In the early hours of the morning, Zhu Jingru put on his coat, preparing to drive back to sleep. Before long, he was called over by Tang Chen. The two of them sat around a table in the small garden. The snow had stopped at some point. The wind was strong at night, but once the glass door was closed, it was quite warm.
Zhu Jingru leaned back as if he had no bones, his sitting posture as undisciplined as ever, his right hand hanging down by the armrest.
“Did you touch his hand?”
“No.”
“A hug, you must have gotten a hug, right.”
“No.”
Tang Chen exclaimed several “what the fucks”. “Based on your old stinking temper, you would have, at the very least, forcibly kissed the man.”
Zhu Jingru laughed out loud. “How could I be such a hooligan?”
“If you’re not a hooligan, who is? Do you still remember when you came out of the closet back then? To prove your sexual orientation to your father, you took him overnight to which country was it, to watch a male stripper show for three days and three nights? I still have that video saved.”
Zhu Jingru stared at Tang Chen, smiling without speaking.
Tang Chen quickly said, “Let me put it this way, a melon plucked by force is not sweet. But if you’re the one plucking, it will definitely be sweet.”
Zhu Jingru casually took a photo with his phone. The background was of blooming flowers, with only half of his face showing. The atmosphere was hazy and dreamlike, and the light and shadow were also good. It was enough.
After the picture was sent, no red exclamation mark appeared.
Zhu Jingru instantly felt as if he had been placated from a distance. He had successfully been released from the blacklist. His mood was comfortable, so he sent a follow-up message, [I can’t just drink that ginger soup for free. A bouquet of roses isn’t enough to make up for it. Brother Bai, how about coming to my place for tea another day?]
Tang Chen peeked at the contents on the screen. My goodness, the whole screen was tinged with green. “He never replies to your messages. This proves one thing.”
“What?”
“It proves that Boss Bai knows you’re difficult to deal with and is specifically targeting you.”
“…”
Just then, the notification sound for a new message on Zhu Jingru’s phone was very loud.
Big Ice Cube: [No need.]
Zhu Jingru got up and put on his coat, his face full of smiles. Even though he had been rejected, his gait was exceedingly dashing. He waved his hand without looking back, simply more ostentatious than a peacock displaying its feathers.
Tang Chen was choked up. Well, targeting his ass. No one could resist the coaxing of a showy peacock.
Bai Qinglin’s insomnia was severe. When he returned to the bedroom, he found that his craving for cigarettes was also starting to run rampant. The cause of this loss of control was attributed to one person.
He stood there with his head slightly bowed, his back slightly curved as he emptied the ashtray. He cleaned it with cold water mixed with disinfectant, placed it in a dedicated cabinet to dry, and then washed his hands seven or eight times with hand soap, as if relying on the constantly flowing liquid to alleviate his emptiness.
After finishing all this, Bai Qinglin took a cold shower. His blood was no longer restless, but his stiff nerves ached faintly. He still couldn’t fall asleep as he lay there. With his eyes closed, he unconsciously used his fingertips to pull the bedsheet into wrinkles, clenching and unclenching his fist, constantly trying to quell this restless, stirring impulse.
However, the more he tried to quell it, the more turbulent it became. The long-suppressed desire hit rock bottom and rebounded, affecting Bai Qinglin’s mood more and more. He was not easily angered, but at this moment, his chest was scalding hot, so hot it burned his heart.
His phone vibrated. Bai Qinglin, as if venting, clicked on the photo sent by the culprit. The person in it smiled with curved eyes, appearing extremely gentle and affectionate. The red mole at the corner of his eye was quite amorous.
A breath caught in Bai Qinglin’s throat. He felt increasingly and unusually agitated. Originally, releasing Zhu Jingru from the blacklist was to make things clear, but now it seemed to have become a concession, a tacit approval of this kind of inch-gaining approach.
About ten minutes passed. He sat up and placed his phone on the bedside table, but the other side directly initiated a video call.
His audacity was growing.
Bai Qinglin stared at the screen for a long time, finally answering before it automatically hung up. It was better to make things clear sooner rather than later.
It was also the first time for Zhu Jingru to disturb someone’s peaceful sleep in the middle of the night, and with a direct video call at that. It was probably because he got drunk while drinking with Yue Chuan, or maybe he was provoked.
He hadn’t expected it to be answered, but it unexpectedly connected.
The other side was pitch black with the lights off. The contour of a man’s chin could be vaguely seen.
Amid his pleasant surprise, Zhu Jingru spoke first, teasing in a serious manner, “Tong Yin said Brother Bai is an old fossil who sleeps at a fixed time and doesn’t really know how to use a phone. Looking at it now, it seems she was tricking me.”
Bai Qinglin’s voice was already low and slightly hoarse. Through the phone, its tone changed even more, sounding like a lover murmuring tenderly next to one’s ear in the night, “I don’t like to use it, not that I don’t know how.”
Zhu Jingru’s ears turned red. He changed the subject and asked, “Is Mr. Yue feeling better?”
“He is fine.”
“Then can we talk about you and me now?” Zhu Jingru’s previous strategy of holding back was defeated and stripped bare under the seduction of this night where alcohol and tobacco collided. Everything became naked.
“Let’s talk.”
“Are you planning to continue rejecting me, to pretend you don’t see or know me when we meet in the future?”
“…”
“Do you hate me now?”
“…”
“Does Brother Bai not want to deal with me?” Zhu Jingru’s tone clearly did not contain the slightest bit of disappointment.
Bai Qinglin’s Adam’s apple moved. He gave a casual “mm”.
“Then when will you want to deal with me?” Zhu Jingru never played by the rules. The questions he asked were too hard to handle.
Bai Qinglin did not like being led by the nose. He calmly asked in return, “Do friends give roses?”
“If you like them, then I will.”
“I have no interest in flowers.”
“Brother Bai… we haven’t known each other for long, but it hasn’t been short either. For the past few months, I haven’t dared to be too noisy or too mischievous. After living for more than thirty years, it’s rare to be as apprehensive as a young lad, really wanting to take it slow and get to know you properly.” Zhu Jingru blinked and continued, “Is that okay?”
Bai Qinglin felt the urge to smoke a cigarette. “Don’t waste your time on me.”
As soon as the words fell, the screen on Zhu Jingru’s end spun wildly in the next second, as if the phone had fallen to the floor.
Soon, the person appeared with his upper body exposed. His areolas were pink, his nipples slightly erect. His chest muscles were thin but beautiful. A loose red cord was tied around his waist, resting on his hips… the lines of the private area on his lower abdomen were completely visible. The dark red tattoo on his wrist added a touch of sensuality. He was very close to the screen, and it only took a few seconds to pick it up.
Bai Qinglin instinctively averted his gaze. His fingertips squeezed the back of the phone hard, his voice becoming even lower and hoarser, “Where are your clothes?”
“Why should I wear them when I sleep?”
Just as Zhu Jingru finished his reply, the video call was instantly hung up.
Zhu Jingru looked at the contact name ‘Big Ice Cube’ and laughed out loud. He muttered to himself, quite helplessly, “This time it really wasn’t on purpose.”
