Blinded by Lust chapter 49

As soon as Wu Bie entered the elevator, he started losing his composure. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and spun in place, then frustratingly grabbed at his hair.

He couldn’t figure out why he used that picture as his phone wallpaper. If he had to explain, maybe it was because Huo Zhanyan had taken a decent photo. Since the picture didn’t show their faces, even if someone saw it, no one besides him and Huo Zhanyan would know who was in it.

But of course, just his luck, Huo Zhanyan caught him red-handed. Heaven, do you really have to mess with me like this?

Wu Bie glanced at his reflection in the elevator’s glass. His appearance was indeed a bit ridiculous. The hickey on his neck stood out clearly under the bright light.

Damn it!

He rushed forward and rubbed at the mark repeatedly, but other than making the skin redder, the hickey didn’t fade at all.

If Shen Jixue saw this, who knows what stories he’d come up with? As soon as the elevator opened, Wu Bie quickly rushed to his apartment, straight to the bathroom, scrubbing himself under the shower. He scrubbed so much that his tanned skin turned red before he finally let himself stop.

Before he could dry off or get dressed, his phone on the shelf rang. It was a message from Chen Xian, saying they were back and telling him to come join them for dinner.

Wu Bie put down his phone and wiped the fog off the mirror. His messy state was on full display. His hand unconsciously touched his lips. The feeling of kissing Huo Zhanyan had already become blurry. He couldn’t even remember who initiated it—him or Huo Zhanyan.

His hand slowly moved to the red marks on his neck. The hickey was dark, and he couldn’t recall when it had been left.

This is bad.

Wu Bie didn’t dare think any deeper about it. He grabbed a towel from the rack, haphazardly dried off, and rummaged through his wardrobe for a high-collared T-shirt to put on.

As he left his apartment, he noticed the door next door was open. Before he could approach, he heard an extra voice coming from inside, and it sounded increasingly familiar.

“I’m just back for the weekend. I usually stay on campus.”

Huo Zhanyan?!

Wu Bie felt his temples pounding, as if someone had smacked him in the back of the head. Without thinking, he rushed into Chen Xian’s apartment and saw Huo Zhanyan, with a slightly swollen lip, chatting with Shen Jixue. Huo Zhanyan showed no surprise at Wu Bie’s sudden appearance, his expression completely calm.

The noise must have been too much because Shen Jixue looked at Wu Bie like he was an idiot, “Are you being chased by a ghost?”

Wu Bie’s brain wasn’t working. For once, he didn’t banter with Shen Jixue. His tongue felt numb in his mouth, and after a while, he managed to force out a sentence.

“You guys…”

Just then, Chen Xian heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen, explaining to Wu Bie, “We just got back, saw Xiao Huo still in the lobby, and found out he lives alone. So, we invited him to join us for dinner.”

Wu Bie’s face alternated between pale and dark. Without thinking, he pulled Chen Xian aside, his voice low and angry, “You don’t even know him, and you bring him home. Are you out of your mind?”

Back when they lived in a communal apartment, they used to invite neighbors over for dinner, but that was different.

“He’s our neighbor now. We’ll see each other all the time.”

Wu Bie really wanted to crack open Chen Xian’s head and study its structure. “It’s not the same! We used to live with coworkers in a communal building. Now, he’s a stranger.”

When Wu Bie was dating online, Chen Xian was always cautious. So why was he acting so careless now, letting just anyone into their home?

“We’ll get to know him after a few more interactions. I asked, and he lives alone now. As a college student, he probably doesn’t cook much. It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks. Plus, it looks like he had a fight with his boyfriend. Look at his face—he’s been hit. Poor guy.”

Poor guy? Who’s going to feel sorry for me? He deserved it!

Even though the conversation was quiet, the people in the living room could still hear it. Shen Jixue took the opportunity to join in, “Your boyfriend is too rough. No matter how angry, he shouldn’t resort to violence.”

Shen Jixue’s words were aimed at Huo Zhanyan, but he suddenly called out Wu Bie’s name, “Wu Bie, don’t you think?”

Wu Bie’s mouth twitched. He felt that Shen Jixue’s gaze was suggestive, implying something, but on the surface, he had to pretend to be calm, forcing a smile and nodding.

Chen Xian, lacking awareness, echoed Shen Jixue’s words, “Yeah, no matter what, you shouldn’t hit someone.”

Huo Zhanyan lowered his eyes, filled with guilt, and said, “It’s not his fault. It’s all because of me. I lied to him, which is why he got angry with me.”

After all, this was Huo Zhanyan’s relationship, and since even he wasn’t willing to speak ill of the other person, Chen Xian and Shen Jixue, as outsiders, had no right to say anything. They could only act as peacemakers.

“Xiao Huo, after you’ve applied the medicine, come over and eat. Wu Bie, help grab the bowls and chopsticks.”

Huo Zhanyan was lucky today; Chen Xian had prepared several light dishes, so even with his injuries, he could still eat.

Huo Zhanyan, always sweet-talking, flattered Chen Xian so much that Chen Xian felt overjoyed. For some reason, even though Shen Jixue was usually very protective of Chen, today he let his guard down around Huo Zhanyan.

“So, you’re in the shipping business? Going out to sea must be fun, right?”

Huo Zhanyan’s words were the same as when he first flirted with Wu Bie. This kid definitely wasn’t as innocent as he looked. For older men, his words worked well. With his delicate face and his beautiful eyes filled with longing and anticipation, he was quite convincing.

Even someone as honest as Chen Xian was getting more excited the more they talked.

Usually, if someone spoke to Chen Xian for this long, Shen Jixue would have been jealous by now. But today, for some reason, not only did he not interrupt, but he even chimed in occasionally, treating Huo Zhanyan with unusual kindness.

Wu Bie was raging inside. Shen Jixue usually acted all tough in front of him, so why wasn’t he cursing out Huo Zhanyan now, driving him out? What was going on with him today?

While Wu Bie was absentmindedly chewing on his chopsticks, Huo Zhanyan suddenly called his name, “Wu Ge, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Wu Bie’s mouth twitched, almost biting his tongue. He gritted his teeth and forced a smile, “I’m listening.”

He had underestimated Huo Zhanyan. Not only was his acting good, but he also had guts. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to pretend to be a woman and deceive him for so long.

“I have to go back to school this afternoon.” Huo Zhanyan suddenly pulled out his phone. “No one is home usually, so I’d like to exchange contact info with you guys in case anything happens at home.”

Wu Bie wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but Huo Zhanyan looked at him with a face full of “sincerity,” clearly waiting to exchange numbers. Under the watchful eyes of Chen Xian and Shen Jixue, he reluctantly gave his number.

Just then, as Wu Bie’s phone rang, Shen Jixue suddenly reached out, startling Wu Bie, who grabbed his phone from the table. Everyone stared at him, puzzled by his overreaction.

Shen Jixue feigned surprise and casually grabbed the napkin beside Wu Bie. “What’s wrong? You’re even fighting over napkins now? Anyone would think you had something to hide on your phone.”

Wu Bie was tongue-tied, unable to say a word. The rest of the meal tasted like sawdust to him. He kept guarding against Huo Zhanyan’s nonsense and occasionally forced himself to respond.

By the end of the meal, his bowl was still half-full. Seeing this, Chen Xian asked, “Why did you leave so much?”

“I drank too much last night, not really hungry.”

With the meal over and introductions made, Huo Zhanyan spoke up. “I have classes on Monday, and this week is busy for me at school, so I’ll leave early. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Hearing this, Wu Bie immediately stood up. “I’ll walk you out, and I need to buy some cigarettes anyway.”

“Thanks, Ge.” Huo Zhanyan smiled brightly at Wu Bie, showing no fear.

Since Wu Bie was escorting Huo Zhanyan, Chen Xian didn’t join. “Take care, Xiao Huo, come by again when you have time.”

As soon as the door closed, the smile on Wu Bie’s face disappeared. Huo Zhanyan was quicker, pulling him into the elevator. He pulled out an elevator key card and pressed the button for the ninth floor.

“You’re looking for trouble! Didn’t I tell you to stay away?”

The elevator door opened with a “ding,” and Huo Zhanyan slipped the card into Wu Bie’s pocket and used Wu Bie’s hand to register his fingerprint on the door lock.

Wu Bie was baffled by the whole situation. “Are you crazy?”

“I really do have to go back to school. I only have time on weekends. I’m not lying to you, so I’m giving you the elevator card and the fingerprint lock.”

How was this Wu Bie’s problem?

“What does that have to do with me?”

Huo Zhanyan continued, as if speaking to himself, “I don’t have time during the week. My sister hires someone to clean, but since she’s a middle school student, I don’t want her to get distracted. You’ll help me, right?”

The self-assured tone made it sound like Wu Bie owed him and had no choice but to agree.

“What does that have to do with me? If it’s such a problem, just move out.”

“But you just agreed, didn’t you?”

Did he really want to agree? Huo Zhanyan had cornered him. How could he have refused in that situation?

Huo Zhanyan fiddled with his clothes, playing innocent. “You agreed, so that’s that.”

“Tch.”

Wu Bie looked around, itching to grab a trash can and smash it over Huo Zhanyan’s head.

Sensing this, Huo Zhanyan quickly said, “I didn’t tell your friends about us. I just don’t want to hide if we run into each other.”

“What ‘us’ are you talking about?” Wu Bie exploded. “Let’s get one thing straight: we have nothing to do with each other.”

Huo Zhanyan looked at him, wounded. “I have a one-sided crush on you.”

Wu Bie’s words caught in his throat. Damn it, if he argued, it would sound like there really was something between them. But if he didn’t, he’d feel so frustrated.

….

Just then, Chen Xian came out wiping the table and saw Shen Jixue standing at the door. “Ah Xue, what are you doing?”

Shen Jixue glanced meaningfully at the number “9” on the elevator display. He was sure Wu Bie and Huo Zhanyan knew each other. As for how, what their relationship was, and why they were pretending not to know each other—it was still too soon to say.

He turned to Chen Xian with a smile and said, “It’s nothing.”