The air between them grew tense. Xu Mingwei’s smile faded as Liang Jin’s demeanor made it clear that today’s prize wouldn’t be so easily claimed.

Supporting Li Wenshui’s soft waist, Liang Jin bypassed Xu Mingwei and walked forward. Watching his prize slip away, Xu Mingwei was unwilling to give up, but as a businessman, he quickly calculated whether it was worth competing with Liang Jin over this.

“Liang Ge,” Xu Mingwei caught up, his gaze blatantly lingering on Li Wenshui’s pale neck. He offered what he thought was a compromise. “I’ve heard you’re not one to be picky. How about this—we share? Let me join in.”

Liang Jin halted, his proud eyes flashing with disdain.

From a young age, anything he desired, no matter what it was, had always been his alone. Sharing had never been in his vocabulary; it was a practice for those incapable of winning outright.

Li Wenshui couldn’t hear what they were saying. His nose caught a familiar clean scent, and he barely registered that he was in Liang Jin’s arms. Anger simmered within him, and all he wanted was to get away. Weakly, he pushed against Liang Jin’s chest, though his strength was no match.

Li Wenshui’s fevered body squirmed against Liang Jin’s waist and abdomen, like an unruly cat resisting restraint. Liang Jin’s hand slid to Li Wenshui’s firm butt and gave it a harsh squeeze. The grip was anything but gentle, devoid of tenderness. Li Wenshui’s legs trembled from the pain, and tears welled up instantly.

“Ah—hurts!” Li Wenshui whimpered softly, his voice delicate and nasal with a hint of grievance.

Liang Jin’s other hand pressed against Li Wenshui’s damp neck, as if in a gesture of comfort. He performed these provocative actions with complete disregard for Xu Mingwei’s darkening expression.

Without pausing, Liang Jin resumed walking. Xu Mingwei opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Liang Jin turned back, his eyes now smiling, though the chill in them sent shivers down the spine.

“Xu Mingwei, think carefully. Are you sure you want to compete with me for him?”

Even the polite “Mr. Xu” was omitted, signaling that Liang Jin no longer intended to show any courtesy.

Xu Mingwei froze, staring into the abyss-like gaze that seemed capable of devouring him whole. The lust clouding his mind began to clear. Was it worth opposing Liang Jin over someone he didn’t even know?

The answer was obvious.

Though Xu Mingwei didn’t believe that this pampered young master fresh out of his gilded cage posed any real threat, he couldn’t afford to offend the powerful family behind Liang Jin.

Xu Mingwei pressed his lips into a tight line and stepped aside to make way.

With effortless dominance, Liang Jin reclaimed Li Wenshui, exuding the aura of a victor.

Li Wenshui’s steps were heavy, his mind still clouded. He couldn’t recall how far they walked, only hearing the sound of a door opening before the hands that had been tightly holding his waist finally let go.

His limbs, feeling as if weighed down by cement, collapsed onto the soft bed.

Opening his hazy eyes, he saw Liang Jin shrugging off his jacket, standing above him, looking down with an unreadable expression.

Li Wenshui felt utterly miserable. Yet, the mere thought of Liang Jin tugged at his heart like a sharp pang, leaving him feeling heavy and deeply saddened.

Liang Jin stood by the bed, watching the dazed and delirious Li Wenshui. He intended to carry him to the bathroom for a cold shower to help him sober up. As his hand reached out and touched Li Wenshui’s fingertips, the other suddenly swatted it away.

“Don’t touch me,” Li Wenshui muttered, turning his back to Liang Jin and puffing with anger, “Liang Jin, you’re a jerk. I hate you.”

Hearing this, Liang Jin’s expression grew colder. With arms crossed, he watched as Li Wenshui writhed on the bed, his face flushed, panting heavily. He seemed content to stand idly, observing without a shred of intent to help.

Li Wenshui had never experienced anything like this before. It felt as though a blazing fire was consuming every inch of his body, burning and itching, while something kept pounding deep inside him. His mind was a muddled mess. He desperately wanted to sleep but was too agitated to drift off.

It was unbearable.

Someone, anyone, help him—call an ambulance.

In his disoriented state, Li Wenshui fumbled to undo a few buttons, revealing his soft, sweat-slicked chest. He looked like a fish forced out of water, struggling for sustenance.

Liang Jin stared at him for a while before turning to leave. Suddenly, a sweaty hand gripped him tightly.

Tears glistened in Li Wenshui’s eyes as he pleaded softly, “Help me, I feel awful.”

“Do you realize your mistake?” Liang Jin’s tone softened slightly.

Li Wenshui remained silent. Mistake? What mistake? He had no idea what he had done wrong.

Liang Jin waited for a response, but none came. Disappointed, he pulled his hand away and walked out without looking back. When Li Wenshui was obedient, Liang Jin was willing to coax him. But right now, Li Wenshui was being far too stubborn.

Li Wenshui clung to his last hope, but it slipped away. Helpless and scared, he curled up on the bed, gritting his teeth to endure the torment.

Time passed agonizingly slowly. Finally, he managed to gather a bit of strength, and his mind cleared slightly. He knew he couldn’t go on like this—he had to do something.

Stumbling out of bed, he tripped over a chair in the middle of the room and fell to the floor. The fall broke his fragile composure, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

The door opened again, and someone strode over, lifting him by the waist. Li Wenshui quickly wiped his face, lowering his head to hide his tears.

For the first time, Liang Jin saw Li Wenshui cry. His eyes were swollen like walnuts, and tears poured from them like an unending faucet. Yet, he was utterly silent, not making a single sound as he cried.

Li Wenshui kept wiping at his tears, but the more he wiped, the more they came. His nose turned red, making him look pitiful beyond words.

Liang Jin caught his hand, leaning closer to inspect the redness of his swollen eyelids. His voice carried a warmth he didn’t even realize:

“Stop wiping. You’ll hurt your eyelids.”

Li Wenshui turned his head away, refusing to speak. For some reason, Liang Jin’s heart softened—perhaps he simply couldn’t bear to see such a beautiful person cry.

He supported Li Wenshui’s back and gently laid him flat on the bed. Tilting his face forward, Liang Jin pressed a soft kiss onto his tear-dampened lips. “Don’t cry anymore. You’re feeling awful, aren’t you?”

Liang Jin unbuttoned Li Wenshui’s shirt and removed his pants. When his eyes landed on the fresh bruise on Li Wenshui’s knee from the earlier fall, a complex mix of emotions flickered across his face.

He used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears lingering at the corner of Li Wenshui’s eyes. However, Li Wenshui exhaled a heated breath and glared at him fiercely. He hadn’t forgotten that the source of his misery today was Liang Jin.

Liang Jin brushed aside Li Wenshui’s damp black hair, placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, and with one hand supporting his waist, pressed him tightly against himself. “Don’t be mad. Be good. We can talk about everything once you’ve cleared your mind.”

This was the last thing Li Wenshui heard in his haze of semi-consciousness.

—

When Li Wenshui opened his eyes again, it was already late at night. His head throbbed painfully, and he sat up while holding his heavy-feeling head. His whole body ached as though it had been run over, with his hips and knees hurting the most.

What happened?

Shouldn’t he be at his part-time job? How did he end up here?

Bits and pieces of memory came back to him—he remembered having two cocktails at the bar. Then, a man had come up to him and asked him to open a bottle of wine. After that, everything went blank.

What now…

A chill ran from his head down to his toes. Li Wenshui quickly reached for the bedside lamp, turned it on, and threw off the blanket. His face was pale as he prepared to call the police.

Liang Jin raised a hand to shield himself from the glaring light and turned to look at the wary expression on Li Wenshui’s face. He quickly pieced together what was going through his mind.

“It’s me,” Liang Jin said.

When Li Wenshui saw who it was, he gradually calmed down. His tense body relaxed, though he still looked confused. “What happened? Why am I here?”

Liang Jin reached out and pulled Li Wenshui into his arms, speaking softly near his ear, “You were drugged.”

“That’s impossible. I didn’t even drink that man’s wine.”

Li Wenshui was always cautious about these things, never giving anyone a chance to drug him. Could it have been something in Leo’s cocktails?

“It wasn’t the drinks,” Liang Jin explained. “You rarely come to places like this, so you wouldn’t know. There’s a new type of drug—just spraying it on your skin and letting you inhale it is enough to cloud your thoughts and make your body react.”

Liang Jin’s slapped Li Wenshui’s already sore butt. “I told you this place was dangerous, but you didn’t listen. Do you know what could’ve happened to you if I hadn’t been here today?”

Li Wenshui winced from the pain. His hips already hurt, and Liang Jin’s slap only added to it. He pushed Liang Jin’s hand away, his feelings complicated.

How did this happen again? He had already resolved not to get involved with Liang Jin anymore, yet here they were.

Not only that, but he’d wasted an entire morning working part-time for nothing—and didn’t even get his paycheck.

Other people could rely on their looks to gain benefits, whether it was finding a wealthy patron or a kind and loving partner. But him? He always seemed to run into the worst situations.

Li Wenshui’s expression grew heavy as he flipped over to face Liang Jin.

“What’s wrong?” Liang Jin asked with a faint smile.

Li Wenshui moved his lips, wanting to say, “Liang Jin, let’s end this.”

But he found that the words wouldn’t come out. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t speak.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Liang Jin asked softly, kissing Li Wenshui. “How about we go to the hospital in the morning?”

Li Wenshui closed his eyes and turned over, facing away from Liang Jin. “No need to go to the hospital.”

Liang Jin’s eyes had been so close just now, the kiss so intimate. At that moment, his heart was racing, almost to the point of suffocating. He had to turn away from Liang Jin to calm himself.

He reached up to touch his pounding chest, suddenly realizing something—why couldn’t he say the words to end it? Why was he still by Liang Jin’s side when he had gained nothing? Was it just for the sweet moments? He did crave those moments, but more likely… he liked Liang Jin.

When this relationship began, Li Wenshui never intended to like him. Even when he said he liked him, it was a lie. But somewhere along the way, without realizing it, he had given his heart.

Li Wenshui suddenly felt a little down. He hadn’t gained any money, and his heart had already fallen for him. How could he be so unlucky?