Chapter 33 - 2#

“Th-thanks, and how much…?” I didn’t bring much money—I’d pay him back another day.

Du Yijie was tall, and his fingers were slender as well. He brushed against my palm, then gently curled his fingers around mine.

This corridor was mostly empty; otherwise, two men leaning close together, hands intertwined…

Aha. What a sight that would be, really.

I twitched the corner of my mouth, looked away, and said uneasily, “Boss, don’t you have things to take care of?”

Du Yijie smiled and tapped my head. “I’ll take you back.”

Du Yijie dropped me off at the apartment building. Just as I was stepping out of the car, the window rolled down slowly. “Xiao Qi.” I spun around abruptly to look at him. Du Yijie gazed at me with a smile, his tone leisurely as he said, “Aren’t you going to invite me up?”

I paused. My mind hadn’t had time to think; I just numbly nodded slightly.

Du Yijie followed behind me, his gaze roaming around with interest. When we entered the apartment, he asked, “You live alone?”

I gave a noncommittal “mm” in reply.

He paced slowly around the room, glancing at the stereo in the living room. “Xiao Qi, you like piano music? Hmm, nursery rhymes?”

I nodded, trying to hide my slightly flushed face, and explained, “Sometimes when I’m upset, listening… makes me feel better.”

“It suits you.” Du Yijie smiled.

I asked, “What would you like to drink?”

Du Yijie walked over, slowly closing in on me, and whispered by my ear, “Xiao Qi… you don’t need to be scared or nervous.” His fingertip lightly traced the corner of my eye. “Go take a shower first. Be careful with your wound—don’t let it get wet.” His words carried a seductive allure.

I nodded haphazardly. As I stepped into the bathroom, the thought that flashed through my mind was Zuo Chen’s words.

All I could hear in my ears was the sound of my own heartbeat.

When I came out of the bathroom, Du Yijie was sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through a book. He looked up when he heard me. I walked toward him instinctively. Du Yijie closed the book and said, “You’ve liked these classic old books since you were a little chubby kid—no wonder your thinking’s like an old man’s.”

“This is The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a world classic. You’re just ignorant, Boss Du.” I smiled and tried to snatch the book from Du Yijie’s hand, but he caught my wrist instead, his expression turning serious as he called, “Xiao Qi.”

I dropped my playful expression. The only light on was the lamp on the bedside table, casting a hazy, strangely intimate atmosphere across the room.

Du Yijie said, “I only like men.”

I know.

“Do you understand what that means?”

I looked at him.

“You know, by doing this, you’re implying something?”

He explained to me patiently, “Xiao Qi, two men comforting each other isn’t something strange. I know you might not be able to accept it easily, but it’s not a sin or something to be condemned.”

“Xiao Qi, I want you to understand my feelings for you. And no matter how you feel about me, right now you need comfort.”

I felt a soft pressure against my lips.

He just lingered on my lips, making no further move. His arms circled my waist, and then he let out a soft sigh.

He said, “We… can give it a try.”

In my previous life, I didn’t have much sexual experience. If anything, I’d had more male partners than female—I’d always kept myself clean. My first and only successful female partner was Shu Yuan. But before that, under a rather bizarre circumstance, I’d ended up sleeping with Wang Zheng. It had been an accident, and Wang Zheng had been confused about it. I went to the hospital the next day to get checked and took a few days to recover.

When I was clear-headed, I was almost always the bottom with men. Only once, in a daze, I somehow ended up in bed with a boy. I thought it was mutual consent—I fulfilled all that boy’s requests, and my mood finally settled a bit. But then a video somehow leaked, and it caused a huge uproar. The worst outcome, besides my reputation being ruined, was that the Ren family’s stocks took a serious hit. Honestly, I’m not sure if I really like men. I’m not completely indifferent to women, but it takes more preparation. In this life, I’ve basically relied on my right hand for physical needs, and not that often. Cheng Chen always said there was something wrong with me, but I never really focused on these things.

Like Du Yijie said, under normal circumstances, I would never have accepted this. But right now, I felt confused.

I think Zuo Chen was right about one thing: my feelings toward Du Yijie might not be as simple as I thought.

At least, when his breath was all over my lips, I didn’t feel repulsed.

However, when those strong hands slowly stroked my back, I trembled uncontrollably—maybe from nervousness, or maybe from fear. After all, from past experience, these things never brought me much pleasure.

Du Yijie’s voice was lower; when he spoke softly, it had an irresistible allure.

“Xiao Qi, if you can’t accept it, you can tell me to stop… Remember, you don’t have to feel guilty or anything. Don’t keep hiding yourself. You have things you want—besides emotional comfort, you also need physical warmth. Don’t be afraid. Let yourself go. Don’t think about other things.”

“You’re too tired, Xiao Qi. Tonight, you should put everything out of your mind.”

My back pressed against the cold wall, my heart a tangle of emotions—a feeling somewhere between danger and safety, as if my front foot was hanging over a cliff. I tilted my head back, patted Du Yijie’s back, and mumbled incoherently, “You… go wash up too. Let, let me think… think a bit more…”

Du Yijie hummed in acknowledgment, lowered his head to kiss the corner of my eye, then turned, took a towel from the cabinet, and walked into the bathroom.

I sank to the floor as if drained of strength, breathing heavily.

The faint sound of running water filled the air. When I mustered enough energy to stand up, holding onto the bed frame, the bathroom door had already opened. I nearly jumped. Du Yijie was wearing the bathrobe I’d left in the bathroom. His hair, usually combed back, was now slightly disheveled as he walked out slowly, surrounded by a hazy mist of steam.

He glanced at me and said with a hint of mockery, “I thought you might have run away.”

I felt my face flush—honestly, if he’d been just a minute or two slower…

I watched Du Yijie approach me. I straightened my back slowly, but my back was already pressed flat against the wall, with no room to retreat. When his nose was almost touching mine, even a gentle breath brought me the full scent of his masculine presence.

“Xiao Qi, are you feeling uneasy?”

I pressed my lips together and instinctively closed my eyes, accepting his approaching kiss—tingling, real.

“Don’t be so tense.” He sighed softly in my ear. “Don’t be afraid. You… like me too, don’t you?”

Like… me…?

I jolted suddenly. My earlobe seemed to be licked by something wet and soft. My hands pressed against his chest, and I clenched my teeth, forcing back the moan that almost escaped my lips.

I could feel his warm, powerful palms stroking my back over and over.

“Xiao Qi, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you… What’s past is past. Right now, you need to let go.” As he spoke, he licked my earlobe, a wet, sticky sensation spreading continuously. His hand moved to my waist, starting with gentle kneading, then gradually applying pressure. I felt as if an unbearable stabbing pain was rising from deep inside my body.

“Xiao Qi.” My chin was suddenly lifted. I stared blankly at him, our eyes meeting.

“Xiao Qi, you should look at me. The one who can make you happy right now is me.” His fingertip grazed my lips, alternating between light and firm pressure. I wanted to say something, but my mind went blank. I could only silently endure the heat radiating from his hand.

He bent slightly, cupping my face with both hands, and said, “You just need to feel me properly.” Before I could react, he suddenly leaned in. I could even clearly feel his tongue trace across my lips, intrude, and then quickly retreat. His voice was husky as he said, “Xiao Qi, don’t be afraid to respond to me.” … When he kissed me again, I could only clumsily follow his lead, intertwining with him. He kept advancing and then retreating. As I inhaled, he closed in again. In my daze, my hands, which had been pressed against his chest, were pulled by him to wrap around his waist. When our lips parted, he said, “You need warmth. Touch me, Xiao Qi. Actively seek what you want.”

Embarrassed, I tilted my head up. We were pressed tightly together. I passively obeyed his instructions, my arms encircling his torso. When my clothes were lifted, the cold air made me shiver involuntarily. The next moment, I felt something hot slip inside my shirt, rubbing forcefully. I couldn’t help but let out a pained moan. My legs went weak, and I leaned almost entirely on him. After a dizzying spin, I seemed to be pressed down onto the bed. Before I could think, Du Yijie buried his face in the crook of my neck, giving me a feeling somewhere between pain and tingling numbness. I trembled, my eyes tightly shut, until I felt a clear pain on my chest.

“No, boss—mmph!” I almost jolted up, but another sharp sting on my chest sent me collapsing back onto the bed. At some point, my shirt had been completely pushed up to my neck, my skin exposed to the air, stimulating every nerve. My hands pushed at his shoulders as I gritted my teeth. “B-boss… d-don’t… do this…” I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My nipples were being nibbled and rubbed, and something seemed to stir deep inside me.

I tilted my head back, gasping for air. Then a rough sensation touched my lips. His fingers suddenly forced their way into my mouth. I looked up at him dizzily. He lifted his head from my chest and said, “If you can’t stand it, bite my fingers. Don’t bite yourself.” Despite his words, his fingers kept pressing against my teeth, occasionally teasing my tongue. I writhed uncomfortably. Something hot and hard pressed between my legs, slowly rubbing upward against my abdomen.

I stared at him in shock. Du Yijie frowned, looking down, and pulled my hand downward. I struggled. With one hand, he pulled down my pants, just to my thighs. His hot lower body pressed against mine. I let out a startled cry. He took my hand and said, “Xiao Qi…” He panted. “This is normal. Don’t be afraid. Touch yourself.”

His fingers were domineeringly inside my mouth. I let out a pained moan, hesitantly touched myself, but still shook my head. Du Yijie withdrew his hand, leaned in to kiss me again, used one hand to pin both of mine behind my back, and actively stroked my erection with his other hand. My body jerked violently. A surge of unbearable pain welled up inside me—

“B-boss… st-stop…” Du Yijie kissed my face. “I won’t hurt you, Xiao Qi. Trust me, okay?”

Suddenly, a phone rang.

We both paused.

Du Yijie frowned slightly, then turned and cupped my face to kiss me again. The phone rang for a while, then stopped.

But soon, it rang again.

I gasped, gently pushing Du Yijie away, and said with a trembling voice, “Let me… answer the phone. It might… be something…”

Du Yijie hugged me tightly, then nodded and moved off me. I almost collapsed onto the bed, but my body moved faster than my mind, as if trying to escape that place. I stood up from the bed, my body almost naked. Instinctively, I grabbed the blanket, snatched the pants hanging nearby, and fumbled in the pockets.

The phone rang again and again. I quickly pressed the answer button. “Hello…”

[Qi… Qi Ri?]

It was Li Ling’s voice.

She sounded like she was crying.

I snapped to alertness. “Li Ling! What’s wrong!?”

[Qi… Qi Ri, Qi Ri… I…]

Du Yijie looked over, his expression calm. I didn’t have time to think about what he was thinking. I focused on Li Ling. “Li Ling, don’t… don’t cry. Where are you? What happened?”

Li Ling sobbed, speaking in fragments.

She was at the hospital now.

My heart turned cold. I quickly said, “Okay, you’re at Central Hospital, right? Don’t leave. Wait for me. Wait for me.”

I hung up, hurried to the cabinet, and grabbed a shirt.

“Xiao Qi.”

…

My hand trembled. I turned to look at Du Yijie.

Du Yijie tilted his head slightly, looked at me, then smiled. He stood up from the bed and said, “It’s fine. Go ahead. Don’t keep a girl waiting.”

“S-sorry.” I lowered my head, full of apology and embarrassment. Du Yijie walked over, wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and said seductively, “It’s okay. We were just comforting each other. Don’t dwell on it. Go on.”

My mind in turmoil, I nodded. After a moment’s hesitation, I said, “Today, I… I…”

Du Yijie patted my shoulder. “It’s fine. Do you want me to drive you?”

I shook my head instinctively.

“Is that so?” Du Yijie smiled. “If anything comes up, remember to find me. I’ll help if I can.” Somehow, I felt there was no real smile in Du Yijie’s eyes.

“Then I’ll head back too.”