Go to Bed

After Shi Junyi was attacked, he did not return to the Shi family and vanished for a full day and night.

Chen Sheng and Chris were worried that Shi Junyi might have met with misfortune and Jiang Qiao could not protect him. They were also worried that Jiang Qiao himself harbored ulterior motives and was waiting for an opportunity to harm Shi Junyi.

But according to the rules, without receiving instructions from Shi Junyi within three days, they did not dare act rashly. They could only secretly tell Shi Jiao while keeping Shi Xiao'an in the dark.

At the time, Shi Jiao was sitting at a mahjong table with Shen Guiyi, Xiao Yu from the armory, and Aunt Xu, the mute woman who had searched Jiang Qiao before.

Upon hearing this, Shi Jiao drew a tile without even turning her head. "Leave him alone. He won't die. Don't tell the old man."

"But the bodyguard by the young master's side is new," Chen Sheng said worriedly.

Xiao Yu discarded a tile, and Shi Jiao threw out an identical one. "Pong."

Shen Guiyi tossed her tile back. "Is it even your turn to pong?"

Shi Jiao shot Shen Guiyi a reproachful look. "Can't you just pretend you didn't see it? I've lost three rounds in a row. What's wrong with cutting me some slack?"

She took back her tiles and said to Chen Sheng, "I know. He's quite handsome. Ask your young master later. If he doesn't like him, send him to me."

"What if there's still no word from the young master after three days?" Chen Sheng asked.

Shi Jiao looked at her tiles and replied absentmindedly, "Don't worry. There might be news as soon as tonight."

Sure enough, just as Shi Jiao had predicted, Chen Sheng had barely stepped into the dormitory when he received a text from Shi Junyi telling him to pick him up and take him back to the Shi family the next morning.

Shi Junyi finished handling the aftermath of yesterday's banquet, replied to several emails, and made arrangements for tomorrow morning's meeting.

When he looked up at the time, he realized it was midnight again.

The lingering grogginess from his high fever made his head spin a little. Shi Junyi rubbed his temples and found Jiang Qiao's house unnaturally quiet.

He returned to the bedroom and lay down, but he tossed and turned without falling asleep. The moment he closed his eyes, everything that had happened from yesterday to today filled his mind.

The reckless leap from the car, the roar of a motorcycle engine, the milky scent filling the bedroom, and Jiang Qiao cooking for him in the kitchen.

Shi Junyi got out of bed. The living room lights were still off, and Jiang Qiao had not come downstairs.

He went upstairs in the dark and found the master bedroom door wide open, with no one inside.

The small nightlight on the balcony was still on. A glass sat on the pale gray glass coffee table, beside an opened pack of cigarettes.

Shi Junyi frowned, recalling Jiang Qiao sitting there not long ago, collar open, smoking and drinking like some dissolute rogue.

Displeased, he was about to pick up the cigarette pack and toss it into the trash when he heard something heavy hit the floor in the next room.

Then came Jiang Qiao's shout: "Fuck!"

Shi Junyi strode off the balcony and kicked open the closed door of the room next door.

The moment he looked up, he came face-to-face with a blood-smeared face.

There were no eyeballs in its pitch-black sockets, and no tongue in its gaping, bloody mouth.

His pupils contracted. He turned to Jiang Qiao, who had toppled to the floor along with the sofa, and cursed, "What the fuck are you doing?"

Sitting on the floor, Jiang Qiao looked aggrieved. "I didn't mean to."

Shi Junyi pointed at the enormous ghost face frozen on the projector screen. "Then why did you pause it?"

"The best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on," Jiang Qiao said.

Shi Junyi laughed in exasperation. "Then keep overcoming it."

With that, he turned and walked away.

He had thought that with Jiang Qiao's personality, he would chase after him within three seconds at most, whining that he was scared and wanted Shi Junyi to stay with him.

Yet even when he reached the stairs, he heard no movement from the room.

He slowed his steps. Still no movement.

He stopped where he was. Still nothing.

Shi Junyi turned back, and his feet carried him uncontrollably back to the doorway.

Jiang Qiao had already turned off the projector. He sat alone against the wall, clutching a cushion to his chest, face buried in it, completely motionless.

Shi Junyi lightly kicked Jiang Qiao's calf. "Get up."

Jiang Qiao raised his head to look at Shi Junyi. "My legs are weak."

Shi Junyi would believe that when pigs flew. Someone who had pulled a gun and killed people, taken helmets and earpieces off corpses without saying he was scared or weak-legged was terrified like this from a horror movie?

But he did not expose Jiang Qiao. He merely bent down, hooked an arm around him, and helped him up, scolding softly, "Pathetic."

Jiang Qiao said nothing. Obediently, he wrapped his arms around Shi Junyi's neck and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

Shi Junyi supported Jiang Qiao beneath the thighs, picked him up, and carried him downstairs.

Holding the heavy, solid Jiang Qiao, Shi Junyi felt as though he had been fucking possessed.

After coming downstairs, Shi Junyi turned on the living room lights in the dark, set Jiang Qiao on the sofa, and headed for the bedroom.

Jiang Qiao caught the corner of Shi Junyi's shirt and looked up at him pitifully. "I'm scared."

"Then leave the lights on," Shi Junyi said.

Jiang Qiao lowered his head, gave a quiet "Oh," and let go without trying to keep him.

Shi Junyi lay back down, turned to face the wall, and closed his eyes.

The room was quiet. Jiang Qiao in the living room made no sound to draw his attention either.

Yet Shi Junyi could not sleep at all.

After hearing Shi Junyi enter the bedroom, Jiang Qiao stretched, rolled off the sofa, and silently slipped into the bathroom.

In the dark, he took out that moisturizing whitening milk-green-tea body lotion from the cabinet, squeezed out a little more, and rubbed it on his neck.

Then he silently returned to the sofa, sprawled out with his legs swinging, and hummed a tune under his breath.

A long time later, just as Jiang Qiao was about to doze off, the door to Shi Junyi's bedroom finally clicked softly open.

Jiang Qiao swiftly pulled in his legs, hugged the cushion, adjusted his posture, pressed close to the back of the sofa, and curled himself into a ball.

The moonlight outside was hazy, but enough filtered into the room to see by. Shi Junyi walked over to the sofa, his gaze falling on the section of Jiang Qiao's waist that was exposed—slender and taut.

"Go to bed."

Jiang Qiao opened his eyes and looked at Shi Junyi. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were full of innocence. "I'm not going. You'll just change your mind and kick me out again."

Shi Junyi frowned at Jiang Qiao's aggrieved, put-upon expression. "I won't kick you out."

"Really?" Jiang Qiao asked cautiously.

Shi Junyi gave an impatient hum. "Stop dawdling."

Jiang Qiao had originally wanted to use the same trick again and make Shi Junyi carry him, but after weighing it briefly, he worried Shi Junyi would think he was pushing his luck and decide to leave him on the sofa to fend for himself.

So he quit while he was ahead, picked up the cushion, and trotted after Shi Junyi into the bedroom.

"Sleep on the inside," Shi Junyi said.

Jiang Qiao obediently climbed to the inner side of the bed and raised a hand to take off his clothes.

"Don't take them off," Shi Junyi snapped.

Jiang Qiao gave an "Oh" and lay under the covers fully clothed.

Shi Junyi got into bed too, lying at the very edge with his back to Jiang Qiao.

A galaxy lay between them.