Watching Lu Huai pull his clothes together, Chi Yuan felt his Adam’s apple bob heavily. He turned his face away in near panic, not daring to look directly at him.
Lu Huai lowered his lashes and curled his lips into a smile, finding the situation amusing. He had not yet had the chance to ask Lu Huai why he had let him get away with such behavior—was it perhaps because? However, the other man’s dismissive mention of it being just a game had scattered any burgeoning thoughts he might have had.
“Well said, just a game.”
Chi Yuan’s voice was laced with a hint of laughter, his eyebrows raised in a feigned air of frivolity. He nodded in firm agreement, though his gaze lingered on the tattoo on Lu Huai’s wrist, his eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion.
Sensing Chi Yuan’s stare, Lu Huai pulled his sleeve down without a word, lowering his eyes to fasten it. When he looked up, his gaze was filled with his signature coldness. He curled his lips into a mocking sneer and said calmly, “It was just an ordinary night. Since it is over, we should both just forget it completely, hmm?”
Chi Yuan watched Lu Huai’s tall, slender frame being wrapped in wrinkled clothes. The skin that had been exposed, which he remembered vividly from the night before, still swayed in his memory like a beautiful vision. His gaze darkened; he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and let out a soft laugh.
“Lu Huai, why do we not give it a try?”
The words had escaped him without reflection. Chi Yuan locked his gaze on Lu Huai’s back, carrying a stubbornness he himself could not understand. He did not use his usual flippant, joking tone to follow his words, and a strange, heavy silence fell after he spoke.
It is just a game anyway, he told himself. He justified his own behavior. Lu Huai’s earlier words and actions were enough to make him understand one thing: the tattoo on that wrist, left by an unknown person, made him uneasy even when others looked at it unintentionally. If the person was not a true love, then surely it should not matter how they played. And as for himself, why could he not play along?
Lu Huai, standing with his back to Chi Yuan, froze. His eyelashes fluttered, and his expression showed an unexpected shock he could not hide. He tried his best to steady his voice, erasing his hesitation as he half-turned his head to ask in a low voice, “Try what?”
Even though they both knew exactly what was being asked.
Since things had reached this point, Chi Yuan could only brace himself. He sneered, trying to make his tone sound as indifferent as possible: “What else could it be?”
Seeing Lu Huai refuse to turn around, Chi Yuan toyed with his fingertips, weighing his next words, as if measuring which expression would better highlight his ease and detachment.
“We have been entangled for so many years, and there is more than enough enmity between us. Why not change the rules of the game and just be together?”
The morning sun spilled in through the window, dancing dust motes in the space between them, as if keeping time with the silent passage of time, settling into dust in the sudden silence.
There was no response for a long time.
Lu Huai stood still, not turning back to look at Chi Yuan once. His heart was a tumultuous sea, yet he could neither say the word fine nor summon the courage to turn back with a cold, indifferent glare.
He thought a great deal. Lu Huai considered himself to be well-acquainted with Chi Yuan. Perhaps he was truly looking for a game, or maybe the novelty of the object, himself, had piqued the other’s interest. Or perhaps, looking for some harmless fun in a dull life, Chi Yuan had sought him out as a safe target.
Whatever the reason, Chi Yuan had asked him to try being together. Yet, as he had said last night, this was simply a bet he had to gamble his heart on. What was he afraid of?
Lu Huai saw the web clearly in his mind, coldly watching as he stepped into the net, all for the sake of a single, sincere heart.
“Fine.”
Chi Yuan looked up in disbelief. He had been smiling, thinking of his own wild ideas, and was even prepared to dismiss the words he had just blurted out as a joke. He found the very idea that Lu Huai would agree to be laughable.
But now, the fact was before him. Lu Huai turned around. His face, usually so calm and quiet, was now devoid of any emotion. Meeting Chi Yuan’s gaze, he repeated himself sincerely: “Fine.”
Ignoring Chi Yuan’s stunned expression, Lu Huai looked up and said, “Is there anything else you want to say?”
Seeing the man shake his head unconsciously, he gave a slight nod. “Alright then, see you at the company.”
As he stepped forward, his body stiffened. A dense, aching pain radiated from his lower back. The posture he had maintained while thinking now felt like the frame of a clay statue, locking his limbs in place, making it difficult to move.
Chi Yuan seemed to sense something; his eyelids twitched. The thoughts sparked by Lu Huai’s sudden agreement were swept away. He took a long stride forward, his movements faster than his thoughts, and reached out to support him.
“Does your back hurt?”
Chi Yuan asked with a frown. He knew about Lu Huai’s old injury, which was quite serious. Seeing his stalled movements, he naturally remembered it. After all, Lu Huai had occupied his entire student life; he had kept all his attention on the man, and he knew well that Lu Huai had retired from the team in his sophomore year due to that injury.
Lu Huai rested his hand on Chi Yuan’s arm, surprised by the man’s sudden outburst of knowledge. He veiled the surprise in his eyes and, after the sharpest pain subsided, opened his mouth calmly: “How did you know?”
Chi Yuan acted as if it were a matter of course. He knitted his brows, not allowing him to pull away, and guessed that Lu Huai’s discomfort was linked to himself, given the fragmented memories of the night before.
A surge of inexplicable guilt arose, and he muttered in a low, stern voice, “Do not try to act tough.”
Lu Huai’s eyes turned cold immediately. He stiffly brushed off Chi Yuan’s support, straightened his spine, and stubbornly said word for word: “Acting tough? I have always been this way.”
Chi Yuan caught the cold edge in Lu Huai’s eyes and paused, surprised. He frowned inwardly, feeling that there was a deep, underlying meaning to Lu Huai’s words.
“Wait a moment.”
Lu Huai pushed himself forward anyway. Chi Yuan was furious and wanted to force him to stop, but seeing Lu Huai’s foul mood, he realized that if he reached out again, Lu Huai would likely laugh in his face and tell him to get lost. He could only let go, feeling defeated.
This person is truly.
Lu Huai did not look back this time.
.
.
Only when the burning gaze behind him vanished did Lu Huai let out a sigh of relief. He looked at himself with gloomy eyes; his wrinkled clothes clung to his skin with an inescapable, sticky sensation.
Lu Huai realized belatedly that he had lost his mind. How had he let himself be swayed by Chi Yuan? How had it come to this? Yesterday, the man had been unconscious. Should he not have fulfilled the other’s wish, or rather, taken advantage of the situation? Instead, he had ended up in such a disheveled state.
He pressed his lips into a tight line, knowing he was in no state to be seen, and rested his fingers on his watch. The green gemstone on the dial shimmered. The hour hand pointed straight to the center, and he had to return to the Lu family estate today.
“Hello?” Lu Huai opened the car door with one hand. As he sat down, he felt his brow furrow and let out a sharp intake of breath. He realized more and more how absurd yesterday had been and stopped speaking mid-sentence.
“Hmm?” Ling Zhi heard the single syllable on the other end but received no follow-up, wondering if the signal had dropped. “What is wrong with you? Something happen?”
“Nothing.” Lu Huai saw a scratched patch of skin on his neck in the rearview mirror. It was barely covered when his collar was up, but now it was impossible to ignore. He gritted his teeth. “I suffered a minor injury. I wanted to ask what medicine I should buy for it?”
“That is not a minor matter!” Ling Zhi knew Lu Huai never took himself seriously and suspected he was downplaying the facts. He added, “Send me a photo so I can prescribe something. If not, I will come over to see you right now.”
Lu Huai: …
“That will not be necessary.” Lu Huai hung up the phone. His normally indifferent face showed a trace of rising anger. He touched the wound tentatively with his fingertips. Is Chi Yuan a dog? Why is his bite so strong?
Not wanting to stay in this place a second longer, Lu Huai started the car with a dark expression, determined to make Chi Yuan suffer the same bitterness in return. But.
Lu Huai curled his fingers unnaturally, the anger in his eyes fading slightly. Chi Yuan had suddenly asked if they should be together, and he had replied with fine.
He tried to decipher Chi Yuan’s inner journey; he could not be more clear-headed, and yet he was gambling. He was gambling on whether the other would fall first, or whether he would have his heart toyed with sooner.
If sincerity is traded for sincerity.
.
After a quick wash and feeling clean again, Lu Huai’s complexion improved slightly. He covered the areas that might give him away, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw his mother standing there, her expression gentle and warm.
“Huaihuai?” Seeing his startled expression, Mother Lu asked with a hint of concern, “Are you today…”
“Mom, it is nothing.” Lu Huai released the doorknob and stepped aside to let her in, his eyes showing a touch of helplessness. “Do you need me for something?”
Mother Lu knew her son had his own measures, so she stopped pressing him. She coughed lightly, her expression slightly awkward. “There is one thing. Your father said he left some documents on your desk and asked me to tell you to take them when you returned.”
It was an ordinary message, but Lu Huai’s eyes tightened. He had a bad premonition, connecting it to what his father had mentioned last time. Had it already begun? Fearing his mother would notice, he just nodded silently, saying nothing more.
“There is one more thing…” Mother Lu hesitated, unable to focus on his demeanor. “You… do you like Chi Yuan?”
Lu Huai looked up abruptly, only to see Mother Lu smoothing her hair, her expression unchanged. Caught off guard by his feelings being exposed, he opened his mouth slightly but found no words.
“I was only guessing,” Mother Lu said with a faint smile, having already understood. “I felt that the way you looked at Chi Yuan was not quite right, and then you suddenly went abroad for two years. When I thought about the cause and effect, I always felt…”
She left the rest unsaid, smiling silently. Since she could see Lu Huai’s sincerity for Chi Yuan, she naturally knew the two were at odds. She did not know when her son, usually so cool and detached, had fallen in love. She had always respected Lu Huai’s ideas and did not think there was anything wrong with it. It was just… her eyes filled with obvious pain. “You silly child, you should let Chi Yuan know. Since you were a child, when have you ever been so timid?”
Lu Huai gave a soft laugh. He did not say whether it was good or bad. He stood up, walked behind his mother, and massaged her shoulders, as if having made up his mind.
Whether Chi Yuan was playing a game or not, he was in earnest.
“I have something to tell you, too.” He looked into her slightly confused eyes, unaware that his smile was tinged with bitterness. “Chi Yuan and I, we are together.”