Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 31
Moving Out
Li Tingyan ultimately did not stay overnight at Lin Chi’s room. What started as a kiss ended with Lin Chi’s pajamas halfway off.
Lin Chi was a model, with a nearly flawless body. His chest muscles were thin but perfectly proportioned, and his slender, flexible waist was smooth and elastic to the touch, igniting an involuntary, vague desire.
Moreover, his cheeks were flushed from the kissing, and his eyes were dreamy.
He was simply a natural seducer, an unparalleled temptation in anyone’s bed, like an apostle sent by Satan to stir everyone’s emotions.
Li Tingyan took a deep breath, barely noticeable, feeling a bit annoyed with himself.
He wasn’t a young, reckless boy anymore, yet he still acted so impulsively. Just moments ago, he had lectured Lin Chi with a sense of authority, only to end up in a similarly disheveled state.
Pressing his lips together, he helped Lin Chi button up his pajamas again.
He noticed Lin Chi’s sweat-dampened hair and the redness of his bitten lips.
Li Tingyan quickly restrained his emotions, his face expressionless, revealing nothing of his inner turmoil. Only he knew how uncomfortable he felt at that moment.
After fastening the last button, Li Tingyan stood up. “Alright, I’m going back to my room now. You should sleep early too, don’t stay up too late.”
He patted Lin Chi’s forehead and placed a gentle goodnight kiss on it.
Lin Chi’s eyelashes fluttered.
He didn’t try to keep Li Tingyan, just watched him walk through the hallway to the nearby room.
He remained on the bed, still disoriented from their earlier entanglement, slightly sweaty. Fortunately, the room was warm and he didn’t feel cold.
But his heart couldn’t calm down.
Li Tingyan was no longer in the room, yet it felt as if his presence was everywhere.
The image of Li Tingyan kissing him lingered in his mind, that always gentle and reserved face turning uncharacteristically cold and possessive in bed, like a tyrant.
Such a stark contrast.
Yet so captivating.
Lin Chi closed his eyes, feeling inexplicably irritated.
He sat up in bed, fumbling around the headboard until he finally found the pack of cigarettes he had hidden in a crevice.
During the days he was recuperating at Li Tingyan’s place, Li Tingyan forbade him from smoking and had the household staff keep an eye on him, which made him hide and seek for his cigarettes. It was a struggle to keep this pack hidden, but since Li Tingyan frequently visited his room and there were too many servants in the villa, he hadn’t found a chance to sneak a smoke.
He picked out a cigarette from the pack and found a lighter in the room. With a gentle press of his finger, a spark flared up and lit the cigarette.
Lin Chi took a deep drag and slowly exhaled.
He looked at the empty room and pressed his hand on his heart, which had just begun to calm down.
He recalled what Huo Yuning had said to him in the afternoon, the way Huo Yuning had looked at him.
To be honest, Huo Yuning was indeed a bit like a sharp-nosed dog, perceptive.
The moment he realized he had developed feelings for Li Tingyan, Miss Huo came over, offering concern in a roundabout way and warning him not to play with true love casually.
Lin Chi took another drag of the cigarette, letting the faint smoke swirl before him, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.
He had only recently realized his feelings for Li Tingyan, and it hadn’t been long.
If he had to pinpoint it, it was probably the moment when Li Tingyan traveled a long distance to Changyu County and appeared outside his door.
When he pushed open that old, worn-out door and saw Li Tingyan’s jade-like face under the dim light, his heart had skipped a beat.
He didn’t understand why Li Tingyan had come.
Yet, he was immensely pleased.
He still remembered how Li Tingyan helped him clean the bathroom floor with a hose in his run-down old house, even though he was someone who had never done difficult chores, he still rolled up his sleeves to help tidy the bed before sleeping.
At that time Lin Chi drank hot milk and watched Li Tingyan busily moving around, feeling a strange softness rising in his heart.
For a moment, he actually thought it wouldn’t be so bad if this moment just continued indefinitely.
Lin Chi blinked, lost in that recent memory, his gaze a bit unfocused.
When he discovered he actually had thoughts of continuing with Li Tingyan, he was startled. He vaguely realized something was wrong but didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.
He had never loved anyone.
He hadn’t even had feelings before.
In matters of love, he seemed knowledgeable and articulate, but in reality, he was just a shallow novice, completely ignorant.
However, recently he couldn’t avoid this issue any longer.
During the days he stayed at Li Tingyan’s place, he looked forward to seeing Li Tingyan every day.
His room had a view of the garden, and while reading on the sofa by the window, he would occasionally look up and might see Li Tingyan’s car driving in. At that moment, his heart would leap with joy.
When Li Tingyan would walk in and look at him, he would unconsciously smile.
A bit of ash was trembling on the cigarette, about to fall, but Lin Chi, quick with his hands, caught it in the ashtray.
He bit into the cigarette, which was already half-burned, his expression a bit conflicted.
If he could still avoid the issue before, at the moment Li Tingyan kissed him while pinned beneath him, he could no longer deceive himself.
It wasn’t just about physical attraction or affection for Li Tingyan’s appearance.
One kiss was enough to make him abandon all defenses.
“What’s going on… This is ridiculous.”
Lin Chi murmured softly.
He had seen countless beautiful faces and had been approached by photographers, directors, and even people of notable status in the fashion world, rejecting them all with disdain and remaining unmoved.
Yet, when it came to Li Tingyan.
His usual aloofness faltered.
It was almost laughable.
He had always been the epitome of frivolity, the playboy of the nightlife, the one who only made others sad, never imagining he would ever be the one to hesitate and ponder.
This wasn’t like him.
And it couldn’t be him.
“I should move out tomorrow.”
He said to himself, staring at the ceiling as the cigarette burned a long way down, the tip turning red and dark, about to fall.
He thought he couldn’t delay any longer, and needed to distance himself from Li Tingyan before things got out of control.
What he had now was merely a slight infatuation, not real love, and he would quickly forget once they parted ways.
He and Li Tingyan were from different worlds, having spent a period together by chance, and that was enough.
At the moment he made up his mind, the long-burning ash finally fell, coincidentally landing on the top of a blanket and burning a hole through the rose embroidery.
In the center of the rose was a floral “L.”
Lin Chi took a while to notice, “Damn…”
He scrambled to pat it out, but it was too late, a black hole was already there.
The center of the rose was scorched black.
“Ah, what a pain, I’m leaving tomorrow and still causing trouble…” he sighed, “When it rains, it pours.”
Without a doubt, the next day, Lin Chi’s secret smoking was discovered.
The blanket couldn’t be thrown away, lying blatantly in the bedroom, and the cleaning maid saw it immediately. Considering Li Tingyan’s instructions to prevent Lin Chi from smoking, she pondered for a moment before reporting it to Li Tingyan discreetly.
At the breakfast table, Li Tingyan sipped his soup slowly, showing no visible emotion, but after putting down the spoon, he criticized mildly but firmly, “How old are you? Even when you’re sick, you can’t restrain yourself. What’s the harm in not smoking for a few days?”
Lin Chi ate his breakfast silently.
The kitchen had made caramel cream crepes that he quite liked, so he indulged in a small portion despite the risk of gaining weight.
His silent acceptance of the scolding was a bit unusual.
Li Tingyan paused as he spoke, lowering his voice. “What’s wrong? Did I upset you?”
“No.”
Lin Chi wiped the corner of his mouth. Having eaten a small serving of crepe, the high sugar content of the cream made him feel somewhat relaxed.
He looked calmly at Li Tingyan. “You’re right. I do lack self-control. But now that I’m better, it’s no big deal. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all anymore.”
That was true.
Lin Chi, who appeared refreshed at the breakfast table today, with rosy lips and white teeth, looked significantly better than he did a few days ago.
Li Tingyan smiled. “Yes, the doctor also told me you’re recovering well.”
But just as he was about to say more, he heard Lin Chi say:
“It’s all thanks to your care these past few days. I really appreciate it. But now that I’m better, I think I should move out. It’s not right to keep staying here.”