Chapter 18: Angering Me Won’t Benefit You
Jiang Su fell silent.
He always believed that relationships were a matter of two people.
Love or lack thereof, happiness or pain, it was all between two people.
Huo Qingyan’s coldness and distance caused him pain, yet he accepted it.
But he forgot that those who cared for him would also suffer because of it.
“Just don’t worry about it. Big Brother has his limits; just take care of yourself.”
Someone called for Jiang Lichuan on the other end of the phone. Jiang Lichuan hastily said “Goodbye” and hung up.
Jiang Su heard the click of the disconnected call before slowly putting his phone back in his pocket.
Shortly after, the car stopped at the villa entrance.
Jiang Su paid the driver and, upon getting out, saw Huo Qingyan’s Maybach.
He checked the time.
Eleven o’clock. Huo Qingyan should be at the company; why was his car at home?
Had he come home?
With questions in his mind, Jiang Su entered the villa.
Upon entering, he cautiously peeked inside, finding that Huo Qingyan wasn’t there, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He hadn’t figured out how to face Huo Qingyan yet.
If Huo Qingyan were home, he was afraid he would again uncontrollably question him about Huo Qingyan and Lin Siyue.
It was better that he wasn’t home.
Jiang Su relaxed and prepared to go upstairs to shower and change clothes.
He had just opened the bedroom door and was about to turn on the light when someone suddenly grabbed his arm and pinned him against the wall.
Jiang Su’s body tensed, but upon recognizing the familiar scent of the person, he relaxed.
He tentatively called out, “Huo Qingyan?”
“Finally willing to come home?” The bedroom curtains were tightly drawn, blocking out all light. Huo Qingyan’s low voice sounded even gloomier in the dark space.
Jiang Su sensed the wrongness in his tone and the anger radiating from him.
He instinctively struggled, but the harder he struggled, the tighter Huo Qingyan held his arm.
Huo Qingyan, unfortunately, grabbed Jiang Su’s previously injured arm. Although the stitches had been removed and the wound was healing, it couldn’t withstand Huo Qingyan’s pull.
Jiang Su gasped in pain and stopped struggling: “What are you saying?”
Huo Qingyan sneered: “Jiang Su, are you trying to act clueless with me now?”
Because of the phone call with Jiang Lichuan, Jiang Su was already in a bad mood.
Thinking about how his older brothers and sisters had worried about him and Huo Qingyan for the past two years, he couldn’t be as docile towards Huo Qingyan as before.
Jiang Su sneered back, “Wasn’t the one acting clueless you? The last time you and Lin Siyue were photographed, I told you to be more discreet!”
“I told you, Lin Siyue and I are just friends!” Huo Qingyan’s voice held restrained anger.
“Cheng Xishi and I are just friends, too.” After calming down, Jiang Su realized Huo Qingyan must have seen the trending topic about him and Cheng Xishi, which is why he asked that question.
“Friends? Jiang Su, are you really stupid, or just pretending? Don’t you know what Cheng Xishi feels for you?”
Huo Qingyan seemed to have reached his limit; a little more provocation would cause him to completely explode.
Jiang Su, however, was surprisingly calm.
He knew what to say to calm Huo Qingyan down.
But he didn’t intend to comply with Huo Qingyan’s wishes.
“You always think I’m stupid, don’t you?” Jiang Su chuckled self-deprecatingly. “But even I can see what Lin Siyue feels for you!”
Huo Qingyan shouted his name angrily: “Jiang Su!”
Jiang Su violently pushed Huo Qingyan away, also raising his voice: “I dare say Cheng Xishi and I are innocent, nothing happened between us. Dare you say the same?”
From their first meeting when Jiang Su was fourteen, to this day, they’d known each other for ten years.
This was the first time he’d heard Jiang Su speak to him so angrily.
Huo Qingyan was momentarily stunned.
Jiang Su was actually speaking to him like this because of another man.
Huo Qingyan’s silence, in Jiang Su’s eyes, was an admission.
Jiang Su sneered: “You don’t dare, do you?”
Before he could get an answer from Huo Qingyan, he felt himself lifted into the air.
The next second, he was thrown onto the bed.
Based on their two years of close companionship, Jiang Su could vaguely guess what Huo Qingyan was going to do.
“Huo Qingyan, I’m talking to you! Stay away from me!”
Jiang Su felt disgusted thinking about Huo Qingyan being with Lin Siyue last night, and possibly… doing things.
Huo Qingyan, without a word, leaned over: “You’ve really grown bold.”
Not only speaking to him loudly, but also using curse words.
Jiang Su hadn’t been like this before.
“Damn it! Don’t take off my clothes!” Although Jiang Su resisted in his heart, his body was more honest.
Huo Qingyan noticed his physical reaction and sneered: “If you can manage to not beg for mercy, I’ll agree to accompany you to the hot spring resort.”
In winter, Jiang Su had mentioned wanting Huo Qingyan to accompany him to a hot spring resort.
At the time, Huo Qingyan was holding a laptop, without looking at him, he said: “No time.”
Unexpectedly, he remembered this and brought it up again.
Jiang Su’s heart stirred: “Really?”
Huo Qingyan slowly undid his shirt buttons: “When have I ever broken a promise?”
Huo Qingyan was indeed a man of his word.
However, he had broken his promises to Jiang Su several times because of Lin Siyue.
The ripple in Jiang Su’s heart subsided.
Therefore, in the end, he didn’t hold back at all, begging for mercy.
Huo Qingyan also sensed that Jiang Su was deliberately begging, feeling inexplicably irritable; he directly withdrew and went to the bathroom.
He stood under the shower, turning on the cold water.
The winter cold water was icy, extinguishing his desire, but not his inner frustration.
In the past, to go to the hot spring resort with him, Jiang Su would have gritted his teeth and endured without begging for mercy.
Was Jiang Su’s change because of Cheng Xishi?
Thinking about this, Huo Qingyan couldn’t help but recall the trending topic about Cheng Xishi and Jiang Su, his irritation growing even more intense.
He turned off the water, got dressed, and came out to find the room empty.
A cold draft entered; he noticed the balcony door was open.
Jiang Su, wearing only thin pajamas, was leaning on the balcony smoking.
Huo Qingyan walked over with a stern face: “Put it out!”
Jiang Su not only didn’t put it out, but also arrogantly blew a smoke ring at Huo Qingyan.
Huo Qingyan reached out to take the cigarette from him, but Jiang Su, prepared for this, raised his arm and avoided him.
Jiang Su took another puff in front of him: “What? Lin Siyue can smoke, but I can’t?”
Huo Qingyan’s brow furrowed, his eyes filled with gloom: “Jiang Su, deliberately provoking me will not benefit you.”