Chapter 9#
Chapter 9#
“He is very good.” Luo Mingshan finally spoke.
He glanced coldly at the young prison guard. “But I’m not his wife.”
The young prison guard looked bewildered. “Ah… then are you his husband?”
Zhao Xing: “…”
The young prison guard studied Luo Mingshan and suddenly noticed that this beautiful man was actually nearly half a head taller than him. His half-lowered eyelashes veiled his eyes, his expression aloof.
The blood that had been smeared wantonly across his face was now dried, the scarlet hue lending him an eerie, dangerous aura.
—Completely different from how he was with Zhao Xing.
…Wow!
…Wow! Wow! Wow!
The young prison guard’s eyes went wide, suddenly feeling like he’d uncovered a massive, earth-shattering secret!
Luo Mingshan swept him with a cold glance, his tone carrying a hint of impatience. “We’re not gay.”
He paused, then added with emphasis, “And we really hate gay people.”
Though originally Luo Mingshan had no particular feelings about gay people—at most, he found them a bit strange and annoying—since Zhao Xing hated gays, he naturally had to be in perfect alignment with him.
“Luoluo is right.”
A smiling voice chimed in as Zhao Xing approached, patting Luo Mingshan on the back of his head. “Nine out of ten gays are brain-dead. We’re nothing like that.”
The young prison guard parted his lips slightly, watching helplessly as the just-now aloof, distant, untouchable beauty instantly softened. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Zhao Xing, and he obediently repeated, “Mm, we’re nothing like that.”
Young prison guard: “.”
Seeing them about to leave, the young guard couldn’t help but remind them, “…Um, Luo Mingshan, do you want to wash your face? The restroom is right next door.”
Zhao Xing was injured and had to go to the infirmary, but the blood on Luo Mingshan’s face was purely dirt.
Luo Mingshan touched his face and turned to look at Zhao Xing, seeking his approval.
Zhao Xing nodded. “Go ahead.”
Only then did Luo Mingshan head to the nearby restroom.
Young prison guard: “…”
He needs approval for something like this?
Ah, could this be that legendary special play?
After Luo Mingshan went in, Zhao Xing followed him inside.
To be fair, the restroom in the interrogation and processing center was far more upscale than the places where they, as criminals, stayed.
The spotless mirror clearly reflected Zhao Xing’s battered, disheveled figure and Luo Mingshan’s beautiful face, stained with blood.
Zhao Xing stared at Luo Mingshan in the mirror.
The blood on his face had mostly been washed off. Droplets clung to his eyelashes, making his eyes appear even clearer and cleaner, like rippling water—more beautiful than the precious black pearls from Earth’s ancient era depicted in films.
It seemed that compared to him, everyone else in the world became base and filthy.
Was it with this face that he won everyone’s affection and desire, made the never-before-met young guard treat him sincerely, convinced even in prison that none of it was his fault, and got everyone to believe his despicable lies and slander?
Even Captain Guan, the only one who stood up for him, wouldn’t think Luo Mingshan was in the wrong. He would only say to Zhao Xing, “I believe you didn’t push Luo Mingshan on purpose.”
When Luo Mingshan noticed Zhao Xing had come in, he turned his head to look at him.
“A’xing gege…”
The restroom’s warm lighting made his eyes shimmer, soft and gentle. “Thank you for today.”
His cool fingertips touched the edge of Zhao Xing’s wounds, his tone both delighted and a little sad. “A’xing gege got hurt for me again today. Luoluo will remember it for a lifetime.”
Zhao Xing licked his back teeth.
This was the stupidest thing he’d done today.
And this little idiot dared to bring it up again.
Whether it was inexplicably blocking that blow for Luo Mingshan today, or Guan Pengcheng’s “I believe you didn’t push him on purpose,” or the guards’ misunderstanding of their relationship…
All of it made Zhao Xing feel incredibly annoyed.
A surge of irritation flooded over him. Zhao Xing narrowed his eyes, looking at Luo Mingshan with undisguised malice.
He raised an eyebrow and suddenly smiled. “Luoluo still has blood on his face—it’s not clean. How about gege helps you?”
Luo Mingshan nodded. “Okay.”
Zhao Xing stepped forward, turned the tap to the coldest setting and the highest flow, gently placed his hand on the back of Luo Mingshan’s neck, and then abruptly shoved his head under the water.
The icy water slammed violently into Luo Mingshan’s face, rushing into his nose and mouth.
Luo Mingshan instinctively struggled. “Cough… A’xing gege… gege… mmph…”
Zhao Xing held him down firmly, his voice light and slow. “Baby, you called it wrong again.”
Luo Mingshan froze for a moment, then cautiously, faintly, corrected himself.
“Zhao, Zhao Ge…”
His voice trembled, carrying the fear that satisfied Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing finally let him go.
Luo Mingshan straightened up with some difficulty. Half his long hair was wet, clinging to his face. His lips were pale, but his cheeks were flushed red from coughing, the rims of his eyes equally red. On his eyelashes hung droplets—either tears or water—making him look pitifully endearing, exuding a beauty full of fragility.
Zhao Xing felt a little relieved.
He used his long, cool fingers to tuck Luo Mingshan’s messy hair behind his ear, then pulled out a cleansing tissue and patiently wiped the water off his face. “Luoluo, why don’t you ever learn your lesson? Or have you forgotten what gege said?”
Luo Mingshan shook his head, trembling. “No, no.”
Zhao Xing: “Then what did gege say? Repeat it.”
“…No calling A’xing gege. No speaking unless spoken to first.”
He had violated both.
Zhao Xing: “So, is it right for gege to punish you?”
“Yes.”
“And one more thing,” Zhao Xing said, tossing away the tissue. “Gege only personally bullies you, not saves you. So from now on, no more thank-yous.”
Zhao Xing: “I shielded you today just to bully you better. If you’d been beaten to death, there’d be no fun left to have.”
He hooked a finger under Luo Mingshan’s chin, like teasing a dog. “Luoluo still has to be my entertainment for a long, long time.”
Luo Mingshan kept his head lowered, his expression unclear. Only his dense eyelashes trembled incessantly, shaking off the droplets that slid down his cheeks like tears.
His hair was wet, his collar was wet, his whole body trembled, and his face was a mess.
Zhao Xing let out a contemptuous laugh and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to open the restroom door, voices from outside drifted in—several people talking.
“…Just hold it a little longer, go later.”
“No, I’m about to burst.”
“Go downstairs, go downstairs…”
“Exactly. How can you barge in and disturb them while they’re still going at it?”
“Really? Who? That wild?”
“The guy who lost nearly three hundred points in that fight today. They’re really going at it. I just heard them calling each other ‘gege’ and ‘baby’…”
Zhao Xing: “.”
Unable to endure it, Zhao Xing kicked the door open with a bang.
Three young guards stood outside, all in their early twenties.
When they saw Zhao Xing burst out, they froze for a moment, then fell silent.
But before they were fully quiet, Zhao Xing seemed to hear someone say, in what they thought was a very low voice, “That was fast.”
Zhao Xing: “.”
Shit.
If these people were criminals instead of guards, he’d start fighting immediately.
But he could only glare coldly at them and shout back in an irritable tone, “Luo Mingshan! Get the hell out! We’re leaving!”
Only then did Luo Mingshan, eyes downcast, slowly walk out.
Perhaps because he had just choked on water, his cheeks were still flushed, the corners of his eyes red, his hair disheveled, his brows and eyes lowered. Faint bruising from finger marks showed on his neck—at a glance, it looked ambiguous and suggestive.
Zhao Xing: “.”
Fuck. Now it’s even harder to explain!
Sure enough, the three guards took one look at Luo Mingshan’s appearance and immediately exchanged knowing glances.
Zhao Xing stalked off with a dark expression.
Once outside the interrogation and processing center, the cool breeze from the ground-level electronic fans blew away some of the irritability churning in Zhao Xing’s heart.
He turned to glance back and found that Luo Mingshan had already tidied his hair and clothes, but his cheeks were still strangely rosy.
Zhao Xing couldn’t help pinching them—they were not only red but also hot.
Frowning impatiently, he said, “You caught a fever just from washing your face? Why are you so much trouble?! Fine, I’m going to the infirmary to get my injuries treated. You’re coming too.”
Luo Mingshan shook his head slightly and said quietly, “I don’t have a fever.”
Zhao Xing shot him a suspicious look but didn’t press further, turning to head toward the infirmary.
Luo Mingshan followed quietly behind him.
Looking up at Zhao Xing’s back, Luo Mingshan’s brows gradually relaxed.
A’xing gege is a little twisted, but he’s still very cute.
To be honest, when Zhao Xing offered the price of three hundred points today, Luo Mingshan had really thought Zhao Xing was going to sell him.
After all, Zhao Xing truly hated him.
But then, when Zhao Xing grabbed him and ran, held him in his arms, and blocked that blow, Luo Mingshan understood—
Maybe Zhao Xing still hated him now, was still annoyed by the very sight of him, liked to tease him, bully him, and unleash all his dark urges on him.
But… Zhao Xing would never sell him, abandon him, leave him behind, or let him be bullied by others.
A’xing gege is really, really cute.
Luo Mingshan’s steps grew lighter, and the smile at the corner of his mouth became harder to suppress.
And… he called me “baby” just now.
Luo Mingshan let out a slow breath, dispersing the heat from his cheeks.
…I really like it.
Of course, it would have been even better if Zhao Xing hadn’t called him “baby” while shoving his head under the faucet.
So when would be the best time to call him that?
The not-yet-adult non-human creature, Luo Mingshan, stood still, and for once, a rare look of confusion appeared in his eyes.