After Thinking I Was the Top, I Was Taken by a Cold Beauty - Chapter 1

March 1st, Spring.

A motorcycle roared past the road surrounding a villa within the Liuxian Residence and finally came to a stop at the entrance.

The rider dismounted with a long-legged stride, leaned against the bike, and removed their helmet with one hand. A cascade of seaweed-like, jet-black wavy hair tumbled down with the movement. The newcomer possessed a bright, moving countenance and a noble temperament; even the wine-red motorcycle suit could not hide her striking figure.

Song Shuya dialed Yun Deng’s number with a look of helplessness. After getting a busy signal, she chose to break in directly.

The interior decor of the villas here depended entirely on the owner’s personal taste. The two-story building in front of her, complete with a small garden, was where Yun Deng usually lived. Song Shuya entered the door code, and as soon as she stepped inside, she found Yun Deng collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Yun Deng felt the whole world spinning. He was clutching a white spirit bottle that had long been emptied. Sensing someone entering, he tried to focus his vision to see who it was, only to be slapped half-awake. Immediately after, he was dragged onto the sofa.

As his consciousness returned along with his vision, Yun Deng once again recalled that heartbreaking matter. Song Shuya sat down in an empty spot nearby and surveyed Yun Deng’s living environment.

Four or five empty liquor bottles lay scattered across the coffee table alongside used tissues. Several design catalogs were piled haphazardly on the floor, and a puddle of alcohol dripped steadily from the edge of a surface onto the floorboards. Two pieces of clothing were draped over the LCD screen. It was a mystery how Yun Deng could stand staying in such an environment.

By now, Yun Deng’s mind had cleared significantly. He propped himself up against the cushions behind him. Due to the alcohol, his face was flushed deep red, and even his earlobes were tinged with a crimson glow.

“Song Shuya, I’ve been dumped again!” Yun Deng leaned weakly against the sofa, his voice filled with grievance.

Song Shuya’s ears were nearly calloused from hearing this sentence. She replied perfunctorily, “Right, right, you’ve been dumped again.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Deng recounted the scene from that time once more, venting all his bottled-up drunken frustration.

An hour ago, outside a club in the center of Beijing, Yun Deng had been tragically cheated on. He had been carrying a gift box to find his partner, only to stumble upon them standing at the entrance, kissing another man who was significantly stronger and taller, without the slightest bit of concealment.

Yun Deng had not hesitated to step forward and confront them. In the end, he was punched by the cheating hunk, who then swaggered away with Yun Deng’s partner. Less than a minute later, he received a breakup text from his now-former flame.

As Yun Deng droned on about his breakup story, Song Shuya immediately plugged her ears with her fingers. She only released them once she saw his mouth stop moving.

To be honest, it was truly absurd. Her friend came from a wealthy and powerful family and was an only son; he was essentially the center of everyone’s attention. He had received the most elite education since childhood, and his life had been smooth sailing and carefree. Yet, as fate would have it, his sexual orientation leaned toward men.

If liking men was not enough, he insisted on seeing himself as some kind of “ultimate top.” At this thought, Song Shuya turned to size Yun Deng up. Seeing him covered in tear stains, she thought to herself, “An ultimate top? Him? With this look?”

Yun Deng still could not wrap his head around being abandoned again. Only three months had passed this year, and he had already been cheated on four times.

“Do you know how he replied when I confronted him?” Yun Deng asked feebly.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Song Shuya threw back a question she was actually interested in, “And how exactly did you confront him?”

At this question, Yun Deng began to stammer. His face flushed even redder; it was unclear if it was from the alcohol or shame. After a long pause, he said in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, “I asked him, why won’t you date me? Is it because I am not ‘big’ enough?”

Song Shuya nearly fainted from laughter upon hearing the last half of that sentence. Her crisp, bell-like laughter echoed through the large room. After she finished laughing, ignoring his resentful gaze, she looked Yun Deng over once more.

Her friend’s looks were, of course, beyond reproach. Raised in luxury since childhood, he had a temperament as gentle as jade, and his fashion sense and accessories were always trendy and exquisite. Yet, such a person was dumped by his partners every single day, suffering four or five betrayals a month.

Finally, Song Shuya leaned forward, hooking her finger under Yun Deng’s elegant chin to tilt his face side to side. She said disdainfully, “You? You probably have not even kissed a man on the lips. How would they even know if you are ‘big’ or not?”

Yun Deng was half-sober by now. Hearing this, he was so angry he could not even form a complete sentence.

“You, you, you are simply kicking a man while he is down! You are going too far!”

“Take a word of advice from your big sister: stop dating for a while. Give it a rest.” Song Shuya stood up, flipped her hair back, and made a move to leave.

With the thud of the front door closing, the massive villa fell into an eerie silence. For some reason, the sound-activated lights in the second-floor hallway flickered on and off. Soft moonlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting light onto the leather sofa. The diamond-patterned glass on the coffee table reflected glints of silver light.

Few families lived in this villa district. It became incredibly quiet at night. Yun Deng pulled a blanket over himself and curled up on the sofa, staring blankly at a nearby coat rack. He regretted not making Song Shuya stay; now he was in pain with no one to talk to.

After a long while, he still could not help but shed a single tear to commemorate his dead romance. Large teardrops pooled in his eyes, blurring his vision. Within seconds, they rolled down the corners of his eyes, quickly soaking a corner of the blanket. Yet, he tried his hardest to keep from crying out loud, letting out only small, whimpering sobs.

After crying for about five or six minutes, Yun Deng propped himself up and grabbed a few tissues to wipe his face haphazardly. He remembered the first time he got dumped; he had also lain on this sofa crying his eyes out, feeling as though the sky had fallen. Even though he had only been with that person for three days and they had only met once.

After calming his emotions, Yun Deng decided not to waste any more sorrow on love. Anyway, when fate comes, there is no stopping it. He did not believe that no one would ever truly love him.

One month later, at a high-end club.

Several men, whose attire clearly signaled their wealth and status, walked into the third-floor billiard hall. The interior was spacious and opulent, divided into a lounge area and private rooms; it was a favorite spot for the sons of wealthy families.

The man leading the group wore a white shirt and black trousers, with a high-end custom watch on his wrist. He sported a stylish side-parted hairstyle and possessed a handsome face. Upon arriving, Xia Shisheng sat down on a side sofa, propping his head with one hand and crossing his long legs, looking utterly exhausted. His friends picked up cues and began playing around the billiard table.

Wang Zhao sat down next to Xia Shisheng, glanced around, and asked, “Where is Yun Deng? Did he not come?”

Xia Shisheng gave a faint reply, “Need you even ask? He had another breakup a while ago. Who knows if he has moved on yet.”

“No way, dumped again? Why can’t any of Yun Deng’s relationships last?” Wang Zhao asked, puzzled.

“Oh, please. He is 176cm tall and insists on being the ‘1’. With a waist as thin as the willow trees by the Central Park river, he looks like a total ‘0’ trying to find a ‘0’. Does that seem right to you?” Xia Shisheng criticized him without mercy.

He and Yun Deng had known each other since childhood and were brothers who had practically grown up in the same pair of pants. In recent years, as same-sex marriage became legal, Yun Deng had come out to his family. What Xia Shisheng had not expected, however, was that Yun Deng seemed to have a screw loose; he insisted on being the top. The key issue was his complete lack of self-awareness.

Just as he walked in, Yun Deng vaguely overheard Xia Shisheng discussing him. Today, he was wearing an asymmetrical black-and-white color-blocked long-sleeved sweatshirt paired with black wide-leg pants. As soon as he reached Xia Shisheng, he gave him a punch on the shoulder.

“What are you saying behind my back again?”

“Forget it, who would dare talk about you?”

Xia Shisheng had anticipated the punch and narrowly tilted his body to dodge the hit, then jokingly ushered him to take a seat. Before starting the day’s conversation, Yun Deng signaled a waiter to bring two glasses of red wine, then moved with Xia Shisheng to a quieter spot.

As soon as the private room door closed, Yun Deng immediately slumped onto the sofa as if he had no bones. Xia Shisheng stood before him, holding his wine glass, watching his friend’s “half-dead” state. He spoke up, “Do you want me to help you scout for a new man again?”

Yun Deng, who had been worrying about how to bring it up, saw that his friend had broached the subject himself and immediately sat bolt upright, nodding. Xia Shisheng was so annoyed he nearly crushed the glass, but he restrained himself and asked if Yun Deng actually knew how to be in a relationship.

When Yun Deng nodded and then shook his head, a wave of nameless irritation surged again. “I am telling you, every time you date, you do not even dare to hold their hand. You rely entirely on giving gifts to maintain the relationship. Do you think that is interesting?”

Yun Deng was left speechless by the rebuttal. It was true; he did not know how to date. In the past, he had wondered if he just needed someone to accompany him. But seeing the other person happy when receiving a gift made him inexplicably happy too. He liked that feeling. Song Shuya’s evaluation was that he simply had more money than he knew what to do with.

Both fell silent. Xia Shisheng actually felt bad for Yun Deng; seeing him sitting there with his head down, he started blaming his own blunt tongue.

“Fine, I will help you find someone. But I am telling you upfront, this is the last time.”

Hearing this, Yun Deng nodded happily and quickly stated his requirements, “I want someone good-looking with a refined, scholarly temperament. As for height, it is best if they are shorter than me or the same height.”

Xia Shisheng looked up at Yun Deng, swirled the wine in his glass, and downed it in one go. He then posed the fatal question, one he had asked Yun Deng several times before, “Do you honestly think that, looking the way you do, being a ‘1’ is appropriate?”

This sentence successfully ignited Yun Deng’s temper. His first reaction was offense at being looked down upon, and he immediately launched a barrage of questions at his friend.

“What is wrong with a 176cm guy being a ‘1’? Who says ‘ultimate tops’ can only be muscular hunks? Even if I am not ‘macho,’ I just looked it up online last night; even a ‘Kawaii-1’ is still a ‘1’! At the very least, I count as a ‘weak-1.’ Does that not count as being a top?!”

Xia Shisheng was successfully defeated by Yun Deng’s words. His friend’s “macho personality” had completely conquered him. He could not win this argument; he simply could not win.

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