Chapter 8
The next morning.
Yan Weiqiu was sleeping soundly when the door suddenly opened. In his drowsiness, he heard the voices of two people talking.
“It’s okay, Auntie Xiu. You can go to work.”
“Mm, I’ll wake Xiaoqiu up.”
Yan Weiqiu pulled the blanket over his head, trying to block out the noise.
“Xiaoqiu.” Jiang Yuebai looked at Yan Weiqiu curled up in a ball on the bed and couldn’t help but laugh. “Time to wake up, it’s almost nine o’clock.”
“Mmm.” Yan Weiqiu’s muffled voice came from under the covers. “Disturbing someone’s sleep is a heinous crime. We don’t have class today. Why get up so early?”
Jiang Yuebai’s heart trembled slightly at his slurred words, charmed by his cuteness. He impatiently pulled the blanket away.
The sight that greeted him made Jiang Yuebai freeze, staring blankly at the bedside.
It was summer, and Yan Weiqiu was wearing thin, short pajamas.
He was a restless sleeper, and his pajama pants had ridden up to his thighs, his top also rolled up to his chest, revealing a section of his dazzlingly white, slender waist.
Jiang Yuebai’s breath hitched as he stared at his waist, swallowing hard.
A “gulp” sounded clearly in the quiet room.
But the person in question was completely unaware, even turning over to continue sleeping on his stomach.
The curve of his buttocks, his long, slender legs, all captivated Jiang Yuebai, making him unable to look away.
He felt a warmth in his nose, as if something was flowing down.
Jiang Yuebai raised his hand to wipe it away, and a bright red streak appeared on the back of his hand.
He glanced at Yan Weiqiu, who was still asleep, and strode towards the bathroom. In the mirror, his face was covered in blood.
Jiang Yuebai washed his face with cold water, his hands braced on the sink, his head lowered. The image of that dazzling white kept appearing in his mind, an inexplicable feeling lingering in his heart, refusing to dissipate.
The bathroom window was closed, and the faint fragrance of shower gel, Yan Weiqiu’s scent, still lingered in the air. Jiang Yuebai took a deep breath, then exhaled.
After a while, Yan Weiqiu climbed out of bed, sleepily knocking on the bathroom door. “Xiaobai, are you in there?”
“Mm.” Jiang Yuebai’s voice was particularly muffled.
Still drowsy, Yan Weiqiu didn’t notice anything unusual and just urged him to hurry up.
“Xiaobai, are you taking a shower?”
Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, Yan Weiqiu was dumbfounded.
Seriously, who takes a shower at someone else’s house first thing in the morning?
“You woke me up to…” Before he could finish his sentence, the bathroom door opened.
A scent of lime instantly filled the room, overflowing from the bathroom, permeating every corner, even wrapping around Yan Weiqiu, enveloping him.
At this moment, Jiang Yuebai was incredibly grateful that Yan Weiqiu was a Beta, that he couldn’t smell any pheromones.
So he didn’t notice how strong, how terrifying, the Alpha pheromones he was emitting were.
Yan Weiqiu looked at Jiang Yuebai, whose face was flushed and who was breathing slightly heavily, feeling that something was off. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
The face he had replayed countless times in his mind was now so close to him. Jiang Yuebai felt the heat rising again. He covered his nose and shook his head. “Maybe it’s too hot. I’ll go home and change my clothes, then come back.”
After saying that, Jiang Yuebai ran off.
“Huh?” Yan Weiqiu didn’t even react, just feeling that he was acting strangely.
He didn’t know when the bathroom window had been opened, but the wind blowing in made him feel much more awake.
Jiang Yuebai returned while Yan Weiqiu was having breakfast. He had changed his clothes, and his complexion had returned to normal.
“Do you know what time it is?” Yan Weiqiu’s eyes were full of accusation and resentment.
Jiang Yuebai stared at his face for a moment, then took two tickets out of his pocket and handed them to him. “Want to go to the amusement park?”
Yan Weiqiu took them and looked at them curiously. “Where did you get these?”
Jiang Yuebai explained, “My mom gave them to me. She told me to take you out to have some fun today.”
Yan Weiqiu nodded. It had been a long time since he had been to an amusement park. He really should relax.
“Next stop, Happy Coast. Please prepare to disembark.”
The subway station was crowded. Yan Weiqiu sat in a corner, leaning against Jiang Yuebai’s shoulder and sleeping all the way.
When Jiang Yuebai woke him up, he was still drowsy.
After getting off the subway, Jiang Yuebai bought him an anti-lost wristband from a stall by the roadside and put it on his wrist.
Several question marks appeared above Yan Weiqiu’s head. He glanced at a mother with a child next to him and complained awkwardly, “That’s for children.”
“Aren’t you a child?” Jiang Yuebai laughed.
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Jiang Yuebai ruffled his hair, smoothing his messy strands, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Little children have to stick close to me, so they don’t get lost.”
“I won’t get lost!” Yan Weiqiu’s face flushed with anger.
It was Saturday, and the amusement park was especially crowded. Jiang Yuebai walked in front of him to prevent him from being bumped by the crowd.
Yan Weiqiu followed behind him, looking at the hand that held his tightly, and couldn’t help but laugh.
It seemed like it had always been this way. Every time Jiang Yuebai brought him to the amusement park, he would watch him closely like this, afraid he would get lost.
When his parents weren’t around, Jiang Yuebai also took good care of him, accompanying him on the rides he wanted to go on, buying him food and drinks, and coaxing him when he was upset.
A roller coaster whizzed past them, the passengers’ screams and the sound of the cars running along the tracks intertwining. Yan Weiqiu remembered the first time he rode a roller coaster as a child. Back then, he just thought it looked fun, so he wanted to try it too. But when he got off, his legs were weak, and he kept crying. Jiang Yuebai hated seeing him cry.
He sat on the bench, crying pitifully.
Jiang Yuebai squatted in front of him, at a loss for how to comfort him.
“Good Xiaoqiu, don’t be afraid.”
“We won’t ride that again.”
In the end, Jiang Yuebai bought him ice cream to cheer him up.
Since then, Yan Weiqiu rarely went on thrill rides. He would mingle with the younger children, playing games like goldfish scooping, feeding rabbits, rainbow slides, and the carousel.
That’s why Jiang Yuebai always liked to call him “little child.”
“What do you want to play?”
“Bumper cars?”
“Trampoline?”
“Ball pit?”
“Or how about the children’s playground?”
Yan Weiqiu felt his anger rise 10% with each game Jiang Yuebai suggested.
“If you don’t like any of those, how about we take the little train?” Jiang Yuebai pointed to the miniature train surrounded by children not far away.
“I want to go to the haunted house!” Yan Weiqiu snapped.
“Ah?” Jiang Yuebai didn’t even react, staring at him blankly for a few seconds before chuckling. “That’s a game for adults, not suitable for little children like you.”
Yan Weiqiu angrily kicked him.
Looking at his pouting face, Jiang Yuebai couldn’t help but pinch it. “Don’t you dislike horror movies?”
Yan Weiqiu swatted his hand away and snorted. “We should face our fears.”
Although he wasn’t very confident himself.
Jiang Yuebai gave him a meaningful look, a smile flashing in his eyes. “Alright, let’s go then.”
Yan Weiqiu: “If you get scared later, I’ll allow you to lean on me.”
“That would be great.” Jiang Yuebai’s smile widened. He couldn’t wait.
Words spoken were like water spilled; they couldn’t be taken back.
Yan Weiqiu braced himself and bought two tickets. He was easily scared. He had been frightened once as a child and hadn’t dared to watch horror movies since, just like with roller coasters.
Back then, he didn’t have any particular impression of horror films. Driven by curiosity, he randomly clicked on a popular movie online.
The eerie music and bloody plot gave him goosebumps. As he watched with a frown, a giant ghost face suddenly appeared on the screen, and he froze, his face turning pale with fright.
That night, he insisted that Jiang Yuebai come over to his house and sleep with him, holding hands while they slept. He even needed Jiang Yuebai to accompany him to the bathroom, clinging to him like glue.
It took him a long time to get over it, but since then, he never dared to watch that kind of movie again.
Hearing the screams coming from the haunted house, he already wanted to back out.
Jiang Yuebai kept staring at his face, watching his hesitant expression, and chuckled softly. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go.”
“Who said I don’t want to go?!” Yan Weiqiu grabbed his hand and hurriedly walked through the haunted house entrance.
The dim corridor was filled with unknown dangers, as if countless eyes were watching them in the dark, making their hair stand on end.
Countless shadows seemed to be moving and floating in the dark corners. Every slight sound made his heart race, and even his breathing became cautious.
In the narrow passage, red candles hung on the walls, creating an eerie atmosphere.
He held Jiang Yuebai’s hand, the warmth from his palm calming him down a bit.
The lights flickered, and he couldn’t see Jiang Yuebai’s face clearly.
Yan Weiqiu said nervously, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“What should I say?” Jiang Yuebai’s laughter came, calming Yan Weiqiu down a bit.
He was about to say something when he felt something trip him. At that moment, the lights brightened, allowing him to see the severed arm he had stepped on.
The realistic prop made his heart tremble, and his legs felt weak.
Then came a gloomy voice: “You stepped on my hand.”
Yan Weiqiu felt someone pat his shoulder. He instinctively turned around, and a ghost face appeared before his eyes.
His throat seemed to be blocked, unable to even scream. He stared wide-eyed in terror, his legs giving way. Jiang Yuebai caught him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Jiang Yuebai kicked the prosthetic limb far away and gave the NPC dressed as a ghost an icy glare.
Not worth messing with!
The NPC picked up the prosthetic limb and ran off.
It took Yan Weiqiu a long time to recover; he was clearly shaken.
“Don’t be afraid.” Jiang Yuebai gently patted his back, soothing him softly. “He’s gone.”
Yan Weiqiu’s voice was shaky and trembling. “So… so scary.”
