Liuxian's voice stayed low, right at Guiying's ear. "That's what you expected to hear, right?" His breath was warm against Guiying's skin. "That I'd snap. Grab you. Prove you pushed me far enough."
His hand on the chair back tightened until his knuckles went white, then he let it relax. "But that's not what I'm going to do."
Guiying's fingers curled around the edge of the table. He didn't turn around because he couldn't.
"I love you," Liuxian said, simple and heavy. "How can I bear to hurt your beautiful body. Only a crazy person ruins what they love. For me, I cherish mine."
Silence dropped between them and it felt thick.
Guiying swallowed. The smirk he'd been wearing slid off his face slowly. His boot stopped tapping against the floor. For a second he looked almost thrown, like he had braced himself for a fight and received a confession instead.
