You bit me

When Chu Qingjiu woke, he was no longer in the car. He woke on an armchair in the room.

Only the bedside lamp was on, its dim yellow light casting an intimate warmth over the room. The atmosphere was clearly perfect for sleeping.

Perhaps it was because he had slept, but Chu Qingjiu felt warm all over. Every nerve in his body hummed with comfort, and his hands and feet were no longer cold.

It was almost as though his yang energy had been fully replenished.

Chu Qingjiu looked at Qi Wu, who sat before him in a bathrobe, watching him with a smile. He was just about to speak when a sharp sting shot through his mouth. There seemed to be a taste of blood, too.

He abruptly frowned and demanded, "What did you do?"

But since he had only just woken, his voice carried no aggression. Instead, its slight rasp sounded distinctly seductive.

After speaking, he reached up to touch his slightly swollen lips. He was just about to lose his temper when the young man before him said pitifully:

"You scared me to death just now. Your face was so pale, and you looked like you were low on yang energy, so I took it upon myself to feed you some blood. You won't blame me, will you?"

"..."

Chu Qingjiu had every intention of getting angry, but the way Qi Wu acted left him unsure what to say. The sudden drowsiness in the car had indeed felt strange.

It was possible that an excess of yin energy had caused it. After his cancer diagnosis, he had often felt sleepy, unable to muster any interest or energy. He had lost his appetite, then begun losing his hair and aching all over.

If not for that, he would never have chosen suicide. He had only wanted to die with a little dignity.

In the end, he did not pursue it. He merely said flatly, "...I want some water."

As though he had prepared it in advance, Qi Wu picked up the glass on the bedside table and handed it to Chu Qingjiu. "It's warm."

Chu Qingjiu took it and had a sip, only for the sting in his lips to make him frown. Suddenly, he choked badly.

"Cough, cough... You bit me."

The sharp sting in his lips was far too obvious for Chu Qingjiu to ignore.

He had thought Qi Wu had only fed him blood. Although, judging by how swollen his lips were, Qi Wu must have kissed him for a long time, he had intended to let it slide because Qi Wu had been worried about him.

Who knew Qi Wu had secretly bitten him, too? He really wasn't afraid of being found out.

"I... I didn't mean to. I just... got a little carried away. I won't do it again..."

As he spoke, Qi Wu moved closer to Chu Qingjiu. His moist amber eyes gazed at him, utterly clear and free of any impurity, so pure that it was impossible to be angry with him.

He seemed especially adept at using that deceptively harmless face of his to beguile Chu Qingjiu.

Chu Qingjiu lowered his eyes to the young man crouching before him in a show of submission. He could see those clear eyes, with no one but himself reflected in them.

Qi Wu's broad hand gently held his, rubbing and kneading his knuckles as though to soothe him, leaving him unable to concentrate for a moment.

Above all, Qi Wu's submission came at precisely the right moment. Having him look up at him worked particularly well on Chu Qingjiu, making him feel safe.

Because he was the one above, the one in control.

He watched Qi Wu quietly for a while, then said flatly, "You seem to really like looking up at me."

"Because it helps you relax, so you don't have to stay tense all the time, as though we're about to fight at any moment."

"..."

It's like he's seen right through me.

But Qi Wu suddenly smiled. He tilted his head and rested it between Chu Qingjiu's knees, his eyes fixed intently on Chu Qingjiu's face, which looked especially gentle in the dim yellow light.

"Go take a shower. Let's sleep together tonight, okay?"