Don’t Ignite It chapter 17

Hiding

Sitting between Lu Zhao and Xu Zhan, Xia Yu felt like he had never had such stifling wine before.

Originally, he didn’t want to pay any attention to Lu Zhao. He was fully engaged in a conversation with Xu Zhan, leaning against Xu Zhan, sipping the glass of the Rose Garden that he had just ordered for him.

But he couldn’t resist Lu Zhao’s constant harassment. Whether intentional or not, Lu Zhao’s hand kept touching him, starting from his leg and moving upwards, tracing circles on the back of his hand.

The touch was light, as if writing a line of poetry on the back of his hand.

Xia Yu wanted to withdraw his hand, but Lu Zhao anticipated it and firmly held onto it.

Xia Yu endured it for a while, but alcohol was known to lower inhibitions, especially since he had recently been in bed with Lu Zhao.

In a strange hotel room, drenched in sweat after their recent encounter, Lu Zhao had used his fingers to write words on Xia Yu’s back.

Now, with all these people at the table and Lu Zhao’s brother present, Lu Zhao remained so quiet, like a statue amidst the noise. But if you looked closely, he seemed like something that could shatter at any moment.

Lu Yuan sat across from him, playing cards with Yu Wan and others. His luck wasn’t great, and he had downed several glasses of alcohol, but he wasn’t drunk. His attention had been distracted, and he had been glancing at Lu Zhao.

Lu Yuan had a good relationship with his brother and was aware that his brother still had feelings for Xia Yu. That’s why he found his brother’s current state so unusual. Lu Zhao was normally like a monk in deep meditation, focused solely on work, with no other concerns. This was why Lu Yuan had insisted on bringing him out today to have some fun.

If he had known earlier that Xia Yu would be here, he would have preferred to keep his brother at home.

Lu Yuan saw his brother’s expression change suddenly and his demeanor turned cold making it seem like he was ready to start a fight at any moment, not here to enjoy drinks.

After a moment of distraction, he lost another round of cards.

Yu Wan chuckled and pushed a glass of alcohol toward Lu Yuan. “Drink up. What’s wrong with you tonight? You seem absent-minded.”

Yu Wan had also noticed where Lu Yuan’s gaze had been focused. He asked with curiosity, “Are your brother and Xia Yu not getting along? If there’s any issue, you can tell me.”

Lu Yuan sighed and took a sip of his drink. “Don’t pry too much. My brother doesn’t dislike Xia Yu,” he replied. He couldn’t reveal his brother’s personal matters. He continued, “But next time, it’s better to keep them apart.”

Yu Wan tactfully dropped the subject.

But before he could shift his gaze to Lu Zhao and Xia Yu for a closer look, he saw Lu Zhao standing up.

Shortly after Lu Zhao left, Xu Zhan received a call from his young lover, probably asking him to leave. Xu Zhan apologized to Xia Yu with a glance and went outside to answer the call.

Xia Yu didn’t mind. In fact, he encouraged Xu Zhan to go on his date. However, Xu Zhan shook his head and covered the phone as he told Xia Yu, “I’ll wait a little longer and leave with you. I don’t want to leave you alone here.”

But the date was canceled at the last minute, and Xu Zhan probably needed to console his young lover, so he didn’t return for quite some time.

Sitting in the crowded and noisy booth, Xia Yu had a faint smile on his face. He was surrounded by friends who were engrossed in their games. The band on stage reached its climax, and the long-haired lead singer had a delicate face and a slim waist, rousing the atmosphere to its peak. Even Xia Yu’s table was singing along.

But he suddenly found it uninteresting.

He used to be someone who loved the hustle and bustle, but now, trapped in this whirlwind of excitement, he felt a deep sense of weariness.

To be precise, from the moment he saw Lu Zhao, he had been on guard, as if preparing for a war without gunpowder.

Now, with a sudden relaxation, he found himself bored to the core, not knowing who he was competing against.

“I’m going out for some fresh air. I’ll be back in a bit,” Xia Yu said to the person next to him and then took his cigarette pack and went outside.

Initially, he had intended to go to the small garden outside the bar, but it was likely crowded there too, and there was a chance Lu Zhao might be there. So, he changed his mind and headed upstairs, pushing open the door to the rooftop terrace.

As expected, the terrace was empty, with only the cold night wind blowing. Xia Yu was only wearing a shirt and a knitted vest, and he shivered from the sudden chill.

However, he didn’t pay it much mind and sat down on a chair at the edge of the terrace.

Although the terrace wasn’t officially open yet, it had all the necessary furnishings, except for the lights being off. He sat under a sunshade with short shrubs nearby. The earlier noise and excitement faded away instantly, and he could only faintly hear the music from downstairs, making the rooftop exceptionally quiet.

He thought it was nice.

Xia Yu nestled into the sofa, thinking that he probably shouldn’t have come today. He considered leaving when Xu Zhan returned. He had stayed this long because it was a rare gathering, and he didn’t want to dampen anyone’s spirits, especially Yu wan, whom he had just met.

Sitting in the cold wind now, the night breeze made his head feel a bit dizzy. He thought to himself that he had given face long enough and should leave soon.

With this in mind, Xia Yu took a cigarette out of his pack and reached into his pocket, searching for a lighter. To his annoyance, he realized he didn’t have one.

“Annoying,” he muttered, his mood souring even more. He was already a bit irritable, and this inconvenience made it worse.

He wrinkled his nose, acting like a sulky child.

However, in just a few seconds, he heard some movement nearby. Before he could become alert, a copper-colored lighter was placed in front of him.

With a click, a cluster of orange-red flames lit up in the darkness.

A long, strong hand shielded the flame and gently cupped it to prevent it from being extinguished by the wind.

Xia Yu stared at the lighter for a few seconds before slowly shifting his gaze to the owner’s hand.

In the endless night, Lu Zhao, who should have disappeared without a trace, was standing right in front of him, looking at him expressionlessly.

Xia Yu blinked and locked eyes with Lu Zhao for a moment. Before the flame was extinguished, he leaned in and lit his cigarette.

He took a deep drag, and in the midst of the pitch-black night, the tip of his cigarette turned orange-red, appearing and disappearing.

“Why are you here?” he asked casually.

“Just wandering around,” Lu Zhao replied, gesturing to the other side. “I was sitting right there earlier.”

Xia Yu finally noticed that there was a narrow corridor not far from him, behind the wall, with a few chairs lined up along the edge. It was so dark that he almost hadn’t noticed it.

“You’re good at finding places,” Xia Yu said but didn’t elaborate further. After all, Lu Zhao was probably here before him.

He looked at Lu Zhao, who was sitting across from him, and raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

This terrace didn’t belong to him, so there was no reason he had to be the only one using it.

He contemplated for a moment and decided that after finishing this cigarette, he would head downstairs and find Xu Zhan to leave together.

Lu Zhao was watching him for a while and noticed his thin clothing. He furrowed his brows, stood up, and took off his coat, draping it over Xia Yu.

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow.

Before he could refuse, Lu Zhao had already returned to the sofa.

Xia Yu couldn’t be bothered to argue further. He was indeed feeling a bit cold.

“If you catch a cold, don’t blame me,” he said lazily.

Lu Zhao remained silent and simply responded with a quiet “Mm.”

The two of them sat in silence for a while without disturbing each other. However, after some time, Lu Zhao broke the silence with a question, “Why haven’t you contacted me lately?”

Xia Yu was momentarily taken aback by the question. However, he quickly replied in a nonchalant tone, “I’ve been busy, and besides, I’ve slept with you a few times already. It gets boring after a while.”

He said it casually, as if Lu Zhao were merely a cheap takeaway.

Lu Zhao thought to himself that Xia Yu should know when to stop, not to embarrass him further.

However, his voice betrayed a suppressed pain and jealousy. In the night’s darkness, his words sounded sharp, like shattered glass.

“Tired of me, but not tired of Xu Zhan?”

He could vividly picture Xia Yu leaning against Xu Zhan’s shoulder, being affectionate, but that affection would fade when he looked at Lu Zhao.

His chest heaved, and it felt like a volcano was brewing within him. On the surface, he appeared calm, but beneath, turbulent emotions were ready to erupt, just one step away from the breaking point.

“Did you sleep with him again? Have you two made up, so you don’t need me anymore, think I’m interrupting your marital bliss?”

Xia Yu nearly choked on his smoke.

A piece of gray ash fell silently to the ground.

Xia Yu remained silent for a while, then stood up, walked to the edge of the terrace, and looked down at the bustling streets below.

He turned back, leaned against the railing, and looked at Lu Zhao. “So what? We’re legal partners, it’s normal to be intimate.”

Xia Yu habitually flashed a smile.

He knew Lu Zhao didn’t want to hear it, but he insisted on twisting the knife in Lu Zhao’s heart.

“Xu Zhan is different from you. He’s gentle in bed. It’s interesting and exciting to sleep with you occasionally, but in the end, I always return to Xu Zhan.”

He spoke while bringing the cigarette to his lips, his soft lips touching the filter, taking a drag and exhaling. In the pitch-black night, the thin white mist quickly disappeared.

Although there were no lights on the terrace, the lights from the opposite office building cast a faint glow on the empty space.

Xia Yu’s expression appeared particularly cold and ruthless in this dim light, even cruel, even though he was smiling.

He extinguished the cigarette, no longer wanting to stay upstairs. He took off the coat, walked a few steps closer, and returned it to Lu Zhao. “I’m leaving, here’s your coat.”

He considered his words for a moment and added, “We were never in a long-term relationship to begin with, just trying something new. Don’t take it too seriously. Let’s part amicably.”

His voice was soft, slightly hoarse from smoking, and as he spoke, it seemed to be carried away by the night breeze.

Part amicably.

These words fell like a feather, slowly drifting down from mid-air.

But when they landed on Lu Zhao’s heart, they became the final straw that crushed his sanity.

A joke.

How could he and Xia Yu have such a dignified ending?

Lu Zhao stood up, raised his hand as if to take the coat from Xia Yu, but his hand grabbed Xia Yu’s wrist directly.

A slender and delicate wrist, as white as porcelain, would easily be marked with red bruises after a night in bed, lasting for a long time.

Lu Zhao had left many marks on Xia Yu’s body before.

But it had been so long since they last met, and all of it should have disappeared, just like this illicit relationship of theirs, which vanished with the break of dawn.

Xia Yu furrowed his brow, “What are you doing…”

Before he could finish speaking, his hand was forcefully pulled forward, and he was almost defenseless as his body was pulled over.

Everything spun around.

Xia Yu fell into Lu Zhao’s arms unprepared, but before he could regain his balance, his waist was held firmly by Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao used one hand to grip his chin, forcing him to lift his head, and then his lips covered his.

“Um…”

Lu Zhao’s tongue also entered, carrying a faint taste of tequila, spicy with a hint of freshness and bitterness, transmitting to Xia Yu’s tongue.

His back was pressed against the wall, and Lu Zhao was much taller than him, effortlessly holding him down, and he was almost engulfed in his embrace.

Lu Zhao’s knee squeezed between his legs, applying some pressure, and his hands roamed freely over Xia Yu’s body, easily unbuttoning Xia Yu’s college-style knitted sweater, slipping his hand inside.

He was too familiar with Xia Yu’s body. The person in front of him had countless times lay on his bed, their eyes moist and unfocused as they gazed at him.

“Can Xu Zhan satisfy you like I can? I’m getting tired of it. Why do you still react like this?” Lu Zhao whispered into Xia Yu’s ear.

Xia Yu couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

Lu Zhao lightly nibbled on his neck.

Every sensitive spot on his body had been explored by Lu Zhao countless times before, leaving him in a state of confusion, entanglement, and longing for kisses.

Whenever Lu Zhao used a little technique, he surrendered like a retreating soldier, completely defenseless.

“You…” Xia Yu couldn’t find words and resorted to cursing, “Bastard.”

Lu Zhao didn’t deny it.

Just as he was about to say something, they heard the sound of the door opening at the entrance to the terrace.

Xia Yu’s expression changed, and he frantically pushed Lu Zhao away.

There were too many familiar faces in the bar that day, and who knew who might come. If anyone they knew saw them entangled like this, all kinds of gossip would spread like wildfire tomorrow.

However, Lu Zhao showed no expression and didn’t let go. Instead, he pinned Xia Yu against himself and kissed him again, silencing all of Xia Yu’s sounds.

Xia Yu’s heart pounded like a drum, and he wished he could kill Lu Zhao, but the person at the door had apparently already walked in. He didn’t dare to move, fearing he might be noticed.

After Lu Zhao finished kissing him, he released Xia Yu and whispered in his ear, “No one can see us here, as long as you don’t move.”

They were currently in the corridor with a wall blocking them, and it was the darkest spot on the terrace, unlikely to attract attention.

He paused for a moment and added, “But if someone sees us, I don’t mind.”

In fact, he was looking forward to it.

Mischievously, he rubbed between Xia Yu’s thigh with his knee and said softly, “You have to be obedient and not make any noise, or else everyone will know you’re having an affair with me.”

The words “having an affair” rolled off Lu Zhao’s tongue lightly, and the warmth of his breath brushed against Xia Yu’s ear. Xia Yu’s legs felt weak.

Perhaps it was human nature that the more dangerous a place was, the more thrilling it became. Despite his fear of being discovered, his body was even more sensitive than before.

He had to endure it to ensure he didn’t make a sound.

Thankfully, the person who entered didn’t seem to have any intention of coming to this corner. They stood far away, as if they were talking to someone.

But the terrace was too quiet.

Xia Yu easily recognized who the person was.

Xu Zhan.