Chapter 5#
Heavy Rain#
Han Qingsu wasn’t in the mood and refused him: “No need.”
He just wanted to go back to the hotel and get some good sleep now.
“Then come upstairs and get your clothes before you go,” Lin Muhan said.
Han Qingsu was feeling a bit annoyed; he didn’t even want those shabby clothes anymore, nor did he want to have any more ties with Lin Muhan. Just as he was about to refuse, Lin Muhan opened an umbrella and held it over his head, saying, “I’ll just put my things down and then drive you back.”
His handsome, refined brows and eyes looked calm and peaceful under the streetlights. Han Qingsu’s irritation subsided slightly. Rain mist drifted into his collar, and a chill crept up his spine. He had come out in such a rush, wearing only one of Lin Muhan’s thin sweatshirts, and then waited downstairs for the whole night. Now that the temperature had plummeted, he was freezing to the point of a headache.
In the end, he returned to Lin Muhan’s place again.
Lin Muhan turned up the air conditioning, set down the dishes, handed him a cup of hot water, and draped a blanket over his shoulders. Before Han Qingsu could react, his entire body was enveloped by the rising warmth.
“I’ll go find a bag to fold your clothes into,” Lin Muhan bent down to look at him, “You rest for a while.”
Han Qingsu met his gaze through the lingering mist: “Lin Muhan, I have a boyfriend. I’m already engaged.”
Lin Muhan paused for a moment, then laughed: “I have one too.”
Han Qingsu held the cup, looking at him with deep, heavy eyes: “Have you really been in Wucheng this whole time?”
“I came back after I dropped out of school,” Lin Muhan said, puzzled, “Brother Han, has something happened to you?”
“Did no one from A City contact you?” Han Qingsu asked.
He was currently suspicious of everyone. With the fall of the Han family, he wasn’t sure how much of Chu Jingyuan’s handiwork was involved, but he was certain that Chu Jingyuan was a member of the Qin family. From initially thinking this person was just a toy to gradually falling into a trap of gentleness, and finally sincerely wanting to marry him, the other party had been calculating every step with perfect precision.
Now, Lin Muhan’s inexplicable displays of kindness made him subconsciously alert, not to mention that their breakup years ago had been anything but pleasant—back then, the kid was too clingy, stubborn, and determined to be in a relationship with him. In the end, although he hadn’t played enough, he had come to his senses in time and kicked the guy away, then carelessly brushed him off with some money.
If people from A City found Lin Muhan and messed with him… that was exactly the kind of thing those bastards would do.
“I haven’t been to A City for seven or eight years,” a bitter smile appeared on Lin Muhan’s face, “The only person I know in A City is you, and you refused to see me.”
Outside the window, the sound of rain fell steadily. The Lin Muhan with the bitter smile before him began to blur, overlapping with the Lin Muhan from ten years ago.
It was raining very hard in A City that day, but it couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of Young Master Han for his nightly revelries.
The sports car was parked at the entrance of the villa. While waiting for the gate to open, Han Qingsu was still kissing the person in the passenger seat passionately. Suddenly, the person let out a short, startled cry.
Han Qingsu was taken aback. Just as he was about to frown, he saw the person pointing at the window behind him: “Qingsu, is there someone outside?”
Han Qingsu turned his head and, through the glass and the rain, saw a stubborn, blurred silhouette.
He opened the car door. Lin Muhan stood by the side of the road, holding an umbrella, wearing thin sportswear and a school bag, half of his body soaked. A pair of pitch-black eyes fixed steadily from the face of the new lover onto his, and he said coldly: “What did that text message of yours mean?”
Han Qingsu irritably ran a hand through his hair and furrowed his brows: “What else could it mean? The word ‘breakup’ is written big enough, can’t you read?”
Lin Muhan gripped the umbrella handle tight, his lips pale: “Why are we breaking up? Did I do something wrong?”
“There is no ‘why’, I just don’t want to see you anymore.” Han Qingsu dragged him a distance away, moving him out of sight of the person peering from the car, and looked down at him: “You were only with me for the money in the first place. Here’s three hundred thousand, take it for your grandfather’s medical bills, and we’ll be even.”
“I consider that money a loan. I’ll pay you back after I graduate and find work,” Lin Muhan stared at him stubbornly, “Why don’t you want to see me? You said you would be with me forever and that we would get married in the future.”
Han Qingsu laughed out loud: “Kid, it was just for fun, did you actually take it seriously? I’ve said that to at least a dozen people, and not one of them was stupid enough to believe it. Take the money and leave gracefully. If it’s not enough, do you want another three hundred thousand?”
In the rain, his usual affectionate and gentle mask vanished, leaving him looking aloof, contemptuous, and debauched. His tone was mocking and derisive. Lin Muhan stared at him intently, and suddenly, his eyes turned red.
“Don’t cry, that trick doesn’t work on me.” Han Qingsu stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking at him with a headache, “Don’t come looking for me anymore. My new boyfriend is very jealous; he’ll be angry if he sees you.”
Lin Muhan’s breathing grew heavy: “When did you…”
“We just met today. I broke up with you yesterday, at most it’s a seamless transition; I don’t like that cheating nonsense,” Han Qingsu hastily cleared his name, “Let’s part on good terms.”
Lin Muhan gritted his teeth: “You brought him home the moment you met him?”
“You and I went to a hotel the moment we met, too.” Han Qingsu looked at him lazily, “Go now, kid. It’s pointless to keep pestering me.”
Veins bulged on Lin Muhan’s forehead. He suppressed his anger, his voice hoarse: “Was it because I didn’t agree to you last time… I can change.”
Han Qingsu raised an eyebrow. Last time, he had been too rough and tried some other things, causing the guy to pass out; when he woke up, he stubbornly refused to continue, but it had been fun teasing him… but that wasn’t the point.
The point was, every time after they were done, the way this kid looked at him as if he wanted to eat him alive was damn unsettling.
Han Qingsu chuckled: “No, you were great. I’m just bored of it.”
Lin Muhan dropped the umbrella and punched him in the face.
Han Qingsu didn’t fight back, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and laughed: “Feeling better now?”
Lin Muhan stared at him coldly, his eyes frighteningly red in the rain, and finally let out a bitter laugh: “I must have been blind.”
This was the first time a breakup had turned this ugly for Han Qingsu. That day, Lin Muhan stood in the rain for the whole night; he just pretended not to see him. Later, Lin Muhan came to find him several more times, but he had others brush him off. After that, he never saw the person again.
The Lin Muhan in front of him was still offering a bitter smile, but with a bit more helplessness and relief.
“Ah.” Han Qingsu touched his nose, shifted his gaze, feeling guilty, and muttered vaguely, “How many years ago was that.”
“Brother Han, you really don’t need to misunderstand. I love my boyfriend very much, and we are going to get married.” Lin Muhan said, talking about his non-existent boyfriend, and laughed, “If it were anyone else waiting for me in the rain all night, I would take care of them, too.”
Han Qingsu was struck in a sore spot and became somewhat angry from embarrassment. Lin Muhan stood up straight and walked toward the bedroom.
Han Qingsu clicked his tongue, very annoyed by the hidden meaning in Lin Muhan’s words. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong back then; it was clearly a clean break, but Lin Muhan had insisted on making it so ugly…
He drank a couple of sips of water and sneezed from the heat. After waiting a while, Lin Muhan hadn’t come out yet, but his own eyelids were growing heavy, and he fell into a deep sleep on the sofa.
Lin Muhan walked out of the bedroom, but he wasn’t holding anything. Instead, he went to the sofa, picked him up, and placed him on the bed.
“Brother Han, brother?” He sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted Han Qingsu’s face, “Brother, are you sleepy?”
Han Qingsu frowned, lifted his eyelids to look at him, and let out a blurred, indistinct sound of agreement.
“Then don’t leave tonight, okay?” Lin Muhan touched his face, “The rain outside is too heavy.”
Han Qingsu closed his eyes and hummed in agreement, wanting to turn over and continue sleeping, but was held down by Lin Muhan’s hands on his shoulders. Lin Muhan leaned in and gently bit his lip: “Brother, do you know how much I’ve missed you all these years?”
Han Qingsu tilted his head, but his chin was gripped and forced back, and he was coerced into opening his mouth, accepting this ambiguous kiss.
“You have no idea.” Lin Muhan sighed gloomily in his ear, kissing his neck bit by bit, “You even forgot my name. Han Qingsu, how can scum like you get married with such peace of mind?”
Perhaps because he heard his own name, Han Qingsu subconsciously pulled the person into his arms and kissed his hair: “Baby… don’t make a fuss.”
A fierce glint rose in Lin Muhan’s eyes. He stared at Han Qingsu and fiercely bit his lip.
Han Qingsu responded reluctantly, pushing his shoulders with his weak arms: “So sleepy… don’t make a fuss, Xiao Han.”
Lin Muhan stiffened, grabbed his collar, and forced him to look up: “What did you call me?”
Han Qingsu was too sleepy to even open his eyes: “Yeah, good.”
Lin Muhan was amused and infuriated. He let go, leaving him disheveled on the bed, and went to the spare bedroom to make a few phone calls.
When he returned, Han Qingsu was already hugging the quilt and fast asleep.
Lin Muhan closed the door, pulled the quilt out, and took the person into his arms. Han Qingsu didn’t seem used to being held like this and tried to lift his head, but was held down by the back of his neck.
“Brother, I’m not as heartless as you. When I saw you sitting downstairs waiting for me like a dog in the rain, looking so pathetic, I couldn’t bear to let you wait the whole night.” Lin Muhan kissed his brows and eyes, stroked his waist, and laughed in a low voice, “I gave you water, let you sleep in my bed; shouldn’t you thank me properly? Hotels are nothing special; if you stay by my side, I’ll take good care of you. Everyone else doesn’t want you, but I do… brother.”
The person in his arms was fast asleep and didn’t respond.
Lin Muhan took a deep breath, trying his best to restrain himself as if warning himself: “Wait a little longer, it’ll be fine after a little longer. What’s the point of you sleeping like this? It’s truly disappointing.”
“But I can collect some interest first, right?” In the dark room, his low, soft laughter slowly drifted through the air.
The next day, when Han Qingsu woke up and looked at the familiar bedroom, feeling the familiar headache, and wearing yesterday’s white T-shirt and shorts, the expression on his face was as if he had seen a ghost.
The fuck? Why am I sleeping here again?!
On the drying rack, the clothes he wore yesterday and the old sheets were hanging, as if they had just been washed. He got off the bed, feeling inexplicably exhausted. With a dark face, he entered the bathroom. When he pushed his clothes aside to look, there was a string of teeth marks on the tattoo on his collarbone, his inner thighs were faintly red, and his hands seemed to still carry some strange scent. No matter how slow he was, he understood what Lin Muhan had done to him yesterday, not to mention that he wasn’t slow at all—these were all games he used to play!
He rubbed his temples. His phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number, but he had some impression of it. When he answered, it was indeed Lin Muhan.
“Brother, breakfast is in the pot. Heat it up before you eat, I’m out driving the car.” Lin Muhan’s voice came through, “I’ve folded your clothes and put them on the sofa. Call me anytime if you need anything.”
“Lin Muhan.” Han Qingsu said with a dark face, “What did you do last night?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end: “I had a bit to drink after you fell asleep, and I mistook you for my boyfriend… but I didn’t do much, brother. I just… couldn’t help but use your hand—”
“You call that ’not doing much’?” Han Qingsu said coldly, “I should make it clear to you: I have no such intentions toward you. Everything in the past is long over. Whether your bumping into me was intentional or accidental, it’s impossible between us.”
A soft laugh came from the phone: “Brother, you can take anyone you grab in a bar to bed, so why can’t it be me? Besides, I didn’t even do anything yet, and you’re already this scared. What are you feeling so guilty about?”
“Get lost!” Han Qingsu suppressed his anger, “Don’t let me see you again, goddamn it!”
He hung up the phone and glared at the bruised teeth marks on his tattoo in the mirror, cursing loudly in frustration.
In the car, Lin Muhan looked at the extinguished screen and slowly curled his lips.
What to do? Seems like I provoked him too much.
But he really is cute when he loses his temper.