Chapter 20: DisguiseâPossessiveness and a Desire for Control so Intense it was Frightening⌠part 1
In the fitting room, one person sat while the other knelt, the two of them positioned extremely close together.
Yu Xiâs hand was pressed against Gu Chuanzhouâs mouth, dampened by the other manâs exhaled breath.
Meanwhile, Gu Chuanzhouâs hand was squeezed between Yu Xiâs thighs, picking up the fragrance of his skin and the warmth of his body.
Yu Xiâs gaze was fixed elsewhere, his attention entirely on Zhang Xingkuo searching for him outside. He didn’t see the dark and burning gaze Gu Chuanzhou had fixed upon him.
Inch by inch, Gu Chuanzhouâs eyes swept over the fair thighs bulging slightly from the pressure, then to the roots of the thighs partially obscured by the hem of his shirt, and then to the chest rising and falling violently from nervousness… finally settling on that radiant face flushed with a crimson glow.
Setting aside the visual impact, the fragrance on the youthâs body alone was enough to make oneâs head spin.
As his body temperature rose, an indescribable scent became even more potent than usual, slowly filling the fitting room and imperiously occupying all of Gu Chuanzhouâs olfactory senses.
It was simply too fragrant… and too enticing, continuously stimulating Gu Chuanzhouâs nerves and shredding his rationality.
Gulp.
Gu Chuanzhou swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to lick the youthâs palm that was right before him.
Yu Xi, unaware of Gu Chuanzhouâs current torment, pricked up his ears to listen to the movement outside.
The equipment room was only so big. Zhang Xingkuoâs footsteps circled around once and quickly approached the innermost fitting room.
The sound of riding boots on the carpet was very light; one needed to concentrate all their mental effort to listen carefully.
The closer the footsteps came, the faster Yu Xiâs heart beat.
Just as Zhang Xingkuo was about to reach this fitting roomâthe only one with a closed doorâa ringtone sounded.
The sudden sound made Yu Xi, whose nerves were taut, jump in a shiver. Fortunately, the ringtone came from Zhang Xingkuoâs phone.
The other man answered it and left the equipment room.
Upon hearing the sound of the door closing, Yu Xi let out a long, long breath of relief.
He immediately relaxed, turning his head to say, “Heâs gone.”
Meeting Gu Chuanzhouâs deep gaze, his heart suddenly gave a heavy thud. Belatedly realizing what he had done, he hurried to retract the hand pressed against the otherâs mouth, and his clamped legs also loosened, pressing back against the wall.
“Sorry, I got nervous for a moment and…”
Gu Chuanzhouâs posture didn’t change; he was still kneeling, looking up at him. “Why was Xixi nervous?”
“I…” Yu Xi was asked into silence, his heart in a complete mess.
Gu Chuanzhou continued to press, “We aren’t doing anything bad, so why do we have to hide from Zhang Xingkuo?”
Yu Xi clasped his hands together, racking his brain for a vague answer: “Itâs just… it felt a bit wrong.”
“What part was wrong that made you so afraid of him seeing?”
Yu Xi licked his dry lips. “He might… misunderstand.”
Gu Chuanzhouâs brow twitched slightly. He reached out to brace himself on the side of the soft stool, rising and moving closer. This action instantly reversed the high-and-low dynamic of their positions.
It was as if he had trapped Yu Xi in a corner, the shadow cast by his tall frame completely enveloping the shrinking youth.
“Misunderstand? Misunderstand what?”
Faced with consecutive questions, Yu Xi found it difficult to breathe, his heart beating even faster than before.
He looked at the somewhat unfamiliar Gu Chuanzhou before him, not understanding why this man, who usually couldn’t bear to make things difficult for him, was “pressing forward step by step” now, insisting on a specific answer.
His brain was a jumble of mush. With no other choice, Yu Xi simply chose another path.
He grabbed Gu Chuanzhouâs hand and pressed it back against the aching spot on the inner side of his thigh, pleading softly, “Chuanzhou Gege, it still hurts. Keep massaging it for me, okay?”
Gu Chuanzhouâs breath hitched, and his pupils dilated almost imperceptibly.
The youth before him had been pushed into a pitiful state, his eyes damp. Not only did he pull Guâs hand to such a private place, but he had even called out the childhood honorific.
“Chuanzhou Ge” and “Chuanzhou Gege”âthere was only a one-word difference, yet in Gu Chuanzhouâs ears, they were worlds apart.
In an instant, all of Gu Chuanzhouâs wicked thoughts vanished. His heart felt as warm as if it had melted into a puddle of water, and he could no longer bear to tease him.
When Yu Xi walked out of the equipment room, it was already twenty minutes later.
Gu Chuanzhou had massaged his legs for so long that they no longer hurt, but the process had been an indescribable ordeal.
He had said “Thatâs enough,” “No need,” and “I don’t hurt anymore” several times, but Gu Chuanzhou kept saying it wasn’t thorough enough, repeatedly pushing his closed knees apart and telling him to be obedient.
Even now, having changed back into the trousers he arrived in, he still felt as if two hands were pinching his thighs. No matter how he walked, it felt awkward.
“Still uncomfortable?”
Gu Chuanzhouâs inquiry came from his side.
Yu Xi quickly shook his head, deeply afraid that if the other man felt uneasy, he would once again pin him in a corner and take off his trousers to continue massaging his legs.
He pulled the man along: “Letâs hurry and find Yunshu and the others.”
After just a few steps, they happened to run into the group who had already returned from the horse arena at the hallway corner.
Sheng Yunzhuan pointed at Yu Xi and asked Zhang Xingkuo, “Isn’t the person right here?”
Zhang Xingkuo knitted his brows, his gaze moving back and forth between Yu Xi and Gu Chuanzhou. “Xiao Xi, where did you go just now? I couldn’t find you.”
Yu Xi wasn’t very good at lying. Before he could even open his mouth, his face turned red with guilt.
Gu Chuanzhou answered for him: “We wandered around elsewhere and then changed clothes. Is there something the matter?”
“You still have the nerve to ask? Taking people away and wandering around, making me search everywhere.” Zhang Xingkuoâs expression was displeased.
Yu Xi hurried to change the subject: “Are you all finished? Where is A-Shen?”
“Restroom.” Sheng Yunshu briefly shifted her attention from the manga in her hand. “Heâs been gone for a while; he should be back soon.”
Yu Xi quickly said, “Then Iâll go there too, and come back with him while Iâm at it.”
After saying that, he walked quickly toward the restroom, not letting anyone accompany him.
“Exactly, tell me if that isn’t hilarious. Usually pretending to be so honest, who knows what tricks he uses behind people’s backs. It makes me want to vomit just looking at him.”
At the restroom sink, Meng Liang was making a call with wireless earbuds, reaching out his hand under the sensor faucet to clean it.
Not knowing what the person on the other end said, he followed with a few sneers, shook the water off his hands, and turned to grab a paper towel. In his peripheral vision, he glimpsed a tall figure walking out from the restroom stalls, and the smile on his face immediately sank.
“Hanging up now, talk later.” He tapped his earbud to end the call, crumpled the paper towel in his hand into a ball, and threw it. It hit the toe of Meng Shenâs shoe.
Meng Shenâs eyes, hidden beneath his hair, fell flatly on the crumpled paper ball at his feet. He stepped over it without a ripple, not even giving Meng Liang a single glance as he walked to the nearest sink to wash his hands.
“Tsk.” This manner of not taking him seriously made Meng Liangâs face turn even uglier. “Are you blind? Can’t you see a person here?”
However, Meng Shen remained silent, like a block of ice that would never give a response, lowering his head to carefully clean both hands.
Meng Liang continued: “You’ve been quite smug lately, haven’t you? Since Yu Xi came back, youâve been rushing to chase after him every day like a dog.”
Meng Liang had said similar things often when they were kids.
Meng Shen had heard even worse things. He had long since stopped caring and certainly didn’t take them to heart. Treating Meng Liang like thin air, he intended to turn and leave after finishing his wash.
“Yu Xi is truly stupid, to actually be fooled by someone like you…”
His moving leg came to a halt. Meng Shen turned around, his sinister eyes shifting toward Meng Liang.
“What? Did I say something wrong? Heâs just stupid and dim-witted to…” Meng Liangâs remaining words were stuck in his throat as his collar was suddenly tightened. His face twisted with pain as he widened his eyes at the youth who was a head taller than him, struggling to squeeze out two words: “Meng Shen!”
Recommended Reads
