Chapter 61

Chapter 61

First came the suit jacket.

It only had one button fastened to begin with. He gently unbuttoned it, took it off, and folded it over the back of the armchair. These were borrowed clothes, and Ning Qiuyan didn’t know if they needed to be returned, so he took extra care to keep them neat.

The white shirt was a perfect fit, tucked smoothly into his waistband at the front and back. It traced the youth’s lean shoulders and narrow waist-the work of the shirt stays.

In truth, even in this weather, one wouldn’t take off their jacket while wearing formal attire. The shirt stays weren’t a necessity and could have been skipped entirely, but Ning Qiuyan was simply too easy to manipulate.

Next was the button of his suit trousers.

Guan Heng watched, his eyes deep, as if he had made the most natural request in the world, one that allowed no refusal.

Ning Qiuyan knew that, in a way, this was a punishment.

He had to continue.

However, as early as the previous night, Ning Qiuyan had already been exposed before Guan Heng. While he was suffering from a persistent high fever, Guan Heng had patiently looked after him all night.

The steam rising from his skin, the slight chill of their touch, the embrace from behind, and the blurred moments of comfort…

Scattered images returned to his mind one by one.

“Continue,” Guan Heng said.

Ning Qiuyan immediately lowered his head and unfastened the button.

The fabric slid down smoothly, pooling at his ankles, revealing the black straps beneath his shirt.

Ning Qiuyan had good proportions; his legs were long and straight. Like the rest of his body, his legs were very pale, making the black straps connected to the hem of his shirt look particularly striking.

Each strap had a specialized non-slip clip. One of them had come loose, dangling against his right thigh along with the strap. The horizontal band had slid up to the top of his thigh, curling the edge of his white boxer briefs.

Ning Qiuyan felt he must look ridiculous right now, like someone making a fool of themselves in a comedy, perhaps accompanied by a quirky soundtrack.

His face was burning, even the skin on his forehead felt hot. Though he was still wearing clothes, being in front of Guan Heng made him feel utterly mortified. He hurried to unfasten the clips on the straps.

But because the strap had slid up and curled, the clip was difficult to undo. Ning Qiuyan grew a bit anxious, which only made his movements look clumsier.

He struggled frantically with the strap, feeling time pass incredibly slowly as sweat began to bead on the tip of his nose.

“Come here.” Guan Heng reached out, hooking the black strap and pulling him a little closer. “Do you want me to help?”

The gesture wasn’t suggestive, for Guan Heng’s expression remained calm.

As they drew close, their heights were reversed. Ning Qiuyan was standing, yet he still had the illusion of looking up at Guan Heng from a prostrate position.

Ning Qiuyan’s face turned bright red as he looked down at Guan Heng. “…Yes.”

Guan Heng said, “I’m considering it.”

“Sir.” Ning Qiuyan suddenly became self-aware and adopted a pleading tone. “I can’t undo it. Please help me.”

Their eyes met.

Ning Qiuyan said it again: “…Please help me.”

This wasn’t a reward; Guan Heng didn’t praise him for being good. However, Guan Heng didn’t make things difficult for him any longer.

The black strap curling the edge of his boxer briefs was unfastened first. When Guan Heng’s fingertips brushed against Ning Qiuyan, the boy’s burning skin gave a slight, involuntary shiver, as if it had a consciousness of its own.

Guan Heng’s fingers moved away to the strap on the other side.

The clip came loose, and Guan Heng unhurriedly unfastened every non-slip clip holding the shirt hem. The “torture” ended, and the skin at the top of his thighs felt instant relief, leaving only two red marks where the straps had been-marks that would take a while to fade.

The shackles were completely removed.

Ning Qiuyan still kept his head down, at a loss for what to do, his eyes shimmering with moisture. “…I’m going to change.”

Guan Heng tossed the two sets of shirt stays onto the carpet with a soft thud. “Go on.”

Back in the bedroom, Ning Qiuyan leaned heavily against the back of the door, trying to cool down his increasingly flushed face and body.

It was just removing shirt stays. Strictly speaking, it was no different from when Li Tang had helped him clip them on, and Guan Heng hadn’t intended to “flirt” on purpose, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of intimacy.

Ning Qiuyan wasn’t someone with body or sexual shame, nor was he the kind of child who knew nothing. During his adolescence, he’d had vague fantasies. Back then, the boys in his class would pass around videos under the table, but his interests lay elsewhere, so he could only hide under his covers alone, searching for information with youthful curiosity.

However, aside from the dreams he’d had when he first went to Du Island, Ning Qiuyan didn’t seem to have ever truly associated the real-life Guan Heng with human “sexuality.”

It remained that way until tonight.

They had kissed in the dim backseat of the car, the atmosphere enchanting, their lips and tongues lingering.

To Ning Qiuyan, Guan Heng was a mixture of mystery and asceticism. That complex charm was far beyond what the shallow word “sexy” could describe.

By now, their relationship had changed completely.

There were elements mixed in that Ning Qiuyan had never considered, heading in a direction he had never anticipated.

-To be embraced and dominated by another powerful creature.

Danger was pulling him downward with a fatal tug.

But undeniably, he actually liked it.

The bedroom and bathroom were connected, and Ning Qiuyan stayed inside for about twenty minutes.

He took a shower, put on a hotel bathrobe, and checked his ear piercings and the bite mark on his neck in the mirror.

Since neither side had been mentally prepared, much like the time he accompanied Guan Heng and the others to play billiards on Du Island, Guan Heng had lost a bit of control. He had inadvertently left a faint purplish-red mark on Ning Qiuyan’s neck once again.
Staring at the two clean little puncture wounds, Ning Qiuyan suddenly found himself curious about what his own blood tasted like.

However, he was only human; he would likely never be able to experience what Guan Heng did.

Because he had been injected with a vampire’s venom, small wounds like these were resistant to infection and wouldn’t leave scars once healed, but Ning Qiuyan still found a Band-Aid to cover them up.

His earlobe, on the other hand, was a bit red and swollen. Ning Qiuyan thought he should wipe it with some rubbing alcohol.

As he passed the large bed in the bedroom, he paused, suddenly realizing that although the suite was quite large, there was only one bed.

It seemed they hadn’t booked any other rooms.

Once he stepped out of the bedroom, Ning Qiuyan realized he was overthinking things.

Guan Heng was still in the same spot, though he had taken off his coat and loosened several buttons on his shirt. He was sitting in an armchair reading a book, looking perfectly energized.

They had completely opposite schedules.

“What are you reading?” Ning Qiuyan walked over and asked.

Guan Heng showed him the cover and said, “‘Witness for the Prosecution.’ It’s yours.”

The items Ning Qiuyan had brought from school were still piled on the living room table, including those two notes that had already dried. He wasn’t sure what Guan Heng had thought when he saw those handwritten notes while picking up the book, and the thought made Ning Qiuyan feel a bit embarrassed.

Ning Qiuyan still carried the dampness of his shower.

Guan Heng glanced at his wet hair, noticed the red earlobe, and closed the book. “Bring the alcohol over here.”

They were thinking the same thing.

Ning Qiuyan fetched the alcohol and sat back down on the carpet, leaning against Guan Heng’s knees.

The icy liquid brought a stinging sensation when it touched the wound. Since the wound would heal, he couldn’t take the earring out yet; the weight of the dangling charm intensified the pain. Ning Qiuyan hissed through his teeth, no longer trying to act tough.

“Dry your hair before you go to sleep,” Guan Heng said.

Ning Qiuyan sat up and said honestly, “I can’t sleep.”

If he went to sleep, his time with Guan Heng would be shortened by another night. Ning Qiuyan’s little scheme was exactly the same as it had been on Du Island, and he was making it plain as day.

Guan Heng didn’t force him.

Ning Qiuyan picked up the book and asked Guan Heng, “Do you want to watch a movie? There’s a film version of this book. It’s very well-made-it’s my number one favorite suspense film.”

“Alright.” Guan Heng knew he was just looking for something for them to do together.

Ning Qiuyan’s eyes lit up, looking quite happy.

He turned on the hotel television, connected his new phone to the same network, and cast ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ to the screen.

When the black-and-white images appeared, he turned back to ask Guan Heng, “Can I turn off the lights?” After receiving permission, he switched off all the lights, leaving only the glow of the TV screen. It felt as if they were in a private cinema.

Ning Qiuyan returned to the carpet and sat on the floor, leaning his back against the armrest of Guan Heng’s armchair.

Before the movie really got started, a thought occurred to him. “Have you already seen this?”

He was afraid Guan Heng might find it boring, even though he had watched it many times himself and still enjoyed it immensely.

Guan Heng said, “No. I happened to miss the early development of cinema.”

The invention of motion pictures occurred after 1880, by which time Guan Heng had already moved to Du Island. Because transportation and communication were underdeveloped back then, he had missed many developments in the outside world. By the time Guan Heng woke again and reconnected with the world, everything had entered the modern era, and black-and-white films had long since vanished.

“Then we have a lot of things we can watch together,” Ning Qiuyan said. “Many excellent suspense films were made in the early days. For some reason, I haven’t seen many good ones in recent years.”

The opening scene of the movie was set in a courtroom. Agatha Christie’s name appeared in the opening credits; she was also the screenwriter for the film.

Ning Qiuyan gave a brief introduction to the legendary author, mentioning her famous detective, Poirot. He was on the verge of rambling when he suddenly caught himself and stopped.

“You should just watch it first,” he said. “I think you’ll like it as much as I do.”

Guan Heng followed his lead. “Alright.”

Ning Qiuyan hadn’t said that lightly. He and Guan Heng did share similar tastes in certain areas, and when he found a kindred spirit, he had plenty to talk about.

The room fell quiet, filled only by the sounds of the movie.

Ning Qiuyan sat cross-legged on the carpet, staring intently at the screen. The pink heart behind his ear and the Band-Aid on his neck created a contradictory contrast of rebellion and docility.

After a while, he couldn’t help but turn back to tell Guan Heng, “I actually composed a score for this movie once. It’s a pity I just did it for fun and didn’t have a backup. Now my laptop is fried.”

Guan Heng said, “Watching it again tonight might give you some new inspiration.”

As the scenes on the screen shifted, Guan Heng’s pupils visibly dilated in the dim light.

Because they could capture more light, Vampires had much better night vision than humans.

Ning Qiuyan was momentarily dazed, forgetting to look away.

Guan Heng reached out, his thumb brushing over Ning Qiuyan’s lips, reminding him that he should be watching the movie, not him.

Ning Qiuyan’s mouth parted instinctively before he realized what was happening. He hurriedly turned back, his heart racing uncontrollably.

Behind him, Guan Heng threaded his fingers into his dark hair, kneading it with a gentle yet firm pressure.

It carried a hint of dangerous, suppressed desire.