If you want me to hold you, just say so

At those words, the young man's eyes slowly lit up.

"My bedroom? No, I haven't even been in my room yet." Ji Mingzhu wrinkled his nose lightly. "There are bugs in there. I don't want to go in."

Gu Shang replied evenly, "There aren't any bugs now. They've been killed, and the room has been disinfected."

Before the young man could seize another chance to act cute, Gu Shang applied a little pressure and pushed him away. "All right, go wash your hands and eat."

The young man pouted slightly, as though he wanted to protest, but when he looked down at his hands, he realized that holding a pen all afternoon had left them a little smudged. So Ji Mingzhu obediently went to the bathroom, squeezed out some peach-scented hand soap, and washed them thoroughly.

With his hands clean, the two finally sat down together and ate a quiet meal.

After dinner, Gu Shang had expected the young man to hurry upstairs to see the "surprise" in his bedroom. But whether Ji Mingzhu had forgotten or was still frightened by that cockroach, he actually remained in the living room with remarkable patience.

Ji Mingzhu wanted to practice his handwriting some more, but he felt bad about leaving Gu Shang alone, so he asked obediently, "Hubby, what are you planning to do tonight? Are you going to work in the study?"

The study held a slightly embarrassing memory for Ji Mingzhu.

On their wedding night, his husband had scolded him to tears there, then had to comfort him afterward.

Gu Shang frowned, a faint gloom settling over his brow.

Ji Mingzhu really did know how to say all the right things. He had claimed to miss him after an afternoon apart, yet the moment he finished eating, he couldn't wait to send him away. He didn't want to spend time alone with him.

Fine. I'll give Ji Mingzhu some time to adjust in advance.

They both needed that time to adjust.

Once Gu Shang left, Ji Mingzhu resumed practicing his handwriting in the living room.

Eventually, he had more or less mastered writing his name. Well... by Ji Mingzhu's own strict standards, it still wasn't very good, but at least it looked convincing at first glance and wouldn't seem too much like an elementary school student's handwriting.

The drawback was that writing any other name would expose him all over again...

Ji Mingzhu scratched his cheek and decided to practice Gu Shang's name the next time he had a chance. Once he had practiced all the different character structures, his handwriting ought to be passable.

After finishing his handwriting practice, Ji Mingzhu flipped through the beginner's guide, occasionally letting out an admiring "Wow."

Luckily, Gu Shang wasn't there. Otherwise, the young man's behavior really would have lent some credence to those malicious rumors that Ji Mingzhu was an uneducated country bumpkin.

Ink painting emphasized spirit rather than form, and Ji Mingzhu's mastery of color and brushwork was already highly developed. But this was his first encounter with sketching, which placed greater emphasis on form, and the lifelike examples left him staring in amazement.

Ji Mingzhu looked through the drawing steps and felt that they didn't seem too difficult.

Sketching and ink painting had things in common, too. As long as he practiced diligently, he should gradually get the hang of it.

Ji Mingzhu suddenly began looking forward to the class, because he remembered that Mr. Chu He, who had designed his wedding reception outfit, had been writing and drawing in a similar notebook that day. What had those drawings been called again... design sketches?

If he got good enough at it, perhaps he could design something and have it made, too.

Ji Mingzhu suddenly remembered the understated yet exquisite gemstone necklace Mrs. Gu had worn the day the family ate breakfast together.

Well... it was beautiful, but it was a little too formal and weighed down her neck, making her look somewhat cumbersome. It gave the otherwise well-maintained Mrs. Gu a slightly older, more matronly appearance.

Once I get good enough, I can design a necklace myself and give it to Mom!

Although they lacked nothing, he wanted to treat them well.

Time slipped by, and before he knew it, it was time to get ready for bed.

The bathroom was a little damp. It seemed Gu Shang had already showered.

Ji Mingzhu had Gu Shang's large bathtub all to himself. He hadn't brought over the rose essential oil from his bedroom today, so he rummaged around and opened a new box of bath salts.

Ji Mingzhu couldn't read all the English words on it, so he casually chose a jasmine and white tea variety based on the pictures and enjoyed a lovely soak.

After washing up, Ji Mingzhu also applied a light baby cream.

He stood in front of the mirror and examined himself. When he pressed his lips together, the young man in the mirror did the same with his soft red lips. His tender cheeks were slightly puffed, his fluffy hair and clear eyes were both glossy black, and his slender neck was snowy white.

He looked like a soft, sweet, fragrant glutinous rice dumpling, making one rather tempted to take a bite.

This time, Ji Mingzhu had properly put on his underwear. There wouldn't be a repeat of that embarrassing incident, and he could roll around as much as he liked without worrying.

With his cheeks faintly flushed, the young man went to call his husband to bed.

Gu Shang hadn't actually done much work that evening. As soon as he heard Ji Mingzhu calling him, he put away his documents and returned to the bedroom.

Forget it. I can't focus on work anyway, so I might as well turn in early. More importantly, he was genuinely curious about Ji Mingzhu's reaction.

Once he got into bed, surely even someone as clueless as Ji Mingzhu would notice something was wrong.

Gu Shang entered the room silently, still wearing the nightclothes Ji Mingzhu had made for him, and felt inexplicably guilty. He lifted the covers, got into bed first, and lay down neatly.

Ji Mingzhu went around to the other side of the bed and pushed off with his little feet to climb up, too.

Gu Shang caught a fresh, delicate fragrance, followed by a bewildered "Huh?" from the young man.

Gu Shang's heart tightened. Here it comes. Ji Mingzhu has finally noticed his pillow is gone.

The man kept his eyes tightly closed and lay perfectly still, pretending to sleep.

...Don't open your eyes. Don't look at him. Don't soften.

Gu Shang sternly ordered himself to resist the impulse to soften and comfort him, ruthlessly lying stiff and straight. Sleeping in separate rooms was bound to involve a moment like this. As long as he held firm, Ji Mingzhu would understand and gradually move away on his own.

Then they could draw a clear line between them.

Sure enough, before long, Gu Shang heard rustling beside him.

An inexplicable emptiness opened in his chest.

He had only slept beside Ji Mingzhu for two nights, yet he was already getting a little used to it. He wasn't even the sort of person who needed some cute cuddle pillow to help him sleep.

Gu Shang silently furrowed his brow. It's all Ji Mingzhu's fault for being so clingy. He's clung to me until I... Suddenly, his whole body went rigid.

Something warm, soft, and supple burrowed into his arms, then brazenly rested its head on his shoulder.

Gu Shang opened his eyes in astonishment and found himself staring straight into the eyes of the young man who had climbed into bed and thrown himself into his arms.

Gu Shang: "..."

Damn it. I took Ji Mingzhu's pillow away so he'd sleep somewhere else, not on top of me!

Yet the young man didn't even blush at being caught. He simply lay in his arms and complained softly, "Hubby, you're so mean."

"If you want me to hold you, just say so. Why did you have to take my pillow away?"

Ji Mingzhu gave him a mildly reproachful look, racking his brains until he found a fitting description. "Hubby, you're such a little schemer."

Gu Shang: "?????"