Even as Cheng Yue sat in the car, his mind was still in a daze. It wasn’t until the car stopped that he came back to his senses. He looked nervously at the clothing store outside the window, and his hand in his pocket clenched into a fist.
“What’s wrong?”
Ji Xu had just turned off the location service and noticed Cheng Yue’s complex expression. Assuming Cheng Yue was still thinking about what happened yesterday, he patted Cheng Yue’s shoulder and said, “Don’t think too much about it.”
After hearing this, Cheng Yue looked through the car window at a cute girl in a super short maid outfit standing outside the store.
Was he really overthinking things…
As soon as they got out of the car and approached the store, the girl in the black-and-white maid outfit smiled and gave a slight bow, leading them inside.
“What can I help you with today?” The girl smiled brightly.
Cheng Yue’s face flushed red, and he quickly hid behind Ji Xu.
Ji Xu was taken aback, then realized what was happening. He gave the girl an apologetic smile and pulled Cheng Yue out from behind him.
The girl smiled and exchanged a knowing glance with Ji Xu, then led them upstairs while introducing the store.
“If either of you has any special preferences, feel free to let me know. You can also try on whatever you like.”
Ji Xu clenched his fist and coughed lightly. “Um… cats…”
“Are you referring to our cat-themed collection?” The girl smiled knowingly.
“It’s one of our newest sets, including cat ears, a collar, a fluffy skirt, a tail, and pink paw gloves. If you’re interested, you can have a look.”
Cheng Yue’s eyes widened as he grabbed Ji Xu and stood at the edge of the stairs, clearly not wanting to go up.
“It’s alright, sir. Our store is very private,” the girl noticed his hesitation and reassured him with a smile.
Ji Xu, seeing Cheng Yue’s flushed face, thought about how sensitive he was and suggested, “If you really don’t like it, we can…”
Cheng Yue, feeling that it would be unreasonable to leave after coming all this way, gritted his teeth and decided to stay.
Moreover…
Cheng Yue cautiously glanced at the dresses in the store.
Actually… they seemed quite nice.
“Sorry, we…”
Before Ji Xu could finish his sentence, Cheng Yue interrupted him.
“Let’s take a look first.” Cheng Yue kept his head down, blushing furiously.
Ji Xu was somewhat surprised by Cheng Yue’s reaction, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing.
“Alright then.” The girl led them upstairs with a smile.
When they reached the second floor, they saw a large sofa in the middle of the room. The girl indicated for them to sit down while she went to fetch the clothes.
The clothes were brought over by two people, and one of them was a life-sized model wearing a…
Cheng Yue looked up and stared, unable to look away.
“Do you want to try it on?” Ji Xu asked softly, looking at Cheng Yue.
Cheng Yue quickly shook his head.
The girl in the maid outfit removed the cat ears from the model’s head and handed them to Ji Xu. “You can try these.”
Ji Xu took them and, seeing Cheng Yue didn’t resist, slowly placed the cat ears on Cheng Yue’s head.
Cheng Yue’s small face, framed by his black fringe, looked even smaller with the delicate cat ears. His face was flushed, and he looked at Ji Xu with a mixture of panic and shyness.
Ji Xu changed his sitting posture subtly, keeping a calm face, thinking that Cheng Yue’s dopamine levels were probably through the roof.
Cheng Yue felt dizzy as he watched Ji Xu pay and pack up, and then felt even dizzier as Ji Xu took him to the school gate.
And then even more dizzy…
As Cheng Yue walked, he secretly pressed his hand to his chest. He wasn’t fainting, but his heart was racing a bit.
After dropping Cheng Yue off at school, Ji Xu stayed in the car for a while.
He eventually called Tang Jing, and the call was quickly answered.
“Where are you?” Ji Xu asked directly.
“At home, just had dinner with my parents,” Tang Jing replied with a laugh, sensing something was up.
“What’s the occasion? Any events?”
“Let’s go out for drinks,” Ji Xu suggested.
“Something happened?” Tang Jing was surprised. Ji Xu rarely asked to go out for drinks, so the sudden invitation made him feel uneasy.
Ji Xu chuckled, took out a small, soft pair of cat ears from his suit pocket, and gently squeezed them. “Got into a bit of trouble with some cats.”
“Cats?” Tang Jing was puzzled. “When did you get a cat?”
“Same place as always,” Ji Xu said, carefully putting the cat ears back into his pocket.
“Alright, alright,” Tang Jing agreed quickly, then muttered to himself, “Since when did he get a cat…”
The usual place was a relatively secluded quiet bar with few patrons, where the owner often drank too much, making it quite peaceful.
Ji Xu walked in and scanned the room, noting there were a total of six people, including himself, and saw Tang Jing, who had arrived early, waving at him.
Ji Xu went over and took a seat.
“This place still has no business. When I came in, I saw a rental notice on the door. It might be closing down soon,” Tang Jing sighed, pouring a drink for Ji Xu. “But I had already anticipated it. They were always into different things—passionate while others were into literature, pretentious when others were into literature, and now they’re being casual. I even had to get my own drinks from the bar.”
Ji Xu took the drink, downed it in one go, and squinted, cursing, “Why do you care what others do?”
“Hey…” Tang Jing laughed. “It’s been a while since I heard you curse. What’s really going on today?”
Ji Xu poured himself another glass, drank it all, and loosened his tie, tossing it aside.
“Hey, you’re already tipsy after just two drinks?” Tang Jing laughed, knowing Ji Xu’s current state well and not asking further.
Tang Jing poured himself a glass, clinked it gently against Ji Xu’s glass, and said, “Alright, let’s leave the unspoken things unsaid.”
Hearing the clinking sound, Ji Xu sighed and said softly, “Raising kids is so hard…”
“Raising what now…” Tang Jing started to say, then realized something was off. “Aren’t you talking about cats?”
Ji Xu smiled slightly and said nothing, just looking at Tang Jing.
The two stared at each other for a minute.
Tang Jing’s eyes widened, and he slammed his glass on the table, lowering his voice to yell, “Ji Xu! Have you forgotten all your legal studies over the past four years? You’re going the wrong way, let me tell you!”
“I’ve been on the highway for nearly 30 years,” Ji Xu chuckled softly. “What’s wrong with taking a different route?”
“Oh, taking a different route,” Tang Jing, now slower with the high alcohol content in his system, pondered and then said with a frown, “A different route? That’s even more winding!”
Cheng Yue, after finishing his evening self-study session and walking out of the school gate, finally felt the temperature on his face lower a bit with the cool breeze.
The sound of a motorcycle starting behind him startled Cheng Yue. He didn’t react until a cool hand was placed on his forehead.
“Why is your face so red?” Bai Zhen, with one leg on the ground and holding onto the handlebars, placed his other hand on Cheng Yue’s forehead.
“Daydreaming on the street, you need to be careful or you’ll get robbed.”
“You’re here?” Cheng Yue took a few steps back and swatted his hand away.
Bai Zhen couldn’t help but laugh, pointing to the school gate not far away.
“What’s the matter? Can’t I be here when you finish evening self-study?”
“Oh.” Cheng Yue awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.” Bai Zhen smiled and tossed a helmet to him.
Halfway through the ride, Bai Zhen suddenly cleared his throat twice.
“What’s wrong?” Cheng Yue looked at the back of his head.
“Did you use to live near my place?” Bai Zhen suddenly asked.
Cheng Yue was taken aback and thought about what Tan Minmin said about buying that building. His expression immediately turned much colder.
“That guy touched my car once, and I caught him,” Bai Zhen said, a bit embarrassed. “I saw that you were bullied by them last time, so I used that as an excuse to bring people and beat him up.”
Cheng Yue finally reacted when he heard that Bai Zhen had beaten up Tan Minmin’s brother. “Didn’t Tan Minmin call the police?”
“Called the police? That woman seems a bit off mentally; she hasn’t been out for days. The guy who must be her brother was constantly coming over to shout and smash things.” Bai Zhen frowned.
“Are these two people out of their minds?”
Cheng Yue smiled and remained silent, staring down at the floor, lost in thought.
When he got home, Cheng Yue opened the door and noticed that the lights in the living room were off. It was clear that Ji Xu had not yet returned.
He tossed his backpack into his room, then went to the kitchen to grab a drink. After finishing it and burping, he glanced at the door again.
Ji Xu still hadn’t come back.
Cheng Yue had no choice but to walk around the house in boredom. Finally, exhausted, he lay down on the sofa and stared at the door without blinking.
As Ji Xu still hadn’t returned, Cheng Yue, unable to hold on any longer, accidentally fell asleep around the time the clock struck one.
He was groggily awakened by the sound of the door unlocking. Blinking his eyes, it took him a moment to realize that the sound was coming from the door.
Ji Xu was back!
Cheng Yue immediately jumped off the sofa, running over without even putting on his shoes. As he reached the entrance, the door opened from the outside, and before he could see who it was, a strong smell of alcohol hit him.
“Cheng Yue?” Ji Xu squinted, leaning against the wall with a somewhat unsteady gait.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“You…” Cheng Yue looked at Ji Xu’s unfocused eyes and suddenly felt a surge of anger.
“Why are you so late coming back and drinking so much?”
“Sorry, I had work today.” Ji Xu said as he took off his shoes. He took a few steps forward but nearly stumbled and almost fell.
Cheng Yue, no longer concerned with his anger, quickly supported him. “Do you want some water?”
Ji Xu closed his eyes, shook his head vigorously, and tried to suppress his drunkenness to stand up straight. He pushed Cheng Yue away and, unusually embarrassed, said, “Go to bed, I’m fine.”
“You’re like this and you’re fine?” Cheng Yue looked at Ji Xu’s pale face, worried, and continued to support him, pulling him towards the bedroom. “I’m not tired; let me get you to bed first.”
Ji Xu smiled helplessly and leaned on Cheng Yue, slowly making his way back to the room with Cheng Yue’s help.
Cheng Yue didn’t have much strength, and after carrying Ji Xu for a short distance, he started to pant. Embarrassed, he said nothing and persisted. After a great effort, he managed to get Ji Xu to the edge of the bed. Just as he was about to get Ji Xu onto the bed, he suddenly twisted his foot, causing him to lean sideways and fall.
At that moment, holding Ji Xu’s arm with one hand and wrapping his other arm around Ji Xu’s waist, Cheng Yue accidentally pulled Ji Xu down with him.
Ji Xu, already dizzy, didn’t manage to steady himself and instinctively put his hand under Cheng Yue’s head, causing both of them to fall onto the bed.
The room was dark, and Cheng Yue thought he had fallen to the floor. It wasn’t until he was enveloped by softness that he realized they had fallen onto the bed.
However, since Ji Xu’s bed was low, their combined weight caused Cheng Yue to be pressed down quite hard. He let out a muffled groan and tried to push Ji Xu off, but Ji Xu’s breath against his neck made him feel weak all over.
“Cheng Yue…” Ji Xu suddenly called out softly.
Ji Xu’s voice was hoarse, like he was whispering, and Cheng Yue, taking a deep breath, felt like he might also be a bit tipsy.
His mind was affected by Ji Xu’s voice.
“Cheng Yue…” Ji Xu, seeing that Cheng Yue didn’t respond, furrowed his brow and called again.
“Hmm?” Cheng Yue answered, his ears turning bright red. His hand resting on Ji Xu’s waist felt as though it had been burned, and he dared not grip it firmly.
“Cheng Yue…” Ji Xu slowly lifted himself, looking down at Cheng Yue, who had curled up almost entirely in his embrace.
Cheng Yue, struggling to control his shyness, stared directly at Ji Xu. His face grew increasingly red, and he kept swallowing nervously.
He felt that Ji Xu was about to say something, and just the thought made his heart race.
He tried to keep his eyes wide open, trembling with nervousness, but his lips slowly curled into an uncontrollable smile.
Ji Xu, looking at him, spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, “Did you finish your homework?”
Cheng Yue: “…”
Cheng Yue’s smile abruptly stopped.
The author has a message:
Well, Old Ji is officially losing it.
Sleepyblue’s corner:
Happy Valentines guys!! =)
