Huo Chengye was much taller than Ji Xingjian. With both hands shoved into his pockets and his back turned to the street light, Ji Xingjian could not clearly see his expression, only thinking that he currently looked quite like a large dog about to be abandoned.
Whether out of sympathy or out of concern for a student of his university, Ji Xingjian was not going to just leave him to fend for himself.
“You can go to a motel or a hotel.” After a slight pause, Ji Xingjian added, “I will cover the expenses.”
Huo Chengye wore a troubled look. “I did not bring my ID.”
“You can use digital identification.”
Huo Chengye kicked a pebble near his feet, inwardly muttering to himself that he certainly had a fast reaction. “My phone is out of battery.”
Ji Xingjian frowned. Earlier, when he helped Huo Chengye answer a call, he had casually glanced at the screen and saw it still had sixty percent battery remaining. How could it run out of power so quickly?
“If you do not believe me, check for yourself. It is truly dead; it will not even turn on.” To prove he was not lying, Huo Chengye simply pulled out his phone and held it out right in front of Ji Xingjian, waiting for him to inspect it.
The Alpha was taking a gamble with this move, and the result was that he won. Ji Xingjian did not check his phone at all and directly chose to believe him.
Fifteen minutes later, Ji Xingjian brought the man and the dog back home.
Although he had money, the place where he lived was not a luxury villa in a high-end gated community, but rather a duplex residential building with convenient transportation, a quiet environment, and plenty of space, plus you could see the sea right from the window.
Pushing open the door, the smart lights turned on automatically. Huo Chengye instinctively narrowed his eyes, taking about five seconds to adjust to the indoor brightness. Looking around, it was pretty much what he expected: clean, orderly, and decorated with many paintings and sculptures, giving it a strong artistic atmosphere.
The piece hanging in the foyer was presumably Ji Xingjian’s own work, depicting the sea under the cover of night. At first glance it looked beautiful, but upon closer inspection, it carried an inexplicable sense of loneliness.
“Try these and see if they fit.” Ji Xingjian fished out a pair of unopened slippers and handed them to Huo Chengye, then pulled out two wet wipes as Xiao Ye let out a couple of barks, obediently lifting its paws.
Having an extra person suddenly appear in the house made Ji Xingjian feel a bit awkward, but Xiao Ye was the exact opposite, bounding around excitedly. One moment it was tugging at Huo Chengye’s pants to lead him on a grand tour, and the next it was digging out snacks hidden in various corners of the house to hand to Huo Chengye. Compared to Ji Xingjian, the dog seemed much better at playing the host.
The man and the dog got along swimmingly. Ji Xingjian felt that staying down here made him look rather redundant, so he told Huo Chengye to make himself at home, stood up, and went upstairs to take a shower.
In the bathroom, Ji Xingjian habitually reviewed everything that had happened today. No matter how he thought about it, it felt surreal; he had actually sugar-dated an Alpha several years younger than him and even impulsively brought him home. His mental state must be broken, so he really should go to the hospital for a check-up another day.
After changing into his pajamas and drying his hair, Ji Xingjian fetched a stash of unopened toiletries and a multi-plug charger, placing them in the guest room. After confirming everything was ready, he walked to the top of the stairs and called out to the person on the couch, “You will be staying in the room on the far west side of the second floor tonight. I left the charger on your bedside table; just let me know if you need anything else.”
Hearing his voice, Huo Chengye looked up. From his vantage point, he could see Ji Xingjian in full view. He was wearing a light blue silk-textured pajama set that made his skin look even fairer. The top button at the collar was left undone, revealing a small stretch of his collarbone, which, illuminated by the overhead lights, looked remarkably alluring.
As a top-tier Alpha, and one whose rut cycle was chronically disordered due to long-term medication use, Huo Chengye felt a sudden, restless stirring somewhere deep within his body.
Even if Ji Xingjian was a Beta, he still wanted to conquer and control him, watching him lose his mind over him and surrendering both body and soul to his dominance.
Huo Chengye suppressed the desire surging in his heart, leaning fully back against the couch while stroking Xiao Ye’s ears, his tone lazy. “Got it. What time is it even? Are you planning to go to sleep already?”
Ji Xingjian glanced down at his clothes, realizing they indeed easily caused misunderstandings. “No, wearing pajamas is just more comfortable.”
“What kind of material is that? It looks really sleek. Can I test the texture?”
Ji Xingjian hesitated for two seconds, figuring that request did not seem too unreasonable, so he slowly walked downstairs and stood in front of the Alpha, holding up his sleeve for him to touch. “I am not sure what material it is. I saw it online, and all the reviews said it was good, so I bought it. If you like it, I can get you a set.”
Huo Chengye pinched the fabric between his fingers, lazily lifting his eyelids. “Really? Thank you, Professor Ji. Just pick the same color as yours.”
“Huh?” Ji Xingjian paused. He was merely offering a polite, conventional courtesy and had not expected Huo Chengye to be so unceremonious about it.
Seeing the expression on Ji Xingjian’s face, Huo Chengye could not help laughing out loud. “Just joking. Though the fabric of these pajamas really does feel comfortable to the touch. Why don’t you send me the link?”
Ji Xingjian hesitated slightly because this set of pajamas was rather expensive, roughly equivalent to a month’s living expenses for an average college student. To spare Huo Chengye’s pride, Ji Xingjian pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, “Send me your height and weight later.” If Ji Xingjian had known that the Alpha in front of him was actually a low-key wealthy heir, he probably would have looked for a brick wall to headbutt.
“Oh?” Huo Chengye’s lips curved slightly upward. “You are really going to buy me a set?”
“Yes.”
“Professor Ji,” Huo Chengye removed his hand from Ji Xingjian’s cuff, his fingertips grazing across the back of Ji Xingjian’s hand, “you are treating me so well, how should I ever repay you? How about tonight…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Ye suddenly darted out with the beef jerky Huo Chengye had given it earlier still clenched in its teeth, seemingly wanting him to help unwrap it.
The floor was slick, and Xiao Ye rushed forward too fast, failing to brake in time and charging straight toward Ji Xingjian.
The sudden impact caused an unprepared Ji Xingjian to lose his balance. His entire body wobbled unsteadily, and he tumbled straight into Huo Chengye’s arms in a clumsy fall, looking precisely like he was throwing himself at him.
The two of them were extremely close. Huo Chengye clearly caught the scent of shower gel on him, a faint floral fragrance.
At the same time, Ji Xingjian also caught the scent radiating from the Alpha, sharp, potent, and mellow.
Whether due to the white wine he had drunk earlier or the influence of the pheromones, Ji Xingjian’s cheeks grew slightly warm. He pressed both hands against the sides of Huo Chengye’s body to push himself up, but just as his legs and back formed a near-right angle, Xiao Ye’s mischievous streak flared up and it suddenly jumped onto his back.
Forty pounds of weight abruptly pressed down, with the inevitable result that Ji Xingjian crashed back down even more awkwardly, landing directly in a kneeling position.
Just a tiny bit closer, and Ji Xingjian’s face would have pressed right against Huo Chengye’s private area. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and leaned his upper body forward, only bumping against Huo Chengye’s lower abdomen.
In this current situation, it was as awkward as awkward could get. If the gap in the couch was wide enough, Ji Xingjian would have crawled right inside without a second thought.