Five minutes later, Ji Qingyan pretended to have just woken up, the lingering warmth of the other person still on the back of his hand.
He lifted the thin blanket covering him and turned to look at Lu Qi. “I thought you’d left.”
Lu Qi lowered his head to straighten his clothes and said slowly, “I live here too. Waiting for you for a while was no trouble.”
Ji Qingyan took the car keys Lu Qi handed him, and the two of them opened the car doors and stepped out, heading toward the elevator entrance.
They entered the same elevator, and as the doors slowly closed, Ji Qingyan pressed the button for the 20th floor.
Seeing Lu Qi leaning lazily against the wall with his arms crossed, Ji Qingyan assumed he couldn’t be bothered to press the button himself and asked, “Which floor do you live on? I’ll press it for you.”
Lu Qi raised his eyes to look at him. “Didn’t you already press it? The 20th floor.”
“I meant, which floor do you live on?”
Lu Qi sighed helplessly and explained patiently, “I’m also on the 20th floor.”
There were only two apartments on each floor of this building. If that was the case, didn’t that mean Lu Qi lived right across from him?
“So we’re neighbors, then. I’ve lived here for so long, but I’ve never run into you when leaving the house.”
Ji Qingyan had lived here for two years and had never seen who lived across from him. He’d even assumed the apartment was empty.
It was only recently that he’d started noticing some delivery boxes placed outside the opposite door, but he wasn’t interested in prying into others’ privacy and hadn’t paid much attention.
Who would have thought it would turn out like this? Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
Lu Qi straightened up from his relaxed posture, walked over to Ji Qingyan’s side, and explained, “This apartment belongs to a friend of mine. I’m just staying here temporarily.”
“Our work schedules don’t align, and you often work overtime, so it’s not surprising we haven’t run into each other.”
Lu Qi arrived at the office exactly on time every morning, refusing to waste even a second of his time there. He left the moment work ended, as if staying in the office a second longer would be the death of him.
After stepping out of the elevator, the hallway was illuminated by soft yellow lights in the quiet night. The air was still, with only the sound of leather shoes tapping rhythmically on the marble floor breaking the silence.
After unlocking the door with his fingerprint, Ji Qingyan pressed the handle and was about to step inside when Lu Qi’s voice came from behind.
“Ji Qingyan, sleep well tonight.”
Lu Qi’s voice was deep and pleasant, carrying an indescribable allure in the quiet night. Ji Qingyan’s grip on the door handle tightened for a moment before slowly relaxing.
Though his back was turned to Lu Qi, he could still feel the other’s intense gaze fixed on him. He softly replied, “Mm,” and then stepped into his apartment.
Only after watching him go inside did Lu Qi withdraw his gaze. As soon as he opened his door, a fluffy white creature pounced from nearby, affectionately wrapping itself around his calf. Lu Qi bent down to pick it up.
“Meow~” The white Ragdoll cat nestled cozily in his arms, purring sweetly.
“I left you cat food and dried fish this morning. You can’t be hungry again already, can you?”
Lu Qi carried it into the living room, picked up a bag from the shelf, and poured some cat food into a bowl. If it was hungry, it would eat on its own—no need to worry too much.
This cat, named Hui Hui, belonged to his friend Ye Qi and his girlfriend. A few days ago, they had gone on a trip and, not trusting to leave Hui Hui at a pet shop, had asked Lu Qi to look after it for a while.
He knew nothing about raising a cat, but fortunately, Ye Qi’s girlfriend had compiled a care guide, so he just followed the instructions.
When Gray first met Lu Qi, not only was he not shy, but he also warmly clung to him, following him wherever he went.
Lu Qi placed Gray on the sofa and, regardless of whether the cat understood him or not, warned in a stern tone, “Stay right here. Don’t follow me inside, got it?”
Several times when he was showering in the bathroom, Gray would lie by the bathroom door, staring at him longingly, occasionally scratching at the door with his paws, as if desperate to get inside. Despite being a male cat, he was surprisingly clingy.
“Meow~” Gray let out a weak cry.
Lu Qi ignored his call, closed the bedroom door, and headed into the bathroom to prepare for his shower.
After finishing his nightly routine, Ji Qingyan, dressed in pajamas, leaned back against the headboard of his bed with a laptop resting on his legs. He scanned the content on the screen and lightly tapped the keyboard to reply to an email.
His head was lowered, his soft hair falling loosely over his forehead, softening the usual coldness he displayed in front of others. Recalling what had happened in the car earlier that evening, Ji Qingyan raised his hand and touched the cheek that had been kissed.
He had realized long ago that he was attracted to men. He was picky—the other person had to have a good physique and a beautiful face. Over the years, he had never met anyone he truly liked.
As Lu Qi’s flawlessly handsome face flashed through his mind, a restless urge stirred within him. He wanted Lu Qi.
The phone on the bedside table lit up, and several messages popped up on the screen. Ji Qingyan picked up the phone and saw that the messages were from Lu Qi.
LQ: [Image]
LQ: [I just finished showering, and it pounced on me. Scared me half to death.]
When Ji Qingyan got a clear look at the image Lu Qi had sent, his eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses, a meaningful glint flashing in them. He tapped to open the picture, and his attention was immediately drawn to Lu Qi’s muscles.
Lu Qi was only wrapped in a towel around his waist, revealing a healthy tan complexion, well-defined abs, a beautifully sculpted V-line, and firm, powerful chest muscles.
In his arms, he held a white, blue-eyed Ragdoll cat. His large, distinctively veined hand gently stroked the kitten’s head, the tendons on the back of his hand standing out prominently. The image exuded an overwhelming sense of raw, sexual tension.
Ji Qingyan couldn’t help but take a few more glances before saving the picture to his album.
Ji Qingyan: [Looks good.]
It was unclear whether he was complimenting Lu Qi’s physique, the cat, or both.
[Is this your cat?]
[It’s my friend’s cat. He went on a trip and asked me to look after it for a while. This little thing has already broken two of my cups and scratched up my sofa. If it were my cat, I’d definitely teach it a lesson so it knows who’s the boss in this house!]
Just reading his messages, one could imagine how irritated he must be.
[Some kittens are just mischievous and don’t know any better. Why are you taking it so seriously?]
LQ: [Whose side are you on, anyway?]
LQ: [What are you up to?]
Ji Qingyan took a photo and sent it to him. [Handling some work.]
[CEO Ji, you really are a model of diligence in the industry. Still busy with work so late at night.]
[It’s eleven o’clock, CEO Ji. You should be getting to bed.]
Lu Qi remembered that this was Ji Qingyan’s usual bedtime. The reason he urged him to sleep was out of concern that he might suffer from insomnia again, which would leave him in poor spirits the next day.
Checking the time, Ji Qingyan realized he had lost track of it while working.
[Got it. I’ll get ready for bed now.]
LQ: “Good night.”
Ji Qingyan turned off his phone and placed it on the bedside table. After finishing the remaining documents, he closed his laptop and set it aside, then took off his glasses and placed them on the desk.
Turning off the room light, he lay flat on the bed under the covers, hands folded over his abdomen—a very proper sleeping posture.