MCL CH31

Chapter 31: “Does it hurt?”

This feeling was like a person struggling to survive in the desert, who unexpectedly saw a sacred oasis on the verge of death. Yan Xingzhou could feel every cell in his body gradually coming together with this kiss. His hands, which were resting on his sides, were tightly clenched on the armrests of the chair.

The immense force made the veins on his hands bulge slightly, and his eyes were fixed on the pair of eyes inches away, which still seemed to hold a faint smile. He let the hot breath brush past his nose, and everything felt so real, like an excessively beautiful dream.

Yes, this was the dream world he had created.

From this angle, under the moonlight, Lin Xi’s fair skin had a thin, transparent quality. His thick eyelashes were like drooping butterfly wings, trembling slightly with his increasingly rapid breathing, hazy and unreal.

True to his usual character, even in this moment of tangled intimacy, he kept his eyes fixed on the man in front of him, taking in every detail of the changes throughout the process. The corners of his mouth held his usual satisfied smile of being in control.

With this smile, Yan Xingzhou’s breathing noticeably grew heavier.

All his thoughts seemed to finally come together at this moment. His gaze was firmly locked on this face that haunted his dreams. Just as the kiss was about to end and the warmth that clung to him was about to leave, he reached out first and grabbed Lin Xi’s shoulders.

The moment Yan Xingzhou stood up, he used this sudden force.

In the next second, with a dizzying turn, their positions had been swapped in an instant.

He pressed Lin Xi into the chair where he had just been sitting. Yan Xingzhou stood firmly in front of the chair, his eyes filled with a turbulent, endless storm. With his hands supported on either side, he leaned forward slightly, once again bringing the distance between them to its absolute minimum.

As if to confirm, his fingertips traced the curve of Lin Xi’s face inch by inch. It was a meticulous examination, as if he didn’t want to miss a single detail.

Under this action, Lin Xi didn’t show any avoidance. He just felt the touch on his face as the surrounding ambiguous atmosphere gradually intensified, smiling silently.

Finally, when Yan Xingzhou’s fingertips slid to his jaw, he suddenly used two fingers to lightly pinch and pull upwards. The moment he lifted, he led Lin Xi’s body forward, followed by a deeply profound kiss.

This kiss felt completely different from the one Lin Xi had initiated. It was as if he was trying very hard to restrain himself, but was completely unable to suppress the surge of intense emotions.

It was a complete eruption after too long of suppression, as if he wanted to completely merge the person in front of him into his own body.

The excessively dominant taking left Lin Xi feeling a bit breathless, but it also made the smile in his eyes grow more and more intense. When the kiss finally ended, the air that had been long emptied rushed back into his nostrils, causing him to cough a few times. In the next second, the rhythm of his breathing was disrupted by a series of continuous, light kisses.

The continuous heaving of Lin Xi’s chest made a hint of crimson appear between his eyebrows and eyes.

Under the man’s almost pathological emotional release, he cooperated by reaching out and wrapping his arms around Yan Xingzhou’s neck.

The sudden contact caused the continuous deep kisses to pause for a moment.

But it was only for a moment. He leaned forward along the force from Lin Xi’s hands. As the distance closed, he buried his face deeply in the space between his neck.

The silent night was peaceful, with only the two of them breathing raggedly.

Yan Xingzhou’s breath continuously brushed against that sensitive, delicate skin, and a difficult heat silently spread around them.

In this position, Lin Xi was pressed against the chair with almost no way out. Their bodies were pressed together, and through his thin clothing, he could feel Yan Xingzhou’s strangely low body temperature.

He was so pinned that he couldn’t move, and he didn’t resist. He could only constantly stroke the back of Yan Xingzhou’s neck with his hands.

He didn’t know if this soothing action had any effect, but Yan Xingzhou finally loosened his grip a little.

As he slowly rose, air seeped into the space between their bodies, revealing their somewhat disheveled appearance after their intimate closeness.

Lin Xi’s hands were still around Yan Xingzhou’s neck.

His collar had already completely come undone without him realizing it. With his breathing slightly unsteady, even though he still held a faint smile, the emotions surging in his eyes were incredibly clear: “Calm now?”

As soon as their eyes met, Yan Xingzhou never looked away again: “…I think neither of us is.”

Yes, he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t calm.

At this very moment, probably neither of them could maintain what could be called a peaceful state of mind.

As he spoke, he leaned down and gave Lin Xi’s lips a light, fleeting kiss.

Then, little by little, he went down, along his jaw, to his throat, and then continued to kiss his collarbone…

The body below began to tremble slightly with these actions, but there was no rejection whatsoever.

His shirt, which was already slightly open, had its buttons unfastened one by one at this moment.

Yan Xingzhou’s movements were like someone treating a cherished treasure, or like performing a confirmation, to confirm every inch of mark left on the body in front of him.

The already hot breathing had become ragged, completely filling the entire office.

Lin Xi’s hand slowly moved up, finally intertwining in Yan Xingzhou’s hair.

With every kissing motion, he would silently give a little caress, as if responding, and also as if giving a signal of confirmation, to reply to the man’s remaining probes and hesitations.

The touch on his lower abdomen instantly spread throughout his body. The moment his skin tensed, Lin Xi let out a muffled groan.

His fingers, embedded in his hair, tightened noticeably, and his breathing became even shorter.

Just as he was about to completely give in, Yan Xingzhou finally stopped his actions.

Lin Xi could feel the distinct touch of his fingertips tracing over the places he had just kissed, inch by inch.

This was the lingering sensation left by the man’s inspection of his body.

“Does it hurt?”

He heard Yan Xingzhou ask this, his voice tight and frightening.

It was an irrelevant question, but Lin Xi knew what Yan Xingzhou was thinking.

Back then, he had self-destructed in front of everyone. His final fate was not an exaggeration to say that his bones were gone.

Although Yan Xingzhou hadn’t been able to make it to the scene, he must have heard from others about the tragic situation at the time. He just never thought that the man’s first question would be this, and he didn’t mention a word about how he had “come back from the dead.”

Lin Xi thought for a moment: “Probably, but I really don’t remember.”

After all, the process of croaking was too fast. He didn’t even have time to react before he was completely unconscious.

A long time later, Yan Xingzhou let out a low “Mm” and, after a pause, said, “I’m sorry.”

The extremely tense final sound disappeared softly in the enclosed room.

It was just three simple words, but in the past three years, they had almost become a long-suppressed nightmare in his heart.

Sorry, that day, I didn’t make it back in time.

From Lin Xi’s perspective, Yan Xingzhou’s expression was hidden in his hair and could not be seen clearly. The look in his eyes also sank for a moment.

On the day of the incident, the first message Lin Xi received was actually from Yan Xingzhou. It was only after he arrived at the location that he found out someone had used the man’s name as a pretense.

At that time, Yan Xingzhou had been deliberately transferred away by the joint office for official business. Even after the incident occurred and Lin Xi chose to self-destruct in front of everyone, Yan Xingzhou still didn’t appear. Perhaps at that time the man had also received the news and rushed back, but the final result was that he still couldn’t make it back in time.

They couldn’t even see each other one last time. Thinking about it, it was truly a bit miserable.

But miserable as it was, Lin Xi had never doubted that Yan Xingzhou was truly involved in this operation, so he didn’t “die with a grudge.”

But he never expected that while he, the “dead man,” was so carefree, the living one might be…

“It has nothing to do with you.” Lin Xi was very clear about what the man was thinking. He gently stroked Yan Xingzhou’s hair. “I wasn’t upset with you because of how I was before, but because I had some arrangements of my own to consider.”

Yan Xingzhou was silent for a moment: “But you still came in the end.”

“I actually thought about not coming.”

Lin Xi found it convenient, so he just rubbed it a couple more times.

He really shouldn’t have come, but who would have thought that curiosity killed the cat.

He paused here, then continued: “However, it’s a good thing I came.”

The smile in Lin Xi’s eyes deepened. He continued slowly: “If I hadn’t come, I probably wouldn’t have known that a certain CEO’s so-called ‘secret love nest’ would actually have a special appearance from me. I am a bit curious, Mr. Yan, how did you develop this unique play mode with such a powerful ability that is considered a national treasure? If I remember correctly, our relationship back then wasn’t at this level, was it?”

“…”

Yan Xingzhou: “Would you believe me if I said it was all just to get a good night’s sleep?”

“I do, of course I do. I have never doubted anything you’ve said.” Lin Xi’s teasing tone had subsided with the smile on his face. “Even if you told me you arranged this whole show just to make me feel bad for you, I would still believe it.”

He lowered his eyes and met Yan Xingzhou’s gaze. Their eyes met, and there was a calm in his eyes: “Anyway, your ultimate goal has been achieved. I do have things I want to do, but today, all the lies and excuses I’ve prepared are completely useless. You’ve made me temporarily change some of my plans, Mr. Yan. You’ve always been my nemesis, both in the past and now.”

Yan Xingzhou did not avoid the eye contact: “You can call me by my name.”

Lin Xi lowered his eyes: “Mm.”

He reached out and pressed against the man’s firm chest, pushing him away a little with a slight force. The end of his voice was long and lazy: “Didn’t you want to get a good night’s sleep? I think, compared to the hollow shell you created, I, the real one, should be more effective. So, what do you say, do you need my service, Yan Xingzhou?”

The simple name he uttered, in an instant, seemed to overlap with countless memories.

It was as if he had returned to the countless days and nights they had fought side-by-side three years ago.

A gentle smile finally appeared in Yan Xingzhou’s perpetually cold eyes: “Thank you, very much.”