Chapter 17
The pale moonlight fell across Xie Ning’s face, as though coating it in a layer of cold frost.
He froze for a moment, still holding onto Pei Zhi’s neck. Even after being set down, he did not say a word.
[Why isn’t my wife saying anything?]
[Did I make my wife unhappy…?]
Xie Ning was silent because he was surprised, and for a moment he did not know what to say. Pei Zhi mistook it for anger.
After setting him down, Pei Zhi said softly, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have acted on my own, and I shouldn’t have touched you so suddenly.”
“I thought it would make you happy.”
How should he put it?
Normally, Pei Zhi was not this polite at all. Helping him walk, carrying him onto the bed—he did all of it in one smooth motion, overbearing and leaving no room for refusal. But now, suddenly apologizing like this, with his head lowered and body bent slightly forward, he looked less like he was apologizing and more like he was acting cute to beg forgiveness.
Xie Ning looked at Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi said, “Forgive me.”
Xie Ning said helplessly, “I’m not angry.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
Pei Zhi said, “You are.”
Xie Ning seemed to sigh. “Are you a child?”
“I am.” Pei Zhi looked like he wanted to grab Xie Ning’s wrist, but his movement stopped halfway. In the end, he only lightly tugged at the hem of Xie Ning’s shirt, bending down and lowering his head as he said, “I’m childish. I’m awful. So don’t be angry anymore. Forgive me.”
At a time like this, Pei Zhi finally remembered what Xie Ning had said before—that he did not like being touched by other people.
Pei Zhi genuinely thought Xie Ning was upset because he had suddenly lifted him onto his shoulders without asking for permission first.
And he had not even had time to shower. His body was covered in sweat. Although he had wiped himself down with a towel, after another round of exercise, his skin was still covered in a faint sheen of sweat.
He had actually hugged Xie Ning in that state, and gotten that close too. Xie Ning must think he was dirty, and rude.
But Xie Ning did not care about any of that.
To him, this kind of contact was just normal social touching. Since he had chosen to build a social relationship with Pei Zhi, then he would follow through instead of being overly sensitive about every little thing.
And in truth, he did not dislike Pei Zhi touching him. On the contrary, he liked it a little.
It was just that Xie Ning found the whole thing novel.
Pei Zhi’s back was bent slightly. Under the bright lights, the clean, flowing lines of his muscles were visible, full of explosive strength and power. Standing in front of him, Xie Ning looked almost too slim by comparison.
Even with the overwhelming advantage of their difference in size and skin tone, Pei Zhi had lowered his head and bent down, even taking on a slightly humble posture. The forceful aura around him weakened considerably, replaced by a faint trace of pitiful vulnerability.
Pei Zhi said again, “Forgive me.”
Xie Ning looked at him calmly.
After a moment of silence, Pei Zhi seemed a little wronged. “Can’t you?”
Xie Ning really wanted to laugh. Usually Pei Zhi acted so cold and fearless, as though nothing in the world could shake him. Yet over such a tiny matter, he kept going on and on.
And he was even making such a pitiful expression.
Like a wolf-dog that had angered its owner, tail drooping behind it, Xie Ning thought suddenly.
With Pei Zhi’s shadow falling over his view, Xie Ning said, as if reluctantly, “I can only forgive you a tiny little bit.”
That attitude probably meant he was no longer angry. Pei Zhi let out a breath of relief. He bent down even more, eyes fixed directly on Xie Ning’s face. “A tiny little bit is enough.”
…
After class on Friday, Xie Ning and the others were getting ready to pack for the hot spring villa.
Before leaving, Pei Zhi brought his roommates some soup that had been simmered at home. “My family’s housekeeper made it. I can’t finish it by myself anyway.”
The moment the thermos was opened, the rich fragrance of carefully simmered soup spread everywhere. A tempting layer of oil floated on top, along with wolfberries and chopped sea cucumber. It was not just soup either—it was full of nourishing ingredients.
“Wow!” Gu Nian poured himself a bowl. “This is way too nourishing. One sip of this and I feel like I could plow ten miles of land.”
Chen Xi nearly burst into tears. “Thank you, Brother Pei. You are my father.”
Pei Zhi showed almost no reaction to this. With his usual indifferent expression, he walked over to Xie Ning, carrying another thermos.
The two roommates were not surprised at all. They both knew Xie Ning had germaphobia, so it was perfectly normal that he would get his own separate portion of food. It was just that this thermos was obviously much larger than the first one, and more refined too.
Pei Zhi sat down beside Xie Ning and opened the lid. Xie Ning froze.
Inside were not only nourishing soup, but also little spare ribs, freshly stewed bird’s nest, cheese-baked lobster… The plating was so exquisite it was dazzling.
Xie Ning looked at Pei Zhi. Pei Zhi’s face remained calm, but inwardly he had already started wagging his tail.
[Wife, hurry up and praise me!]
[Theirs was made by the housekeeper. Only my wife’s was made by me personally ^o^.]
[Wife, eat more, drink more, then your body can gain some weight and your immune system will get stronger… Why isn’t my wife eating? Why isn’t my wife saying anything? My wife is ignoring me, I’m going to die of heartbreak. Ah! My wife looked at me. So cute, so cute…]
[Sneaking in a little fuck. ]
Pei Zhi pulled open the drawer beneath the thermos and took out the utensils. He scooped up a spoonful of bird’s nest and held it to Xie Ning’s lips, while his other hand hovered beneath Xie Ning’s chin in case any spilled.
“Try the sweetness. If it’s not sweet enough, I can add a little rock sugar.” After Xie Ning took a sip, Pei Zhi asked as casually as he could, “Is it good?”
“…Mm.” Xie Ning said, “It’s good.”
After a brief silence, Xie Ning still could not help asking, “You made this, didn’t you?”
[? Why is my wife so smart?]
Pei Zhi had originally wanted to keep being stubborn, but under Xie Ning’s steady gaze, he simply could not lie. Lowering his voice, he asked, “How did you know?”
Xie Ning said, “Because I can read minds.”
Pei Zhi looked at him and raised one eyebrow. He was handsome to begin with, and with that lifted brow, he suddenly carried a bit of youthful swagger. He leaned in slowly until his face was almost touching Xie Ning’s, looking straight into his eyes. “Then what am I thinking right now?”
Xie Ning stared into Pei Zhi’s eyes.
[So beautiful.]
[Whose wife is this beautiful? Mine. Wanna kiss him. My wife’s mouth looks so soft and wet after just drinking bird’s nest… Lick my wife’s lips.]
[His eyelashes are so long too. Fuck him.]
[Fuck fuck fuck, my wife, fucked.]
[…]
Xie Ning had no idea how Pei Zhi managed it.
Pei Zhi had not even blinked once. His expression had not changed, his brow bone sharp and defined, his aura deep and cold.
Yet his inner thoughts were this lively.
In the end, Xie Ning was the first to give in. He slowly turned his head away, avoiding Pei Zhi’s gaze, the exposed tip of his ear faintly red.
Pei Zhi fed him another spoonful of bird’s nest and asked leisurely, “Why did you stop talking? What am I thinking?”
“Don’t you have mind-reading powers?”
Xie Ning’s rosy lips closed around the spoon. He lifted his eyes to glance at Pei Zhi, his eyes like glass beads misted with moisture.
Pei Zhi was not sure if it was his imagination, but the corners of Xie Ning’s eyes seemed a little red.
Embarrassed?
How was his skin this thin?
Seeing that Xie Ning could not keep up the act anymore, Pei Zhi did not press the matter. Instead, he found joking Xie Ning extremely cute.
…
The mixer event was set for the weekend, and everyone attending needed to check into the hotel on Friday.
To avoid bringing an extra suitcase, Gu Nian and Chen Xi shared one suitcase, while Xie Ning and Pei Zhi used the same one.
Neither of them had much to bring.
Half for Xie Ning, half for Pei Zhi—a single suitcase was just right.
With the flu going around recently, Pei Zhi put a mask on Xie Ning before they went out. Pei Zhi handled the driving and the suitcase.
Xie Ning’s hands were empty, and there was not much he could help with, so he simply stayed by Pei Zhi’s side. Wherever Pei Zhi went, he went too.
Pei Zhi felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
The hotel lobby was crowded with students chatting, flirting, and checking in.
“Please collect your key cards at the front desk. We’ve already checked everyone in using your IDs. Students from the School of Art and the School of Physical Education, please come register with me over here. Just put a check mark on the list, and then we’ll join the group face-to-face with the code… Don’t go to the wrong side, okay? The other side is for the School of Finance.”
At last, Xie Ning did not have to just stand there. He said, “Go get the room card. I’ll register with the classmates here.”
Pei Zhi checked Xie Ning’s mask. It was not loose. Then he pressed the back of his hand lightly against Xie Ning’s forehead. Not cold.
He withdrew his hand and rested it on the suitcase handle. “Mm. Go ahead. Once you’re done registering, don’t wander off. Wait for me to come back.”
Pei Zhi went to the front desk to get the room cards and also asked about the private hot springs. He had seen in the group chat earlier that it seemed every room came with a small personal hot spring.
The receptionist explained gently, “Only the suites come with a private mini hot spring of their own~ But the hot springs for the regular rooms are also very private and very nice too…”
Xie Ning had germaphobia, and somehow, just imagining him soaking in the same hot spring with a bunch of other people made Pei Zhi uncomfortable.
If those people made the hot spring water dirty, how was Xie Ning supposed to enjoy it?
Pei Zhi said, “It can be upgraded, right?”
The receptionist blinked.
This group had come as college students traveling together, and for them, being together was what mattered most. So whether the room had a private hot spring was not important. Very few people would deliberately spend the extra money to upgrade to a suite, especially since it was not a small sum for students.
“Yes, yes, you can just pay the room difference.”
Pei Zhi was about to swipe his card when Chen Xi and Gu Nian both leaned in, staring at him in confusion.
He nearly forgot he had two roommates too, so he added, “Upgrade theirs too.”
Gu Nian and Chen Xi immediately burst into grateful tears and bowed at the same time. “Father Pei is so generous!”
Not far away, Xie Ning was standing in line to register. Even with a mask on, showing only his brows and eyes, his presence was still striking.
The wind from outside lifted the hem of his clothes. His posture was tall and slim, a whole scene of its own.
Someone whispered, “Holy shit? Is that really Xie Ning? I thought it was just someone with the same name…! He never attends this kind of event. He doesn’t even attend class events.”
“Did I just hit the jackpot? I can’t believe I ran into Xie Ning. I’m definitely going to ask for his WeChat later.”
“…”
Xie Ning’s pale fingers held a ballpoint pen. He found the names of their dorm members on the list and marked each one with a check.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the student in charge behind him suddenly stood up and asked a little nervously, “Classmate, could I add your WeChat? I need to pull you into the group…”
Some event notices really did need to be posted in the group, and Xie Ning was just about to nod and say “okay” when the sound of suitcase wheels rolling across the floor came closer. The instant he lowered his eyes, an arm stretched across in front of him, and his view was blocked by a tall body.
Pei Zhi said coldly, “Wouldn’t a face-to-face group join work just fine?”
Pei Zhi’s face was so intimidating that the other person did not dare say anything more. He looked regretfully at Xie Ning. He had been so close—just one step away from getting Xie Ning’s contact.
“A face-to-face join works too. Enter 2222… okay.” He said, “Any notices will be sent in the group. You can all add each other as friends if you want.”
After joining the group, Pei Zhi turned sideways and lowered his head to adjust Xie Ning’s mask. When Xie Ning looked at him with faint confusion, Pei Zhi remained perfectly composed. “Your mask was crooked.”
Then he asked, “Cold?”
That caring, attentive attitude was completely different from the cold, aggressive way he had acted just moments ago.
Xie Ning shook his head. “A little hot.”
Although the temperature had dropped, there were a lot of people in the lobby, and the doors were not constantly open, so it was warmer inside. Standing there too long made it hot.
“Wait a little longer. There are too many people here. Once we get to the room, you can take the mask off.” The wind from before had slightly mussed Xie Ning’s hair, and Pei Zhi casually fixed it with one hand while pulling the suitcase with the other, leading Xie Ning toward the room.
Pei Zhi swiped open the room door. At the entrance was a simple cloakroom.
The room was large, with an excellent view. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows outside the courtyard was their private hot spring, green plants growing lush nearby while the hot spring gave off curling white steam.
Not bad.
Good privacy, good scenery. Pei Zhi turned his head to look at Xie Ning.
Xie Ning was good too.
The moment he entered the room, Xie Ning removed his mask. He looked like he had overheated. His fair cheeks were slightly flushed, and his hair had gotten a little messy from the mask straps.
He did not have especially high standards for a room. As long as it was clean, that was enough.
Clearly, this hot spring hotel was doing a good job. Every detail had been cleaned very thoroughly.
Passing through the living room and reaching the bedroom, Xie Ning paused.
Pei Zhi set down the suitcase. “Take a look around first. If you don’t like it, we can switch.”
“It’s fine.” Xie Ning hesitated for a moment. “It’s just…”
“Why is there only one bed?”
