Chapter 11: Mumble mumble.
Qi En slowly lowered his head, avoiding their scrutinizing gazes.
He still wasn’t used to being watched by so many people.
He could only grip the bag in his hand tighter to alleviate some of the awkwardness.
I really want to leave.
What if I just admit I’m broke? Would they let me go then?
Just then, he heard the man standing in front of him say, “You guys head back first. I have something to take care of.”
Qi En looked up, meeting the man’s gaze.
So cold.
This guy must be the top earner among the scalpers; he wouldn’t even let a poor guy like him off the hook, wanting to hog the commission all to himself.
Qi En clutched the bag hidden behind him even tighter.
Once those people left, silence finally returned.
Qi En relaxed slightly, no longer as tense.
“How are you getting back?”
“Huh?”
“The light rail has stopped running by now.”
So he had seen his phone screen earlier.
“Shall I drive you home?”
Qi En’s eyes instantly went round as saucers, scanning Cheng Xun from head to toe.
It seemed even the cowlick atop his head trembled in shock.
Cheng Xun tilted his head slightly, awaiting his answer.
Full of vigilance, Qi En replied, “No. Need.”
“It’s hard to get a taxi at this hour.” Cheng Xun glanced at Qi En’s short-sleeved shirt, slightly dampened by sweat, the fabric clinging to reveal a hint of skin. “It’s dangerous for you to wait here. The club is closing soon, and there will be a lot of drunks around.”
Reminded of this, Qi En realized he could just hail a ride home.
“I’ll try to hail a car.”
He took out his phone and opened the ride-hailing app.
One second it was the homepage, the next, the phone died.
“…”
Qi En froze. He held down the power button.
A red low-battery symbol appeared, accompanied by an icon of a charging cable.
Qi En’s voice sounded a bit pitiful: “My phone’s dead…”
In reality, it was just because he spoke softly.
Cheng Xun raised an eyebrow. “Sure you don’t want me to drive you?”
To Qi En, his attitude sounded like a provocation.
But what could he do? If this scalper wanted to try anything funny, he couldn’t even call the police.
Not daring to anger the man, he said, “You’ve been drinking, you can’t drive.”
“I haven’t been drinking.”
“Who comes here and doesn’t drink…” Qi En muttered under his breath.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I’m going to borrow a charging cable from someone.”
Cheng Xun didn’t react.
He just stood there, watching Qi En with an amused, leisurely expression.
That look seemed to say, Go ahead, let’s see if you can actually borrow one.
Qi En suddenly felt a stubborn urge to prove him wrong. It was originally just an excuse to get away, but now he really intended to find someone to lend him a cable.
He randomly grabbed someone coming out of the club.
He had carefully selected this person: young, didn’t seem too drunk, and was carrying a satchel.
Plus, he was very skinny and looked weak. That meant low combat power. Safe.
His skin was inked with many pretty patterns and small animals.
Clearly a person who loved life and nature.
Oh right, he also had colorful hair.
Very pretty.
The same type of “good person” as Kai Xingwen.
The colorful man turned around. “Yo, brother, what do you need?”
But before Qi En could speak, he was yanked back, only managing to let out a small “Hey.”
The rainbow-haired guy glanced over. He was about to speak to Qi En when his gaze shifted upward. He froze for a moment, then immediately turned and walked away fast.
Qi En was getting a little unhappy.
Why did this scalper keep causing him trouble?
He was just about to settle the score with the scalper when he heard him ask, “Why were you looking for that kind of… never mind.”
Qi En was confused.
He forgot to be angry for a moment.
“I’ll hail a ride for you.”
Qi En didn’t agree immediately. He thought about it for a while before nodding.
He added a stipulation: “Fine, but you have to use a legitimate app.”
“Okay.” Cheng Xun thought Qi En was worried about ride-share safety. He said, “If you’re worried about me driving after drinking, I can take the taxi with you. I’ll see you home, then come back here to pick up my car.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Qi En’s eyes darted away evasively.
Cheng Xun paused. Finally, he understood—Qi En was worried that he was the dangerous one.
After a moment of silence, he said, “I’ll lend you my phone to call the car. I won’t go with you. Be safe on the road.”
“Phew, okay.”
Qi En’s relief was too obvious, making Cheng Xun fall even more silent.
Was this about the five hundred yuan from earlier?
He had thought that was Qi En’s way of expressing interest.
They say when you like someone, you give them your things. For instance, Cheng Xun’s way of showing affection was giving money. He had assumed Qi En was the same…
Qi En was using his phone to hail a ride.
Head bowed, his index finger tapping the screen with great seriousness.
Cheng Xun wanted to talk to him but held back.
After all, Qi En seemed to think he was a bad guy.
He noticed Qi En pausing for a long time on the page selecting the vehicle type and price.
Carpooling was over fifty, a regular car was over sixty.
Cheng Xun didn’t ask if he was done; instead, he fixed his gaze on Qi En’s expression, waiting for him to speak up first.
After a while, just as the screen was about to dim, Qi En looked up and asked, “Can that five hundred yuan cover the cab fare?”
“What?” Cheng Xun asked.
Qi En thought he was trying to back out of the deal, so he raised his voice: “If it can’t, then I won’t come back next time.”
“You’re coming back next time?” Cheng Xun asked.
Qi En: I’m done for. I’m going to be marked.
Cheng Xun didn’t know what possessed him, but he decided not to delve into the true meaning behind the five hundred yuan for now.
He told Qi En, “Five hundred doesn’t cover the fare.”
Qi En looked disappointed. “But I don’t have any cash left, and my phone can’t transfer money.”
Cheng Xun: “Then use something else as collateral for the fare.”
Cheating me out of the entry fee wasn’t enough, now he wants to cheat me out of the cab fare too.
“What do you want?” Qi En hid the bag behind him again.
Who knew Cheng Xun didn’t care about Qi En’s “milk tea” at all.
He was just about to ask for Qi En’s private contact information.
Just then, Qi En spoke up. “Oh, I know.”
Cheng Xun didn’t say it. Instead, he watched Qi En’s clumsy movements.
Qi En hung the bag on his arm and lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a glimpse of his porcelain-white stomach.
He reached into the pocket of his shorts, pulling the waistband down slightly as he dug for something.
Cheng Xun’s gaze darkened, and he looked away.
It wasn’t until a sugary sweet scent wafted to his nose that he lowered his eyes again.
Qi En was holding a handful of candies, offering them to Cheng Xun. “Is this enough?”
The candies had been warmed by the heat of Qi En’s thigh, melting slightly from hard to soft.
The cooked sugary sweetness wafted up, rushing straight to the head.
“…I really don’t have any more money. I gave you five hundred already, that was all my cash.”
Qi En told a little white lie, hoping to awaken the unscrupulous scalper’s conscience.
Cheng Xun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t look at the candy, but at Qi En.
Qi En’s arm was getting tired. “…You don’t want them?”
“This…” Cheng Xun remained silent on purpose. Qi En’s eyes immediately widened further, oozing with an expectation hot enough to burn. He even unconsciously leaned forward, his hand practically shoving the candy into Cheng Xun’s mouth.
Seeing Cheng Xun’s lack of reaction, Qi En felt disappointed and started to retract his hand.
The next second, his wrist was caught.
A spark of joy reignited in Qi En’s eyes.
“I’ll take them.” Cheng Xun took the candy from his hand, and in the process, lightly scratched the boy’s palm.
Qi En didn’t notice Cheng Xun’s little action. He wiped his palm on his clothes, stifling a laugh, his mind chanting Profit! Profit!
Cheng Xun hailed a regular car for him, costing over sixty.
Carpooling was cheap, but unsafe. “Premium” was expensive, but easy to get.
Qi En: “Where’s the car? Did you get one?”
He stood on tiptoes, trying to peek at Cheng Xun’s phone.
Cheng Xun showed him the screen, which still displayed “Contacting driver…”
Meanwhile, Cheng Xun’s thumb covered a line of text:
“Request cancelled and restarted. Wait time: 00:08.”
“Oh, okay.” Qi En crouched down, placing the bag on the side furthest from Cheng Xun.
A moment later, Cheng Xun asked, “Tired? It looks like we won’t find a car.”
Qi En: “Oh…”
Cheng Xun: “Can you drive? I can lend you my car.”
Qi En: “No…”
Cheng Xun: “Then shall I drive you?”
Qi En didn’t refuse immediately.
Cheng Xun added, “If we wait any longer, it’ll be past midnight. It’s even harder to get a car then, drivers go home to rest.”
Qi En: “Alright then…”
Cheng Xun: “Hm?”
Qi En: “You drive me…”
“Okay. Wait here, I’ll go get the car.”
As he spoke, Cheng Xun handed his phone to Qi En. “Can you hold my phone for me?”
Qi En didn’t understand why he couldn’t carry a single phone himself, but he took it anyway, adding, “I won’t mess with your phone.”
“Mn, I know.”
Cheng Xun went to get the car.
A thought suddenly popped into Qi En’s head: Should I use this chance to ditch the scalper and run?
But the problem was, his phone was dead, and he couldn’t get a cab.
Plus, he was holding the guy’s phone.
What if he gave the phone to the security guard and left?
Qi En suddenly realized something.
It’s a trap!
If Qi En did that, he’d be playing right into the scalper’s hands!
The scalper could get the phone back from the guard, claim he never received it, and frame Qi En for losing it.
Then he’d demand compensation from Qi En as the “owner”!
So devious!
The outside world was truly too treacherous!
Cheng Xun pulled the car up and stopped in front of Qi En.
The club security guard stepped forward to open the passenger door for Qi En.
Qi En thanked the guard. Once inside, his smile vanished instantly.
“Here’s your phone back.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Check it. I didn’t touch your phone. It didn’t even lose a single percent of battery.”
“Okay.” Cheng Xun curled his lip, taking a symbolic glance at the screen that hadn’t even been unlocked.
“Your home is at Zone B-589, Fengshang Waterfront, right?”
“Mn.”
Cheng Xun set the navigation. Suddenly, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned sideways, his shadow looming over.
Qi En instinctively leaned away.
“Don’t move.”
Cheng Xun’s breath brushed past Qi En’s ear, carrying a faint scent of cologne.
Qi En, having been inside for so long, was soaked in the smell of alcohol from the club.
He worried the man would be repulsed by the smell on him. He shrugged his shoulders, so nervous he forgot to breathe.
Cheng Xun’s arm reached across Qi En’s chest, grabbing the safety belt on the right.
His fingers brushed against Qi En’s clothing.
Amidst the soft rustle of fabric, Cheng Xun’s movement paused for half a second.
Qi En tensed up.
Though he didn’t even know what he was nervous about.
Click. After the belt was buckled, Cheng Xun sat back.
Qi En’s airways finally opened up, and he let out a long breath.
As Cheng Xun drove, he watched Qi En in the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye.
He sat very properly, hands resting on his thighs, arms encircling the bulging milk tea bag.
His shorts were a bit short, revealing a pair of legs that were porcelain white and well-proportioned, yet possessed a soft, healthy fleshiness.
It seemed he used a slimming filter when filming videos.
But he looked even better in reality.
Recalling the tactile sensation from earlier, Cheng Xun asked casually, “Do you like fabrics with a distressed finish?”
“What?”
Qi En turned to look at Cheng Xun. His side profile was actually quite handsome—high nose bridge, deep-set brow bone. No wonder he was a scalper.
What did Brother D say earlier?
Was the term “male model”?
That means a male model, right?
Also, this scalper had very long eyelashes.
Thinking this, Qi En touched his own eyelashes.
He made his eyes itch and had to rub them.
Cheng Xun slowed the car down slightly and adjusted the air conditioning vents upwards.
Cheng Xun: “I mean, the fabric of your clothes.”
The white fabric was a bit sheer, with a layer of fine fuzz on the surface.
It felt comfortable to the touch, and through the thin material, he could feel the warmth of the body beneath.
Qi En didn’t know about “distressed finish,” but he understood the implication.
This guy was saying his clothes were old.
Qi En lowered his eyes, bit his lower lip, crossed his hands under the bag, and secretly gripped the hem of his shirt tightly.
Qi En suddenly stopped talking, which Cheng Xun found odd.
Taking advantage of a red light, he turned to look.
His gaze lingered downwards.
It wasn’t until the light turned green and the cars behind him honked that he withdrew his gaze, looking thoughtful.
Qi En was simply too tired, and coupled with Cheng Xun’s smooth driving, he fell asleep.
“We’re here.”
“I’ll drop you off here.”
Receiving no response, he turned to find Qi En fast asleep.
His head was tilted slightly against the window, eyelashes trembling gently with his breath. His lips were relaxed and closed, occasionally letting out a soft “mn” in his dream, like the peeping of a small chick.
His fingertips, tinged with a faint pink, peeked out from under the bag.
Outside the car window, the warm glow of the residential complex’s streetlamps reflected on his face, plating his sleeping features with a soft halo.
Cheng Xun placed his hand on Qi En, intending to shake him awake, but then changed his mind.
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