Ji Weichen looked utterly pitiful, enough to soften anyone’s heart. He resembled an abandoned puppy waiting to be taken home.
【Host, look! You’ve frightened the little cub so much. No matter how mature or fierce he usually acts, he’s still a cub who can’t protect himself yet. You must have terrified him today!】Seeing Ji Weichen like this, 666 immediately felt its metaphorical heart melt.
Who could withstand such a sight?
Comfort him, comfort him right now!
【Is he really this easily frightened?】Su Meng sounded puzzled.
【Any normal person would be scared, Host. Think about it—Ji Weichen encountered his past tormentors today, was cornered helplessly in an alley, got his hands injured, then witnessed someone having their limbs broken right before his eyes. Such direct trauma would leave shadows on anyone’s mind.】666 stated with certainty.
Hearing this, Su Meng looked at Ji Weichen, taking in his frightened and pitiful appearance.
Well, alright. She did feel a slight twinge of guilt.
Reaching out, Su Meng opened her palm and presented it to Ji Weichen.
Like a well-trained pet, Ji Weichen gently placed his hand in Su Meng’s palm and stepped into her room.
With a hand behind his back, he softly pushed the door closed.
The sound was faint, masked by the thunder and rain outside.
Traces of his earlier ordeal remained—though he’d changed out of his bloodstained clothes, fine grains of sand still clung to his black hair, smudges of dirt marked his cheeks, and dried blood clung stickily to his palms.
He looked even more pitiful this way.
“Haven’t bathed?” Su Meng asked while pondering. Comforting people… She had always excelled at eliminating or scheming against others, but… how does one comfort someone? This was a difficult question.
“You told me to protect my hand,” Ji Weichen replied, lifting his injured hand.
“It can’t get wet now,” he continued, appearing obedient and well-behaved.
Considering his words, Su Meng guided him to her bathroom, placed a small stool beside the tub, tied up her hair simply with a band, and had Ji Weichen lean against her while keeping his injured hand dry.
Awkwardly picking up the showerhead, she wet his hair, then grabbed the nearby shampoo, preparing to lather it into his hair.
Ji Weichen tugged at Su Meng’s clothes and pointed to a different shampoo bottle.
“Can we use this one? It smells nice.”
The citrus-scented shampoo matched the fragrance Su Meng carried.
Naturally unconcerned with such trivialities, Su Meng squeezed out the new shampoo, worked it into a lather in her palms, and applied it to Ji Weichen’s hair. Soon, foam enveloped his head.
As she massaged his scalp, Su Meng felt Ji Weichen’s head gently nuzzle against her palm.
It was a subtle, affectionate gesture, like a young animal seeking comfort—enough to make one’s heart flutter with tenderness.
Su Meng paused, unaccustomed to such intimacy.
“Sister?” Ji Weichen looked up, confused, as if wondering why she had stopped.
“Nothing,” Su Meng replied, glancing at him briefly before turning away slightly puzzled. Hmm… must be her imagination.Continuing the motion in her hands, she thoroughly lathered Ji Weichen’s hair, then picked up the showerhead, about to rinse the foam from his head.
Her palm was gently brushed against again, as if unintentionally.
Su Meng paused for only a moment this time before quickly resuming her actions.
Ji Weichen closed his eyes, carefully closing the distance between them, numbing the other’s perception to gradually acclimate them to his increasingly abnormal intimacy.
……
The room was slightly foggy, the door left open to let out the bathroom steam. Ji Weichen’s hair was now clean, but his collar was completely soaked.
Su Meng pondered what to do next.
【Host, a small suggestion: you can think of Ji Weichen as a little pet you brought home. So, what should you do after bringing a little pet home?】666 had begun to notice that its host seemed somewhat clueless in certain aspects, only showing exceptional talent when it came to mischief.
666 secretly waited for Su Meng to voice the answer it was thinking of.
【Hmm… neuter him.】After serious consideration, Su Meng replied, then lowered her gaze to glance at Ji Weichen, her eyes drifting downward.
【…No… you can’t!】666 hurriedly stopped its host’s dangerous words and thoughts, momentarily unsure whether she was being deliberate.
“Alright, take off your clothes and bathe…” Su Meng reached out to unbutton Ji Weichen’s clothes, preparing to give the little cub a thorough washing.
“Sister, I’m a boy.” Ji Weichen spoke, pursing his lips.
“But you’re still small, in every aspect.” Su Meng looked at Ji Weichen’s appearance – she could lift him with both hands, though it was somewhat strenuous for her current body given her young age.
“I can carry you, but you can’t carry me.” Su Meng stated.
Being lifted up, Ji Weichen’s legs dangled slightly in the air. He turned his face away, his earlobes tinged red, his voice clear and soft as his eyelashes fluttered.
“I will grow up.”
As he spoke, he struggled to turn his face back. Whether from the steam in the room or something else, his face was flushed. His voice childish yet serious, as if wanting Su Meng to understand.
“I will… grow up.”
The bathing matter ended inconclusively, ultimately settling for simply having Ji Weichen wipe himself down with a towel.
Outside, thunder still roared and rain poured down as if it wouldn’t stop all night.
Ji Weichen still appeared quite frightened by the evening’s events, sitting obediently by Su Meng’s bed, curled up into a small ball.
“Still scared?” Su Meng looked at Ji Weichen, wondering how to soothe away the shadows left by his experience.
“Yes.” Ji Weichen nodded, pitifully shrinking into himself.
Seeming to recognize Su Meng’s uncertainty, Ji Weichen walked to the bedside.
“Sister, I saw this on TV before.” he said.
“What should we do?” Su Meng asked.
Hearing her question, Ji Weichen brought over a small stool and placed it beside the bed. Standing on the stool, he half-knelt on the bed, then slowly closed the distance between them, placing his warm hands gently on Su Meng’s shoulders.Gradually closing the distance, she wrapped her arms around Su Meng. Her short black hair, fine and soft like the fur of a small animal, gently brushed against Su Meng’s cheek.
Her brown-green pupils darkened as she lowered her gaze, concealing the emotions hidden within. Her eyelashes cast shadows, and two sharp little canine teeth were faintly visible.
“Sis… this is how you comfort someone.”
Su Meng didn’t notice the small, subtle movements Ji Weichen made with her back turned. Instead, she responded in kind, gently embracing Ji Weichen and then softly placing a hand on her head, patting it.
Ji Weichen closed her eyes, her hands tightly clutching the hem of Su Meng’s clothes.
“Good girl,” Su Meng added, stroking her head again.
“…” Hearing Su Meng’s words, Ji Weichen’s body trembled slightly, and she let out a soft whimper, like a little animal whimpering.
Blinking her damp eyelashes, she nestled even closer, burying her face gently in the crook of Su Meng’s neck.
In that moment, it was as if she had been soothed, the hostility in her heart sealed away, leaving her docile and gentle. Even the scar on the left side of her chest, which always seemed to ache faintly, felt milder and no longer frightening.
If a third person had been present, they would have noticed the overly intimate closeness between the two and detected the faint traces of greed and obsession hidden in Ji Weichen’s eyes.
Like a Monster wandering alone in the depths of an abyss, enduring the cold and nearing death, only to suddenly catch a glimpse of a faint, flickering flame. That tiny warmth dispelled the chill and the surrounding darkness.
And so, it began to grow greedy, wanting more, wanting to possess it entirely, to keep it from being shared with anyone else.
To hide that flame away.
To cling to it desperately.
Like a person freezing to death, clutching the last remaining ember of fire—a flame so weak it could vanish at any moment.
Using any means, no matter how despicable, and paying any price, she wanted to keep it.
…
Late at night, Su Meng’s room was silent. The thunder and heavy rain outside had finally ceased.
Ji Weichen lay beside Su Meng’s bed, listening to the steady beeping of the monitor. She opened her eyes, cautiously reached out, and gently stroked the head of the sleeping Su Meng, mimicking the rewarding gesture Su Meng had once given her.
“Reward.”
A reward for sharing in mischief.
…
The next morning, Qin Ye arrived at Su Meng’s door and knocked. He was in high spirits, thinking about the arrangements he had made the previous night and eagerly anticipating the outcome.
The door opened, and Qin Ye couldn’t contain himself.
“I told you before, that Ji…” Qin Ye’s expression shifted to one of shock, and his voice abruptly cut off.