Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Xu Yan finally got around to preparing for the video recording late in the evening.

His two roommates were sitting outside, so he quietly pulled out two leg garters from the closet, wadded them up in his hands, and then carefully climbed onto his bed.

The dorm lights hadn’t been turned off yet, and though Xu Yan had his bed curtain closed, some light still filtered through.

He laid out the two leg garters and looked them over—one was the white bow he had worn before, and the other was a slightly stiff black leather one.

He didn’t even need to take off his pants; the loose pant legs slid easily down to his thighs.

He bit his lip lightly, angled his phone in the corner of the wall to ensure the dim lighting obscured the surroundings but still highlighted his pale legs through the gaps in the curtain.

His fair face flushed slightly as he tapped the record button.

He placed the white bow garter on his thigh first, then slowly looped it around his thigh twice before tying the ribbon at the back. The bow sat a little crooked, so he carefully adjusted it before moving on to the second one.

The black leather garter had several buckles at the back. After putting it on his other leg, Xu Yan found the right notch to buckle it, then tugged it up slightly, tightening it a bit more.

Soft flesh swelled slightly under the pressure of the stiff leather, creating a depressed ring where the belt sat, while the flesh above and below pooched out slightly, trembling faintly.

Somehow, during the process, the ribbon of the bow garter on the other leg came undone, sliding down between his legs against the smooth skin. Xu Yan had to fish the bow back up with his fingers and retie it.

Before he could finish, someone suddenly called his name from below the bed.

Xu Yan froze, his back stiffening instantly like a cat with its tail trodden on. His eyes widened as he listened for movement outside the curtain.

Zhao Qingji called again, “Xu Yan? Are you asleep?”

Xu Yan quickly replied, “No, I’m not.”

Zhao Qingji sounded relieved. “Good. I’m about to make a call—just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t disturb you.”

Xu Yan stayed still, hardly moving a muscle. “It’s fine, go ahead.”

A moment later, Zhao Qingji’s voice floated up as he talked, and Xu Yan finally relaxed.

He had nearly been scared to death, thinking his weird little project on the bed had been discovered.

The video was probably good enough as it was. He picked up his phone and stopped the recording, cutting off the end part where he had spoken. The footage ended with the white bow slipping between his legs.

A notification popped up on his burner account right on time.

*Year*: Baby, the video.

Since he had already recorded it, Xu Yan bit the bullet and sent it, adding a reminder.

*Yan Yan*: You have to send one too.

The other side didn’t reply for a long time, perhaps busy watching the video he had sent.

The dorm lights suddenly turned off, and Xu Yan lay in bed, waiting quietly.

He switched apps and scrolled through several platforms, waiting so long he nearly fell asleep before finally receiving the other’s video—just over ten seconds long.

Before playing it, the screen was foggy, showing no clear figure. Curious, he tapped to start.

The camera wobbled slightly as a hand reached up, wiping the steam-covered mirror. A steamy figure came into view behind it, beads of water clinging to well-defined abs before some of the larger beads slid down the defined V-lines along his waist…

The hand didn’t withdraw immediately. Instead, the index and middle fingers pressed together, slowly traced a line from left to right just below the collarbone.

Xu Yan licked his lips—a subconscious tic when his mind went blank.

He now believed *Year*'s previous photos were unedited, but why had he traced his fingers across his skin like that?

Within seconds, he understood.

A faint pink mark had already appeared where the fingers had passed, a soft red line glowing under the light.

His skin seemed sensitive, the mark standing out sharply.

The video ended there, the mirror slowly fogging up again, hiding the glistening body behind it.

Xu Yan’s mouth felt dry. He turned off his phone and licked his lips a few times, but it didn’t help.

He suddenly wanted to get up for water, but his roommates were probably asleep, and he was too lazy to climb down. He’d have to tough it out.

He sent a message.

*Yan Yan*: Why did you scratch yourself?

It’s all red.

*Year*: From now on, only Baby can scratch me, okay?

This dude was bizarre—why would he want Xu Yan to scratch him?

Xu Yan replied with a “No,” then turned off his phone and went to sleep.

*

The next evening, he had an elective class. Lin Xingxian had already texted him to save seats for each other, so they sat together during the lecture. But Senior Wen was a no-show.

“Don’t worry about him. I already got him excused. He’s at Ares tonight,” Lin Xingxian said. “He’s been going there a lot lately—maybe he’s going through something.”

Xu Yan didn’t expect that response and did a double take, turning to stare at Lin Xingxian. “Huh…?”

Lin Xingxian grinned. “Just kidding. He’s always roasting me, so I’m giving him a taste of his own medicine. Wonder if he’d poison himself if he licked his own skin.”

Xu Yan chuckled but didn’t comment further.

Lin Xingxian seemed to catch the vibe and leaned closer. “Hey, junior, why do you care so much about whether he comes to class?”

Xu Yan answered simply, “The professor is doing roll call today. I just wanted to remind you guys.”

Lin Xingxian just said “Oh,” then added after a pause, “But Senior Wen is kinda weird. Just between us, every time I’ve seen him lately, he’s always on his phone, grinning at his phone… Super weird, you know?”

Xu Yan tried to picture it but shook his head. “Not really.”

Lin Xingxian leaned in conspiratorially. “I think he’s seeing someone on the DL and didn’t tell me.”

Xu Yan suddenly remembered how Xu Wenwen had once shipped him with Senior Wen. Was Lin Xingxian jumping to conclusions too? He quickly said, “I don’t know anything about that.”

Lin Xingxian side-eyed him. “Don’t know what? That came outta nowhere.”

Xu Yan faltered. “Oh.”

Lin Xingxian continued, “Wait, you’re dormmates, right? I’m just saying, I wanted to ask if he’s even slept in the dorm.”

Xu Yan: “No.”

Lin Xingxian wore an "I told you so" expression and mumbled under his breath. Xu Yan barely caught something like "not following the doctor's orders at all," but he might have misheard.

Year texted him, asking if he was in class. After replying, Xu Yan recalled a post he had come across online a couple of days ago.

It turned out many people started with online relationships before meeting in person, though only a small fraction managed to find someone reliable—people who still liked each other after meeting and continued their relationship. Most of what he saw were cases where things fizzled out, where people either lost interest upon meeting or discovered the other person was just a scammer after money or emotions before even meeting.

Xu Yan couldn't imagine what someone would want to scam him for. After some thought, he sent a message.

"Yan Yan": Do you really like me?

"Year": I like you very much.

"Yan Yan": What do you like about me? You don’t even know what I look like.

"Year": I do.

Xu Yan’s pulse jumped as he read the reply.

"Year": You’re the prettiest and cutest in my heart, babe.

"Yan Yan": What if I’m actually really ugly? Like, the type that'd make you do a double take?

"Year": I’d still be into you.

"Year": You can keep asking. The answer won’t change.

"Year": I’ll always like you the most.

"Yan Yan": But you said at first that you were straight, that you didn’t like guys.

"Year": Because I hadn’t met you yet, babe.

Xu Yan propped his cheek with one hand while the other idly tapped at the keyboard.

"Yan Yan": But I don’t know what you look like either.

"Year": Want to see?

How could he not?

"Yan Yan": Can you show me?

A little thrill of anticipation bubbled up in Xu Yan’s heart—was this agreement to send a photo with his face?

"Year": You’ll see when we meet.

Xu Yan immediately felt annoyed. He slapped his phone face-down and propped his chin in his hands, silently staring at the blackboard.

What a cop-out answer. Of course they’d know what each other looked like if they met. But he still had many worries, couldn't shake the suspicion that no one would be this nice to another person without reason.

He spaced out until the end of class, then left the classroom with Shen Nanli and Lin Xingxian.

Lin Xingxian called out to him, "Hey, junior, remember how you promised to model for me? I’ve been waiting. Do you have time these days?"

Xu Yan did have some free time recently, and he wasn’t one to go back on his word. He nodded, "Yeah, are you starting to paint now?"

Lin Xingxian: "Yeah, I've been dying to paint lately, and I wasn’t satisfied with my previous works. If you’re free, just let me know. I’ll send you an address, and you can come find me. I’ll comp your ride."

Xu Yan: "Okay."

After that, they walked to the roadside. Students flooded past them after class, and under the shade of a nearby tree, a tall man stood beside a parked car, his piercing stare locked in their direction.

Xu Yan only glanced at him but immediately got instant déjà vu. Then it clicked—this was the same man he had accidentally seen kissing Lin Xingxian in the stairwell during the HP Hotel gathering.

Lin Xingxian’s face instantly clouded over, his tone laced with irritation as he muttered under his breath, "That bastard just won't quit."

Remembering Wen Sinian’s warning, Xu Yan played dumb and said to Lin Xingxian, "Senior, it looks like your friend is waiting for you. We’ll bounce first."

Shen Nanli nodded in agreement beside him.

To their surprise, Lin Xingxian shot back, "Not my friend."

"Ex-boyfriend."

The words left Xu Yan and Shen Nanli momentarily stunned.

Lin Xingxian added, "It’s fine telling you guys. Just keep it a secret, okay?"

With a wink, he walked toward the car.

Xu Yan and Shen Nanli returned to the dorm together.

During a free period one afternoon, Xu Yan DM'd Lin Xingxian, saying he was free and asking if he should go to the art school to meet him. But Lin Xingxian sent him an off-campus location and transferred 1100 yuan over.

"Lin Xingxian": I’ve been crashing off-campus recently. Campus is too damn crowded.

"Lin Xingxian": The extra's for your Uber. See you soon, junior.

Xu Yan made sure to dress sharp—a light blue jacket over long sleeves and slacks. To save time, he hailed a cab right to the address Lin Xingxian had sent.

But when he got out of the car, he wound up standing in front of an oddly shaped standalone villa. He squinted at his phone, baffled.

This was definitely the right address.

Turns out this was Wen Sinian’s studio.