He felt himself moving forward along with Ren Tianxing. Before long, they stopped again.
This time, he sensed something unusual in the air.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Ren Tianxing took him out of his pocket.
Once he left that pocket filled with Ren Tianxing’s scent, he caught a whiff of his own fragrance, the faint smell of orange.
Yes, he was just that ordinary. He loved the fresh scent of orange. Whether it was body wash or dish soap, he always chose orange-scented ones. And his favorite fruit, needless to say, was big, juicy oranges.
Usually, that scent filled him with happiness. But now, it only made his body grow stiffer and stiffer, transforming from the rigid stillness of a figurine into something as frozen as an ice sculpture.
Because, even though he couldn’t turn his head, even though his face was currently pointed toward Ren Tianxing’s smiling, handsome features, he knew very well what lay beside him.
His own body. Fast asleep.
Good heavens!
Lin Haobai couldn’t help crying out inwardly.
What an absurd moment this was! He desperately hoped that Ren Tianxing, his good friend, would not make him confront his own sleeping body face-to-face. But would Ren Tianxing really spare him?
At that moment, Ren Tianxing held the little figurine in his palm and tapped its tiny head with a finger. “Hehe, you little thing. Today’s been way too dramatic. I never expected you’d end up lying on my bed.”
Hearing this, Lin Haobai grew even stiffer.
What do you mean lying on your bed? I was asleep and you, you shameless enchantress, dragged me up there!
Right then, he felt grateful that he was a man, and so was the other party. Safe enough. Otherwise, he’d be worried that the chastity he’d preserved for twenty-two years might be gone.
Ren Tianxing, unaware of the wild thoughts running through his mind, spoke a few more words before finally removing the hand that had been resting on Lin Haobai’s head. His gaze shifted from Lin Haobai’s sleeping face to the face of the little figurine, back and forth several times. Then he smiled. “People these days are really skilled. For a figurine to look this lifelike, it’s impressive.”
Lin Haobai the little figurine: I made that myself. Of course it looks good!
Feeling himself being moved again, Lin Haobai finally realized what this guy was planning to do.
He had actually placed the figurine right next to his real face and started carefully comparing the differences between the two.
While Ren Tianxing was moving him, Lin Haobai accidentally caught sight of himself asleep. He really did look like a baby, there was even a faint smile at the corner of his lips. If the figurine’s hands could move at that moment, he would definitely have covered his face.
So embarrassing!
That infuriating Ren Tianxing had actually made him see how foolish he looked while sleeping.
Lin Haobai felt a surge of shame, irrational yet somehow completely justified.
Over there, Ren Tianxing was still commenting, “The eyebrows aren’t quite right. Xiao Bai’s are prettier, and they move. The eyes, though, are identical, both big and round. But the lips aren’t right either. Xiao Bai’s lips are even cuter…”
The little figurine Lin Haobai once again wished for a pair of fists it could swing. He wanted to give the guy comparing him to a figurine a full combo punch and let him learn why flowers are so red!
After comparing for quite a while, Ren Tianxing finally seemed satisfied. He slipped the still quietly fuming little figurine back into his pocket and muttered softly, “The real person is right here beside me. You, little thing, just stay off to the side.”
As he spoke, he carefully lay down next to Lin Haobai’s sleeping body and reached out to hold his hand.
There was still an hour before dinner, just enough time to take a nap together with Xiao Bai.
Watching helplessly as Ren Tianxing stuffed the figurine back into its old place, Lin Haobai finally quieted down.
The lingering guilt he had felt earlier seemed to vanish. At this moment, he only thought that Ren Tianxing was a big villain wrapped in a beautiful exterior.
Someone like that was truly detestable!
And yet, he had somehow already become friends with him.
Hidden inside the figurine, Lin Haobai felt as though he was about to shut down completely.
Surrounded by darkness, with no more sounds from outside reaching his ears, his soul gradually drifted into sleep.
When he woke again, Lin Haobai didn’t think about anything. The first thing he did was move his hand.
His fingers could move, but it felt as though something was restraining them.
The sensation felt very similar to before they entered the villa, when Ren Tianxing’s hand had gripped him like an iron palm. He quickly opened his eyes and turned his head. Sure enough, he saw that handsome man.
Looking at the other’s beautiful sleeping face, he came to a profound realization: the prettier a person is, the more likely they are to make others angry.
Suddenly, that lovely face stirred. A pair of long, narrow eyes opened, misty and soft, framed by thick, slender lashes, strikingly endearing.
“Good evening, my Xiao Bai.”
“Shut up. Who’s yours?”
Lin Haobai was so creeped out by the sticky way he addressed him that goosebumps rose all over his skin. He hurriedly sat up and looked down at the handsome man still lying on the dark-colored bed.
The man blinked at him innocently.
“You, sure, we’re good friends, but don’t talk like that in the future.”
As he spoke, he pulled his hand free from the other’s grip, got out of bed, and without another word headed straight for the bathroom hidden in the corner. His reaction once again struck Ren Tianxing as odd.
However, seeing that although Lin Haobai disliked his tone, he didn’t resort to childish ways to distance himself this time, Ren Tianxing actually felt rather pleased.
It seemed those idiots’ actions had inadvertently helped him. He decided that when the time came to punish them, he would ease up a little.
Lin Haobai was puzzled that he had managed to break free from Ren Tianxing’s large hand without much effort.
Still, the two of them lying together just now, no matter how he looked at it, the atmosphere had been strange.
He ran to the bathroom simply to escape that ambiguous space.
Turning on the faucet, he splashed cold water on his face.
When he looked up, the mirror reflected every detail clearly. His face still carried its usual chocolate hue. But no one knew about the faint pink hidden beneath that color. Only he himself knew how nervous he had been just moments ago.
Damn it.
The first time in his life he had ever shared a bed with someone unfamiliar, and that person had to be Ren Tianxing.
Shaking his head, he grabbed a towel and wiped the water droplets from his face.
He was familiar with every corner of this bathroom. Of course, back then he had seen it from the perspective of a little figurine, everything had looked as though it were made for giants. Now, viewing it with his own body, the proportions had finally returned to normal.
Well… almost everything.
Except for the enormous bathtub against the wall.
It was a huge white whirlpool tub, and the faucets beside it gleamed in gold, practically radiating the scent of money. He had only ever seen something this luxurious in TV dramas.
Calling it a “bathtub” even felt inaccurate.
That space looked about a third the size of a swimming pool. Two grown men could easily lie in it together for a soak without it feeling cramped.
Lin Haobai, snap out of it! What do you mean two grown men soaking together? If anyone’s soaking, it’s alone! Since when do two grown men bathe together?
Startled by his own bizarre thought, Lin Haobai couldn’t help taking a step back.
He felt that starting today, he might never be able to look at a bathtub, the very symbol of relaxation, the same way again.
It was all Ren Tianxing’s fault for making his mind wander into strange places.
Lin Haobai pulled open the bathroom door and walked out, looking dejected.
“I thought you were taking a bath in there. It was so quiet for so long.”
Ren Tianxing’s low, husky voice sounded beside him, snapping him back to reality. Hearing him mention the bathtub, Lin Haobai reflexively shook his head and waved both hands. “No, no. How could I be so rude? A bathtub is such a private thing. You can’t just use someone else’s…”
Seeing his flustered reaction, Ren Tianxing secretly found it amusing. “It’s fine. We’re good friends. What’s mine is yours. The tub may not be anything extraordinary, but the massage function is excellent. It’s especially suitable for an actor like you who often shoots fight scenes. After filming, soaking in it for an hour or so makes all the fatigue disappear.”
Lin Haobai had never realized that besides being sharp-tongued and capable of sweet talk, Ren Tianxing also possessed impressive persuasive skills.
At first, just hearing him mention the bathtub had made him feel guilty and want to run away.
But for some reason, the more he listened, the more reasonable it sounded.
A bathtub worth hundreds of thousands, placing an order without trying it first did seem like a waste. After all, it was a big-ticket item and couldn’t be returned. And now this good friend of his was generously offering him a trial run.
The suggestion, damn it, was seriously tempting.