The rain had cleared by morning, but the storm between them hadn't.
Shen Yu sat in the velvet darkness of his private club, cigarette smoke curling lazily above him. His men whispered about the boy who had dared refuse him, about how Liye had walked away as if mafia orders were nothing but background noise. No one had ever done that.
Yet Shen Yu's wasn't furious. He was curious. A rare smile tugged at his lips. "Bring him to me."
Liye arrived not by force but by choice. He walked through the doors of Shen Yu's domain, his cold charm glowing against the club's low lights. Heads turned, Whispers followed him, but his eyes locked only on Shen Yu.
"You called," Liye said smoothly, sliding into the seat opposite Shen Yu without permission. "I must be special."
Shen Yu leaned back, his gaze sharp, unreasonable. " You're reckless."
Liye smirked, resting his chin on his hand. "Reckless, or just... not afraid of you?"
The words were bait, and Shen Yu felt the hook. No one spoke to him like that. No one dared. Yet this boy, with his sweet smile and icy tone, disarmed him in a way bullets never could.
"You should be," Shen Yu murmured, leaning closer across the table. " I could destroy you."
"Then why haven't you?" Liye's voice was soft, teasing, his eyes gleaming like a challenge.
For a moment, silence stretched. The heem of the club faded until it felt like only the two of them existed. Shen Yu studied him - the defiance in his eyes, the curve of his lips, the steady calm that no threat could shatter.
And then, Shen Yu did something unexpected. He reached forward, fingers brushing Liye's jaw, tilting his face upward. The touch was deliberate, intimate, a warning disguised as temptation.
"You're playing a dangerous game," Shen Yu said, his voice low, husky.
Liye didn't flinch. He leaned into the touch, smiling faintly. "Good. I like dangerous."
The focus were close now too close. Shen Yu's breath mingled with Liye's, the air thick with something neither wanted to name. The space between them burned, fragile, a second away from collapse.
But just as their lips nearly touched, Shen Yu pulled back, smirking faintly. " Not yet."
Liye's heart skipped, but he masked it with a playful laugh. "Afraid?"
Shen Yu's eyes glinted. "I don't fear boys who think they can outsmart me".
Liye's smile deepened, but inside, his pain solidified. He would make this untouchable Mafia king lower his guard. He would draw him in, kiss by kiss, smile by smile - until Shen Yu's heart was in his hands.
And then, when the time was right... he would crush it.