Chapter 24

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Chapter 24, Performance

Ye Zi forgave Hare. They no longer mentioned what happened that day, and soon, life returned to normal.

Ye Zi worked on weekdays from 9 to 6. Hare was always the one cooking. Sometimes he would have classes and be unable to cook. At times like those, he would eat out together with Ye Zi. Right now, Yan’er was already more than a year old, and she’s already learned to make sounds like “bwuder”. Ye Zi liked this little sister very much. Whenever he was free, he would pick her up and bring her out on walks together with Hare at night, allowing Yan’er to ride on his shoulders. But of course, a funny joke came out of it. One time, Yan’er began to bawl as soon as she was put on his shoulders. Ye Zi couldn’t figure out for the longest time what had happened, but that was until he noticed the wet feeling and the smell on his neck that he realized she had peed…

Hare got his driver’s license as soon as he became of age. He would bring Ye Zi out on a ride on his white sedan any time he was free. Things were indeed convenient once they had a car. In spring, he would drive them to the gardens to see cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and pear blossoms; in summer, they visited the mountains to listen to the croaking frogs and see the stars, visiting a world where the lotuses were all in full bloom, their light fragrance lingering in the air; in autumn, they would go to the forests where red maple trees swayed; in winter, they went to the hot springs to admire the plum blossoms.

Ye Zi would probably never forget this summer.

He and Hare visited a summer resort in the mountains. Walking in the old town, they crouched together by the pond, listening to the lovely sound of the pond frogs going croak and hop. The bright half-moon was hanging between the branches overhead, and a windmill was slowly turning amidst the warm street lamps. Millions of trees were dyed the colors of emerald and dark golden by the light while the colorful cosmos swayed among the grass.

They followed the winding path until they arrived at a small pavilion in the mountains. Leaning against the seats, they looked up at the sky.

In the city where Ye Zi lived, the stars could no longer be seen. However, the sky here was covered in surprisingly bright stars.

The sky was just like a plate of jade help up by the mountains while the stars were an endless array of gemstones.

After staring at it for a long time, one would feel that the stars in the sky were just like glowing creatures that were alive. They floated in the air, playing as if they would turn into meteors and fall down before his eyes if they were not careful. The moon did not remain silent either. The moon was singing. Her song forms the wind, and forms the call of the insects, bringing peace to one’s mind.

It was on such a night that Ye Zi and Hare sat side by side, holding hands. Feeling the night breeze between the mountains on their skin, they listened to the melody of the night until they were too sleepy before returning together back to their lodge to sleep.

※ ※ ※

Ye Zi worked very hard at work and soon, he joined the company’s sales department. The average salary in the sales department was much higher, but so too were its working hours. Often because of a few customers, work would hold him up until close to midnight before he could return home. Hare opposed to this job, but Ye Zi had always been stubborn. There was no way he would give up just because of Hare’s opposition.

His boss was a man in his thirties. He was around 170 centimeters tall, slightly chubby, and had an open and slick disposition. His name was Zhang Tao.

When he first joined Zhang Tao’s team, Ye Zi was quite happy. After all, Zhang Tao’s team ranked top three in the company’s performance rankings each year. However, after staying there for a while, he gradually discovered some cracks.

Zhang Tao was often handsy with him. Each time when he came over to give Ye Zi pointers, he would always lean so close that he was practically hugging him, and he also spoke close to his face. The smell of smoke that came from his mouth disgusted Ye Zi.

Whenever Ye Zi followed Zhang Tao out to entertain their customers, he would go even further. It felt like his goal was not to close a sale, but rather to make Ye Zi drunk.

Once, when they came out of the restaurant, it was already close to ten at night.

Ye Zi felt uncomfortable. He told Zhang Tao he wanted to go home, but he was pulled into a cab by his boss. When he woke up, he was in a hotel! Ye Zi pushed the man away and insisted on going home, but that bastard Zhang Tao caught his shoulder and said, “Stop pretending, I know you’re gay. Heh, I bet you’ve been wanting this, haven’t you? I’ve never slept with a gay man before, so why don’t we have a little fun tonight?”

“I have a boyfriend,” Ye Zi said to him while shrugging his hand off, trying his best to suppress his anger.

“Boyfriend? When did gays care about shit like that? Everyone has a whole pile of them anyway, right? So cut the shit…If you show me a good time today, then you can have the winery project. How does that sound? You should know that if you manage to seal the deal on that one, the commission will be enough for you to afford a car!”

That night, Ye Zi escaped. The incident filled him with anger, but he was too embarrassed to complain, much less tell Hare who could explode at any time. So, he thought to himself that he would try to improve his performance and try to transfer to a different team. After that, he tried his best to avoid Zhang Tao during work.

But how could Zhang Tao give up so easily?

About a week later, beginning of July.

It was already the evening by the time Ye Zi returned to the office from receiving a customer. The sky looked gloomy covered in dark clouds, and the sounds of thunder could be heard. A storm was about to break out.

He went to the toilet before coming back to his usual seat and taking a sip of his drink. Through the window, he could see the growing raindrops outside and the pedestrians strolling by. More and more umbrellas appeared, and soon, it was pouring outside.

His head felt dizzy, and he was feeling more and more tired.

Then, a man sat in front of Ye Zi. It was Zhang Tao.

The man laughed and seemed to have said something, but he couldn’t hear it clearly. It just felt sticky and gross to him.

After that, he approached Ye Zi, face growing closer and closer. He could see the red veins covering his eyes and as soon as he opened his mouth, it was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, which disgusted him.

And, this disgusting man actually stuck out his tongue and licked Ye Zi’s cheek.

Ye Zi began to struggle, but his body was powerless.

Only then did he realize with some horror that he was probably drugged. When he went into the restroom earlier, Zhang Tao had mixed something into his drink!

Zhang Tao continued attacking him as he struggled. Then, through the window, he saw Hare.

Drops of rain stuck to the glass, sliding down with gravity before pooling into a stream.

Ye Zi did not understand how he could see so clearly, but he saw him.

On the street, Hare stood in the rain holding a black umbrella, gazing at the two of them. His eyes, shrouded by the shadow, were without emotion.

Then, Ye Zi lost consciousness.

…

Ye Zi was woken up by the sound of thunder.

When he woke up, he found himself in the living room of the villa, lying atop a soft sofa. The wind was crashing against the window and rain was still pouring outside.

Amidst the pattering of the rain, Ye Zi heard the smooth melody of a piano. It was a song familiar to him: Beethoven’s Tempest.

It was Hare.

Hare was sitting before the black grand piano, fingers dancing madly across the keys.

Yes, it was madness.

In the dark, he struck the keys of the piano almost sadistically to vent his anger.

The melody he played wasn’t gentle in the slightest. It sounded just like a raging tempest, sweeping everything in its way as if it could want for nothing more than to sweep all things living from the ground and wash away their nasty traces. The notes burst out quickly and without restraint. His bass was dull and the accents, shocking. Even without seeing it, one could probably imagine how hard he was playing the piano, as if he meant to play until his fingers bled.

Attracted by the sound of music, Ye Zi walked towards the source with bare feet.

He discovered that Hare was not just playing a single piece. His melody was mixed in with Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu and Heroic Polonaise. especially when he played the Polonaise, it was as if the entire room was vibrating with the melody.

The real Polonaise was supposed to be uplifting, but his was different.

Probably mixing in too much of his own, the music was violently destructive and despairing.

In just a moment, Ye Zi finally made his way to Hare’s side. Through the occasional flash of light as lightning struck, he finally saw.

Hare’s white shirt was covered in blood.

His hair was soaked through. Rainwater mixed with blood was flowing down, sliding across his otherwise fair forehead. At the moment, his face, wrists, and hands were all covered in a dark red liquid. The black and white piano keys have long been soiled by him, becoming a dirty mess.

Ye Zi’s body felt cold. Very cold.

His heart pounded, and his breathing was also growing unsteady.

After a long time, he mustered a question. “Did you kill him?”

Hare’s recital came to a screeching halt.

Eyelashes raising up, he looked at Ye Zi with a smile on his face.

And this smile was clearly not genuine. The irises behind his slightly narrowed lids were so light that they almost seemed to be glowing. Half of his face was obscured by the blood in a rather frightening display. and yet his voice was soft and slow, as if he were telling a fairy tale. “Yeah. I took him into an alley, pulled the drugs out of his bag, and made him take it. And then? Heh. I tore off his nails before cutting off his hand. I ripped off his skin and pulled out his disgusting organs…Who knows how much that guy had been smoking. His lungs were completely black…Probably thanks to the drug, despite his hands and legs gone, and even his organs taken out, he was still begging for mercy. How pitiful…just like a fish still flopping around despite being gutted. But he was too loud…It annoyed me, so I cut off his tongue.”

Ye Zi’s heart thumped as he listened on, but he did not interrupt him. In fact, rather subtly, he even felt a sense of superiority in this situation, which alarmed him.

As hare spoke, he raised his cold hand to caress Ye Zi’s cheek. He cocked his head to the side like an innocent little child. “Ah Zi, this is where he licked you, isn’t it?”

Ye Zi froze for a moment, but he nodded.

Hare pulled his head down and stuck out his tongue, licking it forcefully.

The strong smell of blood assaulted his nose. Ye Zi frowned, wanting to push him away.

But his wrists were caught by Hare.

Over and over again, Hare licked him hard. His hot wet tongue caused Ye Zi to breathe heavily, but the moment he dropped his guard, he suddenly felt a sharp pain!

He pushed Hare away violently and touched his cheek. God, Hare that crazy bastard actually bit him! His face was bleeding!

Ye Zi’s face was filled with disbelief. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Hare’s expression changed immediately. His eyes were wide open in shock as he stared at the blood running down Ye Zi’s face. It seemed as if he couldn’t believe that he had done that himself.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”

As Ye Zi turned around and made to leave, Hare suddenly embraced him from behind. His voice sounded hoarse as if he were about to cry. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again…It’s my fault…I was wrong…I’m sorry! Ah Zi! I’m sorry…”

While apologizing, Hare cupped Ye Zi’s face, kissing his wound delicately.

The annoyance was gone from him at this moment. His movements were light and done with extreme care.

Even though Ye Zi didn’t want to admit it, he really was powerless against the crying Hare. Each time he heard Hare’s crying voice and saw his tears, he just couldn’t help but turn soft.

The wound on his cheek was not actually deep, and it had only bled because his skin had been pricked through. The feeling of being treated so tenderly after being inflicted pain made him feel strange. His cheek began to tingle as power left his body. A kind of hot current shook his head and traveled down his back. Soon, Ye Zi couldn’t help but clench his legs.

Hare smiled. “Ah Zi, may I?”

Ye Zi answered with his actions.

He wrapped his arms around Hare’s neck. Then, tilting his head, kissed him deeply on the lips.

Hare unbuttoned Ye Zi’s shirt and removed his clothes little by little.

Then, he carried Ye Zi to the piano, kissing him from his ankles up long to his inner thighs.

In the midst of crashing thunder, their bodies once again melted into one.

…

The dense notes made by the raindrops were just like a nocturne.

A nocturne about blood, about death, about despair, about love…

And this nocturne was played by two men with their souls.

Even if they were bruised and battered, even if they were covered in blood, they still had to go on.

…

…

Late at night, in the bathroom, two people were soaking in the bathtub.

Embracing the drowsy Ye Zi, Hare asked softly in his ears, “Would you ever leave me in the future? Would you betray me?”

“Who can say for sure what the future holds for us?”

“If a day like that ever comes, I’d rather die.”

Ye Zi yawned. “Say, why are you so pessimistic? Anyway, these questions are pure nonsense. You really are just a child.”

Hare kissed Ye Zi’s nape tenderly as if he did not hear his complaint, whispering in a husky voice, “Ah Zi, do you know? There’s no one else who loves you as much as I do in this world.”

“…You really are arrogant, aren’t you?”

“If your love for me is even a thousandth of what I feel for you, I’d be content.”

“…”

“Ah Zi, do you like me?”

Ye Zi struggled for a while before answering in a quiet voice. “…I do.”

“Do you love me?”

Ye Zi hesitated. He thought for a long while before saying with a blush. “Why do you think I can endure living with you and putting up with all your crazy antics?”

Ye Zi thought that Hare would be jumping for joy. after all, it was the first time he had ever expressed his love in words, even implicitly.

However, Hare was silent.

After a while, he asked in a whisper, “But…how can you prove it?”

Ye Zi was taken aback. “Huh?”

“Ah Zi, you don’t actually know me. When you really come to learn all about me, will you still love me? Will you still be able to put up with me?”

Ye Zi was annoyed. “What a troublesome guy…So tell me, then. How do you want me to prove it to you?”

“Can you kill one more person for me?”

“…”

“There’s someone else I really want to kill. The one person I hate the most.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

|TOC|

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