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Wu Suowei had always been certain of one thing ,nothing was permanent. Everything carried an expiration date. Friendships. Parental love. Wealth. Euphoria. And most importantly, grief. All of it was meager when weighed against a person’s life.
And even that, too, was temporary.
But there was one belief he clung to with unwavering conviction.
His Cheng-ge.
Chi Cheng was the only constant in his life and Wu Suowei intended to keep it that way.
They had met when Suowei was eight and Chi Cheng eleven. Their parents had just launched a joint prosthetics business together, pledging that every ounce of profit would go toward helping the disabled. Even as children, they had swelled with pride at belonging to families so generous, so righteous.
From the beginning, they had fit together like two halves of a whole. They orbited each other naturally ,playing together, studying together, walking to school side by side. Only separate classrooms could force them apart.
If one of them fell ill or had to be elsewhere, the absence felt like phantom pain like losing a limb that had always been there. As long as they had each other, the rest of the world seemed unnecessary.
That rhythm continued into their teenage years.
Nothing changed.
Except everything did.
When they were alone now, something unspoken simmered in the air -heavy, charged, waiting.
Chi Cheng's eyes would be lidded, meeting Suowei's doe-eyed gaze with an intensity that sent flames crashing down his belly. Their hands accidentally touching would set ablaze his skin as if burnt.
Their eyes would find each others lips more often than not. Innocent touches turned more meaningful and heavy with intention.
And then the inevitable happened. Nothing had changed except when the night arrived, low moans spilled in the air like music embedded in sighs of pleasure . There was tango with the sweetest moans and guttural groans .
A static ongoing rhythm made itself known. There were lips exploring the smooth contours and beads of sweat as they moved in sync.
Backs arched with want of more and night after night the entwined release as they cried each other's name in a silent prayer.
The day passed with Chi Cheng as Suowei's shadow. And the night looked on as he was pulled apart in the best of the ways.
Entangled in the sheets, Wu Suowei would ask everyday, "How much do you love me, Cheng? "
And everyday, invoking shivers of pleasure all over Suowei's body, Chi Cheng would growl out, " I love you so much I would kill for you, Wei Wei. "
And Wu Suowei believed him with every fibre of his being.
Then everything came crashing down (or did it?)
A month after Wu Suowei’s eighteenth birthday, the world shattered.
Accident.
Such an ordinary word. So harmless on the tongue. People say it all the time until it becomes theirs.
That was what the police had called it when they found his parents’ car crushed beyond recognition. Brake failure. Tragic. Unfortunate. Our deepest condolences.
What they did not explain was why his mother’s left eye was missing.
Or why his father’s left thumb had been severed.
That was the key to the office they had been working on. No one else could get in.
Suowei remembered little of the funeral. Everything had felt distant, muffled, unreal. The only proof that he was still alive had been Chi Cheng’s fingers laced tightly with his -warm, grounding, possessive.
After that, Chi Cheng became even more protective. He refused to leave Suowei’s side. Not for a second.
And yet, sometimes ,just sometimes, Suowei caught something serene in his ge’s expression. A strange lightness. As though a terrible burden had been lifted.
He noticed it most when they lay together in Chi Cheng’s room, recharging in each other’s arms.
It happened again one evening.
Gangzi,Chi Cheng’s most trusted confidant,called him away. The moment the door closed behind them, the room felt colder.
Without Chi Cheng’s presence, Suowei’s gaze drifted.
He knew this room intimately. He had memorized its smallest details.
And something was wrong.
A new file sat on the shelf where there had been none before. A sliver of transparent plastic protruded from beneath the otherwise immaculate bed.
His pulse quickened.
He rose slowly, each step heavy, dread pooling in his gut.
He bent down.
And discovered horror.
A scream ripped from his throat raw and animalistic.
The door flew open. Chi Cheng rushed in with Gangzi close behind.
“What’s wrong, Wei Wei?” Chi Cheng’s voice was frantic.
Then he saw.
On the floor lay a decayed yet unmistakable eye and beside it was a thumb.
For a split second, Chi Cheng’s heart stopped. He could have sworn he had ordered Gangzi to dispose of the evidence once it had served its purpose.
Suowei looked up, tears streaming down his face.
“What does this mean, Cheng-ge?”
Chi Cheng met his gaze. The heartbreak there mirrored his own. He had never wanted Suowei to know. He had wanted to shoulder everything alone.
But when he had learned the truth, rage had consumed him.
And even now—
He did not regret it.He had made certain that none of the threats could ever touch Wu Suowei again, not a single one.All three had been wiped out, every last danger that dared to target his Wei Wei.
He inhaled once, deeply, then pulled Wu Suowei into his arms. If he had to delay the truth for even a few seconds longer, he would at least give him comfort.
To his relief, Suowei did not push him away. He simply waited, trembling.
“You had an older brother, Wei Wei,” Chi Cheng began hoarsely. “He was in an accident when he was young. He fell into a coma. The prosthetics business wasn’t just charity ,it was research. They didn’t tell you because… because they intended to use your body to replace his.”
Suowei went still.
“They discovered his brain was still functioning. They were waiting until you turned eighteen. Legal. Clean. My parents didn’t know. But I found out. And I would never let that happen.” His voice broke, then hardened. “Over my dead body. You can hate me, Wei Wei. I don’t regret it. Not for a second. You are mine.”
He closed his eyes, bracing for rejection.
Instead, he felt Suowei’s hand slide around his waist, gripping him tightly.
“I can forgive everything else,” Suowei sobbed. “But you cannot leave me, Chi Cheng. I have no one else now. You’re the only one I can’t lose. Please…”
Relief and desperation collided violently in Chi Cheng’s chest. He held him even tighter.
“Forever, Wei Wei,” he whispered, voice trembling with feral devotion. “You’re stuck with me forever. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”
Suowei buried his face in Chi Cheng’s neck, clinging to him as if he might disappear.
Over Chi Cheng’s shoulder, his tear-glazed eyes met Gangzi’s across the room.
And slowly—
His lips curved.
A smirk.
He winked.
___________________________________________________
*Flashback*
“Wu Qiqiong. My older brother.” Suowei’s tone had been calm, almost thoughtful. “They thought they could fool me. They made me sign a contract saying I’d inherit everything if something happened to them. As if I didn’t realize I’ve always just been the spare.”
Gangzi had listened quietly. In his line of work, very little shocked him. But he had noticed something long ago: his master, Chi Cheng, was obsessed with Wu Suowei.
What others failed to see was that Wu Suowei’s obsession ran deeper.
Darker.
“I managed to get the real contract,” Suowei continued, tilting his head innocently. “It’s basically my death certificate.” He smiled faintly. “What do you think will happen if Chi Cheng gets his hands on it, Gangzi?”
Gangzi had studied him carefully.
“You know he would kill for you, Master Wu Suowei.”
Suowei’s smile had widened.
“Yes,” he had murmured softly.
“I know.”