Cheng Yue held his breath, his hand resting on Xu Ji Xu’s chest growing stiff.
The two stared at each other in silence, and Cheng Yue could only hear his own racing heartbeat.
He even took a moment to comfort the little Cheng Yue that hadn’t been frightened into submission.
Cheng Yue felt he had quite the audacity, but he realized that while he might have the nerve, he didn’t have the courage.
“…What time is it?” Xu Ji Xu asked, his voice a bit hoarse.
“Ah…” Cheng Yue blinked, “I… I don’t know.”
“Sleep a little longer…” Xu Ji Xu, holding Cheng Yue close, tightened his embrace, rested his head on Cheng Yue’s crown, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep.
The fever Cheng Yue had last night finally subsided around two or three in the morning. Just as he was about to sleep, Cheng Yue began flailing his arms and legs like he was practicing sparring, so Xu Ji Xu had no choice but to pull him tightly into his arms and wrap him up.
Once wrapped up, Cheng Yue stopped his sparring practice but began biting Xu Ji Xu’s neck several times, possibly because he was struggling to breathe.
Xu Ji Xu, annoyed, had to give Cheng Yue’s butt several pats before he quieted down.
Later, Xu Ji Xu wasn’t used to sharing a bed, and it was almost dawn before he finally fell asleep.
Cheng Yue woke up with his eyes slightly open, looking up at Xu Ji Xu’s collarbone, then up further to his Adam’s apple, and a small part of his chin…
Just as he was about to move again, Xu Ji Xu pinched his butt hard, making Cheng Yue let out a muffled groan and stop moving. He stared intently at Xu Ji Xu’s chest…
Watching for a while made him drowsy. Cheng Yue squinted at the morning sunlight filtering through the curtain, then buried his head completely in Xu Ji Xu’s embrace.
It was so comfortable that he almost sighed. It wasn’t just the pleasant temperature but also the feeling of being held.
Being held felt so good.
Cheng Yue quietly placed his hand on Xu Ji Xu’s waist.
Then he felt Xu Ji Xu’s embrace tighten around him.
Cheng Yue secretly smiled and slowly fell back asleep.
When Cheng Yue woke up again, he was alone in bed. He lifted the blanket and discovered he was wearing only underwear.
Staring at his underwear for a while, Cheng Yue got up from bed and went to the wardrobe to find clothes.
Just a few steps away, he heard a jingling sound around his neck. He reached up and grabbed a handful of the bells on his collar, and a series of images flashed through his mind.
…
Damn it…
Cheng Yue was fully awake now, his face flushed red. He dove into the wardrobe, burying his head in a pile of clothes.
What did he do last night… He told Xu Ji Xu that he broke a cup… called Xu Ji Xu a pig… imitated a cat like an idiot…
When Xu Ji Xu opened the door and walked in, he saw Cheng Yue burrowed into the wardrobe, his head hidden among the clothes, looking like he was praying.
“Come out.” Xu Ji Xu walked over and smacked Cheng Yue’s protruding butt.
Cheng Yue jumped in fright, quickly crawling out of the wardrobe and standing upright.
“Hurry up and get ready to eat.”
Xu Ji Xu said, poking the bell on Cheng Yue’s white neck, “Like a little dog.”
Cheng Yue smiled awkwardly, but then his mind uncontrollably recalled the silly things he had done last night, and he couldn’t smile anymore.
“Go brush your teeth and wash your face.” Xu Ji Xu instructed before leaving the room.
Cheng Yue quickly washed up, changed clothes, and hurried to the dining table. He hadn’t eaten much the previous day, and now it was almost one or two in the afternoon. Seeing the time, Cheng Yue was starving.
As he sat down and picked up his bowl, preparing to take some of the vegetables from Xu Ji Xu’s side, his eyes were suddenly caught by the conspicuous red marks on Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
“This?” Seeing that Cheng Yue couldn’t reach the dish, Xu Ji Xu moved the bowl of pepper-salted potatoes from his side to Cheng Yue’s.
“…Ah.” Cheng Yue quickly averted his gaze, hurriedly taking a large helping of vegetables and stuffing them into his mouth.
Xu Ji Xu glanced at the bowl of pepper-salted potatoes, frowned, and poured a glass of water for Cheng Yue, “Don’t eat too much.”
After taking a sip of water, Cheng Yue had no idea what he had just eaten. His mind was full of those obvious bite marks on Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
The more he thought about it, the more troubled he became.
He kept trying to remember if the marks on Xu Ji Xu’s neck were there before Xu Ji Xu came back last night or if they appeared after he went out today.
“Take your medicine later and do your homework.” Xu Ji Xu put down his chopsticks, “You don’t have to go to class today, but you have to attend evening self-study.”
“Mm.” Cheng Yue nodded vaguely, not daring to look at Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
Xu Ji Xu didn’t notice anything unusual. He went to the bathroom first, looked at the red marks on his neck from Cheng Yue’s bites last night in the mirror, frowned as he tried to pull up his collar. Seeing that it couldn’t cover them completely and not wanting to bother, he went straight to the study to start sorting out the materials he brought back from Tan Minmin last night.
After Xu Ji Xu left the room, Cheng Yue lost his appetite. He cleaned up the dishes and began pacing around the room.
After a while, he heard Xu Ji Xu’s footsteps approaching slowly and forced himself to sit on the sofa.
“Why haven’t you done your homework?” Xu Ji Xu walked over and looked at him.
“You…” Cheng Yue bit his lip, his gaze stopping below Xu Ji Xu’s neck, “You…”
“What?” Xu Ji Xu noticed Cheng Yue’s reddened face and worriedly reached out to touch his forehead, “Have you taken your medicine?”
“Yes.” Cheng Yue squeezed his palm, feeling the sweat, and didn’t dare to ask.
“If you’re uncomfortable, tell me.” Xu Ji Xu continued to feel his forehead, checking several times to confirm there was no high temperature before he felt relieved and returned to the study to work.
While sorting documents, Xu Ji Xu realized some were incomplete, so he left earlier than planned. Before leaving, he specifically reminded Cheng Yue to take his medicine again. Seeing Cheng Yue nod obediently, he drove off.
Cheng Yue watched the closed door, his heart racing for no apparent reason. He felt nervous, and his hands began to sweat.
When he tried to get up to pour a glass of water, his vision suddenly became blurry. He stood still for a while before he could see clearly.
After drinking some cold water, Cheng Yue’s heartbeat noticeably slowed. He paced around the sofa a few times before forcing himself to finish the homework on the desk.
As he finished the last sheet of paper, the alarm on his phone went off.
It reminded him that it was time to go to evening self-study.
At school, Cheng Yue’s mind was still fixated on the lingering image of Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
“Why do you seem so distracted lately?” Chen Zong bent over, resting on his desk, and looked at him.
“Is it?” Cheng Yue blinked and began reflecting.
“Are you okay?” Chen Zong patted his shoulder, “Let’s go to the restroom.”
“Oh…” Cheng Yue stood up and followed him.
“You seem quite nervous lately?” Chen Zong put an arm around his shoulder and patted his back hard, “Are you stressed about senior year? We still have time. My grades aren’t any better than yours, so why stress?”
“I’m not nervous about that.” Cheng Yue said, selecting a clean stall.
“Then what are you nervous about?” Chen Zong opened his zipper and took out his penis.
“I’m not nervous.” Cheng Yue also unzipped, feeling a mix of impatience and unease, “I saw…”
“Saw what?” Chen Zong tilted his head, looking at him.
“I… I saw…” Cheng Yue was on the verge of exploding from frustration all day, and despite his efforts to hold back, he finally blurted out, “I saw… I saw my… my uncle’s neck, and it looked like someone had bitten it.”
“Bitten?” Chen Zong shook his head, “That’s not unusual. Given your uncle’s looks and build, it’s normal for him to have a girlfriend. Not only would it be normal for her to bite his neck, but even his toes!”
“How is that normal?” Cheng Yue stared at him, bewildered.
“How is it not normal?” Chen Zong stared back, “If I were a woman, I’d bite him too. Who wouldn’t want to bite someone so handsome?”
“Go bite your grandpa.” Cheng Yue was so angry he felt like he wanted to pee in Chen Zong’s mouth.
After relieving himself, Cheng Yue washed his hands and stared at the bubbles in the water, silently muttering to himself like a vow, “No one is allowed to bite…”
After evening self-study, Cheng Yue returned home to an empty room and felt a sudden panic. He didn’t even have time to put down his backpack before calling Xu Ji Xu.
But Xu Ji Xu didn’t answer.
Cheng Yue had no choice but to take a shower first and then waited in the living room.
It wasn’t long before Xu Ji Xu came back.
As Xu Ji Xu opened the door, he was startled to see Cheng Yue sitting upright on the sofa. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Just finished watching TV,” Cheng Yue said with a smile, wiping the sweat from his palms before turning and going back to his room.
The next morning, Cheng Yue woke up at five, quickly got ready, grabbed a quick bite, and told Xu Ji Xu he was going to school before heading downstairs.
Instead of going to school, he hid behind a tree not far from the parking lot exit and waited.
It wasn’t long before he saw Xu Ji Xu’s car slowly drive out of the exit.
Cheng Yue carefully stayed hidden behind the tree, and once Xu Ji Xu’s car was far enough, he quickly followed, taking a cab and instructing the driver to keep close to Xu Ji Xu’s car.
He wasn’t planning to go to school today; he just wanted to find out who had bitten those red marks on Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
He couldn’t sleep all night thinking about it.
Cheng Yue thought Xu Ji Xu would go to the company, but to his surprise, Xu Ji Xu parked outside a café.
Cheng Yue’s eyes widened. While paying the driver, he muttered to himself, “I knew it… I knew it…”
“Are you here to catch someone in the act?” The driver, who had seen many things, could only make out that the person getting out of the car was a man, but not his appearance.
After giving him some advice, the driver continued, “If you catch them, just shout ‘Dad,’ don’t be afraid of embarrassment. This kind of thing needs to be loud! Then ask what to do about the pregnant mom at home! Start crying! Get everyone to condemn them, so the third party will retreat. Then act more stubborn…”
The driver rambled on, but Cheng Yue didn’t listen, grabbing the money and heading into the café like he was going to battle.
As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately found Xu Ji Xu sitting by the window with his back to him.
And the man sitting across from Xu Ji Xu.
Cheng Yue sat not far from them and quietly observed the man across from Xu Ji Xu. The more he looked, the more familiar the man seemed. When the man smiled, Cheng Yue finally remembered.
This was the guy from the dinner party who kept asking him if he was popular with girls.
Just as Cheng Yue recalled this, the man sitting across from Xu Ji Xu suddenly stood up, holding something, and moved closer to Xu Ji Xu.
Getting closer and closer.
It looked like he was going to kiss Xu Ji Xu.
Or bite…
Cheng Yue’s mind went blank. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
There were still quite a few people in the café, and they all turned to look at him.
Xu Ji Xu also turned to look at him. After recognizing who it was, he first stood up in surprise.
Cheng Yue, driven by sudden courage, felt a bit scared seeing so many people looking at him.
As Cheng Yue was about to take a few steps back, he caught sight of the man across from Xu Ji Xu, who was smiling with a hint of sarcasm.
That look spurred Cheng Yue to stop moving and stand his ground.
“What are you doing here?” Xu Ji Xu, frowning, pulled him over, “Did you skip school or are you here on leave?”
“I…” Cheng Yue was at a loss for words, his face flushed red. He stammered, unable to explain himself.
“Cheng Yue, right?” Duan Changsheng looked at him, “Sit down first. Do you want something to eat?”
“When did you come?”
Xu Ji Xu, holding Cheng Yue’s arm, asked in a low, displeased tone, “You should be at school now.”
“I… came with you.” Cheng Yue’s hand, resting on his lap, trembled slightly.
“Cheng Yue, sit down first.” Duan Changsheng got up to pull him into a seat, “It’s normal for kids to dislike going to class.”
“It’s none of your business.” Cheng Yue glared at him, his face growing darker as he pointed at Xu Ji Xu’s neck, “It’s you who bit him, right?”
“Bit? What do you mean?” Duan Changsheng, still smiling, looked at Cheng Yue with amusement.
To him, Cheng Yue was just a kid. Xu Ji Xu had always disliked trouble, and this kid looked like a lot of trouble.
Cheng Yue, seeing Duan Changsheng’s persistent smile, vaguely sensed his own abnormal behavior and an uncontrollable impulse in his mind.
But he couldn’t control himself, whether it was his racing heartbeat or the sweat on his palms.
“Sit down first.” Xu Ji Xu looked around at the people and pulled Cheng Yue closer.
Cheng Yue gritted his teeth, staring at Duan Changsheng’s smirking face across the table.
Wiping the sweat from his palms, he defiantly wrapped his arms around Xu Ji Xu’s neck and then bit into Xu Ji Xu’s neck.
Author’s Note:
Cheng Yue: I’m just going to be jealous anyway (super fierce)
Cheng Yue will probably go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow, so everyone don’t worry, it’s not that serious. (Actually, I hinted pretty clearly that it’s not a physical issue; some little angels might have figured it out.)
