The old house had poor heating, and cold drafts occasionally slipped through the cracks around the windows. Lin Yi wrapped the two of them tightly in a quilt and sat on the somewhat worn bed with Zhou Ruo An held in his arms from behind.
He fed warm water into Zhou Ruo An’s mouth, then lowered his head and kissed away the droplets that slipped from the corners of his lips. He was gentle and attentive, but his efforts were completely unappreciated.
Once the warm water slid down his throat and soothed his hoarse voice, Zhou Ruo An finally found the strength to curse.
“Lin Yi, if you ever dare do that to me again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
His words were fierce, but inwardly he felt a trace of regret. If he hadn’t made that comment about him being “average in bed,” Lin Yi probably wouldn’t have found so many ways to torment him.
The faint soreness in his throat inevitably brought his thoughts back to what had just happened.
Perhaps because he was worried the current might become too intense, Lin Yi had switched off the third-level indicator light on the black box after only a few minutes.
Yet the shadows on the wall had continued rising and falling. Then, at one particularly unbearable moment, Lin Yi had suddenly withdrawn.
Zhou Ruo An’s body had stiffened slightly, confusion flickering across his face.
Lin Yi reached toward the bedside table, pulled out a wet wipe, carefully cleaned himself, and then pressed it against the corner of Zhou Ruo An’s mouth.
Only then did Zhou Ruo An realize what the bastard had been planning when he withdrew midway through. Shock and fury flashed through his eyes as he cursed,
“Lin Yi, are you fucking tired of living?”
Lin Yi was usually domineering, yet now his voice emerged low and muffled, almost aggrieved.
“An An, sometimes I still get a little itchy.”
Zhou Ruo An froze. Then, feeling the burning heat at the corner of his lips, he ground out a curse through clenched teeth.
“Fuck. So this was what you were waiting for. You thought I’d go soft on you?”
Lin Yi had thick skin. He kneaded his soft lips until they turned red.
“An An, your turn later.”
Zhou Ruo An immediately started dredging up old grievances.
“That time, you made me kneel.”
“Mm. Later, I’ll kneel for you.”
“Bullshi—mmph…”
Heat slid from the corner of his lips, abruptly swallowing the rest of his words…
Zhou Ruo An had lost his voice again, though not nearly as badly as the last time when Lin Yi had been consumed by rage. His voice now carried only a low, husky roughness, one that became especially tempting in the hours before dawn.
He cursed again.
“Lin Yi, if you ever dare do that to me again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Lin Yi cooperatively responded with a simple “Mm.” He leaned close to Zhou Ruo An’s ear and lightly kissed his earlobe, only to be shoved away mercilessly once more.
“If you ever make me do that with you again…” Zhou Ruo An threatened. “I’ll make you a eunuch.”
“Fine.” The thoroughly satisfied man was in an exceptionally good mood. He let Zhou Ruo An vent without the slightest irritation.
After only a few curses, however, Zhou Ruo An grew tired.
His entire body felt weak. Leaning against Lin Yi’s chest, his eyelids became so heavy that he could barely keep them open.
“M’ tired. Want to sleep.”
“We’ve never watched a sunrise together.” The arm around his waist tightened. “Sleep after we watch it.”
Zhou Ruo An forced his eyes open and glanced toward the window.
The sky was already turning pale. The gray-white clouds pressed against the horizon had been edged with gold, as though light was about to burst free at any moment.
He closed his eyes again and lazily replied,
“I’m sleepy. We can watch one another time.”
“There might not be another chance.”
With his eyes closed, Zhou Ruo An slowly frowned. Lifting his eyelids, he turned his head and looked at Lin Yi’s profile.
The man’s features were fierce. At best, one could call them ruggedly handsome. His bone structure was sharp, his jawline severe, and he had always possessed the face of someone unwilling to live beneath another person’s authority.
Yet at this moment, his gaze was exceptionally gentle, filled with deep affection, as though he wanted to carve every detail of Zhou Ruo An into his heart.
Turning back toward the window, Zhou Ruo An spoke in his hoarse voice.
“What’s so great about watching the sun rise over a reed marsh? I heard the sunrise on Mount Huang is spectacular. Want to go see it with me someday?”
Smiling, Lin Yi bent down and kissed the corner of his lips.
“Sure. Whatever you want to do, I’ll go with you.”
Zhou Ruo An found him annoying.
“You don’t need to accompany me for everything.”
After a brief pause, he asked,
“How are things progressing on your side?”
Lin Yi answered, “Jiao Chen has long been dissatisfied with Bai Jiu slowly encroaching on his territory over the years. With your land deed as collateral, he naturally wants to use this opportunity to pull Bai Jiu down. Wang Zhiping fought through life and death alongside Bai Jiu and earned the position of second-in-command, but people are always greedy. He feels he deserves more. The thorn has been lodged in Wang Zhiping’s heart for a long time now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to bring him into this so easily and have him shoulder the reputation of betraying his boss.”
Lin Yi pulled Zhou Ruo An even closer, resting his chin on his shoulder as he continued watching the brightening sky.
“With those two big shots, each harboring their own motives, joining forces, Bai Jiu will die whether he wants to or not.”
“How are they planning to do it?”
“One of Jiao Chen’s men has a grudge against Bai Jiu and dreams of killing him with his own hands. We’ll create an opportunity for him to get close to Bai Jiu. When Bai Jiu is completely off guard, he’ll get his revenge.”
After a pause, Lin Yi added,
“But one lackey alone won’t be enough to get the job done.”
Zhou Ruo An reminded him,
“Bai Jiu actually knows real martial arts.”
“Wang Zhiping will get him drunk beforehand and lower the security around the villa. Besides that lackey, Jiao Chen has arranged for others to assist. And I’ll be there too.”
Zhou Ruo An’s body stiffened instantly.
He suddenly grabbed the arm wrapped around his waist.
“You can’t get involved personally.”
Lin Yi smiled faintly and kissed the corner of his lips.
“Why can’t I? If things succeed, I’ll have helped you get rid of Bai Jiu. If they fail, Bai Jiu will help you get rid of me. Or perhaps we’ll both perish together beneath the blade. No matter which outcome happens, it benefits you. You’ll be rid of one of us, or both.”
Zhou Ruo An shoved him away and pointed at the floor.
“Kneel.”
“You said you’d kneel for me. Pay what you owe right now. I don’t want to wait until you’re dead and have nobody left to collect the debt from.”
The smile on Lin Yi’s face deepened.
Holding Zhou Ruo An’s face, he kissed him hard.
“I’ll take that as you worrying about me. Don’t worry. I won’t make a move personally. I’ll come back alive so you can collect your debt.”
The atmosphere gradually grew heated. Zhou Ruo An was drawn into it despite himself. Tilting his head back, he allowed Lin Yi to deepen the kiss.
Yet the man behind him chose that moment to ruin the mood.
Pressing his lips against Zhou Ruo An’s soft ones, he asked,
“So why were you coaxing Ren Yu like that?”
“Fuck.”
Zhou Ruo An bit him in retaliation. Only after successfully seeing the red mark on Lin Yi’s lips did he answer.
“I told him my real identity. He got angry because I lied to him and never treated him as one of my own. He threw quite the tantrum at me.”
“Why tell him?” Lin Yi frowned slightly.
“Maybe one day I’ll lose everything. It wouldn’t be right for him to die alongside me without ever knowing the truth.”
“Do you want me to have a talk with him? Make sure he keeps his mouth shut?”
Zhou Ruo An shook his head.
“Over the past year, I’ve figured him out pretty well. All his cleverness and rebelliousness are written right on his face. Deep down, he’s actually a decent person. Worth befriending. Besides, he has Fu Chun Shen by his side. Apart from being an idiot when it comes to relationships, that guy’s mind is deeper than anyone else’s. He’s known my real identity for a long time and never exposed me. That’s because he thinks I’ve treated Ren Yu well and that Ren Yu is happy working under me. So he’s betting that I’ll win. And he’ll drag Ren Yu into betting on my victory too.”
After considering it for a moment, Lin Yi said nothing further.
“You know what you’re doing. That’s enough.”
Zhou Ruo An rolled over onto the bed and pulled the quilt over his head. His muffled voice came from beneath it.
“Close those ridiculous floral curtains of yours. I’m sleeping.”
A moment later, another sentence emerged from beneath the blanket.
“Wang Zhiping wants to rise to the top, but he doesn’t want the reputation of betraying his boss. There’s a good chance he’ll pull strings behind the scenes and push you out as the scapegoat. Keep your eyes open.”
Lin Yi responded with a simple “Mm.”
Looking at the sunlight finally breaking across the horizon outside the window, he said softly,
“Bai Jiu’s position isn’t something only he can occupy. Naturally, the most capable person should take it.”
The quilt was suddenly thrown aside.
Shock filled Zhou Ruo An’s eyes.
“You… want to take his place?”
The sunlight reflected in Lin Yi’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Running a hand through Zhou Ruo An’s silky hair, he smiled.
“Why not?”
Next
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment