Lu Xiaochan submitted his manuscript before the deadline, maintaining his record as the most punctual at the “Manga Artist” magazine.
This issue of “Wuyi Jingtian” once again topped the charts, and the editor-in-chief called to say that they would publish a standalone volume for Lu Xiaochan!
Lu Xiaochan deliberately put his phone on speaker and held it near Shu Wuxi’s ear, where the magazine’s editor enthusiastically addressed Lu Xiaochan as “Teacher Lu.”
After hanging up, Lu Xiaochan said very proudly. “Did you hear that! Did you hear that! Someone called me ‘Teacher’!”
“Mmm.”
Shu Wuxi looked at the lengthy report in his hand, nodded, and very calmly turned to the next page.
Lu Xiaochan was very disappointed. In the past, Brother Wuxi would definitely pat his head and say “Xiaochan is amazing”!
“You’re still far from what could be called success,” Shu Wuxi said indifferently.
Lu Xiaochan didn’t want to pay attention to him anymore and went back to study the content for the next issue.
When he spread out all his tools and lay prone on the coffee table ready to work, he glanced up and inadvertently saw that the corner of Shu Wuxi’s lips had slightly dimpled.
This guy was smiling.
He was clearly happy for me, yet still pretending to be cold.
I’ve already seen your shameless side, why are you pretending?
Lu Xiaochan raised his eyebrow and said seriously, “Brother Wuxi, you’re holding your report upside down.”
Shu Wuxi might have been truly engrossed in the report; he directly used the stack of papers to hit Lu Xiaochan on the head.
“Just draw your manga.”
But Lu Xiaochan’s mind was filled with thoughts of Shu Wuxi’s smile from earlier. Anyway, the next deadline was still far away, so tonight he would draw something interesting!
Lu Xiaochan began drawing very earnestly, focusing intently on each line.
Sitting on the sofa, Shu Wuxi slightly moved the report aside and saw Lu Xiaochan’s childish nose tip, his eyelashes casting a thin shadow on his eyelids, occasionally pressing his cheek with the pen tip, lost in thought.
Shu Wuxi’s sleeping schedule was very regular; at eleven o’clock at night, it was time to sleep.
Lu Xiaochan was still lying on the coffee table, arching his back like a little pig rooting for cabbage.
Shu Wuxi tugged at his collar. “Go to sleep. People who stay up late are prone to sudden death.”
“So what if I die suddenly!”
Maybe if I die suddenly, I can leave this place!
In most cases, Shu Wuxi wouldn’t get angry, but he would use one hand to scoop Lu Xiaochan up from the coffee table and throw him into the bedroom.
Fortunately, Lu Xiaochan was quick enough to click “save.”
Lying in bed, Lu Xiaochan said mischievously, “Remember to check your email, I sent you a one-of-a-kind gift!”
Shu Wuxi was about to turn off the bedside lamp, but seeing Lu Xiaochan’s smug smile, he took out his phone and opened the email.
It turned out to be a special chapter of “Wuyi Jingtian.”
The first image was of Shu Wuxi in his formerly handsome glory, standing before the Wuyi Sword Sea.
A breeze blew, lifting his hair strands. His eyebrows seemed stern, but the slight downward tilt showed a hint of gentleness, whether he was looking down on the world or at nothing at all.
Shu Wuxi turned his head to look at Lu Xiaochan.
He had his back to Shu Wuxi, showing only the back of his head, with his shoulders hunched, laughing about something unknown.
Shu Wuxi swiped to the next image and his gaze froze. It was a picture of Lu Xiaochan pinning down his hands, pressing him against a couch and forcibly kissing him.
The following images were full of blush-inducing scenes that were hard to look at directly. The details were clearly depicted, all showing Lu Xiaochan being “utterly merciless” to Shu Wuxi.
In the manga, Shu Wuxi’s clothes were disheveled, his face extremely red.
Shu Wuxi’s eyes narrowed.
Lu Xiaochan had been waiting for him to get angry, so that he could say “It’s not like I drew you, why are you angry?”
But unexpectedly, Shu Wuxi put down his phone and only said, “Your head is full of junk; this is what they call an otaku pervert, right?”
Then he really turned off the light and went to sleep.
Lu Xiaochan stood there dumbfounded, feeling something wasn’t right.
Not even a low-pressure atmosphere?
Lu Xiaochan suddenly turned his head and unexpectedly met Shu Wuxi’s gaze.
In the darkness, Shu Wuxi’s eyes carried a hint of sharpness, like a fierce beast ready to pounce.
Lu Xiaochan gulped and moved a bit toward the outer edge of the bed.
But he still felt he was within Shu Wuxi’s attack range, so he moved a bit more outward.
Shu Wuxi just looked at him like that, as if locking onto his prey.
The survival instinct made Lu Xiaochan move even further outward, and just as he was about to fall off, Shu Wuxi suddenly grabbed him.
His palm gripped tightly, as if he would snap Lu Xiaochan’s waist.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Ah… I am! I was just about to! Hahaha!”
“Only when you’re asleep can you dream.” Shu Wuxi released his hand.
Lu Xiaochan almost thought he was done for, but unexpectedly, Shu Wuxi turned away to sleep.
With his heart suspended in mid-air for a long time, Lu Xiaochan swallowed and quickly went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Lu Xiaochan woke up feeling the need to urinate. After struggling for a while, he decided to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, his sleep quality would suffer!
He had just lifted the blanket when he discovered that Shu Wuxi beside him was gone.
Lu Xiaochan reached into his blanket to feel, and it was already cold.
Where had Shu Wuxi gone? Was there a sudden work issue?
But he hadn’t heard his phone ring!
Never mind that for now, to the bathroom I go!
Lu Xiaochan put on his slippers and came to the bathroom door. He had just grasped the doorknob when he faintly heard heavy, suppressed breathing from the other side.
This kind of sound, Lu Xiaochan had heard countless times. It was usually not so distant, often right by his ear, so he was extremely familiar with it.
Lu Xiaochan’s heart suddenly tensed up, and even his palms were sweating.
Shu Wuxi was inside, and what he was doing, Lu Xiaochan could guess with the slightest thought.
Probably his unreliable manga had taken effect.
He had probably been in there for a long time. That breathing was heavily suppressed, but he hadn’t even noticed Lu Xiaochan approaching the bathroom door. He must truly be emotionally immersed.
Lu Xiaochan’s forehead rested against the door. That breathing sound belonged only to him.
He really wanted to see Shu Wuxi’s expression right now, but… he had dared to lock the door!
Lu Xiaochan knocked on the door hard, shouting without courtesy. “Shu Wuxi! Did you fall into the toilet? Come out quickly, I need to pee!”
After a second of silence, Shu Wuxi’s lowered voice sounded.
“Use a mineral water bottle outside yourself.”
What?
“I don’t want to! Come out! What are you doing in there!”
“Then you’ll have to wait.” Shu Wuxi replied.
Lu Xiaochan took a deep breath, feeling that this world wasn’t so good because it had corrupted Shu Wuxi!
“Shu Wuxi, why don’t you open the door, and I’ll directly give you a quick release!”
Lu Xiaochan said with a mischievous grin.
Hehe, who told you to get all worked up from reading manga?
At this moment, the sound of hand washing came from inside, then the door suddenly opened, and Shu Wuxi stood there coldly.
Lu Xiaochan patted his shoulder and said, “Excuse me…”
Shu Wuxi’s hand suddenly reached out, abruptly gripping Lu Xiaochan’s cheeks, forcing him to slightly open his mouth.
This was what Shu Wuxi would do before when Lu Xiaochan refused to open his mouth because he hadn’t had time to swallow, except it had never been this forceful.
Lu Xiaochan was pushed backward by this force until he fell onto the bed.
Before he could prop himself up, Shu Wuxi’s arm suddenly braced against the side of his head.
“Tell me, how would you directly give me a quick release?”
His voice was cold, but the surrounding air grew hot.
Lu Xiaochan looked at those eyes. He knew them too well; that was the look of someone who wanted to devour him.
But Lu Xiaochan couldn’t hold it in anymore — he needed to pee!
“Let me go!” Lu Xiaochan fiercely pushed Shu Wuxi away and rushed into the bathroom.
After finishing and pressing the flush button, Lu Xiaochan realized what Shu Wuxi had been trying to do earlier.
A light went on in his head! Oh, there was hope!
Lu Xiaochan immediately ran back to the bedroom excitedly, only to find that Shu Wuxi had already gone to sleep.
Lu Xiaochan stood there stupidly. This guy had actually gone to sleep? Don’t you have any perseverance? I push you away and you just stop?
Lifting the blanket, Lu Xiaochan turned away and went to sleep in a bad mood.
Several months later, it was winter break.
Lu Xiaochan had no father or mother, so during Spring Festival, he could only stay in this small apartment.
Looking at the fireworks and firecrackers outside, Lu Xiaochan leaned on the window, remembering when Shu Wuxi had taken him to listen to fireworks. That Shu Wuxi had been so accommodating and adorable!
At this moment, Shu Wuxi was packing his suitcase in the bedroom, probably planning to go home for the New Year.
Lu Xiaochan looked back pitifully, but to his surprise, Shu Wuxi went into the kitchen.
“What are you doing? Making the last meal of the year for me?” Lu Xiaochan asked at the kitchen door.
“Making hot pot, with lamb slices,” Shu Wuxi answered.
“You… you’re not going home for the New Year?” Lu Xiaochan was surprised.
“Didn’t you say that missing even an hour, a minute, or a second means it’s not twenty-four hours?”
Shu Wuxi took out pork bones to make the soup base.
Lu Xiaochan’s eyes reddened, and he immediately flew over, hugging Shu Wuxi from behind, pressing his face against Shu Wuxi’s back.
“Brother Wuxi—you’re really too good!”
Shu Wuxi didn’t push his hands away but allowed Lu Xiaochan to hang on while he washed the vegetables.
“Brother Wuxi, when I inherit the ten-billion fortune, the first thing I’ll do is marry you to have my baby monkeys!”
“How can humans give birth to monkeys?”
Lu Xiaochan smiled with narrowed eyes, not bothering to explain this to him. Anyway, he just wanted Shu Wuxi to have his baby monkeys.
This was the first time he had eaten hot pot with Shu Wuxi.
Although they had been “in love” for a hundred years, in this world, there were many things they were doing together for the first time.
While eating hot pot, what came to Lu Xiaochan’s mind was going on trips with Shu Wuxi, watching movies together, going diving together, traveling together.
Lu Xiaochan propped his chopsticks and grinned to himself.
Shu Wuxi asked, “What are you smiling about?”
“I think this world is not bad after all.”
“What’s not bad about it?”
“Maybe in a muddle-headed way, I’ll grow old with you!”
As Lu Xiaochan’s words fell, Shu Wuxi’s gaze paused briefly.
After the New Year, Lu Xiaochan’s standalone volume was published!
It sold incredibly well, selling out in just one month, requiring urgent reprints that kept the editors of “Manga Artist” extremely busy.
The last semester didn’t have many substantial courses, so Lu Xiaochan could focus on drawing manga at home most of the time.
Because the number of serialized works increased, one assistant, Little Match, was no longer enough, so Lu Xiaochan had to post recruitment notices online.
So besides drawing manga, he had to meet several applicants every day.
Every applicant who saw Shu Wuxi on the sofa became extremely excited.
For example, applicant number one immediately rushed to Shu Wuxi. “My goodness! So Sword Master Yang Cang actually has a real-life model! There really is someone this handsome in reality!”
For example, applicant number two knelt down in front of Shu Wuxi. “Lord Yang Cang! Please accept me as your disciple!”
For example, applicant number three directly pounced on him. “I want to have your baby monkeys!”
Lu Xiaochan was furious. Wasn’t that his line?
Only assistant Little Match continued diligently processing the manga backgrounds.
And Lu Xiaochan hadn’t found a suitable assistant.
“Cancel your recruitment,” Shu Wuxi said coldly.
“Can’t cancel, can’t cancel… if I cancel… Little Match alone can’t finish these tasks!”
Poor Little Match nodded along.
“I’ll do it,” Shu Wuxi replied.
Lu Xiaochan had witnessed Shu Wuxi’s speed and efficiency before, but he had always thought that last time Shu Wuxi was just helping in an emergency. He spent all day reading financial news and financial reports. Asking him to spend time as his manga assistant, wouldn’t that be a waste of talent?
“This… this isn’t good…”
“Consider it relaxation and recreation,” Shu Wuxi answered.
Lu Xiaochan was petrified. Something that would exhaust him and Little Match to death was just recreation in Shu Wuxi’s eyes.
During a break, Little Match quietly said to Lu Xiaochan. “Mr. Shu has been unhappy since people started coming for interviews.”
“He doesn’t show any expression, yet you know if he’s happy or unhappy?”
“Well… the pressure…” Little Match scratched his nose, “Mr. Shu definitely doesn’t like having other people in the place where he lives with you.”
“Aren’t you ‘other people’?” Lu Xiaochan asked, amused.
“I shouldn’t count. Where would you find ‘other people’ as quiet and unobtrusive as me?”
That sounded particularly reasonable?
The second volume of the “Wuyi Jingtian” manga continued to sell explosively!
The editor-in-chief of the magazine specifically asked Lu Xiaochan if he had any wish he wanted to fulfill.
Lu Xiaochan of course said: “I dream of holding a personal manga exhibition!”
The editor-in-chief slapped the table and actually agreed.
“No problem! This summer vacation, we’ll definitely help you hold a personal manga exhibition!”
So in July of this year, Lu Xiaochan was riding high!
Not only did he graduate smoothly, but the “Manga Artist” magazine also held a personal exhibition for him. Not only were there many cosplay masters attending, but manga merchandise, especially a picture of Sword Master Yang Cang lowering his eyes to look at Lord Liche beside him, sold particularly well.
The fans all said that Lord Yang Cang was their idol.
Lu Xiaochan also came to the scene, with Shu Wuxi following beside him.
Shu Wuxi still wore a black suit. Lu Xiaochan specifically made him wear sunglasses, absolutely refusing to let the fans at the scene see his face, otherwise the exhibition would surely descend into chaos!
