Chapter 13 Bringing a Wolf into the House (Part 2)

Chapter 13 Inviting the Wolf into the House (Part 2)

Yu Wei finally managed to feel drowsy in the early hours of the morning. He was just drifting off into a hazy slumber when the rain outside pounded like a waterfall, and thunder rumbled like drums, completely banishing the drowsiness he had just cultivated.

Frustrated, Yu Wei covered his ears with both hands, staring blankly at the ceiling in the darkness, utterly resigned. He was exhausted and sleepy, yet just couldn't fall asleep.

As expected, milk didn't do much for him; he needed to take a melatonin pill. After lying there for a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and threw off the covers to get out of bed. Too lazy to turn on the light, he fumbled in the dark to the door and unlocked it. Just then, a flash of lightning split the darkness outside the window, illuminating the hallway for an instant and allowing Yu Wei to catch a glimpse of an indistinct shape by the door.

"What the hell is that—"

Still half asleep, Yu Wei was instantly jolted awake by the sight. He quickly turned on the light, and the sudden brightness in the bedroom made him instinctively shut his eyes. After a moment to adjust, he squinted at the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

Shi Ciyan was curled up in a ball, hugging his knees, crouching by Yu Wei's bedroom door, trembling. At the sound of Yu Wei's voice, he slowly looked up, his eyes rimmed with red, as if he might cry at any moment.

Yu Wei frowned, walked over, and pulled him up. "What's wrong with you?"

Before Shi Ciyan could answer, another clap of thunder boomed outside. Shi Ciyan jolted, then threw himself into Yu Wei's arms, shaking even harder.

Caught off guard by the embrace, Yu Wei stiffened, fighting the urge to push him away, and asked tentatively, "Are you afraid of thunder?"

Shi Ciyan didn't reply, just hugged him tighter, making his meaning clear.

Yu Wei sighed helplessly, lowering his hands, which had been poised to push him away, and gently patted his back. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

But his comfort didn't seem to help; Shi Ciyan continued holding him tightly, not letting go. Yu Wei had never comforted anyone before and couldn't think of any other words, so he just stayed quiet, letting him hold on until Shi Ciyan calmed down on his own.

They stayed in that embrace by the doorway for ten minutes. Outside, there was only the pitter-patter of rain. Shi Ciyan had buried his face entirely in the crook of Yu Wei's neck and remained motionless.

Had he fallen asleep on his feet?

Yu Wei was getting tired of standing. He shifted his shoulder and asked, "Are you asleep?"

Only then did Shi Ciyan let go, looking a bit embarrassed. "No, I was just too scared. Sorry."

"It's okay. It's late now, go back to bed," Yu Wei said. "I'm right next door. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Shi Ciyan obediently said "okay" and walked away, turning back every few steps, a reluctant look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Yu Wei thought he might have something else to say.

"Thunder. I can't sleep alone."

"Can't sleep alone? Then come sleep in my room," Yu Wei said without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, but Shi Ciyan didn't give him a chance to take it back, immediately replying, "Okay, I'll get my blanket and sleep on the floor in your room."

Yu Wei watched his brisk retreating figure, feeling a bit dazed. He could have sworn Shi Ciyan seemed a little happy now—how was that possible? Wasn't he afraid of thunder? Why did he look so delighted?

Soon, Shi Ciyan came back carrying a blanket and pillow, his dark eyes sparkling with a kind of excitement Yu Wei couldn't quite read, like someone about to devour a long-coveted dessert, his eyes gleaming.

Shi Ciyan laid out his blanket on the floor, crawled in, and lay down, then blinked innocently at Yu Wei, who was still standing at the door. "Let's go to sleep. It's late."

Yu Wei had originally planned to go downstairs and get a glass of hot water and a melatonin pill before sleeping, but given the situation, he decided it was better not to take it.

Yu Wei replied with an "okay," turned off the light, and climbed back into bed. In the end, he didn't get to take his sleeping aid, and after lying there with his eyes open for half an hour, he was still wide awake.

"Can't sleep either?" Yu Wei turned his head toward where Shi Ciyan was lying. The darkness amplified his senses—Shi Ciyan's breathing, the rustling as he shifted positions, were all unusually clear. "Is the floor cold?"

Shi Ciyan rolled over to face Yu Wei and said softly, "It's okay. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't fall asleep." Yu Wei stared at the ceiling, his mind blank. His body was exhausted, craving a good rest, but his mind was unusually restless. Every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts raced, keeping him from drifting off. "Shi Ciyan, if you can't sleep on the floor, do you want to come up on the bed?"

Suddenly, the room went silent for a few seconds, so quiet that only Yu Wei's own breathing could be heard. After a long moment, he heard Shi Ciyan say, "Can I?"

He probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight anyway, and the bed was wide enough for two. Rather than making Shi Ciyan lie on the floor and suffer through insomnia alongside him, he might as well let him sleep on the bed so he could get some rest. He could skip the office tomorrow and rest at home if he couldn't sleep, but Shi Ciyan still had to go to school.

"Yeah, come on up." Yu Wei scooted over, leaving space for Shi Ciyan.

Shi Ciyan fumbled his way onto the bed in the dark and slipped under the covers, which still held Yu Wei's body heat. He pulled the blanket up to his nose, and in the darkness where Yu Wei couldn't see him, he greedily inhaled the sweet smell of pheromones like a crazed man.

A whole month—he hadn't had a chance to get close to Yu Wei.

And now today, Yu Wei had delivered himself right to him.

"Brother Yuwei..." Shi Ciyan suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. "You're really nice."

Yu Wei turned over, facing away from him, and closed his eyes indifferently. "Never mind that. Go to sleep now. You have school tomorrow."

When Yu Wei slept, he couldn't have anything on the bed except his pillow and blanket—not even another person. On top of his recent insomnia, he had assumed tonight would be another sleepless night.

But surprisingly, the moment he closed his eyes, he was asleep. Even with someone else in the bed.

When he woke up again, it was already noon. The sun was shining brightly after the rain, streaming through the gap in the curtains that hadn't been drawn tight, casting a sharp line of light across the floor.

Yu Wei opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented. Then the bedroom door quietly swung open, and Shi Ciyan's face appeared. Seeing that Yu Wei was already awake, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by joy. "You're awake. I made lunch. Come down and eat."

Yu Wei was still a bit dazed. Lately, even when he took sleeping pills, he hadn't slept so well. "What time is it now?"

"Twelve twenty. Just in time for lunch."

"But shouldn't you be in school right now? Why are you still here?" Yu Wei was still groggy, his mind not fully awake.

"No classes today."

Yu Wei nodded dumbly. He stretched languidly under the covers and frowned a little.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Shi Ciyan dashed over to the bedside, looking a bit nervous.

"Nothing, just a little sore in my legs. Let me get changed. You go ahead."

To be precise, his upper thighs were sore. Yu Wei felt puzzled. Did dreaming of running all night really make his legs ache?

He had slept unusually deeply and even dreamed. In the dream, he was lying in an orchard, surrounded by apple trees so thick that every breath was filled with a fresh fruity scent. He reveled in the scent, basking lazily in the warm sunlight and sleeping. Then, out of nowhere, a giant snake crawled over, its cold body coiled tightly around him, its tongue flicking out to explore his body.

Yu Wei struggled to breathe. Time and again, he tried to break free from the snake's grip, trying to escape the orchard, but each attempt ended in failure—the snake coiled around him and toyed with him, finally devouring him piece by piece, leaving not even a bone behind.

Now, aside from the slight soreness in his thighs, he felt no discomfort. In fact, now he felt completely refreshed after a full night's sleep—the anxiety and exhaustion from his insomnia had vanished, and his body felt remarkably light and relaxed. He was so comfortable that he just wanted to lie in bed without moving a single finger.

But his stomach growled in protest. He had eaten very little last night, and after a whole night, he was starving.

Yu Wei stretched again. This time, with no one watching him, he rolled from the head to the foot of the bed, then back again to loosen up his limbs before finally dragging himself out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, his toothpaste was already on the brush and placed in the most obvious spot. Yu Wei paused, then began brushing his teeth without a second thought. After all, he had let Shi Ciyan stay the night, so it was only fair for Shi Ciyan to repay him with small favors.

As he brushed, Yu Wei looked at himself in the mirror. He looked radiant—a healthy complexion, bright eyes, full, red lips—a stark contrast to his sallow, lackluster appearance from a few days ago, when he lacked spirit and energy.

He spat out the foam and leaned in for a closer look.

"Could it be that I'm a dual-personality monster, and when I sleep at night, my second personality comes out to suck people's life force?"

Yu Wei cracked himself up with his own dumb joke.

After he'd laughed enough, Yu Wei washed up as fast as he could and came out.

He grabbed a set of loungewear and stood in front of the full-length mirror to change.

"Huh?" Just as Yu Wei was about to unbutton his pajama top, he looked down and saw that all the buttons were misaligned. "Was I too sleepy last night and buttoned it wrong?"

Yu Wei tilted his head and thought for two seconds, but couldn't figure out how he'd misbuttoned it last night, so he gave up. All that mattered now was to change clothes fast and head downstairs for food.

He took off his top, and his lean waist was reflected in the mirror. His muscles weren't as defined as Shi Ciyan's, but he had no excess fat either, and his figure was fairly well-proportioned.

His skin was already fair, especially on the parts that never saw sunlight. Yu Wei looked at the snow-white body in the mirror, and his gaze was drawn to the two things on his chest that looked like ripe cherries.

Had they been this red before?

Up until today, he had changed clothes in front of the mirror every day but had never noticed. Now he had no recollection whatsoever.

Whatever, whatever. Who cares if they're red or pink? Food is way more important.

No matter how urgent everything else was, he should go downstairs and eat first.

----------------------

Author's note: Still rolling around begging for bookmarks and nutrient fluids~ I know I'll be ignored—I get my fate—but it's fine, I won't be crying under the covers.