The music in the bar was loud enough to make one’s eardrums tremble. Fortunately, there was a circle of seats between the bar and the dance floor, which could just about be considered quiet.
Xu Qichen and his group sat at the bar, each ordering a drink. Xia Zhixu knew that Xu Qichen couldn’t drink anything overly bitter, so he ordered a glass of Baili sweet wine mixed with soda water. When the bartender handed it over, Xu Qichen took a small sip and his eyes lit up.
Xia Zhixu rubbed his hair, “Good?”
“They’re too sweet,” Chen Fang could not stand them. “Xia Xiqing, let’s switch seats. You’re blind, you can handle this.”
Xia Xiqing swore at him but still switched places.
As the only straight man present, Chen Fang, was extremely awkward. Although he was not interested in men, he was fooled by Xia Xiqing and came in. As soon as he entered, he saw several same-sex couples kissing hard in the hallway. Surprisingly, there was also a group of fierce-looking men doing pole dances, resulting in Chen Fang not knowing where to look. Chen Fang, who was a tall man of 1.85 meters, could only sit in front of the bar, not even daring to turn around casually. The intimate couple behind him only made him feel even more embarrassed.
“Why did we have to come here?” Chen Fang complained moodily. “It’s fine if I were just straight. Now I’m even a single dog who’s eating so much dog food that I can’t stomach any dinner.”
Xia Xiqing took a sip of wine and said, “The wine here is quite delicious. Look at you, the gay bars abroad are even more enjoyable. If you go there, you’ll be scared to death.”
“And why would an iron-rod straight man like me go there?” Chen Fang frowned.
Xia Xiqing laughed brilliantly. Xu Qichen, who was sitting next to Xia Zhixu, seemed to have remembered something and turned his chair to face him. “Xiqing, didn’t I tell you last time that a film company bought the rights to one of my novels? The lead is going to be one of the actors you like. I heard it’s finally being released. The production team is giving me some tickets for the movie press conference.”
“For real?” Xia Xiqing’s eyes brightened. “That’s awesome! Give me one, will you be going?”
“I’m not sure, depends. I’ll send you one of the invitations. It’s a front-row seat.”
Xia Zhixu, who was listening on the side, immediately spoke up and said, “He’s not free. All his time has been reserved by me.”
Xia Xiqing rolled his eyes. Chen Fang bumped him with a beer bottle, “Not bad, even going for actors now.”
“What about it? I’m just admiring from afar.” Xia Xiqing finished his drink and wiped his mouth. “He has a nice figure, like walking hormones. A perfect fantasy.”
Xia Zhixu looked at him contemptuously and said, “I feel sorry for him.”
Xia Xiqing said to Xu Qichen, “Hey, speaking of that novel, the male lead suffered a lot, right?”
Xu Qichen smiled and said, “He has a few mishaps.”
“Great. I’ll enjoy watching him suffer.”
Xia Zhixu shook his head and said, “Pervert.” Suddenly, he thought of something and said to Xu Qichen, “Is this one of those novels written in your real name or under a pen name?”
“Of course it’s my real name.” Xu Qichen leaned on the table and laughed sweetly. After drinking the sweet wine, even his laugh became sweet. “A popular male actor like that, who is already a top tier actor, can’t act in a danmei-adapted film.” After speaking, he lifted his head again. “By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask before, how do you know my pen name? Not many people know it.” He grabbed Xia Zhixu’s neck with a feigned angry expression, “You didn’t hack my computer, did you, O God of Computers?”
The title made Xia Zhixu so happy that, if he had a tail, it would be wagging behind him. He even cooperatively pretended to be on the verge of death, holding Xu Qichen’s delicate white wrist and repeatedly shouting, “I would never dare!” making the two next to him look at him contemptuously.
“Why did I ask you two to come out and drink? It’s like looking for abuse.”
“Right?” For once, Chen Fang agreed with him. “It’s like their brains deteriorated to their primary school state the moment they began dating.”
After being roasted, Xu Qichen rather embarrassingly released him, but Xia Zhixu caught his hand and held it.
“Then how did you know about my danmei pen name?” Xu Qichen asked seriously.
Before Xia Zhixu could speak, Xia Xiqing, who was beside him, raised a hand and said, “I’ll turn myself in. The intelligence was sent out by me.”
Xu Qichen turned his chair and pretended to be dissatisfied, giving him a push. “Who allowed you to betray the organisation?”
Xia Xiqing chuckled and said, “I’m a double agent for the great cause of harmony between the two parties.” He sighed and said, “Since high school, as an outsider, I watched both of you anxiously. It’s been so many years already, if I didn’t push you now, I’m afraid I would have died of frustration…”
Xu Qichen didn’t expect that Xia Xiqing had been helping them with so much behind their backs. Suddenly, he didn’t know how to respond.
Xia Zhixu spoke up first, “If it weren’t for his conscience discovering that you were writing erotic novels, I wouldn’t have known you might like guys.” He then pulled Xu Qichen’s chin to his side, “A certain someone swore it so sincerely back then, I really thought I had no hope.”
Xu Qichen reached out and grabbed Xia Zhixu’s other hand, pinching it. “Do you believe everything I say?”
“Of course.”
After drinking a glass of wine, Xu Qichen’s cheeks had turned slightly red and looked very cute. He laughed and spoke again in his usual sincere tone, “I wasn’t lying ah. I’ve never been gay, I just like you.”
Xia Zhixu was stunned for a moment, and his little sharp teeth peeked out again.
“Ew~” The other two let out a long sound of disgust.
Xia Xiqing sighed and said with a clear conscience, “Alright, I’ll get a room nearby for you two now. You guys go do something happier than drinking.”
Xia Zhixu rolled his eyes at him and said, “Thank you, we are good socialist young men.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xia Xiqing let out a moan and remembered the interrupted topic just now. His gaze hinted to Xia Zhixu, “Oh, socialist young man, do you have any thoughts after reading Xu Qichen’s pen name?”
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Among the four people present, only Chen Fang didn’t know what Xu Qichen’s pen name was. He looked bewildered and separated the two people who were making a scene, asking Xia Zhixu, “What’s the name?”
“Xie Xiya,” Xia Zhixu answered.
Xia Xiqing quickly corrected him, “Not the surname ‘Xie’, it’s ‘Jie’.”
Jie Xiya.
Xia Zhixu mumbled it to himself.
Jie, Xiya…
Jie Xia.
The dull Xia Zhixu suddenly realised. Looking at Xu Qichen, he was lying on the table, burying his head in his arm, and hiding pitifully like a little ostrich.
So the name had to do with Xia Zhixu.
Xia Zhixu felt like the dumbest fool in the world, even needing Xia Xiqing’s guidance. If he could decipher the meaning hidden in his name early on, wouldn’t it be possible to avoid some detours?
He reached out and pinched the soft flesh at the back of Xu Qichen’s neck, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart. After thinking for a while, he didn’t know what to say to express his feelings at the moment, so he reluctantly said, “You…”
Zhixu, Jiexia.
Only Xu Qichen could come up with this kind of wordplay.
“Why are you burying your head?” Xia Xiqing glanced at him and teased, “Your ears are all red.”
Having his most deeply hidden thoughts exposed like this, Xu Qichen felt deeply ashamed at the moment. He had thought that if he didn’t speak up about it, Xia Zhixu would definitely not notice.
But now this feeling was the same as how a child feels when losing hide and seek.
Running away quickly when the seeker is counting, searching for a self-proclaimed perfect hiding place. However, the overly naive brain overlooks one point: even floor-length curtains cannot hide the feet that stick out.
So the other person stood in front of him like this and caught his wrist through the thin curtain.
In a soft voice, mixed with a hint of triumphant cunning he says, “Caught you.”
Xia Zhixu turned his chair to face him, causing Xu Qichen’s body to tilt uncontrollably towards him and be caught in his arms. His head was against his waist, filling Xu Qichen’s nose with the scent of Xia Zhixu’s cold perfume, as if he had suddenly fallen into a snowy forest.
But his palms were so warm, gently touching his spine, brushing over one by one, his whole body tingling with warmth.
Xia Zhixu seemed to understand his embarrassment, so he simply didn’t say anything and hugged him affectionately, letting him lie on his knees and gently patting his thin back like soothing a cat.
There seems to be a tacit understanding between them that needed no words, or even eye contact, to be communicated.
Souls can communicate without hindrance.
Xia Xiqing suddenly suggested, “Drinking like this is too boring. He said to the bartender, “I’ll have a set of tequila.” The bartender was very good at handling things, and while serving the wine, he also added a small plate of salt and a plate of thinly cut lemon slices.
“What’s that for?”
Xia Zhixu replied, “I heard that Americans drink tequila differently and it needs to be mixed with salt and lemon.”
Speaking of salt and lemon, Xu Qichen was a bit interested and raised his head. “How do we mix this? Mix lemon juice and salt in?”
Xia Xiqing shook his head and said, “Come on, let your uncle demonstrate it to you.”
Xu Qichen couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and Xia Xiqing still teased and said, “What are you laughing at? I’m Xia Zhixu’s uncle, doesn’t that make me your uncle?”
This statement, not surprisingly made Xu Qichen blush. Xia Xiqing didn’t pay much attention and started his tequila drinking tutorial directly. He first declared, “This is a relatively pure way to drink it.”
“There are impure ways to drink?” Xu Qichen asked foolishly.
“Of course,” Xia Xiqing said as he took a slice of lemon, with the back of his left hand facing upwards. He squeezed a little translucent juice between his thumb and forefinger, then put down the lemon, and put a small pinch of salt over the juice. He then raised his hand to his mouth, reached out his tongue, and licked the salt. The next second, he picked up his glass and emptied it in one gulp. His slender fingers picked up the slice of lemon and placed it between his teeth.
Licking salt, drinking alcohol, biting lemon, the whole action was completed in one go, flowing smoothly.
“It looks so cool.” Xu Qichen stared blankly, Chen Fang beside him also found it interesting. He realized that this was a good skill for flirting with girls, so he copied Xia Xiqing, but his actions were not as smooth yet.
Xu Qichen was not in a hurry to learn, just slightly stunned. How would spiciness, sourness, and saltiness taste when interwoven together?
He was curious.
Then he recalled what Xia Xiqing said about this being the pure way.
What about the impure way?
The many questions on his mind were written across his face and read by Xia Zhixu.
“You wanna try?” Xia Zhixu raised an eyebrow.
This was not the first time his thoughts were seen through. This time, Xu Qichen simply nodded.
Xia Zhixu’s voice was very deep, like whiskey on the rocks.
“Let me teach you the impure way.”
The ‘teacher’ sitting next to him seemed to have no intention of lecturing, but rather prepared to teach by example. Xu Qichen obediently watched as he also took a slice of lemon and rubbed it against Xu Qichen’s lower lip. Before he could react, a blurry light and shadow appeared before his eyes. His slender fingers, carrying coarse salt crystals, brushed past his soft lips.
The cool-toned lights in the bar made him feel dizzy, and Xu Qichen’s amber pupils slightly dilated, reflecting Xia Zhixu’s suddenly approaching face.
His chin was pinched, preventing escape. His tongue brushed against Xu Qichen’s lips, which were stained with salt, and the small yet flavorful fragments instantly left Xu Qichen’s mouth and were transferred to Xia Zhixu’s mouth in a damp transition.
Staring blankly, he watched as Xia Zhixu picked up the glass that was resting on the bar, tilted his head back, and drank from it.
He thought that was the end of it, but his face was once again held by those large hands and raised slightly. With a wet and deep kiss, the sharing of the drink was completed.
The extremely spicy tequila was like gasoline that ignited as it flowed down his throat, scorching its path down to his stomach.
In an instant, Xu Qichen felt like a person caught in a building on fire, with every cell in his body shouting loudly for help.
The sourness and fragrance of lemon were catalyzed to the extreme by alcohol, piercing all obstacles and surging up. The salt dissolved in the intertwining of the tongues, rolled out a faintly salty taste. The complex blending of flavors triggered a continuous burst in the taste buds.
Smell, taste, and touch; none were spared.
Xia Zhixu’s hand left Xu Qichen’s cheek, and his tongue also withdrew from the game. After completely separating, he lightly pecked his lips, leaving behind both a sense of nostalgia and a relatively warm ending to this teasing.
Xu Qichen, who was originally stunned, was suddenly hit by the forceful infusion of alcohol in his throat, causing him to cough uncontrollably. This time, even the base of his neck turned red.
Xia Xiqing sat aside and whistled maliciously, then bumped Chen Fang’s shoulder. “Watch and learn. Do you understand now why you’re single?”
“Is it my fault I’m single? If you gave me his face, girls would flock to me even if I just stood here.”
“Our Fangfang’s greatest asset is that he understands his strengths and weaknesses.”
“Scram!”
Xu Qichen’s choking finally eased a bit. He looked up and felt as if the alcohol that had just gone down was coming up with a vengence. He felt dizzy, the lights in front dazzling him.
“How was it?” Xia Zhixu leaned closer and kissed the tip of his nose. “Did you like it?”
Xu Qichen remained silent, moving back slightly, but when he was pulled closer, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Had too much to drink?” Xia Zhixu asked, caressing his ear.
“I’m not drunk.”
That’s what all drunk people say.
Face red, Xu Qichen turned his body to face the bar. He tried to drink it like Xia Xiqing did before. Although his movements were not as skillful and coherent as his, he still drank it without dropping a drop, but he still felt it was not right. So he tried again, but it still didn’t feel right.
As Xia Zhixu watched him down three glasses, he quickly stopped him and said, “Little ancestor, don’t drink anymore. Any more and you won’t be able to make it home.”
Drunk people have a common trait, which is their unique stubbornness. Xu Qichen, especially, had always been stubborn.
He broke free from Xia Zhixu’s grasp, holding a slice of lemon in his hand, staring blankly at it as if lost in thought.
Just as Xia Zhixu was trying to figure out what he was thinking, he suddenly put the lemon slice back on the plate and grabbed Xia Zhixu’s hand. With some unknown strength, he pulled him over and leaned his head close to his neck.
Xia Zhixu only felt a sudden warm dampness.
Xu Qichen extended his tongue and licked the side of his neck lightly and quickly.
At the moment,when the delicate white fingers left the tip of his tongue, they streaked a beautiful wet mark with salt on Xia Zhixu’s neck.
Xu Qichen reached out and took half a cup of tequila from Xia Zhixu’s side. He drank it all in one gulp and licked his neck again with his lips soaked in alcohol, curling up all the salt.
Then, he straightened up and took a slice of lemon into his mouth. He frowned briefly due to its sourness, and then contentedly raised his eyebrows as if saying, [Aren’t I a good student?]
It finally tasted right.
After so many failures, it turned out that what was missing was just a single ingredient.
The taste of his lover.
Lemon, salt grains, and tequila, combined, blended with the aroma of sweat and hormones of his lover, made it addictive.
But he did drink too much, perhaps this addictive taste triggered a switch in Xu Qichen’s body that, once turned on, could not be turned back off. His hand trembled and some of the tequila was spilled onto Xia Zhixu’s arms, but he still giggled sweetly. Xia Zhixu had no choice but to punish him by pinching his chin before standing up to clean up in the restroom.
Xia Xiqing was right, many eyes here are fixed on Xia Zhixu.
Since sitting at the bar, he had been politely declining the offer of ’free’ drinks one after another.
His going to the bathroom appeared to be a good opportunity for some who were waiting to approach him. The moment he turned a corner, his path was blocked by a man wearing tight jeans. Xia Zhixu glanced at him, he looked decent, but there was not a single thing on his body that he liked.
He had developed a bad habit of comparing everyone who showed interest in him, to Xu Qichen.
Undoubtedly, compared to him, everyone else was a failure.
“Hey, handsome, let’s be friends.”
When his arm was grabbed by the person, Xia Zhixu’s face showed clear unhappiness. “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.”
After saying this, he withdrew his hand and continued walking forward, but the person was not ready to give up easily. Instead, he smiled and said, “I don’t mind.”
Xia Zhixu began to feel a bit upset and was about to erupt when he saw Xu Qichen stumbling over, his feet unstable and almost falling. Xia Zhixu instinctively took a step forward and picked him up in his arms, “Why did you come over? You’re so drunk.”
Xu Qichen stood up straight, obviously drunk and doing everything slowly. Even when he glanced contemptuously at the person who had been chatting him up, his gaze was slow yet there was a hint of arrogance.
“This is my boyfriend.” Xu Qichen’s voice was like his steps were floating on clouds. “Don’t try to…”
Xia Zhixu couldn’t help but laugh and changed his hand to the position of holding his waist.
The person still didn’t give up, “I don’t mind threesomes ah.”
What a shameless person! What’s wrong with people nowadays? Xia Zhixu frowned.
“He’s not interested in you,” Xu Qichen says mercilessly. He held Xia Zhixu’s face and, like a child, gave him a loud kiss. “Right?”
Xia Zhixu particularly liked this kind of Xu Qichen, innocent and tempting.
“Yes, my little ancestor.” He paid no mind to the other guy and walked back towards the bar, leading Xu Qichen by the waist.
Xia Xiqing looked at Xu Qichen and the blush from his face to the bottom of his neck. “He has drunk too much, I’ll call a driver for you two.”
Xia Zhixu nodded. Xu Qichen seemed completely transformed when he got drunk, moving and rubbing around. In the end, he simply hugged Xia Zhixu’s neck with both hands, nestled comfortably around his neck, and let out a sigh like a small animal.
“Great, let’s go back too. It’s just getting dark now,” Xia Xiqing grabbed his phone and put it in his pocket as he stood up.
“Wow, is the great beauty Xia really going home early?” Chen Fang teased.
Xia Xiqing scratched his hair and said, “Who said that? I’m just switching clubs.”
They parted ways in front of the bar, and the proxy driver arrived just in time. Xia Zhixu carried Xu Qichen into the car, and the two sat in the back seat. Xu Qichen was like a melted candy sticking to Xia Zhixu’s body, humming and mumbling incessantly.
“Not allowed to like anyone else…”
Xia Zhixu patted his head, “I won’t, I won’t.”
Looking up, he saw the driver looking towards the rearview mirror. Awkward.
Xu Qichen, however, was completely unaware as he crawled towards his neck, his burning lips mumbling on the side of his neck.
“Do you like me?”
“Do you like me…?”
Repeatedly whispering sweet nothings, it resembled how he had been like when experiencing adult fever as a vampire.
❤️❤️ Thank you so much for the translation❤️❤️
I was waiting for it! Totally in love with these boys🥺💞