Ji Zhi’s brief silence led Fu Huixu to interpret it in an entirely different way.
Fu Huixu spoke up again. “Or you can name your price.”
Ji Zhi suddenly realized that being Fu Huixu’s roommate could be a decent source of income.
Judging from Fu Huixu’s attitude, it was clear he was determined to get Ji Zhi out of the dorm.
Ji Zhi thought it over for a moment, then agreed.
After all, the other man had already offered such generous terms. Refusing now would seem too suspicious.
Besides, Fu Huixu clearly wanted to call him. It was best to do it now while they had time. Otherwise, given Fu Huixu’s personality, he would bring it up repeatedly over the next few days.
Fu Huixu didn’t add Ji Zhi’s contact information. Instead, he simply completed the transaction via payment code.
Once he had left the dorm openly and aboveboard, Ji Zhi immediately began searching for a suitable spot to make the call.
At this hour, the cafeteria was crowded, and the quiet areas on campus were all occupied by students cramming for grad school exams.
Ji Zhi searched around but eventually left the school grounds. He decided to head to a hotel nearby and book a room.
He now understood why Fu Huixu hadn’t chosen to leave himself. The hotels near campus couldn’t exactly offer luxury accommodations—the best they had barely matched the standard of their double dorm room.
Fu Huixu was already reluctant to stay in the school dorm. He would find a hotel environment even less acceptable.
Since he only needed the room for a short while, Ji Zhi booked an hourly rate.
After finding a suitable spot, Ji Zhi finally had a chance to check his phone.
The moment he had left the dorm, a message had come in from Fu Huixu.
【Top Fan No. 1: He’s gone. Won’t be back for two and a half hours.】
【Top Fan No. 1: Don’t worry, Baby. I’ll wait for you.】
Ji Zhi was gone. It was time for Zhi Zhi to come online.
Ji Zhi replied with a simple “Okay,” then waited a bit longer. Once he figured enough time had passed, he sent: 【I’m home~】
No sooner had he hit send than Fu Huixu’s call came through, as if the man had been waiting for it all along.
On the other end of the line, Fu Huixu’s voice was gentle. “How’d you get home so fast, Baby?”
“I told you not to rush. Take it slow on the road, be careful. Safety first…”
Every time he heard Fu Huixu call him “Baby” in that tender tone, Ji Zhi couldn’t help thinking of the icy voice the man used when facing him in the dorm. It was like two completely different people.
Ji Zhi replied, “I just wanted to call you sooner…”
Fu Huixu’s calls always lasted a long time, and the hotel was a bit of a distance from campus. He needed to get back before bed check.
Fu Huixu clearly took it the wrong way and let out a soft chuckle. His voice, filtered through the connection, carried an even sweeter edge. “I miss you too.”
“Grandpa’s birthday banquet is coming up, and Father and I are handling all the preparations. I’ll be even busier these next couple of days, so I won’t be able to talk to you as much. I figured I’d take advantage of having some time now to hear your voice a little longer…”
Ji Zhi had already heard Fu Huixu mention this to the housekeeper. He hadn’t expected it to give him a break.
Fu Huixu changed the subject, asking where Zhi Zhi had gone after the stream, whether he’d been alone or with others, and if he’d had fun.
Ji Zhi answered, “I went out by myself. I just felt like taking a walk after streaming…”
Dealing with Fu Huixu’s check-in questions was far easier than handling Duan Zhao’s nitpicking. Fu Huixu wasn’t the type to dwell on details.
Fu Huixu sounded regretful. “I wish I could’ve gone with you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll wrap up things on my end quickly and come see you.”
Ji Zhi said, “Please don’t rush…”
He was about to say more to dissuade him when a sudden yelp cut through the air, latching onto his words. “Ah, no! I’m still on the phone… You’ve pinched my leg red…”
Ji Zhi froze, his gaze snapping to the wall beside him.
The voice had come from the other side of the wall—clearly the neighboring room.
The words tumbled out in a rush, making it hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. Muffled through the wall, the volume was lowered, as if the speaker was deliberately keeping quiet so the person on their call wouldn’t hear.
Ji Zhi had almost forgotten those online posts warning that hotels were prime spots for this kind of thing.
His heart sank. He blurted out, “That wasn’t me!”
But Fu Huixu’s voice turned abruptly cold. “Baby, are you really at home?”
Ji Zhi stammered, “…I’m home, but you forgot—our place has terrible soundproofing. Listen, it’s still going on over there.”
Fu Huixu must have recalled the last time, when he’d also heard a man’s voice and Ji Zhi had blamed it on the neighbors. For the moment, he fell silent, waiting for more proof.
Ji Zhi quickly held his phone up to the wall. But the people on the other side had gone completely quiet.
Ji Zhi: “…”
Of all the times to go silent, they picked now. Ji Zhi almost wanted to knock on the wall and get them to make some noise to prove his innocence.
A minute passed. Two minutes…
The atmosphere hung in awkward silence until Fu Huixu’s voice shattered it. “You lied to me.”
“There’s someone else in your room. Just like last time.”
The sweetness had vanished from his tone, replaced by an eerie calm—too calm. It sent a jolt through Ji Zhi.
This time, Fu Huixu didn’t phrase it as a question. It was a statement. He had already decided Ji Zhi was lying.
Fu Huixu said, “Wait for me.”
With that, he hung up.
Wait for him? Did Fu Huixu think he was lying and plan to come find him?
Ji Zhi’s heart plummeted. He tried calling back, but the line was busy.
From his experience in the dorm, Ji Zhi realized Fu Huixu was probably already contacting the housekeeper to investigate him.
Panic rising, Ji Zhi hesitated.
Should he tell Fu Huixu the truth—that he wasn’t home but at a hotel?
The idea flashed through his mind, then he dismissed it.
Even without explaining why he was suddenly at a hotel, Fu Huixu was already doubting him. Admitting it now would only confirm the man’s suspicions…
He gritted his teeth and came up with a way to prove his innocence.
Ji Zhi slipped off his jeans and sat on the edge of the bed. He adjusted the camera to capture only the bedsheet and his legs, ensuring Fu Huixu wouldn’t spot any hotel details.
His oversized T-shirt barely covered his thighs, and now he hiked it up.
The pristine white bedsheet made his legs look even paler, almost dazzling.
They were long and evenly proportioned, wrapped in a soft glow under the light. The lines flowed smoothly from his thighs to the crook of his knee, then tapered delicately along his calves into shadow.
Since he wasn’t much for exercise, there was a slight softness at the inner thighs—a small, plush swell that seemed to quiver at the lightest touch. It was a beautiful pair of legs, and this childish imperfection only made them feel more alive, infused with a tender vitality and subtle fullness.
In his haste, Ji Zhi fidgeted with his legs in front of the camera, his voice trembling with anxiety. “That voice said their leg got pinched red, but look—my legs aren’t red. No one’s touched me…”
Just then, a muffled cry came from the wall behind him, followed by a hazy whine, as if complaining that the other person was being too rough—what if the people next door heard?
Ji Zhi: “…”
They’d finally realized the problem!
Regardless, the timely noise had pulled him from the brink.
He didn’t have time to dwell on how he’d gotten into this mess. He quickly sent the video.
Ji Zhi’s heart raced; even one minute felt like years.
Fortunately, Fu Huixu called back soon after.
Ji Zhi snatched up the phone. “Did you watch the video? Calm down—that wasn’t me!”
“I did, Baby.” Fu Huixu’s voice had returned to its familiar gentleness. “Sorry for misunderstanding you.”
“I thought you were with someone else…”
The moment Fu Huixu heard the strange noises on the line, his nerves had gone taut.
Zhi Zhi had said he was home alone, so why did it sound like he was talking to someone?
He waited for an explanation, but it hadn’t satisfied him. Jealousy flared up, nearly consuming his reason.
Fu Huixu could already picture the scene: Zhi Zhi on the call with him, only to be suddenly grabbed by someone else in the room, whispering coquettishly—still loud enough to carry through the phone.
After hanging up, he called the housekeeper without hesitation, determined to track down Zhi Zhi’s location and confront him…
He was usually so composed, but even talking to the housekeeper, those images burned in his mind. Each word came out scorching, as if searing his throat, his voice strained.
Then the video arrived, making him notice the oddity he’d overlooked. He called back immediately.
Ji Zhi said, “It’s fine. It really was easy to misunderstand.”
He made a mental note to fill the hotel’s complaint book with demands for better soundproofing.
Fu Huixu replied, “You should change places.”
Ji Zhi just wanted to get past this. He nodded along. “I’ve been looking since last time. Once I find a good one, I’ll check it out. Don’t worry about it—focus on your grandpa’s birthday banquet for now.”
Fu Huixu murmured his agreement.
With the misunderstanding cleared up, his mood had clearly improved.
As Fu Huixu had predicted, considering that Zhi Zhi had streamed and then come back from outside, he didn’t drag out the call.
Once it ended, Ji Zhi let out a long breath of relief, checked out, and left.
He still had a bit of time before Fu Huixu’s deadline for returning to the dorm, so he stopped by Chen Xingwen’s dorm for a while before heading back right on schedule.
When he returned, Ji Zhi had been half-worried that Fu Huixu might have had him investigated by the housekeeper. But Fu Huixu treated him as indifferently as ever, and the last of his worries evaporated.
Good, good. It seemed nothing had come of it.
Ji Zhi even noticed that Fu Huixu appeared to be in high spirits. From his angle, he could see the man wearing earbuds, staring down at his phone with the corners of his mouth curved up in a faint smile.
Ji Zhi had originally felt a bit puzzled, until he sneaked a peek at the other’s phone screen and spotted those familiar bedsheets and pair of legs.
Ji Zhi: !
Whatever. At least Fu Huixu hadn’t played the video out loud, or it would have been utterly mortifying.
The next morning, Ji Zhi got ready for his internship.
He followed Yao Shan to the filming base. Although he didn’t need to handle translations for the trainees this time, she still kept him by her side for more training, sharing her experience.
Yao Shan had already built a good rapport with the overseas celebrity serving as a mentor—the one she was responsible for translating for. Now she pulled Ji Zhi straight into the celebrity’s dressing room.
By now, the trainees had gone through several rounds of competitions, been grouped by level, and assigned to different mentors for training. With a new round of matches coming up, the mentors had come to the base today to check on everyone’s progress.
Since the celebrity had to appear on camera, they were getting their makeup done while Yao Shan chatted with them nearby.
Ji Zhi quietly observed how Yao Shan interacted with the celebrity.
But at that moment, the dressing room door was flung open, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Ji Zhi’s gaze shifted to the doorway and paused there.
Standing in the doorway was Jiang Yaolin.
