At the stairwell, Dean Hao was startled by someone who suddenly appeared. “Huo Chengye? What are you doing here? Are you here to pick a fight with someone again?”
Last semester, Huo Chengye had a conflict with a student from their department, and they ended up getting physical right in the teaching building. Both sides drew blood, and the other student almost suffered a bone fracture. Dean Hao remembered this incident vividly.
“I’m here for class.”
Dean Hao looked deeply skeptical about his statement. “You didn’t even bring a book; what kind of class are you attending?”
“I forgot to bring it.” Huo Chengye shifted his gaze, spotted Ji Xingjian who had chased after him, and his expression turned subtle. “Does Professor Ji still need anything?”
Ji Xingjian first greeted Dean Hao, and then said to Huo Chengye as if nothing was wrong, “No.”
“Oh, then I’m leaving. See you around.”
Dean Hao withdrew his gaze from Huo Chengye’s departing back, glanced at Ji Xingjian again, and felt that the atmosphere was a bit off, though he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.
“Professor Ji, how does it feel to give your first lecture?”
“You can just call me by my name.” Ji Xingjian smiled politely. “Standing on the podium for the first time, I felt a bit nervous.”
“The first time is always like that. By the way, that brat Huo Chengye didn’t cause any trouble or disrupt order in your class, did he?”
Ji Xingjian paused slightly. “Who is Huo Chengye?”
“The one who just left.”
His name is Huo Chengye, then who was Lu Wei?
Seaside Pier
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red, and the sea surface seemed draped in a cicada-wing-thin golden veil, both mysterious and romantic.
The cool sea breeze carried a hint of chill. Warm, soft, and humid, it didn’t feel entirely comfortable against the face, yet it felt as if it could sweep away all tangled thoughts and worries.
Ji Xingjian sat quietly on a bench, with a blue-and-white Border Collie lying at his feet.
Because of his profession, Ji Xingjian spent most of his time in the studio and rarely went out for activities. Coupled with the fact that he had been experiencing a creative block for the past half year, he was even less inclined to leave the house voluntarily.
His good friend Yu Siqi worried that if he continued like this, his limbs would atrophy and he would get sick from staying cooped up, so he bought a Border Collie for him. This forced Ji Xingjian to go out every day to walk the dog, get some fresh air, and experience life.
It looked like he was walking the dog, but in reality, the dog was walking him.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Ji Xingjian frowned and reluctantly pressed the answer button.
“My dear great painter Ji, how was your day today? Did anyone at school get captivated by you?” Yu Siqi’s voice was flippant and smiling, sounding thoroughly like someone asking for a beating.
Ji Xingjian decisively lowered the phone, and just as he was about to hang up, Yu Siqi hurriedly said, “Don’t hang up! Don’t hang up! I’m calling you about something important.”
“Speak.”
“Your mentor’s wife called me today. Two out of every three sentences were about your lifelong happiness. Judging by her tone, she’s going to arrange another blind date for you. Better prepare yourself in advance.”
Ji Xingjian’s family background was somewhat complicated. After his father passed away, only he and his mother depended on each other. Later, his mother remarried, and during his rebellious phase, he had never been able to truly integrate into the new family. After that, his mother died in an accident. If his mentor and his mentor’s wife hadn’t taken him in, he would have starved to death long ago.
Therefore, in Ji Xingjian’s heart, his mentor and mentor’s wife were like parents to him.
The two elderly people also regarded Ji Xingjian as their own biological son and worried about everything for him.
Thinking about the blind date gave Ji Xingjian a headache. “What is there to prepare? I don’t plan on going anyway.”
Yu Siqi chuckled gloatingly. “If you don’t go, the mentor’s wife will be upset. Look at you; can’t you be a little more proactive? If you had a partner, the mentor’s wife wouldn’t be nagging you about it like it’s a death sentence every day.”
Ji Xingjian thought for a moment and said, “Next time the mentor’s wife calls you, just tell her I have a partner.”
“Forget it. Unless you bring the person directly home, your mentor’s wife won’t believe it.” Yu Siqi sighed and gave a sincere suggestion. “If you ask me, you should just go out more, interact and communicate with people more. Who knows, maybe one day you will blindly stumble upon the right person by sheer luck.”
Ji Xingjian didn’t speak.
“Let me ask you, when was the last time you had close physical contact with anyone other than me? Eight hundred years ago, right?”
Ji Xingjian leaned back against the bench, an Alpha’s face involuntarily flashing in his mind, and replied calmly, “The night before last.”
“Huh?” After a brief silence, Yu Siqi suddenly grew excited, his voice noticeably rising. “Isn’t that the day I had an emergency and left first? Tell me quickly. Who was it, how did you meet, and to what extent did things go?”
Ji Xingjian glanced at the bluish-purple finger marks on his wrist and frowned. “To the extent of a random accident.”
Yu Siqi was deeply disappointed. “I knew it. An Omega with emotional germophobia and self-discipline like you would never do such a thing.”
Ji Xingjian looked at the dimming twilight, his tone calm. “We accidentally slept together.”