Chance Encounter

The air conditioning in the living room was blasting. Yu Zechuan had been caught in the rain twice, yesterday and today, and had come back dressed so thinly. Of course he had a fever. To Lu Yan, it felt as though he were holding a lump of red-hot charcoal in his arms, scorching to the touch.

Lowering his gaze, he touched Yu Zechuan's forehead and confirmed once again that he really was feverish. He looked around and found no other rooms, so he could only scoop the man up in his arms and carry him to the bedroom, where he bent down and settled him on the large bed.

Yu Zechuan was breathing heavily and rapidly. His fever had already driven him delirious. The words he muttered were indistinct, but they all carried the same inescapable hatred:

"Get out... Don't come near me... Go away..."

"I'll kill you... I'll kill all of you..."

Yu Zechuan's hands flailed wildly through the air, as if he wanted to strangle someone to death. Then he suddenly curled into a ball beneath the covers. Every muscle in his body was taut; he trembled uneasily, his teeth clenched so hard they creaked.

No one knew what five years in prison had done to Yu Zechuan, once a favored child of destiny. He even had to keep a knife hidden in his pocket while he slept, as though someone might leap out of the darkness at any moment, beating and kicking him until they left scars deeper than the one on his face.

Standing beside the bed and looking at Yu Zechuan's fragile form sunk into the blankets, Lu Yan suddenly said thoughtfully to the System, "Tell me... if I killed Yu Zechuan right now, wouldn't the mission to survive for thirty days become very easy to complete?"

But before the System could answer, he slowly shook his head and dismissed the thought himself. "No. That won't do..."

The plan was too stupid.

If Yu Zechuan had been alone, no one would have cared whether he lived or died. But Xue Jin was still out there. The moment something happened to Yu Zechuan, he would notice soon enough.

A month was too long. Lu Yan might not be able to evade the police investigation. This might be a game world, but prison surely wasn't a pleasant place. Yu Zechuan was proof enough of that.

"Better be a law-abiding citizen."

Lu Yan said it with a smile.

He left the bedroom and searched the living room carefully until he found a family first-aid kit. It was small, but it had all the basic medicines.

Yu Zechuan lay in bed, half-conscious. In his haze, he felt someone pry open his mouth and put something inside. He tasted the bitterness of a pill and reacted violently, trying to spit it out, but the other person had anticipated it. He simply pinched Yu Zechuan's chin and fed him some warm water from a glass.

Yu Zechuan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as the pill slid down his throat, but his body was still burning alarmingly hot.

Lu Yan felt that in a situation like this, he ought to call and send him to the hospital. But remembering how secretive Yu Zechuan was in his dealings, he probably wouldn't appreciate such a public fuss. Lu Yan had no choice but to abandon the idea and fill a basin with warm water to wipe him down and bring down his fever.

When it came time to take off his clothes, Yu Zechuan, lying on the bed, was clearly very uncooperative.

Because he was good-looking, several inmates had set their sights on him the moment he entered prison. During that time, he fought others almost every day until he was bloodied all over. Like a mad dog, he fought to kill; if he couldn't win, he bit. One bite could tear flesh clean off. No one had ever seen anything like it, and everyone who saw him was scared enough to take a detour.

Lu Yan first slipped a hand into Yu Zechuan's trouser pocket, found the folding knife hidden there, pulled it out, and tossed it to the floor. Only then did he kneel by the bed, pin down Yu Zechuan's struggling body, and tug his clothes off in a few quick motions.

He didn't strip him completely. He left his pants on.

Even in his sleep, Yu Zechuan sensed a burst of humiliation. He breathed rapidly and fought Lu Yan's movements with all his strength, his voice terrified and unsettled. "Don't come near me... Get out... All of you, get out..."

Lu Yan withdrew his hand and used a towel to wipe the cold sweat from Yu Zechuan's face. His eyes were lowered, his lashes casting thick shadows. In a quiet voice, he soothed him, "Don't be afraid. I'm only wiping away your sweat."

Lu Yan meant him no harm. There was something steady and accepting in the air around him. Perhaps Yu Zechuan sensed it; little by little, his struggles weakened. He closed his eyes and curled himself tightly into a ball, wrapping himself securely in the blankets, as if that could shut out all the harm outside.

Lu Yan wiped him down again and again to cool him off. He barely slept all night, only collapsing onto the living-room sofa for a brief nap when dawn was just beginning to break.

Yu Zechuan was sick, so he probably had no mind to kill anyone right now. Lu Yan slept very soundly.

The first ray of morning sun squeezed through a gap in the curtains and fell squarely across Yu Zechuan's eyelids. He moved his eyes with difficulty, pulling himself free from last night's muddy dream, then slowly opened them.

Dust danced in the light.

The first thing he saw was a complete mess.

His familiar clothes were scattered on the floor. A medicine kit sat on the table, beside a basin of water gone cold and two or three towels.

Yu Zechuan's head felt as though it were splitting open. Memories of the night before came rushing back, though none of them felt quite real. He forced himself upright. The thin air-conditioned blanket slid from his body, and his skin shrank involuntarily at the touch of cold air. Only then did he realize he wasn't wearing any clothes.

Yu Zechuan's expression turned exceptionally ugly in an instant. With a rustle, he threw back the covers and got out of bed. In the span of a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He had clearly locked Lu Yan in the room yesterday, so why was he the one lying in bed?!

Where was Lu Yan? Had he run away?

At that thought, Yu Zechuan immediately pulled a garment from the closet, threw it on, and left the room, ready to find a way to catch him. But as he passed the sofa, he saw a familiar figure lying there, and his steps came to an abrupt halt.

Lu Yan hadn't run. The front door was locked from the inside with a passcode; there was no way he could have gotten out. He might as well sleep on the sofa.

The sofa could barely accommodate the man's long frame. Lu Yan could only sleep on his side. His skin was a shade paler than most, which made the dark circles beneath his eyes all the more obvious. It wasn't hard to see that he hadn't slept all night. His breathing was soft and shallow, and though exhaustion showed on his handsome face, he somehow made the heart grow still.

Yu Zechuan's memories stopped only at the second before he lost consciousness. He didn't know what had happened last night, but the medicine and towels scattered around the room made it easy to guess that Lu Yan had taken care of him all night.

Why?

Yu Zechuan was uncertain and suspicious. He slowly approached the sofa, his gaze falling on Lu Yan's brows and eyes, the bridge of his nose, and finally his thin lips, faintly pursed. For no reason, the words Lu Yan had spoken that day in the rented apartment echoed in his mind:

"Yu Zechuan, I've actually had a crush on you for a long time."

A crush?

At first, Yu Zechuan had dismissed those two words with scorn. But Lu Yan's behavior these past few days had begun to shake his certainty. He bent over slowly. He had never studied another man so carefully before. Without question, Lu Yan's face was far more striking than Jiang Boyun's, but Yu Zechuan searched through every memory of his first half of life and found not a single trace of Lu Yan.

The other man was like a weightless feather, leaving no ripple in Yu Zechuan's mind. Now that he thought about it, even his features were indistinct.

Yu Zechuan frowned, faintly sensing something was wrong. A strand of hair slipped quietly from Lu Yan's forehead, brushing against his eye. His fingers twitched. Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand to brush it aside for him, only for his wrist to tighten suddenly and his vision to spin.

"Rustle-"

Lu Yan hadn't been asleep at all. He flipped Yu Zechuan beneath him, his eyes lowered to conceal the deep amusement in them. "How rare. I thought you were going to try to kill me again."

Yu Zechuan froze for a moment. Once he realized what had happened, he flew into a rage and grabbed Lu Yan by the collar. "Lu Yan, you dared to trick me!"

Caught off guard, Lu Yan took a knee to the stomach and couldn't help letting out a low, muffled groan. At the sound, Yu Zechuan paused instinctively. The next moment, a weight settled over him as Lu Yan's entire body slumped against his shoulder.

Lu Yan buried his face in Yu Zechuan's neck. Only after several seconds did the pain subside. He frowned and breathed out quietly, his lazy drawl hooking at the end. "Mr. Yu..."

He smiled. "You nearly made sure I could never have children."

Yu Zechuan had only just suffered through a high fever yesterday. He couldn't tell whether it was because he was still ill, but his limbs were weak and limp, with no strength in them. The man's heavy body pressed against his chest. The searing heat seemed poised to return, his ears burned red, and his heartbeat ran wild.

"Get off me-"

Yu Zechuan snapped through gritted teeth, though there was a tremor in his voice if one listened closely.

But Lu Yan didn't move. Like a wolf that had scented blood, he had finally found a weak point in the sick Yu Zechuan. He kicked him while he was down, slipping through every crack, trying to bore straight into his heart.

How do you survive when you are in a kidnapper's hands?

You don't have to fall in love with him, but he has to fall in love with you.

Was there anything in the world more steadfast than love?

No. There wasn't.

Lu Yan leaned close to Yu Zechuan's ear. His hot breath carried a deliberately lowered voice, every word laced with fatal poison. "Get off?"

"Mr. Yu, you really hurt my feelings..."

Lu Yan's cool fingertips slowly brushed over the hideous scar on Yu Zechuan's right cheek, stirring up unpleasant memories. Yu Zechuan shuddered uncontrollably and glared at him with reddened eyes. "Lu Yan, do you believe I'll kill you?"

Of course I do.

You've already killed me once.

Lu Yan smiled and shook his head, a depth in his eyes that Yu Zechuan couldn't understand. At that moment, he was just like a demon that tempted men's hearts. Word by word, he asked softly, "Mr. Yu, tell me. How am I inferior to Jiang Boyun?"

"My face? Or my body?"

Lu Yan gently caressed the scar on Yu Zechuan's cheek with his fingertips, then suddenly placed light, butterfly-wing kisses across it. Yu Zechuan struggled in shock, only to be held even tighter in Lu Yan's embrace, so close it let nothing through.

"I treat you better than he does..."

"I love you more deeply than he does..."

Perhaps those sweet words were half true and half false, but that didn't stop them from falling into hell together.

Lu Yan pressed close to Yu Zechuan's right cheek. He could even feel the ridges and contours of the scar. Tilting his head, he brushed against it for a moment. "Don't you want revenge on Jiang Boyun? Let me help you."

Yu Zechuan's mind was blank. He had lost the ability to think altogether. In a daze, he looked toward the broken-mirror decoration on the opposite wall. The handsome man behind him held him intimately, his chin resting on Yu Zechuan's shoulder, his smile tender and vicious. "Tell me, if we got together, do you think Jiang Boyun would be furious?"

He probably would...

Lu Yan lowered his head affectionately and kissed the scar on Yu Zechuan's cheek. Then, looking into the mirror with him, he whispered seductively, "Mr. Yu, look how well we suit each other."

Look how well we suit each other.

Yu Zechuan stared at his ruined face in the mirror and shook his head inside. No. They didn't suit each other at all. His fingers moved, and he suddenly gripped the back of Lu Yan's neck hard, whispering into his ear, "You're wrong. I don't want Jiang Boyun to be furious..."

Yu Zechuan ground out each word. "I. Want. Him. Dead."

He wanted Jiang Boyun dead, dead without a grave to call his own!

With that, Yu Zechuan shoved Lu Yan away and went straight to the bathroom to wash up, appearing entirely unmoved by his "proposal."

Still on the sofa, Lu Yan lazily rolled over. He pretended not to notice Yu Zechuan's slightly flustered steps. The corner of his mouth lifted as he thought that this man was rather fun to tease.

Lu Yan's hard work the previous night hadn't been in vain. At least Yu Zechuan didn't tie him up again today. But Xue Jin didn't come by with food, and Yu Zechuan sat at the computer desk, typing and writing nonstop. Who knew what he was busy with? It was as if he had forgotten hunger even existed.

Lu Yan lay on the sofa and lazily tilted his head toward the computer desk. "Mr. Yu~"

Lu Yan no longer pretended to be an innocent little rabbit. Every time he said those two words, his tone was so seductive it made one want to take him to bed. Yu Zechuan's hands paused over the keyboard, and, as expected, the next thing he heard was Lu Yan drawling, "I'm hungry."

Without even looking at him, Yu Zechuan took his phone out of a drawer and tossed it onto the desk. "Order takeout yourself."

Lu Yan blinked. "But I don't have clean clothes to change into, or another pair of shoes. Shouldn't we go out and buy a few sets?"

Yu Zechuan reminded him coldly, "You're a hostage right now."

What kind of hostage made so many demands?

Lu Yan smiled. "Hostages have human rights too. If it really won't work, I can wear your clothes..."

Before he could finish, Yu Zechuan snapped the laptop shut with a bang.

...

It was noon, and the weekend streets were packed with a steady stream of pedestrians. Yu Zechuan lowered the brim of his cap, expressionlessly shutting out the curious looks around them. Barely holding on to his patience, he went shopping with Lu Yan. "You have half an hour. Buy whatever you need, and hurry up."

Lu Yan looked at him with a smile. "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

Yu Zechuan might not talk much, but his tongue was sharp. Maybe it was true that dogs that bite don't bark. "You have no influence, no power, and no money. Where would you run to? The countryside?"

Lu Yan said, "I could borrow some from Jiang Boyun."

The moment Lu Yan's words fell, Yu Zechuan's face darkened. Lu Yan immediately fell silent, knowing better, then pointed casually at one of the shops. "Let's go look around in there."

He was pointing at a luxury boutique. Perhaps because Lu Yan had been born with an approachable, smiling face, the sales associate was especially enthusiastic with him. Blushing, she recommended, "Sir, are you looking at clothes or handbags? We just received some new arrivals today. I can make some recommendations for you."

Yu Zechuan wore a baseball cap and a mask, saying nothing the entire time, like an invisible man. People would have believed he was Lu Yan's bodyguard.

Lu Yan, on the other hand, welcomed every suggestion. Whatever the associate recommended, he accepted with a smile. Before long, the counter was piled with items. Delighted, the associate tapped away on her calculator and came up with a sum that, to an ordinary person, was astronomical. Then she turned the display toward Lu Yan. "Sir, card or cash?"

Lu Yan nudged Yu Zechuan with his elbow. "She's asking you. Card or cash?"

Yu Zechuan's eyelid twitched. "???"

The veins in Yu Zechuan's forehead bulged. "Why should I pay for the things you buy?"

Lu Yan chuckled and deliberately drew out his words. "Well, there's no helping it. Who made me so powerless, so insignificant, and so very broke?"

More importantly, who made you kidnap something like me and bring it home?

Yu Zechuan was a man who cared about his dignity. Under the sales associate's smiling gaze, he could only pay with a dark expression. But before he had time to sign, his wrist was suddenly grabbed, and Lu Yan pulled him without warning behind the clothing section.

Yu Zechuan snapped, lowering his voice. "What are you do..."

"Shh!"

Lu Yan pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. At the same time, he glanced to the side. A familiar figure had suddenly appeared in the jewelry section not far away.

It was Jiang Boyun.