KC | Chapter 109

“Clang” the belt fell to the floor.

Outside the partition, there were colleagues working, and beside the desk was a floor-to-ceiling window. The bean-sized tears collided and ran into lines. Chen Xi could not stand it, and he blurted out broken words: “Beast, why, won’t you let me, go!”

Chen Xi was already on the slim side to begin with, and in the past two months he had lost another round. The silver chain could not stay on his waist and slid into his groin, swaying along with the red mole together with Lin Yiran’s rhythm.

The office glass had very good sound insulation, but Chen Xi did not know that.

Lin Yiran said, “Do you want to shout until everyone outside hears you?”

Chen Xi fell silent.

The desk by the window in winter was very cold, and his chest rubbed against the hard tabletop until it felt very uncomfortable. Lin Yiran placed Chen Xi’s arm underneath him to reduce the friction with the table surface.

Off work time was a peak for people moving around. A little light seeped through outside the partition, and Chen Xi could vaguely see colleagues in different colored clothes walking outside the office. People with dissociative personality and a lack of security could not stand bright light. Chen Xi hid, and No. 1 shouted without regard for anything: “Don’t fucking keep stabbing, it fucking hurts!”

In these two months, Chen Xi often went from smiling one second to screaming the next. Lin Yiran had already gotten used to his sudden change of face, and he attributed it to work pressure.

People in sales had to bear the triple pressure of performance, clients, and leaders. The better they did, the bigger the problem became. Not many top sellers had good tempers, marketing consultants were mostly jumpy, and KA looked normal on the surface but did not have many decent people in private. The big shots standing at the top of KA were distorted beings who had already been crushed by pressure and reshaped.

Because he himself had several layers of skin, having several faces was not strange to Chen Xi at all.

Lin Yiran said, “You said before that you wanted to look at the scenery outside from the 20th floor.”

No. 1 licked his lips, his eyes stained with tear marks looking somewhat distant: “Don’t make me hurt, just play with you.”

Lin Yiran lifted his tie. Chen Xi held the tie around his neck with both hands, his back bending backward at an unbelievable angle.

“Ah–“

His upper body was completely pulled up from the desk, and Lin Yiran led him, the two of them moving together toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Chen Xi bent over, like a dog being led on a leash. The tie was the dog leash, and the owner patted his ass to drive him forward. The waist chain was the dog bell, and every little movement made a fine rustling sound.

Little Chen stood up, shamefully swelling.

Winter days were short and nights long. Streetlights and car lights came on outside the floor-to-ceiling window, and busy business elites were engaged in different kinds of work. Chen Xi worked overtime doing immoral work.

His face was pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, his hand pressed there too. The shirt with its buttons undone swayed in front of the window, and the suit pants were bunched at his feet.

“Brother Lin, I’m cold.”

Lin Yiran lifted his leg and placed it on his shoulder. Chen Xi had only one foot left on the ground. The two of them had a difference of half a head in height, and they had operated in this position before. Only by Chen Xi wrapping his arms around Lin Yiran’s neck and standing on tiptoe would he not fall.

“If you keep moving, you won’t be cold.”

Chen Xi dirtied the floor-to-ceiling window.

Lin Yiran placed him back on the desk, and fearing that his swollen butt would get rubbed raw, he very considerately put the suit jacket underneath him.

No. 1 hooked his long legs around his waist and provoked him, “If we’re doing angry sex, then we should do it to the end. What does quitting halfway count as, feeling sorry for me?”

Lin Yiran ignored his nonsense, lightly touched the red mark that the noose-like pressure had left on his neck, and said, “I’m not doing it anymore, you’ve broken the skin.”

No. 1 suddenly leaned forward, curling his toes in satisfaction, as if the injured part was not his body.

“Do me, I like it like this.”

No. 1 was not afraid of pain, but Lin Yiran felt heartache for Chen Xi.

Lin Yiran pulled out a few wet wipes and wiped the reflective spots on Chen Xi’s body, deliberately saying harsh things: “I’m not doing it anymore. You think I’m dirty, and I think you’re dirty too.”

No. 1 leaned over Lin Yiran like he had no bones, his slender eyelashes covering his sly eyes as he threw his dirty talk back at him: “In order not to let me leave, you pressed me with commission. You tell me yourself, just how dirty are you.”

Sharp teeth bit into his abs, gradually moving downward.

“You did a bunch of dirty work, so what right do you have to嫌 me ah.”

“Dirty dog.”

No. 1 half-squinted his eyes and swallowed his desire, his throat widening, shrinking, full to the point of soreness.

Too much time had passed, and his facial muscles were very sore. Saliva stretched in threads from the corners of his lips and dripped to the floor.

The tip of his tongue swept over the grime that had spilled past the corner of his lips. Chen Xi lazily stretched out his claws for a hug, and Lin Yiran told him to “spit it out.”

Chen Xi swallowed it.

“…”

Lin Yiran carried him to the chair to button him up. Chen Xi lit a cigarette, and after the fact he came to understand the philosophy of life: “Repeatedly advancing, effectively establishing a bond, endlessly taking, ultimate satisfaction.”

“Doing this is just like signing a key client, it’s all for pleasure.”

“If there’s money to earn and a man to sleep with, why should I leave.”

After that day, Chen Xi did not mention quitting again, but every night he kept asking for it, as if without leaving a few times he could not survive.

At the end of the quarter, Lin Yiran had been running nonstop for several days, and one day he slept in the car. After he got home, Chen Xi, right in front of him, put the toy inside his body and ran out the door.

Lin Yiran chased after him without even putting on his down jacket. The main elevator had just gone down, and the backup elevator was stopped on the first floor. Lin Yiran was frantic, and after he got off the elevator he ran to the parking spot. Chen Xi had just started the car inside it. Once the engine was on, if you did not step on the brake, the key could not be pulled out. Lin Yiran pressed Chen Xi as he was unfastening his belt. Chen Xi slammed the car door shut and blocked his hand, his eyes carrying madness. “What, afraid I’ll cause a traffic accident and wreck the new car you just bought?”

The driving experience of the Mercedes S400L was much better than Cadillac’s. Chen Xi could not figure out why Lin Yiran would buy a car during the time when his driver’s license had been revoked. Lin Yiran said: because he could not drive any car other than Cadillac, and since he had a driver to drive for him, he bought one while he had the chance.

Though he had doubts, the three little people did not care about Lin Yiran’s life. At the end of the quarter, the performance pressure was great, and Chen Xi had never been fully clear-headed.

He did not ask further, so he ended up not hearing the promise he had missed.

“The car has insurance, I’m afraid you’ll have an accident.” Lin Yiran went around to the passenger seat, his expression grave, “Chen Xi, driving is not a joke. You can go crazy at night, but not now. Listen to me, take the thing out.”

Chen Xi started the car.

Drivers were most afraid of being disturbed while driving, and Lin Yiran sat in the passenger seat, not daring to speak.

When they went up onto the elevated road, they drove over a speed bump, and the car jolted. Chen Xi gave two soft hums, and the veins on Lin Yiran’s forehead bulged.

The Mercedes came down from the elevated road toward Lanhai. Along the way they met a red light, and just happened to get into a phone call.

Chen Xi turned on the car’s hands-free speakerphone, and while making an appointment with the client side for a meeting time, he pulled Lin Yiran’s hand over and rubbed it between his legs. The streetlights were on, Chen Xi started the car, his expression calm, as if everything was completely normal.

Normal in a very abnormal way.

After Chen Xi parked the car, Lin Yiran held his hand and said again, “Chen Xi, take the thing out.”

“Why take it out? It’s so nice to wear it to work.” Chen Xi’s tone was flippant, “I can even wear the waist chain every day.”

Lin Yiran said, “That’s not the same.”

Chen Xi laughed and said, “How is it not the same? Aren’t they all for dogs to wear?”

“Before, you could only ‘shake the bell,’ now you can also ‘wag your tail.'”

Lin Yiran clearly remembered that the day he put the waist chain on him, Chen Xi had been very obedient and very well-behaved.

That day, Chen Xi had sparkling rabbit eyes and asked him: Was it because it would be inconvenient to wear a diamond ring, so you had the diamond set into the waist chain?

And now, Chen Xi thought the waist chain was used to leash a dog.

Those sly eyes were no longer clear. This transaction destroyed Chen Xi’s clarity.

He had destroyed his clarity with his own hands.

Love was locked in with an immoral shackle, and the two of them were strangled until they twisted and deformed. Lin Yiran was physically and mentally exhausted, but he did not let go. Chen Xi was muddle-headed and had never come back to his senses.

The change happened on December 25, 2023, Christmas Day.

Near off-work time, Pingsheng Second Phase activity funds were collected back. Shen Yuesheng did not want to have dinner with him and do meaningless socializing. Lin Yiran rarely did not work overtime, and bought flowers and peace apples.

Winter darkened early. The house had not turned on the lights, and Lin Yiran thought Chen Xi had not come back. He placed the flowers on the table and saw the rabbit slippers under the table.

Chen Xi was curled up under the table, a small bundle, very cute, but just too thin.

When he saw Lin Yiran crouch down, Chen Xi shrank backward and hit the table leg, frowning in pain.

Lin Yiran reached out to pull him out, and Chen Xi said in terror: “Don’t come over, don’t touch me!”

His face was deathly pale and gray, tear tracks hanging under his eyes, and he repeated again and again: “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me…”

“Okay, I won’t touch you. Can you come out from under the table first?”

Chen Xi shook his head.

The once tender, baby-fat cheeks had thinned until they caved in. His lively eyes were filled with tears, and his shoulders kept trembling.

Lin Yiran perceived his emotions and no longer forced him, changing to a reasoned, guiding opening: “The profession I work in is sales, not a lawless thug. Why are you afraid of me?”

Chen Xi did not speak.

“You were fine in the afternoon. How did you change like this after signing a single order?”

Chen Xi continued to remain silent.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Let’s go see a doctor, okay?”

Chen Xi pointed at his head, his voice a little shaky: “I’m very bad here. If you keep forcing me, I don’t know what I will do.”

Lin Yiran very patiently told him: “I won’t force you, I won’t touch you. If there is any problem, we can talk about it.”

Chen Xi slowly crawled out from under the table and gradually stood up.

Lin Yiran very gentlemanly pulled out the chair for him, and almost in a pleading tone said: “Today is Christmas. I booked a restaurant half a month in advance. Let’s talk after we finish dinner, okay.”

Chen Xi nodded stiffly. When he saw the roses on the table, his face suddenly turned frightened. He covered his head and screamed: “I won’t eat, I want to say it now.”

“I’m begging you, I want to say it now, I want to say it, please let me finish saying it!”

Noticing his gaze, Lin Yiran swept the roses under the table. The red petals fell all over the floor like shattered hearts.

Even if broken love was forcibly glued back together, it could not continue.

Sales would not give up until the very last moment, and Lin Yiran, standing at the top of KA, was more persistent than all salespeople.

The established plan had to be completed, the key client he had identified had to be signed, and the person he had decided to spend the rest of his life with would absolutely not be let go easily.

But the premise was, not hurting Chen Xi.

Only now did Lin Yiran realize that his pressure had caused Chen Xi severe mental problems. If he insisted on not letting go, Chen Xi would be completely destroyed.

He could not destroy Chen Xi.

Lin Yiran clenched both hands tightly, the veins on the backs of his hands standing out. It was as if resisting doing dirty things took a great deal of strength, and he ground up the shattered, broken heart, forcing out these few words in his heart: “Say it. I agree to everything.”

Chen Xi tore open his shirt, grabbed the waist chain, and yanked it hard outward. The chain dragged the flesh of his abdomen out with blood, as if it could separate from the flesh in the next second.

Love entered the bones and marrow, and only by skinning and shredding the flesh could it be pulled away.

Lin Yiran suddenly knelt in front of him, trembling as he unfastened the waist chain, and said painfully, “I promise, this time it’s real, I agree to you.”

The sapphire fell to the floor. Chen Xi said, “I gave you chance after chance, but you cheated, slept your way up, coerced and enticed me, hurting me one after another.”

“You’re just like an onion, every layer you peel off stings like hell, but I just had to keep peeling. By the end, I found out you didn’t have a heart at all.”

Lin Yiran looked up toward the ceiling, painfully drawing in the endless darkness in the room. Moisture seeped from his blurred eyes, and he could not let the water fall. That was his dignity.

But he could not hide the choking sob that rose into his throat: “For you, I was just an onion. But for me, what you peeled away was my whole self.”