9 Fear of Homosexuality

Xie Guilan stiffened. Cen Wu’s palms were soft and trembling, just as they had been the night before, as if he were terrified of something, yet he still stood his ground with his back straight.

Cen Wu gripped Xie Guilan’s arm. When the muscles tensed, they felt hard—more reassuring than a sexual orientation could ever be. If things really went south, he could always just fight his way out.

"Isn't this the Second Young Master?" Wang Yue squinted, acting as if he had only just recognized Cen Wu. He crushed his cigarette butt into the ashtray with force, then suddenly kicked the person next to him, pretending to be angry. "Why didn't anyone tell me the Second Young Master was here tonight?"

There were over a dozen people at Wang Yue’s booth. Aside from those with business ties to Wang Yue's company, the rest were mere sycophants clinging to his coattails. The one who had been kicked was Wang Ling, Wang Yue’s cousin. He scrambled to his feet, hurriedly clearing a spot for Cen Wu, and bowed fawningly, "Second Young Master, please, have a seat."

"It’s all my fault," Wang Yue said, pouring a glass of wine for Cen Wu himself. "If I had known the Second Young Master was here, I would have invited you over sooner."

Cen Wu didn't take the glass, nor did he go to sit down.

The dark purple lights of the bar were hazy and ambiguous, outlining a decadent abyss of indulgence. Only then did he notice a boy kneeling in front of Wang Yue—the boy was thin, his face buried low. He wore a white shirt that was now soaked with red wine, sticking to him in a disheveled mess.

"Get lost." Wang Yue frowned, reprimanding him coldly.

The boy was startled, scrambling to his knees on the side. Even though his palm was pierced by shards of glass, he didn't dare to make a sound.

"Forgive the eyesore, Second Young Master," Wang Yue leaned back against the sofa. "I brought someone here for a bit of fun, but this waiter spilled the wine on my guest, so he has to pay for it. Besides, he’s scared the life out of me, and my temper hasn't been vented yet—shouldn't he be held responsible?"

Cen Wu pursed his lips, his expression cold. Wang Yue was a difficult person, throwing his weight around just because he had money. Even the original "Cen Wu," who had been notoriously arrogant and domineering, had avoided crossing paths with him.

Blue Night certainly employed many male models, but even in that line of work, they wouldn't be so brazen at a booth. The boy looked at most twenty. Cen Wu didn't recognize him, but he guessed he was an obscure, minor celebrity; Wang Yue’s family owned an entertainment company, and he was always targeting the company’s newcomers.

Cen Wu’s guess was correct. Wang Yue had caused trouble at the company and been lectured by his uncle, leaving him in a foul mood. He had happened to run into this minor celebrity at the talent agency and dragged him along. The boy had been forced into this, unwilling and inexperienced. After being held a few times, he had gone completely rigid, and Wang Yue’s patience had run out, causing him to flare up and force the boy to kneel by the booth to "satisfy" him.

"Don't... don't let these people spoil the mood," Cen Wu took a deep breath, slowing his speech to avoid stuttering. He put on a look of weary annoyance, grabbed a card, and slapped it onto Xie Guilan’s chest. His tone was laced with humiliation, "Whatever Young Master Yue ordered just now, bring... bring another bottle exactly like it. Do you understand?"

"..."

Xie Guilan paused. He had gone from confusion to a state of numbness. Cen Wu’s posture was entirely one of protection; perhaps others could be fooled, but he could not. After all, no matter what happened, no one had ever stood in front of him before. He could certainly tell the difference. Though, he had no idea what Cen Wu’s true intentions were.

Under the chaotic lights of the bar, Cen Wu’s thick, dark lashes fluttered—wet and curled—and both the tips of his ears and the corners of his eyes were slightly red from the effort of feigning ferocity.

For some reason, Xie Guilan didn't feel humiliated. He raised a cold, indifferent eyebrow. Cen Wu’s hand, which was pressed against his chest, trembled even more. His fingertips were slender and snow-white, and because of the shaking, they curled involuntarily, as if giving his chest a squeeze.

Xie Guilan: "..."

Cen Wu: "..."

Cen Wu: !!!

Cen Wu suddenly realized what had happened. His pale, cool ears flushed a deep, burning red, and the shame rushed up to his face. His mind buzzed, the sensation of that firm, resilient muscle still lingering on his fingertips.

Help, he really hadn't meant to do that. But then again, he was the male lead, after all; he was only seventeen or eighteen, and he already had pectoral muscles.

Wang Yue: ?

Wang Yue suddenly felt as if he were being ignored. His facial muscles twitched, and he gave a cold cough, attempting to reclaim the spotlight. His tone was displeased, "Second Young Master, this isn't about the wine."

Wang Yue didn't have any major conflict with Xie Guilan. If there was anything to speak of, it was that he had run into Xie Guilan at a banquet last year. He didn't move in the upper circles of Huaijing, so he hadn't recognized that Xie Guilan was the illegitimate son of the Xie family patriarch. He had assumed he was just some relative and had tried to greet him, even adding, "Doesn't President Xie have an illegitimate son? Why isn't he here?"

"An illegitimate son?" Xie Guilan hadn't spoken, but someone standing next to them had sneered, "That kind of unpresentable filth—what does it matter if he’s here or not?"

Wang Yue had wanted to say more, but Xie Guilan, dressed in a black suit that accentuated his tall, slender frame and cold, resolute expression, had simply walked out of the banquet hall without a word. Wang Yue had initially thought he was just some young master and, while annoyed, hadn't paid much attention. It was only later that he learned Xie Guilan was that illegitimate son.

*Why?* He had been ostracized by the young heirs of Huaijing for a long time, feeling stifled, yet even an illegitimate son could treat him with such cold indifference. While he didn't hold the deep-seated, obsessive grudge that Xie Shangjing had, Wang Yue made sure to give Xie Guilan trouble whenever he ran into him. Tonight was no exception; Wang Yue had given a look, and when Xie Guilan came to serve the wine, someone had deliberately tripped him.

"What... what does Brother Yue intend to do?" Cen Wu asked.

Cen Wu wanted to settle the matter peacefully. He had already tried his best just to stand here without shaking. He wasn't good at winning arguments, and if paying money could solve it, he didn't want to waste any more time.

Wang Yue curled his lips into a lewd smirk. "The wine I just ordered was eight thousand a bottle. He has to pay for it at the original price. Besides... I haven't cooled down yet. Since he scared my guest, how about he comes with me to a private room tonight, and we’ll call it even?"

"Exactly," Wang Ling chimed in, his face full of contempt as he pointed at Xie Guilan. "Do you know how much this wine costs? How many nights would you have to stand here to pay for it?!"

The rest of the booth erupted in malicious laughter. "It’s a favor to have you serve Brother Yue; why are you being so ungrateful? Hurry up and go with him."

"Can't even serve a drink right—but you should know how to lie down and spread your legs, right? Can't Song Lingwei teach you anything?"

Xie Guilan had been humiliated too many times to react at first, but when that last comment was made, his face darkened instantly. His eyes were cold and filled with undisguised, heavy malice.

Cen Wu couldn't understand what these people were thinking. Wang Yue was slightly chubby and about the same height as him; didn't he feel any sense of inferiority when facing the male lead? He really wanted to possess that kind of self-confidence; if he had even a little of it, maybe he wouldn't be so socially anxious.

"Brother Yue, here’s the thing," Cen Wu didn't back down. "Brother Shangjing gave this person to me. He’s under my care for the next few days, so... just do me a favor and don't hold it against him..."

Wang Yue hadn't intended to clash with Cen Wu head-on; although his family was wealthy, the Cen family was not to be trifled with. He didn't know what was wrong with Cen Wu tonight, acting like a saint and protecting Xie Guilan.

"Fine, since the Second Young Master says so," he sneered, his eyes malicious. "Let him kneel down and use his mouth to finish it for me, and we'll call it even tonight. How about that?"

"..."

Initially, Wang Yue had been targeting Xie Guilan, but now it had become a standoff between him and Cen Wu. Everyone watched with bated breath. If it were them, they wouldn't dare speak to Cen Wu like that, but Wang Yue had enough money that most people present couldn't afford to offend him either.

Xie Guilan looked up at Cen Wu. It wasn't until his gaze landed on the tiny red mole on Cen Wu’s snow-white earlobe that he suddenly froze. *Why am I looking at this good-for-nothing?*

Cen Wu was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Alright."

Wang Yue couldn't help but look smug. Humiliating Xie Guilan was one thing, but having Cen Wu bow to him made him feel a rush of thrill that left his scalp tingling.

Xie Guilan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The young man’s skin had a cold, pale quality. His hands, hanging at his sides, were balled into tight fists, his eyes filled with inevitable hatred and despair. Some of the bystanders felt a pang of sympathy, thinking him unlucky to run into such living devils, but no one dared to intervene. Others were so excited that they had already pulled out their phones to start recording.

"However," Cen Wu said, stopping Wang Yue’s men before they could reach for Xie Guilan, "I don't think that's enough."

Cen Wu had a cold, stunningly beautiful, and intense look. As he gazed over, his lashes long and his pupils moist and shimmering like water, he resembled a white, innocent bird. Even though his fingers trembled and his shoulders were held rigid, the gaze of the entire bar fell upon him.

Wang Yue narrowed his eyes, asking with interest, "Then what does the Second Young Master suggest?"

"Shall I help you?" Cen Wu said.

Wang Yue was stunned. Xie Guilan looked at Cen Wu in astonishment. Chu Zijian, who had been lingering nearby—always ready to watch someone else’s misfortune—nearly jumped out of his skin. He was furious. *Who does Xie Guilan think he is? And who does Wang Yue think he is? Are they crazy? Who dares to make his boss do such a thing?!*

"Second Young Master!" Chu Zijian charged over aggressively.

Cen Wu: "Step aside."

Wang Yue used a lot of hair gel, his hair greasy and shiny under the bar lights. Cen Wu frowned, turned his head, and gave the back of Xie Guilan’s hand a light poke. "Give me your gloves."

Xie Guilan didn't ask; he simply took them off and handed them over. Cen Wu took them and put them on, unhurried. Wang Yue stared at Cen Wu’s slender fingers and that indescribably beautiful face, feeling his nose start to heat up.

Chu Zijian stood nearby, arms crossed, glaring at Wang Yue. Just then, Cen Wu suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Wang Yue by the hair, and slammed his face into the ashtray. Cen Wu’s fingers tightened, pulling his hair back and forcing his face down into the ashtray again and again.

"Are you calm now?" Cen Wu’s voice was cold. His knuckles, encased in black gloves, looked slender and beautiful as he ground the man’s face into the ashtray. "Are you calm?"

*Giving you face and you don't want it.* Even though he was gay, he decided that starting tonight, he was going to be homophobic—he just couldn't escape this world of gay men.

The ashtray hit the man’s nasal bridge, the sharp pain surging straight to his skull as tears and snot streamed down. The event had happened without warning, and the bystanders were stunned, no one daring to speak.

"F*ck!" Wang Yue struggled violently, but he couldn't break free. His body had been hollowed out by wine and debauchery, bloated and soft, and caught off guard, he couldn't even crawl away. He could only roar inarticulately, "Cen Wu, are you f*cking trying to die?!"

Cen Wu stopped only when he was tired. Wang Yue stumbled to his feet, his face covered in blood, his eyes blinded by ash. He wiped his face fiercely, ready to charge at Cen Wu. But before he could even open his eyes, Cen Wu picked up a wine bottle and smashed it over his head with a *bang*.

Blood poured down instantly.

Cen Wu couldn't help but shrink his neck, but he still stood there, trembling, holding the bottle shard-encrusted neck as he pointed it at Wang Yue’s bleeding head and demanded, "Are you calm now?"

"..."

The bar fell into a deathly silence.

Wang Yue was definitely calm—even terrified. Arguing was one thing, but he had actually tried to attack Cen Wu? If this ancestor really got hurt, his family would be finished.

"Second Young Master, this..." Wang Yue, supported by his cousin, wiped the blood from his head. His voice trembled as he forced a smile. "It’s all a misunderstanding. I was just joking."

"I... I was joking too," Cen Wu said, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Brother Yue wouldn't mind, would you?"

Cen Wu’s voice still held a faint, delicate tremor.

Xie Guilan: "..." *It all feels so strange, but I can't quite put my finger on why.*

Wang Yue’s head was buzzing from the blow; he hadn't noticed that his opponent was also barely holding on. He gritted his teeth, swallowed the metallic taste of blood, and said, "I don't mind. Why would I mind?" *Does he dare to mind?* There were over a dozen wine bottles on the table, and he only had one head—he wasn't sure if it was enough for Cen Wu to smash.

"The wine from before was eight thousand, right?" Cen Wu’s vision was blurring; he didn't even know what he was saying anymore. He turned to look for Xie Guilan, took off his gloves, and handed him the card. "Use Young Master Yue’s name to order... order ten sets of Ace of Spades Dragon Suites."

His hands were visibly shaking, and he failed to place the card into Xie Guilan’s palm several times. He pursed his lips, sniffled quietly, his eyelashes sticking together with moisture.

Xie Guilan’s eyelids twitched. Not knowing what he was thinking, he suddenly reached out and took it, inadvertently gripping Cen Wu’s pale, trembling hand as well.

"Don't be afraid," Cen Wu squeezed his palm again, his voice small and soft with a tremor, "Go order them."

Ten sets of Ace of Spades Dragon Suites totaled over eighty-eight thousand—ten times the cost of Wang Yue’s bottle. Wang Yue’s face turned black as a pot. He realized he had been ignored again, and worse, if Xie Guilan were the one to order them, wouldn't he get the commission?!

He had been humiliated all night, beaten until his head was broken and bleeding, and now Xie Guilan was going to make an extra month’s salary off of him?! Were these two conspiring to play him for a fool?!