Face Blindness (33)

Xin Hexue came over with the ointment and cotton swabs and sat on the edge of the sofa. Xi Zhengqing sat with his toned upper body bare and his back to him.

The alpha's back bore no traces of mechanical modification. It was covered entirely in the flesh and blood of a purebred natural human.

Xin Hexue touched the marks on it. They looked as though they had been inflicted by a cane, but by the time he saw them for himself, the wounds were no longer a bloody mess. They had begun to heal, pale flesh growing over them, while scabs clung to his back muscles in strips and patches.

"Are you really all right?"

Xi Zhengqing nodded. "Mm, they're almost healed. I didn't tell you a few days ago because I was afraid you'd worry."

"Could you help me put the ointment on? It doesn't hurt."

Xin Hexue used a cotton swab to apply the ointment for Xi Zhengqing. As the white paste passed over his wounds, Xin Hexue narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could feel the pain just by looking at them.

"I'm really happy." Xi Zhengqing let out a long breath. "When my mother suggested that you and I get married, you didn't reject the idea to her face. But don't worry, I'll persuade my mother."

Xi Zhengqing said, "Hexue, you don't need to feel pressured. Whatever you choose in the end, I'll accept it. I only want you to be happy."

Is that so?

Xin Hexue lowered his eyes, refusing to look at Xi Zhengqing's sanctimonious expression.

If he said now that he wanted to reconcile with Pei Guangji and marry him tomorrow, the alpha in front of him would probably go mad on the spot.

Xin Hexue thought of Pei Guangji's ugly expression today and his wildly rising Heartbreak Value, and his lips curved up in pleasure.

So he took Xi Zhengqing's hand and answered softly, "I'm willing. I can accept Auntie's idea."

Xi Zhengqing hugged him, almost beside himself with joy, squeezing him so hard it was as if he wanted to press Xin Hexue into his very bones.

He cupped Xin Hexue's face, his large hands almost entirely covering his ears at the same time.

Rain fell outside the window. Once his palms shut it out, the hazy sound of rainfall grew even more indistinct. As his hearing weakened, the sensation on his lips became unusually acute in compensation.

Xin Hexue could hardly breathe under the alpha's kiss.

Xi Zhengqing tangled closely with that wet, red tongue, occasionally sweeping across the roof of his mouth. He knew how intensely stimulating it was. Xin Hexue was sensitive to begin with, and he immediately let out a soft moan, as if he couldn't bear it.

The corners of his eyes flushed red, and tears spilled out.

Whether it was the saliva in his mouth or his tears, Xi Zhengqing lapped it all away.

Their lips pressed together without a gap, sending a shudder straight to the depths of his soul. The young man gradually melted in the heat like snow.

Xi Zhengqing's hands did not stay still. They traveled down to cover Xin Hexue's sensitive waist, kneading it slowly and tormentingly over and over, wrinkling the pure cotton fabric.

That supple waist trembled in his hands, wave after wave, as if jolted by electricity.

So cute.

Pei Guangji did not think Xi Zhengqing's earlier words were very credible.

First of all, they weren't close enough for Xi Zhengqing to disregard his own interests and settle his boyfriend in the Halfway-Up-the-Mountain Villa registered under Pei Guangji's name, especially when the villa had been lent to Pei Ying at the time.

Second, Pei Guangji couldn't explain what story lay behind the pairs of objects in the villa. He even both longed and feared to find out.

His head was splitting, yet he couldn't help looking again and again at the paired toothbrush cups and toothbrushes on the washstand, the cotton house slippers that always appeared in pairs in the shoe cabinet by the entrance, and even the clothes in the walk-in closet of his second-floor bedroom that suited neither his size nor his style.

Pei Guangji couldn't remember.

He also recalled Xin Hexue's silent, resistant expression when he moved out.

He seemed able to piece together only one truth—

He had come between his childhood friend and the young man's love for each other.

Otherwise, how could he explain the clearly paired belongings in the house? And why was Xin Hexue unwilling even to look at him?

The weather in early summer was changeable.

A downpour began outside. A flash of silver was followed by a peal of thunder that seemed to tear at his eardrums and shake the house.

Pei Guangji returned to the master bedroom and pushed open the door.

The soft bedding rose in a rounded shape. He went forward and embraced the young man, gently soothing him on the stormy night.

Another flash of lightning tore through the image that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

Now, all Pei Guangji found in the bedding was a white shirt that did not belong to him, still carrying a faint scent of green sandalwood.

As his rut arrived, the physically and mentally exhausted alpha hunched over, his expression conflicted and pained.

Pei Guangji couldn't remember how he had taken the communicator his new special assistant brought him. After rejecting the assistant's suggestion to find a medical team, he returned to the room that carried the young man's scent.

His personal communicator had been damaged in the aircraft accident and had now been repaired, but its chip had been damaged, and all its records had vanished without a trace.

Pei Guangji found the few remaining articles of clothing that still carried the scent of green sandalwood. He built a safe nest and hid himself inside it.

He found a contact named "Xin Hexue" in his communicator.

His thumb trembled anxiously, but its pad pressed down firmly, placing the call.

Two ringing tones sounded—

The call connected.

Pei Guangji nearly dropped the communicator. He quickly turned the volume up to its maximum.

The rain poured down, but the thunder had stopped.

That allowed Pei Guangji to hear the sounds on the other end clearly.

"Ah...!"

The cry was brief and stifled, seemingly mingled with all the wetness and intimacy of worldly desire.

Then came soft, ragged gasps, completely disordered.

Xi Zhengqing laughed huskily. "Does this feel good?"

Something unfamiliar suddenly pushed deep inside Xin Hexue's body.

A tongue buried itself in the wet heat, grinding with remarkable suppleness and agility.

Xin Hexue raised a hand to cover his eyes. Stimulated to the limit, his tightly bitten lips came apart, and he broke down in tears.

Pei Guangji listened to the sounds on the other end of the communicator.

His head had been burning from his rut, but now it was as if someone had doused him from head to toe in ice water. The blood and bones throughout his body turned cold.

[Pei Guangji's Heartbreak Value +30]

The scabs on Xi Zhengqing's back had been scratched open. Afraid the blood would frighten Xin Hexue, he had no choice but to tend to the wounds first.

Then he turned around and asked, "Did someone just call?"

Xin Hexue's naked body was white, like smoothly flowing sheep's milk.

His lashes were wet, clumped into little tufts. He lowered his eyes and, where Xi Zhengqing couldn't see, slid his finger across the screen to end the call. "No," he answered coolly.

Chapter 33: Face Blindness (33)

"Cut—"

Xin Hexue set down the glass wineglass, the specially brewed pink crystal champagne swaying gently inside it.

He pursed his lips, still stained with wine.

When the break came, the props crew dispersed, while the director and screenwriter remained seated in front of the monitor, watching the footage they had just shot over and over.

Xin Hexue saw Qiu Yuan shaking his head.

This scene had already failed four takes.

Will, his scene partner, tugged at the tie of his suit, let out a breath, and sat down beside Xin Hexue. "Tired? That's just how Director Qiu is. He's a bit of a perfectionist and picks at every little flaw. I thought your performance just now was already good enough."

Xin Hexue smiled at him. "Thank you. I'm probably still lacking somewhere, and that's why Director Qiu isn't satisfied."

It was already late.

The last scene of the night still wasn't finished by nine.

Because of that, Xin Hexue had even turned down Xi Zhengqing's invitation to take him out for a late-night snack.

"All right, then I'll wait at home for you to come back." That was what Xi Zhengqing had said at the end of their call.

The plot had already passed the climactic graduation ball in the middle of the story. At the ball, the intimate video of Yi Si and the elder Carter brother had become known to everyone. After relations fell apart, Yi Si learned that it had all been a game to the Carter Brothers, a hunt by high society targeting an outstanding student from a civilian background. Everyone had watched, fully aware, as he gradually sank, fell into the trap, and was ultimately discarded with his dignity in ruins.

Afterward, Yi Si even learned that the real culprit behind the car accident that had killed his parents was the Carter Brothers' father.

He had no time to dwell on his grief.

Because of the scandal at the graduation ball, the school revoked his eligibility to graduate. That meant Yi Si would be unable to attend a university in Upper City, even though his grades were more than enough to get him into the best one with a full scholarship.

The wealthy businessman who had sponsored Yi Si had been pressured by the Carter Family and could no longer support his living expenses and education.

With no place to live, no job, no recommendation letter, and no school willing to accept him, Yi Si's only path was to be sent back to Lower City by the Upper City police.

But once he went back, it would be nearly impossible for Yi Si to enter Upper City again. The decaying, chaotic Lower City was enough to swallow up the rest of his life.

Yi Si decided to stake everything on one last gamble. He learned that the annual party for a Carter Family subsidiary would be held at the Guodalan Hotel, and that the Carter Brothers, who had already joined the subsidiary to gain experience, would give a joint speech at the beginning of the event.

Yi Si applied for a job as a waiter at the Guodalan Hotel. Thanks to his good looks, he passed the interview without trouble.

He needed to return to the Carter Brothers' side.

He would play along with them, then find a chance to strike a fatal blow.

Xin Hexue had already reshot the scene in which Yi Si encountered the Carter Brothers again at the reception four times.

The fifth time.

"Cut—"

Qiu Yuan waved his hand. "Thanks for the hard work. Everyone, go home and get a good night's sleep. We'll come back tomorrow."

When Xin Hexue came out of the filming location, the night wind was rather strong. His assistant stepped forward and draped a coat over him. "Mr. Xin, are we heading back now?"

The van was waiting by the roadside. The upscale apartment in Yangnan Bay was about a twenty-minute drive from here, not too far away.

Xin Hexue spotted Qiu Yuan. At the same time, Qiu Yuan looked over at him, and the moment their eyes met, the blond alpha flashed him a toothy grin.

Honestly, wearing sunglasses so late at night made him look pretty deranged.

Although Xin Hexue knew Qiu Yuan was doing it to conceal the distinctive features of his eyes, that didn't stop him from thinking Qiu Yuan was deranged, because he could easily have chosen to wear cosmetic contacts.

After thinking it over, Xin Hexue said to the assistant beside him, "Go wait for me in the car."