CYNTM CHAPTER 39

Winston’s warm and comforting voice was close to his ear. Hunter’s chaotic thoughts gently settled.

“See… you’re always like this… able to tolerate my nonsense. That’s why I could say I’d break off our relationship with you without thinking… I must have wanted to show off.”

“Show off what?” Winston turned, his forehead brushing against Hunter’s.

“If anyone else said they’d break up with you, you’d just turn and walk away.”

“I don’t have many friends. Almost no one would threaten to ‘break up’ with me.” Winston’s voice was calm and soothing, yet tinged with helplessness.

“That’s why even if I yell at you to end our relationship, you won’t ignore me. Doesn’t that make me feel important?”

“I get it. You’re being stubborn.”

“You’re being stubborn too! You do so many outrageous things… made so many excessive jokes, and even pressed my face to… there. Anyone else would have been mad at you!”

“You’re still hung up on that?” Winston lightly patted Hunter’s back.

“But I’ve forgiven you for everything! Every time you embarrassed me, I found an excuse to forgive you!”

“Oh, you’re very generous.” The amusement in Winston’s voice grew. “But you’re really dangerous when you’re drunk. What if it wasn’t me who took you to your room, but someone else?”

Winston’s question sent a shiver down Hunter’s spine. Oh god, he couldn’t imagine pinning down Mr. Narita or the team accountant… Just let him die!

“Dangerous… really dangerous…”

It wasn’t him who was in danger, but others. Hunter raised his head, wiping away tears with the back of his hand.

“So, can we stop this ‘break-up game’ now?”

Winston leaned forward slightly, not too close to Hunter. Just that one question made Hunter’s eyes sting again. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Winston’s shoulders.

“Sorry… I’m sorry…”

I thought you’d leave me like my parents did… It would be easier than a divorce.

With one hand patting Hunter’s shoulder, Winston used the other to reach into Hunter’s pocket and retrieve his room keycard. He wrapped an arm around Hunter’s back, opened the door, and guided him inside.

When Hunter awkwardly released Winston’s shoulder, Winston turned his head to see his expression.

Winston’s knuckles brushed against Hunter’s cheek, wiping away his tears. “Hunter, you said that no matter what I did, you’d find a way to forgive me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Even if one day you found out that my reason for being by your side was completely different from what you thought, you’d still forgive me?” Winston lowered his eyes to gaze intently at Hunter.

“What other reason could you have? I’m not rich like you, not as handsome as you, even my Formula One ranking isn’t as high as yours… Could it be that you want my kidney?” Hunter asked helplessly.

Winston’s hand slid gently from Hunter’s back to his waist, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Your kidneys need to be well taken care of. They’re very important.”

“What are you talking about? Do you really want my kidney?”

“If your kidneys aren’t in good shape, how will you endure the F1 Grand Prix?”

“Thanks for your concern, but my kidneys are in great condition!” Hunter rubbed his nose and laughed.

He still enjoyed talking to Winston like this.

“Hunter, we can’t casually mention ‘breaking up’ anymore in the future. No matter what happens, we can’t turn our backs on each other.” Winston pressed his forehead against Hunter’s, his voice earnest.

Hunter closed his eyes and replied, “Okay.”

“Besides, you won’t get yourself drunk again by staying by my side.”

“Okay.”

Being by your side, I wouldn’t dare get drunk!

“Congratulations, Hunter.”

“For what?”

“For beating the famous driver Penny and not letting go of the Great White Shark Ciel.”

“But I didn’t race against you on the track.”

“Then fifteen years from now, it’ll just be a duel between you and me.”

Winston’s words warmed Hunter’s heart.

“What about fifteen years after that?”

“Enjoying life together.”

“Yeah! Let’s go to Pattaya in Thailand!”

“Why there?”

“I heard you can rent a wife there! They’re gentle as water and can even bear children…”

“Don’t even think about it.” Winston’s voice was as cold as an air conditioner, sending a chill down Hunter’s spine.

“Why not?” Hunter’s eyes widened.

He was obviously handsome, and even though his salary wasn’t as high as other racers, this year’s bonus should be enough to rent a wife in Pattaya!

Winston didn’t answer the question, instead asked another, “Did Marcus give you time off after the race?”

“I can fly to Abu Dhabi the day after tomorrow. There are two days to adjust. Shen Chuan and the others will go to Abu Dhabi first.”

“Then let’s go to Hokkaido.”

“Soak in a hot spring?” Hunter’s eyes lit up.

He had never had the chance to try a Japanese hot spring.

“Mm.”

“Let’s go! Can we ski?”

“Your team probably won’t allow you to ski and it’s not ski season now. Besides, do you even know how?”

“You probably know how, right? You can teach me! We can go skiing in Switzerland!”

“Why do you think I know how?”

“I just think you can do everything.” Hunter rubbed his nose.

“Call Marcus. If he doesn’t allow it, you’ll just have to stay in the hotel.”

Hunter immediately called Marcus. As expected, Marcus grumbled endlessly. He warned against skiing due to danger, cautioned about slipping in hot springs, advised against eating raw food to avoid stomach issues, and emphasized the crucial importance of flying to Abu Dhabi on time.

Hunter responded with “Mm-hmm” while cursing in his mind, wondering when he would ever finish!

And it’s not even ski season!

Why didn’t Marcus have common sense like Winston?

“Done! Let’s not waste time! Let’s go!” Hunter ran to the sofa and started packing the clothes he had thrown around.

Winston remained seated on the bed, looking at Hunter’s back.

“What’s wrong? Did you suddenly remember that you had something else to do?” Hunter asked, turning around when he didn’t get a response.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re really easy to coax?” Winston asked, his face expressionless but with a faint smile. Hunter’s heart skipped a beat for no reason.

“I… I’m not a child. What do you mean easy to coax!” Hunter said, annoyed.

“Whether it’s taking you to a party or going on a trip with you, you forget all your unhappiness.”

Hunter was at a loss for words. Could his previous claim of not holding a grudge be a misunderstanding? Are we going to be stuck in this endless ‘break-up game’? He grumbled inwardly.

“Can just anyone trick you?” There was a hint of helplessness in Winston’s voice, a tone Hunter rarely heard from him.

“How is that possible? I’m not a three-year-old!”

“What about Donald’s bunny girl party then?”

“Huh?”

Wasn’t that party canceled?

“Lawrence Owen said he’d take you out, and you believed him?”

“That guy’s not a good person. I know that now. I wasn’t the only one he fooled… Ciel was too, right?”

“What about Vivian Nicky?”

“Damn! That guy spent three months impersonating a woman! How many people can recognize him?” Hunter felt a pang of resentment as he mentioned this.

“I heard you were the only one in the whole club who didn’t notice,” Winston said.

At that moment, Hunter felt his IQ insulted.

“That’s because that Owen guy didn’t explain to me what ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was! What normal guy would think that there would be a man among all those beautiful women walking past!”

“You thought those women were beautiful?” Winston’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“…At least I didn’t see any ugly girls,” Hunter mumbled.

“Half of them were men.”

“…Ah?” Hunter was so shocked that it felt like his entire perception of reality was shattering.

“And they were all tops.”

“Tops?” Hunter asked, dumbfounded.

“For those men, it’s like a hunting game of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If Vivian Nicky tricked you into his grasp, he would be the one sleeping with you, not the other way around. Understand?” Winston tilted his head.

Hunter’s jaw dropped. A new world he didn’t want to understand had opened its doors before him.

“You… how did you know?” Hunter suddenly wondered about this crucial point.

“What do you think?” Winston countered.

“… Lawrence Owen told you?” Hunter thought for a moment, then asked, “So, does Owen like men or women?”

His curiosity was burning!

“If he liked men, how could Ciel have gotten married, divorced, and remarried so many times?”

“What does that have to do with Ciel?”

“Nothing. The clothes you brought are too thin. It’s only ten degrees in Sapporo now. Let’s go buy some winter clothes.”

“Okay! Let’s go!”

Otherwise, if he got sick or caught a cold after getting off the plane, it would affect his performance at the Abu Dhabi circuit.

Even though Hunter felt that he wouldn’t get sick with his physical condition.

The two finished packing their suitcases. As they walked out of the hotel room door, they bumped into McGrady.

Hunter checked out, and Winston leaned against the wall, talking on the phone. But he seemed to be speaking Japanese, and Hunter couldn’t understand a word.

“Didn’t you say you and Winston broke up?” McGrady asked.

“We’re back together!” Hunter put his arm around his shoulder.

McGrady snorted, “How old are you, still playing the break-up game?”

“…”

Hunter wanted to say that they weren’t playing a game, they had almost broken up… but with Winston standing next to him, he was a little afraid of making him angry.

“You should be glad we didn’t break up. Otherwise, you would be squeezed off the track in Abu Dhabi!” Hunter’s smile was so smug it was begging for a punch.

“You…” McGrady’s face turned pale with anger. He glanced at Winston and walked away.

“But speaking of you… When McGrady went off the track that time, you didn’t do it on purpose, did you?” Hunter nudged Winston with his elbow.

Winston was looking down, typing on his phone.

Hunter nudged him again, annoyed.

“Hey, did you deliberately mess with McGrady?”

“Of course. Wasn’t it obvious enough?” Winston glanced at Hunter before returning to his message.

Hunter was dumbfounded… Had he misunderstood Winston? He thought Winston was more forgiving and tolerant!

Hunter suddenly recalled Owen’s evaluation of Winston: vindictive…

Maybe that evaluation was fair and unbiased.

“Um, well… Can you not mess with him next time?”

“Why?”

“He’s my teammate! If you take him out, our team will have less chance of scoring points!”

“Did you shake hands and make up with him?”

“Yes.”

Hunter rubbed his nose… They didn’t shake hands, but it counted as making up, right?

“Why didn’t it look like that when I saw you earlier?”

“…We have a special way of getting along.”

“Fine. Next time he beats you up, don’t come crying to me about having black eyes.”

“I won’t! McGrady is not my match when it comes to fighting!”

“Oh.”

The “oh” was filled with thick sarcasm and disapproval. Hunter’s self-esteem received ten thousand points of damage.

After checking out, Hunter and Winston took a taxi back to downtown Tokyo and visited a luxury men’s clothing store.

Hunter never cared much about clothes. Winston casually tossed a windbreaker at his face. “Go change.”

Hunter was about to protest about the jacket hitting his face, but Winston tilted his chin, and Hunter resignedly walked into the fitting room.

When he put on the jacket and looked at himself in the mirror, he was pleasantly surprised. “So I’m still pretty handsome!”

“Come out and let me see. Don’t just admire yourself in there.” Winston’s voice came from outside.

Hunter pouted. This guy had a knack for ruining the mood!

He walked out. The salesperson was about to step forward, but Winston reached out and adjusted Hunter’s collar.

“Your collar is tucked in. Is it uncomfortable?”

Winston’s fingers slipped between the collar and Hunter’s neck, his knuckles brushing against his skin, giving him a slight sensation of being caressed.

“Not really…”

“Then let’s get this one.” Winston leaned towards Hunter and whispered, “What about underwear? Did you bring enough?”

Seeing the smile at the corner of Winston’s mouth, Hunter suddenly recalled the time he met Winston at the supermarket and Winston paid for him.

“What’s it to you!” Hunter was annoyed.

“Let’s go buy some.”

After saying that, Winston walked over to pay.

“I can buy it myself!” Hunter followed.

Winston turned back and smiled, “I enjoy buying wrapping paper for my gift.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Winston didn’t answer.

Hunter initially thought Winston was joking about buying him underwear, but it turned out to be serious.

They arrived at the men’s underwear section. Hunter was puzzled by why all the employees there were women.

Moreover, Hunter had never paid attention to underwear. As the female employee introduced each style and fabric to him one by one, Hunter felt his face burning so red it was about to crack.

The female shop assistant even earnestly explained to him in not-so-fluent English the varying levels of support and comfort that each type of underwear offered for his “little brother”.

Hunter felt embarrassed and looked at Winston, only to find him staring at him with a subtle smile.

Winston might have seemed as cold as an iceberg to outsiders, but only Hunter understood that kind of smile.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” Hunter whispered.

“I just think you should improve your quality of life, that’s all,” Winston replied.

“Sir, have you made your decision?” the female employee asked.

Hunter just wanted to leave quickly, so he randomly pointed at a style.

But Winston grabbed his hand and said something in Japanese to the employee. The female employee suddenly covered her mouth and laughed before turning back to prepare Hunter’s items.

“Hey, what did you say to her?” Hunter asked doubtfully.

“Guess.”

The female employee handed the bag to Winston.

Winston was about to pay for Hunter again, but this time Hunter wouldn’t allow it.

“I’ll buy my own underwear!”

“You want to buy it yourself?” Winston glanced at him from the side.

“Why not? It’s super weird that you’re buying me underwear!”

“It seems like you’ve never given me anything, not even a cup of coffee.”

“…Seems like it…” Hunter tilted his head in thought.

During this, Winston had already swiped his card to pay.

“Hey!—I said I’d buy it myself!”

Winston glanced at Hunter, who stood there frozen. Did he look angry?

Two seconds later, Winston picked up the same style of underwear, just a different size, and placed it on the counter, nodding at Hunter. “You buy it!”

“…” Hunter swiped his card under the pressure of Winston’s gaze.

The female employee beside them continued to cover her mouth and smile.

Hunter carried the bag out. “I still feel weird. You swiped your card to buy me underwear, and I swiped my card to buy you underwear. We bought each other underwear… What is this?”

“Then let’s change how we say it. You swiped your card to buy your underwear, and I swiped my card to buy my underwear.”

“…That makes me feel a little better.” Hunter tilted his head in thought, then added, “So what did you say to the female employee that made her smile so much?”

“Do you really want to know?” Winston raised his hand to hail a taxi, and Hunter joined him inside.

“Duh. What on earth did you say to her?”

“I said I was your boyfriend.” Winston’s voice was flat, but the corners of his mouth lifted noticeably.

After Hunter processed this, his heart pounded. He didn’t know what he was trying to hide, but he punched Winston hard. “You did it on purpose!”

“Yes, I did.” Winston’s eyes dropped to Hunter’s crotch. “If you’re so capable, don’t wear them.”

Hunter regretted once again not recording on his phone to capture what Winston had just said.

“One day, the whole world will know your true colors!” Hunter gritted his teeth in anger.

“I’ll look forward to that day.”

Winston rested his chin on his hand, smiling faintly.

For some reason, Hunter felt that Winston was very happy at that moment. What’s more, Winston didn’t hide his happiness at all.

Moreover, when Winston was happy, Hunter felt content too. As long as he could always read the smile in Winston’s eyes, he would be willing to forever be the subject of his teasing.

“Hey…”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll buy my own underwear from now on!”

“Sure. Just remember to choose ones that are durable, breathable, and elastic,” Winston replied.

“Got it.”

Don’t go to the supermarket to buy it!

“Actually, no underwear is as durable as this one.” Winston waved his hand in front of Hunter’s face, his fingers long and elegant, making Hunter admire them.

“What do you mean?”

Winston’s hand swiftly moved between Hunter’s knees. Hunter immediately grabbed Winston’s wrist.

“Hey!—What are you doing? You scared me to death!”

“I didn’t even touch it. What are you afraid of?”

Winston’s expression remained unchanged, leaving Hunter feeling like the odd one out.

Hunter placed Winson’s hand back to its original place. “Tell me, what exactly provoked you?”

“Besides you, who else could provoke me?”

Hunter realized he couldn’t answer and turned to look out the window.

This kind of play-fighting made him feel like he was back in middle school. Hunter and Blu watched an action movie in their room. In one scene, the protagonist’s extraordinary muscles left the two boys wide-eyed and sparked a scuffle between them. Hunter used too much force and squeezed Blu until he curled up on the floor.

At that moment, tears almost welled in Blu’s eyes. He even threatened that if something happened to little Blu, he would drag little Hunter down with him.

When his mother heard the sound, she came over to see what was going on. The two boys didn’t tell the truth. Hunter claimed Blu hit the edge of the table, and Blu said Hunter kicked him. The mother eyed them suspiciously. Finally, Blu gave in, saying he really hit the table’s edge.

Thinking of this, Hunter’s lips raised into a smile.

“What are you thinking?” Winson’s voice interrupted.

At that moment, Hunter couldn’t help but start imagining what would happen if he hadn’t stopped Winson earlier. Would Winston have really grabbed it? How would the fingers wrap around him? How much pressure would he have applied? What would the temperature be?

Countless scenarios caused his blood to rush downwards. Sensing that he was about to have a reaction, he hurriedly cleared all his hypotheses from his brain.

“It’s none of your business,” Hunter pouted.

Beside his ear, he heard Winston’s soft laughter, restrained yet tinged with a hint of tolerance and maturity.

Hunter seemed to become a child in front of him again.

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The author has something to say:

Hunter: I’m telling you, I’m not easy to coax!

Winston: Right, you’re not.

Hunter: You’re just saying that! You need to take this seriously!

Winston: Are you sure you want me to answer you seriously?

Hunter: Duh!

Winston: If you were easy to coax, I would have fucked you to death a long time ago.

Hunter: …