Dilemma
“Ruan Xing…” Wen Xubai murmured the name.
The person before him seemed to have transformed into Ruan Xing.
The person in the mirror said to him, "I advise you not to trust him too much, otherwise I'm afraid... he will retaliate against you."
"Heh, revenge?" Wen Xubai sneered, then suddenly punched the "face" of the person in the mirror!
"Smash!" The handsome face in the mirror instantly shattered into pieces, countless cracks piercing through that smiling face, and it collapsed in an instant!
"Chen Che!" A familiar exclamation came from outside, and Qi Zui began to knock on the door.
"What's wrong?! What happened?!"
"Chen Che! A-Che!"
Wen Xubai braced his hands against the sink, closed his eyes tightly, and did not respond.
"Ache!"
The knocking grew louder and louder, and Qi Zui's voice became increasingly anxious. The door was being pounded on with a loud bang, as if it were hitting Wen Xubai's nerves, causing the veins on his forehead to throb and ache painfully.
The shards of glass scattered on the table cut his palm, and blood seeped into the water, slowly flowing to the ground.
The bleeding wasn't actually that much, but once it was soaked in water, the entire countertop turned red, looking like a crime scene—it was terrifying.
Perhaps the intense colors stimulated his senses, for Wen Xubai gradually recovered and his mind became clearer.
"Open the door! Ah Che! Open the door!" The person outside had already started frantically pressing the doorknob, making a clanging sound.
If he pressed down like that again, Wen Xubai had no doubt that Qi Zui would tear the doorknob off.
Although he had taken the clothes, he didn't want to call a locksmith in such an awkward situation; that would be too embarrassing.
Wen Xubai shook his head, trying to clear the jumbled thoughts from his mind. Perhaps he had been in the bathroom for too long and was feeling a bit oxygen-deprived. Just as he was about to open the door, his foot suddenly felt light, as if he had stepped on a ball of cotton. His fingers touched the shower gel bottle next to him, and it fell to the ground with a "thud".
In an instant, the knocking outside the door stopped, leaving only the sound of running water in the bathroom.
The next second, the door was kicked open with a "bang," slamming against the wall and cracking open.
Qi rushed in anxiously, only to find Wen Xubai had just regained his footing, completely naked, staring at him with a shocked expression.
Wen Xubai: "·······"
He truly hadn't expected that Qi Zui would actually bang on the door.
When Qi Zui caught a glimpse of the "bloodstains" on the sink out of the corner of his eye, his pupils widened instantly. His initial embarrassment vanished completely, and he rushed to Wen Xubai, grabbing his hand and exclaiming in surprise, "Where are you hurt?!"
Qi Zui's pupils contracted sharply when he saw the scratches on his palm, but after carefully examining him and finding no other major wounds, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked worriedly, "Why are you banging on the door? If you're unhappy, you can bang on me. Really... does it hurt?"
Wen Xubai: "·······"
Is now the time to talk about this?
Remembering that he wasn't dressed yet, Wen Xubai withdrew his hand somewhat embarrassedly, his gaze deep as he looked at Qi Zui, who was dressed neatly in front of him, and said in a hoarse voice, "Get out."
But the scene before him was blurry and flickering. As soon as Wen Xubai took a step back, the familiar dizziness swept over him again, and he fell straight backward.
"Watch out!" Qi Zui quickly grabbed his waist, but was pulled backward by him. Just as they hit the wall, he covered Wen Xubai's head with his palm and slammed it against the wall.
"Ugh!" Qi Zui couldn't help but groan, and his body took a step forward due to inertia.
Someone accidentally touched the switch, and the next second, icy water gushed from the showerhead, drenching the two of them.
The two people in the bathroom stared at each other, both looking somewhat panicked.
After what seemed like an eternity, Qi Zui, his hair completely soaked, finally realized what had happened. He couldn't help but shiver and exclaimed incredulously, "Don't you know it's autumn? You actually took a cold shower???"
The man's defined jawline came into Wen Xubai's view, and for some reason, Wen Xubai was momentarily stunned. His handsome features were still the same as before, his rugged face as when they first met, but now, at such close range, he realized that Qi Zui had also lost a lot of weight.
His cheeks, which were once somewhat soft and fleshy, were now completely taut, the veins on his neck were prominent and slightly bulging, and his eyes appeared even more deep-set... all of which showed that... he had not had an easy time in the past three years.
Qi Zui reached out to turn off the switch, but as soon as he straightened up, Wen Xubai suddenly grabbed him by the neck and hugged him tightly.
Qi Zui: "!!!"
This was the first time Wen Xubai had hugged him so proactively.
Qi Zui was momentarily at a loss, his large hand hovering above Wen Xubai's body, wanting to put it down but not knowing where to put it, his eyes filled with disbelief.
His right hand was still in a cast, and he could only move his left hand at the moment. Realizing that something was wrong with Wen Xubai, Qi Zui patted the back of Wen Xubai's head gently after a long while and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Wen Xubai didn't speak, but tightened his arms around him, burying his hands deep in his neck, and closed his eyes.
Amidst the misty haze, two figures embraced tightly.
The water that was poured over his head was clearly icy cold, but Qi Zui felt it was scalding hot at that moment.
He could feel Wen Xubai's body trembling slightly, and he could sense his unease, so Qi Zui didn't ask any questions. He just quietly stayed with him.
After a long while, Wen Xubai slowly calmed down, but he still refused to let go, almost greedily inhaling the scent of the person beside him, as if he was afraid that if he let go, the other person would immediately disappear.
Is he taking revenge on me? Wen Xubai wondered.
He won't.
He lived his entire life in fear and anxiety. As a child, he feared hunger and beatings. As an adult, he feared failing the tasks Wen Tingyi assigned him and feared that a single failure would make him a "discarded pawn".
Fear of harm, fear of abandonment, fear of pain, and even... fear of happiness.
Until someone, weeping for his pain, repeatedly and firmly told him: he loved him.
No matter how much she tried to avoid or refuse him, even if he wounded her all over, she still held him in her arms and refused to give up.
Now, he has finally come to understand his own heart and will no longer avoid it.
This time, it was his turn to hug him.
After a long while, Wen Xubai's muffled voice finally reached Qi Zui's ears. He said, "Qi Zui, I love you."
The man beside him was startled for a moment, then chuckled softly. Qi Zui pulled him closer to his chest and said with a smile, "Yes, I love you too."
Wen Xubai and Wen Xuchi will be enemies, but Chen Che and Qi are the least likely to be.
This is why, even after learning Wen Xubai's real name, Qi Zui only calls him that in public, while in private he still calls him Chen Che.
He wanted to tell him, to constantly remind him, "We are lovers."
No matter how much Wen Xubai denied it, he always believed it.
With his heart pounding wildly, Wen Xubai suddenly broke free from Qi Zui's embrace, his cool fingers caressing Qi Zui's stubble-covered face, and then he suddenly kissed him!
The water poured down like a torrential downpour, but it couldn't conceal the entanglement of two passionate souls in the bathroom. Qi Zui pressed Wen Xubai's head down hard, deepening the kiss.
Their lips pressed together frantically, then parted, relentlessly robbing each other of breath, an aggressive, grinding motion as if trying to devour the other whole...
It wasn't until much time had passed that the two finally calmed down. Their lips, which had been pressed tightly together, parted slightly. Qi Zui stroked Wen Xubai's slightly swollen lips and then smiled, cupping his flushed cheeks and pressing their foreheads together.
He said, "Ache, don't push me away anymore."
Wen Xubai responded with the tightening of his arms around his neck, and murmured, "Never again."
After three years of separation, a misunderstanding has crumbled, and longing and love pour out at this moment, unstoppable and irreversible.
Qi Zui then remembered that Wen Xubai still had an injury on his hand. The little bit of sympathy that had risen in his heart was instantly suppressed. He quickly grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around Wen Xubai, then turned off the shower.
"Wipe it off first, and I'll bandage your hand right away."
Wen Xubai finally calmed down, and his previously chaotic thoughts became clear. Recalling their kiss, a faint blush rose on his fair face.
Realizing his awkward situation, Wen Xubai felt a little embarrassed, his fingers gripping the towel turned slightly white, and he tightened his grip even more.
He suddenly felt a little embarrassed and didn't dare to look at Qi Zui, so he could only lower his head and say, "You...you go out first..."
"Go out? Why?" The oblivious Qi Zui was using another bath towel to dry his soaked hair, not even caring about his own wet clothes and plaster cast.
How could Wen Xubai possibly say that?
It wasn't until Qi Zui finished drying his hair and saw Wen Xubai's tightly pursed lips and his eyes, which were even more shimmering with moisture, that he finally realized what was happening.
Qi let out a cry of "Ai!", threw the towel in his hand into the basket, and used his only good hand to lift Wen Xubai up by the waist. He swaggered out of the bathroom and headed straight for the bedroom: "What's there to be shy about? It's not like you haven't seen it before?"
Wen Xubai was startled, then became even more embarrassed. He lifted his leg and struggled violently: "Qi Zui, put me down!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't move!" Qi Zui struggled to hold Wen Xubai with one hand. After all, he wasn't a petite man; he just appeared a little "weak" in front of him. With such a sudden movement, he almost fell down.
Qi Zui quickly tightened his grip on his arm, quickened his pace, crossed the corridor, and threw him onto the bed once they entered the bedroom.
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