Chapter 28: Bite Mark

Chapter 28: The Bite Mark

What was unmistakably imprinted on Lin Shenshi’s neck was—

The bite mark of an unfamiliar man.

Yu Lanzhao’s face clouded over, a stormy expression settling upon it.

The fury and jealousy of his beloved being tainted by another burned like a raging inferno in his chest.

He resented the unknown aggressor’s violation, but even more, he blamed himself for giving the scoundrel an opportunity. Had he never let Xiao Shi out of his sight, this day would never have come to pass.

Now, it seemed that his deliberate act of drinking and then taking cephalosporin antibiotics to feign unconsciousness, thereby luring the class monitor to check on him, had been a remarkably shrewd move. Though his body suffered immensely, without such a dramatic display, how else would Xiao Shi have softened and returned? (A word of caution: This is dangerous behavior; do not attempt to replicate!)

If Xiao Shi were to linger outside any longer, who knew how many ill-intentioned men he might attract?

His Xiao Shi, so tender-hearted and naive, would likely mistake even an intimate embrace for mere brotherly affection.

Yu Lanzhao gnashed his teeth, almost shattering them.

Dark waves churned in his pupils, like a young dragon circling its lair, fiercely guarding its precious hoard against any covetous gaze or approach.

*

Meanwhile,

Lin Shenshi took a taxi to the hotel. To avoid a potential encounter with Qi Lian, who might still be lingering, he first cautiously confirmed that the room had been checked out and was not rebooked before explaining his purpose.

The receptionist enthusiastically accompanied him upstairs to search. Unfortunately, despite Lin Shenshi meticulously searching every corner of the room, the lost scarf remained elusive.

“I’ll make a note of this for you. If it turns up elsewhere, we’ll contact you immediately.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Shenshi departed, his mind heavy with worry.

If it were merely lost, that would be one thing, but what if…

He pressed his lips together tightly.

But surely… that person wouldn’t be so petty. Perhaps it was simply collected by the cleaning staff. He would await news.

On his way back, he passed a chain porridge restaurant. Considering Yu Lanzhao had just undergone a stomach pump and required a bland diet, Lin Shenshi ordered only plain congee and rice cakes. He specifically requested the staff to pack them in an insulated bag and carefully carried them back to school.

Yu Lanzhao’s constitution had always been delicate, and after the ordeal of the stomach pump, he became even more fragile. Lin Shenshi nursed him meticulously for several days before he finally began to show signs of recovery.

As soon as his health improved slightly, Yu Lanzhao couldn't stay in bed and insisted on getting up to study.

At the dormitory desk, the slender youth was hunched over his books. Outside, night had fallen deep, and the bright fluorescent light cast dark shadows beneath his eyelashes. His eyes, beneath those lashes, were dark and luminous. Even though the textbook was dry and tedious, he remained utterly engrossed, studying tirelessly, oblivious to all else.

Lin Shenshi mused that even with Yu Lanzhao’s exceptional talent, without his relentless diligence day and night, he could not have consistently topped the class rankings and held the highest GPA throughout his four years of university.

Such a young man was destined to shine brightly on screen.

Although joining the "Long Moon Star River" production carried inherent risks, nothing ventured, nothing gained. With its S+ investment and production quality, "Long Moon Star River" presented an unparalleled opportunity for Yu Lanzhao to swiftly enter the entertainment industry and capture audience attention.

As long as Yu Lanzhao became an award-winning actor as soon as possible, he would no longer be at the mercy of anyone. This might just be a way to escape the original novel’s polyamorous plotline.

Lost in thought, Lin Shenshi leaned against the bed frame, his fingers accidentally brushing against his phone screen, which brought up the latest trending search—

#QiLianBiteMark

Lin Shenshi: ?

Upon seeing the news about Qi Lian, Lin Shenshi instinctively clicked on it. What greeted him was a high-definition, enlarged photograph from an event.

In the picture, Qi Lian wore a dark haute couture suit. His black hair, meticulously styled by a professional, was parted in a 70/30 split, with strands gracefully falling near the corners of his eyes, accentuating his dark tear mole. His eyes and brows naturally exuded a captivating allure, not overly distant, but irresistibly charming, making people unable to help but be drawn to his charisma and scream his name.

Unlike the usual standard images accompanying commercial event reports, this news article focused intently on Qi Lian’s lips, followed by close-up shots zoomed 2x, 5x, and even 10x, accompanied by the caption:

[Who bit Actor Qi’s lip?]

The full-body photo revealed nothing, but the subsequent magnified images showed increasingly distinct marks.

On his subtly curved, captivating lower lip, a faint, swollen mark was visible.

It was evident that the stylist had made every effort to conceal it during makeup application, but Qi Lian, as a prominent actor, was always the focal point of attention. With thousands of eyes scrutinizing him, someone was bound to notice the anomaly. Ultimately, the wound on his lip was exposed under multiple magnifications, leaving nowhere to hide.

The shorter the article, the bigger the scandal. Fans exploded in the comments section.

[What’s going on???! What happened to my husband’s lip??!!!!]

[Who was it?! Who was it? That’s my husband, you know? Who gave you permission to kiss him!]

[Ahhh! Which heartless bastard did this? Show yourself!]

Compared to the outrage of the "girlfriend fans," the "mom fans" and "career fans" were relatively calm:

[He’s grown up; it’s fine if he’s dating someone. Just take care of your health.]

[We’ll always support you, *gege*!]

[No matter who the significant other is, please treat *gege* well.]

However, the sheer number of "girlfriend fans" was overwhelming. The rational comments from "mom fans" and "career fans" were quickly drowned out by a torrent of wails and lamentations. More and more "girlfriend fans" clamored to uncover the "little hussy" who had seduced their idol.

Qi Lian’s schedule for the past three months was thoroughly scrutinized. Promotional photos from every event, interview videos, and even photos leaked by obsessive fans were subjected to X-ray-like scrutiny by "girlfriend fans" searching for any trace of the "significant other."

In less than five minutes, the hashtag #QiLianBiteMark rapidly escalated from trending to a dark red "explosive" topic. Immediately following, derivative hashtags such as #QiLianGirlfriend and #FilmEmperor’sSignificantOther surged, quickly dominating all top ten spots on Weibo’s trending list.

The influence of a top film emperor was truly terrifying.

Lin Shenshi gasped, a chill running down his spine.

Witnessing the girlfriend fans’ relentless, frenzied momentum, he guiltily closed his phone.

Though he wasn’t the “significant other,” as the culprit behind the “bite mark” incident, Lin Shenshi couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness.

Fortunately, there were no witnesses at the hotel that day. Even Qi Lian himself was too drunk to remember. Aside from Lin Shenshi, no one knew who the “significant other” being hunted across the internet truly was.

Perhaps his reaction was too obvious. Yu Lanzhao noticed and glanced over. “Xiao Shi, did something happen?”

Lin Shenshi offered a faint smile, masking his true feelings. “No, just tired from looking at my phone. How’s your studying coming along?”

Yu Lanzhao nodded. “Almost done. I’ll finish this page, then wash up and rest.”

It was already past nine in the evening, and they had an early class at eight the next day. Lin Shenshi stood up and stretched. “Perfect, I’m sleepy too.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something and leaned in for a closer look. “Huh? Ah Zhao, where are the stickers on your textbook?”

Yu Lanzhao was a devoted fan of Qi Lian, with classic character stickers adorning the title page of every textbook. But now, the stickers were gone, leaving only faint, white traces where they had been peeled off.

Yu Lanzhao said flatly, "Yeah, I tore it off because I don't like it anymore."

"Are you going to buy new stickers?"

"No, it's not the stickers I dislike—it's Qi Lian himself."

Lin Shenshi stood frozen in place. He remembered that in the original story, Yu Lanzhao had always held a deep affection for Qi Lian. Even when Qi Lian imprisoned and coerced him, he still viewed him through the lens of a devoted fan. It could be said that among the three toxic love interests, Yu Lanzhao held the highest favorability toward Qi Lian.

But now… he’d actually stopped being a fan???

It dawned on him belatedly that something was different. Before, whenever Yu Lanzhao had free time, he would open video websites to watch Qi Lian's movies, studying his acting frame by frame. But it seemed… it had been over half a month since the sound of Qi Lian's movies last echoed in their dorm.

"Have you really stopped being a fan?" Lin Shenshi asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Yu Lanzhao replied calmly, his expression barely changing, as if he weren’t cutting ties with someone he had admired for many years.

And Lin Shenshi was so overjoyed that, for a moment, he didn’t notice the unusual undertone in Yu Lanzhao's emotions.

Lin Shenshi cheered inwardly. He had been worried that a few days later, when they joined the crew of "Long Moon Star River," Yu Lanzhao would unconsciously gravitate toward his idol, giving the toxic love interest an opportunity. But now—

Yu Lanzhao had stopped being a fan!

This was absolutely fantastic news, worthy of throwing a grand celebration!

Unconsciously, Lin Shenshi’s steps grew lighter. He hummed a tune as he went to the bathroom to wash up, swaying side to side while brushing his teeth.

Behind him, a gaze quietly fell upon him, tangible as it lingered on the pink lips half-hidden by toothpaste foam, then drifted downward to the neck partially exposed by his loose collar.

The slender neck appeared even paler under the light, yet that flawless skin was tainted with someone’s filthy mark.

Even though the bite mark had faded almost to invisibility, it felt like a thorn deeply embedded in Yu Lanzhao’s heart.

The trending topics on the phone also caught Yu Lanzhao’s eye. The wound on that person’s lips… Others might not know, but he understood instantly.

His left hand clenched into a fist, nails digging deeply into his palm.

A jealous blaze spread like wildfire, burning fiercely, staining his clear, dark eyes with a ruthless intensity.

After Lu Yuan, the urge to kill once again screamed madly in his mind.

Xiao Shi is mine!

Xiao Shi is mine!

Xiao Shi is mine!

Xiao Shi is mine!

Xiao Shi is mine!

………

None of you are allowed to touch him!

*

By the time Lin Shenshi finished washing up, he saw Yu Lanzhao slumped over the desk. His heart sank, and he hurried over to help him up.

"Ah Zhao! What's wrong?"

Yu Lanzhao’s face was pale, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead. "Xiao Shi… my stomach hurts…"

"How did this happen? I’ll take you to the hospital!"

Just as Lin Shenshi was about to help him outside, Yu Lanzhao stopped him. "No need. It might be something I ate tonight. I’ll just lie down and take it easy for a bit."

After Yu Lanzhao insisted repeatedly, Lin Shenshi reluctantly gave in. "Alright, but if you’re not better soon, we have to go to the hospital."

Yu Lanzhao nodded. Lin Shenshi helped him lie back on the bed, tucked him in, but his hand was clutched.

The young man looked at him pitifully. "Xiao Shi, can you rub my stomach for me?"

Lin Shenshi warmed his hands by rubbing them together and placed them on Yu Lanzhao’s lower abdomen.

Yu Lanzhao whined, "...Not warm enough."

Lin Shenshi simply slipped his hand under the hem of Yu Lanzhao’s shirt. Without the fabric barrier, his warm skin made direct contact, transferring heat fully.

He slowly rubbed circles on the lower abdomen.

Perhaps the warmth from his hand eased the pain, as Yu Lanzhao’s complexion improved, becoming rosier. He closed his eyes, and his breathing steadied.

Seeing Yu Lanzhao asleep, Lin Shenshi carefully tried to withdraw his hand. But the moment his palm left the abdomen, the sleeping young man frowned in discomfort.

Lin Shenshi quickly placed his hand back.

The night had grown late, and it was unclear how long the pain would last. After a moment’s thought, Lin Shenshi took off his slippers and lay down on the other side of the bed.

The distance between them was barely a fist apart, a position that allowed his right hand to rest comfortably on Yu Lanzhao’s lower abdomen. He rubbed and rubbed… After who knows how long, his right hand slowed until it stopped completely, and deep, even breaths rose rhythmically.

Two or three seconds later, the person across from him opened his eyes.

Yu Lanzhao, who should have been deep in sleep, was now wide awake, his eyes clear though swirling with a dangerous intensity that was quickly suppressed by reason.

The young man slowly moved closer.

The person he had longed for day and night was right there, until there was no gap between them.

The pink lips were captured briefly by his own. The soft touch and sweet scent nearly drove him mad, but he could only taste them lightly, pulling away after a fleeting contact.

His eyes darkened, filled with a mix of grievance and resentment.

"Don’t kiss anyone else again."

"Otherwise… I really don’t know what I might do."