However, the simple shower room offered no soundproofing. Whenever footsteps passed nearby, in Ji Nuo’s ears, they sounded urgent—like silent pressure from others hurrying to wash up and go to sleep.
It became a vicious cycle. By the end, a thin sheen of sweat covered Ji Nuo’s forehead as he barely managed to rinse the remaining soap off. He pulled on his cotton T-shirt, which doubled as pajamas. Completely unable to bend, he could only stare down at his loose shorts and take deep breaths.
Although used to being an unlucky fool, he couldn’t help feeling dejected at times like this.
When he wanted to fake a sprain, he never got the chance. Now, in a situation where he absolutely couldn’t afford to be injured, he went and actually sprained his back. He wondered if the heavens saw his dawdling and decided to intervene…
Ji Nuo let out a deep sigh, gripped the shower fixture again, and tried to lift his leg. A burst of unexpected pain shot straight to the top of his skull, and he couldn’t suppress a muffled groan.
Someone waiting outside suddenly spoke. “What’s wrong?”
The deep, magnetic voice was unmistakably Han Cheng’s. Ji Nuo instantly grew even more flustered. “N-nothing!”
Through the door, Han Cheng was silent for a moment. “You’re injured?”
Although phrased as a question, Han Cheng’s tone left no room for doubt.
After spending these days together, Han Cheng had gained a deeper understanding of Ji Nuo’s character. He had a pronounced people-pleasing personality, coupled with a heavy idolizing filter for Han Cheng. Unless absolutely necessary, Ji Nuo would never do anything that might become a “bother.”
Likewise, if nothing had happened, Ji Nuo wouldn’t typically take this long in the shower just to avoid inconveniencing others.
Unprepared and instantly exposed, Ji Nuo could only mumble a denial. “It’s nothing, really. Just a little twist.”
To Han Cheng’s ears, that automatically translated to “a serious sprain.” He immediately barked a warning: “Don’t you dare move right now, or it might get worse…”
Afraid Ji Nuo wouldn’t listen, Han Cheng added before leaving, “If you seriously sprain your back, you might not be able to move at all for the next few days.”
For someone like Ji Nuo, who hated imposing on others, this was a dire warning. The hesitation and stubbornness from a moment ago—attempting to explain he could manage—instantly vanished, replaced by meek silence.
Only then did Han Cheng sprint back to the tent to grab his large bath towel.
The follow cameraman had already clocked out. Now, each team’s live broadcast device was set up at the tent entrance. The viewers on the live stream only saw Han Cheng dash over, then rush back out with a towel. Inside the tent, the cub slept sprawled out adorably.
[What is Teacher Han doing? Don’t tell me those two ditched the kid and ran off into the woods? Hehehehe…]
[We’re appreciating the cub here! No smut talk! Don’t pollute the danmaku!]
[Oh my god, our Ao’ao’s little cheeks are getting rounder and rounder! I just wanna pinch them~]
[Rationally speaking, hasn’t Ji Nuo been gone a bit too long? Han Cheng definitely went looking for him. He was running so urgently, what happened?! Aaaah, I’m so curious!]
Han Cheng quickly returned to the simple shower room entrance and, without catching his breath, hurriedly spoke: “I’m coming in to carry you out.”
After a long pause, Ji Nuo’s quiet acknowledgment finally came from inside: “Okay…”
Pushing the door open, Han Cheng added, “I brought a towel. Let me first help…”
He had planned to determine the position first, then cover his eyes and wrap the towel around him. But his eyes were clearly less rational than his brain. Even though at eye level his gaze should have started from the top down, he skipped right over the damp T-shirt and immediately caught sight of fair, gleaming skin beneath the oversized shirt.
Ji Nuo’s face had already turned as red as a boiled crab shell. The narrow, humid, stifling shower room made it even easier for both their senses to spiral out of control. Han Cheng took a sharp breath, averted his face, shook open the large bath towel, and wrapped it around him in one swift motion.
Once he was bundled up, both of them exhaled in obvious relief.
Next, observing Ji Nuo’s expression carefully, Han Cheng tried different carrying methods. In the end, watching how tightly Ji Nuo furrowed his brow at each attempt, he settled on a princess carry—the one that caused the least wincing—and carried him back to the tent.
Even with the utmost care, Ji Nuo still hissed in pain during the journey. Fortunately, the tent wasn’t far.
And so, the live stream viewers soon saw Han Cheng carrying Ji Nuo, wrapped in a bath towel, and their blood boiled instantly:
[Holy sht!!! Is this really happening?!]
[Finally, the VIP content I’ve been paying for! AAAAAHHH I’m ready!]
[Oh la la la la la! So this is adult love, huh! I love it!]
[I always felt Ji Nuo and Han Cheng were a bit awkward around each other before. Who knew they’d be this wild once the kid is asleep? Do they not know where the live stream camera is pointed?]
Han Cheng carefully placed Ji Nuo in the innermost part of the tent. He planned to hold the child and sleep on the other side to prevent Lu Ao’ao from burrowing into Ji Nuo’s arms while sleeping.
On the way, Han Cheng had asked Ji Nuo about the specifics of the injury. Although his life skills weren’t on par with Ji Nuo’s, years of filming fight scenes had given him plenty of experience with sprains.
It was clearly an acute lumbar sprain. After settling Ji Nuo in, Han Cheng got an ice pack from the production team, placed it over the bath towel on the injured area, and called his family doctor for confirmation. Resting with cold compress and observation overnight was the plan.
Neither wanted to wake the child, so the whole process involved only the sound of heavy breathing. The little dumpling had been scooted to the edge of the tent near its entrance, sleeping like the picture of innocence in a “Chang’e Flies to the Moon” pose.
The live stream viewers were frantic:
[Baby Ao’ao’s close-up sleep broadcast is great and all, but is this what I want to see right now?! Huh?!]
[Brothers, I’ve already turned on my noise-canceling headphones. I can only say, the breathing is very intense! This is lewd beyond belief. Can I really be hearing this? Won’t the live stream get banned?!]
[AAAAAHHH I’m calling the complaints hotline! Why can’t they put cameras inside the tent? Are you treating us viewers like outsiders?!]
After much wailing and howling in the comments, Han Cheng finally finished arranging everything.
Turning back, he scooped up the cub who was about to “fly to the moon” right out of the tent, and with one hand, zipped the tent door all the way shut.
The live stream feed showed nothing now, and even the sound cut out, leaving only the endless crash of waves. The danmaku instantly flooded with question marks and various… creative Chinese greetings.
Because the tent space was limited, and Han Cheng was afraid of accidentally pressing on Ji Nuo’s injury if he fell asleep, he placed the cub on his own chest to sleep and pressed himself against the opposite side of the tent.
Ji Nuo found that lying completely still caused no pain. But Han Cheng’s large bath towel was saturated with the man’s scent. No matter how much he resisted, his mind involuntarily kept replaying the bathroom scene. Ji Nuo could only bury his face in the pillow and silently recite political theory texts in his head. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
~
Lu Aotian slept soundly. But he had drunk a whole coconut and a bottle of milk before bed. Having experienced the utterly humiliating bed-wetting incident before, he now gave himself intense subconscious suggestions every night before sleeping.
Things like: if he wet the bed again, that little celebrity would trample him underfoot while mocking him, no number of ball lightnings would save him, yada yada.
Whether it was his body’s development finally catching up or the psychological suggestion working, this night, Lu Aotian woke up needing to pee for the first time.
He found himself sprawled across Han Cheng’s chest. His little face twitched. Tch, no wonder it felt so hard. I thought I’d been put to sleep directly on the ground. His flailing hands and feet hadn’t found Ji Nuo’s soft embrace at all.
But perhaps it was precisely because he hadn’t slept comfortably that he’d been roused by his bladder more easily. Fine. Lu Aotian shoved the man’s arm aside with great disgust.
He knew he shouldn’t disturb others when getting up at night. Quietly unzipping the tent door, Lu Aotian yawned. After a moment, fully awake, he leisurely put on his little shoes.
He’d been too absorbed in eating when the production team set up the toilet and shower. After eating, he’d fallen into a deep, fuzzy sleep. He only had a vague idea of the layout. Scratching his messy bedhead, he set off on his little short legs toward the dark edge of the coconut grove.
Even reduced to a tiny tot, Lu Aotian felt no fear of the dark night, the deep sea, or the dense forest—settings that would unnerve others. His mind held only one thought: Toilet. Pee. Ah, so desperate, damn it!
The further out he walked, the louder the crash of the waves became, until it felt like the only sound left on the entire island. The full moon hung high and bright in the sky. Lu Aotian gradually made out the path beneath his feet, and his little short legs moved even faster. Swish, swish, swish—like flaming wheels, only two afterimages could be seen.
His former immortal spell powers had vanished. His extraordinary stamina was limited by his underdeveloped little body. But remnants of martial arts memory from the wuxia world still gave him a bit of agility.
This allowed Lu Aotian to run faster, his tiptoes landing with each step so lightly that, under the cover of the waves, his footsteps were almost inaudible. His movements were relatively graceful, too.
But who else would know such a dashing stride was forced on him by a full bladder…
Suddenly, the speeding little dumpling screeched to a halt.
Lu Aotian’s brow furrowed. He turned and cautiously crept toward the front left. Sure enough, as the distance shrank, the barely perceptible sound hidden beneath the waves gradually became clear. With a cold expression, Lu Aotian opened the voice recorder on his phone watch.
“Rest assured, I am prepared. I will resolve this trouble for you tomorrow… There’s a large rocky reef over here. I can guarantee, even if he doesn’t die, I’ll make sure his face is ruined…”
It was William’s voice. Because he was speaking German, he likely felt completely secure in this encrypted call. Except for not explicitly naming Ji Nuo as the target, he laid out almost the entire plan.
In his previous life, Lu Aotian had been recognized by the Lu family too late. He’d endured endless ridicule and sarcasm for being so far behind his peers. Adding to that, the Lu family had some German heritage, and those people loved using a language he didn’t understand to humiliate him. Fortunately, his linguistic talent was extraordinary. Before long, he was retaliating in fluent German. Ultimately, German became one of his most proficient languages. So every word William believed was encrypted was heard with crystal clarity.
At first, Lu Aotian wasn’t entirely certain who William intended to “resolve” for Xu Chengyi. It wasn’t until the man mentioned “slim build” and “easy to push over” that he confirmed the target. Lu Aotian’s fists instantly hardened.
His stinky little brother was still on probation, but he was destined to be recruited into his service. How dare a trash rich kid like Xu Chengyi?!
However, Lu Aotian hadn’t lost all reason. He knew his current tiny body couldn’t do anything. He could only endure for now.
But he was still furious—a dragon’s anger at someone coveting his treasure. Worse, the other party not only wanted to steal it but to utterly destroy his stinky little brother. He was so enraged that his urgent need to pee vanished completely!
Just as he turned off the recording and prepared to slip away quietly, a pair of large hands suddenly clamped over his mouth.
Lu Aotian’s eyes widened in fury, instantly bristling. But the moment he caught a familiar scent, he opened his small mouth and bit down hard into the attacker’s hand, right at the base of the thumb.
