The narrow alley, usually bustling with hurried footfalls and the chatter of market vendors, was oddly subdued tonight, save for the distant crackle of firecrackers.
Yu Han, his jaw set in a determined line, gripped Li Hao's wrist. His fingers, surprisingly strong despite their slender appearance, tightened around the bone, pulling Li Hao forward with an urgency that left no room for protest.
Li Hao, however, felt no inclination to resist. His eyes, usually sharp and discerning, were fixated on the point of contact – Yu Han's hand, clasping his own.
A strange, almost dizzying sensation bloomed in Li Hao's chest. It wasn't the shock of the unexpected touch, but the profound, almost aching familiarity of it.
He watched Yu Han's profile, illuminated by the occasional flare of a distant sparkler, his dark hair falling across his forehead.
Li Hao's heart hammered against his ribs, a wild drumbeat echoing the sudden, overwhelming surge of feelings that had been simmering beneath his carefully constructed composure for weeks.
He wanted nothing more than to stop, right there in the dimly lit alley, to pull Yu Han into his arms, to hold him so tightly their breaths tangled. He wanted to bury his face in Yu Han's hair, to feel the soft skin of his neck against his lips, to kiss away whatever unspoken burdens Yu Han carried. He wanted to lose himself in the obsidian depths of Yu Han's eyes, to absorb every facet of the man who had, without trying, dismantled his world and rebuilt it anew.
The desire was a tangible, burning thing, a fire that threatened to consume him whole.
They walked in silence, the only sounds the relentless, percussive symphony of celebrations from blocks away, and the soft scuff of their shoes on the uneven cobblestones.
Yu Han navigated the labyrinthine turns of the alleyways with an innate knowledge, his grip unwavering. Li Hao allowed himself to be led, a rare surrender for a man who commanded every aspect of his life.
He felt like a ship being guided by a lighthouse, irrevocably drawn towards a destiny he both feared and yearned for.
Finally, the confined space gave way to an expanse of open ground. The air, cooler and cleaner, carried the scent of damp earth and the subtle metallic tang of the nearby river. They had arrived at the riverbank, a quiet clearing usually frequented by fishermen in the early mornings, now deserted under the vast, star-dusted sky.
Yu Han's fingers, which had felt like an anchor in the storm of Li Hao's emotions, loosened their hold. He released Li Hao's wrist and, with a graceful movement, sank onto the dewy grass.
Li Hao, his gaze never once straying from Yu Han's face, followed suit without hesitation, sitting beside him. The distant cityscape twinkled, a myriad of artificial stars against the deep velvet of the night.
Yu Han turned his head slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips – a rare sight that made Li Hao's heart clench. A gentle breeze, a whisper from the river, rustled through Yu Han's hair, tousling the dark strands. His bangs, now a little longer, fell across his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes.
Without a second thought, driven by an instinct older and deeper than any logic, Li Hao reached out. His fingers, usually firm and decisive, were feather-light as he brushed the soft hair away from Yu Han's forehead, tucking it gently behind his ear.
This time, Yu Han didn't flinch, didn't push his hand away. He simply held Li Hao's gaze, a quiet acceptance in his eyes that spoke volumes. The air between them thrummed with unspoken tenderness, a fragile, sweet interaction hanging delicately in the balance.
Then, as if on cue, the silence was shattered. A sky shot, a single, brilliant streak of light, tore upwards, exploding into a dazzling shower of gold and crimson that painted the night sky.
One by one, with relentless, joyous abandon, more firecrackers followed, bursting in a riot of colours – emerald green, sapphire blue, ruby red – illuminating the riverbank in fleeting, breathtaking moments.
Li Hao and Yu Han sat there, shoulder to shoulder, their earlier intimacy momentarily forgotten, mesmerized by the astonishing spectacle unfolding above them.
But the magic of the fireworks was only a backdrop to the magic brewing between them. As the last echoes of a particularly loud burst faded, leaving trails of smoke blossoming in the air, both pairs of eyes, as if drawn by an invisible thread, drifted towards each other.
Their gazes met, intimately, intensely. The world narrowed to just the two of them, the vibrant chaos of the sky fading into a soft blur. A deep, undeniable desire, a mutual yearning, stirred within their hearts, pulling them closer.
Li Hao leaned forward, slowly, deliberately, his eyes locked on Yu Han's. Yu Han's breath hitched. He watched Li Hao's approaching face, his own heart pounding, and then, with a soft sigh of surrender, he closed his eyes, anticipating the touch, the taste of Li Hao's lips. A faint pout formed on his mouth, ready.
Li Hao saw it. A subtle, mischievous smirk played on his lips, a flash of the cunning intellect that made him such a formidable presence in the boardroom. Just as his face hovered mere inches from Yu Han's, his warm breath ghosting over Yu Han's parted lips and entering his nostrils, Yu Han's entire body tensing in eager expectation, Li Hao abruptly veered.
He drifted his face to the right, bypassed Yu Han's waiting mouth, and with a swift, unexpected motion, reached for the cap of Yu Han's jacket. With a gentle tug, he pulled the hood up, covering Yu Han's head, neatly obscuring his face.
Yu Han's eyes shot open, wide with disbelief and an immediate, furious betrayal. The anticipated kiss, the culmination of so much unspoken tension, had been cruelly snatched away. He felt a wave of profound embarrassment wash over him, humiliation burning hot on his cheeks.
"It's getting colder," Li Hao said, his voice laced with a maddeningly casual concern, a slight tremor of suppressed laughter barely audible.
"Cover your head and ears."
Anger, sharp and fierce, flared in Yu Han's eyes. He stared at Li Hao, who still wore that infuriatingly smug expression.
"Oh, he was witty, was he? He liked to play games? " Yu Han's mind raced, a dangerous glint entering his gaze.
Then, with a sudden, decisive movement, Yu Han reached out. His fingers, quick as lightning, snaked around Li Hao's perfectly knotted tie, the silk cool against his skin.
He pulled, hard and fast, closing the distance between them in an instant. Li Hao, caught off guard, stumbled forward, his face landing inches from Yu Han's. Yu Han's eyes, still burning with mock fury, gleamed into Li Hao's. His other hand shot up, palm flat, covering Li Hao's eyes, plunging him into immediate darkness.
And then, Yu Han's lips, full and demanding, descended upon Li Hao's. The kiss was deep, passionate, and utterly consuming. Li Hao struggled, a muffled sound escaping his throat as he tried to pull away, to free his eyes. He wanted to see Yu Han's expression, to witness the triumph, the emotion on his face.
But Yu Han was more cunning, more determined in this moment. His grip on Li Hao's tie was unyielding, a tether preventing any significant movement, holding him captive. Li Hao had no choice but to surrender, to go with the flow, to allow himself to be profoundly, utterly felt by Yu Han. The taste of Yu Han, the press of his body, the fierce intensity of the kiss, enveloped him, a potent elixir that erased everything but the moment.
When Yu Han finally pulled away, a broad, triumphant smile curved his lips. His revenge was complete, sweet and satisfying. He released Li Hao's tie, and Li Hao, still a little disoriented, blinked his eyes open as Yu Han removed his hand.
He stared at Yu Han, a slow, appreciative smile spreading across his own face. He had been gracefully defeated, and he found he didn't mind at all. He took in Yu Han's radiant, satisfied expression, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Are you happy now?" Li Hao asked, his voice rough with lingering desire, a hint of laughter still in his tone.
Yu Han tossed his head, a proud, almost defiant glint in his eyes. "Very much," he declared, his smile widening.
The Li Hao, who had been ruthless and cold since childhood, the formidable CEO who struck fear into the hearts of his competitors, was, in that moment, smiling and laughing like crazy with Yu Han.
The crushing weight of responsibility, the relentless pressure from work, the suffocating expectations of his father – all of it evaporated like mist under the morning sun. He had forgotten it all. He had even forgotten that he was Li Hao, the powerful, the unyielding, the cold.
He was simply Li Hao, here, with Yu Han, under a sky full of bursting light, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt utterly, joyously free.
"This is my best ever new year." Li Hao spat.