Zhu Jingru grabbed the scarf and pushed the door open to leave. He couldn’t tell if it was hormones or something else, but his relatively clear mind felt like it had been set on fire. A rush of hot blood induced a chaotic heartbeat.
He had never been this obedient before. It was absolutely fatal.
As he went down the escalator, Zhu Jingru was amused by his own impatient appearance. The lively expression in his eyes and brows seemed to have returned him to his early twenties, giving off the vibe of a first crush.
Unfortunately, the first floor was a “sea of people,” a massive, dense crowd. It was impossible to see clearly in the ambiguous, hazy light. For a moment, Zhu Jingru couldn’t find where Bai Qinglin was, so he had to stand in a slightly darker spot on the rising stage and send Bai Qinglin a text.
[Brother Bai, are you inside?]
This time, the reply was instantaneous.
[Mn.]
Zhu Jingru was completely charmed by that simple “Mn.” Indeed, for every person, there is someone who can subdue them. He couldn’t remember how many years ago someone had asked him what his ideal type was.
At the time, he had said, “They must be able to control me. It’d be best if they were also perceptive and fun, someone who can go wild with me.”
The first half was definitely a fit; the second part, however, couldn’t be further from Bai Qinglin.
In his moment of distraction, Zhu Jingru didn’t notice that the edge of the stage where he was standing had been enveloped in a white light. He quickly became the center of everyone’s attention. The lighting designer and DJ were clearly not going to miss any opportunity to heat up the atmosphere tonight.
The DJ with tattooed arms walked towards Zhu Jingru with a microphone. “I wonder which lucky guest tonight will be chosen by our boss to play a couple’s game.”
The roar from the crowd below was immense. Woven floral wreaths were thrown onto the stage, one landing right at Zhu Jingru’s feet.
The DJ asked, “Boss, who will you choose?”
Zhu Jingru scanned the surroundings, smiling and greeting everyone. Then he picked up the wreath. The red tattoo on his wrist was sexy and flamboyant. His gaze swept seriously from place to place, as if he were genuinely searching for his favored “guest.”
“Kiss one!”
“Kissing two is fine too—”
“French kiss, wet kiss, passionate kiss, just kiss—”
…
The spotlight followed Zhu Jingru towards one area. The guests all turned on their phone flashlights. At the very edge of the rising stage was a single booth, which often went unsold because it didn’t have a clear view of the front of the stage.
The darkness was dispelled. Yue Chuan was delighted and said to Li Wenxue, “I knew it. If he wasn’t going to come, who would?”
Alcohol and clamor are adept at eroding the mind and bewitching the nerves. Zhu Jingru gently tossed the wreath to the man standing with his back against the wall by the booth, his gaze direct and undisguised.
Bai Qinglin had his coat draped over his arm and a new pair of rimless glasses perched on his nose, which made him look both refined and aloof. His eyes were slightly closed, unaccustomed to the light. He always seemed to be an indifferent bystander, completely unruffled because nothing concerned him.
Zhu Jingru couldn’t help but break the silence. He stopped in front of Bai Qinglin and bent down to ask, “Brother Bai, what do you want me to do?”
Bai Qinglin didn’t hear clearly; the surroundings were too noisy, and he disliked being looked down upon. His gaze darkened as he noticed the pinch mark on Zhu Jingru’s cheek. “What did you say?”
“I said, I want to kiss you.” Zhu Jingru’s voice was very soft. A sentimental love song was playing, and many people’s attention was on them. Not far away, the DJ was counting down from three. On the second floor, a bartender tipped over a container, and flower petals showered down with a clatter.
Zhu Jingru pulled out a new playing card from the booth’s deck. In the center of the sea of flowers, as if no one else existed, he demanded a kiss from Bai Qinglin.
He raised a hand to touch the back of the man’s head, gently pressing it closer to his own face. The strands of hair were cool to the touch.
The playing card held between his teeth approached Bai Qinglin’s pale lips.
A light bite, a transfer between lips and teeth, a caress against that card, their breaths mingling in an intimate haze.
Bai Qinglin’s rimless glasses were knocked askew. A green vein on his wrist bulged from the force he was exerting. He stared at the red mole just inches away, and the roaring in his ears returned. It was as if a noisy rain had started to fall in his heart.
The room on the third floor was furnished just as it had been before. It was the place where Bai Qinglin had first seen Zhu Jingru’s body.
“I don’t plan on giving this back to you.” The smoky-gray scarf lay draped over the sofa. Zhu Jingru said deliberately, “Brother Bai, you pinched my face last night. It hurt so much.”
Bai Qinglin stood beside the single sofa, not bothering to make a sound. The lines of his back were made even more distinct by the cotton shirt.
Zhu Jingru said, “The mark is still there.”
“What did you say just now?” The pad of Bai Qinglin’s burned finger trembled slightly, the agitation growing more and more obvious.
Zhu Jingru looked up at Bai Qinglin’s sharp jawline. He wanted to bite his Adam’s apple. He had the lust and the nerve, but unfortunately, it was too soon. “I’m not telling you.”
“…”
“Nothing I say counts,” Zhu Jingru said slowly. “Only what you say counts.”
Bai Qinglin was fundamentally dominant and liked to be in control. This sentence was undoubtedly meant to please him. He stared at Zhu Jingru’s exposed neck, where he could vaguely see the collarbone. “There’s no need.”
Zhu Jingru: “There is—”
He was interrupted before he could finish.
“This is how I pinched you last night.” Bai Qinglin’s voice was low and slow. He reached out and pinched both sides of Zhu Jingru’s chin.
His long fingers had thin calluses. He forcefully rubbed the skin above the jawbone, faintly touching the reddened earlobe. The agitation that had been blocking his heart dissipated. He knew how to take that cigarette out, and now he also knew how to warn this liar.
“Don’t play games with me, understand?”
