Chapter 69: Aphrodisiac

Lin Jianxi had just climbed onto the bed and leaned against the headboard, bending his legs, when a cigarette slipped out from his waistband.

He glanced at it, then looked up at Fu Jinshen.

Fu Jinshen had taken off his jacket and was wearing only a white shirt and suit pants. They spotted the cigarette at the same time and locked eyes.

Lin Jianxi curved his eyes into a smile.

Fu Jinshen tugged at the corner of his mouth and chuckled. “How many have you hidden?”

“One.” Lin Jianxi cupped the cigarette in both hands and held it up over his head. “Handing it over now.”

Fu Jinshen’s fingers brushed lightly over his palm, paused for a moment, and took the cigarette.

“Stolen from the study?” Fu Jinshen toyed with it.

Lin Jianxi gazed up at him without a word, blinking now and then.

“Any more?”

“No.”

“Yes, there are.”

“Really none—hey!”

Fu Jinshen suddenly leaned over him, pinning both of Lin Jianxi’s wrists with one hand. His fingers delved into the shirt pocket and easily retrieved three more, then reached into the pants pocket—

Lin Jianxi narrowed his eyes. Before Fu Jinshen could pull out the rest, he jerked his head sideways and bit down hard on the other’s neck.

Fu Jinshen’s hand stilled, and in the end, he didn’t extract the cigarettes.

He slowly released Lin Jianxi’s hands, stroked his head as if he felt no pain at all, and tilted his own head to ask, “Are you mad?”

“Mm.” Lin Jianxi released his teeth and said flatly, “It’s been days since I had one.”

As he spoke, he stared at Fu Jinshen, his eyes gradually growing misty.

Fu Jinshen: “…”

~~~

Ten minutes later.

Lin Jianxi sat contentedly on the bed, eyeing the dozens of cigarette packs laid out before him. Sleepiness forgotten, he picked one up with his left hand to inspect it, then another with his right.

“A gift?” Lin Jianxi glanced at Fu Jinshen.

Fu Jinshen replied, “You can only smoke at home. Each time you come back, you get to pick one.”

“Oh.” Lin Jianxi nodded.

That worked fine.

It was better than before, when scrounging for smokes felt like a game of hide-and-seek. Every time Fu Jinshen returned, he’d eagerly frisk the man’s pockets, only to come up empty far too often—and get dragged to bed for a thorough ravishing as punishment.

So…

Lin Jianxi leaned in and tipped up Fu Jinshen’s chin. “You like seeing me cry?”

“…” Fu Jinshen looked at him, a touch helpless.

“Hm? Do you?” Lin Jianxi pressed. “Do you like me weak and pitiful? Let me think… The first time we met, you gave me all that money. Did you think I looked shabby and feel sorry for me?”

“I don’t pity you.” Fu Jinshen let him tease without resistance, his expression earnest. “You should pity me. Your heart’s like a durian—every spike has a person stabbed on it.”

Lin Jianxi: “…”

Lin Jianxi burst out laughing and patted his back in consolation. “It’s okay, Husband. You’re the real deal. We’ve got the marriage certificate. The others don’t.”

“…There are too many, Jianxi.” Fu Jinshen sighed, resting his head on Lin Jianxi’s neck. “These past five years, you’ve called out so many names in your sleep… Those people aren’t ordinary. I can’t find any info on them. It terrifies me. All I have is money, and they have that too. Compared to them, I don’t stand a chance.”

“…”

He’d called out other people’s names?

Lin Jianxi blinked in faint surprise.

He truly hadn’t known about this. It was the first time Fu Jinshen had brought it up.

“The first time we met, I knew tons of people must like you. You’re special—not just because you’re pretty, but your whole vibe is one of a kind, utterly unique. That’s why I got mad at first when you talked to that assistant with the rental contract… I’m really scared that one day, you’ll hand me divorce papers just like today.”

Fu Jinshen lifted his head, gazing at him, his pupils quivering faintly.

“If that day ever comes, don’t make me leave, okay? Everything I said today is true. I can…” Fu Jinshen’s voice grew hoarse. “I can give up the status, but I can’t leave you. I’m addicted to you, Jianxi.”

~~~

On the way to the neighboring villa, Lin Jianxi suddenly felt a bit dazed.

Fu Jinshen was the first to fall for him—and the first to compromise.

Sure, he’d spent five more years with Fu Jinshen than with those others, but for someone born at the top of the pyramid to fully accept being cuckolded…

For the first time, Lin Jianxi’s heart tilted toward one person.

It wasn’t some desperate compromise born of fallen fortunes. It was pure, simple fear of abandonment. How pitiful.

The ones next door were still stirring up trouble.

Pei Jin talked a big game, but he couldn’t actually endure it. Chu Ran felt only lust toward him right now, no real emotions—but he was the most dangerous, since he knew Fu Jinshen’s business secrets.

Shen Xu…

A smiling tiger like that was the hardest to handle.

Lin Jianxi rubbed his fingertips together.

He was too lazy to deal with Shen Xu the way he had Pei Jin. It probably wouldn’t work anyway.

Someone like that needed harsher methods—something to make him crave it to the bone.

~~~

When Lin Jianxi returned to his room, Pei Jin was nowhere in sight. Only Chu Ran was there, greeting him from the bed.

“Where’s Pei Jin?” Lin Jianxi asked.

“Plotting a rebellion with Shen Xu.” Chu Ran grinned. “Little Mom, shall we talk in you and Pei Jin’s secret base?”

Night was drawing near.

The breeze on the balcony sharpened his senses even more.

Chu Ran hummed a little tune for a while before speaking. “I’m not really his foster son or anything. After a business partner died, he just took in the kid left behind and raised him on a whim. But he’s got harsh ways of educating people and doesn’t feel much for anyone, so I don’t feel much for him either. I was disgusted and resentful at first when you suddenly quit the team and married him, but that’s all gone now.”

“Because…” Chu Ran turned his head and smiled at him. “I totally get it—his reasons for marrying you, and yours for marrying him.”

Chu Ran’s gaze fell on the scar on the back of Lin Jianxi’s hand and the marks peeking from his collar, seeing right through him like X-ray vision.

“Today, when you were changing in the closet, those marks on your body were downright shocking.” Chu Ran pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and popped it in his mouth. “Fu Jinshen might lack emotion, but he’s not a pervert. So those marks were left by someone else, right?”

“…”

“After hanging around in this circle long enough, everyone knows the score when they see those things. Fu Jinshen can only protect you—he can’t help you get revenge. One person is tied to a massive web of connections; pull one string, and the whole body moves. Offending ten people means crossing half the circle. The consequences won’t be pretty.”

“So?” Lin Jianxi raised an eyebrow slightly.

“So trust me, just this once?” Chu Ran lifted his chin. “Those two animals next door were plotting to drug you. If you trust me, whatever they give you later, just swallow it obediently. No danger—you’ll be fine, because I’ll swap the drug into their water glasses.”

Lin Jianxi watched him silently, saying nothing.

“Little Mom…” Chu Ran leaned in, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “Don’t do the show anymore, okay? Come home. The three of us can live well together. I don’t have any other motives. It’s just… this is the first time I’ve been this close to warmth, and I don’t want it to vanish.”

The moment he pushed open the guest room door, a sudden thought flashed through Lin Jianxi’s mind.

What if Chu Ran was in on it with them, all to lure him here?

But that idea evaporated the instant he heard Pei Jin’s accusatory shout upon opening the door.

Shen Xu was tied to a chair, trussed up like a sacrificial offering, surrounded by five or six shattered cameras. The moment Pei Jin saw him enter, he cursed, “Fuck, Lin Jianxi! This bastard was gonna drug you!”

Chu Ran: “…”

Lin Jianxi: “Oh?”

Chu Ran’s face darkened, as if annoyed that his credit had been stolen. He slammed the door shut with a bang, sealing off the room’s sounds from the outside world.

Lin Jianxi dragged over a chair and sat down in front of Shen Xu, removing his glasses and handing them to Pei Jin.

“Drug? Aphrodisiac?” Lin Jianxi asked.

Pei Jin: “Yeah.”

Lin Jianxi: “Where’s the drug?”

Pei Jin: “With me.”

Lin Jianxi held out his palm. “Give it to me. You two, get out first.”

Pei Jin: “But—”

“Don’t trust me?” Lin Jianxi looked up at him.

“…”

Pei Jin choked, eventually exchanging a glance with Chu Ran before retreating.

Once Chu Ran and Pei Jin had left, Lin Jianxi poured some water and stirred it slowly with a straw.

Shen Xu sneered coldly. “Those tricks might fool Pei Jin… but I never imagined you’d even fool Fu Jinshen. Does he know what you really look like? Does he know what you’re doing right now?”

“What if he does? I only know that if I made him drink the drug, he’d swallow it obediently.” Lin Jianxi lowered his lashes, his slender fingers gripping the glass. His voice was soft. “So, do you think I can fool you?”

“Didn’t we already try that a few years ago?” Shen Xu mocked. “Heh, Lin Jianxi, you want another taste? I can oblige. It’s been years—you’ve gotten even prettier. Did Fu Jinshen fuck you into it? This time, maybe you can get a bunch of people to help, instead of handling it all alone like a pitiful little thing.”

Lin Jianxi smiled faintly.

“If I took the drug right now, would you help me?”

Shen Xu’s gaze darkened. “What, you wanna cheat?”

“Answer my question. This isn’t an interview—don’t dodge.”

“No. You think I’d be like them, your dog? They’re animals.”

“Then if you took the drug, would you come to me for help?” Lin Jianxi held the straw to Shen Xu’s lips. “Hm?”

“Why would I—mmph.” Shen Xu had barely opened his mouth when Lin Jianxi’s thumb pried past his teeth.

Then, he suddenly tilted his head back, took a big gulp, leaned in close, and passed the water from his mouth straight into Shen Xu’s.

Shen Xu’s expression shattered.

His eyes widened; he didn’t even know why he didn’t resist, swallowing the whole mouthful down.

He sat there stunned even after.

Lin Jianxi wasn’t in a hurry. He lit a cigarette—one Fu Jinshen hadn’t confiscated—clamped it between his teeth, and watched him quietly.

A long time passed.

Shen Xu’s voice carried disbelief. “You drugged me…?”

“Answer the question.” Amid the swirling smoke, Lin Jianxi mumbled indistinctly, “Would you come to me for help?”

Shen Xu gritted his teeth. “You’re the only one here. Who else would I ask?”

“You could go out—the door’s not locked. Find someone, anyone.” Lin Jianxi started to stand.

“Lin Jianxi—!”

Lin Jianxi sat back down, bursting into laughter. “What’s this? You knew exactly what kind of person I am, yet you still came to provoke me. Isn’t dealing with the consequences only natural?”

“…” Shen Xu stared at him. Perhaps because of the drug, desire began creeping into his eyes.

“Leaving or not?”

“No.”

“Will you come to me?”

“…”

“Then honor your word. To prevent any last-minute changes, I’ll keep you tied to the chair.” Lin Jianxi kissed his feverish cheek. “Until the drug wears off.”

…

~~~

Lin Jianxi drew all the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.

He leaned casually against the wall, exhaling smoke rings as he watched Shen Xu struggle, veins bulging, eyes fixed on him like he wanted to devour him whole.

Fifteen minutes later.

Shen Xu couldn’t take it anymore. His voice was hoarse and broken, laced with a plea he himself hadn’t noticed. “I’m sorry… I was wrong… Please, come here… It hurts so much…”

Lin Jianxi didn’t respond. The cigarette between his fingers glowed faintly in the dark.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

Shen Xu’s breathing grew heavier, his rationality on the verge of snapping. Sweat soaked the stray hairs on his forehead. The usual refined mask was utterly shattered, leaving only raw desperation and longing, his voice cracking with sobs. “Lin Jianxi… please…”

Only then did Lin Jianxi saunter over unhurriedly. He pulled Shen Xu’s head into his embrace, leaning down slightly. His words carried the scent of tobacco. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry.”

He patted Shen Xu’s back gently, soothing him softly. “The drug won’t last long. An hour, and it’ll be over.”

“…” Shen Xu seemed even more tormented by his closeness, his body trembling.

Lin Jianxi couldn’t help laughing. He sat back down on the chair, leaning in very close.

He reached out but didn’t untie the ropes. Instead, his cool fingertips traced Shen Xu’s bound form leisurely—from his taut arms to his heaving chest.

He could sense Shen Xu’s mental state gradually unraveling and figured it was about time. He placed the intact box of medicine—packaging still sealed—onto Shen Xu’s lap.

Shen Xu went rigid in an instant. His muddled mind cleared right up.

“Alright,” Lin Jianxi said, planting one foot on the crossbar of Shen Xu’s chair as he slowly untied the ropes. “What you drank was just plain water.”

“…”

His voice was utterly calm, yet it hit harder than any aphrodisiac. “From the start of that late-night cleanup right through to the end, there was no drug.”

Shen Xu’s pupils shrank. He looked up in disbelief, meeting Lin Jianxi’s eyes—still sharp in the darkness, curved with a hint of gentle amusement.

“Looks like…” Lin Jianxi tossed the ropes aside and brushed his fingers along the other’s face, smiling. “I’m more intoxicating to you than any aphrodisiac, Film Emperor Shen.”

“…”

Shen Xu’s reaction caught Lin Jianxi off guard.

He hadn’t expected it to hit this hard, so he’d spent the whole time watching the show, even wondering midway if the Film Emperor had gotten lost in the role, acting way too convincingly.

But now… it didn’t look like acting at all.

Shen Xu’s composure had shattered completely. He sat there stunned, all traces of his usual elegance and warmth gone.

“…No drug?” Shen Xu mumbled, dazed.

Lin Jianxi stood and drew back the curtains, letting the two guys outside in. Right in front of all three of them, he took a sip from the straw and leisurely drained the rest of the water in the cup. “Just plain water.”

“Yo,” Chu Ran said, arms crossed over his chest. “Film Emperor Shen, don’t tell me just looking at my little mom got you acting like you’d been dosed with aphrodisiac.”

“…”

Pei Jin tsked. “Does he need to spell it out? The evidence is right here.”

“Alright.” Lin Jianxi set the glass down on the table. “Let’s go. Don’t keep the director waiting.”

With that, he stepped over to Shen Xu, bending down to murmur softly, “Shen Xu? Snap out of it. If you’re still out of it, lean on me. I’ll hold you up.”

Shen Xu stared at him blankly.

“You…” Why aren’t you mad?

“Let’s go.” Lin Jianxi ruffled Shen Xu’s hair, then held out his hand. “Hold on to me.”

“…”

Shen Xu stayed quiet for a beat, then slowly clasped Lin Jianxi’s palm with his own sweat-slicked hand.

~~~

One hour later.

The director stared at the room full of smashed cameras, on the verge of a breakdown. “Are you demons or what? Was there an earthquake? A tornado? How the hell did you trash the place like this?!”

All of Shen Xu’s dirty little schemes had been dragged into the light by Lin Jianxi. Now he was the picture of obedience, no more funny business. He stepped up to the director. “My fault. I’ll cover the damages.”

Lin Jianxi shot a glance at Pei Jin.

Pei Jin rubbed his nose and stepped forward too. “Me as well. We’ll split it half and half.”

The director: “…”

So the netizens weren’t kidding after all? These guys actually went at it?

~~~

After that little drama, up on the balcony’s “secret base.”

Lin Jianxi unwrapped some candy and fed a piece each to Pei Jin and Shen Xu. His fingertips grazed their tongues as they deliberately licked them.

A wave of dizziness hit him then. He pulled his thick jacket tighter around himself and let out a small yawn.

Chu Ran pouted. “What about me?”

“You?” Lin Jianxi’s eyes were misty with yawn-induced tears. He stepped up to Chu Ran and looked him in the eye.

“No reward for me?” Chu Ran’s gaze darkened as he held Lin Jianxi’s stare.

The words had barely left his mouth when Lin Jianxi rose on his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Chu Ran’s lips.

“Fuck,” Pei Jin growled. “Why does he get that?”

Chu Ran touched his mouth and drew Lin Jianxi into his arms. Lin Jianxi was truly woozy now; he leaned against Chu Ran and shut his eyes.

“Because we’re ‘family,'” Chu Ran said. “I get privileges. What’s it to you?”

Pei Jin got choked up for the umpteenth time by that bizarre “family” line.

What the actual fuck, family.

Fuck that—then he was Lin Jianxi’s perfectly legitimate Little Three. Off-the-books or not, that still made him half family. So why’d he only get one lousy piece of candy, same as that beast Shen Xu?

Chu Ran leaned down. “Want to catch a nap? You don’t look so hot.”

“Mm.” Lin Jianxi nodded. “Probably caught a chill from all the cold wind these past few days.”

To keep from nodding off mid-recording, the first thing Lin Jianxi did every morning was head to the balcony for a blast of cold air.

Must’ve caught something after all.

Lin Jianxi thought fuzzily.

At that, Chu Ran steered him toward the bedroom. As they passed Pei Jin, he leaned in and murmured right in his ear, “Tsk. Little Three or not, you can only sneak your fun on the down-low. On the surface, you don’t even measure up to our Film Emperor. Right, Shen Xu?”

Shen Xu chewed his candy obediently, eyes on his phone as he tapped out work replies. “Mm,” he said offhandedly.

Pei Jin: “…” Fuck. Who’re you calling out?

~~~