Chapter 7 Each Takes What He Needs

Chapter 7: To Each Their Own

The moment Pei Zhi appeared, Lin Xishan felt like he'd been pulled out of water.

His breathing steadied, his muscles relaxed, and his brain started working again.

That suffocating feeling of being controlled receded like a tide—cleanly, completely, leaving no trace behind.

Damn.

The controlling force was really gone.

Ye Jiaonan clearly hadn't noticed the change in Lin Xishan. He was still staring at Pei Zhi warily, like a possessive little animal, clinging to Lin Xishan's arm even tighter.

"Don't you understand plain English?" Ye Jiaonan's voice rose. "Xishan said he doesn't like you! Why do you keep hanging around him?"

Pei Zhi didn't look at him.

His eyes stayed fixed on Lin Xishan's face, as if confirming something.

"It's been three days." Pei Zhi repeated, his voice slightly hoarser than last time, as if he hadn't slept well. "You didn't come."

Lin Xishan opened his mouth.

No weird force controlling him—he could say whatever he wanted—

"Why should I go?"

Good. His own voice, his own tone, his own attitude.

Lin Xishan gave himself a mental high-five.

Pei Zhi's lashes fluttered.

"You said you'd consider it."

"I never said that." Lin Xishan corrected him. "You decided on three days yourself."

Ye Jiaonan cut in from the side: "Did you hear that? Xishan wants nothing to do with you! Why don't you just leave?"

Pei Zhi finally glanced at Ye Jiaonan.

That look was so faint it barely registered as a glance—but Ye Jiaonan's voice died mid-sentence, as if strangled.

"I'm talking to him," Pei Zhi said.

Ye Jiaonan's face paled for a moment, and he instinctively ducked behind Lin Xishan.

Lin Xishan caught this detail.

Ye Jiaonan was afraid of Pei Zhi.

That realization secretly improved his mood.

"You should go." Lin Xishan said, his tone softer than before. "I already told you—I'm not interested in your offer."

Pei Zhi didn't move.

He stood at the garden entrance, the setting sun stretching a long shadow behind him.

"I didn't come to ask for your answer." Pei Zhi said. "I just wanted to confirm one thing."

"Lin Xishan, is something holding you captive?"

The garden went quiet, leaving only the sound of the wind.

Lin Xishan stood still, his heart pounding like it might burst out of his chest.

Pei Zhi had figured it out.

This guy—he'd only met him three times, and he'd already figured it out.

Ye Jiaonan was still there, but Lin Xishan couldn't worry about him right now. He stared at Pei Zhi's face, a million thoughts racing through his mind.

How did he know?

What kind of person was he?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lin Xishan heard himself say.

This time, it was his own choice.

He didn't want to admit it. At least, not in front of Ye Jiaonan.

Pei Zhi looked at him for a few seconds but didn't push further.

"Fine," he said, then turned and walked away.

His shadow stretched long in the sunset, his shoulder blades showing through his thin T-shirt.

Lin Xishan stood there, watching that figure get farther and farther away, and something in his chest suddenly felt empty.

"Xishan?" Ye Jiaonan's voice came from beside him, sounding uneasy. "What did he mean by all that? What's all this about being trapped?"

Lin Xishan snapped out of it.

That strange force hadn't returned.

Pei Zhi was gone, but the control hadn't come back.

He looked down at his own hands.

His fingers could bend freely, ball into fists, and relax again. These were his hands—completely his.

"It's nothing." Lin Xishan said, pulling his arm free from Ye Jiaonan's grip. "He just showed up spouting nonsense. Don't pay him any attention."

Ye Jiaonan looked at his now-empty hand, his expression a little hurt, but he didn't say anything.

"Then... are we still getting Japanese food?"

Lin Xishan glanced at him.

Ye Jiaonan stood in the sunset, eyes red-rimmed, lips pushed out in a pout, looking utterly pitiful.

In the past, Lin Xishan would have found it endearing.

But now he just felt tired.

"Some other time," he said. "I've got stuff to do today."

Ye Jiaonan's lips pressed together, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded: "Okay, then make sure you eat, don't starve yourself."

"Mm."

Lin Xishan turned and walked away.

When he got back to the dorm, Lin Jichuan wasn't there.

Lin Xishan closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh.

He took out his phone and unblocked Pei Zhi's number.

After a moment's hesitation, he sent a message:

"Are you free tomorrow?"

The message was sent, and the "read" receipt popped up almost instantly.

Then the typing indicator appeared, blinked for a few seconds, and stopped.

Blinked again for a few seconds, then stopped again.

It went on like that three or four times, until a message finally came through:

"Yeah. What time? Where?"

Lin Xishan stared at those words and couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.

He typed: "3 PM, the café outside the school's west gate. You pick the spot."

"Okay."

Lin Xishan tossed his phone onto the bed and flopped onto his back.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind a mess.

Pei Zhi had been right. He really was trapped.

Trapped by a crappy book, by a cheesy plot, by an absurd "simp personality."

He'd tried to fight it, but he couldn't.

Every time he saw Ye Jiaonan, he turned into a gentle, indulgent, spineless doormat.

But when Pei Zhi showed up, that hold on him disappeared.

Both times.

Was it a coincidence?

Lin Xishan rolled over and buried his face in the pillow.

He lay there thinking all night.

The next day at 3 PM, Lin Xishan showed up at the café outside the school's west gate.

Pei Zhi was already there.

He sat by the window, a black coffee sitting untouched in front of him, a cap pulled down low, covering half his face.

When he saw Lin Xishan come in, he gave a slight chin lift in greeting.

Lin Xishan walked over and sat down across from him.

The waiter came over, and Lin Xishan ordered a latte.

Once the waiter left, they caught each other's eyes and spoke at the same time—

Then they both stopped at once.

Lin Xishan let out a small laugh: "You go first."

Pei Zhi looked at him, staying quiet for two seconds: "You didn't get much sleep last night."

It wasn't a question, just a statement.

Lin Xishan rubbed at his dark circles: "Is it that noticeable?"

"Mm."

"I was thinking about stuff all night."

"About me?"

"About what you said yesterday."

Pei Zhi tapped his finger on the coffee cup, making a faint clink.

"Which part of it?"

"All of it." Lin Xishan looked at him. "How could you tell?"

Pei Zhi took a moment before answering.

"Because I pay attention to you."

It sounded almost like a confession, but Lin Xishan knew better.

The reason Pei Zhi paid attention to him was that he could get him hard.

"I want to try an experiment," Lin Xishan said.

"What kind of experiment?"

"Come with me somewhere."

Pei Zhi didn't ask where, he just stood up.

"Let's go."

Lin Xishan led Pei Zhi to the art school's academic building.

He knew Ye Jiaonan would be in the art studio at this time.

It was risky. If his guess was wrong, he'd embarrass himself and once again become that pathetic simp in front of Pei Zhi.

But he had to know the answer.

The studio was on the third floor. The hallway was quiet, with only the smell of paint drifting through the air.

Lin Xishan stood at the door, looking through the glass window. Ye Jiaonan was indeed inside, staring blankly at the canvas.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Pei Zhi followed without making a sound.

"Xishan?" Ye Jiaonan's eyes lit up the moment he saw him. "Why are you here? Didn't you say you had something to do today?"

Lin Xishan stood still, waiting for that force to hit.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Nothing happened.

His body was still his. His hands hung at his sides, not reaching out on their own. His mouth stayed shut, not saying anything he didn't mean.

He was free.

Lin Xishan's heart raced.

"Just passing by, thought I'd drop in," he said, his voice so steady it even surprised him.

Ye Jiaonan's eyes moved past him, landing on Pei Zhi, and his expression immediately turned sour. "Why is he here too?"

"He's with me," Lin Xishan said.

Ye Jiaonan's face darkened further.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Lin Xishan didn't want to hear it anymore.

"You go ahead. We're leaving."

He turned and walked out of the studio, his steps a lot quicker than when he'd arrived.

Pei Zhi followed behind, silent.

It wasn't until they left the building that Lin Xishan stopped.

He leaned against the wall, tipped his head back to look at the sky, and suddenly laughed.

Not a polite smile—a genuine laugh from deep inside.

"It worked," he said. "It really worked."

Pei Zhi stood in front of him, watching him laugh, something melting in his eyes.

"So," Pei Zhi spoke from above, "your experiment is done?"

Lin Xishan lowered his head and met his gaze.

The obsession and intensity that had once filled those phoenix-shaped eyes were now just a cautious hope.

Like a dog that had been kicked too many times, wanting to come closer but scared of getting kicked again.

Lin Xishan felt his heart soften.

"It's done," he said. "The verdict is—"

He paused.

"I need you."

Pei Zhi's eyelashes fluttered.

"You said last time that taking me in was a transaction," Lin Xishan continued. "I don't like that word. But if it means you can stay by my side and keep me sane—"

He took a deep breath.

"Then I accept."

Pei Zhi stared at him for a long moment without saying anything.

Then he smiled.

It was faint—just the corners of his lips curving up, not even showing his teeth. But his eyes, which had always been cold, suddenly held warmth.

"It's not for the money," Pei Zhi said.

Not a question—a confirmation.

Lin Xishan was caught off guard. "How do you know?"

"The way you look at me isn't how you'd look at a credit card," Pei Zhi said. "And last night when you added me back, you asked 'Do you have time tomorrow?' not 'Is that condition still on the table?'"

Lin Xishan was speechless.

This man noticed way too much.

"Right, it's not for the money," he admitted.

Pei Zhi nodded, pulled a card from his hoodie pocket—the same as last time, pure black with embossed numbers.

"Take it," he said.

Lin Xishan hesitated for a moment, then took it.

"The password is your birthday."

Lin Xishan put the card in his pocket.

"So what does that make us?" he asked.

Pei Zhi thought for a second. "We each take what we need."

"What do you need?"

Pei Zhi looked at him, his gaze so frank it was almost cruel. "You."

"What do I need?"

"Me."

Lin Xishan laughed.

"Sounds like two hostages tied to each other."

The corner of Pei Zhi's mouth curved slightly. "Something like that."