Five Big Shots

A dark figure approached, blocking the light. Song Xuanhe looked up in a daze and met Xiao Yuanmu's faintly chilling gaze.

"If there's nothing else, I'm going back to my room."

Song Xuanhe instinctively started to nod, but his head had barely moved before he stopped short. He narrowed his eyes at Xiao Yuanmu, his tone casual but pointed. "Nothing else? Have you forgotten what you are to me?"

An icy chill lay deep in Xiao Yuanmu's eyes. His gaze locked on Song Xuanhe, who looked particularly boyish curled up on the couch, but his expression remained cool and impassive. "And what does that require me to do?"

Song Xuanhe tossed aside the throw pillow and stood on the couch, looking down at Xiao Yuanmu. He hooked a finger beneath his chin and tipped it up, his voice suggestive. "What do you think?"

Xiao Yuanmu said nothing. Song Xuanhe released his chin with a soft laugh. "Get yourself nice and clean, then wait for me in your room."

With that, he hopped off the couch, turned, and left.

Back in his own room, Song Xuanhe shut the door and let out a long breath. Only after the prickling sensation between his shoulder blades had eased a little did he begin to worry. He had never even dated anyone, so he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do in a moment—especially since Xiao Yuanmu was a man. His one consolation was that he was certain Xiao Yuanmu would push him away.

Exactly how far he would have to go before Xiao Yuanmu pushed him away, though, was anyone's guess.

With very little time and no idea what he was doing, Song Xuanhe could only cram at the last minute. He hurriedly took out his phone and searched for what, exactly, two men were supposed to do together. But every answer he found was either a crudely explicit explanation of how to put it in and where, or a useless platitude like "just go with the flow."

Before Song Xuanhe could finish his research, the system warned him: [Xiao Yuanmu has finished showering. He's wearing nothing but a bath towel, which makes this the exact point where the scene takes place. Get over there. Once he puts his clothes on, you'll have failed the task.]

Song Xuanhe's expression froze. After a two-second pause, he put down his phone, opened his door, and walked to the room next door like a martyr marching to his death.

He knocked softly three times, then pushed the door open without waiting for Xiao Yuanmu to answer. Sure enough, Xiao Yuanmu had a bath towel wrapped around his lower body and was drying his hair with another towel.

At the sight of the opening door, Xiao Yuanmu lowered the towel in his hand. Ignoring the water still dripping from the ends of his hair, he walked straight toward Song Xuanhe, his expression icy.

Song Xuanhe had majored in fashion design and had grown accustomed to seeing all kinds of bodies while he was in school. From his very first look at Xiao Yuanmu, he had known that the man had an excellent figure and proportions. If he applied to be a male model, even the most discerning agents would probably fight over him.

But actually seeing Xiao Yuanmu half-naked still took his breath away.

If Xiao Yuanmu's face was God's proudest creation, then his body was so perfect that even the world's greatest sculptor would struggle to reproduce it. His muscles were firm and full of explosive power; his shoulder-to-waist ratio and the proportions of his upper and lower body were flawless, to say nothing of his solid abs and the sexy V-lines at his hips. Just looking at a body like that, Song Xuanhe could immediately come up with ten menswear collections—and for both the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons, at that.

Xiao Yuanmu stopped less than a meter from Song Xuanhe. Seeing the undisguised amazement and fascination in his eyes, Xiao Yuanmu lowered his lashes halfway, veiling the cold gleam in his gaze.

[The plot, buddy!]

The system's voice snapped Song Xuanhe back from mentally drafting garment patterns. He blinked, still a little dazed, and belatedly realized how close Xiao Yuanmu was. The sheer hormonal appeal of that face and body hit him head-on.

Unfortunately, Song Xuanhe felt nothing whatsoever. He only wanted to find a sheet of paper immediately and sketch out the designs he had just envisioned.

[Go ahead and try. That drawing might become a sensation after you die. I hear you human artists' work is worth more once you're dead.]

Song Xuanhe: ...

Nope. Not risking it. Absolutely not.

That single remark brought Song Xuanhe back to reality. He looked up at Xiao Yuanmu's cold, stern face and couldn't help feeling a little aggrieved. Xiao Yuanmu didn't want this? Well, neither did he. But if he refused, he would die. Trying to stay alive was just that f*cked up.

Xiao Yuanmu's brows drew together almost imperceptibly. Perhaps he was imagining things, but once again, he thought Song Xuanhe looked a little wronged, a little innocent. This was the second time today he had had that impression. For someone who had always trusted his own judgment and instincts, it was cause for serious vigilance. He had underestimated Song Xuanhe.

Arrogant and overbearing Song Xuanhe certainly was, but apparently he wasn't brainless. Gathering evidence of the Song family's illegal dealings might prove somewhat harder than he had anticipated.

Xiao Yuanmu gave nothing away, but with his life on the line, Song Xuanhe couldn't afford to wait any longer.

He stepped forward and shoved Xiao Yuanmu down onto the edge of the bed. He tried to follow through and push him onto his back, only to discover that he couldn't budge him. At a loss, and not daring to look at Xiao Yuanmu's face, Song Xuanhe could only close his eyes and kiss him. As their soft lips met, a cold light flashed through Xiao Yuanmu's eyes. Just as he thought Song Xuanhe was about to deepen the kiss, however, Song Xuanhe moved to his neck instead.

Yes, this was a mandatory plot point, and it wasn't as though Song Xuanhe were some teenage girl who cared about things like first kisses. But he still couldn't bring himself to kiss a man he didn't like, who didn't like him either, and who might at that very moment be mentally planning a hundred different ways to kill him.

Fortunately, the plot only said that Song Xuanhe intended to force himself on Xiao Yuanmu; it didn't describe the process in detail. Going through the motions like this ought to count as following the plot.

Like a puppy without all its baby teeth trying to lick a meaty bone, Song Xuanhe nuzzled and licked at his neck with no technique whatsoever. Xiao Yuanmu had already decided to kick Song Xuanhe away once he reached the limit of his endurance. Yet for some reason, those unmistakably inexperienced kisses subdued his violent, brooding mood instead. He even found himself waiting at ease to see what Song Xuanhe would do next.

Song Xuanhe stayed bent over, nibbling at Xiao Yuanmu's neck for a while. By the time his lower back began to ache, Xiao Yuanmu still hadn't pushed him away. Even the muscles in his shoulders, initially so taut they had hurt Song Xuanhe's teeth, seemed to have relaxed a little. Not daring to check Xiao Yuanmu's expression, Song Xuanhe could only steel himself and move lower.

When his lips touched firm pectoral muscles carrying a faint scent of body wash, Song Xuanhe paused. After thoroughly psyching himself up, he gritted his teeth and prepared to touch that little point. But just as he leaned closer, a hand pressed against his waist and pulled him into Xiao Yuanmu's lap. Even through the bath towel, he could feel the firmness and explosive strength of the thighs beneath him.

Xiao Yuanmu gripped Song Xuanhe's chin and forced his head up. Watching his lashes tremble with nerves, he asked in a low, husky, icy voice, "You've never done this before?"

The moment he was pulled upright, Song Xuanhe was so ecstatic that he didn't even catch what Xiao Yuanmu had said. He hurriedly asked the system in his mind: [Ergou! This counts as Xiao Yuanmu pushing me away, right? Whether he pushes me with his hands or kicks me with his feet—as long as he stops me from going any further, it counts as pushing me away, doesn't it?]

This time, the system didn't disappoint him. [You've passed this plot task.]

Song Xuanhe's eyes instantly lit up. Even in the face of such a sudden, wonderful surprise, he remembered to stay in character. "Who says I've never done it? You're just so stiff and dull that you've spoiled my mood. Forget it for tonight. We'll talk about it another time."

With that, Song Xuanhe tried to pull free of the hand gripping his chin.

Yet although Xiao Yuanmu didn't seem to be exerting much force, Song Xuanhe couldn't break loose. Worse, his wriggling made him feel something hard slowly swelling beneath his butt. As a man himself, Song Xuanhe naturally knew what it was. But he had never imagined that Xiao Yuanmu, a bottom, would be so extraordinarily well endowed!

What a waste.

Song Xuanhe gave a thoroughly insincere sigh. With his masculine pride at stake in the comparison, he somehow managed to find a little satisfaction in Xiao Yuanmu's misfortune.

What good was being big? It was only for show anyway. Maybe it even made him prone to impotence or something. An ordinary guy with an ordinary size, like him—that was what was normal and healthy.

Xiao Yuanmu hadn't expected Song Xuanhe's rubbing against him to arouse him, either. He abruptly released Song Xuanhe's chin and pushed him away. "Since we're forgetting it for tonight, get out," he said coldly.

Song Xuanhe couldn't wait to leave. But when he reached the door, he suddenly felt that something was off.

Only after he had showered and was lying in bed did it finally dawn on him. He addressed the system in his mind: [Ergou, why do I get the feeling there's something strange about Xiao Yuanmu? I was the one going in to pay him for sex, so how did it end up feeling like he was paying me for sex instead? Am I imagining things?]

The system remained silent. Just when Song Xuanhe decided it wouldn't answer a question unrelated to the plot, it slowly confirmed: [You're imagining things.]

Song Xuanhe was already groggy and on the verge of sleep. At the system's answer, he gave a faint hum through his nose, as though in acknowledgment, and soon drifted off.

Author's Note: Song Xuanhe quietly changed his WeChat profile signature to: For some people, just staying alive takes every ounce of strength they have.

Grandpa Song: Out of money?

Mother Song: Has someone mistreated my precious son?

Father Song: You ungrateful brat! Has this family ever left you short of food or clothes? Whining over nothing!

Big Brother Song: What's wrong?

Xiao Yuanmu: Come here. Have some noodles.