Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The sounds from within ceased. A moment later, the door clicked open a crack. The room was unlit, plunged in deep shadow, with only a sliver of light from the hallway illuminating Sheng Jinyu’s face.

He paused, seemingly taken aback that Su He was at the door. After a long moment, he murmured, "Didn't I tell Fang Cheng not to tell you?"

Su He immediately cleared the innocent Executive Assistant Fang’s name: "He didn't tell me. May I come in?"

Though he wasn't sure what he could do inside, he at least didn't want Sheng Jinyu to be alone.

Sheng Jinyu leaned against the door for a while before finally stepping aside. Su He pushed the door open and closed it behind him.

In the dim light, he saw Sheng Jinyu in a loosely tied bathrobe, his hair dripping wet as if he had just emerged from the shower.

Su He spoke first: "I ran into Song Xiao—the actor you dismissed. It wasn't his fault; it was the producer."

Sheng Jinyu’s tone was sharp with impatience: "I know. He wouldn't dare."

He irritably raked a hand through his soaked hair, his gaze locking onto Su He’s face in the gloom. Never in his life had he felt such raw, unbridled desire for someone as he did at this moment.

Su He’s voice was like a barbed hook, digging deep into his heart and pulling him in. Each word stoked a fire in his gut. Sheng Jinyu felt as if he had plunged into a roiling sea of lava, his entire body burning.

His breath, his skin, even his rationality—everything was on the verge of combustion.

He had never craved anything so desperately. His fingertips trembled...

In the silent darkness, every sound was amplified. Su He could hear Sheng Jinyu’s ragged, heavy breathing, as if he were struggling to endure immense torment.

The way he stared at Su He was unwavering, intense—suddenly reminding Su He of the white tiger Sheng Jinyu kept at the Sheng estate. That was the same focused, predatory gaze it had when hunting.

As if it meant to tear apart and devour its prey, with an undeniable, aggressive intent.

"I—"

Su He barely got a word out before Sheng Jinyu abruptly turned away, cursing under his breath before throwing out a cold, clipped sentence: "Damn it. I need another shower."

His voice was rough and strained. Without looking back, he strode into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

The air seemed to grow thick and stifling. As the sound of running water resumed, Su He heard another erratic pounding—a chaotic, thumping rhythm.

It took him a moment to realize it was his own heartbeat.

So frantic and unsteady, refusing to calm even for a second.

Su He slowly approached the bathroom, his hand resting on the doorknob. After a deep breath, he pressed down gently.

The door wasn’t locked. It swung open easily.

The bathroom was surprisingly cold. Su He’s gaze immediately landed on the man standing under the showerhead, still in his bathrobe, head tilted back as icy water cascaded down his body. The fabric at his waist strained noticeably, betraying his state.

The sight was scorching. Su He averted his eyes uncomfortably.

Hearing the noise, Sheng Jinyu’s eyes snapped open, and he turned his head. His eyes were already reddened from the cold water, his skin flushed with an unnatural heat.

His brows furrowed deeply, his gaze so intense it felt like it could burn through Su He. Su He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it outside the bathroom before stepping forward to turn off the shower.

The splashing water hit him, icy enough to make him shiver. He gave Sheng Jinyu a disapproving look.

"You’ll get sick like this," Su He said.

Sheng Jinyu’s frown deepened. He knew Su He must have realized what was happening—yet here he was, barging in anyway.

With a helpless, gravelly voice, he asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"

Su He kicked off his shoes and gathered his courage to step closer. His voice was quiet but firm: "Let me... help you."

His words trembled slightly. He was afraid too, uncertain—unsure of what their relationship would become after this.

But the words spilled out anyway.

Like gunpowder meeting flame, they shattered whatever remained of Sheng Jinyu’s self-control. In an instant, he grabbed Su He, one hand gripping the back of his neck as he yanked him forward and slammed their lips together.

Finally, he tasted those lips again. A mere brush wasn’t enough—Sheng Jinyu’s tongue plunged in, possessing, consuming, as his other arm wrapped around Su He’s waist, pulling him flush against his body.

The kiss was ferocious, unrelenting, like a storm crashing down. Su He’s mind blanked for a second before he realized he was being pressed against the wet tiles, the cold seeping through his clothes.

The cramped space was filled with nothing but the wet, lewd sounds of their mouths moving together, each noise hammering into their ears.

It hurt—his tongue, his lips—everything ached. Su He’s eyes squeezed shut, shielding him from the blinding light above.

His hands flailed in the air before finally landing on Sheng Jinyu’s scorching back, fingers digging in hard enough to leave marks.

He could hear Sheng Jinyu’s rough, ragged breaths, the low, needy groans escaping his throat.

A cold hand tugged at Su He’s shirt, slipping beneath the fabric to trace the dip of his spine before sliding up his back. The sensation was so foreign, so overwhelming, that a muffled whimper escaped Su He’s throat—soft, kittenish.

That sound acted like a catalyst, making the kiss deepen, grow even more voracious, until Su He could barely breathe. Yet despite the discomfort, a perverse pleasure coiled in his mind.

Su He forced his trembling eyelids open, meeting Sheng Jinyu’s darkened gaze—deep, bottomless, abyssal.

He had never seen Sheng Jinyu like this. It scared him.

Gripping Sheng Jinyu’s arm, Su He twisted his face away, barely managing to gasp out, "Sheng Jinyu!"

Finally able to breathe, Su He sagged against the wall, panting heavily. His shirt was soaked through, clinging to his skin in patches, revealing tantalizing glimpses of golden skin beneath.

Sheng Jinyu gradually stilled, his focus sharpening as if waking from a dream. He took a sudden step back—only to knock into a nearby shelf.

Bottles teetered dangerously before one finally toppled, shattering on the floor, scattering glass.

Su He moved to pick it up, but Sheng Jinyu caught his wrist. "Don’t."

He pulled Su He away, covering the shards with a towel before nudging them into a corner. He picked up the larger pieces and tossed them into the trash—but kept the last fragment in his hand.

His fingers tightened slowly, the sharp edge piercing his skin. Blood welled up instantly, but the pain brought an unprecedented clarity to his mind.

He wanted Su He—but not like this, not in this confused, half-lucid state. He should send Su He away.

Yet the words wouldn’t come.

Crimson droplets splattered onto the floor, mingling with the water. Su He’s face contorted in alarm as he grabbed Sheng Jinyu’s hand. "Let go!"

He pried Sheng Jinyu’s fingers open, prying out the shard and tossing it into the trash before glaring up at him.

"Why would you do that? After all the effort to heal your hand, do you really want to risk damaging it again? Turn into a lefty for good?" Su He chided him logically.

Sheng Jinyu let out a rasping laugh. With his uninjured hand, he brushed aside the wet strands of hair sticking to Su He’s forehead.

He smiled. "This scratch is nothing. When did you become so fierce?"

Su He huffed in irritation and pinched his hand, turning his head away. "If you don't want my help, fine. Don't be like that."

He pretended to leave, but a firm arm wrapped around his waist from behind, pulling him back, blocking his way.

Sheng Jinyu rested his chin on Su He’s shoulder, his hot breath fanning across Su He’s ear as he murmured, "If you keep tempting me like this, I really won’t be able to hold back."

Su He’s fingers, at his sides, curled slightly as he breathed out barely audibly, "I never asked you to hold back..."

"What...?"

Whether Sheng Jinyu genuinely didn’t hear or was pretending, he turned Su He around and kept pressing him for an answer, until Su He’s ears turned crimson with frustration. Su He gave him a light but meaningful jab below the waist. "One more word and you're on your own!"

Sheng Jinyu hissed in pain but grinned without shame, tilting Su He’s chin up to kiss him again.

Su He’s hands trembled as he fumbled with Sheng Jinyu’s robe, which fell open easily. He tried awkwardly to match Sheng Jinyu's rhythm, before realizing too late that his own clothes had been stripped away completely.

He'd promised to help, and despite his burning palms and flushed cheeks, he kept his promise.

The bathroom echoed with nothing but thick, heavy breaths. Sheng Jinyu’s hand covered Su He’s, guiding him with far more intensity than Su He could alone.

But Su He hadn’t expected—whether it was the potency of whatever was in that drink or Sheng Jinyu’s own insatiable desire—that even after three rounds, his hands grew tired. When he glanced back, the guy still looked ready to go.

...

This was torture!

Su He’s oxygen-starved brain was overwhelmed by the heat, and in his dazed state, he barely noticed Sheng Jinyu whisper something in his ear before a hand slid downward. His eyes flew open in shock.

"Last time I was drunk... did I do this too?"

Sheng Jinyu’s deep voice reached him, but Su He had no energy to process the words. His foggy mind barely processed the question—what last time? There was no last time!

This was the first!

Time blurred, and eventually, they moved to the bathtub. The warm water, now occupied by two grown men, sloshed over the edges.

Su He couldn’t remember when he’d left the bathroom or when he’d ended up in bed. His sleep was restless, and it wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky the next day that he finally pried his eyes open.

Though his body felt clean from the bath, exhaustion weighed him down as if he hadn’t slept at all. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, only to hear the familiar, comforting sound of steady breathing behind him.

Su He froze, then slowly turned his head. His gaze landed on Sheng Jinyu’s peaceful sleeping face—he was nestled against Sheng Jinyu’s shoulder, the man’s arm draped over his waist. Sensing Su He’s movement, Sheng Jinyu instinctively tightened his hold, giving him a couple of absentminded pats before pulling him closer.

Su He blinked, then glanced down, spotting a scabbed cut at the corner of Sheng Jinyu’s mouth—like a bite mark.

Guilt pricked at him. He couldn’t remember when he’d bitten him, let alone hard enough to leave a mark.

After staring quietly for a long moment, Su He finally sat up—only to realize with sudden clarity that he was completely naked, not a single stitch of clothing left on him, not even underwear.

He scanned the room, only to despair at the sight of his clothes, discarded in the bathroom the night before, now soaked and undoubtedly ruined.

...

What was he supposed to do now?