The thin air was filled with uncontrollable gasps. Satin-like moonlight flowed across the floor where a bathrobe, shirt, and suit trousers lay scattered in a messy heap.
The kisses of Duan Jinghuai were thick with aggression and possessiveness. He bit and tore with the ferocity of a wild beast asserting its dominance, plundering everything in his path. Shi Yu struggled at first, but his resistance did not last long before he surrendered completely. His long, elegant fingers sank into the hair of Duan Jinghuai as he followed the scent of the man. His straight, slender, snowy white legs instinctively tangled around the waist of the man. Rising and falling, he felt like a boat drifting on a boundless lake, liable to drown in those waters at any moment.
Suddenly, a crisp chime echoed from the door. Shi Yu snapped back to reality with alarm bells ringing in his mind. His toes tensed and curled, and he felt as though someone were gripping his throat. Beside his ear, he heard the wicked, soft chuckle of Duan Jinghuai.
The doorbell faded. After a moment, followed by a series of thuds from knocking, the low voice of Shen Zhinian appeared outside the door. “Shi Yu, are you in there?”
Noticing the distraction of Shi Yu, the assault of Duan Jinghuai grew even more intense. Shi Yu failed to keep his teeth clenched and let out a cry of pain. Shen Zhinian clearly heard the noise and raised his voice. “Shi Yu!?”
Duan Jinghuai pressed his forehead against the forehead of Shi Yu with a dark smile. His eyes suppressed a surge of emotion, and his voice was husky and deep with passion. “What should we do? He heard you.”
The forehead of Shi Yu was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He was reaching his limit, and he glared fiercely at the man with eyes full of lingering moisture. He was not necessarily worried about being discovered by Shen Zhinian; he was simply too thin-skinned. Furthermore, he wondered what exactly he and Duan Jinghuai were. Were they old friends, classmates, rivals, or just partners in a drunken one-night stand?
As he was thinking, Duan Jinghuai suddenly hooked his arms under the legs of Shi Yu and picked him up. Under the terrified gaze of Shi Yu, the man strode toward the entrance hall.
“What are you doing!?” Shi Yu whispered in disbelief.
Without a word, Duan Jinghuai pressed the back of Shi Yu against the cold door. He pressed down with burning, searing kisses, prying open the teeth of Shi Yu as his tongue drove deep inside.
They were only a single door apart. Shi Yu was dazed and muddled. Like a drowning fish, he had no strength left in his body and could only endure. The various sounds coming from inside the room disturbed Shen Zhinian. He frowned and knocked urgently on the door. “Shi Yu, are you listening?”
“Shi Yu?”
Shi Yu lifted his hazy eyes. He bit his lip, waited for a moment to steady himself, and used his palm to support himself against the doorframe. He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. “I am fine. I am going to sleep.”
Hearing his voice, Shen Zhinian let out a sigh of relief, but the trembling end of that sentence still left him half-doubting. “Are you really okay? Do you need my help?”
A fire burned in the eyes of Duan Jinghuai. Even the fingertips of Shi Yu were trembling. He clenched his teeth tightly, feeling a great wash of white light flood his mind. He was falling apart in a whirlpool. At the critical moment, he bit down hard on the shoulder of Duan Jinghuai.
A long silence fell over both the hallway and the room. Only the candles on the wall flickered. Shen Zhinian felt the wind against his skin grow cold and pulled his collar tight. Just as he was considering knocking again, the response of Shi Yu drifted through the crack in the door, his voice slightly hoarse from panting. “I am really fine. Brother Zhinian, please go back.”
Shen Zhinian stared at the heavy door. His lips moved as if he wanted to say more, but the words hovered on the tip of the tongue before he finally spoke. “Then, goodnight, Shi Yu.”
There was no further response from inside. Duan Jinghuai carried Shi Yu back to the bed. The forehead of Shi Yu was covered in fine sweat, and his body was damp. He looked as if he had been pulled from the water, and his skin glowed with a moist luster. The corners of his naturally alluring eyes were red, and his nose was tinged with crimson. A seductive charm floated in the depths of his beautiful, hazy eyes.
“Duan Jinghuai, are you sick?” Shi Yu asked, breathless as he glared at him.
“Sick?” Duan Jinghuai scoffed. He leaned over again, pressing against the lips of Shi Yu. He spoke coldly. “You spent the whole day acting all lovey-dovey with Shen Zhinian, and you ask if I am sick?”
A flash of shock crossed the eyes of Shi Yu. He kicked Duan Jinghuai and gritted his teeth aggressively. “Shen Zhinian and I are just ordinary friends.”
“I doubt that,” the man said, arching an eyebrow sarcastically. He felt an unnamed fire burning fiercely in his chest, consuming his logic. “He asks over the phone if you have showered and then comes knocking the next second. Do friends act like that?”
“Go away. You think everyone is like you. Ah!” Shi Yu trembled from the heat and looked at him with red eyes.
“Like me how?”
“A rogue.”
Sweat beaded on the nose of Shi Yu, and his whole body was tense. He gripped the smooth, muscular arms of Duan Jinghuai, his fingertips sinking deep into the skin. His jade-like knuckles turned white against the blue veins. Duan Jinghuai gave a dry, husky laugh. He lifted the waist of Shi Yu and asked with a smirk if he preferred a gentleman like Shen Zhinian.
Shi Yu felt as if the head of Duan Jinghuai had been squeezed by a door. Their breaths were inches apart. His eyes were rimmed with red as he glared with annoyance. After a moment, feeling that staring was not enough to vent his anger, he opened his mouth and bit the tip of the nose of the man.
Duan Jinghuai tilted his face slightly and silently let him bite. The bite was not hard, and Shi Yu let go after a moment. He lowered his eyelashes and told Duan Jinghuai that Shen Zhinian was just his friend. He warned that if Duan Jinghuai went crazy again, he should get out.
His voice was already hoarse and so soft that it sounded like he was acting spoiled. It had no deterrent effect whatsoever. The two of them looked at each other in the moonlight. The expression of Duan Jinghuai remained cold, and a heavy, undeniable pressure surrounded him.
After a moment, he pinned the waist of Shi Yu and pressed the man toward him. His voice was very faint, as if suppressing a surge of emotion. “Was America fun?”
Under the cover of night, a flicker of light in his dark eyes locked onto Shi Yu. His pupils reflected the image of the man. Shi Yu felt strangely burned by that gaze. Before he could speak, the kiss of Duan Jinghuai covered him again, sucking on his lower lip and slowly licking it. Shi Yu closed his eyes and held the head of the man. His tongue actively crossed the teeth of the man to entwine with his, gradually going deeper.
The moonlight grew thicker. The tide surged fiercely against the embankment. Shi Yu felt like a dying fish, and his entire consciousness rose and fell with the man. The night was still long.
When Shi Yu woke up, sunlight was cascading outside the window. Countless spots of light jumped through the glass and flooded the room. His waist was covered by a thin quilt. His collarbones, inner thighs, and ankles were all covered in dense, vermilion marks. The skin on his body had been cleaned, leaving every inch feeling exceptionally refreshed.
He blinked blankly and hesitantly reached out his hand to touch the empty side of the bed. The sheets were cold. It seemed Duan Jinghuai had left long ago. Unable to tell if he was relieved or disappointed, he quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been shocked. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling in a daze.
The sensation of the palm of the man seemed to linger on his waist, hot and pressing like a branding iron. Messy images flooded his mind. As he thought about it, his ears began to burn, and he covered his eyes with the back of his hand.
With his vision blocked, his other senses became exceptionally sharp. His ears twitched. After a moment, he snatched his hand away and blinked in confusion. The sound of water in the bathroom gradually stopped, and the glass door was pushed open. Duan Jinghuai walked out wearing only a towel. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a perfect V-taper. His abdominal muscles were lean and solid, and his two beautiful mermaid lines extended smoothly into the edge of the towel. Several messy scratches ran across his back, and a few light crimson bite marks covered his lean shoulders.
Shi Yu was silent. He quietly pulled the thin quilt up to cover his flushed face, but Duan Jinghuai had already noticed him. The man arched an eyebrow playfully and asked if he was awake.
Shi Yu gave up on his small movements and swallowed secretly. He tried his best to calm his nerves and feigned indifference. Duan Jinghuai shook a cigarette out of his pack and put it in his mouth. He sat lazily at the foot of the bed. Smoke curled around him. The corners of his mouth turned up as he gazed at the man with a playful look and asked how he slept last night.
He was asking despite already knowing the answer. Shi Yu sat up and draped a shirt over himself with his elegant fingers. His voice and face were cold as he replied that it was average.
Duan Jinghuai was not annoyed. He leaned forward with a low laugh and whispered a crude remark into the ear of Shi Yu. After speaking, a wicked smile hung on his lips. He pulled back slightly and saw the already crimson ears of Shi Yu explode into a deep red. Gradually, the flush spread to his cheeks, and even his nose and collarbones turned pink.
“Duan Jinghuai!” Shi Yu snapped in embarrassment and anger. He glared at the man and kicked him in frustration. The culprit just raised his eyebrows and laughed quietly.
Shi Yu ignored him, put on his shirt, and got out of bed indignantly. His slippers had been placed by the bed at some point. He pursed his lips and put them on, then stomped into the bathroom as if to vent his anger. Just like last time, the toothpaste and water were prepared for him.
Shi Yu took a large gulp of water to rinse his mouth. He suddenly looked up, and the eyes reflected in the mirror were filled with ashamed anger. This was too much. He wondered how Duan Jinghuai had so many tricks.
Indescribable images unfolded before him once more. He held his toothbrush and stared at himself in the mirror, covered in marks from his lips down to his collarbones, and closed his eyes in despair. He had to admit that he had indeed been immersed in it.
But then, the words of Su Rong suddenly echoed in his ears. The tone was light, yet at this moment, it felt like a heavy hammer hitting the heart of Shi Yu. His hand holding the toothbrush stiffened, and his movements slowly stopped. His eyelashes trembled with a sense of loss.
Looking at the face in the mirror with a flush on the brow and nose, his long, thick eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow of disappointment over his eyelids. He wondered what would happen if he could not afford to play this game and if he could escape it. Since returning from America, everything he had done had pushed him deeper toward Duan Jinghuai. Even if he could not afford to play, he had to pretend that he could.