TOW 2

Liang Xuan gradually started to warm up to the crew. After all, it was boot camp. When you’re running, shooting, and practicing tactics side by side all day, it doesn’t matter how distant someone is, sooner or later, sweat, mud, and loaded gear bring people closer. During breaks, he’d come over and chat a bit with Xu Fei and the others. Sometimes he even tagged along for drinks at the local bars. Xu Fei found out real quick that the guy couldn’t hold his liquor at all. One beer and Liang Xuan’s whole face would flush bright red, like a frosted persimmon. Xu Fei teased him for it more than once.

By May, the training finally wrapped up. The crew gave everyone a week off before filming officially began. A few of them, like Cai Jiajun, were homesick and flew back. Xu Fei stayed. He figured he’d explore the area a little. Ceylon was a peaceful country. It was the rainy season now, and after a shower or two, the heat wasn’t unbearable. He rented a beat-up motorcycle at a local market, picked up a few maps, and sat straddling the bike, head down, studying the roads.

Someone approached, casting a massive shadow over him. Xu Fei didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. He grumbled, “Move aside, will you,” and shifted the map into the sunlight.

Liang Xuan lowered his head to look too. “Planning a trip?”

Xu Fei pointed at a narrow stretch of highway. “Gonna head out this way. It follows the coastline. I figured I’d ride along it.” He folded up the map and tilted his face up to Liang Xuan. “You didn’t fly back home?”

Liang Xuan shrugged without a word. Xu Fei didn’t expect much of a response anyway. Seeing Liang Xuan linger, he tried asking, “Wanna come with me? It’s boring as hell hanging around here alone.”

Liang Xuan was always easygoing. Xu Fei asked if he could ride a bike, and he said he could manage. So they went and rented another one. The next day, they informed the crew and hit the road with nothing but their backpacks. Light and easy.

The road was practically empty. Now and then a car would pass, but most of the time it was just the two of them, engines roaring down the endless coastal road. The sound startled flocks of fat seagulls into the air, screaming and gliding over Xu Fei’s head in wide circles.

Liang Xuan didn’t say much along the way. Xu Fei, on the other hand, was riding high. He loved the thrill of charging forward nonstop. The sea breeze was warm and sliced past his cheeks like a blade, making him feel like he could take off and fly. It reminded him of a single he had released back in his “Mad Dash” days. Lost in the moment, he raised a fist and howled off-key, “I fly through the skies, I fly past the world. Better to crash like a meteor onto the concrete—”

Liang Xuan turned his head and gave him a faint smile.

“What song is that?”

They stopped in a small town and went into a rundown bar on the corner. The lighting was dim, and the beer tasted like donkey farts, but the air-conditioning was blissfully strong. Xu Fei chugged his drink and let out a loud burp just as Liang Xuan asked him about the song.

“Wrote it myself,” Xu Fei said.

Liang Xuan raised his brows. “You write songs too?”

Xu Fei thought back to the old band days. Medium-length hair, skull-print tank tops, tattoos piling up on his skin. And the weed, years and years of it. And Big Head, who got wrecked in that car crash. He let out a sigh, his mood dimming. “Used to be in two bands. Thought I could make it big, become a rock star.”

“I thought it sounded nice,” Liang Xuan said.

Xu Fei raised an eyebrow. “Dude, the sea wind’s been bashing my face sideways. My pitch was flying all over the place. What part of that was nice?”

“I still liked it,” Liang Xuan said, dead serious, like some meticulous little music critic. Xu Fei laughed and said, “Alright, I’ll sing it properly for you another time.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed off the tattoos on his arm. A huge vortex, a tree, a fish with legs, and a yellow bird perched on a branch. Ink was packed tight across his upper arm and shoulder. Liang Xuan’s eyes went wide, clearly stunned.

“My agent doesn’t allow tattoos,” he said.

Xu Fei nodded. Made sense. A guy like Liang Xuan was aiming to be a top-tier movie star. Tattoos would only bring trouble down the line. “Drink up,” he said, pushing the beer toward him.

Liang Xuan took a sip and immediately frowned.

Xu Fei burst out laughing and waved for another round.

They stayed in that town for the night. The next day, they hit the road again, and by the time they reached the next small town, the sun was already setting. Some kind of festival was going on. Everyone was in high spirits, and there were beer kegs as tall as a person being tapped in the streets for free. Xu Fei and Liang Xuan stumbled into the scene like two clueless aliens. They had just parked their bikes when a pretty girl came up and grabbed Liang Xuan, pulling him into a dance.

“Wait, hold on,” Liang Xuan stammered, flustered, glancing back at Xu Fei for help. Xu Fei, however, was laughing so hard he almost fell over, clearly having no intention of stepping in. He leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, and watched as Liang Xuan got surrounded by a group of girls. His thick brows were knitted tight, and his usual calm eyes were now laced with panic.

“Xu Fei,” he called out. “Xu Fei, Xu Fei—”

Xu Fei blew out a slow, satisfied puff of smoke.

When he saw Liang Xuan again, his cheeks were flushed, his clothes a mess, and there were two bright red lipstick marks on his neck. He looked like he’d been thoroughly ravaged. Xu Fei held back a laugh and asked, “What did they do to you?”

Liang Xuan shot him a rare glare. Those dark eyes shimmered under the dim streetlights like two stars. Xu Fei’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly dropped his cigarette and straightened up.

“I had two big mugs of beer,” Liang Xuan said.

“Breaking records, huh.” Xu Fei grinned. Seeing the glare still lingering on Liang Xuan’s face, he figured the kid was probably drunk. He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, my bad. Let me escort your highness back to rest.”

They found a nearby inn. Xu Fei had tried booking earlier, but all the rooms were full. Only one double remained, and it was tiny.

“We’ll make do.” He pushed Liang Xuan inside. Liang Xuan stumbled and collapsed into the armchair, struggling to get up. Xu Fei leaned on the doorframe, laughing again. He had drunk quite a bit himself, and now his head was buzzing, thoughts getting a little out of hand.

Liang Xuan shot him another look that felt like an accusation.

“Sorry, sorry,” Xu Fei said, closing the door and plopping down on the edge of the bed. They sat facing each other, knees nearly bumping. Xu Fei looked down and saw the two lipstick stains on Liang Xuan’s neck, pressed against the white collar of his shirt, the contrast sharp and glaring.

“If it were me,” Xu Fei said, “I’d have gone with them, no question.”

“What?” Liang Xuan looked dazed.

Xu Fei smacked his cheek lightly. “Sex, man. I’d bet anything that if you gave even the slightest signal, they’d be stripping off their clothes and climbing onto your lap.”

Liang Xuan froze for a second. Then, after a long pause, he said, “I’ve… never done it.”

It hit Xu Fei like a thunderclap. He stared in disbelief. “You’ve never had sex?” He looked at Liang Xuan’s handsome face, those pale pink lips, and suddenly his mouth went dry. “You’re a virgin?”

Liang Xuan scrunched his nose, looking annoyed. “I’ve always been busy. No time to date.”

“Come on, it’s not about dating,” Xu Fei said. “It’s about release. Don’t you have urges?”

Oh, wait. Xu Fei’s eyes dropped to Liang Xuan’s hands. Long fingers, calluses at the edges. He instinctively licked his lips. When he looked up again, Liang Xuan was glaring at him.

“What about you?” Liang Xuan asked.

Xu Fei let out a chuckle. “Me?” He spread his arms like he was embracing the whole world. “I lost it at seventeen, buddy. I’ve been with men and women. Let’s just say my youth was… wildly intense.”

Liang Xuan let out a snort. But Xu Fei noticed the blush still on his face, and how his eyes kept flicking to his lips. Xu Fei shifted a little, and their knees finally touched. Liang Xuan felt hot to the touch. No, Xu Fei told himself. No, this isn’t happening.

“I’ve done sex scenes before,” Liang Xuan suddenly said, like he was trying to prove something. “In Guan’s film A Single Hand to Hold. There was a bed scene with Feng Zijun.”

Xu Fei let out a dramatic “Wow.” Feng Zijun was the league’s rising starlet, with eyes like peach blossoms and a vibe that dripped seduction. “Impressive,” he said. “How was it?”

Liang Xuan curled his lip. “Not great. She kept touching me all over, kissing me nonstop. I didn’t feel a thing.”

Xu Fei nearly doubled over laughing. “Sex scenes aren’t real sex. You’ve got a bunch of people standing around watching. Getting hard would be straight-up perverted.” He sat upright again, staring at Liang Xuan’s flushed face and those bright, glinting eyes. Suddenly, his heart was pounding out of control.

He knew this wasn’t right. He kept telling himself, no, don’t do it. But the words slipped out anyway.

“Do you want to try?”

He stood up. Liang Xuan looked up at him, lips slightly parted, clearly confused. Xu Fei swallowed hard. His hand moved without thinking and pressed a finger against Liang Xuan’s lower lip. Liang Xuan instinctively closed his mouth and sucked the finger in.

Xu Fei let out a low moan from his throat. His youth may have been wild as hell, but since quitting drugs more than a year ago, he had stayed clean. Not a single hookup. Not a drop of sex. He was practically a born-again virgin. Now, with just a finger in Liang Xuan’s mouth, his cock twitched eagerly inside his pants.

He pulled his finger out. Liang Xuan’s face turned even redder, but he didn’t pull away or throw a punch. That had to be a good sign, Xu Fei thought. He awkwardly sat on Liang Xuan’s lap, feeling the younger man’s hands immediately grab his waist. The heat of those hands burned right through his T-shirt, pressing into his skin.

His cock twitched again. Liang Xuan’s hands were really big, and it hit straight at a kink Xu Fei always kept hidden. He liked being in control, but he liked being dominated even more. Not gently, but hard. Rough. Pinned down and ruined.

“Fuck,” he muttered and leaned down to press his lips to Liang Xuan’s chin. Liang Xuan shifted uneasily, but the hard bulge in his pants was pressing firmly against the inside of Xu Fei’s thigh.

A breeze slipped in through the window, warm and damp, with a salty hint of the ocean. Xu Fei moaned again. He lifted Liang Xuan’s chin with his fingers and said, “Then let’s try it together,” before kissing him.

Liang Xuan’s lips tasted like beer and chocolate. Xu Fei’s tongue pushed in easily, sliding between his lips and brushing against his teeth. Liang Xuan was stiff at first, but within seconds, he caught on. Instinct took over. His tongue pushed back, twisted around Xu Fei’s, sucked on it. Xu Fei felt weak from the kiss and bit down on Liang Xuan’s lower lip. His hand slid beneath the shirt, running up over that burning-hot skin.

“Shit,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “You’re so hot…”

Liang Xuan’s hands were under his shirt too, gripping his waist, squeezing his ass, fingers sliding up along his spine. He was exploring all over like he wanted to take control of everything. His cock kept getting harder, grinding against Xu Fei through his jeans, sending shockwaves through his chest.

“Wait, wait.” Xu Fei pulled back, earning a low grunt of frustration. He laughed, quickly stripping off his clothes, tugging down his pants and underwear in one move, and then leaned back in. “You’re starving for it, huh…”

No, they both were.

Liang Xuan tilted his head up and bit Xu Fei’s lip. His hand slipped under Xu Fei’s waistband, gripping his bare ass with force. Xu Fei let out a groan through his nose. His legs went weak, and his cock throbbed so hard inside his briefs that it hurt. He pulled back again, yanked off the rest of his clothes, and dropped onto the bed.

“Get up here. Come on the bed.”

Liang Xuan scrambled to his feet, struggling to pull his clothes on in a rush. As he turned, his knee slammed into the edge of the bedframe, and a sharp yelp escaped him. Xu Fei couldn’t help but laugh out loud.