Chapter 177 IF Line: Childhood Sweethearts (10)
Xie Xingchen was still smiling at first, and reached out to pinch his cheek: "Really?"
Lin Yao hummed in agreement, brushed his hand away, and said with an expression that didn't seem like he was lying: "Don't do this, it's better if we keep our distance."
After saying that, he took two steps back to create some distance.
Xie Xingchen's expression faded, a slight smile remaining on his face: "Who is it? You're just kidding me."
"I'm not lying to you, I don't want to say." Lin Yao looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. "I haven't figured out how to confess yet. I'll tell you when the time is right."
He paused, then added, "After all, you're my closest friend, Brother Chen."
Xie Xingchen: "........."
That sounds so true.
He slightly raised his chin: "Keep making it up."
Lin Yao used all his acting skills to appear sincere: "No, I really like him."
Xie Xingchen rarely saw Lin Yao with such a serious expression. He paused for several seconds before saying, "You have someone you like, and you were kissing and hugging me yesterday, and then you climbed into my bed in the middle of the night? You like someone else while kissing me, how can you be such a jerk?"
"That's why I said I was drunk and not thinking clearly at the time." Lin Yao caught his reaction. "Please keep this a secret for me. I've been reflecting and repenting for a long time since I sobered up. Luckily, we didn't do anything, so it didn't lead to a big mistake."
Xie Xingchen scoffed inwardly.
I restrained myself from sleeping with him last night, and after holding back for so long, his comment that it almost led to a big mistake was quite funny.
Lin Yao then said, "Is it okay? Let's pretend nothing happened."
Xie Xingchen nodded slightly, his last smile faltering, and said coldly, "Fine, you decide."
Lin Yao paused for a few seconds before adding the final blow: "Then I can't keep you company today either. Let's meet up another time."
Xie Xingchen: ".........Okay."
"Well then, goodbye, Brother Chen." Lin Yao seemed to have reverted to his previous cold and indifferent demeanor; his enthusiasm last night was just an illusion.
Xie Xingchen stared at his back for a long time without moving, until the other person disappeared from his sight before he came back to his senses.
Lin Yao has someone he likes.
And this person wasn't even himself.
Xie Xingchen was having some existential doubts, but couldn't think of a single suspicious option. They had spent too much time together, so it couldn't be that she had a crush on Cheng Boyan or He Li, could it?
For the next few days, Lin Yao didn't contact him again, but he did update his social media status.
A photo showing two shadows, captioned: The sun is shining brightly.
You can tell he has broad shoulders and is a bit taller than him; he's definitely an Alpha.
Xie Xingchen took a screenshot of the post and forwarded the photo directly to Cheng Boyan, asking, "This guy who doesn't show his face, could it be you?"
"How could that be?" Cheng Boyan had been busy teasing He Li these past two days and hadn't noticed his brother's relationship crisis at all. "You went out with Lin Yao? Why didn't you call us?"
Xie Xingchen, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked gloomy and preoccupied: "No, the person in the photo isn't me."
There was a silence on the other end for several seconds. It felt like a green hat was about to fall on him, and Cheng Boyan didn't know how to comfort him.
After thinking for a moment, she managed to eliminate another option for him: "It's not He Li either, he's been with me these past two days."
Then he added insult to injury: "It's over, your precious Yao Yao is with someone else."
Xie Xingchen: ""
Thank you, Truth Man.
He found it hard to imagine that Lin Yao, with his aloof and indifferent personality, would travel with people other than these familiar friends and take such photos. He couldn't think of anyone to suspect.
Cheng Boyan tried to salvage the situation: "What if they're just friends?"
"Friends are like this, putting their arms around each other like that?" Xie Xingchen paused, then admitted, "A few days ago, he did say that he had someone he liked, and that we should be careful about our boundaries."
Recalling the scene of the two kissing a few days ago, Cheng Boyan said slowly and incredulously, "He actually doesn't like you. That's weird. Who is this guy? He's hiding so well."
He Li leaned closer, looking bewildered, and asked, "Ah, Xie Xingchen? Who does he like?"
"Don't ask so many questions, you're just a kid." Cheng Boyan pushed him away.
"Have He Li ask where Lin Yao is now," Xie Xingchen said.
"Why didn't you ask yourself?" Cheng Boyan asked, bewildered.
Xie Xingchen gritted his teeth, his tone tinged with displeasure: "Catch them off guard and catch them in the act."
He certainly didn't have his usual calm and collected demeanor anymore.
Cheng Boyan laughed uncontrollably and reminded him, "If he really is dating someone else, and that person is the official girlfriend, what right do you have to catch him cheating? What you're doing is disturbing the young couple's relationship."
Xie Xingchen fell silent.
He always felt that it was only a matter of time before he met Lin Yao. The other party relied on him a lot, so it didn't matter if he couldn't figure out what those feelings were for the time being.
But now, he may have really found someone he likes, given his heart to, and is in a relationship, making himself seem superfluous.
He whispered, "If she really has a boyfriend, then we'll snatch him back."
Cheng Boyan smiled, turned to He Li and said, "Send a message to Lin Yao and ask where he is."
He Li did as instructed and quickly received a reply. He gasped and raised his voice, "He's at the hotel!!!"
Damn, isn't Yao-ge's approach a bit too extreme? This is so melodramatic, don't drive Xie Xingchen crazy.
Sure enough, Xie Xingchen asked in a deep voice, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "A hotel? He was at a hotel with that man?"
“Um… he’s right.” He Li felt a little guilty, and under Cheng Boyan’s probing gaze, she was afraid that her expression would give her away. “He was on a date when he suddenly felt unwell and realized that he was in his fertile period, so he went to a nearby hotel.”
Xie Xingchen suddenly closed his eyes: "Give me the hotel name and room number."
He Li, trembling, acted as the messenger, thinking to himself that Lin Yao truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest Alpha, always provoking people in unconventional ways. He wished he could teleport to the front of the room to watch the show.
He whispered, "The hotel is on the top floor of Wanyan, but they didn't say the room number."
Xie Xingchen had already hung up the phone.
Cheng Boyan looked at He Li, whose eyes were darting around, and tentatively asked, "You're not putting on an act with Lin Yao, are you?"
"No, I don't think so." He Li looked at the scenery outside the window in a panic. "What kind of play is this?"
"Stop pretending." Cheng Boyan pulled the car over to the side of the road, pinched his chin, and turned him back. "Your acting is really bad, to be honest."
He Li fidgeted with her fingers, unable to hide it from him at all, and whispered, "The hotel is real, the boyfriend is fake, it's just to provoke Xie Xingchen. You absolutely mustn't tell him, or I'll be assassinated by Brother Yao."
“I knew it.” Cheng Boyan’s gaze fell on the screenshot. “Who is this person? They look quite presentable, like they’re really in love.”
He Li coughed lightly and muttered, "It should be Uncle Pei... With his face covered, he looks like a male college student."
Cheng Boyan: "6".
If Pei Yizhong knew he had been tricked into taking photos to provoke Xie Xingchen, he would probably be so angry that he wanted to blow up the Xie family's house in the middle of the night.
He Li swallowed hard, recalling Xie Xingchen's tone just now, and said with great concern, "I didn't tell him the room number, so he won't smash down every door on the top floor, will he?"
“Not necessarily.” Cheng Boyan thought for a moment and speculated, “Since Lin Yao wanted to lure someone, he must have left clues to ensure that Xie Xingchen could find him.”
He Li was stunned for a few seconds before he suddenly realized, "Do all people with high IQs think this fast? I'm so envious."
Cheng Boyan reached out and rubbed the back of his head, restarted the car, and laughed, "What's there to envy? Fools are lucky."
After Xie Xingchen arrived at the top floor, he walked around the corridor and indeed found Lin Yao's wristband at the door of a room.
Even through the door, he could vaguely smell the scent of fir trees; it wasn't strong, but it was definitely spreading.
Xie Xingchen took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.
After a while, the person inside opened the door. Lin Yao was wearing a loose bathrobe, his whole body still damp from a shower, his neck slightly red, and his cheeks flushed.
The two Alphas repel each other, and Xie Xingchen's back tensed up from the pheromones emanating from him. He frowned and asked, "Are you really in your sensitive period?"
Lin Yao nodded slightly: "Yes, isn't it obvious?"
Xie Xingchen lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the exposed skin, a look rarely seen on him. He wondered what had just happened, for there was still a delicate blush on his skin.
Yao Yao has always been very delicate. In the past, during training, if she was even slightly pressed or bumped, the marks on her body would take a long time to fade.
At this moment, even a few guesses were enough to ignite Xie Xingchen's anger.
"You've only just started dating and you're already checking into a hotel with someone? You're very rebellious." He suppressed his temper and said in a low voice, "Come back with me."
"So you're here to control me again?" Lin Yao looked up at him. "Brother?"
He hadn't called him that since he was seven, so he saw Xie Xingchen's pupils tremble slightly.
These past few days without contact, Lin Yao has been checking his phone countless times, waiting for Xie Xingchen's message, fearing that he might be indifferent, or that he might not have any intention of contacting him at all.
But the other party did nothing, remaining too calm. It's unclear whether they genuinely didn't care or were weighing the consequences.
At this point, Lin Yao's only option was to take a desperate gamble. If Xie Xingchen still didn't react, he would have no choice but to back down and remain just good friends forever.
Lin Yao's heart was pounding, but he pretended to be calm and emphasized again, "Brother Chen, are you here just to control me?"
Xie Xingchen reached out to touch his burning forehead, but the other man dodged away.
"Where's your crush who's so desperately in love with you?" He himself found the question incredibly sarcastic. "Leaving you here without offering any comfort, forcing you to suffer?"
"He went shopping." Lin Yao cleared his throat. "If you don't have anything else, come back—"
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Xingchen grabbed her and sealed her lips with his.
Lin Yao's eyes widened, and she reached out to push him away, demanding an explanation: "You kissed me again... what do you mean by that...?"
He didn't want to kiss like this anymore, so vague and ambiguous. He couldn't figure it out, and he couldn't see it clearly.
Xie Xingchen, however, was dissatisfied with his resistance and simply twisted his hands behind his back, pressing them against the wall: "What are you hiding from? You can let him kiss you, but you won't let me, is that it?"
“No…” Lin Yao’s gaze fell on the open door. A passerby walked by, and he instinctively bit the person, reminding them, “Ugh… Xie Xingchen… let go… someone’s here…”
"Your boyfriend is back? So what? Let him keep an eye on things."
Xie Xingchen held his neck with his fingers, preventing him from escaping, and forcefully kissed his lips, entwining them in a deep kiss.
"I was here first, but I like you the most."
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