The large bed let out an ambiguous creak. Xia Liuyi straddled He Chusan, yanking roughly at his hair as he devoured his lips with urgency—his ferocity bordering on ravenous.
—On this very day, he had doubted He Chusan, had him under surveillance. If, at that time, he had truly heard He Chusan betray him and his brothers, he could not even be certain whether murderous intent would have surged within him. And yet He Chusan, knowing nothing, loved him; knowing nothing, had turned this day into a grand occasion; knowing nothing, had prepared this warm little home for him. This clean, upright university student of a prestigious school, with a promising future, was willing—for him—to defy principles and bottom lines, to cast aside conscience and morality, to fear neither danger nor the uncertainty of their future.
Guilt, sorrow, regret, lingering fear—these tangled and contradictory emotions flooded his heart, leaving him at a loss. He could only instinctively express them in this fierce, desperate way—release them! This damned bastard, this bastard who always wrenched at his heart!
The intensity left He Chusan breathless. The thunderous roar of his heartbeat echoed in his ears like a rushing train. Cradling the back of Xia Liuyi’s head, he fumbled to soothe him.
He had long anticipated Xia Liuyi’s reaction upon seeing the poster—yet the man’s response was far more intense than he had imagined. It made his chest ache with a strange panic.
At this moment, his heart was filled with both lingering fear and relief. He had indeed planted a listening device in Cui Dongdong’s phone—but had never used it, nor had he made that call to betray Big Scarhead.
He had indeed planned to start with Big Scarhead, to dismantle the underground business of the Xiaoqi Hall step by step, leaving Xia Liuyi no path but to launder his affairs and turn legitimate. Cui Dongdong was cunning, Xiao Ma adept at concealment—both difficult to catch—but Big Scarhead was simple-minded, lacking vigilance. Yet at the very final moment, he had hesitated.
What he had told Sir Xie had been the truth of his heart. He had his scruples—he feared Xia Liuyi would hate him, would never forgive him. This man, who seemed cold and powerful, wrapped in an unyielding shell, possessed only a sensitive, shattered heart. That heart had endured too much pain and sorrow; it could no longer withstand even the slightest betrayal or calculation. No matter his intentions, what he would receive in return would only be resentment and despair. Xia Liuyi might very well leave him without looking back, sinking his soul completely into filth, beyond redemption.
The air in his chest grew thin. His cheeks flushed hot, breath ragged with the edge of suffocation—yet his hands cupped Xia Liuyi’s face, pulling him closer, unwilling to let him go…
Only when he was on the verge of kissing him senseless did Xia Liuyi snap out of his frenzy, breaking away with heavy breaths.
He Chusan curled up, coughing violently, gasping for air. Xia Liuyi leaned in to check on him, but He Chusan suddenly shifted aside, avoiding his closeness.
Thinking he had frightened him, Xia Liuyi let out a snort, pressing him down to steady his breathing. Yet as their bodies brushed, he felt the unmistakable hardness between He Chusan’s legs—and froze.
He Chusan curled in embarrassment, trying to hide his uncontrollable reaction. “Sorry… I’ll go to the bathroom.”
He turned to get off the bed, but Xia Liuyi grabbed him.
Xia Liuyi’s palm was cool, damp with sweat. He Chusan stood frozen, not daring to move. They remained in a silent standoff in the darkness. After a moment, Xia Liuyi let out a soft sigh and tugged him back.
—Desire, like a spark, erupted into a wildfire.
By the time He Chusan came to his senses, he had already pressed Xia Liuyi back onto the bed, their positions reversed. Now he was the one consumed by urgency and fervor. He rained kisses upon Xia Liuyi’s brows and eyes, each one heavier than the last, each more ravenous than before. In the darkness, he tore open Xia Liuyi’s clothes, inch by inch biting down from the trembling hollow of his throat to his sweat-damp collarbones.
His breathing trembled; his movements were hurried. He had dreamed countless times of this moment of skin against skin—in those dreams, he had always been gentle, lingering, tender. Yet in reality, his reason crumbled before Xia Liuyi’s silent acceptance. His heart surged with both joy and pain, as though splitting apart; his soul burned within him. He could no longer control himself.
……
……
After a simple cleanup, He Chusan wrapped Xia Liuyi—who was still dazed, leaning against the wall—in a bath towel. He attempted a princess carry, but lacking the strength, he barely made it out of the bathroom before faltering, nearly dropping Boss Xia onto the floor—earning himself a hard smack on the head.
The two stumbled back onto the bed in a tangled embrace. Xia Liuyi stretched out, sinking into the soft bedding as if floating on clouds. He stared blankly for a long time before coming back to himself. His first reaction was to swing another hard slap at He Chusan. “Bastard!”
Quick as lightning, He Chusan dove into his arms, the blow grazing only the top of his head. Lying against Xia Liuyi’s chest, he called softly, “Brother Liuyi…”
—as if he were the one who had just been thoroughly undone!
Xia Liuyi’s voice trembled with anger. “What was that thing you used just now? Who gave it to you?”
“What thing?” He Chusan feigned ignorance.
“Don’t play dumb. The blue bottle!”
Still playing innocent, He Chusan said, “Didn’t you like it? That one has less foam. Next time we can use the green bottle—more foam—pfft!” He couldn’t hold it in.
“He—Chu—San! You bastard! When did you start colluding with that surnamed Cui? You’ve got some nerve laughing!”
“Ahh—ow! I won’t laugh, I won’t! Mercy, Brother Liuyi—!”
The two ended up wrestling across the bed—more accurately, Boss Xia beating up Actor He. They fought, then kissed; kissed for a few minutes, then fought again. By the end, both were utterly exhausted, flushed, sprawled half-dead across the bed.
Face covered in handprints and bite marks, He Chusan mustered his last bit of strength to drag the kicked-off blanket back over them. Xia Liuyi pulled him into his arms, closing his eyes to rest.
Just as drowsiness began to take him, He Chusan’s voice sounded softly, “Brother Liuyi.”
“Mm?”
“I met Sir Xie today.”
Xia Liuyi’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He had not expected He Chusan to confess—he was even more tense than the other man, forcing himself calm. “Why did you meet him?”
“He asked me out. Tried to persuade me to expose you.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I don’t know anything—and I won’t help him.”
Xia Liuyi gave a low “mm.”
He Chusan buried his face against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have met him. But I was curious what he wanted from me… I was worried about you…”
He hesitated, choosing not to mention the listening device he had planted in Cui Dongdong’s phone. He understood—no matter how tolerant Xia Liuyi was, this would not be forgiven.
Xia Liuyi said nothing, his breathing slow and deep. He Chusan endured a long stretch of unease and lingering fear, nearly thinking he had fallen asleep.
“I’ll consider going legitimate,” Xia Liuyi said suddenly.
He Chusan lifted his head in surprise.
Eyes still closed, Xia Liuyi spoke calmly, “Qinglong had thought about it before. But it involves too many people—the losses would be difficult to recover. If nothing else, the elders in the Hall wouldn’t agree. After I took over, for the sake of rapid growth, I couldn’t just let go either.”
He sighed softly. “I promise you—I’ll consider it. But we’ll have to plan it carefully.”
He opened his eyes and looked at He Chusan. His gaze was focused, serene. The flames that once burned fiercely in his eyes when this topic arose had quieted, now deep and still like the sea at midnight—reflecting only He Chusan within its hidden currents.
He raised a hand, gently caressing He Chusan’s cheek, and said softly—
“I also want to be with you.”
Elio’s notes: Okay, so this is a short but sweet chapter. Sorry, we can’t find the R18 version. If you have it, feel free to let us know in the comments and we’d gladly translate it and update this chapter.
Futile Devices Scans 
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