Huo Chengye had broad shoulders, strong arm strength, and a height that stood out among Alphas. In front of him, the one-meter-seventy-eight Ji Xingjian somehow appeared remarkably petite.
Although the journey from the sofa to the floor was brief, Ji Xingjian suddenly felt at a certain moment that the Alpha in front of him wasn’t as terrible as he had imagined, providing at least a strong sense of security.
“Can you stand on your own?” Huo Chengye lowered his gaze inadvertently, crashing straight into Ji Xingjian’s unguarded eyes.
Because he hadn’t slept well the previous night, Ji Xingjian’s eyes looked red, resembling the silly, blank-staring rabbit in a pet store.
Seeing that he hadn’t recovered his senses yet, the Alpha couldn’t resist teasing him, “Hey, Professor Ji, stop staring and wipe your drool.”
Ji Xingjian’s face heated up as he shot a quick, fierce glare at him, thinking to himself that the guy was quite narcissist.
After Ji Xingjian steadied himself, Huo Chengye didn’t let go. Instead, he shifted to the side, wrapping an arm more intimately around his waist and leading him outward.
“I can walk by myself.” Ji Xingjian was forced to lean against the Alpha, lifting his sore and weak wrist in an attempt to push him away. He only had a bad cold, not dying; did he really need someone to hold him just to walk?
“Don’t move around.” Huo Chengye’s palm remained plastered against Ji Xingjian’s waistline, his tone laced with obvious amusement, “I’m just worried that you’ll look at me so infatuatedly that you’ll trip by accident.”
A flash of annoyance welled up in Ji Xingjian. Would this guy ever stop? He had only glanced at him a couple of times, so why keep harping on it?
Seeing that the two were about to head out, Xiao Ye let out two anxious barks, its paws scratching at the gap in the sofa as if trying to express something.
Ji Xingjian looked back at it and suddenly remembered something. “The keys aren’t here.”
“Isn’t your door a fingerprint lock?”
“Car keys.”
While they spoke, Xiao Ye had already fished the car keys out from the sofa gap. Huo Chengye stepped forward to take the keys, noticing that Ji Xingjian’s phone was also on the floor, and picked it up together. He casually stroked Xiao Ye’s head a couple of times. “Pretty smart, huh? You know how to open doors and answer calls. Stay put at home, and I’ll bring you some beef jerky when I get back.”
Upon hearing “beef jerky,” Xiao Ye’s eyes instantly lit up, adopting a flattering expression that screamed, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
In the underground parking garage, seeing that Ji Xingjian’s car took up two parking spaces, Huo Chengye rubbed his nose. “How you parked this car…”
Ji Xingjian coughed lightly, adjusting his mask, his expression seeming to say, What’s wrong, is there a problem?
“Didn’t anyone complain about you?”
Ji Xingjian shook his head, casting a faint glance at his companion with a listless tone. “Both of these parking spots are mine.”
When buying the apartment earlier, he had considered that if Yu Siqi or his teacher and wife came over, it would be inconvenient without extra parking spots, so he simply bought two.
Huo Chengye assumed he just had poor driving skills and bought two spots so he could park however he wanted.
“Get in.” Huo Chengye opened the passenger door.
This time, Ji Xingjian didn’t try to act tough and obediently got into the car.
Huo Chengye told him, “Sit tight for a moment, I’ll be right back.”
After about five minutes, Ji Xingjian was blinded by the glaring headlights in front of him and had to raise his hand to block them. Finally adjusting to the brightness, he saw through the car window that someone had parked a cool street bike right next to his car.
Huo Chengye took off his helmet and gloves, and after getting in, he first adjusted the seat and rearview mirror, not forgetting to remind Ji Xingjian to fasten his seatbelt.
The car slowly pulled out of the residential complex. At first, Ji Xingjian was somewhat worried about Huo Chengye’s driving skills, but seeing that he drove even more steadily than himself, he gradually relaxed.
This time slot happened to coincide with the afternoon rush hour, making the road a bit congested. Moving in stop-and-go traffic, Huo Chengye wore a face full of impatience. “Even a restroom line isn’t this jammed.”
Ji Xingjian turned his head toward the roadside bushes, secretly sneered to himself, Traffic jam, huh? Heh, otherwise what did you think I meant when I said we were heading to the hospital shortly?
At the intersection, the traffic light changed, and Huo Chengye stepped on the brake, turning his gaze sideways to look at Ji Xingjian. “If you’re sleepy, you should get some rest.”
Ji Xingjian continued to fix his gaze strictly out the window, acting as if he hadn’t heard the Alpha.
“What, afraid I’ll sell you off while you’re asleep?” The countdown numbers on the red light were slowly ticking down. Seeing that he remained silent, Huo Chengye asked again, “Want to listen to some music?”
“Want some water?”
“Is the air conditioning temperature too low?”
Within the confined space of the car, Huo Chengye’s voice lingered continuously beside his ear. Ji Xingjian frowned slightly. Though it wasn’t exactly annoying, it was indeed rather noisy, and for a few fleeting moments, he even wondered if the Alpha had been possessed by Yu Siqi, or else why would he talk so much.
Huo Chengye, receiving no response for ages, assumed he had fallen asleep. Taking advantage of the red light, he leaned sideways to pull down the sun visor in front of the passenger seat, wanting to adjust the seat because he was worried that sitting bolt upright would be uncomfortable.
Just as he turned his body, Ji Xingjian, hearing the movement beside him, suddenly snapped his head back.
Before either could react, Ji Xingjian’s lips brushed against Huo Chengye’s cheek.
For a second, both froze in place. Huo Chengye hadn’t expected him to turn his head so suddenly, and Ji Xingjian hadn’t expected him to lean in so close.
Huo Chengye’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Even though a mask separated them, he could still feel that his face had touched something soft, which seemed to be lips.
Ji Xingjian was the first to regain his wits, hastily trying to pull back, but there was nowhere left to retreat, forcing him to scrunch his neck backward so hard he practically squeezed out a double chin.
Huo Chengye slowly looked toward him, his gaze murky and unreadable.
Panic stirred inside Ji Xingjian, and his face grew hot as a result, though thankfully the mask hid it. But what did Huo Chengye’s expression mean? Would he mistakenly think he did it on purpose? What should he do, should he speak up and explain?
Amidst the heart-pounding silence, Huo Chengye’s voice finally sounded again.
“You weren’t asleep?”
Ji Xingjian averted his gaze and stiffly nodded his neck.
“Then why didn’t you make a sound? I thought you were asleep.”
Huo Chengye propped himself up against the seatback and returned to a proper sitting posture. Ji Xingjian secretly let out a breath of relief, adjusting to a comfortable posture, yet he inexplicably felt a bit feverish. A thin layer of sweat seemed to break out on the tip of his nose, feeling exceptionally uncomfortable pressed under the mask.
The green light turned on, and the car moved forward once more.
“Cough, cough, cough.” Ji Xingjian couldn’t hold back and started coughing again, his face flushing red. Every cough felt like a knife slicing through his throat, hurting intensely.
Huo Chengye frowned at the sound, picked up a bottle of water from beside the seat, and handed it to him. “Take a couple of sips to moisten your throat first, before you cough your lungs out before we even reach the hospital.”
“Why are you staring at me? I can’t help you twist open the bottle cap right now, you’ll have to manage it yourself.”
Ji Xingjian unscrewed the cap and drank in small sips, while the Alpha’s voice kept going.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Ji Xingjian told Huo Chengye as politely as possible, “I think your throat could also use a break for a while.”
Huo Chengye: “…”