The moment his cap was removed, Xu Ze instinctively narrowed his eyes, but the lighting inside the dressing room was dim and not harsh.
Xu Ze wasn’t good at reading people’s expressions, and after getting drunk, he was even more sluggish.
But instinctively, he sensed a feeling of pressure coming from Lu Heyang, even though Lu Heyang’s pheromones were being controlled very well by his wristband.
Before he could think about it further, Lu Heyang’s fingertips slid across his collarbone and pressed against his chest. The pressure was somewhat heavy, and his fingers sank a few millimeters into Xu Ze’s muscles through the T-shirt.
“Is your injury healed? You finished your match pretty quickly today.”
Lu Heyang lowered his eyes to his own hand instead of looking at Xu Ze. His voice was low, giving him an inscrutable air.
Xu Ze carefully controlled his breathing and answered, “It’s already healed.”
“Sorry,” Lu Heyang suddenly said.
Xu Ze immediately became confused, not understanding why he was apologizing.
“I brought He Yu to talk to you about this without telling you beforehand. I didn’t think it through carefully enough.”
Lu Heyang raised his head, his expression returning to its usual calm—the familiar look Xu Ze knew.
His hand dropped down and rested casually against Xu Ze’s waist.
“It’s okay.”
Xu Ze immediately shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
After all, no matter when He Yu had come to ask him, his answer would have been the same.
As the person who had kindly offered him help, Lu Heyang had no reason to apologize for this. There was simply no need for him to do so.
“Can you tell me why?” Lu Heyang stood between Xu Ze’s legs, both hands braced against the edge of the table as he looked up at him.
Xu Ze awkwardly turned his head away to avoid eye contact. “I signed a contract. It’s for a year and a half, and there’s still more than half a year left. Breaking the contract would be a huge hassle.”
Whether it was the penalty for breach of contract or Tang Feiyi, both would be an enormous headache.
“I want to know what you think,” Lu Heyang said.
Xu Ze was silent for a moment. Still unwilling to look at Lu Heyang, he answered, “I want to stay here.”
“Xu Ze.” Lu Heyang raised a hand and lightly patted the outside of Xu Ze’s thigh, reminding him, “Look at me.”
For that one second, Xu Ze’s breathing stopped.
He slowly turned his gaze toward Lu Heyang. When their eyes met at such a close distance, the alcohol carried a wave of heat rushing into his head, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He knew he was in the wrong. Lu Heyang had offered to help him out of kindness, yet not only had he refused, he had also been evasive and vague. If he were Lu Heyang, he would have been unhappy too.
“I just want to make quick money. I get paid after every fight each week.” Xu Ze spoke with difficulty. “Professional competitions require training and experience. I don’t have the time. I’m only suited to places like this. The audience here doesn’t care about boxing technique. They get excited when they see blood. It’s simple.”
“I’m not what you guys think I am. I don’t like boxing. I’m only doing it to make money.”
Admitting all this to Lu Heyang made Xu Ze feel deeply humiliated, but in the end, he still said it. He wanted Lu Heyang to see clearly that he wasn’t worth pitying at all.
“I never imagined you to be any particular way.” Lu Heyang looked at him. “The choice is yours.”
The more Lu Heyang said that, the more guilty Xu Ze felt.
“I’m sorry.” Xu Ze lowered his head. “Actually, you don’t have to worry about me, and don’t—”
His throat bobbed once before he continued.
“Don’t pity me, either.”
Normally, Xu Ze might not have said this—no, he definitely would never have said it out loud. But he had drunk so much tonight that he could barely manage to say it.
Xu Ze didn’t think his life was particularly miserable. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a good life and good fortune. He simply happened to have neither. There were countless people in this world just like him.
As for Lu Heyang, Xu Ze had no expectations whatsoever. He could accept never receiving a response, even being ignored or overlooked. Anything was better than being pitied.
If Lu Heyang really did pity him, then Xu Ze would truly be the pathetic one.
For some reason, Lu Heyang didn’t say anything.
Xu Ze closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and rested it against the wall.
His head was spinning. Every second of silence seemed to stretch endlessly. It felt as though a very long time had passed before Xu Ze finally said, “It’s late. You should go home. It really isn’t safe here.”
“Give me your phone number.” Lu Heyang took out his phone, unlocked it, switched to the dialing screen, and held it out to Xu Ze.
Xu Ze opened his eyes and stared at Lu Heyang’s hand for several seconds. Then he took the phone, entered his number, and handed it back.
After getting the phone, Lu Heyang pressed the call button. Very quickly, Xu Ze’s phone rang.
He remained sitting there in a daze, waiting for Lu Heyang to hang up. But instead, Lu Heyang raised the phone to his ear while keeping his eyes fixed on Xu Ze.
Xu Ze reacted a beat late. He moved his fingers, took his own phone out of his pants pocket, and stared at the unfamiliar number on the screen. He slowly blinked once and answered the call.
Xu Ze also brought the phone to his ear. There was no sound coming through, because neither of them was saying anything.
“Hello?” Xu Ze suddenly spoke.
He heard his own voice, and he also heard his voice coming from Lu Heyang’s phone.
“Are you dizzy?” Lu Heyang asked, still looking at him.
“Yeah.” Xu Ze nodded as he spoke, answering both the phone and the Lu Heyang standing right in front of him at the same time.
“I’ll take you home.” A trace of a smile finally appeared at the corners of Lu Heyang’s lips.
Lu Heyang’s offers were always incredibly tempting to Xu Ze. He hadn’t phrased it as a question. He merely smiled faintly, leaving Xu Ze unable to think of any way to refuse.
Xu Ze lowered his gaze to Lu Heyang’s lips.
He felt thirsty.
He had drunk so much alcohol, yet suddenly he was desperately thirsty. Xu Ze licked his lips and said, “Sorry to trouble you.”
After today, he and Lu Heyang would have no reason to cross paths again.
With a beep, the call ended.
Xu Ze was still holding his phone up, staring blankly at Lu Heyang’s lips. He heard Lu Heyang ask, “What are you thinking about?”
“Your… mouth.” Xu Ze fully demonstrated the truthfulness that came with being drunk. He answered honestly, “It’s very nice-looking.”
“And then?”
The ending of his words rose slightly. Every word was like a hook, lifting Xu Ze’s entire heart until it reached his throat. As long as he opened his mouth, the truth in his heart would spill out beyond his control.
“Want to…” Xu Ze murmured indistinctly, his drunkenness scattering what little awareness he had left.
Drawn in by the temptation, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his head.
He had probably never been this close to Lu Heyang before.
Their noses were almost touching. Their breaths mingled, leaving only a few centimeters between their lips.
And Lu Heyang remained completely still, neither retreating nor moving closer, simply watching him quietly.
Xu Ze was aware that the alcohol had given him an enormous amount of courage, urging him to temporarily put away all his caution and restraint.
His breathing trembled slightly. He could hear his own rapid heartbeat, pounding like a drum during a sprint—
But in the end, just as he was approaching the finish line, he lost his nerve.
Xu Ze turned his head away and lowered it, merely resting his forehead against Lu Heyang’s shoulder.
He wasn’t that straightforward or brave. If it were someone else, they probably would have already taken the initiative and seized the opportunity.
But he was Xu Ze.
No matter how much alcohol he drank, he still wouldn’t dare do the things he was afraid to do.
“I’ll give you three opportunities. Do you want them?” Lu Heyang suddenly asked.
Xu Ze’s nose twitched. He caught the scent of Lu Heyang’s pheromones and raised his head, looking at Lu Heyang with some confusion.
“What opportunities?”
“Opportunities like the one just now,” Lu Heyang said.
He didn’t spell it out, but Xu Ze somehow understood.
He had no mind to ask Lu Heyang why he was willing to give him this kind of opportunity. He even instantly forgot the resolve he had finally managed to make.
He simply stared blankly for a moment before asking,
“Can I do anything I want?”
Lu Heyang seemed to be thinking. Xu Ze was so thoroughly drawn in by him that his expression became serious, and he stared at him without blinking.
“Probably,” Lu Heyang finally answered.
Then he regretfully informed Xu Ze, “You already used up one just now.”
The bad news came completely out of nowhere. Xu Ze instinctively grabbed the hem of Lu Heyang’s T-shirt, his voice slightly anxious. “Why?”
An agreement should only take effect after both parties knew about it. How could it have started ahead of time?
Just after he asked, several knocks suddenly sounded from outside the door, with very regular pauses between each one.
Lu Heyang didn’t turn around, but his expression became slightly more subdued. He glanced at the time on his wristband and said to Xu Ze, “It’s getting late. I’ll take you home.”
Xu Ze therefore quietly stopped asking questions. He put on his cap and walked out of the room with Lu Heyang.
Strangely, there was no one outside, while Lu Heyang’s expression remained completely accustomed to it.
The lights in the stairwell had been broken for a long time. Xu Ze held onto the railing while Lu Heyang supported his other arm, helping him up the stairs.
After opening the door, Xu Ze turned on the living-room light. He could barely stand at all, and his entire field of vision was swaying, yet he still asked, “Do you want some water?”
“No.”
Once they entered the bedroom, Xu Ze sat down on the edge of the bed. Lu Heyang leaned against the desk and turned on the fan for him.
“Get some rest. I’ll leave first.”
As he spoke, he straightened up.
Xu Ze wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, when Lu Heyang had already taken several steps, he couldn’t help getting to his feet.
“Wait.”
Because he was dizzy, Xu Ze nearly fell back onto the bed. He could only brace himself against the edge of the bed for support.
He felt that his voice just now had been too quiet and was afraid Lu Heyang hadn’t heard him, so he said again, “Wait.”
Lu Heyang turned around.
He happened to be standing beneath the light. The brightest patch of light in the room poured down from above his head before spreading toward the corners of the room, gradually becoming dimmer.
“You said earlier that I already used up one of the opportunities.” Xu Ze was still hung up on it. Every time he thought about wasting an opportunity because he was too timid, he felt extremely frustrated.
Missing one opportunity was equivalent to missing one-third of a precious moment in which he could get closer to Lu Heyang.
That was thirty-three point three three three three percent repeating, to infinity.
“Yes,” Lu Heyang said.
“Can it not count?” Xu Ze immediately looked disappointed. He lowered his head and mumbled, not entirely lucid, “I didn’t know about it then.”
For a long time, he received no answer.
Xu Ze stood there, gradually becoming drowsy amid the whirring of the electric fan and the chirping of insects downstairs.
Suddenly, the light in front of him dimmed slightly.
He raised his head and realized that Lu Heyang had already walked up to him.
“If it doesn’t count, what are you planning to do?” Lu Heyang’s gaze slowly moved between Xu Ze’s eyes and brows and his lips as he asked.
“You haven’t agreed yet.”
Even at a time like this, Xu Ze was still being meticulous about it.
If Lu Heyang didn’t agree to restore the first opportunity, and Xu Ze did something now, that would mean he had used up his second opportunity.
That would be far too extravagant.
Lu Heyang looked at him for another moment before saying, “I agree.”
At the exact moment his words fell, Xu Ze leaned toward Lu Heyang without hesitation, almost staking everything on this one move.
He lightly kissed the right side of Lu Heyang’s face, near the corner of his mouth.
Then he looked at Lu Heyang.
There was a faint smile on both his face and in his eyes—the kind of honest, slightly foolish smile commonly seen on someone who was drunk.
His pupils were unusually bright. It was impossible to tell whether there was water or tears in the depths of his eyes.
Xu Ze would never know that the look in his eyes and the expression on his face at this moment had long surpassed any confession that could possibly be put into words.