TOW 10

They had sex in Xu Fei’s living room.

His couch wasn’t as nice as Liang Xuan’s. A few broken springs underneath poked into Xu Fei’s ass, making it sore. He frowned and said, “Wait, wait.” Liang Xuan froze, thinking something was wrong, his cock only halfway in and not moving. That pause made Xu Fei itch and burn. His insides clenched tight from the discomfort, which pulled a low groan out of Liang Xuan.
“Forget it. Just shove it in,” Xu Fei muttered, kicking at Liang Xuan’s lower back. Liang Xuan slammed forward, driving into him so deep Xu Fei lost the ability to speak.

After he came, Xu Fei’s body was completely limp. But Liang Xuan still hadn’t finished. Xu Fei slid down, knelt between his legs, pulled off the condom, and took his cock into his mouth. It was rock hard, sliding in and out between his lips. Xu Fei sucked, his tongue lapping along the shaft while both hands gently cupped and kneaded his balls.

Liang Xuan grabbed a fistful of his hair and groaned, “I want to put it in.”

His voice was rough, dripping with lust. It was so sexy, Xu Fei felt himself getting hard again.

He opened his mouth wide, letting Liang Xuan thrust all the way in. The tip pressed against the back of his throat, making him gag, but Liang Xuan pulled out quickly.

“You’re so good,” Liang Xuan said, stroking his face, thumb pressing against his lower lip.

Then his cock slammed back in. Pre-cum and saliva splattered all over Xu Fei’s chin and the corners of his mouth.

Xu Fei sucked him a couple more times until the cock in his mouth swelled and throbbed. A few seconds later, Liang Xuan came, shooting in waves straight into Xu Fei’s mouth. He swallowed every drop.

Liang Xuan let out a low moan, his fingers brushing along the swollen edge of Xu Fei’s lips. He pulled out, then tugged Xu Fei onto his lap and kissed him.

Their softened cocks pressed against each other, rubbing messily as their lower bodies grew sticky and slick all over.

Afterward, the two of them showered together. Xu Fei started messing around, taking the soap and deliberately washing Liang Xuan’s cock. His teasing made Liang Xuan gasp for air. He spun Xu Fei around and pressed him up against the cold tile wall.

“Enough,” he said, flipping Xu Fei over, spreading his ass and shoving it in.

Xu Fei’s face was pressed against the cold tiles, his mind spinning from the sudden thrust, but his body reacted on its own, clenching tightly around Liang Xuan’s cock.

“Fuck, fuck…” he cursed under his breath, “Liang Xuan, are you a fucking mule…”

But when Liang Xuan slammed into his prostate, when his fingers brushed slowly over his ass, waist, and cock, Xu Fei started moaning again, switching between praise and desperate pleading.

“You’re so good… Liang Xuan… so fucking good… please…”

He turned his head to kiss him. Their lips met messily, Liang Xuan biting at his mouth, nipping at his ear and neck, all while thrusting hard into his ass.

Xu Fei was completely fucked out of his mind, everything a blur, until he came and suddenly remembered something very serious.

Liang Xuan wasn’t wearing a condom.

Liang Xuan pulled out and came at the base of his thigh. Xu Fei was panting hard, barely managing to stay up against the wall. His insides were still twitching and clenching from the sudden withdrawal.

“S-Sorry,” Liang Xuan whispered. “Don’t worry, I’m clean.”

Xu Fei let out a breathy laugh. “It’s fine. I’m clean too.”

Neither of them mentioned going to the hospital. They just washed up again quickly and came out wrapped in towels. Liang Xuan suddenly said, “I haven’t had dinner.”

Xu Fei crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m not cooking.”

They ordered seafood takeout, including foil-baked clams, mussels, crab legs, prawns, and a dozen beers.

When the delivery guy showed up, he stared at Xu Fei for a while, hesitated, and finally asked, “Are you…?”

Xu Fei shook his head. “Nope.” Then slammed the door shut.

Liang Xuan wasn’t a big fan of seafood. He watched as Xu Fei slurped one clam after another, finishing more than half in no time. After some hesitation, Liang Xuan finally picked one up and ate it. “Tastes like it has a bit of sand,” he commented. Xu Fei rolled his eyes.

By the time they were done eating, it was close to one in the morning. Xu Fei got drowsy fast, but Liang Xuan was still wide awake. He spotted Xu Fei’s Southbound DVDs under the coffee table. “You watched it?” he asked.

Xu Fei shot back, “You didn’t?”

Liang Xuan shook his head.

Xu Fei figured as much. The guy was too busy. Filming, appearing on shows, attending premieres and fashion weeks. “You should watch it,” he said said. “I looked fucking hot in it.”

They sat on the floor and watched the film together. There was still some dried cum on the couch, and Xu Fei had zero intention of dealing with that, so he turned on the floor heating and threw a blanket over his legs. It didn’t take long before the warmth made him drowsy. He quietly pinched his palm, trying not to doze off, but he couldn’t hold out for long.

When he woke again, he was lying sideways with his head resting on Liang Xuan’s leg. Liang Xuan was slumped forward over the coffee table, fast asleep.

Xu Fei raised a fist and thumped Liang Xuan in the chest.

Liang Xuan jolted awake, sat upright, blinking, looking totally out of it. Xu Fei found it funny and stayed lying on his leg for a while longer.

He glanced at the bright red mark on Liang Xuan’s right cheek, and something in his chest softened. It ached, just a little, for no clear reason. He sat up, reached out to touch Liang Xuan’s face, and said, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Liang Xuan replied.

There were still some eggs and milk in the fridge. Liang Xuan took over the kitchen like he owned the place, making egg crepes and warming up the milk. His movements were smooth and practiced, like a pro in the kitchen. Xu Fei stayed on the carpet and downed the pancake in a few bites. He looked up and saw Liang Xuan sitting upright at the dining table, bathed in golden sunlight. “Aren’t you going back to Xinjing?” Xu Fei asked.

Liang Xuan glanced at him. “I’ve got nothing going on for the next few days.”

He took a sip of milk, set the cup down, held it between his fingers for a moment, then asked, “Do you?”

Xu Fei shrugged. “What could I possibly have going on? I’m unemployed.” He suddenly remembered the gossip his mom had told him and couldn’t help asking, “Did you really spend the night at Yuan Yuan’s place?”

Liang Xuan didn’t even bother responding. He quietly finished his breakfast, then took the mess of dishes from beside Xu Fei and carried them to the kitchen.

Xu Fei lay back down, listening to the sound of running water from the kitchen and the clinking of dishes. For a moment, a strange sense of emptiness settled over him.

After a while, Liang Xuan came out of the kitchen and stood by Xu Fei’s head, looking down at him from above.

“Take me around Pinghai?” he asked.

But Xu Fei honestly couldn’t think of anywhere worth showing off in Pinghai. He was the textbook definition of a useless local. Half the time he needed GPS just to find major landmarks.

In the end, Liang Xuan had to settle for staying in, holed up in Xu Fei’s apartment. They spent the entire day playing Halo.

It wasn’t until evening that Xu Fei finally said, “Wanna go see a play?”

They went to watch a performance by the theater troupe Xu Fei had just signed with. It was a fairy tale play. A bunch of adults dressed in fuzzy bear costumes were bouncing around the stage like it was the happiest place on earth.

Afterward, Liang Xuan asked, “You’re doing this next year?” He clearly couldn’t picture Xu Fei wearing a bear suit. Xu Fei looked both embarrassed and annoyed. “They’re trying to rebrand.”

Liang Xuan gave a soft “Oh.” The kind of half-assed response that made Xu Fei want to punch him.

They stayed until most of the crowd had already left. When they returned to the lobby, it was nearly empty.

Just as they were about to straighten themselves up and head out, the theater company’s boss happened to walk by. He caught sight of Xu Fei and greeted him with a smile.

“What brings you here today? Didn’t even come backstage to hang out.”

Xu Fei gave a quick reply, but the boss’s gaze had already slid over to Liang Xuan’s face. “Liang Xuan?” he said, surprised and excited. “Ah, you two are friends?”

Xu Fei choked for a second. But the boss went on, “Right, you acted together in Southbound.” He gave Liang Xuan a firm handshake. He reached out and gave Liang Xuan a firm handshake. “My whole family are fans of yours. My daughter follows your updates every single day.”

Liang Xuan thanked him politely. The boss rubbed his hands with a grin. “We’re all going out for drinks later. It’s New Year’s Eve after all. Why don’t you join us?”

He was looking at Xu Fei, but Xu Fei knew the invitation was really aimed at Liang Xuan. When Liang Xuan stayed quiet, Xu Fei understood he wasn’t interested.

“Maybe next time,” Xu Fei said with a smile. “My stomach’s been acting up. Doctor told me no alcohol for a few days.”

The boss was no fool. He caught the hint and didn’t push it further. After a bit of small talk, he said his goodbyes and left.

Xu Fei pulled on a cap and walked out with Liang Xuan. After a few steps, Liang Xuan suddenly said, “Stomach problems?”

Xu Fei gave him a double eye-roll.

The streets were drenched in neon. Even though it was late, the place was still packed. On the big screen at the intersection, a New Year concert was playing. Xu Fei stood there watching for a bit, then pointed at one of the bands on stage. “I used to open for them.”

Liang Xuan stopped too and listened quietly. After a while, he said, “You sing better.”

Xu Fei burst out laughing. “Thanks, pal.” He stretched out his arm, suddenly hooked it around Liang Xuan’s neck and pulled him down a little. “Appreciate the recognition.”

Then he leaned in and planted a loud kiss on Liang Xuan’s cheek.

Liang Xuan froze.

Xu Fei stiffened too, instantly realizing he’d crossed a line. He let go of Liang Xuan and glanced around. Luckily, the crowd was too caught up in their own celebrations to notice anything happening in this dimly lit corner.

“Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled. “I just… I wasn’t thinking. I mess around with my friends like that all the time. I’m such an idiot, sorry.”

Liang Xuan straightened up and lowered his gaze. “It’s fine.”

When they got back to Xu Fei’s place, it was almost midnight. Fireworks were going off in the distance. Red, green, purple, and yellow, coloring the dark blue sky like a stage. Xu Fei leaned lazily on the railing, watching. The lit cigarette between his fingers glowed like it was part of the celebration too.

Liang Xuan came out after his shower, wrapped in a towel. “Happy New Year,” he said.

Xu Fei turned around and looked at him in surprise. “It’s already 2012?”

Liang Xuan held up his phone to show him. 2012, 12:03 a.m. Xu Fei stared at the screen for a while, exhaled, and said, “Happy New Year.”

Liang Xuan smiled and leaned down to kiss him.

When Xu Fei came back from his shower, Liang Xuan was sitting on the bed reading a script. Xu Fei glanced at the cover. “Full Throttle!” It looked like a commercial film.

“They’ve already got you doing blockbusters?” Xu Fei climbed into bed. His calves were freezing, and when they brushed against Liang Xuan, the latter shot him a look of disgust but didn’t move away.

“Not a big production,” Liang Xuan said. “Just testing the waters.”

Xu Fei waved a hand. “With the momentum you’ve got right now, no way it flops.” Then he asked, “Who’s the female lead?”

Liang Xuan answered, “Zhang Jin.” He sounded completely uninterested.

Zhang Jin was a big name. She’d been famous since childhood, came from a powerful background, and her career had been unstoppable. She’d already won several major awards in both the League and the Empire before turning thirty. Calling her every man’s dream girl in the League wasn’t even an exaggeration.

Xu Fei sighed. “You’ve got ridiculous resources, man.”

Liang Xuan shrugged. “She invested in the film.” He didn’t want to talk more about it. Xu Fei saw how focused he was on the script and didn’t feel right interrupting, so he turned over and tried to sleep. Just when he was about to drift off, Liang Xuan suddenly nudged his calf lightly. After a moment, he said, “Zhang Jin is going to be my girlfriend this year.”

Xu Fei woke up instantly. But he didn’t move, just stayed lying on his side, listening to the way his heart started beating faster and faster.

“It’s for publicity,” Liang Xuan’s voice came from behind him. Low and strained, like a splintered piece of wood. “We’ve already signed the contract. We’ll start ‘dating’ during filming, and break up peacefully two months after the movie’s off theaters. She’ll be moving into my apartment.”

Xu Fei felt a dryness in his throat. He wanted water, a lot of it. Preferably straight from the tap, drinking until his chest ached.

Then he noticed the heat rising in his face. His chest felt tight, and his heartbeat quickened beyond control. He was angry. He understood that much. But he also knew he had no right to be.

After a long pause, he let out a quiet laugh. He didn’t even know how the laugh came out. Maybe he really was a good enough actor.

“Stuff like this,” he said, “isn’t it supposed to be absolutely confidential?”

Liang Xuan went quiet. The room fell into such stillness that even the ticking of the second hand was loud and clear.

After a while, Liang Xuan said, “I just wanted to tell you.”

But why? Xu Fei thought. Why would you?