Reservoir Dogs chapter 77
You’ve Always Been Special
Ji Yang wasn’t sure whether Liang Hanqing was insulting Jiang Chengyuan or him. The contrast between the refined appearance and the vulgar words was quite striking.
“Does this have anything to do with you?” Ji Yang’s face turned cold.
Liang Hanqing wasn’t angry and continued to smile. “I’m just curious. Even with such a pretty face, even if you like an alpha, you wouldn’t be so pitiful as to have no one pursuing you.”
Ji Yang’s face turned pale. He hated when people talked about his appearance, especially when it involved demeaning someone else’s feelings. “Are you asking for a beating?”
Liang Hanqing said, “Actually, you know you have no hope, right?”
Ji Yang gave him a cold glance, “Move aside.” He walked toward the exit, stepping past Liang Hanqing.
But Liang Hanqing followed him. “But why can’t you let go? Isn’t it painful to be entangled like this?”
Ji Yang tightened his fists and suddenly turned his head, “I told you to leave me alone. Can’t you understand human language?”
Liang Hanqing almost collided with him, their heights similar, bringing them very close. Ji Yang’s fox-like eyes glared fiercely, and Liang Hanqing, after looking at him for a moment, took a step back, his voice gentle, “Don’t be angry. I didn’t mean anything. I just want to talk.”
Ji Yang sneered, “Stop meddling in others affairs.”
He opened the glass door of the bar, the shell wind chime on top making a crisp sound. As he stepped outside, Liang Hanqing followed closely.
“Even if I am meddling, I did help you just now. Is this how you repay me?”
Ji Yang didn’t stop, “I said thank you.” He headed toward the parking area, where the Porsche’s lights flashed on.
Liang Hanqing said, “You’ve been drinking.”
Ji Yang paused while reaching for the car door. “Thanks for the reminder.” He slammed the door shut, and the little circle on the ride-hailing app on his phone began to spin.
Liang Hanqing walked beside him, matching his pace. “It’s still early. I know a good coffee shop nearby. Why don’t you join me for a cup?”
Ji Yang was annoyed, “Drinking coffee late at night? I’m not interested.”
But Liang Hanqing said, “Don’t you want to know what happened with Jiang Chengyuan before?”
This remark had an effect, and Ji Yang stopped his movements.
Liang Hanqing leaned against Ji Yang’s car, his smile calm and gentle. “How about this? Join me for a cup of coffee, and I’ll tell you a story.”
Ji Yang frowned, suspicion in his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
Liang Hanqing shrugged, “You have secrets, and I have secrets. When secrets are kept for too long, you can’t help but want to let them out.”
“Then why me?”
The night breeze gently moved Liang Hanqing’s white clothes, his eyes clear and his smile gentle. “Because I know you. The prosecutor who resigned for justice? Impressive.”
Jiang Chengyuan’s body temperature wasn’t as alarming as before.
The bar owner had given them a private room to avoid the pheromones affecting others and to prevent them from being watched.
Now, in this small space, it was just the two of them.
Jiang Chengyuan had calmed down, but the intense pheromones were still indiscriminately affecting everyone. Even though Xiao Zhou had adapted many times, he still felt dizzy and overwhelmed, but he continued to endure. “Are you feeling better?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s eyelashes fluttered. The presence of his partner’s scent had calmed his inner restlessness a lot, but he was still reluctant to let go.
He rubbed his nose against Xiao Zhou’s face, “Stay with me a little longer.” His hand slipped under Xiao Zhou’s clothes, with a somewhat bold motion. “How come you happened to come here?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s palm was very hot, like a fire was burning, making Xiao Zhou’s lower abdomen tighten. Hearing Jiang Chengyuan’s question and thinking of the recent scene, he felt a momentary surge of anger and spoke stiffly, “Of course, you wouldn’t want me here.”
Jiang Chengyuan paused, a trace of laughter escaping between his lips. “How much did you see?”
Xiao Zhou clenched his fist, “From the moment you two kissed.”
Jiang Chengyuan sat up straighter, squinting at Xiao Zhou’s angry face. “Are you upset?”
Xiao Zhou’s feelings were complicated. How could anyone endure seeing the person they liked kiss someone else?
But he also didn’t want to make a scene like an omega caught in a lover’s betrayal, arguing and getting jealous. Doing that in front of Jiang Chengyuan would only make him seem childish and earn pitying disdain from Jiang Chengyuan. In the end, even if Jiang Chengyuan did have something with Ji Yang, what could he do about it? It was laughable to think that after everything that had happened, he really thought their relationship had changed.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. Xiao Zhou bit his lip hard, feeling cold and damp all over, his entire body uncomfortable.
Something fell on his cheek.
It was Jiang Chengyuan who raised his hand to touch Xiao Zhou’s face. “Don’t show that expression, like you’re about to cry.”
Xiao Zhou looked up and saw Jiang Chengyuan gazing at him with gentle eyes. Xiao Zhou was startled and began to wonder what kind of expression he had now. Anger? Sadness? Like a neglected wife who had been cheated on? That was too pathetic.
He collected his emotions and then asked, “Do you like Ji Yang?”
Jiang Chengyuan quickly shook his head. “What are you talking about? I’ve known him for so long, of course I don’t like him.”
Xiao Zhou sneered a little, “Right, how could I forget. You can’t come into contact with anyone’s pheromones, so how could you like anyone? Ji Yang just kissed you once, and it made you like that.”
Jiang Chengyuan’s face darkened a bit. “Did I scare you?”
Xiao Zhou smiled, “No, I’m glad I can still be of some use. At least my pheromones can calm you down.”
Jiang Chengyuan exhaled, “It’s good that you were here this time. I didn’t want to hurt Ji Yang.”
Xiao Zhou looked at him, “But you looked like you really wanted to kill him at that moment.”
Jiang Chengyuan lowered his eyes, “Really? I wasn’t conscious.”
Xiao Zhou thought about Jiang Chengyuan’s earlier demeanor, which was so unfamiliar and cold. He had never really fought with Jiang Chengyuan before, but just now, to make Jiang Chengyuan let go, he had been hit several times, and it was truly painful to the bone.
“Why are you like this?”
Jiang Chengyuan paused before saying, “It’s complicated.”
“Does it have to do with Lu Xi’s mark?”
Jiang Chengyuan shook his head, “That’s something that happened later. Maybe it has a bit to do with it.”
It seemed Jiang Chengyuan didn’t want to talk about it, and Xiao Zhou wasn’t in a position to dig deeper.
He looked at him for a while, then suddenly raised his hand, touching Jiang Chengyuan’s lips with his fingers, and said softly, “So in this regard, I am somewhat special to you, right?”
Jiang Chengyuan smiled, opened his lips and took in Xiao Zhou’s fingers, the beautiful pale lips wrapped around his fingers, his tongue licking to the bottom. Xiao Zhou was startled, wanting to pull back, but Jiang Chengyuan held his wrist. A pair of black eyes focused on him, “You’ve always been special.”
Xiao Zhou’s heartbeat and blood flow began to speed up.
Jiang Chengyuan, with just a casual action and a single sentence, could make him so flustered. Defeated and defenseless, all self-warnings were useless.
He averted his gaze, pulled his hand back from Jiang Chengyuan’s grasp, and then stood up from the sofa. “Since you’re fine, let’s go back.”
Jiang Chengyuan also stood up. As Xiao Zhou turned to leave, he suddenly pulled him into an embrace, resting his head on Xiao Zhou’s shoulder. “Don’t be upset. He is Ji Yang. We will always just be friends. I just wanted to try something.”
Xiao Zhou’s breath hitched. “Try what?”
Jiang Chengyuan tightened his arms, “To see to what extent I can accept it.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t understand what Jiang Chengyuan meant. He only knew he was explaining to him. Before he could figure it out, Jiang Chengyuan had already let go and stood up.
On the drive back, Jiang Chengyuan asked, “You still haven’t told me why you came here.”
Xiao Zhou replied, “Hanqing Ge brought me.”
Jiang Chengyuan frowned, “Hanqing Ge?”
Xiao Zhou hesitated, “We met when I was young, so I’ve always called him that.”
“If it was from that case, you were only 18 then, right?”
Xiao Zhou nodded.
Jiang Chengyuan turned to look out the window, “Don’t interact with him anymore.”
Xiao Zhou was surprised, almost thinking he heard wrong, “Why?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s face turned cold, “No reason. I don’t like him. If you want to stay by my side, do as I say.”
This was very domineering. Jiang Chengyuan rarely spoke to him like this.
Xiao Zhou felt a blockage in his heart, recalling what Liang Hanqing had told him. Since they were once fellow apprentices, was it really just a matter of differing paths that turned them against each other?