Chapter 44: Like a Dream
The crystal chandeliers in the hall reflected fragments of light, the crowd swayed gently to the soothing jazz music, and the crisp clink of champagne glasses mixed with whispered conversations, weaving a dense and noisy web. Amidst the clinking of glasses, no one noticed that the host of the party had quietly disappeared around the corner.
Ling Shen downed his whiskey in one gulp, the crisp sound of the ice hitting the glass drowned out by the clamor of the crowd. He ignored Lucas, who was already socializing, and followed Su Nian's footsteps slowly toward the corridor.
In the quiet courtyard, the noise from the hall gradually faded away, and only the occasional chirping of insects echoed in my ears.
Su Nian had her back to Ling Shen, the moonlight shining softly on them. Ling Shen stared at the figure in front of him, his eyes full of pain and infatuation.
"Why do you want to leave?" Ling Shen heard his own voice as if it was squeezed out from the deepest part of his chest, with a hoarseness soaked in alcohol.
Su Nian froze in place, but soon relaxed. "Because it's time to leave."
The understatement of the words made Ling Shen unable to suppress his inner desire and violence any longer. He strode forward and pulled the person into his arms.
The sweet scent at the tip of his nose made Ling Shen couldn't help but take a deep breath and bury himself in Su Nian's neck. The hot breath with the alcohol made Su Nian feel that her legs began to lose strength.
Su Nian had never been so close to anyone before. The time she spent with Shen Ran in her memory suddenly became pale and powerless. Those cautious hand holdings and light kisses were nothing compared to Ling Shen's almost predatory hug at this moment.
Ling Shen looked at the person in front of him with fascination. After not seeing him for several months, Ling Shen felt like several centuries had passed.
He could no longer bear it, looking at Su Nian's rosy lips, he lowered his head and kissed her deeply. Ling Shen's sudden action made Su Nian's eyes widen suddenly, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides, his pupils reflecting the burning desire in Ling Shen's eyes.
After a sigh that couldn't be any softer, Su Nian closed her eyes as if giving up, and her hands slowly grabbed Ling Shen's clothes on the back.
Su Nian's indulgence made Ling Shen even more unscrupulous. With a desperate madness, Ling Shen's tongue pried open Su Nian's lips, demanding and entangled, as if to make up for every second of separation.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Shen finally let him go. Their foreheads touched together, their rapid breathing entwined.
Su Nian's lips were red and swollen, and the corners of his eyes were filled with tears of emotion, like a rose wet by a rainstorm. Ling Shen gently stroked his swollen lower lip with his thumb, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible: "Come with me."
"Okay." Su Nian listened to his own voice, which was so light as a sigh. His mind was blank and he only knew that the person in front of him made him reluctant to refuse.
The two figures gradually disappeared in the moonlight, leaving only the swaying shadows of the trees.
There was no light in the hotel room. Only the cold moonlight, like shattered silver foil, seeped in through the gaps in the thick curtains, casting a mottled halo on the floor.
The faint light just happened to illuminate the center of the room, outlining the ambiguous and fragmented outlines of the two tightly entangled figures.
Su Nian's expensive suit had already been ripped apart by Ling Shen, leaving it in a state of disarray. The expensive fabric had been ripped open, revealing the equally disheveled shirt underneath. The buttons of his shirt tumbled onto the carpet, making a creaking sound, just like the shaky relationship between them.
Ling Shen's previously meticulous hairstyle was messed up by Su Nian, with the loose strands of hair tumbling down his forehead, obscuring the surging emotions in his eyes. The two of them were like enraged beasts, venting their long-suppressed emotions in the most primitive way possible.
The sting of teeth biting through skin, the feel of nails digging into flesh, became a form of mutual punishment and comfort. Every bite carried the pain of separation, and every push concealed an unspeakable resentment, as if pouring all the longing and resentment of the past few days into this fierce entanglement.
A suppressed cry of pain escaped from their lips. Ling Shen suddenly raised himself up, and gently licked his bitten lip with the tip of his tongue. The strong smell of blood filled his mouth, making his already scarlet eyes even more burning.
He lowered his head to look at Su Nian lying on the bed. There was still his own blood on the man's lips, his chest was heaving violently due to heavy breathing, and there was a layer of watery mist in his eyes, but he insisted on looking straight at him with those watery eyes, with an unyielding provocation.
"Oh, what a nagging goblin..."
Ling Shen chuckled softly, his voice raspy and fiery. He leaned over to Su Nian's ear and whispered something in a voice only the two of them could hear. His warm breath brushed against Su Nian's sensitive earlobe, stirring a shudder.
But his hands were not gentle at all. He forcefully clasped Su Nian's hands above her head and held them down firmly with one hand.
The other hand gently stroked Su Nian's cheek, feeling the blush under his fingertips because of himself. The emotions in his eyes became more and more complicated, with anger, heartache, and even paranoia of losing and regaining.
The moonlight slowly flows on the overlapping figures of the two people, making the entanglement in the dark night even more blurred.
The noise in the room slowly stopped until the early morning. Su Nian had lost all her strength and fell asleep in Ling Shen's arms, but Ling Shen was reluctant to close his eyes as he looked at the person in his arms.
He was afraid that everything before his eyes was just a dream, and even more afraid that the person in his arms would suddenly disappear again after he closed his eyes.
During the days when Su Nian was gone, he could only rely on the lingering scent of the bookstore to force himself to sleep. But no matter how hard he tried to hold on to Su Nian in his dreams, every time he woke up, all that remained on his fingertips was the elusive chill.
"Su Nian, Su Nian..." Ling Shen called the name of the person in his arms again and again. Even though he knew that he would not get any response, he was reluctant to let go of his hand.
The morning light was like a golden key, quietly opening the heavy curtains, and tiny spots of light fell on the messy bed.
When the sun shone on them again, Su Nian rubbed his swollen forehead and slowly opened his eyes, his eyelashes casting a trembling shadow under his eyes. But the scene before him made him freeze in place, his breathing almost stagnant.
The angular profile of the man beside him was coated with a soft halo by the sunlight, and his tall nose cast a small shadow. One of his arms was across his pillow, his muscles were tight but maintained a fixed arc, and it was obvious that he was serving as a cushion for him all night.
Su Nian's Adam's apple rolled and his eyes unconsciously moved down, looking at the two naked bodies entangled together under the bedding. The scene of the fierce collision last night was like a broken mirror, pieced together in his mind piece by piece - the dark red liquid when the red wine glass was overturned, the messy torn tie, the overlapping breathing sounds, the memory was revived bit by bit.
He swallowed hard, his throat tingling like sandpaper. Su Nian breathed a sigh of relief, supporting his aching waist. Every step he took felt like stepping on cotton, his bones making subtle noises of protest.
Finally moving into the bathroom, the cold tiles made his feet numb. It wasn't until the water rushed down, and the warm water droplets meandered down his spine, that he felt like he was awakened and had time to sort out the current situation.
The sound of water in the bathroom also woke up Ling Shen who was lying on the bed. He suddenly woke up from his confusion and sat up as quickly as possible. His movement was so big that it brought up a cool breeze.
Looking at the clothes scattered under the bed - Su Nian's wrinkled shirt, his own crooked belt, and the tangled tie, listening to the sound of water rushing from the bathroom, and the lingering scent of sandalwood and lust in his nose, he truly felt that everything was not his dream.
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