Chapter 26

Wen Chaosheng had always hated sudden physical contact. He went rigid and turned to look.

The man was a blond, blue-eyed foreigner whose features radiated roguish charm and seductive allure.

He held a glass of deep blue cocktail in one hand, while the other rested lightly on Wen Chaosheng’s shoulder. As he leaned in, the overpowering scent of his cologne was almost choking.

Wen Chaosheng frowned in discomfort and wrenched himself free from the man’s grasp in a panic.

Seeing his startled reaction, the foreigner raised a hand in mock apology, as if saying something in German.

“…”

Wen Chaosheng didn’t understand. He lowered his head and tried to sidestep him.

But the man shifted to block his path. In halting Mandarin, he asked, “Are you… from Hua Country?”

“You good. I Charlie.”

The foreigner only knew a handful of basic Mandarin phrases. He switched to English, raising his glass toward Wen Chaosheng. “Sorry if I scared you. No malice—I just think you’re cute. Let me buy you a drink.”

He lifted his glass closer by way of invitation. “See? My spot’s right over there.”

Wen Chaosheng finally understood the man’s intentions. He pushed uncomfortably at his black-rimmed glasses. “…Thanks for the offer, but I don’t drink.”

His temperament was too soft for blunt rejections, so he settled for polite deflection. “Excuse me, please. I took a wrong turn. I need to head back now.”

The foreigner chuckled but showed no sign of backing off.

This type of timid little thing was easy prey. Once you got them into bed, they’d be putty in your hands, begging with teary eyes. He wasn’t about to let this one slip away.

A predatory glint flashed in the foreigner’s eyes. He leaned down to meet Wen Chaosheng’s gaze, revealing his true debauched nature. “Cutie, you’re gay, right?”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng’s eyes flew wide at the word.

The foreigner knew he’d hit the mark. “You’re even cuter than I imagined.”

He reached out a fingertip, trying to tease one of Wen Chaosheng’s soft curls. “Here alone? Wanna try it with me tonight? I’m good—really good. I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng had never faced such brazen come-ons before. His face burned crimson. When the man reached to touch him again, he didn’t care about manners anymore—he dodged sharply and bolted.

“Hey!”

The foreigner wasn’t about to let Wen Chaosheng escape that easily.

He lunged to stop him, only for another figure to charge in and decisively slap his wandering hand away.

Smack!

The unexpected force made the foreigner’s arm go numb. He winced in pain and froze.

Xi Zhui yanked Wen Chaosheng into his arms at once, tilting his head to check on him. “You okay?”

Wen Chaosheng hadn’t expected Xi Zhui to find him here. After a beat of shock, he didn’t pull away from the protective embrace.

Xi Zhui’s faint, clean scent replaced the cloying cologne, giving him a sense of security. He relaxed without thinking.

Wen Chaosheng shook his head. “I’m fine.”

The foreigner eyed the sudden interloper, annoyance flickering in his gaze at having his hunt interrupted.

Still, he liked this boy’s type too much to give up. “Cutie, is this your friend?”

“…”

Cutie?

Xi Zhui’s eyes darkened at the nickname.

Oblivious to the hostility, the foreigner swirled his glass lazily. But his greedy stare lingered on Wen Chaosheng’s body.

“If you don’t mind, I could buy you both a drink? Oh, right—I have other friends joining soon.”

“…”

Xi Zhui let out a cold laugh, his possessive instincts surging.

Wen Chaosheng felt the arm around his waist tighten subtly. Moments later, Xi Zhui growled something harsh in German.

Wen Chaosheng didn’t catch it, but the foreigner blinked in surprise before shrugging with playful regret.

Before Wen Chaosheng could process what happened, Xi Zhui gripped his hand and dragged him away from Dual Realm’s bar area with unyielding force.

The corridor lacked clear signs, its black titanium floor reflecting endlessly, like it stretched on forever.

Wen Chaosheng stumbled to match Xi Zhui’s stride, disoriented as they rushed through. The grip on his wrist grew painfully tight, almost like it might crush bone.

“Ow—”

Wen Chaosheng winced and had to call out. “Xi Zhui, stop—just let go of me first.”

Xi Zhui halted and turned, his gaze tinged with veiled jealousy. “What were you doing in a place like that?”

“I didn’t mean to go there.”

Sensing his displeasure, Wen Chaosheng explained softly. “I just slipped out to pay tonight’s bill ahead of time without you guys knowing, and I took a wrong turn.”

It was his first time here—how was he supposed to know Dual Realm hid a whole other world?

The lingering ache in his wrist from the vise-like grip made Wen Chaosheng feel a sudden pang of grievance. “That foreigner came onto me out of nowhere and said some really weird stuff. I already turned him down.”

“You think a polite refusal works on guys like that?”

Xi Zhui could picture just how gentle and soft Wen Chaosheng’s rejection must have been. To a night-hunting predator, it’d look like coy flirtation, nothing more.

If he hadn’t arrived in time, that creep would’ve groped him outright!

The alcohol simmering in Xi Zhui’s veins rushed to his head.

Thinking of the naked lust in that man’s eyes set his jealousy—and his temper—ablaze.

Wen Chaosheng still hadn’t noticed. He mumbled, “It wasn’t like I wanted to stick around. What did you even say to him? Why’d he back off so suddenly…”

Before he finished, Xi Zhui pinned his shoulders against the wall. “Mm?”

Wen Chaosheng’s back met the chill of the mirrored surface, but Xi Zhui’s palm cushioned the back of his head perfectly—no pain at all.

Their eyes locked, and Xi Zhui kissed him without warning.

“…”

Wen Chaosheng’s eyes widened in shock.

Amid the unfamiliar warmth, he tasted the faint hint of alcohol on Xi Zhui’s lips. His mind buzzed, reeling.

The kiss didn’t last long, but as Xi Zhui pulled back, he deliberately nipped Wen Chaosheng’s upper lip.

Wen Chaosheng’s vision blurred from the kiss, but he still shivered sensitively.

“Weren’t you wondering what I said to that guy?”

Xi Zhui’s thumb brushed Wen Chaosheng’s lips as he spelled it out. “I told him he has no right to eye my boyfriend.”

Wen Chaosheng’s stalled thoughts kickstarted at “boyfriend.” Realizing they’d just kissed, his face flushed visibly, his breathing ragged.

“You… why would you…”

He trailed off, words failing him.

Overwhelmed by nerves and shock, red rimmed his eyes behind his glasses. Unable to face the reality, he shoved Xi Zhui away and spun on his heel to flee.

Xi Zhui frowned in regret and hurried after him. “Wen Chaosheng, wait!”

Wen Chaosheng ignored him, charging ahead faster and faster.

By sheer luck, he stumbled right to the stairwell door. Without a second thought, he yanked it open and darted inside.

Xi Zhui caught his wrist in the stairwell. “The private rooms are the other way. Where are you going?”

Wen Chaosheng yanked back but couldn’t break free. “Let go. I’m not going back with you.”

“Fine, we won’t go back.” Xi Zhui gave in smoothly, leaning close. “Let’s just talk this out here.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng fell silent.

Xi Zhui softened further. “Brother, sorry—I scared you back there, didn’t I?”

The word “Brother” made Wen Chaosheng even more reluctant to meet his eyes. After a long pause, he forced out an excuse. “Are you drunk? You must be drunk.”

Xi Zhui rejected the dodge outright. “I had some drinks tonight, but I’m not drunk. I know exactly what I’m saying—and doing.”

Watching Wen Chaosheng avoid his gaze out of shyness and shock, Xi Zhui pierced the fragile barrier between them.

“Wen Chaosheng, I kissed you. And even if I wake up tomorrow, I won’t forget it.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng drew a deep breath, unable to accept it.

How could this be?

Weren’t they just friends?

He still didn’t understand why Xi Zhui had kissed him. Confusion and conflict creased his brow. “Why? This… this isn’t right.”

“Why do you think? Or why would it be ‘not right’?”

Xi Zhui saw through his instinctive retreat. He cupped the back of Wen Chaosheng’s neck—comforting, encouraging. “Wen Chaosheng, look at me first.”

Wen Chaosheng finally raised his head, eyes brimming with unexpected tension he couldn’t control.

Meeting that bewildered stare, Xi Zhui switched tactics, retreating to advance. “I always thought we were on the same page. I thought I wasn’t reading you wrong.”

“What?”

“You saw yourself in the Tang Yu I wrote. The ancient coin you gave me at the start of filming, the wrap-up group photo at the airport, all those times—the way you look at me, say my name.”

Xi Zhui gazed down at him, certain. “Wen Chaosheng, I thought you liked me.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng’s eyes darted away at the words.

He did like Xi Zhui—that feeling had budded in their youth and deepened since reuniting. But because of their families’ old ties, he’d never dared cross any lines.

Wen Chaosheng thought that hiding behind the guise of a “friend” would conceal his hopelessly obvious crush, but he never imagined the other man had seen right through him from the start.

“Brother.” Xi Zhui’s hand at the back of his neck pressed down just a fraction harder, though the tenderness in his eyes only grew. “Look at me. No hiding.”

Instead of pressing Wen Chaosheng to confess, Xi Zhui simply voiced his own feelings aloud. “Do you know why I gave you that clay figurine?”

“I’ve put the race car you gave me and our wrap-up group photo right on my desk, where I can see them at a glance.”

“I deliberately sent the housekeeper auntie home early. I schemed every way I could to lure you back to my place to stay over. I turned down the heat before bed on purpose and made sure there was only one quilt left. Why do you think I went to all that trouble?”

“If you still don’t get it, let me spell it out for you: whatever feelings Tang Yu has for Yang Jin in the script, that’s exactly how I feel about you in real life.”

Wen Chaosheng’s gaze wavered for an instant. Only then did it hit him, belatedly—

That behind Xi Zhui’s words and actions, all cloaked in the name of “friendship,” there lay an affection too profound to put into words?

Xi Zhui decided to lay all his cards on the table. “I can’t officially finish my studies until the end of June. The soonest I could come back home would be July. I was planning to confess to you properly once the timing felt right.”

Unfortunately, plans rarely survived reality.

Xi Zhui had overestimated his patience and self-control.

He never expected some random stranger at the bar to spark his jealousy so fiercely, making him lose all reason and kiss Wen Chaosheng on impulse.

What was done was done. No point in holding back now—better to get everything out in the open.

The safety passage held only a single dim bulb.

In its faint glow, Xi Zhui inched closer to Wen Chaosheng, step by step. “I’ve said my piece. Do you understand now?”

Their eyes met in a charged tangle, long-buried desire igniting in a sudden blaze.

Wen Chaosheng flushed visibly, shy beyond bearing. He took half a step back, only to bump against the windowsill of the passage. There was nowhere left to retreat.

“…”

For that moment, Wen Chaosheng forgot to breathe. He couldn’t bring himself to look away.

And outside the window at his back, amid Berlin’s murky night, snowflakes began to drift down.

“Wen Chaosheng.”

Xi Zhui’s lips curved into a smile as he murmured the name etched into his heart, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the man before him.

“I like you.”