ASSHKHME Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Heart Aflame

Xie Yu wasn’t angry; instead, he laughed. He poured half a glass of whiskey into a glass with an ice ball, clinked glasses with Chen Zhuo, and said nothing more.

Judging by Chen Zhuo’s meaning, his parents must have passed away very early. It was understandable and forgivable that he grew up well without going astray, and even got into university on his own, even if his personality had flaws.

Chen Zhuo didn’t know that he had already been defined by Xie Yu as having a flawed personality. He lazily nestled on the sofa, watching the men and women writhing madly on the dance floor, drinking his wine sip by sip to the beat of the heart-pumping music.

Xie Yu was right, this wasn’t Chen Zhuo’s first time at a bar. He did indeed remember a rebellious period when he wanted to give up on himself and let himself fall.

But each time, he was caught back by Xu Qingyou. There weren’t many times, only three.

At that time, Xu Qingyou had just returned from abroad and entered the company, so busy and burnt out that he still had to worry about this naughty guy.

The last time he dragged Chen Zhuo out of the bar, seeing that reasoning was useless, Xu Qingyou couldn’t bear it any longer and slapped him.

Whether it woke him up or just hurt, he became honest afterward.

As for the bar that allowed minors to enter, it was reported for illegal operation, suspended for rectification, and then closed for good.

The atmosphere was too good; it seemed all emotions could be forgotten and released here.

Chen Zhuo drank two more glasses of wine, and when he got up, he swayed. He seemed to see someone reaching out to help him, but he didn’t pay much attention, and walked unsteadily towards the toilet.

Turning a corner in the hallway, the decibels of electronic music and human voices were much lower, like a dream from another world.

After Chen Zhuo finished using the toilet, he washed his face with cold water, brushed the wet strands of hair on his forehead back, and raised his head with a face full of water droplets, his eyes meeting those of a young man with American street style clothes in the mirror behind him.

Tattoos on his arms, lip, eyebrow, and ear cartilage piercings, he looked passable, but his eyes were very impolite and unruly, sizing Chen Zhuo up and down.

The man leaned against the door, thinking he was very handsome: “I noticed you as soon as you entered the bar, but it’s a pity you’ve always had companions by your side.”

Chen Zhuo calmly pulled out a paper towel to wipe the water from his face and hands, turned around to look at the man, and said in a low voice, “Get out of the way.”

“Don’t be like that, aren’t we the same kind of people? Are you top or bottom? I can cooperate.”

The man looked ambiguously at the toilet cubicle behind him and walked closer to Chen Zhuo with a smile.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flicked out two, put one in his mouth, and handed the other to Chen Zhuo.

“Let’s be friends, I’m really interested in you.”

Chen Zhuo didn’t move, looking at him with a cold and impatient expression.

The man didn’t mean to make way at all, lit a cigarette for himself, his eyes fiery: “Don’t worry, it’s just an ordinary cigarette. Civilized society, civilized friendship, huh? Don’t you want one?”

The corner of Chen Zhuo’s mouth curved into a mocking arc. He took the cigarette, flipped it between his fingers, put it in his mouth, and his drunken eyes were tinged with a light red.

The man was overjoyed and tried to light it for him with his own cigarette, but Chen Zhuo frowned and refused. He humbly took out a lighter, holding the flame to light Chen Zhuo’s cigarette.

A little spark flickered. Chen Zhuo exhaled white smoke, squinting his drunken eyes, his thin lips carrying a sneer: “It’s so inferior that it makes me feel disgusted.”

The man heard him pointing at something else while talking about something else, his face changed drastically. He took a deep breath, threw the cigarette on the ground, and said gloomily, “Don’t you fucking push your luck!”

Chen Zhuo suddenly laughed, the corners of his eyes curving into a soft arc, so beautiful that people couldn’t take their eyes off him, but when he opened his mouth, he said, “Are you stupid?”

“Hey, damn it! You won’t accept a toast, so you want to be forced to drink, right! I’m going to fuck you until you call me daddy today!”

Emboldened by alcohol, the man looked ferocious and was about to push Chen Zhuo into the toilet, but as soon as his arm reached over, Chen Zhuo twisted his wrist behind his back.

The bone joint “clicked” out of place, and he immediately cried out in pain, “Ah, ah, ah—”

Chen Zhuo kicked him in the back of the knee, kicking him to the ground, and said vaguely with the cigarette in his mouth, “Your yelling is really unpleasant. I can’t beat Xie Yu, that wild boar, but can’t I deal with you?”

The wild boar himself, who heard the sound of fighting and stopped abruptly: “…”

Chen Zhuo was stepping on the man’s head, making him call him daddy, when he caught sight of a figure and stopped the hand holding the cigarette near his mouth.

The smoke curled around his delicate and handsome face, and he tilted his head drunkenly and hazily to look at Xie Yu at the door.

All emotions were nowhere to hide under the bright incandescent light. There was astonishment and disbelief on Xie Yu’s face, as well as an awkwardness he wanted to hide.

The sound of laughter came from the hallway, getting closer and closer.

Xie Yu didn’t have time to think, stepped forward, threw the cigarette from Chen Zhuo’s mouth on the ground and stomped it out, not giving the man who was howling with his arm in his arms even half a glance.

“Let’s go back, they’re going to check the dorms.”

Xie Yu subconsciously raised his arm to put it around Chen Zhuo’s shoulder, but he took it back halfway, only holding up his arm to walk him out.

Chen Zhuo was pulled by him, staggering, his voice with an inconspicuous nervousness, pretending to be calm: “When did you come?”

Xie Yu paused slightly.

Chen Zhuo understood and shook off his hand, raising his chin slightly as if he didn’t care: “You heard everything?”

Actually, what if Xie Yu heard everything?

From beginning to end, it was that man’s unilateral harassment, and he hadn’t given any substantive response.

But maybe it was because he had drunk too much and the alcohol amplified his emotions. When Chen Zhuo saw the shock in Xie Yu’s eyes and his deliberate avoidance of contact, he felt very stifled.

Before Xie Yu could answer, Chen Zhuo got angry first and pushed his shoulder: “So what if I’m gay? So what if I like men? Is it against the law or hurting anyone? Take away that look of you looking at a strange species! It’s none of your business!”

Someone heard the noise and looked in their direction.

Xie Yu was scolded head-on by Chen Zhuo, not having time to get angry. He quickly covered Chen Zhuo’s mouth, pinned him against the wall, and said in a low voice, “Shut up! What are you shouting about! What’s with the drunken madness!”

Chen Zhuo’s eyes were red, like a bullied little beast, glaring at him fiercely.

Seemingly fierce, but actually very unsure in his heart.

Chen Zhuo immediately regretted shouting.

He and Xie Yu were already at odds. What if Xie Yu told Zhao Jiashu and Li Ang about this?

What if they started to hate him, stopped being friends with him, and looked at him with strange eyes? What should he do?

While thinking that he should just fight if he didn’t agree, Chen Zhuo was annoyed.

His palm touched something soft. Xie Yu retracted his hand as if electrocuted and put it in his pocket, clicking his tongue.

“Although I really can’t understand your kind, as you said, it’s none of my business. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

What do you mean by your kind?

After hearing his words, Chen Zhuo calmly said “Oh.” Xie Yu was a decent guy after all.

Xie Yu said unnaturally: “Well, I heard that drinking Chinese medicine can cure your illness. A friend of my dad’s is a… ah, ouch, that hurt!”

Chen Zhuo kicked his shin, his face livid: “You’re the one who’s sick! You’re the sickest! Go eat pig brains in hotpot!”

Xie Yu rubbed his leg, looked at Chen Zhuo’s back, and said angrily, “Chen Zhuo! You’re biting the hand that feeds you!”