That moment, when I heard him speak, was when I noticed the gorgeously decorated bedroom I was in. A glucose drip with hospital tag was hanging next to the bed stand, its infusion tube connected to the back of my hand. The upper half of my body was naked, the only thing I was wearing was a pair of baggy white boxers.
Lin Ye was sloppily dressed in a shirt, some unkempt hair fell on his forehead. There was an obvious shadow under his eyes, making him look like an ordinary, tired, working man, so different from the proud, successful prince at the party, whose effortless perfection made my shabbiness look laughable.
I propped up my upper body and sat up in the bed. He expressionlessly examined me with those eyes for some time, before leaving and bringing back a cup of water. Looking surly, he shoved his palm under my nose. “Take the pills.”
I struggled to lift my arm to pick up the colorful capsules and pills on his hand. “Open your mouth,” he said with a frown.
I obediently followed the order and let him cram the pills into my mouth.
“Cough, cough…” I took the cup from his hands and forced the meds down, finally letting out a long sigh.
And then, I smiled spontaneously. There was no way I could have imagined miraculously surviving the crash, even if I still had no idea what was awaiting me…
I started to feel the excitement of an imminent life-and-death battle, and then a lot of pain when my grin pulled at the wounds on my face.
Lin Ye suddenly snatched the cup, plopped it on the bed stand, and yelled at me, “What’s so fucking funny?!”
I was a bit shocked, but that didn’t affect my smile a single bit. “Yo, what’s wrong? Are you angry?”
His squinted eyes shone dangerously, “You should just fucking disappear, your presence offends me! “
This dazed me slightly, and my smile faded at last. “Don’t you know that could have killed me?”
The anger on his face froze instantly. There was a long silence, and then he finally spoke through trembling lips, “And?”
Watching his back as he left, I felt the last gleam of happiness born from seeing him again, which was deeply buried in my chest, was crushed into pieces by him.
I fell back to the soft mattress. The door remained tightly shut. I didn’t know how much time passed, before I started to feel dizzy and closed my eyes. There were probably sleeping pills among the medication I just swallowed.
Just when I was about to venture back to the dreamland, Lin Ye woke me up by pulling my hair. I murmured, “Ye, I want to sleep.”
He responded with a slap on my face, so harsh that my cheeks became numb. I forced myself to open my eyes, and saw that he was holding a bowl of congee[1]. “Have this before you sleep.”
“You should have given me the congee before the pills.” The sleepiness made me impatient.
He frowned and thrust the spoon into my mouth. It was so hot that I completely sobered up from the burn.
I gasped for air. “It’s so hot… Can I have it later?”
He hesitated, the second spoonful on the way, but nevertheless put it at my lips.
I raised my eyes and softly said, “Can you blow on it before feeding me?”
“Stop the nonsense!”
I swallowed the second spoonful despite it being burning hot, and as I chewed, I found it tasted slightly burnt. I immediately realized something, so I smiled pitifully, “It’s such a waste to have this tasty congee when it’s too hot. I can’t enjoy the flavors at all.”
Lin Ye went blank but then put the third spoonful into his own mouth. He gasped, apparently getting burnt as well. Without a word, he put the bowl aside.
I held his hand. “Can you talk with me for a bit?”
He shove my hand away. “Fuck off!”
I loosen my grip feebly, and struggled to get off the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Fucking off.”
Lin Ye’s hands flashed back to the bowl and he poured the contents on me. I closed my eyes and let myself get covered in congee. At least it was not as hot now.
Then, his whole body trembling, he smashed the bowl on the ground in anger. I licked the leftover congee on my lip. “Such a pity.”
I stretched my leg and reached the floor with it. There still seemed to be some strength in it, so I tried standing up and walking to the door. “I’m going to take a shower.”
The silence behind me was absolute. I found the bathroom, turned on the water, and, after preparing a towel, wiped off the grease from my body little by little.
A shadow appeared on the opaque glass door, like a ghost. “You wounds shouldn’t come in contact with the water yet.”
“I know.”
When I finished cleaning myself, I recognized that I was only wounded on my arms and the outer side of my shin. A miracle, to be frank.
The shadow had disappeared by the time I opened the door. I went back to the room, only to find the bedsheet and blanket changed, and a new bowl of congee on the bed stand. When I tasted it, I found this one was cooled down, so I held the bowl and pigged out on it.
It tasted extraordinarily awful, but the most important thing right now was to regain my strength.
I crawled into the dried, soft blankets and soon succumbed to the darkness.
I didn’t wake up again until noon the next day. After I got up, I tested my legs and arms around in front of the window. To only get some minor scratches and burns from such a bad incident… I really owed the department that designed the airbags for the lamborghini a thank you letter.
I opened the bedroom door, and saw the living room lights were still on despite the brightness of sunlight. Lin Ye was reading documents on the sofa, looking weary, as if he hadn’t slept at all for the entire night.
I smiled at him. “Good morning.”
He glanced in my direction, but didn’t say anything.
I found the refrigerator regardless of that indifference, and moved the contents to the kitchen. “What do you want for lunch?”
He still gave no response.
I saw a half of a pot of congee left on stove, so I gorged myself on that too eating everything inside. I wiped my mouth with a hand, and, after inspecting the kitchen, I found some tools for later – a pair of scissors, and an apron.
I made two servings of very aromatic steak and served them to Lin Ye.
“Have some.”
He put down the documents and walked past me straight to the kitchen. I looked back and saw that he picked up the pot and stared at it.
I laughed, and told him loudly, “I finished your congee, so I made a couple of steaks as compensation.”
He silently rinsed some rice and made a new pot of congee.
When he came back and sat back on the sofa with a grouchy face, I again pushed the steaks to him . “Have a taste.”
He turned his back to me and didn’t say anything.
So I wiped my mouth and ate both servings.
When Lin Ye glanced back at me, I smiled at him.
Finally he spoke, “Are you a pig?”
“How can a pig compare to me? I eat much more than a pig.”
He startled, and the colors in his eyes flickered. So, he still remembered after all.[2]
I stood up, grabbed him, and threw him on the sofa. He was stupefied by my sudden actions, but after a while he started struggling intensely.
“Fuck off!”
Lin Ye used his full strength as if he was fighting for his life, so I had to use the strips of apron I had cut in the kitchen to tie up his hands and legs.
Having bound his body, I took hold of his center part, stroking gently. He started to pant, and yelled hoarsely, “Why won’t you just go die…”
I lowered my body, gently bit on his lips. “Do you want me to die that much?” With the other hand, I slowly cut his clothes into pieces. They fell on the ground, exposing his pale, slender body.
“Stop!”
I gazed at him coldly, like watching a dying fishing struggling and dancing on the cutting board.
I reached a hand and grabbed his throat. I sneered, “Why couldn’t you do it?” I forced his legs open as I spoke, and bent them until his knees touched his chest…
……
…… ……
Blood and semen leaked from in-between his thighs. His naked body was bruised and scratched all over. He lay curled on the floor, exhausted, his limp legs spread wide, and eyes vacant. His face looked numb.
The sun was about to set. Golden rays gently filtered through the curtains.
I went down on one knee next to his face, wiping the semen from his cheeks and his lips. He shivered as if he was zapped by electricity.
I asked impassively, “What have I done to deserve a punishment like this? I see now I shouldn’t have missed you at all over the last two years. Do you have a heart, I wonder?”
He stared at me blankly, his eyes glazed over. His lips quivered, but in the end didn’t say anything.
Right at that moment, I heard the sound of a car engine from outside of the window. I walked over, lifted the curtain by the corner, expecting that they finally arrived, but unexpectedly saw Da Biao get off the car.
I told him, “It’s Da Biao. If you still have some sense of shame left in you, behave yourself.”
I carried him up, and while we’re both standing, I again entered where I had entered countless times this afternoon. He bit his lips and his face froze, but he didn’t make a sound. I peered at his slightly aroused penis, and pushed him against the door.
The doorbell rang as expected.
“Young Master, it’s me,” Da Biao’s voice came from the intercom.
Lin Ye closed his eyes, and, finally being able to concentrate a little, reopened them again. His voice was hoarse, but he sounded calm for the most part. “Just tell me over the intercom.”
“I have mentioned the case you ask me to investigate to Master Xiong, but he said that he didn’t have any ideas either. He said he would try his best. Apparently, Master Ou barely goes out at all ever since coming here, so it’s unlikely that he made any enemies locally. This is likely related to Chu Yuan Jiang.”
“Keep investigating. Tell Peter to pay close attention… Go right now.”
“Yes, sir.”
The engine sound outside the door started again, and then started moving further away, until it completely disappeared.
Lin Ye’s face was like a ghost’s. There was nothing but sheer blankness in his eyes. He was barely breathing at this point. As he rested his cheek on the icy door, he asked with a hoarse voice, “Are you satisfied?”