Blinded by Lust chapter 10

Wu Bie’s every photo, every video, his tone of voice, and his mannerisms all showed that he was a straight guy, no-nonsense man. Otherwise, Huo Zhanyan wouldn’t have pretended to be a woman to approach him. However, after learning that Wu Bie’s best friend was gay, he saw a glimmer of hope.

“Really? Then how does your friend like men?” Zhanyan probed, as generally, a straight man like Wu Bie wouldn’t accept a gay friend, unless he was hiding something.

There had been no complaints earlier from Wu Bie, to save Chen Xian’s face. Now that Zhanyan was asking, Wu Bie would have loved to talk until dawn.

“You wouldn’t believe it. My friend and I grew up together. He was a great guy who liked women, and then he met that guy surnamed Shen.” Wu Bie felt he was being objective, and since Zhanyan asked, he wouldn’t embellish. He added, “Although my friend was tricked by a woman before, Shen Jixue took advantage of that, and he’s no good either. I don’t know what kind of mind games he played on my friend, but my friend has been completely under his thumb.”

Wu Bie became more and more agitated, even deeply pained. “You don’t know, my friend… my friend…”

Halfway through, Wu Bie recalled the nightmare from years ago, and he felt his vision darken. He held onto the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing. Forget it, he decided not to talk about it, giving Chen Xian a bit of face. Even after all these years, it still left an indelible scar on his fragile and innocent heart.

Wu Bie felt dirty, his eyes dirty, and his heart dirty. He indignantly declared, “So I swear, I’ll hit every gay person I see in the future!”

He was passionate and fired up, but Zhanyan’s reaction was calm. Had he scared her? It wasn’t very civilized to shout about violence in front of a girl. He considered himself to have good manners.

“Zhanyan? Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I scare you?”

On the other end, Zhanyan remained silent. Wu Bie was sure he had scared her. “I wasn’t talking about you. Don’t be afraid. I was talking about gay people. I don’t usually hit people. I’m a good citizen. I even do good deeds.”

Zhanyan still didn’t speak. Wu Bie was completely anxious. “I was just joking. I won’t hit anyone, not even gay people. I really don’t hit people. It’s just talk. Zhanyan?”

Huo Zhanyan had been deceiving Wu Bie. He didn’t dare to be angry. His silence was due to feeling guilty and fearing Wu Bie would notice. He was well aware that Wu Bie was a straight man. Hearing him speak like this was not surprising, but it still hurt a little. He only hoped that when Wu Bie hit him in the future, he’d be gentle.

“Zhanyan?”

When Wu Bie called her name again, Zhanyan came back to her senses. “I’m here.”

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Wu Bie cautiously tested, noting that Zhanyan’s tone seemed to indicate she was lost in thought, not angry.

“Nothing…” Zhanyan’s denial lacked conviction, so she abruptly changed the subject. “Let’s talk about it next time. We’ll video call when it’s my birthday.”

Wu Bie thought Zhanyan was angry, but when she agreed to a video call next time, he almost jumped out of bed. He wasn’t concerned about Zhanyan’s looks but was irresistibly curious about her.

Wu Bie was overjoyed, flipping around in bed and nearly tossing the blanket onto the floor. He had to maintain his composure, though, to avoid making Zhanyan think he was a reckless, silly boy. He held back his laughter.

“Really? It’s your birthday soon? Why didn’t you say so earlier? What do you usually like? Tell me, and I’ll get it for you as a birthday gift.”

Unfortunately, Wu Bie’s excitement was conveyed through the phone, and Zhanyan could hear it. She was affected by his laughter. “What I like?”

“Yes.” Wu Bie eagerly replied, thinking that a young girl would probably like some nice little things. Since he was abroad, he could buy something he thought she’d like directly. He didn’t even know what Zhanyan liked. “What do you like? You haven’t mentioned it before.”

“Motorcycles.”

While Wu Bie was contemplating whether to get perfume or a bag, Zhanyan suddenly said, “Motorcycles.”

“Huh?” Wu Bie thought he must have heard wrong. “You like motorcycles? Do you even know how to ride one?”

Huo Zhanyan didn’t know if most girls could do it, but he really could. He retorted to Wu Bie, “Do you look down on people?”

“I…” Wu Bie couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s not that I’m looking down on you, just a bit surprised.”

“Different from what you imagined?”

Wu Bie admitted frankly that it was indeed different from his imagination, “Yes, different.”

Huo Zhanyan was a bit curious about how he appeared in Wu Bie’s mind.

“How is it different?”

Wu Bie made a hissing sound as he quickly scrolled through their chat history. There weren’t many photos sent by Zhanyan, only one showing an infusion, with Zhanyan’s distinct hand back and the blurred outline of legs under the blanket.

He always thought Zhanyan was a tall and slightly thin girl. She was only eighteen, with a mature voice and a youthful appearance. Considering her current condition lying in bed, she probably still carried a bit of illness. Regardless, he couldn’t associate her with motorcycles.

“I thought you were quite demure.” Wu Bie seemed to remember something, “Was your accident because you were riding a motorcycle?”

Zhanyan was silent for a moment on the phone, then seemed a bit displeased, “Why is everyone asking this? I did ride a motorcycle that day, but I was hit by a car after I got off. And I was trying to help someone. My parents think the same way as you. I’ve explained it many times, but they don’t listen. I know you all have prejudices against me.”

This was the first time Wu Bie heard the full version of Zhanyan’s accident. It was a normal reaction to link motorcycles with the accident, but Zhanyan’s agitation was probably because her parents didn’t trust her, making her sensitive.

“Motorcycles are great. Who says girls can’t like them?” Wu Bie changed the subject, “If we meet in the future, you can give me a ride.”

Zhanyan immediately seemed deflated, murmuring, “But I can’t ride now.”

Wu Bie hadn’t discussed Zhanyan’s condition in depth before, but he could sense she was somewhat disheartened. Besides the slim chance of recovery, her parents’ attitude was also disheartening.

“Zhanyan, with modern medicine, it’s definitely treatable. Don’t be so resistant. Be proactive in your rehabilitation training,” Wu Bie added. “Even if the final outcome isn’t great, it’s okay. Actually, I’m pretty good at riding motorcycles too. I can also give you a ride.”

“Wu Bie.” Zhanyan suddenly called his full name with a serious tone. Usually, she just called him “Ge” or “Wu Ge,” so Wu Bie didn’t react right away.

He suddenly remembered a saying he had seen before: when someone calls you by your full name, they’re either going to beat you up or confess their feelings.

Wu Bie’s throat tightened, he swallowed hard, and his throat ached, “Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

Wu Bie, with no clue, sighed in relief. He smacked his lips a couple of times, feeling the taste was bland.

……

As they were in Cherbourg, a water city with a thriving tourism industry, the crew couldn’t wait to explore the city the day after they docked. As long as they had nothing to do, they would go out together.

“Tan Yi, if you’re free, come with me to explore the streets.”

Tan Yi, who was peeling potatoes in the kitchen, looked confused and pointed at himself, “Me?”

The cargo had been unloaded, and with few people on the boat, Wu Bie nodded, “Yes, there aren’t many people eating on the ship anyway.”

Tan Yi glanced at his boss and noticed that Mr. Zhang, who knew he usually had no one to hang out with, waved his hand, “Go ahead, don’t just stay in the kitchen all the time. We’ve got enough potatoes.”

Tan Yi smiled widely, quickly changed clothes, and followed Wu Bie to the street.

Wu Bie had a reason for taking Tan Yi. He still needed to buy things, and Tan Yi knew foreign languages, which was more convenient than him making gestures with people.

“Wu Ge, where are we going?”

In the water city, transportation besides small boats was practical, and motorcycles were useful for quickly moving through the city’s alleys.

Wu Bie planned to rent a motorcycle. Just as he was about to pay, Tan Yi hesitated and said, “Wu Ge, I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle.”

Wu Bie looked at Tan Yi with a bit of disdain. Even Zhanyan could ride a motorcycle, but Tan Yi, a grown man, couldn’t. It was quite disappointing.

“Forget it, you can sit behind me.”

As soon as Tan Yi sat behind Wu Bie, the motorcycle roared to life. Wu Bie was very familiar with the route and didn’t even need navigation, quickly heading towards the city center.

The motorcycle was fast, and Tan Yi, new to the experience, felt a bit uncomfortable. He struggled to keep from throwing up, almost asking Wu Bie to slow down. Just as he was about to give up, the motorcycle suddenly stopped in front of a small store.

“You’re not fit for this.” Wu Bie extended his long legs and jumped off the motorcycle. Seeing Tan Yi’s pale face, he shook his head, “You get motion sickness from motorcycles?”

Tan Yi’s stomach calmed down gradually, and he didn’t throw up. He murmured, “It’s because you were driving too fast.”

Wu Bie didn’t respond, pointing at the store, “Let’s go. I’ll buy something, and you help me haggle.”

It wasn’t that Wu Bie was stingy; locals often overcharged outsiders due to language barriers.

Tan Yi looked up at the sign, which was for motorcycle parts. They were on the ship, so why buy motorcycle parts? But he didn’t ask and commented, “Wu Ge, you know this place well.”

“Of course, I remember the route. It’s not my first time here.” Wu Bie surveyed the store and finally fixed his gaze on a pair of pink motorcycle gloves. He noticed there was no price tag and, judging by the owner’s expression, the price would surely be shockingly high. He signaled Tan Yi with his eyes, and Tan Yi understood.

Sure enough, having a translator made things much easier, and the gloves were quickly bought by Wu Bie.

After leaving the store, Tan Yi stood by the motorcycle and couldn’t help but ask, “Wu Ge, who are you buying these for?”

Pink gloves—surely not for Wu Bie himself.

Wu Bie was too lazy to explain. If he said they were for Zhanyan, Tan Yi would definitely ask many questions. He had already learned from the last time when his phone’s speaker had been too loud.

“I’m buying them for myself.”

“Huh?” Tan Yi was stunned. He really was buying it for himself? Tan Yi hadn’t noticed before, but Wu Bie, who seemed so rough around the edges, actually had a girlish side—he liked pink!?