Song Lan watched the livestream on his tablet.
Jiang Mingxi and the others had already reached Bridgehead Village and were telling the livestream viewers they would see them tomorrow.
Exiting the livestream, Song Lan tossed the tablet onto the table and said to Bai Ge, speechless, "Are you that free now? You even have time to watch livestreams?"
Bai Ge laughed. "Well, this concerns your future happiness. As your manager, I'll be stalking every second."
The schadenfreude was overwhelming.
Song Lan ignored her.
Bai Ge laughed and pressed him. "What exactly are you thinking? Standing up for him, openly snapping at Jiang Mingle in the livestream, even urging the director to deliver medicine. How come I never noticed you were so warmhearted?"
Then Bai Ge asked bluntly, "Do you like him?"
Song Lan scoffed. "Are you nuts? Yesterday was the first time I met him! Go practice the Eight Brocades if you're bored. I'm hanging up."
Without the slightest courtesy, he hung up.
Tossing his phone beside the tablet, Song Lan sat there without moving.
Did he like him?
As he had said, they had only met for the first time yesterday. How could liking or not liking him even come into it?
"Teacher Song?"
The voice that had only just disappeared from the livestream came from outside his door.
Song Lan raised a brow slightly, stared at the front door for a moment, then got up to open it.
The moment the door opened-
Thump~
Before Song Lan could register what was happening, someone flung himself into his arms.
He reflexively moved to push him away.
"Teacher Song, it hurts so much." Jiang Mingxi's affected voice came soft and sweet.
Song Lan's movement stopped.
He lowered his eyes.
Jiang Mingxi had one arm around Song Lan's waist, his face pressed a little below the other man's chest. Maintaining the posture of someone who had stumbled into him, he tilted his head up to meet Song Lan's eyes.
He raised his other hand.
Pitifully, he showed him the injury on its back. "Look, Teacher Song, I'm hurt."
Song Lan said indifferently, "Do you walk on your hands?"
The words had barely left his mouth-
Song Lan almost stopped breathing.
Jiang Mingxi slipped his raised, injured hand around behind Song Lan's waist, then raised it again in an instant.
There was now a lily in his hand, its bud just about to open.
Jiang Mingxi's palm-sized face was right beside the lily, his eyes full of warmth as he looked at him. "For you, Teacher Song."
The lily's fragrance wafted into his face.
Song Lan's Adam's apple bobbed ever so slightly.
Jiang Mingxi was still wearing the clothes he had worn during the daytime livestream. He had clearly come straight here after getting back.
Meeting those beautiful, ardent peach-blossom eyes, Song Lan paused for a moment before asking, "Where did that come from?"
Jiang Mingxi held on to him, reluctant to let go.
Since Song Lan hadn't pushed him away, every extra second he could hold him counted.
You had to fight for these little perks!
"I bought it, of course. I said I'd give you flowers, Teacher Song. You don't like roses, so do you like lilies?"
His eyes were so bright, and Song Lan was all they held.
Song Lan met his gaze. "Didn't you only earn seventeen yuan?"
Jiang Mingxi's smiling eyes first widened, then he bounced up a little, his face brimming with delight, his lips almost brushing Song Lan's chin. "You watched my livestream, Teacher Song?"
Song Lan pushed him away and turned to walk inside.
Delighted, Jiang Mingxi hurried after him, sidling up beside Song Lan and craning his head to look at him. "Was I handsome during the livestream?"
Song Lan ignored him.
Jiang Mingxi whined, "It hurt so much when I fell today. I almost cried. But then I thought about having you put medicine on it when I got back, Teacher Song, and suddenly I felt the pain was totally worth it."
Song Lan leaned against the table and looked at him. "Did I say I'd put medicine on it for you?"
Jiang Mingxi edged closer.
"For the sake of the flowers I gave you."
Song Lan glanced at the flower in his hand. His eyes clearly held a smile, but his mouth showed no mercy. "Did I ask you to buy it?"
Jiang Mingxi kept edging closer. "I wanted to buy it myself. I like you, Teacher Song, and I want to pursue you. I just wanted to buy you flowers..."
As he finished that last sentence-
Thump.
He pulled the same trick again, tumbling against him.
Song Lan pushed him away. "It's your hand that's injured."
Jiang Mingxi hugged Song Lan around the waist. "My leg's hurt too. I hurt my knee. It hurts so much I can't stand."
Song Lan's pushing motion paused.
Sensing that momentary change, Jiang Mingxi pushed his luck. "Now I can't stand at all. I'll fall over the second I let go of you, Teacher Song. Could you carry me to bed?"
Song Lan: ...
He shoved him away.
Jiang Mingxi: ...
What a heartless man.
But!
Jiang Xiaoxi had made another huge leap forward today!
He'd hugged his male god~
He consoled himself in an instant.
After three trips up the mountain today, Jiang Mingxi's legs had almost given out from walking.
He had only managed to come see Song Lan thanks to the lure of his good looks.
He had delivered the flower, seen the man, and even hugged him twice.
Thoroughly satisfied, Jiang Mingxi set the flower on the table beside Song Lan and grinned at him. "Get some rest early, Teacher Song. See you tomorrow. I'm heading back~"
He waved.
Without taking so much as a wisp of cloud with him.
He turned and left.
Song Lan, who had just picked up a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao and turned around: ...
Bang!
Jiang Mingxi had only taken one step toward the door when the sound of something being slammed heavily onto the table suddenly came from behind him.
He whipped around.
Song Lan was leaning expressionlessly against the edge of the table, his eyes lowered, not looking at him.
Jiang Mingxi froze.
But right after that, he noticed a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao sitting beside his lily.
Hmm?
When Song Lan had pushed him away and turned around just now...
Had he gone to get medicine?
Was he going to put it on for him?
At that realization, Jiang Mingxi practically bloomed with joy.
Thump~
He flung himself onto Song Lan again.
Song Lan pushed him away, his expression cold. "Weren't you leaving? See you tomorrow?"
Jiang Mingxi hugged Song Lan's waist, swaying and whining. "My leg hurts too much to walk. Take pity on me, Teacher Song. Put some medicine on my knee, please. I'm begging you."
His words were soft and sweet.
His breath washed over Song Lan's neck and chin...
His burning gaze met Song Lan's.
Three seconds later.
Jiang Mingxi happily climbed onto Song Lan's bed.
"Your bed is so comfortable, Teacher Song. You can tell it'd be great to sleep in. Just like I'd be great to sleep with."
Song Lan had met countless people, but he had never met anyone this shamelessly flirtatious.
He stared at Jiang Mingxi in disbelief.
He clearly had such an innocent-looking face.
So why did he talk like...
"Where's the injury?" Medicine in hand, Song Lan didn't respond to Jiang Mingxi's remark.
Sitting on the bed, Jiang Mingxi tilted his head up to look at Song Lan. "My knee's hurt. Rolling up my trouser leg would be a bit awkward. How about I take my pants off?"
Song Lan's eyelid twitched.
Jiang Mingxi was terrified he might take things too far again.
After that flirtatious remark-
He hurried to salvage things. "Just kidding, just kidding. I'm very reserved. I won't take my pants off until we're officially together."
Song Lan: ...
He was starting to regret it.
He should have just let him leave!