I Was Forced into the Limelight After Pairing with a Top Star - Chapter 17

Clean yourself up. These three simple words were easy to understand, and Lin Wang himself felt that the overpowering scent of perfume on him was unbearable; he had wanted to wash it off long ago.

However, Chi Yuan was standing right at the doorway. That face, which often caused Lin Wang to lose himself in thought, was undeniably handsome and alluring.

Now, with his chin slightly raised and his gaze directed downward, a sense of cold disdain and displeasure emanated from his emotionless eyes. It crashed into Lin Wang along with the damp steam of the bathroom, leaving him breathless.

The backs of Lin Wang’s knees were pressed against the bathtub; one more step back and he would fall right in. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “Chi Yuan, you should go out first.”

Chi Yuan did not give him a chance to finish. Just as Lin Wang started to speak, Chi Yuan dropped his crossed arms and walked over. He reached out, gripped Lin Wang’s neck, and pressed him against the bathroom wall. His pupils were fixed on Lin Wang’s eyes, partially veiled by his lashes, making it impossible to read his expression. “Unwilling to wash?”

The low, magnetic voice spoken at such close range wrapped around Lin Wang’s ears and nerves like shackles. It hooked him and suspended him, making him so tense he could not find his footing.

When those upturned phoenix eyes stared at Lin Wang without blinking, it was no different from a large feline predator staring at its prey, sending a chill down the back of Lin Wang’s neck. He was not used to being watched like this. He had to force himself to keep his hands at his sides instead of covering Chi Yuan’s eyes. His fingernails pressed into the ceramic tiles of the wall so hard his knuckles turned white.

“It is not that I am unwilling. I want to wash,” Lin Wang said, unable to endure the stare. He shifted his gaze downward, looking at the silver stud on Chi Yuan’s collarbone. His chest heaved slightly. “Chi Yuan, I will wash by myself.”

Chi Yuan lowered his head. Although his expression did not change, Lin Wang could clearly feel his displeasure. With the soft pad of his thumb pressing against Lin Wang’s Adam’s apple, Chi Yuan said in a very low voice, “I did not give you a choice.”

Lin Wang’s breath hitched. No choice meant he had to wash right now. They were both men; having someone watch him bathe would be embarrassing at most, but Lin Wang felt he could endure it.

As October approached, the temperature difference between morning and night had become quite large. In addition to his short sleeves, Lin Wang was wearing a sports jacket.

The sound of the zipper being pulled grated on his ears. Lin Wang took a quiet breath, feeling a tightness in his back and neck. Everything felt wrong. Chi Yuan was leaning too close. Lin Wang’s hands inevitably brushed against Chi Yuan’s body as he undressed. Chi Yuan did not react, but Lin Wang felt guilty for no reason and immediately pulled his hands away.

With a somewhat casual movement, Lin Wang pulled off his jacket and threw it directly onto the floor. The zipper made a sharp sound upon impact. His white T-shirt was already damp with sweat. Chi Yuan looked at him intently with his head lowered. The less emotion there was in those eyes, the more embarrassed Lin Wang felt.

Because his thoughts were no longer pure, his movements became hesitant and clumsy. Lin Wang was used to pulling his short sleeves off from the bottom in one go. The moment his hands grabbed the hem, his wrists were suddenly seized. Lin Wang instinctively struggled, but he could not break free.

Chi Yuan’s hands were long and powerful. His skin was pale but not sickly, with a faint pink hue at the knuckles. When he applied pressure, the blue veins stood out. Even without much struggling, Lin Wang could feel the vast difference in their strength.

Chi Yuan said unhurriedly, “Do not move.”

The gift box containing the fountain pen was tossed onto the nearby sink. With his thumb, Chi Yuan pushed off the pen cap. As Lin Wang watched with a dazed expression, the metal nib, stained with red ink, brushed past the hem of his shirt and landed with clear purpose on his wrist.

The clothes were new ones Lang Zhi had bought for him, a clean short-sleeved shirt. She had even told Lin Wang that if he liked it, she would buy him more next time.

During those long, grueling minutes, Lin Wang confirmed one thing once again: Chi Yuan’s handwriting was beautiful. The strokes were full and sharp. Whether it was Chinese characters, letters, or even a drawing, every stroke was vigorous and powerful.

The cost of this confirmation was the sensation of the icy pen nib touching him from his wrist to his forearm, the length of his arm, writing many things. His body temperature rose, and since the metal nib was cold, the writing felt indescribably chilly yet itchy. After a while, the skin in contact with the ink became hot. Lin Wang’s eyes flickered, sometimes closing and sometimes opening with difficulty. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he took the initiative to call Chi Yuan’s name.

“Chi Yuan! I will come back earlier next time,” Lin Wang said, gripping Chi Yuan’s wrist with all his might. He clenched his teeth, his voice trembling. “I promise you, I definitely will not come back this late next time.”

The fountain pen spun once between Chi Yuan’s fingers. He lowered his eyelashes somewhat lazily. The other hand, which was pressing on Lin Wang’s shoulder, slowly applied pressure, forcing Lin Wang to gasp in pain. Then, Chi Yuan deliberately added the last few strokes. “What a pity.”

Chi Yuan pressed close to his ear and said in an ambiguous, intimate whisper, “There is no next time, Big Brother.”

Lin Wang squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. His head was pressed against the side of Chi Yuan’s face. He had broken into a sweat, and his neck was wet. Having somewhat figured out Chi Yuan’s triggers, Lin Wang rubbed the back of Chi Yuan’s hand with his thumb and followed his lead, saying, “I understand.”

The air remained quiet for a rare moment. After a while, Chi Yuan clicked the pen cap back on and set it aside. Chi Yuan released his grip and spent a moment admiring his masterpiece. Only when Lin Wang took a step back and leaned completely against the wall did Chi Yuan say with an unreadable tone, “Big Brother, I also have a gift. I do not know if you will like it.”

Lin Wang’s face burned at being called “Big Brother.” He asked hoarsely, “What gift?”

Chi Yuan stared into his eyes and said, “It is in my pocket.”

Lin Wang could never meet Chi Yuan’s gaze. He immediately looked down and took a box out of Chi Yuan’s left pocket. His movements were so careful they felt suspicious. Chi Yuan placed one hand on Lin Wang’s neck, squeezing his Adam’s apple. “Open it.”

For some reason, Lin Wang felt nervous. He opened the box to find a necklace, a pure silver chain, with a single ring as its only ornament. Having seen plenty of luxury goods and bought even more, Lin Wang could tell the quality and value of these items at a glance. This necklace and ring were likely worth more than dozens of fountain pens.

By comparison, the gift Lin Wang had given was far too meager. Although it is said that intent matters more than money, Lin Wang still said, “It is too expensive.”

Chi Yuan took the necklace out of the box. The silver chain draped over his long fingers was indescribably beautiful. “Do you not like it?”

“It is not that I do not like it; it is very nice.” After saying this, Lin Wang looked more closely at the necklace and realized that the ring on it was not brand new. The slightly dull luster at the edges showed it had been worn for a long time, though it was well-maintained and looked almost new at first glance.

Faintly guessing the origin of the ring, Lin Wang knew that refusing it further would be ungrateful and would hurt Chi Yuan’s feelings. He could not do something so tactless.

“I like it,” Lin Wang said, taking the necklace from Chi Yuan. “Let me put it on.”

But Chi Yuan suddenly seized the necklace and gripped the back of Lin Wang’s neck, forcing him to turn around. His body pressed forward with a strong sense of oppression as he said in a low voice, “I will put it on for you.”

As those words were spoken, the area from the back of Lin Wang’s neck to his shoulders went numb. With his face pressed against the cold tiles and his hands propped up on either side, he was so embarrassed and flustered that he could do nothing but nod.

The metallic texture wrapped around from the front, resting on Lin Wang’s prominent collarbone. The ring hung down, forming a perfect semi-arc. As Chi Yuan adjusted the length, the semi-arc slowly grew smaller and smaller until it was tightened just below the Adam’s apple, leaving a faint mark.

“Chi Yuan, that is enough, it is a bit tight,” Lin Wang wanted to pull it away with his hand, but Chi Yuan beat him to it by shortening it to the minimum length. He gripped the necklace with one hand from behind and used the other to slap the showerhead on. The moment the cold water poured down, he released his grip, letting the necklace hang loosely. Lin Wang wanted to turn around, but Chi Yuan suddenly hugged him from behind.

Water droplets hit his face, and every breath he took was filled with mist that rushed into his trachea. Lin Wang’s hair stood on end. His vision was blurred, and he could only manage to shout, “Chi Yuan!”

As the cold water poured over his head, the scent of the cheap taxi perfume on Lin Wang’s body gradually disappeared, replaced by his natural scent. The terrible perfume scent Lin Wang had brought home had given Chi Yuan a headache. He liked the clean scent of Lin Wang’s body; smelling it made him feel secure.

Nothing was more irritating than separating for a day only to find that familiar things had changed upon meeting again. His possession had been tainted by someone else’s scent, and it was flaunted right in front of him, every step precisely treading on Chi Yuan’s bottom line.

Chi Yuan closed his eyes, inhaling the original scent after the cold water wash. He tightened his arms, embracing Lin Wang, and taught him word by word. “You do not need to come back earlier, Big Brother. The correct answer is ‘I will not leave again’.”

Lin Wang’s mind was a mess. No matter how he struggled, he only became more dizzy from the impact of the water. The oxygen in his chest was almost exhausted, and water flowed into his eyes, making them red and irritated.

“I will not leave again,” Lin Wang said, his fingers gripping the cold wall. After an unknown amount of time, he was able to break free from Chi Yuan’s embrace and turn around.

Chi Yuan listened intently to his words. His eyelashes were soaked with water, and when they lowered, Lin Wang actually found him to be somewhat obedient and pitiful. He could not help but repeat himself. “Chi Yuan, I will not leave again, I am not leaving.”

Lin Wang woke up from the heat. When he opened his eyes, the bright sun was shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows directly onto the two people lying close together on the bed.

Lin Wang’s face was toward the window, and the sunlight was so intense it made his eyelids feel hot. His chest felt like it was burning with a ball of fire. Feeling parched, he looked down. Chi Yuan’s arm was around Lin Wang, and his entire face was buried in Lin Wang’s chest, hiding from the sun.

When Lin Wang sat up, Chi Yuan was still fast asleep. His arm slid from Lin Wang’s back down to his waist. He frowned slightly, but did not wake up.

Lin Wang sat on the bed to wake himself up. The events of last night came flooding back; he had been like an inexperienced boy, repeatedly telling Chi Yuan what he wanted and asking Chi Yuan to help him.

Lin Wang’s face turned bright red with shame. Covering his eyes with one hand, he could not stay still for even a minute. A grown man, he quietly got out of bed and strode out as if being chased by wolves, forgetting the clothes he had left all over the bathroom floor.

After the sound of the door closing, the bedding on the bed moved. Chi Yuan closed his eyes and moved to the side where Lin Wang had been sleeping, resting his head on Lin Wang’s pillow. Before long, his breathing became even once again.