To deceive Mark, the key is to use the word "truth." Since he had been pretending to be in a same-sex relationship with James, he couldn't reject Mark's closeness...
In that instant, he felt so unfamiliar, so fearful, even—he loathed himself. Yet he understood more clearly that he must endure, not resist. If he hesitated even for a moment, or if there was any awkwardness in his movements, Mark would surely become suspicious.
One could say that the entire plan hinged on that very moment, on whether he could truly be with Mark...
At that moment, he suppressed all his emotions and truly, calmly, and skillfully was with Mark... he did it.
His only consolation at that moment was: anyway, his life was not long, so why care about such matters. If doing it could protect James, then it was worth everything.
However... at that moment, he had not yet developed feelings for Tang Yanyu, and if he had known what was to come, perhaps that moment would never have happened.
