Yan Ye had just gone downstairs when he saw Tong Yan’s car speed past in front of him.
Pressing the remote to unlock his car, Yan Ye got in, shifted gears, and started the engine in one smooth motion. He had just been about to step on the accelerator and follow when Lin Zhi Yi stopped him.
The expensively dressed man stood by the roadside, touching his bare wrist as he smiled. “I didn’t have my driver come pick me up. General Manager Yan, give me a ride?”
Yan Ye looked at the taillights ahead and politely refused. “General Manager Lin, I have something urgent.”
Lin Zhi Yi nodded, stepped back, and tapped on his phone. “Then go. I’ll call a car. Compared with having my driver come get me, I can save the cost of one trip.”
Tong Yan’s car had already driven far away, reduced to a black dot in the distance. Yan Ye had no time to bother with Lin Zhi Yi, that miser, so he stepped on the accelerator and followed.
At this hour, just after dusk, Sheng Yu usually left the old residence after dinner and drove back to his own apartment.
At an intersection he had to pass through, an ordinary commuter car was parked by the roadside. Neither its color nor its brand stood out, yet Sheng Yu spotted it at a glance. His brow shifted, and he turned the steering wheel, stopping nearby.
After getting out, one hand tucked into his pocket, he bent down and looked into the parked car. Once he clearly saw the person in the driver’s seat, a faint smile spread across his lips.
Leaning against the car, Sheng Yu crooked his fingers and knocked on the window. His smile carried a trace of malice. “Waiting for me?”
Tong Yan pushed open the door and got out. Standing in front of the man, he looked directly at him. “Sheng Yu, haven’t we already broken up?”
The smile on Sheng Yu’s face faded slightly. His sharp gaze swept over Tong Yan before he said, “Yes. When we broke up, you even slapped me hard enough that my face stayed swollen for three days.”
Cars roared past them, and even the wind they stirred up could not drown out Tong Yan’s furious voice. “Since we’ve already broken up, there’s nothing between us anymore. Why are you monitoring me and listening in on me? What are you trying to do?!”
In an instant, Sheng Yu’s expression darkened, revealing a chill that made one’s spine go cold. “So you didn’t come to rekindle old feelings. You came to denounce me. Let me guess how you found out. Yan Ye told you?”
Tong Yan grabbed him by the collar. “Sheng Yu, why are you doing this? This is fucking illegal, do you know that?”
Sheng Yu’s eyes turned vicious. “Good boy, when did you learn to curse? You’ve chased Xue Bao Tian for a few days and even started talking like him?”
He leaned closer, narrowing the space between them. “Does he know that when you fuck someone, you like being underneath and doing whatever takes the least effort?”
“Sheng Yu! Shut up!”
“Now you don’t want me to say it? Weren’t you just demanding an explanation?” Sheng Yu fixed his eyes on Tong Yan, his gaze dark and fierce like a wolf’s. “I monitored you because I wanted information about Yan Ye from Xue Bao Tian. Yan Ye can’t let go of Xue Bao Tian, and he doesn’t guard against him either.”
Tong Yan stared at him in disbelief. “You used me?”
Sheng Yu shoved Tong Yan hard against the car. “Who told you to break up with me and then go after Xue Bao Tian? If you’d found yourself a decent person, fine, but you actually picked someone even more rotten than I am. He used to be Yan Ye’s man. With that waist strength of yours, where you need my help after moving a couple of times, do you really think you can compete with Yan Ye?”
Tong Yan’s face flushed red, his usually refined features nearly twisting with fury. “Sheng Yu, aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Yan Ye that you’ve been gathering information on him?”
“Yan Ye and I have been at each other’s throats for a long time. Do you think I care about preserving the last thin layer of civility between us?” Sheng Yu gripped Tong Yan’s jaw and leaned beside his ear. “If it weren’t for the fact that you were pursuing Xue Bao Tian and I might get information through him, I would’ve dragged you back long ago.”
“You’re despicable!”
Ignoring Tong Yan’s furious glare, Sheng Yu rubbed the man’s waist through his clothes. “What now? Mr. Tong no longer has any value to exploit, so I suppose you’ll just have to come home with me obediently. Didn’t you say I was amazing? Have you missed me all these days?”
Tong Yan slapped his hand away and mocked him coldly. “Don’t flatter yourself. Even if I stay single for the rest of my life, I’ll never touch you again.”
Sheng Yu suddenly bent down and slung Tong Yan over his shoulder. “Then we’ll see whether it’s your mouth that’s stubborn, or somewhere else.”
The car door was yanked open and slammed shut again. Sheng Yu threw Tong Yan into the car, then climbed into the driver’s seat and grabbed the man who was about to get out.
Holding down the struggling Tong Yan, Sheng Yu fastened his seat belt for him. “You’ve been locked up by me before and nearly wrung dry. If you don’t want to go through that again, behave.”
The four doors locked, and the car glided away. Only after it had disappeared into the distance did a tall figure step out from the grass beside the road, staring after it with an unreadable expression.
Xue Bao Tian carefully read through the document and picked up his pen to write his comments. Halfway through, he encountered a character he was not sure how to write, and out of habit, he reached for the dictionary. Seeing the pile of horizontal and vertical strokes, he clicked his tongue and muttered, “This complicated? How many fucking horizontal strokes does it have?”
Consulting the dictionary, Xue Bao Tian copied the character stroke by stroke onto the paper. He had already done all the hard work and was one final stroke from finishing when the doorbell rang, ruining the character.
He yanked the door open in a fury, only to find Yan Ye standing outside.
“Something wrong?” Looking at the man who had left and returned, Xue Bao Tian blocked the doorway. He had already been irritated to begin with, and now there was a fresh grievance on top of it.
Yan Ye lifted the food container in his hand. “You didn’t eat much tonight, so I bought you some late-night snacks.”
Under the dim corridor light, Xue Bao Tian looked Yan Ye over. He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but with night reflected in his eyes, he somehow seemed even more alluring.
Xue Bao Tian knew there was a dagger strapped to the outside of Yan Ye’s ankle and brass knuckles in his pocket. If he wanted to, he could put almost anyone on the ground within seconds.
A man armed to the teeth and frighteningly dangerous was now standing there full of tenderness.
Fuck. Something went soft at the tip of Xue Bao Tian’s heart, and even his legs weakened a little.
He turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open. Yan Ye followed and placed the late-night snacks on the chest of drawers beside the entrance.
As the door slowly swung shut, leaving only a sliver of light, Yan Ye impatiently pulled Xue Bao Tian into his arms. He used a little too much force, and the two of them stumbled against the wall, accidentally hitting the switch and plunging the room into darkness.
Yan Ye habitually buried his nose beside Xue Bao Tian’s neck, and almost at the same moment, Xue Bao Tian felt his arousal.
“What are you doing?” His voice in the darkness sounded slightly hoarse.
“Has your cigarette scar healed?” Yan Ye slowly stroked the uneven mark through his clothes. “Let me see.”
“The lights are off.”
“I can still see it.”
Xue Bao Tian felt his T-shirt being lifted little by little until it was pushed beneath his chin. Cold air from the air conditioner swept directly across his skin, making him shiver faintly.
While Xue Bao Tian was still wondering whether the air conditioner had been set too cold, Yan Ye’s kiss had already landed on the cigarette scar.
A soft “Mm” escaped him, and Xue Bao Tian immediately shut his mouth. The sound was too fucking feminine. He despised himself a little.
The small round scar was kissed again and again by burning lips. The damp kisses traveled upward and stopped beside his ear.
“Does it still hurt?” Yan Ye seemed to have tremendous difficulty asking the question.
For once, Xue Bao Tian did not run his mouth. He only shook his head gently.
Yan Ye’s heart seemed to be beating very fast. Whatever internal struggle he was having, he gave the scar a couple of absentminded rubs, satisfied his craving, then pulled Xue Bao Tian’s clothes back into place.
When the light came on, the sudden brightness dragged Xue Bao Tian’s hazy mind back. He could still feel Yan Ye’s “strength,” yet the man abruptly changed the subject. “Be more cautious around Tong Yan from now on. Sheng Yu can use him too easily.”
“What happened?” Xue Bao Tian’s brain came back online. “Why are those two still tangled up with each other?”
Yan Ye briefly told him what he had overheard while hiding behind the shrubbery, placing special emphasis on one detail. “Sheng Yu said Tong Yan’s waist strength isn’t very good.”
Xue Bao Tian wore an expression that clearly said I knew it, then scoffed. “It’s not like I’m after that bit of waist strength from him.” Left hanging midway, he raised his eyelids, pressed closer to Yan Ye, and spoke provocatively. “I fucking have waist strength myself. Once we get into bed, who’s on top and who’s underneath still isn’t settled.”
Yan Ye fell silent for a moment, then pushed Xue Bao Tian away and began undoing his own buttons. He had always been coy and hesitant, but now he was suddenly straightforward. Summer clothes were thin, and in the blink of an eye, he had stripped himself bare.
“Top or bottom, I can do either. Choose me. Master Xue decides.”
Xue Bao Tian froze slightly, then turned his head and burst out laughing. He took a cigarette from the chest of drawers, put it between his lips, and cursed with a smile, “Little idiot.”
Smoke slowly spread through the air. Beneath the incandescent light, Yan Ye’s body looked like a blade capable of cutting through gold and jade. Xue Bao Tian examined him inch by inch through the smoke, then finally reached out and tugged on the wushi pendant. “What ridiculous scheme is Sheng Yu cooking up now?”
Xue Bao Tian wound the cord around one finger, forcing Yan Ye to lean down slightly. “Recently, he’s been making a lot of moves in private. He seems a little too eager for quick results.”
“He sees you gradually getting established and he’s getting anxious?”
“I’m investigating him. I won’t let him succeed.”
“Need my help with anything?” Xue Bao Tian asked, cigarette between his fingers.
Yan Ye looked at him for a long moment before slowly pulling him closer. “There is one thing I can’t do by myself. I need Master Xue’s help.”
“What?”
A gentle kiss landed beside his lips. “Teach me how to pursue you.”
“What?”
“Two Hundred, teach me how to pursue you.”
“Fuck, can you be any lazier?”
Yan Ye kissed him, but did not deepen it. “Everything I know, you taught me. You have to take responsibility to the end.”
The cigarette between Xue Bao Tian’s fingers had been forgotten for some time. His Adam’s apple moved slowly as he instructed in a low voice, “Call me Baobao. Let me hear it.”
Yan Ye froze. “Don’t you dislike that?”
“Just say it.”
His voice was low and suppressed. “Baobao.”
“Mm.”
That soft, slow response cut through the night and dropped a tiny stone into the lake of Yan Ye’s heart, yet the ripples became towering waves.
He suddenly swept Xue Bao Tian into his arms, teeth clenched tightly. “Baobao, I was planning not to touch you while I pursued you.”
Xue Bao Tian flicked away his cigarette butt and looked at him lightly. “So?”
Yan Ye abruptly bent down, slung Xue Bao Tian over his shoulder, and reached the bedroom in a few long strides.
“So, I changed my mind.”