The Drunken Confession and the Possessive Gaze

Upon hearing about a boyfriend, the others looked visibly stunned.

“When did you become gay?”

As soon as that question was asked, another followed, “You weren’t gay before, were you?”

Several couples had been at the table previously, but the ambiguous atmosphere shattered, leaving only a lingering curiosity for gossip.

Su Yan’s eyebrow twitched repeatedly, and the small topknot tied on his head swayed with his agitation.

Was the problem really whether he was gay or not?

“If you are gay…”

“Consider me.”

Jian Lin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly uttered such a dark and nonsensical remark.

The boisterous bar seemed to hit a pause button, and the dazzling lights ultimately settled on his face.

The loneliness in his eyes was not feigned.

Su Yan opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

Such an awkward question couldn’t simply be brushed aside with a joke.

Everyone present knew Jian Lin was speaking from the heart.

Su Yan felt another chilling gaze, prompting him to instinctively retract his hands into his sleeves.

Jian Lin, Su Yan, and Qi Nian had known each other for a long time, having attended the same school from elementary through junior high, their relationship neither distant nor particularly close.

Yet, for some unknown reason, their pure camaraderie suddenly soured one day, much like a perfectly balanced candy that, one day, you discover has a bit of excrement stuck to its exterior.

The change occurred one day after the junior high final exams when Jian Lin stopped him after school.

In the depths of a dark alley, he confessed his teenage affections.

Su Yan was initially shocked, then gently refused him.

Since a confession had been made, the two naturally found it awkward to remain friends as before, leaving Qi Nian in a particularly uncomfortable position between them.

Su Yan even suspected that Qi Nian’s decision to go abroad was forced by the two of them.

Just as he pondered how to reasonably resolve this awkward situation, his phone rang several times.

He picked it up and saw a message from Lu Lin.

He glanced at it casually; it was likely a message asking where he was.

For the first time, Su Yan wondered if this person was out of his mind.

Did he really think Su Yan hadn’t seen him?

Su Yan leaned gently against the sofa behind him, glancing at the matching ring with Lu Lin’s that he had been forced to wear a few days prior.

He had every right to suspect that madman had put it on him as a wedding ring.

After all, that gaze was entirely possessive, domineering, and tyrannical.

Su Yan pondered for a moment and chose not to reply, as he was already caught in a quagmire of awkwardness.

“Come on, Comrade Jian Lin, everyone else already has a partner.

Do you still dare to steal someone’s love? Aren’t you afraid of getting slapped by their boyfriend?”

The speaker, whom everyone called Brother Fatty, had gone to the same school as them and was known for his loyalty.

Sure enough, he had stepped in specifically to resolve the situation.

Su Yan gave him a grateful look, and Brother Fatty returned a reassuring gaze, then continued to playfully tease Jian Lin.

Jian Lin might have wanted to retort that he wasn’t afraid of being slapped, or something similar, but Brother Fatty cut him down with a single look.

“Su Yan even got his ears pierced for his boyfriend—such love!

Do you really think you stand a chance?”

Su Yan: “…”

‘So cruel.’

“And look, he’s even wearing a wedding ring on his index finger!” Brother Fatty kept pushing the point, patting his shoulder.

The bar music was so deafening that Brother Fatty was practically shouting these “whispers.”

Su Yan: “…”

‘Does whispering really need to be this loud?’

‘Also, what the hell is a wedding ring? So there are others with a brain like Lu Lin’s.’

Su Yan raised his gaze, looking towards Lu Lin, who sat in a corner.

He didn’t seem to care for his phone, simply sitting quietly.

In the few days since they had met, Su Yan always liked to unabashedly observe Lu Lin.

After all, the novel depicted this man as terrifyingly possessive yet tender-hearted and kind, and Su Yan was quite curious about what such a contradictory personality would truly be like.

Aside from a fleeting sense of fear during their initial meeting, Su Yan had now grown accustomed to him.

For instance, severed arms, hands, and feet would appear in his drawer, each more lifelike than the last.

Of course, these incidents were all triggered by Su Yan interacting or playfully fighting with other beings.

Now, Su Yan merely saw Lu Lin as a childishly possessive fanatic.

Lu Lin also liked to leave his marks on Su Yan, much like a beast marking its prey, yet Su Yan was unwilling to have close physical contact with him.

All he could do was compel Su Yan to wear matching earrings and then buy him a matching ring.

It was as if Lu Lin truly didn’t know he had been exposed, or perhaps, he was merely pretending.

He sat alone in the shadows, amidst the bar’s deafening music, the gyrating bodies of men and women on the dance floor, and a medley of unpleasant smells.

Everything here seemed utterly out of place for him.

Su Yan refused all drinking games, sitting quietly to the side, his gaze, however, remained fixed on Lu Lin.

When Brother Fatty picked up a drink and offered it to him, Su Yan again felt that familiar gaze.

He naturally stated, “I’m allergic to alcohol, so I won’t drink for now.”

Brother Fatty’s mind raced, seemingly pondering the veracity of the statement, but he ultimately failed to come up with a logical conclusion.

The drink was then taken by Jian Lin.

Su Yan’s brow furrowed slightly, for he noticed that as Jian Lin took the glass, that faint, almost imperceptible gaze returned.

Brother Fatty was silent at the table for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, “You’re a handsome guy who’s allergic to alcohol?”

Su Yan: “…”

‘Let that sentence just drop.’

Someone, out of curiosity, asked, “I have a question, but I’m not sure if I should ask it.”

As he spoke, he inadvertently glanced at Su Yan, who was currently gazing blankly downwards, his face devoid of expression, yet appearing exceptionally docile.

“Then don’t say it.” Su Yan, seemingly realizing the question was undoubtedly aimed at him, quickly snapped back to reality.

“It’s just… your love story.

Don’t blame me for asking; many people are curious, I’m sure.

But I swear, I absolutely won’t tell anyone else.”

The person speaking wore sunglasses and occasionally whispered to his girlfriend.

Su Yan seemed to know who was curious.

Su Yan had an impression of that person, Jiang Ran, from the next class over and Brother Fatty’s deskmate.

His impression was limited to just that.

‘Now, there’s an added impression: not quite right in the head.’

Wearing sunglasses in a bar at night for no reason… Initially, he had even secretly asked Brother Fatty, who organized the gathering, if Jiang Ran had some problem, if he was blind.

In the end, Su Yan felt his own brain had been infected.

‘What blind person would sneak into a bar at night?’

“Alright, I can tell you.” Su Yan’s beautiful eyes brimmed with affection.

“We actually fell in love at first sight.”

“He confessed to me, but it was a mutual journey towards each other.”

“When school started, I was eating breakfast at the school gate, and I ended up getting mugged by hooligans.”

Hearing this, the others gasped, “Ooh~ how romantic!”

“All the money I had on me went to pay for the meal, and I had no money on my phone.

That’s when I met him.”

They sighed in admiration, took sips from their glasses, even forgetting to wipe the foam from their lips, and earnestly asked, “Did he fight off the hooligans for you, a hero saving a handsome man?”

Su Yan mocked, “You’ve watched too much TV, haven’t you?

He paid for me, telling me not to get beaten up in the restaurant, but to get beaten up outside instead.”

The young man laughed boisterously, his beautiful eyes curving with his smile, and the end of his words stretched out.

“Funny, isn’t it?”

However, he didn’t seem to receive any laughter in return, only sympathetic glances.

‘Seriously, if this is a melodramatic, angsty novel, can everyone’s intelligence drop together?

It’s awkward when only the protagonist’s intelligence drops.’

Everything Su Yan recounted was from the original novel, only the protagonists were the main gong and shou.

Such idiotic plot points simply couldn’t stand up to scrutiny.

His laughter, too, was entirely genuine.

To avoid being overheard by Lu Lin, he even deliberately lowered his voice.

After all, his relationship was forced, and the only current solution was to act as a good temporary boyfriend until the main shou appeared, at which point he would immediately step down.

Going public was merely his way of trying to reduce the buff brought by his immense popularity.

Who, upon hearing that his boyfriend was the famous Lu Lin, would still dare to harass him?

The last words Su Yan heard were, “Wish you 99.”

They sounded as if they were forced out through gritted teeth.

****

By the time he picked up his phone, it was already two in the morning.

Some drove, others hailed taxis, but without exception, everyone asked Su Yan if he wanted to join them.

Su Yan smiled sweetly, pressing his lips together.

Someone might still be waiting for him; their relationship couldn’t be called harmonious, but at least he couldn’t offend him.

Although he hadn’t seen Lu Lin since one o’clock, he was certain that Lu Lin wouldn’t have left on his own.

By the way, it had been about a week since he last saw Lu Lin.

How did he know Su Yan was at the bar? Could Chen Xubai have told him?

It would be typical for Chen Xubai to say something; after all, he had such a big mouth.

Ask him one question, and he could answer a hundred, revealing everything about a person.

Su Yan casually pulled on his hoodie, revealing the flushed outer corners of his eyes, his moist, round eyes, and his fair skin.

Because the clothing was rather loose, the small red mole on his collarbone was fully visible.

He squatted by the curbside outside the bar, propping up his face and spacing out.

Despite saying he wouldn’t drink, he’d had a tiny bit.

He wasn’t allergic to alcohol; rather, a single drink would knock him out.

Sea City’s weather was unpredictable.

Yesterday, the sun had tried to melt the ground, but today, strong winds had risen.

The wind stung his face.

The temperature had dropped significantly recently; it must be autumn approaching.

When Su Yan got drunk, his mind would become particularly sluggish.

He would squat by the curbside without touching his phone, simply propping up his face and spacing out for ages.

However, after only about ten minutes, Su Yan was enveloped by a shadow.

He couldn’t help but shrink back.

From behind him, a clear, cold voice asked, “Did you know I was here?”

Su Yan slowly turned his head at the sound.

His legs had gone numb, so he could only struggle to push himself up by leaning on a utility pole.

He stared blankly at Lu Lin’s face, then frowned slightly and extended his index finger to Lu Lin’s lips.

“Shh, that mouth, it speaks unpleasant words.”

Only then did Lu Lin notice Su Yan’s state: his face was flushed, his fluffy chestnut hair was tied into an apple topknot, and though he stood steadily, his eyes were already hazy.

Su Yan could recognize who this person in front of him was.

‘The fanatic.’

“If I didn’t know you were here, I’d need to get my eyes checked at an ophthalmologist.” Even drunk, Su Yan’s confrontational genes remained remarkably potent.

Another gust of wind swept past, this time carrying fine droplets of rain.

A heavy downpour was likely approaching.

Summer night rains came and went quickly; if they didn’t leave now, they might not be able to return later.

Lu Lin wanted to quickly take this drunkard away, so he reached out to help him, but unexpectedly, Su Yan slapped his hand away with a “smack.”

It was as if he had been slapped directly on his heart, the pain unbearable, his blood running cold.

His subconscious reaction couldn’t be faked.

He tensed his jaw, two small figures arguing in his mind.

The matching black hoodies they had deliberately worn today seemed like a joke.

Just as he narrowed his peach blossom eyes, silently twisting the ring on his index finger, his thoughts growing increasingly extreme, Su Yan cupped the hand he had hidden behind his back.

His small face beneath the hoodie gradually paled, his round eyes wide and staring, his pale pink lips parting and closing. “Why?”