Chapter 10: Into the Trap (Part 1)

Chapter 10: Into the Trap (Part 1)

On Friday afternoon, after Li Su finished watching the TV rerun, the men in black arrived.

Mom said they were bodyguards from Wuyi's family, sent to pick him up.

She had prepared a backpack for him with two days' worth of clothes, some of his favorite snacks, and a water bottle.

"Alright, you're going to hang out with Brother Wuyi. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and don't feel like you have to ingratiate yourself with his family. If you're unhappy there, just tell Uncle Butler and ask him to call me. I'll come pick you up."

Li Su felt a bit uneasy as his mother led him to the entrance of the neighborhood.

A black car—so long that Li Su couldn't see the back of it at a glance—was parked there.

Wow, that's cool.

Li Su couldn't help letting go of his mother's hand and running around the car.

Out of breath.

He stopped at one spot, pressing his face against the window to look inside.

The glass seemed to move, and the next moment, the door with the window slid open to the side.

Li Su poked his head in for a look.

Bright orange leather sofas lined the interior from front to back, with a small table placed sideways across the cabin.

In the middle of the sofas sat Song Wuyi in uniform.

"Li Su, come on up."

Song Wuyi spotted Li Su's head, his face still expressionless as he casually beckoned him over.

Li Su felt awkward as he climbed in.

"Is this a car? Why does it look like a bar booth inside?"

Li Su had never been to a bar, but he had seen on TV how the female lead always meets the male lead at a bar, and the VIP booths there looked just like this car—all sofas.

There was plenty of space inside the car, with many seats.

But Song Wuyi still scooted over a bit, as if inviting Li Su to sit next to him.

Li Su was smart enough to realize that sitting far away would just make it more awkward, so he squeezed into the spot Song Wuyi had just vacated.

But Song Wuyi hadn't left much room, and as Li Su sat down, he nearly landed in Song Wuyi's lap, brushing his thigh.

"Sorry."

Li Su felt embarrassed for crowding Song Wuyi.

Song Wuyi said, "It's okay," then took a can of cola from a hidden compartment under the table and handed it to Li Su.

Li Su took it—it was still cold.

"Wow!"

A single can of cola thrilled Li Su, and Song Wuyi showed a faint smile.

Li Su, as if he hadn't had a drink in ages, downed the cola in a few big gulps, then let out a satisfied burp.

He licked his lips and looked at Song Wuyi expectantly, as if asking: Is there more?

Song Wuyi pulled out another can from the compartment but held on to it.

"This is the last one. Sip it slowly."

Li Su took it with a smile.

This icebreaker quickly dissolved the uneasiness in Li Su's heart, making it feel like he and Song Wuyi were close friends.

Up close, Wuyi was actually really handsome.

Especially his eyes—though they were a light brown, they seemed to shimmer with a faint blue light, and Li Su couldn't help but stare.

They reminded him of a glass marble he used to have.

Song Wuyi didn't mind Li Su leaning in; instead, he tilted his head a little, letting Li Su take a good look at him.

"I can't believe you're Wuyi. It's unbelievable—all cleaned up, Wuyi looks this good."

Li Su couldn't keep his hands off him: his face, then his neck, collar, tie, and finally his shirt placket.

"Why aren't you wearing a suit jacket? But this outfit looks great too—very classy. Must have cost a fortune, huh?"

There was an embroidered badge on the clothes. Li Su touched it but couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Do you like this outfit?" Song Wuyi took Li Su's hand and asked.

Li Su smiled and said, "I love it! I love uniforms best!"

Song Wuyi smiled too and said softly, "You'll get one, too."

Mom kept the butler for a long chat.

It wasn't until the butler kept checking his watch that Mom finally realized she'd been droning on.

"Okay, okay, that's all I wanted to say. Uncle Butler, you can get in the car now."

The butler politely said, "Okay, I'll take the young master now."

Just as the butler was opening the driver's door, Mom called out to him again.

"Li Su kicks off his covers in the middle of the night. Please keep an eye on him, Uncle Butler!"

The butler smiled politely and said, "I will, Madam Li. Don't worry."

Under Mom's watchful eye, the butler got into the car.

Soon, the engine started, and the car slowly pulled away from Mom.

Mom stood there frozen for a moment, then, as if remembering something, she chased after the car a couple of steps.

"You little brat! You didn't even say goodbye to your mom! You were reluctant earlier, but now that you're in the car, you've already forgotten your mom!"

.

The drive to the Song house was way too long.

The car had been driving for almost an hour, and there was still half the way to go.

Li Su was very excited at first, but by the time he finished his second can of cola, he was feeling a bit sleepy.

He dozed off and fell asleep.

His head lolled onto Song Wuyi's shoulder.

Song Wuyi glanced at Li Su.

His round little nose was cute, his eyelashes long, and his lips slightly parted with each breath.

There was a tiny cut on his lip, easy to miss unless you looked closely.

And under his lip was a patch the size of a fingernail, slightly darker than the surrounding skin.

Song Wuyi remembered the time Li Su jumped through a warehouse window holding a brick.

Reckless, just like a puppy.

Li Su, be my little puppy.

I'll take care of you.

Forever and always.

The drive was almost two and a half hours.

When Li Su woke up, it was completely dark.

The car had just entered what looked like an estate, with trees and bushes lining the driveway, and he could see a garden and a fountain.

Li Su pressed against the window to look outside, wishing he had extra eyes.

If only Li Shuo were here, two sets of eyes would catch everything.

Bigger and more beautiful than a park.

Li Su couldn't believe this was private property.

.

Mom said the Song family had a lot of people, and Li Su saw for himself that it was true.

But they were all servants in uniform.

The butler picked up Li Su's backpack and led him to his room.

"The young master's room is next door. He's taking a shower. Young Master Li Su can rest here for a while. When he's done, I'll take you both to dinner."

Li Su nodded, and the butler put down the backpack and left the room.

After making sure the butler was gone, Li Su took out his handheld console from the backpack.

His job here was to keep Wu Yi entertained, then he could go home.

Anyway, he enjoyed playing games, so if he let Wu Yi play it, Wu Yi should be happy too.

Li Su put the console in his pocket, left his room, and turned left.

Song Wuyi's door was unlocked; Li Su just gave it a gentle push and it opened.

"Wu Yi."

No one answered.

Song Wuyi's room was as big as Li Su's.

The bathroom was separated from the bedroom by two doors. Li Su opened the first door, heard the sound of water inside, and stepped back into the bedroom.

Li Su sat on the carpet next to the bed, turned on the console, and continued playing the game he hadn't finished last time.

He played for a bit.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the bathroom, startling Li Su, who was absorbed in his game.

He quickly put down the console and dashed into the bathroom in a few steps.

The bathroom door was also unlocked, and Li Su flung it open with a bang.

Song Wuyi was kneeling on the tiled floor, his knees bruised and bleeding.

What was shocking was that the skin on his legs was an unhealthy red, as if covered in twisting "vines."

The "vines" extended all the way to his waist.

Li Su was stunned.

Song Wuyi slowly raised his eyes from the water, unafraid of getting water in his eyes, staring straight at Li Su.

Li Su knew that those "vines" were scars from the same kidnapping incident he had gone through.

Song Wuyi had soaked in chemical wastewater for God knows how long, and his skin was permanently damaged.

Seeing this skin, Li Su was certain that the person before him was indeed Wu Yi.

His polished appearance was just hiding the scars.

His heart clenched, just like when he first saw Wu Yi.

Li Su stepped into the shower and helped Song Wuyi to his feet.

"Did you fall? Does it hurt? Your knees are all red and bruised."

Song Wuyi grabbed Li Su's forearm, using him to steady himself.

"Did I startle you?" Song Wuyi said.

Li Su pouted. "What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Su remembered the first time he saw his own face in the mirror; that was way scarier than the marks on Song Wuyi's body.

"At that time, I had a butthole on my face, and a bunch of pretty older girls saw it—way scarier than your marks!"

Song Wuyi laughed softly.

Then, Song Wuyi pointed to the patch beneath Li Su's lip and asked, "Is this it?"

Li Su was a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, it's from a skin graft surgery."

Song Wuyi said softly, "I'll get the best expert to fix this patch so no one can even tell."

Li Su shook his head and said firmly, "No! I'm used to it. It's not ugly—it's a symbol of my bravery!"

Song Wuyi put his hand down and looked at Li Su seriously. "But it has brought you a lot of gossip."

Li Su stuck his lip out even further, not caring. "They're just ignorant. I'm not gonna hide my medal just because other people are ignorant."

Song Wuyi laughed again.

"Want to shower together? Your clothes are already wet."

That's when Li Su realized he'd been standing under the shower for a while.

"Sure!"