Chu Xi struggled to hold back laughter as he looked at Chen Qingtang. He cleared his throat before saying, “I am the King this round. I designate…” He glanced at the cards in Chen Qingtang and Shen He’s hands. “Number 3 and Number 6. Now, let me think of something fun to do.”
Shen He stared fixedly at him, a subtle warning implicit in his gaze.
Chu Xi was not intimidated by Shen He in the slightest. He immediately ducked behind Zhou Chen: “Oh my, someone is being fierce. Looks like I have hit a sore spot.”
He lifted his chin, looking both arrogant and charming. “How about this: if either Number 3 or Number 6 does not want to play, they can trade cards with someone else. Am I not thoughtful? But you can only trade once. If you cannot handle the game, do not start it, but do not ruin everyone else’s mood now.”
Shen He pursed his lips, seemingly lost in thought.
Suddenly, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Shen He turned his head and fell straight into Chen Qingtang’s beautiful black eyes.
Chen Qingtang asked, “Do you want to trade?”
Before Shen He could answer, he heard Chen Qingtang sigh. “The first round was feeding each other, the second was blindfolded touch, the third was kissing. I wonder what they will assign us next…”
Recalling the ambiguous and somewhat vulgar games they had played so far, Shen He’s brow蹙蹙 even deeper. If he had been just a second slower…
Chen Qingtang said softly, “It is alright. If you do not want to play with me, you can trade with someone else. Do not force yourself.”
Shen He scanned the room and noticed that several pairs of eyes were fixed directly on Chen Qingtang, filled with expectation. Their demeanor clearly showed they knew Chen Qingtang had been drawn and were waiting for Shen He to trade cards and step aside. Ye Ting, in particular, looked all smiles. They looked exactly like a pack of wolves eyeing their prey.
Shen He’s face darkened further. “No trade.”
A flash of amusement crossed Chen Qingtang’s eyes. When he looked up again, his expression had shifted into the perfect mask of concern.
“Do not force yourself. If you do not want to play with me, I can trade with someone else.”
The next moment, Chen Qingtang’s hand was pressed down. Shen He looked at him but said nothing. The intensity in his deep eyes clearly indicated he was still weighing his options. Chen Qingtang gave him space.
Chu Xi chimed in: “You two take your time discussing. We are not in a rush.”
A moment later, Shen He took a soft breath. Gazing into Chen Qingtang’s eyes, he spoke each word with great sincerity:
“I am sorry. I have thought about it, and I cannot accept playing this game with anyone else but you.”
Only Chen Qingtang was someone Shen He could accept.
A smile curled at the corners of Chen Qingtang’s lips, hidden in the shadows: “Oh, is that so? What about Wei Yan and the others?”
Shen He’s grip on his arm tightened. “No, them neither. So, can you not trade cards?”
The amusement in Chen Qingtang’s eyes spread bit by bit: “It is fine. I am willing to play with you.”
He signaled to Chu Xi with his eyes. Chu Xi received the cue immediately and clapped his hands. “Alright, you have reached an agreement, right? Then I am assigning the task!”
The others urged him to hurry up.
Chu Xi: “Then, Number 3 and Number 6, one of you must be blindfolded and use your mouth to unbutton the other person’s shirt. Unbuttoning two buttons is enough.”
The crowd erupted into expectant cheers. Wei Yan and Luo Xin, who had been busy eating earlier, finally felt like they were getting to see their friends in a scandalous situation. Wei Yan whispered to Luo Xin: “Damn, this is too intense.”
Luo Xin laughed quietly and said nothing.
Chen Qingtang thought to himself that regardless of who played which role, it would be thrilling and fun, but he personally preferred to be the active one. However, before he could speak, he heard Shen He say: “You be the one blindfolded.”
Shen He could not bring himself to perform the indecent act of being blindfolded and using his mouth on someone else’s body. It was strange; Shen He felt it was fine when Chen Qingtang did it, but he felt it was lewd if anyone else did it to Chen Qingtang. That “anyone else” included himself.
Chen Qingtang raised an eyebrow. “Sure.” This was exactly what he wanted. He would make sure Shen He remembered today vividly.
Someone handed over a black lace cloth strip; it was as if they had known all along this scene would happen. Chen Qingtang took it and handed it to Shen He, his eyes curving into crescents: “Will you help me put it on?”
Shen He nodded. A moment later, Chen Qingtang’s world went pitch black; it was impenetrable, not a single ray of light getting through. He could only feel the warmth of Shen He’s wrists grazing his ears, accompanied by a pleasant, faint scent that stirred the heart.
Soon, the hands were withdrawn, and Shen He signaled that he was ready. Chen Qingtang finally returned from his reverie, let out a soft, helpless laugh, and whispered:
“Silly, do you not know how to be gentle when tying it? You tied it too tight, and I cannot see anything. How am I supposed to find the right spot later?”
The boy’s voice was clear and soft, his laughter charming and lively.
Shen He felt his ears and heart go numb. “Do you want me to retie it?”
Chen Qingtang pulled back and shook his head at him: “Shall I begin?”
After hearing Shen He’s response, Chen Qingtang laid his coat aside. He placed one hand on Shen He’s broad shoulder and shifted his posture, moving from sitting beside Shen He to kneeling in front of him. To locate the shirt, Chen Qingtang used his other hand to feel his way upward. After some exploration, he touched the hair by Shen He’s ear.
Shen He prompted him earnestly: “A little lower.”
Chen Qingtang obediently moved his wrist; his fingers passed over Shen He’s ear, touched his chin, and finally slid down to his Adam’s apple.
Shen He felt as if a cold, slithering snake was crawling from his ear to his neck in a seductive manner. The cold, slippery sensation, tinged with unknown danger, catalyzed the embers in his heart into a vibrant crimson, threatening to ignite. Every place the fingers had touched remained pleasantly numb—an incredibly strange sensation. Yet, Shen He did not hate it. He stared fixedly at Chen Qingtang: “A little lower and you will find the buttons.”
Chen Qingtang obediently moved lower and found Shen He’s shirt. “Am I starting?”
Shen He hummed.
Chen Qingtang slowly leaned his head in. At first, he missed the mark and his lips brushed against Shen He’s Adam’s apple. Mistaking it for a button, he gave it a light nip. The soft, damp, and warm sensation visited the protruding Adam’s apple in a way that was both gentle and cruel.
Shen He went stiff, his pupils shrinking. The culprit seemed to realize he had found the wrong spot and quickly retreated. The slight tremor did not escape Chen Qingtang, who let a faint smile curve his lips: “What did I hit?”
Shen He’s Adam’s apple rolled: “My neck.”
Chen Qingtang nodded and moved slightly lower, successfully finding the button this time.
Everyone in the room had their eyes wide open to watch the show. Chu Xi suddenly shouted: “Hey, hey, hands are not allowed! From now on, it is all about the mouth!”
Chen Qingtang dropped his hands helplessly and whispered to Shen He: “Excuse the intrusion.”
Shen He sat straight as a statue, looking straight ahead with righteous indignation. But his husky voice and tense body betrayed him: “It is fine.”
Chen Qingtang arched a brow and leaned forward, attempting to catch the button with his mouth. He then realized that just catching the button was not enough; the game rules required him to use his mouth to unbutton the shirt. Chen Qingtang thought for a moment, tilted his head slightly, and stuck out his tongue, attempting to lick the gap of the button.
A collective intake of breath echoed around the room, and everyone’s eyes grew intense. The scene before them was as follows:
A blindfolded beauty half-kneeling on the ground, hands behind his back, straightening his slender yet powerful waist, arching his fair, long neck, head tilted slightly, sticking out the tip of his tongue to lick the skin on another man’s neck. Chen Qingtang was wearing a white shirt, tucked into his trousers, tracing his lean waistline down to his cinched belt, outlining a figure that could be held in one hand. It was a scene so sultry and aesthetically pleasing that it would make anyone’s heart race and blood boil.
Wei Yan was stunned, unable to help but curse out loud: “Damn, that is so hot…”
Too hot to handle. This scene was something one could ruminate on for a decade. Seeing everyone around him pull out their phones to take pictures, Wei Yan scrambled to follow suit, turning on his phone’s video recorder.
Only Shen He, the one involved, could only see Chen Qingtang’s soft hair due to his limited perspective. Looking down, the boy’s fair neck was exposed so vulnerably before his eyes. Just then, a tiny, deep-red mole on that neck brushed against Shen He’s heart like a feather. Shen He’s brow twitched, and he struggled to look away toward the ground.
There was a slight pressure on his neck, pressing down bit by bit. Even with his immense willpower, Shen He could not stop himself from getting distracted; he forced himself to recover his focus and divert his attention.
At that moment, he heard Chen Qingtang whisper: “Is it not time to help me choose a partner? A week has passed; who do you think is suitable for me?”
As he spoke, heat mixed with subtle panting brushed against his neck. It was so scorching that his rationality was nearly incinerated.
Shen He’s veins pulsed faintly: “I do not know.”
Chen Qingtang smiled lightly and continued to lower his head to unbutton the shirt with his mouth. Shen He felt inexplicably restless. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, imagining himself practicing calligraphy to calm his mind.
A horizontal stroke, a left-slanting stroke, a vertical stroke…
Chen Qingtang was unbuttoning a bit impatiently, his breathing becoming short and heavy. Sound after sound, rising and falling like waves, without rhythm, yet hooking into one’s heart, causing endless longing. As Shen He practiced his calligraphy in his head, he suddenly did not know which character he was writing; he only felt his nerves were like a bowstring pulled to its limit. Any slight movement could snap the string he was struggling to keep balanced.
At this moment, Chen Qingtang let out a soft hum, like a kitten.
Shen He’s hand, resting at his side, clenched into a fist.
Chen Qingtang stopped again and whispered softly into his ear: “I asked you earlier what you thought of Ye Ting today; why did you not answer me?”
Shen He’s breathing was chaotic: “He… he is not bad.”
Shen He desperately suppressed the inappropriate thoughts in his heart and gave this objective, impartial evaluation. The next moment, a sharp pain blossomed near his collarbone.
Shen He’s eyes snapped open, his pupils trembling violently. Chen Qingtang playfully released his teeth, his tone filled with guilty innocence: “Oh dear, I bit the wrong spot; I thought I was biting the button. Sorry.”
Shen He’s voice was completely hoarse, as if scorched by embers: “It is fine.”
Chen Qingtang asked again: “What did you say about Ye Ting just now? I did not hear clearly.”
Shen He’s Adam’s apple rolled, but this time, he could not speak. Dense, swirling thoughts crawled into his mind, churning and struggling like a cicada emerging from its cocoon. Finally, they broke through the shell and coalesced into two words: “Do not do it.”
Chen Qingtang tilted his head slightly, looking toward where Ye Ting was sitting—though, blindfolded as he was, he could see nothing. But this posture of searching hit a breaking point in Shen He. Suddenly, Chen Qingtang’s chin was pinched by a hand, which forcefully pulled his head back. Because he was blindfolded, Chen Qingtang did not know how dark and stormy the look Shen He was giving him was, filled with a possessiveness that had crossed the boundaries of their relationship.
Then, a hoarse, strained voice rang out: “Do not.”
It was a stern word, yet the tone contained a plea.