Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 73

 Extra If Line: Personal Nurturing 13

The white T-shirt was torn loose, carelessly thrown on the floor.

The wooden alarm clock by the bed fell to the edge of the bed, with small cracks appearing in the middle.

The blue woven string, once tied around Lin Chi’s wrist and gifted by a classmate, gently floated down, landing limply on the white T-shirt.

The room remained dark.

The night had fallen into complete silence; outside, the city lights glowed, but inside, it was pitch black.

The only sounds were chaotic, panicked breaths, the tearing of tightly gripped blankets, and kissing sounds.

Lin Chi felt like he was suffocating.

He lay on the bed, with moist, rose-colored lips, so bright they looked like they might bleed, his whole body pale, like a deer that had been captured.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been entangled with Li Tingyan in the room.

Since the beginning, it seemed like Li Tingyan had been kissing him nonstop.

His whole body felt burning hot, like a light cloud that could evaporate at any moment.

He had just finished high school, and in the past few years, under Li Tingyan’s strict supervision, he hadn’t been to a bar more than a few times, nor could he go camping with Xi Zhiwen without reporting it in advance.

Of course, like other boys, he had read some inappropriate books and watched some questionable films, and in the quiet of the night, he had secretly fantasized about Li Tingyan.

But none of that compared to what was happening now.

Li Tingyan held him tightly, the two of them wrapped up in the blanket.

The blue silk blanket, like a wave, wrapped the two of them.

He let out a whimper from under the blanket, and it was unclear whether the moisture at the corner of his eyes was sweat or tears.

“Please, no more…”

He mumbled a plea to Li Tingyan, his voice sticky and slurred.

But Li Tingyan was unmoved.

.

For Lin Chi, this night was undoubtedly the most absurd night of his life.

And for Li Tingyan, it was the same.

Later, in many instances, he couldn’t even recall the exact details.

All this time, he had been suppressing his wild desires towards Lin Chi, allowing Lin Chi to hop around him like an innocent deer.

He restrained his desires, pretending to be a gentle and refined gentleman in front of Lin Chi.

But he knew he was far from that.

And now, Lin Chi was in his arms.

He caressed Lin Chi’s skin—warm, soft.

He could do anything to Lin Chi.

This realization burned through his rationality like a flame.

Even though he knew that after tonight, all the feelings between him and Lin Chi would collapse, that Lin Chi might hate him, might wish him to hell.

But now, he couldn’t stop.

He kissed the tip of Lin Chi’s ear.

He heard Lin Chi make a vague sound, trembling in his arms as if terrified.

“If you wanted to stay away from me, you should never have come close in the first place, understand?”

He whispered softly.

Now, it was too late.

Back in that dark, damp cave in Changyu County, the moment Lin Chi grabbed his hand, it was already too late.

In this lifetime, the only way Lin Chi could leave him was if he never cared about his life or death from the start, turned around, and left him to perish in that broken temple.

Otherwise, there was only one outcome for both of them.

And that was until death parted them.

.

……

Lin Chi didn’t even know if he had passed out or fallen asleep in the end.

Li Tingyan picked him up and carried him to the bathroom to clean him up.

Lin Chi’s bathroom was filled with many bottles and jars. It was small, cramped, and a bit crowded, but it housed many of his personal items.

Li Tingyan placed him in the bathtub. Lin Chi was tall but thin, so lying in the tub didn’t seem crowded.

He had cried for a long time, and his eyelids were red, making him look fragile.

Li Tingyan reached out and stroked his hair.

The hot water slowly covered Lin Chi’s body. Now, Lin Chi was quiet, like a well-behaved, quiet little prince.

But Li Tingyan knew that once he woke up, it would be an irreparable disaster.

Surprisingly, though, he didn’t regret it too much.

Li Tingyan helped wash Lin Chi’s body.

The bruises on Lin Chi’s body caused him a slight sense of regret.

He should have been gentler.

But when the anger surged, he couldn’t stay calm.

In fact, he hadn’t gone all the way.

Lin Chi, like a delicate, polished pearl, had been bitten, toyed with, every corner of his body explored.

But, somehow, Li Tingyan stopped before the final act.

It wasn’t because he still held hope that Lin Chi might forgive him.

It was because Lin Chi cried out in pain.

Lin Chi was terrified, clinging to his shoulder, face pale, saying it hurt.

He shouldn’t have listened.

He and Lin Chi could never go back to the way things were. Lin Chi would no longer obediently snuggle by his side but would instead be as vigilant as a leopard, losing control at the sight of him.

No matter how gentle he was, in Lin Chi’s eyes, he would always be a demon, so why pretend?

Yet, as he held Lin Chi in his arms, silent for a few seconds, he still let him go.

……

In the end, Lin Chi cried in his arms again, but not entirely because of the pain.

Li Tingyan cleaned Lin Chi’s hands.

Even his fingertips bore kiss marks, soaking in the warm water, turning pink, yet still pale and slender, like a flawless piece of art.

Staring at the deeply sleeping Lin Chi, Li Tingyan suddenly lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Lin Chi’s.

“You see, it’s really easy for you to control me.”

“Between the two of us, I can never be the winner.”

.

………

When Lin Chi woke up the next day, he was still a bit dazed.

He had slept so deeply, all the way until evening.

He sat up in bed but couldn’t help letting out a hiss.

His body literally had no unbruised spot left.

If anyone else were here, they would have suspected he had been domestically abused, with red and blue bruises covering every visible inch of his skin.

Lin Chi sat on the two-meter-wide bed he had specifically picked, his gaze briefly blank.

Slowly, he remembered everything from last night.

Shopping at the supermarket.

Coming home.

Li Tingyan.

An argument.

And then he and Li Tingyan…

“Shit.”

Lin Chi couldn’t help cursing.

He quickly lifted the blanket and checked again. When he saw his thighs, he swiftly covered them up again, his cheeks flushing red.

He hadn’t lost his memory, so of course, he remembered everything from last night.

While he and Li Tingyan didn’t go all the way, that didn’t stop Li Tingyan from doing everything else!

It was the first time he realized there could be so many tricks done just from behind; he almost wondered if he’d die from it.

Honestly…

“Shameless.”

Lin Chi cursed bitterly, but it lacked conviction.

Sitting on the bed, he felt utterly lost and unsure.

He glanced around, and of course, Li Tingyan was nowhere to be seen.

That bastard didn’t just leave, did he…

Lin Chi muttered to himself, though instinctively, he felt Li Tingyan wouldn’t do that.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly getting out of bed.

His skin was tender and aching, as if it had been bitten raw, so he wrapped himself in a silk robe and opened the door.

Just as he opened the door, the person outside happened to reach it too.

The two locked eyes.

Through the narrow crack of the door.

Li Tingyan was still tall and handsome, his shirt neat and pristine, except for a faint bloodstain on his lips, ruining his otherwise cold and serious demeanor.

Meanwhile, Lin Chi, wrapped in a black silk robe, tilted his head up, his neck covered in marks, looking weak and pitiful.

Both froze for a moment.

Instinctively, Lin Chi stepped back but bumped into the door frame, hissing again.

Li Tingyan instinctively reached out to steady him.

.

A few minutes later, Lin Chi was back in bed, forced to drink the bowl of porridge Li Tingyan had someone bring over.

Li Tingyan sat opposite him, silent, avoiding eye contact.

There wasn’t the slightest hint of guilt in his expression.

He still sat up straight, the lines of his shoulders and back elegant and smooth, legs crossed, one hand supporting his cheek, lost in thought.

Lin Chi was only eating because he was hungry; otherwise, he’d have jumped up and kicked Li Tingyan in the face by now.

Pretending to be all high and mighty.

Who was it that held him down, kissed him, and… did all that last night!

Fuming, Lin Chi shoved a shrimp into his mouth but couldn’t swallow his anger.

“You’re dead meat, Li Tingyan. Just wait.”

“I’ll give you rat poison in the middle of the night!”

His mouth was still chewing on shrimp, so his words were a little muffled.

But Li Tingyan heard him clearly.

As expected.

Li Tingyan thought, Lin Chi hates him.

And that was normal. After what he had done to Lin Chi, and not planning to let go.

It was only right for him to hate him.

Now, he would keep Lin Chi locked up tightly, completely sealed off.

When Lin Chi could no longer bear it, maybe he really would give him poison to send him on his way.

It wouldn’t be that hard; many people die at the hands of those who sleep beside them.

But Li Tingyan’s lashes lowered slightly, and his eyebrows didn’t even twitch.

He spoke casually.

“Do as you wish.”