Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 12

Very Willing

Lin Chi was a bit surprised. He was just about to speak when his tongue twitched, and a sunflower seed rolled down his throat. He choked and coughed loudly.

Li Tingyan raised his eyebrows and handed him a glass of water to help him catch his breath.

After drinking half the glass in one go, Lin Chi finally felt better. He patted his chest and looked at Li Tingyan’s calm and composed face, thinking to himself that he really had a knack for bringing up the worst possible topics.

In the two months he had spent with Li Tingyan, he hadn’t paid much attention to Xu Mu.

Initially, they had chatted a bit more in the bar, and he had accompanied Li Tingyan to a wedding simply because he was a bit nosy and meddlesome. But once his curiosity was satisfied, he rarely thought about Xu Mu again.

After all, it had nothing to do with him. Li Tingyan had feelings for someone but wasn’t in a relationship. He and Li Tingyan were just friends with benefits, maintaining a purely physical relationship. He wasn’t interfering in anyone’s relationship or causing trouble for decent people.

He had a good attitude about it.

But that didn’t mean he was completely unaware of Xu Mu’s name.

Li Tingyan and Xu Mu were long-time friends and frequently kept in touch. So sometimes, when he was with Li Tingyan in the hotel, he could hear Li Tingyan talking to Xu Mu after they finished hooking up.

At those times, Lin Chi would sensibly stay in the background.

But seeing Li Tingyan’s calm yet repressed face, struggling yet pretending to be just a friend, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

This was the result of falling in love with a straight man.

And this straight man was a long-time friend and classmate, which made it even worse.

So, Lin Chi usually avoided bringing up Xu Mu to avoid agitating Li Tingyan. It was a kind gesture.

Today’s situation was purely accidental.

He wiped the corner of his mouth and muttered, “That’s quite a coincidence. I didn’t expect Xu Mu’s hobbies to be so down-to-earth.”

Li Tingyan couldn’t help but smile.

He could see Lin Chi’s deliberate avoidance, but he didn’t mind bringing up Xu Mu.

What was there to avoid?

Lin Chi had known about his miserable secret crush from the first day they met.

Lin Chi knew all his hidden pain and dark thoughts. In a way, only with Lin Chi could he talk about Xu Mu honestly.

He said, “Xu Mu loves these small eateries. During college, he often dragged us to his newly discovered places for gatherings. He’s tried almost every place around the university.”

When Li Tingyan said this, he might have recalled a certain moment, and even a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

At that moment, the waiter brought up the congee base and placed the dishes on the side rack. The rising steam softened their expressions.

Lin Chi casually used the communal chopsticks to put some clams and shrimp into the pot, still observing Li Tingyan.

It had been three or four months since he had accompanied Li Tingyan to that wedding.

He still remembered the scene from that day: the beautiful flower arch, the radiant bride, and the kiss during the exchange of vows.

His damned curiosity resurfaced with the bubbling of the pot.

Seeing that Li Tingyan didn’t seem too resistant to talking about Xu Mu, he tentatively asked, “Have you met Xu Mu since the wedding?”

He had only heard Li Tingyan talking to Xu Mu on the phone but clearly remembered that Li Tingyan had refused Xu Mu’s invitations twice.

Sure enough, Li Tingyan hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

“No.”

Li Tingyan said calmly, “He invited me a few times to his new home, where other friends would be, but I found excuses to decline.”

After the wedding, Xu Mu had clearly misunderstood the relationship between Lin Chi and him. They had a conversation about it, but Xu Mu didn’t overreact. He just scolded Li Tingyan for hiding his sexual orientation and praised Lin Chi for being charming and beautiful, even inviting him to bring Lin Chi along.

Of course, he refused but didn’t correct Xu Mu’s misunderstanding.

Letting Xu Mu think he liked someone else was better than exposing his true feelings.

Thinking about this, he glanced at Lin Chi opposite him.

Lin Chi was fishing out clams from the pot, even sharing a couple with him, looking completely carefree, as if all his attention was on the food.

Li Tingyan couldn’t help but smile, somewhat envious of Lin Chi’s carefree nature.

He picked up the clams Lin Chi gave him, dipped them in sauce, and heard Lin Chi ask, “Are you still unable to let him go?”

“Hmm.”

Li Tingyan swallowed the soft clam meat and was silent for a while. “I’ve liked him for almost seven years. I want to forget him immediately, constantly reminding myself he’s someone else’s husband… but it’s difficult.”

He had witnessed Xu Mu’s wedding.

But since his teenage years, Xu Mu had been like a summer tree shadow, always present on his desk. He had grown accustomed to his presence.

Now he wanted to uproot it and turn that past into a dried symbol, but it was easier said than done.

He said, “I’ve been avoiding meeting him recently. I don’t know how I would feel if I saw him. It’s better not to see him. Even if it means being a bit distant, it’s not a bad thing.”

“Oh.”

Lin Chi, still chewing on meat, mumbled an indistinct response.

It sounded quite miserable.

Love hadn’t blossomed, and even the friendship seemed hard to maintain.

But his eyes flickered as he thought about the frequent meetings between Li Tingyan and him recently, and suddenly asked, “Have you been seeing me frequently lately just to distract yourself and avoid thinking about Xu Mu?”

Li Tingyan’s hand holding the spoon paused.

He had long known that Lin Chi was smart, with a natural intuition. He hesitated but didn’t deny it and nodded straightforwardly.

“Yes.”

Lin Chi raised an eyebrow, showing a smile that was hard to interpret.

“Are you angry?” Li Tingyan asked him.

Lin Chi shook his head, as if finding Li Tingyan’s question amusing.

“What’s there to be angry about? We’re not in a romantic relationship, and you didn’t treat me as a substitute. It’s normal for people to want to shift their attention from one thing to another.”

Lin Chi understood very well.

After all, when he was struggling with losing weight, he would also watch mukbang videos.

But he looked at Li Tingyan with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, leaning forward a bit, even brushing against Li Tingyan’s leg under the table.

“So, do you think… it works?”

“What?”

Li Tingyan didn’t understand.

But soon, he met Lin Chi’s clear yet seemingly ambiguous eyes.

“I mean, using me to distract yourself from the pain and longing for Xu Mu, does it work?”

Lin Chi’s lips moved, perhaps due to having eaten something spicy. His lips looked unusually full and rosy. He glanced through the white mist, casual yet with a hint of scrutiny and pleasure.

Li Tingyan thought seriously for a moment before answering Lin Chi’s question.

“It does.”

Using Lin Chi to shift his focus was indeed effective.

Lin Chi was entirely different from Xu Mu.

Passionate and outgoing, as scorching as California sunlight, in his presence, it seemed like there couldn’t possibly be a melancholic rainy season.

Being with Lin Chi always made him feel relaxed. He remembered how Lin Chi would swim like a fish in the pool, splashing water on his face. He also remembered Lin Chi wearing his suit jacket, sitting on the balcony drinking coffee, and turning back to smile at him.

Every moment with Lin Chi felt like secretly arriving at a private island only he knew about, where he could leave everything behind and take a brief rest.

Li Tingyan murmured softly, “Being with you is indeed interesting. It helps me forget a lot of troubles, so I appreciate you willing to meet me often.”

Lin Chi chuckled.

“You’re quite eloquent.”

Despite it being a mutually desired arrangement, he derived many pleasant experiences from Li Tingyan, who expressed gratitude towards him.

Indeed… quite likable.

Lin Chi served himself a bowl of congee, blew on it gently, and leisurely took a spoonful.

“I’m honored to help you get over some of the pain from your breakup,” he said with a smile. “It at least proves my charm is still intact.”

Li Tingyan also smiled and affirmed Lin Chi’s words, “You’ve always been charming. Even without me, you’d still prove it.”

Lin Chi felt even more pleased.

He looked at the elegant man sitting opposite him, feeling quite satisfied.

He thought, look at that, as soon as he made a move, even a casual fling picked up from a bar turned out to be this perfect—perfect physique, perfect appearance, even a delightful personality.

This lifted his spirits even more.

He sipped some congee, restrained himself from consuming more calories, and casually said to Li Tingyan, “Since it works, I’m willing to let you use me to shift your focus from Xu Mu during our time together.”

Li Tingyan looked at him.

Lin Chi smiled faintly. “Whenever you need me, feel free to contact me. At least for the next few months, I’ll be exclusively yours, without anyone else.”

This was an exclusivity agreement.

Actually, he had been a bit conflicted before, wondering if he should fully commit to a 1v1 relationship with Li Tingyan. Even though in these past few months since they started sleeping together, he hadn’t been with anyone else.

But he simply didn’t have the time or desire for anyone else.

They hadn’t explicitly discussed or constrained each other.

But now, looking at Li Tingyan, he felt having such a discreet and understanding lover was quite nice, and Li Tingyan seemed to need him as well.

Li Tingyan caught Lin Chi’s meaning and chuckled softly.

Rarely teasingly, he asked, “Am I being upgraded? Have I become your…”

He couldn’t find the right word for a while and pondered for a long moment before saying, “…permanent companion?”

Lin Chi shrugged. “Exactly. Are you willing? Of course, if you’re not, it’s fine. I’m easy-going.”

He wasn’t the type to be tied down to one person.

If everyone was just fooling around, there was fun in that too.

But Li Tingyan, as he had judged since they met, was refined and gentle.

Li Tingyan shook his head, smiled lightly, and said, “No, I’m very willing.”

Author’s note:

The relationship between the two has upgraded, but not completely (awkward.jpg).