Chapter 101: Lu Jun
The sound of the television filled the silent room.
Not only did it fail to help keep someone alert, but it also actually made them increasingly drowsy.
“Haa…” Lu Jun yawned and scrubbed a hand over his face.
On a normal night, staying up late was nothing to him. He wouldn’t be this drowsy.
Right now though, the refined man sleeping beside him breathed steadily. That rhythm was addictive, like a drug, and it was damn contagious.
Given Lu Jun’s temperament, he should have irritably woken the man up long ago.
Why should he stay up all night while the other person slept blissfully?
Good-looking people get privileges. Hmph.
Fine, with a body like that and… certain generous proportions, he could keep sleeping.
Another yawn. Lu Jun’s pretty phoenix eyes drooped shut. His lean, supple body finally tipped sideways against his prey’s solid shoulder.
Warm, heavy heartbeats thrummed under his palm. The deadliest sleep aid in the world.
Since his debut at 17, the bounty killer Lu Jun had racked up a string of breathtaking feats in just four years. Tonight he fell asleep grasping a pistol in his right hand and a man’s heartbeat in his left, sleeping like the dead.
He was a notoriously light sleeper, the kind to wake at the slightest disturbance.
Getting five straight hours of deep sleep was a rare fantasy, basically impossible.
Yet here he was, crammed up against his prey, actually asleep, and he slept until dawn…
When Lu Jun opened his eyes, he realized he was sprawled across the man’s chest.
“Sh— I, f—” He almost shot himself on reflex, then scrambled upright and pretended he’d been watching TV all night.
“Mm…” Li Dong had dreamt of monsters all night. Once the weight on his chest lifted, he opened his eyes drowsily.
The clock on the wall read exactly seven a.m.
He always got up to run at this hour. He had kept that habit for years.
“Morning, Mr. Kidnapper.” Bare-chested, Li Dong sat up and turned to greet the young man beside him. His sleeping posture had been exemplary (pressed flat with no choice), and after a full night, his looks were still very much intact.
Truly… a kind of composure that made people want to hit him.
“Up. Wash.” Lu Jun said coldly. He hauled Li Dong off the bed and into the bathroom.
While the young killer relieved himself, Li Dong kept his eyes forward and washed up. When the other switched to washing his face and brushing his teeth, Li Dong coolly took his own turn at the toilet.
“I usually shower in the morning. Do you mind?” he asked.
This was, without contest, the neediest prey Lu Jun had ever handled.
“Hurry up.” Lu Jun stood blank-faced outside the glass door, a silver pistol tucked at his waistband.
“Alright.” Li Dong loosened his towel.
Water rushed over his head. Droplets traced over muscles that invited a bite…
Lu Jun watched, eyes unblinking. As steam spread, his breath hitched, a little lightheaded.
He swallowed and muttered under his breath, “Damn.”
This man made even taking a shower indecent.
And that face stayed gentle as jade. F*ck.
“All done.” Li Dong wrapped a fresh towel around his waist and stepped out.
“Then move it.” Lu Jun roughly tugged the handcuffs, his face showing the frustration of having a good time interrupted.
“Sorry. I also work out in the morning.” Out in the room, Li Dong pointed at a clear patch of floor by the bed. “Can I do some exercise here?”
Lu Jun dug at his ear in disbelief. Did he just say… work out?
F***. This really was the neediest prey. No contest.
“I’ll just do push-ups. Won’t bother you.” Li Dong asked quietly.
“Fine.” Lu Jun gave him an impatient look, then crouched. “You have thirty minutes. Whatever you’re doing, do it fast.”
“Thanks.” Li Dong set his hands and launched into crisp, powerful push-ups.
That speed…
Holy sh*t… impressive… is he even human…
Lu Jun watched in stunned amazement. He wiped his face, not quite as composed as before.
Mid-set, Li Dong paused and looked back. “Want to sit on my back and try?”
Lu Jun almost slipped and fell to his knees before his “prey.” “On your back?” Try? His throat went dry. “Don’t talk big.” A grown man weighed, what, a hundred forty, a hundred fifty pounds at least.
Push-ups with a rider? No way.
“Come on,” Li Dong said simply.
Hell, that was manly.
“Tsk, tsk.” Lu Jun shot the boastful person a glance and, half skeptical, sat down.
After a three-count pause, he felt the man beneath him start up again. Same clean rhythm as before, like nothing had changed.
Scarily impressive…
He was reconsidering that earlier doubt about whether Pei Ruozhen could please a lady. This wasn’t about pleasing ladies. The man could probably please the strongest guy alive.
Lu Jun thought about his own build. He was a ways off from “powerhouse.”
“Can you count for me?” Li Dong asked, a little breathless.
Why the hell should I count for you?
That’s what Lu Jun thought. His mouth, however, started on its own. “One, two, three, four…” He was going to lose it.
The morning workout lasted thirty minutes, just like Li Dong’s usual routine.
When he stopped, he said, “That’s enough. You can get off.”
In a daze, Killer Lu Jun couldn’t even remember what number he’d reached. Once he stood up, his steps felt a little weak. He needed a chair.
“You okay?” Bent over, sweat-damp, Li Dong looked at him with concern.
“I’m fine.” Lu Jun’s grin twisted. I’m great.
“Then… would you go to the bathroom with me again?” Li Dong asked meekly. He was drenched in sweat after all.
“You’re a lot of work.” Lu Jun sounded lightly impatient, but he stood at once and led the way.
While Li Dong showered, he asked, “With a body like that, how many girlfriends have you had?” His eyes stayed glued to Li Dong, like a starving beast hunting, practically glowing green.
“One,” Li Dong said.
“She must’ve died of happiness,” Lu Jun smiled wickedly. “How many times a week did you two, you know, hum?”
Teasing a straight guy could be described as the loneliest of the lonely, though internally he was dying of frustration.
“None,” Li Dong said with a small smile. “We never got that far.”
“You’re a virgin?” Lu Jun asked.
Li Dong nodded shamelessly. “Mm.”
“…” A wicked fire roared up from the depths of Lu Jun’s soul, burning away his self-control. “Want to try it?” His aura changed in a blink. Everything about him said he wanted to do obscene things to this man.
“What?” Li Dong blushed like a lamb. “I’m not thinking about that. I’ll wait until I’m married.”
Lu Jun had always thought only beasts like Li Tingyi were attractive. He never imagined he’d be wrecked this hard by a man who could still be shy.
“Such a waste.” Lu Jun leaned in, staring. “Kiss me and I’ll consider being nicer to you on the road. Deal?”
He thought it was a great offer. Only an idiot would refuse.
“Uh, a kiss?” Li Dong said. “We’re both men…” That didn’t seem proper. He looked flustered, like a sheltered, pure young man.
“Tsk, straight guys like you…” Lu Jun said. “One of my least favorite lifeforms is the straight man.” Annoyed, he yanked the cuff hard. “Hurry it up. I don’t have all day.”
Metal bit into Li Dong’s wrist, leaving an angry red mark.
It hurt, of course, but he said nothing and finished showering quickly.
Back in the room, he braced himself. “I want to get dressed. Could you unlock the cuffs for a moment?”
Lu Jun curled his lip. “Sure. Kiss me, or you’re walking out there with it swinging.” He was bluffing. If he sent Li Dong outside like that, their cover would be blown in minutes.
Clearly, if you didn’t indulge this irresistible protagonist shou a little, you wouldn’t get decent treatment from him.
Li Dong hesitated for a long moment. “Then… okay,” he said softly.
He stepped in close, warm eyes faintly shy. Under Lu Jun’s amused gaze, he leaned forward and, quick as lightning, brushed a kiss and darted back.
Before Lu Jun could even taste it, his first kiss was over.
“You call that a kiss?” His hand went for the gun.
“No, no.” Looking a little scared, Li Dong cupped Lu Jun’s face and gave him a real one.
This time, Lu Jun was very satisfied, no complaints from start to finish.
He didn’t regret enjoying a man behind Li Tingyi’s back. It wasn’t like Li Tingyi owned him.
Ten minutes later, Lu Jun slumped at the foot of the bed like a dead man. The pistol that never left his hand lay a mere arm’s length away.
Helpful as ever, Li Dong picked up the gun and stuffed it back into the killer’s hand. “Your gun.”
Lu Jun took a long breath. In under two hours, he’d felt the urge to shoot himself. Twice.
“My stomach’s a little empty. How about we get dressed and grab food?” Li Dong asked hopefully.
“Food. Is that all you ever think about?” Lu Jun looked done with life, but he took out the key and unlocked the cuff on his prey. “Five minutes. Get dressed.”
“Okay.” Li Dong answered promptly.
He made the most of the five minutes, dressing slowly in his suit. Every movement was polished, a born gentleman.
Tch. Brain-dead rich second-gen. Lu Jun looked away, expression complicated.
“I’m ready,” Li Dong said. He picked up the cuff himself and locked his right wrist.
Lu Jun watched coolly without comment.
He slipped off the gray cotton scarf from his own neck and wound it around both their wrists, then seized his hand. “From now on, we’re a couple. If you cry for help or say the wrong thing, I’ll put a bullet in you.”
“Mm.” Li Dong agreed without resistance.
Lu Jun took him out the door. On the street, face still sour, he asked, “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Chinese, if possible?”
The request was quickly granted. Lu Jun brought him to a nearby Chinese restaurant.
Most of the patrons were Asian, which felt reassuring.
It was exactly the kind of place Lu Jun hated. He had to be careful his prey didn’t call for help.
In the end, he discovered that as long as the prey had food and drink, he forgot the world. He clearly had no intention of calling anyone.
“Thanks, pass the pepper,” Li Dong said, reaching out.
“This looks great. I want another order of this,” he added halfway through, eyes wandering back to the menu.
“Mr. Kidnapper, are we flying back to China or taking a ship?” Li Dong chatted as he ate with the very man who’d abducted him.
“I think a ship’s cooler, and easier to slip aboard.” He glanced at Lu Jun’s waist. Under the trench coat, there should be a gun.
Lu Jun handed him the pepper without a word, waved the server over to order more, then massaged his forehead. “Whatever.” Why the hell did it feel so easy to get along with his prey? It was making him nervous.
“Thanks. You actually take other people’s suggestions,” Li Dong said. “How old are you? I’m 25, just finished my master’s.”
“21,” Lu Jun said. “And don’t ask me why I’m not in school. That’s a stupid question.” He’d snap.
“I don’t wonder about that. You’re really young,” Li Dong said, glancing at him. “And good-looking. Have you dated?”
“I have,” said Mr. Kidnapper, deadpan nonsense.
“Then you must be between relationships right now, which is why you kissed me,” Li Dong murmured, apparently hung up on the kiss.
“Heh.” Lu Jun let out a noncommittal laugh.
“Thanks. I’d like ketchup,” Li Dong said.
Lu Jun rummaged through the condiment basket and found no damn ketchup. “Waiter, fan-qie-jiang—ketchup!”
His flawless pronunciation stunned the tables on both sides.
Li Dong ducked his head to hide a smile. Suddenly, this protagonist shou seemed a little cute.
Then Lu Jun used Li Dong’s wallet to pay, and the smile died.
“Tsk, stingy. Aren’t you a rich boy?” Lu Jun scoffed twice. He caught two women whispering about the man at his side and, without a word, grabbed Li Dong’s chin and kissed him hard.
Hot-blooded. That was Li Dong’s sole impression of Lu Jun.
“Let’s go.” After scaring off the women, Lu Jun led Li Dong out of the restaurant by the hand.
He flagged a taxi. “To the nearest port.”
“What?” The driver was shocked. “Sir, are you sure?” A cab wasn’t the economical choice.
“Spare me. I can pay you.” Lu Jun lifted a bulging wallet. It wasn’t his.
“That’s mine,” Li Dong said, staring at it.
“Is it?” Lu Jun slapped the fine leather against his palm. “From now on it’s mine. Including you…” your life. “Also mine.”
Author’s Note:
【Lu Jun: What’s it like to get along well with your prey? Colleague: It means you’re not far from death.】
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