Lifting his gaze, Xun Jin saw Ethan staring at him with a fierce expression.
Xun Jin reacted quickly, turning on his heel to run. But due to the disparity in their size, Ethan merely had to reach out and gently tug at Xun Jin’s collar, yanking him back by the neck.
Clutching his own neck, Xun Jin let out a few uncomfortable coughs.
Ethan hurried to let go, squatting down halfway as he flailed in a panic to comfort him. “Ah, no, I didn’t mean to do that.”
Once he recovered, Xun Jin stood back up and held out his hand to Ethan. “Give me my phone back.”
As if that demand served as a cue, Ethan glanced down at the screen.
“W-H-E-R-E A-R-E Y-O-U?”
Ethan read the text out loud syllable by syllable, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Give it to me!” Xun Jin grabbed at Ethan’s sleeve, jumping up to barely reach it.
“I haven’t agreed to break up yet, and you’ve already found yourself a new guy this fast?”
“I have not!”
He had clearly already broken up, and Talon was his boyfriend now.
Yet Xun Jin didn’t dare utter those words to Ethan’s face.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Xun Jin’s waist, and Ethan hoisted him up onto his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
With his mind blank, Xun Jin immediately locked eyes with several onlookers surrounding the school gates. Some people even had their phones out, snapping photos.
Given how fast gossip traveled among these students, pictures of him and Ethan would likely appear in the group chat of ten thousand people the very next second.
Struggling fiercely, Xun Jin pounded his fists against Ethan’s back. Striking those solid muscles had zero effect, ending up only hurting his own hands.
His stamina depleted rapidly, and before long, Xun Jin stopped thrashing around.
He slumped over Ethan’s shoulder like a stretched-out piece of marshmallow.
Ethan let out a low chuckle and gave Xun Jin’s bottom a smack, causing Xun Jin to curl inward and hitch his calves upward.
“Don’t hit me!” Xun Jin’s face flushed a deep crimson, heat rushing straight to his neck.
“Say one more word, and I’ll hit you again,” Ethan threatened.
“You’re bullying me…”
Ethan stopped hitting him and pinched him instead.
Xun Jin shuddered again, wanting to curse Ethan out thoroughly, but fearing the shameless guy might double down, he clamped his mouth shut and swallowed his words.
“I’m not bullying you, this isn’t bullying,” Ethan said, a smile creeping into his voice.
Ethan’s pace gradually slowed. Even though his motorcycle was parked right by the roadside, he dragged out this stretch of the walk for a long time.
Lowering his gaze, his eyes were involuntarily drawn to those glowing-white legs.
Xun Jin’s stomach was pressed uncomfortably against Ethan’s shoulder, making it hard to breathe.
A stinging sensation hit his nose, and a few aggrieved, vexed tears spilled over.
Once the crying started, the tears refused to stop.
Ethan let out an “oh” and spoke without thinking:
“Are you crying?”
Xun Jin didn’t answer, but Ethan caught the sound of soft, muffled sobs.
Heat flushed Ethan’s face as it dawned on him that they were out in the middle of a public street.
I really am a bastard.
He hastily set Xun Jin down, squatting right in front of him to look up into his face.
Ethan had never comforted anyone before, let alone a boy who was crying.
Staring blankly at the tear-streaked Xun Jin, he froze mid-motion as he reached out to wipe away his tears. Looking utterly dazed, he murmured like a fool, “You look so pretty when you cry.”
Indignant and provoked, Xun Jin widened his eyes, glared at the primary culprit, and raised his hand to deliver a sharp slap across Ethan’s face.
Smack.. the sound was crisp and resonant.
Ethan’s head tilted from the impact, and his cheek reddened almost instantly, though his darker skin tone kept it from standing out too much.
Ethan pressed the tip of his tongue against the corner of his lips, which had been grazed by that soft hand, his heart hammering even faster against his ribs.
Looking at Xun Jin once more, a wave of excitement washed over him. “You’ve got a heavy hand.”
With that, he made a move to grab Xun Jin’s hand. “Did it turn red or swell up? With skin as delicate as yours and a face as rough as mine, it’d be terrible if I hurt your hand.”
—I’m done. How come I never noticed how unhinged Ethan is until now?
—What happened? Can someone give the details?
—Master Xiao Jin dog-training classic moment [jpg.]
—His actions totally don’t match his image.
—Baby Xiao Jin wuwu, his hand must hurt so bad, don’t let Ethan enjoy this.
—Is it okay if we do it indoors instead?
—Hey, wait, look at Ethan’s expression.
—Ah no, my wife!
—Quick, run away from the rabid dog, wife!
Zelan sat on the living room sofa without even bothering to change his shoes, one leg propped up on the edge of the coffee table. Holding his phone, he watched the group chat notifications continually pop up, his gaze growing increasingly vicious.
Veins bulged faintly on his neck, and the phone in his grip seemed to creak under the pressure.
“Why won’t you ever be a good boy and listen?”
Suppressing the urge to smash his phone to pieces, Zelan rigidly and slowly tapped open his chat window with Xun Jin.
Zelan: When are you coming back?
Xun Jin did not reply.
Naturally. He was probably having too much fun hanging out with Ethan right now to care about checking his phone.
Zelan: Come back early tonight.
Zelan: I’ll wait for you.
“Come with me somewhere. After we get there, you can decide whether or not you want to break up with me,” Ethan stated in a tone that brooked no refusal.
Xun Jin glanced around at the surrounding students. Catching his eye, they hurriedly and sheepishly looked away.
Stealing a sideways look at Ethan’s neck, Xun Jin nodded with extreme reluctance.
There were far too many people here. Once they reached somewhere secluded, Xun Jin resolved to sink his fangs into Ethan’s neck and leave two large bloody holes.
He’d drink him dry.
That’ll teach Ethan for bullying him in broad daylight.
Ethan handed Xun Jin a motorcycle helmet. Recognizing it as the same one that had broken earlier, Xun Jin realized it must have been repaired.
Looking rather proud of himself, Ethan boasted, “This is a custom design, the only one in the country, and it even has your name right on the side.”
“Oh.”
Even so, Xun Jin hadn’t forgotten how Ethan had just bullied him.
Noticing Xun Jin’s lukewarm reaction, Ethan rubbed his nose. “Should I help you up?”
Xun Jin dodged the hand reaching out toward him, but when he stood in front of the motorcycle, he couldn’t figure out where he was supposed to step.
Fortunately, Ethan didn’t leave him feeling awkward for long. Without asking for permission, he scooped Xun Jin up from behind and lifted him onto the bike.
Straddling the bike himself, Ethan commanded, “Sit tight and hold onto me.”
He twisted the throttle all the way. The terrifying backward momentum forced Xun Jin to instinctively tighten his grip around Ethan’s waist.
Ethan’s waist was rigid and hard, pressing uncomfortably against Xun Jin’s arms, yet Ethan still had the nerve to ask proudly, “How’s that? My abs feel pretty good, right?”
The motorcycle accelerated rapidly, the howling wind rushing past Xun Jin’s ears. Thanks to the helmet, he could barely keep his eyes open.
Yet the moment he caught sight of the rapidly blurring scenery and traffic rushing past, he clamped his eyes shut again. “Drive slower!”
“You got it.” In a good mood, Ethan readily complied with Xun Jin’s request.
As the roar of countless car horns faded into the background, the deafening noise gradually tapered off.
“See that? Pretty, right?”
With a restless flutter of curiosity, Xun Jin opened his eyes and gasped aloud at the surrounding scenery.
The motorcycle slowed down, and Xun Jin cautiously poked his head out.
Boundless fields of rapeseed flowers stretched out endlessly. The tightly clustered yellow blossoms formed an unbroken sea of flowers, resembling a golden velvet carpet draped across the earth. The spring air hung heavy over the golden-yellow fields, and the evening sunset cast a warm, radiant glow across the landscape.
Xun Jin’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help gasping in admiration, “So pretty!”
He was genuinely easy to coax; all those lingering tears vanished the second he laid eyes on a stunning view.
Hearing the clear, slightly nasal tone of the person behind him, Ethan laughed and playfully mimicked Xun Jin’s tone, repeating, “So pretty!”
Xun Jin laughed at Ethan’s comical impression.
Ethan parked the bike by the side of the road.
Sitting sideways on the motorcycle, Xun Jin found Ethan wrapping an arm around his waist in an attempt to lift him down.
Pushing against Ethan’s shoulder, Xun Jin whispered, “Wait.”
Straightening back up, Ethan looked at Xun Jin, though his hand remained firmly planted on Xun Jin’s waist. “What is it?”
Xun Jin still had Ethan’s blood on his mind. He hadn’t fed at all today, and he couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip by.
“I want to bite you.”
Ethan’s eyes lit up. Like a giant, oversized dog spotting a bone, he locked onto Xun Jin’s lips, leaning in for a kiss.
Xun Jin jerked his head away, causing Ethan to lurch forward and miss, planting a kiss on Xun Jin’s jaw instead.
Terrified by Ethan’s aggressive affection, Xun Jin fended him off and scooted backward on the seat.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Ethan steadied him. “Careful, don’t fall off.”
“Then stop kissing me!”
Struggling desperately to evade him, Xun Jin managed to keep Ethan’s lips away from his face.
Noticing how violently Xun Jin was resisting, Ethan finally halted.
“Then what do you mean?”
Ethan’s deep eyes stared intently at Xun Jin.
Xun Jin’s heart hammered against his ribs, his breathing turning shallow and rapid the body’s instinctive survival reaction when faced with danger.
Striving to maintain composure, though a tremor had already seeped into his voice, he ordered, “Stand properly first!”
“I am standing properly.”
Grinning broadly, Ethan mischievously shook the seat of the motorcycle.
Jolted forward by the motion, Xun Jin collided straight into Ethan.
“Want me to hold you?” Ethan asked with an “ah-ha” tone of sudden realization.
“N-No!” Xun Jin stumbled over his words. “Stop moving!”
“Then you move.”
“You!” Frustrated and exasperated, his ear tips burning with mortification, Xun Jin suddenly reached out, yanked open Ethan’s collar, and sank his teeth viciously into his flesh as an act of retaliation.
A muffled groan rumbled from deep within Ethan’s throat, and his grip around Xun Jin tightened instantly.
Unlike Talon, Ethan’s blood possessed a fiery intensity matching his personality. Rather than simple sweetness, his scent carried a richer, lingering complexity rushed and feverish, wrapping around the senses like an authentic spicy hot pot.
Gulp, gulp the sound of swallowing echoed aloud. Ethan’s neck throbbed with a sharp, stinging pain with each swallow. It felt as though the blood was being drained right out of his body, yet the sensation was strangely acceptable.
Clutching Ethan’s neck, Xun Jin rested his fingers lightly against the back of Ethan’s neck.
The nape of his neck felt ticklish.
Ethan let out a curse.
As his body lost blood, dizziness overtook him due to the lack of oxygen, sending intermittent waves of vertigo spinning through his brain.
He just wanted it to end quickly.
Lifting Xun Jin up, Ethan supported him securely with one steady arm.
Xun Jin’s feeding action paused. His entire body instantly went rigid, his legs snapping together by instinct as his posture suddenly straightened up as if he were sitting in a classroom.
“I…” Ethan’s voice was weighed down by a thick, heavy haze, saturated with a richness as potent as his blood.
Stiffening all over, Xun Jin raised his head with a nervous quiver to look at the bleeding wound that wouldn’t stop leaking, then shifted his gaze to Ethan’s fierce, bloodshot eyes, leaving him too terrified to utter a sound.
“Y-You…”
Sticking out the tip of his tongue, Ethan licked the blood off Xun Jin’s lips, frowning after tasting a tiny drop. “Is my blood really that good?”
Tasting his own blood felt bizarre, and the metallic tang was downright nauseating.
Before Xun Jin could react, Ethan swooped in and planted a quick peck on his lips, pulling back with a soft pop.
“Pretty good, actually.”
The blood didn’t taste like much; the truly delectable thing was someone else entirely.
Though his vision was swimming, Ethan knew what he was doing.
Gazing at the bewildered Xun Jin and finding him utterly adorable, he reached out to tickle Xun Jin’s side.
Xun Jin let out a yelp and violently arched his back.
“Ethan!”
“My wife calls out so pretty, say it again—” The rest of his words choked off in his throat.
Reaching out, Xun Jin grabbed the wound on Ethan’s neck and pinched down with all his might. A fresh gush of blood spurted out from the two tiny puncture wounds.
“Ah…”
Swaying unsteadily, Ethan collapsed to the ground.