Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The opening ceremony was held in a hotel. Of course, ordinary people could not attend.

There was already a long queue in front of the stock exchange’s entrance. It was clear that although many people weren’t optimistic about the future of financial securities, it didn’t deter hopeful speculators.

Shen City Stock Exchange was the first official independent stock exchange in mainland China. Before it was established, stocks could only be bought through local forums or SAR’s black market. For quite a long time, the state had adopted an ambiguous wait-and-see attitude towards stock trading, neither encouraging nor banning it. However, this deliberate neglect didn’t mean that the capital market was nonexistent, so even though the term “shareholder” was not widely used, the title had already gained considerable respect.

For the 1990s, an event like this one was absolutely astonishing. Gao Sheng and the other two, who more or less knew what Lin Jingzhe came here to do, had to stop their eyes from popping out of their heads. The residents of Liyun Town believed that a sane person with both feet on the ground should save as much money as possible every month. And yet, people in the big city were actually willing to wait in line to spend money!

For Lin Jingzhe, though, this scene looked almost dull. It could hardly be called a commotion compared to later periods. Whenever new shares would be issued, the doors couldn’t close due to the sheer amount of speculators crowding inside to buy them!

Tian Dahua’s “acquaintance” was an internal staff member. The man was extremely busy since the opening ceremony was about to begin, so he only had time to come out and hastily greet them before rushing back inside. Before leaving, he stuffed a piece of paper in Tian Dahua’s hand.

Smiling, Tian Dahua smoothed the slightly wrinkled page and handed it to Lin Jingzhe. “This is the letter of authorization. I asked him to bring one—everyone else has to queue up to get them.”

Lin Jingzhe nodded. This letter of authorization probably had to be paid for, but Tian Dahua didn’t ask for money. Sometimes, the broker would give up some small profits in order to maintain a good relationship with his clients.

“Let’s go, then.” The venue was already so crowded that it was difficult to move a single step, and the air was so stuffy that it seemed the midsummer heat followed them inside. Tian Dahua was so hot that drops of sweat trickled down his forehead. Afraid that Lin Jingzhe would be jostled by the crowd, he proposed, “Trading in the trading hall is about to begin, but it will just be retail, for individual investors. Let’s wait next door.”

Lin Jingzhe had no objection. He came inside simply because he wanted to witness, first-hand, the beginning of a definitive period in history. It gave him a curious feeling, as if the impenetrable barrier of time had been broken by an invisible force, letting him catch a glimpse of the long-gone past.

What was he doing during this time in his last life?

Lin Jingzhe tried to remember but found himself unable to.

Had he been moping around, depressed because of his predicted low score on the college entrance examination? Or had he been preoccupied with Jiang Qiaqia, contacting him out of the blue, wanting to play a “loving mother”? Or maybe he’d been mourning the loss of the antiques, his grandfather’s legacy?

He looked at the crowd of people surrounding him, their eyes sparkling with passion and hope, their heads filled with dreams.

Lin Jingzhe’s face remained expressionless, but he felt like laughing.

It turned out that the obstacles in his heart, the troubles he was certain he’d remember until the day he died, could really be forgotten, so quietly that he hadn’t even noticed their disappearance.

In a few years, with the stock market rising, securities firms would pop up like mushrooms, but currently, there was only a handful in the whole city.

Tian Dahua had a small car, scrubbed clean and waxed so thoroughly that the paint gleamed in the sun. He brought Lin Jingzhe to Good Fortune Securities, the number one securities company in Shen City at the time.

The broker led him into the building next door to the company. It was also crowded, but this crowd looked significantly different from the small-time investors in the trading hall. The people here wore business suits and leather shoes, had calm expressions, and walked with firm and steady steps. Most of them looked like experienced businessmen that had been navigating the waters of the market for a long time.

They went up to the sixth floor, passing many doors numbered “618,” “628,” and other similarly auspicious combinations.

After turning a corner, there was only one door left, at the far end of the corridor.

Tian Dahua looked at the bright red “6868,” nodded with satisfaction, and opened the door for Lin Jingzhe. “It’s here.”

It was a fairly spacious trading room with a TV at each end, unlit for now. There were already many people seated inside. Lin Jingzhe discreetly glanced around, noticing several people who looked like big-time bosses settled comfortably on the leather sofas, making phone calls with giant cell phones.

He followed Tian Dahua inside, calmly accepting the inquisitive gazes of the people they passed by, not looking back at them.

His seat was near the center, very close to the TV . It was a good spot, so Tian Dahua’s smile held a hint of pride. “Are you satisfied with this seat, Mr. Lin? If not, I’ll ask for a change.”

Since he had no need to see the stock market trends for the past months, Lin Jingzhe shook his head. “No, this is fine.”

He turned around and gracefully sat in the armchair, his eyes motioning to Gao Sheng that they should sit on the large sofa and rest.

But his friends didn’t obey. They were full of vigilance against this strange, unknown world they came into contact with for the first time today, so they all stood behind Lin Jingzhe, determined to protect him from any possible threats.

Seeing this, Tian Dahua was astounded. He thought that these bodyguards were really professional.

In front of them, in another small space blocked off by two dense potted plants, Hu Shaofeng lounged on a sofa, his legs crossed as he sipped a coke. Abruptly, he sat up.

He nudged Xiao Chi, who sat on another sofa with blank eyes, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads, with his toe. Seeing no reaction, Hu Shaofeng continued to nudge him.

Xiao Chi frowned and looked at him, “What?”

“Just look at that guy.” Hu Shaofeng ignored the disapproval in his friend’s voice, gesturing with his chin towards a certain direction. “That one there, dressed in white. Fuck, I’m impressed—I never thought I’d see someone more pretentious than you!”

Xiao Chi couldn’t help but glance over.

Behind him, Hu Shaofeng grinned mischievously. “Have you been outmatched?”

He’d thought his friend, who didn’t smoke or play with girls and always carried a string of prayer beads, did quite a decent impersonation of a legendary monk who rose above worldly passions, but the person he saw today… Heck, the man didn’t even need to do anything—calmly sitting there, he seemed to be an incarnation of Buddha, bathing everything in a holy light of unmatched radiance.

Aside from that, he was really good-looking. Though Hu Shaofeng was a ladies’ man through and through, he couldn’t help giving the male beauty a few more glances.

As Lin Jingzhe received the tea brought by one of the attendants, he felt a particularly blatant stare. He subconsciously frowned and looked around.

The annoying gaze disappeared, but he met another person’s eyes through the gap between the two potted bushes in front. Though caught in the act, the owner didn’t panic and lightly nodded to him, unfazed.

It was a man, quite young, probably only in his twenties. He had sharp eyes, handsome features, and short hair with loose curls. It was combed back, but several strands escaped and fell on his forehead.

He wore casual, grey clothes, which wouldn’t look out of date even twenty years later. His style was quite different from his companion’s, who wore a Hawaiian shirt with a big flower print. He was austere and dignified, bringing to mind burning agarwood incense. He didn’t look like a businessman and seemed incongruent with the trading room, where money and fortune were the focus.

Lin Jingzhe nodded back and looked away.

Xiao Chi retrieved his gaze. In the meantime, Hu Shaofeng rose from his sofa and sat next to him. With a mocking expression, he asked, “Well, do you agree, he has you beat?”

Xiao Chi moved the prayer beads in his right hand and flashed a smile. “I’m impressed.”

The short confrontation passed by unnoticed. The trading room, or rather, the whole financial circle of Shen City, was eagerly awaiting a certain time.

The moment the hand of the clock arrived at a full hour—

The TVs at both ends of the room turned on.

Lin Jingzhe looked at the broadcasted stock indexes; the number of listed shares was pitiful compared to those of later years. The trading room, quiet until now, gradually filled with noise and commotion—some people were still watching, some already began to buy, and the securities firm traders scuttled back and forth. Tian Dahua bent down and started to fill in the trade form.

Lin Jingzhe chose the stock of a company called Aeon Technology—one he had seen often in his past life. Compared to others, it was the one he was most familiar with. It also happened to be the only non-local company listed. As Tian Dahua wrote, he asked, “How much would you like to buy, Mr. Lin?”

“500,000 worth.”

“500,000 worth?!”

Two voices answered him together. Tian Dahua’s hand slipped and he wrote out a crooked stroke, nearly changing the meaning of the character. He raised his head and stared at Lin Jingzhe with disbelief. “Five hundred thousand?! So much?!”

Lin Jingzhe glanced at him, then looked in the direction of the second voice. Once again, he met the gaze of the curly-haired young man, whose head turned in his direction because of Tian Dahua’s exclamation.

They both looked away as soon as their eyes met. Lin Jingzhe took a sip of tea. His voice lacking even the slightest fluctuation, he said, “Yes.”

Tian Dahua felt droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. He swallowed the saliva rapidly filling his mouth, looking at Lin Jingzhe like he was looking at a madman.

He quickly regained control of his emotions and continued to write. He looked at the blank amount column, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn’t help saying, “Mr. Lin, you should rethink it.”

Lin Jingzhe closed his eyes. With a nod, he ordered,“Fill it in.”

Hu Shaofeng, who had kept quiet after his exclamation, leaned closer to Xiao Chi and whispered, “Is it safe to buy so much at once?”

Xiao Chi stopped looking at the seats behind him and focused a sharp gaze onto the steaming cup of tea on the coffee table, thinking who-knew-what.

His true character was actually completely different from his appearance. His mind worked in ways incomprehensible to normal people; at times, he could even be called crazy. Faced with Hu Shaofeng’s concerned inquiry, he simply turned the prayer beads in his fingers and dismissively replied, “This is just testing the waters, why are you so nervous? It’s hardly a big deal.”

Half an hour later, when the stock exchange closed for the day, fifty transactions had been completed, with a combined worth of over six million yuan. Tian Dahua marveled at how many crazy people there were in the world and, at the same time, reassessed Lin Jingzhe’s background, which seemed to be more imposing than he had assumed. Despite investing 500,000 yuan, Lin Jingzhe looked as if it was nothing, while his own steps were heavy as if his legs were filled with lead. When he stepped out of the trading room, he felt like he had just finished a long walking tour.

There might’ve been a number of madmen there today, but not many were as mad as Lin Jingzhe.

Tian Dahua thought this, but the smile on his face was very enthusiastic. “Mr. Lin, I’ll take you back to your hotel to rest and pick you up tomorrow before the exchange opens. Or would you rather come earlier?”

“No, I have to leave Shen City tomorrow and won’t be back for a while,” Lin Jingzhe said, “I’ll contact you then.”

The broker thought he had misheard. “Then… you… you aren’t going to keep an eye on the market?”

Lin Jingzhe nodded, as if it was only natural.

Tian Dahua was struck dumb. Which of the stockholders and securities firms’ traders didn’t wait at the door every day for the stock exchange to open again? Was there anyone else like Lin Jingzhe, who bought half a million worth of shares and didn’t plan on keeping track of them? What exactly did this young man think about money?

It wasn’t that Lin Jingzhe was pretending to take it easy.

He was confident that, at the very least, in the next few months the stock’s worth would rise by a large increment, so why should he waste time staring at the stock market board? He’d been in Shen City for a while and he had Gao Sheng and the rest with him—by now, their families in Liyun Town must be starting to worry. If they didn’t go back soon, who knew what their parents would do?

At that point, Tian Dahua decided he’d stop trying to guess Lin Jingzhe’s origins because he was afraid he’d scare himself to death.

Since Lin Jingzhe was determined to leave, he didn’t dare to try to stop him. He closed the car door for him, then sat in the driver’s seat. Fastening the seat belt, he said with a smile, “Mr. Lin, at least let me treat you to dinner tonight—let it be your farewell party.”

Although their current cooperation was about to come to an end, Tian Dahua still wanted to keep a good relationship with Lin Jingzhe—after all, such generous customers were rare. If he could maintain a close connection, it would surely be advantageous for him.

Ever since he came here, Lin Jingzhe spent every waking hour—almost every minute—racking his brains. He was exhausted. Right now, he wearily leaned against the back seat with his eyes closed. When Deng Mai gently squeezed his shoulder, he nodded and lazily replied, “All right, I won’t disrespect you by refusing.”

Tian Dahua truly had a lot of pull in Shen City. Since Lin Jingzhe still had certain plans he wanted to implement here, he didn’t want to break off their relationship for the time being.

The broker was overjoyed. When he noticed in the rear mirror that his client seemed drowsy, he began to drive more smoothly, avoiding sudden stops. He assured repeatedly, “Mr. Lin, even if I lack other talents, I know where you can eat the best food and have the most fun in Shen City. I promise you won’t be disappointed!”

Lin Jingzhe returned to the hotel and fell asleep. When he blearily opened his eyes some time later, Gao Sheng was sitting at the far end of the bed, wiping his foot with a warm, damp towel. Yawning, he tightened his bathrobe, which had loosened enough to expose his navel, and hugged a fluffy pillow as he turned to half-lie on his stomach. Once he was comfortable, he placed his other foot on Gao Sheng’s lap.

Holding his ankle to keep it from moving, Gao Sheng gently pressed the towel against the sole of his foot. “Are you awake?” he whispered.

Lin Jingzhe closed his eyes and hummed.

Deng Mai wrung out a fresh, hot towel and handed it to Gao Sheng, letting him replace the already lukewarm one in his hand. Observing the dark shadows under Lin Jingzhe’s eyes, he asked, “How long has it been since you’ve had a proper rest, Big Bro? Do you know how many hours you slept?”

“What time is it now?” Lin Jingzhe asked sleepily.

“Almost nine o’clock.”

Lin Jingzhe froze, his eyes snapping open. “Did Tian Dahua call?”

“Yes—he called at four o’clock to invite you out. I told him you were still sleeping, and he said not to disturb you, just to contact him later.”

Lin Jingzhe rubbed his face, still feeling drowsy. He’d hardly slept since coming to Shen City, and even when he did, his sleep was very shallow due to everything he had on his mind.

He lightly pressed against Gao Sheng’s stomach with his foot. In turn, Gao Sheng patted his instep. “What are you doing!”

“Stop with the towel. You guys haven’t eaten, right? Are you hungry?”

“I was a little hungry in the afternoon but I don’t seem to be hungry anymore.”

It’s because you’re too hungry. Lin Jingzhe repressed his sleepiness, jumped out of bed, and said, “Come on, let’s go for dinner.”

When he stood up, he found that Zhou Haitang, whom he hadn’t seen in the room, was ironing his clothes on the built-in ironing board in the entryway.

As he moved around, the three brats followed right behind him. When he looked up while brushing his teeth, he saw three pairs of pitiful-looking eyes in the mirror and nearly swallowed the foam. He rinsed his mouth and asked a little impatiently, “What do you want?”

“Jingzhe.” The young men hesitated, and Gao Sheng opened his mouth first. He continued, looking anxious, “Today, in that place, were you buying stocks?”

Huh, it seems they’ve learned a lot in the past few days, Lin Jingzhe thought, quite satisfied. He nodded. “Yes.”

“You bought half a million worth?”

“Yes.”

The three had been guessing all afternoon. Now that their suspicions were finally confirmed, they were shocked—this number was way beyond their comprehension. Gao Sheng’s face was white. “Where did you get so much money?”

“I borrowed it.” Lin Jingzhe spread out his hands. “Do you remember my company from before? It’s fake. I only made it to borrow 200,000 yuan from Tian Dahua, then convinced him to help me borrow another 500,000 from the bank.”

Although Gao Sheng couldn’t quite understand, he knew it was a very serious matter. He covered his face and started to pace around as if it would help him comprehend the frightening amount of information contained in Lin Jingzhe’s words. But after three laps, he gave up. When he lowered his hands and lifted his head, his eyes were red.

“So how much do you owe now?” he asked.

Lin Jingzhe calculated, “Hmm, 500,000 to the bank and 200,000 to Tian Dahua, so a total of 700,000.”

“Are you crazy?!” Gao Sheng couldn’t help but raise his voice. As the other two youths gaped, dizzy with shock, he continued to scold, “700,000! How will you ever pay back that much money?!”

700,000 yuan. No matter how he tried, Gao Sheng couldn’t wrap his mind around this figure. He probably wouldn’t earn anywhere close to this sum in his entire life.

Facing such a question, Lin Jingzhe’s face remained inscrutable. He watched Gao Sheng for a while with a complicated look in his eyes, then turned his gaze to Zhou Haitang and Deng Mai.

The three’s anxious, despairing expressions told him that everything he’d tried to instill in them since arriving at Shen City had come to fruition, and he finally succeeded in changing their mindset.

Lin Jingzhe gave them a bright smile, so relaxed that they could hardly believe it.

“Tomorrow, I’ll find you some books. Take a look at them when we return to Liyun Town,” he said, throwing the wet towel into the dirty laundry basket. Untying his bathrobe, he walked towards the wardrobe where Zhou Haitang hung his perfectly ironed clothes and drawled, “Don’t worry—I dared to borrow it because I’m certain I’ll be able to pay it back.”

When Lin Jingzhe called him back, Tian Dahua was ecstatic. He wasn’t dissatisfied he had to change his plans a bit—he was more afraid that Lin Jingzhe would not come at all.

A four o’clock party and nine o’clock party obviously wouldn’t be the same. He had long researched all the places where one could have fun in Shen City, including the nightlife, and made the proper arrangements almost effortlessly.

High Club was the most prominent and popular club in the city; usually, it was hard to reserve a seat. Tian Dahua ordered a table of alcohol and poured Lin Jingzhe a drink, chatting, “…The boss of this club is an American, and there are always many foreign guests, including beautiful women. Today, a certain rock band will perform here, so it wasn’t easy to book a table, especially with such a good position. I had to ask several of my friends…”

The dim light seemed to shorten the distance between people. Tian Dahua plucked up the courage to ask Lin Jingzhe a personal question for the first time. “Do you have a girlfriend, Mr. Lin?”

Lin Jingzhe was ordering his three “bodyguards” something to eat. At this question, his expression grew hard to describe.

“Not yet?” Tian Dahua chuckled, apparently surprised that someone like Lin Jingzhe wouldn’t have a girlfriend. He leaned closer and whispered, “Never mind. I’ll let my friend bring us some beautiful girls, maybe one will catch your eye.”

Lin Jingzhe raised his glass to his lips as an excuse to change positions and lean away, then said with a smile, “No need, but I appreciate your kind intentions.”

Tian Dahua only thought he was shy, and the smile on his face became more and more suggestive. Not long after, several girls arrived. As soon as they appeared, they noticed that, on top of how Lin Jingzhe seemed the most important person here, he was also extremely handsome, so the whole flock fell upon him, pouring him wine and so on. Lin Jingzhe didn’t know how to fend them off. Embarrassed, he regretted his decision to come here. He left the table with the excuse of going to the toilet, and planned to hide there for a while. Gao Sheng and the others were still eating, so he signaled that they didn’t need to follow.

It turned out that a rock band really played in the club that night. Heavy metal music blasted through the speakers, the dance floor was packed, and even the people sitting at the tables were excited by the intense rhythm. On his way to the toilet, Lin Jingzhe noticed that a guest a few tables over had a much different mindset from himself—the man actually called five girls to drink with him. Now, most likely drunk, he reclined on the sofa. His flowered shirt was almost completely unbuttoned, revealing his waist, and the girls pressed against him. It was rather suggestive.

Inwardly clicking his tongue, Lin Jingzhe retrieved his gaze. If he watched any longer, he might end up seeing something he absolutely didn’t want to see.

However, he got was the opposite of what he wanted. As he walked through the corridor, clingy couples could be seen in every nook and corner. Frowning, he quickened his pace, following the signs until he finally found the toilet.

Safe at last.

The moment the music was blocked by the closed door, he exhaled a long sigh of relief.

Then he looked up and saw someone he didn’t expect.

Xiao Chi was supporting himself with both hands against the sink as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, expressionless. He had taken off the prayer beads and put them aside while he was washing his hands. Now, despite reciting sutras, he couldn’t calm down.

What on earth did those women brought by Hu Shaofeng put in the wine?! He only had one fucking glass!

When he noticed someone coming in, he raised his head to scowl, only to find that he was a bit familiar with this person.

When Xiao Chi saw the other man stop, he stepped away from the sink and leaned against the wall next to it.

As Lin Jingzhe washed his hands, he accidentally glanced at the curly-haired man’s crotch. Fucking hell, was this for real?! This guy got so hard in an empty bathroom—just how “hungry” is he…

He recalled that when he first saw him, earlier that day in the trading room, he’d thought the man was a devout Buddhist because he clutched a string of prayer beads. He didn’t expect that, in private, he was actually like this.

Xiao Chi was already very irritated. Although Lin Jingzhe just looked at him briefly, without saying anything or changing the blank expression on his face, for some reason, his embarrassment grew. He felt he’d never been this ashamed in his entire life.

He seldom got angry, but this time he couldn’t stop himself from growling out, “What are you looking at?”

Lin Jingzhe glanced at him in the mirror, wondering if a black cat had crossed his path while he was on his way back from the securities firm. He seemed to be encountering all kinds of unpleasant things this evening.

As he helplessly lamented that there was no peaceful place in the club at all, he looked in the mirror again and found that the other man’s sharp, gloomy gaze never left him. Annoyed, he silently cursed him as a fucking loon. He’d been tense and lacked sufficient rest from the past few days; combined with alcohol he just drank, he started to lose his temper.

Frowning, he turned off the faucet, then turned to look the man in the eye. “What do you think I’m looking at?”

Xiao Chi was sweating from the heat pervading his body. His hair was damp with perspiration, and a few curls at his temples stuck to the side of his face. He hadn’t expected Lin Jingzhe to confront him; his brain was overheating and his ability to control his emotions became unprecedentedly weak.

The two stared at each other for a moment, both of them expressionless.

Xiao Chi still had some rationality left. He didn’t want a conflict with the locals, so he struggled to be patient. “You’ve washed your hands. Can you leave now?”

Heh.

Lin Jingzhe felt ridiculous. Giving a sneer, he shook the water off his hands, found a urinal and unzipped his fly.

Xiao Chi waited for a while but didn’t hear the sound of water. Also sneering, he stared at Lin Jingzhe’s back.

Despite his best efforts, Lin Jingzhe wasn’t able to pee. In the end, he could only zip up and return to the sink to wash his hands again.

Xiao Chi, who had been leaning against the wall motionless, observed his actions. “Buddy, do you really have to fuck with me?” he asked.

“Who’s your buddy?” Lin Jingzhe snapped back. “And is this your private bathroom or something?”

Xiao Chi started to ponder silently, was today his unlucky day? It had started well, but… he nodded slightly to himself—yes, it was! Hu Shaofeng had been the most annoying fool he’d ever met in his life but, today, he encountered a second one.

He clenched his fists, ready to punch the fool, but then he stared at the other man’s big dark eyes, not moving.

One of his raised hands finally rose higher and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed helplessly. “Okay, kid, you won, so can I leave, please?”

Xiao Chi’s actions followed his words. Despite being swollen and in pain, he walked over to Lin Jingzhe, intending to pass by him. Unfortunately, he stumbled and hit Lin Jingzhe’s shoulder hard.

He was helpless, but Lin Jingzhe was also helpless! He came to the toilet to hide—who knew he would meet such a person? When his shoulder was hit, he almost lost his balance. Tipsy, upset, and annoyed, he saw the other man was about to open the door and leave, and couldn’t help but jeer, “Who’s even gonna fucking see that tiny little thing, shithead? You don’t need to recite scriptures at all, you know? Fucking nutcake.”

Xiao Chi’s hand on the door handle paused. He turned his head to glare at Lin Jingzhe.

Lin Jingzhe sneered.

“Tiny little thing”? Xiao Chi let go of the door handle and stepped towards Lin Jingzhe. A fire seemed to rage in his head.

Lin Jingzhe clenched his fists, getting ready. He never backed away from a fight, let alone one he picked himself.

Xiao Chi walked fast. His curly hair swayed with his steps and more and more strands stuck to his sweaty forehead and face.

Lin Jingzhe caught his gaze for a second. Noticing that the other man’s eyes were unnaturally red, his alcohol-addled brain gave a slight start. The opponent appeared before him in the blink of an eye; Lin Jingzhe raised his fists, about to intercept the oncoming attack—

His waist was grabbed and yanked forward by a powerful arm. Before he could understand what was happening, the faint scent of agarwood filled his nose.

Then, his chin was clamped in a vise-like grip and his lips were hot. When a warm and slippery tongue touched his own, only one word flashed in his mind—

Fuck!

There was still a lingering tang of alcohol in both of their mouths. Dazed with shock, Lin Jingzhe recognized the flavor of red wine in the other man’s mouth and could almost taste it.

The unbearable heat finally found an outlet; Xiao Chi lowered his head, falling into a kind of trance. Lin Jingzhe’s lips were soft and moist, and his face was so small that with just one hand, he was able to almost completely grasp it. Xiao Chi released his chin and held the back of the other man’s head, the short, stubbly hair pricking his palm. His other arm was wrapped around Lin Jingzhe’s waist and when he tightened his embrace, he nearly lifted him off the ground.

Lin Jingzhe stood on his tiptoes, barely putting in any effort, feeling as though his whole body was enveloped in an indescribable heat. The other man’s curly hair teased his cheeks, and the slippery tip of his tongue stirred his mouth, throwing his mind into confusion.

The man suddenly stepped forward, and Lin Jingzhe’s back was pressed against the ice-cold wall. He stirred, trying to push the lunatic away.

But, his hands were immediately captured and pulled away, and his waist got pinched, which was both itchy and painful. Lin Jingzhe instinctively grabbed at the arm holding him, but the man stepped closer, lifting him completely off the ground by the force of his proximity.

The lights bathed the scene in a soft glow. Instead of the expected noise of violent confrontation, the bathroom was filled with silence, disturbed only by occasional gasps and moist sounds.

Surrounded by the heat and the scent of agarwood, his strength seemed to be sucked away from his lips and finally, Lin Jingzhe gave up struggling. He opened his eyes a crack, catching sight of the other man’s slightly trembling eyelashes.

He quickly closed his eyes again, then raised his hands and grabbed the man’s shoulders.