Lu Xingzhe's movements paused. He thought he was pretending to be drunk and expressionlessly pinched Xi Nian's chin, forcing him to look at himself, only to be met with a pair of dazed and unfocused eyes. The mumble just now seemed to have been an illusion.

...

Lu Xingzhe stared at him for a long while, his fingertips twitching slightly, as if pondering what to do. Just then, a burst of messy footsteps suddenly came from outside, as if someone was coming.

Xi Nian was now a public figure, unlike before when no one cared about him. Lu Xingzhe glanced nonchalantly toward the door, then quickly took off his own hat and put it on Xi Nian, decisively leading the man out of the restroom.

Outside were just a few drunk businessmen. Lu Xingzhe supported Xi Nian as they brushed past them without attracting any attention. They made their way out of the hotel; the car was parked by the roadside.

During this time, Xi Nian didn't resist at all, nor did he throw a drunken fit. He was so quiet he was completely unlike a drunkard.

Lu Xingzhe, feeling like he was being a nosy busybody, pulled open the rear car door and ruthlessly shoved the person inside. Then, with a bang, he slammed the door shut, walked around to the driver's seat, and started the car.

The street was bustling with traffic and flashing neon lights, but the back seat of the car was dim. Xi Nian only felt something clutching his neck. His breathing grew heavy, each breath heavier than the last. Countless jumbled fragments flashed rapidly through his mind, crushing his teetering sanity.

Xi Nian once had his moments of glory, but it was precisely because he had experienced glory that he couldn't bear the final, utter defeat.

Despicable and selfish people don't seek their own death, because they cherish themselves above all else. Xi Nian, however, was an exception. He was too proud. When the glory and praise he had obtained one day left him, it was more unbearable than death itself.

There were actually many things he cared about, but when he was sober, no one could tell, not even himself. Today, however, in this dark and gloomy corner, they all surged forth along with the intoxication.

Lu Xingzhe lit a cigarette. The glowing tip slowly consumed the tobacco, turning it to ash, which was then blown by the wind from outside the window, landing on his pant leg. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw his own tightly furrowed brows.

The car sped along and finally stopped downstairs from Xi Nian's home.

Lu Xingzhe dragged him out of the back seat, then picked up the hat that had fallen between the seats and put it back on his head. Avoiding the few scattered pedestrians on the late-night street, they took the elevator upstairs.

Xi Nian seemed to be getting even more drunk. He opened his eyes in a half-drunk, half-sober state, his pupils dark and deep. Finally, he could see clearly that the person supporting him was Lu Xingzhe. His cold fingertips gripped the back of his neck forcefully, and his question was ambiguous: "Why did you come..."

Xi Nian's steps were unsteady, and he was still swaying, but he couldn't forget how in his past life, he had died deserted by everyone, with nothing to his name.

Lu Xingzhe found the key in his pocket and opened the door. The room was pitch black. Hearing his words, he just assumed Xi Nian was talking drunken nonsense and paid it no mind. He fumbled on the wall, about to turn on the light, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Xi Nian's voice was low as he asked him, word by word: "Why did you come?"

"To laugh at me?"

His breathing was chaotic, his fingertips were cold, but his palm was scorching hot. As their breaths mingled, the smell of alcohol was heavy.

Lu Xingzhe didn't understand what he was saying, but he could detect the faint hostility in his words. A nameless fire immediately ignited in his heart. He grabbed Xi Nian's collar and let out a cold, low laugh: "You're so capable, how could you let someone take pictures of you?"

After saying that, he shoved Xi Nian away. "Who am I to dare laugh at a big star like you."

Lu Xingzhe's eyes were full of mockery. He tossed the keys onto the coffee table with a clatter and prepared to turn and leave. However, before he could even walk out the door, he was yanked back and slammed forcefully against the wall by his shoulders.

Lu Xingzhe's pupils shrank, and he reflexively tried to push the person away, but he was held down with increasing force. The person seemed to know his weak spot. In the struggle, his left leg injury was bumped, making Lu Xingzhe's face turn pale with pain and break out in a cold sweat.

The moonlight outside was cold, slanting into the living room. Half of Xi Nian's handsome face was lost in shadow, looking blurry and indistinct. He held Lu Xingzhe tightly, as if afraid he would leave, and asked close to his ear: "Why are you leaving..."

He frowned and asked, "Why are you leaving?"

He was the one who asked why he came, and he was also the one asking why he was leaving. Lu Xingzhe glanced at his gripped shoulder, then looked at Xi Nian and said ambiguously, "You despised me for being a paparazzi before, and now you won't let me leave. Big Star Xi, that's not how you get to have it both ways."

The last sentence carried a deeper meaning and was truly venomous.

Xi Nian said, "You can't go."

"You're not allowed to go..."

He didn't know why, it was as if he was possessed, repeating this one sentence over and over again, and then softly chanting Lu Xingzhe's name. Finally, his cold fingertips clasped the back of his head and he kissed him, starting from his earlobe.

Lu Xingzhe felt the warm breath on the side of his face, and his heart skipped a beat. Realizing what was happening, he immediately tried to push the man away. However, Xi Nian seemed to be very familiar with the sensitive spots on his body. His fingertips pressed against his tailbone through his clothes, and a sudden ticklish sensation arose, instantly draining his strength.

Lu Xingzhe felt that he was being played with. Anger ignited in the depths of his eyes. He grabbed Xi Nian's collar and asked icily, word by word, "Do you know what you're doing?"

Unexpectedly, Xi Nian covered the back of his hand and then slowly tightened his grip. His voice was low and sensual, with a hint of drunken earnestness: "Shh, I know..."

In reality, he knew nothing. He only knew that he didn't want Lu Xingzhe to leave.

Xi Nian wrapped an arm around Lu Xingzhe's waist, fumbling his way to the bedroom in the dark. Then they stumbled and fell onto the bed. Because his injured leg was bumped, Lu Xingzhe couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

In a daze, Xi Nian even thought he was a cripple. He propped himself up over him, his palm silently landing on his knee. He kissed his way up from Lu Xingzhe's sexy collarbone to the edge of his lips and asked indistinctly, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Lu Xingzhe stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, completely unable to understand how simply taking Xi Nian home had developed into this. He wanted to struggle, but was pinned down by the man's lean, muscular body, unable to muster any strength.

Lu Xingzhe's voice was hoarse, and he trembled all over. "Xi Nian, you fucking..."

He only managed a few words, unable to curse out the rest of the sentence.

In the darkness, Lu Xingzhe's pants fell silently to the floor.

The wound on his left leg had already scarred over, but because he never learned his lesson and was always running around, it still throbbed with a piercing pain.

Xi Nian lowered his body, driven entirely by instinct. He placed a dense flurry of kisses around the wound, then continued his way up until he found Lu Xingzhe's crimson lips, kissing them with skillful, lingering tenderness.

Lu Xingzhe's leg wasn't in pain now; it was numb. His hands were pinned by Xi Nian, unable to move. He could only try his best to turn his head away to avoid the man's addictive, poppy-like kiss, and then asked in a hoarse voice, "Who am I?"

Xi Nian didn't answer, seemingly addicted to kissing, leaving a trail of faint red marks on his delicate, smooth skin.

Lu Xingzhe didn't cooperate, staring intently at Xi Nian and asking again: "Who am I?"

Xi Nian frowned slightly, then relaxed. He buried his face uncomfortably in the side of his neck, his breathing heavy. "Lu Xingzhe..."

He kissed the corner of Lu Xingzhe's eye and repeated, "Lu Xingzhe."

Another piece of clothing fell silently to the floor.

Lu Xingzhe stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, his strength suddenly giving out. His whole body trembled, his fingertips clutching the bedsheet beneath him, twisting it into a wrinkled mess. He thought it would hurt a lot, but it didn't hurt that much. He couldn't describe the feeling.

He knew Xi Nian was drunk...

Xi Nian consciously avoided Lu Xingzhe's injured leg, yet he also seemed to particularly enjoy touching that leg, slowly caressing and kissing it, stimulating Lu Xingzhe until his eyes turned red. Finally, he would kiss his lips again, asking in a low, indistinct voice if it hurt.

No one had ever asked Lu Xingzhe these things, so he didn't know how to answer. He could only, as Xi Nian changed from one position to another, curse with reddened eyes: "You fucking..."

His voice was trembling.

He didn't know why he started crying.

Lu Xingzhe's shoulders were covered in bite marks, his lips a deeper, magnificent dark red. Xi Nian pressed tightly against his back, leaving a mark that was either painful or itchy. Finally, he intertwined his fingers tightly with Lu Xingzhe's, and after a long time, asked with a hint of drunkenness, "Why..."

Why what? Xi Nian didn't say, and Lu Xingzhe didn't ask. This muddled intimacy left them both exhausted. In the end, they were too tired to even lift a finger and fell into a deep sleep on the pillows.

The System had hesitated about whether to intervene, but their endless kissing was simply unwatchable, so it decided to play ostrich and feign death.

Outside, the sky turned from dark to light. The harsh morning light softened as it passed through the curtains. Due to his biological clock, Xi Nian habitually wanted to open his eyes, but the pain of a hangover in his brain made him frown involuntarily. He wanted to cover his head with the blanket, but as soon as he turned over, he touched a warm body and froze—

Xi Nian opened his eyes almost instantly, sitting up abruptly in bed. When he saw clearly who was lying next to him, his nerves first relaxed, then immediately tensed up again. He tried his best to recall yesterday's events, his expression flickering uncertainly.

Lu Xingzhe had been thoroughly worn out yesterday. Hearing the movement, he frowned and opened his eyes a beat later. His whole body felt like it had been run over, and his throat burned with pain. When he saw the now-awake Xi Nian beside him, he paused almost imperceptibly.

"Yo, you're awake?"

Lu Xingzhe didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. He slowly sat up, and the thin blanket slid down, exposing his body to the air, revealing a clear view of the blue, purple, and red marks. Then he reached out, scooped up his clothes from the floor, and started putting them on piece by piece.

Xi Nian watched him, not saying a word.

Perhaps because he had been handled so roughly yesterday, Lu Xingzhe's face was abnormally pale. He tilted his head to glance at Xi Nian, his voice lazy and a little hoarse as he said with a smirk, "Don't look at me like that. You were the one who came onto me yesterday."

Xi Nian still didn't move, his eyes dark and deep, his thoughts unreadable.

Lu Xingzhe glanced at him, then looked away a moment later. His movements as he dressed became much faster than before. He asked in an emotionless tone, "What, you don't believe me? Think a paparazzi like me deliberately took advantage of you?"

Xi Nian: "..."