Peek
Just as things were about to spiral out of control, Lu Congxing finally managed to push off with his short legs and jump down from the tall bathroom sink.
The pain he imagined never came. The layers of panda fat cushioned his fall, and he even bounced twice on the floor like a sesame rice ball.
Heard the sound, He Zhouyan didn’t react at all. He simply let the cub sneakily open the bathroom door and escape, then slowly turned on the shower.
He’d had enough fun with the cub—now it was time to tease the human form.
In the living room, Lu Congxing returned to his human form, his face bright red as he sat stiffly on the sofa, arms and legs awkwardly synchronized. His mind was filled with the image he had accidentally glimpsed.
He couldn’t shake the memory of those rippling muscles.
“You’re back?”
Lu Congxing turned at the voice and froze again—because the man had come out with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, steam still rising off him.
“Y-you—why aren’t you wearing clothes?” he stammered for the first time in his life.
He Zhouyan frowned slightly, puzzled. “I just finished showering. I didn’t know you were already back.”
Lu Congxing had nothing to say. After all, they were both men—it wasn’t like he could throw a fit and demand the other cover up completely.
But He Zhouyan clearly didn’t think that was enough. He leaned down, caging the boy between himself and the sofa with strong arms. The warmth and scent of water hit Lu Congxing in the face as He Zhouyan asked, “Why’s your face so red?”
The seal in his mind was only half removed, so He Zhouyan could only hear the thoughts of simple-minded little animals like the panda cub. But even without that, he could read plenty from the boy’s pure expression.
Lu Congxing nearly started stammering again. He pinched his fingertips to force himself to focus. “Because I rushed home… I was worried you’d be anxious.”
He Zhouyan let out a low chuckle, the kind of deep, sexy sound that turned the moment even more suggestive.
“I would’ve been worried,” he said. After letting his gaze linger for a few seconds on the slightly red ear tip, he suddenly changed the subject. “I picked up a panda plushie to give you, but it seems to have disappeared. Did you see it?”
Lu Congxing’s eyes darted from the man’s chest to his collarbone, before finally getting caught in those deep, dark eyes. Without thinking, he blurted out, “I saw it. It was really cute. I… put it into my Qiankun space.”
He only remembered he had to keep his identity secret—but forgot that his excuse was full of holes.
Sure enough, He Zhouyan smiled again. His previously human-like black eyes turned back to a pale icy-blue, tinged with amusement. “Oh? But I remember I left it in the bathroom. So you went into my bathroom?”
He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and lightly tapped Lu Congxing’s blushing ear, earning a cute little shiver in response.
Every part of the cub’s body had an inexplicable allure to him.
Only now did Lu Congxing realize he had walked right into a trap. If he admitted he went into the bathroom to get the plushie, wouldn’t that be the same as admitting he’d peeked at him showering?
Which… he kind of did, actually.
His whole face flushed red, even his nose tinged pink with embarrassment, and he looked up at the man with watery, suspicious eyes.
Only then did it hit him—he was being teased.
But the man’s expression was perfectly serious. Only his hands were being a little too active. After gently brushing his ear, he pinched the soft flesh under Lu Congxing’s chin, forcing him to slightly open his mouth and reveal a sliver of his pink tongue.
If he kept teasing any longer, and his body reacted, he’d be seen as a full-blown pervert.
He Zhouyan calmly retracted his hand. “As long as you got it. Go to bed now, okay?”
That shower was wasted. He’d have to take another one—this time cold. Spiritual energy wasn’t enough to suppress it anymore.
But just as he turned and took two steps, his hand was caught.
Lu Congxing looked a bit awkward. He had meant to tug on the man’s clothes, but afraid the towel might fall in some dramatic way, he’d instinctively just hooked his pinky around his instead—an action full of childlike charm.
Before the cub could flee after practically delivering himself, He Zhouyan tightened his grip. “Hmm?”
So Lu Congxing could only tilt his head up and speak in that weirdly intimate position: “Chen He wasn’t the one who put the voodoo doll. That means Wen Yi and the others are still in danger.”
His pale chin was still tinged red from being pinched, making him look soft and easy to bully.
He Zhouyan looked down, almost laughing. “Still thinking about others?”
So timid, yet with such a big heart.
He gently ruffled the cub’s soft black hair. “I’ve placed something in the hospital room. If anything tries to act, it’ll be caught.”
That’s how he caught Dany back in the rental apartment.
Only then did Lu Congxing relax. Like a little player, he retracted his hand and said cheerfully, “Okay.”
Seeing him act like that, He Zhouyan couldn’t help feeling a little itch. He lowered his head and planted a soft kiss at the corner of the boy’s eye, murmuring, “Good night.”
Lu Congxing had already gotten used to the nightly goodnight kiss. He accepted it without resistance and smiled obediently. “Good night.”
. . . . .
The next day, when they visited Wen Yi’s hospital room, they heard that Chen He hadn’t made it through the night.
He wasn’t surprised by this. After all, the little ghost had been consumed by Yingying, and now there was nothing left to hold him back.
Although his miserable situation had originally been caused by the little ghost, ironically, it was the absence of the little ghost that ultimately led to his death from severe injuries.
Wen Yi had her head down in the hospital room. She hadn’t slept all night yesterday, staying awake to take care of Lin Yang.
When she saw Lu Congxing, she rushed to him as if he were her real brother. However, the person standing next to him exuded a chilling aura, turning what would have been a real brother into a ‘half-brother’ instead.
Wen Yi almost froze to death from He Zhouyan’s gaze. She instinctively maintained a safe distance from Lu Congxing, clearing her throat: “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” Lu Congxing smiled. “Are you feeling better today?”
“Mm, thanks for your concern.” Lin Yang smiled awkwardly, trying to sit up. “But we still haven’t found out who placed the voodoo doll.”
He had also learned about Chen He’s death. Besides feeling regretful, he was now on edge. He didn’t even want Wen Yi to leave the room or be out of his sight because he was sure that person would show up again.
“Oh, that.” Lu Congxing blinked. “Don’t worry, I already know who it is.”
Lin Yang became suddenly agitated. “Who? Who? Cough, cough, cough!”
Wen Yi quickly adjusted his arm to prevent the needle from shifting.
Lu Congxing’s hand sparked with a small flame. “This person is already here. You agree, right, assistant?”
Bang.
The door was hurriedly pushed open. The assistant, wearing round glasses, looked panicked. She was holding a warm breakfast she had just bought. “Huh?”
She looked as though she were about to cry. “N-no, I think you misunderstood. I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose. The door wasn’t closed properly, and I saw you were talking about something, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Wen Yi couldn’t bear it anymore. “Xing Cub… Xiao Li has been working with me for three years.”
“So, she knows your schedule better than anyone, right?” Lu Congxing raised his chin slightly, signaling her to close the door and come inside.
Xiao Li looked anxiously at Wen Yi, her eyes filled with just the right amount of fear and confusion. “Sis-sister Yi…”
But Wen Yi didn’t defend her as expected. She bit her lip. “Why don’t you come in first and talk?”
She leaned more toward Lu Congxing in the moment, or perhaps she suddenly realized how chilling his words had been.
Xiao Li froze for a moment, feeling wronged, before she went to close the door and then returned, placing the porridge she had bought on the table.
She even remembered Wen Yi’s taste, specially going out of her way to buy the meat buns from her favorite shop.
It was hard to be suspicious of such a diligent and honest young girl.
Wen Yi’s expression softened. “It’s fine. If this was a misunderstanding, we’ll clear it up, right?”
Xiao Li kept her head down, her expression unreadable. “Mm.”
Lin Yang didn’t know Xiao Li very well, only that she was his childhood friend’s assistant. He quickly pulled Wen Yi to his side in defense.
Lu Congxing smiled. “Actually, I’ve found something odd since the day you made the list. It’s rare for someone to decisively create an enemy list like that, especially one that’s someone else’s list.”
Xiao Li couldn’t hold back. “I’ve worked with her for three years. How could I not know about these things? No, I even know about her private life.”
Wen Yi frowned, unsure why those words sounded so harsh, but she didn’t interrupt.
Lu Congxing let out a soft “oh.” “But why did you list Chen He first? What are you trying to mislead us about?”
His voice had turned cold by the end.
There was no deep grudge or conflict of interest between Chen He and Wen Yi, unlike the other people on the list who had direct conflicts. The conflict with Chen He was purely his jealousy, and his pettiness had made him dislike many people. Therefore, it seemed unlikely he would target Wen Yi.
After all, in his eyes, these people were all equally unpleasant. And if something happened to Wen Yi, it could severely delay his filming schedule, and in the worst case, it could result in cuts to his own scenes. No one would be foolish enough to destroy their own career like that.
Given that the assistant knew all this, yet still put Chen He at the top of the list, it led them down a misleading path.
Since they all worked in the same production team, Lu Congxing believed Xiao Li had likely noticed the small friction between Wen Yi and Chen He on set, making it perfect for her to use Chen He as a pawn in this game.
He Zhouyan glanced sideways and reached out, gently tracing two lines across the cub’s palm as if to soothe him.
Though it looked like a comforting gesture, it was more of an excuse to cop a feel—his calloused hand brushing against the soft, tender skin, leaving it flushed.
Lu Congxing didn’t react much, but the ghostly flame at his fingertips responded to his true feelings instead, happily rubbing back.
Xiao Li didn’t argue—rather, Lu Congxing didn’t even give her a chance to organize her thoughts or come up with an excuse before continuing, “But the real reason I started watching you closely was because of our encounter at the hospital yesterday. Do you remember when you brought that fruit basket, claiming it was from Wen Yi, to visit Chen He?”
“You put a pear and bird-of-paradise flowers in that basket—symbols with negative connotations. The bird-of-paradise flower, also known as the ‘flower of heaven,’ is something any assistant in the entertainment industry should know to avoid. You skipped over common and harmless options like carnations or orchids that are available at any flower shop, and instead, you chose something with such a loaded meaning under Wen Yi’s name. What else could you be trying to do besides deepening the misunderstanding between the two of them and trying to clear your own name?”
Every word left her no room to argue.
Xiao Li’s face turned completely pale. She jerked her head up and shouted, her voice breaking: “Who are you to accuse me?! Just because of some ridiculous guesses!?”
Author’s note:
Just a few more chapters before the relationship is made official!