Two thin black straps were fastened around Lu Congzhi’s thighs, attached to metal clips that held the hem of his shirt neatly in place.
The straps gripped his smooth, pale thighs so tightly that the soft flesh dipped beneath them. His muscles were lean and firm, yet his legs also had rounded, full curves, beautifully proportioned. With those two straps in place, his long legs looked even more provocative.
Zhou Ming had never seen anyone dressed like that and shyly looked away.
Song Xiuzhu frowned slightly, making his distaste plain.
Lin Yuan stared and asked, “Lu Congzhi, what are those indecent things? Were you really interning at a factory?”
He suspected Lu Congzhi had taken up some disreputable occupation. He’d heard there were plenty of male prostitutes in Dongguang Province.
“If your mouth’s filthy, I can wash it out with water from the squat toilet,” Lu Congzhi shot back without a shred of courtesy.
He’d worked in the clothing industry in his previous life, running a luxury label no less, and he held himself to exacting standards of dress. Weren’t shirt stays an essential part of wearing formal clothes?
Yu Binbin stood up, rolling up his sleeves. “Brother, I’ll wash it out for him. No need to dirty your hands.”
Yu Binbin was tall, broad, and extremely strong. Lin Yuan lost his nerve.
Wen Rui looked away without a word, but the image refused to leave his mind.
He knew perfectly well those were shirt stays, entirely respectable accessories. His elder brother wore them to formal occasions. But when a different person wore them, the effect was completely different.
With that thought, Wen Rui raised his eyes for another glance before looking down and turning a page of the contract. His lips felt dry, so he lifted his glass and drank, looking perfectly calm and natural.
Song Xiuzhu shot him a quick glance. Only when he saw that Wen Rui seemed entirely unaffected did his tight frown ease. In Song Xiuzhu’s eyes, Wen Rui’s sexual orientation was abnormal, so he never undressed in the dormitory; even after showering, he’d dress completely in the bathroom before coming out.
But Lu Congzhi didn’t know that. After his internship and his exposure to the wider world, he’d shed all his inhibitions. He’d never worn anything like this before. His underwear was the bullet-pouch style. It looked so…
Song Xiuzhu looked away, feeling deeply uncomfortable. What decent person dressed like that? With that thought, he glanced at Wen Rui again.
Wen Rui was still looking through the contract, holding his glass and taking a sip now and then. He seemed completely indifferent to Lu Congzhi.
Song Xiuzhu relaxed, but he couldn’t resist warning him. “Lu Congzhi, put your clothes on properly.”
Lu Congzhi ignored him and went to the desk to check his messages. He’d meant to change into a comfortable pair of casual trousers, but since Song Xiuzhu found the sight indecent, he simply wouldn’t put any on.
He planted himself on the desk and leisurely replied to his texts, his long legs unable to stretch out because of the bunk bed opposite.
Wen Rui’s desk stood beside his. Right now, the two were very close together.
Lu Congzhi’s pale, supple buttocks pressed against the desktop, soft flesh bunching slightly and turning faintly pink within arm’s reach. Wen Rui frowned; his breathing grew uneven. The sheer force of Lu Congzhi’s presence had gone far beyond what he could withstand.
Lu Congzhi tapped Wen Rui on the shoulder with a fingertip.
Almost instinctively, every muscle in Wen Rui’s body tensed. Lu Congzhi was the most dangerous person in this dormitory. The realization suddenly struck him.
“Can I rest my foot on your bed?” Lu Congzhi pointed to the bunk. “Don’t worry, I won’t step on your sheets. I’ll use the ladder.”
The ladder was meant to be stepped on, so naturally Wen Rui didn’t object. He nodded, and when he spoke, his voice was exceedingly hoarse. “Step wherever you like.”
Lu Congzhi kicked off his Oxford shoes. Wearing black mid-calf socks, he bent a long leg and rested his foot on the ladder. The cuff pressed a shallow groove into his calf, the flesh bulging gently above it. It was unbearably sexy.
Wen Rui no longer had any control over his gaze. Unable to help himself, he turned sideways and presented his back to Lu Congzhi.
Lu Congzhi found a message from Li Yan arranging to meet the following afternoon. He didn’t know what the man wanted to discuss, but it was probably much as he’d guessed.
Whenever something bad had happened to him at university, such as losing a hardship-aid place to someone else or being denied permission by a professor to take a second major, Li Yan would text promptly and help him resolve the problem.
Now he understood. It wasn’t that Li Yan had extraordinary powers. Wen Rui had been looking after him behind the scenes all along.
All right, then. I’m sticking with you this time. Lu Congzhi glanced at the back of Wen Rui’s head and smiled faintly.
He replied to Li Yan. [See you tomorrow, Brother Yan.]
Then he went through his other messages, giving each an appropriate response. Yu Binbin’s father wanted to know whether he’d settled in. Davis asked whether he’d like to speak onstage the following evening. A business broker wanted to know when he’d register his company. A real-estate agent asked which area he wanted to find a place in. He’d been incredibly busy lately.
At last, after replying to everything, he switched off his phone, removed the memory card, and instructed, “Binbin, get out my new phone.”
Yu Binbin immediately opened the suitcase and took out an elegant box containing a Nokia 8850. It was a new model this year, with a metal body and a distinctly futuristic design, and cost more than ten thousand yuan.
Advertisements for the phone were everywhere. Owning one seemed to have become a symbol of high status.
Lin Yuan’s eyes went red with envy. Remembering the report he’d filed earlier, he sneered again.
Song Xiuzhu glanced at the phone and pretended not to care. He never displayed any material desire in front of Wen Rui.
Zhou Ming spoke his mind. “Lu Congzhi, did you strike it rich?”
Lu Congzhi merely smiled mysteriously without answering. He brushed his faintly pink knee against Wen Rui’s arm. “What’s your phone number?”
Wen Rui went rigid. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he recited a string of numbers in a deep voice. “139XXXXXXXX.”
Lu Congzhi gently swung his leg, his knee repeatedly grazing Wen Rui’s arm as he slowly entered the number. Wen Rui neither moved away nor said a word about it. He simply drank a few calm mouthfuls of water.
That’s how straight men are. If I pulled away, I’d be the one acting strangely.
“I remember Binbin’s number,” Lu Congzhi murmured, fingers tapping rapidly at the phone’s keypad.
Binbin. Such an affectionate way to address someone. Wen Rui couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering.
“Zhou Ming, what’s your number?” Lu Congzhi called out.
Zhou Ming recited a string of digits.
Lu Congzhi entered them, then stood up and tossed the expensive phone onto the desk as casually as anything. He undid the shirt stays one clip at a time and removed the two black straps.
After being bound all day, the flesh of his thighs was ringed in red, standing out vividly against the smooth whiteness around it. The marks made it look as though he’d been violated, lending the sight a touch of cruelty and an unspoken, veiled erotic heat.
The suggestive sight was nearly more than Wen Rui could bear. Yet he had no right to demand that Lu Congzhi maintain perfect decorum even in the dormitory. Straight men behaved like this in private.
Lu Congzhi tossed the shirt stays to Yu Binbin. “Wash these for me.”
“You got it, Brother Lu. When you’ve finished showering, give me your clothes and trousers too. I’ll wash them.” Yu Binbin was like a great obedient dog.
“Are you an idiot? Designer clothes can’t be hand-washed. Take off your clothes and trousers. I’ll take everything to the dry cleaner’s tomorrow.”
“Oh, right. Got it.” Yu Binbin was a rich kid, but his family’s assets only amounted to a few million at most. He’d never worn top luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or Hermès. Only thanks to Lu Congzhi had his father bought him several outfits this time.
He stripped off his clothes and trousers, took out a set of casual clothes from the suitcase, and put them on.
He was sturdily built, with bulging pectorals, but Wen Rui remained completely unaffected.
Standing beside Wen Rui, Lu Congzhi took off his shirt, revealing a body that wasn’t heavily muscled but certainly had plenty to show. His pectorals were clearly defined, six abdominal muscles faintly visible, the V-lines at his hips deep, and his waist so thin and narrow a single hand could encircle it.
Wen Rui resorted to drinking water as a tactical maneuver. At some point his glass had emptied; he sucked in a little air, paused in surprise, then walked over to the thermos to refill it.
With his back to Lu Congzhi, he quietly let out a breath.
Straight men are like this. They don’t give a damn whether anyone else lives or dies.
Wen Rui truly wanted to know what had happened to Lu Congzhi to produce such a tremendous change. He just hoped the man hadn’t fallen under a bad influence and gone astray.
Yu Binbin tossed him some casual clothes, which Lu Congzhi put on unhurriedly. The white T-shirt looked fresh, while the loose gray cotton trousers gave him an easy, languid air, yet somehow drew particular attention to his crotch.
Lu Congzhi had plenty to show off and had never hidden it. In his previous life he’d turned cheap street-stall goods into a top luxury brand; naturally, his eye for clothing was exceptional.
Lin Yuan stared at him and asked irritably, “Lu Congzhi, aren’t you going to ask for my number and Song Xiuzhu’s?”
Lu Congzhi gave a lazy smile. “There’s no need.”
“Why not? There are six of us in this dorm, and we’re the only two you didn’t ask. What’s that supposed to mean?” Lin Yuan grew even angrier.
Song Xiuzhu didn’t mind in the least. If Lu Congzhi had asked for his number, that would have made him uncomfortable. He glanced over and called softly, “A-Yuan.”
Lin Yuan gave a snort and fell silent.
Wen Rui turned to look at them. He suddenly realized that Song Xiuzhu controlled Lin Yuan almost as thoroughly as a master training a dog. When it came to manipulating people’s hearts, Song Xiuzhu seemed unusually talented.
Sensing Wen Rui’s scrutiny, Song Xiuzhu panicked inwardly. He’d already noticed that Wen Rui had lately seemed to be examining his every action through a magnifying glass. The change made him deeply uneasy.
Yu Binbin snorted. “Lin Yuan, you’re green with envy. He’s right not to ask you.”
Lin Yuan didn’t argue. Yu Binbin’s family had money, and he didn’t dare provoke him.
Lu Congzhi didn’t mind taking it a step further. He retrieved two gift boxes from his suitcase and handed them to Wen Rui and Zhou Ming.
“Here. These are for you.”
Zhou Ming was overwhelmed by the unexpected honor and hurriedly said, “Thank you.”
Wen Rui held his box, somewhat surprised. “I get one too?”
Before, Lu Congzhi had always kept a respectful distance from him and barely said a word to him on an ordinary day. This sudden change brought a strange, unexpected happiness.
“People I like get gifts.” Lu Congzhi smiled gently.
That was quite the pointed remark. He’d all but pointed directly at Song Xiuzhu and Lin Yuan and announced, “I don’t like the look of you two. What about it?”
After being provoked again and again, even Song Xiuzhu couldn’t keep up his act any longer. He raised his head, his expression dark.
But Wen Rui said with genuine sincerity, “I’m very happy to receive your gift.”
Lu Congzhi waved him off casually, thinking to himself, Showing different people different treatment really is a powerful way to win someone’s favor. If you’re nice to everyone, you won’t make any real friends.