Although the report had been malicious, Xie Ji's stall had indeed broken the rules first, so neither of them had anything to say. Lu Xunji merely glanced at the overturned stall, put away the two slips of paper Xie Ji had written on, and followed the urban enforcement officers into the vehicle.
The cameraman who had been secretly following them could not get into the police vehicle and was left far behind, bringing their livestream to an end.
[I refuse to believe everyone setting up a stall here has that business license or whatever! These people just can't stand seeing someone else do well. They deliberately reported Xie Ji because his business was booming!]
[Ultimately, Xie Ji broke the rules first. That's what happens when you give people something to use against you. If urban enforcement doesn't catch you, you're lucky. If they do, you can only accept your bad luck.]
[I don't really know how this works. What's the usual penalty for something like this?]
[Normally, the punishment shouldn't be too serious. At the very most, they confiscate everything at the stall and issue a fine of anywhere from five hundred to two thousand. But hadn't Xie Ji already sold everything?]
[Okay, but where exactly did Xie Ji get those amazing pills?! The director said they could only bring one thing onto the island, and Xie Ji brought his gorgeous wife Lu (not really). We never saw any Whitening Pills or Hair-Growth Pills, did we? Could Xie Ji actually be an alchemist?]
[There are so many things about Xie Ji that science can't explain. It was one thing when you went for mystical explanations before, but now you're heading straight into fantasy?!]
[Who else remembers Xie Ji's talking bionic snake? I thought it was strange when I first saw it, because that snake looked way too real, and there was nothing wrong with its reasoning. It was exactly like a human. But judging by the bionic technology currently disclosed to the public, there's no way it could reach that level!]
[I get the feeling Xie Ji's background is pretty extraordinary.]
[How terrifying. He has unknown bionic technology and can refine pills too. Could Xie Ji be imperial royalty?!]
[What does imperial royalty have to do with refining pills?]
[Absolutely nothing. It just sounds more badass.]
Meanwhile, the extremely badass-sounding imperial royal Xie Ji and Lu Xunji were both crouched in front of stools at an imperial public security station, scribbling furiously.
"I already paid the fine. Why do I still have to write a self-criticism?" Xie Ji grumbled, sticking his butt out as he copied Lu Xunji's self-criticism. "Write slower. I can't keep up. What was that line before you turned the page?"
Lu Xunji simply handed Xie Ji the sheet underneath.
Xie Ji bit the end of his pen, lowered his head, and started copying in earnest.
By the time Lu Xunji finished, Xie Ji was still copying the last line of the first page. He was so focused that even the little tuft of tied-up blond hair had stopped swaying, hanging docilely into the collar of his hoodie.
Perhaps because he wrote so slowly, his brows were furrowed and a faint sheen of sweat had appeared on the tip of his nose. The light fell over him, tracing his profile with extraordinary gentleness.
Lu Xunji could even see the fine down on his face, turned white by the light.
As if possessed, he reached out and dabbed his fingertip against the tip of Xie Ji's nose, picking up a transparent smear of moisture.
Xie Ji turned to look at him. "You're done?"
"...Mm." Lu Xunji rubbed his fingers together, making his excuse all the more conspicuous. "Just now... it was because there was sweat on your nose."
Xie Ji instinctively reached up and wiped the tip of his nose, only for the ink on his fingers to leave a black streak on his face.
Lu Xunji: "..."
He's stupid, but oddly cute.
At that moment, Lu Xunji did not know this was beauty being in the eye of the beholder. He cleared his throat softly, pulled a tissue from beside him, and wiped Xie Ji's face.
Xie Ji blinked and did not refuse. He even leaned closer and tilted his head up slightly, obediently making it easier for Lu Xunji.
The pad of Lu Xunji's finger brushed across Xie Ji's jaw, then moved to his earlobe and rubbed it.
So soft.
How could it be this soft?
How could every part of him be so soft that it made someone want to pull him into their arms and give him a thorough squeeze?
Lu Xunji looked at Xie Ji, his deep purple eyes gradually darkening, boundless desire churning in their depths. Unable to quite restrain himself, he lowered his head slightly.
The distance between them closed in an instant. Lu Xunji's fingers rested against the back of Xie Ji's neck, trembling slightly from the surge within him.
He was like someone holding a fragile treasure. All he needed to do was tilt his head slightly to leave his own breath between Xie Ji's parted lips.
His breathing was heavy and scorching. Xie Ji looked at him, his eyes curving slightly as a smile emerged, like a little fox that could see through everything.
Lu Xunji jolted in alarm, released his hold on Xie Ji as though he had been burned, and shot to his feet.
The sudden movement startled the urban enforcement officer at the workstation beside them. He frowned and asked, "What are you jumping around for? Finished your self-criticism?"
Lu Xunji lowered his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. Only after taking two deep breaths did he barely steady his breathing enough to keep anyone from noticing anything amiss.
Still crouching on the floor, Xie Ji tilted his little head up, quickly pressed his palms together, and made a pleading bow.
They had originally been crouching side by side. Now that Lu Xunji was standing, from his current angle, Xie Ji crouching on the floor with his head tilted up looked practically as though he were doing something for him...
Lu Xunji took a step back and said in a trembling voice, "N-no, I haven't finished. I... I'm taking a break. Could you tell me where the restroom is?"
The urban enforcement officer gave him a strange look.
This strapping young fellow had only been told to write a self-criticism. He had been perfectly fine earlier, so why did he sound like he was about to cry now?
He broke the rules by setting up a stall, and now he felt wronged?
Seeing that the corners of Lu Xunji's eyes had already begun to redden and even his body was trembling uncontrollably, the officer watching him could not quite bear it either. He waved a hand and said, "There's no restroom here, but there's a big shopping mall next door with public restrooms inside. Go there. It's only a little over ten minutes away on foot... Oh, and leave your identification details. We'll hold on to your ID too. If you want your ID card back, you'd better write that self-crit-"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Xunji had already vanished from sight.
"...That urgent, huh." The officer muttered and sat back down at his workstation.
Xie Ji rubbed the tip of his nose and sighed with deep sympathy.
Poor kid. How long had he been holding it to be in such a hurry? Was he really not going to use the restroom until he finished his self-criticism?
Was this the gap between him and a top student?
Xie Ji crouched there for over another hour, until his legs had gone numb, before Lu Xunji finally returned.
He did not look as though he had gone to use the restroom so much as taken a shower in it. He was soaked all over, and his hands were still beaded with water, rubbed red.
Xie Ji glanced at Lu Xunji's crotch and shook his head with a sigh.
All that time. Constipated at such a young age. Poor thing.