Beyond Saving

Flirting like a fucking idiot again!

Tong Zhao shoved him away with a dark look and strode out. "I'm leaving."

Shu Sizhuo followed at an unhurried pace on his long legs, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the back of Tong Zhao's head.

Tong Zhao's blood was boiling.

You're not just anyone.

How many people had he said that to? How many people had that bastard flirted with over the past eight years? How many people had he treated like this?

So frivolous, so casual!

The apartment was enormous. Tong Zhao walked straight ahead with his head down, the footsteps behind him following like a shadow without once breaking rhythm.

As he passed a heavy wooden door, Shu Sizhuo suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room.

The only light disappeared as the door slowly closed. Tong Zhao was pushed against the wall. He felt the buckle under his chin snap open, and his helmet was taken off.

Then came a scorching kiss.

Tong Zhao shuddered at the sudden kiss, then flew into a rage and began struggling with both hands and feet.

But twenty-seven-year-old Shu Sizhuo was too strong. To Tong Zhao, he was like a wall: not only did he not budge an inch, but he deepened the kiss.

"Shu Si..." Tong Zhao turned his head away, only for Shu Sizhuo to grip his chin and turn it back. "...zhuo, mmph..."

With no other choice, Tong Zhao slipped his hand under Shu Sizhuo's clothes and pinched the firm flesh at his waist.

Shu Sizhuo paused for two seconds, then kissed him even, even, even harder, his breathing a little more ragged than before.

Tong Zhao poured all his resentment into his fingertips. Pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch!

Shu Sizhuo, you bastard!

Do you get fucking horny for everyone you see?!

The young man outside the old residence resurfaced in Tong Zhao's mind. Feeling instantly aggrieved and furious, he opened his mouth and caught Shu Sizhuo's tongue.

Shu Sizhuo's whole body jolted.

The next second, Tong Zhao bit down hard.

The heavy wooden door opened, and Tong Zhao walked out first, holding his helmet. His face and lips were red, and the ends of his hair were damp with sweat, hanging messily over his forehead.

Shu Sizhuo walked behind him, pressing a tissue to his mouth, his gaze lingering on the figure ahead.

Since when did he like biting people? He didn't have that bad habit before.

Tong Zhao walked with determination all the way to the apartment door, then turned and glared at Shu Sizhuo. "Open the door!"

Shu Sizhuo decided to let him off for tonight. He walked over and unlocked it with his fingerprint.

Tong Zhao immediately turned the handle, but stopped before stepping out. He was silent for a long moment, then turned to Shu Sizhuo and suddenly asked, "Why exactly do you want to keep me?"

Not expecting Tong Zhao to ask that, Shu Sizhuo was momentarily taken aback.

"You said you needed someone by your side, but why does it have to be me?" Tong Zhao stared at him and probed, "Why can't it be Shi Ruohe? He's younger than me, and his looks... he's good-looking too."

Shu Sizhuo's face instantly darkened when he heard him praise Shi Ruohe. If Shi Ruohe might not have been the reason Tong Zhao had come here this time, Shu Sizhuo would never have tolerated Tong Zhao hanging around Shi Ruohe every day.

At the thought of Tong Zhao leaving him time and again, only to return because of someone else, every nerve that wanted to destroy the world began to stir. The good mood he had been in while kissing Tong Zhao vanished completely, and his eight years of hatred for Tong Zhao flared up again.

Shu Sizhuo's expression visibly grew colder. He took the tissue away, his face full of mockery. "What the hell is Shi Ruohe? But Tong Zhao, that person doesn't necessarily have to be you either."

Tong Zhao's chest tightened, and his face turned pale.

That person didn't have to be him. For a moment, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or sad...

Tong Zhao's lips trembled, and after a long while, he managed to force out a single sentence. "That's for the best."

He pushed the door open, strode out, and slammed it shut with a bang.

Shu Sizhuo stared at the door in front of him, his muscles stretched taut. The wound on the tip of his tongue split open, filling his mouth with the taste of blood.

He turned to look for medicine, his fingertips trembling slightly, and immediately regretted saying those things to Tong Zhao.

But he hadn't held back.

He couldn't hold back.

He hated him.

He knew he was sick, unable to control his own emotions.

Tong Zhao had finally come back to this world, and he had just kissed Tong Zhao. When Tong Zhao asked him that question, he could have answered honestly. He could have said, yes, it had to be you.

It had to be Tong Zhao in the first place, yet he had insisted on angering him into leaving.

But what if he had said it had to be him?

Would he have stayed?

Would he have loved him?

Ha!

Wishful thinking.

Shu Sizhuo, you're fucking beyond saving.

Wearing his helmet, Tong Zhao sped forward on his bicycle.

He had asked Shu Sizhuo why he had to keep him, but he had really wanted to open the subject and probe deeper.

Did Shu Sizhuo like his face?

Why did he like that face?

The other day, he had seen someone who looked like him at the old residence. Was that another person Shu Sizhuo wanted to keep?

Did he have some kind of special fetish?

In the end, he never got the chance to ask that whole string of questions. Shu Sizhuo had nipped the conversation in the bud.

It doesn't have to be me? Great! As if I have to be with you!

Tong Zhao angrily slapped the handlebars. The bicycle wobbled, and he steadied it before continuing to pedal forward in a huff.

If he hadn't been the one to turn Shu Sizhuo gay, why would he care about the man's shitty character, how he played around, or whether he could be turned straight again?

That was a job for the Straightening Task Force, who drove sports cars, lived in mansions, had ample reserve funds, and took on short-term assignments!

After climbing forty-five floors and spending a day pedaling a bicycle, Tong Zhao ached all over the next day. His legs trembled as he went downstairs, and, afraid of falling, he held the banister and descended carefully like an old man.

He rode the bicycle back to Shi Ruohe's house, chatted with Grandpa Shi, and helped him wrap wontons. He also had a bowl at noon, and they were delicious.

Grandpa Shi packed another portion and asked Tong Zhao to take it to Shi Ruohe on set.

When Tong Zhao arrived, Shi Ruohe was in an acting showdown with the male lead. Tong Zhao took one look and felt a little sorry for the male lead. In terms of acting, Shi Ruohe utterly outclassed him.

After the director called cut, the male lead, Bai Yue, flicked his sleeve and turned to leave. Shi Ruohe awkwardly rubbed his nose, then looked up and saw Tong Zhao. He immediately broke into a smile and ran over.

"You're finally here," Shi Ruohe said.

"Yeah. Grandpa made wontons, and they're still a little warm. Come eat," Tong Zhao said.

Shi Ruohe nodded happily and sat down.

"How was your ride yesterday?" Shi Ruohe asked him.

Tong Zhao grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the set and cracked them. "It was good. I just rode too long, so my muscles are a little sore when I walk today."

"Didn't you massage them and loosen up afterward?"

Tong Zhao smiled. "I forgot."

The weather was nice today, with a gentle breeze and warm sunshine. The scene was being filmed at a golf course, and it mainly showed a confrontation and contest between two domineering CEOs.

Whatever the script said, as far as Tong Zhao could see, Shi Ruohe had won.

The crew were moving equipment, and Tong Zhao saw Bai Yue talking to the director not far away.

A thought occurred to Tong Zhao, and he asked Shi Ruohe, "Why do I feel like you have a lot of scenes? Even more than the second male lead."

Shi Ruohe said, "The director added more scenes for me."

"What?" Tong Zhao was stunned.

"The director said the second male lead is the female lead's brother and belongs to another story line. They originally wanted the two story lines to run in parallel, but the screenwriter changed the plot at the last minute and put the focus on the main story line, so naturally I got more scenes."

Tong Zhao looked at Shi Ruohe and thought to himself, No wonder you're a candidate for best actor. As long as you don't leave the industry, opportunities will fall from the sky for you.