Chapter 86: Ye Zeqian
Li Dong set the microphone down and walked gracefully toward Ye Zeqian. His tall, elegant figure and distinguished family background made every woman in the room burn with jealousy.
Why did rich young masters always “keep it in the family”? Wealthy people really did only date wealthy people!
“Buzhuo.” Seeing Li Dong approach, Ye Zeqian quickly slipped the coat from his shoulders and handed it to his friend. “Hold this for me.”
Zhang Buzhuo caught the coat in a daze, his expression full of disbelief. “Zeqian…” Weren’t they supposed to be pretending?
Xu Chaoyan had practically just declared to everyone that Ye Zeqian was his partner. With how openly he was protecting him, how could this possibly be fake?
Zhang Buzhuo was completely rattled. He watched, speechless, as Li Dong stopped in front of his friend, who, shockingly, looked nervous and even a little expectant. Damn, he’d known Ye Zeqian for half his life and had never seen him shy before. Normally, he was the embodiment of icy indifference.
“Baby.” Li Dong extended a hand in a graceful invitation to dance.
His posture was smooth and poised, his face calm yet warm, more refined and noble than any aristocratic heir Ye Zeqian had ever met.
Ye Zeqian took a deep breath and, with trembling fingers, placed his hand into Li Dong’s palm.
The touch was warm and dry, perfectly clean, nothing that could trigger his obsessive cleanliness.
As the tango began to play, Li Dong’s arm wrapped around Ye Zeqian’s waist. He spun them both effortlessly into the center of the floor, beginning a dance so striking it held everyone’s eyes.
From that very moment, Ye Zeqian felt as if his soul had taken flight, and the man holding him was the pair of wings carrying him upward.
What kind of feeling was this?
It was the realization that he’d wasted the first half of his life. Every so-called “good man” he’d met before was trash from the dump, while top-grade goods should be like the one before him.
“You… you’re really good at tango…” Ye Zeqian stammered out praise he wasn’t used to giving, his tongue awkward from lack of practice. Normally, that mouth only knew how to criticize.
“Thank you. Zeqian dances beautifully too,” Li Dong said with a gentle smile, his tone courteous and steady.
“I… can I ask…” Ye Zeqian’s breath came unevenly as they turned again and again, until his forehead rested briefly against the man’s solid shoulder. The heat of that body seeped through the thin fabric between them. “Does helping me like this… cause trouble with your partner?”
“I’m single,” Li Dong said simply.
“Oh…” Ye Zeqian’s mind went blank. Being spun through several more turns, he felt like he was floating out of his body entirely, only the pounding of his heart remained, loud and insistent.
The music swelled to its passionate climax. Their waists brushed, their hips aligned, their steps grew faster and tighter.
A faint sheen of sweat gathered on Ye Zeqian’s forehead. The heat inside him spread, searing and uncontrollable, until it filled his whole body.
One more spin, then another and one last flourish. His lithe waist lifted free of Li Dong’s hold, twisting once in midair before falling neatly back into his waiting hands, strong enough to crush him if they wished.
When the dance ended, Ye Zeqian was panting for breath.
Papapap!
Applause exploded through the room, sending his emotions soaring. For 27 years, he had never felt so seen, so alive. It was as if a firework had gone off inside his chest.
“Kiss!” He Yunkai shouted gleefully.
“Yeah, kiss!” the crowd chimed in, laughing and clapping.
Ye Zeqian froze. His first instinct was to straighten up, then immediately step back.
Kissing was out of the question. If he were capable of that, he and Gao Zhen wouldn’t have broken up in the first place.
But the man’s face was getting closer and closer still, urged on by the chants.
“Hey?” He panicked. Why did Li Dong look like he might actually go through with it?
The terrifying part was that Ye Zeqian didn’t exactly… hate it. Staring at that face, he had the sudden, absurd illusion that maybe he could accept anything this man did.
Li Dong glanced at his slightly parted lips, then leaned forward and instead of kissing him, pulled him into a warm embrace.
“……” Inside Ye Zeqian’s mind: “!!!!”
When the man finally released him, his face was burning so hot it hurt. He wanted nothing more than to go bang his head against the nearest wall.
“Tired? Go rest for a bit,” Li Dong said kindly.
“Okay.” Grinding his teeth, Ye Zeqian ducked his head and marched back to Zhang Buzhuo, snatching his coat to hide his face and his bright red ears.
“So embarrassing…” Zhang Buzhuo muttered, having witnessed the entire mortifying ordeal.
“……” That hit Ye Zeqian like a physical blow. He actually turned and bumped his head lightly against the wall.
“You’re unbelievable. Come on.” Zhang Buzhuo led him out, exasperated, until they reached a quiet spot. “What’s going on between you and Xu Chaoyan? Is he really your boyfriend or not?”
Even as an outsider, he couldn’t tell anymore.
“Keep your voice down.” Ye Zeqian glanced around cautiously before poking his head out of the coat and fanning his face. “He’s not. It’s fake.”
So Xu Chaoyan wasn’t his boyfriend.
“Then why were you acting like that? The hugs, the dance, the whole thing?!” His friend groaned. “If you’d been half that open with Gao Zhen, he never would’ve cheated!”
Ye Zeqian ran a hand through his hair, still clutching Li Dong’s coat. His reflection in the window was sharp and handsome. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because he’s just… such a good person.” The memory of that embrace alone made his heart speed up again.
“True,” Zhang Buzhuo admitted, recalling the man’s calm, composed demeanor. “Sigh… makes the rest of us look pathetic.”
“I should return this.” Ye Zeqian stood, lifting the coat.
He wove through the crowd and quickly found the man at the center of everyone’s attention.
“Mr. Xu, I heard you graduated from X University in Country X. What a coincidence, I’m an alumna too,” said a woman in a tight red dress, cleavage on full display as she sidled up beside him.
“Oh? A fellow alumna?” Li Dong looked over, only to be met by an expanse of exposed skin.
Ye Zeqian, watching from nearby, clearly saw her arms squeeze together to push her C-cup into a D.
Tsk, tsk. Not afraid of snapping the neckline, huh?
“Chaoyan.” He stepped forward, coat in hand.
“You’re back.” Li Dong turned from the red dress to him, immediately finding Ye Zeqian’s face far more pleasing than all that “white flesh.”
“Mm.” Ye Zeqian nodded. “It’s not cold indoors, so I should return this.” He politely helped Li Dong put it back on.
“Thank you, baby,” Li Dong said.
“You’re too polite,” Ye Zeqian replied.
“How did you two meet?” the red-dressed actress asked.
“In the restroom,” they said at the exact same time then paused, surprised, before both laughed.
“Didn’t expect you to remember that so clearly.” Ye Zeqian smirked, glancing at the woman’s sour face with satisfaction.
“Of course I’d remember anything about you,” Li Dong said.
Ye Zeqian knew it was an act, but he still felt himself sinking into that honeyed tone, dizzy and unguarded.
“Ahem. what do you need to chat with this big sister? Should I give you some space?” he teased.
“??” Big sister?!
The actress silently cursed him out but could only smile stiffly, he was rich, she wasn’t.
“Nothing much to talk about,” Li Dong said mildly. “I’m going to the restroom. You all enjoy yourselves.”
“Alright.” Ye Zeqian watched him go, too self-conscious to follow.
Then his phone buzzed.
Xu Chaoyan: Come to the back garden. I’m getting some air.
Ye Zeqian: Okay…
Putting his phone away, he felt strangely light, as though all the irritation from earlier had vanished.
Just one message, and his mood was instantly lifted. Terrifying.
He clenched his fingers, took a steadying breath, and walked toward the garden.
In the dim light beyond the flowers, he saw a tall figure seated on the steps.
“Come sit,” Li Dong said.
“You really don’t mind getting dirty, do you?” Ye Zeqian frowned at how casually he was sitting where countless people’s shoes had touched.
“Oh…” Li Dong suddenly remembered his companion’s germophobia. He patted his thigh. “If you don’t mind, you can sit here.”
“Thank you, but that’s not appropriate.” Ye Zeqian looked startled. With no audience nearby, there was no need to keep pretending.
“My apologies, that was overstepping.” Li Dong said it so earnestly it almost sounded like self-reproach.
“You’re far too polite.” Ye Zeqian crossed his arms, standing beside him.
After a while, he started to feel cold again and then that familiar coat landed softly on his shoulders once more. For a second, he felt the insane urge to kneel.
How could a man like Xu Chaoyan even exist? He treated people well, yet without a hint of flirtation.
The two of them talked quietly for over half an hour.
From books and movies to management philosophies and daily life, Li Dong spoke with calm sincerity, his words thoughtful and engaging.
Inside, Ye Zeqian’s thoughts were in chaos. He realized he shared nearly every opinion with this man, it was unbelievable how much they aligned.
“I think so too,” he kept saying, only to want to strangle himself right after. It sounded like blatant bootlicking.
And yet, he didn’t want the conversation to end.
“Chaoyan! There you are!” He Yunkai finally found them. “Everyone’s looking for you, come back in. You can flirt later!”
“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Li Dong replied.
Ye Zeqian suddenly realized he’d monopolized the man’s entire evening. Embarrassment and secret happiness tangled inside him.
“Let’s head back in,” Li Dong said with a smile. “We can talk more next time.”
“Yes, next time,” Ye Zeqian answered.
He looked calm on the outside, but inside his chest a storm was raging.
At 27, for the first time in his life, he felt small, like he didn’t deserve this person at all.
An hour later, in the car ride home.
Since their families lived in the same neighborhood, he and Zhang Buzhuo shared a ride.
Once they got in, Zhang glanced over and gawked. “Didn’t you return his coat? Why are you still wearing it?”
“Oh.” Ye Zeqian looked down, distracted. “He put it back on me when we were talking in the garden.”
And he hadn’t returned it before leaving.
“Tsk.” Zhang lounged back and muttered, “I’d bet money he likes you.”
Otherwise, what straight man would go that far for another guy?
Either way, Xu Chaoyan was definitely not straight. If he was, the universe made a mistake.
“I’ll return it next time,” Ye Zeqian murmured.
Silence filled the car. Then Zhang suddenly slapped his thigh. “Wait! Doesn’t Xinyi’s office rent space right above yours?!”
Ye Zeqian shot him a look. Only now he remembered? Bit late for that.
Author’s Note:
【They all say they don’t want little Ye, yet they still want to f*ck him. Second update this afternoon.】
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