LIAH 12. Take Me Home

A sudden rush of anger surged into Song Shengyang’s chest. Pei Siyin really was like that with everyone, always friendly, always cheerful, always smiling.

And yet, somehow, he was the only one driven halfway insane by it. The only idiot who had actually shown up at the school to pick up that lying brat.

The moment Pei Siyin saw him, he took off his helmet and limped over with a delighted expression. “Song Shengyang, what are you doing here?”

The air pressure around them dropped instantly. Especially now that Song Shengyang had dyed his hair back to black and was dressed in a suit, with none of his usual playfulness on his face. Just standing there gave off a strange sense of intimidation. He glanced at Pei Siyin, then at Chen Zhaomian, who looked completely confused.

“Just passing by,” Song Shengyang said.

Pei Siyin didn’t know exactly how far the company was from the school, but there was no way Song Shengyang was just “passing by” at this hour. He held the helmet to his chest and stepped in close. His eyes were red at the corners, tilted up slightly, glistening and seductive. “I don’t believe you. You came here just to pick me up, didn’t you?”

“In your dreams.” Song Shengyang shot him a look, annoyed. “Move. I’m leaving.”

“Don’t go.” Pei Siyin immediately grabbed his arm and bounced twice. “Take me home.”

Song Shengyang’s arm was pinned. He glanced at Chen Zhaomian, who was now pushing the scooter over, and lifted his chin slightly. “Who’s this?”

Chen Zhaomian squinted at him like a scout inspecting the enemy. Just when it looked like Song Shengyang was about to lose his temper, he suddenly brightened and slapped the front of his scooter.

“Wait, you’re one of Yan Can’s friends, right? Last summer, you brought him and Jiang Haolin to our school for a basketball game.”

Then he looked even more surprised. “You had pink hair back then. I barely recognized you.”

It wasn’t just the pink hair. The way Song Shengyang dressed back then, it practically looked like he had abducted Yan Can. If Jiang Haolin hadn’t been standing beside them, Chen Zhaomian might’ve actually called the cops.

Song Shengyang finally remembered that Chen Zhaomian had been there that day.

Pei Siyin clung to his arm. “You two know each other?”

Song Shengyang didn’t answer. He pulled his arm free, eyes flicking back from the two of them before turning cold again. “Go with him. I’m leaving.”

Pei Siyin was left standing there. His feet felt heavy. He couldn’t move. In a soft voice, he said, “I want to go with you.”

It made Song Shengyang’s heart skip a beat. Their eyes met, and his hand paused on the car door.

The tension hung thick. Chen Zhaomian’s phone alarm went off mid-scene, snapping the silence. He patted Pei Siyin’s shoulder. “Siyin, let’s go. I’m going to be late for my part-time job.”

Song Shengyang sat quietly in the driver’s seat. Pei Siyin didn’t hesitate anymore. He shoved the helmet back into Chen Zhaomian’s hands.

“You go ahead. I’ll head back on my own.”

“On your own?” Chen Zhaomian scratched his head. “Your leg’s still hurt. How can I just leave you like this?”

It wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular, but for some reason, Song Shengyang felt like it was pointed at him. He looked up at Pei Siyin and gripped the car door again.

“You getting in or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

“Of course I’m getting in!” Pei Siyin completely forgot his leg injury. In just a few steps, he had made his way around to the passenger seat.

Chen Zhaomian saw someone was taking Pei Siyin home, and since he looked happy about it, he didn’t press further. After saying goodbye, he rode off on his scooter.

As he passed between two cars, he caught sight of a familiar face and hit the brakes.

“Mr. Yan? What a coincidence.”

Yan Ting, seated behind the wheel, had been watching the entire show. At the sound of someone calling out, he turned around and nodded at him. “Mr. Chen.”

“No need to call me that,” Chen Zhaomian said, a little embarrassed. “I don’t teach Yan Can anymore anyway.”

“Senior.” Yan Can suddenly poked his head out from the passenger seat, arms full of snacks and his mouth still smeared with crumbs. “Where are you off to?”

“Oh crap.” Chen Zhaomian jolted like he’d been electrocuted. “Sorry, can’t chat, I’ve gotta rush.”

Yan Ting didn’t hold him up. “Drive safe.”

Yan Can waved at him too, then set down his egg tart and turned to ask, “Gege, why was Senior Pei being so close with Song Shengyang?”

They had seen everything that happened outside the gate just now.

Yan Ting rolled the window up, wiped his brother’s mouth clean, then leaned back in the seat and replied with a teasing edge, “No idea. I’ll ask around later.”

The music in Song Shengyang’s car was cranked up, practically deafening. He wasn’t giving Pei Siyin a single chance to speak. The window was half-down. The wind howled through at full speed, flooding the car and pounding against their chests. Pei Siyin’s eyes were dry and sore from the rush of air.

He could tell from instinct that Song Shengyang was pissed.

Once his body calmed down, the pain in his leg started acting up again, a dull throb that pulsed and swelled. Song Shengyang noticed him rubbing his leg out of the corner of his eye, slowed the car down, and looked for a place to park. “Riding a scooter. What if your leg broke again.”

Pei Siyin paused mid-massage. “Why would it? I was lucky to get a ride at all. I’m not picky.”

“You’re really not.”

“…?” Pei Siyin could feel something in that tone. The smile on his lips deepened. After Song Shengyang parked, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward the driver’s side, whispering with mock innocence, “What are you saying? That sounds weird.”

A strange flicker of guilt shot through Song Shengyang. He turned his head, and his cheek brushed right up against Pei Siyin’s soft lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said stiffly.

“Liar.” Pei Siyin moved like he wasn’t injured at all, climbing into his lap and straddling him, pressed chest to chest against the steering wheel. “You’re upset because you saw me with someone else, aren’t you?”

The space between them was so tight their noses almost touched. Pei Siyin placed both hands on Song Shengyang’s chest, cupped his face in that warm, breathy tension, and gently kissed the corner of his mouth. “I messaged you, and you told me to take a cab. I was going to, but then my roommate said he was passing my neighborhood on the way to his part-time job. He offered me a lift. That’s all.”

For the first time, Song Shengyang felt utterly restrained. He couldn’t push Pei Siyin away, and he didn’t want to stop the kiss either. “What’s it got to do with me? Get out.”

Their breath grew hotter and heavier. Pei Siyin didn’t waste time arguing. He moved his knees forward, one on each side of Song Shengyang, his entire body pressed close.

He guided one of Song Shengyang’s hands to his waist, grinding his hips against those tailored slacks. He couldn’t stand the ache anymore.

Song Shengyang grabbed him by the waist and pinched hard.

Pei Siyin cried out and collapsed into his arms. That sound, right by his ear, made heat rush up Song Shengyang’s neck. The cry twisted into something filthy, something like a moan. He was already hard. With a rough shove, he pinned Pei Siyin’s waist against the steering wheel, his voice low and gruff. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Pei Siyin was panting, eyes glittering with a hunger he could barely contain. He leaned in and kissed him again, lips warm and damp. “I only get like this with you. Every time I see you, I just want to kiss you.”

Their clothes were a wrinkled mess. The air between them reeked of lust. Pei Siyin kissed along his throat, his tongue sliding out to trace the skin slowly, feeling the subtle movement of Song Shengyang’s Adam’s apple as he swallowed.

“You do this with everyone you like?”

Song Shengyang was running his fingers along the curve of Pei Siyin’s spine, tracing lines down the small of his back.

Pei Siyin bit his chin, murmuring against his skin with a wounded tone, “I already told you. I only do this with you.”