Yu Lang’s heart hammered violently beneath a thin layer of skin.
Had he completely lost his mind?
The air was already beginning to fill with the dangerous scent of rust, so thick it nearly smeared his dark pupils with a swelling web of blood red veins.
Yu Lang suddenly grabbed Chi Jianqing’s hand and lifted his leg, bolting in one direction.
He had barely taken a step when Chi Jianqing’s heavy body yanked him straight back, pulling him off balance and sending him crashing backward into his arms.
Yu Lang twisted his head and glared at him, raising his hand and delivering a sharp slap across his face.
“Are you leaving or not?”
Chi Jianqing lowered his head and looked at their intertwined hands. A smile slowly surfaced at the corner of his lips, as though all the unpleasantness between them earlier had been wiped away in a single stroke.
“Leaving.”
It wasn’t that he was worried about that man’s safety. Yu Lang simply needed an excuse, any excuse, to get away with the stolen goods tucked inside his pocket.
Once they left the gala venue, Yu Lang no longer paid Chi Jianqing any attention.
There was no need to look back. He knew that thing would definitely be following less than half a meter behind him, that bone chilling, broken bone like gaze stabbing straight into his spine.
Like a nightmare born from Yu Lang’s own shadow, something he could never shake off.
Yu Lang swung his leg over his motorcycle.
One hand held his helmet, while the other hooked the gemstone studded diamond necklace, twirling it lazily around his fingers.
Suddenly, there was a heavy weight behind him.
Chi Jianqing climbed on without permission.
“You!”
Yu Lang swiftly stuffed the stolen goods back into his pocket.
His peripheral vision dropped, catching sight of the knife tucked into the other man’s pocket. The curse “you damn idiot” was bitten off and swallowed back down his throat.
“Forget it.”
Chi Jianqing’s arm looped around Yu Lang’s waist. Because of the motorcycle’s structure, his hand naturally slid downward, pressing closer.
Yu Lang’s hips were wedged between Chi Jianqing’s legs, the pressure making his butt cheeks feel awkwardly trapped, leaving him at a loss.
He wanted to curse but didn’t dare.
His throat itched, dry and scratchy. He coughed twice, treating it as if he’d already cursed.
“Where are you going? I’ll take you.”
“I’m following you.”
“Are you sick in the head?”
“I’m following you.”
This time it wasn’t a conversation but a one sided declaration. Yu Lang didn’t get a say in whether he wanted it or not.
Annoyed, Yu Lang snapped back, “Follow me where? If I go die, are you following too?”
Chi Jianqing paused for a moment. Yu Lang thought he was backing down but instead, he pushed further.
A shy blush surfaced on that pale face of his. “Buried together?”
Yu Lang twisted around and spun, grabbing the helmet and smashing it straight into Chi Jianqing’s face as he exploded in fury.
“Why the hell are you blushing like a damn bubble teapot?!”
The hit left a large red patch on Chi Jianqing’s temple, startling against his corpse white skin, as if blood were seeping through.
He reined in the embarrassment and returned to his usual calm, no, dead calm.
That hollow gaze sent a chill down Yu Lang’s spine and fear crept in belatedly.
Reluctantly, Yu Lang reached out and touched Chi Jianqing’s wound.
“Sorry. I hit you too hard.”
Chi Jianqing was easily soothed once again. A stiff, eerie curve tugged at the corner of his lips. “Can you give me the knife? It’s scary when you carry one.”
Yu Lang shoved the helmet into Chi Jianqing’s chest, putting on a concerned, safety first look. “I’ll trade you the helmet.”
But Chi Jianqing, who was usually easy to coax and deceive, was unusually firm this time.
“No.”
“Who are you planning to scare with a knife?” Yu Lang frowned, displeased by Chi Jianqing’s defiance.
“I’m going to kill him.”
Not you. Not me. Him.
That kiss.
The answer came like a slap cutting through the air.
Even though Yu Lang had known it would be this answer, hearing it out loud still made his heart seize violently.
Chi Jianqing’s gaze shifted into scrutiny, interrogating the arsonist who had set his heart on fire.
“You were in such a hurry to leave because you were afraid I’d kill him, weren’t you?”
“None of my fucking business.”
Yu Lang didn’t want to deal with him, didn’t want to hear him speak. He shoved the helmet straight onto Chi Jianqing’s head.
The motorcycle engine roared loudly and with a sharp burst, it shot forward.
The powerful thrust pinned their chests and backs tightly together.
The helmet couldn’t block Chi Jianqing. His voice drilled straight into Yu Lang’s head, like bone conduction headphones.
“You kissed him. I will peel the skin off his face. Even if you take me away today, I’ll still go find him later. You’re not allowed to get close to anyone except me.”
Chi Jianqing had already taken his wording to the extreme, get close.
Not just kissing. Even proximity alone would earn his hatred.
Every segment of Yu Lang’s spine felt like it was being stabbed with needles. He trembled all over, shivering violently, as if those needles were about to pry all his bones apart.
It wasn’t fear that the man would die.
He was afraid that this extreme possessiveness would twist into a thirst for revenge and turn back on him.
Yu Lang lowered his pride and explained gently, “I did it on purpose to piss you off. I didn’t kiss him. I didn’t even touch him.”
Chi Jianqing grew even more dissatisfied. The arms wrapped around Yu Lang’s waist tightened, becoming a rope meant to strangle him.
“You’re defending him.”
“I… kh-”
Yu Lang couldn’t speak. The wind on the road battered his face, distorting his features.
“You like him. He even gave you a necklace. Your kiss was a return gift. If you didn’t like each other, why would you exchange gifts?”
Under Yu Lang’s pale explanation, Chi Jianqing’s resolve only hardened. “I will definitely kill him.”
The motorcycle suddenly swerved violently from side to side. Not only did it fail to correct itself, it plunged into an even more terrifying death wobble.
The front wheel jerked uncontrollably, steering nearly useless. The entire bike was on the verge of completely losing control and flying out.
Like walking a tightrope.
The balance point was razor thin.
Chi Jianqing’s embrace tightened further around Yu Lang, like a mother’s womb, warm, close, enclosing.
His hands wound around Yu Lang’s slender arms, covering Yu Lang’s thin palms on the handlebars.
Gradually, the enraged, out of control motorcycle calmed down.
The skewed front wheel returned to balance. The throttle was eased gently, the speed slowing as the bike brushed along the roadside and came to a gradual stop.
Yu Lang jumped off immediately, gripping the hem of his clothes and wiping the sweat from his brow.
His heart thundered violently, like a sledgehammer pounding during renovation, eighty, eighty, roaring wildly.
His helmet was still on Chi Jianqing’s head.
If they hadn’t regained control just now, Yu Lang’s chance of survival would have been zero percent.
The two of them stood by the roadside.
Yu Lang fished out a mint candy from his pocket and crushed it between his teeth.
Chi Jianqing still wore that watchful, monitoring expression.
Yu Lang muttered gloomily, “What do you think this is, beating up a mistress? We don’t even count as a one night stand. We’re nothing. No relationship at all.”
Chi Jianqing removed the helmet. His defeated face showed a sickly bluish pallor, fading from stark white to bleak gray.
Yu Lang’s attempt at reasoning only skewed the scales further.
“You’re defending him. Is he that important to you? Then he’s doomed.”
Yu Lang choked on a breath, rage exploding in his tone as he shouted with the momentum of outright cursing.
“Why are you so sensitive?! Were you a mine sweeper in your past life? One touch and everything explodes!”
“……”
Chi Jianqing fell into a long silence.
Watching his next move, Yu Lang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in terror.
The fruit knife was drawn.
A sharp silver glint sliced through his vision.
The blade didn’t point at Yu Lang.
It pointed at Chi Jianqing himself.
The tip pressed against the brow bone above his right eye, slicing downward.
It pierced beneath the skin, one vertical cut, then a horizontal slash. The scars crossed, flesh splitting outward.
Anxiety and unease clung to the blade’s tip and slipped into the bloodstream.
This knife wasn’t meant to threaten Yu Lang.
Nor was it for eliminating a rival.
It was the physical embodiment of Chi Jianqing’s sensitivity and inferiority.
“It’s because I’m not beautiful enough to keep you.”
He didn’t blame Yu Lang for being fickle or indulgent.
He blamed himself for not being attractive enough.
He wished he could carve away his human face and replace it with a more exquisite one.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(¬‿¬ ) the Ko-fi button is looking at you
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dead HusbandChapter 2 · Ghost ChaseChapter 3 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 4 · I need lots and lots of loveChapter 5 · I’ll kill you!^^Chapter 6 · Haha, really!Chapter 7 · This is what it means to be love-struck.Chapter 8 · We meet again, my loveChapter 9 · The little snakeChapter 10 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 11 · The daily routine of sasaeng fans following othersChapter 12 · Inferiority complexChapter 13 · It hurtsChapter 14 · Want to go out? Sure!Chapter 15 · Damn it!Chapter 16 · My wife hitting me is a reward for meChapter 17 · Licking sweatChapter 18 · The vinegar was friedChapter 19 · What a clever tactic, Chi Jianqing!Chapter 20 · Loving me is a very painful thing.Chapter 21 · The words may be rough, but the principle is soundChapter 22 · It wasn’t just two hitsChapter 23 · Turns out I’m not 3, I’m 1!Chapter 24 · Easy To CoaxChapter 25 · Confessing loveChapter 26 · DearChapter 27 · Honey, it felt so good when you scolded me.Chapter 28 · Let’s go after tearing off the human skinChapter 29 Part 1 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 29 Part 2 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 30 · Little Blind CrippleChapter 31 · How could I give up? I’ve given you my heart.Chapter 32 · The gloomy CEOChapter 33 · X-harassmentChapter 34 · Little third wheelChapter 35 · I am Chi JianqingChapter 36 · I am his husband, and you are?Chapter 37 · CarChapter 38 · Broken carChapter 39 · I want to kiss youChapter 40 · Silly babyChapter 41 · Chop off hands and feetChapter 42 · Ships and DeathChapter 43 · Chi Jianqing participated in the battle royale and finally obtained a ticket to meet Yu Lang.Chapter 44 · You bastard, get out of here!Chapter 45 · Bad cats can only be forced to love.Chapter 46 · Circle the fox’s tail and rub it back and forthChapter 47 · It hurts so muchChapter 48 · The Second World EndedChapter 49 · Brainless and grumpyChapter 50 · I don’t like you anymoreChapter 51 · I haven’t thought of a title yetChapter 52 · You smell so good, let me hug you and pet youChapter 53 · A big dog bit a kitten’s muzzleChapter 54 · Captive canariesChapter 55 · Male Ghost StrikesChapter 56 · I told you to be quiet!Chapter 57 · I have decided to bestow upon you the title of my wife.Chapter 58 · We’re talking about loveChapter 59 · I really, really like you!Chapter 60 · I want to eat your noodlesChapter 61 · Don’t abandon your puppy!Chapter 62 · What a blissful ending!Chapter 63 · Extra 1Chapter 64 · Extra 2Chapter 65 · Extra 3