Dinner was served in the homes of the Miao women they had each chosen, but Chu Qingjiu did not eat anything A Xue had made. He ate compressed biscuits instead.
Gu could enter the body through the esophagus. The instance had only mentioned the Mind-Losing Gu; it had never said the Miao women could not plant other gu in them.
"Brother Chu, are you really not eating? A Xue spent so long making all this."
Chu Qingjiu shook his head slightly and said flatly, "I'm not hungry, so I won't eat."
A Xue was a little younger than Chu Qingjiu. Seeing him leave the entire table of carefully prepared dishes untouched, she could not help feeling that her painstaking efforts had been rejected.
She thought of the boy who was always clinging to Chu Qingjiu, acting spoiled and pitiful at every opportunity, practically dripping with calculated sweetness. Perhaps Chu Qingjiu was someone who softened easily. She immediately decided to play the victim.
"All right... it's really fine if you don't eat. I didn't actually spend that long on it. Just a little over an hour."
"I didn't cut my hand, either, and it wasn't because I was careless. Sigh... never mind. My cooking isn't very good anyway. Maybe it just isn't to your taste, Brother Chu. That's all right."
Chu Qingjiu: "..." What an act.
His gaze fell on A Xue's fingers, and he did indeed see a cut. But he chose to pretend he had heard nothing and changed the subject. "Where am I sleeping?"
A Xue: "..." So after all that, you didn't listen to a single word?
Her expression instantly soured, but she still had to maintain a composed facade as she answered, "The innermost room on the third floor. I've already prepared it."
"Thank you."
Chu Qingjiu delivered those words in an even tone, then headed upstairs with his backpack. He did not spare A Xue a single extra glance, his indifference absolute.
A Xue: "..." No wonder you don't have a wife.
A Xue kept watching his retreating back, her gaze growing fiercer. A hint of scarlet seemed to seep into her pitch-black eyes.
Chu Qingjiu did not notice any of that. He calmly went up to the third floor, entered his room, and took the little wooden puppet out of his backpack.
He quietly studied the puppet's blank face, then let out an almost imperceptible sigh. Afterward, he lay on the bed and stared blankly ahead.
He held the little puppet in his palm and placed it against his chest. Suddenly, he seemed to feel the weight of Qi Wu flopping onto him like a big dog.
Qi Wu would probably gaze at him with those moist, innocent amber eyes, wearing a harmless smile.
Then Qi Wu would nuzzle haphazardly into the crook of his neck, spilling hot breath against its side and making his whole body tremble.
He would ask, "Can I?" in the most innocent, guileless voice.
Chu Qingjiu took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his breathing growing rapid.
He did not actually know why he was imagining himself with Qi Wu like this. Perhaps the night was too quiet. Without that noisy fellow wheedling in his ear, he was not quite used to it.
Back at the Mutual Aid Society, Qi Wu had come to his room every night. Whether he acted spoiled or shameless, he had tried every possible trick to spend a little more time with Chu Qingjiu.
Sometimes, when he stayed late, Qi Wu would lie on top of him like that and ask, "Can I stay and sleep with you?" Chu Qingjiu usually refused with an icy expression.
Although Qi Wu would be a little reluctant, he still obediently left. Every time, that innocent, aggrieved look nearly made Chu Qingjiu soften.
But remembering the awkward scene the first time they had slept together, and... the inexplicable thoughts he had had about Qi Wu's... made him feel deeply embarrassed.
He opened his eyes and suddenly extended his hand. His pale, slender fingers glowed faintly in the moonlight.
Chu Qingjiu had left the window of the stilt house open. He felt far too hot just then, and a little night breeze would help him cool down.
Looking at the length of his fingers, he gained a rough idea of just how astonishing Qi Wu's size was. Blushing, he could only sheepishly withdraw his hand and exhale a hot breath.
Now I won't be able to look Qi Wu in the eye anymore.
The moon was full that night, its luminous glow as fine and sheer as gauze. The beautiful round moon was reflected in Chu Qingjiu's violet eyes, involuntarily reminding him of Qi Wu's clear, unclouded gaze.
Every time he looked into Qi Wu's eyes, he felt there was light within them, so radiant that it dazzled him.
Those eyes were truly stunning, holding countless rivers of stars. A single glance was enough to make him lose himself.
The night deepened. He could still hear insects calling outside the window, noisy and chaotic, just like his heart, which was already churning with waves.
The night breeze drifted lazily through the window, stirring the loose strands over Chu Qingjiu's forehead. It brought a little coolness, but could not calm the heat in his face.
His heart was in turmoil.
After an unknown stretch of time, someone suddenly knocked on Chu Qingjiu's door. A Xue's delicate voice came from outside.
"Brother Chu, I've brought you the antidote for the Mind-Losing Gu."
Chu Qingjiu found it strange. The first day was not even over yet, so why was there such a baffling development as someone voluntarily delivering the antidote?
"Why?"
Chu Qingjiu got up and walked to the door, but rather than opening it immediately, he voiced his question.
"Because you made the right choice by choosing me, Brother Chu. That's why I came."
Chu Qingjiu fell silent for a moment. "Then just leave the antidote outside the door. I'll come get it in a little while."
"Brother Chu, you have to let me come in and give you the antidote for the Mind-Losing Gu. Otherwise, you won't be able to get it."
A Xue's insistence struck Chu Qingjiu as odd, but with her current affection level toward him, he could actually control her directly.
So even if he let A Xue inside, she would pose no threat to him.
With that thought, Chu Qingjiu opened the door expressionlessly. Looking at A Xue, who seemed to be bashful as she stood outside, he asked coldly, "Where's the antidote?"
A Xue smiled, looking innocent and harmless. Her flushed face made her all the more lovely.
She looked into Chu Qingjiu's eyes with a bright smile and said, "I'm the antidote."
Chu Qingjiu was silent for two seconds, then slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving A Xue standing stupidly outside, her hair stirred by the gust.
A Xue: "?"
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