Qiu Zheyan quickly informed his secretary, fortunate that there were no particularly important tasks today, and hurried home.
He wondered what could have happened to Zhuang Hanxue at home.
Qiu Zheyan entered, calling out, “Darling, I’m back. Where are you?”
Zhuang Hanxue responded coyly from the bedroom, “I’m in here.”
Qiu Zheyan entered the bedroom, saw Zhuang Hanxue lying on the bed, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Zhuang Hanxue whined pitifully, “You’re laughing at me? I’m in agony. How could you be so insensitive?”
Zhuang Hanxue lay on the bed looking utterly miserable, eyes brimming with tears. He looked very disheveled, with half his pants hanging down – his ‘chicken’ was caught.
He cried out in pain, “Stop laughing and take me to the hospital.”
Qiu Zheyan stifled his laughter, “Alright, I’ll take you. What happened?”
Zhuang Hanxue regretted deeply, “I was in a livestream and rushed to use the restroom. I accidentally got injured.”
Qiu Zheyan couldn’t hold back, “Hahaha!”
Zhuang Hanxue, irritated and red-faced, stood up resolutely, “Forget it, I’ll go by myself.”
Qiu Zheyan took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and tried not to laugh, holding him back, “I’m sorry, I’ll stop laughing. I’m not professionally trained to handle this, you know? It’s hard to resist. How can you go out like this? Let’s get you changed, and I’ll take you to the hospital, okay?”
Zhuang Hanxue leaned on him.
Qiu Zheyan said, “You injured your ‘chicken,’ not your legs. Can’t you walk?”
Zhuang Hanxue replied, “I can’t.”
“Fine.” Qiu Zheyan half-carried him, finding joy rather than trouble in the situation—see, Zhuang Hanxue couldn’t even walk without him!
Zhuang Hanxue sulked, “I’m so unlucky.”
Qiu Zheyan still thought it was funny and comforted him with a suppressed smile, “Just be more careful next time, and you won’t get hurt again.”
Zhuang Hanxue thought for a while and said, “We can’t exercise until I heal. That’ll be a long wait.”
Zhuang Hanxue called it doing exercises. If you do it in the morning, you will do morning exercises. If you do it at noon, it will be lunch exercises. In the evening, it will be evening exercises.
Qiu Zheyan’s laughter faded as he realized the implications.
Damn, he had forgotten about that.
Qiu Zheyan frowned, “Your front is injured, but not your back.”
Zhuang Hanxue shook his head, stating matter-of-factly, “That won’t work. It’d feel too good, I couldn’t resist. Once it swells, what will happen if the wound opens?”
Qiu Zheyan, unable to argue, blushed. Zhuang Hanxue was really shameless.
To his dismay, Zhuang Hanxue even looked at him disdainfully, “Why are you so lecherous? I’ll ask the doctor, okay?”
At the hospital, the doctor examined him and said it was just a superficial wound. He advised applying medication and avoiding infection, suggesting that airing it out would heal faster than keeping it confined.
Though professional, the doctor’s knowing look implied he understood their relationship. He tactfully advised, “I suggest avoiding dangerous toys in the future. And abstain from bedroom activities for now.”
Qiu Zheyan sighed briefly. With the doctor’s orders, he’d have to endure.
Zhuang Hanxue asked, “Doctor, I’m a bottom. Can we still use the back without involving the front?”
The doctor paused, then smiled awkwardly but politely, “No, wait until it’s healed. It’s only about two weeks. Can’t you restrain yourselves?”
His expression seemed to say, “Is this guy really so lewd?”
When Zhuang Hanxue asked this, Qiu Zheyan sensed trouble. Before he could feel embarrassed, Zhuang Hanxue pointed at him, “It’s not me. I’m worried he can’t hold back!”
Qiu Zheyan: “???”
The doctor turned to Qiu Zheyan, thinking, “Goodness, this proper-looking young man is actually so lascivious?”
Qiu Zheyan grabbed Zhuang Hanxue’s hand, “No, I’m not that beastly. Don’t talk about it. Let’s just get the medicine and go home.”
Zhuang Hanxue looked at him scornfully, “Xiao Qiu, how can you be so bashful about medical matters? This is normal. Just ask the doctor. What’s there to be shy about? Didn’t you grow up abroad with proper sex education? A harmonious sex life is important, you know?”
Qiu Zheyan, nearly exploding with embarrassment, “I’m not shy! I can control myself! Really!”
He was utterly exasperated with this fool!
In the car, after a few minutes of silence, Zhuang Hanxue curiously asked, “Can you really hold out for two weeks?”
Qiu Zheyan, just calming down, felt flustered again, “Am I really such a beast in your eyes?”
Zhuang Hanxue actually nodded, “Yes.”
Qiu Zheyan: “…?”
Zhuang Hanxue admired him, praising, “I’m not insulting you. Count how many times you want it each week. I think you’ve got great stamina. At your age, I didn’t have that energy. You’re always buying me those risqué outfits, wanting to try various roleplays. You get so excited every time.”
Qiu Zheyan had thought himself quite proper, but hearing Zhuang Hanxue list everything, he realized how insatiable he was. He was speechless.
Zhuang Hanxue continued, “Remember when we first got together during that holiday? Damn, the entire National Day break, you barely let me leave the bed except for meals and bathroom breaks. I thought, no wonder there’s a job offering 8000 yuan a month with benefits just to play games. Turns out being a gaming companion was just a cover for the real job requirement as a sex slave.”
Zhuang Hanxue really dared to say anything. At a red light, Qiu Zheyan covered his mouth and pinched his cheek, frustrated yet unable to argue. He leaned in for a kiss, “What do you mean, sex slave? What are you thinking? I’ve never treated you like that. I just like you… If you think I’m too much, I’ll tone it down.”
Zhuang Hanxue laughed, “I didn’t ask you to stop. Now you’re shy?”
Qiu Zheyan said, “I just… lose control when I see you.”
Gripping the steering wheel, Qiu Zheyan asked, “Do you remember our first meeting? At the park near your old place.”
Zhuang Hanxue replied, “Of course. Wow, seeing how young and handsome you were, after I’d been boasting about my looks, I thought I was in trouble.”
Qiu Zheyan turned, gazing intensely, “I’ve seen your photos before. Think I’d meet just any guy online? I spotted you instantly in the park. You looked even better in person. That night, you invited me to stay, and I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to kiss you, to sleep with you right then.”
Zhuang Hanxue was stunned, unable to look away, his heart racing. No woman had ever spoken to him with such passion, only Qiu Zheyan.
Suddenly feeling shy, he turned away, “See, I told you you’re a pervert…”
The light turned green.
Qiu Zheyan, beyond embarrassment now, said nonchalantly, “Fine, I’m a pervert. But you enjoy it, so you’re not normal either.”
Zhuang Hanxue laughed, “Fair point. We’re quite the match. We’re like two peas in a pod. Anyone else would’ve run away and called the police on you.”
Qiu Zheyan exclaimed, “I wouldn’t like anyone else this much!”
Zhuang Hanxue grinned, leaning in for a kiss, “I like you too.”
Zhuang Hanxue spent the next few days resting at home, avoiding exercise, wearing loose shorts.
With nothing to do, he was contacted by Zhai Ziping, a former friend he’d recently encountered at a bar.
Though Zhuang Hanxue claimed to be shameless, he felt uneasy around those who knew about his past wild days. He wondered if revisiting that time would make for good conversation.
Zhuang Hanxue: [What do you want?]
Zhai Ziping: [We’re from the same circle. Just keeping in touch.]
Zhuang Hanxue saw no point in maintaining ties with them. Back when he ran away from home, his parents were so sure he couldn’t endure hardship that they froze his cards and spread the word not to help him.
His fair-weather friends didn’t understand why he left, each acting as his mother’s messenger:
“It’s just marriage. The girl’s a beautiful, rich catch. What are you dissatisfied with?”
“No feelings? If you don’t have feelings, you can’t get married? Isn’t it just a matter of getting a certificate? Once you get it, your parents’ money will be yours. It’s such an easy choice.”
“You don’t feel ready to be a husband or father? Can’t handle the responsibility? Once you’re married with a child, you’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t understand you. You’d rather struggle out here than go back? With your brother gone and your sister married off, just say yes and all your family’s wealth is yours.”
“You want to give the company to your sister? Ha! Are you joking? She’s married off. A married daughter is like spilled water. Women don’t inherit family assets.”
“It’s just marriage. She can’t tie you down. You can still come out and play with us after.”
Back then, Zhuang Hanxue felt lost and scared.
Before, they were just a group having fun. He never thought he was a good person, but he realized those around him were truly not good people.
He was a player, fond of changing girlfriends. But marriage was different. Marriage meant responsibility.
During that time, he couldn’t sleep well, often dreaming of living with a faceless woman, constantly arguing like his parents.
Was he destined to become like that?
Zhuang Hanxue replied: [What circle?]
Zhai Ziping: [The gay circle… You came out so late. If you’d come out earlier, I might have wanted to be with you. Let me know if you break up with your current boyfriend. I’m always available.]
Zhuang Hanxue quickly responded: [No way, you’re ugly.]
After several minutes, Zhai Ziping sent a “shot through the heart” emoji: [Fine.]
Zhai Ziping: [Now I understand why you left home without a penny. I thought, it’s just marriage, why cut ties with your parents… But you like men too. That explains everything.]
Zhuang Hanxue: [No, I only started dating men four months ago. I left home simply because I didn’t want to get married.]
Feeling something odd about Zhai Ziping’s words, Zhuang Hanxue checked his old friend’s social media.
Oh, right. Zhai Ziping was married.
To a woman.
Zhai Ziping: [I don’t believe you.]
Zhuang Hanxue bluntly replied: [Not everyone’s like you, liking men while married to a woman. That’s awful. Does your wife know?]
Zhai Ziping: [Where did you see that?]
Zhuang Hanxue: [You changed your account, but people who attended your wedding still use their old accounts.]
Stung, Zhai Ziping lashed out: [Don’t be so smug, Zhuang Hanxue.]
[How long has it been since you’ve contacted your parents? Think you can go home anytime?]
[Your dad has a mistress, with a teenage son.]
[If you don’t go back now, that bastard will inherit everything.]
[Unless you go back to marry and have kids to inherit the business. If you do, how are you any different from me?]
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