Chapter 37: Taking the Initiative to Hug the Waist

The friends sitting nearby were stunned.

After the two girls left, You Chong finally pried Lin Hexi’s hand off himself.

Maintaining the close position without moving, Lin Hexi said with a smile in his tone, “I helped you get rid of the trouble. How are you going to thank me?”

“Thank you?” You Chong glanced at him, “I haven’t even mentioned how you deliberately distorted my sexual orientation in front of others.”

Lin Hexi cheerfully retorted, “Wasn’t it you who tacitly agreed?”

You Chong didn’t respond further.

However, Lin Hexi’s interest seemed to grow, “Do you think that girl just now wasn’t good-looking?”

You Chong replied, “No.”

Lin Hexi asked, “Was her figure not good?”

You Chong said, “No.”

Lin Hexi didn’t hide the curiosity in his eyes, “Then why didn’t you let her sit next to you?”

You Chong replied succinctly, “I don’t like it.”

Lin Hexi said “Oh” with a long tone, “Then what type do you like?”

You Chong’s expression paused slightly, and he impatiently looked up, “Does your family run a marriage agency?”

Lin Hexi remained unfazed and instead hinted with a pointed remark, “Could it be that you don’t know? How could a straight guy not be able to describe the type of girl he likes? Unless—”

You Chong sneered, cutting him off, “No need to provoke me.”

“Then go ahead and say it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I can go first.” He paused for a moment, then started counting on his fingers, “As for myself, I like someone who looks good, is tall, has well-defined muscles, good waist strength, and a prominent Adam’s apple—”

The first two items were fairly normal, but the latter ones increasingly deviated, sounding nothing like a description of a girl.

You Chong, with a dark expression, signaled him to shut up. His gaze swept over Lin Hexi’s face, and he spoke with a bit of perfunctory tone, “Fair skin, tall, long legs.”

Lin Hexi nodded in agreement, a mischievous look on his face, “What do you think about me?”

You Chong remained unmoved, “Not much.”

“Really?” Lin Hexi muttered to himself with a puzzled expression, “But the points you mentioned, I match all of them.”

“Long curly hair, no dye,” You Chong emphasized through gritted teeth, “And female.”

Lin Hexi leaned back, sinking into the sofa, unable to suppress his laughter.

Not long after their conversation ended, Zhou Xuan returned.

Seeing someone who shouldn’t be there sitting boldly next to You Chong, Zhou Xuan’s expression darkened, “Why are you here?”

Hearing the questioning tone, Lin Hexi calmly replied, “Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m also a member of Week Eight.”

Zhou Xuan sneered, “There are so many seats, yet you insist on squeezing in with us.”

Lin Hexi responded, “There are so many seats, but they can’t all remain empty. I’m just here to share a table.”

Convinced that Lin Hexi had intentionally followed You Chong, Zhou Xuan didn’t give him any pleasant looks.

But since You Chong hadn’t personally told him to leave, and knowing that Lin Hexi was a sharp-tongued character, Zhou Xuan decided not to waste any more words. For the rest of the time, he chose to ignore him completely.

The music on stage soon stopped, and the bar owner took the stage to give a speech, instructing the waitstaff waiting at the bar to serve free champagne to everyone.

The guests loudly cheered the owner’s generosity, taking the champagne offered by the waitstaff and heading into the dance floor to start the night’s revelry under the dim, hazy lights.

You Chong stood up alone to go to the restroom, leaving an empty spot on the sofa. Zhou Xuan continued to ignore Lin Hexi’s presence.

Lin Hexi remained composed, leaning back on the sofa with his head resting on his arms, and casually scanning the new faces entering the bar.

After a moment, his gaze slightly paused as he finally spotted Ning Nan’s figure across the dance floor.

Weaving through the young men and women clinging to each other, Ning Nan stopped at the bar and called over a regular server who was busy pouring drinks.

At this moment, the free champagne gifted by the owner had yet to reach their area.

Without any hesitation, Lin Hexi stood up, intending to follow him.

The colorful lights in the dance floor began to flicker, accompanied by a strong, pulsating beat and the deafening sound of dance music that filled the air.

The atmosphere was thick with the scent of alcohol, mingling with the flowing undercurrents of ambiguity and mood in the air.

Lin Hexi found himself trapped in the dance floor, unable to move.

Someone took advantage of the situation, raising a hand to wrap around his waist, and pressing against his chest. As the lights flashed by, they revealed the person’s full, moist lips and eyes covered in colorful glitter.

Lin Hexi frowned and pushed the person in front of him away, extending his hand to keep the crowd pressing in from both sides at bay. When he looked up again toward the edge of the dance floor, Ning Nan and the server had already disappeared.

He paused, lost in thought.

A second later, he decisively chose to give up and turned back the way he came.

Someone once again leaned toward him from the front, and Lin Hexi sidestepped to avoid them, only to suddenly bump into the person behind him.

To say he bumped into their embrace isn’t quite accurate. The person behind him had their hand clenched into a fist, creating a barrier of distance, pressing against the small of Lin Hexi’s back, just enough to stop him from moving any further backward.

Lin Hexi was momentarily stunned, and then a familiar feeling surged within him.

In a situation like this, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t encountered it before. With a look of certainty, Lin Hexi turned his head, and sure enough, he found You Chong standing behind him, blocked by the crowd.

Seeing Lin Hexi turn his face toward him, You Chong was equally surprised and raised an eyebrow, but his fist, which had been pressed against Lin Hexi’s lower back, unconsciously relaxed.

As the swaying crowd around them surged once more, Lin Hexi, worried about stepping on someone else’s feet, lost his balance while trying to dodge and was completely pushed into You Chong’s embrace.

You Chong instinctively reached out to steady him by his waist.

Lin Hexi naturally grasped the arm You Chong had placed around his waist, using it to steady himself as he turned around.

However, he misjudged the distance between himself and You Chong at that moment.

As Lin Hexi turned, You Chong’s face suddenly appeared just inches away. Their noses brushed against each other, and after a brief moment where their breaths intertwined, they quickly pulled apart, leaving Lin Hexi momentarily dazed.

You Chong released his hand from Lin Hexi’s waist, and Lin Hexi, regaining his composure, stepped back.

However, a stronger force from behind suddenly pushed Lin Hexi forward. He instinctively leaned in, placing his hands on You Chong’s shoulders. Just before their lips could meet, Lin Hexi barely managed to steady himself.

He quietly breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to move again.

You Chong’s lips were tightly pressed into a straight line, and his expression as cold as water.

Lin Hexi fixed his gaze on You Chong’s lips for a couple of seconds before slightly turning his face away. Then, in a calm and collected tone, he teased near You Chong’s ear, “Young Master, when you come to a bar, do you always head straight to the upstairs private rooms and never set foot on the dance floor?”

Though You Chong didn’t respond, the answer was obvious.

Anticipating this, Lin Hexi’s lips curled into a slight smile. “The two of us standing still in the middle like this is far too conspicuous.”

You Chong’s tone turned dangerous, “Are you suggesting I should stand here and dance?”

“No.” Lin Hexi subtly shook his head, a hint of barely noticeable mischief in his voice, “I just wanted to remind you that with your looks and height, you’re very likely to become the target of everyone’s romantic advances here.”

You Chong’s eyes darkened slightly, revealing a look of annoyance and impatience.

Lin Hexi wasn’t wrong. Soon, people began to notice You Chong standing in the dance floor, and someone with a lot of nerve moved in close, tentatively reaching out to touch his back and arm.

You Chong coldly pushed them away, but there seemed to be an endless stream of people approaching.

One girl, emboldened by her drunkenness, even took advantage of the moment to unexpectedly try to kiss him on the face.

The music and laughter were so loud and chaotic in his ears that, with his back to her, You Chong was completely unaware.

Lin Hexi suddenly reached out and touched You Chong’s face.

You Chong’s expression froze slightly, his deep, dark eyes instantly locking onto Lin Hexi.

Under You Chong’s gaze, Lin Hexi slowly revealed a faint smile.

In the next second, he withdrew his hand and brought it up in front of You Chong’s eyes.

On the back of Lin Hexi’s hand was a bright red lipstick mark.

Lin Hexi lowered his gaze, raising his hand to wipe off the lipstick on the back of his hand. Adopting a playful tone, he said, “In this situation, with your height and looks, the only way to avoid being harassed is to tell people you already have a partner. Of course,” he finished wiping the lipstick, instinctively lifting his eyes to look at You Chong, “there are also those who are shameless enough not to care if you have a partner—”

Lin Hexi didn’t get to finish his sentence.

You Chong grabbed the hand he was using to wipe the lipstick, suddenly pulling him close. With one arm, he wrapped it tightly around Lin Hexi’s waist, holding him firmly.

Lin Hexi’s words were abruptly cut off, leaving him utterly stunned.