Chapter 17

Lu Heyang walked to the entrance of the venue. The ticket-seller kid was chatting with someone; seeing Lu Heyang approach, he froze, spat out the sunflower seed shell in his mouth, and asked cautiously, 'Is… is something wrong?'

He was a little afraid of Lu Heyang, and of Gu Yunchi too, because the two of them weren't like He Wei, who was always smiling — they seemed imposing, not the sort you could easily talk to.

Especially now; Lu Heyang's expression seemed even colder than the last two times.

'Where's the backstage?' Lu Heyang asked him.

The ticket kid said, troubled, 'The backstage? That's probably not really convenient for outsiders…'

Lu Heyang didn't speak. He tucked a roll of banknotes into the kid's shirt pocket.

'Everyone who comes here to have fun is a friend, there's no such thing as outsiders! I'll take you there right now!' The kid's eyes lit up. He immediately reached out to guide Lu Heyang toward the passageway beside them, introducing himself eagerly as they went. 'Call me Xiao Feng. If you ever need anything in the future, just give a shout. Oh, who are you looking for back there?'

'Number 17,' Lu Heyang answered.

Xiao Feng was so startled he nearly dropped half the sunflower seeds in his hand. 'Him? Now?'

'Is that not allowed?' Lu Heyang asked calmly.

'But the big Boss… he's probably in the backstage right now too,' Xiao Feng said hesitantly. 'Maybe we should wait a bit, go after they're done.'

Lu Heyang looked ahead, raised a hand to pinch his shoulder, and after a moment asked, 'Done with what?'

'Who knows. Could be talking, could be… something else.' Xiao Feng's tone was teasing. 'You saw it yourself — the way Number 17 dressed today, so… you know.'

Lu Heyang only said, 'You take me there. I'll handle the rest.'

'No, no, no, I'll definitely help you see him!' That roll of banknotes sat heavy and warm in his breast pocket. Xiao Feng was well-versed in the principle that the customer was god and that quality service secured repeat business; he immediately declared his commitment.

'I'll trouble you, then,' Lu Heyang said.

'You can count on me!'

He led Lu Heyang to the backstage. The long corridor had many rooms on either side; Tang Feiyi's bodyguards weren't posted in the hallway. After walking a dozen paces, Xiao Feng muttered 'excuse me' and then slung an arm around Lu Heyang's shoulder just as they passed the next room. He waved at the bodyguards inside and called out, 'Hey, I'm bringing this new guy to move some drinks.'

Lu Heyang's figure was blocked by Xiao Feng, hard to make out clearly. The bodyguards paid no mind, merely nodding.

'Number 17 is in the room at the very end,' Xiao Feng said, dropping his arm and continuing to lead the way. 'Are you sure you want to go over now? What if you hear something you shouldn't…'

Only as he spoke did he suddenly remember. He turned back to ask Lu Heyang, 'What's your relationship with Number 17, anyway?'

Lu Heyang looked at the door at the end of the passage. 'A friend.'

'Oh, oh, okay.'

At the doorway, Xiao Feng softened his footsteps and made a shushing gesture.

The door was slightly ajar; faint voices could be heard from within. Lu Heyang simply stepped around Xiao Feng and stood outside the door.

Xiao Feng craned his neck, keeping watch for him. After half a minute, he whispered to Lu Heyang, 'Is it really okay for you to eavesdrop on your friend like this?'

Lu Heyang didn't answer, just stood there, still expressionless. His posture was upright; in fact, Xiao Feng thought he looked nothing like someone eavesdropping — he seemed perfectly aboveboard.

'Are they… doing that?' Xiao Feng's gossipy heart was bursting, and he asked again.

Lu Heyang finally glanced at him, still saying nothing.

From Lu Heyang's angle, through the crack in the door, he could see Tang Feiyi's shoulder and, in the corner of the room, the reflection in a long, cracked mirror. It showed Number 17's profile; he was standing face to face with Tang Feiyi.

'Really not coming with me tomorrow? It'd be good to get out and see the world more. If you want, I'll find a few Omega to keep you company…' Tang Feiyi's gaze lingered on Number 17. He reached out to touch Number 17's face. 'But you can only be mine.'

Number 17 turned his face away, evading the hand. 'I'm not going.'

Tang Feiyi suddenly laughed, his voice dropping low, carrying a breathy quality. 'You look just like a work of art like this. I really want to press your head down and make you kneel in front of me to suck me off, then pin you against the table…'

'You can leave now,' Number 17 cut him off, his voice terribly low.

'Sweetheart, you'll be mine one day. Right now, I'm just enjoying the thrill of the prey struggling.' Tang Feiyi leaned down close to Number 17's neck, inhaling with infatuation. 'You can't run.'

Xiao Feng was still peering around when Lu Heyang abruptly grabbed the clothes on his shoulder and pulled him into the pitch-black room next door. Not two seconds later, Tang Feiyi pulled the door open and walked out.

'Scared me to death, scared me to death,' Xiao Feng mouthed soundlessly, leaning against the wall, a hand over his heart.

A minute later, Lu Heyang tilted his head to glance down the corridor, then said, 'I'm going in now.'

'Mm, I'll keep watch for you outside!'

Lu Heyang walked out, placed his hand on the room's doorknob, and slowly pushed it inward.

The old door creaked as it opened bit by bit. Number 17 was sitting on an old table against the wall, directly facing the doorway. The blindfold on his face and the black ropes on his body had been removed; his gloves and boxing gloves were off too. But the skirt was still on, the collar and ankle cuffs still worn. His legs hung empty, toes pointing down, stretching from knee to instep into a long, clean, pale line. The light was dim, a cold, faint wash of brownish yellow. The tabletop was strewn with water bottles and clutter; the wall behind him was mottled with cracks. Number 17 sat there, his whole body radiating exhaustion, like a lifeless, silent painting.

His head was bowed, his expression listless. Hearing the door push open, Number 17 thought Tang Feiyi had returned, and lifted his eyes coldly, a trace of disgust in his gaze.

Lu Heyang stood by the door and smiled at him.

Number 17 looked at Lu Heyang, stunned. A long time passed before he came back to himself and immediately raised a hand to touch his own face. Seeing the greasepaint smeared on his fingertip, he seemed to relax a little — but then suddenly realized he was still wearing the skirt. Number 17 turned his head to look for his jacket, but beside his hand there was nothing but a pile of miscellaneous clutter.

During this, Lu Heyang had already closed the door and walked up to him, his thighs a mere two centimeters from Number 17's knees. One more step and he would be standing between Number 17's legs.

Number 17's breathing was a little heavy, as if he were nervous. Both hands rested on the tabletop beside his legs, fingers curled.

'Do you remember me?' Lu Heyang asked him.

'I remember,' Number 17 said, lowering his eyes slightly, avoiding the direct gaze.

His voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of nasal tone.

Various voices and footsteps came from the corridor, making this room feel especially quiet. Lu Heyang looked at Number 17. 'Caught a cold?'

Number 17 hesitated a moment, then nodded.

'Can I see?'

Not knowing what Lu Heyang wanted to see, Number 17 lifted his head, somewhat puzzled. Lu Heyang gave a slight tilt of his chin, indicating the collar around Number 17's neck.

Number 17 instinctively touched the collar. He had thought that in others' eyes this thing was low-class, even dirty, but Lu Heyang didn't seem to think so.

The room was too dark; even the light falling down seemed like shadow. Number 17 couldn't make out the look in Lu Heyang's eyes, only knew he was looking at his neck. Number 17 slowly tilted his head back, exposing the smooth line of his neck and his Adam's apple completely, unguardedly.

His lips parted slightly, his gaze upward, fixed on the doorframe behind Lu Heyang — submissive and silent. Lu Heyang stared at that collar for a while, then took a small step forward, standing between Number 17's legs.

Number 17 flustered at once, his thighs moving involuntarily because of it, brushing against the hem of Lu Heyang's T‑shirt as if to clamp around his waist. Lu Heyang noticed it too. He said, 'Don't move.'

Those two words worked like a switch; Number 17 stopped moving immediately. Lu Heyang raised his hand, pinched the collar, then hooked his index and middle fingers, one after the other, into the gap between the collar and Number 17's neck. He lifted it, not too lightly, not too heavily. Number 17's head was forced to tilt back even higher; he gasped and let out a muffled sound.

'I never knew boxing could be fought like this,' Lu Heyang said. It sounded as if, after seriously studying the collar's style and material, he had arrived at a corresponding conclusion.

He flicked the little bell on the collar with his thumb. As the bell chimed, Number 17's Adam's apple bobbed along with it.

The old central air conditioner in the ceiling hummed with the sound of rushing air as it ran. The temperature was set low; Number 17's upper body was still bare. He suspected he could hear a strong heartbeat, one beat after another, fast and heavy — he didn't know if Lu Heyang could hear it too.

'It's… the Boss's requirement,' Number 17 said, his voice low and hoarse, trying to explain.

Lu Heyang let go. The corner of his mouth lifted very slightly, as if in a faint smile. He said, 'I see.'

His hand dropped down, resting casually on the edge of the table. Number 17's legs were close to his waist; Lu Heyang's hand thus came to rest on the outside of Number 17's thigh, near the hip. On the table, the distance between their fingertips was also very close. Lu Heyang's expression was perfectly composed. He looked somewhat curious as he asked, 'If you fight a match dressed like this, do they pay a bit more?'

Number 17 nodded, answering honestly. 'They do.'

'Because of the person who placed the biggest bet?'

This time Number 17 didn't speak, only pressed his lips together and nodded again.

He realized Lu Heyang hadn't shown a single trace of disgust from start to finish. In fact, after getting his answer, Lu Heyang asked, 'If the biggest bettor gets to decide what you wear, can I book the next one?'

Hearing this question, Number 17 didn't even consider his own unwillingness to wear odd clothes into the ring. Instead, he frowned, a little urgently. 'Don't waste your money. Next time… I might not win.'

But after a pause, he asked, 'You want to see me…'

The word 'me' died halfway. Number 17's eyelashes fluttered unnaturally before he continued, 'What do you like seeing other people wear?'

Lu Heyang smiled and answered, 'I'd like to see you in an animal costume. A little tiger, or a teddy bear, something like that.'

His tone was light. Number 17 was taken aback, then turned his head away and gave a soft laugh.

The ashen painting suddenly gained color. Lu Heyang looked at Number 17's profile. A few seconds later, he straightened up and took a step back. At the same moment, his Mobile Phone rang — it was He Wei calling. Nearly twenty minutes had passed since Lu Heyang left the spectator seats; He Wei and Gu Yunchi couldn't help but worry, which also meant the Lu Family bodyguards would soon push the door open to confirm his safety.

Pressing 'decline,' Lu Heyang put the Mobile Phone back in his pocket, looked directly into Number 17's eyes, and said, 'I should go now.'

This time Number 17 met his gaze without concealment, as if wanting to look at Lu Heyang a little longer, one more second. He answered, 'Okay.'

He actually wanted to say 'thank you,' but worried Lu Heyang would find it strange.

Just as Lu Heyang was about to turn, Number 17 suddenly called out to him, 'Wait.'

He got down from the table, walked to the wardrobe, opened the second-to-last drawer, and reached inside for something. Bending over, the back hem of his skirt rode up a little, revealing a bit more of the leg band circling his upper thigh. Lu Heyang stood behind Number 17, near the door, watching him quietly.

He found it. Number 17 straightened up, walked a few steps, and handed a wallet to Lu Heyang. 'Last time, you dropped it in the alley. I picked it up.'

'Thank you,' Lu Heyang said, taking the wallet.

Number 17 took a step back, leaning against the chair. He still needed to rely on something to ease the awkwardness and discomfort of wearing the skirt. He said, 'Be careful on your way back. It's chaotic here.'

This time he didn't tell Lu Heyang not to come to such dangerous places again.

'Alright,' Lu Heyang answered.

He pulled the door open. The noise from outside rushed in all at once, then gradually faded as the door closed. Number 17 stood alone in the room, unable to come back to himself for a long time.