The Gloomy Overseas Student Rewards His Hubby With Some Thirst Traps - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Rather than being worried that Sane was already looking for whoever was selling his information, Yu Yanshuang was more concerned about the fact that Sane controlled the media.

This was a major revelation. He had been completely ignorant of the true extent of Sane’s power. Was it really that terrifying? If Sane was that powerful… he could have easily forced Yu to delete the photos.

Garcia shook Yu Yanshuang’s shoulder, repeating himself: “Yu, don’t be afraid. I thought Rodney would dump me after the cruise, but he seems to really like me. I can help you. I’ve always helped you, haven’t I? Tell me.”

Yu Yanshuang snapped back to reality, frowning slightly. If Rodney still liked Garcia, Garcia wouldn’t have sought out other rich guys. Yu wasn’t stupid.

Garcia was in the arts department, which was incredibly expensive. To become a fashion designer, one needed massive amounts of wealth and connections. That was why Garcia was always dating around, but his dates were never ordinary people short on cash. Garcia was a good-looking American boy; he was popular.

Furthermore, ever since his downfall as a “fake young master,” the betrayal and neglect Yu Yanshuang had suffered ensured he would never truly trust anyone again.

So, Yu Yanshuang smiled and said, without blinking: “What little rat? Sane and I are very good friends. I haven’t heard him mention that. If he’s looking for a little rat, I’ll definitely help him. Why would you think it’s me? Did someone say something to you?”

Garcia froze, thinking to himself: Did Rodney get it all wrong?

Yu Yanshuang added: “Garcia, is Rodney bullying you? Don’t be afraid, I’ll go tell Sane.”

“No… I’m fine, how could he?” Garcia said quickly. “You misunderstood. I was just worried you’d offended Sane. You don’t need to go to him. Sane and Rodney are friends—we wouldn’t want to make them fight.”

Yu Yanshuang gave a thin smile, his eyes distant. “You like Rodney that much now? You’re even worried he might fight with his friends. Garcia, you’ve changed.”

Garcia’s favorite pastime used to be complaining about Rodney’s bad behavior and even worse performance in bed. To Garcia, all these dates were just about making money. He loved making fun of the dates; sometimes at night after the lights were out, he and Yu would laugh about how ignorant those rich heirs were.

For a man who lived to mock them, he was suddenly worried about his date fighting with a friend? He wouldn’t even let Yu mention Rodney’s “performance” earlier. One week away, and everything was different. It was strange.

Garcia blinked his blue eyes and laughed. “Psh, I only like him a little. Rodney gives a lot of money, so naturally, I care about him a bit more.” He feigned a relaxed air, pulling out a roll of rolled-up dollar bills. “See, Yu? Look how generous he is.”

Yu Yanshuang lowered his gaze, stood up, and dragged his chair back. “Is that so? Then I wish you the best.”

His heart sank. He was now certain Garcia was trying to fish for information. Garcia was being too unnatural; it was easy to tell.

Is it… did Rodney tell Garcia to probe me? Because Rodney had no reason to do it himself. Was it on Sane’s orders? After all, Rodney and Sane were close.

To be honest, there were plenty of people selling photos of Sane at school—like “fansites” who love taking pictures of their favorite idols. But Yu Yanshuang was the only one selling specific information and the first to sell photos of Sane outside of school. The football team knew Sane’s private schedule, but no one dared sell it. No matter how good Sane’s reputation was, no one wanted to offend him; selling his info was a death wish.

So, because he had scaled up his “business,” Sane had noticed him and started suspecting him?

And since the PR tactic didn’t work, was Sane using that Ike story to intimidate him? Or was he trying to catch other leverage to threaten him?

The more Yu Yanshuang thought about it, the more convinced he became. Only intimidation could explain why Sane, after receiving the photos, would come to the hotel and let Yu “bully” him so obediently. If he really had the power, he could have just let Yu post them and had his media companies delete them immediately! All that talk about “controlling half the media” was probably just a scare tactic. Close call—he almost fell for it.

That jerk Sane! On the surface, he talked about “confessing” and hiring PR to settle things so they could be friends, but behind the scenes, he was pulling these stunts. Sane was too good an actor. All that talk about treating him like a brother and “pleasing” him was a lie!

That would explain tonight. Sane was definitely faking being drunk! He probably did all that just to “prove” he was gay so he could use the same leverage against Yu! Sane had learned his tricks and was trying to turn the tables.

Feeling cheated again—and remembering the humiliating “advantage” Sane took of him earlier—Yu Yanshuang was furious! At the same time, he felt betrayed by Garcia. He knew Rodney must have offered Garcia a lot. If Garcia had just been honest and said Rodney sent him, they could have teamed up to scam those two men out of their money.

Yu Yanshuang’s face was set. He stopped talking to Garcia, reverting to the coldness he showed when they first met. He grabbed his pajamas and went into the bathroom. He carefully took off his hoodie, but his phone slipped out of the pocket again, clattering onto the floor.

In his rush to catch it, the fabric rubbed against his chest, making him hiss in pain. But he didn’t have time for himself; he crouched down to grab the phone. His face was reflected in a screen that was now cracked like a spiderweb.

It was only then that he realized… it had been recording the whole time.

His heart hammered. He stopped the recording. He carefully peeled back the tempered glass protector and sighed with relief when he saw the actual screen was intact. Then, he started watching the video.

It was over ten minutes long. The phone lagged for a while after he hit save before the video appeared in the album.

It started from a low angle, looking up. Sane—a silent, towering presence—entered the frame. Yu Yanshuang awkwardly looked away, then forced himself to look back. He watched as Sane’s large, tan hand toyed with him through the fabric.

When the black hoodie was pulled open, his snow-white skin was blinding. The large hand slid upward through the gap. Yu Yanshuang quickly covered the screen. It seemed… everything in the bathroom had been recorded. You could only see Sane’s sharp jawline, but the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist—the same one Yu had shown off in the Discord chat—was proof of Sane’s identity.

Yu Yanshuang took several deep breaths before he had the courage to watch the rest. Seeing exactly how Sane had played with him was a nightmare, especially since the phone on the floor had perfectly auto-focused on Sane’s hand. Though the hand was occasionally hidden by clothing, the range of motion made it obvious what was happening.

Sane’s face was captured clearly when Yu Yanshuang had kicked out in pain. Back then, Yu had been crying so hard his vision was blurred; he hadn’t seen Sane’s expression. But now, it was crystal clear: Sane’s face looked terrible.

Haha, Yu Yanshuang guessed that Sane looked that way because he couldn’t get a “reaction” out of himself.

Yu Yanshuang was now certain his theory was correct. All that talk about “confessing” and “finding a priest”—Sane wouldn’t actually dare. It was all full of holes, and Yu had seen through them all.

He would make Sane call him “Brother”! He would sell Sane’s photos for a fortune! He would use Sane to make a killing! This time, he would show no mercy!

With this recording, Sane holding him down and doing those things… there was no way to spin it, was there?

Sane Bass! Yu Yanshuang yelled the name in his head. He wanted to put his hands on his hips and laugh at the sky. You’re really finished this time!

He checked the rest of his phone’s functions—it was fine. He checked the Discord group and saw no messages about him being “disheveled,” which made him sigh in relief. Even though the process of his plan had gone completely off the rails, he had ultimately gotten exactly what he wanted.

Starting tomorrow, Sane would never be able to threaten him again!

Yu Yanshuang’s delicate features lit up with joy. He stared at his sparkling eyes in the mirror, about to praise himself, when he caught sight of the two red, swollen marks in the reflection. His face instantly fell. He had to check how the rest of him was doing; the discomfort was still lingering.

Damn that Sane! How is he so strong?!

…

The next morning.

Yu Yanshuang had put two Band-Aids on his chest the night before, which made putting on clothes a bit more bearable. Every movement made him wince. After cursing Sane several times in his head, he got up with a grumpy face to wash up.

After rummaging through his things, he pulled out the clothes Sane had bought him. He had intended to save them for important occasions, as he didn’t want to ruin them at work. But since he’d taken so much time off recently, his schedule for the next two days was packed.

The kitchen provided uniforms, but he usually wore his own clothes underneath. Grease tended to soak through the uniforms. He could have designated one outfit as a work outfit, but Yu Yanshuang was picky—he wouldn’t wear a white shirt if it had a single drop of oil on it. But black clothes… he could convince himself they were clean since you couldn’t see the stains.

However, everything Sane bought him was a bright color. He finally chose a grey V-neck sweater over a white shirt. White shirts were easy to replace, so he wouldn’t be heartbroken if it got dirty.

When he left the room, Garcia was still asleep, curled into a ball. Yu Yanshuang looked away coldly. If Garcia wanted to play games, fine—Yu would pretend he didn’t know about the probing. Maybe he could even use that to counter-scam them!

As for Sane faking being drunk, Yu decided not to call him out. If Sane asked how he knew, Yu wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that he knew Garcia was probing him. These people thought they were in the shadows and Yu was in the light, but Yu was actually playing 4D chess!

A smile touched his lips. He felt that the reason loneliness followed him was simply because he was too smart!

He arrived at the classroom early. This time, he set up his laptop and brought his translator. He looked around—it seemed everything he had was from Sane… except for a pair of shoes.

He took out his phone and messaged Sane: [Sane Bass, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out what happened last night, would you?]

He looked at the chat. The message right above his was the one Sane used to threaten him: [You wouldn’t want others to discover our relationship, would you?]

Hmph. Now the video in my hands is the biggest scoop. It’s Sane who should be afraid of discovery! He no longer had to call him “Mr. Sane” submissively. He was using his full name! He was that powerful!

To his surprise, Sane—who always replied in seconds—hadn’t responded by the time the bell rang and the professor walked in. Yu Yanshuang had followed Sane for a while; the man was incredibly disciplined. When he was at school, his schedule of morning exercise, classes, training, and studying until lights-out was almost robotic.

He remembered the red splotches on Sane’s face when he left last night. Was it an allergy? He did drink a lot yesterday…

Wait, did he die in his dorm?

The thought sent a cold sweat down Yu’s back. The more he thought about it, the more scared he got, and he couldn’t focus on the lecture. The professor, who had liked Yu after a good answer recently, frowned after seeing Yu dazing at his textbook and constantly looking at the back door.

When class ended, Yu nervously asked: “Professor Harvey, can I have one more chance to resubmit my paper? I didn’t write it well last time, but I think I understand a lot more now.”

“No.” Harvey didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his laptop bag and left.

Yu Yanshuang scratched his head. He couldn’t worry about academics now; he had to get to work.

…

An hour after the lunch rush ended, Yu Yanshuang finally finished clearing the kitchen trash and washing the dishes. He checked his phone immediately. Sane still hadn’t replied.

He was supposed to rush to his next class, but he decided to skip it and check Sane’s dorm. If the guy really died in there, Yu was finished. The thought of Sane’s cold corpse made his face go pale. As the last person to be alone with Sane, the police would definitely check his phone.

As he was walking out, Ike blocked his path. Yu was worried Sane’s body was already starting to smell, so he frowned impatiently. “Ike, move! I’m in a hurry!”

“Did Sane dump you?” Ike crossed his arms with a sneer. “It’s easy to be replaced.”

“What?”

Ike showed him his phone. “Sane has been coming to school almost exclusively with you lately. But today, someone at the football field took a photo. He was with another Chinese boy.”

Yu Yanshuang glanced at the photo. The back of the Chinese boy looked familiar, but there were a dozen people between him and Sane. This was “being with” another boy? He had been in Sane’s arms last night! This was nothing.

Besides, he didn’t care who Sane’s friends were. But the photo still made him angry! Sane dared to ignore his messages?

Ike said, “Yu, do you want to know Sane’s secret now?”

“I’m not interested in his secrets,” Yu Yanshuang emphasized. “Ike, what secrets could you have? I already know why you were kicked off the team.”

Ike was suspicious. “What?”

“Because you tried to take sneak photos of Sane. Ike, you’re so bad at it that you got caught,” Yu said, a hint of pride on his face. Unlike Ike, he had sold so much info—even “selfies”—and hadn’t been caught yet.

Ike clenched his fists, his face flushing red. “That’s not why! That’s a lie! It wasn’t like that at all! It was because…”

Suddenly, Ike—who was waving his fists in a rage—froze as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. He was too terrified to speak. Yu Yanshuang followed his gaze.

It was Sane.

Yu Yanshuang’s eyes widened. It was the first time he’d seen Sane looking so… “bad boy.” He was wearing an American vintage dark brown flight jacket over a black sweater, paired with loose jeans. The jacket had multiple designer zippers and symbols. This “rough” style made the usually cold Sane look dangerous and wicked. Like a vintage cowboy who would rope a horse and execute a man without blinking.

And Ike was the horse with the rope around its neck—choked and silent.

Standing next to Yu Yanshuang, Sane raised an eyebrow. “Why did you stop? Because of what?”

It was almost magical. Yu Yanshuang watched the muscles in Ike’s face twitch with fear. A man that large was actually being scared to tears. Ike wasn’t as tall as Sane, but he was much bulkier. Yet Sane just stood there, asking a question in a calm voice, and Ike looked like he’d seen the Grim Reaper.

Suddenly, Yu Yanshuang felt like being scared to tears by Sane wasn’t that embarrassing after all. And hey, he could actually negotiate with Sane when he was angry!

“Because I took photos of you… it was my fault, Mr. Sane. I don’t hold a grudge, and I’m not trying to get revenge. I’m leaving now…” Ike became incredibly frantic. He pinned his fists to his sides and gave a bow.

Sane smiled and turned to look at Yu Yanshuang, his grey eyes twinkling. “Yu, do you believe him?”

Yu Yanshuang was curious, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Sane’s lips. They were so pale. Had they always been that pale? He hadn’t noticed. There was also a faint smell of disinfectant. But in the photo Ike showed him, Sane was at the football field this morning.

Sane snapped his fingers by Yu’s ear.

Yu Yanshuang snapped out of it. “I don’t. But would you tell me? Ike is too scared to speak.”

Sane looked coldly at Ike. “Ike, you tell him.”

Ike didn’t dare. He could barely breathe, his face a deep red. He waved his hands frantically, explaining: “Yu, what I said just now was true! That’s all it was! I was just trying to lie to you…”

Sane clicked his tongue and told Ike to shut up. He had made up his mind. Instead of proving whether Yu Yanshuang liked men… he would just make him like them.

Sane turned to Yu. “Yu, the secret Ike was talking about is this.”

Yu Yanshuang looked up with a confused expression. For some reason, he felt Sane’s expression was extremely dangerous.

Sane spoke calmly: “I like men.”