BFILWY CH 45

Chapter 45: Who’s on Top

“Three, two, one, Happy New Year…” This was the loud celebration from the living room.

“I like you.” This was the confession from the impulsive and passionate Wang Xuan.

“My heart feels like there’s a needle, silent and piercing…” This was the ringtone of a phone tucked away in a backpack, still ringing but unanswered.

“…” This was the silence from An Yue, more expressive than words could convey at this moment.

“An Yue?” Ye Qinghe hung up the phone, the soulful melody of Xiao Huangqi stopping. He pulled away from Wang Xuan, reached out, and cautiously spoke to the vague shadow in front of him. “Is that you, An Yue?”

“Yes, it’s me.” An Yue, still catching his breath, took Ye Qinghe’s outstretched hand. Hesitantly, he wished, “Happy New Year.”

Ye Qinghe’s hand was held by An Yue, and without thinking, he pulled him into an embrace. “Happy New Year.” He smiled brightly, “I thought you wouldn’t make it back in time.”

An Yue, held in Ye Qinghe’s arms, glanced awkwardly at Wang Xuan, who had just confessed. It was a little uncomfortable. He struggled to pull away, but Ye Qinghe tightened his hold. So, An Yue had no choice but to gently remind him, “Your colleague is still here.”

So what if he is still here? Ye Qinghe suddenly felt annoyed. He turned to Wang Xuan and asked, “Wang Xuan, what did you just say? I didn’t catch it.”

Ye Qinghe’s expression was serious, as if he were issuing orders, and if it weren’t for holding An Yue in his arms, he could’ve easily passed for a stern superior.

“Nothing,” Wang Xuan lowered his eyes, “I didn’t say anything.”

Zhang Yongfeng came to the door and saw Ye Qinghe and An Yue in an embrace, with Wang Xuan, eyes red like a huge glaring lightbulb, standing awkwardly beside them. It didn’t take much explanation to understand what had happened. He spoke loudly, “An Yue is back! Happy New Year…” Zhang Yongfeng pulled the dejected Wang Xuan back to the living room and said to everyone, “It’s getting late, let’s head home so that Ye Qinghe and An Yue can rest.” Several female colleagues responded in agreement, and everyone quickly gathered their things.

Quickly, everyone helped clean up the last of the drink cups and fruit platters from the table, rinsed them, and set them to dry. Then, those who needed coats put them on, and those with bags grabbed them. Ye Qinghe and An Yue walked into the living room just in time to hear Xiaoru ask with suspicion, “Wang Xuan, what’s wrong? Your eyes are so red.”

“It’s nothing, I’m probably just tired,” Wang Xuan rubbed his eyes, forcing a smile as he spoke.

An Yue couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. Ye Qinghe, oh Ye Qinghe, the man certainly had a knack for being a scumbag. Though it wasn’t intentional this time, it must have been painful for Wang Xuan. After confessing his feelings, he had seen the person he confessed to immediately leave him and embrace someone else. It was no doubt a painful experience. But Ye Qinghe didn’t seem to notice anything, and naturally, he couldn’t feel how aggrieved Wang Xuan must have looked at that moment.

Finally, after everyone left, the living room was left quiet, only the cheerful voices of the singer from the TV filling the space. Ye Qinghe and An Yue were left in silence, looking at each other without words.

“I’ve been busy all day, I’m covered in sweat. I think I’ll go take a shower first,” An Yue said. The urgency he had when rushing back from the restaurant had completely disappeared.

“Don’t run off.” Sensing that An Yue was about to escape again, Ye Qinghe reached out to grab him. “Did you rush back for me today?” Ye Qinghe insisted on getting an answer.

“…”

An Yue shut his mouth tightly, unwilling to speak. Ye Qinghe waited a while, but no response came. The joyful expression on his face slowly faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment.

An Yue hesitated, looking at him, noticing that Ye Qinghe’s smile was still there, but frozen at the corner of his lips, making it appear somewhat awkward.

“Is that not the case?” Ye Qinghe chuckled, releasing An Yue. He quickly tried to ease the situation. “Ah, I guess being unable to see has its drawbacks. I really can’t understand others’ expressions.”

Perhaps Ye Qinghe’s show of weakness had an unexpected effect. An Yue’s heart softened. When had Ye Qinghe ever needed to read people’s expressions? It was just that now, with his eyes inconvenient, his feelings had become muddled. Why should he continue to deceive and tease Ye Qinghe with this small part of misplaced affection? Both were men, both liked men—what was there to be so pretentious about? Since he had these feelings for him, why not just follow his heart?

“Yes, I rushed back for you.” The words seemed to hold a magical power, lighting up Ye Qinghe’s eyes. An Yue’s heart softened further. He gently touched Ye Qinghe’s cheek and softly asked, “Do you really want me?”

Ye Qinghe, still a bit confused by An Yue’s attitude, was filled with both joy and hesitation. He heard An Yue’s voice again, “Then come.”

Ye Qinghe, from being lost to surprised, followed by a burst of joy: “You’re serious? You agreed?” He grabbed An Yue’s hand, his voice full of excitement. Did this mean An Yue was finally willing to be with him?

“Mm, let’s try it,” An Yue said calmly. “Maybe after we try, you won’t be so persistent about wanting me anymore.” His tone carried a trace of helplessness. “The unattainable white moonlight is always the most beautiful. You’ll eventually see that I’m just leftover food with no appeal.”

“That’s nonsense.” Ye Qinghe smiled. “An Yue, let me ‘see’ you.” Ye Qinghe lifted his hand to gently touch An Yue’s features, his fingers grazing over his smooth skin. The soft touch carried a hint of warmth and a slight teasing, which made An Yue instinctively pull back.

“Stop touching me, it’s itchy.” An Yue tilted his head back, though he didn’t pull away from Ye Qinghe’s embrace.

Ye Qinghe lowered his hand, which had been on An Yue’s face, and instead placed it on his shoulder, affectionately squeezing it. He smiled at An Yue without any guard.

“Don’t be so happy just yet. There are some things I haven’t made clear,” An Yue said.

“Go ahead, I’m listening to whatever you say,” Ye Qinghe responded, still smiling.

“Well, you might not know,” An Yue said, forcing himself to stay calm. “I’m the one on top.”

“Ah?” Ye Qinghe, still overwhelmed with joy, now felt confused and stunned. An Yue said he was on top? With An Yue’s slender, toned body, and his earlier mention of feeling wronged by his ex-boyfriend, Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but form some preconceived notions. He was still in a daze, even wondering if he misunderstood An Yue’s meaning. They hadn’t even held hands yet, and now they were discussing being on top? Wasn’t that a bit too forward? The usually reserved Mr. An was being this blunt about bedroom matters?

An Yue watched as Ye Qinghe’s expression shifted multiple times. It seemed that he was secretly enjoying the situation. He released Ye Qinghe and said nonchalantly, “I’ll go take a shower first. You can take this time to think about it.” He pushed Ye Qinghe onto the sofa and ran off, leaving a dazed Ye Qinghe sprawled on the couch, stunned.

Once in the bedroom, An Yue covered his chest with both hands, feeling his heart pounding against his palms. He took a deep breath and touched his burning face, giving a wry smile and shaking his head. This time, he really had gone all out.

An Yue couldn’t help but wonder if Ye Qinghe would reject his proposal. He felt a slight regret but mostly relief. In this relationship, he had let his guard down and shortened the safe distance that should have been maintained with his employer. He wanted to resist but found it futile. In truth, he was powerless to resist Ye Qinghe.

He had weakly accepted the feelings of someone who couldn’t even see him. An Yue felt like a thief or a liar, knowing full well that Ye Qinghe was merely confused, mistaking his feelings for affection. Yet, he still shamelessly accepted it. This time, it was he who had deceived someone’s feelings.

It would be great if Ye Qinghe could refuse his proposal. Despite the detours this relationship had taken, it would still return to its original setting in the end.

The original setting was that there would be no relationship.

After showering, An Yue came out of the bedroom and was surprised to find Ye Qinghe already out of the shower, standing at the door of the master bedroom in a bathrobe, seemingly waiting for him.

Sure enough, as soon as Ye Qinghe heard the sound of the door, he immediately looked up. Even though he couldn’t see, he still insisted on looking toward An Yue.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair?” An Yue, wearing cotton sleepwear with Charlie Brown and his big-eared dog printed on it, stood at the door, frowning as he watched the droplets of water from Ye Qinghe’s hair fall onto his dark blue bathrobe, creating a wet patch.

“I’m afraid I’ll miss you…” Ye Qinghe said quickly.

“Hmm?” An Yue responded in confusion.

“I mean, I’m afraid I’ll miss the timing of when you leave the room,” Ye Qinghe added, thinking for a moment before continuing, “Of course, I’m also afraid of missing you.”

“…” Ye Qinghe wasn’t scared off? “Have you thought it through? I mean it, I… I want to be on top.”

Ye Qinghe chuckled lightly: “If you want to be on top, then be on top!”

An Yue had already prepared himself for Ye Qinghe to back out, but hearing him say this now, it was An Yue who was stunned.

“Come here,” Ye Qinghe stretched out his hand, “Let me hug you first.”

An Yue, still dazed and surprised, took a few steps toward Ye Qinghe. He was pulled by the wrist and suddenly found himself in Ye Qinghe’s embrace. Ye Qinghe held him tightly, burying his nose in his neck: “You smell so good.”

“It’s your shower gel that smells good,” An Yue mumbled sleepily. “You smell good too.”

Ye Qinghe laughed lightly again: “Really?” He pressed a warm, wet kiss on the side of An Yue’s neck, near his earlobe. The slight electric current sent a shiver through An Yue’s body.

An Yue suddenly realized that the situation had already escalated. He snapped back to his senses and tried to regain control. He reached out, pushing Ye Qinghe and guiding him into the room behind him.

The lights in Ye Qinghe’s bedroom were off, and only the moonlight from outside and the soft glow from the wall lamps illuminated the sheer curtains. The pale light fell gently on the rosewood floor, creating a dim ambiance. In this dimness, Ye Qinghe couldn’t even make out the blurry shadows. The absence of sight heightened all his other senses. Even the faint breath from An Yue felt like a storm, disturbing Ye Qinghe’s soul. When An Yue clumsily licked his ear, the experienced Ye Qinghe shivered, as if he were a nervous virgin—tender and shy.

(To be continued…)