Chapter 23
Their lips pressed together, and the air grew thin under the pressure. Chi Suinian vaguely realized something was wrong and reached out to push the person on top of him.
But before he could exert any force, Lu Zhiyue had already pinned his hand down, pressing him completely into the bed.
Chi Suinian was swept away by an even deeper and more domineering kiss.
The kiss was fierce, filled with a ruthless demand, making Chi Suinian feel breathless. Yet, he couldn’t break free. The heat from his lips spread through his body, intoxicating him even more than alcohol.
He didn’t know how long it lasted before he was finally released.
Lu Zhiyue’s dark eyes gleamed as he gently rubbed the young master’s earlobe between his fingertips. “Still want to bite me?”
Chi Suinian lay limp on the bed, his lips slightly parted as he breathed lightly, as if he hadn’t heard the question.
A soft peck landed on his lips, making Chi Suinian momentarily dazed before hearing a voice ask, “Say something.”
He was slow to react. “What?”
Lu Zhiyue lowered his gaze and wiped the moisture from Chi Suinian’s lips with his thumb. “Still want to bite me?”
“Yeah.”
Young Master Chi never admitted defeat.
Lu Zhiyue chuckled, clearly amused. Drunk Chi Suinian had lost his usual sharpness, appearing soft and inexplicably adorable.
Lu Zhiyue lifted Chi Suinian’s chin, tilting his face up for another kiss. Perhaps it was because he was both drunk and dazed, or maybe he had been kissed into a stupor earlier, but Chi Suinian surprisingly didn’t resist. He simply let Lu Zhiyue kiss him over and over.
Chi Suinian, feeling lightheaded, thought to himself that this kind of touch was… gentle and comfortable.
So, when the next kiss fell, he subconsciously lifted his chin ever so slightly.
Lu Zhiyue felt that tiny response, and it was as if something struck his heart, making it burn and soften at the same time.
His nose brushed against Chi Suinian’s, rubbing against it intimately. “Nian Nian, you were the one who crossed the line first.”
Chi Suinian, lost in the kiss, let out a soft hum, like a breath, like a silent agreement. His eyes quickly welled up with an instinctive layer of tears.
Lu Zhiyue’s gaze darkened even more.
The atmosphere grew warmer.
Sweat formed on their bodies, making even the thin fabric feel unnecessary.
Clothes lay scattered across the floor and bed, layers of disorder. Two pairs of black underwear tangled together, making it impossible to tell whose was whose.
Chi Suinian lay there in a daze, his body burning, a restless desire mixing with the effects of alcohol, sending his already hazy mind into a complete shutdown.
So when a scorching palm gripped his calf, he was momentarily stunned. A soft ‘click’ sounded near his ear, followed by an unfamiliar sensation of coolness…
Chi Suinian’s heated body trembled slightly.
In exchange, he received a gentle kiss.
“Don’t be afraid…” The man’s voice was deep and soothing.
Chi Suinian didn’t understand the meaning of those words at first—until an even more indescribable sensation swept over him. His neck strained as he gasped, unable to suppress a low whimper.
Lu Zhiyue’s eyes darkened, and he pressed a reassuring kiss to Chi Suinian’s eyelids.
…
The moonlight outside was hazy, but the atmosphere in the room was scorching hot.
The night was long.
The next morning, Chi Suinian was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window. He frowned, opening his eyes, and realized he had been sleeping on his stomach.
This position was uncomfortable; his entire body felt stiff and sore.
The curtains hadn’t been closed the night before, allowing the blazing sun to shine directly in. The golden light was blinding, and the combination of a hangover and the brightness made his head throb.
Chi Suinian propped himself up, trying to turn over and find a more comfortable position.
The moment he moved, it was as if every muscle and bone in his body came to life at once.
From his shoulder blades to his calves, from skin to muscle to bone, the pain was excruciating—like being pierced by hundreds of tiny needles all over.
If he hadn’t recognized the familiar surroundings of his room upon opening his eyes, Chi Suinian would have thought he had somehow time-traveled back to the day he first woke up from a coma.
He lay there silently for a while, wondering if he had been beaten up last night.
But he had been with Cheng Song the entire evening. They had no reason to fight.
Cheng Song wouldn’t go so far as to put a sack over his head and beat him up in the middle of the night just because of some old grudge with Lu Zhiyue, right?
Damn… it hurt like hell!
Chi Suinian’s face felt numb from the pain. He reached out to rub his sore waist but was met with something solid and firm—
A heavy arm.
Resting across his lower back.
Chi Suinian froze. “………………?”
A familiar face flashed in his mind.
Shit… Did he and Cheng Song… do something after drinking?!
Chi Suinian was so shocked and angry that he forgot about the pain and immediately tried to get out of bed.
But as soon as he moved, the sharp ache in his body intensified. His waist gave out, and he collapsed back onto the bed.
All the commotion finally woke up the person beside him. A warm body pressed against his back.
The arm on his waist suddenly moved, and though its owner hadn’t fully woken up yet, the palm instinctively started rubbing his waist with just the right amount of pressure. “Still hurting?”
The man’s voice was rough and hoarse, like a thunderclap, nearly reducing Chi Suinian to dust on the spot.
The moment he recognized the voice, his first reaction was relief—relief that the person in bed with him wasn’t Cheng Song.
And then he immediately thought: What the hell is wrong with me?!
Lu Zhiyue, seemingly still drowsy, pulled Chi Suinian into his arms, their warm skin pressing together with no barriers in between.
“……”
Chi Suinian’s spine stiffened instantly.
And with that stiffness, his drunken memories from last night came rushing back.
[Did I tell you to leave?]
[If you dare provoke me again, I’ll bite you to death.]
[Chi Suinian, do you even know what you’re doing?]
[Nian Nian, you were the one who crossed the line first.]
…
…
…
What was all this?
What the hell was all this?!
His memories cut off at that ambiguous “Nian Nian.”
As for what happened afterward, he had no recollection.
Even if he did remember… he would insist that he didn’t.
A convenient case of hangover amnesia.
He couldn’t bear to recall it—because in the few fragments of memory he did have, he, unbelievably, had been the one actively seducing Lu Zhiyue.
…Absolutely mortifying.
Chi Suinian sat up with a grim expression, ignoring the soreness in his body. He threw off the blanket, determined to leave the bed.
He needed a confined space to be alone and wallow in self-loathing before deciding whether he or Lu Zhiyue should die first.
“Where are you going?”
But before he could fully sit up, a steady arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him back onto the bed.
Chi Suinian gritted his teeth and said darkly, “To dig a grave. You coming?”
Lu Zhiyue paused. “Can we do that later? You probably can’t walk right now.”
“???”
How the hell did he still have the audacity to talk?!
The thin quilt slipped from his shoulders, revealing the bright red marks on his naked body. Chi Suinian lowered his eyes and saw that the fine marks could actually spread from the chest to the calves.
There were still two teeth marks on the side of his waist that had not disappeared.
Chi Suinian was so angry that he almost fell over. He pulled the quilt to wrap himself up again and kicked Lu Zhiyue, “It’s just a fake marriage. Who the hell told you to sleep with me?”
However, when his legs moved, the hidden part behind him was immediately affected. Chi Suinian almost coughed in pain.
Not wanting to show weakness in front of Lu Zhiyue, he gritted his teeth and endured it, unconsciously forcing himself to have red eyes.
“Does it hurt?” Lu Zhiyue frowned and stood up, “Let me take a look.”
Look at your mother.
Chi Suinian picked up the pillow and threw it at him, pulling the quilt to wrap himself tighter, “Get out!” With this pull, the thin quilt, which was not big to begin with, completely left Lu Zhiyue.
A large area of skin on his chest was exposed, and there was an ambiguous tooth mark on his collarbone, and the red mark had not faded.
“…”
Damn it.
Chi Suinian quickly turned his eyes away and yelled, “Hurry up and put on your clothes!”
Lu Zhiyue moved towards him.
Chi Suinian was about to explode: “What are you doing?!”
Lu Zhiyue pointed behind him and said, “My clothes are over there.”
Chi Suinian turned his head and saw clothes scattered all over the bed. His and Lu Zhiyue’s were piled together. For a moment, he couldn’t tell whose clothes they were.
He quickly reached out and picked out two of his own clothes, and then threw all the remaining clothes in front of Lu Zhiyue, “Hurry up and put them on. Do you still have shame?”
Lu Zhiyue raised his eyes, not feeling ashamed at all, “I just took off my clothes and slept with my husband, how can you be shameless?”
Chi Suinian: “…”
Still talking! Still talking! So annoying!!!
Lu Zhiyue: “You——”
“Shut up!” Chi Suinian roared, “Say one more word and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
Lu Zhiyue closed his lips and waited for a few seconds before he hesitated and spoke, “I just wanted to say that you seemed to have thrown your underwear to me.”
He raised his hand, and his fingertips hooked a small piece of black fabric.
Chi Suinian’s mind exploded with a bang, not knowing whether he was angry or ashamed.
He grabbed the underwear, wrapped himself in the quilt and tried to get out of bed, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, his knees softened and he fell to his knees.
Even though the room was covered with thick soft blankets,
he still made a dull thud when he knelt.
“…”
His physical condition was even worse than when he was a vegetative person just waking up.
Is Lu Zhiyue still a human being?
Chi Suinian was still stiff, and suddenly his waist tightened, his knees lightened, and he was lifted up from the ground.
“Does it hurt?” Lu Zhiyue said.
Chi Suinian looked at the face so close to him, gritted his teeth and said, “How dare you ask? I said everything was fine before I moved in, and we even signed a fake marriage agreement. It’s only been a short time, and you regretted and breached the contract. Are you still a human being?”
Lu Zhiyue raised his eyebrows slightly after listening.
This was the first time that Master Chi had spoken to him for such a long time, and he must have been very angry.
He gently put her back on the bed and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, you were so cute last night, I couldn’t help it.” He said he was apologizing, but he didn’t have the attitude of apologizing at all. His tone was as calm as water, and his eyes moved back and forth at her shoulders.
Since Chi Suinian could remember, no one had ever associated him with the word “cute”. It sounded like he was coaxing a child.
Chi Suinian was silent for a while, then said, “I want to divorce you.”
Lu Zhiyue seemed to be stunned, and said without hesitation, “No, the contract time has not expired.”
“You fucking breached the contract.” Chi Suinian said fiercely.
Lu Zhiyue looked at him, “Which agreement did I break?”
Chi Suinian: “You–”
He paused.
The contract terms flashed through his mind one by one:
[1. The fake marriage period is one year, and divorce will be automatically concluded upon expiration.
2. The two parties in the fake marriage shall not interfere with each other’s private life.
3. After divorce, the private property of the other party shall not be divided.]
Crystal Clear.
There really wasn’t any explicit rule against sleeping together.
Damn!
He had been careless.
No wonder that day, when Lu Zhiyue saw the contract, his attitude suddenly seemed off, and he even suggested extending the agreement from one year to three.
That bastard must have been waiting for him all along!
Waiting to see him make a fool of himself?
Not a chance.
After a long silence, Lu Zhiyue softly urged, “Hmm?”
Hmm, my ass.
The contract and the facts weren’t in his favor, and for a moment, Chi Suinian didn’t know how to pick a fight. So, he simply hardened his expression and said, word by word, “Get out. I don’t want to see you right now.”
Every time he saw that damn Lu Zhiyue, his hands itched to punch something.
If he had the strength, he would have already sent this bastard out wearing a pair of sunglasses.
But Lu Zhiyue always seemed to run in the opposite direction of his expectations. As soon as Chi Suinian finished speaking, Lu Zhiyue simply sat down on the edge of the bed. “No can do. It’s best to resolve conflicts on the same day. Spending time in a cold war isn’t good for maintaining a harmonious marital relationship.”
“Who the hell is having a cold war with you? I told you to get lost. Do you not understand human language?”
Lu Zhiyue gazed at him calmly for a moment, his dark pupils deep and unwavering.
Chi Suinian felt uncomfortable under his stare and was about to lash out when Lu Zhiyue suddenly said, “You actually remember everything, don’t you?”
“…I don’t remember!” Chi Suinian lied so smoothly that even a polygraph wouldn’t have caught it.
“You’re lying,” Lu Zhiyue said. “If you truly forgot, you’d have jumped up and hit me by now.”
“I—”
“You remember that you were the one who made the first move last night, don’t you?”
The words “last night” were like thunder crashing down on his fragile nerves. In an instant, his mind was flooded with illicit images, and the sound of heavy, heated breathing seemed to echo in his ears.
A flush crept up Chi Suinian’s face and the back of his ears—it was from anger.
He felt like a goose with its neck squeezed, his face turning red, unable to make a single sound.
All he could do was glare fiercely in response.
But it was useless.
Lu Zhiyue let out a low, amused chuckle and then said, “Then you should remember the mark you left on me too, right?”
His shirt wasn’t properly buttoned, the collar hanging open on both sides. Below his right collarbone, a set of neat teeth marks was glaringly visible.
Judging by the depth, it wouldn’t fade for at least half a month.
That bastard. Was he treating it like a trophy, a medal of honor? He even bent down to make sure Chi Suinian could see it clearly.
“Nian Nian, you kissed me first.”
Chi Suinian nearly exploded: “I bit you! I bit you! Who the hell would want to kiss you?!”
He was so furious that he even forgot to correct the way Lu Zhiyue was addressing him.
After taking a few deep breaths, he finally calmed himself and spoke in a low voice, “I drank fake alcohol last night, and my mind wasn’t clear. Don’t take it seriously. Just treat it as an accident. Once the contract ends, we’ll go our separate ways and never interfere with each other again.”
Lu Zhiyue’s smile faded significantly, his expression turning cold. “What did you say?”
Chi Suinian was never afraid of a cold face—his own was even colder. “I said what I said. If you didn’t hear it, too bad.”
Lu Zhiyue was so angry he actually laughed, frowning as he said, “You did it and don’t want to take responsibility? What kind of scumbag are you?”
Chi Suinian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Me, take responsibility?”
“What else?” Lu Zhiyue said. “It was my first time.”
“Who the hell wasn’t a first-timer?!” Chi Suinian was about to go insane from Lu Zhiyue’s shamelessness. “You’re a grown man! What the hell are you asking me to take responsibility for? And besides, you were the one on top last night! Can you not be this thick-skinned?!”
“Oh.” Lu Zhiyue responded lightly. “Then I’ll take responsibility for you.”
Is this a question of who should take responsibility?!
Chi Suinian was about to lose his mind. He realized there was no point in arguing with Lu Zhiyue about this. If they kept talking, he was going to get tangled up in his nonsense.
He had just woken up and already been angered multiple times. His butt hurt, his waist was sore, and his whole body felt like it had been dismantled and put back together.
Did Lu Zhiyue rebuild him overnight?
All Chi Suinian wanted now was a long, relaxing bath to erase every last trace Lu Zhiyue had left on him.
He couldn’t even look down without feeling frustrated.
“Move.” Chi Suinian glared at Lu Zhiyue.
Lu Zhiyue: “Where are you going?”
“I’m taking a bath. What, you’re going to control that too? If you’re bored, go to work.”
Chi Suinian was in a terrible mood and lashed out instantly. If it were anyone else, they’d have run away by now. But Lu Zhiyue just looked at him for a moment before suddenly bending down and lifting him—blanket and all—into his arms.
Chi Suinian’s eyes widened in shock. “You—”
“You can’t walk properly. I’ll carry you.”
“…” Chi Suinian closed his mouth.
He really couldn’t walk properly right now. Limping over would be even more humiliating.
Fine, he’d just pretend he was riding a water buffalo for a while.
—
Inside the bathroom, Lu Zhiyue placed him on the stone ledge by the bathtub, adjusted the water temperature, and let the tub fill. Then, he turned to him. “Need help?”
Chi Suinian gritted his teeth. “Get lost if you don’t want to be beaten.”
Lu Zhiyue left.
Finally, some peace.
Chi Suinian threw off the blanket but didn’t dare look down. He tested the water temperature and quickly sank into the tub.
The warm jets of water massaged his body. Only then did Chi Suinian finally feel alive again.
After a few minutes of resting, he gritted his teeth and started cleaning himself.
The moment he touched his skin—
He cursed Lu Zhiyue in his head for ten straight minutes before he barely managed to suppress his anger.
—
After the bath, Chi Suinian felt much better. He had regained some strength and wasn’t at risk of collapsing with every step.
But when he saw his reflection in the mirror—his entire body covered in red marks—he nearly exploded all over again.
That bastard was a dog. How the hell did he manage to bite so much?
—
At dinner, Lu Zhiyue noticed him frown when he sat down.
“What are you looking at?” Chi Suinian snapped.
Lu Zhiyue turned to the housekeeper. “He can’t eat spicy food. Switch it for something milder.”
Chi Suinian froze, then clenched his jaw.
Damn it. He knew how sore I was, yet last night he still went at it like a beast?!
He grabbed his chopsticks. He would rather choke than let Lu Zhiyue see him back down.
Just as he was about to eat, Lu Zhiyue smoothly took the plate away.
“Don’t be stubborn. You can’t eat this.”
Chi Suinian gripped his chopsticks tightly. You knew I wasn’t feeling well, yet last night you still acted like a beast and went at it so hard?
But saying that out loud would make him seem weak, so Chi Suinian could only find another way to retort. “What now? President Lu won’t even let me have a proper meal?”
As expected, Lu Zhiyue frowned. “Don’t call me that.”
Chi Suinian let out a cold scoff. Just as he was about to say something, his phone vibrated on the table—it was Tang Jin calling.
Chi Suinian temporarily called for a truce, picked up his phone, and said, “What do you want?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end before Tang Jin asked, “Who pissed you off?”
“No one.” Chi Suinian scooped up a spoonful of plain rice and put it in his mouth. “Just get to the point.”
“Oh, right.” Tang Jin said, “The weather’s been nice lately. Lu Heng and I were thinking of going on a trip to relax. Wanted to ask if you wanted to come along.”
Chi Suinian asked, “Where to?”
Tang Jin replied, “Going abroad for a tour.”
Tang Jin and Lu Heng both knew how to have fun. Chi Suinian only had to think for a second to know they wouldn’t pick somewhere too cold. Remembering the marks all over his body that he couldn’t let anyone see, he frowned and said, “Not going.”
“Why not?” Tang Jin asked, confused. “You’ve been awake for so long now, isn’t it time you went somewhere to unwind? Qin Suitian is keeping an eye on the company, and you don’t have anything to do anyway. Why not go?”
“Not in the mood.”
The kitchen chair was too hard and uncomfortable to lean against. After sitting up straight for a while, Chi Suinian felt tired and was about to go to the living room to grab a cushion.
But before he could move, a hand suddenly rested on his waist.
A warm palm gently kneaded his lower back with just the right amount of pressure.
Even though it was just a massage, Chi Suinian found it incredibly awkward. He froze for a moment before glaring. “Don’t touch me.”
Tang Jin was stunned. “What?”
“Nothing.” Chi Suinian replied impatiently, “You guys go ahead. I’m not going. Hanging up.”
Lu Zhiyue noticed the hostility in his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chi Suinian put down his phone and snapped, “You still have the nerve to ask? If it weren’t for you, I’d be going on a trip tomorrow.”
Lu Zhiyue was momentarily stunned. His gaze slowly dropped to the phone on the table, which hadn’t completely locked yet.
Tang Jin’s name was displayed neatly in the center of the screen.
A few seconds later, the screen finally went black.
Lu Zhiyue narrowed his eyes slightly, then lowered his gaze and took out his phone. “Where do you want to go? I’ll take you. Consider it our honeymoon.”
Actually, he wanted to say it was to celebrate their consummation, but he was afraid the young master would explode.
So he didn’t dare.
Chi Suinian was already somewhat used to Lu Zhiyue’s shamelessness. Although he hadn’t reached the level of being completely unfazed, he could at least maintain his composure now.
He curled his lips in mockery. “Since you love acting so much, why don’t you just become an actor?”
Lu Zhiyue lifted his eyes slightly and said, “I’m always expressing my true feelings, never acting.”
Chi Suinian thought he was talking nonsense and shut his mouth, refusing to speak any further.
Lu Zhiyue watched him for a while before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
—
After dinner, Chi Suinian went back to his bedroom to rest.
Lu Zhiyue entered the study. It wasn’t the weekend, but his assistant had sent over quite a few emails. There were already more than ten unread ones quietly sitting in his inbox.
However, instead of checking them immediately, he opened a hidden spreadsheet in a particular folder.
The densely packed table unfolded on the screen. Lu Zhiyue scrolled his mouse lightly and stopped after two seconds.
On the screen, the small triangular cursor indicating his position rested on a familiar name.
[Tang Jin]
After staring at it for a moment, Lu Zhiyue got up and locked the door, then made a call in the silence of the study.
Half an hour later, in the next room, Chi Suinian received a message from Tang Jin, saying that the trip was canceled—he had decided to stay home and rot instead.
Chi Suinian replied with an internationally recognized friendly gesture.
Tang Jin: “……”
Life is so hard for me.
Sia– Hi Guys!!! I’ve decided to translate Qin Sui Tian as Qin Suitian just like Chi Suinian and Lu Zhiyue. If you have any suggestions just comment and let me know.
