Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 211

Ice Hockey Top Star, Turns Out He’s Gay?

“No!”

As soon as Bill saw the newspaper delivered to his room that morning, his eyes widened. It was a bolt from the blue. He frantically opened the internet news, and Bill’s face was everywhere. Most of them were photos taken of him and Koi in the hotel room.

That wasn’t all. Every single article infuriated Bill.

Bill Gulliver, who disappeared under the pretext of injury, is actually with his lover?

Caught by paparazzi enjoying a secret rendezvous in a hotel room.

“No, you sons of bitches!”

Bill shrieked, tearing at his hair. But the people in the photos were unmistakably Koi and himself. The paparazzi who had been following him relentlessly had finally caused trouble. But the building from which the photos were presumably taken was incredibly far away. For this reason, even though he saw the building every day while staying at the hotel, he never imagined that photos would be taken from there.

Is that paparazzi’s camera a Hubble Telescope or something? How can they take pictures from that distance?

Bill immediately contacted his manager to correct the false reports. He conveyed, “Bill came to the East to woo the ‘woman’ he likes, and the person in the photo is a friend who knows both her and Bill, and was just giving him advice.” But the next article was even more absurd.

The other party was revealed to be a high school classmate.

The other party was a close friend since high school. In fact, has their relationship been like that since then?

Even lying about coming to woo a non-existent woman to cover for his lover…

“Aaaah!”

Bill felt like he was going bald, but he couldn’t take his hands off his hair. Why, why is this happening?

The only comfort was his phone call with Koi. Koi had learned about the incident from Bill’s call, but Ashley had called him after seeing the article, and Koi, who knew nothing at the time, had honestly conveyed the facts, and Ashley had also understood, he said. Rather, he felt relieved on that front because he had comforted Bill and hung up, but he still had to resolve the situation.

As dusk settled, Bill, who had been frantically trying to clean up all day without stepping out of his room, received a call. He reluctantly answered the call from the hotel front desk, and the staff delivered unexpected news.

• You have a visitor. Would you like to meet them? It’s Mr. Ashley Miller.

Bill froze in surprise for a moment, and the staff added.

• He says he has something to talk about. May I send him up?

Bill didn’t understand the meaning of the words from the other end at all. Only the name Ashley Miller spun in his head. Standing blankly, he belatedly came to his senses at the voice calling from the receiver and asked.

“A-Ashley Miller? The lawyer?”

• Yes, he says he’s a high school classmate. May I send him up?

Listening to the patiently repeated words, Bill quickly slapped his own cheek. He barely managed to collect himself, rubbing his sore cheek and racking his brain. According to Koi, Ashley was aware of the situation. Perhaps he had come to give advice as a lawyer.

He held a cautious hope, when suddenly the voice on the other end changed.

• Bill?

“A-Ash?”

At the sudden voice, Bill stammered without realizing it. Even though it had been a long time since he had heard his voice, Bill recognized it immediately. Ashley continued to Bill.

• We have something to talk about, don’t we? May I come up?

His voice was extremely cold and calm. Bill felt a sense of distance from the emotionless tone, but at the same time, he felt relieved. As the call with Koi came to mind, an unfounded certainty settled within him.

That’s right, we were best friends.

Memories from childhood filled him with hope. Ahem, Bill quickly cleared his throat, then handed the phone back to the staff and readily accepted the visit.

“Yes, that’s fine. And could you bring some champagne? Any kind is fine.”

After hanging up, Bill exhaled, then rubbed his palms together and looked around. This was no time to be doing nothing. He quickly tidied up the messy room and began preparing to meet his old classmate. Yeah, friends are the best at times like this. We can drink together and talk about old times.

I should apologize for that article with Koi.

If the roles were reversed and he had been in that situation, he would want to beat the other person to within an inch of their life. But Bill trusted Ashley. More precisely, he strongly trusted the friendship they had shared.

Ash didn’t say much, did he?

Recalling Koi’s cheerful voice, he regained his composure. When the doorbell finally rang, he had already finished an emotional reunion with his old friend in his mind. Bill rushed to the door, opened it without hesitation, and greeted his friend with a bright smile.

“Ash, long time no see, Ugh!”

His vigorous greeting was cut short, turning into a scream. Thwack! With a loud thud, his vision flashed, and he stumbled backward, clutching his nose.

“W-What?”

Bill’s eyes widened as he barely regained his senses. The man who strode into the room after him was clearly Ashley. The sophisticated man in a long coat, impeccable suit, and neatly combed hair overlapped with the youthful image he had seen countless times in high school for only one reason: Ashley was holding an ice hockey stick, just as he had back then.

“W-Wait, Ash, calm down, what are you doing!”

Bill turned pale and shouted, extending a hand forward.

“What is that? You said we were going to talk!”

“Yes.”

To his desperate cry, Ashley adjusted his grip on the stick and spoke. Still in a cool tone.

“Alright, let’s have a conversation now. With my stick.”

Immediately, Ashley swung the stick, and Bill screamed, covering his head.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

& & &

“Koi!”

As soon as Ariel opened the door and rushed in, pale, Koi was startled and greeted her.

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

To Koi, who quickly looked behind her, wondering if a suspicious person was following her, Ariel pressed him.

“You’re the one in trouble! Are you okay? Nothing happened?”

Ariel looked him over, then turned her gaze back to Koi’s face. Koi, bewildered, replied, “No.” Ariel quietly observed his expression, then let out a sigh of relief and pressed her hand to her chest. Koi, who had poured her herbal tea as she slumped onto the sofa, belatedly realized the situation.

“It’s been a mess all day, and you had no idea?”

Ariel asked, catching her breath after a sip of tea. Koi scratched his head, embarrassed, and replied.

“Bill called me, that’s how I found out. I wasn’t on the internet or anything, so I had no idea… Bill must be in a lot of trouble.”

Ariel didn’t bother to mention that she had become the ‘non-existent woman.’ Other issues were more important right now.

“The situation is more serious than you think. Reporters might find you and raid this place.”

“Really?”

Koi cried out in surprise. But there was an even bigger problem.

“Ash? Did you contact him? What did he say?”

“Oh? No.”

Koi shook his head and replied.

“Ash called me first. He didn’t say much, and he did ask about Bill, but he understood everything and hung up. You don’t have to worry about Ash.”

Koi said that and even smiled, but Ariel’s face gradually turned pale.

“When was that?”

Koi blinked, startled by the pressing question.

“Well, sometime after lunch…?”

“Give me your phone. No, call him. Right now, Ash.”

Koi, bewildered but doing as he was told, soon shook his head.

“He’s not answering.”

“Bill isn’t either.”

Ariel immediately put down her phone and sprang to her feet.

“This is no time for this. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Koi, bewildered, was pulled by her arm and asked, and Ariel, who was rushing towards the entrance, looked back.

“To Bill’s. If we leave him alone, he might die.”

“Bill? Why?”

When he cried out in surprise, Ariel started walking again and blurted out.

“Because Ash won’t leave him alone.”

“What? No, wait!”

Koi said, flustered.

“That can’t be. Ash understood everything. I told him it was all a misunderstanding!”

“If your words are true, that’s good.”

Ariel looked at Koi with a serious face.

“If my prediction is correct, you’re the only one who can stop Ash.”