Chapter 1

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It was past ten on a

night in March. The sky was a thick black, with the chilly evening

wind burrowing its way past the collars into the warmth inside,

causing people to hurry along with their necks withdrawn.

The neon lights on either side of the street seemed to blur into a

disarray of colours. Cars vroomed by. Street vendors vied for

customers. Oranges on tricycles flooded with yellow light under the

streetlamps.

In an alley that

connected two main streets, a tall silhouette blocked the light. His

slender fingers held a cigarette, embers flickering in the darkness.

Chi Yue was dressed

properly – tux, white shirt – but no tie, and his cuffs were

open. Only his hair was left immaculately styled.

Part of his

well-defined face was shrouded by shadows while the rest displayed a

muddle of emotions.

Escaping his lungs,

a cloud of cigarette smoke left by his mouth and nose, hiding his

restraint, desperation and affection in a casual banter.

“It’s not like

you don’t know that I like you.”

Lu Xi seemed as if

he had just woken up and thrown on a thin wool cardigan that fell off

one shoulder, showing his striped pyjamas. Leaning against the wall,

loose bangs slightly hanging over his eyes, he was leisurely peeling

a mandarin.

In that narrow and

empty alley stood two tall and hunky men. Just past the mouth of the

alley, people were going about their evening pursuits.

Lu Xi’s eyes were

hidden in the dark but were still radiant.

“Do you have to

like me that much?”

The long-time

painter’s boney fingers were now popping a piece of mandarin into

his mouth.

He raised his gaze,

an enigmatic twinkle in his eyes.

“Big Cock Chi.”

A car sped past on

the street, its engines roaring in their ears like thunder.

Lu Xi jutted out his

chin, his glossy eyes reflecting the car’s red taillights. Hidden

in the darkness, his face seemed to be ignited, releasing a dangerous

yet alluring signal.

Exhaling another

puff of smoke, Chi Yue stared at the other man with gleaming eyes,

like a lion staring at its prey – a cunning and hard-to-tame fox.

He was forceful and

dominant, yet was stumped as to how to handle him.

Two pairs of eyes

watched each other through the wisps of smoke. There was a moment of

uneasy silence.

Like two male

animals in a stalemate, neither wanted to submit.

The butt of the

cigarette suddenly died and was thrown to the ground and stamped out

by a dress shoe.

Chi Yue closed their

distance and trapped Lu Xi against the wall.

The confined man’s

lashes cast a gentle shadow as he slowly looked up.

Who would be the

ultimate winner in this risky game?

Chi Yue grinned, his

handsome features relaxing as he exuded overwhelming pheromones. He

discreetly slid a hand over Lu Xi’s left wrist.

Lu Xi narrowed his

eyes as his weak point was grasped by the other.

Hand still holding

onto his wrist, Chi Yue slowly fed a piece of mandarin into his own

mouth all the while keeping eye contact.

“This isn’t the

type you usually get,” he licked his lips and commented in a

slightly raspy voice.

The scent of sweet

citrus seemed to explode between the two, contrary to the usual

bitterness.

Lu Xi pursed his

lips and brought his right knee up towards Chi Yue. As the man

sidestepped, he easily escaped from the confinement.

Like a fish that

could not be caught.

“How mean,” Chi

Yue grumbled as he wiped the juice from

the corners of his lips.

The escapee had

already sauntered to the mouth of the alley, leaving behind his

lonesome shadow on the path.

At the foot of the

wall, a mandarin slowly rolled out from a plastic bag.

It was a mandarin

that had nowhere to go, just like he who had nowhere to go.

“It wasn’t the

first time he kicked me out.” The man, who was nearing thirty,

muttered matter-of-factly as he crouched down and poked the innocent,

but abandoned, mandarin.

“It’s already

time for FIT’s graduation show again.”

Overhead, an

impenetrable gloominess had already replaced the starry night sky.

They had both grown

up.

Chi Yue picked up

the bag of mandarins that was left by Lu Xi and headed in the

opposite direction.