True Color (COLOR)
.jpg)
Thrown into the back seat of the car, Qi Xing struggled with all his might while punching and kicking, "Who are you?! Let me go!"
His hands were bound by something which rendered them immobile and his legs were firmly pressed down by the brute strength of the man who had kidnapped him. The man remained silent but his breath reminiscent of someone he knew, yet somewhat unfamiliar. His heart raced with his voice trembling, "Who the hell are you? Ye Xingzhou, is it you?! Let me go!"
The only response was silence. The fear in Qi Xing's heart quickly spread and when the man's cold fingertips touched him, he turned his face away in disgust, "Get away, get off me!"
But he couldn't escape; the man's hand lightly grazed his skin and move from the side of his face to his lips. Qi Xing's scalp tingled and he twisted his body. He struggled violently to break free but it was futile. That wicked hand firmly grasped his chin and forced something into his mouth.
Qi Xing immediately bit down on his tongue and tried to push the substance out but the hand gripping his chin tightened. After a few seconds of stalemate, the sensation of suffocation forced him to release his tongue and the substance slid down his throat.
It was a pill.
Within just a few minutes, the effects kicked in and the sensations rising within him were completely familiar. Realizing what kind of drug he had been given, Qi Xing's heart shattered. His resistance intensified and he frantically tugged at his bound wrists while trembling with anger and panic, "Who are you? Who the hell are you? Speak! Don't touch me or I will kill you. I swear I will kill you!"
The man's breath drew closer.
A mix of unfamiliar aftershave and cologne that made him want to vomit, "Stay away from me! Get away from me!"
The man holding him captive, however, paid no heed. With a few swift motions, he tore off Qi Xing's belt and struck him hard several times.
Pain and humiliation surged together and Qi Xing gasped for air with his voice already choked, "Get away from me! Get off me!"
But the man had no intention of letting him go. His fingers slowly slid down Qi Xing's moving Adam's apple then unbuttoned his shirt one by one.
Qi Xing gritted his teeth while desperately trying to break free. He was suppressed to the point of having no strength to fight back. Unbeknownst to him, his lips had been bitten until they bled and the metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth. His chest heaved violently and a sound of shock and fear escaped his throat.
The moment the man's lips pressed down on his chest, something in Qi Xing's mind exploded and nearly drove him to the brink of collapse.
The man's lips and fingers roamed and teased his body and the heat generated by the drug became increasingly clear. The nausea mixed with fear intensified, causing him to tremble uncontrollably and gasping for breath.
When the man's fingers finally unbuttoned his suit pants and pulled down the zipper, the tension in his mind snapped.
Tears streamed down his face. A despair and fear he had never felt even when Ye Xingzhou had first forced himself on him. Before him lay an unknown darkness while he was pinned down by a man he did not know while being drugged with no chance of escape.
Who would save him and who would come to his rescue?
"Ye Xingzhou, Ye Xingzhou..."
Qi Xing's voice was laced with a clear sob, completely breaking down, "Help me, Ye Xingzhou, please help me..."
One side of his face pressed against the car's leather seat with his bound eyes wide open but still unable to see anything.
His tears continued to fall with his body curled into a twisted arc. By the end, his cries had become so choked that they were barely intelligible because of gasping for breath and retching uncontrollably.
In his dazed state, Qi Xing didn't even notice that the man pressing down on him had stopped moving and released the bindings on his hands and feet.
But his body still spasmed and completely forgot to react.
It wasn't until the blindfold slipped off his eyes and light returned to them that his tear-soaked eyelashes slowly fluttered. He barely turned his head and, through his blurred vision, saw Ye Xingzhou's silent gaze fixed on him.
The man’s brow was furrowed. His expression was dark and deep, mixed with madness, as he once again gripped Qi Xing's chin, "I told you not to make random appointments and not to challenge my bottom line. Not only have you forgotten but you've also gone further."
Qi Xing finally saw clearly.
It was indeed Ye Xingzhou, who had changed to a different aftershave and cologne and deliberately blindfolded him, so his alcohol-clouded mind had been easily deceived.
He stared blankly at the other man and by the time he regained his senses, he had already slapped Ye Xingzhou's face.
With a loud "smack," a bright red handprint immediately appeared on Ye Xingzhou's face.
"—You crazy dog!"
Rage nearly shattered Qi Xing's sanity.
His mind was blank and his only reaction was to push himself up and pounce on Ye Xingzhou, raining blows down on his forehead while tears still streamed down his face and crying as he fought and even trembling in a way he had never experienced before.
Ye Xingzhou also lost control. He forcefully pressed Qi Xing against himself, allowing him to punch and kick but without hesitation, he kissed him.
Qi Xing bit down hard, as if he wanted to sever Ye Xingzhou's tongue. Ye Xingzhou's breathing grew heavy but he refused to pull away and was still holding Qi Xing's head as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
They are fighting while kissing.
Causing this kiss to feel like another form of combat. Qi Xing's tears mixed with their entangled saliva, smeared both their chins.
Eventually, desire took over as Qi Xing had indeed been drugged by this mad dog, Ye Xingzhou.
Being held tightly in Ye Xingzhou's arms, he felt both pain and pleasure, anger and unwillingness as he continuously bit this beast and vented the long-accumulated resentment that had been raging within his body.
In the midst of it all, patrolling security came to knock on the car window, likely suspecting they were fighting inside.
Ye Xingzhou pressed Qi Xing's head down onto his shoulder with his suit jacket shielding their bodies. He rolled down the car window then glanced up coldly with his voice icy enough to freeze, "What is it?"
When the security guard saw their entangled position, he smirked ambiguously and left behind a comment of "Enjoy yourselves," before turning to leave.
As the window rolled back up, Qi Xing angrily bit down on Ye Xingzhou's shoulder, as if he wanted to gnaw at his flesh. Ye Xingzhou gasped in his ear, and the harder Qi Xing bit, the deeper he sank his teeth in.
Finally releasing his grip, Qi Xing left a deep bite mark that drew blood.
An hour later, Qi Xing cleaned himself up and put on his clothes while curling up in the passenger seat with his eyes closed and not wanting to say another word to Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou silently watched him for a moment then reached over to grip his chin with his voice cold and hard, "Speak."
Qi Xing remained silent and just turned his head away, refusing to communicate.
Tears still stained his face and his lips were also bitten and bleeding, looking both disheveled and wronged. Ye Xingzhou stared at his face before finally releasing his grip.
"Why did you come to a place like this? I told you to stay away from other men but why didn't you listen? Is it that anyone you take a liking to is fair game?"
Ye Xingzhou's voice grew colder with each word, and Qi Xing suddenly opened his eyes, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes.
Ye Xingzhou's gaze was even more intense than before, as if he would go mad at the slightest admission from Qi Xing.
Qi Xing sneered, "Who do you think you are to control me? What right do you have to manage my life?!"
Ye Xingzhou with his voice hoarse, reminded him, "If you didn't want me to manage you then why did you call for me to save you just now? If it weren't for me taking you away today, what do you think you would be like right now?"
Qi Xing glared at Ye Xingzhou. Feeling a mix of grievance, anger and humiliation.
Soon, his tears began to fall again but he just grit his teeth to suppress his sobs, "What gives you the right to always act so self-righteous? Why must I be led around by you? Is it fun to toy with me?"
Ye Xingzhou raised his hand and wiped his face, causing his palm to wet. Qi Xing closed his eyes, not wanting to look at him, "Don't touch me."
"I like you," Ye Xingzhou suddenly said, an unexpected declaration.
Qi Xing's voice caught in his throat.
Ye Xingzhou continued, "Isn't this what you wanted to hear? Then I'm tell you now but it's not a joke. I like you."
But Qi Xing felt more displeased, even furious and lunged at him. He kneel on Ye Xingzhou while gripping his neck tightly, "Do I care if you like me? Even if you say it or not, don't act like you're doing me a favor by saying those three words because I don't need that! You beast, you madman!"
He gripped hard and the more Ye Xingzhou acted this way, the angrier he became.
He wanted Ye Xingzhou to go mad for him but not like this. This bastard never considered his feelings and only bullied him.
The sensation of suffocation made Ye Xingzhou's breathing grow heavier. He stared at Qi Xing's furious face and reddened eyes then raised his hand to press down on the corner of his eye.
Qi Xing's movements paused and he weakly released his grip.
"I'm done playing with you, you can leave."
Ye Xingzhou's expression turned cold, "Don't act unreasonable."
Qi Xing retorted angrily, "So what if I'm being unreasonable? Are you in the right? You rapist, all you know is just to use force; what right do you have? If I said that I'm done with you, I'm really done with you. Why should I hang myself on your treeif others are more interesting and understand romance better than you. All you do is scare and threaten me. I hate you because of that attitude you have!"
Ye Xingzhou gripped his face tightly with his stern voice, "Say that again!"
"I said," Qi Xing glared at him and enunciated each word, "I'm done with you."
Ye Xingzhou tightened his grip but Qi Xing refused to back down.
Neither was willing to yield.
The disappointment in Qi Xing's eyes accumulated and after a long standoff, Ye Xingzhou finally released his grip and just tiredly closed his eyes, then rested his forehead against Qi Xing's shoulder.
Qi Xing was taken aback and Ye Xingzhou rasped, "Stop messing around."
Qi Xing replied, "I said I want to, I..."
"The 'I like you' part is serious and not just for formality." Ye Xingzhou lifted his head again to look at him. The deep furrow in his brow showing heavy fatigue, "I originally wanted to wait for a more formal opportunity to tell you but you couldn't wait and had to provoke me like this."
His tone was a mix of helplessness and sincerity, causing Qi Xing's face to gradually flushed and his defiance fading, "…But you were the one who provoked me first."
Ye Xingzhou held his wrist, "The blind date, is it real?"
"My parents set it up; how could it not be real?" Qi Xing said while feeling guilty again, "So what if it is? Who doesn't have a few blind dates?"
Ye Xingzhou pressed, "I warned you to stay away from him but you still come to a place like this with him?"
Qi Xing's voice rose slightly, "Is it wrong for me to make a friend? Don't think that just because you said you like me, that you can interfere with my freedom to make friends."
Ye Xingzhou tightened his grip on his wrist and Qi Xing hissed, complaining, "Stop squeezing, it hurts."
When he had pushed himself up to slap Ye Xingzhou earlier, he had twisted his wrist and after that, he had gone all out to hit him, so now his hand still hurts.
Although Ye Xingzhou's face had been beaten to a pulp, he deserved it.
"I like you," Ye Xingzhou said again with a serious tone.
"Enough, enough, I get it," Qi Xing blushed at his words, "One time is enough."
He climbed off Ye Xingzhou, feeling deflated.
This argument ended ambiguously.
As the car drove out of the parking lot, Qi Xing curled up in the passenger seat because the effects of the drug was still lingering and the spot on his butt where this bastard had hit him with the belt still ached. He felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but glare at the culprit beside him.
"If you're jealous, just be jealous. But can you not act like a mad dog every time? Can we try a different approach next time?"
Ye Xingzhou remained silent and just drove quietly.
Qi Xing felt indignant, "Do you really like me? When did this start?"
Ye Xingzhou turned his head with his gaze landing on him.
Qi Xing turned away, "Forget it and don't say it."
"The time we fell down the mountain," Ye Xingzhou replied.
Qi Xing: "..."
The time they fell down the mountain? That was ages ago! They had both been covered in dirt and grime and this bastard had the nerve to have thoughts about him back then?
Ye Xingzhou only said that one sentence but offered no further explanation.
Qi Xing leaned against the seat while increasingly puzzled and the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but mumble, "I kind of like you too but you liked me first, so you lost first."
He emphasized it but not turning back to let this bastard see his flushed face.
Ye Xingzhou focused on driving, just nodded, "Mm, I know."
Qi Xing secretly sighed in relief while still feeling a bit awkward. He picked up his phone and tried to distract himself, only to remember that Li Zechen had been left behind at the bar. His phone had several missed calls and messages, some from Li Zechen and others from his assistant.
His phone had been set to silent, undoubtedly the work of this bastard Ye Xingzhou.
Qi Xing cursed under his breath and just as he was about to call back, Ye Xingzhou's hand reached over and snatched his phone away.
"Are you sick? What do you want with my phone?"
"You can't contact other men in front of me."
"I can't even contact my assistant?"
"No."
Qi Xing was speechless. This man's stubbornness was unchangeable; he shouldn't have had any expectations.
By the time they returned to the hotel, it was nearly dawn. As they got out of the car, Qi Xing suddenly thought about why Ye Xingzhou had come to New York.
What was he doing here?
Before he could ask, his assistant, who was anxiously pacing in the hotel lobby, spotted him and hurried over, "Thank goodness, Young Master Qi, you’re finally back! If we couldn't reach you again, we were going to call the police."
Li Zechen had returned an hour earlier and was waiting for him at the hotel. When he saw Qi Xing, he was about to ask something but his gaze suddenly froze when it land on Ye Xingzhou behind him.
Ye Xingzhou's face was bruised but he didn't look disheveled with his expression cold and not even spare a glance for Li Zechen. Qi Xing didn't want to explain, so he told Li Zechen, "I'm fine. I ran into a friend earlier and left without saying goodbye. Sorry, you should go back and rest; see you tomorrow."
Seeing that he was safe, Li Zechen wisely didn't ask further. Before leaving, he took one last look at Ye Xingzhou, who returned the gaze coldly, as if Li Zechen shouldn't exist.
‘What an arrogant man.’ Li Zechen thought, leaving Qi Xing with a "See you tomorrow and get some rest," before turning to leave.
Qi Xing reminded his assistant not to tell his father about what had happened tonight then went upstairs to his room while ignoring Ye Xingzhou all the way.
Before entering, he blocked Ye Xingzhou at the door and forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Don't tell me you came all the way here and have nowhere to stay, and need me to take you in? But I have important work tomorrow, so I won't entertain you tonight. Get lost."
Ye Xingzhou stared into his eyes, "Has the drug worn off?"
He shouldn't have mentioned it because just saying it made Qi Xing want to fight him again. But Ye Xingzhou said, "There's some left from last time; no need to waste it."
Qi Xing immediately fell silent. Did that mean he was suffering the consequences again?
"I'm staying," Ye Xingzhou said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Qi Xing squeezed out a voice through gritted teeth, "Staying for what? A massage?"
Ye Xingzhou replied, "It's up to you."
Qi Xing yanked him by the tie and pulled him inside then slammed the door shut with a bang.
As they tumbled onto the bed, he clawed and bit at Ye Xingzhou, as if venting his frustrations.
"Aftershave and cologne, do you have shampoo and body wash too? Change them all back; I hate this smell." With their lips pressed together, Qi Xing bit down and asked through grit teeth.
Ye Xingzhou lowered his gaze to meet Qi Xing's eyes, pausing for a moment before murmuring, "I love you."
Qi Xing froze with his face flushing again.
His clawing hands unconsciously turned into an embrace and he bit down on Ye Xingzhou's lip.
"…Bastard."