HL 16

When Xu Nanxiao came out of the bedroom, the living room lights were off, with only the flickering glow of the television screen.

His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the TV—just as the scene cut to a monster jumping right at the camera, nearly making him flinch.

“What the hell are you watching?” Xu Nanxiao asked with a frown.

“A horror film,” Ying Yusheng turned his head and replied gently. “Night of the Hydra: The Skellig Terror.”

Great—Xu Nanxiao could tell at once: yet another absolute masterpiece of trash cinema.

Ying Yusheng was fanatical about movies. Not only had he rewatched all the classics countless times, but he also never let a shoddily made B-movie slip by, regularly digging up obscure titles for his viewing pleasure.

“Want to watch together? I bought beer,” Ying Yusheng invited him.

“No. I’ll take the beer, though—I’ll drink it in my room.”

With that, he reached for the beer, but just as his fingers were about to touch the can, Ying Yusheng grabbed his wrist.

Xu Nanxiao was a boxer—no slouch in the strength department. Yet when Ying Yusheng’s fingers encircled his wrist, he couldn’t break free on the first try.

“Not giving it,” Ying Yusheng said with a smile. “If you don’t watch with me, no beer for you.”

Ying Yusheng was really something else.

Most of the time, his emotional intelligence was so high you couldn’t find a single flaw—he could put even the most experienced nanny to shame. But other times, he could effortlessly get under your skin—like right now.

But for the sake of the beer, Xu Nanxiao sat down and watched the movie with him anyway.

Xu Nanxiao sprawled out with his legs wide apart, taking up two-thirds of the sofa. Ying Yusheng didn’t mind; he sat quite properly.

The movie’s plot was simple enough—a bunch of white people on a suicidal trip to a legendary deserted island, where they encounter a nine-headed giant serpent. The pacing was terrible, the special effects laughably bad, but if you settled into it, there were actually quite a few flashes of inspiration.

However, it still suffered from a common B-movie flaw: too many 18+ scenes.

Normally, Xu Nanxiao would have watched it for laughs. But since moving into Ying Yusheng’s place, he hadn’t had sex in over three months. Three months! He hadn’t gone this long without since he turned eighteen!

Watching the male and female leads go at it—from the balcony to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the bathtub, from the bathtub to the entryway… like wild animals—he felt a burning, tingling heat in his lower belly, his breathing growing slightly shallow.

His pride would never allow him to get aroused just from watching a B-movie, so he kept shifting his posture, even trying to distract himself by recalling past boxing matches.

But the protagonists’ moans kept rising in intensity, especially in the dim, enclosed room, evoking a secret, forbidden fantasy. The air grew thick and sticky, mingling the malty scent of beer with the faint, elusive fragrance from Ying Yusheng’s body.

Just then, a hand suddenly landed on Xu Nanxiao’s shoulder.

Through the thin summer fabric, the skin-to-skin contact had an undeniable presence. Ying Yusheng’s lips almost brushed against Xu Nanxiao’s ear as his lowered voice mixed with the moans from the screen:

“Why can’t you sit still?”

Ying Yusheng’s breath enveloped him, his index finger casually and slowly stroking Xu Nanxiao’s shoulder. Xu Nanxiao’s spine went rigid instantly. He could even feel the warmth of Ying Yusheng’s breath stirring the fine hairs at his temple and charging through his ear canal.

Like a drop of hot oil splattering onto taut skin.

Xu Nanxiao used his elbow to push him away. “Stay away from me.”

“Don’t be so cold.”

The long-missed warmth and touch of another human being hit his brain like a shock—and in that split second, Xu Nanxiao actually…

Stood at attention.

“Look, there’s a snake’s shadow in the water…” Before he could finish, Ying Yusheng was suddenly shoved away by Xu Nanxiao’s hand on his face.

Ying Yusheng blinked in surprise. Then he saw Xu Nanxiao stand up abruptly.

Ying Yusheng looked up at him, then chuckled knowingly. “What’s wrong?”

“Drank too much. Going to the bathroom,” Xu Nanxiao said, keeping his voice as steady as possible.

With that, he turned and left.

“Do you want me to pause and wait for you?” Ying Yusheng called after him.

“No need.”

Ying Yusheng turned his head back to the TV and took a sip of beer, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on the direction Xu Nanxiao had gone, until he disappeared behind the bathroom door. After a long moment, he let out a soft chuckle and finally looked away.

Once in the bathroom, Xu Nanxiao bit the hem of his tank top, exposing his toned, narrow waist, and took care of things manually.

During the process, Xu Nanxiao tried to empty his mind, thinking of nothing—or perhaps afraid of thinking of something—relying solely on physical stimulation to reach the peak. Because he had no mental imagery to accompany it, he’d nearly rubbed himself raw without finishing.

Then, in a flash, he had the fleeting illusion that it wasn’t his own hand moving, but Ying Yusheng’s—with those perfectly trimmed fingernails.

Xu Nanxiao saw white, and fireworks exploded.

Some landed on his hand, others splattered onto his abdomen, trickling down sticky and suggestive. It took him quite some effort to clean up the mess, and throughout, his thoughts were even more chaotic than before.

Reason told him that his arousal had been triggered by the movie’s erotic scenes. But the timing was terribly unlucky—it had happened precisely when Ying Yusheng made physical contact with him.

That was almost like… almost like he’d gotten hard because of Ying Yusheng!

When that thought surfaced, Xu Nanxiao felt a wave of revulsion, even breaking out in goosebumps.

He let out a long, frustrated sigh and ruffled his own hair violently.

This couldn’t go on.

He was degenerating into a high schooler who got hard at the slightest breeze.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

Xu Nanxiao pulled it out distractedly and saw a text from Gangzi, saying he was calling him out for drinks tomorrow and that he’d brought along a hot girl.

Gangzi was, to put it bluntly, a pimp in their circle, with plenty of handsome guys and pretty girls in his roster. But since moving in with Ying Yusheng, Xu Nanxiao hadn’t contacted him—because being able to look but not touch was more agonizing than simply not seeing them at all.

This time, however, Xu Nanxiao hesitated for a moment, then finally replied: “Okay, what time?”

At nine the following evening, Xu Nanxiao showed up at Vinyl Lab bar on time.

Neon beams cut through the swirling smoke in the air; the drumbeats pounded against his chest like a heartbeat. Men and women packed the central dance floor, writhing like a seething nest of snakes.

It had been a while since he’d been to a bar. Upon arrival, he actually found himself a bit unaccustomed to the noise.

The girl Gangzi brought was indeed attractive—exquisitely made-up, with chestnut curls reaching her waist. Though she sat far from Xu Nanxiao, her gaze kept drifting toward him covertly.

Gangzi slung an arm around Xu Nanxiao’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Didn’t you say you wanted a steady bed partner? Don’t say your bros didn’t think of you—I brought her for you. She’s great in every way, except she’s a sucker for looks—super picky, doesn’t fancy most men.”

“She didn’t fancy you either, huh,” Xu Nanxiao scoffed. “Otherwise she wouldn’t have been saved for me.”

Gangzi was hit where it hurt and looked a little embarrassed, but he kept smiling and said, “Yeah, pretty much. But I showed her your photos, and I could tell she was pretty satisfied. And she’s a non-marrier—won’t throw a fit and demand you take responsibility like the others. You just enjoy yourself.”

Xu Nanxiao almost laughed.

It seemed she’d seen through the nature of men. But even that little bit of clarity was being exploited by scumbags as a convenient advantage.

“Got it.” Xu Nanxiao took a sip of whiskey, lightly tapping the rim of his glass with his canine tooth. “Go do your thing.”

Though Xu Nanxiao had come to the bar, he hadn’t fully decided to take someone to a hotel. Because if Ying Yusheng ever found out, he’d definitely be angry, and it would make him look untrustworthy.

He hated Ying Yusheng’s restraint and discipline, his pervasive encroachment into every corner of his life—but the benefits of sharing the apartment were real.

While Xu Nanxiao was still hesitating, the girl took the initiative instead.

She gathered her skirt and sat down beside him, lightly clinking her glass against his. “Handsome, are you a friend of Brother Gang’s?”

…Oh, whatever.

“Yeah. Is this your first time here?” Xu Nanxiao said with a faint smile. “Don’t be nervous. Everyone’s pretty nice.”

That was complete bullshit.

A bunch of scumbags—”nice” was the last word for them.

“Brother Gang said we’re going to KTV after drinking?”

“Probably. That guy loves karaoke. But it’ll be pretty late by then. If you don’t want to go, I can find someone to drive you home first.”

Just then, Gangzi started making noise about playing poker, and Xu Nanxiao volunteered to show off his card-shuffling skills.

“Here, sis, hold my drink for me,” he said, handing her the glass without deliberately touching her hand.

The cards riffled through his fingers with a crisp, steady sound, like a compass drawing perfect circles on paper, drawing cheers from the crowd.

But after showing off, when he took the glass back from the girl, he casually brushed past her fingertips. She stiffened, her face flushing bright red.

For a long stretch afterward, Xu Nanxiao and the girl stuck together like conjoined twins, chatting and making her giggle from time to time.

Because the surroundings were so loud, they had to lean shoulder-to-shoulder, cheek-to-cheek to hear each other, creating a hazy intimacy.

Lost in the softness of her voice and the warmth of her body, Xu Nanxiao completely forgot about Ying Yusheng. He broke his promise without an ounce of guilt—he’d just claim tomorrow that he’d gotten too drunk and crashed at a friend’s place. How would Ying Yusheng ever know?

“Do you want to go to the KTV later?” Xu Nanxiao finally asked in a low voice.

The girl shook her head.

“Then should I call a cab to take you home, or… should the two of us go grab another drink somewhere?”

The girl blushed again. After a long pause, she said softly, “I… haven’t had enough yet.”

Bingo.

Before Xu Nanxiao could answer, his phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Ying Yusheng—

An Eagle: When are you coming back?

The girl naturally saw it too. She frowned and asked Xu Nanxiao, “Girlfriend?”

“No.” Xu Nanxiao cursed Ying Yusheng in his head for ruining his mood. “Just my roommate. A guy.”

An Owl: Not coming back. Drinking at a friend’s place. Sleeping here.

An Eagle: Went out drinking? Why didn’t you tell me? Want me to drive and pick you up?

An Owl: Are you my dad or something? No. Go to bed early.

The other side went silent for a long moment before replying—just three words.

An Eagle: Any women there? (smiley face.jpg)

The girl’s expression grew more suspicious. Would a normal roommate ask that much? And ever since this “An Eagle” started messaging, Xu Nanxiao’s demeanor had changed—he was visibly tense, even unconsciously sitting up straighter.

Xu Nanxiao didn’t want to reply, so he tossed his phone aside. He thought that would bring some peace, but the very next second, Ying Yusheng called him directly via video.

The noise in the bar drowned out most of the ringtone, but the faint, persistent sound pierced through like tiny, sharp needles, boring into his eardrums and unsettling him.

The phone buzzed stubbornly on the table, vibrating so hard it made the surface tremble.

Xu Nanxiao felt both a rebellious thrill and a suffocating pressure. It seemed that just one more ring—just one—and some nerve in his head would snap.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the phone.

An Owl: So annoying. What’s it to you?

An Eagle: Can’t take the call? At a bar?

Xu Nanxiao’s throat tightened.

An Eagle: You walked there—no motorcycle, no cab. The bars within walking distance… should be on Fengqing Road, right?

Fuck! Now Xu Nanxiao was genuinely creeped out!

An Owl: What the hell do you want?!

An Eagle: You promised.

An Owl: I told you, I’m just out drinking. If you insist on believing I’m hooking up, then fine—think whatever you want.

With that, Ying Yusheng ended the conversation. No matter what Xu Nanxiao sent afterward, he didn’t reply with a single word.

When Xu Nanxiao put his phone down, he noticed that the girl had already left his side at some point—clearly misunderstanding his relationship with Ying Yusheng.

But Xu Nanxiao couldn’t be bothered to explain. All he felt was the irritation of not being trusted by Ying Yusheng—never once reflecting that he himself wasn’t trustworthy in the slightest.

If not for that call from Ying Yusheng, he’d have been ready to tumble into bed with her by now.

Xu Nanxiao drank alone in bitter silence for over an hour until he was dizzy and decided to step outside for some air.

He walked down the long corridor, pushed open the bar’s door, and shut the thumping music behind him.

The summer night’s heat hit him square in the face. The neon lights across the street blurred in the humid air. The alcohol he’d just downed was slowly seeping into his bones along with the sticky evening breeze.

Xu Nanxiao put an unlit cigarette between his lips. He looked up at the streetlamp beside him, at the moths drawn to the light, lost in thought.

Just then, a tall man in a hoodie walked past him and accidentally bumped into him.

Xu Nanxiao clicked his tongue in annoyance—but before he could get a single insult out, the man whipped around and clamped a handkerchief over his mouth and nose with crisp efficiency. He didn’t even struggle. His eyes rolled back, his knees buckled, and he passed out cold.