Chapter 14: Caterpillar

Chapter 14: Caterpillar

After Liang Xigui finished his meal, he rose and headed for the master bedroom of the apartment, where Tan Xing had already laid out the quilts.

At first glance, the two quilts were placed far apart, as if a vast canyon separated them.

Tan Xing looked up to see Liang Xigui standing in the doorway. "Mr. Liang, are you going to take a shower? I'll leave now."

Liang Xigui didn't comment on the arrangement of the quilts, and Tan Xing secretly sighed with relief.

Although sleeping in the same bed was inevitable, he still harbored a sliver of hope that they wouldn't have to sleep pressed against each other.

"There's no need to leave; just do what you need to do."

Tan Xing obediently responded while sitting on the edge of the bed, and once Liang Xigui entered the room, he left the bedroom.

He didn't want to act like he was facing an enemy, but he couldn't get over the mental hurdle.

Sitting on the living room sofa, staring at the television screen, he couldn't focus on the content. Estimating that enough time had passed, he slowly made his way back to the bedroom.

Liang Xigui emerged at that moment, fully dressed and with his hair neatly dried.

His usually meticulously styled hair was now tame and obedient, looking somewhat endearingly different under the soft light.

Seeing Liang Xigui like this, Tan Xing felt his tension ease a bit. Beauty truly was distracting.

"It's late. Let's go to sleep."

Tan Xing nodded. He turned off the main light in the room, leaving only a small bedside lamp on.

Liang Xigui grabbed one corner of the quilt on the bed and slipped underneath it.

Tan Xing's inner struggle continued, but alas, there would be no miraculous intervention.

He approached his own quilt, lifted it, and lay down. The room was quiet, making the presence of the person beside him feel even more pronounced.

"Do you usually sleep with a light on?" Liang Xigui asked.

Tan Xing gripped the corner of the quilt and swallowed. How should he answer? If he said yes, the other party could see everything. But if he said no, he was a little afraid.

Doing that kind of thing would probably hurt, since that part of his body wasn't naturally designed for such activities. It being his first time, the pain would likely be even greater.

"Either way is fine," Tan Xing muttered in response.

Liang Xigui wasn't accustomed to sleeping with the light on, so he reached out to turn it off. The sudden darkness enveloped everything, rendering nothing visible.

After a long while, Tan Xing heard no movement from the other side, yet he still couldn't fall asleep, unaccustomed to sharing a bed.

After tossing and turning repeatedly, Liang Xigui finally spoke up.

"Can't sleep?"

Tan Xing, lying on his side facing away, jumped in surprise, his hair quivering. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, remaining silent.

He sensed Liang Xigui shifting beside him. Was this it? Were they about to proceed?

But he wasn't ready yet.

With a click, the bedside lamp flickered back on, its weak glow barely allowing one to make out shapes.

"If you can't sleep, talk. What else are mouths for?"

Woken up and in a less than pleasant mood, Liang Xigui's usual mask of calm was slightly cracked.

He picked up the quilt from the bed and started to walk out. Tan Xing, realizing he had disturbed the other man's sleep, felt genuinely apologetic.

No longer pretending to sleep, he got up and hurried after Liang Xigui to stop him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Liang. I couldn't sleep, and I woke you up."

Seeing the person before him bowing in apology, Liang Xigui's anger dissipated somewhat.

"Can you sleep properly?"

"Yes, yes, I can. I won't move around anymore."

This minor quarrel ended with Tan Xing taking the initiative to apologize and step back. They both turned around and returned to their respective beds to continue trying to sleep.

"Is it because you're not used to sleeping with someone next to you?"

Tan Xing had just closed his eyes when he heard the question from the person beside him. After some thought, he decided to voice the doubt that had been lingering in his mind.

"No, it's just that I... I thought Mr. Liang wanted to do that kind of thing tonight."

Liang Xigui was initially taken aback, not immediately understanding. Then, belatedly, he realized that the other party had been worrying about this all along.

"Do you want to?"

Tan Xing didn't know how to answer this question. If he spoke his true feelings, he might very well be kicked out.

From Tan Xing's silence, Liang Xigui knew the answer to his question.

He wasn't a beast, fond of forcing others into things they didn't want. However, money shouldn't be spent in vain.

"We don't have to do it now. I respect your wishes, but you'd better adjust yourself soon. I'm not paying to support a spoiled brat."

While he did have other reasons for keeping Tan Xing around, a significant part of it was to find a clean partner to satisfy his desires.

As a genuine businessman, he wouldn't engage in transactions without returns on investment.

"Thank you, Mr. Liang."

Liang Xigui inwardly scoffed; truly a fool who counts money for the one who sells him.

With the assurance from the other party firmly in hand, the taut string within Tan Xing finally slackened, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

The warm, gentle rays of the morning sun filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting light into the bedroom.

When Tan Xing opened his eyes, he found himself to be only about a fist's distance away from Liang Xigui.

Liang Xigui's sleeping position had hardly changed, nor had his location; the reason for their proximity lay with Tan Xing himself.

He usually liked to squeeze his head between two pillows when he slept, and last night, his subconscious had him doing it again.

Tan Xing's position was now gradually shifting to the center of the bed, and he needed to move back to his original spot before Liang Xigui woke up.

Like a caterpillar, he wriggled his way back, but Liang Xigui opened his eyes at the first movement.

Watching Tan Xing's bewildering behavior, he didn't say anything to stop him, merely observing silently.

Just as Tan Xing returned to his original position, Liang Xicgui felt a discomfort in his throat and coughed lightly twice.

He unsurprisingly caught Tan Xing's body jolt, finding it oddly amusing.

However, he had no time to play cat and mouse with anyone; he feigned having just woken up, getting up and heading into the washroom.

When he emerged, Tan Xing was already up, having just neatly arranged the quilt on the bed.

"Good morning, Mr. Liang."

"Good morning."

Tan Xing, at a loss for what to say next, rubbed his nose and walked into the washroom.

When he emerged, Aunt Song had already prepared breakfast. Seating himself at the dining table, Tan Xing wondered where Liang Xigui was.

"Aunt Song, where is Mr. Liang?"

Aunt Song poured freshly squeezed soy milk into a glass and placed it on the table.

"Mr. Liang went for his morning jog. He specifically instructed me not to have you wait for him; you should eat first."

"Well."

Tan Xing pinched a sandwich and took a bite. Despite Liang Xigui's busy work schedule, he still found time to exercise, truly demonstrating remarkable self-discipline.

It was no wonder he could become the major villain, with his physical strength and intellect advancing hand in hand.

He would also start morning runs, and he wanted to gain weight and practice boxing, aiming to be even stronger than Liang Xigui.

"Aunt Song, my boxing coach wants me to gain weight. I'll ask him for a diet plan today, and from now on, you can help me prepare weight-gain meals."

Aunt Song stole a glance at Tan Xing, indeed, he had lost some weight. "Alright, bring me the recipe, I'll cook it for you."