Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The following week, Qin Ge felt like the happiest person in the world. But he never imagined that this happiness, like sea foam, would shatter with the slightest touch.

In a tender moment, Qin Ge held Lu Wei in bed and asked, "Brother, if you like men, how did you end up marrying a wife and having a child?"

Lu Wei, bare-chested and muscular, lit a cigarette and smiled, his light brown eyes as hazy as the rising smoke. "I had to consider my parents' wishes for carrying on the family line, and there were some entanglements of interest... There wasn't much genuine feeling between us."

Summoning his courage, Qin Ge said, "Since you're single now, Brother... why not be with me?"

Lu Wei looked down, saw the bright sparkle in Qin Ge's eyes, reached out to ruffle his hair, and after a long pause, slowly replied, "Alright."

During this time, Lu Wei pampered Qin Ge to the point of indulgence—his tenderness and deep affection were far from fake. He provided all the resources and opportunities Qin Ge's company needed for growth, so Qin Ge didn't feel that Lu Wei was making an empty promise.

Thus, Qin Ge smiled sweetly, lifted his head, and met Lu Wei's lips, flicking and teasing with his tongue.

Lu Wei allowed the kiss to continue for a while, his eyes slightly curved with amusement. "Your technique has improved."

The skills he'd learned from Lu Wei would someday benefit someone else—who, he didn't know.

The phone on the nightstand rang. Lu Wei picked it up and answered.

Qin Ge listened quietly as he took the call, noticing his handsome brows knit and his usually gentle voice tinged with urgency. "Yes, I understand... I'll be right back."

He hung up and got out of bed.

An inexplicable panic gripped Qin Ge as he sat up. "Brother, what happened?"

"Xiao Zhou has a fever," Lu Wei replied with a frown. "It's serious."

Qin Ge fell silent. He knew Xiao Zhou was Lu Wei's son. Although Lu Wei had no feelings for his ex-wife, he deeply loved this child.

As Lu Wei dressed, Qin Ge sat on the edge of the bed looking up at him. Seeing Lu Wei standing tall and straight, his clothes impeccably in place and his expression cold, Qin Ge suddenly felt as if an entire world separated them.

Qin Ge's lips moved a couple of times, but in the end, no words came out.

After finishing up, Lu Wei glanced at Qin Ge sitting on the bed. The young man's eyes no longer shone brightly; instead, they held a deathly, ashen stillness.

If Xiao Zhou hadn't suddenly fallen ill, he had thought there were still a few days left before ending this love game... But it was just as well. It had to end sooner or later anyway.

Looking at Qin Ge like this, Lu Wei felt a slight pang in his heart. Yet, hundreds, thousands of times stronger than that pain was the exhilarating rush of consuming love.

Love with all your might. Then end it like this, at the peak of mutual affection.

...

After Lu Wei returned to City A, Qin Ge called him several times.

Qin Ge wasn't foolish; he had an inkling of the truth. But he was afraid of getting a definite answer, so he treated Lu Wei with unimaginable caution.

First, he tentatively asked about his well-being, inquired about Xiao Zhou and Lu Wei, then subtly suggested meeting Lu Wei again.

That was impossible.

"What we had is over," Lu Wei said slowly into the phone, his voice calm as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "You should understand."

Faced with Qin Ge's probing and clinging, Lu Wei could only give him a definitive answer.

On the other end of the line, Qin Ge's throat tightened, tears welling up from the pain in his chest. "Yes, Brother... I understand, I understand everything."

Lu Wei hadn't lied to him. Although Lu Wei and his ex-wife were divorced, Lu Wei deeply loved his son and his parents. Moreover, upon reflection, Lu Wei and he simply didn't belong to the same social class or circle. A short-term romance might be possible, but truly being together? How could that ever happen?

Any sensible person should know Lu Wei could never come out—it had nothing to do with love. Qin Ge wasn't stupid; he had just been bewitched by Lu Wei.

"Mm." Lu Wei nodded lightly, his tone indifferent. "Well then, goodbye."

After hanging up, he saw A Sang walk out of the room, radiant and alluring.

"It's been almost a month, Sang Jie. You're getting more beautiful," Lu Wei stood up, looked A Sang up and down, his brown eyes affectionate and smiling, then opened his arms to her.

A Sang swayed her hips as she walked over, smiled, and extended a finger tipped with bright red nail polish, pressing it against Lu Wei's chest to stop his approach. "Since you're here to see Xiao Zhou, stop pretending."

Hearing this, Lu Wei gave a bitter smile. "Sang Jie... do you really not want me anymore?"

"You say that as if you're the one who was abandoned," A Sang shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't you know your own flaws?"

"Sang Jie, you don't want Xiao Zhou to see his father only a few times a month, do you?" Lu Wei gazed at A Sang with deep affection. "Let's remarry, okay? If you agree, my wealth, my body, everything I have is yours."

"Yes, I know being with you would give me the happiness society recognizes. Unfortunately, you are exceptional, but you lack the ability to truly love someone." A Sang reached out, slowly sliding her hand over Lu Wei's shoulder, joking, "But Mr. Lu, offering me your body... that is quite an attractive proposal."

"As for Xiao Zhou, don't worry. I've told him that even though we live apart, you will always be his dad. Xiao Zhou has accepted it very well."

Just then, Xiao Zhou bounded out of the children's room. "Dad, where are we going today?"

"Let's go to the amusement park and grab a meal while we're at it." Lu Wei ruffled Xiao Zhou's hair, then picked him up and headed outside. "My son is finally better, full of energy now!"

Xiao Zhou braced himself on Lu Wei's shoulders, raised an arm, and shouted, "Full of energy!"

This made both Lu Wei and A Sang laugh.

A Sang was Lu Wei's senior at university; back then, she was the one who pursued him.

At that time, A Sang loved Lu Wei desperately. A brilliant, capable top student and campus belle, she did countless foolish things to chase after him. Lu Wei wasn't sure if he deeply loved A Sang, but he knew he liked her very much.

Who wouldn't like such a dazzling, vibrant, and highly capable woman?

Moreover, he knew A Sang loved him deeply. That blazing love had never extinguished since they met and fell in love; he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being consumed by such love.

So not long after graduating, he married A Sang, started a business, and had Xiao Zhou.

Their marriage lasted until A Sang discovered that Lu Wei didn't love her.

On the surface, a happy family of three, they headed out. Lu Wei fetched the car from the garage and drove his ex-wife and son toward the amusement park in City A.

However, Lu Wei didn't know that Qin Ge, phone in hand, was standing right beside his garage, watching him get into the car with his ex-wife and son before speeding off.

"Brother... even though I chased you all the way to City A, I still only got to hear you say it's over. Why do you look... so happy?" Qin Ge leaned against the cold concrete pillar, watching the silver-gray sports car disappear, as if all strength had drained from his body.

"Because he is powerful enough and ruthless enough," a mechanical voice sounded by Qin Ge's ear.

"Who's there?!" Qin Ge wiped his tears with the back of his hand, looking around, but no one was there.

"Don't bother looking; you can't see me," the voice continued. "He is the host I've long sought, lacking only a medium. Are you willing to be my medium?"

"What..." Qin Ge was confused.

"In other words, do you want to possess Lu Wei?" The voice sounded somewhat low, incredibly enticing.

"Of course I want him!" Qin Ge understood now, lifting his head, his whole body trembling slightly. "...But that's impossible. He has responsibilities he must bear."

"You fool, he's been lying to you this whole time."

The voice was mechanical and calm, yet it churned up a storm inside Qin Ge. "...But I have nothing he could possibly want to deceive me for."

Deceiving him for money would be a joke to Lu Wei. As for chastity... Qin Ge had been with his ex-boyfriend before, and men don't really have such a thing.

"Then let me be blunt," the voice suddenly began to speak eloquently. "Lu Wei has been seducing you from the very first moment he saw you. Every word, every gesture and expression, was calculated. He knows everything about you and how to attract you. His only purpose was to use you to fill a rebound period."

"If what you're saying is true, then... did he ever love me?" Qin Ge asked, his voice strained.

"That question, you can only ask him," the voice sneered. "In my opinion, your body was delicious to him, but he could walk away without a second thought after enjoying it. Do you think he loved you?"

Qin Ge remained silent for a long time before despairingly asking, "Then, how can I make him mine?"

At this point, whether he loved him or not no longer mattered. Whether it was love or deception, or even a sense of obligation, what was certain was that Lu Wei would never look back at him again.

"Take Lu Wei into a parallel world," the voice grew slightly excited as it reached the key point. "There, you will have the power of life and death over him."

"Life and death..." Qin Ge shook his head. "I don't want that. I just want us to love each other."

The voice fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "For humans, one's own feelings are controllable, but others' are not. However, you can have him—there's no doubt about that... as long as you sign a contract to serve as my medium."

"How do I sign?" Qin Ge asked.

"You just need to agree."

"...I agree."