Shou-Switching System Has Been Bound - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Puppy

 

Qi Youli was absolutely certain that the thing pressing against him was definitely…

 

As a top, he had truly never experienced something like this. His bloodshot eyes, looking as if they could drip blood, glared at the person in the mirror with loathing and rage. He wished he could use his gaze as a blade to cut the man into a thousand pieces specifically, that thing of his deserved at least a thousand slices!

 

The most hateful part was that the face in the mirror showed almost no change in expression; it still looked as gentle and refined as ever.

 

A wolf in sheep’s clothing!

 

A beast in a suit!

 

Qi Youli cursed in his mind, but there were more urgent matters at hand. He was about to be strangled to death. His Adam’s apple felt like it was being crushed, so he had to temporarily ignore that object with an overwhelming sense of presence.

 

He suddenly kicked backward with his leg. Simultaneously, he let go of the hands trying to pull the leash and, gauging the position from the mirror, swung a fist toward Ji Lianyi’s head.

 

His distorted features radiated ferocity.

 

A desperate gamble for life.

 

Whether it was the reflection of the light on the lenses or Ji Lianyi’s own eyes, a bright flash flickered in his gaze after Qi Youli put up his relentless resistance.

 

It was slightly eerie.

 

At the same time, Ji Lianyi raised a long leg and violently kicked away Qi Youli’s incoming foot, slamming Qi Youli heavily against the full-length mirror from behind.

 

Crack. A fracture webbed across the mirror.

 

Qi Youli’s punch also missed its mark due to Ji Lianyi’s sudden movement.

 

Ji Lianyi’s foot landed between Qi Youli’s legs, his knee pressing him against the mirror.

 

Viewed from the side, it looked as though Qi Youli was sitting on his lap.

 

The last bit of Qi Youli’s strength vanished. His fists unclenched weakly, and his blood-stained fingers fell like a snapped rose.

 

The intense sensation of suffocation made his body feel as heavy as lead. His head spun, and only pain occupied his consciousness, causing him to instinctively claw at his strangled throat, desperate for salvation.

 

Ji Lianyi stared at the man in the mirror struggling at death’s door. The cracked mirror resembled a spiderweb trapping him; he was a prey with no escape, destined to be consumed.

 

Physiological tears and uncontrollable saliva soaked his face.

 

To gain air, his mouth was stretched open to its limit, and even his useless tongue lolled out, as if he could hook the air back into his mouth to drag out his last gasps of life.

 

As Qi Youli’s life force gradually ebbed away, Ji Lianyi’s breathing grew heavier. He shifted his gaze to Qi Youli’s strangled neck; the veins had become more prominent, and cold sweat soaked the skin, mixing with the blood from the scratches and flowing downward.

 

His index finger rose from the hand gripping the leash, slowly extending toward that vein that looked ready to burst through the skin.

 

His hand was trembling slightly.

 

Something was burning in his light-colored pupils.

 

At the moment he was about to touch it, he stopped. His index finger froze and curled back bit by bit, as if he were exerting immense restraint.

 

Then, he took a deep breath and raised his gaze with a touch of finality. Seeing Qi Youli’s eyes nearly rolling back into his head in the mirror… with a tremor running through his body, Ji Lianyi’s hands gripping the leash slowly lowered.

 

The heavy sound of air entering his nostrils was drawn out long.

 

Burning hot.

 

Not long after, the black thin-soled leather shoes pressed against the mirror retreated.

 

Without support, Qi Youli slid down like a used, useless rag, collapsing on the floor. Tears and saliva continued to flow.

 

He looked as if he had died, or as if he were broken.

 

As Ji Lianyi walked out of the shop, he heard a violent, shattered, hoarse, and painful coughing from within.

 

66: “Don’t worry, I can handle a small task like wiping the surveillance footage.”

 

Ji Lianyi got into his car: “Thank you for your cooperation.”

 

66: “You’re welcome. We’re on the same side now. But after you treated him like that, surely he won’t fall in love with you, right? Well, it doesn’t matter. As long as you don’t act as Xia Xu’s ‘lick-dog,’ we can always switch to another mission target later.”

 

Ji Lianyi: “Your organization is quite easygoing.”

 

Consequently, on the way back, 66 spent the whole trip boastfully promoting its organization.

 

“Cough, cough…”

 

Qi Youli knelt pathetically on the ground, clutching his neck and chest as if he were about to cough out his very heart, liver, and lungs. Every cough even every breath brought pain to his throat and chest.

 

A string of saliva hung from the corner of his mouth, tinged with blood.

 

He had been strangled so hard he was coughing up blood.

 

He wiped the saliva away fiercely. His gaze fell on the dog leash he had tossed aside. Though he had said the man could beat him up, he hadn’t thought the guy would actually do it. He remembered Xia Xu saying the man was some kind of university professor; he looked refined and didn’t seem the type to throw punches.

 

God d*mmit.

 

He truly didn’t use his fists…

 

“Madman…” His voice sounded as if it had been dragged over sandpaper. It hurt just to swallow. When he did swallow, it hurt even more. Qi Youli collapsed, his body devoid of strength, his head spinning in waves of nausea.

 

When Ji Lianyi returned home, the living room light was still on for him.

 

He never had guests stay the night, so there was no guest bathroom. He moved quietly to the bedroom, where Xia Xu had also left a nightlight on, filling the room with a soft glow.

 

His gaze fell on the sleeping Xia Xu.

 

A trace of confusion surfaced.

 

He didn’t quite understand why Xia Xu would betray him. Was he not a good lover?

 

The sound of running water echoed in the bathroom. Standing under the shower, Ji Lianyi looked at the scratch marks on his hands. His hands felt as if they were still exerting force, and his well-proportioned fingers slowly clenched into a fist.

 

So that was how it felt.

 

He remembered…

 

His thick eyelashes lifted. He still didn’t know the other man’s name.

 

He remembered those eyes looking up at him.

 

Let’s just call him ‘Puppy.’

 

He was exactly as he thought, a sturdy.

 

As soon as Ji Lianyi lay down, Xia Xu pressed against him, curling into his arms like a bolster. With sleepy eyes, he spoke: “Gege, you’re back.”

 

His voice was syrupy.

 

Ji Lianyi held him: “Mhm.”

 

Xia Xu mumbled something else and fell fast asleep.

 

66: “Uhh… you really won’t forgive him, right?”

 

Ji Lianyi: “Don’t worry. I will definitely do what I promised you.”

 

66 just couldn’t quite wrap its head around it. To be honest, the fact that he nearly strangled that cuckold-brother to death was quite shocking! Ultimately, the execution depended on Ji Lianyi himself; as a system, it could only trust that he had his own rhythm.

 

On the other side, Qi Youli finally caught his breath. Exhausted and fuming with rage, he returned home and prepared to shower. After taking off his pants, he found an “unknown liquid” on them.

 

He froze on the spot.

 

Staring fixedly at the stain, he finally remembered that the guy seemed to have had a reaction at the time. Realizing what it was, his face flushed red again. Swinging his arm with enough force to smash through the Earth, he threw the pants into the trash can.

 

He pointed his middle finger at the ceiling and bellowed from his core: “I’ll fck your ancestors! Fck your father cough, cough, cough…”

 

He clutched his neck and coughed, not even daring to cough loudly. It was the definition of “suffering in silence.”

 

After his shower, a thought suddenly occurred to him. That madman was so ruthless toward him; he must be even more brutal toward Xia Xu, the one who actually betrayed him.

 

Crap!

 

Is Xia Xu already being turned into dumpling filling right now?!

 

He scrambled to find his phone. Even though it was just a “friends-with-benefits” thing, a loss of life was always bad.

 

He called immediately.

 

Xia Xu happened to be up for the bathroom. His phone was on vibrate. Taking it from under the pillow, he cast a guilty glance at the sleeping Ji Lianyi and hurried into the bathroom.

 

In a low voice: “Hello.”

 

Hearing his voice, Qi Youli let out a sigh of relief.

 

Before he could speak, Xia Xu, glancing at the door, spoke again: “Uncle is sleeping, I can’t talk to you. Hanging up.”

 

Qi Youli pulled the phone away, staring at the call that had been hung up without hesitation. For a moment, he felt his nose turn red with indignation, and rage flushed his brow.

 

Wait a minute…

 

So he only targets me?

 

I mean, does it not take two to tango in an affair?!

 

Why was he the only one who almost got strangled!

 

A moment ago, he was worried about Xia Xu; now, his heart was filled with nothing but resentment. If that madman hadn’t refrained from asking for money, he would have suspected he’d been caught in a “honey trap” scam.

 

He sat on the edge of the bed with a heavy thud. He definitely couldn’t swallow this insult.

 

Xia Xu crept back into bed. Seeing Ji Lianyi still asleep, he snuggled into his arms like a small animal, tracing the familiar features of his face with his eyes in the darkness.

 

He planned to find an opportunity to break things off with Qi Youli.

 

The one he loved was Ji Lianyi; he shouldn’t maintain long-term relationships with others. Besides, he had been “full” lately; if he got hungry later, he could always find fresh food.

 

But regardless, those were just “fast food” outside.

 

He raised a hand to caress Ji Lianyi’s cheek. Gege is my four seasons, my three meals a day.

 

In the morning, Xia Xu discovered the wounds on Ji Lianyi’s hands and made a fuss: “Oh! Gege, how did your hands get like this?”

 

He distressedly cupped Ji Lianyi’s hands; the backs of both hands and the wrists were covered in scratches.

 

Ji Lianyi looked over, a trace of pleasure in his eyes: “A little wild dog scratched me.”

 

Xia Xu blinked, looking a bit dazed.

 

Ji Lianyi curled his lips, raising a hand to pat Xia Xu’s head: “Dog claws are very sharp. If you see a little wild dog on the side of the road in the future, never think about picking it up.”

 

Xia Xu knew Ji Lianyi liked dogs; every time they saw the one in their building, Ji Lianyi would play with it for a while.

 

“Gege, since you like dogs so much, we should just go buy one. I’ll take responsibility for taking care of it,” he said while reaching for the first-aid kit.

 

Ji Lianyi couldn’t keep a dog.

 

Or rather, he couldn’t keep any small animals, so he kept a…

 

His gaze landed on Xia Xu.

 

Ji Lianyi: “We’ll see.”

 

Perhaps one day he would keep a dog, but the person keeping it with him would definitely not be Xia Xu.

 

Xia Xu didn’t push further, focusing on treating the wounds: “Did Gege get a rabies shot?”

 

“I did. Don’t worry.”

 

After breakfast, Ji Lianyi packed up and prepared for work. Xia Xu didn’t have classes until the afternoon and could lounge at home all morning. After Ji Lianyi finished changing his shoes, Xia Xu approached as usual, standing on his tiptoes to kiss him.

 

But this time, he didn’t reach him.

 

Xia Xu froze.

 

Ji Lianyi looked expressionlessly at the bewildered Xia Xu: “It’s so dirty.”