Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The stare was too intrusive, like a physical touch, raking over every inch of his skin even through the crowd.

Xu Yan squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head hard. When he opened them again, the dizziness only worsened.

That inexplicable sense of oppression vanished, and the person who had been watching him was gone too.

Had he imagined it?

Xu Yan lowered his head, staring at the juice in his hand, his face burning as if scorched by a steamer. He pressed the cold glass against his cheek, the flesh yielding slightly to the pressure.

"It's a bit hot..."

Li Huaiche glanced at his cup. "That's the alcohol talking. I don’t feel hot at all."

Xu Yan replied blankly, "But I was drinking juice."

Li Huaiche chuckled. "What juice? That’s a cocktail, and probably a strong one at that. How many have you had? Couldn't you tell?"

Xu Yan licked his lips, still tasting the sweet fruitiness.

He had never tried cocktails before and didn’t realize they could be so deceptive—and so sweet.

He couldn’t even remember how many he’d had.

Li Huaiche offered, "You should stop drinking. You can't hold your liquor. You feeling woozy? Will you be able to get back on your own later? Some of our friends drove here—we could give you a ride."

"Should be fine," Xu Yan replied, pressing the glass to his face again, feeling like his mind had cleared a little. "I'm okay, not too drunk. Besides, I came with friends."

"Alright. We might stay out late, and if we miss the dorm curfew, we won’t go back," Li Huaiche said. "You should head back early too. Don't go roaming about—it’s too crowded tonight."

Xu Yan nodded. "Okay."

Ever since they became roommates, Li Huaiche had always looked out for him, probably because he was a year younger. Li Huaiche babied him, but he was already an adult.

Li Huaiche didn’t stay long before heading into a private room with some friends. Left alone on the sofa, Xu Yan didn’t dare touch his drink again.

The heat he had suppressed earlier slowly crept back. He sent Shen Nanli a message, then stood up abruptly—only for his vision to darken, nearly making him collapse.

He steadied himself, patted his slightly muddled head, and went out to clear his head.

*

---

On a secluded balcony at the side of the banquet hall, a glowing cigarette tip shone in the darkness, smoke curling around long, well-defined fingers resting on the railing.

The cigarette burned halfway before being lifted to his lips for a shallow pull.

Chen Xun walked over after ending his call. "Your dad?"

Wen Sinian answered flatly, "Mm."

"Something wrong at home?"

"Nothing," Wen Sinian said. "Just informing me I’m getting married next week."

"So soon? Number six, huh?" Chen Xun was surprised. "Are you going?"

Wen Sinian’s mother had passed away early, never having lived a good life. Shortly after her death, his father, Wen Zhendong, came into money and married a younger woman—only to divorce not long after.

Then he married again, divorced again, and the pattern continued.

In over a decade, this would be his sixth marriage, not to mention the constant parade of mistresses in between.

Wen Sinian had always known. Even when his mother was alive, Wen Zhendong had been the same. No one knew he'd seen it—men and women, depravity beyond disgusting.

But in recent years, he had started his own studio and moved out, severing most ties with his father.

Yet the call just now had been all yelling and swearing, and hysterical threats—as if they were so close the wedding couldn’t proceed without him.

But Wen Sinian felt nothing. He listened calmly, untouched.

Tapping ash from his cigarette, he said, "Depends."

Chen Xun knew that meant he might actually go. "I heard this one’s a year younger than you?"

"Mm."

Since it was a family matter, Chen Xun let it drop. Whether Wen Sinian attended was his own decision.

Chen Xun fished for a cigarette but realized he didn’t have a lighter. "Got a light?"

Without hesitation, Wen Sinian said, "No."

Chen Xun glanced at the lit cigarette in his hand. "Planning to rub sticks together?"

After a pause, Wen Sinian produced a lighter.

Chen Xun took it, puzzled by his mercurial moods.

But the lighter felt off—lightweight, almost like plastic.

He used the flimsy plastic thing to light his cigarette and handed it back, watching as Wen Sinian twirled it between his fingers before tucking it securely into his pocket.

Chen Xun stared.

Who would steal your precious plastic?

"Things that rough?" Chen Xun asked. "Studio not going well?"

Wen Sinian didn’t answer, his gaze drifting past the glass balcony doors into the banquet hall.

Their roommate Li Huaiche was walking out of a private room, arm in arm with friends, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

The other roommate was nowhere to be seen.

*

---

Xu Yan had been outside for a while, goosebumps rising on his skin, yet his thoughts still swam, his legs unsteady beneath him.

He refused to admit he was drunk—just that if he just pushed through, he could fight off the dizziness.

After walking along the outer path for a bit, he turned back inside through another door.

From memory, he thought a left then a right would lead him back to the banquet hall. But the place was a maze. After circling the first-floor corridor, no doorway revealed itself.

He ran a hand through his hair, retraced his steps, and circled again—only to feel even more dizzy.

The party sounds taunted him from just beyond reach, yet he couldn’t find his way in. Xu Yan doggedly kept pacing the hallway, until what little clarity he'd regained evaporated.

Standing at a corner, Xu Yan stared silently at the wall before him. Suddenly, he heard voices not far away. His eyes lit up, and he hurried toward the voices, hoping someone could show him the way.

The voices came and went before fading away behind the stairwell's fire exit.

Afraid the people might leave, Xu Yan rushed over. His hand had just touched the metal handle when, through the door's glass window, he accidentally got an eyeful of what was happening inside.

Two tangled bodies leaned against the wall, their embrace so tight it looked ready to crush each other's bones. Faint gasps and the wet sounds of kissing seeped through the door crack, their lingering breaths that could start a fire.

Xu Yan's fingers instantly jerked back from the door as if burned by the heat radiating from within.

Unaware of the onlooker, the two inside shifted positions, still locked in their embrace. The motion-activated light above them flickered on, and when Xu Yan recognized one of them, his eyes widened in shock, his mouth slightly agape as he struggled to breathe.

The two men kissing so passionately were both male—and the one pressed against the wall, tilting his chin up to receive the kiss, was none other than Lin Xingxian.

Xu Yan's brain blue-screened, nearly letting out a shocked gasp.

Before the corridor light dimmed again, a pair of hands suddenly closed around him from behind.

One arm wrapped around his waist, fingers digging into the soft flesh at his side, while the other hand rose to his face, the thumb and forefinger gripping his cheeks, prying his mouth open.

Instinct made Xu Yan want to cry out, but the person behind him pressed closer, growled in his ear, "Quiet."

Recognizing the voice, Xu Yan choked back his panic. Through the glass window, he could see his whole body now completely shielded by a tall, broad figure.

Luckily, the two inside were too absorbed to notice.

Xu Yan felt himself being hauled up by the waist, like a ragdoll, and swiftly moved behind another door.

Once inside, he was whirled around and shoved against the wall. The hand covering his mouth didn’t loosen, and the person before him stood so close their breath mixed in the silent air.

Xu Yan’s lungs burned for oxygen, his face hot and damp. His lower half was still trapped by a large hand, his eyes shining with barely-held tears, wet and bright with distress.

Wen Sinian loosened his hold just a bit and whispered, "Someone’s coming."

Sure enough, footsteps and voices approached from the hallway outside, growing louder.

Xu Yan held his breath, eyes wide, his wet lashes fluttering, leaving faint pink streaks at the corners.

His jaw ached, and his teeth unconsciously scraped against the thumb pressed against his lips before he flinched back guiltily.

Wen Sinian’s gaze remained locked downward, his attention far from the passersby outside.

He withdrew his thumb slightly, tilting it to spread those slick lips wider.

The dim light from the glass window threw a weak glow, but it was enough to reveal a glimpse of pink deeper within.

The voices outside faded as the people moved on.

Xu Yan, already dizzy from lack of oxygen, swayed unsteadily.

Discomforted, he clutched at the wrist in front of him, slurring something unintelligible, his teeth bumping against the hand again.

Wen Sinian got a whiff of the faint scent of alcohol and fruity sweetness clinging to him.

Understanding his complaint, he slowly, inch by inch, let him go.

But the moment he did, Xu Yan listed sideways and started to slump down the wall.

A hand swiftly caught his waist, steadying him once more.

The other hand, now damp, remained unshaken as Wen Sinian asked quietly, "Can you stand?"

Xu Yan rubbed his jaw and nodded, pressing himself firmly against the wall, his face scrunched with effort.

"I’m standing," he announced triumphantly.

"Let go?" Wen Sinian checked.

"Y-yes," Xu Yan agreed.

The hand at his waist slowly withdrew.

"See? I’m standing by myself," Xu Yan boasted eagerly. "Am I amazing?"

"Mm," Wen Sinian wedged a knee between his thighs, supporting his weight as he leaned. "Very amazing."

Then he reached up, thumbed away the shine at Xu Yan’s lips.

Author's Note:

Wife's drool, lick and taste (just kidding

Presenting the first intimate moment of our little couple, hehe.