CYNTM CHAPTER 68

“Owen is just my friend. We’re both drivers… so we often share our thoughts with each other and I listen to him talk about other drivers sometimes. I don’t know what made you misunderstand that Owen and I… have that kind of relationship.”

“Liar! Why are you lying to me! I saw you two kissing!” Merlin became agitated again.

Blood from Johnny’s temple flowed into his eyes along with his tears.

“Owen and I kissed? No way!” Hunter was bewildered. Where did Merlin see this?

Could this guy be delusional?

“I have photos! I took them all!” Merlin pulled out his phone and threw it to Hunter. “The password is your birthday! See for yourself!”

Hunter couldn’t believe that Merlin even knew his birthday. After all, no one in the whole team remembered it this year, and it had just passed by. It felt strange that only a perverted fan remembered his birthday.

When he opened Merlin’s phone, the screen displayed a photo of him opening a window upon arriving in Singapore. So Merlin had been following him since the first day he arrived in Singapore!

“Look closely at the nineteenth photo in the album! Then tell me what you were doing!” Merlin roared.

The album was full of pictures of Hunter. There were photos of him eating with Shen Chuan in a restaurant, discussing suspension systems with Shen Xi, and confirming interview times with the PR manager before the race… Every picture was of him.

The nineteenth picture happened to be from the first time Hunter went to Owen’s room—when that guy had opened the door wrapped in a bath towel.

Hunter was standing at the door, and Owen had just pulled him inside, causing Hunter to lean forward. Owen’s face was perfectly blocked by the back of Hunter’s head. From that angle… if it wasn’t a kiss, was it a staring contest?

Even Hunter himself thought it looked like a kiss!

“We weren’t kissing. I would never kiss him. Owen likes to prank people. He was just teasing me.”

“If that’s not a kiss, then tell me what the previous photos are. Don’t tell me you were playing a bed-rolling game!”

Hunter slid back as instructed, and the photo made his hair stand on end. The picture was taken from outside Owen’s window. Hunter was straddling Owen’s waist, pinning his arms and torso to the bed, clearly leaning down for a kiss.

The next photo showed Owen turning to smile teasingly at Hunter, saying something, while Hunter was still on top of him. It looked so intimate it could make anyone blush. They seemed like they were whispering sweet nothings before the main event.

The following photo showed Hunter still on Owen’s waist while Owen was lying face down on the bed, teaching Hunter how to break free. But the window obscured them, making it look like they were actually doing something else.

And Hunter remembered that he spent more than an hour studying in Owen’s room that night!

Lawrence Owen! Why the hell didn’t you close the curtains!

How was he going to explain this now? How could he explain this!

“Can’t you see that we’re both fully clothed? Have you ever seen people sleeping together while fully dressed? You keep saying that you’re my fan, so how can you think this way about me?” Hunter decided it was better to be more assertive than to appear scared in front of Merlin. This way, it would seem like nothing was going on between him and Owen.

Merlin was stunned and lowered the knife in his hand. Hunter’s words had truly calmed him.

Hunter kept signaling Johnny, hoping he would make a quick escape while he had the chance. Who knew that this coward wouldn’t even dare to move, obediently staying put as a hostage for Merlin.

Hunter cursed Marcus in his mind. Of all people to send, why did it have to be this guy who couldn’t even run to “protect” him!

“So… what were you guys doing?” Merlin seemed half-convinced by Hunter’s words.

“We were stretching our muscles and joints. You’ve been following me for this long. Don’t you know that drivers need to maintain flexibility in their joints regularly?” Hunter explained. “Owen’s message about ‘bed-rolling’ probably meant this. He just has a twisted sense of humor and likes to pull these kinds of pranks.”

Hunter was now sure that the one who threw the dead cockroaches on Owen’s bed and sent him bloody chicken feet was Merlin. Come to think of it, Owen deserved it.

“Why don’t you hand the knife over to me?” Hunter approached Merlin and reached out his hand.

“No! You’re lying to me!” Merlin looked at Hunter warily.

“I’m not. I don’t like Lawrence Owen at all…”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Merlin jumped and suddenly tightened his grip on the knife.

“Calm down. Relax. I’ll go see who it is.”

Hunter was about to walk to the door, but Merlin shouted, “Don’t go!”

The knocking continued.

Winston’s voice called out, “Hunter, are you in there?”

Hunter was stunned. So it was Winston.

“Hunter, I couldn’t reach you on the phone. Are you inside?” Winston’s distinctive voice calmed Hunter down.

It must be because Merlin broke his phone by throwing it, so Winston couldn’t reach him.

Merlin stared at Hunter, shaking his head to forbid him from speaking.

But within seconds, Johnny’s phone started ringing.

Hunter didn’t need to check to know Winston was calling.

Johnny’s ringtone was a Lady Gaga song, its sound making Hunter’s shoulders flinch. He wasn’t sure if Winston could hear it from outside the door.

“Let me open the door. If I don’t answer now, he’ll ask the front desk to open it,” Hunter replied.

“You… you’re trying to escape!”

“Escape? Why would I need to escape? You said you’ve been following me all this time, always trying to comfort me, wanting to support and encourage me… but you don’t even know who I like most? You suspect my assistant and the driver I know, but you don’t know who I really care about!” Hunter snorted coldly.

“Who… who do you like? If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill him!” Merlin tightened his grip on Johnny’s neck, making Johnny want to cough but forcing himself to hold back.

Hunter remained silent, knowing that the more Merlin wanted to know who he liked, the less likely he was to kill Johnny. He planned to lure Merlin to his side step by step.

“I don’t want him to know about this because he’ll tell the whole team, and then you won’t be able to see me again. I’ll only tell you.” Hunter beckoned Merlin.

Merlin stood there, trying to decipher Hunter’s words.

Hunter knew he only had a moment. If Merlin realized he was being tricked, he might retaliate recklessly.

Merlin released Johnny, warning him menacingly, “If you move, I’ll throw this knife and pierce your brain!”

Johnny was already dizzy. He held his head and sat down against the wall.

Hunter spread his arms, appearing defenseless, as if ready to hug Merlin.

Such temptation brought a gleam of joy to Merlin’s eyes.

He walked towards Hunter step by step until he was half an arm’s length away, looking at Hunter expectantly. “Tell me… who is it…”

“The person is…” Hunter leaned in as if to whisper in Merlin’s ear.

Suddenly, he gripped Merlin’s hand around the knife, squeezing with enough force to crush his fingers.

“Argh—” Merlin roared, but whether due to obsession or something else, he refused to let go of the knife and even thrust it towards Hunter.

Hunter used the opportunity to press down on Merlin’s shoulders, twisting his arm with lightning speed, then raised his knee to strike his lower back. Johnny couldn’t keep up with what was happening, only seeing Hunter pinning Merlin to the ground and the knife flying away.

“How could you do this to me! How could you lie to me! I love you so much and would do anything for you!” Merlin’s eyes were red with rage as he struggled furiously on the ground.

Johnny had never faced a situation like this before.

“Johnny! Let Winston in! Now! Right now!” Hunter yelled at Johnny, who finally came to his senses.

Johnny stumbled to the door, fumbling with the lock until he managed to open it.

Winston saw Johnny with blood all over his head and immediately strode inside.

“Winston!” Hunter looked up at the man.

Winston’s arrival made Hunter relax his grip slightly. Suddenly, Merlin flipped over and kicked Hunter down. Grabbing the knife, he turned to stab Hunter.

Hunter saw the sharp blade getting closer to his abdomen, then heard a “crack.” He didn’t know when Winston had moved beside him, but Winston grabbed Merlin’s wrist and twisted it until it broke.

There was no hesitation, and Winston’s profile looked as cold and stern as a cliff.

This was the first time Hunter had seen such an unmistakable murderous intent in Winston’s eyes.

“Ah—argh—” Merlin screamed maniacally. Hunter wondered if Winston had broken his arm.

“I’ll kill you! Kill you!” Merlin’s teeth clattered as he tried to pick up the fallen knife with his uninjured hand, but Winston snatched it away first.

“Johnny, call the police,” Winston’s icy voice was the calmest thing in the room.

Johnny snapped out of his daze and crawled over to his phone to make a call.

“Was he the one who followed you and secretly took pictures of you?” Winston glanced down at Hunter.

“Uh… yeah,” Hunter swallowed and nodded.

Winston extended a hand, helping Hunter to his feet with a firm grip.

He then crouched down in front of Merlin and asked, “Did you take so many photos of him because you’re obsessed with him?”

Winston had a handsome face, and his indifference carried a deadly intensity.

“I love him… but he loves someone else…” Merlin’s tears began to fall.

Hunter couldn’t understand such madness, but he felt a strange sorrow for Merlin.

“Oh, and who does he love?”

“Lawrence Owen! That good-for-nothing! He’s been fooled by his face! It must be him!” Merlin started to get hysterical again.

“You’re a madman… but I’m even crazier. I won’t allow anyone else to be obsessed with Evan Hunter, and I can’t stand the thought of him being interested in anyone else.”

Merlin stood there, stunned.

After several seconds, he finally came to his senses, “It’s you… it was you all along…”

“That’s right. If you really paid that much attention to him, how could you not notice whose arms he sleeps in every night and who he kisses each time?” Winston’s voice was laced with cruelty.

It was the first time Hunter had seen Winston like this. Winston shattered all of Merlin’s unrealistic hopes and fantasies, leaving no room for doubt.

“Winston…” Hunter walked towards Winston, worried.

“Kiss me, Hunter,” Winston turned to Hunter, his voice still soft but commanding.

Hunter lowered his head and kissed Winston’s lips. He parted his mouth slightly, but he didn’t slip his tongue in. Hunter wanted to pull back, but Winston bit down on his lower lip, forcing Hunter to slide his tongue in. As their tongues touched, Winston began to suck hungrily, wanting to possess him.

“Ahhh—” Merlin’s roar echoed in the room.

Winston raised the knife and stabbed it down between Merlin’s legs, ruthlessly and decisively.

Merlin froze in place. The blade had torn his pants; just a bit more, and it would have drawn blood.

Hunter’s heart pounded wildly, but Winston held his hand tightly.

“From this moment forward, you are forbidden from thinking about Evan Hunter, from prying into his life in any way, from appearing before him under the guise of following or loving him. Because if you don’t, I will kill you.” Winston’s voice was flat, the air suddenly thick with a chilling tension, like icy water freezing in a single, terrifying moment.

Merlin stared at Winston in shock.

“I am his only man,” Winston stood up and looked down at Merlin.

He seemed born powerful; nothing could stand above him.

In his eyes, everything Merlin did seemed like a farce—weak and laughable.

Merlin sat there and began to cry.

The police and hotel security arrived quickly and dragged Merlin off the floor.

Hunter looked at Winston, who had completely crushed Merlin’s hopes and dignity.

Winston turned back to speak with the police, but as he did, his foot hit something. When he bent down, Hunter immediately realized it was Merlin’s phone!

“Winston!” Hunter rushed over, but before his fingers could touch the phone, Winston lifted it high. He used one hand to hold Hunter in place and the other to open the photo album. The first image showed Owen lying face down on the bed with Hunter pinning his waist down.

Hunter noticed Winston’s pupils quiver.

“Listen to me! That was a candid shot! We were wearing clothes! We weren’t having sex!” Hunter anxiously explained.

Winston didn’t say a word, holding the phone high and continuing to scroll through the pictures.

“Don’t look at it! Stop looking!” Hunter felt like he couldn’t wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

“And what about this?” Winston rotated his wrist, showing the picture of Owen in a towel opening the door for Hunter with the two “kissing”.

Hunter was on the verge of tears.

“We weren’t kissing!” Hunter felt the more he explained, the worse it sounded.

“Really? I haven’t even said you slept with him or kissed him.” Winston looked at Hunter. The look reminded Hunter of the first time this guy wanted to have sex with him.

Hunter felt as if Winston was burning away his clothes, crushing his bones, and devouring everything about him.

“Excuse me, sir. This phone is evidence. We need to keep it.” A policeman signaled for Winston to give them the phone.

Winston nodded and handed the phone over.

Hunter finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Marcus and Shen Chuan arrived. Marcus pulled Hunter into a tight hug.

“You brat! That scared me to death! Thank goodness you’re okay! Thank goodness you’re okay!”

Marcus patted Hunter’s back hard, making Hunter feel deeply moved.

Marcus’s concern was genuine and not tied to any profit. To him, Hunter was like a child he had watched grow up, and any trouble Hunter encountered caused him heartache.

Shen Chuan’s face paled when he saw the blood on the ground, but he was relieved when he saw that Hunted didn’t seem to be injured.

An ambulance arrived, and Johnny was sent away with his head covered in blood.

It was likely that several media outlets were already aware that a well-known young racer had nearly been killed by a crazed fan.

Tomorrow, the police would ask them to give a detailed statement about the incident.

“Fortunately, the free practice session is the day after tomorrow. I hope we can settle everything in one go,” Hunter sighed.

“The reporters will probably get wind of this soon. Mr. Marcus, if you don’t mind, I’d like Hunter to stay with me tonight,” Winston said.

“Oh, of course… that’s a good idea. The reporters will soon find out which rooms the team booked and will crowd the doors. It’ll be hard to get a good night’s sleep then.”

“Okay, I’ll take Hunter to the police station myself tomorrow morning.”

Hunter opened his mouth. Why did he feel like he was being sold off again?

“Uh… I don’t want to trouble Winston. It’s better if I book another hotel room!” Hunter quickly said.

He had a feeling Winston wouldn’t let him off easily.

Those pictures could really cost his life!

Hunter remembered every word Winston had said to Merlin. He was shocked then, but now his heart was filled with dread.

Winston would definitely settle the score!

“Hmm, that sounds good. I’ll go to another hotel with you.”

Winston opened the closet and took out some clothes that Hunter often wore.

He managed to shut Hunter up successfully. Given the current circumstances, Hunter would have to be separated from the other team members.

“In fact, changing hotels is an easier way to avoid trouble.” Even Shen Chuan agreed.

Hunter looked at Shen Chuan: Bro… do you want me to die?

“We’ll call you when we get to the hotel.” Winston nodded to Marcus.

“Well then, I’ll leave Hunter in your hands. We should have someone from our team watch Hunter… but you’ve seen Johnny’s situation. Maybe being with you will make Hunter feel safer.” Marcus sighed, acting as if he was entrusting his precious treasure to a fair and trustworthy friend for safekeeping.

Hey, hey! I don’t feel safe being with this guy!

Hunter screamed internally, but he couldn’t say it out loud.

Hunter’s pitiful demeanor made Marcus mistakenly think that he was still scared of the perverted fan.

“Come on, Hunter… After this race, I’ll hire a bodyguard for you!” Marcus hugged Hunter again.

After this race? I might be dead by then!

“Let’s go.” Winston tugged Hunter’s wrist and pulled him out of the room.

Once they were in the elevator, Hunter quickly lowered his head and explained in one breath, “I really have no interest in Lawrence Owen! That photo that looks like we’re kissing is just an angle thing! You know how in movies, actors often don’t actually kiss but use camera tricks to make it look like they are? That’s exactly what happened with that photo!”

“Oh, really? Were his lips soft?” Winston asked coldly.

Hunter froze. Did Winston not listen to what he just explained?

Or maybe he listened but still wanted to make things difficult for him.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Winston took long strides out.

In that second, Hunter wanted to quickly press the button to close the elevator doors and go to a different floor while Winston was stepping out.

But who would have thought that Winston would turn around and press the button, raising his chin to say, “Aren’t you coming out?”

“Coming…”

The two of them walked out of the hotel.

The police car had already left, and the world was quiet as if nothing had happened.

A few hundred meters away from the current hotel stood another decent hotel. Winston slung Hunter’s luggage over his shoulder. There were very few people walking along the way. Winston reached back and tightly grasped Hunter’s wrist, pulling him forward.

Winston’s intent was extremely clear: he wasn’t giving Hunter a chance to escape.

“You still haven’t answered me. Were Owen’s lips soft?”

“I’ve never kissed him! How would I know?”

“Then what do you like about him? His eyes?”

A few cars drove past Winston, and the headlights seemed to be slicing through his shadow.

“I never liked him.” Hunter felt pained.

Merlin had gone crazy after seeing those pictures, and even though Winston wouldn’t react like Merlin, Hunter knew Winston would definitely be hurt.

“Then why were you with him? Was it because you were afraid of me wanting to sleep with you all the time, but Owen lets you do whatever you want?”

Hunter knew Winston was referring to the photo where he was holding Owen’s waist.

“We were just messing around! I don’t like every guy I meet! I… I…” Hunter stopped in his tracks.

Winston, holding his hand, stopped as well but didn’t turn around.

“What is it?”

“I just think your eyes are really beautiful. You’re the only one I can’t stop staring at… Have you ever seen me look at Lawrence Owen for more than thirty seconds?”

“Then what were you two fooling around about?” Winston asked.

Hunter was speechless, knowing he couldn’t possibly tell Winston the truth—that he was practicing how to avoid being pinned down with Owen.

Winston, realizing Hunter wouldn’t answer, turned and continued to pull him forward.

Hunter looked down, clutching Winston’s hand as they walked.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the hotel. Winston checked in, and the two of them were silent as they took the elevator up.

Just as the elevator doors were about to open and Winston was stepping out, Hunter suddenly yanked him back inside.

He tilted his face and kissed Winston. There was no technique, no thoughts—just a raw desire to feel this man’s warmth and the softness of his lips.

Winston froze. He didn’t push Hunter away, but he didn’t open his mouth either.

Hunter knew Winston was still angry, so he gently licked between Winston’s lips, both kissing and licking. As the elevator doors were about to close, Winston suddenly pushed Hunter away, pressed the open door button, and then pulled Hunter out of the elevator.

At that moment, Hunter felt a pang of disappointment.

Winston was truly angry.

It was the first time he had made Winston angry.

But… if he had seen such pictures of Winston, he would have been furious too! Even if Winston hadn’t done anything, he would still be mad.

Thinking this way, Hunter realized that his mistake was truly enormous.

The sound of the keycard scanning to unlock the door echoed. When the door opened, Winston tossed Hunter’s bag onto the floor carelessly without a word.

Hunter bent down to pick up his luggage in defeat, his mind racing with ways to make Winston stop being angry. But before his fingers could touch the bag, Winston pulled him up.

“Wins…”

Winston’s hand pressed against the back of Hunter’s head, and the force of his lips crashing down on Hunter’s startled him. Winston thrust his tongue into Hunter’s mouth as if he wanted to destroy everything between his lips and teeth.

“Mn…” Hunter wanted to raise his arms to hug him, but Winston mistook it as a sign of rejection, so he immediately pinned Hunter’s arms behind his back.

Winston continued kissing him relentlessly, forcing him to step backward until his calves hit the edge of the bed.

Winston increased the pressure of the kiss. Hunter tilted his head up, wanting to respond but completely overwhelmed by the intensity.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Winston’s eyebrows furrowed tightly. The kiss didn’t mean he didn’t care; on the contrary, he was deeply hurt.

Hunter fell back onto the bed, and Winston finally released his arms from behind, pinning him down. Winston’s kiss followed, frantic yet restrained, even the flick of his tongue seemed to hold back unspoken words.

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The author has something to say:

Hunter: Don’t be mad! What can I do to make you not angry?

Winston: Lean over.

Hunter: Okay! I’ll lean over to kiss you!

Winston: Turn around and lean over.

Hunter: …Can we have a normal relationship or not!