Игра в убийство в Лиге плюща

Глава 21

When Tao Rujiu opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a sharp and angry face.

He realized he was holding Hua Kai tightly in his arms, and Hua Kai had already fainted in his embrace—a lover's embrace. Not to mention that they were disheveled and covered in ambiguous marks.

At this moment, Dongli Bupo had quietly withdrawn from Tao Rujiu's body and stood quietly behind him, gazing sadly at the boy in his arms.

I'll never see it again.

Tao Rujiu looked up and saw Ling Li storming up at him. He tried to explain, but before he could speak, the man violently attacked him.

"What's going on?!"

Ling Li grabbed Hua Kai's arm and forcefully pulled him away from Tao Rujiu's embrace. Just now, Dong Li Bu Po had been passionately entangled with him, and although he had tried his best to restrain his desires, he had still injured the young man. A thin line of blood meandered down Hua Kai's bare thigh. In Ling Li's eyes, this became evidence of Tao Rujiu's violence.

"What did you do to him!" He suddenly grabbed Tao Rujiu by the throat and shoved him against the large tree behind him. "You actually did that to Hua Kai..."

Tao Rujiu snapped out of his shock. He couldn't understand why Ling Li would see this as a one-sided act of coercion, as if he were a criminal who had seduced a teenager?

"It wasn't me..." Convinced that Ling Li had misunderstood her, Tao Rujiu tried to clarify, "It was..."

"Are you implying that Hua Kai seduced you?" Ling Li laughed angrily. "I've known him for so many years, and I didn't know he had this tendency. Besides, he's still a minor. You want to go to jail, don't you!"

"No!" Tao Rujiu panicked. "...It's not like that, Huakai. Say something, explain to him..." He reached out, desperately trying to grab Huakai, but the boy remained in a state of escapist slumber. It was Dongli Bupo who couldn't bear it and made him wake up to face this predicament.

"Explain what? Do you even need to explain this?!" Ling Li roared angrily, suddenly kicking Tao Rujiu in the groin. There, the desire aroused by Dong Li Bupo had not yet been quelled.

The already sensitive area was suddenly struck by this merciless kick. Tao Rujiu felt a piercing pain and cried out as he arched his body.

"You know pain too!" Ling Li stood to the side without the slightest remorse. "Then can you feel the pain of a flower blooming? You can feel it..."

He suddenly stopped talking, instead tearing off the young man's half-undone shirt and grabbing his hands to tie them tightly to the tree trunk.

"You can reflect on your actions in the darkness!" he said grimly. Turning back to take Hua Kai back to Cuiying Pavilion, the boy suddenly regained some consciousness and even bit the sharp hand hard. The man assumed he had lost his mind due to the shock, so he restrained the boy's hands and feet, whispered a few words of comfort, and then picked him up and carried him towards the brightly lit area.

"The flowers are blooming..." Only Tao Rujiu's almost desperate sobs could be heard in the darkness. "Explain to him..."

No one answered his pleas.

The young man knelt in the eerie grass, everyone had already left him. Only the mosquitoes, which had been driven away by the ghosts, swarmed back like a tide, relentlessly biting his half-naked body. He shifted his body, sobbing softly. The passion between Dongli Bupo and Huakai had exhausted him greatly, and the evening breeze made him shiver, but this was not the worst of it.

A light drizzle began to fall.

Ling Li had been gone for a long time and hadn't returned; he was probably trying to treat Hua Kai's wounds. Tao Rujiu clung to his last hope, fantasizing that the boy would wake up and explain everything to Ling Li. However, he didn't know that Hua Kai had fallen into a deep sleep again after returning to Cuiying Pavilion. He was a frail child, and Dongli Bupo didn't want him to be awake and face Ling Li's questioning. Yet, this selfish wish led to another person's misfortune.

Tao Rujiu was tied to a tree in the drizzle for a full hour.

When Ling Li remembered him again, the young man was already half-lying in the mud, with only his pale hands, bound by his shirt, raised up, his wrists covered with bruises left from the struggle.

Without a word, he untied him and dragged him into the car. Tao Rujiu felt as if he were being drenched in a torrential downpour. The raindrops pounded against him, gradually bringing him back to his senses.

Was he still in that patch of grass? He slowly opened his eyes.

No, he found himself lying in the shower room of the imposing villa. The showerhead above him was spraying a torrential downpour of cold water.

He looked up, leaned sharply against the sink in the outer room, and smoked a cigarette.

"I……"

He swayed as he tried to stand up, only to discover that he was completely naked. His tattered clothes, covered in mud, had been thrown outside when he entered the house.

"Now that you're awake, you should give me an explanation, right?"

Through the curtain of water, Tao Rujiu could not see Ling Li's expression clearly, but he could hear his cold voice mixed with the sound of water.

"Explain...what?"

The young man, using the wall for support, stood up and turned off the shower. A sudden, deathly silence fell. He muttered, repeating the man's words, "The fight's already happened, what's the point of explaining? Is there any need to explain to you?"

"You think this is all?" Ling Li suddenly stubbed out his cigarette. "You haven't paid the price for your actions these past few days."

"What did I do?" Tao Rujiu slowly pushed open the shower room door and walked out. "...These past few days, haven't you been the one initiating things with me..."

He looked up at Ling Li, the rain having extinguished any remaining hope in his heart. He understood that unless Dong Li Bu Po stepped forward to explain everything, the misunderstanding would continue. But now, however, the explanation was no longer important to him.

The person who once held him tenderly in their arms unilaterally condemned him without even giving him a chance to explain. Perhaps what happened at noon today had already made Ling Li distrust him. Their relationship hadn't been cultivated for long. It was all just an illusion created by comforting each other that night in the underground palace. It wasn't love; there had never even been friendship between them. And now, there was only hatred.

Even if Dongli Bupo appears and explains everything, some things are already beyond redemption.

"I took the initiative with you?..." Ling Li looked at Tao Rujiu as she walked over with difficulty, repeating his words harshly, "When I kissed you, did you refuse? Yesterday, if I hadn't pitied you for having a fever, I would have taken you already! Do you want me too... or are you indiscriminate in your desires for everyone?"

Tao Rujiu shuddered, stopped, and leaned against the wall, panting. Ling Li saw moisture condensing in his eyes, but the young man only lowered his head and gave a dry laugh.

“Yes…” His smile was forced. “I’ve liked the flowers for a long time, and I was going to take action anyway, but who knew you’d interfere… I… I just…”

"You!" Ling Li suddenly stood up straight, grabbed Tao Rujiu's arm, dragged him out and threw him onto the bed.

“What do you mean by ‘coming out of nowhere’!” he shouted. “So, does that make me the third party in your relationship?”

Tao Rujiu lay on his back on the bed, seemingly oblivious to the man's roar. Ling Li, furious and desperate, tried to draw his attention, but the moment her fingertips touched his body, the young man began to fiercely resist.

The bed was a mess, and two figures quickly became entangled. It was impossible to see who hit whom or who kicked whom in the stomach. Even the sounds of their mutual insults were omitted. Tao Rujiu only remembered the terrifying hour in the bushes, while Ling Li only cared about the passionate embrace he witnessed. Naturally, the result of the fierce battle was that the physically exhausted Tao Rujiu was at a disadvantage. Ling Li quickly pinned him down, restraining his still unwilling and restless limbs.

For a long time, only their heavy breathing filled the bedroom. Tao Rujiu's face was flushed, and her eyes were still filled with lingering moisture. Ling Li saw his own reflection in that moisture, paused for a moment, and then suddenly leaned down and bit Tao Rujiu's lips hard.

The new round of struggles quickly succumbed to a desperate lust.

The bedside lamp was swept to the floor amidst fierce resistance. In the dim light, Tao Rujiu struggled desperately, but the sharp, fiery lips and teeth continued to rain down on him, biting and biting every inch of his skin, burning hot. Almost overwhelmed by the pain and numbness throughout his body, Tao Rujiu raised his head to gasp for breath. He could feel Ling Li also removing his clothes, and his equally hot body pressed against him again, forcing him to spread his legs.

Tao Rujiu understood what this meant. He trembled in panic, trying his best to curl up. However, the man ignored his wishes and forcefully stuffed a pillow under his waist, then violently pulled the young man's legs apart, immediately eliciting a cry of pain.

"What are you yelling for!" the man said fiercely, panting. "The fun is yet to come!"

Tao Rujiu knew what he meant, and, increasingly frightened, propped himself up, frantically groping for things on the bed and throwing them at Ling Li. However, the pillow and thin blanket were not very harmful, and instead enraged Ling Li, who slapped Tao Rujiu across the face and then tightly tied his hands to the bed.

"Don't you want to experience what you did to the flowers yourself...?"

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed the young man's desire tightly.

"Ugh... Ah..." Tao Rujiu cried out in pain, yet instinctively he still raised his head despite the intense pain. Sensing the young man's reaction, Ling Li stopped stimulating him.

“Now…” the man’s voice, heavy with breath, came from the darkness, “it’s your turn to serve me…”

Before he could resist, Ling Li straddled Tao Rujiu's chest, gripped the young man's chin, and forced his mouth open. The next instant, a burning, engorged member surged into Tao Rujiu's mouth. The young man struggled desperately, but Ling Li held his throat tightly, threatening, "If you dare bite, I'll kill you!"

The man's swollen member plunged deep into his throat, causing an instinctive gag. The so-called "sex" held no pleasure whatsoever that night. As penetration finally occurred, the young man wept silently. The feeling of being brutally torn apart from behind was unbearable; warm liquid flowed down his legs—he knew it was his own blood, the price of his naiveté and kindness.

As Ling Li finally released his scalding hot liquid into his body, the young man lost the strength to resist and fainted. Ling Li's humiliation was like a branding iron, leaving an indelible mark on his heart. Tao Rujiu thought he would die, or rather, deep down, he thought death was the best way to escape everything.

However, he still opened his eyes.

The moment I opened my eyes, I realized that I couldn't just die like this.

He was still lying on the bed in the guest room. The surroundings were filled with the traces of last night's catastrophe. After venting his anger, he had abandoned him and left. Tao Rujiu swayed as he tried to get up, but a tearing pain in his groin felt like a knife wedging itself from his tailbone into his body.

He looked down slowly at his lower body, and saw a scene of utter misery.

The dried brown blood had congealed between his legs, staining the area. His legs, hands, and body were covered in violent bruises and bloodstains. He dared not examine the most painful spots; just recalling the brutal events of the night made Tao Rujiu tremble uncontrollably.

If I die like this, even in death I will have my wounds manipulated and people will say hurtful things to me.

He endured the physical and mental pain, slowly got out of bed, and limped towards the shower room.

If a woman is raped, she can rely on evidence to sue the perpetrator. But what about men? They would probably only become gossip in tabloids, not to mention that Tao Rujiu himself was a reporter and knew how terrible it was.

He turned on the tap and rinsed everything off. Then he put on his bathrobe, went back into the room, grabbed the mess on the bed, opened the window, and threw everything out.

Downstairs is the stern bedroom.

After doing all this, Tao Rujiu felt the tear in his groin being ripped open again. He gritted his teeth, walked to the table, and drank the half-cup of water he had left over from the day before yesterday. The feeling of hunger was immediately awakened.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened the door and went out. The villa was quiet; Ling Li seemed to have left. Tao Rujiu endured the excruciating pain and walked down the steps one by one. By the time he reached the bottom, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

He remembered that there was no food in the villa; the porridge and dishes he used to eat were all brought over from Hailing City by Ling Li. If he wanted to eat something now, he would definitely need to leave the villa.

But he had no clothes; walking down the street in a yukata was already absurd enough. The bloodstains on the hem were even harder to explain. Besides, now that he'd left the villa, the only place he could go was the Emerald Pavilion. What would he do with the flowers then?

Yes, there is reason to resent. Resentment for being forced to give up one's body, for offering sympathy, only to become a completely innocent victim. But what good is resentment? If a hard slap could restore everything to its original state…

Tao Rujiu suddenly dared not even entertain such a thought. If he hadn't encountered this bizarre situation, how could he have seen Ling Li's sinister and ruthless side? If that night hadn't happened, how long would he have continued to hypocritically "love" Ling Li? He dared not imagine.

"Ling Li has never loved me."

Tao Rujiu said this to himself.

"I woke up from this dream not early, but it can't be any later."

He stood there swaying for a while, then suddenly decided to go to Ling Li's bedroom to get a set of clothes to wear. He then returned to Cuiying Pavilion and left Hailing City.

Whether it was fierce or blooming, whether the eastern fence remained unbroken, it all became a dream from last night, as long as we left Hailing City.

Having made this decision, he stumbled toward the bedroom deep in the corridor.

The door wasn't locked. Tao Rujiu easily turned the handle, and the door opened silently. He cautiously peeked inside, but the first thing he smelled was a strong odor of smoke.

Ling Li was leaning against the bed, the ashtray on the bedside table already piled high with cigarette butts. Seeing him push open the door, a pair of icy blue eyes immediately glared at him.

Tao Rujiu instinctively flinched, but then, remembering her resolve to abandon everything, she took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say:

"Lend me a set of clothes so I can leave the villa."

Ling Li didn't answer immediately, but instead looked him up and down.

Beneath the thin bathrobe, ivory skin was covered in bluish-purple and red bruises. Damp, short hair clung messily to his forehead. All of this created an atmosphere of ambiguity and eroticism, stirring up memories the man had in the darkness.

Although last night's passion was completely dominated by anger, the man would feel excited and even pleasure simply by recalling the beautiful body that had moaned and gasped under his control.

However, he would soon tell himself that Tao Rujiu was a piece of trash not worth any effort. All he had done was tear down Tao's hypocritical facade and reclaim what Hua Kai had lost.

Even so, he couldn't explain why he still felt a pang of tenderness when he saw Tao Rujiu's tears as she shed tears of unbearable pain.

After pondering this repeatedly, he became somewhat uneasy. He began to numb himself with cigarette smoke. At this moment, Tao Rujiu inappropriately threw down the bed sheet and slowly walked downstairs.

"You've come back to life?"

While staring greedily at the person in front of him, Ling Li spoke coldly and ruthlessly: "You are not worthy to wear my clothes. Wear your own. Also, leave Hailing City before tonight. You are not welcome here."

Although these words aligned with Tao Rujiu's ultimate plan, the sharpness of their tone, delivered with such force, was enough to draw blood. The young man stood silently at the door for a moment, then gritted his teeth, abruptly turned, and strode straight toward the gate.

Ling Li leaned against the bed and heard the sound of the door being turned open. Tao Rujiu's pile of tattered clothes was lying in the open space in front of the door. After a night of drizzle, they were already soaked with mud. Ling Li heard the sound of raindrops falling as the clothes were lifted.

Tao Rujiu really went and wore it.

But what's the difference between this and leaving in a yukata?

Before he could even think, his body had already begun to move. He swiftly stubbed out his cigarette, got out of bed, and headed towards the entrance.

When he arrived at the door, Tao Rujiu had already put on his muddy trousers, the cold, damp denim fabric rubbing against his wounds. The young man felt the hard, rough pebbles rolling off his legs, no longer caring whether the muddy rain would cause infection. He just wanted to leave; since he couldn't regain his dignity and respect, he wanted to shorten this humiliation as much as possible.

He realized the man was behind him, so he simply draped the remaining shirt over his shoulders. The pain in his body made him lose control of his strength, and murky muddy water splashed out of the shirt, a few drops even hitting his sharp face. The man, his face grim, reached out to wipe away the cold water stains, and saw Tao Rujiu slowly turn his head.