I didn't expect
The sound of the car starting up was particularly dull in the night. Cheng Xiaorui leaned on Chen Zihan's shoulder, breathing deeply, his eyelashes trembling with the slight jolt of the car. Chen Zihan forced his eyes open, the alcohol blurring his vision, but his fingertips seemed to have a mind of their own. Slowly rising, they gently stroked Cheng Xiaorui's cheek, which was hot and slightly drunk.
Cheng Xiaorui frowned, opened his eyes drowsily, and when he looked up, he met Chen Zihan's close gaze.
The car was dark, with only the occasional light from the street lamps, casting a deep darkness in Chen Zihan's eyes. After three seconds of silence, he suddenly leaned in, tilted his head, and gently pressed his lips against Cheng Xiaorui's.
Cheng Xiaorui froze. The touch of her lips was warm and soft, with a hint of alcohol, making him unable to tell whether this was a dream or reality. He subconsciously held his breath, his fingers unconsciously clenching the corner of his clothes.
Chen Zihan's kiss was very light, as if he was afraid of disturbing something, but his breathing was obviously disordered.
Just then, a soft sound came from the driver's seat. Lu Ziyi took out two bottles of water and handed them over.
“…”
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Lu Ziyi's hand paused in mid-air, his fingertips tightening slightly, and the plastic bottle made a slight "click" sound. His gaze fell on the rearview mirror, reflecting the overlapping figures of the two people. Chen Zihan's lips were still pressed against Cheng Xiaorui's, and Cheng Xiaorui's eyelashes were trembling violently, like a frightened butterfly.
Seven seconds.
For a full seven seconds, Lu Ziyi stared at them, his eyes as dark as indissoluble ink.
Finally, Chen Zihan slowly stepped back, took the water as if nothing had happened, unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it to Cheng Xiaorui, saying in a low voice: "Drink some water and sleep a little longer."
Cheng Xiaorui didn't look up, but mechanically took the water bottle and sipped it. The ice water slid down his throat, but it couldn't quench the burning heat on his face.
Lu Zi also withdrew his gaze and gripped the steering wheel again, his knuckles turning white from the force.
The green light is on.
The car restarted, the engine roaring harshly in the silence. Lu Zi also stepped on the accelerator, driving much faster than when he came. The neon lights outside the window merged into a blurry band of light, as if trying to shake off some unspeakable emotion.
——What are you doing?
It's crazy.
In the rearview mirror, Cheng Xiaorui had closed his eyes again, his head tilted toward the car window, as if deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone. Meanwhile, Chen Zihan tilted his head back and gulped down half a bottle of water, his Adam's apple rolling as drops of water slid down his jaw and into his collar.
The corners of Lu Ziyi's lips were stretched into a cold line. He suddenly lowered the car window, and the night wind rushed in, blowing away the sticky smell of alcohol in the car and ruffling the strands of hair on Cheng Xiaorui's forehead.
Back at the villa, it was already late at night. Chen Zihan stumbled and helped Cheng Xiaorui inside. Once they reached the sofa in the living room, they both fell asleep. Cheng Xiaorui's face was half buried in the soft pillow, his breath full of the heat of alcohol. Chen Zihan had already closed his eyes, his arm still unconsciously draped around his waist, like some kind of possessive declaration.
Lu Ziyi went to make them some hangover soup. He stood in the kitchen, simmering it, the pungent aroma of ginger mixed with the sweet fragrance of rock sugar filling the air. He stared at the bubbling broth in the pot, his thoughts drifting uncontrollably back to the car, those brief but dazzling seven seconds.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps interrupted his distraction.
"vomit……!"
Cheng Xiaorui covered his mouth and struggled to get up from the sofa, rushing to the bathroom in a panic, but before he reached the toilet, the contents of his stomach burst through his throat.
He fell to his knees, vomit splattering the tiles and even staining his collar and cuffs. The intense nausea blinded him, and he finally collapsed to the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold wall, breathing heavily. This was the scene Lu Ziyi saw when he arrived.
Cheng Xiaorui huddled on the bathroom floor, his shirt tangled and lifted, revealing a pale waistline. His eyelashes were wet and stuck together, his cheeks were an abnormal flush, and all around him... was a mess.
“…” Lu Zi also closed his eyes, his temples throbbing.
He strode over and scooped the man up. Cheng Xiaorui's body was limp, his head hanging limply, his breath hot and wet on Lu Ziyi's neck.
"It hurts..." He murmured unconsciously, his voice hoarse and out of tune.
Lu Ziyi didn't answer. Instead, he carried him into the bathroom with a stern face, quickly stripped off his dirty clothes, and threw him directly into the bathtub. Cheng Xiaorui flinched under the warm water and instinctively hid in the corner.
Lu Ziyi's fingertips paused. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Cheng Xiaorui naked, but at that moment, those memories suddenly became vivid: the boy's slender limbs, the small light brown mole on his waist, and...
The tips of his ears felt slightly hot, and he suddenly turned up the water flow.
"Wash yourself clean." He said stiffly and turned to get a towel.
When Cheng Xiaorui was brought out, he was already half asleep. Lu Ziyi put his pajamas on him. The dark blue cotton fabric made Cheng Xiaorui's skin look even paler. The loose collar revealed a slender neck.
Lu Ziyi stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and used his thumb to wipe away the lingering water droplets behind his ear.
“…” Lu Ziyi questioned what he was doing.
He suddenly withdrew his hand, stuffed the person into the quilt almost roughly, then fled out of the bedroom and returned to the bathroom, where he silently cleaned up the mess on the floor.
“Tsk.”
He wiped the tiles vigorously, and when everything was "cleaned up", he returned to the living room and found Chen Zihan still sleeping on the sofa, with one leg hanging on the ground in an awkward posture as if he would roll down at any time.
Lu Ziyi sneered, grabbed his collar and dragged him up, dragged him all the way into Chen Zihan's own room, threw him on the bed without any gentleness, and even "thoughtfully" closed the door - if that loud "bang" could be considered considerate.
When I returned to the master bedroom, moonlight was pouring in through the French windows. Cheng Xiaorui lay on his side in the middle of the bed, half of his face buried in the pillow, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing was light and slow, and he looked defenseless.
Lu Ziyi stood at the door, his Adam's apple rolling.
Very beautiful.
The moment this thought came to his mind, he froze. As if to hide something, he quickly walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and took out a painting from the deepest part.
It was the midsummer of that year.
He drew it secretly after returning home.
Lu Ziyi's fingertips gently stroked the drawing paper, then slammed the drawer shut. He needed to calm down.
The cold breeze from the balcony blew against him. He lit a cigarette, the crimson spark flickering in the darkness. The night wind, wrapped in a chill, seeped into his collar, but it couldn't quench the inexplicable restlessness in his chest.
After burning out a cigarette, he returned to the bedside and reached out as if possessed by a ghost to tuck the corner of the quilt for Cheng Xiaorui.
What the hell am I doing?
As he walked out of the room, he caught a glimpse of a piece of plastic wrapper peeked out from under the sofa. He frowned and pulled it out. It was a sheet of pills, three of which were missing.
"You are the only one so stupid in the world." He clenched the medicine board and his voice was almost inaudible.
…
The next morning, Cheng Xiaorui walked towards the bathroom before he fully opened his eyes. As a result, he slipped and fell heavily to the floor.
"hiss……!"
The pain instantly woke him up, and he realized the floor was covered in wet detergent foam, making it incredibly slippery. He tried to get up from the floor, but suddenly realized he wasn't wearing yesterday's clothes, but a pair of dark blue pajamas that were noticeably too big.
Did Chen Zihan help change it? This thought made his ears burn, but the next second, a more urgent anxiety surged up.
Cheng Xiaorui stumbled out of the bedroom. The living room was empty, with only sunlight quietly covering the floor. Only then did he see clearly where he was.
It is the home of Chen Zihan, who had been there once, and also the home of Lu Ziyi.
The fragments of memory suddenly pieced together: the bar, the dice, and...what else? He couldn't remember clearly.
His face turned pale instantly and he rushed to the sofa and searched frantically, searching through the cushions, crevices, and even the carpet.
"Where is it..."
When the footsteps approached from behind, Cheng Xiaorui was kneeling in front of the sofa, his fingers deeply embedded in the gaps of the cushions, groping.
"Zi Han, have you seen my stomach medicine?" He didn't turn around, his voice still hoarse with a hangover, "That's the one—"
There was silence behind him. Cheng Xiaorui paused, his knuckles curling unconsciously.
"Zi Han?" He turned his head. "Why are you standing there?"
The words stopped abruptly. Chen Zihan stood in the morning light, his face terribly gloomy. His pupils contracted violently, his gaze fixed on Cheng Xiaorui, or more precisely, on the dark blue pajamas.
The collar of the pajamas was loose, revealing a pale collarbone, the cuffs were long enough to cover half the back of the hand, and the hem fell to the middle of the thigh. Those were Lu Ziyi's pajamas.
"Change your clothes," Chen Zihan suddenly said. His fists were clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, leaving four crescent-shaped blood marks. "Don't wear his clothes anymore."
Cheng Xiaorui was stunned. He looked down at himself. "What? This is the road—"
"I put it on him."
A low voice came from the kitchen. Lu Zi appeared in the corridor without knowing when, carrying two breakfasts.
The air froze instantly.
Chen Zihan's breathing suddenly became heavy. He turned abruptly, rushed to Lu Ziyi, and punched him hard.
"Bang!"
The breakfast bag fell to the ground, scalding soy milk splattering onto the snow-white wall. Lu Zi also tilted his head, the left side of his face visibly reddening and swelling, a streak of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Cheng Xiaorui took a breath.
But Lu Ziyi just wiped away the blood with his thumb, lowered his eyes to look at the food scattered on the ground, and said softly, "You've ruined my breakfast." His tone was incredibly calm. "If you want to eat, go buy it yourself."
The morning light pierced through the dust, illuminating the three people. Chen Zihan's chest heaved violently, his fists shaking. He stared at Lu Ziyi, only to find that his gaze had passed him and landed on Cheng Xiaorui.
The look was deep, like the sea before a snowstorm.
Cheng Xiaorui unconsciously took a half step back and his lower back hit the coffee table. He didn't expect Chen Zihan to be so angry and even... hit Lu Ziyi.
Cheng Xiaorui's lips had barely opened, and before he could say anything, Chen Zihan grabbed his wrist. His strength was astonishing, practically dragging him toward the room. His fingertips pressed against his wrist bone, burning it like it was searing into his skin.
"Zi Han, wait——"
But Chen Zihan didn't stop until he turned into a blind corner in the corridor and suddenly let go. Cheng Xiaorui subconsciously took a breath, and a weak "hiss" escaped from between his teeth.
Chen Zihan lowered his head as if waking from a dream. A circle of glaring red marks suddenly appeared on Cheng Xiaorui's pale wrist, and the dark color of blood stasis appeared under the thin skin.
"I'm sorry, Xiaorui, I..." His voice suddenly choked, his fingers trembling in the air, wanting to touch but not daring to, "I was too anxious just now... Does it hurt? I, I'll go get some ice..."
"It's okay." Cheng Xiaorui put his hands behind his back.
But Chen Zihan's breathing became even more ragged. He suddenly grabbed his hair, twisting his knuckles around the roots, as if trying to sober up through the pain. "It's all my fault... I shouldn't have taken you to the bar." His voice gradually dropped, almost mumbling to himself. "You obviously can't drink... I'm really going crazy..."
Cheng Xiaorui looked up. Morning light slanted in from the window at the end of the corridor, casting a furry golden hue on Chen Zihan's features, but unable to illuminate his downcast expression. All that was visible was the tense lines of his neck and the sharp rise and fall of his collarbone beneath the collar of his T-shirt, as he breathed.
"I'm really fine." Cheng Xiaorui suddenly reached out and gently touched Chen Zihan's elbow with his fingertips, "I'm just a little hungry..." He tried to change the subject.
Those words flicked a switch. Chen Zihan looked up suddenly, his eyes scarlet. But when he saw the slight curl of Cheng Xiaorui's lips, he felt as if all his strength had been drained away. He slowly and carefully wrapped his palm around Cheng Xiaorui's wrist, his thumb lightly rubbing the edge of the red mark.
"I'll go cook noodles for you," he said.
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