Chapter 15
Zhou Ruo An’s gaze went blank for a moment before he suddenly understood what Lin Yi meant. Bracing his hands on his knees, he shot to his feet and looked down at the man in the water.
“Lin Yi, I’m talking to you about something serious.”
The man whose name had been called turned around and leaned his broad back against the pool wall again. His striking facial lines made him look especially forceful, and even his words carried a faint sense of control. “I watched cartoons with Bai Ban for a while just now. I’m too wound up to talk business.”
Zhou Ruo An ground his teeth and scraped the sole of his shoe against the tiles beside the pool. “When will you be able to talk?”
Lin Yi lowered his eyes and answered perfunctorily, “Hard to say. Why don’t you wait?”
Zhou Ruo An knew Lin Yi’s temperament well enough to understand what that meant: there would be no talking. But the situation at the electronics factory was urgent, Zhou Zhe was about to make his move, and Zhou Ruo An did not have much time left to seize the advantage.
The air in the bathhouse was heavy and damp, seeming to weigh a person down even as they breathed it in. Zhou Ruo An steadied his emotions and crouched again, trying to reason things through for Lin Yi. “What we’re talking about now is business. If it’s business, then both sides stand to benefit. Whether you hate me or resent me, can we put that aside for now?”
He hesitated before placing a hand on Lin Yi’s shoulder. “Lin Yi, you’ve always known how to put the bigger picture first. Stop making trouble, alright?”
There was water on Lin Yi’s shoulder, leaving Zhou Ruo An’s palm wet. In the past, he had often thrown an arm around Lin Yi’s shoulders without ever feeling awkward about it. Now, although he knew Lin Yi was only deliberately making things difficult because he was angry, a trace of discomfort still crept into his heart.
“How much are your clothes?” Lin Yi suddenly asked.
“What?”
“How much did your clothes cost?”
Zhou Ruo An glanced down at his suit. “Around ten thousand. If you like it, I’ll take you to have one made when we get back—Lin Yi!”
Before he could finish, the hand resting on Lin Yi’s shoulder was suddenly seized and yanked forward.
Still crouching beside the pool, Zhou Ruo An instantly lost his balance and plunged headfirst into the water.
The pool was not deep; standing upright, the water only reached his waist. But Zhou Ruo An had been caught completely off guard and floundered twice like someone drowning before a broad hand caught him and pulled him upright.
Zhou Ruo An wiped the water from his face and cursed sharply, “Lin Yi, are you fucking sick?”
In the next instant, hot breath carrying a strong masculine scent washed over Zhou Ruo An’s wet cheek. “Sorry I got your clothes wet. Deduct the cost from the three hundred thousand you owe me.”
Zhou Ruo An seized Lin Yi by the throat, pressing his palm hard against the prominent Adam’s apple. “What the fuck are you trying to do?” He stepped closer until he was almost pressed against Lin Yi’s bare chest. “Humiliate me? You think I, Zhou Ruo An, care about something like this?”The hand around Lin Yi’s throat suddenly slid downward, brushing over his solid chest before swiftly tugging away the towel around his waist.
“Settle the account? Your handwork is just like the books at your billiards hall—a fucking mess. There’s no settling it, so I’ll have to throw in a little extra.”
Zhou Ruo An grabbed hold of it outright, his palm filled with something startlingly formidable.
He froze for the briefest moment, then immediately regained his composure. Curling his lip, he leaned close to Lin Yi’s ear and murmured, “Three minutes. I’ll have you seeing a whole house full of descendants.”
The surface of the water suddenly rippled, and Zhou Ruo An forced a soft grunt from Lin Yi.
Zhou Ruo An swept his wet hair back from his forehead. With the water washing over his face, his features looked even smoother and more refined, making him seem a little more like a proper young master. In his usual mocking tone, he said, “Lin Yi, do you know what you look like when you pull this kind of stupid shit out of spite? A fucking abandoned puppy, biting at its owner’s trouser leg over and over.”
“Young Master Zhou really is impressive with his mouth.” After that first quiet grunt, Lin Yi had already returned to his usual cold composure. “Your hand, though, isn’t nearly as impressive as you claim. Do you have some misunderstanding of what it means to drive someone out of their mind with pleasure?”
Zhou Ruo An’s expression darkened. His submerged arm moved through the water, stirring up ripples and faint splashing sounds.
Even though they were doing something so intimate, their bodies were not actually pressed close together. There was roughly a fist’s width between them. Zhou Ruo An’s back remained rigidly straight, while Lin Yi no longer showed any sign of arousal, one arm still resting lazily along the edge of the pool.
“Three minutes,” Lin Yi said. “Where are all my descendants?”
Zhou Ruo An narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down through the rippling water at what he was holding. Distorted by the shifting surface, it looked even more formidable, still poised and ready.
“Want me to teach you?” Lin Yi hooked a finger into Zhou Ruo An’s shirt collar and pulled him closer, then rested a hand on his shoulder, feeling the muscles beneath the wet fabric gradually tense. “Come closer. Relax. Look at me.”
“You…” For the first time, a trace of embarrassed anger broke through Zhou Ruo An’s usual composure, but before he could finish, Lin Yi pulled him firmly into his arms.
Lin Yi’s hands settled around Zhou Ruo An’s waist, tightening through the layers of soaked clothing. “Take off the suit.”
Zhou Ruo An leaned backward, trying to create some distance between them as he cursed through clenched teeth, “Lin Yi, you’re a fucking pervert.”
Lin Yi’s gaze was blurred by the steam, making him look almost gentle. He pushed Zhou Ruo An’s suit jacket down from his shoulders, leaving it hanging loosely around his arms.
Now Zhou Ruo An was left in only his shirt. The silk was light and thin; soaked through, it stuck damply to his skin and clung tightly enough to be uncomfortable.
He had been watching Lin Yi’s expression the entire time, trying to figure out what kind of movement and rhythm he preferred. But now Lin Yi’s eyes were half-lowered, the steam stripping away some of their usual concealment as his gaze settled openly on Zhou Ruo An’s chest, something dark and dangerous moving beneath it.
Zhou Ruo An followed his gaze downward. The wet shirt clung tightly enough to reveal the faint color and raised points beneath the fabric.
His temper flared, and he squeezed hard. Lin Yi finally reacted. As though suppressing something with difficulty, he pulled Zhou Ruo An firmly against himself, the veins along the back of his hand standing out.
“Faster.” As he gave the order, Lin Yi began moving his own body, waves rippling outward like water hissing as it neared the boil.
“Wait—don’t move!”
For some reason, Zhou Ruo An’s face flushed. The tremendous force drove through his hand, and because Lin Yi was holding him so tightly, the remaining momentum struck his lower abdomen again and again. The position was downright alarming.
He tried to push Lin Yi away, but couldn’t.
Lin Yi lowered his head and bit Zhou Ruo An’s shirt collar. With a light tug, another button popped open.
At last getting what he wanted, he buried himself in the crook of Zhou Ruo An’s neck. His breath drew closer inch by inch, winding around him like a springtime net pulling tighter and tighter, wrapping him up and binding him fast.
The desire hidden beneath the water swelled even more fiercely.
Darkness surged in Lin Yi’s eyes, and his breathing gradually grew heavier.
“An abandoned stray dog doesn’t just bite trouser legs. It bites necks too.” Lin Yi’s chest rose and fell deeply as he spoke against Zhou Ruo An’s ear.
The arm around Zhou Ruo An’s waist suddenly tightened, and a sharp pain shot through his neck.
What followed was Lin Yi’s ragged breathing beside his ear and, at the very end, a wrenching pull at his neck so fierce it felt as though flesh and bone were being torn apart…
Only when Lin Yi finally relaxed, his heavy body sagging completely against Zhou Ruo An like a piece of soaked clothing, did he slowly ease the force of his bite.
Zhou Ruo An shoved him away and immediately swung a punch. The fist cut through the damp air straight toward Lin Yi’s face, only to be caught at the last moment by a broad palm. The grip looked loose but held more than enough strength to stop him.
Lin Yi had only just caught his breath. Looking up at Zhou Ruo An, he had already returned to his usual unapproachable expression. “Hit me or talk business. Pick one.”
Zhou Ruo An stood in the pool with his hair in disarray, his clothes rumpled, and a swollen red bite mark at his neck. Somehow, he had ended up looking just as miserable as last time.
He remained silent for a long while before slowly fastening his buttons and putting his suit jacket back on. Then he raised the hand that had already been rinsed clean by the water and wiped the nonexistent stickiness onto Lin Yi’s face. Bracing himself against the edge of the pool, he climbed out, stood straight, and looked down at him. “Even if you’re a dog, can you put some clothes on when you’re speaking human language?”
“My bones have gone soft. No strength. We’ll talk like this.”
Zhou Ruo An could not be bothered arguing any further and went straight to the point. “I need you to back me up and make a show of force. If anyone causes trouble, settle it without hurting anyone. How much?”
“Twenty men, fifty thousand each. If any of them are accidentally injured during the job, minor injuries double the fee. For serious injuries, you cover treatment and add another two hundred thousand. Are you using Bai Ban? If you are, he’s one hundred thousand. If you need him to steal something worth more than one hundred thousand, that costs extra. Since Young Master Zhou worked fairly hard just now, I’ll give you a discount. Eight hundred thousand.”
Zhou Ruo An pulled the coin from his suit pocket and slowly rubbed the water from its surface. “Brother Lin really does dare to name an outrageous price. You think I absolutely have to use you?”
“There are plenty of people you could use, but you still came looking for me.” Lin Yi tilted his head back to look at the man standing on the bank. From that angle, the line of his jaw looked even sharper and more forceful. “Because you know I’m useful. And because… I’ll never betray you.”
The coin was clenched hard inside Zhou Ruo An’s palm. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’ll pay your men and Bai Ban. Your own fee is too much. I’ll owe you.”
“Fine.” Lin Yi agreed readily. “Young Master Zhou can sign an IOU. When you make it big, we’ll settle everything together.”
After hearing that, Zhou Ruo An turned and walked away. Water kept dripping from the hem of his clothes, leaving a trail of wet stains behind him…