The room was dimly lit, with only the floor lamp next to the sofa turned on.
Cheng Yue was half-reclining on the sofa, his eyes wide as he watched Ji Xu, who was only wearing underwear, walk towards him step by step.
Cheng Yue’s breathing grew increasingly rapid. Soon, all he could see was Ji Xu’s abs.
As Ji Xu bent down and leaned in towards him, Cheng Yue slowly closed his eyes but subtly tilted his head and neck upwards.
He could feel Ji Xu’s warm breath approaching him, his heart pounding as if it were dancing. Just the thought of Ji Xu about to kiss him made him so excited he felt like he could tap dance with his teeth.
Just as Cheng Yue was counting the seconds in his head, waiting for Ji Xu to slowly kiss his lips like in a movie, the sound of running water suddenly came from the bathroom.
Cheng Yue listened carefully, confirmed the sound was coming from the bathroom, and then opened his eyes in confusion. He realized Ji Xu, who should have been right in front of him, had disappeared, along with the clothes that had been on the floor. Cheng Yue, already not very clear-headed, was completely stunned.
“Come here.” Ji Xu stood at the bathroom door, looking at Cheng Yue still sitting on the sofa.
Hearing Ji Xu’s voice, Cheng Yue shakily got up from the sofa and stumbled towards him, taking uneven steps.
However, his vision was blurry, and midway through, his legs gave way, causing him to collapse onto the floor.
Ji Xu frowned and hurried over to pick him up. After checking to ensure he was alright, he placed him in the bathtub filled with warm water.
As Cheng Yue was submerged in the warm water, he instinctively reached out and grabbed Ji Xu’s arm.
Ji Xu, needing to fetch the shower gel, pulled Cheng Yue’s hand away. In just a moment, Cheng Yue had swallowed several mouthfuls of water in the bathtub.
The price of Cheng Yue’s lack of clarity was that he couldn’t grasp the fact that a bathtub full of water couldn’t really harm him.
So, after Ji Xu pulled his hand away, Cheng Yue felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Cheng Yue flailed his arms wildly but couldn’t grab onto anything because the bathtub was too slippery. He choked on several mouthfuls of water as his mind sank.
Ji Xu, turning around, both amused and concerned, quickly lifted Cheng Yue out of the water by supporting his waist.
“Cough… cough…” Cheng Yue’s eyes were reddened from anxiety. Once he was out of the water, he immediately clung to Ji Xu in fear.
Ji Xu sighed helplessly as he held the slippery body of Cheng Yue, patting his back. “It’s okay now. Let’s take a shower first.”
As Ji Xu started to wash him, Cheng Yue, feeling uncomfortable, shifted his body. When Ji Xu reached down to touch him, Cheng Yue was stopped by Ji Xu.
“Don’t move around.” Ji Xu, frowning, took a towel and bound Cheng Yue’s hands behind his head before continuing to wipe the alcohol smell off him.
As Ji Xu applied foam to Cheng Yue’s legs, his gaze lingered on Cheng Yue’s knee.
The spot where Cheng Yue had fallen was starting to bruise.
“I…” Cheng Yue wiggled his arms bound behind his head and looked uncomfortable. “I want to touch…”
Ji Xu raised an eyebrow at his request and slowly moved his hand up Cheng Yue’s calf, his fingers gently touching the bruised knee. Without warning, he pressed down.
“Ah…” Cheng Yue winced in pain, causing a splash of water to hit Ji Xu’s face.
However, the pain in his knee cleared Cheng Yue’s foggy mind, making him more aware.
Seeing Ji Xu’s face drenched in water, Cheng Yue wanted to wipe it off but found he didn’t have the strength.
“Does it hurt?” Ji Xu asked, pressing down on his knee again.
“It hurts…” Cheng Yue shrank his leg in a bit of a sulk.
“What if you drink this much again next time?” Ji Xu asked.
Cheng Yue’s mind began to fog up again, and he mumbled incoherently, snuggling closer to Ji Xu.
“If you drink this much again…” Ji Xu wrapped his arms around Cheng Yue’s waist, speaking softly as if to himself, “Even the law can’t save you…”
After the shower, Cheng Yue’s confused mind fell into a state of complete unconsciousness. He still had some awareness when Ji Xu carried him to bed, but once his head hit the pillow and a big bundle of blankets was placed over him, he fell into a deep, computer-like shutdown.
Ji Xu, looking at Cheng Yue who had fallen asleep immediately, sighed and stood by the bed, feeling that each day was getting harder.
It would be great if Cheng Yue could just grow up like pulling out a carrot.
The more Ji Xu thought about it, the more troubled he felt. Eventually, he forced himself to turn away and went to the bathroom for another shower.
Afterward, he sat on the sofa, smoking several cigarettes, until he finally calmed down, desperately telling himself that trying to rush things was futile.
Although pulling up seedlings wasn’t illegal, speeding up growth was indeed problematic.
After a restless night, Ji Xu went for a run in the morning. After preparing breakfast, he went to check on Cheng Yue in his bedroom. Cheng Yue was still asleep.
Ji Xu pulled the blanket a bit, and Cheng Yue, still in a deep sleep, groaned uncomfortably.
Seeing this, Ji Xu made an exception and pulled the blanket up for him again before heading to the kitchen to get milk from the fridge.
As Ji Xu poured the milk into a cup, his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Tang Jing.
“Are you up?” Tang Jing’s voice sounded a bit lazy, clearly still half-asleep.
“Is there something up?” Ji Xu asked, while placing the milk into the microwave.
“I was so caught up having fun last night that I forgot to tell you. The day before yesterday, a boss inquired about the painting Cheng Yue did for the charity event at the orphanage. He saw it somewhere and was interested, asking if Cheng Yue could do another piece for him,” Tang Jing explained.
“The boss claimed to be a famous professor from a well-known university. I didn’t think he was a scammer, so I talked to him for a bit.”
“Looking for Cheng Yue to paint?” Ji Xu asked, puzzled. Art collection usually depends on fame and experience. Cheng Yue’s work might be good, but lacking those two factors made it odd that someone would seek him out.
“The boss did mention that Cheng Yue’s painting had many flaws and might not be impressive, but what he wanted was the spirit and essence in the painting. They emphasize this kind of feeling, though I don’t quite understand it. I gave him your contact info, so he’ll probably reach out to you in a day or two,” Tang Jing yawned.
“That’s all. If it weren’t for the fact that the boss approached us, I wouldn’t have bothered getting up to tell you. I’m going back to sleep now. Bye.”
After hanging up, Ji Xu took out the heated milk from the microwave and headed towards Cheng Yue’s bedroom.
Cheng Yue, still bundled up in the blanket on the bed, had not woken up.
Ji Xu went over and gently lifted Cheng Yue from the middle of the blanket.
“Hmm…” Cheng Yue frowned and tried to curl back into the blanket.
“You have three minutes. If you can’t open your eyes, you’ll have three extra hours of homework today,” Ji Xu said, flicking him on the forehead.
Cheng Yue, still groggy, struggled to open his eyes. “I want to sleep…”
“Dizzy?” Ji Xu pressed on his temples.
“Dizzy…” Cheng Yue’s eyes slowly closed again.
“Sleeping more will make you more dizzy.” Ji Xu forced him to sit up and lightly pressed on his stomach.
“How does your stomach feel?”
“Huh?” Cheng Yue, confused, looked down at his stomach and poked it with his hand. “I think I’ve gained weight…”
Ji Xu: “…”
“I asked if it hurt or if you felt uncomfortable?” Ji Xu sighed, glancing at his flat stomach. “You’re too thin.”
“It doesn’t hurt.” Cheng Yue patted his stomach proudly. “How could a bit of alcohol hurt my stomach? I’ve drunk more than what I had yesterday and you wouldn’t believe it…”
Cheng Yue’s boasting gradually faded under Ji Xu’s increasingly darkening expression.
“If you drink like this next time, just don’t pee at all. If you’re capable of drinking, let’s see if you can hold it,” Ji Xu scolded him, handing him the milk before turning to find clothes in the wardrobe.
Cheng Yue had many clothes, most of which were crumpled and thrown around. Although the wardrobe was large, it looked chaotic, with clothes hanging and piled up on the floor.
Ji Xu frowned as he struggled to pull out a t-shirt from the jumble and, while searching for pants, ordered, “After you finish eating, clean up your wardrobe.”
“Okay…” Cheng Yue nodded with his eyes closed, continuing to drink the milk.
After rummaging through the clothes for a while, Ji Xu pulled out a pair of sports pants but accidentally brought out a black hard-shell bag from underneath.
The brand name on the bag was clearly associated with adult clothing, recognizable even from the view of their office building.
Ji Xu raised an eyebrow as he took out the black gift box from the bag and opened it.
Inside the box was a black silk-like dress and a brand’s card that read: “Bow Tie · Satisfies Any Pose You Desire.”
Ji Xu’s expression darkened. He wasn’t sure if this was a gift from someone to Cheng Yue or something Cheng Yue bought himself.
If it was something Cheng Yue bought, Ji Xu thought he might have underestimated some of Cheng Yue’s interests.
“Burp…” Cheng Yue, who was drinking milk with his eyes closed, choked a little.
Ji Xu slowly came back to his senses, took out the black silk dress from the box, and glanced at Cheng Yue, who was now sitting on the bed, bare-chested, wrapped in a blanket with milk stains on his mouth.
Author’s Note:
Ji Xu: If you don’t listen, I’ll bind you like a zongzi (rice dumpling).
