After walking only a few steps, Yun Deng suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. It felt as if thousands of ants were crawling in his stomach; every movement brought a piercing ache. Reflecting on his actions, he realized he had drunk two glasses of wine just fifteen minutes prior. Now, cold sweat began to pour down his forehead.
“Brother…”
Yun Deng staggered toward the side of the road and leaned against the hood of a strange car, calling out to Lin Yanxu.
Hearing his voice, Lin Yanxu turned around to see Yun Deng five meters away, his face pale as he crouched beside a vehicle. He rushed forward to help him up. Once he understood the cause, he immediately scooped Yun Deng up in a bridal carry and walked toward his own car.
Yun Deng wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck and buried his head in the crook of his shoulder. Even though he was in enough pain to want to die, he still wanted to take advantage of this moment.
Lin Yanxu placed him in the passenger seat and set the navigation for the nearest hospital.
“Brother, did you drink? I saw you holding a glass earlier,” Yun Deng asked worriedly, curling up in his seat.
“I did not. That was tea.”
Seeing that the younger man was in severe distress and dressed in thin clothing, Lin Yanxu grabbed a blanket from the back seat and covered him.
“Let us not go to the hospital, okay? I do not want to go,” Yun Deng said, reaching out to grab Lin Yanxu’s arm with a hint of pleading in his voice.
Because his condition had improved over the last few days, he had not brought his medicine with him. He had not expected his body to be so unforgiving, reaching this level of pain after only two glasses. It was truly agonizing. The last time he left the hospital, the specialist told him that if he saw him again, he would admit him for a gastroscopy or even hospitalization. Whether it was a bluff or not, it had certainly scared him.
Lin Yanxu drove the car out of the parking lot. He had intended to merge onto the main road to reach the Second Affiliated Hospital nine kilometers away, but the person beside him was adamant.
“I do not want to go. We can just buy medicine at a pharmacy.”
“Say something. Please, no hospital.”
“Brother, I do not want to go.”
Yun Deng could not stop calling out to Lin Yanxu, his voice gradually breaking into sobs. The pain was so intense he felt like jumping out of the car just to leave this world of suffering. Seeing him sobbing, Lin Yanxu finally compromised and coaxed him, “Do not cry. We will not go.”
After turning around and passing two intersections, Lin Yanxu parked and went into a pharmacy to buy the water and medicine Yun Deng described. Back in the car, he unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. He only felt at ease once he watched the younger man take the medicine.
Lin Yanxu pulled out two tissues and wiped the other man’s cheeks. After the recent commotion, Yun Deng’s face was covered in tear tracks and his eyes were red from crying, but he tried his best to compose himself, leaning against the seat back and sobbing quietly. Even his wig was starting to slip.
The last time he picked him up outside the club, the boy had been wearing a short skirt. Today, he was in a cheongsam with full makeup and hair. Lin Yanxu did not ask questions, treating it simply as a personal hobby.
About fifteen minutes later, the medicine began to take effect. Although the pain had lessened slightly, he was still far from well.
“Brother, it hurts so much,” Yun Deng said weakly, turning his head to look at Lin Yanxu.
Lin Yanxu had been prepared to return to work, but now he could only stay and wipe the tears of a certain crybaby to prevent them from staining his car seats.
“Stop acting spoiled,” Lin Yanxu said calmly, his face expressionless.
He stepped out of the car to throw the dirty tissues into a trash can, then returned to ask for Yun Deng’s address.
Nestled in the seat, Yun Deng experienced the feeling of being homeless for the first time. If he went back to the house in Jingshan District, his parents would surely see him in this outfit. Even if they were out, there was still the risk of the nanny seeing him. As for the house in Liuxianju, he had not lived there in a long time; due to the psychological trauma associated with it, he had already listed it for sale. Since he had not found a new place yet, he truly had no home to return to at the moment.
Seeing his silence, Lin Yanxu asked again, “Where do you live? I will take you back.”
After searching his mind, Yun Deng finally replied that he would go to a hotel.
While waiting for a red light, he removed his wig and piled everything in an empty space on the dashboard. The powder Song Shuya had applied to his face was mostly gone, leaving only a hint of color on his lips. After resting for a while, he felt like he was coming back to life; as long as he did not make any large movements, he felt better.
“You really are a good person. I like you even more now,” Yun Deng said, gazing at him quietly.
Lin Yanxu was somewhat puzzled by his words. From their very first interaction, this person had claimed to like him and wanted to pursue him. Since then, they had crossed paths frequently. With money and gifts being sent in abundance, it was hard not to notice him.
“Why do you like me?” Lin Yanxu asked.
“I am not telling you,” Yun Deng replied, turning to look out the window.
The elevated highways of the capital at night were almost entirely gridlocked. Nearby, a high-speed train roared past on its tracks. Tall skyscrapers blocked out the night sky, and here, even the air seemed to carry a hint of the scent of money.
Before long, they arrived at the most high-end hotel in Fengshan District. Seeing the hotel’s name, Yun Deng felt that Lin Yanxu thought too highly of him. Even the lowest-tier quadruple room here cost over eight hundred yuan a night. In his case, he would surely want the best, meaning the accommodation fee would be in the thousands.
Once the car came to a steady stop, Yun Deng braced himself against the door and slowly stepped out, looking around at his surroundings. The parking area was almost entirely full, and many more vehicles were still streaming in.
Yun Deng moved forward a few steps. Just as he was about to turn back to look for Lin Yanxu, he felt a hand tugging his clothing downward from behind. The man’s fingertips inadvertently brushed against his hip. The sensation made him nearly cry out.
“It was showing,” Lin Yanxu explained softly as he smoothed the clothes for him, pulling the hem of the skirt back to its original position.
Perhaps because Yun Deng had rolled around in the passenger seat, the fabric at the back had bunched up at his waist. From behind, his legs had been completely exposed. Yun Deng realized then that the cheongsam had ridden all the way up. Because the one he had originally wanted was reserved by another customer, he had been forced to wear a size smaller. The hips were tight, so he had pulled it up in the car just to be comfortable.
“Thank you,” Yun Deng replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.
He followed awkwardly behind Lin Yanxu. Without the wig, many people along the way cast glances at him. Initially, Yun Deng did not care, until the number of people staring at him grew. Lin Yanxu let the younger man weave around him. One moment Yun Deng was pressing against his left shoulder to stay close, and the next he was walking ahead, looking left and right, nearly tripping over himself.
“Brother, so many people are looking at me. What should I do?” Yun Deng turned to him with a look of help.
Lin Yanxu was being closely shadowed. A walk that should have taken less than three minutes was taking much longer because of his companion. He looked sideways to see Yun Deng’s face filled with a hint of confusion and fear, like a startled cat. An imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing no response, Yun Deng looked up at him. Under the bright, clean lights of the hotel, Lin Yanxu happened to look down at him at the same time. As their eyes met, Yun Deng’s heart skipped a beat.
Lin Yanxu was naturally very handsome, with a high nose and thin lips. His pleasant eyes held a trace of a smile, like a spring breeze blowing through the treetops, where leaves that had rested all winter sprouted tender buds in the morning sun.
For a moment, Yun Deng was lost in a daze. This was the first time he had seen Lin Yanxu smile so gently; usually, the man carried an air of cold detachment.
“Brother, can you really not be my wife?” Yun Deng tugged at Lin Yanxu’s sleeve and murmured the words involuntarily.
Just as the words left his mouth, he felt the other man lean down close to him. The distance between their foreheads was less than a centimeter. Just as Yun Deng thought his charm had conquered the man and he was about to be kissed, Lin Yanxu suddenly shifted direction. He whispered in Yun Deng’s ear with a playful, coaxing tone, “Then, beg me.”
Yun Deng blinked, meeting Lin Yanxu’s beautiful eyes in a daze. As if bewitched, he leaned forward and kissed the man’s cheek. After the briefest touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water, he said in a soft voice, “Brother, I beg you.”
The expected agreement did not come. Instead, he felt a hand stroke the back of his head, fingers weaving through his hair. Then, a finger lightly hooked under his chin, and the skin where they touched felt slightly warm.
Lin Yanxu looked at him with his usual cool expression, his thin lips parting with a smile.
“I cannot.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the main entrance of the hotel.
Yun Deng stood frozen in place, completely immersed in the lingering ambiguous atmosphere. He raised a hand to touch his lips, recalling the feeling of kissing the man. At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.
Help. I think I just got played.