Chapter 40: Entanglement
Jiang Yunian walked with a stiff back, his spine pulled taut as a bowstring. His gaze shifted erratically as he moved, vigilantly sweeping over every corner. It wasn’t until he saw the streetlamps at the entrance of his residential complex that the tension silently released.
He told Jiang Yan to go home and prepare dinner first while he went to the supermarket, claiming they were out of soy sauce.
In reality, he didn’t go to buy soy sauce; he went straight to the security booth.
Since the stalker had targeted him early on and knew his whereabouts and information like the back of his hand, it couldn’t be limited to just the school. The person must have thoroughly scoped out the places he frequented. If they had been here, they would inevitably leave traces.
He asked the familiar old security guard if there had been any outsiders entering or leaving the complex recently. The guard, smoking a pipe and listening to a tune, shook his head and said he had no impression; there were too many people coming and going inside and out, so he didn’t have the leisure to pay attention to that.
Jiang Yunian didn’t rush. He went to the small shop next door and bought a pack of cigarettes. The shop proprietress teased him about “learning bad habits” when she saw him buying cigarettes, saying that Liqun cigarettes were strong and telling him to take it easy. Jiang Yunian just smiled, paid without saying much, and returned to the security booth. He handed the cigarettes to the old man and chatted for a bit, lying that his phone had been stolen recently and asking if he could do him a favor by checking the surveillance footage to see if he could find the thief.
The security guard glanced at the item in his handāit was Liqun. He coughed twice and silently tucked it into his pocket. Hooking his thumb toward the monitor behind him, he told Jiang Yunian to look for himself, but to be quick about it.
“Okay.”
The security booth wasn’t large; a surveillance monitor, a long table, and a wooden chair with a backrest were about all there was.
Jiang Yunian quickly pulled up the surveillance footage from the past two months. Just as the guard had said, there were simply too many people and vehicles coming and going. With the two streets surrounding his home, trying to find a few sneaky figures in broad daylight was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He shifted the time to night. Aside from school hours, he only entered or left the complex late when returning from tutoring jobs, usually between 9:30 and 10:30 PM, or occasionally later for club activities or gatherings.
At night, apart from people taking walks after dinner, there were hardly any shadows in the complex. He scrolled further back, but the result was the same. Just as he was about to give up, surveillance footage from midnight one day a month and a half ago caught his attention. In the video, Jiang Yan came out of the stairwell and got into a black business car with an obscured license plate.
At that time, Jiang Yan would occasionally go out in the middle of the night, saying he was with classmates, like Zhou Shu. Jiang Yunian hadn’t thought much of it then, but upon further inspection, he found that the black car appeared more than onceābasically once a week. This model of business car looked low-key, but it was rare to see one used for ride-hailing services.
Jiang Yunian frowned slightly, wondering when Jiang Yan and Zhou Shu had become so close that Zhou Shu would send a car specifically to pick him up.
After Jiang Yan took it upon himself to expose Zhang Hao’s scandal last time, coupled with Zhou Shu’s hypocritical behavior toward He Qing, Jiang Yunian increasingly felt that this playboy Zhou Shu was not a good person. With Jiang Yan getting so close to him, it was inevitable he would be led astray. If Zhou Shu didn’t have a fiancĆ©e, he would almost suspect an unspeakable relationship between them. Maybe Jiang Yan’s sexual orientation had been led astray by Zhou Shu.
After searching for a long time with no other results and the sky turning dark, the security guard started shooing him away. clearly, “LG” was one step ahead. Jiang Yunian’s hope of finding clues in the surveillance footage was temporarily dashed, and he had to make other plans.
When he returned home, Jiang Yan had already made dinner. Seeing him return empty-handed, he asked, “Where’s the soy sauce?”
Jiang Yunian blinked. “Forgot it.”
Jiang Yan said it didn’t matter, noting that what they had at home wasn’t used up yet, so there was no rush to buy new. He told him to wash his hands first.
With matters weighing on his mind, Jiang Yunian was absent-minded even while eating. Seeing him eating only plain rice, Jiang Yan asked, “Does the food I made not suit Ge’s appetite?”
He snapped back to reality and shoveled another mouthful of white rice, looking a bit dazed. “It’s quite delicious.”
“Is that so? Then why does Ge keep eating rice without touching the dishes?”
Only then did Jiang Yunian start picking at the dishes. Jiang Yan stared at him fixedly for a few seconds, then skillfully served him his favorite foods, piling them high while asking seemingly casually, “Where did Ge go just now? You were gone for so long.”
Jiang Yunian hesitated for a moment, then avoided the heavy issues to dwell on the light, saying the old security guard asked him to help buy cigarettes. Since he didn’t smoke, he had to search for a long time.
Jiang Yan: “What cigarettes?”
Jiang Yunian: “Liqun.”
Jiang Yan looked at his lowered eyes, showing no emotion. He leaned in close to sniff at his neck, only pulling away after confirming there was no smell of smoke.
“En, didn’t learn bad habits.”
“How could I…” Jiang Yunian muttered softly. You’re the one who shouldn’t learn bad habits.
“What about me?” Jiang Yan keenly caught a few words.
Jiang Yunian raised his chin and asked, “You and that Zhou Shu…”
Jiang Yan’s expression paused, waiting for him to continue.
“When did you get so familiar? He even sends a car specifically to pick you up to go play.”
Private pick-up and drop-off; the relationship was better than he had imagined.
That was treatment usually reserved for a fiancƩe.
He mumbled, “Going out so late, don’t do anything bad.”
Jiang Yan composed his expression and asked how he knew. Jiang Yunian buried his head in his meal, saying the security guard saw it, and Auntie Wang had mentioned it too.
“Just friends,” Jiang Yan relaxed his eyelids, recovering his composure. “He insisted I go along, I couldn’t refuse.”
Someone with power and influence like Zhou Shu… gaining his favor was indeed not easy, not to mention no one dared to offend him.
Jiang Yunian nodded. His own problems weren’t solved yet; he didn’t have the mind to think too much about it.
This state of restlessness lasted until night; thinking about it for a long time yielded no clues. Jiang Yunian groggily grabbed his pajamas to take a shower. Thinking no one was inside, he pushed open the door only to see Jiang Yan with his back to him. The shower wasn’t on, and one hand was placed in front of his body, seemingly…
Jiang Yunian froze. Stumbling upon such a thing was awkward. Jiang Yan slowly turned his head, his cloudy eyes lifting gently to meet Jiang Yunian’s frozen gaze. Unhurriedly, he said, “Shower?”
As he spoke, he slowly turned around, openly displaying everything in the bright light. He took a few steps forward and pulled him in. “Let’s do it together.”
“No…” Jiang Yunian was forcibly pressed against the wall, his back feeling a bit cold. He didn’t know where to look, yet his hand was grabbed by the other, forcing him to face everything before him.
“Ge hasn’t helped me in a long time.” Jiang Yan’s scorching breath sprayed against his ear. “It misses you.”
Jiang Yunian shrank his hand back, resisting silently.
“Not allowed again?” The floating light in Jiang Yan’s eyes dimmed, his tone filled with disappointment.
Jiang Yunian’s eyes wavered slightly. Looking at his uncomfortable and slightly aggrieved expression, his heart caved in uncontrollably. Jiang Yan pressed the advantage. “Ge…”
Jiang Yunian opened his mouth, then closed it. He shouldn’t. He shouldn’t do these out-of-line things anymore, especially after what happened last night…
“Nnh…”
His ear was suddenly touched by something soft. Jiang Yunian trembled uncontrollably as a low voice took the opportunity to drill into his ear, seizing his consciousness.
“Didn’t Ge say we are brothers?”
“It really feels terrible, do you have the heart to watch?”
“Help me, consider it saving a life…”
Over and over, bewildering him, making him unable to say yes or no, simply standing there dazed as his hand was guided slowly downward.
Just as they were about to touch, a noise suddenly came from outside the window. A wild cat jumped past, letting out a cry. Jiang Yunian was startled awake. This scene instantly reminded him of the school restroom; maybe “LG” was watching his every move from some corner right now. He couldn’t let his guard down again.
“No, I can’t!” Jiang Yunian immediately yanked his hand back and squeezed out of the confinement with lightning speed.
“Ge.”
Jiang Yunian’s figure paused, hand gripping the turned doorknob. After a moment of silence, he heard a hurt voice from behind.
“This is the third time Ge has pushed me away today.”
Jiang Yunian’s hand tightened abruptly, then released weakly. He couldn’t tell him about the threat for now, fearing he would drag Jiang Yan into it. He could only harden his heart and say, “I… I still have clothes I didn’t grab. I’ll come back when you’re done.”
The door closed gently, the gap narrowing inch by inch, shutting the dark expression inside into the shadows.
Jiang Yunian locked the door and leaned against it, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. No, he couldn’t sit and wait for death; he had to find this stalker, or he wouldn’t be able to live like a normal person anymore.
Judging from the other party’s tone, he was sure he hadn’t interacted with such a person around him, but it could also be a disguise. Jiang Yunian went through the people he knew and those he had offended in his mind again. He was usually honest and well-behaved, had good grades, and was popular. Because of his looks, he was somewhat famous in the department, so the possibility of being liked or envied by the same sex couldn’t be ruled out.
First, he thought of Zhang Hao, who fit the conditions.
He was currently suspended and at home; he had ample possibility in terms of time and motive. And having known him for so long, finding out his personal information wouldn’t be hard.
But on second thought, it felt unlikely. LG had already targeted him before Zhang Hao’s incident. Even if Zhang Hao hated him, there was no need to disguise himself as gay to approach a straight man. He had neither the patience nor the brains.
Moreover, if it really were Zhang Hao, with his bone-deep hatred, he would have exposed the leverage immediately upon catching it to get revenge. It was impossible for him to play the long game and do things that hurt himself as much as the enemy.
It only showed that this person didn’t have a grudge against him, but… really liked him!
Jiang Yunian felt a chill of revulsion in his heart. He had never imagined that same-sex affection could be so terrifying.
In comparison, Jiang Yan made him feel much, much more comfortable.
At this moment, his phone rang abruptly, interrupting his thoughts.
[Asleep?]
[Showing Wifey something]
Jiang Yunian frowned. What madness is it now?
The other side sent a photo of him, obviously taken secretly again. In the dim light, his features were blurry, but a wet patch was faintly visible on his face. The sticky liquid didn’t look like water, but more like…
Jiang Yunian closed his eyes, truly unable to look.
Pervert.
[Endured for a long time]
[Pity Wifey won’t let me touch]
[I’ll let you feel it personally another day]
…
[Why aren’t you talking?]
Jiang Yunian pressed his lips together, forcing down the churning in his stomach, trying his best not to look at that filthy photo.
[It’s late, go to sleep, we have class tomorrow]
[Is Wifey caring about me?]
A few seconds later, Jiang Yunian replied with a period.
[Then Wifey kiss me once]
Jiang Yunian felt a sense of powerlessness from being coerced. He had never had such an intimate conversation with a man. Even those transgressive contacts with Jiang Yan carried an unspeakable sentiment; at least he could feel the other’s thoughtfulness and respect, completely different from this irrational behavior.
He felt like a civilian man kidnapped by banditsāeven though he was unwilling in every way, he had to pretend to comply to survive in the bandit’s den.
[(Kiss)]
On the other end of the phone, seeing the abrupt and cute emoji on the screen, Jiang Yan imagined his Ge must be frowning right now, face full of reluctance yet forced to comply. The displeasure accumulated from being pushed away repeatedly was strangely smoothed out a bit by this perfunctory emoji.
His Ge… really could bend and stretch. So cute he wanted to mess him up even more.
[Wifey is so good, kiss kiss (heart)]
Jiang Yunian rubbed the goosebumps on his arm. Men could be quite mushy when in heat.
He looked at the glaring red heart, a sense of desolation surging in his heart.
He didn’t know how long this pervert would entangle him. This suspended threat, like the Sword of Damocles, kept his heart taut and unable to find peace.
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