Chapter 162 – Give It a Try

Chapter 162 - Give It a Try

Don't be fooled by Xing Yuan's usual swagger; when it came down to brass tacks, he was the one who cowered. Lu Lian's unpredictability threw him off balance. According to his original plan, wasn't the other party supposed to be coerced and threatened into submission, shedding tears of humiliation? How could this be...

...so proactive?

The darkness was so thick that Xing Yuan had lost track of which room they had stumbled into. He only remembered the kiss in the dark, tinged with the scent of tobacco, foreign yet soft, leaving him trembling and his body temperature soaring, almost triggering his transformation—

A wanderer's tongue was for devouring humans, not for kissing. Under Lu Lian's aggressive caresses, he nearly revealed his true form.

Xing Yuan found himself gasping for breath. Instinctively, he gripped Lu Lian's shoulders tightly and frowned as he spoke, "W-wait... a moment..."

Lu Lian slowly ceased his kisses at Xing Yuan's words, asking with interest, "What's wrong?"

Bathed in the moonlight from outside, his shirt was already unbuttoned, revealing a young, muscular body without an ounce of excess fat. What should have been a cold jade-like complexion now held an inexplicable allure under the crimson moonlight, making both men and women feel weak in the knees.

Xing Yuan was momentarily speechless.

To resist such tempting prey, he must be out of his mind.

In the darkness, Xing Yuan's calloused fingertips slowly touched Lu Lian's abdomen. An indescribable feeling stirred within him as he traced the defined muscles inch by inch. He thought to himself that it was different, indeed unlike the videos. There was warmth and texture, something that couldn't be compared to watching through a screen.

Distracted by the beauty before him, he too was losing his composure.

Xing Yuan's chest heaved unevenly as he suddenly flipped Lu Lian beneath him. His clear, sharp features took on a hint of passion in the night, his voice low and husky, "Relax, I won't let you lose out. Just bear with the pain."

Lu Lian understood the first two sentences but was confused by the last. His eyebrows arched slightly, "What do you mean? You want to be on top?"

Xing Yuan found the question ridiculous and scoffed, "I'm the one paying, of course I get to be on top."

Lu Lian responded with an 'oh', pausing for a moment before pushing Xing Yuan away decisively, "That won't work. I can only be on top. We might have a mismatch here."

Thrown off by the push, Xing Yuan's expression turned sour as he realized what was happening, "What do you mean? I'm supposed to be on the bottom?"

How could he possibly look like a zero?!

Lu Lian's eyes and brows curved with amusement, yet his tone feigned pitifulness, "There's no way around it. I'm afraid of pain."

Xing Yuan clenched his jaw, muttering angrily under his breath, "Damn it, am I not afraid of pain either?"

Though he had never been injured in battle, how could being penetrated be the same as being stabbed elsewhere?!

Lu Lian was taken aback for a moment, "You're afraid of pain? I thought you weren't."

Xing Yuan's tone was grim, "Why would you think that?"

Lu Lian spoke honestly, "You seemed quite brave."

Xing Yuan was left speechless.

They had just been entangled in each other's arms, craving each other's bodies, but now they sat on the edge of the bed, staring at each other like enemies.

Lu Lian looked at him with a half-smile, "So, are you going to do it or not? If not, shall we go back to sleep?"

Xing Yuan was left speechless again, trembling with anger.

Xing Yuan spat, "Get out!"

Lu Lian politely corrected him, "It's you who should leave."

Xing Yuan was stunned, what did he mean? This was his house, why should he be the one to leave?!

As if reading his confusion, Lu Lian kindly reminded him, "This is my guest room."

Only then did Xing Yuan realize he was in Lu Lian's room. His expression soured as he abruptly stood up to leave, but as they passed each other, Lu Lian unexpectedly pulled him into his embrace. Xing Yuan's nose collided with Lu Lian's shoulder, causing a dull ache and dizziness, but it was nothing compared to the overwhelming masculine aura emanating from the other man.

Lu Lian glanced at him with a smile that seemed tender in the darkness, his voice low, "I'll be gentle later, so you won't feel any pain. Are you going to do it?"

His conscience rarely kicked in, but after swindling so much money from the other party, it wouldn't be right not to give him a taste of something sweet. Lu Lian was genuinely trying to make amends.

Xing Yuan was furious, "No!"

Lu Lian found his flustered appearance rather endearing, "Really not doing it?"

Xing Yuan retorted, "Don't even think about it!"

Lu Lian kissed his earlobe, sending a wet, ticklish sensation, "Really not giving it a try?"

Xing Yuan stiffened, "Let go!"

Lu Lian kissed his eyes and caressed his waist, blurring the lines of who was taking advantage of whom, "Actually, we don't have to go all the way."

Xing Yuan hesitated, "..."

Seeing his wavering, Lu Lian chuckled softly, making the final decision, "Shall we give it a try then?"

Without warning, he tightened his arms, lifting Xing Yuan horizontally and tossing him onto the bed. Xing Yuan saw stars as he was instantly overwhelmed by the man's wild and passionate kisses. He was a thorny rebel, never willing to submit, but under Lu Lian's "bullying," he strangely felt a twinge of pleasure. A whimper escaped his throat, and his eyes reddened helplessly.

Lu Lian felt he was still getting the better end of the deal, for Xing Yuan's physique was truly invigorating. His slender, beautiful fingers gently brushed against the flushed cheeks of the other man, his smile faintly visible, "Do you really like my hands?"

He had noticed long ago that during their video calls, the intense gaze from the other side always lingered on his hands.

Xing Yuan couldn't deny it. Those beautiful hands were now pressed tightly against him, stimulating and satisfying. Frowning, he spoke in broken phrases, "Mm... it's alright..."

He was stubbornly unyielding.

Lu Lian caressed his vermilion lips, his fingertips moving slightly as he slowly inserted them. He played with Xing Yuan's soft tongue, watching as the other party was forced to open his mouth wide, looking at him in bewilderment and helplessness.

Lu Lian gently flicked his tongue, his voice low and seductive, "Do you like it?"

Xing Yuan's response was to bite down hard on his fingertip, the pressure neither too deep nor too shallow, just enough to break the skin and draw blood. The crimson blood stained his lips, a sight of stunning beauty, as he cursed in a hoarse voice, "You truly deserve death!"

This human dared to toy with him like this!

Lu Yan raised his eyebrows indifferently. "That won't do; I'm not ready to die yet."

He withdrew his finger and slowly wiped it on the blanket before lowering his head to kiss Xing Yuan again. Their entwined lips and tongues were now filled with the taste of blood. Although they had agreed from the start that there would be no penetration, such matters were like arrows on a bowstring—once they reached that point, how could one control themselves?

Xing Yuan lay panting on the bed, his short black hair damp with sweat, disheveled and scattered across his forehead. He had once possessed a cold and aloof face, but now his eyes were clouded, filled only with lust and confusion. In a daze, he felt Lu Yan embrace him face-to-face, whispering softly, "Be good, I won't let you feel pain..."

What did 'good' mean? What about pain or no pain?

Xing Yuan's mind was blank, filled with nothing but mush. He didn't know how he had gotten through the night. He felt like a leaf that had fallen, floating on clouds at times and crashing onto the cold, hard ground at others. In the end, he was kneaded back and forth until he was reduced to a mess.

Due to the strange celestial phenomena, Sky City was perpetually shrouded in a dark red hue, day or night, like the rich red wine swirling in a tall glass, flowing freely and recklessly. Only the wall clock could barely distinguish the passage of time.

By the time morning came, countless people had died on the streets.

And by the time morning came, countless others had awakened from their slumber.

When Xing Yuan opened his eyes groggily early in the morning, he saw the dark red sky outside the glass window. Memories of the previous night flooded back. It wasn't true that he hadn't felt any pain, but it was also true that he had nearly experienced ecstasy. He moved his body with difficulty, slowly sitting up in bed, and couldn't help but wrinkle his brow and inhale sharply:

"Hiss..."

Lu Yan, that damn guy.

Xing Yuan gritted his teeth and turned around to look for the culprit, but the spot beside him was already cold. There was only a post-it note on the bedside table, weighed down by yesterday's bright red roses, with a line of cursive handwriting:

"I have something urgent to attend to, so I left first. There's breakfast in the kitchen; remember to eat."

"Snap—"

Xing Yuan crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it to the ground. His face was sullen, his chest heaving with anger. What did Lu Yan take him for? To leave after sleeping with him and think a scrap of paper would be enough to dismiss him? It was a ridiculous dream!

But despite his anger, he had no way of settling accounts with the other party right now.

Xing Yuan got up and took a shower in the bathroom, found a set of clean clothes to change into. He usually didn't have the habit of eating breakfast, but remembering the note, he walked to the kitchen out of some inexplicable impulse and saw warm porridge simmering in a pot and several exquisite lunch boxes placed in a thermal box.

Lu Yan couldn't cook, he only knew how to make porridge and steam buns. The side dishes were bought from nearby restaurants, but they were still made with care.

Sitting at the dining table, Xing Yuan tasted each dish, but his mood didn't improve much. He turned on his phone screen and casually scrolled through his contact list, only to find that Lu Yan hadn't sent him a single message. Instead, Luoyang had bombarded him with messages, urging him to gather at the Celestial Stairway to clear out the stragglers. It was their team's turn to stand guard today, and being late wouldn't be good.

Seeing this, Xing Yuan had no choice but to change his clothes and leave. His sharp brows were tightly furrowed, thinking that there was no one in the world who lived more oppressed than him. Last night, he had been pressed onto the bed and ravished all night long, and now, before he could recover, he had to go to the battlefield to kill monsters.

In fact, Xing Yuan had misunderstood Lu Yan. He really had encountered an emergency that morning.

Before dawn, Lu Yan suddenly received a call from an unknown number, which originated from Sky City. The voice that came through was his brother Lu Xiao Zhao's stuttering voice: "Brother... Uh... Are you in Sky City now? Can you come to the administrative building? Last night, a bunch of people suddenly came to our house, saying they wanted to find you. I told them you weren't here, so they brought me to Sky City. You should hurry over..."

As he spoke the last sentence, Lu Xiao Zhao's voice was already tinged with tears. He was a straggler, yet he had ended up in Sky City, a city full of ability users. He was now in a state of sheer panic.

Lu Yan frowned. "Where are you now?"

The phone seemed to be taken over by another person, whose voice was polite and refined, sounding very much like Secretary He Zhu, whom he had met on the defensive wall that day: "Mr. Lu, please don't be nervous. Your brother is safe. Our Chief Director wants to thank you for your assistance that day and invite you to a meal in person. I wonder if it's convenient for you?"

Although the other party's words were polite, they left no room for refusal, especially since Lu Xiao Zhao was still in their hands.

Lu Yan subtly switched the phone to the other ear, surprisingly not too surprised. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before the Sky City authorities came knocking. But he hadn't expected them to move so quickly. Frowning, he uttered two words: "Address."

The other side immediately reported a string of detailed addresses, their tone respectful throughout: "There will be someone to escort you upstairs when you arrive downstairs."

Lu Yan hung up the phone directly.

The administrative building was located opposite the Starry Sky Tower, forming a tripartite balance with the office building of the Ability Special Zone. Lu Yan drove to the address given by He Zhu, and upon arrival, he temporarily changed into a pure black outfit in the car and put on a mask before opening the car door and getting out.

Someone was already waiting downstairs. As soon as several men in blue suits saw Lu Yan get out of the car, they exchanged glances and immediately approached him: "Are you Mr. Lu? Secretary He asked us to meet you. He is already waiting upstairs. Please follow us."

If Lu Yan had been dressed in his usual attire, he probably wouldn't have been recognized. But if he wore all black and a mask, he was practically a walking beacon. On the day the stragglers attacked the city, almost all the officials had seen him standing on the defensive wall, summoning lightning. The winds and clouds changed, and the sky lost its color. His power was terrifying enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xing Yuan, leaving a particularly deep impression on everyone.

Taking the light elevator to the twenty-seventh floor, the entire floor was a conference area. Under the guidance of the receptionist, Lu Yan entered one of the round-table offices. Inside, Lu Xiao Zhao sat in a corner like a frightened quail, accompanied by a bespectacled, scholarly-looking man, who was none other than Secretary He Zhu.

"Brother!"

When Lu Xiao Zhao saw Lu Yan, his eyes instantly lit up, and he hurriedly got up from his chair and ran to him, as if he had seen his savior: "Brother, you finally came!"

Lu Yan swept his gaze over him, seeing that Lu Xiao Zhao's face was clean and white, and he had even changed into a new set of clothes. He must not have suffered any inhuman abuse, and Lu Yan's heart, which had been hanging, finally relaxed slightly.

There were armed patrol teams nearby, and Lu Xiao Zhao was a straggler. If his identity was exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lu Yan asked pointedly, "Didn't you cause any trouble for them?"

Before Lu Xiao Zhao could respond, He Zhu got up and walked over, smiling amiably: "Mr. Lu, what are you talking about? We're the ones causing trouble, bringing him here without permission. We hope you won't hold it against us."

Lu Yan replied pointedly, "It did cause quite a bit of trouble for me."

A hint of embarrassment flashed in He Zhu's eyes behind his glasses. In truth, he didn't want to resort to such tactics unless absolutely necessary. Lu Yan was simply too mysterious. After appearing on the first day, he hadn't been seen for the next few days. They had only managed to find out Lu Yan's address after extensive investigations.

In a brief moment, He Zhu returned to normal. He gestured to the specialist beside him to pull out a chair. "Mr. Lu, please sit down. Actually, we were forced to act this way. You can see the situation in Sky City; it's already on the brink of collapse. But there are very few ability users who can truly hold the fort. You are a rare lightning ability user, with such a high level. Why confine yourself to a small place like Devil City?"

"The Chief Director has a meeting right now, so he can't come over. But he has already said that if you are willing to join the Ability Special Zone, everything will be treated according to the highest specifications. In addition to a huge subsidy and housing benefits, we can assign you a separate ability team, with you as the captain, at the same level as Team One."

Aside from the subsidies, they were actually willing to give Lu Yan a separate team. This meant giving him a certain amount of real power. Moreover, it was at the K1 level, equal to Team One, which meant having absolute priority in military equipment. To a certain extent, it even allowed voting to interfere with official policy directives.

On the surface, Lu Yan remained calm, but inside, he was experiencing a storm of emotions. He looked up at He Zhu and saw that the other party was looking at him earnestly, waiting nervously for a response.

When the news reached Xing Yuan's ears, it was already afternoon. At that time, he had just obliterated a swarm of stragglers that had covered the sky, his body enveloped in a thick aura of blood. From a distance, he looked like a god of slaughter. Hearing Luoyang's dissatisfied complaint, he paused slightly in his steps:

"You're sure?"

His eyes narrowed, his gaze icy, exuding an overwhelming presence. The fading twilight dyed his white shirt a smoky red.

Luoyang boasts the most extensive network of connections, and thus the information he gathers is also the most detailed: "Of course it's true. So many eyes in the ruling tower saw him enter. It's said that the General Institute has already approved a special order; as long as he is willing to join the Special Abilities Zone, they will assign him a team of his own, with a rank... a rank that is on par with our team."

Having uttered the final words, he stealthily glanced at Xing Yuan's expression, and lo, it was indeed gloomy and unsightly.

He was accustomed to being inherently superior, always striving to be the best in everything, and the Dean's action was not only dividing his power but also slapping his face.