Unmatched Chapter 28
byChapter 28 Not Giving Up
Xie Qi phrased it as a question, but he didn’t actually care about Zhao Shuyi’s opinion and immediately took action.
The buttons at Zhao Shuyi’s collar were ripped open, and a highly oppressive kiss landed on his collarbone. Xie Qi used his teeth, biting painfully. Xie Qi intended to take him by force, devoid of any tenderness or romance.
In this situation, resistance varies in intensity. Light resistance is half-hearted compliance, while heavy resistance is fighting for one’s life. Zhao Shuyi hadn’t reached the “fighting for his life” stage, but he absolutely refused. He used his hands, feet, and knees, pushing and kicking to reject Xie Qi. Yet, Xie Qi seemed oblivious to the pain, focusing only on restraining his hands.
His skin was turning red from the pinching, his neck covered in tooth marks. After struggling fiercely for a long time, he failed to push the person on top of him away. Unable to catch his breath, he suddenly lost his strength, and as his grip loosened, his arms were pinned above his head, and Xie Qi kissed him.
The smell of alcohol was strong. People who are half-drunk are the most likely to feign madness using liquor as an excuse.
Zhao Shuyi’s jaw was tightly held as he endured a deep kiss that bordered on humiliation. His lips were bitten, and his tongue ached. Xie Qi stared at him intently, seemingly enjoying his angry expression, observing him while kissing him. After kissing his lips enough, he moved to his cheeks, delicately, slowly, gently pecking his profile and chin, as if savoring a rare delicacy.
Every inch of skin above Zhao Shuyi’s neck was infused with Xie Qi’s scent—a mix of red wine and a faint hint of men’s cologne.
Zhao Shuyi realized that his anger pleased Xie Qi, so he immediately controlled his expression and said coldly, “Are you having fun?”
“Yes, I am.”
The hand Xie Qi used to cup his cheek trembled slightly. To stop the shaking, he had to grip harder, pinching him fiercely: “The thought that you hate me to death makes me feel… incredibly satisfied.”
“Do you want to hit me? Are you cursing me out in your head?” Xie Qi spoke a stream of strange, ambiguous words. “I’m truly disgusting, demanding repayment for a favor, asking you for money, even calculating the interest, and forcing you to sleep with me—forget about liking me, do you feel like throwing up just seeing me?”
He pointed to his heart: “I feel great inside, I’m satisfied, do you understand?”
“…”
Zhao Shuyi choked up slightly, starting to believe that Xie Qi was genuinely drunk and not faking it.
“How much did you drink just now?”
Zhao Shuyi asked casually, and Xie Qi reacted violently: “What the hell does it matter to you? Even if I drink myself to death, it’s not your place to care.”
Zhao Shuyi sneered, “Don’t overthink it. Was I caring about you?”
“…”
“Those empty bottles outside aren’t enough to kill anyone. Should I open a few more for you?” Zhao Shuyi added fuel to the fire with his indifference. “Go on, why are you spacing out? Hurry up and finish. If you don’t, I’ll look down on you.”
Xie Qi couldn’t tolerate such provocation. His face darkened, and he became so rough he seemed intent on breaking Zhao Shuyi’s waist.
The foreplay was rushed and messy, and they started within minutes. It hurt a little, but not unbearably so. Zhao Shuyi maintained an unperturbed expression, observing Xie Qi just as Xie Qi had observed him earlier, applying silent psychological pressure.
As expected, Xie Qi was furious, acting as if he wanted to kill him.
Not long into it, Zhao Shuyi started sweating. He was struggling to endure, but managed to maintain his cold demeanor, maliciously commenting, “I thought you had been practicing with someone recently. Is this all you’ve got? No improvement.”
“…”
He was too skilled at arguing, digging truly vicious traps. If Xie Qi said he had been practicing, he would have to admit he hadn’t improved at all. If he said he hadn’t, it would be a tacit admission that he had remained chaste for Zhao Shuyi.
Zhao Shuyi watched him coolly, waiting for Xie Qi’s reaction.
After a long pause, Xie Qi finally managed, “Why should I practice? I only need to satisfy myself. I don’t care about your life or death.”
“Oh.”
Zhao Shuyi fell silent.
For nearly ten minutes, they had no communication.
They were engaged in the most intimate act, yet a chasm seemed to separate them. Neither was willing to please the other; they even skipped kissing.
Zhao Shuyi, having been cornered by that previous comment, felt a surge of resentment. He chose a crucial moment to say, “I will still repay the money I owe. Tonight, let’s consider you served me.”
He spoke with little strength, eyes closed, deliberately avoiding looking at Xie Qi. He kept his lips tightly sealed, preventing any undignified sounds from escaping under Xie Qi’s increasingly intense torment.
But Xie Qi insisted on prying his mouth open, forcefully inserting his finger deep inside, reaching his throat. Zhao Shuyi couldn’t help but choke and cough, unable to get enough oxygen. He coughed until his whole body trembled, his face flushed, and his chest rose and fell irregularly…
After it ended, Zhao Shuyi remained still for a long time. Xie Qi lay behind him, an arm’s length away, deliberately maintaining distance.
The silence afterward was the most awkward. The bedroom, which normally didn’t feel particularly large, suddenly seemed vast and empty tonight.
They felt like strangers who had briefly encountered each other in this huge space, turning their backs on one another without recognition.
Zhao Shuyi recalled that not long ago, Xie Qi liked to wrap his arms around his waist afterward, kneading him playfully, clingy and annoying, unwilling to let go.
He glanced back.
Xie Qi had his back to him, either lost in thought or already asleep.
Zhao Shuyi was silent for a moment, then got out of bed to clean up.
When he first got home tonight, he was cold and eager for a hot bath. Now he wasn’t cold anymore, but he still craved the unique comfort of warm water enveloping his body.
He lay quietly in the tub, his mind blank, and surprisingly, he felt a little sleepy.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t know when he fell asleep. His sleep was always light, and he always had nightmares when he didn’t take medication.
Today’s nightmare was rather ordinary: he was running somewhere, then fell from a height. He got up and kept running, kept falling…
After countless falls, Zhao Shuyi still didn’t wake up.
The water surface rippled, caused by the involuntary twitching of his ankles when he “fell.”
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the bathroom door.
“Zhao Shuyi,” Xie Qi’s voice called out. “Are you still not done washing?”
Zhao Shuyi woke up in a daze, stunned for a few seconds.
Knock, knock, knock. Xie Qi knocked again: “Are you deaf? Or mute?”
“…”
When he fell asleep, his body had unconsciously slid down, and the water in the tub had reached his neck. Zhao Shuyi sat up slightly, displeased. “Do you need something? If you want to wash, go use the other bathroom.”
“So you’re still alive,” Xie Qi’s words were unpleasant. “You haven’t made a sound for over an hour. I thought you might have drowned while bathing, so I hurried over to check, just in case my house turned into a murder scene.”
Even the sharp-tongued Zhao Shuyi was silenced by his harshness.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t respond, but Xie Qi kept knocking. A rapid series of muffled thuds echoed on the door. Xie Qi shouted, “Come out! What exactly are you doing in there?”
Zhao Shuyi reached his limit: “What the hell does it matter to you? Stop bothering me.”
Xie Qi fell silent.
But the silence lasted less than five seconds before he suddenly spoke again: “Did you slip and fall? Do you need help?… Don’t be embarrassed to ask. I won’t laugh. Even if we’re enemies, I wouldn’t leave you to die, right?”
“Your moral standards are truly high,” Zhao Shuyi mocked. “But I’m perfectly fine. Please stop cursing me. Thank you.”
He thought Xie Qi wouldn’t pester him again, but unexpectedly, the person outside the door was silent for a moment, then said, “So you’re deliberately not coming out? You don’t want to see me, is that it?”
Zhao Shuyi played along: “That’s right. You’re so smart.”
Before the words were finished, the bathroom door was forcefully pushed open.
He hadn’t locked it, so Xie Qi entered easily and strode right up to him.
“What are you doing?” Zhao Shuyi leaned against the tub, giving him a cold, upward glance.
However, Xie Qi looked down at him, said nothing, and turned around and left.
“?” Zhao Shuyi was baffled. His enjoyment of the bath was ruined, and he had no desire to continue.
He wrapped himself in a bathrobe, preparing to return to his own room—his room since they started living separately.
But unexpectedly, Xie Qi was like a persistent ghost, blocking the entrance to his room. His face held an expression that suggested he wanted a fight. He didn’t speak, just stared fiercely at him.
The bedroom light wasn’t on, and the doorway was dim. Xie Qi stood in the darkness, his right hand gripping the door frame, remaining silent for several minutes.
But the longer he remained silent, the more Zhao Shuyi felt he had something to say.
“Say it, or move aside if you won’t,” Zhao Shuyi said, his head aching. “I’m tired and want to sleep.”
Xie Qi said coldly, “Why should I let you sleep? I haven’t slept well for half a month.”
Zhao Shuyi was speechless: “What does your lack of sleep have to do with me? You—”
He suddenly realized something and glanced at Xie Qi uncertainly, “Does it have something to do with me?”
The question was subtle. Zhao Shuyi didn’t actually want to ask, but Xie Qi’s expression was deeply suggestive, compelling him to blurt it out involuntarily.
Xie Qi, however, said, “It has nothing to do with you. I deserve it.”
His words were self-deprecating, but his eyes clearly accused Zhao Shuyi, trying to cover up his true feelings while refusing to be honest.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t understand what he was trying to achieve, forced into a staring contest for several minutes. The sadness, resentment, and even grievance emanating from Xie Qi grew clearer, intensely sweeping over Zhao Shuyi, forcing him to confront it.
“Xie Qi,” Zhao Shuyi suddenly understood a little. “You haven’t given up?”
“…”
“You caught feelings for me when you were pretending a few days ago, and you still like me now?” Zhao Shuyi was incredulous, stepping closer to Xie Qi. “Speak up. Am I right?”
Xie Qi remained silent, like a block of wood.
Zhao Shuyi’s terrible mood from the entire evening inexplicably improved. He was uncertain, so he needed repeated confirmation, deliberately using a warning tone: “If you like me, say it. If you don’t, get lost.”
Xie Qi looked like he didn’t want to get lost, but admitting he liked Zhao Shuyi seemed harder than killing him.
Moreover, their relationship was so strained now. Whoever bowed first would lose face.
But liking someone seemed to be a humiliating thing, and one person always had to speak first. If they avoided it this time, they would suffer again next time, miss the chance, and wait for the time after that.
Zhao Shuyi was starting to feel uncomfortable too. He didn’t know what act Xie Qi was putting on, but the emotion was infectious, making him inexplicably nervous.
—Even if he liked him, it couldn’t be that deep, could it?
How could Xie Qi possibly swallow his pride and admit it out loud?
“Forget it, I was joking.” Zhao Shuyi offered them both a way out, pushing Xie Qi hard, trying to bypass him and enter the room.
But Xie Qi remained rooted in place, not moving an inch.
“A little, just a little bit of liking,” Xie Qi said stiffly. “I’m giving you a chance, Zhao Shuyi. Do you want to try dating me again?”