Chapter 30: (TEOTW)
Jing Xia held the disobedient little rat and walked out of the underground garage.
The four short and thick chubby legs flailed in the air but because it was being held by its tail, it could only struggle in vain.
"Jiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Jing Xia's eyes turned cold. "Can't understand."
"Jiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Jing Xia lightly flicked the thin tail and the small black ball spun in the air. Its eyes widened in shock, not expecting to be suddenly thrown up like that. It squeaked in panic, its limbs flailing in the air for a moment before Jing Xia grabbed its chubby belly with both hands.
It was close to noon and the sunlight outside the garage was bright. The gentle light slanted down between the two tall residential buildings, softly caressing the earth, separating the darkness behind Jing Xia.
He gently squeezed the chubby body of the rat with his left hand while his right index finger extended from the neck, which had no visible boundary between flesh, to the base of its thigh.
"Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Pervert! Rogue!
Jing Xia glanced disdainfully at the almost negligible bulge of flesh and sneered, "Don't move, or I'll neuter you."
"Jijiji!! Jiji!!”
Ó╭╮Ò Bad….
Jing Xia didn't bother with the tearful little black ball anymore. He repeatedly touched the soft belly with his index finger seven or eight times. With each touch, his delicate brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Finally, he muttered to himself, “Swallowing such a big stone, not to mention death but I can't even feel a bump?”
Jing Xia stubbornly continued to touch several more times, causing the rat to squeak incessantly but he still couldn't feel the green stone that the little creature had swallowed. A bleak and cool breeze blew from the south, rustling the leaves and grass, as Jing Xia lost himself in thought while touching the rat. Suddenly, he heard a swift sound of breaking wind.
Instinctively, he erected a water wall to block the sudden attack. When he looked up again, he saw a half-human-sized mutant golden retriever baring its sharp teeth, glaring fiercely at him.
Unlike the pre-apocalypse mildness and friendliness, this mutant golden retriever emitted a fierce gaze, sharp teeth dripping with saliva, its body thin to the bones and its golden fur turned black and sticky. It had a grim wound on its right abdomen, with flesh and skin turned outward, revealing a mix of white and red flesh.
Jing Xia's eyes narrowed and he threw the little black ball back onto his head then earnestly stared at this obviously desperate mutant golden retriever. Being a relatively intelligent creature, the mutant golden retriever probably realized its impending death. It simply went all out, kicked off with its hind legs and lunged with its bloody mouth wide open at Jing Xia.
A sharp water blade cut it in half at the waist.
The two halves convulsed on the ground a few times, before finally losing all signs of life.
Dark red blood spread all over the floor. Jing Xia silently lowered his head and looked at the dead mutant creature for a long time then sighed softly.
Probably just E-rank and heavily injured. In his eyes, this was basically courting death.
The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of blood, perhaps due to the eerie nature of the mutants. Even after its death, the mutant golden retriever's blood continued to flow without clotting, staining a large area of the dark-colored tiles. Jing Xia furrowed his brow, intending to clean up the glaring mess on the floor, when he heard a swift and light wind sound behind him.
Reacting faster than his thoughts, he swiftly dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding a sharp wind blade. Jing Xia turned to look back, his gaze freezing as he saw the unexpected person.
"Jing Xia?!" Su Weishang, clearly surprised to see Jing Xia there, briefly displayed a disgusted expression on his delicate face before quickly masking it and asked, "Brother, what are you doing here?"
He wore another gentle and innocent smile.
Jing Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, not answering Su Weishang's question but instead asking, "What were you trying to do just now?"
Su Weishang blinked innocently with his large cat-like eyes and said, "I suddenly smelled blood and rushed over here. Without seeing clearly, I released a wind blade first. Brother, please don't misunderstand."
In the green garden covered with grass, Jing Xia stood under a mutant ginkgo tree over ten meters tall, looking coldly at the young man in front of him. After locking eyes for several tens of seconds, just as Su Weishang was struggling to maintain his deliberately friendly smile, Jing Xia reached up and gently touched the mutant hamster that was constantly squeaking on his head.
"Su Weishang, why are you here?"
Su Weishang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained, "I happened to be cleaning up nearby today and coincidentally encountered a mutant beast." His gaze swept over the mutant golden retriever behind Jing Xia, then continued with a smile, "It's that mutant golden retriever. I've been chasing it for a long time. Brother, the wound on its abdomen was caused by me."
Jing Xia turned his head without changing his expression and glanced at the mutant golden retriever on the ground, then said, "This wound has obviously turned black, indicating it's been at least a day since it was inflicted. Su Wei lshang, do you always maintain the same expression even when lying?" There was clear mockery and disdain in his tone.
The smile on Su Weishang's face completely disappeared and he looked embarrassed, his face turning pale.
He had never expected his lie to be exposed so quickly, feeling utterly exposed and vulnerable under the sunlight.
His fingers tightened slightly and Su Weishang gritted his teeth then forced a harmless smile, "I probably remembered it wrong, brother. You know, during fights, everything happens so fast, maybe I made a mistake."
Jing Xia lowered his gaze, "I didn't expect you, Su Weishang, to not confess voluntarily."
"?" Su Wei Shang looked up in confusion.
Jing Xia sneered, "I just casually threw a remark at you and you were so eager to come up with excuses. Quite adept at it, aren't you?"
Unable to maintain his calm demeanor any longer, Su Weishang's face suddenly turned dark. His fingers gradually stirred a gentle breeze, almost imperceptible in the windy weather. Lowering his head, he began to calculate in his mind: dealing with Jing Xia directly here had low chances of success and being around for cleanup made him a suspect.
With multiple reasons stacking up, Su Weishang clenched his fists angrily. The force was so strong that his nails dug into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
In a moment of quick thinking, although Jing Xia had no idea about the other's thoughts at that moment, he never let his guard down in front of this seemingly hypocritical young man. However, what neither of them expected was that the one to break this standoff would be the seemingly harmless little black ball.
"Jiji!! Jijiji!!"
Seemingly with a purpose, the incredibly fast mutant hamster slammed into the right pocket of Su Weishang's shirt. As it surprised him, causing him to step back, a bright green jade stone slipped out of Su Weishang's pocket and plummeted towards the hard stone ground.
The little black ball landed and immediately leaped again without hesitation, rushing towards the jade stone that was almost half its size. At the same time, Su Weishang widened his eyes and reached out to grab the dazzling and beautiful jade stone.
In the blink of an eye, a wind blade shot out from Su Weishang's hand directly towards the little black ball. Jing Xia immediately countered with a water arrow, deflecting the wind blade. However, the sudden impact sent Chirpy flying backward into the bushes, while Su Weishang caught the jade stone securely about 20 centimeters above the ground.
Jing Xia quickly gathered Chirpy from the bushes into his palm, carefully examining the little creature's body with a worry and urgency he hadn't realized he had. Upon finding that Chirpy was just stunned and quickly recovered, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As Chirpyi regained consciousness and stood up in Jing Xia's palm, chirping loudly towards Su Weishang nearby, seemingly very alert, Su Weishang narrowed his eyes. Under the bright sunlight, any darkness hidden in his pupils remained concealed.
He calmly returned the bright green jade stone to his pocket and said, "Brother, you really should discipline this mutant creature of yours. It's always charging at people, very dangerous. Should I report it to headquarters when I get back today?" His right hand was stuffed deep in his pocket, tightly gripping the cold jade stone inside, his face displaying a calm and composed demeanor.
However, Jing Xia observed Su Weishang for a moment and then suddenly smiled.
"Su Weishang, are you trying to threaten me with that?"
Su Weishang clenched his teeth slightly. "Brother, I have things to attend to today. You wouldn't want the higher-ups to assess the danger of your mutant creature, would you?"
The curve at the corner of Jing Xia's lips lowered, and he looked at Su Weizhang coldly. "Fine, you go your way, I'll go mine. But Su Weishang, I remind you, I know everything you're thinking. Don't do anything meaningless. If you make even the slightest move, I'll cut off your retreat."
Su Weishang widened his beautiful eyes, staring fixedly at the young man in front of him.
Bathed in the brilliant and gentle sunlight, this person was undoubtedly favored by heaven, possessing advantages beyond comparison. His proud chin and eyes that never met his gaze were all mocking Su Weishang. The gap between them was predetermined from the start and couldn't be changed.
"You're nothing but someone with a dead mother, Jing Xia. You're nothing at all!"
The suppressed resentment and jealousy in Su Weishang's heart surged even more. Slowly, he lowered his laugh and flashed a pure, kind smile. "Okay, brother, I'll always respect you as before."
Watching Su Weishang's departing figure, Jing Xia furrowed his brow slowly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to deal with Su Weishang directly but at this moment, he had no reason to accuse this young man. In his past life, when he was alone at the Jing estate guarding the steward Wang's body, it was Su Weishang who, along with Wu Jiqing, found him.
From that moment they gathered together until he was ultimately trampled underfoot by this young man.
Su Weishang had always portrayed himself well to others, so much so that even Qin Chu changed his view of Su Weishang later on.
Seeing Su Weishang seemingly searching for something, Jing Xia sighed deeply and then turned abruptly, carrying the little black ball in his palm as he left.
In the chaotic abandoned neighborhood, one was diligently clearing dangers and quickly completing tasks while the other seemed just as busy, killing mutant beasts and discreetly searching for something.
Shortly after noon, Jing Xia finished his task and walked with Zhou Yi towards the border defense of Sector 81. What he didn't know was that until it was dark with stars filling the sky, Su Weishang had not left that neighborhood. He searched the vicinity of the underground parking lot three times before pretending to get lost and smiling as he followed Wu Jiqing when the latter came to find him.
Inside the small and cozy dormitory, there was only Jing Xia.
A crisp sound of keys at the door caught Jing Xia's attention and he immediately turned to look at the entrance. He saw a tall and straight figure walking through the foyer, taking off a black long coat and placing it on a rack. Ji Chuancheng strode gracefully, reaching the table in a few steps.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
The chubby little black ball was slanted on Jing Xia's head, its short and thick legs somehow supporting its head as it looked up at the sudden appearance of the human.
Jing Xia replied, "I'm not used to being alone until you all come back. By the way, why hasn't Yu Jie returned yet?"
"He awakened during the ability test with me. Professor Lu asked him to stay for care and he should awaken his ability by tomorrow." Sensing the concern in Jing Xia, Ji Chuancheng lowered his gaze and added, "It's confirmed that the evolution was successful and we'll know the specific ability by tomorrow."
Jing Xia nodded in understanding.
With seemingly casual sharp eyes, Ji Chuancheng glanced at the black ball on Jing Xia's head then reached out and grabbed its four thick legs, lifting up the little creature.
"Jijiji!!! Jijijiji!!! Jijijiji!!"
Jing Xia was puzzled. "What's wrong?”
“Qin Chu made a nest for it," Ji Chuan Cheng paused for a moment then continued, "From today onwards, it will sleep next door."
"..."
Frantically wagging its little tail, Little Black Ball vigorously shook its head, making "Jiji Jijiji" sounds continuously, seemingly resisting this forced agreement. However, Ji Chuancheng paid no attention, furrowing his brows as a bright flame suddenly flared up five centimeters away from Little Black Ball's head.
"Jijiji!! Jijiji…⊙﹏⊙!"
The whole small body shrank into a ball in fear. This time, there was no need for Ji Chuancheng to hold it anymore. Little Black Ball obediently stood in the man's large palm, rubbing its chubby little face against the palm, making contented sounds.
"..." Jing Xia angrily said, "You're so cowardly!"
"Jijiji jijijiji~~~"
As he bid farewell to the little black ball that had followed him for over a month, Jing Xia inexplicably felt a hint of nostalgia. After all, it had been squatting on his head for so long. Suddenly missing the weight of the chubby body on his head, Jing Xia gradually felt uncomfortable all over.
"How was today's cleaning task?" a deep, magnetic male voice suddenly sounded.
Jing Xia instinctively looked up and saw Ji Chuancheng looking at him quietly under the dim yellowish light. The light cast a faint shadow on his right cheek from the left, accentuating his prominent nose and giving him a stern expression.
"It's okay, nothing unexpected happened."
Deliberately concealing the incident with Su Weishang, Jing Xia awkwardly turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.
Watching the young man's ears gradually redden, Ji Chuancheng's deep eyes narrowed slightly, his thin lips pursing. "Tomorrow, you will come to the research institute with me."
Jing Xia was taken aback by the sudden request and turned to look at Ji Chuancheng in surprise. "Why?"
Seemingly stunned by the young man's widened eyes, Ji Chuancheng looked at Jing Xia's puzzled and surprised expression, a barely perceptible smile curling up at the corner of his lips. "To train together, at least... to help you build some muscles."
This statement completely stunned Jing Xia.
With a snort, he didn't say another word but immediately took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his fair and slender arms, and said, "See, do I need to train muscles? Isn't this enough?" As he spoke, he flexed his arm to show off his muscles.
Ji Chuancheng expressionlessly pinched the small lump of negligible hardness, casually saying, "This is muscle?"
As he spoke, Ji Chuancheng pressed down with his fingers, causing Jing Xia to wince in pain. Jing Xia forcefully freed his poor muscles from the other's hand then smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Since you say this isn't muscle, then... let me see yours!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the young man suddenly stood up and reached out with his hand but before his hand could touch the man's skin, his wrist was grabbed. With a twist and a turn, Jing Xia's entire upper body was pressed onto the cold tabletop, his hands restrained.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch... A’Chuan! You jerk! Let go!!!"
The cold and indifferent expression gradually softened as Ji Chuancheng lowered his head, a low smile appearing on his lips. His fingers climbed upwards, covering the slender shoulders of the young man. He gently applied pressure to the shoulder wells, lightly massaging them, eliciting a low moan of relief from Jing Xia.
As his eyes gradually darkened, Ji Chuancheng whispered softly, "This is the shoulder well point, relieves fatigue and tension."
"This is the Shenshu point, relieves lower back pain and soreness."
"This is..."
The man's slender and long fingers continued to massage the shoulders and waist of Jing Xia. With his movements, the tense muscles gradually relaxed and Jing Xia contentedly lay on the table, enjoying this luxurious massage.
The moonlight was dim, filtering through the window curtains into the room. The lamp light was a faint yellow, illuminating only a small corner.
Ji Chuancheng looked earnestly at the slender back of the young man, whose skin was fair and delicate, feeling reluctant to leave its pleasant touch. His movements were very gentle, each press carefully measured, as if treating the most precious treasure.
After a long time, Jing Xia slowly drifted into sleep, feeling comfortable. He turned over, hugged the blanket in a poor sleeping position, and kicked his long legs, landing them right in front of Ji Chuancheng's eyes.
Letting out a low sigh, Ji Chuancheng shook his head. "You..."
It seemed like a reproach, yet also a sigh of resignation.
The lamp was switched off.
The night was still long.
Chapter 30: (TEOTW)
Jing Xia held the disobedient little rat and walked out of the underground garage.
The four short and thick chubby legs flailed in the air but because it was being held by its tail, it could only struggle in vain.
"Jiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Jing Xia's eyes turned cold. "Can't understand."
"Jiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Jing Xia lightly flicked the thin tail and the small black ball spun in the air. Its eyes widened in shock, not expecting to be suddenly thrown up like that. It squeaked in panic, its limbs flailing in the air for a moment before Jing Xia grabbed its chubby belly with both hands.
It was close to noon and the sunlight outside the garage was bright. The gentle light slanted down between the two tall residential buildings, softly caressing the earth, separating the darkness behind Jing Xia.
He gently squeezed the chubby body of the rat with his left hand while his right index finger extended from the neck, which had no visible boundary between flesh, to the base of its thigh.
"Jijiji!! Jijiji!!"
Pervert! Rogue!
Jing Xia glanced disdainfully at the almost negligible bulge of flesh and sneered, "Don't move, or I'll neuter you."
"Jijiji!! Jiji!!”
Ó╭╮Ò Bad….
Jing Xia didn't bother with the tearful little black ball anymore. He repeatedly touched the soft belly with his index finger seven or eight times. With each touch, his delicate brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Finally, he muttered to himself, “Swallowing such a big stone, not to mention death but I can't even feel a bump?”
Jing Xia stubbornly continued to touch several more times, causing the rat to squeak incessantly but he still couldn't feel the green stone that the little creature had swallowed. A bleak and cool breeze blew from the south, rustling the leaves and grass, as Jing Xia lost himself in thought while touching the rat. Suddenly, he heard a swift sound of breaking wind.
Instinctively, he erected a water wall to block the sudden attack. When he looked up again, he saw a half-human-sized mutant golden retriever baring its sharp teeth, glaring fiercely at him.
Unlike the pre-apocalypse mildness and friendliness, this mutant golden retriever emitted a fierce gaze, sharp teeth dripping with saliva, its body thin to the bones and its golden fur turned black and sticky. It had a grim wound on its right abdomen, with flesh and skin turned outward, revealing a mix of white and red flesh.
Jing Xia's eyes narrowed and he threw the little black ball back onto his head then earnestly stared at this obviously desperate mutant golden retriever. Being a relatively intelligent creature, the mutant golden retriever probably realized its impending death. It simply went all out, kicked off with its hind legs and lunged with its bloody mouth wide open at Jing Xia.
A sharp water blade cut it in half at the waist.
The two halves convulsed on the ground a few times, before finally losing all signs of life.
Dark red blood spread all over the floor. Jing Xia silently lowered his head and looked at the dead mutant creature for a long time then sighed softly.
Probably just E-rank and heavily injured. In his eyes, this was basically courting death.
The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of blood, perhaps due to the eerie nature of the mutants. Even after its death, the mutant golden retriever's blood continued to flow without clotting, staining a large area of the dark-colored tiles. Jing Xia furrowed his brow, intending to clean up the glaring mess on the floor, when he heard a swift and light wind sound behind him.
Reacting faster than his thoughts, he swiftly dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding a sharp wind blade. Jing Xia turned to look back, his gaze freezing as he saw the unexpected person.
"Jing Xia?!" Su Weishang, clearly surprised to see Jing Xia there, briefly displayed a disgusted expression on his delicate face before quickly masking it and asked, "Brother, what are you doing here?"
He wore another gentle and innocent smile.
Jing Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, not answering Su Weishang's question but instead asking, "What were you trying to do just now?"
Su Weishang blinked innocently with his large cat-like eyes and said, "I suddenly smelled blood and rushed over here. Without seeing clearly, I released a wind blade first. Brother, please don't misunderstand."
In the green garden covered with grass, Jing Xia stood under a mutant ginkgo tree over ten meters tall, looking coldly at the young man in front of him. After locking eyes for several tens of seconds, just as Su Weishang was struggling to maintain his deliberately friendly smile, Jing Xia reached up and gently touched the mutant hamster that was constantly squeaking on his head.
"Su Weishang, why are you here?"
Su Weishang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained, "I happened to be cleaning up nearby today and coincidentally encountered a mutant beast." His gaze swept over the mutant golden retriever behind Jing Xia, then continued with a smile, "It's that mutant golden retriever. I've been chasing it for a long time. Brother, the wound on its abdomen was caused by me."
Jing Xia turned his head without changing his expression and glanced at the mutant golden retriever on the ground, then said, "This wound has obviously turned black, indicating it's been at least a day since it was inflicted. Su Wei lshang, do you always maintain the same expression even when lying?" There was clear mockery and disdain in his tone.
The smile on Su Weishang's face completely disappeared and he looked embarrassed, his face turning pale.
He had never expected his lie to be exposed so quickly, feeling utterly exposed and vulnerable under the sunlight.
His fingers tightened slightly and Su Weishang gritted his teeth then forced a harmless smile, "I probably remembered it wrong, brother. You know, during fights, everything happens so fast, maybe I made a mistake."
Jing Xia lowered his gaze, "I didn't expect you, Su Weishang, to not confess voluntarily."
"?" Su Wei Shang looked up in confusion.
Jing Xia sneered, "I just casually threw a remark at you and you were so eager to come up with excuses. Quite adept at it, aren't you?"
Unable to maintain his calm demeanor any longer, Su Weishang's face suddenly turned dark. His fingers gradually stirred a gentle breeze, almost imperceptible in the windy weather. Lowering his head, he began to calculate in his mind: dealing with Jing Xia directly here had low chances of success and being around for cleanup made him a suspect.
With multiple reasons stacking up, Su Weishang clenched his fists angrily. The force was so strong that his nails dug into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
In a moment of quick thinking, although Jing Xia had no idea about the other's thoughts at that moment, he never let his guard down in front of this seemingly hypocritical young man. However, what neither of them expected was that the one to break this standoff would be the seemingly harmless little black ball.
"Jiji!! Jijiji!!"
Seemingly with a purpose, the incredibly fast mutant hamster slammed into the right pocket of Su Weishang's shirt. As it surprised him, causing him to step back, a bright green jade stone slipped out of Su Weishang's pocket and plummeted towards the hard stone ground.
The little black ball landed and immediately leaped again without hesitation, rushing towards the jade stone that was almost half its size. At the same time, Su Weishang widened his eyes and reached out to grab the dazzling and beautiful jade stone.
In the blink of an eye, a wind blade shot out from Su Weishang's hand directly towards the little black ball. Jing Xia immediately countered with a water arrow, deflecting the wind blade. However, the sudden impact sent Chirpy flying backward into the bushes, while Su Weishang caught the jade stone securely about 20 centimeters above the ground.
Jing Xia quickly gathered Chirpy from the bushes into his palm, carefully examining the little creature's body with a worry and urgency he hadn't realized he had. Upon finding that Chirpy was just stunned and quickly recovered, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As Chirpyi regained consciousness and stood up in Jing Xia's palm, chirping loudly towards Su Weishang nearby, seemingly very alert, Su Weishang narrowed his eyes. Under the bright sunlight, any darkness hidden in his pupils remained concealed.
He calmly returned the bright green jade stone to his pocket and said, "Brother, you really should discipline this mutant creature of yours. It's always charging at people, very dangerous. Should I report it to headquarters when I get back today?" His right hand was stuffed deep in his pocket, tightly gripping the cold jade stone inside, his face displaying a calm and composed demeanor.
However, Jing Xia observed Su Weishang for a moment and then suddenly smiled.
"Su Weishang, are you trying to threaten me with that?"
Su Weishang clenched his teeth slightly. "Brother, I have things to attend to today. You wouldn't want the higher-ups to assess the danger of your mutant creature, would you?"
The curve at the corner of Jing Xia's lips lowered, and he looked at Su Weizhang coldly. "Fine, you go your way, I'll go mine. But Su Weishang, I remind you, I know everything you're thinking. Don't do anything meaningless. If you make even the slightest move, I'll cut off your retreat."
Su Weishang widened his beautiful eyes, staring fixedly at the young man in front of him.
Bathed in the brilliant and gentle sunlight, this person was undoubtedly favored by heaven, possessing advantages beyond comparison. His proud chin and eyes that never met his gaze were all mocking Su Weishang. The gap between them was predetermined from the start and couldn't be changed.
"You're nothing but someone with a dead mother, Jing Xia. You're nothing at all!"
The suppressed resentment and jealousy in Su Weishang's heart surged even more. Slowly, he lowered his laugh and flashed a pure, kind smile. "Okay, brother, I'll always respect you as before."
Watching Su Weishang's departing figure, Jing Xia furrowed his brow slowly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to deal with Su Weishang directly but at this moment, he had no reason to accuse this young man. In his past life, when he was alone at the Jing estate guarding the steward Wang's body, it was Su Weishang who, along with Wu Jiqing, found him.
From that moment they gathered together until he was ultimately trampled underfoot by this young man.
Su Weishang had always portrayed himself well to others, so much so that even Qin Chu changed his view of Su Weishang later on.
Seeing Su Weishang seemingly searching for something, Jing Xia sighed deeply and then turned abruptly, carrying the little black ball in his palm as he left.
In the chaotic abandoned neighborhood, one was diligently clearing dangers and quickly completing tasks while the other seemed just as busy, killing mutant beasts and discreetly searching for something.
Shortly after noon, Jing Xia finished his task and walked with Zhou Yi towards the border defense of Sector 81. What he didn't know was that until it was dark with stars filling the sky, Su Weishang had not left that neighborhood. He searched the vicinity of the underground parking lot three times before pretending to get lost and smiling as he followed Wu Jiqing when the latter came to find him.
Inside the small and cozy dormitory, there was only Jing Xia.
A crisp sound of keys at the door caught Jing Xia's attention and he immediately turned to look at the entrance. He saw a tall and straight figure walking through the foyer, taking off a black long coat and placing it on a rack. Ji Chuancheng strode gracefully, reaching the table in a few steps.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
The chubby little black ball was slanted on Jing Xia's head, its short and thick legs somehow supporting its head as it looked up at the sudden appearance of the human.
Jing Xia replied, "I'm not used to being alone until you all come back. By the way, why hasn't Yu Jie returned yet?"
"He awakened during the ability test with me. Professor Lu asked him to stay for care and he should awaken his ability by tomorrow." Sensing the concern in Jing Xia, Ji Chuancheng lowered his gaze and added, "It's confirmed that the evolution was successful and we'll know the specific ability by tomorrow."
Jing Xia nodded in understanding.
With seemingly casual sharp eyes, Ji Chuancheng glanced at the black ball on Jing Xia's head then reached out and grabbed its four thick legs, lifting up the little creature.
"Jijiji!!! Jijijiji!!! Jijijiji!!"
Jing Xia was puzzled. "What's wrong?”
“Qin Chu made a nest for it," Ji Chuan Cheng paused for a moment then continued, "From today onwards, it will sleep next door."
"..."
Frantically wagging its little tail, Little Black Ball vigorously shook its head, making "Jiji Jijiji" sounds continuously, seemingly resisting this forced agreement. However, Ji Chuancheng paid no attention, furrowing his brows as a bright flame suddenly flared up five centimeters away from Little Black Ball's head.
"Jijiji!! Jijiji…⊙﹏⊙!"
The whole small body shrank into a ball in fear. This time, there was no need for Ji Chuancheng to hold it anymore. Little Black Ball obediently stood in the man's large palm, rubbing its chubby little face against the palm, making contented sounds.
"..." Jing Xia angrily said, "You're so cowardly!"
"Jijiji jijijiji~~~"
As he bid farewell to the little black ball that had followed him for over a month, Jing Xia inexplicably felt a hint of nostalgia. After all, it had been squatting on his head for so long. Suddenly missing the weight of the chubby body on his head, Jing Xia gradually felt uncomfortable all over.
"How was today's cleaning task?" a deep, magnetic male voice suddenly sounded.
Jing Xia instinctively looked up and saw Ji Chuancheng looking at him quietly under the dim yellowish light. The light cast a faint shadow on his right cheek from the left, accentuating his prominent nose and giving him a stern expression.
"It's okay, nothing unexpected happened."
Deliberately concealing the incident with Su Weishang, Jing Xia awkwardly turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.
Watching the young man's ears gradually redden, Ji Chuancheng's deep eyes narrowed slightly, his thin lips pursing. "Tomorrow, you will come to the research institute with me."
Jing Xia was taken aback by the sudden request and turned to look at Ji Chuancheng in surprise. "Why?"
Seemingly stunned by the young man's widened eyes, Ji Chuancheng looked at Jing Xia's puzzled and surprised expression, a barely perceptible smile curling up at the corner of his lips. "To train together, at least... to help you build some muscles."
This statement completely stunned Jing Xia.
With a snort, he didn't say another word but immediately took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his fair and slender arms, and said, "See, do I need to train muscles? Isn't this enough?" As he spoke, he flexed his arm to show off his muscles.
Ji Chuancheng expressionlessly pinched the small lump of negligible hardness, casually saying, "This is muscle?"
As he spoke, Ji Chuancheng pressed down with his fingers, causing Jing Xia to wince in pain. Jing Xia forcefully freed his poor muscles from the other's hand then smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Since you say this isn't muscle, then... let me see yours!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the young man suddenly stood up and reached out with his hand but before his hand could touch the man's skin, his wrist was grabbed. With a twist and a turn, Jing Xia's entire upper body was pressed onto the cold tabletop, his hands restrained.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch... A’Chuan! You jerk! Let go!!!"
The cold and indifferent expression gradually softened as Ji Chuancheng lowered his head, a low smile appearing on his lips. His fingers climbed upwards, covering the slender shoulders of the young man. He gently applied pressure to the shoulder wells, lightly massaging them, eliciting a low moan of relief from Jing Xia.
As his eyes gradually darkened, Ji Chuancheng whispered softly, "This is the shoulder well point, relieves fatigue and tension."
"This is the Shenshu point, relieves lower back pain and soreness."
"This is..."
The man's slender and long fingers continued to massage the shoulders and waist of Jing Xia. With his movements, the tense muscles gradually relaxed and Jing Xia contentedly lay on the table, enjoying this luxurious massage.
The moonlight was dim, filtering through the window curtains into the room. The lamp light was a faint yellow, illuminating only a small corner.
Ji Chuancheng looked earnestly at the slender back of the young man, whose skin was fair and delicate, feeling reluctant to leave its pleasant touch. His movements were very gentle, each press carefully measured, as if treating the most precious treasure.
After a long time, Jing Xia slowly drifted into sleep, feeling comfortable. He turned over, hugged the blanket in a poor sleeping position, and kicked his long legs, landing them right in front of Ji Chuancheng's eyes.
Letting out a low sigh, Ji Chuancheng shook his head. "You..."
It seemed like a reproach, yet also a sigh of resignation.
The lamp was switched off.
The night was still long.
