Gao Rong came, just as he expected.
Chi Lanyi closed his eyes. He surrendered to a reckless calm, letting Gao Rong lift him from the bench.
Gao Rong’s movements were gentle, like a patient hunter whose prey had finally submitted. His embrace was warm. Chi Lanyi let himself lean against Gao Rong’s chest, abandoning the last vestiges of self-control, the last threads of resistance against Gao Rong.
He let Gao Rong carry him to the car. He sat in the back, Gao Rong beside him.
The driver asked, “Sir, where to?”
“Back to the villa,” Gao Rong said.
The implication of two people returning to a villa together was unspoken but clear. Chi Lanyi knew this was something he had tacitly permitted, yet thinking about what would happen next made him tremble uncontrollably.
Gao Rong pressed his hand firmly. “Chi Lanyi, you are safe now. Renault cannot get near you. No one from that salon will have the chance to hurt you. You will pass the Incubator Project smoothly. No one at school will have the opportunity to gossip about you behind your back again.”
Every word was calm, intense, and absolute, carrying a strange, reassuring magic. Chi Lanyi felt like he was about to cry.
Vaguely, Chi Lanyi felt he had sold himself. Yet, he also felt as if he might finally be saved.
The car stopped before a suburban mansion. Inside, the dark natural stone and deep-toned wood floors were exactly the same as when he last visited.
But today, he was not a guest to be treated with courtesy. At that thought, Chi Lanyi felt his legs almost give way. He glanced at the villa’s front door and quickly lowered his eyes.
Gao Rong steadied him, his posture assertive. “Let’s go.”
“Just… wait a moment,” Chi Lanyi suddenly said.
He looked at the house ahead with dread, as if it were a giant monster hiding in the dark night. Gao Rong stood beside him, offering no urging, no persuasion, only waiting in silence for him to decide.
—Once I walk through this door, there’s no going back. Chi Lanyi thought. Walking through this door means completely surrendering to that abnormal version of himself.
But finally, Chi Lanyi lowered his head. He said nothing, just slowly leaned his shoulder against Gao Rong.
From the front door to Gao Rong’s master bedroom was nearly a hundred steps. Each step made Chi Lanyi feel he was walking closer to his fate.
A third of the way there, his legs went weak. Halfway, he wanted to turn back.
But Gao Rong’s presence was right beside him. Chi Lanyi couldn’t lift his head. He felt, with a sense of collapse, that the Oud Fragrance he once found terrifying was now his only source of safety.
Finally, in a slight dizziness, the die was cast.
Chi Lanyi sat down on the sofa in the bedroom. He didn’t dare look up; every scent in the room invaded his nostrils.
There was the smell of indoor fragrance, a faint trace of smoke, and the masculine scent of Gao Rong’s body from the clothes he had changed out of.
A touch on his shoulder made Chi Lanyi flinch violently, turning his head like a startled animal.
Gao Rong was kneeling on one knee beside him, his dark eyes watching him. Faced with Chi Lanyi’s panic, he said steadily, “Your coat is wet. You need to take it off.”
“…”
“I brought you a lounging jacket.”
Beside Gao Rong’s hand was a warm piece of loungewear.
Chi Lanyi didn’t even know when Gao Rong had arranged for these things to be ready. He thought absurdly, could it have been right when I called him?
Gao Rong helped him remove his soiled coat and put on the lounging jacket, but didn’t let his gaze linger on his body. This act gave Chi Lanyi a little more reassurance.
He secretly watched Gao Rong’s profile. Gao Rong was tidying his coat, his focus so intense it seemed he was studying how to clean it thoroughly, so Chi Lanyi could walk out of his villa spotless the next day.
Unknowingly, heat rose to his cheeks. Chi Lanyi stared blankly at Gao Rong’s profile until Gao Rong turned to look at him.
In that moment, Chi Lanyi thought he saw Gao Rong smile slightly. His face flushed crimson. He awkwardly lowered his head, feeling as embarrassed as if he’d just been stripped bare.
Gao Rong leaned closer, and Chi Lanyi hung his head even lower. He didn’t dare meet Gao Rong’s eyes, terrified of seeing his own wretched reflection in them. Until Gao Rong chuckled softly.
“Face hot?” Gao Rong asked gently.
Chi Lanyi was even less able to speak. His face was so hot his head swam. He was terrified that if he opened his mouth, only unnatural sounds would come out.
Gao Rong remained silent, kneeling before Chi Lanyi, gazing at his face. Chi Lanyi didn’t know how long he stared, or why Gao Rong was looking at him like that. He just felt his entire body burning up.
Suddenly, Gao Rong said, “I’ll go get you a cup of hot water.”
This sounded less like a statement and more like Gao Rong was specifically reporting to him. Watching Gao Rong stand, Chi Lanyi finally mustered his courage. He reached out and grabbed Gao Rong’s wrist.
His grip was light, hesitant, as if hoping Gao Rong would break free. When Gao Rong looked back, Chi Lanyi whispered, “…Don’t go.”
Gao Rong gazed at his hand for a moment, then knelt back down.
He told the servant to bring the water up, then held Chi Lanyi’s wrist in return. “Rest assured, I won’t leave.”
These words sent a pang through Chi Lanyi’s heart—no one had ever said such a thing to him. Suddenly, Gao Rong’s right thumb brushed against his cheekbone.
Chi Lanyi flinched. Gao Rong’s left hand gently held his chin, while the thumb of his right hand, restrained yet tender, wiped away a tear.
“You really do cry easily in private,” Gao Rong said softly.
Chi Lanyi felt utterly mortified. He was ashamed, yet his mind was wondering when Gao Rong would begin. Was what Gao Rong was doing now considered flirting?
Chi Lanyi had no experience. He didn’t know what he looked like in Gao Rong’s eyes at this moment. He could only imagine how wretched he must have looked sprawled on that bench, how even more endlessly pathetic he’d appeared when Gao Rong carried him. Perhaps no matter how bad he looked now, it couldn’t be worse than then, right?
Finally, his chin was tilted up. He saw Gao Rong slowly leaning closer, his eyes looking directly into his.
Chi Lanyi didn’t dodge. He didn’t know if it was out of stiffness or submission.
Only when their lips met did he understand—it was out of desire.
Gao Rong’s kiss wasn’t what Chi Lanyi had imagined. He wasn’t fierce or violent. He just whispered for Chi Lanyi to open his mouth, gentle as a gentleman.
So Chi Lanyi parted his lips and obediently let Gao Rong explore him. Gao Rong kissed him meticulously, deepening gradually, licking every inch of the mucous membrane inside his mouth.
Gao Rong explored him as if Chi Lanyi were a fragile glass object, every part needing careful handling. Unknowingly, Chi Lanyi’s stiffness eased.
The sensation of Gao Rong kissing him didn’t feel so bad. His hands unconsciously gripped Gao Rong’s arms, feeling Gao Rong’s warmth and breath against his lips.
Until Gao Rong broke away for a moment, then began licking his lip line.
As if confirming the initial exploration was complete, Gao Rong’s kisses turned sensual. He sucked Chi Lanyi’s lips, licked the most sensitive spots inside his mouth. Chi Lanyi shivered involuntarily. He wanted to retreat, but Gao Rong firmly pressed the back of his head.
It was as if Chi Lanyi had transformed from a glass object into a piece of warm, living, tender flesh in Gao Rong’s hands. Gao Rong seemed to delight in Chi Lanyi’s inexperienced reactions. He deliberately licked the corner of Chi Lanyi’s mouth, made loud wet sounds during the deep kiss, and kneaded the back of Chi Lanyi’s neck in rhythm with the kiss.
This feeling of being toyed with was too strange. Chi Lanyi wanted to struggle, but suddenly shuddered violently.
Gao Rong had hooked the tip of his tongue.
The wet sounds grew stickier, more sensual. Gao Rong gently tangled with him. But when Chi Lanyi whimpered and tried to pull away, Gao Rong pressed down hard on his hand.
Unlike the kiss, the veins on the back of Gao Rong’s hand bulged, as if he were desperately suppressing a desire about to erupt. His eyes no longer held their usual cold sharpness, but burned with a dark fire.
“Gao… mm… Gao…” Chi Lanyi heard himself make broken sounds from his throat.
He wanted to flee, but his hands were caught. Gao Rong gripped him, forcing their fingers to intertwine. A trembling sensation rose from his lips and tongue to his brain, then flowed from his brain down his tense spine, until his lower abdomen grew hot.
Chi Lanyi was almost unable to breathe.
He felt like Gao Rong’s kiss was melting him, that he was about to start flowing away. It was hard to imagine a few kisses could provoke such intense feelings.
Gao Rong watched Chi Lanyi intently, his eyes utterly invasive, yet his kissing motions were utterly gentle. He observed Chi Lanyi’s every subtle reaction, as if trying to excavate from Chi Lanyi’s body that version of himself that even Chi Lanyi refused to acknowledge.
At that moment, Chi Lanyi felt a heat ignite in his lower abdomen. Empty and urgent, he desperately hoped Gao Rong would continue.
Unknowingly, Chi Lanyi’s eyes grew wet again. He felt so terrible. He and Gao Rong were just kissing, yet he was already this uncontrollable. Intense shame made him want to push Gao Rong away, but Gao Rong caught both his hands with one.
With both hands pinned above his head, Chi Lanyi’s face flushed red. He didn’t dare look at Gao Rong’s right hand unbuttoning his shirt.
Gao Rong said at that moment, “Open your mouth again.”
Chi Lanyi quickly shut his eyes, but obediently opened his mouth. He thought, rather than moving to the next step, it was better to keep kissing.
The wet sounds resumed from his lips. This time, Gao Rong kissed him forcefully, as if he could no longer hold back.
Saliva slipped from the corner of Chi Lanyi’s lips, dripping down to his collarbone. Chi Lanyi flinched, instinctively wanting to sit up and find a tissue to wipe it.
But a tingling sensation shot through his collarbone. Gao Rong had lowered his head and taken care of it for him.
“…Ah!”
Chi Lanyi finally turned completely red. His skin was so fair that any shyness showed vividly, even his fingertips turning pink.
Just as his entire body had gone limp, Gao Rong suddenly looked up and pinched his chin.
“Chi Lanyi.” Gao Rong’s voice was deep. “Chi Lanyi.”
He called “Chi Lanyi” five times in succession. Chi Lanyi froze, not knowing what Gao Rong was about to do.
Until Gao Rong, barely suppressing a gasp, said, “Chi Lanyi, tell me, you are doing this voluntarily now.”
Chi Lanyi stiffened as if doused with cold water.
He tried to speak, but no sound came from his throat. He was terrified, as if uttering a single word could cost him his life.
“Tell me, this time, you are willingly letting me do this to you,” Gao Rong said deeply once more.
Gao Rong’s tone was steady, as if he were suppressing intense emotions, unwilling to frighten the person before him. But his eyes told a completely different story. Within them, a paranoid fire blazed.
Gao Rong knew he wasn’t just asking for Chi Lanyi’s consent in this moment. It was as if he were reaching across a past and present life, seeking an echo of a new beginning he hadn’t received in his previous existence.
Pinned under Gao Rong’s stare, Chi Lanyi felt he was on the verge of collapse.
He turned his head, wanting to escape that penetrating gaze, but Gao Rong pinched his chin and turned his face back.
“Tell me, Chi Lanyi, tell me… tell me you want me too,” Gao Rong said. “You called me because you wanted me. You came to this villa with me because you wanted me. Isn’t that right?”
Chi Lanyi felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat. As if his filthiest thoughts had been exposed to the light, he stiffened like a dead fish.
Gao Rong continued, “Was your tongue’s response to me just now real?”
Chi Lanyi trembled. He subconsciously pressed his lips together. Gao Rong went on, “When I held your waist tight, you leaned closer. Was it because you wanted my warmth, or just because you wanted to sleep with a man tonight?”
Chi Lanyi couldn’t take it anymore. He shut his eyes, his body trembling nonstop from extreme shame and self-loathing. Gao Rong asked him again, “Before tonight, had you ever thought about doing this with me?”
“Stop asking…” Chi Lanyi was crying now. “Please…”
Gao Rong watched him quietly. A flash of disappointment and strong unwillingness crossed his eyes.
But ultimately, they were suppressed as Chi Lanyi’s tears spilled. Gao Rong looked at Chi Lanyi’s miserable state and closed his eyes.
Then, coldly, he said, “Before you called me, I was already looking for you by the river. I knew you were going to that salon today. I also knew Renault would be there. When I arrived, I thought, you would definitely break down.”
“What…”
Chi Lanyi was stunned. He stared blankly at Gao Rong. Gao Rong continued calmly, “I knew you would break down and flee that building. The building isn’t far from the riverbank. You would likely head toward the river. If you stopped to rest, you’d surely choose a beautiful spot, preferably with flowers, preferably with your favorite irises.”
Chi Lanyi shuddered. He stared at Gao Rong, horrified, as if seeing a monster of meticulous calculation.
“So, I knew you would be by the flowerbed. It wasn’t that you called me and met me. It was that I found you first. I was on my way to you.” Gao Rong actually smiled as he spoke. “I also knew tonight you might come with me. You needed someone to hold you too badly. So I told my secretary to prepare loungewear that would fit you…”
Chi Lanyi was terrified.
His mind was a mess. He didn’t understand why Gao Rong was suddenly telling him all this. His body was still warm, but Chi Lanyi wanted to crawl out from under Gao Rong.
Until Gao Rong spoke his next words.
“Since I took so many proactive steps, let’s just say I forced you. Chi Lanyi. You don’t need to take responsibility for what happens tonight. It was I who forced you to have desires for me… The one who is filthy with desire, is me.”
These words from Gao Rong felt like dust settling.
Chi Lanyi finally understood the intention behind them. In that moment, as if struck by his most hidden, most desperate longing, his heart ached.
And then, he completely softened.
