“Yanxi, wait, listen!” Liu Yu’an is chasing after him.
Shao Yanxi stops and pauses. Then, he releases his tightly gripped fist and turns around, saying before Liu Yu’an could say anything else, “you don’t need to explain. In the beginning we already made a deal to help block mutual unwanted attention. I don’t mind you doing this.”
Though that said, Shao Yanxi still feels really bitter inside.
Really, really bitter.
He realises that… He might have fallen for Liu Yu’an all over again. In a different way to his past life somehow.
Before, when he saw Liu Yu’an being affectionate with others, he only felt anger. Endless anger, and want to destroy everything.
But this time, it just hurts.
Hearing what Shao Yanxi said makes Liu Yu’an deeply worried. He rushes over and gives Shao Yanxi a full hug, and says with a panicky tone, “of course you should mind. You should mind it a lot. I never said I wanted you only to block unwanted attention for me. I remember clearly I told you I like you. I said I only ever liked you.”
Shao Yanxi does not respond.
He looks up at Liu Yu’an’s face.
Liu Yu’an is handsome, especially his eyes, especially when his eyes are filled with deep affection.
He… He really likes it.
Shao Yanxi feels a bit dazed.
Then Liu Yu’an say, “I must explain this clearly and precisely to prove my innocence.
You said you had a function to attend. That is when Zhang Ning… He’s an old friend, been abroad for several years but coming back now. He said to gather up and celebrate. Zhuang Feiyu called, and because you aren’t going to be home, I came because I’d be bored. I didn’t know they’d call upon the services here. I was just sitting down when you opened the door, that is when I was actually telling the hustler to go to somebody else…”
Of course, Liu Yu’an doesn’t dare mention how the hustler actually tried to get into his lap, and continues, “it really was a coincidence. Since I was talking with them when I pushed the hustler, he stood still. And you opened the door…”
And finally, Liu Yu’an notices something, and asks Shao Yanxi, curious, “Yanxi, did you follow me in after seeing me go inside 606?”
“…” Shao Yanxi is sighing in relief inside, “no.”
That is when the two of them are finally starting to pay attention to their surroundings, and there’s more than one head poking out of 606.
Thinking that Liu Yu’an said these people arranged for a hustler to go to Liu Yu’an, he gives them a cold sweep with his glare.
Unfortunate, the distance means they fail to heed his warning gaze.
But still, seeing Shao Yanxi realise they’re listening in, they all pop their heads back in the room like little ducklings.
Liu Yu’an, meanwhile, who has his back to them doesn’t see. He continues asking, “did you really enter by coincidence right after I went inside?”
“…” Shao Yanxi changes the topic, “I didn’t. Let me go.”
“No way,” Liu Yu’an puts his head onto Shao Yanxi’s shoulder and asks, “is your function over yet?”
“Not yet,” Shao Yanxi is a bit shorter than Liu Yu’an, so being hugged like this means half of his face is buried into Liu Yu’an’s chest… Not to mention Liu Yu’an is holding him tight in his embrace with one hand and putting his other hand onto his head.
He’s firmly captured in his embrace.
Shao Yanxi hesitates for a bit before lifting his hand and also holding Liu Yu’an’s waist with it.
While it was light, Liu Yu’an still felt it.
He somehow recalls that on the day of the marriage, Shao Yanxi expressionlessly stuffed his own hand in between Liu Yu’an’s hand and his body. He chuckles.
He hugs Shao Yanxi more tightly, saying, “I’ll go tell Zhao Xian. Let’s just go home?”
“I can’t,” Shao Yanxi refuses and pushes Liu Yu’an away, saying robotically, “I still have something to do. I’ll see you at night.”
Then he quickly leaves him behind.
While the lighting is too dim for Liu Yu’an to see Shao Yanxi’s reddened ears, it doesn’t help conceal the anxious steps Shao Yanxi is taking, and he chuckles.
Back in the room, they’re still drinking and bullshitting each other. When Liu Yu’an comes in, a silence befalls the room before someone asks with a hint of chuckling, “An-ge, is the other man not here?”
“He isn’t,” Liu Yu’an says, shaking his head at the waiter coming his way with a drink.
Then, he says, looking at Zhang Ning, “sorry about today, but you see what’s going on. If you’re having another orgy then count me out. I’m a married man already.” Liu Yu’an says with a serious expression.
“An-ge, are you really settling down?” One of them can’t help but ask, surprised.
“I am,” he says, then smiles, “well, don’t mind me, let’s keep going.”
They look at each other for a bit before Zhuang Feiyu starts by complaining about something that happened recently, then they start up again.
In the end, who knows what got into Zhao Xian but he wanted to play Truth or Dare. And so they did.
At Zhao Xian’s turn, he keeps turning the beer bottle towards Zhuang Feiyu, and Liu Yu’an finally realises what’s going on.
Zhao Xian likes Zhuang Feiyu, not that it’s too much of a surprise.
But Zhuang Feiyu doesn’t know. And in fact is quite angry Zhao Xian is targeting him continuously turning the bottle to him.
He rips into him a bit then tries to turn the bottle against him when it’s his turn.
Unfortunately, it keeps landing on Liu Yu’an who’s next to Zhao Xian.
“… I’ll go with truth,” says Liu Yu’an.
Then Zhuang Feiyu asks, “An-ge, I’ve always been meaning to ask. Why did you go after Yue Zhun in the first place?”
Liu Yu’an “…” He gives Zhuang Feiyu a death glare and then says, “because I was throwing a tantrum with Yanxi.”
“Tantrum?”
“That’s your second question already.”
“Alright,” Zhuang Feiyu seems dissatisfied. To get the answer he wants this time he wants to get Liu Yu’an, but it keeps ending up at Zhao Xian instead. Another few rounds pass before he finally has the bottle on Liu Yu’an.
Before he can even ask, though, Shao Yanxi comes in, and is coming to ask Liu Yu’an whether he wants to go home together. That is when he hears Liu Yu’an say “dare.”
Then he walks towards Shao Yanxi.
Everyone else “…”
Liu Yu’an isn’t letting him ask, and Zhuang Feiyu can’t think of what to do, and asks Zhao Xian, “what should I make him do?”
“Tell him to kiss someone in the room for two minutes.”
Zhuang Feiyu repeats what Zhao Xian suggested.
“…” Liu Yu’an gives Zhuang Feiyu a rather menacing glance.
Zhuang Feiyu shrinks a little, and blames Zhao Xian, “it’s all him.”
Zhao Xian, meanwhile, is just looking at Liu Yu’an and Shao Yanxi.
Shao Yanxi is a bit nonplussed as Liu Yu’an whispers into his ear, “Yanxi, I’ll be kissing you know. If you don’t like this, push me away.”
Hearing that, all of Shao Yanxi’s hair blows up on end.
He just realised he might have fallen for Liu Yu’an again, and now he’s already kissing him?
Shao Yanxi reflexively tries to step back, but he stops himself midway.
Liu Yu’an takes off his coat and covers their heads with it.
Then he repeats, “push me away if you don’t like it.”
When they kiss, Liu Yu’an thought Shao Yanxi would at best let him have five seconds, but Shao Yanxi doesn’t push him away at all.
Meanwhile, Shao Yanxi doesn’t know what he should be feeling. He’s a mess.
In both his lives, besides the day of the marriage, it’s the first time ever Liu Yu’an has kissed him, and definitely the first where Liu Yu’an is kissing him of his own volition.
Though the situation leaves something to be desired. Thinking about how much Liu Yu’an said he likes him and likes him and likes him but never did act once until now, it feels a bit ironic.