Lu Xunji's kisses were always intensely aggressive; Xie Ji's lips were numb with pain, and he tilted his head back, letting out a sob that was too much to bear.
"Baby..." Lu Xunji released his lips, but still held him in her arms, her warm breath lingering on his ear. "Can we not go?"
Xie Ji was pressed down on the back seat, but fortunately it was spacious enough that he didn't have nowhere to put his legs. He looked up at the starry sky ceiling of the car.
His mouth hurt terribly, and Lu Xunji's embrace made it hard for him to breathe. After catching his breath for a few minutes, he finally spoke, "Don't you want me to go?"
Lu Xunji remained silent for two minutes before speaking, "Rationally, I know you have the ability to pass the special exam. I shouldn't interfere with any of your choices; you have the right to be free."
Xie Ji thought for a moment, then reached out and gently hugged him. "Worried about me?"
Lu Xunji buried his face in Xie Ji's neck and nodded. "I'm not entirely at ease. There's always a chance something might happen."
His tone held a hint of confusion. He had never been one to fear the unexpected before; he was always well aware that nothing in this world has a 100% success rate.
He's willing to try anything, even if it only has a 30% chance of success.
But when he arrived at Xie Ji's place, he was never at ease; he was always reluctant to leave.
Xie Ji hugged him and gently stroked his back, like a child waking up from a dream and not being able to find his mother. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, that special exam, isn't the mortality rate only 10%? I don't even have a 10% chance of winning the lottery, why would I have a 10% chance of winning?"
Lu Xunji held him for a while before letting go, then turned his head, rolled down the car window, and said to the driver who was squatting on the curb smoking outside, "Drive, to the nearby hotel."
The driver quickly put out his cigarette, got into the car, and prepared to start the engine.
"Huh?" Xie Ji was taken aback. "Weren't you supposed to catch the Starship?"
"..." Lu Xunji said, "I won't rush, I'll stay with you."
"But you don't have time." Xie Ji looked down and searched for Lu Xunji's admission notice. "I remember it said on the notice that today is the last day for registration."
He pulled out the admission notice, handed it to Lu Xunji, and pointed it out to him. "Look, it's the last day. What if you're late? Wouldn't that seriously damage your reputation as the top scorer in the country?"
Lu Xunji turned his head away, stubbornly remaining silent.
"You really don't need to worry about me, really," Xie Ji said. "The special exam is in three days. I'll go by myself. I'm not a child anymore; I don't need someone to accompany me to a hotel..."
Lu Xunji snatched the admission notice, casually tossed it out the window, and it was instantly picked up by a passing smart robot vacuum cleaner, which then shredded it into pieces.
"What the hell! What are you doing?!" Xie Ji leaned out and slapped the smart trash can. "Aaaaaah, spit it out! Why did you eat someone's acceptance letter?! Don't you have any manners?!!"
Lu Xunji swept him up in his arms and pulled him back, then instructed the driver, "Drive."
The driver was utterly shocked. Gritting his teeth, he stepped on the gas and drove the two to the nearest star-rated hotel before speeding away from the scene.
As Xie Ji was being led into the hotel by Lu Xunji, he asked blankly, "Did you see that?"
"Hmm?" Lu Xunji, holding Xie Ji's hand with one hand and two suitcases with the other, asked, "What do you see?"
"The driver's eyes, the moment you threw away your acceptance letter, told me that if he were your father, he would have pulled out his Seven Wolves cigarettes and spun you into a top-heavy spiral."
Lu Xunji nodded. "It's alright."
Xie Ji looked at him. "What are you doing?"
He's not my father, and I won't become a spinning top.
"What are you doing?!" Xie Ji was extremely worried the whole way. "I only went to take the special exam to accompany you, and you threw away your acceptance letter to be with me? Are you crazy? You've insulted all college entrance exam takers!"
Lu Xunji checked in at the front desk, lowering his eyes and saying, "It doesn't matter."
"What if we both fail the special exam?"
Lu Xunji gave him a deep look. "That's not bad either."
Xie Ji: "..."
I'm truly impressed.
"What if we don't get in? Can you tell the military academy leaders that your acceptance letter was eaten by a dog?"
"If I don't get in," Lu Xunji thought for a moment, "I'll go to the neighboring Imperial University of Science and Technology. They're practically begging me to study there, so I doubt they'll even agree to my request to bring my family members."
Xie Ji: "... I wasn't pretending to be dead."
Lu Xunji booked a double room and, after tidying up Xie Ji's belongings, received a call from Xie Household's parents.
He glanced at Xie Ji, who was sleeping on the bed, then took the computer communicator and walked out of the room.
The two elders should already know from the driver about how he hugged and kissed Xie Ji passionately in the car and fed the Imperial Military Academy's acceptance letter into the smart trash can.
--
Thanks to Qi Zi Mustard Bro, who single-handedly brought the gift value to 100 again.
Then I'll go add an extra chapter.