Chapter 63: Beagle Version of a Succubus
Xie Shibai’s eyes were still brimming with a bit of daze. His gaze landed on Lu Ciheng’s lip, where he could see a very obvious bright red spot; it looked like he had bitten hard enough to break the skin.
Kiss ten more times.
Automatically catching the word “kiss,” he instantly recalled the profound comfort of the kiss just now.
He reacted quickly. Lu Ciheng’s lip being bitten broken was purely his own fault.
Although they called it desensitization therapy, Xie Shibai felt he was becoming somewhat addicted to physical contact.
Even though they had only just separated a little, his brain could almost instantly recall how pleasurable the touch had been.
He didn’t even have to do anything; as long as Lu Ciheng was there, his craving for skin contact could be satisfied.
And kissing was also very comfortable—many times more comfortable than simple skin contact.
But Xie Shibai was merely immersed in the comfort of physical contact; he hadn’t turned into a fool who could be easily scammed by Lu Ciheng.
After all, the reason Lu Ciheng got bitten was entirely because he wouldn’t let go while kissing.
His fingertips touched Lu Ciheng’s neck, sliding over the protruding Adam’s apple. In the next second, he felt the Adam’s apple roll under his hand, as well as Lu Ciheng’s heavier breathing. It was as if a light touch controlled Lu Ciheng’s emotions.
Xie Shibai’s thumb paused. He could still feel the slight swelling on his lips from the friction. He didn’t know how much strength the person opposite him had used. He pursed his lips lightly. “Kiss ten times for breaking the skin once?”
Lu Ciheng’s eyes flashed with excitement. “Mn. Teacher Xie, do you want to compensate me now?”
Xie Shibai looked at Lu Ciheng. His finger traced up the neck and touched Lu Ciheng’s face.
A certain beagle was most adept at climbing up the pole. He affectionately rubbed his cheek against Xie Shibai’s hand, his tone lazy and soft. “Teacher Xie?”
Xie Shibai found the opportunity to slap Lu Ciheng. He pushed the man outward, turned, and left his embrace, cursing in a low voice, “In your dreams.”
What “kiss ten times for breaking skin once”? Lu Ciheng was clearly doing it on purpose.
The tip of Lu Ciheng’s tongue pressed against the cheek that had been slapped. He instantly hooked Xie Shibai’s waist and pulled him back, skillfully nuzzling against the side of Xie Shibai’s neck. “Teacher Xie, that’s too much. Not only did you bite my lip open, you want to run after slapping me?”
Xie Shibai kept a cold face. “Let go of me if the treatment is over.”
Lu Ciheng laughed in a muffled voice. The tip of his nose rubbed against Xie Shibai’s cheek as if choosing where to bite next. His voice was gentle and slow: “It’s not over yet, Teacher Xie. The treatment time is five minutes; only two minutes passed just now.”
Xie Shibai was confused for a few seconds. He felt like it had clearly exceeded five minutes, maybe even ten.
Lu Ciheng clung stickily, his thumb grinding against Xie Shibai’s chin. Lowering his head, he pressed against Xie Shibai’s lips once again. It was just a light touch, without much sensation, only a faint tickle.
“Teacher Xie, let’s continue,” Lu Ciheng said with a smile.
Xie Shibai’s breathing was rapid. Just as he opened his mouth, his lips were licked again.
The treatment was quite long, but the comfort of the skin contact made one immerse themselves in it.
Early the next morning, Xie Shibai’s lips were still a bit red. Fortunately, no one found it strange; only Su Xingran’s staring gaze grew longer, looking quite tormented as he hesitated to speak.
It was a morning that couldn’t be more peaceful. After eating, blowing in the sea breeze felt comfortable from the inside out—until Xie Shibai received news that Grandfather Xie had been in a car accident.
The sudden news was like a boulder crashing into a calm lake, instantly shattering the tranquility. Not long after receiving the news, Xie Shibai received a call from Zhou Chengping, asking him to rush to the hospital as soon as possible. Judging from the information conveyed, the accident was severe.
On the way to the hospital, Xie Shibai had someone investigate the cause of the accident.
After arriving according to the ward number provided by Zhou Chengping.
When Xie Shibai arrived, the entrance was crowded with people.
He saw Xie Huacheng in the crowd.
Xie Shibai said indifferently, “Father.”
Xie Huacheng huffed coldly. “You really are busy enough. Your grandfather is hospitalized, such a big matter, and you only come now.”
Xu Ruixin had been unable to hold back since seeing Xie Shibai. Remembering the information she had investigated, she stared at Xie Shibai unhappily.
Xie Shibai observed the situation and asked without turning his head, “Is Grandfather’s will established?”
Zhou Chengping looked at Xu Ruixin and Xie Huacheng respectively. “The old gentleman already modified the will in advance.”
Xie Huacheng immediately grasped the main point. “Modified? What was changed?”
Zhou Chengping: “I do not have the authority to say.”
Xie Shibai glanced at the ward door. “Contact me if there’s any situation.”
After a simple visit, Xie Shibai was preparing to leave when Xu Ruixin suddenly said from the side, “What is your relationship with Chen Qisheng? Do you know he lent money to your younger brother behind your back!”
Xie Lingxi gritted his teeth. “Xie Shibai, you can’t do this to me, we are a family! How can you help an outsider swindle my company! Are you even human?”
Mockery flashed across Xie Shibai’s eyes as he stated indifferently, “So?”
Xie Lingxi froze abruptly. In an instant, he felt the person in front of him had become different.
At eight years old, Xie Shibai stood at the bottom of the villa stairs, only able to look up at him. Even when deliberately questioned about who he was and why he came to his house to make things difficult, he could only show a helpless expression—pitiful and laughable. With just a small trick, he could make him have nowhere to go but sleep on the street.
But now, the person in front of him had an indifferent attitude. The boy who was once helpless and sad because of the phrase “why did you come to my house” had become someone looking down from above. Even curses couldn’t enter his ears; all struggles and attempts to defeat him turned into laughable bubbles.
Why did he always have to be shorter than Xie Shibai?
Why did everyone think a freak like Xie Shibai would be more excellent than him, when he was clearly someone who couldn’t even manage simple human contact?
Xu Ruixin guessed another possibility immediately upon seeing Xie Shibai’s attitude, and felt despair.
Xie Lingxi still didn’t know what had happened, gritting his teeth. “Don’t be happy too early. Even if Grandfather doesn’t make it and you really inherit the Xie family, so what? You, a freak with mental illness who is also homosexual—the other elders of the Xie family won’t agree to let you inherit!”
“Sooner or later everyone will know your true colors. Do you think finding a man to go on a show and act for a round will make people believe it? Wait until everyone knows you are full of lies and love to deceive people; you’ll be finished.”
Xie Shibai’s cold eyes looked straight at Xie Lingxi. “Speaking of the show, I have to thank you. If you hadn’t shown your ugly side at the Zhong family banquet, I might not have been photographed.”
Xie Lingxi choked instantly, a breath stuck in his chest rendering him speechless.
He hadn’t expected that he was the one who helped Xie Shibai.
Xie Shibai left calmly. His stepmother followed with a dark face, giving Xie Lingxi a look to make him shut up.
In the stairwell, with backs to the crowd, Xu Ruixin took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. “Can we talk?”
Xie Shibai: “Sorry, pressed for time.”
Xu Ruixin suddenly laughed, the expression on her face dark. “I used to think you didn’t look like the Xie family. Now it seems that was really an illusion.”
Xie Shibai glanced sideways.
Xu Ruixin said, “Your grandfather’s life is uncertain. He raised you from childhood, yet you aren’t worried at all. You only have inheritance rights in your eyes. As expected of someone sharing the same blood.” No matter how well he pretended on the surface, he couldn’t hide the nasty genes in his bones.
“I’m very curious. Your father chased Ming Yu so passionately back then, but once the ‘white moonlight’ was in his hands, she became ‘white rice grains’ (common/unvalued). Clearly having lost feelings, yet hindered by the Xie family’s image, he controlled her until her depression turned into bipolar disorder. It was the Xie family that forced her to death. And you, just like your father and your grandfather, yet flowing with the blood of that mental patient Ming Yu—how long can you maintain normalcy? Dr. Ye said your illness is inherited from Ming Yu’s genes; sooner or later you will become a mental patient too. Even if you inherit the Xie family, what use is it? Those old guys won’t allow a mental patient with a fifty percent probability to become the one in power.”
Xu Ruixin smiled gently on the surface, her words hiding daggers. “Xie Shibai, does the Lu family child know you will become a lunatic suffering from bipolar disorder? Will the Lu family allow their child to marry a mental patient? The Lu family child might just be the next Ming Yu.”
Xie Shibai looked at her coldly and said calmly, “Guess if Grandfather wakes up, will he guess how his car accident happened?”
Xu Ruixin froze, then quickly covered up the unnaturalness in her heart. “What do you mean? You suspect the car accident was man-made?”
Xie Shibai looked at her indifferently. Everyone present, except for the dim-witted Xie Lingxi, knew the reason for the accident. “Maybe.”
Xu Ruixin’s face turned ugly instantly. Her inner calculations seemed to have nowhere to hide under Xie Shibai’s gaze.
Xie Lingxi whispered, “Someone wants to harm my grandfather? Who? Such a big thing and it wasn’t found out? Is Special Assistant Zhou useless?”
Special Assistant Zhou: “……”
This idiot.
Xu Ruixin scolded him, hating that iron could not become steel: “Shut up.”
On the way back, Xie Shibai was slightly distracted, his mood a bit irritable.
He also had a copy of Ming Yu’s diagnosis for bipolar disorder.
At seven years old, no one would tell him what illness Ming Yu had.
Relying on his own perception, Xie Shibai could only detect severe emotional volatility. It wasn’t until the incident where he got lost that Ming Yu’s condition became thoroughly severe.
Xie Shibai paused. He felt like he had forgotten something.
A very important memory.
When Xie Shibai hurried back to the hut, it was already very late. The night wind by the sea was strong, and the temperature difference between day and night was extreme. Under the calm sea surface hid surging undercurrents; the bottomless abyss would swallow people up, just like his current emotions.
The living room of the hut was quiet. The bullet comments spammed a few lines upon noticing his return, but he couldn’t see them.
Xie Shibai pushed open the bedroom door and found the light on inside. Before he could hesitate for a few seconds, he saw Lu Ciheng waiting for him.
Lu Ciheng was leaning back on the small sofa, the Potato Puppy sleeping soundly beside him. He turned his head, his eyes lighting up upon noticing Xie Shibai. “Teacher Xie is back?”
Like a beagle waiting alone at home for a long time, wagging his tail excitedly upon seeing his master. Just one look relieved most of his anxious emotions.
Xie Shibai’s gaze swept over Lu Ciheng’s face, then landed on the choker worn on the side of his neck. His gaze paused slightly, lingering there for a few seconds. “Why are you wearing this?”
Lu Ciheng hooked a finger under the leather choker; it wasn’t very convenient when his protruding Adam’s apple rolled against it. “The production team was packing up props. This one seemed broken, so they gave it to me.”
Xie Shibai gave a slow “Oh.”
Lu Ciheng leaned forward with a smile. He had seen it before—Xie Shibai liked touching the choker, liked hooking it with his hand, or grinding against his skin through the choker. He had simply asked the production team for it. Detecting Xie Shibai’s mood, he pulled Xie’s hand, letting fingertips hook the leather choker. Lu Ciheng’s voice carried a vague seduction: “Teacher Xie, help me. This is too tight.”
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