Bai Yuhuai indeed couldn't bear to let Jing Jiujiu go through the trouble, even though the ghost didn't feel particularly tired.
If he went alone, he could leave today, arrive tomorrow, and return to Beijing that same night. But with Jing Jiujiu, that wouldn't be possible.
Bai Yuhuai said irritably, "Then just stay home and wait for me."
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm-hmm!"
Bai Yuhuai immediately turned to look at Master Zhou, who understood at once and quickly said, "I'll assist the young master! I'll make sure the young master has everything he needs and stays comfortably at home!"
Bai Yuhuai wasn't worried about these things. His eyes flashed, and he first made a phone call to Xu Sanyu.
Xu Sanyu exclaimed in surprise, "You're flying out of town alone?"
"Yes," Bai Yuhuai replied calmly, then asked, "Where is Meng Hexin?"
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Xu Sanyu: ?
Xu Sanyu was stunned for a while before coming to his senses and answering, "Isn't he still in Director Cheng's crew? They said they were going to shoot in the Gobi Desert or the Grand Canyon... He won't be back for three to six months, right?"
Bai Yuhuai was relieved: "Mm." Then he hung up the phone unceremoniously and proceeded to book his own flight.
Jing Jiujiu was feeling quite novel about the situation.
He tossed the bracelet onto the sofa and walked straight to the mirror, with a stride that showed no regard for anyone. Bai Yuhuai turned around and found it amusing, thinking he should build a special wall for him later, with a full-length mirror hanging on it...
Bai Yuhuai walked to the door, about to push it open.
Meanwhile, Bai Fu was timidly asking, "Great-grandfather, aren't you taking me with you?"
Master Zhou also fawningly inquired, "Mr. Bai, don't you need to bring any luggage?"
Bai Yuhuai: "No need." This was both an answer to Bai Fu and Master Zhou.
But in this moment of hesitation, Jing Jiujiu had already turned his head, eyes shining brightly, and asked Master Zhou with particular joy, "Do you want to touch me?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Master Zhou: !!!
Master Zhou: "Oh my, I wouldn't dare!"
So Jing Jiujiu had to ask Bai Fu instead: "Do you want to touch me?"
Bai Fu carefully glanced at Bai Yuhuai's expression: "No, no."
Jing Jiujiu felt quite disappointed upon hearing this. He now felt like a real person. How could he feel real if no one would touch him?
Bai Yuhuai moved his lips, as if casually saying, "There's still three and a half hours before the flight check-in. I'm not in a hurry to leave."
As soon as Jing Jiujiu heard this, he immediately came to his side and looked up: "Then touch me."
Bai Yuhuai's tightly pressed lips, which even had a somewhat sharp curve, finally relaxed slightly. Even the light in his eyes suddenly became much softer.
Bai Yuhuai raised his hand and stroked his hair, which was soft, slightly dry, and seemed to carry a hint of warmth. Then he touched the smooth forehead, straight nose bridge, and the beautifully shaped lips that had regained their color...
Jing Jiujiu curled his fingers, his body soft and pliant, as if about to fall towards Bai Yuhuai.
He said softly, "It tickles."
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed with happiness.
How strange.
His five senses became particularly vivid at this moment.
It was as if blood had been reinjected into his body, rushing through with a thunderous flow.
...
Master Zhou coughed lightly and covered Bai Fu's eyes.
Bai Fu sat there in a daze, his gaze moving with Bai Yuhuai's actions. Ah, this person is so good-looking, beautiful in every aspect, and he's also very rich. No wonder Great-grandfather couldn't resist...
After a while, Jing Jiujiu finally opened his eyes wide and asked, "Does it feel good to touch?"
Bai Yuhuai's Adam's apple bobbed: "Mm."
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth, wanting to ask if it felt like touching a real person.
But Bai Yuhuai moved first, raising his hand to press on his shoulder, leaning down slightly, and whispering in his ear, "I haven't finished touching yet, wait until I come back..."
Jing Jiujiu agreed quite readily: "Okay!"
Bai Yuhuai: "Don't let anyone else touch you."
Jing Jiujiu: "Why?"
Bai Yuhuai could only put it more seriously: "That's called sexual harassment."
"Oh..."
Only then did Bai Yuhuai finally put his mind at ease and pushed the door open, striding out.
Jing Jiujiu suddenly realized and was greatly alarmed.
Ah!
So I've been sexually harassing Bai Yuhuai!
I even let him touch my butt last time!
Bai Yuhuai isn't even angry about this?
What a good temper.
Jing Jiujiu secretly marveled, turned around and walked back, asking Bai Fu, "Want to play a game?"
Bai Fu: "What's a game?"
Master Zhou, on the other hand, quickly volunteered, saying he would accompany Jing Jiujiu to play. Jing Jiujiu immediately went upstairs, brought down the Switch and controllers, and started playing right away after connecting to the TV.
Bai Fu, mature beyond his years, couldn't help but sigh as he watched.
The Great-grandfather's wife lacks the demeanor of an elder... what can be done?
During the days of Bai Yuhuai's "business trip," Tao He specially invited Jing Jiujiu for a meal. Master Zhou went along, dragging Bai Fu as a tag-along.
Tao He asked, "Whose child is this?"
Bai Fu, blushing at the sight of a female elder, hurriedly and respectfully introduced himself: "My name is Bai Fu."
Tao He was shocked: "No way? Does Brother Bai have an illegitimate child?"
Jing Jiujiu: "No, he's a relative of their family."
Tao He was even more shocked: "So Brother Bai actually has relatives?"
"...I suppose so." Jing Jiujiu wasn't sure if the Cloud Return Sect counted as his relatives.
Tao He invited them to sit down and quickly shared her recent situation: "Those two scumbags from last time, they said they invited some master to their house for a look, insisting that I was the one who hired someone to curse them, causing them to make fools of themselves. I was quite worried at first, after all, the Gong family are all bad eggs. They might pin the blame on me just to give their son an out.
"But in the end, Master Tingyi told me that the master they invited not only didn't look into it, but even scolded them a few times, saying something about deserving their punishment, and then left. "
Tao He was all smiles, looking much more lively than her previous composed and dignified appearance. She continued, "How could the Gong family take this lying down? They got into an argument with the master. Tsk, even I know not to offend these people. But they're used to throwing their weight around every day, who cares about such things? The next day, my idiot ex-husband's father's mistress and illegitimate child were caught red-handed by the legitimate wife, and the video even spread online..."
Jing Jiujiu nodded: "That's good then."
Seeing that he didn't criticize her for gloating, Tao He immediately felt more relaxed, but also a bit guilty.
Mr. Jing had just passed away, she shouldn't be smiling so happily in front of Jing Jiujiu, right?
But Jing Jiujiu proactively asked: "How about the movie box office?"
At the mention of this, Tao He became enthusiastic: "After that incident that day, it immediately boosted the popularity. I don't care if those netizens came to watch for the drama, as long as they bought tickets, and we even got a good reputation online. I can't say we made a huge profit, but my losses were completely covered. There are even big bosses who want to invest in my new movie..."
Bai Fu watched silently.
His Great-grandfather's wife seemed to be very well-liked.
Tao He finished the meal with Jing Jiujiu and happily saw them off.
After get
ting in the car, Jing Jiujiu frowned slightly.
Why did he still not have a real sense of swallowing food? After eating, there was no taste at all.
Jing Jiujiu stuck out his tongue.
...Does it still depend on Bai Yuhuai? But would Bai Yuhuai be willing? I can't just sexually harass him.
Jing Jiujiu returned to the villa with worry.
Bai Fu looked at his expression. This person was good-looking, rich, and popular, yet he often worried and reflected on himself, not showing any conceit... In comparison, I'm really too young and impatient.
He must have some ulterior motive for playing games too.
So Bai Fu quietly started to learn from Jing Jiujiu.
When Yin Mo and Ding Hanbing came to visit, what they saw was Bai Fu sitting next to Jing Jiujiu, with almost the same expression.
The mature and steady young man from the Cloud Return Sect was now diligently helping Jing Jiujiu clear game levels.
And Jing Jiujiu?
He wasn't as sad and dejected as they had imagined.
Well, it's true that Jing Jiujiu could never appear depressed.
"Jiujiu," Ding Hanbing called out softly.
Yin Mo remained silent and sat down next to Jing Jiujiu.
Jing Jiujiu: "Oh my, why didn't you bring me some spicy crayfish?"
Ding Hanbing's cool-guy face had reddened eyes, with tears welling up inside. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I knew you couldn't eat it, why would I bring it? Just to upset you?"
Jing Jiujiu replied, "No, I have a mouth."
Even when swallowing, he couldn't taste anything. He only felt something drop into his stomach with a thud.
Yin Mo asked in surprise, "That paper figure from last time? Did Bai Yuhuai reshape your body?"
Jing Jiujiu nodded, "Now I can feel a little bit. I can eat and sleep. But I'm afraid of rain and strong winds - I might get blown to pieces... Oh, and I can't drink too much soup. If I drink too much, I'll get soggy."
Yin Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "That won't happen."
Yin Mo felt moved, seeing Jing Jiujiu restored to his lively self, and his eyes welled up with tears.
Jing Jiujiu thought these two were acting strangely, looking at him as if they were about to cry.
What's wrong?
Did they not believe he was really okay now?
Jing Jiujiu was about to speak up, to say "Why don't you touch me and see if I feel like a living person?"
But he swallowed the words before they left his mouth.
He had promised Bai Yuhuai! He would wait for Bai Yuhuai to return and touch him! No one else could touch!
So he changed his mind.
Jing Jiujiu licked his lips and asked the two of them, "Want to play a game?"
After hearing this, Bai Fu's heart trembled. He offered his controller and said softly, "I'm too stupid." Games were so hard, wah!
If the people of the Cloud Return Sect heard the young prodigy, hailed as the second coming of Bai Yuhuai, speak like this, they would surely be shocked out of their minds.
Jing Jiujiu patted his shoulder, "You're just too young."
Bai Fu nearly burst into tears.
Jing Jiujiu smacked his lips, thinking to himself that when it came to gaming, the Cloud Return Sect might just be generationally terrible!
No problem!
Meanwhile, Yin Mo and Ding Hanbing each took a controller to help Jing Jiujiu pass levels, while they couldn't help but ask, "Who's this kid?"
Ding Hanbing thought a bit more and his mind buzzed, "Did you and Bai Yuhuai finally adopt a real child?" Not a ghost anymore? This was even worse than a ghost!
Jing Jiujiu had to repeat what he had told Tao He earlier.
The two were shocked for a moment upon hearing this: "Bai Yuhuai still has relatives?!"
Jing Jiujiu heard this and felt a bit unhappy for some reason.
He said, "Of course he does, and he has friends too." That's me.
Bai Yuhuai isn't all alone!
Ding Hanbing's heart settled back down, "Oh." He glanced at Jing Jiujiu and noticed the young man was scrolling through messages on his phone.
Looking closer, he saw it was full of Weibo comments like [Young Master Jing, I want to have your babies] [Jiujiu I love you, you're the best]...
It was all too much to look at.
Why were they all rushing to blow rainbow farts?
Our Jiujiu is young, he shouldn't be seeing this stuff!
Ding Hanbing quickly said, "These people are all fake, they said the same things to Yin Mo before... Don't look, don't look. Especially anything about having children, don't look at that."
"Huh? It's fake?" Jing Jiujiu paused, looking disappointed, "I was thinking of picking one out."
This time, Ding Hanbing and Yin Mo were so scared they dropped their controllers.
"Pick out what?" Yin Mo asked with a trembling voice.
Jing Jiujiu said, "Oh. I looked it up, and if I want someone to legally feed me, I'd have to date first. These people are saying they like me, right? So I thought I'd pick one."
Fuck!
Yin Mo and Ding Hanbing were scared stupid.
Bai Fu was also stunned.
Yin Mo quickly snatched away his phone, "No no no, they're all just after your money..."
Ding Hanbing was silent for a moment, then spoke up, "So, you're not dating Bai Yuhuai? I thought you liked him..."
Jing Jiujiu was stunned, "Me and Bai Yuhuai?"
Oh right, it seems a lot of people thought that.
Tao He thought so, Xu Sanyu thought so too...
Ding Hanbing couldn't help but say sourly, "That day when rumors about you and Bai Yuhuai hit the trending topics, there were even CP fans... With Bai Yuhuai having so many fans, how could he date? His girlfriend fans wouldn't allow him to date!"
After hearing this, Jing Jiujiu felt oddly unhappy again.
Why wouldn't they allow it?
Am I not good enough?
Why should anyone control Bai Yuhuai?
"What trending topic?" Jing Jiujiu asked.
He wasn't particularly curious, he just wanted to look... to see if anyone was insulting him.
Ding Hanbing was used to following Jing Jiujiu's orders. He found the trending topic and showed it to Jing Jiujiu, then suddenly realized, Why the fuck am I showing Jiujiu his rumors with Bai Yuhuai?! Have I gone crazy?!
Jing Jiujiu held the phone, scrolling through the photos.
First was from that day at the roadshow, where he was bending down, talking to the ghost. And Bai Yuhuai was looking at him.
Jing Jiujiu didn't feel anything at first...
But then he read the comments—
[Wow! I ship it! No matter what you're doing, he's looking at you so intently, as if in this vast world, his eyes can only contain you]
Was it really... that exaggerated?
Jing Jiujiu unconsciously shifted in his seat and scrolled down.
It was a photo of Bai Yuhuai holding him in his arms, covering his eyes.
[Big Bai looks so cold! Is it because he doesn't want the little prince to see those two idiots on the rooftop? But his movements are so gentle, aww]
Huh, really?
That day his eyes were covered, so he couldn't see Bai Yuhuai's expression.
But... Bai Yuhuai's movements did seem gentle... He was forceful, but also lightly covered his eyes. Actually, even if he pressed harder, a ghost wouldn't feel pain.
Jing Jiujiu thought for a moment, but couldn't remember more details. After all, his senses weren't as keen then as they are now.
So... next time should I let Bai Yuhuai hold me again? Then I'd know for sure, right?
Jing Jiujiu scrolled down further, to the day Jing Tinghua died and Bai Yuhuai carried him to the car.
[QAQ The little prince looks so sad, is it because he just learned of his father's death? His expression is really like his heart has died, I feel so bad for him. Luckily our little prince still has lots and lots of money! And the universe's most handsome Bai Yuhuai!]
[Looking back now, I realize Big Bai was really so gentle that day. When he lowered his gaze to look at Young Master Jing, his eyes were full of tenderness and pity. Except in TV dramas, I've never seen Big Bai with such an expression in real life! It wasn't acting, it really existed!]
...So I was that clingy, just curling up in Bai Yuhuai's arms and not moving.
Jing Jiujiu quickly skimmed through the comments, then paused.
Was I really that sad that day? I thought my face just showed indifference...
Jing Jiujiu tried to recall, and remembered that when he returned to the villa that day, he seemed to have cried. He cried tears of blood, looking particularly miserable and terrifying. But Bai Yuhuai still calmly bent down and wiped the bloody tears from his face...
Bai Yuhuai was the bravest.
He was never afraid of me.
Jing Jiujiu bared his little fangs.
The comment section was rich in content, with someone saying:
[I used to work for The Mist Film Crew, but didn't dare say anything before. Now I can finally speak! Big Bai would bring the young master to set every day while filming. One time, a tornado suddenly appeared on set, I'm not exaggerating, it was like an evil wind rising from the ground, really terrifying. I saw Big Bai jump down from three stories high, without using his powers, and rush straight towards the young master... At that time, Big Bai was still wearing heavy iron chains, real chains for filming. I can't even describe how cool he looked that day, wah...]
Jing Jiujiu tilted his head, suddenly reminded by the comment's description of the scene in the mine when Bai Yuhuai thought he had been captured by Yama. He strode out of the factory through wind and snow, carefully lifting him down from the tree branch...
Bai Yuhuai wasn't just someone with a good temper, easy to coax, pitiful and always alone.
...He was also a gentle person.
About ten thousand times more gentle than Jing Tinghua.
Jing Jiujiu's finger moved, accidentally jumping to another comment and liking it.
When he looked again, he realized the comment said [Even though same-sex marriage has been legal for a long time, I still want to say, it's disgusting, not worthy of Film Emperor Bai! There are so many people who like Film Emperor Bai. Wouldn't it be better to choose a beautiful rich girl?]
Jing Jiujiu frowned, suddenly feeling very unhappy for some reason!
This comment was also heavily criticized by others.
[What? A gay man tricking someone into marriage is disgusting! That beautiful, innocent, wealthy young master - how is he not good enough?]
[Please, can you find a rich, beautiful girl who's better than him?]
This was the gentle response.
[Idiot]
This was the crude and concise one.
The owner of that comment, seemingly unable to handle the insults, quickly sent a private message to Jing Jiujiu after noticing someone had liked their post: [You feel the same way, right? These people are just sucking up to Jing Jiujiu because he's rich. Jing Jiujiu doesn't deserve to like the famous actor Bai!]
Jing Jiujiu was furious.
He typed rapidly: [Go to hell!]
He wanted to curse more fiercely... but couldn't come up with anything else.
Ding Hanbing watched as Jing Jiujiu's expression changed from stunned to a slightly dazed smile, then to rage.
Ding Hanbing thought, "This is it."
He rarely saw Jing Jiujiu angry, as the young man was too well-mannered, to the point where he couldn't be bothered with irrelevant people.
What could make him so angry? It must be those crazy fans and anti-fans. Their malicious stupidity was enough to make even him angry.
Ding Hanbing quickly took back the phone.
He saw that the other person had replied with a [?]
Ding Hanbing looked at the content again and felt his lungs were about to explode with anger.
Our precious Jing Jiujiu, whom we all cherish and want to pamper for a lifetime, to make him live happily. You dare say he's not good enough for Bai Yuhuai? What's so great about Bai Yuhuai? He's just a bit better at acting than me! He just has a bit more business than me! He just knows how to catch ghosts, fleece people, make hand signs, and write talismans!
Ding Hanbing typed even more furiously: [Let me tell you! Jing Jiujiu is perfect for Bai Yuhuai! They're a match made in heaven! Are you mad? Die mad about it! Damn it!]
[????]
The other side was indeed furious: [You're sick!]
Ding Hanbing began a childish insult battle with the other person.
As they argued, Ding Hanbing felt unsatisfied.
Is using an alt account always this undignified? I can't even out-insult an idiot!
Ding Hanbing took a screenshot and posted it on his main Weibo account, shouting with the loudest voice and strongest attitude:
Ding Hanbing: Idiot! [Screenshot]
"Yin Mo, I'm too angry. You continue insulting him for me!" Ding Hanbing passed the phone to Yin Mo.
Yin Mo: ???
Yin Mo: "Your brain... is... indeed... a bit problematic."
Ding Hanbing: ?
At this moment, there was a sound of a fingerprint unlock, door opening, and pushing.
Bai Yuhuai stood there with two black suitcases: "Jiujiu, I'm back." But as soon as he finished speaking, his face darkened.
Good grief!
As soon as he's not home, Jing Jiujiu invites Yin Mo and Ding Hanbing over to play games!
He should have just hinted to Master Zhou to close the door on these two as soon as he saw them.
Jing Jiujiu heard the noise and quickly turned his head: "Bai Yuhuai!"
He leaped over the sofa, flying into Bai Yuhuai's arms, hanging onto his neck and wrapping his legs around him.
Jing Jiujiu: "I like you so much!"
Bai Yuhuai froze there, almost dropping the suitcases in his hands.
Jing Jiujiu: "Am I good enough?"
Yes.
Of course you are.
Bai Yuhuai's throat went dry.
There's no one in this world more suitable than Jing Jiujiu.
Ding Hanbing, still angry, turned and snapped a photo.
"I want to show them how perfect they are together! Are you mad? Are you? Die mad about it!"
Yin Mo: "Fuck."
Yin Mo: "Your brain is seriously malfunctioning."
Bai Yuhuai: ?
Jing Jiujiu didn't hear Bai Yuhuai's response, so he quickly stuck out his bottom: "Then touch my butt, and I'll believe you."
Bai Yuhuai's throat tightened, and he cursed inwardly.
He had only been away for a "bit," and when he came back, everything had changed. It was as if all the good luck in the world had suddenly crashed into his arms overnight.
Bai Yuhuai let go of the suitcases, not caring if the statues inside broke.
He supported Jing Jiujiu's waist with one hand and stroked his back with the other. If there weren't other people in the living room, he would have touched Jing Jiujiu from head to toe, inside and out.
Bai Yuhuai said hoarsely: "I like you too."
Jing Jiujiu was satisfied: "Mm, I really like myself too!"