Don’t Ignite It chapter 8

Lover

In the next few days, Xia Yu didn’t receive any more calls from Lu Zhao, which eased his mind.

His guess was correct; Lu Zhao was still the same Lu Zhao, always maintaining his boundaries.

He continued to go to the art gallery, meet up with friends, and prepare for an upcoming exhibition. Life was going quite well.

However, one day, as he walked out of the gallery, he lifted his head and saw a familiar Aston Martin parked outside, with Lu Zhao standing by the car.

Lu Zhao was in the middle of a phone call, but as soon as Xia Yu came out, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and immediately noticed him. He said something to the person on the other end of the call and hung up.

Xia Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickened his pace, wanting to get away quickly.

But it was too late.

Lu Zhao moved and directly blocked his path.

Xia Yu stopped urgently, but due to inertia, he moved forward slightly.

Lu Zhao instinctively reached out and caught him.

Xia Yu collided with Lu Zhao and found their faces suddenly very close, with their noses almost touching.

Xia Yu, looking displeased, took a few steps back.

“What are you doing here?” He frowned at Lu Zhao. “Do you need something?”

Lu Zhao, a towering figure in front of him, couldn’t pretend not to have seen him.

After a moment of thought, Xia Yu asked, “Are you here to give me the photos?” He was referring to the evidence of Xu Zhan’s infidelity.

Lu Zhao furrowed his brows slightly.

Xu Zhan.

All their conversations seemed to revolve around this person.

Lu Zhao said, “I wanted to ask if you’re free for dinner. I called you, but you didn’t answer.”

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, took out his phone, and looked at it. There were indeed several missed calls.

He had set his phone to silent earlier.

“I’m not free,” he bluntly refused. “I don’t want to have dinner with you. If you’re not here to deliver something, then I won’t keep you. My husband is waiting for me for dinner.”

But as soon as he turned to leave, Lu Zhao grabbed his arm tightly.

Xia Yu winced in pain and frowned at Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao let go, saying, “I’m sorry.”

He also had a furrowed brow, as if he were in a struggle with himself. After a while, he said, “I can give you the things related to Xu Zhan. The USB drive is in my car, and I haven’t made any backups.”

Xia Yu stopped and hesitated, looking at Lu Zhao.

“What are your conditions?” He knew there were no free lunches.

As expected, Lu Zhao gazed at him and said, “Have dinner with me. I’ve been on a business trip the past few days and just returned today, so I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Xia Yu wasn’t surprised.

He considered whether this dinner was worth it or not. If Xu Zhan found out, he would definitely scold him.

But in the end, he reluctantly nodded.

“Fine, but we’ll need to find a secluded place,” he said coldly to Lu Zhao as he got into the car. “You wouldn’t want any more rumors to circulate, would you? Chengdu might be a big city, but our circles are small.”

The restaurants Xia Yu and Xu Zhan frequented had quite a few acquaintances.

Lu Zhao didn’t respond.

It wasn’t until Xia Yu looked at him with displeasure that he coldly said, “Understood.”

During the drive, Xia Yu remained silent, gazing out the window.

Lu Zhao had already booked a restaurant, and the address was quite remote, belonging to a private club with a members-only dining area. It had good privacy, and the floor was made of glass, revealing red goldfish swimming underneath.

Lu Zhao said to Xia Yu, “I’ve been here several times before and thought you would like it. I’ve always wanted to bring you here.”

Xia Yu sipped his tea without paying him much attention.

But when the dishes arrived, they all suited Xia Yu’s taste. The first course was a light vegetable soup, with a flavorful broth that was neither heavy nor greasy; it was refreshing.

Xia Yu quite liked it and thought he might bring Xu Zhan here next time.

Thinking of this, when Lu Zhao asked him what he was thinking, he casually mentioned it.

Lu Zhao’s expression darkened slightly.

“You’ve been thinking about him all along,” he said. “But he might be out there with his lover now.”

Unfortunately, Xia Yu didn’t care.

He thought it was perfect; he would even applaud Xu Zhan.

He gave Lu Zhao a mocking look. “this is my private matter, you don’t need to concern yourself.”

Three years had passed, but he still hadn’t matured enough. When he couldn’t see Lu Zhao, he could persuade himself to let go. But when they met in person, there was always a thorn in his heart.

Even though he didn’t believe that Lu Zhao truly loved him.

But if it could make Lu Zhao unhappy and jealous, then he would be happy.

Indeed, when he said this, Lu Zhao’s expression turned even colder.

This dinner, filled with different thoughts, came to an end in a tense atmosphere.

The dessert that came last was persimmon cake, accompanied by a small green fruit. With one bite, the fresh jam burst out, filling the mouth.

Xia Yu, like a cat, closed his eyes in pleasure when he enjoyed something. He didn’t even notice the jam at the corner of his lips, but when he rolled his tongue, the jam was licked away.

Lu Zhao watched from across the table, his eyes softening slightly. They hadn’t spoken much during the entire meal, and Lu Zhao had been watching Xia Yu the whole time, barely touching his food.

However, this was the first dinner in three years that he found enjoyable.

After finishing the dessert, Xia Yu wiped his lips and said politely, “Thank you for the meal.”

It was as if he were not having dinner with an old lover, but rather accepting an invitation from a colleague. He didn’t want any post-dinner activities with Lu Zhao and was solely focused on the USB drive that Lu Zhao had promised to give him. He stood up, walked over to Lu Zhao, and held out his hand.

He reminded Lu Zhao, “Can you give me the thing now? I need to go home.”

However, Lu Zhao did not get up. He remained seated, looking at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu stood in front of him, his expression calm, devoid of the sharpness that had been present earlier. It was as if they were strangers. Xia Yu addressed him as “Mr. Lu,” as if he had never gasped for breath in his arms or whispered unmentionable sweet nothings.

Lu Zhao placed the USB drive in Xia Yu’s palm but didn’t let go. His hand held Xia Yu’s hand, but they couldn’t touch, separated by the evidence of Xu Zhan’s infidelity.

Suddenly, Lu Zhao said, “Can I ask you a question?”

Xia Yu had an intuition that it wouldn’t be a pleasant question. He asked cautiously, “What do you want to ask?”

Lu Zhao looked at Xia Yu, and ordinarily, someone in a lower position would have had their confidence diminished, but not Lu Zhao. He remained poised and even seemed to look down on Xia Yu.

He said, “I want to ask, how far are you willing to go for Xu Zhan?”

At first, Xia Yu didn’t understand. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Lu Zhao fell silent for a moment and gave Xia Yu a scrutinizing look that sent shivers down his spine.

After a while, Lu Zhao said, “For the sake of obtaining evidence of Xu Zhan’s infidelity, even if you hate me, you were willing to have dinner with me, But if I were to deal with Xu Zhan, deal with the Xu family, how far would you be willing to go then?”

He spoke as if negotiating with Xia Yu, but he was not the type to negotiate with anyone.

This time Xia Yu understood but found it absurd.

Deal with the Xu family? For him?

“What kind of joke is this? Stop fooling around,” he almost laughed in exasperation. “What could you possibly gain from this?”

Given Lu Zhao’s profit-driven personality, it would be ridiculous for him to undertake such a ruinous endeavor.

However, Lu Zhao tightened his grip on Xia Yu’s hand. His thumb gently grazed Xia Yu’s ring finger, where a silver wedding ring, the symbol of his marriage to Xu Zhan, was worn.

“It doesn’t benefit me in any way,” he said, “but I want to do it. I want to see if, when I go all out against the Xu family, your husband will ultimately choose you or the Xu family.”

He said it with contempt.

A man who was having an affair outside, facing his legally married partner, how genuine could his feelings be?

Xia Yu felt like his words were stuck in his throat.

If it really came to that point, he would likely divorce Xu Zhan out of guilt without Xu Zhan having to say a word.

But he couldn’t understand why. Three years ago, he had begged Lu Zhao to be with him, and Lu Zhao had rejected him. Now that he no longer sought him, Lu Zhao was forcing him into a divorce. What kind of logic was this?

“Are you out of your mind, Lu Zhao?” Xia Yu tugged at the corners of his mouth and felt that Lu Zhao might have gone insane.

Lu Zhao could also sense Xia Yu’s anger.

He held onto Xia Yu’s wrist, slowly stood up, and faced Xia Yu.

He hesitated for a second but ultimately complied with his own feelings. He raised his hand and touched Xia Yu’s cheek.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said softly.

He didn’t want to push Xia Yu like this, but he couldn’t help his jealousy.

He said, “I made a mistake, and you still hate me. So why did you forgive Xu Zhan for betraying you? That’s not fair.”

“I don’t care whether you think it’s fair or not,” Xia Yu sneered. “I’ve said it before. I love him, but I no longer love you.”

He stared directly at Lu Zhao, and suddenly, he stepped forward and grabbed Lu Zhao’s collar.

“Lu Zhao, do you want me to remind you of what you once said to me? I  loved you. I wanted to marry you so badly, I was going crazy. But you didn’t want me. You said I was just a persistent fling, not worthy of marrying you.” Xia Yu gripped Lu Zhao’s collar tightly, and the two of them were very close, so close that Xia Yu could see the sadness in Lu Zhao’s eyes, and his voice quivered. “That’s what you said. Do you remember?”

Lu Zhao had no response.

He remembered every word Xia Yu had said. Back then, he had indeed acted recklessly and used the harshest words to hurt him.

Now, Xia Yu looked at him with none of the past dependence and tenderness, only disgust remained.

He really wanted to apologize to Xia Yu.

But apologizing for his mistakes wouldn’t change anything. Only making amends would be practical.

However, Xia Yu didn’t want to give him that chance.

He caressed Xia Yu’s wrist and, in Xia Yu’s icy gaze, said softly, “I remember everything I said. But I also said that if you just want a loving husband, I can be that for you. You don’t have to love me; you can even seek revenge on me, watching me suffer. Isn’t that more satisfying?”

He looked at Xia Yu, his eyelashes fluttering gently. His gray-blue eyes remained calm, but they carried a seductive charm.

He was a born businessman, and even now, it seemed like he was negotiating. He used his chips as a siren’s song to seduce Xia Yu, the only sailor.

Absurd.

Initially, Xia Yu instinctively wanted to scold Lu Zhao for being delusional. However, when he was about to speak, he suddenly stopped.

Memories from the past flooded back.

He recalled the times he had offered himself to Lu Zhao, begging him to sleep with him, and Lu Zhao raising an eyebrow, asking him how he could debase himself like that.

Those words sent shivers down his spine.

He had indeed debased himself back then.

Lu Zhao didn’t love him, but he still clung to him.

But what was Lu Zhao doing now?

Now that Lu Zhao had turned back, it felt like a knife to his heart.

If you truly loved me, why couldn’t you have realized it earlier and been kinder to me?

Then they could have become a beautiful story.

But now, he had suffered nearly to the point of death, and Lu Zhao was only offering him pity. What use was that now?

It was too late.

Suddenly, Xia Yu laughed.

He looked up at Lu Zhao, the man he had once loved deeply, and realized that he still had a handsome appearance.

A ridiculous idea suddenly crossed his mind.

He remembered his conversation with Xu Zhan the previous night when he mentioned wanting a lover for a few months, no strings attached, just a clean break.

And now, he had one right in front of him.

“You’re right; I do still harbor resentment towards you,” he said coldly, locking eyes with Lu Zhao. “I’m not as easy going as you are. Every time I think of you or see you, it pains me. I won’t deny that you still have an influence on me, even now, after these three years. But I won’t divorce, and I won’t leave Xu Zhan. However, what you said does make sense. If Xu Zhan can have a lover, why can’t I?”

When Xia Yu said these words, he was very close to Lu Zhao, and the reflection of Lu Zhao could be seen in his pupils.

It was almost like a kiss, but there was still a barrier between them.

“I don’t lack a husband, but I do lack a lover. Someone who can come and go as needed, warm the bed, be considerate, and not interfere with my family,” Xia Yu lowered his voice, looking at Lu Zhao with almost seductive eyes. “Would you like to apply for the position?”

At first, Lu Zhao didn’t quite understand what Xia Yu was saying. However, once he understood, he was genuinely infuriated.

“Xia Yu.”

He suppressed his anger and called Xia Yu’s name, his gaze was indescribably cold, locked firmly onto Xia Yu.

He hadn’t expected Xia Yu to make such a request.

“This is impossible,” Lu Zhao said.

His principles wouldn’t allow him to do something like that.

Xia Yu, however, didn’t mind and smiled at him. “What’s impossible about it? Xu Zhan has a lover, and I want one too. I don’t want to leave him, but I also want to have some fun and make myself happy. While I may have long given up on you, your bedroom skills are still quite good, just right for me.”

The more Xia Yu thought about it, the more he found it appealing.

One of his strengths as a person was that he never deceived himself.

Over the years, he had indeed been unable to forget Lu Zhao, or perhaps, it was unfinished business.

But he didn’t want to be with Lu Zhao and would never choose to marry him, regardless of the circumstances.

“Think about it, Lu Zhao,” he smiled, oozing seduction. “This is the only chance I’ll give you. Don’t even think about going against the Xu family; it’s not worth it. Even if you manage to break up Xu Zhan and me, it won’t change anything. I promise you, I’ll find someone else to marry within three days. I can go abroad if necessary.”

He placed his hand over Lu Zhao’s heart. “Either be my lover or never see me again. Choose one.”