Chapter 51: Couple Items “I didn’t lie, I’m here”
The System went into seclusion.
The System drilled into the kitty’s body.
The System broke free from Shen Yunqian’s hand.
The System jumped onto the windowsill, staring at the setting sun, contemplating its existence.
Meanwhile, Lu Xunye sneezed several times in a row, the corners of his reddened eyes stained with moisture.
Shen Yunqian: “…”
…
The faint sound of running water stopped abruptly.
Shen Yunqian walked into the bedroom. His hair was half-dry, drooping softly wet. His cheeks were steamed by the mist, looking like a freshly washed peach.
Residual water droplets, illuminated by the light, gathered into a stream that ran down his slender, fair neck and disappeared into the collar of his bathrobe.
Even though the bathrobe wrapped him up leaving only half a collarbone visible, like some alternative Taoist robe, it ignited a small cluster of fire in one’s heart for no reason, heating the calm heart-water like boiling a frog in warm water.
Lu Xunye glanced hastily and looked away. His emotions hadn’t settled yet, but the footsteps were getting closer.
He panic-shoved the sweat-dampened item in his palm under the quilt.
Hearing the crinkle of plastic, his heart tightened.
“What are you looking at?”
A clear, mellow voice sounded above his head. If one listened closely, there was a huskiness from being smoked by the heat during the shower.
The phone Lu Xunye held in his other hand was on a search page for the usage method of a certain product. The bright white light was exceptionally conspicuous in a way.
When Shen Yunqian looked down, Lu Xunye scrambled to turn it off.
In the quiet room…
Smack.
The phone fell face down on the floor.
Lu Xunye picked up the phone slowly. Instead of flipping it over immediately, he swiped his finger randomly at the bottom. Basically, anything but the current page would do.
After taking a quick peek himself to confirm it looked like news, he flipped it over to show Shen Yunqian with relief, making up an excuse: “Just reading about social news.”
Shen Yunqian looked at it suspiciously. The news headline was marked in bold black font, with two topics right next to it.
#Shocking! Haishi Rich Second Generation Plays SM Naked in Hotel Corridor
#Pang Mou Detained for Suspected Illegal Drug Trading
Even the mosaic couldn’t hide the scars whipped by a belt on the bloated, greasy body, and that high-definition face drunk on life and dreaming of death.
Shen Yunqian frowned. Noticing his expression, Lu Xunye steadied his erratic heartbeat and looked too. Instantly, nausea churned in his stomach.
The next second, he was startled by Shen Yunqian’s action. The other person leaned over and pressed directly onto him. The negative emotions from the interlude just now were instantly thrown to the back of his mind.
The phone screen had turned off at some point. Lu Xunye’s breath hitched. He silently leaned back, and as the other person continued to approach, his back slammed directly onto the bedding.
However, Shen Yunqian didn’t even look at him. He reached out to grab the pajamas on the bed, looking down with confusion. “What are you doing?”
“Sleeping!” Lu Xunye declared loudly, closing his eyes with the panic of being caught.
Shen Yunqian stared at his trembling eyelashes for a while. “Oh.”
A short, simple word, yet Lu Xunye heard a seductive implication in the intentionally or unintentionally elongated ending note. His heartstrings seemed to be plucked, and the pool of water boiled even more.
The shadow blocking the light was gone. He quietly opened one eye.
The bathrobe that had been tightly wrapped was now loosely hanging around Shen Yunqian’s fair shoulders and neck. His fingers pulled at the waist tie, looking like he was about to take it off, revealing a large expanse of snow-white, lean back.
!
Seems like he gained a little weight.
It was strange why he had this thought. His heart skipped a beat, and the phone slipped from his hand.
At the noise, the other person turned to look. Lu Xunye grabbed his clothes and rushed out.
“I’m going to shower.”
Shower time seemed exceptionally long. Cold water and hot water alternated, and in the end, only cold water could barely calm the restlessness.
Governed by muscle memory, he walked to a door. After pushing for a long time and finding it wouldn’t open, he thought he was locked out. Hidden grievances and panic intertwined, magnifying to occupy his heart.
Blood-stained walls. Moonlight penetrating the thin window, casting tall, terrifying human shadows on the wall. Wooden sticks and wine bottles swinging down from hands.
Flashed images brought him back to that cold, dark corner. Crimson liquid flowed like red thread winding around thin arms.
Instantly, Lu Xunye’s blood congealed, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“System, System, what should I do…”
The System, released from the mosaic, watched its host twisting the guest room doorknob with both hands, looking completely shattered.
[Is it possible… you’re at the wrong door?]
…
Shen Yunqian sat by the bed. The main light was off, leaving the room dim with only the warm yellow bedside lamp reflecting on his exquisite side profile, softening his cold brows and eyes.
Holding a hairdryer, he heard the faint sound of the door opening. He caught it and looked over, his voice soft enough to drip water. “Come here, I’ll dry your hair.”
Lu Xunye tightly gripped the doorknob, his arm trembling. Only after the other spoke did he slowly release his hand. Every step was cautious, as if walking on a suspended tightrope.
The person before him didn’t vanish like smoke. He uneasily pinched his wrist with a fingernail—no thinness from his memories.
He seemed to have overlooked something, but he had no time to think deeply right now. He ran and threw himself forward, hugging the solid body. He eagerly verified, “You won’t leave… right?”
Shen Yunqian patted his back soothingly, speaking gently. “I won’t.”
Even though Lu Xunye had dried his hair for a long time, water droplets still dripped onto Shen Yunqian’s pajamas.
The small patch of soaked fabric felt cold against the skin. Guessing that Lu Xunye’s current emotional state wasn’t good, and recalling the doctor’s mention of psychological issues, Shen Yunqian planned to find a time to take him for a checkup.
Shen Yunqian kneaded the back of his neck with moderate force to relax his mind. “Sit down here. I’ll dry your hair.”
Warm wind buzzed against his scalp, hair flying wildly. Gentle hands moved through his hair like flowing water. Lu Xunye’s face was blown red, his head dizzy.
The blowing stopped. Shen Yunqian unplugged it, preparing to put the hairdryer away.
Without the hot wind, the cold air suddenly woke Lu Xunye from his drowsy state.
seeing the back of the person leaving, not knowing his purpose, his voice carried an accusation and bitterness he didn’t even detect.
“You said you wouldn’t leave… You lied to me.”
Shen Yunqian stopped in his tracks, placed the hairdryer on the nearest cabinet, and cupped Lu Xunye’s face.
Lu Xunye lowered his eyelids, sulking and refusing to look at him. Suddenly, a kiss landed on his lips, fleeting. Scorching breath sprayed his ear. “I didn’t lie. I’m here.”
Lu Xunye’s pupils constricted slightly, his eyes reflecting the other’s serious expression.
Before Shen Yunqian could rise, Lu Xunye’s brain hadn’t reacted, but his arm moved first, wrapping around the other’s waist.
The other person’s waist softened, and he sat on Lu Xunye’s lap. Lu Xunye’s palm on his lower back trembled. The movement was practiced in a way even he hadn’t expected, making him more certain of their affection.
A numbing thrill shot up along the spine. Shen Yunqian’s body trembled, going completely soft. He reached back and grabbed the wandering hand. “Don’t.”
The refusal was suppressed by an overwhelming kiss. Lu Xunye’s movements were reckless. Teeth clashed, and the scab on his lower lip fell off, oozing a hint of blood.
Tasting blood, the kiss deepened.
Even with Shen Yunqian’s cooperation, letting him pry open his teeth, one could spy Lu Xunye’s inexperience from his stumbling and chaotic, heavy breathing.
Shen Yunqian placed both hands on his shoulders and pushed hard. Their lips parted. Lu Xunye fell back onto the quilt, sobering up slightly in his panic. “Sorr—”
His words carried no weight compared to the sudden heaviness on his abdomen.
He looked up. Shen Yunqian straddled his abdomen, leaning down. Fine, dense kisses fell like rain on his forehead, nose bridge, cheeks, and finally his lips.
Lu Xunye felt like someone soaking in a hot spring, soon drowning in it. A voice lingered in his ear telling him this was wrong, so he covered his ears.
Minute by minute, the blood in his whole body boiled in circulation, piling up in one place, eager to move at the breaking point.
He pulled the quilt unbearably. During a brief separation to catch his breath, he didn’t even know when the kissing had stopped.
Only when he pulled the quilt halfway up his body did he suddenly look at the foot of the bed. Without the quilt’s cover, there was only a phone there.
Where is the thing?!
Worse, Shen Yunqian also noticed the change in his body and cast a glance at him.
Lu Xunye covered his face in shame. He heard only a light chuckle, and his ears turned redder.
A low, seductive voice, like a ghost luring one into depravity: “I’ll help you.”
Lu Xunye crashed: Help? How?
The other person’s movements made him sit up like a catapult. He watched blankly, breathing rapidly, as the other person magically produced a blue package.
Lu Xunye instinctively looked at the empty space at the foot of the bed. His mind went blank, buzzing.
The packet was held in the corner of Shen Yunqian’s mouth. He tore it open with his teeth, and his distinct, bony fingers reached out…
Lu Xunye gave a muffled groan, his head buried in Shen Yunqian’s neck. uncontrollably, he bit down on him. When he let go, his lips were stained with blood, leaving a crimson bite mark.
Unknown time later, a sense of weightlessness swept through his body. Lu Xunye was patted awake, opening his eyes in fright. Darkness was before him.
The sky hadn’t brightened yet. Lu Xunye reached out, groping, and was held by a hand. “I saw you couldn’t catch your breath. Did you have a nightmare?”
A dream…?
Once his eyes adapted to the dark environment, Lu Xunye pulled his hand out to touch the other person’s collarbone. Smooth skin, no teeth marks or rough texture of a scab.
Only then did he realize in shock that they were extremely close because Shen Yunqian was holding him. The hand on his back was patting him like comforting a child, thinking he had been scared by a nightmare.
Remembering the absurd dream just now, Lu Xunye felt ashamed. That hand was still patting his back lightly.
He looked up, leaning forward, then stopped. Two breaths intertwined ambiguously, indistinguishable from each other.
Testing the waters, he kissed Shen Yunqian on the forehead. The hand on his back paused.
Lu Xunye was apprehensive. Even though he couldn’t see the other’s face clearly, he stared at him burningly. “Let’s… let’s get married.”
He paused. “Can we?”
A hand covered his eyelids. Shen Yunqian said softly, “We can.”
“But if you remember later and regret marrying me, will you still want to?”
Lu Xunye was overjoyed. Immersed in the joy of the other’s agreement, he didn’t hear Shen Yunqian’s later words clearly. He pulled the person back into his arms, holding him tightly, afraid he would escape.
Soon, both sensed something. Lu Xunye’s face exploded red. He quickly turned around and lifted the quilt. “I-I’m going to the bathroom.”
Leaving the bedroom, Lu Xunye went to the living room first. Following his memory, he found the unopened box he had stuffed inside the sofa.
It really was a dream.
Since he needed an excuse, Lu Xunye circled the bathroom, flushed the toilet to cover up, and sat on the lid to cool down.
Wait, then he turned on the shower and took a cold bath. Feeling his body temperature drop, he didn’t rush out. Instead, he moved around waiting for his temperature to return to normal before leaving.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the phone on the sink. He froze, then recalled he had brought it there himself last night.
Holding the phone, he suddenly remembered something. He doubled back, squatted down, and fished his overcoat out of the laundry basket. He pulled out the item the man in black had shoved into his pocket.
It was a diamond bracelet, with a pendant in the shape of a magnolia flower in the center.
Looking closely, the diamond had scratches. At a glance, it looked like a defective fake diamond product.
The moment he was about to throw it into the trash can, he took it back.
Hiss… why does my heart ache a little?
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