AS CH 6

Chapter 6

It was already past 10 p.m. After sending off the last customer, Lü Chenyue returned to the lounge to gather his things and head home. Since there were classes the next day, Gao Junting never kept him at the shop past 11.

He grabbed his bag and quietly said goodbye to the older coworkers at the company, then silently left.

Before heading home, Lü Chenyue stopped by a convenience store. After paying and stepping back out, he had only taken a few steps when a middle-aged man blocked his path, preventing him from moving forward.

When Lü Chenyue got a good look at the man’s face, he recognized him immediately—he was a regular at the shop. This man was one of those customers who always insisted on having only Lü Chenyue accompany him.

The man reeked of alcohol, his body swaying as he glared at him.

“Xiao Yue, why weren’t you there last time?” the man slurred, letting out a loud burp, clearly angry.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Chen,” Lü Chenyue replied flatly. “I had something to take care of that day, so I asked the company for time off.” He remembered now—that was the same day he had been kept behind by Xu Wenhao to write that punishment assignment, so he casually made up an excuse.

Hearing his explanation, Mr. Chen staggered closer. “Who was that guy just now? Why were you with someone like him?”

Lü Chenyue gave a cold, expressionless smile. “Mr. Chen, that was just one of my clients. I was simply walking him out.”

“No! You belong to me!” Drunk and increasingly irrational, the middle-aged man suddenly grabbed Lü Chenyue’s shoulders and shook him violently. “You’re mine! You belong only to me!”

“Mr. Chen, please stop!” The harsh shaking made Lü Chenyue dizzy. The things he had just bought fell to the ground from the force. Without thinking, he raised his voice and snapped, “I don’t belong to anyone!”

But that one sentence only infuriated the man even more.

He had always had a fondness for Lü Chenyue—and now Chenyue dared to say he didn’t belong to him? He’d treated him well and paid generously. That sense of betrayal surged like poison.

Then—smack! A sharp slap split through the silence of the night. Time seemed to stop.

Mr. Chen’s bloodshot eyes blazed with anger, his entire body tensed. Before Lü Chenyue could react, the man lunged, grabbing him tightly and pressing his mouth against Chenyue’s neck—biting, sucking, and gnawing in a drunken frenzy.

“You’re nothing but a filthy little slut. Don’t pretend you’re above it all,” the man spat, his words full of contempt and disgust. “In the end, aren’t you just a public toilet for men to use?”

“Stop it! Mr. Chen!” Lü Chenyue fought back, refusing to listen to the vile words. But his strength was no match for a drunk, out-of-control man. “You’re drunk!”

“I like you so much—why are you treating me like this?” Mr. Chen growled, more furious by the second as he roughly tried to tear at Chenyue’s clothes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

A voice rang out through the darkness.

That voice—Lü Chenyue had heard it before. He turned toward the source, and when he saw who it was, his entire body froze.

Of all people—it was Xu Wenhao.

The last person he wanted to see right now.

Why was Xu Wenhao here?

Lü Chenyue stood there in stunned silence.

The secret he had buried deep in his heart for so many years—the one he never wanted anyone to know—why did it have to be Xu Wenhao who saw it?

How much had Xu Wenhao seen? How much had he heard?

Lü Chenyue stood frozen, unable to move.

“Let go of him! Can’t you see he’s in pain?!” Xu Wenhao rushed forward, trying to pull the middle-aged man away from Lü Chenyue.

“Let go? What, do you want a turn too?” the man slurred, brushing Wenhao’s hand aside with a lewd grin. “Wait your turn. Let me have my fill first.”

Without hesitation, Xu Wenhao pulled out his phone from his backpack and dialed a number. “Hello, is this the police? There’s a drunk man here assaulting my friend. Please come immediately. The location? Hold on…” He looked around and spotted a street sign. “We’re at—”

The moment the man heard Xu Wenhao was calling the police, most of his drunken haze vanished. “I’ll let you off this time…” he stammered. All the aggression from before disappeared instantly as he released Lü Chenyue and fled in panic.

Once the man was gone, Xu Wenhao put his phone back in his bag. “Don’t worry. I didn’t actually call. I just wanted to scare him.” He looked at Lü Chenyue, his expression full of concern. “Are you okay?”

He had just gotten out of cram school and happened to pass by when he saw someone being harassed—and to his surprise, it was Lü Chenyue, struggling with a drunk middle-aged man.

Lü Chenyue kept his head down, his face unreadable. He didn’t want Xu Wenhao to see his expression. He crouched to pick up his bag and a plastic bag that had fallen, stuffing everything inside without a word, then turned to leave.

“Hey! Lü Chenyue, I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me?” Xu Wenhao stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face him directly.

Only then did Wenhao clearly see the swelling on Lü Chenyue’s left cheek. “Did that guy hit you?”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Chenyue replied coldly, turning his head away.

When he tried to leave again, Xu Wenhao grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby alley.

“Let go of me!” Chenyue protested. His arm ached from the pull. He couldn’t understand why Xu Wenhao was getting involved—wouldn’t it be better if he just left him alone?

That man from earlier wasn’t wrong.

He was filthy. He was a male prostitute. He had no choice—he needed the money. If this was who he was, then why would anyone want to save him?

Xu Wenhao pressed him against the cold concrete wall. “Who was that guy to you?” he asked, confused.

Lü Chenyue said nothing. He didn’t feel like he owed Xu Wenhao any explanation.

Taking a deep breath, Wenhao didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Narrowing his eyes, he hesitated, then asked, “Don’t tell me you really are—”

“That’s right!” Chenyue suddenly exploded. “You heard him, didn’t you? He’s one of my clients. I’m exactly what he said—a male whore. I don’t even know how many men I’ve spread my legs for. I’ll die without a man. I don’t care who it is—if they can pay, I’ll do it. I’ll do it with any man, alright? Are you satisfied now?!”

He shouted every word like a whip to himself—like self-inflicted punishment. But the more he said it, the more painful it felt.

Xu Wenhao stood there, stunned. He couldn’t believe Chenyue would describe himself in such a degrading way. His dark eyes narrowed in a complicated expression.

“So that’s it? Any man will do?” Wenhao asked, voice cold and sharp.

A sudden flare of anger rose in Xu Wenhao’s chest, though he didn’t understand where it came from.

Lü Chenyue’s eyes widened as Xu Wenhao stepped closer. There was something dangerous in his aura. Chenyue was frozen, unable to move away, locked in place by that invisible pressure.

“Then…” Wenhao said coldly, “I can have you too, right?”

Chenyue looked up in shock. “What did you just say?”

The coldness in Wenhao’s voice shifted—now full of rage. A suffocating pressure surged through the narrow alley. Behind Chenyue was the concrete wall; he gasped instinctively as he felt trapped.

Then—a harsh rip. The sound of fabric tearing.

In that moment, he looked into Xu Wenhao’s eyes—eyes that no longer belonged to that bright, energetic boy.

What stared back at him was a beast, wild and furious. Wenhao’s body tensed, face drawing dangerously close, breath hot against Chenyue’s cheek.

(To be continued…)
T/L: Uh…. Xu Wenhao what are you doing???!!?