CH 48

Qi Yanbai was rarely this proactive.

It was as if he had met Lu Ye for the first time, clinging tightly to him and refusing to let go.

The scent of tobacco on Lu Ye’s body mixed with the lingering aroma of alcohol in the room, like some irresistible catalyst. Qi Yanbai couldn’t resist biting Lu Ye’s shoulder, emitting a muffled and suppressed moan.

Qi Yanbai was a bit excited that night due to alcohol, and he didn’t hold back when it came to physical affection. Lu Ye now bore various marks all over his body, and the bite mark on his shoulder was faintly painful, oozing a trickle of blood.

Lu Ye let out a hoarse sound and glanced at the bloodstains winding down his collarbone. He didn’t seem to mind the pain and only tightened his grip around Qi Yanbai’s waist. He leaned over and used his lips to wipe away the sweat from Qi Yanbai’s forehead.

“Why are you so unrestrained tonight?” Lu Ye teased with a hoarse voice. “Do you turn into a little maniac when you’re drunk?”

“I’m not drunk,” Qi Yanbai was stubborn, and he released his bite on Lu Ye’s skin, as if he were competing with him. He grunted, “I’m very sober.”

“Mm, you’re very sober,” Lu Ye chuckled softly, not arguing with him. He simply reached out and ran his hand through Qi Yanbai’s sweaty hair, then bit Qi Yanbai’s earlobe and whispered, “You’re not a little drunkard; you’re a little troublemaker.”

Lu Ye’s affectionate whispher made Qi Yanbai feel weak all over. He relaxed his expression, turned his head like a cat, and lightly rubbed Lu Ye’s palm with his eyes half-closed.

His long, wet hair coiled around Lu Ye’s fingers, moist and soft. Lu Ye gently touched it and felt as though water was flowing between his fingertips, accompanied by a faint, slightly bitter scent.

“Yanbai,” Lu Ye took a deep breath, calling his name in a husky voice. “Yanbai…”

His voice was soft and tender, becoming increasingly seductive and ambiguous as the temperature rose. Qi Yanbai enjoyed hearing his name from Lu Ye’s lips; it felt like his name acquired a hint of preciousness when spoken by him.

Qi Yanbai felt like he was about to drown in the sound of Lu Ye’s voice. He let out a short, breathless hum, then lifted his head and kissed Lu Ye passionately.

His movements were too hasty, and he inadvertently included the slightly salty sweat that had dripped from Lu Ye’s lips. The bitter taste was similar to spoiled wine.

But Qi Yanbai seemed to savor this flavor, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as if he wanted to etch this intense, bitter taste into his bones and blood.

“Say my name again,” Qi Yanbai murmured vaguely.

Lu Ye found Qi Yanbai’s clinginess and sudden boldness endearing, and he let out a muffled laugh, the vibrations from his chest, clearly reaching Qi Yanbai’s heart.

Qi Yanbai, with a misty look in his eyes, gazed at him, eagerly anticipating it. Lu Ye’s soft laughter seemed to melt his heart, and he nibbled lightly on Lu Ye’s palm, urging him on.

“Yanbai,” Lu Ye said in a husky voice.

The fireworks outside the window gradually ceased, and the television in the living room began playing a rerun of the second program. In the bedroom, the warm temperature rose and then cooled down again. Qi Yanbai also grew tired as time passed, and he finally couldn’t hold on any longer, collapsing into Lu Ye’s arms.

The two of them had been fooling around until the late hours of the night. By the time they finished and settled down to sleep, even Lu Ye couldn’t keep his eyelids from fighting the urge to close.

The starry nightlight on the windowsill continued to change patterns, but Lu Ye couldn’t be bothered. He simply gave a lazy yawn, pulled Qi Yanbai closer, and fell asleep.

Lu Ye had an exceptional ability to sleep deeply, almost as soon as he touched the pillow. However, he was roused from his slumber after a while, hearing faint rustling sounds by his side.

Lu Ye was still half-asleep and initially paid little attention to it. But before long, he began to sense that the corner of the blanket by his side was being lifted, and someone was gently tugging at his ankle, attempting to fasten something onto his foot.

The object felt cold, like metal, which startled Lu Ye. He involuntarily pulled his leg back and avoided the person’s actions.

Qi Yanbai, not expecting Lu Ye to wake up suddenly, was startled. The object he held slipped from his hand and fell onto the bed with a soft clatter.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ye had only been asleep for a short while and his voice still carried a heavy sense of drowsiness. He shielded his eyes from the light with his forearm, then propped himself up to look down.

The starry nightlight was extremely dim, but Lu Ye managed to see by its faint glow. Wrapped around his ankle was an extremely fine golden chain that resembled jewelry but was longer than a typical necklace. Even after a few loops around his ankle, there was still some slack in the chain. Lu Ye squinted at it for a while but couldn’t figure out what it was.

“What is this?” Lu Ye asked in a hoarse voice, “An ankle bracelet?”

Perhaps because he had awakened too abruptly, Qi Yanbai hadn’t had the chance to fasten the chain securely. The solid gold chain dangled a bit from his ankle, winding and laying out on the dark bedsheets like a snake.

“Yeah, it’s a New Year’s gift,” Qi Yanbai, appearing to have sobered up, quickly responded as he slid under the covers. He spoke softly and gently, saying, “Do you like it? I think it looks great.”

Qi Yanbai had a good eye, and Lu Ye, being a police officer who typically wore long pants, had lean and pale ankles that rarely saw the light of day. The pure gold color did indeed look good.

“I like it… I do,” Lu Ye said, puzzled. “But why did you suddenly decide to buy this?”

“I saw it by chance the last time we went to the mall,” Qi Yanbai kissed Lu Ye and said softly, “I thought it would suit you. Do you like wearing it? I like seeing it.”

Qi Yanbai liked it, and Lu Ye had no objections. Plus, this thing didn’t take up much space. Lu Ye figured that if Qi Yanbai thought it looked good, he could wear it.

However, he wasn’t used to wearing jewelry on his feet, and it felt a bit strange to have a chain tied around his ankle. So, he unconsciously moved his ankle and said, “But it seems a bit odd wearing this on my foot.”

Qi Yanbai thought Lu Ye might refuse and furrowed his brow slightly, looking a bit reluctant. He reached out and lightly touched Lu Ye’s leg, sliding his fingers down to the ankle chain and gently wiggling it, suggesting, “Is this better?”

Perhaps because of the intimacy of their skin-to-skin contact or perhaps because he wanted to test Lu Ye’s boundaries, Qi Yanbai didn’t maintain his usual “considerate” approach. Instead, he allowed his desires to take over.

“I want to look at it all the time,” Qi Yanbai said. “If you don’t wear it, I won’t be able to see it.”

“Why don’t you choose a place that’s easier to see then?”

Lu Ye replied, curling his leg and pulling the chain off his ankle. Then, he tied it several times around his left wrist and unhooked one end of the chain, skillfully fastening it to the string of prayer beads on Qi Yanbai’s hand.

The tightened chain once again shortened the distance between Lu Ye and Qi Yanbai. Lu Ye squinted his eyes, casually holding Qi Yanbai’s hand with the bracelet.

“Isn’t this better?” Lu Ye said, giving the chain a gentle shake. He smiled with narrowed eyes and said, “This should work, right, little troublemaker?”