Chapter 62

At first, it was just a light touch of lips, carrying that familiar scent of grass and wood that made Ji Wei unconsciously drown in the tenderness.

But soon, that wasn’t enough.

The man’s hand gently caressed the back of the boy’s soft, pale neck, where faint blue veins were just visible—the most vulnerable part of a person. Ji Wei trembled and tried to pull back, but his back was against the chair, leaving him no room to retreat.

Only then did Lu Shenxing reveal his possessiveness, and by the time Ji Wei realized it, it was too late.

The air around them grew heated. The man held the back of his neck firmly, prying open his lips and teeth, tangling with him, possessing him. He was kissed until he was nearly out of breath, letting out a soft whimper.

Only then did the man release his lips, tracing a path down his slightly upturned chin, leaving his scent as he buried his face in his neck, nibbling over and over again.

Ji Wei felt completely controlled by the man, as if his body no longer belonged to him. Only one thought remained in his mind: Does my idol really need to learn how to kiss from me?

He was the one who should be calling him “Teacher Lu.”

***

The next day, when Ji Wei woke up and looked in the bathroom mirror, he saw that he was covered in hickeys. He had no choice but to put on a shirt and meticulously fasten the top button.

When he walked out of his room, Lu Shenxing was already at the dining table, flipping through a newspaper. Seeing him, he said naturally, “Sit.”

Ji Wei had originally wanted to talk to him about their life as a couple, wondering if they could change the daily kissing routine. It had been a long time since he’d worn a low-collared shirt.

But looking at the table full of breakfast—white toast, croissants, small cakes, and a glass of hot milk—all painstakingly bought by his idol, Ji Wei found it hard to bring up the topic directly. He took a small sip of the hot milk and said, “I’ll get breakfast tomorrow.”

Normally, a housekeeper came to make lunch and dinner. In the mornings, since their wake-up times were irregular, they usually just toasted some bread themselves. It was rare for them to have such a lavish spread.

“No need.” The man turned to the next page of the newspaper.

“I can get up at seven,” Ji Wei said quickly, thinking Lu Shenxing was worried he couldn’t wake up.

“I believe our Weiwei can get up.” Lu Shenxing chuckled softly, his eyes narrowing. “But Huang Bo is coming tomorrow. He’ll take care of things around the house.”

“Who’s Huang Bo?” Ji Wei asked, puzzled.

“The old butler who used to take care of me.” Lu Shenxing’s tone was uncharacteristically helpless. “He heard I was settling in Yancheng and insisted on coming over. I couldn’t persuade him otherwise.”

Ji Wei silently thought that he and Huang Bo must have a very good relationship. When he mentioned his own father, his eyes were devoid of any warmth, but when he spoke of Huang Bo, his gaze softened noticeably.

But, settling down?

Ji Wei gulped down the toast in his mouth. He had always thought his idol bought a house in Yancheng for the convenience of his hospital check-ups. He didn’t expect it was to settle down.

“You’re going to settle in Yancheng?” he couldn’t help but confirm again.

The prenuptial agreement only stated that he had to be home for at least one week a month, and for more than half a month when not filming. His idol could have easily bought another house elsewhere, like in Beijing or Shanghai, which were both more convenient than the inland city of Yancheng.

“You’re here.” The man looked into his eyes, paused, and then asked in a matter-of-fact tone, “Where else would I go?”

His heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

Ji Wei let out a small “mm.”

He couldn’t help but think, Ah, being married to my idol is really nice.

His idol was a really good partner.

The only problem was…

His thoughts were pulled back to reality, and he tactfully suggested, “I can only wear high-collared shirts for a while.” He wanted to wear other clothes too.

Lu Shenxing’s gaze fell on his tightly buttoned collar and lingered, as if sizing him up through the fabric. Then he lowered his eyes. “You are a bit short on clothes.”

Ji Wei was speechless. That’s not what he meant!

He thought it was just a simple comment, but he didn’t expect someone to soon deliver a catalog of summer haute couture. A dedicated person would handle the purchasing, including brands like Brioni and Armani, saving them the trouble of shopping.

A so-called luxury personal shopper.

Ji Wei sat on the sofa, flipping through the catalog. He didn’t know any of these brands and didn’t care much for them himself. Clothes were just for wearing.

He closed the catalog and said to Lu Shenxing, embarrassed, “I don’t think any of these are suitable for me.”

The person who delivered the catalog looked at Ji Wei and asked, “Pardon me for asking, but are you still in university?”

Ji Wei nodded.

“Then I suggest you dress simply and appropriately. It’ll help you fit in better with your peers,” he offered.

Lu Shenxing didn’t object.

Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost time for his stream anyway, so he told his idol and headed to the study.

Only the two of them were left in the living room.

The man put away the catalog and remarked, “Young people’s tastes have changed. They prefer more personalized experiences over unchanging luxury brands and aren’t as particular about their clothing anymore.”

The “young people” he was referring to were the younger generation of the wealthy. Of course, old-money families like the Lu family were more traditional, with their own set of rules for everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation.

Lu Shenxing made a mental note of it. He himself wasn’t particular, just used to it, and hadn’t considered whether the kid would like it.

That wasn’t good.

He had to change.

The man added, “If it’s inconvenient for you to shop in physical stores, you can look online. I’ll be going now.”

Online?

After the man left, Lu Shenxing raised an eyebrow and downloaded a shopping app.

He looked at a few of the best-selling shirts. The styles were acceptable, but the fabric quality was very ordinary. They would certainly be uncomfortable to wear.

He remembered a tailor shop in France that wasn’t very famous but had excellent materials and workmanship.

With that thought, Lu Shenxing called Ying Guanxiao and asked him to place a custom order.

“You always used to go to the store in person. If I just give them the measurements, won’t the fit be off?” Ying Guanxiao asked after jotting down the information.

“It won’t.”

Lu Shenxing uttered the two words faintly.

Ying Guanxiao belatedly realized that the measurements were wrong. They weren’t Lu Shenxing’s size; they seemed to be Ji Wei’s…

That old rogue.

Ying Guanxiao spat silently.

Lu Shenxing hung up on Ying Guanxiao and returned to the shopping app. He was about to close his phone.

Suddenly, he swiped to an item.

It was a white cat pajama set, with two light pink cat ears on the hood. He paused, wanting to close the app.

But in the end, he took his phone and went to the study, knocking on the door.

Ji Wei was in the middle of a gaming stream and only heard the knock after a moment. He took off his headphones and went to open the door. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Shenxing replied flatly from his wheelchair.

Just as Ji Wei was about to close the door, Lu Shenxing held it open. The man looked at him and asked with sudden restraint, “Do you like cats?”

Cats?

Ji Wei nodded blankly. “I like them a lot.”

Who didn’t like cute little animals? Besides cats, he also liked puppies, pandas, white foxes…

“That’s good.”

The man released his hand and added the cat-ear pajamas to his shopping cart.

***

Ji Wei closed the door, feeling very puzzled.

His idol was acting a little strange.

But he didn’t have time to think about it. Ji’s Father’s seminar would last until the day after tomorrow, which meant he had to continue subbing for him tomorrow. He wouldn’t be able to accompany his idol to physical therapy in the afternoon, so he could only stream in the morning.

The game he was streaming was called This War of Mine, an anti-war game said to be set during the longest siege in history—the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted for three and a half years.

He put on his headphones and continued introducing the game. “During the day, you can only use supplies to craft items in the shelter. At night, you need to send people out to scavenge for supplies and guard the shelter.”

The number of viewers in the stream slowly grew to three hundred thousand.

[Aaaahhhhhh, was that Film Emperor Lu who knocked on the door just now?!]

[This game is amazing! They even collaborated with the War Child charity, donating proceeds from the DLC.]

[It’s a bit like post-apocalyptic survival, isn’t it?]

Ji Wei had played this game before and could have easily completed it using the optimal strategy. However, he felt that wouldn’t fully capture the game’s anti-war message.

He controlled his character to search for supplies in the shelter, including food, water, parts… and even diamonds.

[Is his luck really that good?! Diamonds should be very valuable, right?]

[+1]

[Clearing resources by hand is a bit slow. I wonder if you can craft tools or something.]

After clearing the resources in the shelter, Ji Wei explained to the bullet comments, “In war, diamonds aren’t the most valuable thing. The most valuable things are medicine and bandages, even more so than food.”

[I just remembered it’s a war setting.]

[But the initial resources are quite plentiful, and you can go out at night. You should be able to last until the end of the war, right?]

[As someone who’s played the game, I can tell you you’re all too optimistic.]

Ji Wei diligently scavenged for supplies in the game.

The shelter needed an upgraded reinforced door, but the initial three characters needed to eat every two days, and two of them were starving. It was safe to say they were at their wit’s end.

At this point, Ji Wei entered the “Quiet House” instance.

Only an elderly couple lived in the house, and it was rich in supplies. There were chicken legs and vegetables in the refrigerator, and plenty of parts elsewhere.

You couldn’t search an occupied house; you could only steal.

[Just steal this once. If we don’t eat, we’re going to starve to death.]

[Just take a little. The two old people can’t eat that much anyway.]

[Yeah, why can’t we rob the rich to feed the poor when they’re hoarding so much stuff? Maybe this house isn’t even theirs.]

Following the advice of the bullet comments, Ji Wei stole some of the resources. The old man chattered on, accusing the player of being a thief and a robber, but he didn’t stop him.

He returned home, fed his characters, upgraded the reinforced door to prevent being robbed by bandits, and started brewing alcohol to sell…

Everything was heading in a good direction. Someone suggested that maybe they could return some food to the elderly couple.

[Yes! We’re not short on things now anyway.]

[There’s no need to be such a goody-two-shoes. It’s only day 48. We don’t know when the war will end, and you’re giving stuff away?]

[But we took half of their food. I feel a little bad.]

The majority of the bullet comments supported going. When night fell in the game, Ji Wei controlled his character back to the Quiet House.

To everyone’s shock, the two old people were dead in their bed. In the room was a letter the couple had written to their grandson.

—War isn’t so bad, it’s just not much fun for kids. Let me tell you a secret, your grandma saved some flour to make your favorite little cookies. As for me, I’ll definitely fix the swing set before you come.

The bullet comments went silent for a few minutes.

[Sigh, this is so sad. If we hadn’t taken their food, would they have lived until after the war?]

[Actually, if we hadn’t taken their food, we might have been able to get by. Seeing them dead is just too depressing.]

[I thought this was just a game with a war background, but I didn’t expect it to be a true anti-war game. It’s so brutal. Added to my Steam cart.]

Ji Wei thought this somber style would be unpopular, but to his surprise, the stream’s popularity soared, growing from three hundred thousand to four hundred thousand viewers. Many people were also asking for recordings of his previous streams.

[Anchovy]: Aaaahhhhhh, I saw the recommendation on a forum. I want to see the previous recordings!

[Bamboo Rat Three Bucks]: Following this conscientious streamer. It’s rare to see such a meaningful stream. No wonder he was recommended by the Youth League.

[Weiwei Soy Milk]: I missed it. Does any sister have a link to share?

Just yesterday, some people were questioning the Communist Youth League Central Committee’s post, feeling that Ji Wei couldn’t possibly be associated with positive energy. Today, such voices disappeared from both forums and Weibo.

One parent even posted on Weibo.

[Wang Xiaoyan]: As the parent of a high school senior, my child playing games is undoubtedly my biggest headache. At first, I also wanted to complain about the games and game streamers, but I feel that suppression is worse than guidance. It’s better to set a time limit for my child to be online. If the streamer is a positive influence, it’s okay to watch. Looking forward to the geography stream this afternoon.

Ji Wei saw this Weibo post and suddenly felt that this parent wasn’t trying to praise him, but rather… urging him to hurry up and start his lesson stream.

During dinner, he received more and more private messages and realized it wasn’t his imagination. Many people were indeed waiting for his geography stream.

[Liu Yun]: Streamer, when does class start? I’ve already had my child turn on the computer.

[156126896]: I want to listen to the lesson.

[Moon River Island]: I only heard the first half of your lecture last time. I really want to hear the second half.

Ji Wei’s first reaction was that it was impossible. He had just organized the lessons he had taught at No. 3 Middle School. But on second thought, educational resources varied from place to place. He thought he should be more serious during his afternoon class.

During the afternoon stream, the number of viewers was less than half, but the bullet comments were more formal. There was very little chatting or off-topic discussion; most were questions from students watching from off-site.

Before he knew it, it was past six o’clock. Ji Wei hadn’t finished going through all the geography knowledge points. His throat was a little tired, but he didn’t notice it himself and continued talking.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“Teacher Ji, should I get the door?”

A student sitting near the door asked.

Ji Wei thought his father had returned early and nodded. “Go ahead, thanks.”

The door opened.

Lu Shenxing wheeled himself in. Ying Guanxiao, who was with him, seemed to have completed his mission. He said to Ji Wei, “I’m leaving Old Lu with you. I’m off.”

When Lu Shenxing had dragged him over after his physical therapy, he had specifically checked the time. It was only six o’clock. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was ten at night. He had rushed over to pick him up. Was it easy being a single guy?

He turned, closed the door, and left.

Ji Wei was stunned. Why was his idol here?

Everyone present recognized Lu Shenxing, but they didn’t know how to address him. The air suddenly fell silent.

Lu Shenxing spoke faintly, “Call me Grandmaster.”

His appearance and aura were too overwhelming. The students all shouted in unison, “Hello, Grandmaster Lu!”

The bullet comments exploded.

[Aaaahhhhhh, is that Film Emperor Lu?! Damn, he’s so good-looking in person. What’s his relationship with the streamer?]

[…The person above, how long have you been offline? They announced their marriage a long time ago.]

[Awwwww, Grandmaster Lu, I’m dead.]

Ji Wei’s face instantly turned red. He coughed and walked over to Lu Shenxing, whispering, “I still have class. Can you wait a little while?”

“Let’s eat first.”

The man handed him the food container in his hand. There were seven portions in total, still steaming hot.

“But I’m still streaming.”

Ji Wei glanced at the screen.

“They’re hungry too.”

Lu Shenxing glanced at the students and said flatly.

The students wanted to say they weren’t hungry and could still listen, but when they saw Lu Shenxing’s gaze, they could only nod silently.

“Alright then.”

Ji Wei paused the stream, took the food container, and handed one to each of the students, leaving the last one for himself.

He noticed the check-up report on Lu Shenxing’s lap and asked with concern, “How were the results? What did the doctor say today?”

Lu Shenxing seemed unwilling to disclose his privacy and wheeled himself to the room.

Was the problem that serious?

Ji Wei’s heart panicked, and he followed him.

After closing the door, Lu Shenxing finally spoke slowly, his tone calm. “The doctor said the physical therapy is going well. There’s still some time before a full recovery, but—”

“But what?” Ji Wei asked nervously.

“We can start having a certain degree of sexual activity.”