steak knife acted soft and weak, failing to cut off a single piece after working at it for ages.
Noticing this, Qin Er said, “Give the steak to me.”
“Huh?” Chen Zhao handed it over. “Do you want to eat it?”
Qin Er let out a soft chuckle, picking up a fresh set of cutlery to cut the steak into bite sized pieces for him.
Watching him, Chen Zhao suddenly remembered something.
Oh, right! Qin Er was a total mysophobe. He couldn’t even share utensils with someone, so how could he possibly swap spit with another person?
Which meant it was impossible for Qin Er to kiss him! Chen Zhao’s heart instantly settled back into place.
Once Qin Er finished cutting the steak, he handed the plate back. By now, Chen Zhao’s mood had cleared completely. Taking the plate, he smiled. “Thank you, Brother.”
He glanced down at his food. Sure enough, a obsessive compulsive guy like Qin Er had cut every single piece of steak into the exact same width.
The flickering candlelight cast a glow across Chen Zhao’s face, making him look exceptionally pretty and tender. At nineteen, he was radiating youthful energy, making the entire house feel alive.
As Qin Er watched him, his gaze grew heavier and darker.
Having lowered his guard, Chen Zhao went back to flirting with Qin Er. As he ate his steak, he would occasionally throw a coy wink at the man. Whenever Qin Er looked back over, he would shift his gaze away and lower his head to eat.
BOOM!
A sudden bang startled Chen Zhao.
Looking up, he saw fireworks bursting across the sky outside the floor to ceiling windows, lighting up half the night sky as bright as day.
“Wow!” Forgetting all about his food, Chen Zhao put down his fork and ran out onto the balcony. “It’s so beautiful!”
Footsteps sounded from behind him. “Do you like it?”
Chen Zhao nodded enthusiastically. “Mm-hmm! I love it!”
Then, realizing something, he turned around to ask, “Did you do this?”
Qin Er didn’t deny it.
Chen Zhao asked, “So this was the surprise you had for me?”
Damn! Who knew this old guy actually had moves!
No wonder he had what it took to be a homewrecker!
Chen Zhao watched silently as cluster after cluster of fireworks soared into the night sky, one wave bursting right after the previous one faded. He had never seen fireworks this stunning before.
The person standing beside him hadn’t spoken for a long time. Confused, Chen Zhao turned his head, only to find Qin Er staring down at him with an intense, heavy gaze.
Then, the man lowered his head.
A firm, solid kiss landed squarely on his lips.
DAMN! This old man actually kissed him?! Doesn’t he have a germ phobia?!
Chen Zhao’s entire worldview was collapsing…
He stood there frozen as Qin Er pulled back slightly after the brief kiss, looking down at him. “Close your eyes.”
One time wasn’t enough, he wants another one?!
Chen Zhao’s knee jerk reaction was to refuse.
But Qin Er had spent so much money today, taking him to a candlelit dinner, giving him roses, setting off fireworks… it felt a bit unreasonable not to let him have a kiss.
If Qin Er got mad and kicked him out, wouldn’t his whole plan go up in smoke?
Fine! A kiss is a kiss! Chen Meng was right, two guys kissing isn’t a big deal anyway. It’s just brushing lips. He used to brush lips with the neighbor’s dog like this too.
After giving himself a quick mental pep talk, Chen Zhao proactively tilted his head up and offered his lips.
Seeing the girl close her eyes with a nervous expression, Qin Er’s eyes darkened.
She dressed provocatively and flirted with him every day, yet when it came to the real thing, she acted completely innocent. How did this girl manage to seduce him at every turn?
Chen Zhao waited for a moment. Seeing that the man wasn’t moving, he opened his eyes slightly in confusion. At that exact second, Qin Er leaned down.
Fireworks exploded brilliantly in the sky above as their lips met once more.
Soft, Chen Zhao thought.
The first time had been such a shock that he hadn’t felt anything, but now he noticed the faint scent of wine on Qin Er. The man’s lips were thin and slightly cool, not nearly as unbearable as he had feared.
Chen Zhao couldn’t help feeling a bit pleased with himself.
Ah, so kissing isn’t even that hard after all. Brushing lips can get me so much money, letting Qin Er kiss me a bit is no big deal.
He closed his eyes, intending to act like a wooden dummy and just wait for the time to pass. Suddenly, his teeth were pried open, and something warm slid inside.
Chen Zhao: ?