Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 54
Date
Lin Chi used his last bit of sanity to stop Li Tingyan’s downward movements.
He didn’t know if it was because the car was too cramped, but he even felt like he was suffocating, panting, using all his strength to grab Li Tingyan’s collar.
“Stop.”
He commanded with difficulty.
“… Stop.”
He hadn’t forgotten that he was still a person with acting commitments, and sneaking around with Li Tingyan was already pushing it. If he dared to cause any scandal at this critical moment, he swore that Huo Yuning and Gu Yiyuan would definitely team up to kill him.
He was still young and didn’t want to die young.
Lin Chi leaned against the car door, pushing Li Tingyan away with one hand while using the other to tug at his shirt collar, trying to cool himself down manually.
His whole body felt like it was on fire, his face flushed and heart racing.
During the recent kiss, his lips had even been bitten, drawing a bit of blood.
He stuck out his tongue to lick it, feeling quite agitated.
“Look at what you’ve done,” he glared at Li Tingyan, but his eyes were fluttering, with the corners slightly reddened—more alluring than threatening.
Li Tingyan continued to gaze at him, his eyes heavy with an almost tangible aggression.
Of course, he didn’t want to stop.
But since Lin Chi had called for a halt, he had no choice.
This forced him to take a deep breath, his fingers still holding onto Lin Chi’s wrist, gently stroking it as if that could calm his inner turbulence.
Lin Chi turned to look at the mirror.
He wasn’t feeling any better.
He had to use all his willpower to stop himself from leaning over and stripping Li Tingyan.
But like a cruel and unfeeling king, even though he was about to explode, he refused to let Li Tingyan have his way.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror and shuddered at the thought of how he would look on the gossip pages, sustaining countless paparazzi.
He sat back heavily in his seat, still pulling at his collar, fanning himself.
He told Li Tingyan, “Take me back to the hotel. I have a shoot tomorrow and can’t be late.”
Li Tingyan raised an eyebrow, clearly reluctant.
He stayed still in the driver’s seat until Lin Chi turned to look at him, and only then did he reluctantly place his hand on the steering wheel.
The hotel wasn’t far away. Soon, Li Tingyan had driven into a quiet alley next to the hotel, parking in a secluded spot surrounded by privacy film, so no one could see through.
He understood now.
Lin Chi hadn’t given him any special privileges; tonight he only had a date. They kissed and embraced, but nothing more.
Yet, he held onto Lin Chi’s wrist, unwilling to let go.
He gazed into Lin Chi’s eyes and asked softly, “Can I come find you tomorrow?”
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow, almost laughing with delight.
Li Tingyan’s pleading was comparable to a truly satisfying love affair.
He looked at Li Tingyan with a half-smile. His white shirt, once clean and pristine, now had several buttons missing, bite marks on his neck, and slightly swollen lips.
He exuded an indescribable sensuality and tension, like the embodiment of the god of desire.
His eyes were moist, scanning Li Tingyan with an electric current that could easily evoke all of his longing.
But it wasn’t enough for him.
Even with his irresistible charm, he extended his long, slender fingers and teasingly hooked Li Tingyan’s collar.
“Do you really want to come find me?”
He asked with a smile.
“Yes.”
Li Tingyan answered without hesitation.
“But what is our relationship now?” Lin Chi’s smile deepened. “Li Tingyan, I gave you a chance, I confessed to you, but you didn’t take it. So now your score is reset, and you have to start from the beginning. There are many people pursuing me, and you’re just one of them.”
Lin Chi looked at Li Tingyan with an arrogant gaze.
Li Tingyan couldn’t help but smile. He understood that Lin Chi was demanding interest for his six months of waiting.
And he was expected to pay.
Lin Chi, so full of life before him, was already more than he could dream of.
“So how can I win your favor?” Li Tingyan asked humbly.
He asked Lin Chi again, “Can I see you after work tomorrow?”
Lin Chi crossed his arms and scrutinized him.
“I’ll think about it. You wait.”
A few minutes later, Lin Chi got out of the car and reminded Li Tingyan before leaving, “I don’t want to be on the gossip pages with you. Huo Yuning and Gu Yiyuan will go crazy if they find out.”
He assessed Li Tingyan. “You should be able to handle this, right?”
Li Tingyan smiled, “I guarantee you won’t see a single photo.”
Lin Chi was relieved, and without hesitation, he withdrew his hand from Li Tingyan’s grasp, striding back to the hotel like a haughty leopard cat.
The hotel was quiet now, with only the staff at the front desk, and the lobby was empty.
While waiting for the elevator, he couldn’t help but hum a tune.
As he stepped into the elevator, he looked at his flushed face in the mirror.
He frowned, scolding himself, “What a loser.”
But he stared at his reflection in the mirror and slowly began to smile.
He knew.
From the moment he saw Li Tingyan today, he had been immersed in a dreamlike joy.
That night in Helsinki, amidst the ice and snow, Li Tingyan felt like an elusive dream.
Li Tingyan had said he would give him a satisfying answer.
But just how satisfying would it be?
In the process of seeking this answer, what would Li Tingyan go through? Would he be hurt?
Every time he heard snippets from Yu Nian and Xi Zhiwen or saw gossip about Li Tingyan and the Li family in the tabloids, he found himself easily losing sleep.
In the dead of night, he flipped through the photos and songs shared by Li Tingyan, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
But now, Li Tingyan was finally standing in front of him.
Unscathed.
Still as strong and gentle as before, smiling at him.
Li Tingyan had kept his promise.
He was true to his word.
After overcoming many obstacles, just as he had promised, he appeared before him like a knight.
Lin Chi opened the door to his suite, walked into the room, and sat on the rocking chair on the balcony, barefoot with his feet resting on the edge of the chair.
The night was deep.
But he had no intention of sleeping. From his vantage point, he could see the alley where Li Tingyan had parked.
He didn’t know if he had left.
Maybe not.
Maybe Li Tingyan was watching him from the car, just as he had gazed countless times from the balcony in Paris, yearning to be closer to someone.
…….
Lin Chi had only slept four or five hours that day.
But when he appeared on the set the next day, he was full of energy.
That day, Li Tingyan had come to drop him off.
He was right; Li Tingyan had indeed watched him from downstairs for a long time.
But he was also wrong; Li Tingyan couldn’t even wait until after work and had shown up at his hotel door in the morning.
Li Tingyan politely sent a message asking, “Can I take you to work? I just bought your favorite colorful cake and iced Americano on the way.”
Yesterday, during dinner, Lin Chi had casually mentioned that he had recently developed a taste for it.
Really…
Lin Chi hissed, thinking to himself that this person was still as terrifying as before.
Although he had long been in a high position, if he wanted to, he could be even more attentive and gentle than a gold-star butler.
He couldn’t help but daydream; with Li Tingyan’s abilities, even without the Li family’s fortune, he could become a top performer if he went to work as an escort…
His mind was filled with random thoughts. When he saw Li Tingyan in the car, he almost burst out laughing.
Li Tingyan was puzzled and looked at him strangely.
“Nothing.”
He waved his hand, comfortably accepting the breakfast Li Tingyan offered, and continued giving orders.
“Don’t get out of the car later. Just drop me off and leave. My assistant was just curious and confirmed with me eight times whether I really didn’t need her to drive me.”
His assistant was assigned by Huo Yuning, a very nice young woman who was also very dedicated. Even though he often told her not to bother, she always took good care of him.
Huo Yuning intended to train her for two years to see if she could become an agent in the future.
Li Tingyan watched Lin Chi, who still wore sunglasses and looked extremely cool, but was eating a small cake.
He smiled.
“Am I that hard to be seen with?” he asked.
Lin Chi paused.
He looked at Li Tingyan with curiosity. “What do you think?”
He said confidently, “Right now, you’re just a mistress. You have to keep a low profile. You can’t just be out in the open, can you?”
Li Tingyan coughed a few times.
He was choked.
He laughed silently. He never imagined that the term “mistress” would be used to describe him.
Especially the kind that couldn’t be in the spotlight.
He shook his head with amusement and did not refute, “Then I guess I’ll have to work twice as hard. With this title, the ancestors of the Li family probably won’t let me off easily.”
Lin Chi stuffed the last piece of colorful cake into his mouth, eating contentedly.
He took a big sip of iced Americano, raising his eyebrows triumphantly.
…..
A few minutes later, Lin Chi arrived at the shooting location smoothly.
Apart from him, the male and female leads and Gu Yiyuan had also arrived.
They started filming the male and female leads’ scenes first. He went to get his makeup done. The makeup artist immediately noticed that his lips were swollen from being bitten by Li Tingyan yesterday.
But everyone in the film industry was sharp.
He looked at the makeup artist innocently and calmly lied, “I was walking and didn’t see a streetlight. It hit me. Sorry for the trouble. Could you cover it up for me?”
The makeup artist chuckled, knowing full well he was lying but found it amusing.
She carefully applied concealer again and said slowly, “I can cover it up, but I’m not sure if it will be noticeable on camera. It depends on Director Gu.”
Lin Chi immediately began drawing crosses on his chest.
Learned from those foreigners.
The makeup artist laughed again.
Fortunately, although Gu Yiyuan was still as stern and critical as a strict teacher, glaring at every actor, he only corrected Lin Chi’s acting and made no comments about his appearance, thanks to the excellent work of the makeup artist.
At five in the afternoon, Lin Chi’s scenes were finished. He successfully left work amidst the envious gazes of the male and female leads.
He ran away without looking back, without any regrets.
Of course, being able to escape from Gu Yiyuan’s sight even for a second was a win.
Moreover, outside the shooting venue, there was someone he had been longing for.
Lin Chi dashed into that familiar car. Once inside, Li Tingyan pulled him over for a kiss.
In broad daylight, unrestrained.
Lin Chi swore, “Pervert.”
But then he nibbled Li Tingyan’s lips back even harder.
They drove away from the filming location. At sunset, Lin Chi, wearing sunglasses and a mask, wandered through the night market with Li Tingyan.
The streets of Chiang Mai seemed to have all sorts of languages, with vendors selling strange foods and knick-knacks. Lin Chi even bought a large floral shirt, draped it over himself, and asked Li Tingyan how he looked.
“Looks good.”
Li Tingyan affirmed.
And because of that, he was forced to wear a green one.
The two of them took a photo in front of the ancient city wall, asking a passing couple to take their picture.
At the end of the day, Lin Chi bought a postcard, wrote a few words on the back with a black pen, and stamped it.
He handed it to the shopkeeper and paid for the postage.
But he didn’t let Li Tingyan see it.
“You don’t need to know who I’m sending it to,” he said casually, “maybe it’s for someone else who’s also pursuing me.”
But as he said this, he was holding Li Tingyan’s hand and looking up at the lights suspended in the air amidst the bustling crowd.