Chapter 51: (Quick Look!) Baby, I’ve Heard That Line from You Many Times

Chapter 51 (Look!) Baby, I've Heard That Line From You So Many Times

Lei Zheng's sudden remark made Shu Hanqing feel a bit tense.

The two of them stayed frozen in that same tangled position in the corner, not moving an inch.

Though their bodies were still pressed tightly together, their breaths intertwining at close range, all traces of their earlier passion had vanished.

Shu Hanqing's fingers instinctively clawed into Lei Zheng's shoulder as he fought to steady his emotions, dropping his voice to a whisper: "...Who?"

Lei Zheng didn't answer.

He lowered his face again, as if picking up where that unfinished kiss left off, his lips brushing softly against Shu Hanqing's.

In the midst of that face-flushing tangle of lips and teeth, Lei Zheng's palm closed over Shu Hanqing's hand. With his other hand, he slowly traced characters across Shu Hanqing's damp palm.

Shi... Lei.

How could it be him? That honest, timid Shi Lei—so meek he couldn't even bring himself to look Lei Zheng in the eye—how could he be the one lurking in the shadows, spying on them?

But Lei Zheng didn't give him time to dwell on it. He tilted his head, sucked hard on Shu Hanqing's lower lip, his gaze burning into him: "Come back to my place."

Shu Hanqing's usually cool, handsome face was already flushed with unmistakable traces of desire. A faint blush crept to the corners of his eyes, and his breath hitched more than once. Lei Zheng wiped the dampness from the corner of Shu Hanqing's mouth.

Lei Zheng said: "Don't look back. Let's get out of here."

With that, Lei Zheng grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward their quarters.

Shu Hanqing let himself be dragged along, thinking—was this the surveillance Lei Zheng had mentioned earlier? If so, who was Shi Lei spying for? And what was his endgame?

It wasn't until the building came into sight that Shu Hanqing seemed to snap out of it, yanking his hand free from Lei Zheng's grip.

Just then, footsteps echoed from around the corner.

Several fully armed military patrolmen passed by, boots thudding against the ground. As they passed, they raised their hands in unison, snapping off a crisp military salute to Lei Zheng.

Lei Zheng put on his stern commanding-officer face, giving them a cold nod of acknowledgment.

Shu Hanqing subtly put two steps of distance between himself and Lei Zheng, his gaze settling on the broad-shouldered, long-legged figure ahead. When they reached the door, Lei Zheng reached out and twisted the doorknob, his tall frame shifting aside as he glanced back at Shu Hanqing, a silent invitation to enter.

The darkness churning in Lei Zheng's eyes was so thick it almost seemed to take physical form.

Shu Hanqing had a bad feeling about this, but under the circumstances, he went in anyway. He raised his hand, palm out, as if to ward him off: "Let's just talk business, okay?"

Lei Zheng took in his guarded posture, arched an eyebrow meaningfully, and nodded. He then plopped down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside him: "Let's talk business."

Shu Hanqing stopped three steps away: "I'll stand."

Standing felt a hell of a lot safer than sitting next to him.

Their quarters here were pretty bare-bones—a narrow bed and a desk were all the furniture there was. Lei Zheng's place was a bit bigger, thanks to his higher rank.

Shu Hanqing asked, "What do you think Shi Lei's deal is, secretly spying on us?"

Lei Zheng leaned back: "I think he's cut from the same cloth as Yin Bianyan."

Before Shu Hanqing could press further, Lei Zheng pulled a military-grade electronic device out from under the pillow. It looked like a tablet. Lei Zheng tapped the screen a few times, then glanced up and waved Shu Hanqing over.

Curious, Shu Hanqing stepped closer. He leaned down, following Lei Zheng's gesture to look at the screen.

The screen was packed with Yin Bianyan's personal history in dense detail.

Before the apocalypse, most people had detailed files on record—down to which kindergarten they went to and what street they lived on. After the apocalypse, human society got reshuffled, and most people's histories were completely cut off from that day forward.

Even after new bases were set up and records were rewritten, nobody bothered to dig into whether those pasts were real.

According to the file, Yin Bianyan's history was so clean it was perfect.

She was a textbook self-awakened superpowered individual. After showing her talent early in the apocalypse, she was recruited straight into the Central Base. Every step of the way, she hadn't made a single misstep.

No matter how Shu Hanqing looked at it, he couldn't spot a single thing wrong.

Lei Zheng said, "No flaws is the biggest flaw of all."

"Your sixth sense that good?" Shu Hanqing shot back. "Didn't you tell me yourself that anything less than a hundred percent certainty is a gamble, and not to speak in absolutes?"

At that, Lei Zheng shot Shu Hanqing a look.

That look was unsettling. Shu Hanqing's instincts screamed danger, and he was about to jerk back when Lei Zheng lunged, grabbing him around the waist. Two muscular arms locked across Shu Hanqing's stomach, yanking him back into a tight embrace from behind. His lips pressed to the side of Shu Hanqing's neck, kissing him with a firm, deliberate pressure.

A low chuckle rumbled from Lei Zheng's chest: "Seems like your sixth sense is the sharper one."

Shu Hanqing's slender neck gave a slight tremble under that scorching breath. With nowhere to go, he could only grit his teeth and hiss: "...Lei Zheng, you bastard!"

"Don't struggle, and I won't touch you." Lei Zheng leaned in close to his ear, his voice dropping low, dripping with blatant threat. "The second you move, my temper flares, and I can't promise what happens next. I just want to see that Thunder Mark."

Shu Hanqing went rigid, not daring to move a muscle.

Those Thunder Marks running down his back—normally he didn't think much of them, since he couldn't see them most of the time anyway.

But Shu Hanqing could never figure out why every single person who slept with him lost their minds over them, acting way more obsessed than he ever was.

The mark Lei Zheng had deliberately left on him was now being treated like some kind of bedroom foreplay between him and other people.

It carried an unspeakable shame. Shu Hanqing felt like he was truly too depraved to be saved.

Lei Zheng said in a low voice, "Let me see."

With that, he grabbed Shu Hanqing's collar and started pulling his clothes down. Shu Hanqing pressed a hand to his shirt, instinctively wanting to shrink away, but thinking that backing down now would be too pathetic: "You said you'd only look at the Thunder Mark."

"What else would I do?" Lei Zheng arched an eyebrow.

When this man wasn't smiling, his features were sharp and striking, his bone structure impeccable, radiating the kind of imposing authority that came with power.

But when he curled his lips into that half-smile, Shu Hanqing thought he looked even more like a total scoundrel.

"Or do you want to do something more? I'm more than happy to oblige." Lei Zheng's tone was deliberately filthy.

Shu Hanqing pressed, uneasy: "Then promise me."

"I won't do it." Lei Zheng raised one hand, putting on a solemn, righteous face, and swore, "If I do, I'm not a man."

With things having come this far, Shu Hanqing figured he might as well stop being coy. He let go, letting Lei Zheng deftly peel off his shirt and toss it onto a nearby chair.

The cool air hit his skin at once, raising goosebumps along his bare arms. Cold.

Lei Zheng's gaze settled on the broad expanse of bare back.

Those dark Thunder Marks trailing down from his shoulders had indeed faded a bit compared to before. But the mottled, scattered patterns still wound their way down his skin. Lei Zheng's eyes traced the lines downward, then he blurted out in surprise: "...They've spread all the way down to your ass?"

Shu Hanqing irritably turned his head, trying to look at his own back: "I can't see it myself. Probably, yeah—I haven't bothered with it in ages."

The twist made his whole spine arch up, then dip slightly. The dip of his spinal groove curved sharply, stunningly beautiful. His slender neck rose above his shoulder blades, catching a soft sheen in the light.

Lei Zheng had long fingers with sharp knuckles. When his palm actually pressed against Shu Hanqing's back, one hand alone seemed to span most of his waist.

His rough palm burned hot, rubbing the sensitive waist with deliberate pressure. The overwhelming, aggressive masculine scent washed over him, and Shu Hanqing shot him a wary look: "What are you doing?"

Lei Zheng hooked his fingers into Shu Hanqing's waistband, thinking it over for a second. Meeting Shu Hanqing's accusing stare, he said deadpan: "Let me see a little lower."

Shu Hanqing: "...Why do you have to be such a pervert?"

Lei Zheng put on a face more aggrieved than Dou E's: "Baby, your logic's all wrong. When you see a doctor, you gotta show 'em the wound, right? No matter how private the spot, you can't just skip treatment."

Shu Hanqing shot back: "...Since when are you a doctor?"

"Come on, what're you waiting for? It's not like I haven't seen it before." Lei Zheng tugged at Shu Hanqing's pants, urging, "Just one look, then I'll send you back good as new."

Shu Hanqing stared at him for two seconds, stepped on his heels, kicked off both shoes, then set his hands on his waistband. He tilted his head and gave Lei Zheng a cold, sideways glare.

Lei Zheng's eyes flickered darkly. He propped his chin on his hand, all serious, like he was studying top-secret intel. He said with fake gravity: "Wonder if this'll fade."

Shu Hanqing pushed his pants down, the fabric sliding along his legs to bunch at his calves. He said, annoyed: "...How should I know? It's all your fault!"

Shu Hanqing was left in just his briefs. He wiggled his ankles: "This good enough?"

Lei Zheng suddenly rolled off the bed and crouched behind Shu Hanqing: "If it won't fade, I'll get a matching one inked on myself."

The height difference made Shu Hanqing's heart stutter.

From Lei Zheng's angle, Shu Hanqing's legs were straight and long, taut with the flexibility of years of training. Higher up, the curve of his ass rose and fell like rolling hills in the shadows.

Before Shu Hanqing could back away, Lei Zheng's hand shot out and pressed against his inner thigh.

That skin was the softest, and the touch made Shu Hanqing's whole body flinch.

Shu Hanqing craned his neck awkwardly, looking down, but all he could see was Lei Zheng's dark, coarse hair and the back of his head as he stared at his lower body.

Shu Hanqing was completely freaked: "Lei Zheng, what the hell are you doing!"

Lei Zheng didn't answer right away. He tilted his head, and the last shred of fake seriousness in his eyes vanished. His hand slid up the inner thigh, roughly hooking the edge of the last bit of fabric and pulling it aside: "Spread a little, baby. I think... this Thunder Mark's grown somewhere special."

He'd walked right into it.

Shu Hanqing was about to kick this bastard to death when, the next second, a sharp sting shot through his ass.

Lei Zheng bit down hard on his ass!

The last annoying scrap of fabric was yanked down to his knees, and Shu Hanqing was shoved into the stiff mattress.

He'd been played!

Shu Hanqing rolled over and scrambled to the corner of the bed. Looking up, he saw Lei Zheng looming at the edge.

Those broad shoulders blocked out most of the light.

Lei Zheng reached up and ripped open his shirt, exposing a broad expanse of muscular chest and that wild, suffocating animal presence.

Lei Zheng grabbed Shu Hanqing's cool calf and hauled him back in one motion.

Filthy words slithered into Shu Hanqing's ears: "Baby, I think that Thunder Mark's grown down into your back door. Let me check it out for you first."

Shu Hanqing shoved both hands against his chest: "You said you wouldn't do anything! You swore!"

"What I swore was that I'd be no man if I did." A dirty laugh escaped Lei Zheng's throat. He leaned in shamelessly and bit Shu Hanqing's chin, "Weren't you just calling me a bastard? Bastards don't count as human."

"You asked what kind of doctor I am? Well, let me tell you—I'm a prostate doctor."

Shu Hanqing: "..."

Fuck!

Shu Hanqing didn't even finish cursing.

＊＊

A wave of mortified red flooded that cold, handsome face. Pure physiological tears welled up in Shu Hanqing's eyes, his voice shaking: "Lei Zheng, don't... don't go too far!"

Lei Zheng ignored the threat and buried himself lower.

"You actually—hah, ah..." Shu Hanqing threw his head back, fingers clawing into the stiff sheet. Choked by the sudden invasion, he gritted out the last half of a tear-soaked roar.

"I'll never trust you again!"

Lei Zheng lifted his head after a long moment: "Baby, I've heard that one a lot."

＊

Lei Zheng reluctantly pulled his head away from that warmth, reached out, and locked the man against his chest. He grabbed Shu Hanqing's chin and forced his face around.

By now, Shu Hanqing's body had gone limp, and he let himself be handled without resistance.

Lei Zheng's hot breath hit Shu Hanqing's red ear as he teased: "Time for the doctor's checkup."

Shu Hanqing's crow-black hair scattered across the pillow. He lay prone, spine heaving, teeth biting down on his already swollen lips, but still unable to hold back the numbing pleasure surging from his tailbone.

Lei Zheng was usually an ice-cold devil, but now filthy, coaxing sweet talk poured out of him nonstop, though his actions showed no tenderness at all.

He just kept pressing his advantage, ruthless.

Like he wanted to devour the man in his arms whole.

Broad daylight, curtains drawn, sealing off this small space from the world. No one knew what scorching, terrifying flames of lust burned in this dim room.

Shu Hanqing's mind had long since sunk into chaos and delirium.

He felt like he'd fallen into a sticky dream, unable to escape no matter how he tossed and turned. All he could hear was the man's heavy, obsessive love talk.

Lei Zheng forced his fingers between Shu Hanqing's, pinning both hands into the pillow above his head. Bruises bloomed on his narrow waist, and the overflowing possessiveness was chilling.

Desire from this life and the last, along with raging jealousy, all tangled together in that moment.

The ruthlessness and brutality he usually kept buried now burst out like a savage beast under lust's catalyst, impossible to restrain.

Lei Zheng bit viciously at Shu Hanqing's jade-white ear, eyes bloodshot, spitting out the mad words buried in his heart, raw and bloody.

"...You're mine, plain and simple. Who the hell do those bastards think they are!"