Chapter 58: Don’t Touch Me

Chapter 58: Don't Touch Me

Cen Wu's cheeks were burning as he pushed Xie Guiluan away forcefully again, fuming. "Go to hell! If you kiss me again, I swear I’ll bite your head off."

Xie Guiluan, clearly unafraid of death, lowered his dark and gloomy eyes, supporting himself on the ground with his knees, and bent down to cup Cen Wu's face, sucking on his lips, which had become swollen from the previous kisses.

This time, Cen Wu frowned, glaring coldly. Though Xie Guiluan’s usual intensity had faded, his nasal tip still brushed against Cen Wu’s. His hoarse voice called out softly, "My brother."

It wasn't wrong for Xie Guiluan to call him brother since he was younger, but for some reason, hearing those words made Cen Wu so embarrassed that he wanted to punch Xie Guiluan.

Looking into his eyes, Cen Wu said awkwardly, "I must’ve wronged you in a past life."

Xie Guiluan knew when to stop and didn't kiss him again. He always knew how to push Cen Wu’s buttons perfectly—not enough to make him furious, but enough to leave him frustrated and unsure how to react.

Xie Guiluan wore the black suit pants of a waiter. As he knelt, the fabric tightened, revealing his reactions.

Cen Wu glanced and immediately felt his eyes were tainted. How did Xie Guiluan, who barely got by in the Xie family, grow so well? How were high school students these days so developed?

Cen Wu bit his lip, his porcelain-white skin flushed slightly red. He lowered his head to button up Xie Guiluan's shirt, then scolded him. "You... you need to look after yourself."

How could he just kneel so easily? Cen Wu wasn't even Xie Guiluan's boyfriend, yet Xie Guiluan allowed him to touch him freely.

Xie Guiluan had endured too many humiliations in the Xie family. His pride was strong, but he didn’t care much about his dignity. After all, dignity was never as important as what he truly desired.

"I won't... won't bully you," Cen Wu, worried about this rebellious boy, said, "What if someone you like in the future treats you the same way? Would you let them do that?"

He hoped Xie Guiluan would meet someone who truly cared for him, cherishing him both physically and emotionally, so he wouldn't be hurt. If he were a worse person, he could take advantage of Xie Guiluan and not take responsibility. Just thinking about it made him feel pity.

Cen Wu rubbed Xie Guiluan's hair.

Xie Guiluan's Adam's apple bobbed. No one had ever said such things to him before. He bent down to hold Cen Wu again.

He still believed Cen Wu loved him deeply. Every time he held Cen Wu, his heart no longer felt empty. It filled the void within him, like a missing rib, making it impossible for him to imagine life without Cen Wu.

Blushing, he threw his jacket over Xie Guiluan’s head and said, "Wait a bit before going out."

What a scandalous man. Why hasn’t anyone come to Blue Night to shut down this nonsense? Xie Guiluan would be the first to be caught.

Xie Guiluan grabbed the jacket and pulled it down, sniffing it while only his tall, straight nose and those dark eyes were visible.

Cen Wu felt a burning sensation all over and couldn't bear to look at Xie Guiluan anymore. He quickly left the place and happened to run into Ji Changyu outside, who was slacking off and smoking.

Cen Wu didn't dare to look at Ji Changyu and ran away.

It was only a few minutes later that Xie Guiluan went out, his cold and handsome face showing no emotions, his clothes neatly worn, except for the wrinkles in the knee area of his suit pants that couldn't be smoothed out.

Ji Changyu: "..."

Seeing Xie Guiluan putting on airs again, Ji Changyu found it surreal. Who could tell from his cold expression that he had just knelt down and called someone brother, even shamelessly forcing a kiss?

Xie Guiluan's thin lips were red and glossy, his brows furrowed with dissatisfaction and unfulfilled desires, not even bothering to hide it. He lit a cigarette and walked out.

Blue Night was crowded with guests in the evening, the dance floor boiling and packed, the red and green lights creating a vulgar scene, the bar stuffy and hot.

He still wore those black leather gloves, his Adam's apple red from being rubbed, and he undid a bit more of his shirt collar, exuding an uncontainable restlessness.

And then there was Cen Wu’s jacket draped over his arm, covering what needed hiding—but not very well.

"I'll never advise you again," Ji Changyu hooked his arm around his shoulder and went outside with him, saying in amazement, "Just keep this up, and you'll be able to win over anyone."

It's hard for any human to resist this kind of temptation, and with Xie Guiluan's good looks, the allure multiplies exponentially.

Ji Changyu reckoned that aside from him, no one else could stand it. He would feel like vomiting if he heard this bastard call him 'brother.'

Actually, he felt pretty disgusted right now, feeling like demanding mental damage compensation from Xie Guiluan.

"Don't touch me," Xie Guiluan said coldly, pushing him away. "You're someone who doesn't know how to cherish yourself."

He was different from Ji Changyu; he only allowed Cen Wu to touch him.

Ji Changyu: ?

Alright, alright, he hadn't even complained about Xie Guiluan being indecent, and this bastard had the nerve to call him dirty? Forget about being brothers, they didn't need to be brothers.

Cen Wu ran all the way to outside Blue Night, and the night wind hit his face before he became a bit more clear-headed, though his cheeks were still flushed.

The driver had already arrived, and he sent Xie Guiluan a message before getting in the car to go home.

When he arrived home, Guan Xingxue and the others were still awake. The original owner of the body would always party almost all night at Blue Night on his birthday. Even though he knew no one dared to touch him, it was inevitable that Guan Xingxue and the others would worry.

The original owner would get drunk and be sent home, falling asleep immediately, not knowing that his parents and brother would wait up for him until late at night. Being loved was always so indulgent.

On the way back, Cen Wu looked at himself in the rearview mirror for a long time. This time, he hadn't kissed for long, and his lips weren't swollen, but his face was very red.

He hoped no one would notice, but as soon as Cen Xiao yanked at his collar, he said resentfully, "Where's your jacket?"

Including the round-trip car ride, Cen Wu had only been gone for a little over an hour. Cen Xiao didn't think they could have done much. Although he found Xie Guiluan utterly distasteful, Xie Guiluan didn't seem incapable.

It shouldn't have ended so quickly.

Not doing anything, and even having his jacket taken off—how could he be so useless? He couldn't even handle a man properly.

Cen Wu: !!!

Cen Wu had forgotten about his jacket. He was defeated. This was a family tradition of catching someone red-handed. The original novel mentioned that Cen Wu's parents, Cen Junshan and his wife, had a very good relationship. Guan Xingxue, a former best actress, had many suitors in her youth. Whenever she filmed in Huai Jing, Cen Junshan would drive over every night to pick her up.

It was all about tight security.

Cen Wu covered his face, his fingers slightly spread, his wide eyes blinking behind them as he peeked at Cen Xiao through the gaps between his fingers, trying to pass off his innocence with his cuteness.

Guan Xingxue called out to them, telling them to go to bed early. Cen Xiao, frustrated with his brother, pointed at Cen Wu before finally letting him go.

Cen Wu quickly went to sleep, and before going to bed, he thoroughly brushed his teeth. But there was still a faint milky sweetness in his mouth, and his tongue felt very strange, like it belonged to someone else after being sucked on.

Damn it all, all because of Xie Guiluan.

Xie Guiluan got off work at midnight. He changed and left Blue Night, heading back to the Xie family's place tonight.

Xie Mingcheng had just returned from Cen Wu's birthday party and had only been home for a short while. Zhou Li had gone with him.

She wore a black mermaid dress, with very light makeup and not too many accessories. Her prominent brow bone and fair skin gave her an air of detachment that didn't quite fit in with the upper-class circle of Huai Jing.

The evening breeze tousled her wavy hair, and she pulled her coat tightly around herself. She looked up and met Xie Guiluan's gaze, her expression unmoved, only gesturing to her secretary, "Come with me."

Her secretary was a young man in his thirties, wearing a grey suit, his appearance very refined.

She ignored Xie Mingcheng and didn't even speak to Xie Shangjing, walking toward the small house in the back garden of her villa.

Zhou Li is the only daughter of the Zhou family, but she didn’t go into business. Instead, she followed her grandfather to study medicine and became a surgeon at the First Hospital of Huai Jing.

After her father’s death, Xie Mingcheng took control of the Zhou family and brought Song Lingwei and her son to live with them. Zhou Li had a huge argument with him, but it didn’t lead to any resolution. Coupled with the grief over her father's death, she fell seriously ill, and her health deteriorated. She stopped practicing as a doctor and no longer opposed Song Lingwei and her son.

She lived in the small building behind the Xie family’s villa and rarely went out. Over the years, she barely saw even Xie Shangjing.

A dangerous aura grew on Xie Shangjing’s delicate and handsome face as he gave Xie Guiluan a cold glance before going to find Zhou Li.

Xie Guiluan stood silently to the side. He waited until Zhou Li and the others left before picking up his bag, intending to go to the shed near the stables. Suddenly, Xie Mingcheng patted his shoulder.

“Zhou Li’s secretary, Zhou Jiacheng,” Xie Mingcheng’s cold silver glasses glinted, making his eyes appear even more cold and indifferent. He asked Xie Guiluan, “You’ve seen him, right?”

Xie Guiluan didn’t respond.

Xie Mingcheng didn’t speak either. His gaze was very dark as he stared at Zhou Li and Zhou Jiacheng’s backs.

Zhou Jiacheng is Zhou Li’s cousin.

Zhou Li still had some insignificant industries left from the Zhou family, and Zhou Jiacheng helped her manage them. He would come to the Xie family occasionally, but recently he had been coming too frequently. This woman never learned to stay in her lane, not even caring for her own son, always thinking about how to undermine him.

As night fell, Xie Mingcheng placed his hand on Xie Guiluan’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. Leaning in, he lowered his voice, “These people are even less sensible than your mother, just taking up space in the Xie family.”

Xie Guiluan lifted his cold, thin eyelids. His eyes held a deep, intense blackness as he turned to look at Xie Mingcheng. The night was so cold and deep. Xie Mingcheng gave a half-smile, tugging at one corner of his mouth.

“It’s going to rain, don’t you think?”

Cen Wu didn’t see much of Xie Guiluan for the next week. The competition was getting fiercer, especially after the cheating incident at the Qing Yue Cup. The province sent investigators who replaced everyone from the judges to the question-setting team. The final round’s questions were expected to be even more bizarre.

-

Every school was taking it seriously, and Xie Guiluan was busy with training. It wasn’t until Friday, just before the evening study session, that he saw Xie Guiluan.

Meng Liangping printed photos from the autumn outing, and those who wanted them could go up to the podium to collect them. Almost the entire class took one.

Xie Guiluan sat down with his bag, his pale and sharp features and his intense black eyes exuding coldness. Meng Liangping winked at him several times, but Xie Guiluan didn’t go up to collect a photo.

Meng Liangping coughed lightly and said, “Is there anyone else who wants one? This is the last photo. Come and get it if you want it.”

Seeing no one was taking it, Zhang Yuanzhou went to grab another one. As he passed the podium and reached out, Meng Liangping slapped his hand down, pressing it. Zhang Yuanzhou struggled a few times but couldn’t pull his hand free.

Zhang Yuanzhou: ?

What’s wrong? Aren’t I a classmate?

Cen Wu turned around, glanced at his sharp and beautiful backseat classmate who resembled Yi Ping, and, gathering his courage, raised his hand.

“Teacher, our Xie Guiluan wants one too. The child didn’t get a photo and came home crying to me.”

Meng Liangping gave the photo to Cen Wu, assuming Cen Wu was getting it for Xie Guiluan, as he felt no one could compare to Cen Wu in caring for him.

Before the class bell rang, Meng Liangping walked to the back row and knocked on Xie Guiluan’s desk. “Xiao Yi Ping, come out for a moment.”

Xie Yiping wore a blank expression.

It’s normal to feel nervous about competitions, and this year the finals weren’t in Huai Jing but in the neighboring city. Xie Guiluan had to leave the night before. Meng Liangping called Xie Guiluan to the office and lectured him for a long time.

“When you get there,” Meng Liangping told him, “observe the attitude of the competition organizers. If something seems off, let me know, or tell the principal, or the dean, anyone. Just make sure to contact the school.”

Xie Guiluan agreed, "Okay, thanks, Teacher."

Meng Liangping still wasn’t entirely at ease. He knew a few teachers from the neighboring city and thought about asking them to look after Xie Guiluan.

He asked Xie Guiluan to give him his phone, then input the phone numbers of those teachers.

Xie Guiluan had a high-speed train to catch at 9:30 PM, and he had to leave the school for the station by 8:30 PM at the latest.

Meng Liangping was still typing away when Xie Guiluan’s phone suddenly dinged with a message.

The pop-up banner on the screen was incomplete, but the first part was visible.

“Baby: I’ll come to see you off later.”

Meng Liangping: “……”

Xie Guiluan: “……”

Meng Liangping forced a dry laugh and said, “This is a friend of yours, huh? That’s quite an interesting nickname.”

The office fell into an awkward silence.

Meng Liangping struggled to find the right words, unable to speak too harshly to Xie Guiluan, so he could only hint, “Xiao Xie… you… I… oh well.”

Cen Wu used the previous owner’s account for the class group chat and only added Xie Guiluan on his personal account. With a little cat avatar, Meng Liangping couldn’t tell who it was.

He did suspect Cen Wu for a moment. Cen Wu and Xie Shangjing were notoriously together, their relationship known by all, including the teachers. But he also knew that Xie Shangjing was Xie Guiluan’s brother, so he didn’t think too much of it. Otherwise, the situation would be too complicated.

He didn’t get the complexities of rich family dynamics.

But he believed Xie Guiluan wasn’t that kind of person.

“It won’t affect the exam,” Xie Guiluan said, his cold, dark peach blossom eyes lifting, this time not denying that he was in a relationship.

Meng Liangping felt his heart break. Their class’s number one student, how could he go and fall in love early? But he didn’t dare to upset Xie Guiluan, so he only said, “Just make sure the Dean of Discipline doesn’t catch wind of it.”

He could turn a blind eye, but the Dean of Discipline was ironclad and would definitely dig out who this “Baby” was.

Cen Wu waited for Xie Guiluan in the classroom. An hour had passed since evening study began, and Xie Guiluan was still nowhere to be seen.

He waited another ten minutes, and when there was still no sign of him, he started packing his own bag. Another ten minutes passed, and he quietly moved to the seat next to Xie Guiluan. Another ten minutes passed, and he started packing Xie Guiluan’s bag.

Just as he looked up, he saw Xie Guiluan standing at the back door of the classroom. Cen Wu blinked, handed the bag to Xie Guiluan, and slipped out through the back door.

Meng Liangping had just reached the podium when he noticed someone skipping class. “Cen Wu!” he shouted.

Cen Wu’s calves trembled in fright, but Xie Guiluan grabbed his hand and led him down the stairs. The classroom lights faded behind them, and the evening breeze chased the boys.

Meng Liangping watched them run down, not calling out again, just shaking his head with a wry smile.

Cen Wu’s trembling hands and racing heart couldn’t shake the fear that the homeroom teacher might come after them.

“He didn’t come,” Xie Guiluan said.

Cen Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. His misty eyes glistened under the lights, his cheeks flushed, and his nose was dotted with fine sweat from running, still catching his breath.

Xie Guiluan reached out and rubbed his nose, then suddenly asked, “Want to sneak out by climbing the wall?”

Xie Guiluan had a reason to leave school early, but Cen Wu was purely skipping class. Seeing Cen Wu’s interest, Xie Guiluan took him to the back field, where the wall was shorter and many students skipped class.

Depending on his mood, Xie Guiluan would either leave through the school gate or climb over the wall.

Cen Wu hadn’t attended many classes in high school, but this was the first time he was skipping by climbing the wall. He tried jumping a few times but couldn’t make it up. Xie Guiluan supported his thigh and helped him up.

Cen Wu’s movements were too conspicuous and alerted the security guard, who ran over with a flashlight just as Cen Wu reached the top of the wall.

"Stop!" the security guard shouted. "Which class are you from?!"

Startled, Cen Wu nearly fell, but Xie Guiluan quickly climbed up and grabbed him just in time.

The moment Xie Guiluan landed, he reached out his hand. The security guard was sprinting towards them, so Cen Wu closed his eyes and jumped down.

He landed firmly in Xie Guiluan’s arms.

Xie Guiluan held him, grabbed their bags, and they ran. By the time the security guard arrived, they were long gone.

"Xie Guiluan," Cen Wu said as they squeezed onto the bus, punching Xie Guiluan in the back. He was inexplicably excited and didn’t stutter as he said, "How come you’re skipping class too?"

"To keep you company," Xie Guiluan chuckled softly despite the sudden hit. He noticed Cen Wu didn’t stutter but didn’t point it out. He pulled Cen Wu into his arms to protect him from the crowd.

The bus was packed, and Cen Wu was pressed against Xie Guiluan. He could only see Xie Guiluan’s Adam’s apple as he clutched the strap of his bag, afraid of getting separated.

The station wasn’t far from the school, and they reached it after about a half-hour bus ride. It was late October, and the temperature was low. Xie Guiluan bought Cen Wu a cup of lychee milk tea to warm his hands.

Cen Wu had planned to part ways at the ticket gate but found himself following Xie Guiluan through the gate. Stuttering, he said, "I... I’ll accompany you to the platform."

Xie Guiluan didn’t refuse. When they reached the platform, the night wind was colder. Xie Guiluan reached out and touched Cen Wu’s cold face.

But his own hands were cold, and Cen Wu shivered away, spinning around Xie Guiluan. People nearby were secretly watching them, and Cen Wu blushed and stopped.

Oh no, it felt like everyone thought they were dating. He was starting to believe it too. Xie Guiluan was causing him so much turmoil. How was he supposed to handle this?

A railway route map was posted on the platform. Cen Wu’s fingertips traced along Huijing and beyond.

Xie Guiluan looked up at the vast, dark night sky. His dark eyes, glistening like water-soaked beads, suddenly asked, "When I come back, will you be waiting for me here?"

The moon was high tonight.

It made him feel like Cen Wu didn’t quite belong here.

Cen Wu was stunned. Xie Guiluan was only going to be away for a day or two, but it felt like a long separation.

"I... I’ll pick you up at the station," Cen Wu promised.

"Goodnight," Xie Guiluan said as the train pulled in, releasing his hand. "Go home early, second young master."

Cen Wu nodded in agreement.

Xie Guiluan looked back at him once more before boarding the train. He was in the last carriage, by the window. As he sat down, he saw Cen Wu waving at him from the platform.

Apart from attending competitions, Xie Guiluan hadn’t taken many train rides. The old station in Huijing reminded him of many years ago when he had come there with Song Lingwei.

But he had been only three or four years old then, too young to have a ticket to enter. After wandering around for a bit, he returned to the orphanage entrance.

In the cold, deep winter, he had always been waiting for Song Lingwei, used to waiting. This was the first time someone was waiting for him.

A small light on the platform illuminated the long night.