Zhong Xuezhi's body was ice-cold, and Mu Yi clung to him, refusing to let go.
Zhong Xuezhi stiffened for two seconds, then drew his arms in slightly and held Mu Yi close too.
Mu Yi craved the cold of his body, while he loved the heat radiating from Mu Yi.
It was warm, almost hot-a temperature he could never possess himself.
"You're the one who climbed onto me. You can't blame me."
Zhong Xuezhi muttered softly, then lay down with Mu Yi in his arms and fell asleep against his human furnace without a shred of guilt.
The next day-
Life called for a little ritual. On a rare day off, for instance, you had to sleep your fill in comfort.
Otherwise known as lazing in bed.
And so, at seven or eight that morning, the two men were still tangled in each other's arms.
As Zhong Xuezhi slept, his brow suddenly furrowed in a drowsy frown. He had drunk too much the night before, and now he needed to pee.
But there were always people who liked to test the limits of their bladders.
With his eyes closed, Zhong Xuezhi squirmed aimlessly, looking for something to squeeze between his legs. After fumbling around for a while, he trapped Mu Yi's warm thigh between them.
His movements woke Mu Yi, who forced his heavy eyelids open and discovered that his entire body was pinned in place.
Zhong Xuezhi was like a giant koala, hugging him in a death grip. Worse, he had slipped his arms under Mu Yi's clothes to do it, and his tail had curled up too, covering Mu Yi's stomach completely.
What the hell kind of habit was this?
Mu Yi vaguely remembered that he seemed to have been the one to cling first, so he could only let it slide.
He shook his leg hard. "Let go of me!"
Zhong Xuezhi immediately frowned and gave a muffled groan against Mu Yi's neck.
"Fuck...!"
Mu Yi couldn't take it anymore. He bent his other leg and kicked viciously. "Zhong Xuezhi! Stop fucking grinding on me!!"
"Urgh...!"
Zhong Xuezhi rolled straight off the bed and landed sprawled on the floor.
A moment later, he struggled to his feet, clutching his stomach where he had been kicked. Grimacing, he protested, "Did you have to kick that hard?"
Mu Yi sat on the bed with a cold smirk. "Point that at me again, and I'll kick it in half."
Zhong Xuezhi looked utterly helpless. "Little brother, could you be reasonable?"
"What grown man isn't full of vigor in the morning? You're no different yourself, are you?"
Mu Yi tugged his loose pajama top down while summoning level-ten Electric Flame. "Want to keep talking shit?"
"Don't!" Afraid Mu Yi would set the place on fire right then and there, Zhong Xuezhi hurriedly said, "I'll shut up. I'll just leave, all right?"
With that, he spun around and dashed into the bathroom.
Only after the bathroom door shut did Mu Yi extinguish the Electric Flame in his hand and rake his fingers haphazardly through his messy hair.
Mu Yi deliberately waited a few more minutes before slowly sliding out of bed. Then he shuffled to the bathroom door and banged on it twice.
"Are you done yet?" He needed to pee too.
A moment later, Zhong Xuezhi opened the door and poked his head out, a toothbrush between his teeth. "Just come in," he said casually.
Instead, Mu Yi pushed him out and slammed the bathroom door shut.
Zhong Xuezhi stared at the closed door. "Hey! Whose house is this, anyway?!"
But then he couldn't help calling out, "I've already set out a cup and toothbrush for you! The face wash set is in the wall cabinet on your left!"
No response came from inside, as though Mu Yi hadn't heard him.
Feeling put out, Zhong Xuezhi wiped the toothpaste foam from his chin, then turned and ran to the downstairs washroom.
He quickly finished getting himself ready, then went into the kitchen.
Since he hadn't had time to restock the fridge yesterday, there were only a few eggs left inside and nothing else.
Fortunately, his yard held more than flowers and plants. There was a small vegetable patch too.
Zhong Xuezhi went out to the vegetable patch and picked a handful of chives, a few scallions, and two or three leaves of green perilla for the hangover.
With those ingredients and two eggs, he managed to fry up a couple of chive-and-egg pancakes.
The moment the pancakes came out of the pan, Mu Yi followed the aroma downstairs, his feet thumping on the steps, and headed straight for the kitchen doorway.
Zhong Xuezhi glanced at him and said, "Let's eat in the kitchen. Go sit at that little table over there."
Mu Yi promptly took a seat. As he waited for breakfast, he propped his chin on one hand and watched Zhong Xuezhi clear the scraps from the stovetop.
Within moments, he noticed that the apron tied around Zhong Xuezhi's waist had a little floral print.
He couldn't help laughing. "Where'd you get that flowery skirt?"
Zhong Xuezhi laughed too, tugging at the apron as he answered, "It was a freebie from a supermarket promotion. Honestly, the quality's pretty good. I've been wearing it for years."
Mu Yi shook his head, chin still propped on his hand. A penniless guy living in a luxury villa.
A moment later, Zhong Xuezhi brought the chive-and-egg pancakes to the table, already cut into bite-sized pieces, along with two cups of milk made from powder.
Mu Yi pulled his share of breakfast toward himself and thanked him sincerely. "Thank you."
Zhong Xuezhi didn't bother with "you're welcome." He simply said, "Eat up. They won't taste as good once they're cold."
Mu Yi nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and popped a piece of chive-and-egg pancake into his mouth.
After just a few chews, a distinctive, penetrating aroma rushed from his mouth into his nose and up to his forehead, leaving him thoroughly refreshed and alert.
Even the lingering dizziness from drinking eased considerably.
Mu Yi couldn't help eating several pieces in a row, quickly filling his stomach halfway.
Then he gradually slowed down and asked Zhong Xuezhi, "Where's the market around here?"
Zhong Xuezhi caught on. "You want to go to the market to exchange things for money?"
Mu Yi nodded. "Yeah."
He still had plenty of low-grade shard crystals in his pocket, as well as some parts he had picked off Variants along the way.
Zhong Xuezhi said, "Getting to the market is easy. Once you've finished eating, take the small Teleportation Array outside my door. It'll send you straight to the market hall."
He had to visit the Alliance that morning, so he couldn't go with Mu Yi.
Of course, Mu Yi didn't need anyone to accompany him either. He nodded and went back to eating.
[Note 1: Early spring chives are worth their weight in gold. They warm yang and nourish the kidneys, moisten the intestines and relieve constipation, and promote the circulation of qi and blood. However, those with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat should not eat too much.]
[Note 2: Hangover-relieving green perilla is a fictional new species.]
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