Chapter 41: Boyfriend
Jin Yanliu realized he couldn’t be apart from Zhou Beiyang anymore.
Whenever he was alone for any length of time, he would overthink.
He was becoming increasingly popular, and his relationship with Zhou Beiyang was heating up. Young, full of energy, constantly close to each other, their bodies and hearts warmed by each other’s touch. The more comfortable all of this felt, the stronger his fear and resentment towards the impending transmigration became.
Love had made him vulnerable.
This was all Zhou Beiyang’s fault.
And of course, Zhou Beiyang should be the one to fix it.
He wrapped his arms around Zhou Beiyang’s neck. “Hold me tight.”
Zhou Beiyang held him tight.
“Every inch of you against me.”
Zhou Beiyang pressed every inch of himself against him.
“Going from hot to cold like this, don’t give yourself a cold.”
“Then make me sweat,” Jin Yanliu said.
Zhou Beiyang was incredibly aroused by him. “Are we still scrubbing your back?”
Jin Yanliu laughed.
There was no better time to explore the mysteries of the body than on a rainy day. Raindrops pattered against the window. Jin Yanliu lay in bed, still a little dazed.
It wasn’t just Zhou Beiyang; even he felt that their current approach, without actual penetration, was lacking.
Mainly because Zhou Beiyang was serving him too well. It was hard to believe that someone like Zhou Beiyang, who was so obsessed with cleanliness in daily life, could be so uninhibited in bed. His toes were covered in saliva.
Zhou Beiyang’s attentive service allowed him to experience the pleasure of such acts. Having tasted the forbidden fruit, he wanted to explore deeper mysteries.
His phone suddenly rang. Zhou Beiyang got up. “I’ll get it.”
Jin Yanliu turned and saw Zhou Beiyang’s naked back, his slim waist, toned buttocks, and long legs, full of the vigor and strength of a young man. He brushed his hair back and sat up.
Zhou Beiyang picked up a towel from the floor, wrapped it around himself, and went to the living room to retrieve his phone. “It’s Cheng Fei.”
Jin Yanliu already had a premonition of what it was about.
Sure enough, as soon as he answered, he heard Cheng Fei say, “You were photographed having dinner with Zhao Sili, do you know?!”
Jin Yanliu replied with an “Oh.” “It’s online?”
“It’s trending. Climbing up a spot every few seconds, it’ll probably be at the top soon. Zhao Sili has been pursuing you, why weren’t you more careful? Were you too intimate with him?” Cheng Fei asked. “How are you going to respond? Or should we pay to remove the trending topic?”
“No need to remove it,” Jin Yanliu said. “Let me take a look, I’ll get back to you later.”
He hung up and went on Weibo.
Zhou Beiyang asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jin Yanliu said, “I had dinner with Zhao Sili today, and we were photographed by paparazzi. It’s trending.”
He checked Weibo. Willow Leaf Fall didn’t disappoint and had indeed posted the stolen photos.
Jin Yanliu was already a top star, and with the explosive popularity of Into The Abyss, his scandal unsurprisingly swept the internet. It took less than ten minutes to climb to the top of the trending topics.
[So this is Zhao Sili, the one rumored to be madly pursuing Jin Yanliu? He’s not what I imagined. I thought he was a fat, greasy, middle-aged man. I didn’t expect him to be so handsome!]
[It’s a pity he uses a cane. I don’t mean to discriminate against people with disabilities, but I think his qualifications are a bit lacking for Jin Yanliu.]
[I think more than 90% of the people in this world are lacking for Jin Yanliu. It’s hard for him to find a man of equal standing, or even someone better.]
[Oh my god, why is everyone discussing whether they’re a good match? Isn’t the most shocking thing that Jin Yanliu likes men?! Why isn’t anyone shocked?!]
[Maybe because of Into The Abyss. This drama’s brotherhood fans are super crazy. Plus, the rumors about him and Zhao Sili have been circulating for a while, so everyone was mentally prepared.]
[Is this considered confirmation? I don’t think it confirms that Jin Yanliu likes men, nor does it confirm that he’s with Zhao Sili. We still need to see his response.]
[Did you see the 39th trending topic? It’s hilarious.]
[What happened? Post a screenshot!]
[One Leaf Hiding Wood is also trending, hahaha.]
[I knew it! One Leaf Hiding Wood CP fans are super crazy. They’ll go ballistic whenever Jin Yanliu has a scandal with anyone. This Zhao Sili is going to get torn apart.]
[Speaking of One Leaf Hiding Wood being so popular, has Jin Yanliu considered promoting the CP with Yan Huihua? They’re such a good match!]
[Are there CP fans in your area? Come join me, One Leaf Hiding Wood is real!]
Then followed a bunch of stills from Into The Abyss, successfully diverting the topic.
Jin Yanliu laughed as he read the comments.
Zhou Beiyang beside him, however, looked gloomy.
He carefully watched the secretly filmed video. Although it was raining and at night, the video was very clear. Zhao Sili taking off his jacket and putting it on Jin Yanliu already infuriated him, and then Jin Yanliu even hugged Zhao Sili.
He frowned and looked at Jin Yanliu. “Where’s the jacket?”
He hadn’t seen Jin Yanliu wearing it back.
“It’s in the car,” Jin Yanliu said with a smile.
“You’re still laughing,” Zhou Beiyang said. “Didn’t you say you were going to set things straight with him during dinner? And this is the result?”
“With someone like him, just verbally rejecting him isn’t enough. Wait for my ultimate move.”
As soon as Jin Yanliu finished speaking, Cheng Fei called again. “So, have you seen it? What are you going to do?”
“Of course, I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity for hype. I’ll respond when the popularity starts to die down,” Jin Yanliu said.
“How are you going to respond?”
Jin Yanliu glanced at Zhou Beiyang. “Deny it, categorically deny it.”
“Before you respond, should you inform Zhao Sili?”
“I have no obligation to him, and I don’t plan to interact with him again. No need.”
Zhou Beiyang listened with satisfaction. He scrolled through the trending topics on his phone and saw “One Leaf Hiding Wood.”
He clicked on it and sneered.
Yan Huihua had been behaving lately, but his fans hadn’t, especially his and Jin Yanliu’s CP fans, who were becoming increasingly prominent. He knew they were mostly fans of the characters, but young fans these days often couldn’t differentiate between actors and their roles. Their love for the characters would transfer to the actors. Any small interaction between Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua could send them into a frenzy.
He had even found One Leaf Hiding Wood fan art online, and he suspected that soon, there would be R18 artwork of Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua themselves.
He increasingly regretted not snatching the role of Ye Hengyang. Otherwise, the entire internet would be shipping him and Jin Yanliu now.
He tossed his phone aside and rested his head on Jin Yanliu’s lap.
Jin Yanliu was thinking about how to write his Weibo post and moved his leg. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Zhou Beiyang said.
Jin Yanliu chuckled. “I know you too well. Did you see the trending topics and get jealous again?”
“I really want the whole world to know that you’re mine.”
That way, there wouldn’t be rumors like Zhao Sili, and the One Leaf Hiding Wood CP fans wouldn’t be so rampant.
“Want to go public with me?”
Zhou Beiyang immediately raised his head. “Can we?”
“No.”
Zhou Beiyang said, “So I’m something to be hidden, is that it?”
“Yes, you’re perfect for being kept hidden like a treasure,” Jin Yanliu said.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Beiyang pulled off his towel and wrapped his legs around Jin Yanliu’s foot.
Jin Yanliu was startled. Seeing that Zhou Beiyang was about to hump his foot, he quickly retracted his leg. “Pervert!”
“You’re just realizing that now?” Zhou Beiyang said. “Keep your distance from Zhao Sili and Yan Huihua in the future. You know how strong my possessiveness is.”
Jin Yanliu particularly enjoyed seeing his strong possessiveness. His foot, trapped between Zhou Beiyang’s legs, stirred a flicker of arousal within him. He tossed his phone aside. “How strong? I don’t know.”
Zhou Beiyang just stared at him and smiled. Jin Yanliu asked, “How many times a night does it take for you to be spent?”
A man in his early twenties was truly terrifying.
“I want to cover you entirely in my essence,” Zhou Beiyang said, his face slightly flushed.
“What?” Jin Yanliu reacted, his voice slightly breathless. “Do you think you’re a sp*rm-producing machine?”
“Want to try?” Zhou Beiyang said. “You think I’m just talking dirty, but I’m serious. You’ve seen nature documentaries, right? Some male animals use urine or other fluids to mark their territory. If you’re covered in my scent, you’re mine.”
Jin Yanliu considered himself someone who didn’t blush easily, but sometimes, Zhou Beiyang’s little thoughts could still make him flush crimson. “You’re so perverted, disgusting.”
“I am perverted,” Zhou Beiyang said. “If you’re scared, then obediently listen to me.”
Jin Yanliu’s phone rang again. Flushing, he picked it up. Seeing the caller ID, he immediately pushed Zhou Beiyang. “It’s Zhao Sili. Stop messing around.”
Zhou Beiyang released him, pulled up the covers over them, and lay beside Jin Yanliu, listening intently.
Jin Yanliu cleared his throat and answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Did I disturb you?” Zhao Sili’s voice sounded particularly gentle. “It seems we were photographed by paparazzi while having dinner today. It’s trending.”
Jin Yanliu said, “Is that so…”
“I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. Reporters have been calling me, but I didn’t know how to respond, so I rejected them all. Whether or not to respond, and how to respond, is entirely up to you.”
He was quite eloquent and seemed to be testing the waters.
Jin Yanliu hummed and was about to speak when Zhou Beiyang leaned in and said, “Is that Mr. Zhao?”
Zhao Sili on the other end clearly stiffened. Jin Yanliu raised an eyebrow at Zhou Beiyang, who took his phone and lay on his chest.
“This is…”
“I’m his man.” Zhou Beiyang’s tone suddenly became aggressive, his expression changing completely. Jin Yanliu looked down at him, thinking this man was a chameleon.
An idea struck him. He said into the phone, “I’m sorry, Mr. Zhao, my boyfriend is a little upset. I have to hang up now.”
He snatched the phone back and hung up.
Now it was Zhou Beiyang’s turn to be surprised.
He looked at Jin Yanliu, who asked, “What?”
“Nothing,” Zhou Beiyang hesitated. “It’s just…”
It was the first time Jin Yanliu had called him “boyfriend.”
They had done everything they should and shouldn’t have done together, but they hadn’t officially defined their relationship, neither brothers nor lovers.
He sat up, looking down at Jin Yanliu. “What am I to you?”
Jin Yanliu finally realized. He said, “My younger brother.”
“What did you just say?”
Jin Yanliu shook his head. “…I don’t remember.”
Zhou Beiyang smiled, his eyes burning as he looked at him. “You just said I’m your boyfriend. Am I your boyfriend?”
They had been together for a while, but they hadn’t made it official, feeling awkward. A vague and ambiguous relationship suited their complex dynamic. As long as they knew in their hearts, it was enough. But Jin Yanliu realized that the word “boyfriend,” coming from the mouth of the person he loved, felt different.
He didn’t feel awkward but excited and shy.
There would actually be a day when Zhou Beiyang would look into his eyes and say the words “I’m your boyfriend.”
And both of them were naked.
He sensed that Zhou Beiyang was even more excited than him.
“I’m your boyfriend,” Zhou Beiyang said. “And in the future, I’ll be more than just your boyfriend.”
He leaned down and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Come on, say it. What am I to you?”
Jin Yanliu felt he couldn’t say it.
Because he sensed that Zhou Beiyang could no longer control the primal force within him. If he said it, a twisted pervert like Zhou Beiyang might explode with excitement on the spot.
“Boyfriend, you’re my boyfriend,” Jin Yanliu said, his eyes fixed on Zhou Beiyang.
Zhou Beiyang’s eyes were devouring him as he kissed him.
