“I…” Cheng Yue’s voice was a bit tight as he was about to say something.
“Ji Xu!” A loud shout came from behind them.
Cheng Yue was startled and quickly withdrew his hand from Ji Xu’s neck.
It was Ji Shan’s voice.
“Where are you putting your hands?” Ji Shan glared at Ji Xu’s hand resting on Cheng Yue’s waist. “Let go!”
Ji Xu sighed helplessly and released his hand. “Dad.”
“Yue Yue.” Ji Shan didn’t look at Ji Xu but smiled at Cheng Yue, his eyes crinkling with happiness. “Happy birthday! Grandpa was delayed by traffic.”
“Grandpa.” Cheng Yue said a bit awkwardly.
“Grandpa specifically picked out a bird for you.” Ji Shan cheerfully handed over a birdcage. “It’s the fattest and has the best temperament in the nest! Easy to take care of.”
Cheng Yue noticed the birdcage Ji Shan was holding, and his eyes widened. He carefully took the cage and curiously looked inside.
The bird inside was plump and snow-white, with a small yellow tuft of feathers on its head and a round patch of orange blush on its cheeks. Its tiny black eyes met Cheng Yue’s.
So cute…
Cheng Yue reached his fingers through the gaps in the cage and gently poked the soft chest of the bird.
“I knew you’d like it!” Ji Shan patted his back. “You always play with birds when you come to my place! Take good care of it! I’ll be checking!”
Cheng Yue nodded with a smile.
“We’ve seen enough here. Let’s go have a meal.” Ji Shan clapped his hands, calling everyone scattered in the hall. “Grandpa’s treating today!”
“Thank you, Grandpa!” Chen Zong and Jiang Gezi both thanked him.
“Don’t mention it!” Ji Shan laughed heartily and led everyone out.
They were then led by Ji Shan to a restaurant with a strong wuxia (martial arts) theme.
A group of people in suits, ties, high heels, and formal dresses surrounded a large hot stove eating roasted whole lamb, sitting on low wooden stools.
Song Yi took off her high heels and personally went to cut the meat.
Tang Jing ended up bursting a shirt button and accidentally dropping it into Bai Zhen’s bowl.
Bai Zhen frowned, about to say something, but Duan Changsheng, seeing his greasy superior Tang Jing, endured and placed a piece of meat from his own bowl into Bai Zhen’s bowl.
Bai Zhen’s eyes lit up, and he forgot about the shirt button incident, happily eating the meat Duan Changsheng gave him. He then cautiously moved his stool closer to Duan Changsheng.
Duan Changsheng adjusted his glasses and frowned, moving his stool further away.
Bai Zhen moved his stool again.
Duan Changsheng moved his stool again…
Bai Zhen moved his stool…
“Hey!” Duan Changsheng’s stool tipped over, causing him to fall backward.
In a panic, Bai Zhen reached out to grab him but didn’t expect his own stool to be off-balance as well.
They both ended up falling to the ground together.
Duan Changsheng, frowning, tried to push the person on top of him but realized it was Bai Zhen, who was smiling brightly.
“Crazy.” Duan Changsheng muttered under his breath.
Cheng Yue ate a lot, and the lamb was particularly delicious. It was said to be fresh and slaughtered on the spot, coming directly from Inner Mongolia, with no gamey taste and very tender.
Eating lamb with a sip of wine was very satisfying.
Ji Xu, on the other hand, didn’t eat much, constantly cutting meat for Cheng Yue.
“Don’t eat too much.” Ji Xu subtly replaced Cheng Yue’s drink with water.
Too much lamb can lead to “excess heat” and “strengthening.”
Ji Xu looked at Cheng Yue, thought about it, but didn’t say why it was better not to eat too much.
By the end, Cheng Yue was stuffed. Ji Xu helped him out of the restaurant, and Cheng Yue even burped.
Ji Xu smiled and patted his back, helping him get some air.
After getting into the car, Cheng Yue, slightly tipsy, felt like he hadn’t drunk for a long time. Although he only had a few drinks, his head was a bit fuzzy.
But he was still clear-headed.
He had been meaning to ask but hadn’t had the chance to inquire how Ji Xu had managed to collect all the paintings.
With only the two of them left, certain thoughts in Cheng Yue’s mind surfaced.
“Ji Xu…” Cheng Yue leaned back in his seat, turning his head to look at Ji Xu’s profile.
“Hmm?” Ji Xu leaned over to fasten Cheng Yue’s seatbelt and then gently stroked his face. “Drunk?”
“No.” Cheng Yue shook his head and grasped Ji Xu’s hand that was on his face. “How did you manage to collect those paintings?”
Ji Xu paused for a moment, then quickly smiled. “I found them.”
“You’re lying.” Cheng Yue shot him a look.
Ji Xu only smiled in response.
The car was small and enclosed, isolating them from the outside world.
As their breaths intertwined, Cheng Yue wrapped his arms around Ji Xu’s neck.
Ji Xu’s hand rested on the back of Cheng Yue’s head, and their body warmth gradually mingled.
As the temperature in the car decreased, Cheng Yue lay against Ji Xu’s chest, feeling a bit dizzy.
“Let’s go home.” Ji Xu roughly ruffled Cheng Yue’s hair and started the car.
Watching Ji Xu’s restrained and steady driving, Cheng Yue couldn’t help but laugh.
Many drivers become irritable, no matter how good-natured they are otherwise; traffic jams often bring out the worst in them.
Cheng Yue used to curse a lot in the past.
But Cheng Yue had never seen Ji Xu lose his temper, no matter how bad the traffic was.
Ji Xu was always the most stable driver.
Particularly steady.
When they got home, Cheng Yue was so exhausted that he fell asleep. When Ji Xu woke him up, he was still a bit dazed.
“Home already?” Cheng Yue rubbed his eyes and looked out the car window.
“Yes.” Ji Xu nodded and patted his head. “How are you feeling? Dizzy?”
Cheng Yue shook his head, though he was a bit unsteady getting out of the car.
Ji Xu crouched down, squeezed Cheng Yue’s legs, and after Cheng Yue managed to walk, though still supported by Ji Xu, he helped him upstairs.
Once inside, the fresh scent of the room made the lingering smell of lamb on them even more apparent.
Cheng Yue couldn’t stand it, let alone Ji Xu.
After Cheng Yue had eaten too much, Ji Xu made him walk around the room a few times before letting him into the bathroom.
After Ji Xu finished his shower, he came out, touched Cheng Yue’s belly, and after some time had passed, he let Cheng Yue also take a shower.
When Cheng Yue came out of the shower and lay on the sofa, Ji Xu immediately lifted him up.
“Drink some honey water.” Ji Xu said as he picked Cheng Yue up.
After Cheng Yue finished drinking the cup of honey water that Ji Xu had prepared, Ji Xu, who should have been in the living room, was nowhere to be found.
Cheng Yue washed the cup and then quietly approached the bedroom door, tiptoeing. When he saw Ji Xu reading on the bed, he suddenly rushed over and jumped onto the bed.
Ji Xu barely had time to react and quickly caught him.
Seeing that Ji Xu wasn’t startled, Cheng Yue pouted and pressed his whole body onto Ji Xu’s, saying, “What are you looking at?”
“How to sell the little lunatic in the house…” Before Ji Xu could finish his sentence, Cheng Yue leaned down and kissed him on the lips.
But Cheng Yue quickly pulled away, looking at him with a stern expression, “If you sell me, you won’t have…”
“Have what?” Ji Xu smiled and looked at him with a playful expression.
“Nothing…” Cheng Yue’s face flushed a bit, “Nothing…”
“Say it.” Ji Xu continued to smile.
“You won’t have a husband!” Cheng Yue shouted.
Ji Xu laughed out loud and kissed him on the forehead.
After a few kisses, Cheng Yue tightened his hold on Ji Xu and rested his head on Ji Xu’s shoulder, not moving.
“…What’s wrong?” Ji Xu patted his back and asked.
“I just want to hold you.” Cheng Yue tightened his embrace.
Ji Xu smiled and hugged him back.
“Happy birthday.” Ji Xu whispered softly in his ear.
“I’m super happy…” Cheng Yue sighed comfortably, “Holding you is so joyful.”
“Then let’s hold each other for a lifetime.” Ji Xu kissed the top of his head.
“Hmm.” Cheng Yue smiled and said, “Maybe in the future, we won’t be in this position anymore. I’ll grow taller, and I’ll be the one holding you, like a princess carry.”
“Sure.” Ji Xu chuckled, “Give it a try.”
Since Cheng Yue had classes the next day, Ji Xu refrained from any further activities and they fell asleep in an oddly tangled position.
In the middle of the night, Ji Xu was surprised by the situation getting out of control.
Half-asleep, Ji Xu was disturbed by movement on his body and opened his eyes to find Cheng Yue sitting on his waist.
Cheng Yue was rubbing his face all over Ji Xu’s.
“Little rascal, what are you doing…” Ji Xu’s voice was low as he reached out to hold Cheng Yue’s waist, “I told you not to eat so much lamb.”
“Mm…” Cheng Yue buried his face in Ji Xu’s shoulder and took a bite.
Both of them were breathing heavily. When Ji Xu flipped Cheng Yue onto the bed, Cheng Yue’s heart was racing fast.
“Want to do it?” Ji Xu nibbled his earlobe, his voice husky.
Cheng Yue was unable to control his excitement from the stimulation below and the teasing beside his ear. He arched his back and his voice trembled, “Do it.”
Early in the morning, Ji Xu got up and first felt Cheng Yue’s forehead to check his temperature. Finding it normal, he felt relieved; they had been quite rough last night.
He then carefully spread Cheng Yue’s bare legs and looked below.
There was some redness and swelling from the previous night. Ji Xu cleaned it up and applied some medication.
The swelling had gone down a bit, but there was still some redness. Seeing the red marks on Cheng Yue’s buttocks, Ji Xu’s lower abdomen tightened, and he stared at the area, recalling last night’s events. His grip on Cheng Yue’s ankle tightened.
“Mm…” Cheng Yue, groggy, felt his legs being tugged and irritably kicked out.
“It’s okay, just sleep.” Ji Xu quickly said.
When Cheng Yue fell back asleep, Ji Xu looked at Cheng Yue’s foot that was kicked near his mouth and, with a wry smile, carefully lowered Cheng Yue’s leg and wrapped him up with a small blanket.
After washing up and having breakfast, Ji Xu went back to the bedroom and found that Cheng Yue was still asleep. Worried, he took out the thermometer.
After measuring Cheng Yue’s temperature, the thermometer showed normal results, probably just exhaustion.
Ji Xu frowned and touched Cheng Yue’s under-eye area. As his fingers brushed over Cheng Yue’s delicate eyelashes, he leaned down and kissed Cheng Yue’s eyelid.
Ji Xu then prepared to get some warm water to wash Cheng Yue’s face. As he was getting up, Cheng Yue grabbed his hand.
Ji Xu looked back and saw Cheng Yue, wrapped in blankets, with his eyes slightly open.
“Awake?” Ji Xu smiled and looked down at him.
“What time is it…” Cheng Yue’s voice was hoarse and somewhat startling. His voice cracked while speaking.
“It’s still early. Time to get up for class.” Ji Xu smiled and patted his smooth back, “Aren’t you supposed to have an exam today?”
Cheng Yue nuzzled his face against Ji Xu’s arm without responding. He didn’t want to go to school today, even though he didn’t really have any reason not to.
“Don’t move, I’ll get you a glass of water.” Ji Xu pinched the back of Cheng Yue’s neck and walked towards the living room.
Cheng Yue wanted to move but found it painful everywhere below his waist. His upper body was also sore, with marks all over his neck and a couple of swollen spots on his chest…
Cheng Yue sighed and buried his head under the blanket, worried that he would be noticed at school today.
Then he vaguely heard Ji Xu on the phone in the living room.
“Hello, Teacher Chen, Cheng Yue needs to take a day off today.”
“Yes, yes, he caught a cold.”
“Okay, thank you, Teacher Chen.”
Author’s Note:
Congratulations to Cheng Yue for officially growing up!
