Blinded by Lust chapter 56

When Wu Bie came out of the bathroom, Huo Zhanyan had already fallen asleep on the bed, his shoulder-length hair scattered and bathed in the dim light. It was unclear whether he was just exhausted from the competition or truly felt safe around Wu Bie.

Wu Bie took a deep breath, lifted the blanket, and lay down far from Huo Zhanyan, facing away from him. Sharing the same bed, Huo Zhanyan’s heartbeat and body heat were hard to ignore. After tossing and turning for a while, Wu Bie finally fell asleep to the sound of rain outside the window.

In the morning, Wu Bie woke up in a warm embrace. His empty gaze fell on Huo Zhanyan, who had somehow rolled over in his sleep. Even though most of the bed was free, Huo Zhanyan insisted on squeezing up against him.

The hot breath on the back of Wu Bie’s neck was unbearable, so he shoved Huo Zhanyan aside and jumped out of bed, furiously wiping at the wetness on his neck.

“Hmm?” Huo Zhanyan had been sleeping soundly but was startled awake by Wu Bie’s rough movements. He sat up, groggily looking around, and when he met Wu Bie’s disdainful eyes, he remembered everything from the night before.

He had kissed Wu Bie. Wu Bie initiated it. Even though Wu Bie hadn’t said anything about it, their relationship had definitely progressed. At least Wu Bie was starting to accept him.

“Since you’re awake, get up already,” Wu Bie said as he tidied his clothes. He planned to head down the mountain early to avoid running into Shen Jixue and Chen Xian, but his coat was too dirty to wear.

Huo Zhanyan obediently got up without arguing and, noticing Wu Bie’s dilemma with the coat, he pulled a hoodie from his luggage. “Wear mine. It’s cold out; you can’t go with just one layer.”

The jacket was orange. It had been years since Wu Bie had worn such a bright, youthful color, but with the chilly weather, he couldn’t hesitate. He took it and put it on.

The two of them squeezed into the small space in front of the sink to brush their teeth. Huo Zhanyan, still half-asleep, kept leaning against Wu Bie as he brushed his teeth.

Wu Bie clenched his fists repeatedly. It wasn’t that he liked using force to solve things, but Huo Zhanyan just made it so tempting.

“Do you not have bones?”

Huo Zhanyan splashed some water on his face to wake up. “I’m still tired. Can I ride down the mountain with you? I have too much stuff.”

He really did have a lot of stuff. It was supposed to be just a two-day trip for a competition, but he had packed like he was fleeing a disaster.

“You brought so many clothes for just one night. People might think you were moving.”

Huo Zhanyan was at that age where appearance mattered, and a short trip definitely called for multiple outfits. “Good thing I brought extra. Otherwise, you’d have nothing to wear.”

Wu Bie couldn’t be bothered to respond. After Huo Zhanyan finished packing, Wu Bie went with him to get his bike. Wu Bie hadn’t brought anything, but Huo Zhanyan’s stuff filled up the entire trunk of his car.

“Let’s get breakfast down the mountain. I heard the hotel’s isn’t great, but I know a good dim sum place.”

The mountain winds were strong. Wu Bie lit a cigarette, shielding it from the wind with his hand. It took a few tries, but eventually, he managed to light it. After taking a drag, his mind cleared a bit, and he exhaled a puff of white smoke.

“I’ve spent money on gas, tolls, meals for your classmates, performances, and now breakfast too.”

Just as he said this, Huo Zhanyan suddenly yanked him by the sides of his hat, pulling him close. Wu Bie instinctively raised his hands, holding the cigarette away so as not to burn Huo Zhanyan.

“I see Chen Xian and Shen Jixue coming out.”

Wu Bie tried to turn around, but Huo Zhanyan held him back by the hat. “Don’t move, they’re getting into the tour bus.”

As they pulled close, their noses bumped, and their lips brushed lightly. Huo Zhanyan looked up into Wu Bie’s eyes, his long lashes fluttering. Wu Bie felt ticklish, but before he could react, his lips were met with another kiss.

In the distance, the guide’s voice echoed, distorted by the poor signal on the loudspeaker.

“Make sure not to leave any luggage behind. If you do, you’ll have to ask the hotel to mail it to you.”

Their tongues intertwined, and soon Huo Zhanyan’s heavy breathing filled Wu Bie’s ears. Always rushing his kisses. The kid couldn’t hold it together, getting breathless after just a few seconds. The grip on Wu Bie’s hat tightened, and his kiss turned messy, like a puppy licking Wu Bie’s mouth aimlessly.

The sound of the tour bus engine gradually faded away. Wu Bie moved his tongue and bit down on Huo Zhanyan’s lower lip. Huo Zhanyan cried out in pain before reluctantly letting go of Wu Bie.

“Why are you biting me?”

Wu Bie yanked off his hat, wiped the saliva from his lips with the back of his hand, and noticed that the cigarette in his hand had burned halfway. Frowning, he extinguished the cigarette butt in the trash can and turned to sit in the driver’s seat.

“Huh?” Huo Zhanyan, afraid of being left behind, quickly jumped into the passenger seat.

“Address.”

“Huh?” Huo Zhanyan was in the middle of fastening his seatbelt and didn’t catch what Wu Bie said.

Wu Bie clicked his tongue. “The address of the dim sum place.”

Huo Zhanyan’s confused expression gradually turned into a smile, and he quickly gave Wu Bie the address. Feeling a bit smug, he added, “The place is in the commercial district. After we eat, let’s go shopping.”

Wu Bie said nothing. His silence was taken as agreement, which nearly made Huo Zhanyan jump out of his seat with excitement.

There was only one road down the mountain, so Wu Bie quickly caught up with the tour bus that Shen Jixue and Chen Xian were on. When he saw the back of the bus, he hesitated for a moment. Just then, the car behind him started honking wildly. Gritting his teeth, Wu Bie stepped on the accelerator and overtook the bus.

“Want some water?” Chen Xian unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Shen Jixue.

Shen Jixue was sitting by the window. He not only got seasick but also a little carsick, though the latter wasn’t as bad. Shaking his head, he was just about to speak when he saw an Audi speed past. He immediately sat up straight. That car again.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xian thought he was about to throw up and quickly grabbed a plastic bag. “Are you feeling sick?”

Shen Jixue, who was slightly nearsighted, couldn’t see the license plate clearly because the car had sped by. But both the model and the license plate looked familiar. Could it really be Wu Bie? His eyes darted around. “Isn’t Huo Zhanyan attending university around here?”

Chen Xian’s memory wasn’t as good as Shen Jixue’s, but when Shen Jixue mentioned it, something clicked. “I think so. Why?”

“Nothing. I just saw a lot of university students participating in this bike race and suddenly thought of him.” Shen Jixue casually added, “What do you think Wu Bie is doing since he didn’t come with us?”

“Probably still sleeping at home. It’s pretty early.”

Shen Jixue took the mineral water from Chen Xian, smiling slyly. “Why don’t you give him a video call? Since we’re all out here, and he’s home alone, you can just check in.”

Chen Xian sensed that Shen Jixue’s suggestion to video call Wu Bie wasn’t entirely innocent, but he still went ahead with it. The video call rang only twice before being cut off, followed by a message from Wu Bie.

“What do you want? I’m sleeping.”

Chen Xian showed the message to Shen Jixue. “See? I told you he’s sleeping.”

Shen Jixue just smiled, taking a sip from the bottle. He knew it was a lie. If Wu Bie were really sleeping, he wouldn’t have bothered to cut the video call and then reply with a text.

“Let’s not disturb his sleep then.”

“What did Chen Xian say?” Wu Bie slightly turned his head, still keeping his eyes on the road. He had a feeling that Chen Xian’s video call wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“He said he’ll bring back some local treats for you.”

Was he overthinking it? Wu Bie felt uneasy, but he forced himself to stop overanalyzing. Shen Jixue couldn’t possibly be that sharp. It must just be his imagination.

Once they were off the mountain, reaching the city didn’t take long. The shopping mall was quite crowded on the weekend, but they arrived at just the right time—no need to wait for a table at the dim sum place.

As soon as they sat down, Huo Zhanyan took out his phone to call over the waiter. “Hello, how do I use this group coupon?”

Wu Bie paused while pouring tea; he had only mentioned it casually. Huo Zhanyan wouldn’t really want to save him money, would he?

“I’ve never used a group coupon,” Huo Zhanyan explained.

The waiter was quite polite, patiently helping Huo Zhanyan verify the coupon and offering assistance to write a good review and provide small snacks before serving their meal.

After the waiter left, Wu Bie finally spoke slowly. “We’ve already spent so much money, one meal won’t make a difference.”

“This meal’s on me. Didn’t you say I shouldn’t use family money to pursue you? This is my prize money from yesterday’s race, but it’s only 300 yuan, so I could only afford the group coupon.”

Wu Bie looked up and met Huo Zhanyan’s innocent, sincere gaze. His tongue flicked around his mouth, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. If Huo Zhanyan wanted to pay, then so be it.

The place didn’t look fancy, but the food was surprisingly good. Clearly, Huo Zhanyan had done his research.

“Uh… Wu Ge, how about going back tomorrow instead of today? Stay one more day—it’s Sunday.”

Wu Bie pressed his lips together, staring at Huo Zhanyan. Huo Zhanyan felt like Wu Bie had become easier to talk to. In the past, he would have outright refused.

After dim sum, Huo Zhanyan insisted on dragging Wu Bie around to shop. He didn’t really know what to shop for, since it was his first date. He could only copy what other couples did: when they went into boutique stores, he took Wu Bie along; when the girls checked out hair clips, he did the same.

He was starting to feel self-conscious when Wu Bie, without saying a word, picked up a hair clip with two small balls and held it up to Huo Zhanyan’s ponytail.

“What are you doing?” Huo Zhanyan quickly held his head.

Wu Bie shrugged. “I thought you liked this kind of thing. If you don’t, why did you drag me here?”

The nearby couples were already giving Huo Zhanyan strange looks. Feeling embarrassed, Huo Zhanyan pulled Wu Bie to another aisle. A set of couple’s phone charms with spinning lights quickly caught his eye.

The product description on the packaging was impressive: when the button on the charm was pressed, both would light up, with a range of several hundred meters.

“Let’s get these. We’ll hang them on our phones, and when I press it, you’ll know I’m nearby.” Huo Zhanyan’s eyes sparkled with excitement, unable to move away from the display.

Such a silly thing could only fool someone like Huo Zhanyan. Wu Bie let go of his hand. “No.”

If he used this kind of thing and Shen Jixue saw it, wouldn’t he make fun of me to death?

Huo Zhanyan seemed to not hear what Wu Bie said, too excited as if he had discovered something amazing. “Thirty-five, only thirty-five! I only have twenty-eight left from my bonus. You buy it. If you buy it, we can use it.”

“Are you crazy?” Wu Bie looked at Huo Zhanyan as if he was looking at a fool. Not only did he have to hang something so childish, but he also had to pay for it himself.

After leaving the boutique, Huo Zhanyan excitedly showed Wu Bie the phone charms they had bought for their phones. “I had the staff attach them for us. Let’s try them out.”

Wu Bie grabbed his phone, annoyed, because he had actually paid for that childish thing.

“Ge!” Huo Zhanyan had somehow run up to the fifth floor. He leaned over the railing, waving at Wu Bie. “Try it out!”

Wu Bie stood nonchalantly in place. From this far away, the Bluetooth might not even work. But it was enough to fool someone as simple-minded as Huo Zhanyan.

“Beep beep beep.” The cheap electric sound accompanied by flashing colorful lights startled passersby, who couldn’t help but stop and curiously glance at the commotion.

Wu Bie was startled by the sudden noise and fumbled to find the off button on the charm. But the more he pressed, and Huo Zhanyan pressed, the brighter it flashed.

“Enough! Stop pressing!” Wu Bie, embarrassed, growled quietly at Huo Zhanyan.

Huo Zhanyan was overjoyed, sprinting down the escalator. “It really works! From now on, when I press it, you’ll know I’ve arrived!”

Wu Bie felt like a spectacle, being watched like a monkey in a zoo. He quickly pushed through the crowd, his face flushing red as he hurriedly fled, muttering under his breath, “It’s like I’m dealing with a crazy person.”