Cheng Yue widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting that the words just spoken came from Ji Xu.
“Are you not going to help me wash?” Ji Xu asked with a smile, while unbuttoning his shirt with one hand.
Cheng Yue watched Ji Xu’s single-handed unbuttoning, his ears slowly turning red.
“Then I’ll have to wash myself. I might get my hand wet later,” Ji Xu said as he turned towards the bathroom, muttering, “If it gets wet, it could get infected, and if it gets infected…”
Cheng Yue was stunned, suddenly realizing something.
Is Ji Xu… acting coquettishly with him?
“Ah…” Ji Xu sighed dramatically as he walked.
Cheng Yue hesitated for a moment, his face flushed, and slowly walked over to support Ji Xu’s arm, guiding him into the bathroom.
Ji Xu, noticing Cheng Yue’s ears turning red, secretly smiled.
Once in the bathroom, Cheng Yue started filling the bathtub with water and began helping Ji Xu remove his half-unbuttoned shirt.
After removing the shirt, Cheng Yue couldn’t resist and touched Ji Xu’s abdominal muscles.
Ji Xu cleared his throat, causing Cheng Yue’s face to flush even more. He quickly withdrew his hand and crouched down to help Ji Xu remove his pants.
While crouching to take off Ji Xu’s pants, Cheng Yue almost faced the large bulge in Ji Xu’s underwear directly, his face turning even redder.
When it came time to… Cheng Yue saw that Ji Xu’s face was too red to bear and, laughing, let him take off his own clothes.
As soon as Ji Xu sat in the bathtub, Cheng Yue squeezed out a large amount of body wash and began rubbing it onto Ji Xu’s back.
After finishing his back, Cheng Yue’s hands slowly moved to Ji Xu’s chest.
Cheng Yue swallowed hard, trying to force himself not to look below as he touched Ji Xu.
After managing to apply body wash all over Ji Xu’s body, Cheng Yue was also sweating. He looked down at the water in the bathtub, feeling a bit dazed.
The bathtub was quite large and not frequently used, but now Cheng Yue looked at the steaming water and felt like he wanted to soak in it.
“Want to soak for a while?” Ji Xu asked, pulling on Cheng Yue’s arm.
Cheng Yue hesitated for a moment, nodded, and took off his clothes. He slowly climbed into the tub and sat opposite Ji Xu.
After soaking for a while, Cheng Yue wiped the sweat off his nose, and just as he was about to go and wipe Ji Xu’s sweat, Ji Xu suddenly spoke.
“I’m very worried,” Ji Xu said suddenly.
Cheng Yue looked at him, puzzled, and slowly moved closer from the other end of the bathtub.
Ji Xu smiled, seeing Cheng Yue unsteady in the water. He held Cheng Yue’s waist with one arm and stretched his legs to signal him to sit on his lap.
Cheng Yue shifted uneasily, subconsciously trying not to think about what he was sitting on.
Seeing Cheng Yue’s distracted attention, Ji Xu pinched his buttocks.
Cheng Yue shuddered and stared wide-eyed at him.
“I’m very worried about you,” Ji Xu said again, his eyes showing a hint of guilt. “Sometimes I’m scared, but I can’t say it because I worry that if I do, it might change how you see me. I don’t want you to know that I can be afraid, that I can avoid things…”
Cheng Yue frowned, disagreeing slightly. He reached out to hug Ji Xu and patted his back. Just as he was about to get up and leave, Ji Xu pulled him close and pinned him down, making it impossible for him to move.
Cheng Yue, stunned, held him quietly.
He seemed to feel Ji Xu’s… anxiety.
“I’m afraid of losing you…” Ji Xu hugged him and gently kissed his earlobe, his voice growing hoarse.
“You’re so young, only 17, and I’m almost 30. I keep worrying about all the unknowns in your future and am afraid that your life might not have me in it…”
Cheng Yue furrowed his brows, his eyes reddening. He pushed Ji Xu away, looked at him directly, and shook his head firmly.
Ji Xu smiled at his response and touched Cheng Yue’s damp hair on his forehead. “Cheng Yue, do you know? If you grow up, I’ll grow old…”
Cheng Yue was taken aback. How could Ji Xu grow old? He tightened his embrace, trying to tell Ji Xu that no matter how old he got, he would always be by his side.
“I’m afraid of losing you, just like you’re afraid of losing me,” Ji Xu said, holding Cheng Yue’s smooth, firm waist and giving it a gentle pinch. “So don’t worry alone. Share your worries with me, and we’ll solve them together, face them together, okay?”
Cheng Yue’s nose tingled, and he almost cried, but he ended up smiling.
After talking for a while, they continued to soak in the bathtub.
As the water in the bathtub gradually cooled, Ji Xu lifted Cheng Yue’s buttocks, saying, “Get up and put on some clothes.”
Cheng Yue rubbed his sleepy eyes, climbed out of the bathtub, quickly dried himself, and threw on some pants. He hurried to help Ji Xu, who was sitting in the bathtub, looking at him with a cheerful expression.
When Cheng Yue took a towel to dry Ji Xu, Ji Xu snatched it away.
Cheng Yue was taken aback and puzzled.
“Alright, go lie on the bed and warm up,” Ji Xu said, pushing him toward the door.
Watching Cheng Yue leave, Ji Xu sighed deeply and looked down at the somewhat rising thing between them.
Struggling to get dressed while thinking that Cheng Yue’s continued wiping could cause problems…
The next morning, after breakfast, Ji Xu waited a while before waking Cheng Yue from bed.
After Cheng Yue, under Ji Xu’s insistence, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and ate breakfast, he did some homework and then lay down on the sofa, falling asleep.
Ji Xu sat beside him, touched Cheng Yue’s dark circles under his eyes with a sigh, and went to the balcony to light a cigarette.
As soon as Ji Xu extinguished the cigarette, his phone rang.
He took out the phone, quickly silenced it, and looked at Cheng Yue, who was still sleeping on the sofa. Seeing that he hadn’t woken up, he then looked at the phone.
It was a call from his father.
Ji Xu walked a few steps to the bedroom and answered the call.
“Hello, Dad,” Ji Xu greeted.
“Hey!” His father’s voice was robust, followed by a cheerful tone, “I’ve been working on a new dish lately. Old Chen from next door keeps coming over to try it. Bring Cheng Yue over today, and I’ll let you both taste it.”
“Today…” Ji Xu looked at his hand wrapped in bandages, feeling a bit troubled, and hesitated, considering Cheng Yue’s current unstable state.
“Don’t tell me to wait a couple of days. I’m not one of your clients. Don’t play the reservation game with me. Just come over for lunch,” his father said quickly before hanging up and playfully teasing the bird hanging on the balcony.
Ji Xu sighed as he looked at the hung-up phone. When he turned to look at Cheng Yue, he found that Cheng Yue had woken up at some point.
Cheng Yue heard Ji Xu’s sigh and looked at him.
“Get ready. We’re going to your grandfather’s house later,” Ji Xu said, walking over to pat his head. “Do you want to sleep more?”
Cheng Yue shook his head, quickly got up, and went to change clothes.
After they were dressed and the time was right, Ji Xu took Cheng Yue downstairs and took a taxi to his father’s house.
When they reached the door of Ji Xu’s father’s house, the door suddenly opened.
Ji Xu’s father immediately saw the glaring white bandage on Ji Xu’s hand.
“What happened to your hand? Finally got into a fight?” His father pulled Ji Xu’s arm to inspect it closely. “Not disabled, are you?”
“It’s nothing. Just bumped it,” Ji Xu said.
“It’s fine as long as you’re not disabled.” Ji Shan, seeing that there was nothing seriously wrong with him, didn’t pursue the matter further and turned to pull Cheng Yue.
“Do you miss Grandpa?” Ji Shan smiled, his eyes squinting. “You don’t come often. My cooking is much better than Ji Xu’s.”
Cheng Yue had been smiling, but at the mention of the meal at Ji Shan’s house, he involuntarily twitched his mouth when he remembered the dragon fruit meatballs.
“Why isn’t Yue Yue talking?” Ji Shan asked, holding Cheng Yue’s hand.
“He caught a cold and his throat is too hoarse,” Ji Xu explained after coughing.
“Caught a cold?” Ji Shan reached out to touch Cheng Yue’s forehead. “It’s alright, we have pears today. Eat a couple more. The meal is almost ready, let’s eat first.”
During the meal, Ji Shan kept glancing at Cheng Yue, who was buried in his food, with a furrowed brow. He also looked at Ji Xu, who was serving Cheng Yue food, and forcibly refrained from commenting.
After the meal, Ji Shan took Cheng Yue to play with the birds on the balcony.
If someone who had been around Cheng Yue all the time might not notice the change, for Ji Shan, who had not seen him for a long time but knew his original self, the difference was enormous.
Ji Shan tilted his head, watching Cheng Yue happily playing with the birds. He then turned away, his face darkening as he dragged Ji Xu, who was sitting on the sofa, into his study.
“What’s going on with Cheng Yue!” Ji Shan couldn’t help but yell in a lowered voice.
Ji Xu furrowed his brows and replied, “He has a cold and can’t speak…”
“Do you think I’m blind?” Ji Shan grabbed his arm. “It’s not just about being unable to speak. What happened to him? What did you do?”
Ji Xu looked at his father, feeling a bit confused.
“Don’t tell me that a person’s personality can change so drastically in just a few months?” Ji Shan stared at him, voicing his concerns.
“Change?” Ji Xu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, and after some thought, he was completely shocked.
Cheng Yue’s change was indeed significant. Although part of it was due to his own guidance and education, another part was due to being forcibly changed.
Seeing Ji Xu’s silence, Ji Shan’s expression darkened completely as he thought his suspicions were confirmed.
“Don’t think I don’t know that some families now use emotional and domestic abuse on their children. Ji Xu, let me tell you, if you don’t want to take care of him, no problem! Just give him to me!”
“No, Dad, what are you thinking…” Ji Xu sighed helplessly as he realized his father’s guess was way off. He then thought about the psychological issues that Cheng Yue was facing, which were even more severe than Ji Shan imagined, and felt unable to refute his own negligence.
Ji Xu pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took a puff, and then slowly explained Cheng Yue’s current situation to his father.
“You…” After hearing this, Ji Shan’s hands trembled slightly. In the end, unable to hold his anger, he slapped Ji Xu hard on the back.
Cheng Yue finished teasing the little fat bird and turned around to find that the two people in the living room were gone. He frowned and hurried into the living room, looking around but not finding anyone.
Breathing heavily and feeling anxious, he checked one room after another until he stopped in front of the locked study door.
He could hear low voices from inside the room, but both seemed to be in a bad mood.
Cheng Yue knocked on the door with growing concern.
Hearing the knock, the voices inside immediately stopped.
Ji Shan was about to open the door when he saw Ji Xu holding a cigarette.
“There’s a child in the house! You’re still smoking! Smoking!” Ji Shan glared at him, snatched the cigarette from his hand, and stubbed it out in the ashtray.
Then he quickly put on a smile and opened the door for Cheng Yue. “What’s wrong? I was just discussing something with your uncle.”
Cheng Yue tilted his head and saw Ji Xu sitting on a stool inside the room, looking visibly out of sorts.
“Want a drink?” Ji Shan cheerfully patted Cheng Yue’s head. “Grandpa bought a really delicious drink yesterday that kids love.”
Cheng Yue nodded.
Seeing this, Ji Shan hurriedly went out to get him a drink.
Cheng Yue slowly walked up to Ji Xu, looking worriedly at his obviously distressed face. He pointed to the door outside and then to Ji Xu.
“It’s alright.” Ji Xu ruffled his hair. “Your grandpa wants you to grow up quickly.”
Cheng Yue blinked, not understanding.
Ji Xu smiled at him and leaned down to whisper in his ear, “When you grow up, nothing will be against the law.”
Cheng Yue was stunned and then suddenly looked up at him.
“Ji Xu!”
A harsh shout came from the doorway.
Both looked up quickly to see Ji Shan standing at the door, holding a cup of drink, with a dark expression.
Ji Xu: “…”
Author’s Note:
Cheng Yue: Yes, yes, it’s him, this guy, he’s being a pervert!
