Chapter 25 - You Like to Read Things like This?

“Why did you run?” Ji Liao asked softly with a slight reprimanding tone.

He Cheng Ming raised his eyebrows, brimming with emotions. He bent down to look him in the eye, and said coolly, “You already know the answer.”

With that, he looked at Ji Liao with unconcealed amusement.

Rebuffed, Ji Liao had nothing to say. Retrieving his water bottle, he turned and walked away. He Cheng Ming followed closely and put a hand on his shoulder. Acting pitiful, he apologised, “Okay, I was wrong. Don’t be angry.”

Ji Liao was speechless and felt that He Cheng Ming fawned over him too much to win his favour, even coaxing him as if he was a girl.

“I’m not angry.”

Turning a corner, he returned to his original seat and indicated to He Cheng Ming that his seat was on the opposite side. But He Cheng Ming pretended not to see and sat beside him with a broad smile.

Ji Liao: “…”

Fine, as long as he didn’t disturb him.

Last night, upon returning home, he spent some time thinking. Regardless of whether He Cheng Ming really liked him, he first had to improve his grades. Thereafter, if he genuinely liked him, they could go together to their preferred university and not have to go through a long-distance romance because of his poor grades. If his feelings weren’t genuine, then he hadn’t lost out. In any case, he had a tutor!

“Here, I don’t understand these.” Ji Liao was slightly embarrassed for troubling him. But he continued as he pushed a small book, containing some exercises, towards him.

Turns out he was asked here to teach.

He Cheng Ming’s heart was filled with the satisfaction of being needed, and he pulled the book closer for examination. Picking up a pen and paper, he began to write while explaining it to Ji Liao. Ji Liao listened attentively and asked whenever he didn’t understand. They went back and forth, and the two of them moved closer and closer.

“Simplify this first…” He Cheng Ming explained, and when he lifted his head for a glance, he suddenly stopped.

Ji Liao’s face was so close that he could see the fine hairs on it. His blinking eyes glistened like the Milky Way, and He Cheng Ming’s mind blanked.

“What…” Ji Liao lifted his head, about to ask why he stopped when he saw the other boy staring blankly at him. He was very familiar with that look and immediately distanced himself, putting some space between the two of them.

When He Cheng Ming saw that Ji Liao was so flustered, he laughed to himself but put on a straight face and asked coldly, “Am I a dreadful monster that’s so scary to you?”

Ji Liao pursed his lips, not daring to make a sound. His face was full of tension and uneasiness.

He Cheng Ming didn’t expect his honest reaction and immediately softened his voice. With heartache, he said, “Why are you so easy to bluff? I’m just scaring you.”

Just scaring him?

Ji Liao heaved a sigh of relief. His expression from earlier was actually frightening.

“Come, let’s continue.” He Cheng Ming quickly changed the subject but his heart was very bitter. It felt like he was simply lifting a stone to smash himself in the foot. He clearly knew that Ji Liao was a little afraid of him, and yet he still deliberately scared him.

Fortunately, as they progressed, the small episode passed.

The two of them were immersed again until all the unsolved questions in Ji Liao’s small book were done. He Cheng Ming finally stopped and exhaled. This was certainly the most he had ever spoken in one day!

Ji Liao sympathised with him and offered, “Water?”

He Cheng Ming shook his head and propped his chin up to look at him. “Don’t feel like drinking.”

His answer was interesting. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to drink, but because he didn’t feel like drinking.

Ji Liao asked again, “Then what do you feel like drinking? A beverage?”

He recalled seeing a beverage dispenser at the library entrance. If He Cheng Ming wanted a drink, he could buy it to repay him for his hard work in teaching him.

He Cheng Ming didn’t reply. Ji Liao waited for a while, and his gaze couldn’t help moving from the book to him. He then saw He Cheng Ming moving his face closer, using his slender forefinger to point at his own cheek.

“Tuition fee.” He said shamelessly.

Ji Liao immediately refused. “This is the library!”

He was crazy! Although there was barely anyone around, there were still surveillance cameras!

He Cheng Ming seemed to sense his misgivings as he used the big textbook on the table to block both their faces. Then he urged, “Quickly, Ji Liao.”

Ji Liao had a fault. As long as someone urged him, he would comply easily. After a short pause, he closed his eyes and speedily planted a kiss on the other boy’s cheek, then wished for this event to quickly pass.

“So obedient.”

He Cheng Ming was satisfied. His face carried a smile, and he looked at Ji Liao with tender and watery eyes.

If only he had this type of benefit every day, he would explain a hundred problems every day!!!

“Stop staring!” Ji Liao glared at him as he spoke, feeling extremely shy.

He Cheng Ming teased him, “If I can’t look at you, then what can I look at?”

Ji Liao threw his schoolbag over. “Read a book!”

“Okay, I’ll listen to what baby says.”

He decided to quit while he was ahead.

Opening the bag, he rummaged inside and found a book with the cover wrapped up. He took it out, casually flipped through it, and became engrossed in the contents the further he read.

Ji Liao, who was doing revisions, suddenly felt that it had become scarily quiet beside him. He sneaked a peek and saw He Cheng Ming very focused on a book, even wrinkling his brow once in a while.

“What are you reading?” He couldn’t help but ask.

He Cheng Ming let out a “Huh?” and realised that his voice had become hoarse and deep. His face colour changed immediately and he looked straight at Ji Liao.

Ji Liao felt his hairs stand on its ends with his stare. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He Cheng Ming quickly shifted his gaze, taking a while to recover before asking meaningfully, “You…like to read this type of thing?”

Ji Liao grumbled, “What type of thing?”

As he took the book from He Cheng Ming, he found it a little odd as he had never wrapped his textbooks like this.

He only managed to endure two lines before his face flushed red and he threw the book onto the table.

What the hell was that?! Erotica? And it was between two guys!

With all the groaning, grunting and exclamations of “faster,” the two lines from the book now occupied his mind . Usually, he couldn’t memorise well, but this time it felt that he suddenly had a memory with extraordinary retentive abilities, deeply imprinting the words in his mind!

From beside him, He Cheng Ming could see that the book didn’t belong to Ji Liao. If not, Ji Liao wouldn’t have been more…erm, more agitated than him.

“Day and Night with the Bullying President,” He picked up the book and read its title, clearly articulating every word.

With this title, the book sounded like it would go into great detail.

It was the first time He Cheng Ming had seen something like this. Although he had already liked Ji Liao from very early on, he had never had serious contact within the gay circle, and also rarely watched such films.

When required, he only had to think of Ji Liao’s face and waist to achieve release quickly.

“That’s not my book!” Ji Liao explained hurriedly. How could he have such a thing?!

He Cheng Ming acknowledged with a hum, then reached for the book to continue reading it. It was quite engaging.

Ji Liao snatched the book away immediately, then stammered, “You, you, don’t read anymore! What’s so nice about it?!”

The two lines he had read described an erotic bed scene. He didn’t know why the uke kept begging for mercy and seemed to be in great discomfort. He didn’t want to be treated like that by He Cheng Ming in future.

Wrong!

What was he thinking?!!!

Ji Liao thought that he was going crazy.