Over the next few days, a group of students, including Cheng Yue, were busy making final adjustments to their paintings.
When the results were announced, only Ou Yi’s painting was selected to be displayed in the exhibition hall.
Qi Kang had several spots available but only used one.
Cheng Yue sighed as he carried his rejected painting. His skills weren’t up to par compared to others, and he wasn’t particularly sad—just a bit disappointed.
“Your skills aren’t enough,” Qi Kang patted him on the back. “Try harder next time.”
Cheng Yue nodded.
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and Cheng Yue felt reluctant to say goodbye to his new, less-than-formal master.
But once he got on the plane, his mind went blank and stayed that way until he landed and was picked up by Ji Xu.
When Ji Xu hugged him, Cheng Yue was already half-asleep and disoriented. He had been too anxious to sleep on the plane, fearing air sickness, which led to him falling asleep in Ji Xu’s arms as soon as they met.
He didn’t remember how he got home or to bed.
The next morning, when Cheng Yue woke up, he was dazed to see a huge gift box at the foot of his bed.
Wearing only underwear, he jumped out of bed and opened the gift box at the corner of the bed.
Cheng Yue stared blankly at the contents of the box.
“Awake?”
Ji Xu entered the room and saw Cheng Yue already up.
“What’s this…?”
Cheng Yue pulled out a long, flowing dress from the box.
“It’s a reward,” Ji Xu said. “Do you like this dress?”
Cheng Yue: “……”
Seeing Ji Xu’s expectant expression, Cheng Yue gritted his teeth and nodded, “I like it.”
After Ji Xu left the room, Cheng Yue sighed deeply, lying back on the bed. He felt it was inexplicable and thought, “My name is Cheng Yue, but it should be Cheng Dou E*.”
*T/N: From the poem Dou E’s injustice by Guan Hanqing during Yuan Dynasty
Ji Xu waited in the living room for Cheng Yue to change. He stubbed out the cigarette he had been smoking halfway.
When the door slowly opened, Ji Xu was unusually nervous for the first time.
About a minute later, Cheng Yue stepped out of the room, awkwardly dragging one leg out and then forcing himself to come out with a flushed face.
The dress was a smoky gray color, very long, and the sides were open. Because Cheng Yue was tall and thin, Ji Xu could easily imagine how long his legs were under the dress.
Moreover, Cheng Yue’s pale skin made the smoky gray dress contrast sharply, making his neck and a small part of his waist appear even whiter.
“This waist…” Cheng Yue’s ears turned red. “Why is it still open?”
Ji Xu felt the heat and pulled off his tie, walking over. He put one arm around Cheng Yue’s waist and pinched it with his other hand.
“Ah…” Cheng Yue initially tried to pull away but was held in place by Ji Xu.
Ji Xu’s eyes shifted slightly. He watched the red mark quickly forming on Cheng Yue’s pale skin and swallowed hard.
After pressing down firmly on the smooth skin, Ji Xu pinched it again.
“Ji Xu…” Cheng Yue winced from the pain and pushed him away.
Ji Xu blinked and suppressed some thoughts, then slowly got up and put a wig on the flustered Cheng Yue’s head, apologizing softly, “Sorry.”
Cheng Yue couldn’t stand Ji Xu talking so close to his ear. Fearing he might end up kissing him, he pressed the hat down further to try to hide his excitement.
Ji Xu, frowning as he noticed Cheng Yue’s red ears, lightly touched his waist. “Let’s have breakfast first. After that, we’ll go to the amusement park.”
Cheng Yue nodded.
They quickly finished breakfast, but Cheng Yue struggled with the long dress as they went downstairs.
It wasn’t until they got into the car that he felt a bit more at ease.
Ji Xu drove slowly, and soon they arrived outside the amusement park.
As they got out of the car, Cheng Yue kept his head down and didn’t dare look around. His hand held by Ji Xu was slightly trembling.
It wasn’t fear.
Cheng Yue was excited, and his heart was racing. Just thinking about a boy in a dress going out to play made his legs feel weak.
Even though Ji Xu was supporting him the whole time, every touch from Ji Xu seemed to set his body on fire, feeling extremely hot and stimulating.
Cheng Yue glanced at the slightly loose skirt and awkwardly squeezed his legs together.
“Don’t speak when we get inside,” Ji Xu said, lowering his voice. “Don’t let anyone notice.”
Cheng Yue swallowed and nodded slightly.
At the ticket checkpoint, Cheng Yue was particularly afraid of making eye contact with the ticket inspector, but the inspector kept staring at his face.
Cheng Yue was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.
However, after a few glances, the inspector didn’t say anything more, and Cheng Yue walked forward with lingering fear.
It seemed he hadn’t been discovered.
Feeling a bit braver, Cheng Yue touched his face and looked at the flow of people around them. He cautiously leaned close to Ji Xu’s ear and whispered, “It seems like we weren’t noticed.”
“What do you want to do?” Ji Xu blocked the men around them who kept looking. He somewhat regretted bringing Cheng Yue out dressed like this.
“Let’s check out that one first,” Cheng Yue pointed to a nearby attraction.
After playing around, Cheng Yue’s anxiety about being noticed faded, and he happily dragged Ji Xu to the roller coaster line.
“I want to ride this,” Cheng Yue said in a very low voice.
“Are you sure?” Ji Xu asked.
Cheng Yue nodded excitedly.
When they sat in the roller coaster seats, Ji Xu glanced at Cheng Yue’s dress and immediately took off his suit jacket, handing it to Cheng Yue. “Tie it around your waist.”
“Huh?” Cheng Yue took the jacket and tied it, then realized he didn’t have anything below that needed hiding.
Who would be so perverted as to look at him?
As the roller coaster started, Cheng Yue initially acted arrogantly, even reassuring Ji Xu not to be afraid.
But soon, Cheng Yue’s voice became as noisy as if a hundred old ladies were arguing at a market.
Ji Xu, however, remained expressionless, worried about Cheng Yue, whose voice had gone hoarse, and wondered why the ride wouldn’t stop.
When they got off the roller coaster, Cheng Yue’s legs were shaky, and he was breathing heavily. His wig covered half his face, making his nose itch and causing him to sneeze.
“Are you alright?” Ji Xu held him by the waist with one hand and supported him with the other. “Do you want some water?”
Cheng Yue took a few deep breaths and rested his slightly dizzy head on Ji Xu’s shoulder. “I… I want…”
“What’s wrong? Take your time,” Ji Xu, worried, looked down at him. “Do you feel like you’re going to throw up?”
“I want…” Cheng Yue looked at him, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I want ice cream.”
Ji Xu: “……”
“Sit down for a while,” Ji Xu sighed and helped Cheng Yue to a circle of seats around a big tree. “Sit still and don’t move.”
Cheng Yue swayed his head and watched Ji Xu walk to a small shop in front to buy ice cream. His expression changed a bit as he felt nauseous from the tofu pudding he had eaten earlier in the morning. His stomach was feeling unsettled.
“Hello…” A male voice came over.
Cheng Yue looked up and saw a boy standing in front of him.
The boy turned red when he saw Cheng Yue looking up at him, appearing shy. “Hi, can we be friends?”
Cheng Yue felt a bit awkward, unconsciously grasping the skirt on his lap.
“I saw you sitting here alone. Do you want to hang out with us?” The boy smiled and touched his hair.
Cheng Yue held back a laugh, having never experienced being approached by a boy before.
“Really, I think you’re different from other girls,” the boy said, sitting down next to Cheng Yue. “You’re very pretty, but you’re different in a way I can’t quite describe.”
Cheng Yue smiled with squinted eyes and waved his hand at him.
“What?” The boy smiled, then suddenly grabbed Cheng Yue’s hand.
Cheng Yue slowly placed his hand on the boy’s face.
The boy’s face immediately turned red. He blinked and started to stammer, “What…?”
“I’m slapping you with my hand!” Cheng Yue shouted suddenly.
“Ah!” The boy screamed in shock and jumped up.
Cheng Yue was laughing happily but immediately stopped when he saw Ji Xu coming over. He quickly straightened his dress and ran toward Ji Xu.
Grabbing Ji Xu’s arm, Cheng Yue began to fake a complaint, “He touched my hand!”
The boy, who was still shaken, hurriedly waved his hands, “I didn’t, I only touched it once.”
Ji Xu’s forehead twitched. After buying the ice cream and seeing the boy in front of Cheng Yue, he had witnessed how Cheng Yue frightened the poor boy.
“Uncle… I didn’t know she was your girlfriend…” The boy’s face was a bit distressed. “I didn’t mean to touch her hand. If I had known she was a guy…”
“What if she’s a guy!” Cheng Yue pretended to be angry and glared at him while tugging at Ji Xu’s arm.
“You just said I was pretty.”
Ji Xu felt the tug on his arm and had to pretend to cooperate, keeping a serious expression as he looked at the boy.
The boy, sensing the wrong atmosphere, swallowed hard and quickly ran away.
Cheng Yue watched his retreating figure and couldn’t stop laughing.
“Still laughing,” Ji Xu said helplessly, pinching Cheng Yue’s face. “Don’t scare people like that.”
“I think…” Cheng Yue looked down at his long dress. “Wearing a dress feels so different. I keep feeling like I need to check if I’m really a guy.”
“Really?” Ji Xu raised an eyebrow. “What if we get home and it’s missing?”
Cheng Yue: “……”
“Then let’s just pretend you’re a girl.” Ji Xu smiled and looked down at him. “Don’t call yourself Cheng Yue anymore; call yourself Cheng Yueyue.”
Cheng Yue: “……”
“Quite cute,” Ji Xu nodded to himself, reaching a conclusion.
Cheng Yue, eyes wide and face reddening as he was about to retort, was interrupted by Ji Xu’s phone ringing.
Ji Xu pressed down on his head and answered the call with a smile.
Cheng Yue felt a bit frustrated, thinking Ji Xu treated him like a child.
Ji Xu said a few words on the phone and then hung up.
“What’s wrong?” Cheng Yue asked, looking at him.
“Something came up,” Ji Xu said, handing Cheng Yue the ice cream.
“I need to go back to the office.”
Cheng Yue’s smile froze immediately upon receiving the ice cream.
He was nervous about being recognized outside, and now he had to go to Ji Xu’s company dressed like this?
“It’s okay; they won’t recognize you.” Ji Xu smiled and adjusted the hat on Cheng Yue’s head. “You can stay in my office.”
Although Cheng Yue was still worried, he nodded in agreement.
When entering the company, Cheng Yue pressed down on his hat and avoided making eye contact with anyone, afraid of being recognized.
As they quickly walked from the reception area to Ji Xu’s office, Cheng Yue began to relax a bit, but then they were blocked by Tang Jing.
“You’re here?” Tang Jing greeted Ji Xu with a smile but was immediately captivated by the tall, elegant girl accompanying him.
Although the girl’s chest was somewhat flat, her legs were exceptionally long, and the skin visible through the hollow part at her waist was smooth and white.
Tang Jing didn’t get a clear view of her face but gave her a nine out of ten based on those long legs alone, which could make any man weak.
Ji Xu usually avoided women, so bringing a fresh-looking girl to the company seemed unusual. The way they held hands and spoke close to each other made Tang Jing very interested in her.
However, due to Ji Xu’s usual reticence, Tang Jing didn’t dare to ask directly.
“I need to use the restroom,” Cheng Yue said shortly after entering Ji Xu’s office, feeling the urge to pee.
“Hmm,” Ji Xu nodded.
Cheng Yue pushed his hat down, peeked outside, and saw everyone busy with their own tasks. He quickly headed to the restroom.
As Tang Jing, holding a cup, walked around, he noticed the tall beauty Ji Xu brought. His eyes lit up, and he followed her, but she walked surprisingly fast.
When Tang Jing saw the girl turn into the restroom, he immediately stopped and prepared to wait outside, only to realize…
It was the men’s restroom.
Tang Jing blinked, thinking the girl had made a mistake, and hurried inside to call her out.
Cheng Yue was annoyed by the long dress, which was making it hard to use the urinal. In frustration, he placed one leg over the opposite urinal, lifted the skirt, and quickly relieved himself.
Tang Jing, standing at the restroom door, was startled and speechless, holding a cup of coffee, as he watched the whole situation unfold.
Listening to the slow sound of water, Tang Jing’s gaze gradually became blank.
The girl had just pulled something out from under her skirt…
Sleepyblue’s corner:
Hahahahahhaaha
