Chapter 42 – 042

This time, Xie Yunjing deliberately raised his voice. Not only did Li Yuqiu and the others hear it loud and clear, but even nearby strangers glanced over, their curious expressions making it evident they thought something exciting was happening here.

Li Yuqiu’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor, making Gu Xian’s ears burn even more.

Sheng Yi politely extended an invitation: “Care for a drink?”

Xie Yunjing gave him a friendly glance, then fixed his gaze on Gu Xian’s slightly trembling eyelashes. “Heading home now?”

“…” Gu Xian forced a word out through clenched teeth, “Go.”

Xie Yunjing smiled apologetically at Sheng Yi. “Sorry, we’re heading home now.”

Sheng Yi waved his hand casually. “Take care. I won’t see you off.”

Gu Xian walked briskly, but Xie Yunjing kept his arm around him, matching his pace perfectly.

It wasn’t until their figures completely disappeared into the crowd that Li Yuqiu finally muttered in disbelief, “Didn’t Gu Xian just say Xie Yunjing couldn’t possibly be after him? But now they’re…”

He swallowed hard, feeling utterly bewildered. “They’ve probably even slept together by now!”

“Why are you making such a big fuss?” Sheng Yi urged him, “Play your cards. Are you still playing or not?”

“Hey, no, wait…” Li Yuqiu was baffled by their calmness. Distractedly, he played two cards. “Do you think there’s a chance Gu Xian wasn’t willing? You all saw the bite marks on his neck earlier, right? It’s been days, and they’re still that obvious. Would a normal time in bed leave marks that intense? Or could it be that Gu Xian and Xie Yunjing didn’t actually do anything, and Xie Yunjing is just abusing Gu Xian?”

Sheng Yi shook his head while mercilessly trumping Li Yuqiu’s cards. “This is Gu Xian we’re talking about. If Xie Yunjing had really forced him or abused him, do you think he’d still be here playing Fight the Landlord^[1]Fight the Landlord (斗地主, dòu dì zhǔ) is a popular Chinese card game. with us these past few days?”

“Well, maybe Xie Yunjing has something on him,” Li Yuqiu argued, determined to defend his suspicions. “Sure, Gu Xian’s given Xie Yunjing plenty of trouble before, but physically, he’s no match for Xie Yunjing now. If they were alone, wouldn’t it be easy for Xie Yunjing to do something to him?”

“You didn’t look closely just now, did you?” Han Rui frowned as he glanced at his cards, showing a disappointed expression. “What kind of garbage cards are these? I’ll pass.”

Li Yuqiu was confused. “What?”

Han Rui gestured toward the back of his neck. “Here. Xie Yunjing also has some deep scratch marks on the back of his neck.”

He gave Li Yuqiu a mischievous smile. “Let me educate you a bit today, Li Yuqiu. When gay men are having sex, the one on the bottom, even if they’re scratching the one on top, usually scratches areas like the shoulders or back. If they’re scratching the neck, that’s purely intentional, like they’re deliberately trying to annoy the one on top.”

Straight man Li Yuqiu looked a bit dazed. “… Why does Gu Xian have to be the one on the bottom?”

“Who else would it be?” Han Rui raised an eyebrow. “The one being pinned down is the only one with their hands free to scratch, don’t you get it?”

“Then doesn’t that make it even more likely Gu Xian was forced?” Li Yuqiu wasn’t ready to abandon his theory. “Do you really think he’d let Xie Yunjing just… uh, you know, do that to him so easily?”

Sheng Yi chuckled softly, poured him another drink, and said, “You should stop talking already. Why are you so worried about a couple’s private business?”

Han Rui gave him a thumbs-up. “Comrade Li Yuqiu, you truly are single purely based on your own abilities!”

Sheng Yi took a sip of his drink and laughed, clearly enjoying the drama. “Gu Xian is doomed!”

*

Gu Xian was about to pull open the car door when Xie Yunjing blocked him, leaving him no choice but to lean against the door.

“Avoiding me?”

“Rubbish, who’s avoiding you!” Gu Xian stared at the faint scratch marks extending from the back of Xie Yunjing’s neck. That night, after Xie Yunjing admitted he wouldn’t be able to hold back, they had “helped” each other several more times.

“I came out to hang out with friends, is that not allowed?”

Xie Yunjing lightly touched his flushed ear. “Your ear is burning.”

“…”

Gu Xian pressed his lips together in frustration and glared up at him. “What exactly do you want? Are you getting in the car or not?”

Xie Yunjing ignored him, his hand landing on Gu Xian’s neck, gently brushing over the bite marks. “They’ve faded.”

Gu Xian twitched the corner of his mouth, grabbed his hand, and took a deep breath. “Xie Yunjing, could you stop showing off like a peacock? We’re still outside!”

He tried to open the car door again, but Xie Yunjing blocked him once more.

“What exactly do you want?!”

Xie Yunjing simply stared at him.

Gu Xian gritted his teeth, raised his chin, and gave Xie Yunjing a quick peck on the lips.

“Happy now!”

Xie Yunjing’s eyes curved into a smile as he opened the car door for him.

Gu Xian immediately climbed in, but before he could relax, Xie Yunjing leaned in halfway, pressed a hand on his shoulder, and kissed him.

Xie Yunjing didn’t force his way into Gu Xian’s mouth; he simply licked his lips lightly before closing the car door and getting into the driver’s seat.

The streetlights flickered between light and shadow, and finally, his ears were no longer burning so hot.

Gu Xian stared at the seemingly endless road ahead. “Xie Yunjing.”

“Hmm.” Xie Yunjing signaled he was listening.

Gu Xian pressed his lips together tightly. After a moment, he spoke again, “What exactly is our relationship now?”

Roommates? Friends with benefits? Or a couple?

Xie Yunjing, with a tone both puzzled and matter-of-fact, responded without the slightest hesitation, “Aren’t we already married?”

Gu Xian: “…”

He was starting to suspect that their marriage was a trap Xie Yunjing had deliberately set from the very beginning!

He glared at him. “You know our marriage isn’t like that!”

“And you?”

“What?”

Xie Yunjing’s expression remained calm. “What do you think our relationship is now?”

In the rearview mirror, a hint of confusion appeared on Gu Xian’s face, but his tone remained quite curt. “If I knew, why would I bother asking you?”

“Gu Xian.” Xie Yunjing sighed with a touch of exasperation. “I’ve told you many times that I like you. Even if you think our relationship has changed and insist on redefining it, it should be up to you to decide.”

“Gu Xian.” His voice carried a hint of nervousness as he watched every subtle change in Gu Xian’s expression through the rearview mirror. “How do you feel about me right now?”

Hearing the question, Gu Xian slowly blinked, then lowered his gaze. “I hate you.”

As if worried Xie Yunjing didn’t hear him clearly, he emphasized it again.

“I hate you.”

He said it when he was drunk, and he said it when he was sober. Yet, he still did those kinds of things with him and even took the initiative to kiss him. If he truly hated him, he shouldn’t be able to help the other release his desires, no matter what.

Xie Yunjing really couldn’t figure out what was going on in Gu Xian’s mind.

“Gu Xian, you used to go against me because you thought I stole your first place, stole your spotlight. But now there’s no competition between us anymore. Why do you still hate me?”

“Anyway, I just hate you.”

Gu Xian’s gaze shifted to the window, a clear act of avoidance. It was also a demeanor he had never shown before in front of his ‘arch-enemy, Xie Yunjing.’

Xie Yunjing gripped the steering wheel tightly, reminding himself not to rush.

In his relationship with Gu Xian, he had already made significant progress. He told himself he should be more patient with Gu Xian’s little secrets.

Through the rearview mirror, he kept an eye on Gu Xian’s ears. “Fine, hate me if you want. It doesn’t matter, because I like you.”

The ears, which had only just cooled down to a light pink, immediately turned as red as if they had been boiled.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Gu is flustered XD

Xiao Xie’s layered strategy: first, tease his “wife” until their heart is in chaos, and then he gets a proactive kiss from his “wife”!