Let's drown together then.

"Turn around." Taking advantage of Jiang Songhe's unsteady posture of hunching over, Jonathan cunningly half-knelt up, lifted his hip with one hand and pulled his shoulder with the other, about to turn Jiang Songhe over completely.

A vaguely familiar sense of crisis, a feeling of being provoked, loomed large. Jiang Songhe felt his scalp tingle and hot sweat pour down his back.

Jiang Songhe fought back with muscle memory, grabbing Jonathan's wrists from both ends, shifting his weight against the force, pressing down on one of Jonathan's calves with one knee, lifting up the other leg to raise Jonathan's body to the opposite side, and suddenly pulling his elbow back to flip him over.

Jonathan fell to his side, slamming heavily onto the bed with a short "uh".

Jiang Songhe wasn't much better off. The sudden exertion made him dizzy and his ears ring. Afraid of being taken advantage of, he struggled to fight off the dizziness, pushed his shoulders to prop himself up, grabbed Jonathan's wrist and punched the headboard, finally letting out a sigh of relief after completely pinning him down.

"What the hell have you been babbling on and on since just now?" Jiang Songhe held Jonathan firmly down, not giving him any more chances to cause trouble.

Jonathan skipped Jiang Songhe's forceful questioning, craned his neck to glance between the two, then raised an eyebrow and said in a affected tone, "You look quite energetic~"

Jiang Songhe followed his gaze and looked down, puzzled. First, he saw that the pajamas that were supposed to cover his body were wide open, and his temples were already throbbing. Then he saw that his certain part was proudly saluting through the loose pajama pants, and his brain snapped.

His face flushed red, and his first reaction was to button the buttons back up.

Even if I'm going to die soon, I should at least die with dignity.

“You’re dreaming right now, baby.” Seeing Jiang Songhe give up and get up, Jonathan took her left hand, which was about to withdraw, and coaxed her to pull it toward her. After hesitating for a moment at her chest, she finally pressed it against her neck. “Consensual sex is not sacrilege, and Tao Nian won’t mind.”

Why do we keep mentioning this weird, inhuman thing called "Tao Nian"?

"Consensual" my foot! Nothing happened between us back then, except...

Jiang Songhe stared at the ring on the hand that was pressed against Jonathan's neck, cursing inwardly as she recalled the past. Halfway through the recollection, she suddenly choked up, and then clearly felt her body parts loosen a little.

Jonathan glanced at the middle again, smiled, and used both hands and feet to encourage Jiang Songhe to move closer by bending one knee and lower back.

As the part entered the blind spot, Jiang Songhe noticed it was tightening again, and his inner defenses instantly crumbled.

Ah! Yes!

Because this "person" can use their position to freely spy on people's last moments! They know I clearly have no feelings for Tao Nian, yet I went to a hotel with someone else! I verbally refused, yet I was aroused by their touch!

I'm hypocritical! I'm despicable! I'm vile!

so what? ? ? ?

Are you really going to use any means necessary to send me to hell in my most lewd state?!

Is this reasonable? It's too domineering!

Jiang Songhe can accept dying suddenly and peacefully, but he cannot accept dying a pathetic and unjust death.

He even adopted a self-examination attitude, reviewing his 34 years of life to see what else could possibly be related to the crime of prostitution.

No, the few items that exist can only be described as "disgusting" at best.

In 2008, he and Ni Haolang got drunk at a bar in Jiuwengqiao.

That was the first time they had witnessed homosexual kissing. He was a clueless 17-year-old when he suddenly felt a heat in his lower abdomen. Startled, he put his hands in his pockets and pulled down his shirt to cover himself. But Ni Haolang insisted on asking him what he thought of the scene, and he only gave his evaluation by looking at his back: "Disgusting."

In 2013, Tao Nian learned that he wanted to be an agent, so she introduced him to Tao's father.

Entering the entertainment industry was like entering a dye vat, or rather, a vat of alcohol. Back then, he was still a naive young man, and as taciturn as he was, he relied entirely on drinking to make friends within the industry. One day, he was once again drunk to the point of unconsciousness, and Tao Nian came to pick him up... He described his disheveled appearance as he fled in disarray: "Disgusting."

25 years, just now.

The "death knell" disguised as Jonah was "whipping his horse" and "spreading word of mouth" at him. Through a complete review of his own parts' condition, he realized one thing - he was probably also gay. His evaluation of this was: "Disgusting".

He admitted that he was disgusting, but... he didn't deserve to be so guilty.

Seeing that Jiang Songhe didn't respond for a long time and even seemed to be taking the opportunity to meditate, Jonathan's eyes flickered, and his smile quickly turned strange: "Is she so good that you wouldn't even touch her in your dreams?"

"You!" Jiang Songhe didn't want to hear another Jonathan's voice from this weirdo. "Shut up!"

-

Jiang Songhe moved that hand to Jonathan's face, but didn't cover it completely. The force was mainly concentrated on the thumb and middle finger pinching his cheekbone, with the tiger's mouth being loosely supported by the high bridge of his nose, and the palm suspended in the air.

He was furious and wanted to take his anger out on others.

He shouldn't have come to Manr in the first place. If he hadn't come, he could have kept his secret and lived a peaceful and self-sufficient life until old age and death.

Now, with another sin added to his list, Jiang Songhe doesn't even know how he will face his parents in the afterlife.

He was somewhat frantically trying to escape, wondering if the underworld officials could be destroyed by a dying man.

After the destruction, could he be disposed of on the spot, his bones crushed and scattered to the winds?

The person in the palm seemed to hear Jiang Songhe's innermost thoughts—

A faint itch traveled from the bulging veins on the arm, spreading across the trembling back of the hand, then nestled between the fingers. The hand was pulled down, stopping the long, warm breath.

A cool, light kiss landed on my palm, like a tacit acceptance of hurt, or even an invitation.

A sliver of neon light streaming in from the window cast an eerie glow on Jiang Songhe's porcelain-white skin. Bewitched, the darkness hidden deep within her heart swelled and burst forth like bubbles on the surface of a witch's potion.

"Then let's drown together," he thought, pressing his palm down.

My vision gradually blurred, yet I still wanted to see that person's tears one more time, to punish him viciously, and to watch him struggle in my palm.

Boiling evil and viscous desire intertwined and mixed into a shocking crimson, which poured into that thin grave and sprouted withered, bone-shaped flowers.

Thump—thump—thump—

As the distant chimes rang out, the neon lights were shattered by the dazzling fireworks, and Jiang Songhe's gaze refocused.

Looking again at the person in his palm, he could vaguely see only white under the trembling, drooping eyelashes, and the hand clasped in his palm was already icy cold. He raised his hand in horror, and the person's arm, like a hibernating snake, slid down without any conscious will.

!!

-

“…Jonathan?!” Jiang Songhe patted Jonathan’s face. “Hey! Wake up!”

Jonah seemed like a soulless puppet, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Grass! ! !

Jiang Songhe turned Jonathan's head back and pinched his nose to give him artificial respiration. After a few breaths, Jiang Songhe felt a wet and soft touch scrape his palate.

Jiang Songhe was shocked and struggled but could not escape. He was restrained by Jonah's limbs, and the artificial respiration was forced to become a kiss.

"I've been tricked again."

Jiang Songhe thought irritably that if he were ruthless enough, he could bite off that restless tongue at any time and end it all.

But he didn't.

He slid his hands, which were supporting him on the bed, between his sweaty back and the soft sheets, pinching his side and pressing down on his vital point.

Jonathan was indeed untied. He was panting heavily, his thick eyelashes fluttering, and his face showed an innocent and bewildered expression.

It's always like this!

Jiang Songhe's anger intensified. He grabbed Jonathan's neck and pinned him against the headboard, clenching his fists as he was about to strike, but Jonathan's captivating gaze stopped him in his tracks.

Jonah's eyes reflected an eerie light amidst the flashing fireworks, his gaze carrying an ambiguous smile, like a reminder or a provocation, which Jiang Songhe could not discern.

He watched him intently, then easily pried open Jiang Songhe's clenched fist, which was so tight it was white at the knuckles. His two hands, interlocked like mortise and tenon joints, moved downwards again and again until finally, they encircled her.

The silver snake coiled around Su, transforming into waves that rose and fell, surging and churning, gradually increasing in speed. His vision snapped, and Jonathan turned to peer through his jaw.

Jiang Songhe suddenly lost his speech and even forgot to breathe.

“Yeah, right like that, baby…”

Jiang Songhe's ears burned red from the blatant and explicit words. He forcefully threw Jonathan into the fluffy pillow: "You're a fucking lunatic!"

He hurriedly rolled away, buttoning his pajamas while irritably searching for a cigarette. On a single sofa not far from the bed, he saw an unworn bathrobe, grabbed it, and tossed it onto Jonathan's pale body.

The cigarettes were found, but the lighter was not.

When Jonah saw Jiang Songhe push open the window with an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking flustered but full of life, he laughed loudly, "Hahahaha... You didn't think you killed me, did you?"

Jiang Songhe glanced at his flat pajama bottoms out of the corner of his eye, took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Jonathan: "Hey!"

An unidentified object flew towards Jiang Songhe, who caught it reflexively. He looked at it and saw that it was a match supplied by the hotel.

Unwilling to accept the gesture, but feeling incredibly stifled, Jiang Songhe still lit a cigarette, which had been dangling between his teeth for a long time.

Jonathan pulled out a pillow and lay on it, making a weak "OK" sign with his hand as he lazily asked, with a hint of smugness in his voice: "You figured out 'me' a long time ago, didn't you?"

Jiang Songhe's hand holding the cigarette trembled, and the long ash that had accumulated on the cigarette bent, bent, and broke in a dramatic fashion.

Actually, it isn't.

But Jiang Songhe didn't want to answer, nor did he have the mind to explain. No matter what strange reason it was, he had indeed started again. Denying it would be making excuses and would definitely lead to further entanglement. He was speechless for a moment, so he had no choice but to change the subject.

"Swish! Swish! Whoosh—" Jiang Songhe lit another cigarette and exhaled, "How did you get in?"

Jonathan: "The bathtub in this hotel is huge, let's continue later."

Jiang Songhe: "I'm asking you where you got the room key. Did Songyun give it to you?"

Jonathan: "If it's you, I can make the bottom (the one below)."

Jiang Songhe: "What did you say to him?"

Jonathan: "Come here, you don't need to smoke by the window, I don't mind."

Jiang Songhe: "That's enough!"

The conversation took the form of a question-and-answer session, but in terms of content, each person spoke their own mind.

Jiang Songhe was driven to desperation by Jonathan's nonsensical tactics. He had tried the hard approach repeatedly, but it was completely useless. So he decided to try the soft approach. He asked with suppressed anger, "What exactly do you want by being so persistent, hmm?"

"Didn't I say that the day before yesterday?" Jonathan rested his chin on his hands, blinked as if recalling the scene, and emphasized in a breathy voice, "You~"

Having learned from past mistakes, Jiang Songhe skipped over the awkward and corny reply and tried to persuade him logically: "So, do you want to talk to me? Or do you just want to do it with me?"

Jonathan: "Is there a difference? Isn't it just a matter of one person willing to hit and the other willing to be hit?"

Jiang Songhe wanted to preach from the perspective of the older generation, but unfortunately, he was a lonely king among kings and couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. So he could only follow along with Jonathan and continue to talk so that Jonathan could understand what he was saying.

“Since you want the same thing from both of them, you won’t get anything from me.” Jiang Songhe sighed, raising her left hand to show off the ring. “I’m celibate, I won’t do it with anyone.”

"A chastity ring?" Jonathan jumped up in surprise, his bathrobe slipping off him. He crawled to the foot of the bed and curiously grabbed Jiang Songhe's hand to examine it.

From his current perspective, Jiang Songhe could clearly see that Jonathan's bangs and eyelashes were intertwined, as well as the downy hair on his face. Combined with his behavior just now, he looked especially like a naked little beast.

Jiang Songhe: "..."

"Abstinence? When did it start?" Jonathan raised his narrow eyes, looking eager to know.

"Huh?" Jiang Songhe cleared his throat tactically, trying to pull his hand back but failing. "Uh, 2013."

"In other words, you're already over ten..." Jonathan actually started counting on his fingers right in front of her.

“Yes.” Jiang Songhe interrupted the spellcasting first, stubbing out the cigarette butt to avoid his gaze. “There won’t be any more in the future.”

“Actually, I already knew the day before yesterday.” Jonathan licked the ring. “But hearing you admit it to me again, in person, makes me even more excited.”

“?!” Scattered images flashed into Jiang Songhe’s mind, and he gasped silently.

“But judging from what just happened, you’re not very strict with yourself, are you? How about we compromise? I’ll just be your bottom…” Jonathan wrapped an arm around Jiang Songhe’s waist and pulled her closer, his hand wandering downwards. “You’ll just be my male bodhisattva?”

This person is completely impervious to reason.

Exhausted, Jiang Songhe shook off Jonathan's hand and took a step back to keep his distance.

As desires recede, illness resurfaces.

Jiang Songhe sat down on the single sofa and turned his head to one side, behaving like a gentleman. Little did he know that every inch of Jonah's body had been branded into his mind, indelible and inescapable.

“I’m not interested,” he said. “I’m tired. Please leave.”

But I was clearly very interested just now.

"So what's your reason for insisting? Do you think this is dirty? If it were dirty, you and your brother wouldn't have been born. Or do you think I, as a man, am dirty? Gender is just a form; what difference does the feeling of pleasure make? And what's right or wrong about it?"

The birth of her younger brother led to the deaths of her parents, which in turn led to Jiang Songhe's words on the phone, "You'd better never come back." 17-year-old Jiang Songhe's words became a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing her parents to die young and her younger brother to lose both parents at birth.

All of this is because of him; "his birth" is the fault.

But this is a sin he will spend his entire life atoning for, and it is not for an outsider who plays around with life to speak recklessly.

Jiang Songhe's face turned completely cold, devoid of any expression. He turned around and looked directly at Jonathan, his voice devoid of any emotion: "Everyone has their own choices and standards."

“Abstinence is my choice; my approach to sex is complete cessation.”

"the same as you."

"Promiscuity is your choice, but your standards don't allow verbal abuse."

"Do you understand now?"

-

Midnight had passed, the fireworks had faded, and a gust of cold wind suddenly pushed open the window. The chilly air carried the smell of gunpowder, swirling in the long-silent space. Jonathan's bangs were blown by the wind, gently swaying and obscuring his narrow eyes.

Jonathan's shoulders trembled. His mouth, which should have been eloquent, opened and closed but no sound came out. Finally, he pursed his lips, tightened them, and swallowed with difficulty.

But he quickly returned to normal, even flashing a carefree smile. Yes, this is how he should be.

“Yeah, right.” The silver-haired little beast got off the bed and started putting on his clothes one by one, saying as he did so, “I totally heard you…”

Jiang Songhe turned her head again, her brow twitching slightly.

"Move it, please?"

Jiang Songhe felt a tap on her foot. She instinctively looked up to see what was going on. Through the gap in her silver hair, she could vaguely see that her usually calm eyes were slightly red. She immediately looked away and looked at her feet.

I accidentally stepped on the hem of Jonathan's jeans.

Jiang Songhe moved her foot away and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Jonathan didn't immediately respond to the ambiguous apology. He quickly finished dressing and, as he opened the bedroom door, said, "Sorry to bother you, it will never happen again."

The language was very formal and polite, but it carried the implication of never wanting to see each other again.

That's exactly what Jiang Songhe hoped for from the beginning, otherwise he wouldn't have said those words, the most offensive words he'd ever said to anyone before.

Strangely, he felt a tightness in his chest and throat, and this feeling grew stronger as the bedroom sliding door closed further.

"You!" He couldn't control his mouth; the words were already out before he realized what he was saying.

Jonathan stepped back, turned around, his face still calm, but his voice carried a hint of joy and anticipation: "Hmm?"

"..." Jiang Songhe tensed his jaw muscles and struggled with his mind for a while. Although he didn't know what he was struggling with, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence after a long time: "Leave the room card."

That's a terrible sentence.

“Yeah right, sorry.” Jonathan chuckled, took the room key for room 512 out of his pocket, and instead of getting any closer, casually tossed the key into the room with a flick of his wrist.

Whoosh, the sliding door finally closed completely.

Although winters in Maner are not as cold as in Jingting, you can still get sick if you go out without a coat.

Jiang Songhe, who left his black suit jacket with Jonathan the day before yesterday, understands this all too well, and the gust of wind just now is proof of that.

Jonathan didn't wear that black suit; it was lying on the floor next to the bed...

-

Jonathan did not take the elevator after leaving room 512.

He strode to the end of the guest room corridor, pushed open the heavy metal door of the emergency exit, and descended the stairs.

The layers of handrails connect and recede, extending into a bottomless black hole. Gradually, the chaotic footsteps turn on the motion sensor lights one by one, but the journey abruptly ends when they reach the second floor.

After a long while, as the safety passage plunged back into darkness, the sound of violent retching echoed from the bottom of the cave...