Chapter 39: “Not Doing It Anymore.”

After the evening’s after-party concluded, the wedding finally came to an end.

Although exhausted, the alcohol made Jiang Yao’s thoughts wander uncontrollably as Duan Zhuxian supported him by the waist and helped him into the house.

Especially through his hazy drunken eyes, he saw Duan Zhuxian’s face with light make-up. Under the lamp, it was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. His expression was still as calm as ever, like a slow song of ‘playing hard to get,’ which, for no reason, reminded him of the cold wind swaying on the road on a winter night.

Like an enchanting male demon, except this demon’s face was a bit dark.

From the entrance to the living room, Jiang Yao didn’t walk properly. He leaned close to Duan Zhuxian, observing his face several times. The men’s cologne on Duan Zhuxian’s coat continuously filled his nostrils.

Jiang Yao himself never wore perfume.

Duan Zhuxian concealed his emotions, and stepped aside.

Jiang Yao was puzzled by his retreat. “Earlier, when there were many people, you stayed close and couldn’t be pushed away. Now, why are you keeping your distance?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “You were so drunk, I was afraid you’d get lost outside.”

Sensing that Duan Zhuxian was evading him, Jiang Yao felt a bit annoyed.

It seemed that someone had exhausted himself playing the devoted CEO all day and was now letting his guard down at home.

Feeling rebellious, Jiang Yao decided not to comply with Duan Zhuxian’s wishes. He was about to reach out and hook his arm around Duan Zhuxian’s neck when Duan Zhuxian intercepted and grabbed his wrist.

The next second, Duan Zhuxian pinned Jiang Yao’s arm and pressed him against the wall, his knee braced beside him in a way that prevented escape. After securing him, Duan Zhuxian swiftly and somewhat roughly removed Jiang Yao’s suit jacket, tossing the expensive, custom-made piece to the floor. His urgent, almost rough actions, combined with his hot breath on Jiang Yao’s neck and ear, caught Jiang Yao off guard.

Jiang Yao stared in surprise at the high-priced jacket discarded like trash, then looked back at Duan Zhuxian’s face, which was calm yet seemingly suppressing something.

A smirk appeared on Jiang Yao’s lips.

This felt right. This was the Duan Zhuxian he knew—hypocritical and unreasonable.

Neither of them spoke as they pressed tightly against each other, stumbling toward an unknown destination until Duan Zhuxian lost his balance and fell onto the sofa, with Jiang Yao landing on his lap.

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Duan Zhuxian casually unbuttoned a few buttons on his suit and loosened his tie. With the light above him, he slightly tilted his head, looking at the person in front of him.

The deep eyes beneath his brow were misty, losing their usual elite arrogance and coldness. With his eyelids slightly lowered, a hazy, unfocused glow seemed to flow from his eyes, as if he was not entirely clear-headed.

Jiang Yao then realized that he wasn’t the only one who had drunk too much tonight.

Duan Zhuxian’s left hand remained clamped around his wrist, with a firm grip.

The wedding ring on that hand seemed even more captivating now.

The long fingers, adorned with a wide silver band, had a diamond set just above the bulging vein on the ring finger, reflecting a brilliant light. Rather than looking cold and abstinent, the ring gave his entire hand a strong sense of being a committed husband.

Jiang Yao couldn’t help but reach out and touch it, his fingertip brushing over the cool skin of the hand, slowly tracing each finger. It didn’t take long for Duan Zhuxian’s grip on his wrist to loosen.

Feeling mischievous, Jiang Yao shifted slightly, rubbing against Duan Zhuxian.

It didn’t take much to ignite Duan Zhuxian.

Then Jiang Yao stopped moving, pretending to be unaware. He took out his vibrating phone from his pocket, acting as if he had no intention of dealing with the situation he had just created.

It was a message from Wei Zhihan, asking if he had gotten home safely.

Jiang Yao held the phone low, making sure Duan Zhuxian could see the screen.

After replying, Jiang Yao casually opened Wei Zhihan’s profile, which had a picture of himself as the avatar.

Wei Zhihan had well-defined features and a refreshing demeanor. Although he couldn’t quite match the devastatingly handsome looks of Duan Zhuxian, he still fell comfortably within the “handsome” category.

Jiang Yao mumbled to himself, “I remember in high school, this guy didn’t stand out much apart from his height. Who knew he’d turn out to be so presentable after a few years.”

Feeling dizzy from the alcohol, he leaned closer to see better, but Duan Zhuxian suddenly grabbed his face to stop him from getting closer to the screen.

Jiang Yao looked up in confusion, meeting Duan Zhuxian’s slightly cold gaze. His distorted lips made a muffled sound.

Duan Zhuxian flipped him onto the sofa cushions and gave him a couple of light smacks on the butt, not hard, but more like scolding a child than flirting.

Jiang Yao, taken aback, exclaimed, “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

Without speaking, Duan Zhuxian directly took the phone from Jiang Yao’s hand.

Jiang Yao blinked, his alcohol-clouded mind finally catching on. “Fine, today is our wedding day. I won’t praise other men.”

“Don’t get too close to Wei Zhihan,” Duan Zhuxian said.

“Why?” Jiang Yao asked, puzzled.

If he told Jiang Yao that Wei Zhihan had ulterior motives, it would be like revealing Wei Zhihan’s feelings for him. Duan Zhuxian remained silent for a moment, lowered his gaze, and said indifferently, “I don’t want to see it.”

Jiang Yao, both annoyed and amused, replied, “Be reasonable, okay? Wei Zhihan is your friend. You invited him.”

“The Wei family’s invitation came from Songxia,” Duan Zhuxian said, a hint of self-mockery flashing in his eyes. “How could I possibly invite him?”

Jiang Yao frowned slightly. He remembered that Duan Zhuxian used to have a good relationship with Wei Zhihan. It was through Duan Zhuxian that he had indirectly met Wei Zhihan.

All his interest faded at that moment. Jiang Yao pushed Duan Zhuxian away and sat up.

“It’s not that you can’t stand me interacting with Wei Zhihan; you just can’t stand me,” Jiang Yao said, his voice growing cold.

Duan Zhuxian heard Jiang Yao’s words and they overlapped with what Wei Zhihan had told him at the wedding—

Jiang Yao, with red eyes, had said he hated him, that Duan Zhuxian never paid any attention to him.

During their three years in high school, in places Jiang Yao couldn’t see, Duan Zhuxian had often traced his silhouette with his eyes, imprinting every detail of the boy into his memory. He could simulate Jiang Yao’s state from just a few words.

But that proud young man, who always wore a confident smile regardless of the setbacks, who seemed to be able to handle any crisis without bowing to anything—just how much had he been wronged to shed tears in front of someone he wasn’t close to?

A twinge of ache rose in Duan Zhuxian’s chest, the alcohol’s assault on his rationality receding somewhat. His expression and tone softened considerably. “When did I ever say I couldn’t stand you?”

Seeing Duan Zhuxian not only deny it but also look wronged, Jiang Yao’s anger flared. “It’s fine if you don’t admit it. But back then, I told you to stay away from Shen Tang and not block my path. And what did you do? You went ahead and enrolled in the same university as him and even followed him abroad for further studies. Now you want me to stay away from someone else just because you say so? No way!”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “It was a coincidence that Shen Tang and I both applied to Q University. The study abroad thing was also a coincidence.”

Jiang Yao glared at Duan Zhuxian, not believing a word.

He was so certain because he had once seen Duan Zhuxian’s pre-filled college choices in a teacher’s office. Just like him, they were both set on B University. He had envisioned countless scenarios where they would continue their rivalry at B University and even created a detailed “Crush Duan Zhuxian Plan.”

After the college entrance exams, he found an empty corner on the school’s heavily graffitied graduation message board and wrote “See you at B University.” After thinking for a moment, he added an underline in front of it, secretly representing someone else.

But in the end, Duan Zhuxian went to Q University.

Many times, in the dead of night, when Jiang Yao thought about his secretly hopeful and childish actions, he felt like a complete fool.

“Duan Zhuxian, are you trying to fool a kid?”

Jiang Yao’s cold tone was now tinged with agitation.

Duan Zhuxian said, “That’s the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

Jiang Yao retorted, “Then tell me, why did you suddenly change your college application? Was it because you saw that I also applied to B University?”

All those other issues he could overlook, after all, they were both rivals and competitors in love. Duan Zhuxian had no obligation to look at him favorably.

But the matter of changing his college application—that was different.

He was stubborn about it, fixated.

He wanted to hear Duan Zhuxian tell him the reason personally.

This had been a thorn in his heart for many years. Even if Duan Zhuxian’s answer would likely cause him more pain, he needed to know.

Duan Zhuxian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he remained silent.

Faced with Duan Zhuxian’s silence, all the unstable emotions from the past to the present converged at one point in Jiang Yao’s heart, like the tip of a lightning rod collecting all the hidden currents in the atmosphere, ready to explode in a moment of quiet tension.

As if he had received his answer, Jiang Yao nodded, glanced at the place where he had ignited Duan Zhuxian’s desire, and coldly said, “Annoying. I’m not ot doing it anymore.”

With that, he stood up and walked towards the stairs without looking back.

He heard Duan Zhuxian calling his name behind him, the two short syllables low and hoarse, making his heart tremble slightly.

That voice seemed to be suppressing something, as if there was something he wanted to say, or perhaps he just wanted to take him to bed.

The latter was more likely, considering the unrelieved tension. It must be very uncomfortable.

Jiang Yao ignored it, taking quick strides to leave Duan Zhuxian’s sight.

Either he would suffer through it, or he would handle it himself; in any case, it had nothing to do with him.

Author’s Note:

To take care of my loyal readers, this story is essentially a sweet one, so don’t worry. They do have mouths, so they won’t stay upset for long. The misunderstandings will soon be unraveled one by one.