Pei Youting naturally noticed the change in Jiang Zui’s expression. In that moment, it was as if a nameless fire was burning within him.
Jiang Zui quickly pulled his gaze away from Pei Youting and was about to walk past him, but Pei Youting grabbed his wrist tightly.
“Let go.” Jiang Zui’s face was dark, and he refused to spare even a glance for Pei Youting.
Pei Youting took a deep breath. “After not seeing me for so long, this is the face you give me?”
Jiang Zui sneered. “What else? Should I still be fawning over you like I used to?”
Having said that, he wrenched his arm away, breaking Pei Youting’s grip. It is unclear what exactly about that action triggered Pei Youting, but his face, which had been relatively calm just a moment ago, suddenly turned gloomy and terrifying. He grabbed Jiang Zui with a force that made it impossible to break free.
He yanked Jiang Zui by the back of his collar. Since the costume Jiang Zui was wearing was already loose, it nearly ripped. Jiang Zui scrambled to cover himself, his own temper flaring. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Pei Youting ignored him, disregarding the curious or surprised gazes cast by the staff members nearby. He shoved the door to a random lounge open, threw Jiang Zui onto the sofa inside, and then deftly turned and locked the door.
The sofa was not soft, and as Jiang Zui was thrown onto it, he hit a bone immediately. The pain nearly made his vision go black. Before he could react, his cheeks were gripped tightly by someone.
The hand pinching his face was powerful; his jaw bones ached. Jiang Zui raised his hands and grabbed Pei Youting’s wrists, applying so much force that he seemed intent on crushing the bones.
“Let’s talk.” Pei Youting looked at him for a long time, illuminated by the dim, yellowish light of the lounge, before speaking.
Unable to break free, Jiang Zui resignedly turned his head away. “There is nothing to talk about.”
“Jiang Zui.”
The person being called suddenly went savage, raising his knee and slamming it hard into Pei Youting’s lower abdomen. Jiang Zui roared, “Don’t you fking call my name!”
Although Pei Youting had been on guard, the blow still hit him hard. He groaned, and his grip slackened, allowing Jiang Zui the chance to escape his restraint.
Jiang Zui straightened his clothes, and once his breathing steadied, he prepared to walk out. However, he was pinned against the wall with his neck held firm. His entire body was imprisoned in Pei Youting’s arms, and the man’s heavy, ragged breathing reached his ears.
“Let’s talk.” Pei Youting repeated.
Jiang Zui suddenly found it laughable. “Talk about what? Is there anything left for us to talk about?”
“I feel disgusted every time I see you.”
The hand on his throat suddenly tightened. With his slender windpipe being crushed, he could not breathe. Jiang Zui began to cough violently, his face flushing red.
Pei Youting leaned behind him, speaking through gritted teeth, “You are disgusted?”
“Are you not disgusted when you are with Xu Xizhe?” He pushed his hand forward, forcing Jiang Zui’s face against the rough wall with a painful impact.
“What are you pretending to be so noble for in front of me? I thought you had some backbone. Damn it, you could not wait to latch onto Xu Xizhe the moment you left me?”
Jiang Zui interrupted him sharply, his side-glance cutting like a knife. “Who is as filthy as you? I was fking filming a scene!”
“Filming an adult movie, are you? Did you have to act like that? If there was no one around, would you two have started doing it for real?”
Slap!
Pei Youting raised his hand to cover his burning, hot cheek, and only then did he turn his head very slowly. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek where he had been struck, his expression turning malicious.
He instinctively moved to raise his hand again, but stopped when he saw Jiang Zui’s glistening, teary eyes. “You b*stard,” Jiang Zui said, his whole body trembling with rage.
“Do you think everyone is as dirty as you? That you can sleep with anyone?” Jiang Zui curled his lips into a smile that was mocking and self-deprecating. “Pei Youting, you really are an animal.”
“How could I have been so blind as to fall for someone like you?” Jiang Zui said.
The sentence was soft, yet it hit Pei Youting like a massive boulder. In that instant, his breathing grew heavy and his mood darkened. Unfortunately, he did not realize the reason for his abnormal reaction at the time; he only knew he was furious because of those words.
“I am dirty?” Pei Youting sneered. With quick reflexes, he grabbed Jiang Zui and suddenly bit down hard on his shoulder, leaving a red mark on the skin.
“Then what does that make you, after sleeping with me nearly a hundred times?” Pei Youting looked down at him, a wicked smirk curling on his lips. “Used goods?”
Pei Youting had beautiful, sensual hands; or perhaps it was that he was incredibly charming. But now, those hands, which could almost be called works of art, wandered over Jiang Zui’s body like a pianist playing a piece.
He hooked the thin, sheer fabric of Jiang Zui’s clothing. “Actually, I do not blame Xu Xizhe, right?”
“This outfit is really slutty,” Pei Youting said in a low voice. “But it surprisingly suits you well.”
“Do you know what I was thinking when I saw you filming that adult scene?”
“First, I wanted to beat that idiot Xu Xizhe until he could not stand up, throw him aside, and then watch while he had to look at me doing all sorts of things to you.”
“I want to tie you up, whip you, and tell you over and over again that you are a slut. How about that?”
Slap.
He was hit across the face again.
Yet, Pei Youting was not angry anymore. Instead, he laughed. He looked handsome and dashing, but he appeared like a seductive devil. He stepped closer to Jiang Zui, clearly wanting to say something even more excessive, but just then, the lounge door opened.
It was the assistant, Xiao Lin, followed by Xu Xizhe and a deathly pale Su Leyan.
Xiao Lin rushed forward first, draping a coat over Jiang Zui. “Ge, where did you go? I…” She clearly wanted to say something, but stopped when she saw the clear red handprint on Pei Youting’s face.
Having been by Jiang Zui’s side for so long, how could she not guess the relationship between Pei Youting and Jiang Zui? But that was in the past. Why was it now…?
Pei Youting leaned lazily against the wall. He even reached into his coat pocket, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke rudely inside the room.
Xu Xizhe stared at him fixedly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. “First, smoking is not allowed here. Second, unauthorized personnel are prohibited during filming. So, leave now.”
“Pei Youting.”
Those three words were uttered through gritted teeth.
Pei Youting gave a disdainful laugh, even flicking his ash. “First, I smoke wherever I want. Second, there is not a place on this earth I cannot go. Third…”
He lifted his eyelids, looking contemptuous and arrogant. “You do not seem to understand your position, do you?”
“With your status, you are not qualified to call me by my full name.”
“You should call me President Pei, Young Master Pei, or Mr. Pei. Take your pick.” Pei Youting shrugged. At this point, he finally revealed his true nature, shedding his gentle, refined exterior to show his vicious, arrogant side.
Xu Xizhe was no pushover. He stepped forward, snatched the cigarette from Pei Youting’s hand, and crushed it against the wall, leaving a blackened mark.
Pei Youting’s gaze darkened, his expression turning terrifying.
“Is that so?” Xu Xizhe let go, and the cigarette dropped to the floor. “I am sorry, I really do not quite understand my position.” He then looked at Pei Youting, his eyes falling on the fingerprint still visible on Pei’s face, and mocked, “It seems I am not the only one here who does not welcome you.”
Pei Youting lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes masking the look in his eyes. Then, before anyone could react, he suddenly punched Xu Xizhe!
“You b*stard…” He kicked him as well. “What are you acting like a gentleman for now?”
Pei Youting leaned in, grabbing Xu Xizhe’s collar, and delivered another punch, hammering him to the ground. He leaned into his ear, “Did you get hard just now? Huh?”
“I have not grown tired of him yet. You think I am dead? You dare to covet what is mine?”
Two professional coaches might not be able to beat Pei Youting, let alone Xu Xizhe. Xu coughed heavily and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Jiang Zui is not a thing.”
Refusing to be outdone, he grabbed Pei Youting’s collar and returned the punch. “He is not your thing!”
His resistance was clearly adding fuel to the fire. Before long, the two men were brawling. Gradually, Xu Xizhe fell behind, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth like a winding stream.
Jiang Zui only just snapped out of his daze. He scrambled forward in a panic, trying with all his might to pull the two men apart. Xiao Lin also stepped in to help, but the men were blinded by rage. The girl’s foot slipped, and she cried out as she began to fall forward.
Jiang Zui hurriedly moved to catch her, but in doing so, he became fully caught in the melee. Suddenly, a rush of wind came toward his face, followed by an intense, searing pain.
Thump.
It was the heavy sound of a fist hitting flesh and bone. Jiang Zui was busy supporting Xiao Lin and could not defend himself in time, taking the blow directly. In that instant, his vision went black, and when he touched his face, his hand was covered in red.
At this, the two men stopped fighting. Xu Xizhe, despite being covered in his own blood, immediately hurried to support him, asking anxiously how he was. As for Pei Youting, he stared blankly at Jiang Zui, then at his own hand, as if he had frozen in place.
“Are you okay? Do not lift your head, you will get a rush of blood to the brain. Come, it is fine, just use my clothes to wipe it.”
Jiang Zui covered his nose, looked at Xu Xizhe, and said dully, “Go to the hospital.”
Xu Xizhe nodded hurriedly. “Yes, yes, yes, stop the bleeding first, then we will go to the hospital.”
Jiang Zui refused, insisting they go now. Xu Xizhe felt heartbroken for him but could not argue, so he agreed. Even though he looked like he had been beaten into a pulp, he supported Jiang Zui, asking how he was and if his nose hurt.
Pei Youting stood behind them, taking in the slightly intimate interaction between them. He stared fixedly at Jiang Zui’s profile, feeling terrible inside, as if a piece of coarse sandpaper was grinding against his heart, aching and painful.
“Jiang Zui.” He could not help but call out to that retreating back.
In truth, he did not know what he should say, whether it was an apology or something else. At that moment, his head ached, and so did his heart.
Fortunately, Jiang Zui did not look back. His footsteps had faltered for a moment because of Pei Youting, but that was all.
The door closed. Su Leyan looked at Pei Youting, wanting to say something, but closed her mouth again.
Su Leyan had not expected Pei Youting to show such an expression: regret, dissatisfaction, and grievance were all there, yet none were intense. He looked like a child who had his favorite toy snatched away.
But more than anything, there was a sense of helpless confusion.