Futile Devices Scans

Just as A’Jie left, the private room door was pushed open again.

When Bai Ban squeezed into the room, he knocked over the ice bucket. Crouching low, he grabbed a piece of ice from the floor and tossed it into his mouth. Looking at the disdainful stares directed at him, he pointed at Zhou Ruo An. “I’m here for him.”

Zhou Ruo An was hooking the crystal button on his shirt with his little finger as he watched greasy-faced Bai Ban slither into the booth like an eel.

“Birthday party?” Bai Ban scooped up a bottle and drank straight from it. Wine spilled from the corner of his mouth, running down his neck and into his shirt. “Last year you didn’t invite me for cake, and this year you didn’t either.”

Zhou Ruo An picked up the cake knife, cut a slice from the Rolls-Royce cake, and pushed it in front of Bai Ban. “Did you come alone?”

Bai Ban understood the meaning behind the question immediately and pouted. “You just want to ask whether my brother came or not. Can’t you just say it directly? Aren’t you tired of beating around the bush?”

The wine tasted sour, sour all the way from Bai Ban’s throat into the cracks of his heart.

Back in the urban village, Bai Ban, Lin Yi, and Zhou Ruo An had spent nearly every day tangled together fooling around. They crowded onto illegally constructed rooftops sharing cheap red wine, protected each other’s vital spots during beatings, and teamed up to do countless shameless things.

Yet even so, Bai Ban had always vaguely felt that there was some invisible membrane separating Lin Yi and Zhou Ruo An from everyone else, and he himself was the one standing outside that membrane.

As for how close they were, it wasn’t impossible to give examples. Like one hungover morning, when Bai Ban found Zhou Ruo An curled up in the corner of a dead-end alley. Just as he was about to reach out, Lin Yi beat him to it. That man wiped the moisture from the corner of Zhou Ruo An’s mouth with his thumb, then pulled half a hardened osmanthus cake from his work pants pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.

Or the matter from a while back when Lin Yi went looking for someone to kiss. He looked for Zhou Ruo An, but not for him. It wasn’t that Bai Ban wanted to kiss him, but whether Lin Yi looked for him or not was a matter of Lin Yi’s attitude, while whether he refused or not was a matter of his own principles.

Thus Bai Ban’s expression soured as he replied, “He’s busy. No time to come up.”

As if suddenly remembering something, he leaned mysteriously close to Zhou Ruo An and said with a bit of smug “serves you right” satisfaction, “My brother probably won’t come looking to kiss you anymore.”

Having his dignity exposed right to his face made Zhou Ruo An slightly annoyed. He swept a glance around at the people nearby before lowering his voice. “Is the cake good? Wouldn’t want Brother Bai to feel wronged.”

Zhou Ruo An was an expert at sarcastic barbs. The moment “Brother Bai” came out, it meant trouble was brewing, and Bai Ban naturally avoided throwing his neck against the blade.

“Good, good. Best cake I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

He was stuffing the cake into his mouth almost wolfishly. Looking at the white cream stuck to the corner of Bai Ban’s lips, Zhou Ruo An somehow recalled the sticky mess once smeared across his own chest.

Lin Yi looked dull and boring on the surface, but in bed he had endless tricks. Once, he had spread milkshake-like chocolate all over Zhou Ruo An’s chest. Later, those dark brown smears stained the edges of his lips before being fed back into Zhou Ruo An’s mouth. What they had shared had never been limited to cheap red wine and fists.

“What did you mean by that just now?” Zhou Ruo An smoothed the shirt over his chest. The topic sounded as casual as something brought up to kill boredom.

Bai Ban ran his tongue along his lips. “My brother got confessed to recently. You think now that he’s got someone waiting around for him already, he’ll still come looking for you?”

“Oh? Really?” Zhou Ruo An poured himself more wine. As the liquor slowly filled the glass, he asked curiously, “Who is it? A man or a woman?”

Bai Ban waggled his brows dramatically, his face especially animated. “A guy. Huang San Er, one of the people who hangs around with my brother. That guy’s really handsome and knows a bit of martial arts too. My brother treats him pretty well.”

“A guy…” Zhou Ruo An suddenly remembered what he himself had once said while sitting on that rainbow-colored sofa. “Lin Yi, people can even get divorced after marriage these days. You really don’t need to keep liking only me.”

At the time, Lin Yi had answered casually, with only one simple sentence: “Fine. Once I meet someone else I like, I’ll say goodbye to you.”

Zhou Ruo An lifted his head and saw countless reflections of himself raising glasses in the mirrored ceiling above. With a flick of his wrist, he drained the wine in his cup.

“That’s good,” he said.

…………

At two in the morning, the banquet finally ended and the crowd dispersed.

Zhou Ruo An sat alone on the sofa, looking at the wrecked room. His phone screen lit up with a message from Zhou Ran Ming: The person was delivered. Well done.

He stared at the message for a long time. Only when the private room door was pushed open did he look toward the entrance.

Lin Yi stood there with a suit jacket hanging from one hand. After locking the door behind him, he walked in. His well-tailored shirt wrapped tightly around his lean waist, his sleeves casually rolled up to reveal smooth, strong forearms.

He lightly kicked aside a wine bottle lying on the floor. It rolled into the corner and hit the wall with a crisp sound.

The drifting colored lights were still turning through the room, and when they fell across the man’s face, they revealed traces of exhaustion.

Only when he drew closer did Zhou Ruo An see that his other hand held a tiny cake.

Resting the tip of his shoe against the sofa, Lin Yi casually placed his jacket on the liquor counter, bent slightly, looked into Zhou Ruo An’s eyes, and softly said, “Happy birthday.”

Zhou Ruo An symbolically glanced at his watch, unimpressed. “It’s already past midnight.”

“Sorry. I came late.” Lin Yi sat beside him, his fingers undoing the velvet ribbon around the cake box. He took out the mini cake, inserted a candle, flicked open the lighter, and lit the wick.

As warm yellow light spread layer upon layer, he said, “Make a wish.”

The cake was actually pretty nice-looking, colored like a sunset glow. Zhou Ruo An crossed his legs, relaxing into the sofa, smiling without really smiling. “How come your taste suddenly improved this time?”

“Someone else helped pick it.”

The smile on Zhou Ruo An’s face slowly faded. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it against the flickering candle flame, then lazily held it between his lips. “Looks good,” he praised.

Before the cigarette could even grow damp between his lips, it was already taken away. Lin Yi held it between his fingers, lifted his chin slightly, and said, “Make a wish.”

Zhou Ruo An did not embarrass him. He closed his eyes, pretended seriously for a moment, then quickly opened them again. Looking at the dancing candlelight, he smiled and said, “Then I wish you and Huang San Er a long and happy life together.”

Lin Yi froze for a second, then suddenly laughed softly. “Bai Ban told you that? Are you jealous?”

“You’re overthinking it.” Zhou Ruo An turned his face away. “I’m simply congratulating myself for escaping suffering.”

The final syllable was cut off by sudden body heat pressing close. Lin Yi kissed him.

At one point, Zhou Ruo An had seriously suspected that Lin Yi had never gotten over his oral fixation phase. Otherwise, why would he constantly come over looking for kisses anytime and anywhere?

Back when the two of them had been tied together, Zhou Ruo An might have been unwilling, but he had been forced into getting used to it. Now they had not seen each other for many days. A monk had returned to secular life; a chaste widow had remarried. That little bit of habit had long since been broken. So he leaned back and coldly said, “Lin Yi, there’s no debt between us now. You’d better behave yourself.”

The tilted angle of his head happened to expose the vulnerable line of his Adam’s apple. Lin Yi lowered his gaze toward that moving piece of soft cartilage and reached up to touch it.

What should have been a gentle action instead carried a dangerous undertone because of the rough friction.

“Then count it as me owing you.” His fingers slid upward past the sharp ridge as Lin Yi cupped Zhou Ruo An’s face. “You can collect from me later.”

The kiss came faster than any explanation. Zhou Ruo An, irritated, turned his head and bit down on Lin Yi’s lower lip. The taste of blood instantly spread between them. “Since you already have someone by your side, why are you still forcing me?”

Lin Yi did not get angry when pushed away. He pulled a remote control from the drawer beneath the liquor counter and shut off the rotating lights. As the room darkened, the enormous private room was left with only the flickering glow of candlelight.

Lin Yi pressed one knee onto the leather sofa, the chaotic scent he had picked up from the bar all night instantly enveloping Zhou Ruo An. “Do you know what real forcing is?” He gripped the back of Zhou Ruo An’s neck as scorching breath invaded closer. “This is.”

Punishing force spread from the corner of his lips. Zhou Ruo An’s bent knee hit the tea table, making the glassware rattle noisily before the sounds were swallowed by deeper sounds of devouring kisses.

“There’s no one else. I only like you.” The words were crushed between their teeth. “That was the last cake left. All the pretty ones were sold out.”

Zhou Ruo An froze slightly while being kissed, then immediately became annoyed at his own distraction. He tried to curse, but failed to get the words out. Only when a scorching “An An” branded itself into his ears did he realize that his fingers had long since tangled tightly in the wrinkles of Lin Yi’s shirt.

The moment their lips parted, Zhou Ruo An suddenly felt a chill around his wrist. A dazzling diamond bracelet slid smoothly into place, fastening firmly around his wrist bone.

“Birthday present.” Lin Yi kissed the clasp of the bracelet and laughed softly as his canine teeth brushed over Zhou Ruo An’s pulse. “You have to wear it for a whole year.”

Zhou Ruo An turned the cold glitter around his wrist. “Why should I?”

Soft pecks landed against his lips. “An An, be good.”

The tall man had already forced Zhou Ruo An into the corner of the sofa again. Heavy shadows pressed down once more. Just as teeth marks landed on the tip of his ear, a phone suddenly rang through the silent room.

Zhou Ruo An had just started to push himself upright when Lin Yi gripped his waist and shoved him back into the sofa. A sharp pain shot through his ear as the soft cartilage there was gently caught between teeth…

Only when the phone rang a second time did Zhou Ruo An finally push the man off him while panting. “Stop messing around.”

He picked up the phone, and the instant he saw the caller ID, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Subconsciously clearing the hoarseness from his throat, Zhou Ruo An swiped to answer, his tone carrying a trace of respect. “Unc—”

“The person you sent over was snatched away!” Zhou Ran Ming’s roar mixed together with the sound of smashing porcelain. “My two honored guests and six bodyguards were all taken down by the people who rescued him!”

“What?” Zhou Ruo An’s whole body jolted violently. “How is that… possible?”

“Xiao An, you didn’t even investigate that boy’s background clearly, yet you dared send him to me? With the way you handle things now, how can I trust handing the company over to you?” Zhou Ran Ming’s scolding grew harsher and harsher.

Zhou Ruo An sat up silently. At a light rub of his fingers, Lin Yi handed him a lit cigarette.

He held the cigarette between his lips, letting the sharp smoke linger briefly in his mouth before slowly exhaling a thin cloud of smoke. Only then did he press the phone firmly to his ear. “Uncle, leave this matter to me. I’ll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation.”

Before he even finished speaking, the other side had already cut the call. Zhou Ruo An tossed the phone aside, rested the back of his neck against the sofa, and looked at Lin Yi. “You kissed me just now, didn’t you? Weren’t you saying you’d pay me back?”

Smoke slowly curled upward, spreading until it perfectly obscured the sinister look in his eyes. His thin lips parted slightly as Zhou Ruo An coldly ordered, “Help me find out exactly who took away the person I sent to the mountain villa.”

“One kiss isn’t enough to buy that much.”

Zhou Ruo An irritably flicked ash from his cigarette. “Fine, say it then. How many days do I have to stay with you?”

Rough fingertips slid into Zhou Ruo An’s hair. “You don’t need to stay with me. Just be obedient for the next half year.”

The hand holding the cigarette paused. “The next half year? What do you mean?”

Lin Yi hooked a finger into Zhou Ruo An’s collar and gave a sharp tug, dragging him close. Instead of answering, he asked back, “Do you know what being obedient means?”

Zhou Ruo An cursed softly before finally speaking with resigned acceptance. “I know. No keeping people around me.”

Lin Yi seemed satisfied with the answer. He took the cigarette from Zhou Ruo An’s fingers and put it between his own lips, casually asking, “Tell me about this mountain villa kidnapping you mentioned. What exactly happened?”

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