TDH Chapter 22

“Li Que, if you sleep with me first, I promise…” Jiang Cenglan pretended to deliberate for a moment, as if he were making some tremendous sacrifice, then declared with tragic resolve, “Even if things fall apart between us, I won’t flush you down the toilet, unfollow you, or drag you on my way out.”

 

Li Que: “…”

 

He understood every word Jiang Cenglan said individually, but strung together like that, it was as if the language had turned foreign.

 

Being cautious by nature, he immediately pulled out his phone, went onto a Chinese website, and looked up what exactly “flushing someone down the toilet” and “unfollow-and-drag” meant.

 

When he finished reading, his face turned thunderous.

 

“Jiang Cenglan,” he said through clenched teeth. “I pitied you for not sleeping a wink all night. I drove in boredom but didn’t have the heart to wake you to chat with me. And this is how you repay me? By energetically inviting me to top you or else?!”

 

Jiang Cenglan, far bolder now, grinned cheekily. “Well, you’re the one who insists on radiating charm at all times, it’s not my fault!”

 

“Did I ever once seduce you into having sex with me?!”

 

The words slipped out between Li Que’s teeth, and instantly, he recalled what Jiang Cenglan had told him on the balcony of the Intercontinental: if he ever wronged him, he’d just sleep with him once and then walk away for good.

 

Li Que’s expression darkened further and further, though part of it was for show. The kid’s getting spoiled, he thought bitterly.

 

But Jiang Cenglan really did care about him. Thinking back carefully, he realized that when he’d been lying on top of Li Que just now… There hadn’t been anything hard pressing against him. So he really had misunderstood.

 

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

 

So Li Que only wanted a kiss…

 

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Cenglan noticed the look on Li Que’s face: equal parts aggrieved and amused. Guessing he wasn’t truly angry, Jiang Cenglan steeled himself and muttered defiantly, “Well, what am I supposed to do? Being with you makes me hypersexual!”

 

That line, at least, pleased Li Que greatly. After all, no man disliked having a partner who desired them greatly, especially one like Jiang Cenglan who could admit it so openly. It was as flattering as it got.

 

But then, Jiang Cenglan mumbled under his breath: “Besides, you’re really suited to being a top… why can’t you just be one?”

 

Li Que chuckled wickedly. “I’m pretty damn good as a bottom. Try it and you’ll see.”

 

At that, the two men locked eyes. Each saw in the other the same ambition: to be a pampered pillow princess, tricking the other into doing all the hard work.

 

Jiang Cenglan broke into laughter first, and soon Li Que couldn’t help but laugh too.

 

When he laughed, he looked exactly like old money in a black-and-white film: elegant restraint in his features, his chest moving subtly, his deep, magnetic voice radiating refinement. You could practically feel his good upbringing. Every time Jiang Cenglan discovered some new quality in Li Que, he liked him even more. Piece by piece, it added up to certainty: he was completely in love.

 

At twenty-three, Jiang Cenglan’s only romance had been with Zhang Ruien. Love was still fresh to him, something he felt with all the rawness of youth. Unlike seasoned veterans of romance, he didn’t know how to bluff or conceal; his affection was written openly on his face, shining from his eyes.

 

He was passionate, and even when shy, his instinct was always to express it.

 

Jiang Cenglan had just opened his mouth, ready to confess, to say fine, let’s just be together, when Li Que, who had seen it all coming, gently stopped him.

 

“Shh,” he said. “Remember? I’m the one pursuing you. You don’t have to answer too soon. Just enjoy the process.”

 

“Oh.” Jiang Cenglan nodded obediently.

 

Then he asked, “So… now it’s my turn to be the listener, isn’t it?”

 

……………………

 

Back on the night of the expo, just as they were leaving Brooklyn, Li Que noticed a black car trailing them. He kept chatting idly with Jiang Cenglan while subtly slowing down to observe.

 

At the next red light, the car behind them suddenly flashed its lights twice.

 

Li Que: “…”

 

Ah. An old acquaintance.

 

And with enough money now to have upgraded his car. Li Que’s lips curved faintly.

 

As the son of the Eros Group, his identity wasn’t exactly a secret among the upper echelons of the American entertainment industry. Li Que avoided ostentation, and the higher-ups kept things vague, but those below had all been instructed: the model was not to be provoked.

 

Li Que, however, had always been pragmatic. He didn’t actually mind being followed. After all, his own family ran the industry, even monopolizing it. He knew exactly who decided what the public would hear.

 

The average paparazzo wasn’t even interested in celebrity private lives for their own sake; they followed assignments from above, so whoever the industry wanted to target, they had to follow. If they got compromising photos, the star’s studio would negotiate to buy them back. What leaked publicly were usually just the scraps that couldn’t be settled, and those were rare.

 

Years ago, one particular paparazzo had been undervalued by his boss. On a whim, he decided to stake out Li Que on his own.

 

But Li Que quickly spotted him and was astonished. Who would dare tail him all the way to Long Island?! Every entertainment company had strict rules about how far one was allowed to follow him, so he didn’t take it out on the rookie. A couple of days later, in fact, he felt amused and decided to take the guy on a spin… literally, as he sped down the highway, dragging the poor paparazzo along. By the end of the week, the man was so worn down he nearly fainted from low blood sugar, and Li Que sauntered over, held out a piece of chocolate, and handed it to him.

 

The paparazzo burst into tears, munching the chocolate while deleting his photos, swearing up and down he’d never tail Li Que again, and that he’d warn all his colleagues too.

 

Li Que thought he was entertaining. Only after that did he drive home.

 

Later, the studio officially took him on, assigning that very man, Jack, to follow him exclusively, with clear boundaries negotiated.

 

And just like that, Li Que had handed Jack a true steaming piece of bread that kept him well fed for years to come.

 

Today’s trip had been a last-minute decision. Li Que had a personal assistant whose sole job was to keep an eye onJiang Cenglan’s activity on social media. The young man hadn’t posted about attending the expo himself, but his senior sister had casually uploaded a photo of him pulling an all-nighter on her brand’s official site the night before. The assistant missed nothing and reported it straight to Li Que, which was why the “executive product review” turned into today’s spontaneous outing.

 

To put it bluntly, Li Que had come to flirt with his boy and, since it was a private trip, the studio hadn’t informed Jack; the paparazzo must have stumbled upon a fan post online, assumed he had missed an official schedule, and sped over.

 

Li Que knew Jack understood boundaries. After years of tacit cooperation, they’d developed a kind of rapport, so he didn’t shoo him away.

 

And it turned out he was grateful Jack had tagged along that day, because when Jiang Cenglan had a misunderstanding and got worked up, it triggered an asthma attack.

 

Li Que, who had studied emergency response procedures with a family doctor after learning of Jiang Cenglan’s condition, stayed fairly calm as he handled it. Still… his brow furrowed.

 

He remembered that the medication spray wasn’t supposed to linger in the mouth for long. Of all the things he could have overlooked, his classic car hadn’t been driven in a while, and there was no drinking water stocked inside.

 

That was when he thought of Jack, hiding in the nearby greenery, clearly aware that something was wrong on his side.

 

Li Que settled Jiang Cenglan as best he could, got out of the car, and headed to a vending machine just ahead, but he had only a credit card, no coins. Passing by Jack’s hiding spot, he called him out, asked him to come along, and had him pay for the bottled water.

 

Before they split up, Jack quietly asked if Li Que wanted him to delete the photos he had just taken. Li Que considered, then shook his head. Maybe, someday, those shots would be sweet memories between him and Jiang Cenglan, so he told Jack to hang onto them.

 

But that night… Other things drowned out even those memories. The next day was a flawless date as well, and after that, when his ex-husband started kicking up trouble again, Li Que had to return to Toulouse to deal with it all.Therefore, the photos slipped completely out of his mind.

 

Which was why, when Li Que was too overwhelmed to keep an eye on everything, Zhang Ruien was able to trick Jack, who had no idea Li Que was already divorced, into handing over the pictures, leading to the so-called scandal of “Supermodel Richard’s romance exposed.”

 

“So that’s how it was.” After hearing the story, Jiang Cenglan nodded, affirming him. “Those photos really are worth keeping. Later, could you send me a copy of the unblurred ones?”

 

Li Que took his hand and kissed the knuckles of his fingers, his voice tender: “Of course.”

 

“So it really was my misunderstanding just now,” Jiang Cenglan said apologetically. “You didn’t deliberately throw me to the paparazzi.”

 

Li Que smiled faintly. “I don’t mind, sweetheart. But you could still kiss me to make it up to me, even if I truly wasn’t bothered by the misunderstanding.”

 

The two shared a soft kiss.

 

Then Jiang Cenglan asked, “And what about that other photo?”

 

“That one… was my fault.” Li Que admitted, a trace of embarrassment in his tone. “You know, I’m already thirty. But when your personal information was leaked online, even though my team was working around the clock to contain the situation… do you know what I wanted to do?”

 

“What?” Jiang Cenglan’s curiosity was piqued.

 

“I wanted to…” Li Que gazed at him, unusually shy for someone always so composed. “Like some impulsive teenager, I wanted to shout to the world that you were mine, that we really were in love.”

 

Jiang Cenglan’s breath caught, his heart thudding wildly in his chest.

 

He knew it! He knew it!

 

He knew Li Que cared. That fleeting fear he’d felt back then, after losing contact for a while, had been unfounded. He’d chosen to trust Li Que, and it was the right choice.

 

That night, when Zhang Ruien had threatened him, he still chose Li Que over everything else.

 

Because Li Que was worth it.

 

That photo in the restaurant, the one where only Li Que’s face was visible, had only one meaning: Li Que acknowledged their relationship.

 

He hadn’t let Jiang Cenglan down.

 

And now, at that very moment, Li Que ignored the weather, defied all obstacles, and appeared before him to confess his love.

 

Jiang Cenglan blinked rapidly, almost tearing up.

 

His throat felt tight, clogged by a lump of emotions. If he spoke now, the torrent would burst forth, dragging his raw, aching heart with it and laying it all bare before Li Que.

 

That would make him too vulnerable, Jiang Cenglan thought.

 

So he stayed silent, simply leaned against Li Que, and together they shared that breezy afternoon.

 

………………………….

 

By two o’clock in the afternoon, it was time to head back.

 

“Next time we should come camping here,” Jiang Cenglan suggested. “A friend once invited me, and I really wanted to go, but schoolwork got in the way.”

 

“Alright,” Li Que said. “I loved the outdoors when I was a teenager. Is there anything you’d like to try? I could be your coach.”

 

As Li Que listed off his skills, Jiang Cenglan’s eyes lit up like stars when he learned the man could even fly a plane, delighting Li Que with how adorable he was.

 

With a mint lozenge Jiang Cenglan had given him tucked in his mouth, Li Que asked, “So, where to now? What do you want to eat? I’ll call the chef to prepare it at home.”

 

After some thought, Jiang Cenglan replied seriously, “I think I should go back to my own place.”

 

Li Que frowned. “I thought you’d want to stay with me. I wanted… So why not?”

 

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Jiang Cenglan explained earnestly. “Richard, you must’ve noticed the stack of design drafts on the back seat, it’s thicker than my hand. Besides your charity gala suit, I’m also working on my finals. It’s not that I don’t want to move in, I know that’s what you were implying, it’s that I need to focus on my studies.”

 

“…Fine. I’ll accept that,” Li Que said with a sigh. “But at least have dinner with me? I’ll take you home after.”

 

“Mm…”

 

Jiang Cenglan was just about to discuss what to eat when his phone rang. It was his roommate, Pei Zi, so he immediately perked up.

 

They hadn’t spoken since the morning, and Jiang Cenglan suddenly remembered how much Pei Zi had done for him, though truthfully, he mostly wanted to ask whether Zhang Ruien was pressing charges.

 

He picked up at once, only to hear Pei Zi sounding even more frantic than him, breathless and urgent: Don’t come back to the apartment tonight!

 

“What happened?! Is something wrong?” Jiang Cenglan asked in alarm.

 

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain later,” Pei Zi insisted. “Just go to Richard’s place. Really, don’t come home tonight.”

 

And then he hung up.

 

Jiang Cenglan stared at his phone, bewildered, not understanding a thing.

 

Looking to Li Que for answers, he found the man’s expression oddly thoughtful.

 

Even more confused now, Jiang Cenglan asked, “Hello? Is this some New York thing everyone knows but me?”

 

Instead of replying, Li Que asked, “Cenglan, if you don’t mind me asking, your roommate’s orientation is…?”

 

“He likes men,” Jiang Cenglan answered without hesitation.

 

“Ha!” Li Que burst into laughter.

 

Jiang Cenglan watched him with a mix of curiosity and dread. Given Pei Zi’s strange tone on the phone and Li Que’s gloating expression, a terrible suspicion hit him like a lightning bolt.

 

“No way. Don’t tell me… Pei Zi and Ryan…” His words stuttered to a halt; he could hardly believe it.

 

“Maybe.” Li Que confirmed it.

 

Jiang Cenglan was dumbstruck. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally wailed, “No, I can’t accept this! Pei Zi’s been tainted! He’s gonna get a disease!”

 

He looked completely crushed, like his entire worldview had been demolished.

 

Li Que laughed and laughed, finally showing mercy after his fill.

 

“Swetheart, let me tell you a secret.” His tone was light and teasing. “You don’t have to worry, our mutual ex, Ryan Zhang… truth is, he’s as straight as an iron rod… so your roommate won’t be the wronged one[mfn]Well, I must admit, that’s a pairing I did not see coming[/mfn].”

 

………………..

 

By the time they returned from the scenic spot to the city, Jiang Cenglan’s exhaustion came crashing down on him. With all his pending work, he had no mood for a fancy dinner date.

 

So they stopped in Chinatown for dumplings instead, chive and egg, Jiang Cenglan’s sudden craving.

 

Driving back toward the Steinway Tower, Li Que asked one last time, “Sweetheart, you really don’t want me to stay? After all, we just ate an aphrodisiac.”

 

He was, of course, referring to the chives in the dumplings.

 

“…Thanks,” Jiang Cenglan muttered. “Point taken.”

 

But tonight, he didn’t have the energy to top… or to bottom.

 

So Li Que could only give him the building’s access code, explained how to get in, and how to reach the butler if he needed anything. Jiang Cenglan, still clutching his portfolio, didn’t ask him up. Instead, before getting in, he pressed a kiss to Li Que’s cheek in thanks for loaning him the penthouse.

 

It was technically his second visit, though last time he hadn’t properly explored it. Now he would be living here alone for the next few days, just him and his mountain of assignments.

 

He sat on the sofa for a while, dazed, before deciding he had no energy left to pull another all-nighter. A shower, then bed.

 

Sleep first, deal with everything else tomorrow.

 

Fresh from his bath, towel-drying his hair, Jiang Cenglan picked up the blow dryer, just as the sound of the password lock echoed at the door.

 

The only one it could be was Li Que.

 

Still damp and smelling faintly of soap, Jiang Cenglan turned, only to see the man storm in with a sharp, commanding aura that made his heart skip a beat.

 

“Didn’t you say you were going back to Long Island?” Jiang Cenglan asked softly.

 

Inside, he debated with himself for a second. If Li Que pushed, maybe tonight wouldn’t be such a bad time after all…

 

But Li Que paid no attention to his shy, hopeful thoughts.

 

With laser-focused eyes, he scanned the apartment, finally locking onto the custom eight-door cabinet.

 

Striding over, he pulled it open, took out a small 18-inch carry-on suitcase, and wheeled it into the master bedroom.

 

Baffled, Jiang Cenglan followed.

 

There, he watched in utter confusion as Li Que yanked open the double-layered nightstand drawers, stuffed with dozens of brightly colored thermos cups, each one filled with lube, and packed them all into the suitcase.

 

Every last one. He didn’t leave Jiang Cenglan a single bottle.

 

At last, Li Que spoke, his tone deadly serious:

 

“On the way back, I realized something felt wrong. That’s why I turned around. Jiang Cenglan, when I’m not here, don’t you dare steal any on your own!”

 

Jiang Cenglan… was struck dumb.

 

……………………………….

T.N: Hello lovely people! I have exciting news to share (at least I’m excited to share them 🤣), but after literally decades of reading BL novels and a couple more years of translating them, I have decided to dabble my little fingers into writing my own ❤️ so I would like to introduce you to my first original novel, Lines That Weren’t Written for Me. It’s a BL, omegaverse novel, and the first 3 chapters are now available on Scribble Hub, Wattpad, and Tapas!

Here is the synopsis, if you feel like it and have a bit of free time, it would make me super happy if you decided to check it out! Thank you all!

 

Lines That Weren’t Written for Me

 

Two ex-friends. One stage. Zero chance of keeping things professional.

Li Zhen, a stoic Alpha sculptor, wanted a quiet return to his alma mater. No drama. No gossip. No ghosts.

Unfortunately, the faculty had other plans, plans that involved Xu Jinli, the flamboyant Omega, ex-actor turned drama teacher, and the only person who had ever accused Li Zhen of betrayal while wearing full mourning attire at a public event.

Now, with a fake dating scandal spiralling out of control, whispered campus gossip, and an end-of-year gala that forces them together, Li Zhen and Xu Jinli find themselves trapped on the same stage once more.

They were the right people at the wrong time. But maybe, with masks slipping and old wounds resurfacing, this second chance will finally stick… if they can survive each other first.

 

…………………………