Conflict

Jiang Boyun was a man of high society now, so naturally he was never short of beautiful company. Dressed in a custom Italian suit, he had a young, pretty woman hanging on his arm as he selected jewelry with the help of a sales associate, only a few steps away from Lu Yan and the others.

Following Lu Yan's gaze, Yu Zechuan's pupils contracted despite himself. He clearly had not expected Jiang Boyun to be here. The next second, intense hatred flared in his eyes, so thick it nearly took tangible form, only to be forcibly "pressed down" by Lu Yan.

"Shh. Do you want him to see you?"

Lu Yan pinned Yu Zechuan firmly against a display case in the corner. They were so close they could hear each other's breathing; the thin fabric of their clothes did nothing to block the heat radiating from their bodies. In a deliberately lowered voice, as though they were doing something shameful, he said, "If Jiang Boyun finds out we're together, he'll be furious..."

Whether he meant to or not, Lu Yan slurred those last three words especially indistinctly. Yu Zechuan's ears went numb, and for a moment he felt as though Lu Yan might swallow his soul whole.

Yu Zechuan wanted to push him away, but this was a public place, and he could not very well make a scene. He could only snap in a low voice, "Let go!"

Lu Yan glanced up to gauge Jiang Boyun's position and realized they were in a somewhat dangerous spot. The display rack could not hide the two of them at all, but if they carried their purchases straight out, Jiang Boyun would certainly notice them.

Silently, Lu Yan slipped an arm around Yu Zechuan's waist and murmured against him like a lover, "Follow me."

The place beneath Lu Yan's arm was scorching hot. Yu Zechuan struggled hard. "Where are you taking me?"

Lu Yan smiled. "Out, obviously. Or would you rather face him and let him find us?"

Seeing how intimate they were, the sales associate pretended not to notice. With impeccable professional composure, she continued to recommend the season's new arrivals with a smile. "Sir, you might take a look at this watch. It matches the one you just bought. They're a couple's set..."

Yu Zechuan could not shake the feeling that the associate had seen through them. As he secretly tried to pry Lu Yan's hand off him, he lowered his head to avoid the vague looks cast their way. His jaw was clenched tight, though he did not know whether it was because he feared Jiang Boyun would see them or for some other reason.

As if nothing were amiss, Lu Yan kept an arm around Yu Zechuan as they moved between the display cases, pretending to help him pick out clothes. Every time Jiang Boyun happened to look their way, Lu Yan avoided his line of sight with perfect timing. To anyone watching, they looked like an affectionate gay couple, not worth a second glance.

For some reason, Jiang Boyun found one of the men's backs oddly familiar. He frowned.

"Mr. Jiang? Mr. Jiang?"

The woman beside him called to him several times. "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Boyun came back to himself. "Oh, nothing. So, have you picked a necklace?"

Studying herself in the mirror, the woman wore three exquisitely made gemstone necklaces around her slender white neck. Her tone was rather troubled. "Not yet. Help me choose."

Jiang Boyun had no choice but to patiently help her choose.

The moment Lu Yan saw Jiang Boyun turn away, he signaled for the associate to wrap up the items from earlier, then told Yu Zechuan quietly, "We can go now."

With that, he took the shopping bag in his left hand and wrapped his right arm around Yu Zechuan as they walked straight out of the store. But after only a few steps, Yu Zechuan unexpectedly dragged him around the corner at the mouth of the street and shoved him hard against the wall.

It was only once they were outside that Yu Zechuan realized something. Pinning a hand to Lu Yan's shoulder, he narrowed his eyes dangerously beneath the brim of his cap. "You seemed awfully afraid of me meeting Jiang Boyun just now."

Lu Yan's heart gave a small jolt, though nothing showed on his face. "Why would you say that?"

"Am I wrong?" Yu Zechuan's lips curled coldly. "What, are you afraid I'll kill him?"

No. I'm afraid you'll kill me too.

Afraid of arousing suspicion, Lu Yan made up a plausible excuse. "I'm doing this for your own good. Don't you want revenge on Jiang Boyun? If he finds you now, wouldn't that tip him off?"

It was a reasonable excuse, but not enough to dispel Yu Zechuan's doubts. He was about to say something when an angry voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"What are you two doing?!"

It was Jiang Boyun!

Yu Zechuan's expression changed slightly. He instinctively tried to turn around, but his waist suddenly tightened as Lu Yan pressed him hard into his arms. Above his head came the man's unhurried greeting. "Mr. Jiang. What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."

Jiang Boyun had thought Lu Yan's back looked familiar in the store. When he saw Lu Yan leave, he could not stop himself from following. He had not expected to track him all the way to the corner and find a sight that sent fury blazing through him.

Jiang Boyun silently clenched his fists. His sharp gaze fell on the man in Lu Yan's arms, whose face he could not make out, as if he meant to bore straight through him. "Who is he?"

Perhaps people really were contemptible by nature. When Lu Yan used to trail after him, Jiang Boyun had barely given him the time of day. Now that Lu Yan was making a show of cutting ties, Jiang Boyun found himself unwilling to let go.

"Him?"

Lu Yan lifted a brow, then seemed to realize belatedly that Jiang Boyun meant Yu Zechuan. Smiling, he lowered his head and kissed the corner of Yu Zechuan's eye. "My boyfriend."

Yu Zechuan's pupils contracted. Even through the mask, he could still feel the warmth of Lu Yan's lips brush gently against the corner of his eye. Jiang Boyun was staring at them from not far away, and the absurdity of it made Yu Zechuan's fingers clench despite himself.

The chill in Jiang Boyun's eyes deepened. "Lu Yan, you've been making a scene for days, threatening to live or die just to break up with me. Was it because of him?!"

Jiang Boyun felt as if his lungs were about to burst with rage. It was as though Lu Yan had ripped off his dignity, thrown it to the ground, and stomped on it. There was nothing but humiliation.

Lu Yan corrected him mildly. "Mr. Jiang, what do you mean, break up? We were never together. And I never liked you."

Lu Yan was plainly fanning the flames. Who could resist punching him? Jiang Boyun certainly could not.

"Lu Yan, you played me?!"

Furious beyond measure, Jiang Boyun stepped forward, grabbed Lu Yan by the collar, and raised his fist to strike. Before he could throw the punch, however, a powerful grip suddenly seized his arm, nearly crushing the bone. An unhurried voice sounded beside his ear. "This is a public place. You don't want to go to prison, do you, Mr. Jiang?"

Yu Zechuan lingered over the words "go to prison," putting particular hatred into each one. With his fever-roughened voice, he had long since lost the recognizable sound of his old voice.

Jiang Boyun turned toward the speaker. At some point, the man in Lu Yan's arms had grabbed his shoulder. The man wore a black baseball cap and mask, his eyes hidden in the shadow beneath the brim, impossible to see clearly. Yet the terrifying sensation of being watched by a venomous snake swept through Jiang Boyun's body in an instant.

Five years in prison had been enough to grind a piece of flawless jade into a dagger. Even Yu Zechuan could barely recognize himself anymore, much less Jiang Boyun. Pain drained the color from Jiang Boyun's face, and he had no choice but to release Lu Yan. "Who the hell do you think you are? What happens between him and me is none of your business!"

No one knew how badly Yu Zechuan had wanted to pull the knife from his pocket in the mall and drive it straight through Jiang Boyun's throat. Jiang Boyun had caused the Yu family patriarch's heart attack and ruined the bright, honorable life Yu Zechuan had once led. He had two living human lives on his hands, yet here he was, still dressed to the nines and strolling through the shops with a woman on his arm.

But people streamed past them on all sides, so Yu Zechuan could only force down the hatred in his heart. Staring at the jealous rage in Jiang Boyun's eyes, he suddenly heard Lu Yan's old words echo in his mind:

"Tell me, if we got together, do you think Jiang Boyun would be furious?"

Would he be furious?

The answer was obvious. Jiang Boyun was already close to dying of rage.

Yu Zechuan suddenly felt a measure of satisfaction, both satisfying and ridiculous. With a tug of his hand, he pulled Lu Yan to his side. His voice was slightly hoarse from the fever, but the provocation in it was unmistakable. "Lu Yan, he says I'm not qualified to comment on your relationship?"

Lu Yan was quite tactful. "Of course you are, baby."

Yu Zechuan was very satisfied with that answer. It let him selectively ignore the cloying endearment that followed. He asked coldly, "Do you like me, or do you like him?"

Lu Yan had always been excellent at answering questions that could get him killed. He reached out, pulled Yu Zechuan into his arms, and smiled as he murmured against his ear, "You're the only one I like."

Their gazes collided in the air, one gentle and one icy, producing a fatal effect like poison. To anyone else, they looked deeply in love.

Jiang Boyun's face turned livid as he watched from the side. His anger had reached such an extreme that he could not say a word. Something lodged in his chest; after holding it in for a long while, he finally spat out a single sentence, his voice frigid. "Lu Yan, you've got some nerve!"

There was no doubt that if circumstances allowed, he would have lunged at Lu Yan and torn him apart alive.

Lu Yan also thought he was doing rather well. Catching sight of a graceful figure hurrying out of the store from the corner of his eye, he smiled at Jiang Boyun. "Mr. Jiang, we're two of a kind. Neither of us has room to judge the other."

"We have somewhere to be. We'll be going."

With that, Lu Yan pulled Yu Zechuan closer into his arms and turned to leave. He hailed a cab at the roadside and headed home, treating Jiang Boyun as if he were thin air.

The woman came out of the store, lifting the hem of her skirt as she looked for him. Seeing Jiang Boyun standing there, she complained in a soft, coquettish voice, "Jiang Boyun! What are you doing? I hadn't even picked my necklace yet. Why did you run off? You're awful!"

At the sound of her voice, Jiang Boyun quickly wiped a hand over his face. By the time he turned around again, he had composed himself and smiled with polished ease. "Sorry. I saw two friends just now, so I went over to say hello. Let's go back in and keep looking."

This companion was no woman from the nightlife scene, but the cherished daughter of a business partner. For some reason, the pretty, spoiled young lady had become particularly attached to Jiang Boyun and seemed to have feelings for him; no matter how much her family objected, it did no good.

Jiang Boyun's mother was getting on in years and constantly nagged him to carry on the family line. Under that pressure, he could not easily refuse, so he could only accompany the young woman on this shopping trip.

Lin Anni gave a huff. "Just this once. Don't do it again, or I won't come out with you anymore. You're awful!"

Jiang Boyun could only patiently coax her into calming down and return to the store. Yet his eyes remained fixed on the direction Lu Yan had gone, and beneath his rage was an unease he could not put into words.

After Lu Yan and Yu Zechuan got into the car, they did not return directly to the apartment. Instead, they went to a nearby shopping mall. Meeting Yu Zechuan's puzzled gaze, Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. "We've been shopping for so long, I'm tired. Why don't we have dinner before going back?"

Thinking of what had happened so openly in public just now, Yu Zechuan had the strange feeling that his mind had been bewitched. Even now, he was still unsettled. He turned to look out the car window, unconsciously rubbing his fingertips together on his knee before frowning and uttering two words. "Your call."

The cab stopped at a nearby mall. Dusk had only just fallen, but the neon lights were already coming on one after another.

Lu Yan and Yu Zechuan picked a restaurant at random and went in. Someone was playing a gentle piano piece on the platform in the center of the room. The warm lighting quietly dispelled the night's cold, and their tightly wound nerves relaxed without them realizing it.

A waiter approached with menus and asked politely, "Gentlemen, what can I get for you?"

Lu Yan looked at Yu Zechuan across from him. "Take a look. Is there anything you'd like?"

Yu Zechuan closed his eyes impassively and pressed down the brim of his cap. "I'm not hungry."

He had spent too long in prison and had become faintly disconnected from society. A place this warm and lively made every cell in his body intensely uncomfortable, and the furrow between his brows had not eased once.

Especially after Yu Zechuan took off his mask, the waiter's gaze kept drifting toward the vicious scar on his face. Then Yu Zechuan gave him a cold, cruel smile. "Is it nice to look at?"

The waiter quickly looked away in alarm. "My apologies, sir."

Lu Yan was equally cautious. At the moment, he was playing the role of a secret admirer. If he ordered something Yu Zechuan disliked, or stepped on one of his land mines, he would inevitably give himself away.

What did Yu Zechuan even like to eat?

Lu Yan flipped through the menu absentmindedly and suddenly thought of the lunchbox from that day. Aside from a slice of matcha cake, it had contained stir-fried pork with green peppers, with every shred of pork picked clean.

Did Yu Zechuan actually like stir-fried pork with green peppers? If he did, why did he not eat the peppers? If he did not, why had he bought it?

Then again, what if he simply liked the pork in stir-fried pork with green peppers?

Lu Yan thought about it for ages without reaching a conclusion. Finally, he closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter. "Hello, we'd like to order."

Forget it. He would take a gamble.

The waiter lowered his head and recorded the order with pen and paper. "What would you like?"

Lu Yan said, "Two matcha cakes."

"Anything else?"

Lu Yan watched Yu Zechuan across from him. "One order of stir-fried pork with green peppers."

The waiter's pen stopped. "...Sir."

Lu Yan said, "Yes?"

The waiter said, "This is a café."

Lu Yan said, "..."