CHAPTER 131: YOU ARE SO CHILDISH

Jian Wei, heading downstairs with a scowl, muttered, "Even your own brother can’t stand you."

Xiaobao had been on her way to the guest room to sleep, but hearing him, she paused. Since Jian Wei wanted to play games, she decided she would indulge him. "If you missed me, you could have just said that," she teased, her tone sharp but playful.

Jian Wei froze. "..." He realized too late that he had provoked a snake. Once Xiaobao sank her teeth in, she wouldn’t let go.

"Don’t you have something better to do?" Jian Wei grumbled, walking faster to escape. But Xiaobao followed closely behind, her voice sing-song. "Senior, I have some questions to ask."

Meanwhile, in the middle of the night, Jian Ci quietly opened the door adjoining their rooms. He tiptoed inside, clutching a pillow, his movements careful not to wake Yu Xi up.

"Little Xi," Jian Ci whispered.

Yu Xi stirred, not sleeping deeply. "Mm," he murmured, his voice low and drowsy.

Jian Ci smiled faintly, relief washing over him. Even in the quiet of night, he sought Yu Xi’s presence, as though it anchored him.

He whispered into the dim room, "Are you sleeping?"

Yu Xi’s voice came back, low and dry. "What do you think?"

Jian Ci grinned, not deterred in the slightest. He leapt onto the bed, landing beside Yu Xi with a bounce. "Move over," he demanded cheerfully.

Yu Xi sighed but shifted to the side. "Why are your feet cold?" he muttered.

"I don’t know," Jian Ci replied, sliding his icy toes against Yu Xi’s legs. "Warm me up."

Yu Xi yelped, jerking his legs away, but Jian Ci clamped down stubbornly. "Come on, Little Xi, don’t be stingy."

"Your legs are fucking freezing," Yu Xi retorted, glaring at him in the dark. "What the fuck were you doing?"

"I took a shower," Jian Ci said innocently.

"A cold shower?" Yu Xi shot back, still tussling with him.

The two wrestled under the covers, their laughter muffled by the night. Eventually, Yu Xi lost—not because Jian Ci was stronger, but because he gave in. He let their feet touch, the warmth slowly spreading despite the chill.

In the shadows, Yu Xi’s lips curved into a faint smile. This was what he wanted all along, and Jian Ci had walked right into the trap.

Unaware that he had played into Yu Xi’s plan, Jian Ci lay flat on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his expression unreadable. It was obvious he wanted to say something, but the words remained trapped in his throat. Yu Xi, lying beside him, didn’t even need to look. He could feel Jian Ci’s emotions pressing against the silence, heavy and restless.

"What’s wrong?" Yu Xi asked softly.

Jian Ci shuffled, turning slightly to look at the back of Yu Xi’s head. "How do you know I have something on my mind?"

Yu Xi smirked faintly. "I can hear you sighing all the way over there."

"I didn’t sigh," Jian Ci protested, folding his hands under his head.

"In your head," Yu Xi replied, smiling. "I can hear you."

Jian Ci chuckled. "Little Xi can read minds, huh? Then what am I thinking about now?"

Yu Xi paused, closing his eyes for a moment. "You are thinking that I should look at you, because you want to tell me something."

Jian Ci sat up slightly, startled. "How did you know? Can you really read my mind?"

Yu Xi sighed, finally turning to face him. "What is it?"

Jian Ci hesitated, then spoke quietly. "Alarna asked me out."

Yu Xi’s chest tightened instantly, a sharp pang cutting through him. He stared at Jian Ci, waiting, his breath caught in his throat. What mattered now wasn’t the question—it was Jian Ci’s answer.

Jian Ci leaned back against the pillows, his voice steady but tinged with amusement. "I refused her, obviously."

Yu Xi pursed his lips, his heart letting out a quiet sigh of relief he didn’t dare show. "She seems to like you a lot," he said carefully. "And she’s... nice."

Jian Ci exhaled, his tone heavier now. "She is nice, but she’s not my type. I just don’t feel anything when I am around her."

Yu Xi’s brow arched. He knew Jian Ci had rejected countless people before, but he had never asked what exactly Jian Ci was searching for. "Or is it that you are waiting for your wife to come find you?"

Jian Ci chuckled, eyes glinting. "The wife you robbed me of."

Yu Xi licked his lower lip slightly, his voice low. "You can have her back."

Jian Ci laughed. "You won a bet and asked for her, and now you want to give her back?" Mind you, this was all for a digital poster."

Yu Xi’s tone sharpened. "You can have her back. You keep crying about her all the time."

Jian Ci smirked, shaking his head. "I don’t take things I gave away. Besides, I just like complaining to you. What’s wrong with that?"

Yu Xi groaned, turning around to face the wall. "You are ridiculous."

But Jian Ci’s smile lingered, knowing full well that Yu Xi’s irritation was only a mask. He leaned over, his shadow falling across Yu Xi, and asked with a curious tilt of his head, "Why don’t you want the digital poster anymore when I gave it to you?"

Yu Xi sighed, his expression heavy. "You really want to know?"

Jian Ci nodded firmly. "Yeah."

Yu Xi hesitated, then said, "Promise you won’t freak out."

Jian Ci scoffed. "Psht, I am not that dramatic."

Yu Xi gave him a look that said you must be joking. Jian Ci grinned. "Come on, tell me. You promised you would tell me everything."

Yu Xi turned back to face him. "Fine."

Jian Ci flopped down, pulling the bed cover over his head like a child. "I am all ears."

Yu Xi’s voice was quiet but steady. "I don’t like female guides."

For a moment Jian Ci couldn’t process the words. He blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"You said you wouldn’t freak out," Yu Xi reminded him.

"I—I am not freaking out," Jian Ci stammered. "It’s just... at the party you said—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Yu Xi interrupted. "But I was on the spot and didn’t know what to say."

Jian Ci’s lips curved into a teasing smile. "Ahhh, is it because of Rowland?"

Yu Xi froze, his face tightening. "..." It was his turn to be speechless.

Finally, Yu Xi muttered, "No."

Jian Ci leaned closer, his grin mischievous. "Come on, you can tell me," he teased, his voice deliberately provoking.

Yu Xi, who had reached the end of his patience, shuffled around and tried to climb off the bed. But Jian Ci was faster, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back down. "Why are you running away? Are you shy?" Jian Ci laughed, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Let go," Yu Xi snapped, struggling against him. "You... you are so childish."