SSD 35. Beast in Gentleman’s Clothing

Xu Fanming instinctively sensed danger and immediately dropped the mop and took off running. He Jiang couldn’t help but find it funny and strolled leisurely after him, deliberately closing the distance like he was sucking the air out from around Xu Fanming inch by inch.

Xu Fanming’s face turned bright red as he dove into the locker room. Before he could even lock the door, He Jiang reached out a large hand and forced his way in with his imposing frame.

“You—” Xu Fanming was fuming, but the string of curses swirling at the tip of his tongue ended up choking in his throat. All he managed to squeeze out was, “You’re fucking sick!”

But He Jiang’s expression darkened instantly. “What’s sick? Kissing a man is sick, or kissing you is sick?”

Xu Fanming stared at He Jiang’s terrifying expression and genuinely felt that this guy’s logic was completely incomprehensible. It was impossible to argue with him. No matter what he said, He Jiang could come up with ten counterpoints to shut him down. The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. He could not explain it, and he could not escape. But he was the one being harassed, wasn’t he?

Seeing Xu Fanming had gone pale, clearly shaken, He Jiang slowly softened his expression. He took a step closer and said gently:

“Kissing a man isn’t sick. Kissing you isn’t either.”

Xu Fanming was genuinely scared now. Getting kissed by a man out of nowhere had completely shattered his understanding of the world. Sure, he had gay friends, and he never had a problem with that. But now that it had happened to him, Xu Fanming suddenly had no idea what to do. It was like forcing an elementary school kid to solve a college-level math problem, except Xu Fanming wasn’t some gifted prodigy. He was just a single-celled little punk who liked ditching class to go play basketball.

This problem was completely beyond his level.

And on top of that, it was Xu Fanming’s first kiss. His first kiss.

He Jiang, still refusing to back down, asked with a firm expression, “Why have you been avoiding me lately?”

Wasn’t that obvious? Xu Fanming’s mind finally started working again, and he threw the question back reflexively, “Why did you—”

But he couldn’t finish the sentence. The words kiss me were stuck in his throat, too humiliating to say out loud. His face flushed bright red.

Seeing that he was still struggling to process what just happened, He Jiang patiently guided him, “Do you have a girlfriend? Or a girl you like?”

He already knew the answer. He had asked on purpose.

In all of Xu Fanming’s nearly twenty years of life, he had never had a single romantic experience. He had never even held a girl’s hand, let alone liked someone. Girls never really interested him. At most, they would chat a little or share snacks together. That was far less exciting than grabbing a ball and hitting the court with friends from next door.

Dating had never appealed to Xu Fanming. Basketball was more fun.

And He Jiang had seen that from the start.

“No…” Xu Fanming frowned deeply, eyes full of distrust as he glared at He Jiang. “But even if I don’t have a girlfriend, that still doesn’t mean you can—you can just…”

His cheeks were burning. The sight made He Jiang itch with temptation all over again. He smiled, the amusement in his eyes growing even stronger.

“But you don’t exactly hate it either, do you?”

“I—”

He Jiang had already closed the distance between them. The locker room curtains were drawn, with only a faint trace of dim light slipping through the cracks. Xu Fanming’s face turned pale again.

“Of course I hate it when you do that. Fuck off, don’t come any closer!”

He shouted the threat, and his hands moved just as fast. He grabbed a nearby volleyball and hurled it straight at He Jiang. But He Jiang caught it easily. As Xu Fanming bent down to grab another, He Jiang suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.

Xu Fanming froze. In the next second, He Jiang leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. Xu Fanming was stunned, and the kick he had been about to land on He Jiang stalled in midair.

He Jiang saw it clearly and let out a quiet laugh.

“If you really hated it, you would’ve kicked me off you already. You’ve been avoiding me these past few days because you’re scared of me, aren’t you?”

“Scared my ass. What you’re doing is just—forc… forc—”

Xu Fanming stammered again.

He Jiang put on a look of innocence. He let out a sigh and met Xu Fanming’s gaze, speaking seriously.

“I played seriously in the match against Shuanglan because you told me to. You said you wanted to practice with me, and I showed up. All of that was real. But you can’t just use me and toss me aside.”

He said it like Xu Fanming was the one who had used him and walked away.

At first, Xu Fanming had only seen He Jiang as a straightforward rival. But later, He Jiang had joined the campus basketball team, fought alongside him, taught him psychological tactics, and practiced with him. Bit by bit, Xu Fanming had started to see him as a friend. Just like Zhu Xuyao, Fang Ruihan, and Wen Qin, He Jiang was one of his friends too. But now He Jiang had not only kissed him, he had suddenly turned around and accused him of using him and throwing him away.

Xu Fanming’s eyes turned red with anger. He looked like he was about to cry, too flustered to find the words to argue, and the frustration made him look unbearably adorable.

He Jiang suddenly felt like a pervert. teasing Xu Fanming was becoming an addiction.

A line floated through his mind, in for a penny, in for a pound.

Just then, a burst of noise came from outside the locker room. It sounded like someone walking past. Xu Fanming’s face turned pale again, this time from fright.

He Jiang glanced at the shut door, then suddenly turned back and pressed a hand against the locker behind Xu Fanming.

Xu Fanming was about to lose his mind. What the hell was this guy trying to do?

“Shh.” He Jiang wrapped an arm around Xu Fanming’s shoulders and whispered into his ear, “Fanming, don’t say anything. Just focus on what you’re feeling.”

Feel your ass!

Xu Fanming jolted like he had been electrocuted and immediately tried to squirm out of He Jiang’s grasp. But He Jiang was quick. In the next second, he had grabbed Xu Fanming’s arm and pulled him in even closer.

He Jiang coaxed him softly, “Focus.”

Xu Fanming was so furious he could practically breathe fire. He didn’t want He Jiang so close and instinctively shoved at his chest with his elbow. But instead of backing off, He Jiang leaned in even further. His large hand brushed against the side of Xu Fanming’s neck, and a moment later, warm lips touched down gently between his brows in a light, fleeting kiss.

“Mm!”

Xu Fanming started thrashing, arms and legs flying. His teeth nearly bashed into He Jiang’s chin. He Jiang let out a low grunt of pain, dodged a wild kick, and then let the kiss drift lower, until he completely stole Xu Fanming’s breath away.

Xu Fanming wanted to resist, but he couldn’t make too much noise or people outside might hear. He was caught in a hopeless middle ground, unable to fight or escape. Tears were threatening to spill. He kicked out again, desperate to break free, but He Jiang suddenly sucked lightly on the tip of his tongue.

Xu Fanming’s whole body went numb. Every ounce of strength drained out of him.

He Jiang’s eyes narrowed slightly in a soft laugh, and the sound slid into Xu Fanming’s ears, sending a chill down his spine and raising goosebumps all over.

He released Xu Fanming’s lips just as the other was about to completely lose it. Breathing lightly, He Jiang suddenly said, “Alright. I’ll tell you the real reason.”

“Do you know why I kissed you?” His hand was still moving, slowly brushing along Xu Fanming’s skin, gliding inch by inch. He leaned close, his voice low right against Xu Fanming’s ear. “It’s because, last time, after you got drunk…”

Xu Fanming’s mind went completely blank. A buzzing sound filled his head, and everything inside him collapsed.

Last time he got drunk? That night? Xu Fanming had no memory of it at all. He only remembered drinking way too much for the first time in ages and throwing up over the toilet again and again. Later, He Jiang said he lost his jacket, but Xu Fanming couldn’t recall a thing. Whatever happened after they left the KTV, he truly had no clue.

A wave of instinctive fear hit him. He tried to pull away from He Jiang, but He Jiang nipped lightly at his earlobe and whispered, “You were the one who kissed me first.”

Xu Fanming went completely still.

As if to make it more convincing, to drive the point home, He Jiang even added in a dead-serious tone, “I was trying to carry you back to your dorm, but you cried like hell and blew your nose on my jacket. Then you started groping and kissing me all over…”

Of course He Jiang was lying. But the way he said it completely threw Xu Fanming off. His brain felt like it was swelling with heat, everything in front of him going dark. He could barely breathe.

Impossible. That couldn’t be… right?

Xu Fanming couldn’t make sense of any of it. All he knew was that his drinking habits really were terrible, and once he passed out, he would forget everything. His teammates were well aware of this too. Every time they went out drinking, they would get nervous if Xu Fanming’s face started flushing. Most of the time, they didn’t even try to convince him to drink. Was it really possible that when he got drunk, he would just throw himself at someone, kissing and biting like a maniac?

He was close to tears. If what He Jiang said was true, he could practically feel his intestines turning green with regret. He had never had that kind of thought about He Jiang. Face burning red, Xu Fanming scrambled to explain himself.

“That’s not—don’t get the wrong idea. If it had been Zhu Xuyao that night, maybe I’d have done the same thing to him.”

What he meant was that He Jiang was no different from his other teammates. If he had drunkenly clung to someone and kissed them all over, it could have been anyone. He wasn’t treating He Jiang any differently.

He Jiang had been quietly enjoying the way Xu Fanming looked, completely naive and caught up in his own confusion. But the moment Xu Fanming said that, the mood shifted. Everything that had felt light just a second ago sank straight to the bottom.

His voice went cold.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

He had only meant to tease him a little and then let it go. But this kid had to hit right where it hurt. Every word that rubbed him the wrong way, he just had to say it. The anger inside him was already crackling, and Xu Fanming had poured oil right on the flames.

He Jiang changed his mind.

He stepped forward again. His body acted before his mind could catch up. He leaned down and pressed another kiss against Xu Fanming’s lips.

Xu Fanming had already been kissed too many times. He was on the verge of breaking down, his chest filled with unshed tears and nowhere to release them. The faint sounds outside the door made him even more anxious. He felt like a thief, weighed down with guilt. His hands trembled as he pushed against He Jiang’s chest, but the pressure was too weak to be considered real resistance. All it did was stoke the fire in He Jiang even more.

Xu Fanming was holding back from making noise because of the people outside. That hesitation gave He Jiang the perfect opportunity.

His reactions only riled He Jiang up more. The teasing kiss trailed downward, lingering at the sensitive curve of his neck. At the same time, a cold hand slipped under his shirt and began to caress his skin in gentle strokes. The barely-there touches made his breath quicken, and the strength in his arms faded fast. The hands that had been pushing at He Jiang gradually lost their grip.

Xu Fanming’s mind went completely blank. He was as clueless as a grade-schooler, totally unprepared for what was happening. He barely even touched himself, let alone handled something like this. His ears rang, his body froze, and the shock nearly made him bite his own tongue.

Suddenly, He Jiang’s hand slipped downward into the waistband of Xu Fanming’s pants and rubbed him through the thin layer of fabric. Xu Fanming snapped back to his senses in an instant. It felt like plunging headfirst into an icy lake. He shoved He Jiang hard in the chest, sending him crashing into the lockers behind him.

“Don’t!”

He Jiang suddenly felt like some thug bullying a village girl.

Just then, footsteps started approaching from outside the locker room. A curious voice followed, muttering louder and louder, “Huh? Why’s the locker room door locked? I was gonna change and come play.”

He Jiang glanced at Xu Fanming, his expression suddenly complicated.

“Sounds like the badminton team.”

Right after that, someone tried the handle from outside. The door rattled under repeated shoves, but it didn’t open.

Xu Fanming froze, too terrified to even breathe. His pants were halfway pulled down, his shirt was a mess, and He Jiang was still pressing against him. The door was locked, the curtains were drawn. If someone saw them like this, he might as well jump out a window and be done with it.

“Shh.” He Jiang raised a finger to his lips again in a gesture for silence. “Keep your voice down.”

Xu Fanming was still in a complete panic when He Jiang’s hand came creeping back. This time it slipped in from the bottom of his pants, slowly brushing up along his thigh like he was trying to seduce him.

Xu Fanming exploded.

“Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you!”

He Jiang pressed a finger to Xu Fanming’s lips again, signaling him not to speak. Xu Fanming squirmed from the unbearable ticklish sensation, his waist trembling uncontrollably. But he didn’t dare make a sound. In the confined, dim locker room, he was terrified someone might hear them. And he was just as afraid of what He Jiang was doing to him.

The more he thought about it, the more his nose started to sting. His vision blurred again. He Jiang kissed the corner of his eye.

“Why are you crying?”

But the sound of crying soon turned into soft, breathy whimpers. Broken moans slipped from Xu Fanming’s lips one after another. Hearing himself like that only made the shame and helplessness spiral even deeper. The moment He Jiang finally brought him over the edge, Xu Fanming wished a bolt of lightning would strike him dead on the spot.

While He Jiang wiped his hands with a tissue, Xu Fanming kept his head buried, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the ground. He Jiang chuckled and tried to reassure him.

“See? It wasn’t as bad as you thought, right?”

Xu Fanming didn’t even have the strength left to curse at him.

“Are you mad at me?” He Jiang blinked at him innocently. “But you were the one who started it.”

Xu Fanming clenched his teeth so hard they could crack.

Outside, the sounds near the locker room gradually faded, and the gym finally fell quiet again. The people were gone. Xu Fanming, who had been holding his breath the whole time, finally let it out. The moment he saw that pathetic reflection, a wave of shame surged through him so strong he wanted to disappear.

He Jiang had just finished wiping his hands and glanced over at Xu Fanming. He slowly reached out, trying to help straighten his clothes.

But before his fingers even made contact, Xu Fanming snapped.

“Get lost!”

He Jiang backed off at once, and Xu Fanming flew into a rage.

“I’m gonna beat the shit out of you!”

The little raptor was not about to take this lying down. He leapt off the proverbial chopping board, claws and fangs out, practically breathing fire. He kicked when he could, and when he couldn’t, he threw whatever he could grab at He Jiang. In no time, the locker room was a total disaster. Xu Fanming had gone full Godzilla mode, and He Jiang barely escaped without getting injured.

He Jiang played along for a bit, letting him chase him around in a wild game of cat and mouse. Watching him so full of rage and energy made He Jiang laugh uncontrollably, to the point his stomach started to hurt. Xu Fanming was like an angry beast, throwing punches and kicks. He Jiang just gritted his teeth through the pain, rubbing his bruised forehead and laughing as he found an opening, then spun around and pinned Xu Fanming onto the low bench again.

In the very next second, the waistband of those baggy shorts got yanked halfway down, revealing pale thighs. That made Xu Fanming go ballistic. He thrashed like a fish out of water, flailing like mad, screaming as he fought back.

“Let me go, you asshole! My legs are gonna rot!”

He Jiang had only wanted to tease him. Seeing how hard Xu Fanming was struggling, he let go, then bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled. “Fanming, I mean it.”

Then he added softly, “Stop running away from me.”

He looked straight into Xu Fanming’s eyes and said seriously, “I’ll play my best in the next game. You want to win that badly, and I won’t let you down.”