He Played Emotional Games With His Arch-Enemy - Chapter 4

The car brushed past the streetlights, casting a trail of ambiguity along the window frames.

Shi Yu had somehow moved to sit on Duan Jinghuai’s lap. His slender, fair arms rested lightly on the man’s shoulders, their noses almost touching, warm breaths mingling in the close proximity.

“Duan Jinghuai,” he called his name again. Due to the alcohol, his voice held a certain youthful innocence.

“Hmm,” Duan Jinghuai responded, his voice low and raspy.

With a slight shimmer in his eyes, Shi Yu tilted his head gently, licking his bitten, red lips and smiling dizzily. “Do not wobble. Why are there so many shadows of you?”

His smile was clear and innocent, his eyes as bright as a deer’s, purely translucent.

Duan Jinghuai lowered his gaze, his eyes involuntarily falling on Shi Yu’s full, moist lips. His eyelids twitched violently. As their breaths tangled, his nerves began to fray beyond control.

Shi Yu noticed his gaze as well. His long lashes swept over his eyelids like tiny brushes, stroking Duan Jinghuai’s heart until it felt both numb and itchy.

A chaotic sound exploded in his ears, the sound of someone’s heartbeat. Duan Jinghuai’s breathing became ragged. Before he could react, Shi Yu suddenly kissed him.

It was a very, very light kiss. Soft lips pressed gently against his own, the contact slightly cool.

Duan Jinghuai felt the blood in his entire body freeze for a moment. A spark was tossed into a corner of his heart, and the fire roared to life instantly, his whole body brewing like boiling magma.

But it lasted only a second. Shi Yu lifted his head, a dazed expression on his face as if he had no idea what he had just done. It was as if that action had been nothing more than a hallucination.

Duan Jinghuai dug his fingernails deep into his palms, his knuckles turning white from the force. He felt things spiraling out of control.

At this stage, Shi Yu was his most conspicuous rival. This person had just snatched two plots of land from him, and they had been at each other’s throats over development plans only yesterday. He was the person Duan Jinghuai had hated most since childhood.

But there was more to it.

The hot air lingered between them. Shi Yu’s beautiful face wrinkled; he felt very uncomfortable sitting there. He shifted his hips and rubbed forward, the sound of fabric friction echoing in the car.

The veins on Duan Jinghuai’s forehead bulged. His breathing was rapid, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

After a moment of squirming, Shi Yu complained in a low, dragging tone, “What is that? It is poking me, it hurts.”

Damn it.

Duan Jinghuai could not help but grit his teeth and curse under his breath. He was on the verge of losing control. He gripped Shi Yu’s waist, his voice husky. “Shi Yu, you had better behave yourself.”

Shi Yu clearly had no idea how big a fire he had started. He whimpered and tried to pry the man’s hands off him. “It hurts.”

Fearing he actually had hurt him, Duan Jinghuai immediately loosened his grip.

Shi Yu lowered his head and lifted his shirt. Under the moonlight, his porcelain like skin indeed bore a bright red handprint.

Shi Yu glared at him again. But it was less of a glare and more of a pout, somewhat clingy. “Duan Jinghuai!”

His strength had not been great, but Shi Yu was drunk and clearly being difficult.

Duan Jinghuai’s gaze lingered on Shi Yu’s waist for only a split second before he looked away. He did not dare to look closely. He pressed his back against the seat and retreated further, feeling helpless. “What do you want?”

Shi Yu’s eyes were misty with moisture. “Blow on it.”

“?”

His voice sounded like he was acting spoiled. “My waist hurts. Blow on it for me.”

Duan Jinghuai’s jawline tightened instantly, his Adam’s apple rolling up and down. The suppressed heat was becoming impossible to restrain.

However, at the very moment the string of reason was about to snap, the car’s navigation suddenly barked in a calm female voice: “You have arrived at your destination.”

The moist fingertips suddenly let go. Duan Jinghuai looked away and cleared his hoarse throat. “Stop it. I will take you up.”

Turning to the assistant in the front, he said sternly, “Wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, sir.”

Duan Jinghuai stepped out of the car first and then picked Shi Yu up in a princess carry. Shi Yu was restless the entire way, either kicking his legs around or singing nonsense under his breath.

His hot little face was pressed against the back of Duan Jinghuai’s neck, making his heart itch.

Pushing open the gate of the villa, he walked along the neatly manicured stone path until he was blocked by a digital lock. Duan Jinghuai rested his hand on the door handle, clicking his tongue and grinding his teeth.

He turned his head helplessly and asked in a coaxing tone, “What is your password?”

Shi Yu was much quieter now. His chin rested on the man’s shoulder as he thought seriously for a while, eventually mumbling a string of numbers.

Word by word, they made Duan Jinghuai’s heart skip a beat.

It was his own birthday.

Duan Jinghuai froze for a moment, his hand on the door handle tightening. No way, Shi Yu, you.

Duan Jinghuai looked at him in disbelief. His blood was racing, and a strange emotion spread through his heart. What kind of game was this?

Without time to think, he entered the numbers for his birthday. After a few mechanical beeps, the lock let out a long beep that echoed in the silent hallway. A scarlet light flashed, and the screen displayed: “Incorrect Password.”

Heh.

Duan Jinghuai laughed out of sheer annoyance. “You little liar.”

Whether Shi Yu understood or not, he tilted his head like a cat and rubbed against the back of Duan Jinghuai’s neck. Then, he bared a row of white teeth and bit down on the side of his neck.

“Do not bite.”

It was impossible to rely on the owner to remember the password now. Rather than finding property management to open the door, Duan Jinghuai decided not to waste any more time.

He thought for a moment and entered another string of numbers. Even though he knew Shi Yu would not use his own birthday for such a simple password, he tried it anyway.

Unsurprisingly, “Incorrect Password.”

He tried Shi Yu’s lunar birthday, which was also incorrect.

Duan Jinghuai stared at the cold screen, his fingertips pausing. After a moment, he quickly entered a sequence. It was the day after Shi Yu’s birthday.

With the final press, the lock clicked. As expected, the door opened.

This was a six digit code Shi Yu had used habitually since elementary school. Back when they followed the trend of buying those diary notebooks with combination locks, Shi Yu had set this password. By high school, it was the code for his phone and his school locker.

He had once asked Shi Yu why he always used that code. He only remembered Shi Yu not even looking up, tossing back two words: “Easy to remember.”

True enough. He just had not expected him to keep the habit for so many years.

Gripping the handle again, Duan Jinghuai’s breath hitched. A strange nervousness surged from his feet to his heart. What would the interior look like? Would there be traces of another person living here?

Thinking of this, he suddenly realized his palms were sweaty. His heart felt as if an invisible hand were squeezing it.

The person on his back began to get restless again. He composed his scattered emotions, pressed down on the handle, and opened the door.

Shi Yu had a smart voice controlled system; the lights in the house turned on in an orderly fashion the moment they entered. The interior was simple and elegant, dominated by black and white tones with high end furnishings.

Without time to look for slippers, he walked into the living room in his socks and placed the man on the sofa. Just as he straightened up, a warm hand grabbed his wrist. The heat was enough to make his heart feel numb.

Looking down, those beautiful eyes, filled with dazed desire, lifted slightly. He looked incredibly seductive. “Where are you going?”

Duan Jinghuai pursed his lips and explained patiently, “I am going to find a wet towel to wipe your face.”

“Will you come back?”

“?” What a strange question.

He gave a soft “Mm.” Shi Yu nodded, obediently let go, and sat there quietly.

Duan Jinghuai studied him. Aside from his face still being flushed and his lips being bitten to a bright crimson, he seemed fine. Was he sobering up?

Thinking this, he went to the entryway to find a pair of slippers. He scanned the house and found the bedroom with a clear bathroom attached.

On the vanity stood a single cup and toothbrush; the other toiletries were also only for one person. Duan Jinghuai’s racing heart finally settled. He turned on the tap, took a towel, wetted it, and wrung it out.

He did not have much experience taking care of drunk people. He had only done it twice in his life; the last time was ten years ago, and the person had also been Shi Yu.

Staring at the towel printed with an Iron Man pattern, he sighed, turned, and walked out of the bathroom.

When he returned to the living room, the scene he witnessed was enough to make his blood boil.