Chapter 25: Arrogant Big Star

It was quiet behind him for a good while, but Lin Wu pretended not to notice Ji Xingci’s dissatisfied gaze. He kept his eyes firmly closed.

Finally, Ji Xingci huffed in frustration and deliberately made a racket as he stormed off.

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

Lin Wu lay there a little longer before glancing at his phone, which had lit up.

His manager had indeed reached out, telling him he could head to the recording studio tomorrow.

Lin Wu replied with pleasure.

When the bedroom door creaked open again, Lin Wu hurriedly lay back down and feigned sleep.

Ji Xingci seemed to stare at him for a moment before sliding into bed beside him.

Ji Xingci ran a little hot, and the covers warmed up instantly. Lin Wu could practically feel the man’s breath on his neck, while his own back grew toasty.

Lin Wu didn’t budge.

Ji Xingci must have been worn out from the day too. He said nothing more and simply curled up against him to sleep.

In the morning, however, something roused Lin Wu from his drowsy haze. He felt a heavy, scorching weight pressing down on him.

The room was still dim.

Lin Wu mumbled in confusion. “Mm… what time is it?”

Ji Xingci offered no reply. He just kept groping.

“Ji Xingci?”

Lin Wu’s mind was still foggy, his voice rough and bewildered with that telltale morning rasp.

“So early…?”

It certainly was. Ji Xingci leaned in for a kiss. Lin Wu was only ever this muddled right after waking—easy pickings.

Lin Wu wanted to push him away, but sleep tugged at him harder. He couldn’t even pry his eyes open. His ears flushed scarlet in seconds.

“Mm…”

They ended up pressed together anyway. So damn hot.

Ji Xingci was fully immersed now, his body heat cranking up even more as he panted heavily.

Lin Wu had no choice but to crack his eyes open and look.

“Look at this.”

Ji Xingci gestured to 05. His erection—not small by any means—nudged right up against his belly.

“If it was you, it’d poke right here.”

Ji Xingci blurted it out without a second thought, but Lin Wu’s brain flatlined for several long beats.

What?

He clapped a hand over his eyes. His knuckles blanched white, and his ears burned crimson, practically dripping blood.

How could he say something like that?

Ji Xingci’s cheeks colored deeper after the words left his mouth, but his focus was elsewhere—utterly shameless. He struggled for a bit before grabbing Lin Wu’s hand, then pressing down on his head. He wanted to lounge back and savor it. It always felt better when Lin Wu took the lead.

No wonder he was the Young Master.

Poor Lin Wu hadn’t signed up for this workout at all, yet here he was, doing most of the heavy lifting.

He tried settling for just his hand, but Ji Xingci refused. 05 had to join the fun.

He loved Lin Wu’s reactions.

Lin Wu always wore that gentle, absorbed look when he touched him, but there was a subtle detachment to it. Only when Ji Xingci dragged him fully into it did Lin Wu change—looking nothing like his usual self.

His eyes would flutter shut, his brows pinching faintly, the corners reddening. So raw. So restrained.

It was intoxicating. Ji Xingci’s gaze went unfocused, and before long, he lost it completely.

At last, after satisfying the Young Master, Lin Wu flung off the covers and bolted upright. His ears still glowed red as he fled to the bathroom.

The bedroom had turned into a minefield.

Lin Wu headed off to freshen up. Ji Xingci, meanwhile, sprawled in bed, yanking Lin Wu’s side of the blanket over to hug and nuzzle for ages before bothering to rise.

He obviously loved it.

So why wasn’t it enough…?

The Young Master had tormented Lin Wu awake, then promptly dozed off again. By the time he emerged for breakfast, the sun hung high overhead.

Lin Wu had long finished eating and even changed into fresh clothes. Ji Xingci clocked the effort he’d put into his appearance—clearly gearing up to head out—and bristled at once.

“Where are you off to?”

“The company. Got a song to record.”

Ji Xingci remembered then.

It was his own doing, after all. And with Lin Wu looking so eager, he couldn’t very well complain.

Still, once Lin Wu was gone, Ji Xingci sat alone for a spell before irritation set in. He felt downright grumpy.

Being by himself was boring as hell. Even the butler drifting into view annoyed him.

He grabbed his phone to kill time and, without thinking, started searching for Lin Wu.

The movie premiere had put Lin Wu squarely on the map online.

Folks were sharing clips from that night—him and Lin Wu side by side.

Their styles clashed completely, but they stood close enough to touch.

Some had caught Lin Wu staring at him the whole time. One enterprising soul had even mashed it up with movie scenes.

In the film and in real life, Lin Wu’s eyes never left him.

Ji Xingci’s mouth quirked up. He kept scrolling, amused.

After browsing so long, a fresh name auto-popped in his followed accounts: Lin Wu.

He tapped the profile. Just one photo.

“Lin Wu_V: First time meeting everyone—nice to meet you! [Image]”

It was an artistic headshot Ji Xingci hadn’t seen before. Stiff and formal.

Probably snapped back when he’d signed with that shady agency. It didn’t do the real thing justice.

Ji Xingci checked the timestamp. Freshly posted.

He swiped down, and the comments came rushing into view:

“Hubby!! Calling him hubby on sight!”

“Aaaah just left the theater. One minute—I need everything on this guy! Or I’ll… cry for another full minute!”

“Babe, post more! Dying to make this my wallpaper for daily smooches.”

“You lot got no boyfriends of your own? Hands off mine!”

Ji Xingci’s brows knitted tight.

Hubby? Babe? Boyfriend?

He was sick of these idiots screeching online every damn day.

Sure, his own comments were a hundred times worse—packed with unhinged sasaengs.

But Lin Wu? No way could he stomach fans calling him that. He could picture those girls on the other side of the screen, losing their minds…

Lin Wu was that irresistible to them?

A prickly frustration coiled around him like vines. Without realizing, Ji Xingci opened the comment box, his finger hovering over the keys. But what could he even say?

As he wavered, a new Weibo alert pinged at the top—

“Lin Wu_V: In the studio recording a new track. [Image]”

The snapshot was a candid from the recording studio. Lin Wu sported pro monitoring headphones, perched before the mic—but angled away from the camera, sheet music in hand.

Someone must have called out; he glanced up at the lens with a smile brighter and warmer than his selfie—like he was looking at someone dear.

Ji Xingci froze.

The comments exploded at warp speed:

“Girlfriend-angle shot?!”

“Aaaah it’s like Jiang Fan came back to life.”

“Thanks, folks—today marks my wedding anniversary with WuWu!”

“Save me, he looks so blissed out and happy. Is that ’cause I’m behind the lens? (Brainwash: success)”

What the hell? Ji Xingci’s expression darkened completely.

Posting pics for the fans? Had he even texted today?

No!

All he knew how to do was pander to his fans. Seeing all those girls leaving comments for him must have made him thrilled, right?

Ji Xingci didn’t care whether this was his manager’s idea or not. In a fit of anger, he tossed his phone aside.

A moment later, he picked it up again and sent a message to Lin Wu.

【When are you coming back!】

…

By the time Lin Wu returned to Ji Xingci’s apartment, dusk had already begun to fall. As he stood downstairs, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a camera flash.

Considering what might happen next, he paused for a second before pretending not to notice and heading up to the apartment.

The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Ji Xingci leaning against the entryway with a sour expression on his face, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Did you have fun recording your songs?”

Lin Wu smiled at him. “Yeah, it was great!”

Ji Xingci was momentarily thrown off by Lin Wu’s bright, sunny smile. He touched his nose awkwardly, suddenly thinking that letting Lin Wu release an album wasn’t such a bad idea after all…

After a full day of recording, Lin Wu took a quick shower first, then drew a bath to soak and relax in the tub.

Halfway through, however, Ji Xingci walked right in.

Lin Wu looked up at him, his face flushing red.

Without a word, Ji Xingci stepped into the tub, raising the water level. Warm steam rose around them.

Lin Wu averted his gaze, but Ji Xingci settled right on top of him, boldly reaching back with a self-assured air.

“Did you take care of it this morning~? Or did you handle it yourself in the bathroom…?”

Lin Wu’s ears turned scarlet as he shook his head.

Ji Xingci eyed him suspiciously. “You don’t ever take care of it yourself, do you?”

Lin Wu shot Ji Xingci a flushed glance and grumbled inwardly.

Who does that like you…

“Ji Xingci…”

Lin Wu tried to sit up, but Ji Xingci gripped him firmly, as if staking his claim.

Lin Wu pressed his lips together, his dark, glossy eyes gazing helplessly at Ji Xingci. His face and collarbone gradually turned red. Suddenly, his hands emerged from the water, clutching the edge of the tub and splashing water everywhere. His knuckles whitened from the strain.

“Uh…”

He hadn’t even done anything yet, but Ji Xingci’s breathing grew unsteady just from watching.

After a while of heated kisses and nips, the two fit together perfectly, like pieces of a mortise-and-tenon joint. They were just a little short of the mark.

Lin Wu’s hands kept drifting toward Ji Xingci.

Help! This position was way too dangerous! Lin Wu tried to shift away, but Ji Xingci—unable to hold back—pinned his shoulders against the edge of the tub.

“Wait, wait!”

Lin Wu’s pupils dilated in alarm as he squirmed to escape, which only caused Ji Xingci to slip and bang his head in the tub. The big star’s temper flared instantly.

“Lin Wu, what the hell?!”

It wasn’t the first time. He always rejected him!

Humiliated and furious, Ji Xingci’s face burned red. “I’ve already compromised this much—what more do you want?!”

“It’s not that. I just wanted to wait until you’re feeling better…”

But as soon as Lin Wu said it, Ji Xingci—who had only been annoyed before—went completely dark.

It took him a long while to speak, each word deliberate. “So you think I’m disgusting like this right now.”

Lin Wu startled. “No.”

“What do you mean, no? That’s exactly what you mean.”

What else could it be? Lin Wu had already explained yesterday that his stomach felt weird!

Ji Xingci’s eyes reddened, and he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

He threw on some clothes haphazardly outside, growing angrier the more he thought about it. To think he’d believed Lin Wu’s nonsense, that it wasn’t a big deal!

In truth, it was a huge deal! He was freakish and repulsive now. No charm left at all.

He never should have listened to Lin Wu. He should have followed his own instincts and hunted down the person responsible for turning him into this—killed them by now!

With his hair still damp, Ji Xingci pulled on a loose hoodie and drove off recklessly. He ended up stopping alone at a mountaintop to let the wind cool him down.

Once he calmed a bit, he started piecing things together.

So, did that unidentified person know he wasn’t actually pregnant?

How had they orchestrated this whole mess?

Could this condition be contagious somehow?

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

Most crucially, how had that person known about his last hospital visit?

Ji Xingci couldn’t yet figure out what kind of network of informants that person had, but a sudden idea struck him.

What if he went back to the hospital, armed with better equipment this time, and set up a foolproof trap?

Would that person show up again?

…

Lin Wu picked up the towels Ji Xingci had flung at him in his tantrum. He stepped out, intending to coax him, only to find that Ji Xingci had left, locking him out of that floor all by himself.

Lin Wu rubbed his forehead with a headache and sent Ji Xingci several texts, but got no reply.

Was he really that mad?

Maybe he should…

But could he get intimate with the mission target if the System was involved?

Prioritizing the mission came first.

But—

Exhausted, Lin Wu sank into a squat.

The System manual said to minimize all traces and influences of his existence as much as possible.

Fortunately, Ji Xingci came back that night to sleep.

Lin Wu hurried over and hugged him, asking where he’d been.

“Please don’t just leave me like that, okay?”

Ji Xingci kept a straight face. “I don’t want you anymore. You can go chase your female fans.”

“What are you talking about? You know I like you.”

Lin Wu’s eyes welled up as he put on a show of grievance, tears threatening to fall.

Ji Xingci’s attitude finally softened.

“I made some arrangements to catch the person who attacked me. This has to stay secret—don’t tell anyone.”

Lin Wu blinked.

“Oh, like that.”

He tilted his head, asking curiously.

“So, how do you plan to catch him?”