If You Don’t Go To Hell, Who Will? - Chapter 44

I handed the cross-stitched pillow that I had been working on for months to Zhongyuan.

“Zhongyuan, happy birthday.”

Zhongyuan opened the gift box and carefully looked at the cross-stitch. The front of the pillow depicted a vast sea with two adorable little fish. One of the fish was raising its fin and knocking on the head of the other fish, who clearly looked like a victim of bullying, making it irresistibly amusing.

Zhongyuan pointed at the two little fish, and his lips curled into a smile. “This one is you, and this one is me.”

I was angry and dissatisfied. “Why am I the one being teased?”

Zhongyuan looked deep into my eyes and asked, “Do you need an explanation?”

I sullenly lowered my head. Well, I admit it; I’ve always been the one being teased… >_<

…

Tonight, I planned to serenade Zhongyuan. I don’t have many talents, but singing is one of them. As innocent students, our nightlife is limited to singing and playing sports.

Zhongyuan and I arrived at a club not far from the school. It was bustling with activity as New Year’s Day approached. As soon as we entered the hall, I saw a prominent poster about a billiards tournament held at the club. I didn’t pay much attention to the details of the poster; my eyes were fixed on the phrase “First prize: A pool cue worth 1888 yuan + a mysterious gift,” making my mouth water.

Zhongyuan hooked his arm around my shoulder and asked, “Do you like it?”

Pointing at the sentence that made my mouth water, I proudly said, “Zhongyuan, what if I win that pool cue for you?”

Zhongyuan looked at me skeptically and asked, “Do you know how to play?”

I stared at the poster with an eerie smile. “Let them tremble beneath my pool cue, hahaha…”

Zhongyuan: “…”

To be honest, I’m not bragging. I’ve always believed that I’m quite good at playing pool. If singing is my natural talent, then playing pool is a skill I developed through practice at our village’s pool room. You see, the pool tables in our village were far from normal. Each table’s surface was slightly inclined in one way or another. Later, I found out that the owner bought those second-hand tables for twenty yuan each.

Despite the worn-out tables, I had a passion for pool. As a child, I often played with a group of boys. Considering my family’s financial situation, my father wouldn’t spare any money for me to play. And our custom was that the loser paid. As a result, I could only win.

My pool skills were forced to develop in such circumstances. Of course, the most important factor was that, facing those second-hand tables, I gradually learned to adapt to each table’s characteristics and devise strategies accordingly.

Later on, I finally became capable of defeating the unscrupulous owner of the ever-changing pool tables within two rounds. His pool skills were widely recognized by the hooligans in the village, and his character was equally questionable.

I vividly remember the first time I defeated that unscrupulous owner with a single shot. The crowd erupted in applause, and they even lifted me up into the air (although they failed to catch me later). It seemed like everyone felt a sense of relief after finally venting their frustrations.

From then on, I always reminded myself not to become arrogant by using the saying, “There is always someone better out there.” Therefore, I never considered myself exceptionally skilled at pool. However, it wasn’t until high school that I had an incident that made me boastful. I single-handedly defeated seven guys, including a senior known as the “pool king” at our school, in a billiards room with a normal table. In my youthful arrogance, I couldn’t help but show off.

Well, enough reminiscing. Let’s talk about the current billiards competition.

This competition was said to have been organized by two managers in the club who made a bet. It seemed more like a way to add some festive atmosphere than a serious event. The organization was rushed, and the rules were simple: participants had to challenge the club’s various level coaches one by one, and if they defeated their opponent within a certain time, they could advance. Though the rules were simple, advancing was not easy because all the matches required swift and decisive victories due to time constraints.

But I must apologize because this strict requirement happened to be my competitive advantage. My greatest characteristic in playing pool was being fast, or at least that’s how others described me.

So, the competition started at 9:30 p.m., and by 10:30 p.m., I was already standing on the winner’s podium.

Of course, no one should think of me as some kind of prodigy. Actually, since this competition was organized hastily, most of the participants were unprepared, like me. I was just one of the better players among a group of casual participants.

The manager of the billiards room handed me a heavy pool cue, and I proudly cast a smug glance at Zhongyuan. Zhongyuan smiled softly and warmly, gently taking my hand in his.

Then the manager announced the so-called mysterious gift. When he said it, I started sweating because the mysterious gift turned out to be a hug from a certain star coach in the club. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as soon as the people around me heard the name of that someone, a chorus of women’s screams erupted.

It seemed that the star coach had quite popular support.

I looked around and noticed a person with an alluring appearance walking towards me. Uh, yes, alluring. They say some guys have feminine features, and he was a perfect example. I had seen him earlier when I was playing, and he was intermittently looking in my direction, probably evaluating my skills. So, I had some impressions of him.

He approached me, and I took a step back, shaking my head. “N-No, that’s not necessary, right?”

But he smiled, and his laughter was quite pleasant to hear. Then, without asking for permission, he opened his arms towards me.

At the critical moment, Zhongyuan pulled me behind him, shielding me. Due to inertia, that beautiful coach dove straight into Zhongyuan’s embrace.

The two handsome guys hugged each other like that.

The surrounding screams were even crazier than before. Indeed, fantasizing about two handsome guys was more exciting than fantasizing about just one handsome guy.

I looked at the bewildered, beautiful men in front of me and nodded in my heart. I thought, My Zhongyuan still has a dominant aura.

Lost in my thoughts, Zhongyuan pushed the other guy away. He turned around and tapped my head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Silly, what are you thinking?”

I didn’t react in time and blurted out, “You’re the dominant one.”

Then I saw Zhongyuan’s face grow even darker.

At this moment, the enchanting beauty approached me and asked, “Little sister, are you interested in working as a part-time coach here?”

Zhongyuan grabbed my hand again and calmly glanced at him, exuding a strong aura as he rejected him on my behalf, saying, “She is my personal coach.”

Oops, I almost forgot about my role.

Zhongyuan pulled me to an empty pool table and raised his cue, saying, “Blockhead, let’s make a bet.”

I scratched my head and asked, “Um, what are we betting on?”

Zhongyuan: “If I win, I’ll give you a kiss. If you win, you give me a kiss.”Five minutes later, I managed to handle Zhongyuan.Zhongyuan smiled and bent down, bringing his lips close to mine. “Give me a kiss.”Suddenly, I realized something was off. It seemed like no matter if I won or lost, he was taking advantage of me? Well, I shouldn’t think like that. After all, I did enjoy that feeling myself… As ashamed as I was, I had never taken the initiative to kiss someone before, let alone a man.I awkwardly pushed Zhongyuan away, making an excuse. “It’s crowded here; let’s forget about it.”But Zhongyuan wouldn’t give up. He dragged me to a private room in a KTV. As soon as he entered the room, he leaned against the sofa and looked at me with a playful expression, as if saying, “Master, come and ravish me. Don’t pity me because I’m delicate.” He used his index finger to caress his lips, giving a seductive and enticing smile. “Blockhead, come here.”I felt the blood rushing to my head. In the heat of the moment, I leaned into his embrace, lifted his chin, and gave him a kiss on the lips. Lacking experience, my kiss was a bit hurried, and I quickly pulled back, looking at him.Zhongyuan looked at me with an intense gaze. “Not enough.”As if possessed, I leaned in again and started passionately kissing his lips. Once I started, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I imitated his actions, using my tongue to lick his lips, which felt soft and elastic… It was very enjoyable. I got lost in the moment and couldn’t bear to let him go. I closed my eyes and focused on sucking his lips. I noticed a faint minty aroma between his lips and teeth. Although it was refreshing, it only made me more confused and infatuated. I hooked my fingers around his neck, sucking and licking with intensity, occasionally using my teeth to lightly nibble. The sensation on our lips made my heart flutter, and it felt like colorful bubbles were bubbling up inside me.

Suddenly, Zhongyuan tightly embraced me, opened his mouth, and sucked on my tongue, entangling passionately with me. His sudden move left me weak in the limbs, hanging onto him without strength. He pushed me down onto the sofa, covering my body with his, and the weight of his entire body pressed against me. The movements of our lips and tongues grew even more intense, and I almost lost consciousness, just following his lead and floating in the sweet sea.After a while, Zhongyuan finally let go of me, leaning close to my ear and breathing heavily. His hot breath sprayed on my skin, bringing me back to my senses. Zhongyuan held me and said with a touch of melancholy, “Blockhead, when will you give yourself to me?”I awkwardly pushed him away. “Let’s… let’s sing…”

Zhongyuan didn’t insist anymore. He just sat beside me, his eyes shining, occasionally licking his lips, looking like a hungry black panther that hadn’t eaten for days.I didn’t dare look at him; trembling with fear, I picked up the microphone. I felt like I was the prey that had been stared at by the panther for a long time.After a while, a waiter came in and said that someone had sent us a bottle of red wine. I didn’t understand, so I asked who it was. The waiter replied, “That gentleman said you would know who he is. He also asked me to tell you that you have good skills at playing pool, and he hopes to be friends with you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhongyuan narrowed his eyes and coldly said, “He dares to send such low-quality wine? Bring me a bottle of dry white Caymus.” The waiter nodded obediently and left.

I tilted my head and looked at Zhongyuan, smiling. “Are you jealous?” Zhongyuan, despite having money, wasn’t the type to compare material possessions with others. His unusual behavior must have had a hidden motive.

Zhongyuan pulled me into his embrace and said discontentedly, “You fool, don’t provoke other men in the future.”

I defended myself, feeling wronged. “I didn’t; besides, he didn’t do anything to me. We were just going to be friends.”

Zhongyuan casually tossed the bottle of wine that he had despised into the trash can at his feet, patted my shoulder, and said, “I’m a man, so I understand how men think. Your charm—you can’t experience it yourself.”

Well, I guess he’s praising me in his own way? I rubbed against him in his embrace, instantly forgiving him for his wasteful behavior.

The waiter quickly brought another bottle of some expensive dry white wine. This time, his attitude towards Zhongyuan was much more respectful, indicating that the wine must be quite costly.

So we drank small glasses of wine while singing. I sang a birthday song for Zhongyuan, and it was a cheerful performance. Zhongyuan held his wine glass and smiled lightly with a gentle arch of his eyebrows. I noticed that when he genuinely smiled, it always had a heartwarming effect.

After finishing the song, I grabbed my wine glass, clinked it against Zhongyuan’s, and then boldly drank it all. Although I didn’t really like drinking, the thought of every sip being a little less wasted money gave me determination. Zhongyuan was in a good mood today and didn’t stop me.

After a while, I was too dizzy to even hold the wine glass, so I just lay on the sofa, looking at Zhongyuan with a silly smile.

Zhongyuan was singing at that moment, looking deeply at me as if the lyrics were written on my face. His singing wasn’t exceptional, but he had a good voice that carried a unique charm no matter what song he sang, drawing people into his voice involuntarily.

It was in the midst of such singing that I slowly closed my eyes.

There was a soft sensation on my lips, and I wondered if it was just my imagination.

…

I vaguely opened my eyes, feeling a bit dizzy.

The room was unfamiliar, and I looked around, only to find Zhongyuan beside me. He was holding me tightly, staring at me with an intense gaze, and one leg was resting on my waist. His shirt was wrinkled, with the top two buttons undone, revealing his neck and collarbone.

In other words, we were both sleeping on the same bed, under the same blanket?

Um…

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

After half a minute, my heavy brain finally understood what this meant.

My heart sank, and I asked him anxiously, “I, I, I, I… you, you, you… us…?”

Zhongyuan smiled lightly and said casually, “You got drunk last night and forced yourself on me.”

A thunderous explosion rang in my head, rumbling and roaring.

My heart thumped incessantly, my mind was in chaos, and it was evident how unpleasant my expression was at that moment.

“But I refused to yield,” Zhongyuan said, holding me even tighter.

I let out a long breath, and my stiff body relaxed.

“So now,” Zhongyuan raised his finger, caressed my cheek gently, raised an eyebrow as he looked at me with passionate eyes, and his smile was enchanting, “now, can I invite you to force yourself on me?”

Me: “…”