When My Arch-Enemy Became Possessive - Chapter 5

In the cramped space, a thin sliver of pale gold light fell upon Sheng Zhiyu’s long lashes, like frosting on a dessert.

Because of the fever, a layer of misty rain seemed to steep in his clear black eyes, and the gaze he directed toward the door lock was slightly sluggish.

People in the Scumbag Top Group often said that this ace from the White Moonlight Group possessed a face that could conquer kingdoms; even if his professional skills were lacking, that face alone could leave a mission target hopelessly infatuated.

Gu Wangzhou was naturally no exception; he had already lost his soul just staring at the private room’s door.

If he were to see the current Sheng Zhiyu…

Qi Fan’s eyes darkened slightly. Following Sheng Zhiyu’s gaze, he reached out and, with a click, locked the door.

This small sound was particularly obvious in the quiet restroom. Gu Wangzhou noticed immediately: “Xiao Yu, is that you?”

Sheng Zhiyu’s expression sharpened as he looked up at Qi Fan.

The man in front of him slowly returned a smile, silently mouthing: He’s looking for you. Not going to answer?

As the footsteps outside grew closer, Sheng Zhiyu glanced at his unfastened cuffs and instinctively pressed himself against the door.

He was currently disheveled; if Gu Wangzhou saw him like this, the “pure and untainted” persona of the White Moonlight would collapse.

After frantically adjusting his posture, he realized Qi Fan was squinting those fox-like eyes at him, his deep pupils filled with a certain inquisitive intent.

“Why so flustered?” Qi Fan tilted his head slightly. “It’s not like you’re having an affair with me. What are you hiding from?”

“Xiao Yu? Was that your voice?”

The restroom door wasn’t thick. Gu Wangzhou’s question sounded as if it were right in his ear. Sheng Zhiyu reflexively raised his hand to cover Qi Fan’s mouth.

“Shut up,” he warned in a low voice.

Feeling the slightly elevated temperature of Sheng Zhiyu’s palm, Qi Fan raised his fingertips to cover the other’s wrist. His long fingers gripped it, but he wasn’t in a hurry to move it away. Instead, he used the pad of his finger to gently rub the space between Sheng Zhiyu’s thumb and index finger.

The man’s fingertips were slightly cool, creating a tingling itch. Sheng Zhiyu’s eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and the feverish flush at the corners of his eyes deepened.

He lowered his voice: “Do you have to make trouble for me?”

However, with his mouth covered, Qi Fan couldn’t speak. He simply shook his head and then tapped Sheng Zhiyu’s arm.

It was too itchy; Sheng Zhiyu eventually couldn’t help but let go.

“No, I’m just reminding you.”

“Xiao Yu, your coat is still outside. It’s you, isn’t it? Are you feeling unwell?”

Qi Fan and Gu Wangzhou’s voices rang out together. The former stopped just in time and raised an eyebrow.

That was exactly what he wanted to say.

Sheng Zhiyu pursed his lips, turning his face away from the sound of Qi Fan’s voice. He said softly, “Yeah, I think I have a bit of a fever.”

Hearing his voice, Gu Wangzhou looked down. “I thought so. When I touched your hand earlier, it felt exceptionally hot.”

“Maybe I’m just a bit exhausted and didn’t rest well. It’s nothing.” Sheng Zhiyu dutifully entered his character persona, speaking to Gu Wangzhou in a gentle, soft voice, hoping to ease his mind so he would get lost sooner.

Qi Fan’s gaze fell on the fair side of Sheng Zhiyu’s neck. His thoughts split in two: half remembering last night’s passion, the other half noting the current coldness.

A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, his tone neither warm nor cold: “You bristle the moment I touch you, but you have no reaction when he strokes your hand.”

Rolling the words around his mouth for a moment, he let out a low laugh: “Very professional.”

Sheng Zhiyu’s brow furrowed, only then noticing that Qi Fan had somehow pressed himself right up to him.

If it weren’t for the thin door panel behind him, he would truly feel like a slice of sandwich bread being hunted by two people.

The distance was too close, so close that he couldn’t use his fever-addled brain to deal with the Male Lead. He had to raise his hand again to cover Qi Fan’s mouth.

But this time he missed, because Qi Fan caught his wrist.

The man looked down, his shallow breath almost seeping into Sheng Zhiyu’s skin. After a second’s pause, he let out a stray smile: “The taste of Chardonnay… It seems the champagne on your hands hasn’t been washed off properly?”

Sheng Zhiyu shot him a look, his lips curling in mockery: “…Are you a dog?”

Unfortunately, Gu Wangzhou heard that sentence: “What?”

“Nothing,” Sheng Zhiyu said immediately. “Ah Zhou, don’t worry. I’m just changing! Your friends are still waiting for you, right? Go back first.”

The clearly distant tone made Gu Wangzhou sense something was off. He assumed the waiter’s reaction had made the White Moonlight suspicious. After a brief pause, his voice slowed: “They aren’t nearly as important as you.”

Although the words were subtle, for the habitually proud Male Lead, it was practically a confession.

The corners of Qi Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The frivolous emotion in his gaze receded, and his pupils turned inexplicably dark against the light.

…If he were truly important, why did Gu Wangzhou let go of his hand to avoid suspicion the moment he saw the Substitute earlier?

The pad of his finger rubbed along Sheng Zhiyu’s ulna. The young master’s well-maintained hands were not at all rough. They were slender and long. His finger stopped when it reached a faint bite mark on the skin.

Then, he pressed down.

This movement acted like a switch. Sheng Zhiyu instantly captured another fragment of memory.

A memory about how that mark was born.

Qi Fan seemed to remember as well. He narrowed his eyes, pushing his luck. His voice was so soft only the two of them could hear: “Where is your professional ethics?”

His tone was ambiguous, but the content was serious: “The Male Lead is confessing to you, and you’re just leaving him hanging? Are you just going to let the favorability points sit there without collecting them?”

Sheng Zhiyu suddenly grabbed Qi Fan’s hand in a reverse grip. His fever-hot palm firmly pinned Qi Fan’s movements, but his voice remained gentle: “Ah Zhou, thank you.”

The end of his sentence carried a slight quiver, sounding pitiable.

Gu Wangzhou’s heart eased slightly, and his mood shifted: “It’s okay. Change first. I’ll wait for you at the door.”

Inside the stall, however, Sheng Zhiyu felt Qi Fan tickle his palm.

“Well done. As expected of a performance ace.”

“…”

If the Male Lead hadn’t been lingering outside the door, Sheng Zhiyu really would have turned this melodramatic tragedy into a bloody thriller.

He reached out and yanked open his coat. After calming his emotions, his fingertips hooked the royal blue turtleneck sweater Qi Fan was wearing underneath: “This one. Take it off.”

Qi Fan raised an eyebrow in surprise. He looked down at Sheng Zhiyu’s actions and laughed slowly: “That’s not quite right, is it? Gu Wangzhou is still outside.”

Sheng Zhiyu’s pale lips curled slightly, and his narrow black eyes flashed like ice: “Does you taking it off conflict with whether or not he is outside?”

Though his movements looked aggressive, he didn’t have much strength because of the illness.

Qi Fan studied him for a moment and understood his intention.

—Since he had said he was changing and had to face the Male Lead, the only solution was to steal a ready-made piece of clothing.

However, Qi Fan didn’t buy the threat.

“Xiao Yu, have things been so smooth for you in the White Moonlight Group that you don’t realize what you just said doesn’t qualify as a threat to me at all?”

Qi Fan spoke unhurriedly: “I’m playing the scumbag script. Who I sleep with, or how many people I sleep with, won’t break my persona. But you… you might be judged as a mission failure on the spot.”

Sheng Zhiyu looked at him quietly.

“But, it’s not impossible to help you.” Qi Fan slowly reached out his hand toward him. “Where is my cufflink?”

Watching Sheng Zhiyu’s face gradually turn frosty, Qi Fan let out a low, soft laugh: “You didn’t lose it, did you?”

He had wanted to lose it.

He just hadn’t found the opportunity.

To Sheng Zhiyu, that cufflink was equivalent to the evidence of last night.

Qi Fan asking for it was a way of reasserting, right to his face, the fact that he had been slept with.

Sheng Zhiyu raised his eyelashes again. His black pupils were steeped in the stall’s light, his previous roundabout patience receding.

He raised his hand to touch Qi Fan’s jaw and stepped closer.

“Are you so curious whether I lost your things?”

A rich, lingering fruit scent spread from between his teeth, tinged with a slight hint of intoxication. As it touched Qi Fan’s skin, there was a sudden illusion of being scorched.

As Sheng Zhiyu leaned into his chest, Qi Fan instinctively raised his hand to support Sheng Zhiyu’s waist, stepping back slowly.

“To be honest… I am.”

“Then keep wondering.”

Sheng Zhiyu’s hand immediately moved from Qi Fan’s jaw to his neck. With a flick of his wrist, he quickly pinned the man against the wall.

Qi Fan had guessed he would do this. The corners of his lips curved up, revealing an innocent smile: “Getting physical?”

Sheng Zhiyu didn’t bother talking to him. He used his knee to pin Qi Fan’s leg, brashly stripped off the man’s coat, and bent down to grab the hem of the sweater.

Qi Fan raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when warm lips suddenly descended, biting the corner of his mouth.

Sheng Zhiyu was annoyed by this man interfering with his mission and wanted to disgust him in return. Regardless, he was the patient here; he certainly wouldn’t be the one losing out.

To his surprise, Qi Fan seemed to be sealed by that kiss, suddenly stopping his resistance.

Sheng Zhiyu yanked the sweater off in one go, stepped back to a distance, and looked at the man provocatively.

His tongue tasted a bit of blood.

Qi Fan’s hair was slightly messy from the violent undressing, but he was unexpectedly void of emotion. After a faint glance at Sheng Zhiyu, he turned around and put his coat back on.

The black overcoat draped over the man’s broad shoulders. He tightened his fingertips, and the decorative belt at his waist cinched tight.

This man’s proportions were undeniable; narrow waist and long legs. The cinching emphasized them completely.

From beginning to end, he didn’t say a word.

…Was he actually angered by that kiss just now?

Sheng Zhiyu looked back at the clothes in his hand. The royal blue sweater was warm and carried a light fragrance. Holding his breath slightly, he pulled it over his head.

Qi Fan had retreated to the corner of the stall at some point, his gaze warmly and heavily fixed on the back of Sheng Zhiyu’s neck.

Although he had known last night that Sheng Zhiyu’s skin was fair, under the contrast of the blue, it looked like a piece of glowing white mutton-fat jade.

…Even those marks seemed more vivid in color.

Seeing that Sheng Zhiyu had put on the clothes carelessly and messily, Qi Fan calmly turned his head and whispered: “Guarding against a thief?”

Sheng Zhiyu gave a light sneer: “Think that if you want.”

He turned around, and as he was about to leave, he heard the man behind him call his name in a low voice: “Sheng Zhiyu.”

“…That pearl cufflink, I actually liked it quite a bit.”

Nonsense.

Sheng Zhiyu didn’t bother responding and pushed the door open.

Gu Wangzhou was looking at his watch by the door, his expression somewhat gloomy, but he masked it quickly when he heard the movement.

“Xiao Yu…” He was about to smile, but froze when he saw the flash of blue.

Sheng Zhiyu wasn’t sure if he had noticed the lining inside Qi Fan’s coat, so he casually raised his hand to block it: “What’s wrong?”

Gu Wangzhou stared at him blankly.

In his memory, the White Moonlight’s clothing was always in quiet, light-colored tones. Though royal blue wasn’t overly bright, its sudden appearance on this person created a very strange chemical reaction.

It was as if the person from the past had suddenly been painted with another color, stripping away the dusty, gray shadow of memory.

After a long while, he managed a smile: “Nothing. I just think this color suits you very well.”

Sheng Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, then lowered his eyes slightly.

Just as he was about to voice a shy “thank you,” he paused.

Behind him, where Gu Wangzhou couldn’t see, Qi Fan was leaning against the wall through the crack in the stall door.

His hair was slightly messy, his expression indifferent. He was biting the half-smoked cigarette from this morning with slightly blood-stained lips, watching him without blinking.