Chapter 45: “Want to Touch?”
Xie Shibai opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling with a somewhat confused expression. Only after noticing there were no cameras did he realize that the variety show recording was paused.
He moved a little, lowering his eyes to look at the hand lying across his waist. The memories of last night revived in his mind.
Xie Shibai rubbed his forehead and moved Lu Ciheng’s hand away. Just as he was about to get out of bed, his waist was suddenly encircled by an arm.
The solid arm circled the slender waist, and with a slight force, pulled him back.
Lu Ciheng looked like he hadn’t woken up yet. He wasn’t quite lucid, relying entirely on instinct to encircle Xie Shibai, his fingers shackling his chin. “Teacher Xie, you’re awake?”
Xie Shibai’s eyelashes widened slightly, dodging backward away from Lu Ciheng’s hand.
Lu Ciheng narrowed his eyes. As Xie Shibai dodged back, he approached, his fingers grinding against Xie Shibai’s cheek. His calloused fingertips felt the soft skin, lamenting with contradiction, “The marks on your face have faded.”
Yesterday, in order to help Xie Shibai control his breathing, due to the suddenness of the situation, he hadn’t controlled his strength well. He had pressed red finger marks onto Xie Shibai’s cheeks. They had a promotional livestream the next day. Lu Ciheng sat by the bed applying ice all night to eliminate all the marks.
Xie Shibai felt uncomfortable having his cheek rubbed. He raised his hand to press against Lu Ciheng’s face and pushed him away forcefully. “Let go.”
Lu Ciheng grabbed Xie Shibai’s hand and observed carefully for a few seconds. Seeing no sequelae mentioned by the doctor, his eyes curved. He actively placed his face in Xie Shibai’s hand, letting Xie Shibai’s fair, slender hand cover his mouth and nose, breathing in the cool scent.
He looked like he was apologizing, yet his black eyes stared straight ahead. “Teacher Xie, I accidentally made your face very red yesterday. Do you want to cover me back?”
Xie Shibai paused for a few seconds. He thought Lu Ciheng would ask what happened yesterday. Staring at the black eyes for a few seconds, he tried to withdraw his hand. “I don’t have that kind of hobby.”
Lu Ciheng didn’t let go, his eyes shining as he said seriously, “You could have.”
It was as if one could see an invisible tail behind Lu Ciheng, wagging in circles with anticipation.
Xie Shibai: “?”
He slapped Lu Ciheng’s face back with his palm, gritting his teeth. “You really are a pervert.”
Xie Shibai looked at the breakfast in front of him, which was perfect in color, aroma, and taste. The plated eggs were heart-shaped. The simple meal was exquisitely made, and the taste and texture were very good.
If he ignored the body swaying back and forth in front of his eyes, it would be a very immersive breakfast experience.
Lu Ciheng wore loose casual trousers on his lower body. After showering, he wore nothing on his upper body except an apron, revealing solid, broad shoulders. The muscle lines of his back were smooth like mountain ranges. His long arms were powerful, capable of easily lifting a person—Xie Shibai had already learned this yesterday; even carrying him up a flight of stairs didn’t disturb his breathing.
When turning sideways, the abdominal muscles at his waist were vaguely visible under the apron. The person opposite seemed to know how his body looked and displayed it unreservedly. Every gesture hid an obvious seduction.
Xie Shibai looked away, lowered his eyes, and took a bite of the heart-shaped egg. After Lu Ciheng swayed past him for the nth time, he spoke up, “Are you very hot?”
Lu Ciheng, who had been ‘peacocking’ all morning, immediately leaned in. “It’s okay. Mainly, the doctor said you need to maintain a happy mood.”
Xie Shibai looked up, unable to understand. “What does keeping me in a happy mood have to do with you not wearing a shirt?”
Lu Ciheng smiled and said, “I searched online. They all say looking at abs more can maintain a happy mood.”
Xie Shibai: “…” Thanks, but I don’t really want to look either.
“Go away, don’t disturb my meal.”
Lu Ciheng immediately asked, “Teacher Xie, how does breakfast taste today?”
Xie Shibai ate the last bite. “Terrible.”
Lu Ciheng chuckled as he looked at the empty plate. He only found Xie Shibai’s duplicity (saying one thing but meaning another) terribly cute. “I will definitely refine my cooking skills.”
Xie Shibai was just about to get up and leave the dining table when Lu Ciheng immediately stepped forward. “Teacher Xie, where are you going? I’ll carry you. The doctor said to avoid strenuous exercise.”
Xie Shibai glanced at him sideways. “I’m just walking.”
Lu Ciheng: “That’s not allowed either.”
Xie Shibai: “…You are so annoying.”
Lu Ciheng made “mm-hmm” sounds and picked him up by the waist, cherishing him as if holding the Princess and the Pea.
Xie Shibai’s hands had nowhere to place. He stared at Lu Ciheng for two seconds then looked away. His attitude was an indulgence he didn’t even realize himself.
Physical contact with Lu Ciheng did indeed alleviate the anxious emotions in his heart.
Although he didn’t understand why, this kind of physical contact was slightly addictive.
Follow-up care for respiratory alkalosis required special attention. Once it happens, it can easily be triggered again during emotional agitation.
Lu Ciheng had just finished confirming the foods Xie Shibai needed to avoid with the doctor when he received a call from Zhuang Bo.
He answered the phone. “Found it?”
Zhuang Bo on the other end replied, “Mn, it’s Ye Yingpu. When Teacher Xie was seven or eight years old, he received treatment for mental illness at Hongshan Sanitarium for two years. The Xie family was very cautious; confidentiality was strictly maintained. Apart from the personnel involved at the time, basically very few people know.”
Lu Ciheng held the glass cup, his face turning cold.
Two years. No wonder.
“His attending physician was Ye Yingpu. Not long after Ye Yingpu hooked up with the Xie family, he was promoted to professor. But his reputation isn’t good; there have been scandals about him being an academic tyrant. Moreover, his treatment methods are problematic. Rather than saying they are radical, it’s better to say…”
Zhuang Bo recalled what he had read and felt somewhat angry. “This guy promotes electrotherapy.”
With a crisp crack, the glass cup in Lu Ciheng’s hand was crushed. Shattered glass cut across his palm, and blood spilled from the wound, but he seemed unable to feel pain. He threw the shattered glass into the trash can, his expression leaving only icy coldness.
“Ye Yingpu went to the Xie family yesterday for the Academician evaluation.”
Lu Ciheng rinsed the blood off his hand with water.
Xie Shibai losing control of his emotions was very likely because he met Ye Yingpu at the Xie house yesterday.
Zhuang Bo continued, “He has many students who have protested long ago, but their voices are weak and easily suppressed. Ye Yingpu has backers; students trying to fight him are like eggs striking a rock. I’ve already contacted them in advance. Some are willing to step forward and report him, including some of his former patients—they are all willing to stand up. Should we inform Teacher Xie’s side?”
Lu Ciheng flipped through the patent papers by Ye Yingpu that Zhuang Bo had sent. When his eyes landed on the title about microcurrents and neurons, his face was as cold as glacial ice.
“Don’t tell him for now.”
Lu Ciheng wasn’t simply playing around. He had a bad temper and sought revenge for the smallest grievance. Life abroad had aggravated the ruthlessness in his nature. Only in front of Xie Shibai was he harmless like a Beagle in its appreciation period. The evaluations of him within the circle had never been wrong.
He wanted the people who hurt Xie Shibai to suffer unbearable backlash.
Lu Ciheng casually wiped the blood from his palm. When his gaze touched Xie Shibai on the terrace, the hostility on his face lessened for a moment.
The weather was gradually turning cool. Xie Shibai wore a knit cardigan and sat on the rocking chair on the terrace, holding dried meat to tease the puppy. The ugly little local dog wagged its tail, barking, rolling over, and exposing its belly, trying its hardest to act cute to get the dried meat.
Xie Shibai lowered his eyes. The cardigan softened his cold face, and his hair moving slightly with the wind revealed a hint of softness.
Lu Ciheng watched, somewhat entranced.
Must hide it well. If discovered, what if Xie Shibai wants to divorce me? I tried so hard to trick him into getting the marriage certificate.
“It wouldn’t be good to scare him.”
Zhuang Bo on the other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds.
Scare who? Xie Shibai?
He recalled the not-so-distant past, the incident where an investor tried to use the ‘casting couch’ rules but was beaten by Xie Shibai until he was hospitalized for two days.
Zhuang Bo: “…Okay, I understand.”
On the terrace.
Xie Shibai fed the dried meat to Bobbi and quietly answered the phone.
Chen Qisheng: “The matter of Ye Yingpu’s academic fraud has been investigated clearly. A guy like him wants to be evaluated as an Academician? He’s gotten arrogant relying on his backers over the years; there are too many flaws in his work. But there is something strange.”
Xie Shibai lifted the Potato puppy onto his lap and scratched its chin, causing the puppy to whine and drill into his palm. Xie Shibai pinched the puppy’s nose. “Hmm?”
Chen Qisheng was somewhat puzzled. “Someone made a move before us. It looks like their methods are quite ruthless. It’s not just as simple as ruining his reputation. Heaven has eyes.”
Xie Shibai lowered his eyes and flicked the forehead of the puppy biting his finger. “Do you know who it is?”
The puppy Bobbi whined, but puppies always love humans; it leaned in to rub its head against Xie Shibai’s hand.
Chen Qisheng replied, “Not clear yet, let me investigate. Ye Yingpu must have offended many people over the years. He climbed too fast using unscrupulous means; it’s normal for many people to find him an eyesore. Someone wanting to take him down is normal. But since our goals align, we can be considered allies. Helping each other to send him to prison is good too.”
Xie Shibai glanced at Lu Ciheng through the terrace glass, a strange intuition rising in his heart. “Tell me when you find out.”
Chen Qisheng nodded. “Sure.”
“By the way, your dad finally discovered that Xingyun Technology is a hot potato. It’s full of bad debts, losing more than three hundred million. According to my undercover source, he smashed a Huanghuali wood table worth six hundred thousand in his office and threw out his old back. Aren’t you going back to offer condolences?”
Xie Shibai’s lips hooked up slightly. “If I go back, he’ll have problems with more than just his back.”
“True.” Chen Qisheng laughed a few times. He asked, “Actually, I’ve never understood. Even if you did nothing, the Xie family would fall into your hands eventually. You could turn around and sell it then; they wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they died of anxiety. There was no need to go to such great lengths.”
Xie Shibai said indifferently, “Selling it isn’t as interesting as destroying it.”
Chen Qisheng: “Judging by the current situation, it is indeed very interesting. If your grandfather knew that Xie Lingxi signed a VAM (Valuation Adjustment Mechanism) agreement using Xie family shares and lost, his reaction would definitely be even more interesting.”
Xie Shibai heard a sound coming from the terrace door. He turned his head to look at Lu Ciheng, who was holding coffee. “Find an opportunity to leak it to him.”
Chen Qisheng: “Don’t worry.”
Before hanging up, Chen Qisheng heard Xie Shibai’s voice from the other end: “Finally willing to wear clothes?”
Chen Qisheng looked at the hung-up phone with astonishment.
Do you guys play this big?
Lu Ciheng glanced at the phone Xie Shibai hung up. He pressed his brows down, a sour scent of vinegar spreading around him.
Who was he on the phone with for so long?
He even smiled. The vixen on the other end has some tricks.
Lu Ciheng placed the coffee on the small side table and asked with a sense of crisis, “Teacher Xie, how is your mood now?”
Xie Shibai looked slightly confused, not understanding what kind of fuss Lu Ciheng was making again. “It’s alright.”
Lu Ciheng’s sense of crisis grew heavier, the radar in his head instantly exploding off the charts.
He lifted his shirt, revealing the abdominal muscles he had worked so hard to train, looking exactly like he was using unscrupulous means to fight for favor. “Want to touch?”
Xie Shibai: “?”
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