VFGRC Chapter 74

After having eaten his fill yesterday, Xing Xing lay on the bed and entered a sweet dreamland.

Perhaps having learned how to sleep on his own, Xing Xing rarely became restless in his sleep like before; often, he would slumber until daybreak.

Today was no different for Xing Xing.

The bright sunlight illuminated the bedroom, and the joyful and lively birds outside chirped even more loudly.

Gradually waking up from his slumber, Xing Xing twisted his small body, stretching out his short limbs with effort, and lazily yawned widely on the bed.

“Yawn…”

With closed eyes, Xing Xing let out a small yawn, his soft palm rubbing his still drowsy eyes.

Struggling, Xing Xing managed to open his eyes and subconsciously looked to his side.

To his surprise, there was no sign of Yu Bai beside him.

Where’s Daddy?

Daddy was always sleeping with him every day! Could it be that last night, Daddy didn’t sleep with him?

Panic filled Xing Xing’s round, ink-black eyes.

Where did Daddy go?

Just as he was about to climb down from the bed, he heard the bedroom door emit a faint sound of the lock turning, and then the door was pushed open.

Having finished his shower and changed into fresh clothes, Yu Bai had taken the opportunity while Ji Rongyu was in the bathroom to return to the bedroom.

Yu Bai’s mind was particularly chaotic.

Whenever he thought about what happened last night, he found it unbelievable.

How could he have ended up with Ji Rongyu last night…

Fragmented and disjointed memories resurfaced one by one in Yu Bai’s still hazy mind.

Ji Rongyu’s heavy breathing last night, his figure pressing down on him like a mountain, and his legs that were already unable to move when he woke up in the morning…

The events of last night overlapped with a night he had experienced several years ago, reminiscent of a dream.

Just thinking about it made his face turn red.

“Daddy?”

It wasn’t until Xing Xing’s soft voice rang out that Yu Bai slightly snapped out of the embarrassing memories.

Xing Xing’s watery, clear ink-black eyes looked at Yu Bai, “Daddy got up really early today! I opened my eyes and didn’t see you, I thought you were gone! I got scared!”

As Xing Xing said “got scared,” he patted his own little chest with his small hand.

Yu Bai sat by the bedside, his hand gently patting Xing Xing’s head.

“I just went to the bathroom to freshen up…”

Sharp-witted Xing Xing immediately noticed that Yu Bai’s voice was slightly hoarse.

Xing Xing’s two small eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow.

“Daddy! Why is your voice hoarse? Are you sick? Did you not cover yourself properly with the blanket yesterday?”

Xing Xing immediately twisted his small body and scooted closer to Yu Bai.

Yu Bai forced a smile, “…It’s nothing. I was just tired yesterday, so my throat got hoarse.”

“I see… Wait!”

Narrowing his round eyes, Xing Xing carefully examined Yu Bai, his gaze intent.

“Daddy! Why do you have so many red marks on your neck?”

Red marks?

Hearing Xing Xing’s words, Yu Bai touched his neck in confusion.

How could he have red marks on his neck? Could it be mosquito bites?

But his neck wasn’t itchy at all…

Before Yu Bai and Xing Xing could react, Ji Rongyu entered the room, pushing the door open.

Upon hearing the last sentence that Xing Xing said, Ji Rongyu immediately looked at Yu Bai with a worried expression.

“Yu Bai, are you sick? Do you have a fever?”

Before Yu Bai and Xing Xing could respond, Ji Rongyu quickly walked up to Yu Bai, and his hand instinctively touched Yu Bai’s forehead.

“Huh? Your forehead isn’t hot, you don’t have a fever? Then what’s wrong with your body? I’ll take you to the hospital right now…”

Just as Ji Rongyu’s hand was about to grasp Yu Bai’s, Yu Bai swiftly evaded.

Yu Bai awkwardly touched his own neck.

Yu Bai: “I’m not feeling unwell. It’s just that Xing Xing said there are red marks on my neck…”

Ji Rongyu looked at Yu Bai’s neck.

The pajamas Yu Bai was wearing were the same light blue cotton ones from the previous night.

The sky-blue pajamas revealed a section of Yu Bai’s slender neck, which shone like jade.

Normally, Yu Bai’s neck was clean and fair, but today there were some deep and shallow red marks on his neck.

Ji Rongyu: Do these marks look like they’re from last night…?

Last night, when the lights in the living room went out, Ji Rongyu could barely see Yu Bai under the moonlight from outside the window.

At that time, the combination of alcohol and the perfect ambiance had turned him into a wild beast, leaving his marks all over Yu Bai’s body.

Ji Rongyu still remembered that aside from Yu Bai’s neck, there were his shoulders, his waist, and…

“What’s wrong? Do I really have red marks?”

Seeing Ji Rongyu’s slightly odd expression, Yu Bai took out his phone and took a picture of his neck.

Sure enough, there were red marks on his neck.

However, these marks didn’t seem to be from insect bites; they looked more like…

Yu Bai might lack experience in certain areas, but that didn’t mean he was naive.

The first time Yu Bai had experienced such things, the man whose face he had long forgotten had acted like a mad dog, leaving various…

Those marks were just like now, not painful, but very noticeable.

Xing Xing gently touched the red marks on Yu Bai’s neck, concerned, “Daddy, how can we get rid of these red marks? Does your neck hurt?”

Yu Bai gently held Xing Xing’s small hand and reassured him, “It’s okay, these red marks are nothing to worry about. They’ll fade away on their own in a couple of days…”

“Really?”

Yu Bai nodded.

Only then did Xing Xing feel relieved. He asked again, “So where did these red marks come from?”

At this moment, Ji Rongyu, who knew he had done something bad, stood upright beside them, as silent as a cicada in winter.

Yu Bai: “Well… they’re from a dog bite.”

Ji Rongyu: “…”

He looked at Yu Bai, only to be met with a glare from him.

Yu Bai’s brows and eyes remained clear and gentle, with a faint blush at the corners of his eyes—remnants of the tears he shed the previous night.

Last night, the tipsy Yu Bai was adorable.

This morning, the sober Yu Bai was equally adorable.

Recalling the taste of last night, Ji Rongyu felt himself beginning to…

“Dog bite? How could a well-behaved dog bite people?” Xing Xing’s round eyes were filled with confusion.

Oh, and! He and Daddy were sleeping in the room together. When did Daddy leave and get bitten by a dog?

Even if Xing Xing’s young mind ached from thinking, he would never understand what had happened!

—

Next, Ji Rongyu shamelessly stayed at Yu Bai’s home the entire day.

After the three of them had freshened up in the morning, Ji Rongyu ordered takeout for Yu Bai and had it delivered to their home.

The breakfast spread included sweet and savory items, along with porridge and sweet soups suitable for Yu Bai’s throat discomfort.

They all had a hearty breakfast.

Yu Bai could tell that Ji Rongyu must have spent quite a bit of money on the breakfast he ordered for them.

While a single meal couldn’t quell the bit of anger and annoyance in Yu Bai’s heart, he found Ji Rongyu slightly more agreeable now.

By noon, when Yu Bai prepared lunch, he also made an extra portion for Ji Rongyu.

After coaxing Xing Xing to take a nap, Yu Bai returned to the living room.

Seeing Yu Bai emerge from the bedroom, Ji Rongyu immediately stood up, his narrow phoenix-like eyes fixed intently on Yu Bai.

Deliberately avoiding Ji Rongyu’s gaze, Yu Bai lowered his head and tidied up the scattered building blocks Xing Xing had been playing with. “We’ve had breakfast, and lunch too. Are you planning to stay at my place all day?”

Ji Rongyu questioned, “So early… do you want me to leave already?”

“And how much longer do you plan to stay at my place?”

Ji Rongyu walked up to Yu Bai, “Yu Bai…”

“Don’t call me that.” Yu Bai turned his head away.

Yu Bai was afraid that if he saw Ji Rongyu voluntarily soften, his own resolve would waver.

“But I like you. I just want to call you that.” Ji Rongyu’s tone was smooth.

Yu Bai mentally sneered, but his face couldn’t help but flush.

Throughout both his lifetimes, Yu Bai had been rather handsome. While his looks might not compare to those of a top celebrity, he was among the top in the ranks of ordinary people.

However, in his previous life, Yu Bai had been obsessed with cooking, and in this life, he wasn’t very outgoing and wasn’t great at making friends. Thus, throughout both his lifetimes, nobody had ever pursued him as persistently as Ji Rongyu, nor had anyone spoken sweet nothings to him.

One had to admit, sweet words were a tempting treat that made it hard not to want to indulge.

“Yu Bai, why haven’t you been talking to me since this morning? Do you… not like me?”

Yu Bai answered quickly, “No.”

From the day Yu Bai had met Ji Rongyu, he had quite liked him.

However, in the beginning, it was Ji Rongyu’s personality that had drawn him in. Now, he never would have imagined that he and Ji Rongyu would shift from a simple friendship to… the complex relationship they had now.

“I like you, and you like me. Aren’t we mutually attracted?” Ji Rongyu asked. “Do you have any reservations?”

Yu Bai hesitated for a long while before speaking again, “I… just like you as a friend.”

These words should have come out smoothly, but for some reason, when he tried to say them, they got stuck in his throat. It took great courage for him to finally voice them.

After saying those words, Yu Bai didn’t dare look at Ji Rongyu’s expression. Just as he was about to turn away, Ji Rongyu’s hand caught his chin.

Ji Rongyu’s fingertips asserted their dominance, forcefully turning Yu Bai’s face towards him.

Yu Bai was caught off guard, meeting Ji Rongyu’s gaze.

In that fleeting moment when their eyes locked, Yu Bai’s heart pounded unusually hard.

He believed he had spoken with an honest heart, but why did he feel a slight pang of guilt when he looked at Ji Rongyu?

“Is that so?”

Ji Rongyu asked.

The smile had long vanished from his face, and in the depths of his narrow eyes, Yu Bai’s figure was reflected.

“Are we really just friends?”

 

Author’s Note:

PS: There’s sunlight in the community, but I’m obsessed with planting vegetables and can’t extricate myself.

Give it a couple of days, and the household supplies should stabilize… I’ll write a bit more then, QAQ.