NASAY CH 27

The competition was scheduled for the next day.

In the evening, Ye Qiaoqiao knocked on Luo Xing’s door and called him to have dinner together.

Actually, Teacher Qiao had already organized a dinner, but these senior high school students, who had been confined like caged birds, felt restricted at school. They just wanted to go out and explore on their own.

Teacher Qiao thought about it. These kids were all very disciplined and unlikely to cause trouble, so he agreed, only reminding them to return early before leaving for dinner himself.

“Are you ready?”

Ye Qiao Qiao asked.

Luo Xing knew about the relationship between her and Lu Qinghe. Since the two of them were going together, it would feel awkward for him to join. So he made an excuse, saying he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to go.

“Are you okay? Do you want us to take you to the hospital?” 

Ye Qiao Qiao asked with concern.

Lu Qinghe nodded slightly.

Luo Xing replied, 

“I’m fine. You guys go eat. I just need to rest for a while.”

“Alright then,”

 Ye Qiao Qiao said. 

“But if you really feel unwell, call us or Teacher Qiao. I don’t want to be alone at the competition tomorrow. Losing to Lu Qinghe would be too embarrassing!”

Luo Xing nodded. 

“Okay.”

After they left, Luo Xing sighed in relief, closed the door, and returned to his room to continue reading. He had brought along the book Blood in the Wind that Huo Xingzhou had given him.

The sky here turned dark early. It was only 5:30 p.m., but it was already pitch-black. It was much colder than Jiangcheng. While autumn was still lingering over there, it was already winter here.

Since the afternoon, Huo Xingzhou hadn’t sent him any more messages. Luo Xing lay on the bed, gently tapping on Huo Xingzhou’s chat window in WeChat, then secretly pulled out a photo he had taken of Huo Xingzhou last time.

The picture was blurry because he was too nervous when he took it.

He zoomed in on the photo, staring at Huo Xingzhou’s sleeping face. His heart started racing, and even his lips felt warm. He carefully touched his lips and lightly licked them.

He really wanted to… kiss Huo Xingzhou again.

Just thinking about it made Luo Xing feel hot all over. He stood up and walked to the dressing mirror by the closet, pulling down his waistband to check his waist dimples.

His pale, soft waist had two shallow dimples that moved with his actions, like tiny mouths puckering up. Luo Xing’s cheeks turned bright red. He hastily covered himself, as if he had done something wrong.

Why… why was he even looking at this?

Just as he was feeling embarrassed, his phone suddenly vibrated twice, startling him. He almost dropped it. Panicking, he scrambled to find his earphones to answer the call, but it got disconnected.

It was a call from Huo Xingzhou.

Luo Xing clutched the earphones, feeling frustrated. He should’ve answered the call first and then found the earphones. What should he do now? Should he call back?

He thought for a moment. It should still be dinner time, so it should be fine.

After thinking it over, he called back. Nervously clutching the earphone cord, he waited for the other side to answer. The call connected almost instantly.

Luo Xing asked in a soft voice,

 “Is something wrong?”

“Can’t I call you for no reason?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,”

 Luo Xing quickly explained.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled. 

“Alright, tell me your room number. I’m coming up to see you.”

Luo Xing blinked twice, stunned for several seconds. 

“What… what did you just say?”

“Alright, Ye Qiaoqiao replied to me. I’m coming up right now.”

Huo Xingzhou got out of the car at the hotel entrance. Initially, he wanted to surprise Luo Xing, but Ye Qiaoqiao wasn’t clear on what she was doing and only told him the hotel name without mentioning the room number.

Finally, after he asked again, she replied.

Luo Xing was sitting on the bed, dumbfounded for several seconds before he suddenly realized what was happening. Wearing thin hotel slippers, he grabbed his room card and dashed out.

Huo Xingzhou was here!

He watched the elevator descend floor by floor, anxiously clenching and unclenching his fingers. His breath was a mess, and in the shiny elevator mirror, he failed to notice his own face had turned incredibly red.

No one got in on his way down, so the elevator quickly reached the first floor.

As the doors opened, passengers walked out one after another. Luo Xing stood at the back and, through the gaps between the people, saw Huo Xingzhou’s slightly messy hair and his head lowered as he looked at his phone.

Luo Xing took a deep breath and dashed out right before the elevator doors closed, almost bumping straight into Huo Xingzhou, startling him.

“Whoa, my dear,”

 Huo Xingzhou said, raising his head. Seeing Luo Xing wearing such thin clothes, he frowned.

 “Why did you come down in such cold weather?”

Luo Xing was so happy to see him that he completely forgot about the cold. In a small voice, he said, 

“I’m not cold… I came down to pick you up… Why, why are you here?”

Huo Xingzhou looked into his dark eyes, then at his flushed cheeks and the thin disposable slippers on his feet. He smiled.

 “Let’s go upstairs first.”

“Mm!”

There were many people at the front desk. Huo Xingzhou didn’t want to hold Luo Xing’s hand in case he got embarrassed, so he just stood next to him, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

Luo Xing quietly raised his hand and grabbed Huo Xingzhou’s hand. Feeling his icy fingertips, he couldn’t help but feel worried. 

“Your hand is so cold! Why didn’t you wear more? Teacher Qiao said it’s going to get colder tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. Seeing you warms me right up.”

Huo Xingzhou looked at their hands—his own fingers wrapped by Luo Xing’s soft ones. He paused for two seconds, surprised.

He thought holding his hand would make Luo Xing shy, but instead, Luo Xing had reached out and held his hand first.

The elevator soon arrived. Huo Xingzhou led him in and, without a word, gently turned his hand over to hold it in his palm.

“Give me the room card,”

 Huo Xingzhou said, extending his hand.

Luo Xing blinked, paused for a few seconds, then handed over the room card. Seeing Huo Xingzhou here felt surreal.

Standing behind him, Luo Xing discreetly bit the tip of his tongue.

It hurt.

Huo Xingzhou opened the door and turned to see Luo Xing frowning slightly. He asked in confusion, 

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Luo Xing shook his head. This moment finally felt real, and he smiled brightly.

 “No, I’m not unwell.”

“Then why that expression?”

Luo Xing tried to suppress his breathing and whispered,

 “I thought you coming here was something I imagined… So I bit my tongue to check.”

Huo Xingzhou’s heart was hit right on the mark by those words. He chuckled.

 “So, have you confirmed it now?”

Luo Xing nodded hard.

Huo Xingzhou grabbed his wrist, pulled him closer, shut the door with a flip of his hand, and pressed him against the door. He wrapped an arm around his waist while gently brushing his lips with a finger. 

“Stick out your tongue. Let me see if it’s hurt.”

Luo Xing was already shy enough. Hearing that, he swallowed hard and shook his head. 

“It… it’s not hurt.”

“I’ll only know if it’s hurt after I check. Stick it out,” 

Huo Xingzhou said, pressing his fingers lightly on Luo Xing’s waist, just enough to touch the dimple at his waistline.

Luo Xing’s legs went weak, and he whimpered, pleading, 

“It really isn’t… I didn’t bite hard.”

Huo Xingzhou looked at his red ears, noticing how he seemed so embarrassed he could almost steam himself. His eyes were even turning red from anxiety as he twisted his waist and stammered, 

“I only bit it lightly.”

“Not acceptable,” 

Huo Xingzhou insisted, pressing a bit harder. 

“Stick it out.”

Luo Xing blinked his eyes and, feeling wronged, slowly opened his mouth and cautiously stuck out just the tip of his tongue. The bright red tip had a barely noticeable tiny cut.

When Huo Xingzhou raised his hand to touch it, Luo Xing recoiled as if scared, his breathing rapid and uneven. 

“Don’t!”

“Next time you’re unsure of something, I’ll teach you a better way to check,”

 Huo Xingzhou said, gently flicking his forehead.

 “Don’t bite yourself.”

Luo Xing was already used to Huo Xingzhou flicking his forehead every now and then. 

“What way?” 

he asked, dazed.

Huo Xingzhou leaned closer, his lips brushing against Luo Xing’s ear as he whispered, 

“Bite me.”

Luo Xing froze for a few seconds before his face suddenly turned bright red. He pushed Huo Xingzhou away with all his strength and ran out of his arms, hearing Huo Xingzhou laughing behind him. His embarrassment only grew.

“You’re talking nonsense again!”

Huo Xingzhou walked over and sat on the bed. Luo Xing had been sitting on the edge of the bed too, but when Huo Xingzhou came closer, he instinctively scooted back a little.

“Where should I sleep tonight?” 

Huo Xingzhou asked.

Luo Xing’s eyes darted away as he tugged at the bedsheet with his fingers. He thought about offering for him to stay here, but would Huo Xingzhou think that was inappropriate?

“I left in a hurry and didn’t bring any money. Maybe I should ask Ye Qiaoqiao to lend me some—” 

Huo Xingzhou said deliberately, sneaking a glance at Luo Xing. Halfway through his sentence, he felt his wrist being grabbed.

“Stay… stay here. The bed… it’s pretty big,” 

Luo Xing said, his head lowering more and more as his face turned completely red. His heartbeat felt like it was going out of control, and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself.

Seeing him so shy, Huo Xingzhou felt immensely satisfied. He thought to himself that all the cold weather and the scolding he endured to get leave for this visit had been totally worth it.

He chuckled slyly, twisted his hand to grab Luo Xing’s wrist, and suddenly pressed him down onto the bed. 

“I—”

“Your mouth… what happened here?” 

Luo Xing suddenly noticed a barely visible scratch at the corner of Huo Xingzhou’s lips. He hadn’t noticed earlier because he was too excited and flustered, but now that they were so close, he could see it clearly.

Huo Xingzhou pinned his wrists down and said indifferently,

 “I got hit by Ding Chao’s mom when I apologized to him this morning.”

Luo Xing’s eyes turned red in an instant. He wanted to touch the wound but didn’t dare to. 

“How could she hit you?”

Seeing how worried he was, Huo Xingzhou felt warm inside. He smiled. 

“It’s no big deal, just felt like a scratch.”

“How… how is that nothing!”

 Luo Xing gently touched the mark, lowered his head for a long moment, and then whispered,

 “I’m sorry. It’s all because of me. If I hadn’t—”

“Enough,” 

Huo Xingzhou interrupted, serious. 

“What did I tell you this morning? I fought him so he’d learn that if he’s a man, he shouldn’t play dirty tricks. If he’s unhappy with something, he should deal with it with his fists.”

“But…”

Huo Xingzhou grabbed Luo Xing’s hand and pressed it to the corner of his lips, giving it a light kiss. 

“But… who would’ve thought he and his mom are both crazy? They even tried to blackmail my mom.”

Luo Xing’s eyes widened in shock. 

“Did they…?”

Huo Xingzhou quickly reassured him,

 “No, no. It’s all taken care of. You don’t know my mom yet, but in the entertainment industry, she’s never lost a fight against those old foxes. If that family thinks they can blackmail her, they’ll be dreaming for a hundred years.”

Luo Xing stared blankly and said, 

“Auntie is… so amazing.”

Huo Xingzhou thought to himself: If she could become your future mother-in-law, that would be even more amazing.