Amidst a collective gasp, an old man was the first to express his feelings. His varicose-veined hands hovered above his feet, trembling as he caressed the air. “I can die without regrets now… I can die without regrets…”
Inside the tent, Lin Yue Shu thought: Gross, can you just get lost already?
The thin red gauze, as delicate as a cicada’s wings, was more decorative than functional, barely obscuring the view. Through the gauze, Lin Yue Shu observed the three people in front of him. In the room where decaying blue and decadent red intertwined, the light was dim, but Lin Yue Shu could precisely identify his target, Huo Yi Sen, among the three figures.
With a “thud,” a wine glass was heavily placed on the table. Lin Yue Shu followed the sound, his vision blurred, but he could sense the sudden tension in the man’s body. A smile played on his lips, and his long neck was raised high.
“Mr. Huo,” an old man said with a smile to Huo Xiao, “Do you know how to enjoy this delicacy? There’s quite a story behind it.”
Lin Yue Shu thought: Mr. Huo? When did this trend start, where even stray dogs on the street are respectfully called Mr. Wang?
Huo Xiao raised his chin, his sharp jawline exuding an air of aloof arrogance. “Using beauty to tempt me, trying to drag me to hell, yet calling it sharing a delicacy, and giving it an extraordinary way of eating to show off your nobility.”
Huo Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle. The two old men exchanged glances, their expressions changing. With a “click,” a lighter sparked, and smoke filled the enclosed space. Huo Xiao held a cigarette, his gaze briefly passing over Lin Yue Shu’s face, a smirk forming as if he had thought of something.
“Mr. Huo, I advise you young people not to be too arrogant!” The old men dropped their pretense. Huo Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke, chuckling lightly, “If you’re not arrogant, can you still be called young?”
The old man slapped the table, making a loud noise. “I’m offering a nine-figure salary to sincerely invite you to act in a film with my son. I just want to ask, who else in this industry gets such treatment? Don’t be ungrateful, or you’ll lose face.”
Hearing this, Lin Yue Shu slowly formed a question mark in his mind. Are they saying that the heir of the largest domestic conglomerate should act in a film with a small-time capitalist’s ordinary kid and be called ungrateful? This sounds so strange. Huo Yi Sen acting in a film? Don’t make me laugh. Be nicer to your son.
“Considering Mr. Li’s old face, I didn’t want to say this,” Huo Xiao said nonchalantly, taking a drag from his cigarette and exhaling a long plume of smoke. The old man clenched his fists. “Your son looks a lot like you,” Huo Xiao said, shaking his head with an ambiguous expression.
But everyone understood the subtext: You’re ugly, and your son is ugly too. In this industry, there’s no future for you. Don’t take the audience for fools.
“You!” The old man stood up, his face turning red, “You’re saying I’m ugly!” Huo Xiao didn’t respond, nor did he look at him, his silence confirming the accusation.
“Stop slandering me!” The old man pounded the table with his fist, “My mother always said I was handsome!” “Parents’ hearts are always kind,” Huo Xiao said nonchalantly, extinguishing his cigarette.
Lin Yue Shu couldn’t help but laugh, the sound light and without mockery, just finding it amusing. Hearing Lin Yue Shu’s laughter, Huo Xiao, who had been wearing a cold expression, also showed a hint of a smile, gazing lightly at the faintly visible figure through the thin gauze.
The old man looked at Huo Xiao, his flushed face turning a crab shell blue, his eyes welling up with a thin layer of tears. He was about to cry. The oppressive air in the room made it unbearable for him to stay any longer. His aging, unsteady body, like a sensory disorder, knocked over tables, chairs, and dishes, and the sixty-year-old man ran out in a huff like a grandson.
“Mr. Li, Mr. Li!” A short, unusually small middle-aged man hurriedly followed. This little nose guy, with extraordinary talent, barely reached Mr. Li’s waist, seemingly a dwarf, bounced out like a ball.
Lin Yue Shu raised his hand to cover his mouth, his laughter like a gentle wind chime. The next second, his wrist was grabbed, and he was pulled out from the tent. The November air was chilly, and Lin Yue Shu, wearing only thin underwear, was lifted and pressed onto the table, the cold making him squirm.
“So, it’s you,” Lin Yue Shu saw the man above him, his face half-smiling through the hazy red gauze over his eyes. Despite the teasing tone, a warm hand slipped under Lin Yue Shu, supporting his back, preventing him from touching the cold table.
Lin Yue Shu curled his legs, his hands gently holding Huo Xiao’s arm, his tone serious: “I’m just doing my job for the money. This is part of my contract. Please respect my work.”
Tired of playing the weak little white flower, he was no puppet. As a living person, he had to have a temper and principles.
Huo Xiao looked down at Lin Yue Shu, seeing his eyes covered, his gaze openly exploring every part of his body. Despite his thin frame, he had a layer of lean muscle, his graceful waistline tucked into the lace-trimmed white underwear. As his waist swayed, the lines turned into two agile snakes, swaying back and forth.
“You’re overthinking it,” Huo Xiao said, his eyes slightly lowered, his fingers tracing the subtle rise and fall. “I always appreciate hard-working people. No matter what kind of effort, as long as they want to climb up, I’ll do my best to support them.”
On the surface, Lin Yue Shu remained calm, but inside, he was thrilled. He gently caressed Huo Xiao’s arm, his fingertips tracing the shape of the bulging veins. Above him, the rustling sound of clothes being removed reached his ears. Before he could feel any joy, his knees were forcefully spread apart.
The sudden touch made Lin Yue Shu’s breath catch. “Mr. Li did say one thing right,” Huo Xiao lowered his head, “Such a rare delicacy, not knowing how to enjoy it is a desecration. Teach me, Mr. Lin.”
The title “Mr. Lin” made Lin Yue Shu’s knees jerk, a wave of heat surging in his lower abdomen, his ten toes involuntarily tensing. So good, so good, Huo Yi Sen, you big tease.
Before entering the book, everyone loved to respectfully call him “Mr. Lin.” This sacred title was the embodiment of honor and power. Those people were devout, bowing their heads, worshiping him like a deity. Today, someone called him “Mr. Lin,” trying to use the lowest vulgarity to tarnish this sacred glory, making him famous yet unable to resist falling into the abyss.
Mr. Lin, who was thoroughly enjoying himself, began his enthusiastic teaching. He puffed out his chest, succinctly saying, “Eat.”
The next second, the prickling pain and warmth wrapped in the scent of tobacco exploded densely on his skin. Savoring the taste, he was flipped over. “Clatter.” Lin Yue Shu heard the sound of a belt clashing behind him.
“You can’t come in,” Lin Yue Shu knelt on the table, his legs tightly closed. A large hand gently caressed his waistline, “Why?”
Huo Xiao thought Lin Yue Shu might have some shocking reason, but it was just one sentence: “This isn’t part of the contract. It’s a separate fee.”
Huo Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle, the belt snapping, a sharp weapon breaking free from its constraints. “Alright, I won’t come in.”
Hearing him agree so easily, Lin Yue Shu felt a bit disappointed. He longed for the beautiful fireworks after the cannon shot, but he also knew that cheap things are never cherished. Hold on, when the time is right, he would personally say the classic line from the original protagonist: “Give it all to me, this tease wants to have your babies.”
Despite repeatedly emphasizing not to cross the line, Lin Yue Shu could clearly feel several times that the battle weapon was eager to try in the border area, only to be deflected by his twisting waist. He whimpered, half-resisting, half-inviting: “No, no.”
Huo Xiao grew impatient, “Why do you have so many ‘no’s?” Holding back a breath, unable to release it, his heart was frustrated. Then Lin Yue Shu started acting again, softly crying, his neck covered in sweat, his lower back taut to the point of breaking. The red gauze over his eyes deepened in color.
“It’s just not okay…” It didn’t matter why, it just wasn’t. A heavy sigh came from behind, and the next second, Lin Yue Shu’s body was flipped over, a faint tobacco scent enveloping him, the palm on his back covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“Stop crying, I’ll be careful,” Huo Xiao said, never having met someone so difficult to please. Lin Yue Shu whimpered, stopping his tears, looking at the blurry figure of a giant beast. After a long time, his eyes unfocused, he hiccuped. Then he started hiccuping non-stop, seemingly out of breath.
His mind was filled with: I want to eat. The cool lava erupted in the border area, and their breathing gradually calmed. Huo Xiao didn’t rush to pull up his pants. Instead, he held Lin Yue Shu, kissing his face, kissing away the tears, kissing the sweat on his neck, the mole on his collarbone, the mole under his chest, the mole on the inside of his thigh. So many moles.
Lin Yue Shu was kissed into comfort, his eyes narrowing in pleasure, but he didn’t suggest kissing. He understood Huo Yi Sen, who, after taking everything, still pretended to have a mental cleanliness. A pretender.
Author’s Note: ———————-