Withdrawal 02

The man looked a little surprised. “You’re a top?”

“Not exactly.”

“I honestly don’t care about labels,” Shen Wang said lazily, swirling the drink in his hand. “But I’m rarely on the bottom. Most men love talking big in bed, yet most of them are mediocre at sex and embarrassingly under-equipped. Then they still insist on asking, ‘Does it feel good?’ So if you’re underneath, you have to fake it for their ego.” He gave a faint shrug. “And I’m not very good at lying, so it gets awkward.”

The man burst out laughing.

At first, Shen Wang hadn’t thought he was particularly handsome. But when he smiled, crescent moons curved at the corners of his eyes, narrowing them into thin lines.

It made Shen Wang think of Gu Chong.

Gu Chong used to smile like that too.

Four years younger than him, sun-bronzed skin, long narrow single-lidded eyes, thin lips, sharply defined features. When he wasn’t smiling, he looked like a panther with its muscles coiled tight beneath sleek fur. But when he laughed, white teeth flashed, his eyes narrowing until only two tiny slits remained, so bright and warm it made people dizzy.

There had always been intoxication hidden inside Gu Chong’s smile.

The moment he smiled, Shen Wang was drunk on him.

Forget being on the bottom—every time Gu Chong fucked him, Shen Wang would lose all composure, crying out nonsense between gasps. Husband. Daddy. Anything.

As long as Gu Chong spoiled him, cherished him, he could say anything.

The man’s laughter softened something in Shen Wang, making his earlier teasing suddenly feel childish and pointless. Sensing the shift in mood, the man reached over and took hold of Shen Wang’s hand, idly tracing his wrist with his fingers.

Shen Wang’s frame was delicate; his wrist looked slender enough to snap with a little pressure. Against his pale skin bloomed a small daisy tattoo.

“You like daisies?” the man asked.

“Mm.”

The man said something else, but Shen Wang didn’t catch it. Seeing his puzzled expression, the man leaned closer with a grin and whispered by his ear, “You suit something more vibrant. Roses, maybe.” His gaze lingered on Shen Wang’s face. “Honestly, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. But there’s no one half as good-looking as you in my social circle.”

Shen Wang was long used to flattery. “Maybe you saw me in a dream.”

The man laughed again. “I bet people tell you all the time you have the face of a dream lover.”

His flirting was shameless—his leg was already brushing teasingly against Shen Wang beneath the table—yet somehow his smile still looked absurdly clean and sincere.

Shen Wang found himself sinking into it.

He wet his lips lightly. “It’s noisy in here. We could go somewhere quieter.”

The man blinked, then laughed. “My mistake.”

“I came drinking with my boss tonight. I should let him know first.”

“Sure.” Shen Wang narrowed his eyes in a smile. “I’ll wait.”

The man rolled up his sleeves and jogged back toward a booth in the corner.

Quite a few men were sitting there, most of them attractive. Only one had his back turned toward Shen Wang.

Broad shoulders. A dress shirt that fit him beautifully. Even through the fabric, Shen Wang could vaguely make out the elegant lines of his shoulder blades, the hollow between them strangely sensual.

Damn. What a body.

As if sensing his gaze, the man suddenly turned his head.

This time, Shen Wang froze completely.

That face was far too familiar.

They had slept together for four whole years. Even after two years apart, Shen Wang still remembered every detail clearly—his brows, his eyes, the line of his spine, even the mole behind his neck.

He had never imagined he would run into Gu Chong again here, of all places.

The cigarette between Shen Wang’s fingers nearly slipped loose.

His heart started hammering wildly.

Meanwhile, the man beside him draped an arm around his shoulders with a grin, fingers brushing suggestively against his ear. Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Wang noticed Gu Chong still looking their way.

He shoved the man away immediately.

The man frowned in annoyance. Shen Wang took a moment before finally finding his voice again.

“I said we could find somewhere quiet to talk,” he said coldly. “I never said you could put your hands on me.”

“Oh, come on.” The man scoffed. “Everyone here knows what ‘going out together’ means.”

Shen Wang shot him a sharp glance. “Not me.”

The man still held onto his wrist, sweet-talking him endlessly, but Shen Wang barely heard a word. His attention was fixed entirely on Gu Chong, who seemed to be standing up now, walking in his direction.

Shen Wang’s breath caught.

All the blood in his body seemed to freeze solid.

Closer. Closer.

Until Gu Chong was near enough that Shen Wang only had to lift his eyes to see the sharp bridge of his nose—

And then Gu Chong walked straight past him.

Their shoulders brushed lightly as he passed.

That was all.

In the deafening chaos of the bar, Shen Wang stood there stupidly frozen.

The other man finally snapped, irritation clear in his voice. “What exactly do you want?”

“Stay away from me.”

“What did I even do?”

Shen Wang stared at Gu Chong’s retreating figure. Quietly, he said, “Nothing. I just think I might’ve fallen for your boss.”

The man stared blankly at him, still trying to follow after him, but Shen Wang shoved him aside and pushed through the crowd after Gu Chong.

In the past two years, he had searched for Gu Chong countless times.

Gu Chong had ignored every single attempt.

By the time Shen Wang finally squeezed out of the packed bar, he could breathe again. Outside, beneath a streetlamp near the entrance, he spotted Gu Chong.

Gu Chong stood with his back to him, head lowered slightly as he smoked. White smoke curled from his lips into the night air while the dim amber light stretched his shadow long across the pavement.

He seemed different.

And yet not different at all.

Gu Chong had never smoked before.

Back then, it was Shen Wang who had the heavy addiction. He couldn’t stop, but smoking ruined his throat. So Gu Chong started smoking too, saying he’d quit together with him.

In the end, neither of them managed to quit.

But somehow, it became the only trace Shen Wang had left on Gu Chong after four years together.

Shen Wang wanted to speak to him, yet fear crept up inside him. He instinctively reached for cigarettes, only to realize the pack in his pocket was empty.

While he hesitated, Gu Chong suddenly turned around.

A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, his gaze sharp and cutting.

It took Shen Wang considerable effort just to force words out.

“I didn’t expect you to be here too,” he said softly. “What a coincidence.”

Gu Chong only looked at him.

His eyes lowered slowly, sweeping over Shen Wang from head to toe. A faint curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Shen Wang couldn’t tell what that smile meant, but he doubted it was anything good. He rubbed awkwardly at the seam of his pants, suddenly remembering he hadn’t even shaved today.

“How have you been these past two years?”

Gu Chong dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.

“Shen Wang,” he said flatly, “we’re not the kind of exes who get to reminisce.”