Chapter 22: Yaoxing Academy 22 Part 4

“Uncle Li, take his temperature in a bit. If anything seems off, call the doctor over right away,” Xun Ji instructed.

“I’m fine… Xun Ji, I have something I want to tell you.” Lu Zhou’s eyes sparkled as he looked at him, his hand clinging like it was glued in place.

“Alright, alright. Whatever it is, we’ll talk when I get back.” Xun Ji dragged the human pendant to the door and signaled with his eyes for him to let go.

Lu Zhou glanced at Uncle Li and Brother Wang nearby, then finally released his grip slowly and reluctantly.

But the instant Xun Ji turned, he grabbed it again.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Xun Ji asked, amused and exasperated.

“I… Can I wait for you in your room?” Lu Zhou asked. “I want to tell you the moment you get back.”

Xun Ji was a little surprised. “Something important?”

Lu Zhou raised his gaze earnestly. “Very important.”

“Fine.” Xun Ji agreed. “You can wait wherever you want.”

Then he promised, “The moment I get back, I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Night fell, and Xun Ji’s room was shrouded in quiet darkness.

Lu Zhou woke up groggily from Xun Ji’s bed, turned on the light, and stared blankly at the sweater in his hands for a moment. Once he realized where he had fallen asleep, he felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly got up to straighten the bed.

He had originally sat obediently on the small sofa in Xun Ji’s room, waiting. Bored later, he tidied up Xun Ji’s scattered clothes. Then he touched the thick-knit white sweater Xun Ji had worn that day.

Xun Ji had removed it himself that day.

Lu Zhou buried his face in the sweater and rubbed it gently. The accident that had happened on the bed with Xun Ji replayed in his mind over and over.

He forced himself not to savor it repeatedly like a pervert, so he thought of other things instead.

Xun Ji’s cheek pressed against his when he carried him on his back; the sound shattering the darkness when Xun Ji found the fishing boat; Xun Ji’s teasing smile when he made him act like a little dog; the warm embrace when Xun Ji told him to do his best in the competition; the reassuring back view when Xun Ji took Xiao Ting to the doctor.

And their first meeting, in the gray, rundown old warehouse—the only bright golden light.

Lu Zhou hugged the sweater and collapsed onto the bed, feeling like he had gone mad.

It was as if he had lost control of his own brain. Every cell, every nerve, every surging drop of blood had forgotten their original duties and only knew to clamor the same name repeatedly.

Xun Ji! Xun Ji! Xun Ji!

He let himself sink into sleep in the room filled with Xun Ji’s scent.

Lu Zhou exhaled, folded the sweater neatly, and placed it by the bed. Calm down, Lu Zhou, he told himself. He couldn’t act too impatient later. He had to say what he wanted to say properly. Even if there was no response, taking the first step was a victory.

He faintly heard the sound of a car and stood by the window to look down.

The familiar deep blue sports car drove through the gates of Xun Mansion. It was Xun Ji’s car—he was back.

Lu Zhou paced nervously around the room and accidentally caught sight of himself in the mirror in the corner.

Restless and at a loss, not a trace of his usual reliable steadiness. Thin sweat beaded on Lu Zhou’s forehead. In three strides, he reached the power switch and turned off all the lights in the room.

Darkness enveloped the space again. Lu Zhou took two deep breaths and finally felt a bit better.

Keeping the lights off was a bit cowardly, but it was better than leaving a bad impression on Xun Ji. He’d cheat just a little—Xun Ji wouldn’t mind. Lu Zhou comforted himself.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Lu Zhou stood rigidly by the window, his gaze fixed on the door.

“Click.” The door lock sounded softly, and the door opened.

A tall figure stepped inside and reached for the switch on the wall.

“Don’t turn on the light!” Lu Zhou’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Xun Ji, don’t turn it on yet. Let me finish speaking, okay?”

The figure paused, didn’t respond, but didn’t turn on the light either.

Lu Zhou breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Before, when I hadn’t met you, everyone said you were a spoiled and arrogant Little Young Master. They said that once you returned to school, bugs like me freeloading at Yao Xing would have no good days.”

He had kept these words buried in his heart for so long. Now, he could finally say them.

“But they were wrong. You helped me, accompanied me, encouraged me—how good you are is something they don’t deserve to know. Maybe my luck was too bad before, so heaven compensated me by letting me meet you at Yao Xing.”

Lu Zhou’s eyes shone strikingly in the darkness. “I know we’re worlds apart. I know this is my one-sided delusion. Even if you don’t accept it, it’s fine. I’ll wait patiently. I’ll work hard to catch up to you.”

He took a step forward, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “Xun Ji, I like…”

“Snap.”

The light turned on.

Under the warm light, the elegant man wearing silver-rimmed glasses walked toward him step by step.

“If you know it’s a delusion, why say it out loud?”

His words held no contempt or mockery, only pure curiosity.

Lu Zhou’s expression changed. “Why are you here?!”

“If it had been Xun Ji who walked in, what kind of answer did you hope to hear from him?” Xun Qian asked curiously. “To be with you? Or to allow you to pursue him?”

Anger flared in Lu Zhou’s eyes. He said coldly, “This is between him and me. Does President Xun want to control who confesses to Xun Ji too?”

Xun Qian shook his head politely. “Of course not. I apologize for listening to your confession out of curiosity just now.”

Lu Zhou frowned, surprised at how straightforward the apology was.