Because Cheng Yue was being carried with his stomach pressed against Ji Xu’s shoulder, it made him feel uncomfortable.
After enduring it for a while, he looked at Ji Xu’s backside and poked him in the waist, saying softly, “Ji… Ji Xu…”
“Shut up.” Ji Xu, carrying Cheng Yue, avoided the crowd and headed toward the staircase.
“I really came here to…”
Cheng Yue, feeling his head spinning, tried to explain, “I really… really came to drink milk tea… I didn’t know…”
Cheng Yue’s words trailed off as he looked at Ji Xu’s waist, not moving.
From this angle, his eyes were directly on Ji Xu’s waist. Since Ji Xu had put his suit jacket over Cheng Yue’s head, he was only wearing a white shirt. The shirt clung tightly to Ji Xu’s waist, and the muscular lines from his movements made Cheng Yue swallow nervously.
Cheng Yue wasn’t sure if his head was muddled from the alcohol or if it was pure jealousy and envy, but he reached out to touch Ji Xu’s waist. However, his poor judgment of distance led him to touch Ji Xu’s buttocks instead.
After realizing what he had done, Cheng Yue found it amusing and chuckled a couple of times.
Ji Xu, with a grim expression, felt his arm muscles bulging from the effort of carrying Cheng Yue. He managed to suppress his irritation, but his patience was wearing thin. He simply wanted to get out of there quickly.
Once outside, he would deal with this issue.
“I… I feel like throwing up…” Cheng Yue hadn’t finished speaking when Ji Xu was carrying him up the stairs. The movement made Cheng Yue’s stomach churn, and he grabbed onto Ji Xu’s shirt, about to vomit.
Ji Xu, hearing the commotion, immediately stopped. His face turned so dark that everyone around them instinctively moved aside, avoiding them.
“I…”
Cheng Yue began to speak but was interrupted by another stomach spasm, making him realize with sudden dread that he had made a mistake.
It was just a matter of opening his mouth and closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, hearing Ji Xu’s breathing grow heavier, Cheng Yue wished he could just faint.
“Hold on.”
Ji Xu quickened his pace, exited the passage, and reached the curb. He took out his car keys, unlocked the door with one hand, and then tossed Cheng Yue into the back seat.
Once Cheng Yue was thrown into the back seat, he bounced slightly on the cushion. The suit jacket that Ji Xu had draped over Cheng Yue’s head fell away, and Cheng Yue finally saw Ji Xu’s expression.
Seeing his face, Cheng Yue’s dizziness cleared up considerably.
He slowly propped himself up with his hands and poked his head out to try to explain.
Ji Xu, feeling a large wet patch on his back, suppressed his nausea and quickly undid and removed his shirt.
If it weren’t for the darkness and the lack of people where he parked, Ji Xu wouldn’t have been able to do this.
After removing his shirt, Ji Xu felt like he could breathe again.
Meanwhile, Cheng Yue, who was clueless about how to read the room, was like a modern-day do-gooder blocking the barrel of a gun.
“I threw up… all over… what I just drank today…”
Cheng Yue, nervously looking at Ji Xu’s white shirt stained with his vomit, fumbled over his words, “It’s still fresh…”
Hearing Cheng Yue say “fresh,” Ji Xu was stunned for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, he laughed in anger. He tossed the stained shirt onto the car roof and walked back to the rear seat.
Seeing his actions, Cheng Yue immediately shrank back inside the car.
Ji Xu, who usually looked intimidating in his perfectly tailored suit, appeared even more imposing with his shirt off, revealing his well-built upper body.
“Come here.” Ji Xu leaned into the car, one arm resting on the seatback while the other reached for Cheng Yue’s legs.
“Don’t come near me!”
Cheng Yue, unable to move with Ji Xu holding his calf, could only weakly protest, “Domestic violence against minors is illegal!”
“Now you know you’re a minor?” Ji Xu’s brow furrowed deeply in anger. He wasn’t going to drag Cheng Yue out; instead, he leaned in, flipped Cheng Yue over, and pressed him against the car window.
Cheng Yue’s head was forced against the window, and the warm breath from the man behind him made him shiver, both from fear and discomfort.
He shivered and tried to hold on, “I’m a minor! You can’t hit me!”
Ji Xu, hearing this, frowned even more deeply. Angry and worried, he raised his hand and gave Cheng Yue a sharp smack on the buttocks, saying, “A minor? You go to a bar? You drink this much? You almost had your clothes stripped off?”
Cheng Yue’s face pressed against the window, feeling both embarrassed and furious. His eyes turned red from the anger.
He felt wronged.
The bar wasn’t his idea, the alcohol wasn’t intentional, and even the large gold chain around his neck wasn’t his choice.
Why was Ji Xu hitting him!
The more Cheng Yue thought about it, the angrier he became, even starting to hiccup uncontrollably.
“Not satisfied?” Ji Xu looked at Cheng Yue’s head from behind.
“No… hic… no.” Cheng Yue muttered in a muffled voice.
Ji Xu saw Cheng Yue’s sulking expression and then glanced at his torn shirt. He sighed, picked up the suit jacket that had fallen under the car seat, shook it out, and threw it onto Cheng Yue.
Cheng Yue didn’t say anything, and the car was filled with the sound of their breathing.
Ji Xu watched him for a moment, reminding himself repeatedly to be patient with the kid, before speaking up, “You’re not even 17 yet, do you understand?”
Cheng Yue sniffled and quietly replied, “But there are only a few days left.”
“A few days still doesn’t count.” Ji Xu emphasized, “Even if you’re one day short, you shouldn’t be in places like this or doing things like this.”
Cheng Yue couldn’t handle being treated softly. When Ji Xu’s tone became gentler, he felt guilty, wiped his nose, and explained, “I really didn’t know they were taking me here. Later, I was pulled up by someone…”
After hearing his explanation, Ji Xu frowned and said, “But why didn’t you leave immediately? Why did you drink in a place with people you don’t even know?”
Cheng Yue didn’t want to admit it was because he was afraid of losing face, as admitting that would be embarrassing.
Ji Xu knew exactly what Cheng Yue was thinking. He rolled down Cheng Yue’s window and pointed to a “No Minors Allowed” sign outside a nearby bar.
He said, “I want you to understand that the label ‘minor’ wasn’t created to restrict you but to protect you. So, until you have a complete understanding of society and the ability to protect yourself, I don’t want you to have any resistance towards being a minor. You need to know…”
Cheng Yue listened to Ji Xu’s calm explanation and looked at his extended hand, then glanced at his bare arms and upper body.
He looked at the suit jacket draped over him and his eyes turned a bit red. He quickly lowered his head to hide it.
“In the future, you can’t drink, and you can’t go to places where minors aren’t allowed without my company.” Ji Xu concluded seriously, his face stern.
Though Cheng Yue’s head wasn’t clear and he sometimes acted foolishly, he knew Ji Xu genuinely cared about him. He looked down at the suit draped over him and nodded slightly.
“Alright.” Ji Xu reached out and pinched Cheng Yue’s chin, forcing him to look up, scolding him with a “What’s there to cry about? Be a man and have some courage.”
“But I was a minor just now…” Cheng Yue sniffled and laughed through his tears, “And now I’m a man? That’s really a double standard.”
After seeing off the other people, Tang Jing waddled with his big belly back to his parking spot.
When he got closer, he noticed that Ji Xu’s car, which should have left already, was still parked there.
One of the car doors was open, so Tang Jing curiously approached.
Inside the car, Ji Xu was bare-chested, holding Cheng Yue’s chin, who had red eyes and a pale face.
Cheng Yue’s clothes were torn, and he was covered with Ji Xu’s jacket.
Tang Jing glanced and couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “Old pervert.”
Ji Xu heard the noise outside and glanced at the rearview mirror. Seeing it was Tang Jing, he got out of the car.
Cheng Yue, also curious, got out of the car.
“Cheng Yue!” Tang Jing’s eyes widened in shock as if he could swallow Cheng Yue whole.
Tang Jing, startled, kept shifting his gaze between Ji Xu and Cheng Yue, his expression changing from surprise to anger.
“It’s not…” Ji Xu saw that Tang Jing misunderstood and was about to explain, but this fat guy dared to interrupt him.
“Don’t explain.”
Tang Jing said, his voice deep and slow, “It’s like I’ve known you all these years for nothing. How could you do such a thing? Cigarettes are smoked one by one, loneliness comes in bits, and even if you’ve become so twisted from loneliness over the years… but I…”
“Shut up.” Ji Xu felt a headache coming on just from looking at him.
“Cheng Yue, come over here. It can’t just end like this. Uncle will take you to…”
Ji Xu narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, “Get lost.”
“Alright, have fun!” Tang Jing, holding his big belly, quickly ran away.
