The more nervous he got, the easier it was to mess up. Ji Xingjian felt like his hands and feet wouldn’t listen to him, and he only managed to stand steady with Huo Chengye’s support.
He had no idea what the Alpha’s reaction was, but Ji Xingjian felt completely unable to face him. His entire body was flushed pink, making him look like a shrimp half-cooked in hot water.
Ever since meeting Huo Chengye, he was either making a fool of himself or on his way to making a fool of himself. One awkward incident came after another, and he had every reason to suspect that Huo Chengye was his nemesis.
“How are you? Did you bump anywhere? Does it hurt?” Huo Chengye didn’t have the spare bandwidth to think about random things. He had heard Ji Xingjian gasp in pain just now, so he was a bit worried and wanted to lift up his clothes to check.
As Huo Chengye drew closer, Ji Xingjian caught the scent of tequila once again. It seemed a bit stronger than before, and while it wasn’t enough to drive him into heat, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t lose control if he kept smelling it.
Thinking of this, Ji Xingjian slowly let out a breath. He blocked Huo Chengye’s movement while stepping back, his voice somewhat flustered, “I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt, no need to check. Well, um, if you feel bored, you can watch some television. I’m going upstairs first, call me if you need anything.”
Ji Xingjian kept his head lowered the entire time, not daring to meet the other person’s expression, let alone let him see his flushed face.
This was truly making a fool of himself to the absolute limit. By now, how could he possibly dare to continue staying in the same space as Huo Chengye? He practically bolted away in a panic, his house slippers almost flying off his feet.
Even so, he didn’t forget to take the culprit along with him.
Inside the second-floor art studio, Ji Xingjian subjected Xiao Ye to a ten-minute lecture and critique. Knowing it had gotten its owner angry, Xiao Ye kept its head drooping the entire time without making a single peep.
“No more next time. If you pull this stunt again, I’m sending you to live at Yu Siqi’s house. Understand?”
Hearing the name Yu Siqi, Xiao Ye snapped its head up abruptly, even wrinkling its nose in extreme resistance. Last time Yu Siqi got blind drunk, he hugged it and kissed it all night, leaving it with deep psychological trauma. In its eyes, Yu Siqi was practically synonymous with the devil.
“Awooo.” Xiao Ye rubbed against Ji Xingjian’s leg in a flattering manner, as if pleading with him not to abandon it to Yu Siqi.
Ji Xingjian put on a stern face and gave a light huff. “Good thing you know you were wrong. Get out now, behave yourself tonight, and stop acting up.”
“Woof.” Receiving the command, Xiao Ye pushed the door open by itself and left, heading downstairs in low spirits to lie down beside the coffee table.
Huo Chengye made clicking sounds at it. “Hey, doggy, come here.”
Xiao Ye’s ears twitched, but it ignored him.
“Xiao Ye,” saying that name felt extremely unnatural to Huo Chengye, who felt like he was calling himself. “Come over here, I’ve got beef jerky.”
Xiao Ye still didn’t react until it heard the sound of Huo Chengye tearing open a packaging bag, at which point it crawled up from the floor and scurried over to Huo Chengye’s side.
“Got scolded just now?” Huo Chengye asked with gloating amusement.
“Woof.”
“What’s he like when he gets mad? Is he very fierce?”
“Woof woof.”
“Want some?”
“Woof woof woof.”
Ji Xingjian basically stayed cooped up in the art studio whenever he was home alone, and Xiao Ye had long since gotten used to entertaining itself. Huo Chengye was someone who couldn’t sit still, and since he wasn’t sleepy yet, he kept the dog company by playing with it.
The soundproofing of the house was excellent, so Ji Xingjian couldn’t hear the commotion downstairs, yet he still felt restless and agitated.
He sketched the line art, erased it, and sketched it again. No matter what he did, he wasn’t satisfied. Growing increasingly irritable, Ji Xingjian sat down heavily on the floor.
To an artist, inspiration was the wellspring of creation. Without inspiration, it was impossible to create works imbued with life.
Ji Xingjian hadn’t produced a piece that satisfied him for nearly two years. As a result, he felt anxious, insecure, and even self-doubting, and this emotional state only made it harder for him to create anything, locking him in a vicious cycle.
In the eyes of his peers, Ji Xingjian was a highly praised young artist, but nobody knew how much pressure he carried or what turbulent waves were hidden beneath his calm exterior.
Whenever his emotions became unstable, Ji Xingjian would turn off the lights in the room and look out the window. The brilliant moonlight spilled over the deep blue surface of the sea, lonely yet peaceful.
After a long while, Ji Xingjian finally pulled himself out of his negative emotions. He checked the time: 11:43. It was time for bed.
The lights in the first-floor living room were still on, accompanied by faint cheering sounds.
Huo Chengye was watching a football match. Hearing footsteps coming downstairs, he quickly turned down the television volume. “Did I wake you?”
Ji Xingjian tried his best not to think about those awkward things. “No, I just came down to pour a glass of water.”
As the master of the house, Ji Xingjian felt it was his obligation to look after this guest, so he poured a glass of warm water for Huo Chengye as well and reminded him to rest early.
Right as he was about to head back upstairs, Ji Xingjian added, “Remember to lock your door when you go to sleep, and don’t pay attention if you hear any noises. Xiao Ye loves to cause a ruckus and frequently wanders around in the middle of the night. If you don’t lock your door, it will open it and walk right in, and it’ll keep you awake with the noise.”
“Got it.”
Around two in the morning, Huo Chengye groggily heard rustling noises coming from outside his door, but they quickly quieted down. He figured maybe Xiao Ye realized the door wouldn’t budge and had wandered off.
Right as he was about to fall asleep, the sound started up again; presumably, Xiao Ye had returned. Just as Huo Chengye was about to pull the blanket over his ears to block it out, he suddenly heard a click. It was the sound of the door lock being turned.
Huo Chengye sat up in confusion. Hadn’t he locked the door? That couldn’t be right; he had checked before going to bed.
Before he could figure it out, the door had already swung open, followed immediately by the warm bedside lamp clicking on.
Holy shit, did the dog turn into a spirit?
Three seconds later, Huo Chengye’s eyes adjusted to the light, and to his utter shock, he saw Ji Xingjian standing in the doorway holding a key.
What was the situation here? “Professor Ji, is something wrong?”
Ji Xingjian closed the door, slipped the key back into his pocket, walked over to the bed with a blank expression, took off his shoes, got into bed, and calmly lay down right next to the Alpha.
Huo Chengye was astonished and perplexed. Was this really the same Professor Ji who had kept his distance all day long? How could he be so proactive?
With meat delivered right to his lips, there was no reason not to eat it.
Wait a second. Professor Ji’s condition didn’t seem quite right.
His eyes were closed, his hands were crossed over his abdomen, and his breathing was steady as if he were deep in sleep.
Huo Chengye gently poked him twice. “Professor Ji? Are you asleep?”
The other person gave no response.
Huo Chengye looked at the person on the bed in disbelief. “No way. Are you sleepwalking? So, the reason you told me to lock my door wasn’t to keep the dog out, but to keep you out.”