Chapter 64

"Ha, I'm your little pig... Punish me, brother, punish me." He was not satisfied with just possessing Pei Huai's lips. He pulled the upper part of Pei Huai's sleeve, slid down half of his shoulder, and covered his lips with murmurs.

Pei Huai lowered his shoulders and responded to the kiss.

He didn't dislike this. Xiang Mingqi always seemed to enjoy possession of his lips and body. It had been the same before, in that meticulously decorated bedroom, with the masculine body pressing against him, recklessly venting. Pei Huai bit painfully at his lower lip, leading the kiss to its end. He raised his waist, and Xiang Mingqi, confused, gripped his ribs, attempting to bite.

At this moment, the hand that had been supporting the back of his head slammed down, pressing against his abdomen. Puzzled, Xiang Mingqi raised his eyelids and looked at him blankly, "Does it feel good to kiss, brother?" He opened his mouth, biting the side of his waist and inhaling. Pei Huai bit his lip to swallow back his gasps, shaking his head. His expression of humiliation and forbearance, coupled with the sweat on his eyelashes, was indescribably erotic.

"I don't believe it." The younger generation burst out laughing.

"—Brother, you're always like this. It's like I'm bullying you no matter what I do. You clearly agreed, but you wouldn't even let me hear the sound." His throat was very dry. "Your voice is so beautiful, it's not too much to use it for singing. Just catch your breath, brother. You're so sexy when you're breathing."

"Shut up."

The little finger figure wandered over the tight muscles: "I knew you were really thin-skinned, brother. You can't stand it if the words are a little explicit." He continued, stroking the edge of Pei Huai's straight belt, and begged, "But let me take another bite..."

"To Mingqi."

"I am here!"

Pei Huai twisted his jaw, leaned over, and bit his lips, which were so close. Xiang Mingqi groaned in pain, and the attack shifted from biting to kissing. The leader was a skilled kisser. The mere brush of his tongue against the mucous membrane of his palate sent blood rushing to his head, and a tingling sensation spread to his fingertips.

The kiss deepened, and his Adam's apple swallowed rapidly and rapidly. He pulled Xiang Mingqi's hair for stimulation. The latter couldn't close his mouth, couldn't breathe, and saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth.

The kiss was very soft, Xiang Mingqi thought, and would allow him to taste the aroma of coffee from time to time.

When each breath was no longer difficult, Pei Huai slowly wiped his lips with a tissue and leaned closer to him: "You asked for it." Without waiting for a response, he stood up, unscrewed the cubicle door, and hurriedly washed his hands to the sound of running water in the washbasin.

When they finally returned to the store, Xiang Mingqi hugged him from behind, biting the crook of his neck. He reached behind his waist and yanked the other's belt buckle hard as a warning.

The conversation in the cafe seemed to be going badly.

Duan Heng went outside for some fresh air, while Teacher Liu sat at the table, her expression serious, her gaze lost in thought as she stared at her knees. As she sat back down, she grabbed her handbag and said with an embarrassed look that she had to go and that she was sorry to have disturbed him. After a pause, she sighed, "Besides, Duan Heng doesn't seem to want to go back. I..."

"No." Pei Huai interrupted at the right time, "Sit down and talk."

Her hand rose and fell, casually smoothing the wrinkles under her skirt. "I applied for this position from out of town. I used to teach in East B-2. Do you know where it is?"

Xiang Mingqi took over the conversation: "It's a mess over there. I heard there are a lot of bad youth organizations."

"Well, I got my teaching license. There was a huge shortage of teachers there, so I went." She clasped her hands between her legs. "At the time, I had a student who was suffering because of his uncle's family." She paused, then continued, "But in East B-2 District, everyone's life was not going well. They were poor and had given up on themselves. They would always suddenly stop coming to school one day."

The bottom of the cup rested lightly on the table.

"But no one cares, because no matter who disappears, I always get some news every few days. The student I mentioned earlier wasn't very good at science, and I had to persuade him to study. One day, he came to me and asked me a question about magnetism." She smiled. "I teased him at the time, asking if the sun had risen from the west. He said that his sister had an intestinal obstruction and had to save up money for surgery, but she's better now. Now she doesn't need his care, she'll have time to study."

"I remember it very clearly. He was wearing a pair of trousers a relative had given him that day, a size too big, and jeans that had been washed and faded. There was a patch on the top where he had sewn the pocket himself."

"I stuffed a whole set of papers into his mouth before school was over, and he ran home with a pout. He was the kind of person who looked reluctant but would work ten times harder when he got home. I waited for him to finish the questions and come to ask questions. But the next day, he didn't come. And he never came again."

"Two weeks later, patrolmen found his body in the park pond." Teacher Liu took a sip of his long-cooled coffee, resting his index finger on his upper arm. "When they fished him out, they said all ten of his fingers had been chopped off, and his eyes were gone. Later, they found him suspected of smuggling drugs. A bag of powder was in a small pocket he'd sewn. The stuff disappeared, so it must have been disposed of by the previous owner. After that day, I didn't go to work again."

Pei Huai said in a normal tone: "You want me to protect him."

"Yes. At least, don't let another child go astray." She stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them. "I know this request will be difficult for you, but..."

"I accept."

"What?" Liu Wenxiu looked up in surprise, as if she didn't expect him to agree so quickly.

A business card was placed in front of him, and his thin lips moved slightly: "In my personal capacity, I will accept your commission on behalf of the former employees of the Bangkok Hotel."

Both parties were about to discuss the matter in detail when Liu Wenxiu received a call from the school to change her shift, leaving her in a hurry. The other two, seeing no reason to linger, left the cafe one after the other. As the glass door swung open, Pei Huai caught a glimpse of a figure, their hood pulled down, hurrying past him.

Just as he was about to be alert, Xiang Mingqi pulled him, turned around and hugged him: "What are you looking at?" Pei Huai supported his chest and pushed him away, then walked towards the boy with a bad face at the bus stop.

"What? She talked to you so much, do you still need to persuade me to go back to school? You are sick." The boy flicked away the cigarette butt and rolled his eyes.

Xiang Mingqi was unhappy: "Hey, hey, hey, who are you talking about? I think you, the little buzz cut guy, are the one who's sick."

The cigarette butt was crushed under his feet. Duan Heng pulled his sleeves up to his upper arms and said, "What are you talking about, you curly-haired stinky dog?"

"Stop messing with my species! I'm your brother's sweet, silly little pig!" Xiang Mingqi raised his arm, blocking the silent senior behind him, and stepped forward. "What? You want a fight, huh? I've been working out for over 40 years, the prince of the Longmen Strike. With your buzz cut, how can you compare to me from head to toe?"

"You've been working out for over 40 years, but your chromosomes haven't changed at all."

"Damn it, if I say forty, it means forty. I think you should stop being so self-indulgent." He took a step forward, folding his arms and looking more arrogant than a crowing rooster. "You still want our brother Pei Huai to persuade you? You must be suffering from a second-year syndrome."

"What's with the chuunibyou thing? You're in your twenties and still in love."

"Yeah, the doctor gave me a certificate. I'm a nationally certified love-brained person. What about you, you little chuunibyou buzzcut guy?"

"Are you ill?"

"What else?"

A raised arm interrupted: "...Shut up, everyone."

"Hmm, hmm, Brother Pei Huai said I'm in love." Xiang Mingqi reacted very quickly and dodged to his senior's elbow, rubbing his chin against his neck. "Will you help me vent my anger?"

Pei Huai looked at the angry boy as if he hadn't heard anything. "I have something to do with this guy." He pointed at Ming Qi and said, "Excuse me first."

"Ah, where are you going? The boss said we have to stay together even if it's a free time."

"Date. Yes, a date. We're going on a date right now." Xiang Mingqi took his senior's arm and turned around to glare at the potential light bulb. "What will you do if we go to a hotel to get a room? Will we move a bed for you?"

"You, you, you, me, you! Then why don't I just wait at the door? I'll get scolded if I go back now."

"Brother said he wanted to eavesdrop." Xiang Mingqi showed a look of false fear and said indignantly, "He is really perverted. We must not let him off easily."

After the previous exchanges, Duan Heng's face was already red from cheek to neck, and his words became incoherent: "I didn't, that, I, I just - No, don't blame me!"

"Whoever objects should provide evidence. Go ahead."

"Hey you!"

As the argument intensified, a hand grabbed Xiang Mingqi's cheek and pulled him upward. Pei Huai glanced over and said, "Three people doesn't matter to me. Follow me."

Of course, they weren't going to a hotel. God only knew what was going on in Xiang Mingqi's mind. In a familiar mall, on a familiar floor, they were greeted with greetings and meows as they entered the store.

The girl with the name tag on her chest was about to bow: "Welcome...ah, it's you. Welcome! It's been a while, and nice to meet you, guest. I hope you enjoy yourself."

Pei Huai noticed her name was "Taoran." Just as he was about to politely acknowledge her, a flood of cats suddenly poured down from the second floor, some slipping, others sprinting with their tails cocked.

A colorpoint ragdoll cat used its eyes to coerce Pei Huai into picking it up. It stretched its front paws in his arms, purring lazily. Several kittens, no bigger than paws, formed a circle around him, sliding and meowing as they crawled toward his trouser legs.

"Do you remember her?" Tao Ran picked up the kitten and held it in his arms, poking the stuffed doll Pei Huai was holding with his index finger. "Suan Suan. You haven't been here for a while, and her babies are just weaned. She's going to be sterilized soon."

With three or four kittens hanging from one leg, Pei Huai couldn't handle them all. They were full of energy. He picked one up and put it back on the ground. It twisted its body, hopped back to his feet, spread its body and pounced, continuing to climb towards his waist. Its small sharp claws didn't have much killing power, just scratching.

He had to hold his sore butt with one hand, squat down, and pat their heads. The kittens stuck their antenna-like tails and bleated at him.

"Wow, so small and cute." Duan Heng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He lay on the ground, picked up the orange cat, and rubbed his cheek with it.

At Xiang Mingqi's feet lay a white cat he had previously served, licking its fur gracefully. At this moment, a staccato noise came from the second floor. Pei Huai looked up and saw Zhuangzhuang, left at the end of the group, limping down the stairs.

It was very dissatisfied, squinting its eyes and came to Pei Huai's heel, yawning. Pei Huai opened its fur and took a look. The wounds had basically been sutured and there was nothing serious.

But the bones will never return to their original state, and my gait will remain the same as it is now.

"The doctor said Zhuangzhuang has recovered quite well now. The original wounds were so deep you could even see the bone." She led the group to their seats. "By the way, the boss reminded us before that you don't have to pay for drinks when you come to play. We provide them for free. Just think of it as playing with the kittens."

"By the way, what about the intern before? I hope he won't be allowed to become a regular employee." Xiang Mingqi squeezed a cat noodle, raised his hand a few times, and watched proudly as the white cat stretched its neck to lick him.

"Don't talk nonsense, the boss will hear about it and cancel your preferential treatment. After that, Wang Qi was quite shocked. He took several days off and only recently returned to work. But he talks much less. Sometimes when you call him, you have to lean close to his ear to hear him." The girl sighed, "Actually, I'm worried too. But I just can't bring myself to say it."

"Why don't you just ask? He's the one who's sad, not you."

"It's so heartless! I won't do anything so wicked. Okay, let's not talk about this. It just so happens that Sour Baby is going to be open for adoption soon. Our boss wants to ask..." Tao Ran held the kitten's chest, facing Pei Huai, and flicked its pink paw pad. The kitten looked up at her in confusion, accidentally bumping its head. "Hey brother, do you want to raise a kitten with a good personality and an empty mind?"