Chapter 37: Guan Yaoming
With a soft thud, Guan Yaoming’s suit jacket hit the floor. He did not bend to pick it up, and he certainly did not look like he planned to leave.
“Don’t be so quick-tempered all the time,” he said instead. He sat right down on Li Dong’s bed and, without another word, started undressing.
What kind of move was this?
“You think I am the one with the temper?” Li Dong blinked. “Are you confused?” For heaven’s sake, who exactly was the quick-tempered one? “Who gets physical at the slightest disagreement? You. Who choked me until I couldn't breathe? Still you.”
And that was not even the point. The point was that Guan had never laid a hand on Zhao Mian. The double standard was infuriating.
Guan wanted to apologize, but he remembered Li Dong’s own line: apologies are useless. He forced the words back down.
“What now? Got nothing to say?” Li Dong pushed.
“Then hit me,” Guan said. “I will not fight back.” He stripped in seconds and stood in front of Li Dong with nothing to hide.
“You think I would not?” Li Dong said, though inside he could not help admiring the nerve. Second-generation gangster logic: simple and direct.
“That is not what I mean.” Guan’s gaze never left the little wolfdog he liked. “We are both men. If you have a grievance, settle it. When it is done, we go on as usual. How about that?”
These words could be described as humble.
Being willing to stand here and take a beating just because he liked someone, this kind of mindset wasn't something ordinary people could handle.
“Very well,” Li Dong said. If the man asked for it, not hitting him would feel coy. “You asked me to hit you. Do not make a sound when it hurts.”
He made a fist and drove it home.
“Mmph…” Guan doubled a little, but braced himself and took it. One heavy blow after another. More than a dozen, and he never lifted a hand.
He almost seemed to be… fine with it.
After a dozen shots, Li Dong dropped his hands.
“That’s all?” Guan asked, terrifyingly calm. “If you are still upset, throw a few more. I do not mind.”
If Li Dong would let bygones be bygones, a few punches were nothing.
“….”
The low posture brought Xi Xingling to Li Dong’s mind. That man had been just as shameless with the people he loved.
His heart softened, and instantly all his anger disappeared.
He thought of everyone in this story. They were all victims of a lousy author. He should not be piling on harm.
“Yao-ge.” Li Dong sighed. “I am really against violence. Do not lay hands on me again, alright?”
“Mm…” Guan looked at him, eyes suddenly burning.
There was no way Li Dong could miss that clingy, heated look. He gentled his voice. “Good. Now lie down and rest.”
“So what happened before is over?” Guan asked. “We write off our grudges, yes?” Even his phrasing carried the air of the streets.
“No. How could it all be wiped clean?” Li Dong thought. The grudge was gone, but the debts of the heart remained.
“Then what do you want?” Guan said. “Just say it. Anything I can do, I will.”
Li Dong blinked in surprise. “No, I do not want anything.” He sat on the low cabinet, lit a cigarette, and raked a hand through his hair. “I smacked you and got it out of my system. The old stuff, let us turn the page.” Truth was he had not been keeping score. Everything he had done was for the man’s sake.
“Alright,” Guan said. He rose, carefully took the cigarette from Li Dong’s fingers, and said, “Do not smoke.”
Li Dong let him. “Sorry. I forgot you are fussy about health.” Guan did not smoke or drink much. The last time he had been half drunk, and that had not helped his temper either.
“I am not stopping you for me,” Guan said. “You are so young, and you always have a cigarette in your mouth. It makes my heart jump.” His father had been a heavy smoker too.
Age brought the coughs like clockwork.
Under his mother’s supervision, the man quit, and only then did his health pick up.
“Does it?” Li Dong said. “I hardly smoke. Eighty percent of the time it is in front of you, because I am irritated.” Too much on his mind, too many moving parts.
“Because of me?” Guan asked. “I have already broken up with Zhao Mian.” He hooked a finger around Li Dong’s wrist. “You do not need to worry about me and him anymore.” He had his pride. He did not want to dissect the last three years.
If not for Li Dong, he would never have believed he could be so soft for someone younger and so much lower in status. But life was perverse. He was more shaken than when he first fell for Zhao Mian. Now his head was full of this hot-blooded wolfdog every day.
With him, life finally felt fun.
“Lin Mo,” Guan said. “At home you can throw a tantrum however you like. Just give me a little face outside, and I can take anything.”
“….”
One line churned up a storm in Li Dong’s chest. Did every leading shou in every book become unbelievably humble once he fell in love? Even someone like Guan, born into power, could not resist the man he loved.
At first Li Dong had no faith in him. He had imagined someone endlessly complicated, a pure creature of interest and the underworld.
He had never planned some deep bond. Solve the problem, then wait and see. That had been the plan.
But now Guan admitted he was falling hard. The foul moods and the blows made sense in hindsight. They came from real feeling.
Li Dong felt like a schemer who had finally succeeded. He was guilty enough that he did not dare look back.
“I get it…” A proud man saying this much had to mean it. Li Dong leaned in and pecked him. “I am taking a shower. Wait for me.”
“Alright. I will wait,” Guan said.
Watching Li Dong’s back, he felt a weight lift.
The kid who had tormented him for so long was finally within reach. He could finally relax.
Seven or eight minutes later, Li Dong came out. Guan’s face brightened at once.
“Do you want a shower too?” Li Dong came over to check him. “How is your face?” He tilted Guan’s chin, looking left and right. The lip and eye corner were all bruised, split and crusted. He regretted going that hard. He had spoiled a handsome face.
“It is fine,” Guan said. “Just a split lip. If you mind the blood, you do not have to kiss me.”
He knew Li Dong was particular. Beneath it, the man had refined taste.
From the start, Guan’s impression of him had been good. This was not the kind of person you met at random on a street.
Li Dong said nothing. He stepped out, poured a glass of warm water, and brought it back for Guan to rinse.
“Thank you,” Guan said. He pressed a wet wipe to the cut, dabbed off the blood, and stretched out on the bed.
His forehead might as well have had writing on it: come on, climb on me.
Two boyfriends in a row with unfairly high drive, Li Dong felt the pressure. “How about not tonight,” he said. “You are banged up…”
“I am fine,” Guan said. “Your couple of tricks will not break my bones. When I was in group brawls, you were in grade school.” He wrapped Li Dong up fast, just in case he slipped away.
They had to do it tonight. If they didn’t, he wouldn’t feel secure.
This feeling of being looked down on really hurt.
“Then I will not be polite,” Li Dong said. “If you cannot take it, say so.”
Just hearing that made Guan go hot all over. It was insane. Only one person had ever made him feel like this.
It only made his past romances look like complete bullsh*t. He did not want to think about them.
“If you have the ability to make me unable to handle it, I will buy you another apartment,” he said.
Li Dong rolled his eyes. He could not explain it. He did not care about apartments. Somehow, in Guan’s mind, Lin Mo was a kid obsessed with real estate.
“….” Enough talk. Li Dong put his head down and worked.
Half a lifetime under a lover who loved to torment had taught him exactly how to satisfy a partner.
He used every skill at his disposal and thoroughly took care of the boss inside and out.
Guan Yaoming gasped, “You actually...” held back… weren’t this good before… tonight was so good it made him want to die~
Li Dong felt secretly guilty. Seeing a grown man like Guan Yaoming in this state because of him, just to vent his anger, he was really not a good person.
“Yao-ge,” he said, catching his breath. “If you cannot take it, say it earlier.” No need to win on pride.
“Do not stop,” Guan rasped.
“…” F*ck.
The world of shous was beyond a top’s understanding.
After a heavy beating and a heavy workout, Guan did not manage to get up the next day.
Watching him try to sit up only to flop right back down, Li Dong laughed until he wheezed. “Hahahahaha…”
Guan let him laugh, silent. Beyond spoiling him, he had no idea what else to do.
“Alright, alright.” Li Dong stifled it. “I will run down for food and some meds.” He drifted out the door still snickering. “Hahahaha…”
“Lin Mo!” Guan growled. The sound came through clenched teeth, anger laced with honey. He could not bear to be mad.
“What~” Li Dong poked his head back in, kissed him, and said, “By the way, do not forget my apartment.” Then he really left.
Guan stared at the ceiling for a long while, then picked up his phone to look at listings. He needed something bigger and better for his wolfdog.
Twenty minutes later, Li Dong came back with food in one hand and medicine in the other.
Guan was on his way to the bathroom. Hearing the door, he opened it for Li Dong.
The look of surprise on the kid’s face melted him on the spot.
“Back?” Guan said, carefully keeping his gaze level.
“Thanks, Yao-ge.” The cocky little wolf dog stood at the door smiling carelessly.
“What for? Do not be polite with me.” Guan stood like a block of wood, not sure what he was waiting for.
Only when the wolfdog kissed him breathless did he realize what he had been waiting for. the little wolf dog’s embrace and passionate kiss.
Lin Mo. Lin Mo, Lin Mo, Lin Mo…
“Come live with me, Yao-ge,” Li Dong murmured into his mouth. “You are my boyfriend now. Has that sunk in?”
“...!”
A thousand doubts went down the hatch. Only the smile at the corner of his mouth refused to be pushed back. “Alright,” he said. “Let us live together.”
After confirming their relationship at lightspeed, they holed up at home for two days, glued to each other.
They waited for Guan’s bruises to settle before Li Dong finally drove him to the villa to pack up.
On the way, curiosity got the better of him. “How come you never lived with Zhao Mian?”
“He is a public figure. Too many paparazzi. Not convenient,” Guan said, getting out and automatically reaching for Li Dong’s hand. “Also, we did not sleep together.” So there was no need.
Under that straightforward stare, Li Dong almost missed it. “Wait. You two did not sleep together?” He faked a big reaction just in time. “I am shocked.” He coughed. “Why?”
Guan seemed very pleased with that reaction. “So you can relax. No need to hold him against me,” he said. Then, almost teasing, “No reason. Think of it as me saving the best for you.”
Yeah right. That was not how it had happened…
“Mm-hmm.” The wind was loud. Li Dong pretended he had not heard.
After the move with his newly loyal boyfriend, Guan gathered his most trusted people for dinner to “introduce someone.”
Li Dong knew they had business to discuss. He was a plus-one.
Even so, the gesture showed he was serious about them.
With that in mind, Li Dong could not help poking: “Did you ever do this for Zhao Mian?”
“….” How long would he be paying for that history?
“I am joking,” Li Dong said. “Do not stress.” He kneaded Guan’s face again, marveling how disturbingly handsome the man was.
A face like that begged for kisses.
“Okay… enough,” Guan said quickly, afraid the scene would snowball. “We still have to go out. No time to play.” He caught the wolfdog’s hands and coaxed, “I will keep you company at home later.”
“….” Li Dong had no words. When had a couple of kisses become code for wanting more?
XX Restaurant.
Three full tables turned up for Yao-ge’s gathering.
“It has been a while since we were all together,” Jin Dachuan said. “Thanks to Yao-ge. Wonder what he will say tonight?”
“February is Madam’s birthday,” said Liang Gou. “Big year. They will go all out. Probably about that, right?”
Others had the same guess. “Old Master Guan did not come back last year. This year he will throw a huge one for Madam’s birthday. We brothers can gather again.”
“Never know how many more chances we get…”
“The man himself,” Jin announced, and everyone stood as one, facing the doors.
“Yao-ge!”
Guan walked in and dipped his head. “I brought Xiao Mo to meet everyone.” He led Li Dong to the head and announced, “I have broken up with Zhao Mian. If you run into Mr. Zhao, be polite.”
Their rule was simple: no need to be polite with their own, but be polite to outsiders.
Everyone got the message.
“This is Lin Mo. He is younger than all of you,” Guan said. “Look after him, especially when I am not around.” He pointed out Jin by name. “Dachuan oversees the entertainment side. Xiao Mo is an artist. Keep an eye out.”
“I got it,” Jin said. He eyed Li Dong with newfound respect. Kid had real skill, prying that wall loose.
“Xiao Mo, say hello,” Guan prompted, voice low and warm as he tugged Li Dong closer.
Li Dong gave him full face. With an open smile, he bowed slightly. “Hello, everyone. I am Lin Mo. Please take care of me.”
“This is Chuan-ge. You know him.”
“Chuan-ge.” Li Dong shook Jin’s hand and grinned. “I remember your driving is impressive.”
“Nothing like yours,” Jin laughed.
Old rogues. Give them an opening and they would go off-color in a heartbeat.
“This is Gou-ge. He runs my tech companies,” Guan said.
“Gou-ge, nice to meet you,” Li Dong said.
They shook. Liang Gou gave him a once-over and smiled. “Nice to meet you. Dachuan and I are pushing forty. We will be shameless and call you Xiao Mo-ge, if you do not mind?”
“Not at all,” Li Dong said quickly. Great. So Zhao was Mian-ge, and he was “little.”
“Sit, sit,” Liang urged. “A few drinks and we will all be friends.”
Looking around at the crowd, Li Dong almost said he did not drink. But he remembered the wrap party, where he had tried to drown Guan. Saying he did not drink would be shameless.
“Let us take our seats and talk about Madam’s birthday,” Guan said. “My father called. It will be big this year.” He pulled out the head chair for Li Dong first, then sat beside him. “One, to celebrate my mother. Two, to call the uncles together.”
Whispers ran down the tables. “We will wait for Old Master’s word… When do we inform people?”
“The sooner the better. Gives everyone time.”
“Yeah. They can come early and stay a few days.”
While they hashed out big-boy business, Li Dong drank and snacked, stealing glances at Guan’s profile.
“Psst, Xiao Mo-ge,” Jin said. “Let them talk. We will have a couple first.” He deftly poured two shots of strong baijiu.
Li Dong’s scalp tingled. He shot Guan a help-me look.
Jin caught it. “Tsk.” A little shou who could not take a shot? “Down the hatch first.”
“Sure, Chuan-ge can hold his liquor,” Li Dong said. He raised the tiny glass and threw it back in one go.
He did not want to drink, but it was not because he could not handle it.
A few pairs of eyes changed as they watched him drink.
Everyone knew Zhao did not really drink with them. Or maybe he felt too lofty to.
Just for the way Li Dong drank without fuss, the men around Guan accepted him. At least he was a lot more straightforward than that refined someone.
“Not bad,” said Liang Gou. “Let me toast Xiao Mo-ge too.” He was half-worried Dachuan would not be a match for this fragrant little fresh meat.
“Cheers, Gou-ge,” Li Dong said, clinking and downing it. It burned going down, but he did not flinch.
The table clapped and whooped. With Jin and Liang leading, the crowd took turns toasting him.
By the time Li Dong had done thirty shots, after circling all three tables, every attitude in the room had shifted.
Guan beamed at him and clapped along. “You lot may not be his match. He is the one who dared to get me drunk.”
Hands went up in surrender. “Xiao Mo-ge can drink!” Whether Guan was exaggerating or not, the kid had just taken thirty shots without blinking. They were impressed.
“So you are a hidden gem,” Jin laughed, patting Li Dong’s shoulder. “I must have been blind earlier, completely missed it.”
“Who has not misjudged before,” Li Dong said easily, slinging an arm around Jin. “Didn’t Yao-ge misjudge too? Otherwise I would have been drinking with you long ago.”
“Hahaha, listen to him,” Guan said. “That is exactly his temper.” No filters, straight from gut to mouth.
Strangely enough, from the start he had never once been angered by Li Dong’s bluntness.
Soon everyone noticed it. The way Yao-ge looked at his sweetheart was pure indulgence… with a hint of admiration.
“I have drunk with everyone,” Li Dong said, still grinning. He poured two more shots and handed one to Guan. “Now it is just us.”
Guan accepted, pleased. When Li Dong lifted his glass for a cross-armed toast, his heart thumped hard.
Showing off, huh?
He had been in a three-year relationship and never once showed affection in front of his men.
Maybe he had never really felt what affection was. He did now and it felt great.
“We are both men,” Li Dong said. “No need for all that flowery ritual. I like you. You like me. That settles it.”
Guan said nothing. His fingers trembled on the glass.
The more new feelings he got from Li Dong, the more he regretted those three entangled years with Zhao.
If only he had met this twenty-year-old wolfdog back then.
“I was born in winter. My nickname is the same ‘Dong.’ Lin Mo is just a stage name,” Li Dong said. One day he would tell Guan everything, undercover and all. Not yet.
“Good,” Guan said. He did not have more words. “Drink.”
They drank together, and the room erupted again.
“Perfect,” Li Dong said, leaning in to peck Guan’s lips.
None of the men minded his directness. In fact, they liked that straightforward masculine style.
Want to kiss? Then kiss. That was a man. A thousand times better than the one who minced and hedged.
Yes, after one round of drinks with Li Dong, half of them had already forgotten what Zhao’s name was.
You had to admit, this bunch of big brothers was pretty adorable.
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