NOVEL NEXT 27
Chapter 27
It takes only seven days to develop a habit. The regular school life cultivated Lu Xi’s regular sleep habits. Even though he couldn’t sleep on time last night due to various reasons, he still woke up on time the next day.
This autumn seemed to pass particularly quickly, as if we had just put on thin jackets, and winter had already arrived. But such occurrences were common on this planet. It wasn’t some comfortable tourist planet; harsh weather could cultivate students’ resilience.
In winter, the morning sunlight became especially dazzling—unlike the pale sun of summer due to excessive burning, winter sunlight was golden, even more brilliant than the purest gold. As the sun rose, the earth seemed to be covered in an endless expanse of gold leaf.
This golden hue made the unfrozen lake shimmer, adorned the evergreen trees with lush greenery, and if given the chance, it would even slant through the window mullions into people’s rooms.
Lu Xi was awakened by this sunlight. He groggily opened his eyes, the sun blurring his vision, so he closed his eyes again, the dazzling golden color still lingering on his retinas.
His body felt heavy.
As if something was pressing down on him, making it almost impossible to breathe. His male father had mentioned this situation before, calling it “ghost pressing bed.”
Of course, this was just a common sleeping phenomenon…
No, something was indeed pressing on him.
“…”
Lu Xi opened his eyes and looked at the bulging blanket on his body, silent for a dozen seconds.
Then he slowly reached out his hand and lifted a corner of the blanket.
When he caught a glimpse of silver, he quickly pressed the blanket back down, a speed rarely seen from Lu Xi.
With one hand holding down the blanket, he expressionlessly stared at the ceiling.
Huh?
What?
What happened?
This must be a joke, haha.
Waking up to find Xia Baiyuan lying on top of him was too horrifying.
…
Lu Xi used his other hand to cover his mouth, afraid he might scream at any moment.
The warm body in his arms was not fake, and he still felt difficulty breathing from being pressed down on. That fleeting glimpse of silver was not fake either—Xia Baiyuan was indeed with him.
Lu Xi covered his mouth, pondering for a few seconds, and finally calmed down. He cautiously lifted the blanket, his eyelashes drooping, staring at Xia Baiyuan.
With no blanket to shield him, the golden sunlight poured directly onto him. He was nestled comfortably against Lu Xi’s chest, his soft silver hair scattered messily, each strand gleaming transparently in the sunlight.
From Lu Xi’s perspective, he could see a small patch of Xia Baiyuan’s cheek, slightly flushed from the warmth of sleep, rising and falling with each breath.
This posture was reminiscent of a cat curled up snugly in a narrow box.
Dust danced in the light beam, and Xia Baiyuan furrowed his brow, “Hmm…”
His voice still had a strong nasal tone, indicating that he was in deep sleep after a long period, and even when he opened his eyes, his usually cool gaze was misted with a watery haze, indicating that he was indeed sound asleep.
Lu Xi stiffened as he watched Xia Baiyuan furrow his brows at first, as if the sunlight had disturbed his pleasant dreams. Then, Xia Baiyuan buried his face into the warm and broad chest underneath him, subconsciously rubbing his face and mumbling indistinctly from his throat.
Lu Xi dared not even breathe, but then he realized another, more subtle issue.
Little Lu Xi, it had stood up.
No no no, this wasn’t because he coveted Xia Baiyuan. This was a perfectly normal situation—well, maybe there was a tiny bit of ulterior motive, but mainly because he was indeed a very healthy adult male zerg, from body to mind!
Don’t panic!!
Lu Xi took a slow breath, the slightly chilly winter air calming his mind.
He reached out and placed his hand on Xia Baiyuan’s shoulder, gently exerting pressure, hoping he would follow the force downward. But to his despair, Xia Baiyuan instead extended his hand and hugged him tighter.
Even through the thin layers of fabric, Little Lu Xi felt it—his body pressed against soft, warm skin—
Lu Xi widened his eyes, his scalp tingling. He dared not move.
He could only fervently pray to the zerg god in his heart: [Please, Xia Baiyuan, don’t wake up, at least, at least wait until it is calm again before waking up! Pretty please!!]
Unfortunately, the zerg god never granted his wishes, as if the zerg god enjoyed seeing him in misery—
Using his hand to support Lu Xi’s chest, Xia Baiyuan first propped up his upper body, but his head still hung low, making his backbones protrude noticeably. Then he bent his legs and sat up.
But he still kept his eyes closed, his head moving rhythmically and methodically.
Lu Xi: “…”
Xia Baiyuan yawned, covering his mouth with one hand, which forced him to open his right eye, gazing at Lu Xi with confusion, “Morning…”
Lu Xi dryly replied, “Morning.”
Xia Baiyuan blinked, his drowsy eyes quickly becoming clear. It seemed like he finally realized what had happened, and he let out a soft “oops,” before saying, “Sorry, I’m not very good at sleeping, you—last night—”
The two locked eyes, and Lu Xi’s exhaustion was evident, clearly showing he hadn’t slept well.
Xia Baiyuan: “…Sorry.”
Lu Xi forced a smile, “It’s okay, it’s Saturday today, I can sleep a bit more.”
But if you don’t leave, I’ll be too nervous to sleep.
Xia Baiyuan looked somewhat regretful, then quickly got up from the bed, “Then you sleep a bit more.”
His movements were so swift that Lu Xi didn’t even react. The blanket covering them was lifted along with Xia Baiyuan, revealing Little Lu Xi’s pride.
Lu Xi: !!!
In that moment, Lu Xi felt like his mind went “buzz,” and under Xia Baiyuan’s gaze, he raised his arm to shield his face.
Please pretend I don’t exist in this world, thank you.
It’s unclear how long passed—perhaps only a few seconds, but to Lu Xi, it felt like an eternity. He heard Xia Baiyuan’s hesitant voice.
“Can you, can you sleep like this?”
Probably not, Lu Xi thought, utterly dismayed.
Xia Baiyuan’s voice lowered slightly, “Do you want me to help you?”
Haha, help me pack my bags, I think I want to leave this planet overnight.
The next moment, Lu Xi felt a hand slip under the fabric, gently gripping Little Lu Xi.
Lu Xi: “…”
Huh?
Huh?!!!
—
Xia Baiyuan’s fingers were long, and years of training had left calluses on his palms. As the record keeper for various military skills at school, his fingers were unbelievably agile.
Lu Xi stared at him in astonishment, “You—”
His voice trailed off.
Xia Baiyuan lowered his head, his silver hair falling to cover his face, his voice calm, “Between good friends, it’s inevitable to have such moments. You wanted to sleep, didn’t you?”
Lu Xi’s mouth hung open, “B-b-but…”
He clutched the blanket tightly, cheeks flushing, his mind a jumble.
There was a cold fragrance in the air, mingling with his breath, seeming to grow warmer. Lu Xi half-opened his eyes, vaguely seeing Xia Baiyuan’s movements, his hair swaying slightly, revealing a hint of pink in his ears.
—
Lu Xi let out a sigh, lying back against the pillow.
Before he could bury himself under the blanket, Xia Baiyuan’s faint voice came, “And me?”
Lu Xi instinctively looked over, “Huh?”
Xia Baiyuan turned away, his gaze distant.
Seeing Xia Baiyuan like this, Lu Xi felt like his face was about to split.
Is he still not awake? This must be a dream!!
There was no extra expression on Xia Baiyuan’s face, but if Lu Xi were awake, he would have noticed that Xia Baiyuan seemed unable to make any expression due to nervousness.
But he wasn’t awake now.
Lu Xi stuttered, “I, I, you, you—”
Xia Baiyuan lowered his eyelashes, even his strands of hair seemed to droop, “I thought we were best friends.”
He looked so disappointed and crestfallen that little fanboy Lu Xi’s defenses crumbled instantly, hastily comforting him, “How, how could it be! We are best friends—absolutely.”
Xia Baiyuan looked even more dejected, “But you’re not willing to help me.”
Lu Xi opened and closed his mouth, like a fish out of water.
Help!
Someone come and save him.
“I understand,” Xia Baiyuan lowered his head, “After all, we’re just in a business relationship, aren’t we?”
From an angle Lu Xi couldn’t see, Xia Baiyuan’s lips twitched slightly, a self-deprecating smile appearing, “I was just being delusional.”
Lu Xi didn’t mean that about him at all.
How could such a coincidence happen?
How could such a coincidence happen?
But he still really liked Lu Xi, what should he do?
Lu Xi’s heart felt like it was breaking, more thoroughly shattered than if it were dropped on the ground and smashed to pieces like plaster, it could only be described as completely crushed.
“Go ahead and sleep well, I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Lu Xi nodded dejectedly.
Xia Baiyuan continued, “I was wrong last night, too stubborn.”
If Lu Xi’s heart had just shattered into pieces like plaster, then this sentence turned it into a lead block, plunging straight into his stomach, heavy beyond measure.
As he watched Xia Baiyuan turn to leave, Lu Xi felt hollow inside.
When he was young, he always tried to gauge others’ moods, afraid of making others angry, but now it was different from that fear, he hoped Xia Baiyuan would be happy.
If he saw Xia Baiyuan sad, he would be sad too, even sadder than himself being sad.
Before he knew it, he had grabbed Xia Baiyuan’s clothes.
“I have to make it clear in advance, I really am a male zerg, whether you believe it or not.”
When Xia Baiyuan heard this, he was stunned.
The dejection and sadness from before disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed, replaced by a continuous stream of joy and excitement from the heart—it’s hard to imagine that it was just a sentence.
Xia Baiyuan forcibly pressed down the corners of his mouth, looking at his reflection in the window to confirm that he wasn’t too exaggerated, then turned away with restraint.
But the window was just a window after all, Xia Baiyuan didn’t notice that his eyes were shining brightly, filled with sunlight.
Lu Xi covered his face with both hands, rubbed it hard, resigned to his fate.
Today, he’s going to do something that goes against his ancestors!
He’s definitely going to hell after he dies.
Xia Baiyuan knelt on either side of Lu Xi, his hands lightly resting on Lu Xi’s shoulders, while Lu Xi’s hand pressed against Xia Baiyuan’s back.
The sensation was silky to the touch, Lu Xi stared dumbly at Xia Baiyuan’s slightly furrowed brow, a drop of sweat sliding from Xia Baiyuan’s forehead to his jaw, finally dripping onto his collar.
Xia Baiyuan took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly, “Stop staring at me.”
Lu Xi: “Huh? Oh!”
Xia Baiyuan buried his face in Lu Xi’s shoulder, their chests pressed together, unable to tell whose heartbeat was racing so fast.
Perhaps, both of them were.
—