29. Mysteries Under the Moonlit Night

When Yin Yan received the phone call, it was morning. He was in the middle of class, simultaneously playing a slideshow and explaining the art of Italian Renaissance frescoes to his students.

Lu Zhengming’s voice sounded weak, using a mix of serious demeanor and incoherent speech to report his address. Yin Yan remained silent, listening without interrupting until Lu Zhengming hung up. He then assigned the students a copying exercise before stepping out of the classroom.

As he passed by the third-year classroom of the Contemporary Art Studio, he glanced inside. Their guest lecturer, a foreign instructor, was in the middle of teaching. Rock music was playing loudly as the man energetically danced around, pasting pieces of old newspapers onto a canvas. He was probably giving a lecture on the basics of artistic creation.

Lu Zhengming had once mimicked this French old man’s teaching style, and now, watching it in action, Yin Yan had to admit that Lu Zhengming had captured it almost perfectly. But he had no mood, and even less interest to keep watching. He hurried down the empty stairwell, started his car, and drove directly to Lu Zhengming’s studio.

The door was slightly ajar, and all the lights inside were on. A thick, stale smell of alcohol lingered in the air.

Lu Zhengming was lying on the floor by the entrance, disheveled and in a complete mess. The heating hadn’t been turned on for the season yet, and cold drafts seeped into the room through the open door. He was curled up, his face and hands icy cold.

Yin Yan frowned as he bent down and lifted him out of the filthy mess. Lu Zhengming was trembling. Yin Yan removed his coat, wrapped it around him, and intended to carry him to the bed. Lu Zhengming briefly stirred, smiled faintly, muttered something, and then slipped back into unconsciousness.

Half-dragging and half-carrying him across the room, Yin Yan noticed the trail of stains left behind. The workspace was in utter chaos. Trash cans knocked over, beer bottles and smudged paper scattered everywhere, paint smeared across the floor. Yin Yan’s obsessive cleanliness flared up, making him want to throw Lu Zhengming back down, but Lu Zhengming clung tightly to his shirt.

The half-finished blue painting still hung on the easel, resembling a dark, deep blue eye, or perhaps a whirlpool. Yin Yan paused to study it for a moment. The shade of blue seemed oddly familiar, reminding him of the portrait of Yan Yan hanging in his home. The background of that portrait had the same deep-sea blue.

He sighed softly, adjusted his posture, slipped one arm beneath Lu Zhengming’s knees, and lifted him horizontally, carrying him into the bedroom.

Lu Zhengming slept through the entire day. When he finally woke up, it was nighttime again, and the room was shrouded in darkness.

Before he was fully conscious, he already felt an unbearable hunger and an overwhelming sense of loneliness. He reached down to touch his body. He was completely naked, but clean. Not only had he been cleaned up, but after turning on the lights, he realized the entire studio had been tidied.

The paint stains on the floor had been wiped off with turpentine. A fresh plastic bag had been placed in the trash can. Even the leftover colors on the palette had been scraped clean. The paintbrushes had been carefully washed, laid out neatly in a row on the table, and wrapped in stiff, absorbent paper to prevent the bristles from splaying. This was unmistakably Yin Yan’s doing. He always took meticulous care of his brushes like this.

Lu Zhengming peeled away the paper wrapped around a hazel-tipped brush and gently spread apart the bristles. It had been thoroughly cleaned, even the hardened residue of paint he’d left on it earlier had been mostly scrubbed away, effectively doubling the brush’s lifespan. He swept the nylon bristles across the palm of his hand; the soft touch felt almost like a caress, and for a moment, even the gnawing discomfort in his stomach seemed to ease.

Suddenly, he remembered the state he’d been in before Yin Yan arrived the previous night. He hurried over to the other trash can and rummaged through it. As expected, it had also been emptied and cleaned. Whatever he’d used had definitely been discovered. Fortunately, he hadn’t gone through both items, so even if it had been found, it wasn’t as embarrassing as it could have been.

After half-heartedly reassuring himself, Lu Zhengming could no longer bear his hunger and dialed Yin Yan’s number.

Just before pressing the call button, he hesitated and closed the screen. Instead, he opened a review app and scrolled through it for a while. The algorithm pushed recommendations that perfectly matched his usual preferences, but even big data couldn’t always be helpful. Lu Zhengming was so hungry his head was spinning and couldn’t quite remember which restaurant Yin Yan liked. Eventually, he decided to make the call first and figure it out later.

There was some background noise on the line, suggesting Yin Yan wasn’t at home. He mentioned he was out having dinner with someone and would come over after finishing his meal.

Lu Zhengming felt a pang of disappointment. A quick glance at the clock confirmed it was well past dinnertime. Yin Yan definitely wouldn’t still be hungry by now.

“Don’t come over, I’ll come to you.”

Lu Zhengming hated wasting time. He was eager to see Yin Yan as soon as possible, so he directly asked for the restaurant’s location. After a brief hesitation, Yin Yan sent him the address.

It was a Japanese restaurant in the development zone. Lu Zhengming had heard of it. It was pricey, had a great atmosphere, and was quite far from Yin Yan’s home. Why would Yin Yan go all the way there for dinner? What’s more, it happened to be a favorite spot of their female colleagues.

Lu Zhengming didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but reality often had a way of confirming what one least wanted to believe.

Just as he parked his car, he saw two people walking out of the restaurant. One was Yin Yan, and the other was Zhong Jingjing, the female assistant who had once ridden in his car. They looked close. Zhong Jingjing was wearing a pair of stylish but seemingly uncomfortable high heels, and as she descended the steps, Yin Yan subtly raised his arm, as though ready to steady her at any moment.

They stood by the entrance, chatting and laughing for a bit before Yin Yan helped her into a taxi and watched as it drove off.

Before Lu Zhengming had time to feel jealous, his phone rang. It was Yin Yan. He didn’t answer, nor did he get out of the car. He just sat there, watching Yin Yan make the call. After Zhong Jingjing left, Yin Yan visibly relaxed. He pressed the phone to his ear with one hand while undoing the top button of his shirt with the other, then slipped his hand into his pocket. After a while, he put the phone away. It seemed he’d heard the automated message: “The person you’re calling is unavailable.”

He stood at the side of the street, staring blankly at the pedestrians across the road. The autumn breeze on the plains was harsh, occasionally sweeping his hair across his eyes, but he didn’t move an inch, as though he was too weary to lift his hand.

Though his body was relaxed, he stood with a straight posture, making very few small movements, a habit that seemed to have been instilled through some kind of strict training.

If he kept standing there like that, he’d probably catch a cold. Lu Zhengming sighed. Though his irritation hadn’t entirely dissipated, his heart softened.

He stepped out of the car, bringing with him the lingering scent of cigarette smoke. Yin Yan would probably notice it and realize that he had been waiting here for quite some time, perhaps even long enough to have seen him saying goodbye to Zhong Jingjing. But Yin Yan didn’t offer any explanation, and Lu Zhengming didn’t ask, just like Yin Yan hadn’t asked him why he had been drunk and passed out in the studio.

But why didn’t he ask?

If he had shown even a bit of concern, Lu Zhengming would have had a perfect excuse to bring up Yin Yan’s relationship with that assistant. Yin Yan knew exactly how he felt about him. How could he not say anything?

Yet the moment Yin Yan got into the car, he wore that same exhausted expression. He reclined the passenger seat, half-laying down for a nap, effectively cutting off any chance for conversation. He stayed that way until they arrived home, only opening his eyes once they parked. Then, as if by magic, he was fully alert, as though he’d never been asleep at all.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lu Zhengming. Was this another one of Yin Yan’s tricks? Was he deliberately trying to provoke his jealousy, hoping to stir up that dark, violent streak so that he’d do those things to him again? He wasn’t naturally inclined toward sadism, but he was willing to do it for Yin Yan. As long as it made him happy, Lu Zhengming was willing to do anything. So why did Yin Yan always have to push him in this way? Why couldn’t he just say what he wanted outright?

Lu Zhengming drove in silence, determined to remain composed for the rest of the evening.

As soon as they got inside, Yin Yan retrieved a freshly laundered set of loungewear from the bedroom. A long-sleeved, terracotta-colored top and deep gray pants. The fabric was soft, and the style was casual enough to wear outside without feeling awkward. Lu Zhengming held the clothes up against himself and noted that they were exactly his size. He didn’t put them on right away, though. Instead, he stood there, holding the clothes, and kissed Yin Yan deeply.

It wasn’t just the loungewear. Yin Yan had also prepared a new pair of slippers for him, nearly identical to his own. Leaving Lu Zhengming by the door, Yin Yan went to change into his own house clothes. A similar set, though his top was a muted, dusty blue.

After washing his hands and face, Yin Yan headed to the kitchen. He pulled a package of fresh noodles, some vegetables, and a couple of eggs from the fridge. Yin Yan’s fridge was always stocked, and Lu Zhengming had long since gotten used to raiding it whenever he was hungry.

Yin Yan boiled a pot of water, and once it reached a rolling boil, he tossed the noodles in. Only then did Lu Zhengming realize something: Yin Yan was cooking for him, using the exact method he preferred. He had once mentioned that he disliked noodles cooked with fried spices because his mother only knew how to make that one dish, and he’d grown so sick of it that he could hardly stand it anymore. Since then, Yin Yan had never cooked noodles that way for him.

Watching him work was always a pleasure, whether he was painting or cooking. Lu Zhengming didn’t even realize when he had leaned closer. By the time he became aware of it, he was already behind Yin Yan, holding the back of his neck gently between his teeth, nibbling lightly, while his hands slid under his clothes, palms stroking along his skin.

The seasoning had already been mixed in the bowl, and the boiling broth was poured over the noodles, releasing a rich aroma that should have awakened Lu Zhengming’s appetite. But his desire had taken a different turn.

“I can’t wait anymore.” He stripped off Yin Yan’s shirt, completely forgetting his earlier resolve to stay composed.

Yin Yan sighed softly, a little helpless. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“Well, what do you care more about? Those noodles or me?”

Even Lu Zhengming found his own words unbearably cheesy, and as soon as he said them, he buried his face against the back of Yin Yan’s neck, biting at his vertebrae to avoid letting him see the embarrassment on his face.

He pushed and nudged him along, maneuvering him into the bathroom, where he stripped him bare and doused him from head to toe with the shower spray. There was a faint scent in the air, a sweet, fruity perfume often worn by young women. It was absurd, but he couldn’t shake the idea.

Soaking wet, with his hair slicked back against his head, Yin Yan looked completely innocent, and Lu Zhengming’s heart softened again. But the sight also struck him as undeniably erotic. It felt as though the Yin Yan who stood before him, full of lies and deception, had regressed to the innocence of his teenage years, if he had ever been innocent. In reality, his body had long left behind any trace of youthfulness, perfectly mature, exuding the kind of allure that teased every inch of Lu Zhengming’s aesthetic sensibilities.

His fingers quickly breached Yin Yan’s tense entrance, and Yin Yan braced himself against the wall, panting heavily. He wasn’t hard, but Lu Zhengming could tell he was enjoying it. His body language said as much. He arched his back slightly, moving in sync, silently conveying his desire for more.

Lu Zhengming reached for the bottle of lube Yin Yan had handed him earlier, spreading it on himself. He was just about to push in when something felt off. Why did Yin Yan’s home seem to have these things everywhere? Before he could dwell on it, Yin Yan shifted back impatiently, silently urging him to hurry. But Lu Zhengming resisted the impulse, stepping back just enough to hold out the half-used bottle in front of him.

“You use this on yourself too?”

His expression was stern, though his body was anything but restrained. Yin Yan chuckled, taking the lube from him and pouring a small puddle onto his palm before wrapping his hand around Lu Zhengming and stroking slowly.

“What do you think?”

He was too skilled, sending heat rushing through Lu Zhengming’s scalp and making him shudder. It convinced him that Yin Yan did, in fact, use it on himself. How else could he be this practiced? Lu Zhengming shoved his hand away and thrust inside without warning. If he let Yin Yan keep going, he was liable to lose control, and he wasn’t about to come in his hand.

But it didn’t take long for him to lose that tenuous hold on his restraint anyway, because Yin Yan’s tight, teasing hole was even more maddening than his hand.
He deliberately tightened and relaxed, almost as if mocking him.

Hearing his labored breaths, Yin Yan let out a soft laugh, moving his hips up and down like in a pornographic film. To Lu Zhengming’s eyes, it was just those two cheeks of flesh swallowing and pulling at him.

With a muffled groan, he came.

“That was quick,” Yin Yan laughed.

Lu Zhengming raised his hand and slapped his ass. Yin Yan immediately clenched, and just after Lu Zhengming had come, the tight squeeze made him insanely sensitive, nearly driving him out of his mind.

Yin Yan laughed again, his whole body trembling, making Lu Zhengming grit his teeth, forced to pull out to take a moment to recover. He had long since thrown out the idea of “just watching, doing nothing” before he came here. Now, he wanted to recover quickly and do it again.

Yin Yan wrapped his arms around his neck, looking quite pleased, laughing as he kissed him.

In response, Lu Zhengming turned on the shower.

The shower was slow and dragged on. Lu Zhengming first cleaned Yin Yan, but somehow, Yin Yan managed to touch him in ways that drew him back into a new desire. He wasn’t accustomed to using his back end and rarely felt such desires, but once they surfaced, they were hard to shake off.

“You need to serve me properly.” He turned around recklessly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

“Okay.”

Back on the bed, Lu Zhengming opened the drawer of the bedside table again. Along with the lubricant and condoms, he had noticed a few toys inside last time, and they were still there. If these were all for Yin Yan’s personal use, his desires were certainly quite strong. Lu Zhengming imagined Yin Yan using them, and in that instant, he crossed a line he hadn’t meant to.

He glanced back at Yin Yan, who was sitting on the bed, in an awkward position with his legs tucked underneath his hips, almost kneeling. Following his gaze, Lu Zhengming opened the lower drawer of the bedside table, revealing another hidden treasure.

It was a set of leather restraints, including an eye mask, collar, handcuffs, ankle cuffs, and some smaller implements like spanking tools. He also found a pair of metal nipple clamps adorned with black pendants, the same gold as the chain of the collar. The black and gold together created a baroque decadence, and he imagined how well they would look on Yin Yan. For a brief moment, Lu Zhengming thought that maybe baroque wasn’t so unforgivable after all.

Yin Yan obediently lifted his head, allowing Lu Zhengming to fasten the collar around his neck. The metal chain hung down, swaying gently across his chest. It was indeed a perfect fit. Lu Zhengming felt the aesthetic was right, but something was still missing in terms of visual balance. He thought about the concept of “points, lines, and surfaces” in composition: the large expanse of white skin, the lines of gold and black, but there was a lack of “points.” The nipple clamps would complete it perfectly.

That would be enough. No need to pile everything on.

Lu Zhengming wasn’t particularly fond of those stiff accessories. They felt uncomfortable to hold. But at this moment, he thought Yin Yan looked great in them, very sexy. He eagerly arranged his canvas, then lay back with his body spread wide, pointing to the space beneath him.

“You can start now.”

This time, he didn’t have the usual hostility. He simply accepted Yin Yan’s suggestion, “They can each get what they need.”

Yin Yan knelt between his legs, performing blowjob on him, his slightly mocking smile turning into a devout, dazed expression. He licked with great seriousness, his tongue extending long, almost enveloping his entire cock. Lu Zhengming felt a surge of pleasure and casually pulled the chain on his collar, as if walking a large dog

He had raised a milk-white Labrador when he was young, its skin color was similar to Yin Yan’s. It also loved to lick people, though it had run away later. The few years it had been with him had brought him quite a bit of joy.

Yin Yan was providing him with a different kind of pleasure. Lu Zhengming thought this comparison was awful and instinctively tightened his grip on the chain, pulling Yin Yan down onto the bed, his ass raised high. Really, it was a bit like a dog, just missing a tail.

Enough… Lu Zhengming closed his eyes.

But his body didn’t think it was enough. Yin Yan kept licking, his tongue tracing over those tight little folds, making Lu Zhengming gasp audibly. That gasp seemed to encourage Yin Yan, who buried his whole face down there, his tongue relentlessly probing deeper.

Lu Zhengming subconsciously spread his legs wider, exposing more of himself, only to realize a second later how fucking indecent he looked.

“Who the fuck told you to lick me there?”

He reached into the drawer and pulled out a flogger, slashing it across Yin Yan’s shoulder. He was the one losing control, yet he had to shift the blame onto him. Yin Yan immediately stopped, hesitating as he raised his upper body, his face still brimming with desire. Lu Zhengming glanced down, and sure enough, he was hard as a rock. This was the kind of shit that got him off.

“Keep going. Don’t just fucking stare.”

He gave a light lash across Yin Yan’s lower abdomen, the tip of the whip grazing his crotch. Yin Yan shuddered violently, then lowered himself again and licked even more enthusiastically. Lu Zhengming wanted to stuff a gag from the drawer into his own mouth just to stop himself from making such humiliating sounds, but Yin Yan suddenly started sucking.

This was bad. Really fucking bad. He was losing his composure.

Lu Zhengming whipped him again, suppressing his voice to sound cold and commanding: “Get in.”

Yin Yan lifted his head, his chin wet and glistening. “With what?”

Lu Zhengming’s eyes flicked between his fingers and his cock. He didn’t have the patience to make decisions anymore and chose to dump the responsibility on Yin Yan instead: “Figure it out.”

So Yin Yan wet his fingers and gently pressed them against the entrance, circling around teasingly. But Lu Zhengming had no time for that. He threw the whip aside and smacked Yin Yan’s ass hard.

“Hurry up.”

Yin Yan moved slowly. Even though he knew exactly where Lu Zhengming’s sweet spot was, he didn’t rush to touch it. He carefully opening him up bit by bit until he was completely relaxed. Lu Zhengming wrapped the chain around his hand and gave it a tug, pulling Yin Yan down until he collapsed on top of him. His cock slid perfectly into the crease of Lu Zhengming’s ass, gliding over that slick spot, and both of them let out a low groan. He twisted the chain tighter around his fist and tugged it again, like he was leading a dog on a leash.

“Fuck me.”

Yin Yan’s breathing grew heavy and rough. He was a man, not a dog and his body showed it. The tension in his muscles made Lu Zhengming dizzy with lust. Unable to resist, he slapped him a few more times, savoring the firm, full feeling of those taut muscles under his palm. Yin Yan let out a deep, drawn-out “ahhh” and drove himself inside.

Lu Zhengming couldn’t hold back anymore and let loose a series of uninhibited moans. His voice was rich and smooth, unrestrained, and just listening to him made even the act itself feel like a sensual treat. Yin Yan’s ears burned hot, the filthy heat pooling lower as he swallowed down every sound. To Lu Zhengming, it looked like Yin Yan’s Adam’s apple was rolling nonstop, and it only made him more turned on.

Yin Yan moved hard, rougher than usual, thrusting with a force that made Lu Zhengming’s mind go blank. The faint marks left by the flogger blurred into patches of red mist on his skin, with black and gold lines streaking across them. Lu Zhengming felt like he was being fucked by a living masterpiece.

He reached blindly into the drawer again and pulled out a small black vibrator. After wetting it, he shoved it deep into Yin Yan’s ass. One hand gripped the chain tightly, while the other pressed down on the switch.

Yin Yan drove himself in to the hilt.

Lu Zhengming gritted his teeth as he endured the relentless pounding, refusing to give up control. He watched Yin Yan’s clenched jaw, his trembling body, the fierce thrusts driving them both mad, and cranked the vibrator to a higher setting.

Yin Yan’s voice soon overwhelmed Lu Zhengming’s, sounding unlike anything he’d heard before. He had never cried out like that while fucking someone. Lu Zhengming felt as though just listening to him would push him over the edge. His body felt light, almost disconnected, as Yin Yan hit that spot inside him again and again, each thrust landing exactly where he craved it most. He was close, dangerously close.

On the brink of losing control, he cranked the vibrator to its highest setting. Yin Yan nearly screamed, clutching Lu Zhengming’s waist as he pounded into him desperately, hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. Lu Zhengming couldn’t even moan properly anymore, his voice breaking apart into gasps as he came, spilling wildly between them.

“Don’t pull out…” His legs hooked around Yin Yan’s waist, voice trembling and breathless in the aftermath of his climax. “Come inside… all of it…”

Before he’d even finished speaking, he felt Yin Yan’s cock pulse inside him. Yin Yan came hard, shuddering violently as he emptied himself deep inside, thrusting uncontrollably as he rode out the aftershocks. He lasted so long that by the time he finally stilled, both of them were drenched in sweat. Only then did Lu Zhengming reach out, fumbling to switch off the vibrator.

Yin Yan collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, rolling off Lu Zhengming and landing heavily on the mattress. His eyes were shut tight, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

Lu Zhengming wanted to help him. He wanted to reach over and take off the nipple clamps and the collar. But the orgasm had drained him completely. His body felt like jelly, and even after several attempts to lift his hand, he gave up. One day and one night without food, followed by that intense round of sex, had left him dizzy and soaked in cold sweat.

In the end, it was Yin Yan who moved first, silently wiping Lu Zhengming down, even though he still had the vibrator inside him and was still wearing the ridiculous, over-the-top props that had lost their erotic sheen now that it was all over.

“Take them off,” Lu Zhengming muttered. He felt guilty. He should’ve been the one doing this for Yin Yan. That was how it was supposed to go.

But he had nothing left to give. His vision was going dark at the edges, and his limbs felt like lead.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

He said sorry several times before sleep claimed him.

It wasn’t long before he was awakened again, feeling clean and refreshed. Yin Yan, still naked, sat by the head of the bed, holding a bowl of noodles. He’d cooked another bowl and added two extra eggs.

Warmth spread through Lu Zhengming’s chest. He ate the noodles while sitting on the bed, finishing them all before getting up to wash the dishes. His strength seemed to be gradually returning, so he decided to take a shower as well.

He wanted to hold Yin Yan, whisper some tender words, and then tell him that he actually minded seeing him eat with Zhong Jingjing. Maybe if Yin Yan explained why, he wouldn’t mind it as much. After all, Yin Yan had already said he wasn’t bisexual…

When he returned to the bedroom, Yin Yan was already asleep. Lu Zhengming considered waking him with a kiss, but as soon as his lips brushed against Yin Yan’s, he hesitated. Instead, he pulled the blanket up to cover him and quietly left the room.

Suddenly, he wasn’t sleepy anymore.

The house was so quiet it felt stifling. He opened the windows, but it didn’t help. Eventually, he put on some clothes and went downstairs for a walk.

The residential area had a low building density but plenty of greenery. Small, carefully designed gardens were scattered between the buildings, and under the moonlight, everything seemed even deeper and more mysterious than it did during the day.

As Lu Zhengming walked, he reflected on Yin Yan. Yin Yan truly had a taste for the finer things in life. His clothes, food, home, and daily routines were all carefully curated. Yet, for some reason, he was addicted to this painful game.

There were so many contradictions in him. Like tonight, he’d dressed Lu Zhengming in identical clothing, cooked a meal for him with his own hands. For a moment, it had felt as if they were longtime partners. But despite that, Yin Yan had never once responded to his confession.

Before he’d said those words, Lu Zhengming hadn’t cared whether Yin Yan reciprocated. But the moment I love you left his lips, it felt as though he had taken on some sort of debt. Not one that Yin Yan owed him, but one that he owed to Yin Yan. He couldn’t force Yin Yan to love him, yet he had no choice but to hold himself to the standards of someone in love.

For some reason, this feeling seemed familiar, as though he’d experienced it long ago.

They had treated him well back then, too. Whatever he wanted, they had given him without hesitation. And yet, he hadn’t been satisfied.

Yin Yan didn’t reject him. Yin Yan treated him well, too.

And still, he wasn’t satisfied.

So, Lu Zhengming… What do you really want?

He walked through the garden with the vague sense that no matter how long he pondered it, even if he kept thinking until dawn, he wouldn’t be able to find the answer. But he couldn’t stop.