With one arm resting along the back of his chair, Xue Bao Tian watched Zhang Chi with obvious amusement. The man’s tightly clenched jaw and bulging veins were better accompaniment to his drink than any delicacy. His gaze dropped to the heat steadily swelling beneath the table, and he drained the strong liquor in his glass.
“How does it feel? If that’s not stimulating enough, I’ll give you both little lambs.” Xue Bao Tian smiled as he made the suggestion, then shot a look at the man he had just pushed away. “Call him Brother Chi. Let Brother Chi take good care of you.”
That soft, coquettish “Brother Chi” instantly yanked Zhang Chi out of his daze. He hurriedly shoved the person in front of him away, using too much strength in his panic and causing quite a commotion.
Huang Song had been watching their side the entire time. Seeing that neither Xue Bao Tian nor Zhang Chi had kept anyone beside them, his expression darkened slightly. He rubbed the head resting against his leg, then put on a smile and asked, “Young Master Xue, was the service not satisfactory? Shall I have someone else brought over?”
Xue Bao Tian glanced at the damp patch on Zhang Chi’s underwear, then calmly refilled his own glass. He drank slowly, his expression indifferent, and only after the cup was empty did he answer lazily, “Bring me a woman.”
“Two Hundred,” Zhang Chi warned in a lowered voice, “you’ve had too much to drink.”
Xue Bao Tian stretched an arm over Zhang Chi’s shoulder and pulled him close until their cheeks touched. Leaning beside his ear, he whispered, “Relax. Master Xue knows what he’s doing.” He gave Zhang Chi’s broad shoulder a teasing squeeze and drawled with lifted eyes, “Don’t be jealous. It’s all just acting for the occasion. Master Xue loves you most.”
When he straightened again, the woman had already arrived. She had an exquisite face and a graceful figure—an absolute beauty.
Holding a cigarette between his lips, Xue Bao Tian did not let Zhang Chi light it for him for the first time that night. Instead, he borrowed the woman’s flame, then ran a hand over her waist like a shameless rogue. Squinting through the smoke, he laughed wantonly. “Not bad. Soft enough.”
Delight flickered in Huang Song’s eyes. He pressed down hard several times on the head in his lap and said between breaths, “I thought Young Master Xue was interested in men. Looks like I was wrong again.”
Watching the beautiful woman bend her knees and sink gracefully to the floor, Xue Bao Tian answered carelessly, “Just trying something new once in a while. Nothing fucking special.”
The zipper slowly slid downward, but before it reached the bottom, it abruptly reversed course and zipped shut again, the interlocking teeth sealing tightly together. Xue Bao Tian barely managed to return to the appearance of a fully dressed “gentleman.”
He raised his eyes and met Zhang Chi’s gaze, hearing him say gently, “Boss, you’re drunk. I’ll take you somewhere to sober up.”
The cigarette between Xue Bao Tian’s lips was plucked away and crushed out without warning, while the hand gripping his wrist tightened hard enough to nearly grind his bones together. Xue Bao Tian had barely squeezed out a “Fuck—” through clenched teeth when Zhang Chi’s oppressive stare sent a chill through him.
He stared at Zhang Chi for a long moment before finally admitting through gritted teeth, “Fine. I’m drunk. Let’s go sober up.”
They pushed open a random door and walked inside. The moment it clicked shut behind them, Xue Bao Tian bared his fangs.
“You motherfu—”
A large hand clamped over his mouth, forcing the rest of the curse back down his throat. Zhang Chi’s expression was equally ugly. Unlike usual, he was not indulging Xue Bao Tian’s tantrum and merely threw out a cold, “Shut up.”
The room was enormous, a luxurious suite with a living area connected to a bedroom. Zhang Chi quickly swept his gaze over the layout before abruptly shoving the man in his arms into the bathroom.
He followed immediately behind, still covering Xue Bao Tian’s mouth with one hand while pulling a tiny device from his pocket with the other. He turned a switch and set it down in the corner.
The device’s LCD screen displayed the luxurious bathroom. Several seconds later, a blinking red dot appeared in the upper-left corner. Comparing the display with the room itself, Zhang Chi kept Xue Bao Tian trapped against him as he walked toward a decorative painting hanging on the wall.
When no one provoked him, Zhang Chi always looked gentle. Clearly, however, his mood today was terrible. With a violent yank, he tore the painting away, exposing what was hidden behind it.
A concealed recess had been built into the wall. Xue Bao Tian, who had been struggling against Zhang Chi’s brute force, momentarily forgot to move. Inside the recess sat a tiny black camera no bigger than a little finger, positioned directly behind an almost imperceptible pinhole in the decorative painting.
Zhang Chi grabbed the camera and yanked hard. The long connecting wire snapped instantly. He tore the device apart and threw the broken pieces into the sink.
Only after finishing did he look down at Xue Bao Tian still trapped in his arms and ask coldly, “Master Xue, do you want to talk now?”
Xue Bao Tian usually knew when to back down in the face of superior force, especially when the person applying it was Zhang Chi. Today, however, he merely raised an eyebrow, dragged his tongue across the warm palm covering his mouth, and, the instant Zhang Chi’s expression loosened, bit down viciously.
Pain shot through Zhang Chi’s hand, moisture spreading between his fingers. Looking at the fury in Xue Bao Tian’s eyes, he slowly released him, only for his hand to slide downward and close around the pale throat instead.
“Two Hundred, do you even understand what kind of situation we’re in? Huang Song is obviously trying to lure you into a trap. You have something on him, so he’s doing everything he can to get leverage on you in return. You should be avoiding this, yet you practically handed yourself over. Do you know how many hidden cameras like that were in the room?”
Xue Bao Tian sneered. “And who was it that said he’d protect me? Who said one trip to this Hongmen Banquet would end the problem for good? And who was the one getting fucking worked up the second somebody teased him? Your pants were about to burst!”
Elio’s Notes: The Hongmen Banquet refers to a famous historical feast arranged by Xiang Yu for his rival Liu Bang, where an attempt was made on Liu Bang’s life. The phrase is now used for a meeting or invitation that is actually a trap.
The pressure around his throat eased slightly as Zhang Chi looked away. “I… wasn’t.”
“Weren’t?” Xue Bao Tian pressed forward, pinning the suddenly guilty-looking man into the corner. “Zhang Chi, how many fucking times have we slept together already? You think I can’t tell when you’re turned on?” He reached down and grabbed him hard. “This thing is still standing at attention. You dare tell me you weren’t worked up?”
“I’m not saying you can’t fool around.” Xue Bao Tian tightened his fingers slightly, watching the crease deepen between Zhang Chi’s brows from the pain. “But Zhang Chi, you’re still under Master Xue’s name right now. You live in my house, sleep with my person, and you’re still fucking thinking about other little lambs?!”
The bathroom was small, and after his words fell, they seemed to echo over and over through the confined space. Zhang Chi stayed silent for a while—then unexpectedly gave a soft laugh.
The hand around Xue Bao Tian’s throat slid down to his shoulder. Zhang Chi buried his face in the hollow of his neck, his voice carrying the hoarseness of exhaustion as he murmured gently, “That’s right, Two Hundred. I’m still under your name. So how could you let them bully me like that?”
“What?” Xue Bao Tian stared at him, astonished by how quickly Zhang Chi had changed faces. “Who the hell did I let bully you?”
“Those lambs.” Zhang Chi gathered Xue Bao Tian tightly into his arms and complained with complete seriousness, “They scared me to death. How was I supposed to know people could do that? You know I haven’t seen much. In bed or out of it, there’s only ever been you. You never taught me this stuff. I really didn’t understand what was happening—I was completely stunned.”
At first Xue Bao Tian was shocked, but after thinking it over, it actually made sense. Zhang Chi had even learned how to kiss from him. How could he be expected to know those fancy tricks?
His anger faded, and a grin tugged at his lips. “Sorry. I forgot you’re a fucking little idiot.”
Zhang Chi treated it like an affectionate nickname and did not argue. Instead, he leaned in to kiss Xue Bao Tian, his voice deep and soft. “And you didn’t protect me either. You even let another one come over and scare me.”
By then, Xue Bao Tian’s temper had unexpectedly improved. He let Zhang Chi pepper him with kiss after kiss, closing his eyes as he chuckled. “Exciting?”
The arms around his waist tightened further. Zhang Chi pried open Xue Bao Tian’s teeth and delivered his grievance directly into his mouth. “How come Master Xue never taught me that?”
Zhang Chi’s assault shifted from gentle to savage. Unable to keep up and thoroughly irritated by it, Xue Bao Tian cupped the man’s cheeks in both hands and shoved him away hard, panting several times for breath.
Wiping the moisture from his lips, Xue Bao Tian pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket and put one between his lips. He said lazily, “Teach you? I’m already fucking sick enough of you. I don’t need you servicing me like that.”
A hand cupped around the flame as a lighter appeared in front of him. Xue Bao Tian’s movement abruptly stopped. Slowly raising his head to look at Zhang Chi, he asked in disbelief, “You’re not seriously expecting me to service you, are you?”