Blinded by Lust chapter 22

Time passed slowly, and the corridor remained silent. It seemed the sound really was just his imagination. Wu Bie shrugged and quickly ran upstairs.

Once inside his cabin, he felt an odd sense of relief as he shut the door behind him. The quiet made him just want to chat with Zhanyan. Although he hadn’t drunk much, the atmosphere at the pub had been unpleasant, and he felt uncomfortable without taking a shower.

“I’m going to take a shower. I’ll call you back after. If you’re tired, go to bed without waiting for me.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait for you.” As expected, Zhanyan was reluctant to easily give up the chance to video chat with him.

“Then hang up.”

The moment the video was interrupted, the smile on Huo Zhanyan’s face disappeared too. He was very afraid, this feeling felt unreal, because everything had been built on lies. He knew the consequences of telling Wu Bie the truth, and he didn’t dare imagine how much Wu Bie would hate him once he knew.

But he just couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop himself from contacting Wu Bie. Seeing Wu Bie happy made him happy, even if it was all a lie, even if he was walking on thin ice, he still enjoyed it.

He opened the videos and photos Wu Bie had sent before. In them, Wu Bie was smiling so happily. Wu Bie liked him. It didn’t matter if Huo Zhanyan was a man or a woman, Wu Bie clearly liked him as a person.

But…

Huo Zhanyan knew that Wu Bie liked him as the person he was pretending to be. He was even jealous of himself, mad with jealousy. If he had approached Wu Bie as a man, none of this would be happening.

Huo Zhanyan wondered what he should do. How could he confess the truth to Wu Bie without losing him?

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, as Wu Bie sent another video request. Huo Zhanyan tidied up his appearance in front of the camera, then smiled as he accepted the call.

“Did you miss me?” Wu Bie’s hair was wet. He hadn’t had time to get a haircut on the ship, so his hair had grown quite a bit. Now wet, the strands stuck together in clumps.

Zhanyan didn’t answer directly. “You weren’t even in the shower for ten minutes.”

“So what if it was less than ten minutes?” Wu Bie was in high spirits. Even a second apart from Zhanyan felt unbearable to him. “Even if we were apart for just a second, I’d miss you.”

“Did you miss me?” Zhanyan asked in return.

Wu Bie, influenced by the alcohol he had drunk, showed no shame in answering. “Of course I did, I’m missing you right now.”

Zhanyan’s eyes were damp and mesmerizing, but she pretended not to understand. “What’s there to miss right now?”

“I want to see you, meet you in person,” Wu Bie blurted out.

Who would be satisfied with just video calls? At first, they had only chatted via text. After hearing each other’s voices, there was the urge to see each other’s faces. After video chatting, it was the urge to meet in person. To be together every day, to hold hands, to kiss without a screen in the way, and more…

Humans are greedy, never satisfied, always wanting more.

“Why don’t I just get off the ship right now?” Wu Bie couldn’t hold back anymore. After all, Chen Xian had already left the ship, and by now, everyone was familiar with the routine. It wouldn’t make a difference whether he stayed or not.

Huo Zhanyan was startled. “No!”

He responded almost instinctively, without thinking. Wu Bie paused. He had suggested this once before, and Zhanyan had also firmly rejected it back then, saying she was still in the hospital. But now, she was getting better, so it couldn’t be for the same reason.

“Wh-why not?”

Huo Zhanyan hadn’t told Wu Bie the truth yet. He couldn’t possibly meet him right now.

H quickly thought of a reason, not wanting Wu Bie to misunderstand. “Didn’t you say that after this trip, you’d stay home? This is your last voyage. I don’t want our relationship to leave any regrets in your career.”

What regrets? But when Zhanyan mentioned it, Wu Bie realized she was right. Even if he got the chance to go back to sea, it wouldn’t be as a crew member. This trip was indeed special for him.

Wu Bie looked at his phone screen tenderly. He hadn’t expected Zhanyan to be so thoughtful, thinking about his future like this. He wasn’t like Chen Xian, who was blinded by love. Wu Bie was determined to balance both his career and his relationship. He and Zhanyan had a long future ahead of them; they could wait a day or two.

“Don’t be mad at me,” Huo Zhanyan said. He knew that rejecting Wu Bie’s requests to meet over and over would upset anyone.

Wu Bie rested his head on his hand and gave the camera a sly look. “Why would I be mad?”

“And you can’t be unhappy either.”

Wu Bie chuckled. Zhanyan was a contradiction. She really liked him and was willing to deepen their relationship, even open to meeting in person. But she always hesitated.

“I didn’t expect you to be so domineering. You keep delaying our meeting, and now I’m not allowed to be angry or unhappy?”

Wu Bie’s tone made it clear he wasn’t actually upset. He was always generous and tolerant with her.

It was because Wu Bie spoiled him that Zhanyan dared to keep asking for more.

“Is that a problem?”

Wu Bie rolled onto his pillow, laughing. “Of course not. Whatever you say, I’ll do. Whatever my wife says is right.”

“Thanks, hubby.”

Wu Bie’s playful grin froze on his face. He sat up so fast that water from his hair splashed onto the screen. His eyes widened, and even his nostrils flared.

“What?”

Zhanyan turned away from his gaze, maybe from embarrassment, and casually flipped over. After a rustling sound, she slowly spoke. “If you didn’t hear it, forget it.”

Wu Bie shot up from his bed, bumping his head on the low ceiling. He yelped in pain but didn’t care.

“What do you mean forget it? I heard it!” Wu Bie shouted.

Zhanyan hid her face under the blanket, leaving only her eyes exposed. “If you heard it, why ask?”

“I heard you call me hubby!” Wu Bie jumped from the bed and spun around before sitting back down. “Say it again!”

Zhanyan tilted her head, playing dumb. “You heard wrong.”

“Absolutely not!” Wu Bie wasn’t sure how to control his excitement. “You definitely said it! You totally called me that!”

This girl is so bold! How dare she… How dare she tease him like this? It’s as if even if she were to scream, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to her, completely at her mercy.

Thinking about this, Wu Bie felt both shocked and delighted, anxious and frustrated—how could she be so… seductive?

Wu Bie tried to put on a fierce face as he met Zhanyan’s gaze. Zhanyan, not feeling embarrassed at all, brazenly met his eyes, even with a hint of playful charm in her expression.

“I’m going to sleep,” She said, not waiting for Wu Bie to respond, taking the initiative.

Wu Bie couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. Fine, fine, she was doing it on purpose. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Zhanyan looked innocent. “Ge, every word I say to you is sincere.”

Here she goes again, teasing him and playing coy, and yet Wu Bie couldn’t help but fall for it every time.

“You said you were going to sleep; do you think I can stop you from doing that?” Wu Bie checked the time. It was late, and if not for tonight’s excitement, Zhanyan would’ve gone to bed long ago. “Go ahead, sleep.”

Hearing this, Zhanyan finally emerged from the covers, smiling sweetly. “I know, you always give in to me.”

At least she had some conscience, knowing that he always gave in to her.

“Okay, I’ll hang up now.”

Just as Wu Bie was about to respond, the video screen suddenly went black, and there was a quick “mwah” sound of a kiss. Before Wu Bie could react, the video call had already been hung up.

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Bie didn’t call back. He flopped onto his bed as if his whole body had lost its weight, sinking into the blankets. The sound of the kiss still echoed in his ears, and he couldn’t help but touch his cheek. Although nothing had touched him, his face was burning.

Zhanyan kissed him again.

“Ahh!” Wu Bie felt as though his mind was boiling like a kettle, curling into a ball. He screamed internally, his controlled smile gradually breaking into an uncontrollable grin.

Damn it!

He cursed out loud, leaping into the air and throwing punches and kicks at the empty space around him, as if performing military combat drills.

Shit, shit, shit!

He had a girlfriend now!

This was the best news ever, and he absolutely had to share it with everyone. Wu Bie quickly dialed Chen Xian’s number. After two rings, he started to get anxious, but before Chen Xian could pick up, the call was cut off.

“What the hell? Chen Xian hung up on me?” Not believing it, Wu Bie called again. This time it didn’t get cut off; Chen Xian had turned off his phone. “He dared to turn it off!”

But Wu Bie was in too good of a mood to hold a grudge. After failing to annoy Chen Xian, he decided to share the news with the people on the ship. He hurriedly put on his slippers and opened the door, only to see the empty hallway. He then remembered that everyone was out drinking.

“Shit!” Wu Bie cursed. His excitement had nowhere to go, so he returned to his room.

Not wanting to disturb Zhanyan, and with Chen Xian not answering, Wu Bie resorted to doing flips on the bed to burn off his energy. By the time he had messed up the bedsheets completely, he finally started to feel sleepy.

“Zhanyan…” Wu Bie murmured as sleepiness overtook him. After expending so much energy, the alcohol hit him, and he drifted off while calling Zhanyan’s name.

At Chen Xian’s house.

Chen Xian had just come out of the bathroom, water still dripping from his neck, running down toward a suggestive red mark on his throat.

“I think I heard my phone ring. Who called?”

Shen Jixue was studying for a professional certification exam. Even after finishing fooling around with Chen Xian, he still found time to sneak in some reading. Flipping through the pages naturally, without even raising his head, he responded, “It was a spam call.”

Chen Xian was puzzled. “A spam call this late? These people are really dedicated.”

Shen Jixue lied without blinking, putting the book on the bedside table and patting the space beside him. He softly said, “Time to rest.”