Chapter 11: A Bit of a Shame

Facing You Chong’s anger, Lin Hexi leisurely folded his arms, eagerly watching how You Chong would handle the challenge he had just thrown at him.

You Chong’s next actions once again took Lin Hexi by surprise.

When You Chong came out after changing, he was dressed similarly to Lin Hexi: he had kept his T-shirt on while changing into black swim trunks, revealing his long, strong legs.

In front of everyone, he casually lifted his arms and pulled off his T-shirt, rolling it into a ball and tossing it to Zhou Xuan behind him, who then hung it on the back of the living room sofa.

He turned back to the girls at the door, and said with a faint smile. “Can I go in now?”

The girls, still fixated on him, subconsciously stepped aside, making way for him to pass.

You Chong walked through the door without looking back and headed toward the backyard.

Lin Hexi stood still, with a trace of astonishment lingering on his face.

He hadn’t expected that his casual remark would reveal that You Chong indeed had well-defined abs and a beautiful V-line.

Not to mention how focused those girls were on You Chong, even Lin Hexi found it hard to resist such a physique. If only he weren’t straight—

His thoughts began to wander uncontrollably, and Lin Hexi lightly licked his dry lips. Before those unrealistic ideas could fully form in his mind, he stopped himself.

His hypothetical scenarios had no place in reality, but—

Lin Hexi’s lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

It was just a shame that You Chong was straight. What a pity.

He turned and walked back to the sofa in the living room, swiftly taking off his shirt and tossing it onto the sofa before heading through the small door to the backyard.

The young car models, who had subconsciously made way for him, looked puzzled. If he could strip so easily now, what was that about earlier? Was he just playing a joke on them?

By the pool, the barbecue grills were already lit. Lin Hexi didn’t join the commotion around You Chong, nor did he plan to cook at the grill. Instead, he grabbed a plate and headed to the table to get some desserts.

However, the pretty young girls weren’t about to let a handsome guy stay alone. They eagerly invited Lin Hexi to join their barbecue activities. Lin Hexi smiled and, without rejecting their invitation, carried his plate and followed them to the barbecue area.

The clear male voices and sweet female voices intermingled, dispersing into the air behind them, drawing everyone’s attention. All they could see was Lin Hexi, surrounded by the enthusiastic car models.

The scene made it look as if he was effortlessly adept and charming in front of beautiful women, easily thriving in their company without even trying.

Zhou Xuan immediately sneered, “Those rumors at school really weren’t baseless. They weren’t wrong to slander him. It’s amazing that those who throw themselves at him aren’t worried about catching something dirty from him.”

Following Zhou Xuan’s gaze towards where Lin Hexi stood, You Chong also frowned in disgust. After a moment, he looked away, and said with a steady and cold voice, “What others do is their own business and has nothing to do with us.”

Zhou Xuan chuckled in agreement, “Indeed.”

The barbecue ended as the sun completely set, and a crescent moon silently climbed into the night sky. The lights in the yard gradually turned on.

Lin Hexi soaked in the shallow end of the pool, chatting with others. After two glasses of red wine, he began to feel a slight pressure in his lower abdomen. He got out of the pool and headed back to the villa in flip-flops to relieve himself. 

The restroom was located next to the kitchen on the ground floor. As he exited the restroom and passed by the kitchen, he heard quite a commotion inside. He curiously pushed the door open slightly and peeked inside.

You Chong and the young race car driver they had met earlier in the day were in the kitchen, cutting watermelon. The driver, facing the sliding door, was the first to notice Lin Hexi. He casually nodded towards You Chong and said, “Your friend.”

Assuming it was Zhou Xuan or Lin Tong, You Chong spoke without turning around, “Come over and help carry the fruit platter.”

Lin Hexi raised his eyebrow, folded his arms and leaned against the door frame, waiting for You Chong to realize who it was.

You Chong, still not turning around, urged again.

Only then did Lin Hexi show a slightly disappointed expression and walked towards You Chong.

The race car driver had already turned away, and was leaning over the sink with his back to them, washing other fruits. You Chong, still wearing his shirt, was holding a fruit knife in his right hand, bending over the counter to cut watermelon.

Lin Hexi stood behind him, not in a hurry to carry the prepared fruit platter. Instead, he reached out, picked a cherry from the platter, put it into his mouth, and savored it.

You Chong, clearly annoyed by his actions, clicked his tongue, “I told you to carry the fruit platter, not to eat.”

Lin Hexi remained silent, deftly rolled out the cherry pit with his tongue, spat it into his palm, and tossed it into the trash bin. Then he picked up a second cherry from the platter.

You Chong’s voice, mingling with the sound of running water, reached his ears, “After you finish eating, take the fruit platter out.”

Lin Hexi patted his shoulder in a reassuring manner, then held the bright, plump cherry to You Chong’s lips, seemingly intending to feed it to him.

You Chong paused slightly, a little surprised by his intimate behavior, but still lowered his eyes slightly, opened his lips, and took the cherry on his fingertips into his mouth.

Just as Lin Hexi was about to release his fingertips that were pinching both ends of the cherry, he felt You Chong’s lips move slightly. Instead of just taking the cherry, You Chong gently bit the cherry and pulled it into his mouth.

Lin Hexi’s fingertips were unable to withdraw in time, and as the cherry rolled into You Chong’s mouth, his lips brushed against Lin Hexi’s fingers.

Feeling the warmth and softness of You Chong’s lips on his fingers, Lin Hexi’s fingertips trembled slightly. He withdrew his hand and, with an almost imperceptible frown, turned to wash his hands under the faucet.

It was then that the race car driver, who had somehow turned around without them noticing, spoke up with a mischievous look, “This afternoon, I thought you two weren’t talking because of a fight. Turns out you get along quite well.”

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but laugh.

Realizing something was off, You Chong frowned and turned around.

The moment he saw Lin Hexi’s face and recalled the recent cherry-feeding incident, his expression visibly darkened. His voice turned cold and deliberate as he called out, “Lin, He, Xi.”

Lin Hexi decided to retreat gracefully, and smiled as he apologized, “Sorry, sorry.”

Seeing the smile in his eyes, You Chong became even angrier, and he spat out, “Get lost.”

Lin Hexi was stunned for a second. When he lifted his face again, his delicate and attractive features couldn’t hide the disappointment and shame.

His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing, lowered his eyes and silently left the kitchen.

The subtle sound of the sliding door fitting into its frame suddenly echoed in the quiet air. You Chong snapped out of his anger, and to his surprise, his mind kept replaying Lin Hexi’s face before he left.

Unlike his usual adeptness at hiding his emotions, Lin Hexi’s face had shown genuine hurt and sadness.