Chapter 66

Instantly, a rush of heat shot to the top of Ji Wei’s head, leaving him flustered and at a loss. He hastily turned and fled into the guest room.

As he reached the door, he belatedly realized his behavior might have been impolite. He had no choice but to turn back, push Lu Shenxing into the master bedroom, and say in a low voice, “When your leg gets better.”

The man replied languidly, “Mm, when my leg gets better.” Although Lu Shenxing’s voice was indifferent and devoid of any emotion, it carried a faint, ascetic quality.

Pushing Lu Shenxing, Ji Wei couldn’t see the man’s expression, but he knew his own face must be burning hot. Even his breaths were scorching. Thankfully, there were no mirrors in front of them. Ji Wei thought with his head down, if Lu Shenxing saw him like this, he would surely find it strange.

After pushing Lu Shenxing into the bedroom, he picked up his pillow and pajamas, ready to go to the guest room. Before he had taken a few steps, the man, half-sitting on the bed, called out to him, “Where are you going?”

Ji Wei’s steps froze. He hugged the pillow tightly and summoned his courage. “Aren’t we filming the show tomorrow? I have a cold and I’m afraid of infecting you. It’s better to sleep separately.”

It wasn’t just an excuse; he was genuinely afraid of getting his idol sick. He should understand, right?

He relaxed his steps and placed his hand on the doorknob. Just as he was about to push it open, he heard the man calmly retort, “We’ve already kissed. What’s there to be afraid of? Come here and help me with my physical therapy.”

Ji Wei turned around, puzzled, and couldn’t help but ask, “Can you do physical therapy without equipment?”

“To train core strength,” Lu Shenxing said with a composed expression.

“Of course,” Ji Wei said, walking to the bedside. “What do I need to do?”

“Hold me steady,” the man replied.

“Okay.” Ji Wei got on the bed. He saw Lu Shenxing adjust his position, bending his knees, and only then did he realize he wanted to do sit-ups.

Training on the bed would reduce the intensity, allowing for some exercise effect without being too strenuous and affecting his recovery.

Ji Wei knelt and held his legs, not daring to use too much force.

Lu Shenxing’s core strength was astonishing. He did forty sit-ups in a minute without a change in expression, even with his leg not fully recovered.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but marvel at the difference between people. His own physical stamina was poor; he could only do twenty in a minute.

After the first set, they began the second.

Ji Wei kept his head down, timing with a stopwatch. When he looked up again, Lu Shenxing was just sitting up. He should have lain back down, but his body suddenly leaned forward.

The next moment—

A warm sensation landed on Ji Wei’s lips. His eyes widened, his pupils reflecting Lu Shenxing’s image. The hand holding the man’s leg loosened, but the man noticed his movement and said in a normal tone, “Continue.”

It must have been an accident, right?

Ji Wei was stunned for only a moment, suppressed the shyness in his heart, and held Lu Shenxing’s legs steady again.

But the next time—

When Lu Shenxing sat up, he kissed him again. Although it was just a light touch, after being kissed nearly a hundred times, Ji Wei’s hands holding Lu Shenxing’s were trembling faintly, and the heat on his face never subsided.

When it was finally over, he took a deep breath, ready to get off the bed. But before he could touch the floor, Lu Shenxing pulled him back onto the bed and pressed him down, saying in a low voice, “Next physical therapy item.”

At some point, the situation had spiraled out of his control.

The buttons of Ji Wei’s shirt were undone down to the third one, and his fair skin was covered in dense red marks, a testament to how forcefully he had been kissed. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is this also physical therapy?”

The man’s lips paused on his neck. He slowly looked up and said, “The doctor said that maintaining a pleasant mood is also part of physical therapy.”

A pleasant mood…

Ji Wei’s face turned even redder.

Then, Lu Shenxing started kissing him again.

Ji Wei was kissed until he could hardly breathe. Due to the lack of oxygen, his mind was almost blank. On top of that, the man’s body was hard, and something seemed to be pressing against him, making his heart race and thinking even more difficult.

The man suddenly asked, “The cake you mentioned last time, who gave it to you?”

“Liang Heng,” he answered subconsciously.

Why would his idol ask him this question?

Ji Wei was about to ponder it, but Lu Shenxing gave him no chance, kissing him even more fervently. He could only passively endure, feeling like a stranded fish at the man’s mercy, as if he would be devoured in the next second.

***

When Ji Wei woke up in the morning, his whole body was sore. He had to change into another shirt. Because The Forbidden City’s Little Shop was being broadcast in collaboration with CCTV, the live stream time was moved to Monday to avoid affecting the ratings.

They could leave at noon, get some sleep in St. Lawrence, and then start the official live broadcast the next day.

This gave them plenty of time, which meant they could have a proper lunch.

Huang Bo was busy in the kitchen early in the morning. Because of Ji Wei’s cold, he mostly made light Cantonese dishes and also simmered a pot of black bean and carp soup.

The three of them sat at the table.

Ji Wei picked up a piece of steamed shrimp ball. Suddenly, Lu Shenxing picked up a wooden ladle, scooped a bowl of soup, and handed it to him, saying gently, “Replenish your strength.”

There was nothing wrong with the words themselves.

But Ji Wei couldn’t help but overthink, and as he thought, he blushed. Huang Bo, watching from the side, looked worried. “This cold isn’t gone yet.”

“It’s almost gone,” Ji Wei said, quickly lowering his head.

Huang Bo didn’t believe him. “How can it be gone when your face is so red?”

After the meal, just as he and Lu Shenxing were about to leave, Huang Bo brought him a large bag of food. “When you’re sick, eat more meat and drink more wine. You’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

Ji Wei opened the bag and saw it was full of handmade meat jerky—five-spice flavor, spicy flavor, and even pickled chili flavor… the variety was impressive. He said sincerely to Huang Bo, “Thank you.”

“It’s what I should do.” Before Huang Bo could finish, he characteristically slapped his forehead. Ji Wei knew he must have forgotten something again. Sure enough, Huang Bo turned and went into the kitchen, bringing out a small bag of custard buns. “These are freshly made and hot. Eat them in the car later.”

Lu Shenxing, sitting in his wheelchair, said helplessly, “I don’t like to eat them.”

“What if Weiwei likes them?” Huang Bo said naturally.

He insisted on giving them to Ji Wei, so Ji Wei had to accept them. After thanking him, Huang Bo reluctantly waved them goodbye.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Ji Wei couldn’t help but say, “You and Huang Bo have a very good relationship.”

There was a moment of silence.

“When I was little, I thought he was my father,” Lu Shenxing said flatly. “A pity he wasn’t.”

“What about his children?”

Since Huang Bo had arrived, their standard of living had improved dramatically, but he had never heard Huang Bo mention his family.

“They died,” Lu Shenxing said simply.

Ji Wei suddenly thought that Huang Bo’s poor memory had its advantages. At least he didn’t have to constantly think about the death of his family.

Forgetting was sometimes a skill.

He pushed Lu Shenxing into the elevator, smelled the custard buns in the bag, took one out, and offered it to the man. “Want some?”

Lu Shenxing frowned.

His idol didn’t really like Chinese pastries. Ji Wei made a mental note. It seemed he would have to eat them himself.

He withdrew his hand and took a bite of the custard bun. The richness of the cream and the sweetness of the egg yolk filling blended together perfectly. Huang Bo’s skills were truly amazing.

Perhaps because he was eating with such relish, the man suddenly spoke up, “I want some too.”

Didn’t he just say he didn’t like them?

Ji Wei was surprised for a moment. With the half-eaten custard bun in one hand, he opened the bag with the other, intending to get a new one.

But before he could open it, the hand holding the custard bun was pulled down. The man grasped his wrist and took a bite of the custard bun, inevitably—

His warm lips brushed against his fingertips. Gently. It was less of a brush and more of a lick. Ji Wei couldn’t help but shiver. The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly became strange. Fortunately, they soon reached the ground floor.

Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief, but the incredibly clear sensation on his finger lingered, refusing to fade.

***

By the time they arrived in St. Lawrence, it was already nine o’clock.

But to Ji Wei’s surprise, the entrance to the little shop was crowded with foreigners, all bustling about, seemingly waiting for the shop to open.

“What’s going on?” Zhao Yue stared in disbelief.

“Could it be a problem with the things we sold? Are they here to find us? This is dangerous.” Zhao Yue looked nervous. He had been the most aggressive salesman, so they would most likely be looking for him. Thinking of this, he said to Xiao Chi, “You go check it out.”

Xiao Chi was speechless.

Nevertheless, Xiao Chi still went over.

John was looking at his watch, appearing somewhat anxious.

He had learned about Ji Wei from Wilson’s stream. He hadn’t paid much attention at the time, thinking Ji Wei was just a random person Wilson had found. He never expected Ji Wei to be so good at games, able to compete with Wilson.

He must be a professional player from China.

He started searching on Google, but he never expected that gaming was just one aspect of Ji Wei. Not only could he play games, but he could also draw, do calligraphy, and even play the Guqin!

Most importantly, he was so good-looking.

John was instantly smitten.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Originally, not many people regularly watched The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, only about twenty thousand, and they could only watch the raw version. If they wanted subtitles, they had to wait a few days, truly embodying the spirit of “be grateful you have something to watch at all.”

But this did nothing to diminish their enthusiasm. It was said that many people even started live-streaming, interacting with Chinese viewers through machine translation. One could say it was quite humbling.

Fortunately, after the last episode aired, a video of Ji Wei playing with an elastic band went viral, trending on YouTube. The number of regular viewers of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop quickly grew by fifty thousand, and a Chinese-language expert even provided simultaneous subtitles, forming a small but dedicated community.

John watched the subtitled version of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop with everyone else. Perhaps because watching videos together created a better atmosphere, someone suggested going to St. Lawrence this week to check it out. He agreed without much thought.

Standing in front of the shop in the cold night wind.

Now, he regretted it.

Deeply regretted it.

But when he heard Xiao Chi’s voice and turned his head to see Ji Wei, the night concealed his features, but even looking at his hazy figure, he felt it was all worth it!

A few minutes later, Xiao Chi returned and said to them joyfully, “They’re fans of the show!”

They weren’t just fans from nearby cities; there were people from all over the world. It was clear they had flown in specially. Some were even carrying suitcases. As soon as they saw Ji Wei and the others, they surged forward.

“Aaaahhhhhh, I’m seeing him in person!” one fan said excitedly. “Weiwei is so cute! He has pear dimples when he smiles.”

“Are you guys really selling your self-designed cultural products this episode? There are several I want to buy. I came all the way from another state just for this.”

“Me too! I really want to buy them, and I have to buy some for my friends too. I hope everyone doesn’t fight over them too much.”

Ji Wei addressed the bustling crowd, “We open at eight tomorrow. We’ll do our best to make sure everyone can buy the products they like.”

If the problem in the previous episodes was failing to meet the sales target, the problem in this episode was probably how to stock enough goods so as not to disappoint everyone.

As his words fell, the crowd began to disperse.

After the crowd left, Ji Wei and the others entered the small shop and closed the door.

By the time they finished cleaning the shop, it was already ten o’clock. They began to discuss tomorrow’s inventory list. Having sold many ordinary cultural and creative products, everyone was very interested in selling their own designs.

“Considering that our self-designed products include a soft ruler, a notebook, and a seal, I suggest we also stock some pens. We can sell them as a set,” Xiao Chi said.

“We can also get some more tables and chairs to go with the cups designed by Ma Laoyezi. They’ll look nice, and if we can sell them, the profit margin will be very high,” Zhao Yue chimed in, not wanting to be left behind.

“Since we have the designed Forbidden City panoramic jigsaw puzzle, we could consider getting a miniature model,” Ji Wei said after some thought. “The miniature model can be placed in the middle of the rest area.”

They spent until past one in the morning just discussing what to stock for the next day, spending a total of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

By the time Ji Wei pushed Lu Shenxing back to their room, he was already exhausted. Suddenly, his phone rang.

[Cui Jiu]: Help me look at this drawing. I think there’s something wrong with the one in the textbook.

Cui Jiu sent a picture of a sketch from a book. The person in the drawing was in a rare pose, which meant the form was not easy to draw.

Ji Wei quickly reconstructed the image in his mind. There was indeed a problem. However, the perspective he drew seemed a bit strange compared to the original. He needed to confirm it.

His first instinct was to turn on his computer and use software to simulate the action, but then he remembered he hadn’t brought his computer, only the meat jerky Huang Bo had made, which took up most of the space in his suitcase.

He had no choice but to sit down on the sofa, then stand up, then sit down again. After hesitating for a long time, Lu Shenxing came out of the bathroom, saw something was wrong, and said faintly, “Just say it.”

Ji Wei felt as if his little thoughts were completely exposed before Lu Shenxing, as if he had been seen through. He stammered and asked Lu Shenxing, “Can I draw you?”

Lu Shenxing didn’t speak.

The room fell into silence.

Was he worried it would take too long?

Afraid he wouldn’t agree, Ji Wei added, “It won’t take much time, just a few minutes.”

Unlike Chen Yan, Cui Jiu rarely asked him for help. In fact, he often helped him get food and water. Although he was always out early and back late, he was a very good roommate. He wanted to resolve Cui Jiu’s question as soon as possible.

“Draw me?” The man looked up at him and asked in a strange tone.

Ji Wei nodded embarrassedly.

Lu Shenxing wheeled himself over, seemingly giving his silent consent. Ji Wei took out a pen and paper. Just as he was thinking about how to describe the pose to Lu Shenxing, since the pose was a bit difficult, he suddenly heard the sound of a belt buckle being unfastened.

A particularly clear metallic sound.

Ji Wei’s body stiffened, and he slowly looked up.

Lu Shenxing was unhurriedly taking off his clothes.

Due to his shock, he blinked, stunned for several seconds, his lips slightly parted. Then he hurriedly stopped him, “You don’t have to take off your clothes.”

The man paused his actions, his tone seemingly a little regretful. “Oh, you don’t?”

Ji Wei felt like he was about to lose his grip on his pen.

He took a deep breath. Why did his idol think that drawing a person meant drawing them nude?!