Xie Ji opened his account and glanced at his balance.
Three hundred thousand. Delighted, Xie Ji transferred the money into his personal account.
Since Xie Ji had earned it through his own abilities, the production team did not make him leave the money behind.
[Three hundred thousand in one afternoon. Is he even human?]
[Is this what wealthy families are like?]
[I thought he was just coming out to work a summer job, but he went straight into starting a business.]
[The world is one giant Tomato Novel, but I'm living in Yu Hua's world.]
[I wasn't envious when Xie Ji touched Lu Xunji's abs. I wasn't envious when three young masters fought over Xie Ji. Now you're telling me Xie Ji makes three hundred thousand a day? I'm so jealous I'm about to grind my teeth to pieces.]
[Release the Whitening Pill formula. I really need it...]
A few more scattered points from drops in favorability arrived in Xie Ji's system account.
He scrolled all the way to the bottom, only to see a different system notification.
[System notification: Target {Lu Xunji}'s favorability toward you has increased by 10. Current favorability: -100.]
Xie Ji paused and instinctively looked up.
Lu Xunji had already bought all the ingredients and stood on the dock, seemingly waiting for him. The wind lifted the hem of his clothes, and the seaside sunset bathed him in a warm yellow glow. Even his deep purple eyes looked much gentler, with a little more warmth than their usual cool detachment.
Xie Ji raised an eyebrow and took a step toward him.
[System notification: Target {Lu Xunji}'s favorability toward you +1.]
He took another step.
[System notification: Target {Lu Xunji}'s favorability toward you +1.]
The corners of Xie Ji's lips lifted, and he broke into a quick run toward him, the sound of the wind mingling with his heartbeat and the favorability notifications ringing madly in his head.
Lu Xunji froze for a moment, then instinctively opened his arms to catch the little money pouch who leaped into his embrace.
Xie Ji was a little tired from running and panted, tiny beads of sweat on his nose.
"Lu Xunji!" Xie Ji hooked his arms around his neck and clamped his legs around Lu Xunji's waist, saying loudly, "Tell me you're sorry!"
Lu Xunji pressed his lips together and gave Xie Ji's bottom a little upward heft, keeping the little money pouch from slipping off him.
He hesitated before whispering into Xie Ji's ear, "I'm sorry."
His voice was very quiet, and he had deliberately covered the microphone on his chest. Only Xie Ji heard him.
Xie Ji pouted. "I'm exhausted. Carry me aboard."
Lu Xunji carried Xie Ji onto the boat, reluctant to put him down. But the ingredients he had bought were still onshore. While he frowned in thought, Xie Ji had already jumped out of his arms and sat down at the bow, ready to drive.
He could only return to shore and carry all the ingredients he had bought onto the little boat.
Xie Ji hit the accelerator, and the speedboat shot forward. Above the vast sea, the drone flew swiftly along with them.
"Don't tell me to let go again." Xie Ji turned back and spoke to Lu Xunji into the wind. "I haven't even turned my nose up at you!"
Lu Xunji lowered his head and unconsciously began rubbing his index finger with his thumb, saying nothing.
Remembering the wound on Lu Xunji's arm, Xie Ji reached over, took his wrist, and pushed up his sleeve. "Let me see how the wound's doing. Did you put the ointment on?"
Lu Xunji went still.
Xie Ji had tossed him the ointment and left. Forget applying it-he had spent the entire afternoon unsettled, thinking about Xie Ji's expression when he left.
He knew he might have upset Xie Ji. Deep down, he did not want Xie Ji to distance himself over it, but he had never soothed anyone before and could not bring himself to say anything. All he could do was brood alone with a cold expression.
Until that moment, when Xie Ji had thrown himself into his arms against the sunset and demanded an apology, half-coaxing and half-serious.
Suddenly, he felt that perhaps those words were not so difficult to say after all.
The body in his arms was warm and soft, and he liked it very much. As long as he could keep that warmth, he would gladly say he was sorry another ten thousand times.
But Xie Ji had forgiven him after just once.
Someone as awful, filthy, and despicable as him.
"Tsk." Xie Ji frowned again at the unhealed wound. "Why didn't you put the ointment on? Is my ointment not good enough for you or something?"
Lu Xunji lowered his eyes. "...No."
Xie Ji switched the speedboat to autopilot, turned around, and took the jar of ointment from Lu Xunji's pocket, then lowered his head to apply it.
Neither of them spoke. Apart from the wind, all Lu Xunji could hear was a heartbeat even clearer than the wind.
After applying the ointment, Xie Ji also put scar-removal ointment on the white scars nearby on Lu Xunji's arm. Looking at his arm, he asked, "Does it hurt?"
Lu Xunji paused.
Did it hurt? It didn't really hurt that much.
Lu Xunji shook his head. "No."
In truth, this little pain was nothing compared to the desire he had no way to vent.
When he was mired in the sea of desire, this little pain could tug at his reason and help it fight back. The blood loss gradually chilled his body, keeping him from falling completely.
Xie Ji said nothing more and put both jars back into Lu Xunji's pocket. "One is for healing wounds, and the other is for removing scars. I'll look into whether there's something to replenish blood another day. If you do this again, remember to take the medicine."
Lu Xunji leaned against the side of the boat, his face a little pale, and smiled, his eyes curving.
It was actually rare to see any smile on Lu Xunji's face apart from a mocking sneer, but even such a faint smile was enough to captivate.
"I thought you'd tell me not to cut myself again."
Everyone, including his parents, was first frightened when they saw such frenzied behavior, then tried to stop him, and finally, without exception, chose to stay away.
"With your personality, if you're doing something like this, it's probably because you're enduring something even more painful." Xie Ji looked at the setting sun on the horizon. "If this makes you feel a little better."
Lu Xunji gave him a surprised look.
Everyone thought Xie Ji was a heartless little bastard, but he was actually much more sensitive in certain respects. He understood the ways of the world without being worldly.
Someone like that should not be unable to recognize another person's affection.
But judging by the time he had spent with Xie Ji, Xie Ji truly knew nothing about romance... At least he had not noticed those filthy thoughts Lu Xunji harbored about him, thoughts that ought to die along with him.
As the speedboat gradually approached shore, Xie Ji picked up a plastic bag in each hand and headed toward the villa.
Lu Xunji followed and reached for the bags in his hands. "Let me."
It was, after all, a week's worth of food for six people. Even if it did not weigh a hundred jin, it certainly weighed several dozen. When had Xie Jiaojiao ever done such heavy work?
Xie Ji dodged him and sighed. "Then use your other hand. Don't tear your wound open and waste my ointment. That shit's expensive."
It cost a whole two hundred points to exchange for one jar of ointment!
This guy Lu's favorability was still at -80. None of the favorability increases so far had earned him a single point, and he was wasting Xie Ji's points on top of it!
Something seemed to occur to Lu Xunji, and the corners of his lips lifted in a very faint smile. "Mm."
The system notification showed his favorability jumping up another 10.
Xie Ji handed him one of the bags, his eyes full of the satisfaction of seeing his own boy finally growing up.
Little Lu's favorability was much easier to raise than before. Previously, Xie Ji could use every trick he had and still fail to raise it a single point, and it might even fall. Now it shot up with hardly any effort.
At this rate, it would not be long before he could max out his favorability and complete the mission.
When the two returned to the villa, they saw Ji Shi and Mu Yao sitting on little chairs they had each brought out, one on either side of the entrance, gazing toward the end of the road.
They looked exactly like wife-watching stones-two of them, at that.
Xie Ji looked at them, then turned to Lu Xunji. "What are those two doing?"
Lu Xunji narrowed his eyes. "Maybe picking up the shattered pieces of their IQ."