How long the ride lasted, Fei Qinan didn’t know; he only knew that the warmth radiating from the back of the man in front of him made him feel comfortably drowsy.
The rain was still falling when the motorcycle finally came to a halt. Both of them were already drenched to the bone.
Stepping off the bike, Fei Qinan saw a villa nestled deep within the woods, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, wonderfully quiet and serene.
They walked into the house one after the other. The interior decoration was both luxurious and tasteful. What caught the eye most was a massive display cabinet in the corner of the living room, neatly lined with numerous cameras and lenses, alongside various landscape and portrait photographs, one or two of which featured Qi Shun himself.
“You like photography?” These must all be his own work, right?
“Just messing around, I shoot occasionally.” Qi Shun glanced at the cabinet without giving a detailed explanation and headed upstairs. Seeing this, Fei Qinan followed behind him.
The spacious room was filled with a peculiar atmosphere. The air was pregnant with the rustle of stripping off clothes and handling items.
“You can wear mine, though they’ll probably be a bit big on you.” Qi Shun pulled two garments from the wardrobe and tossed them to him.
“Thanks.” Compared to how naturally Qi Shun had once again stripped down to just his underwear in front of him, Fei Qinan felt a sudden brush of awkwardness this time.
“Weren’t you acting all cool and unfazed the other day? Why are you suddenly blushing like a virgin?” Qi Shun shed the rest of his clothes without the slightest bit of avoidance, wrapping a large bath towel around his lower body as he prepared to shower.
“…”
“You can go use the bathroom downstairs, or… do you want to wash up in here with me? Not that I’d mind, of course…” Before he could finish, Fei Qinan grabbed his clothes and bolted straight downstairs, leaving a trail of uninhibited, roaring laughter echoing in his wake.
When he emerged after washing up, he found Qi Shun already sitting on the living room sofa, drinking a beer and watching television.
Without a word, Fei Qinan took a seat nearby, picked up a can of beer, and started drinking as well, finishing it off in no time. Just as he reached for a second can, Qi Shun intercepted his hand.
“What? Trying to drown your sorrows in alcohol? My drinks don’t come free, you know.”
“Whatever money you want, I’ll pay you.” Ignoring the warning, Fei Qinan brushed his hand aside and tilted his head back to down half another can.
“So vulgar! Who wants your money?” Qi Shun chuckled, shaking his head at him.
“Then… then what do you want?” Fei Qinan had never consumed so much beer all at once, and a wave of dizziness was beginning to wash over him.
Qi Shun said nothing. With a sudden shift of his hips, he slid right up beside Fei Qinan and leaned in close, examining his eyes back and forth.
Compared to a rugged, masculine face like his own, wasn’t this guy a bit too delicate? He always gave off a frail, pitiful vibe.
Pitiful and frail!? What the hell… Looks like I’ve really gone mad!! Qi Shun mentally berated himself once again.
Which one was the real him, the fierce, driving momentum on the basketball court that day, or the one who had been stripped bare without offering a single shred of resistance?
Before he knew what he was doing, his hand reached out to stroke Fei Qinan’s face, gently tracing his brows, the bridge of his high nose, and finally lingering on those pale lips.
“Qi Shun, what…what are you doing?” Fei Qinan instinctively flinched backward.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“I..I’m a guy…!”
“So what if you are? It’s not like I mind…” Qi Shun closed the distance even further, his voice dripping with provocation.
“We’re still high school students…” His step-by-step advance forced Fei Qinan to retreat another inch.
“Or do you think I’m not fully developed yet… If you don’t believe me, you can test it out. I guarantee it’ll leave a deep impression…” he murmured softly right against Fei Qinan’s ear.
“Do you really want to?”
“Yes.” The single, husky word bled with raw desire.
Gazing into the surging lust in his eyes, Fei Qinan slowly closed his own, feeling a warm, soft pressure brush against his lips, though the warmth vanished almost as quickly as it came.
“Tough luck. Zero desire to conquer you…utterly boring.” Qi Shun abruptly retreated to his original spot, viciously chugging down more beer.
The flash of disappointment in the depths of Fei Qinan’s eyes was instantly wiped away. Feeling thoroughly awkward, he stood up, walked back to the downstairs guest room, pulled the door shut, and sat numbly on the edge of the bed in a daze.
The mocking tone in Qi Shun’s words just now felt absurdly funny to him. Right, isn’t that exactly what kind of person I am? I love letting others carve me up, offering no resistance, no struggle, and certainly no courage to live for myself.
Fei Qinan, what the absolute fuck are you?! What on earth are you still hoping for!!?
Perhaps due to the thunderous roar of the rain outside, he remained so deeply buried within his own world that he failed to notice his phone ringing incessantly inside his school bag.
Meanwhile, drinking alone, Qi Shun gradually managed to suppress the blazing fire raging beneath him. It took a long time for him to calm down, whereupon he tossed aside the cushion he had used to cover his lap and began lecturing his own lower anatomy.
“Damn it! I almost got killed by you!! Why the hell are you showing zero backbone, you piece of shit? Sure, the guy looks decent and has a certain flavor to him, but you don’t have to be starved enough to throw yourself at him like this! Thank god my self-discipline from working out all these years is decent, or I really would’ve fallen into that guy’s trap tonight!”
“Maybe… I should just try to stay as far away from that kid as possible? Otherwise, if I really end up doing something beastly, I’m going to be in deep trouble!!”
“But… why the hell should I stay away from him? No, no, I can’t be that harsh to myself. Right! Just exercise some self-control, yeah, keep it under control!!”
As Qi Shun muttered to himself, he kept glancing up toward Fei Qinan’s room. Through this rainy night, both men harbored entirely separate thoughts until dawn broke.