MLV Ch 18

Taisui Village? In 2005, his mother had her accident in Taisui Village. It was highly likely that Taisui Village was where Shen Duo and his mother had gone this time.

Jiang Ye gazed at Liu Bei’s bruised, purplish fingers resting on the saucer and slowly said, “Alright.”

Liu Bei’s ferocious face returned to a state of calm. Her body dissipated like steam, melting into the cold night wind. It turned out she hadn’t returned with malicious intent, but to ask Jiang Ye for help. Taisui Village… what kind of place was it? Jiang Ye suspected that the great mountain he had seen after being injected with Ayahuasca a few days ago was where Taisui Village was located.

Just then, his phone rang. Jiang Ye pulled it out and saw it was Li Miaomiao. He swiped to answer and only then noticed that Jin Feize had sent him numerous messages.

Candy-Loving Witch: [Where are you?]

Candy-Loving Witch: [Why aren’t you home yet?]

Candy-Loving Witch: [What about the kiss you promised?]

Jiang Ye completely ignored Jin Feize’s messages, answered the call, and asked, “What is it?”

“Bro, I got into a fight with my roommate. I don’t want to sleep in the dorm. It’s so annoying, that idiot snores every night. I’ll just sleep at your place this weekend.”

“No,” Jiang Ye refused.

“Oh, but I’m already here.”

Jiang Ye froze. 

“Where are you?”

“I’m at your apartment. Senior Jin is back too.”

Jiang Ye could hear Li Miaomiao greeting Jin Feize, even inviting him in for tea.

This was bad. He remembered the poster he had taped to his door.

“Li Miaomiao, don’t go in!”

Jin Feize’s voice came through the phone, speaking to Li Miaomiao. 

“It seems classmate Jiang Ye doesn’t like me very much. He hasn’t replied to any of my messages today. I probably shouldn’t come in.”

“No, no! If it weren’t for your help last time, we’d both be goners. Senior, let me make you some tea. I’m great at making tea.”

Li Miaomiao was completely incapable of making tea; even a dog would shake its head after drinking what she brewed. Jiang Ye kept repeating, telling her not to go in. But Li Miaomiao didn’t seem to have the phone to her ear, too busy laughing and chatting with Jin Feize, turning a deaf ear to Jiang Ye’s words. He heard the sound of the door opening, followed by the jumbled footsteps and voices of Li Miaomiao and Jin Feize. Immediately after, both their voices stopped dead. The silence on the other end of the line crept all the way to Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye’s heart sank.

“Bro, why did you tape a poster of Senior Jin on your door?” Li Miaomiao asked.

He couldn’t explain. He could only remain silent.

The bedroom door was open. Li Miaomiao’s sharp eyes spotted a long, bulging shape on Jiang Ye’s bed.

“Bro, I think there’s someone in your bedroom.”

“Don’t go in!” Jiang Ye stressed again.

“Don’t worry, I’m scared of ghosts, not people!”

Li Miaomiao had misunderstood, thinking a burglar was inside and that Jiang Ye was only stopping her out of concern for her safety. She grabbed a broom, charged into Jiang Ye’s bedroom, and aggressively ripped off the covers. The life-sized body pillow on the bed came into view for both her and Jin Feize.

Li Miaomiao stood there, stunned into a long silence.

Jin Feize stared at the pillow, equally surprised. A moment later, a warm, melting smile surfaced in his eyes. He took the phone from the dumbstruck Li Miaomiao and said to Jiang Ye, “I never would have thought. Turns out classmate Jiang Ye likes me this much.”

“You’ve misunderstood.”

“Little Ye,” his gentle voice came through, lightly tickling Jiang Ye’s ear like a feather. 

“Do you sleep with this every night? Do you need me to provide you with more pictures? Would you like some without clothes? Better yet, why don’t you come to my place tonight and sleep while holding the real me?”

“I don’t need that,” Jiang Ye said through gritted teeth.

“Alright, it’s fine if you don’t come. I have already felt your affection,” Jin Feize said, his voice full of amusement.

Jiang Ye enunciated each word, “Listen carefully. I hate you.”

“Your words always have to be understood in reverse,” Jin Feize laughed. 

“I get it now. You like me.”

Jiang Ye: “…”

He was too shameless. Jiang Ye was speechless.

“Hurry home. Do you still remember our agreement?”

Li Miaomiao asked, “What did you guys agree on?”

He tilted his head with a smile, placing a finger to his lips. 

“A secret.”

Jiang Ye returned home with a heavy heart to find Li Miaomiao gone. Jin Feize was sitting in the living room, making tea for himself. The pure white porcelain cup turned in his fair fingers, his fingertips gleaming. He was leaning back in Jiang Ye’s computer chair; though he was sitting in a humble room, his posture was as graceful and noble as a young master’s. The simple, small apartment seemed to have been elevated a class just by his presence.

“You’re back?” He nodded with a smile.

He exuded an air of complete ease. He was sitting there as a guest, but the tone of his greeting was that of the master of the house.

“Where’s Li Miaomiao?” Jiang Ye asked.

“I told her I needed to talk to you alone and asked her to watch TV at my place,” Jin Feize said. 

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

“I have no obligation to reply to your messages.”

“Little Ye, it seems you’ve forgotten,” Jin Feize said politely. 

“You are my boyfriend.”

Jin Feize’s possessiveness was too strong. Sometimes, if Jiang Ye didn’t deliberately avoid him, he would stick to his side almost constantly. Jiang Ye pinched the bridge of his nose, his head splitting. 

“I’m not your pet. I have my privacy.”

“You’re wrong. Lovers should have no reservations with each other.” He stood up, strolled over to Jiang Ye, and took the phone from his pocket. 

“From now on, you are not to ignore my messages. Every single one must be replied to promptly. This is the first and last time.”

He opened Jiang Ye’s WeChat, pinned his own chat to the top, and even changed his contact name to “Little Cutie Aze.”

Jiang Ye: “…”

“Next time you want my picture,” he handed the phone back to Jiang Ye, his tone like that of a magnanimous boyfriend tolerating his partner’s whims, “don’t take them secretly. Just ask me directly.”

Jiang Ye took his phone back, put down his bag, and asked coldly, “Are you done? You can leave now.”

“Not yet.” Jin Feize stared at his lips. 

“You said this afternoon that you would kiss me tonight.”

The news of Shen Duo’s death had left Jiang Ye in turmoil, and now Jin Feize was here to trample on his last nerve. His tone turned icy. 

“I’m in a bad mood. We’ll talk some other day.”

“What am I to do? No amount of milk tea can make me forget your sweetness.” Jin Feize moved slightly closer, pinching Jiang Ye’s chin and forcing his head up slightly. 

“I don’t care. I’m kissing you today, no matter what.”

His gaze lingered on Jiang Ye’s pale red lips, as if bewitched. Jiang Ye had a refined and handsome face, with sharp lines and clean features, unlike his own aggressive, attention-grabbing looks. Jiang Ye’s was an understated handsomeness, like a still life painting for one to sketch. Looking at the greasy, grimy faces of others made Jin Feize’s murderous intent flare up. Only looking at Jiang Ye could calm him down a little.

Jiang Ye felt uncomfortable and subconsciously turned his head to avoid him. Jin Feize’s grip on his chin tightened slightly, preventing him from escaping. Jiang Ye felt a pang of pain and warned him, “If you dare touch me, I’ll—”

Before he could finish, Jin Feize had already pressed forward, kissing Jiang Ye’s lips fiercely. Jiang Ye pushed him, but his strength was surprisingly great, something he had already learned last time. A direct confrontation was useless. Jiang Ye opened his mouth to bite him, but Jin Feize ignored his bleeding lip and used the opportunity to force his tongue inside. A shiver ran through Jiang Ye’s entire body. He wanted nothing more than to bite his tongue off, but he held back his teeth, fearing he might actually bite him to death. He sucked on Jiang Ye’s tongue. Jiang Ye’s mouth filled with the taste of blood, but also a strange sensation. It was the first time he had experienced such a deep kiss. It was as if he had been injected with LSD again; all his senses were magnified. Jin Feize’s soft tongue rubbing against his made his head spin, and his body even began to react involuntarily.

Jiang Ye pinched himself hard to force himself awake and raised his knee, attempting to attack his groin. But Jin Feize seemed to anticipate it, taking a step forward and knocking Jiang Ye back onto the sofa. Jiang Ye was on the bottom, he was on top, straddling his thighs.

“Get off!” Jiang Ye gritted out.

“I don’t want to.” He rubbed his hips against Jiang Ye’s; something hard pressed against him. He looked down and saw the blatant bulge between Jiang Ye’s legs, the dramatic curve impossible to hide even under jeans. He smiled. 

“Little Ye, you’re hard. You’re so innocent, you get hard from just a kiss.”

He poked at little Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye’s entire body trembled, shaking like a leaf.

Jiang Ye’s voice instantly dropped several degrees. 

“Get off!”

“Actually, I took a tour of your home before you got back. Guess what I found in your closet?” Jin Feize slowly pulled a pair of black stockings from his pocket. 

“The little gift I gave you. So you never threw it away.”

Flames of shame and anger burned in his chest. A blush spread from Jiang Ye’s neck to his face.

He tried to argue, “I forgot.”

“Forgot?” Jin Feize’s smile was full of amusement, clearly not believing him. He leaned in again, whispering in Jiang Ye’s ear, “Let me guess, you forgot to delete the pictures of my legs, didn’t you? The image of me naked that day, do you replay it in your mind every night?”

His unspoken adolescent thoughts were laid bare. An unprecedented wave of shame washed over Jiang Ye. Every sentence struck a fatal blow; Jiang Ye couldn’t refute a single word. He had to admit that Jin Feize was a bastard, but a beautiful one. From his voice, as gentle as water, to his long, straight legs, to the cherry blossom scent on his fingertips, everything was unforgettable to Jiang Ye. An eighteen-year-old youth, in the prime of his hot-blooded years, how could he resist his fiery debauchery?

He pressed on, step by step. 

“Admit it. You just love watching me act slutty.”

Completely seen through, a wall inside Jiang Ye’s chest seemed to collapse. He trembled with shame and anger. This time, when Jin Feize lowered his head to kiss his lips, he forgot to dodge.

“Bro, are you guys not done talking yet?” Li Miaomiao’s voice came from outside the door.

Her voice was like an alarm bell, jolting Jiang Ye awake. He began to struggle again, but he was pinned firmly beneath Jin Feize, able to do nothing but passively endure his kiss. Jiang Ye stretched his hand out desperately, fumbling on the coffee table, trying to find something to smash over Jin Feize’s head. He touched the teapot—it was too big. He hesitated for a second, afraid he might actually kill Jin Feize and get into serious trouble, and fumbled to the side. His hand moved, knocking the teapot over. It fell to the floor with a crash.

Hearing something break inside, Li Miaomiao grew worried. 

“What are you two doing in there? Say something!”

“Stop…” Jiang Ye panted, trying to speak.

Jin Feize lingered, unwilling to part, and asked by his lips, “When is the next kiss?”

“Get lost!” Jiang Ye punched him in the small of his back.

As if he couldn’t feel pain, he continued to press Jiang Ye down, holding his face and licking him.

“I’m not letting you go until we set a time,” Jin Feize chuckled in a low voice. 

“Besides, I don’t mind if your sister sees.”

“I’m coming in!” Li Miaomiao announced.

Jiang Ye heard the key insert into the lock, the cylinder turning with a series of clicks.

“Hurry up and get lost!” Jiang Ye grew anxious.

“What’s the rush?” Jin Feize pulled open his jacket and saw the picture on his white T-shirt. The smile in his eyes deepened. He deliberately didn’t stop, sliding a hand inside Jiang Ye’s shirt, caressing his waist as if it were a piece of fine jade, while his tongue probed into Jiang Ye’s mouth, sucking his saliva. Jiang Ye dodged left and right, sweating with anxiety. The lock clicked open. The metal door creaked, revealing a thin crack.

He shoved Jin Feize away and gritted his teeth. 

“Next Monday!”

“Too long.” Jin Feize leaned down, wanting to continue.

“The day after tomorrow!”

“No.”

“Tomorrow!”

Jin Feize released his grip. Jiang Ye pushed him away with all his might and retreated to the other end of the sofa, wiping his mouth.

When Li Miaomiao opened the door, she saw Jin Feize sitting on one end of the sofa, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Jiang Ye sat on the other end, his open jacket revealing the white T-shirt with Jin Feize’s photo printed on it. The teapot that was originally on the coffee table was shattered on the floor, brown tea pooled all around.

Li Miaomiao’s mind automatically filled in the blanks of what had happened while she was gone. She instantly flew into a rage and yelled, “Bro, what are you doing hitting Senior Jin just because your confession failed? You damn pervert!”

Jiang Ye: “…”

Seriously, he didn’t want this sister anymore.

Jin Feize stood up, bent down, and whispered to Jiang Ye, “Remember our promise.”

Under the incandescent light, his eyes and brows were filled with a wicked smile. Jiang Ye’s fists tightened, rage surging in his eyes.

Jin Feize said goodbye to Li Miaomiao and returned to his own apartment, with Li Miaomiao apologizing profusely to him on Jiang Ye’s behalf. As soon as he was gone, Jiang Ye immediately opened Ctrip and bought a plane ticket to western Yunnan for the next day.

He had to leave. He had to leave right now!