STD CH7

Chapter 7: Little Boyfriend

Lu Wenxi looked at the pajamas, then looked at Xu Chen. Indeed, the vibe didn’t quite match.

“I didn’t bring many pajamas with me—only the set I’m wearing right now,” Lu Wenxi said. He was currently wearing black-striped pajamas that looked much more mature and composed, and Xu Chen obviously couldn’t wear the exact set off his back.

Lu Wenxi went to rummage through his other casual clothes, only to find they were all flashy, colorful pieces covered in various embellishments. Since he loved rivet studs, plenty of them carried a heavy punk aesthetic.

Left with no choice, Lu Wenxi walked into the bedroom, stripped off the set he was wearing, changed into the “indecent” pajamas himself, and came back out to place the black-striped set by the bathroom door.

“Help yourself to the toiletries. Open the drawer in the side cabinet—there are brand-new toothbrushes and stuff, plus a few packs of new underwear, just grab whatever you need. The guest room is ready to sleep in, nothing else to worry about.” After finishing his instructions, Lu Wenxi suddenly remembered something and pointed at the bathroom. “Do you know how to use the shower? The master bathroom has a bathtub.”

“I know how to use the kind at school.”

“Oh, it should be pretty similar then. Make yourself at home.”

Truth be told, it wasn’t that Lu Wenxi completely trusted Xu Chen; he simply figured that if this kid actually wanted to harm him, he wouldn’t have any room to struggle anyway, so there wasn’t much point in guarding against him. Besides, there wasn’t anything particularly valuable in this apartment.

After getting Xu Chen settled, Lu Wenxi dug a pack of cigarettes out from the very bottom of his suitcase, draped a jacket over his shoulders, and stepped out onto the balcony.

Fearing paparazzi might be lurking somewhere with long-range lenses, he simply sat down on the floor, shook a cigarette out of the pack, lit it up, and began smoking.

Even now, he still didn’t believe he was going to die.

He still suspected Xu Chen was just a little street swindler.

Yet he genuinely could see ghosts, and unless Xu Chen was an absolute powerhouse actor, his act was far too convincing—even a semi-professional like Lu Wenxi couldn’t spot a single flaw.

Was he really going to die?

If death was truly imminent, how was he supposed to react? Wail and sob uncontrollably? Refuse to accept it? Defy the heavens and change his fate?

One cigarette burned down to the filter before he even realized it. He stubbed it out against the floor, shook out another, and kept smoking. Too bad there wasn’t any alcohol in the house, otherwise he really would have loved a few drinks.

He realized he was surprisingly calm right now—not at all like someone who had just received a death sentence. His mind was wandering to other matters.

If he died, what would happen to his parents?

If he died, would his fans be heartbroken?

If he died, would he also turn into one of those dark shadows he could see now?

By the time Xu Chen stepped out of the bathroom after his shower, Lu Wenxi had already smoked four cigarettes in a row. Calm as he appeared, he was still somewhat anxious and needed the nicotine to take the edge off.

Lu Wenxi looked up at Xu Chen.

Moonlight spilled through the half-open balcony door onto Xu Chen, bathing him in a layer of silvery-white luminescence.

Having just showered, Xu Chen had toweled off his hair, though he clearly hadn’t used a hairdryer to blow it completely dry; it was still slightly damp, a few strands clinging to his forehead. His cool, detached eyes still held no warmth, yet at this moment, they reflected a faint, moon-white sheen.

Those black-striped pajamas truly suited Xu Chen remarkably well. Since the two shared a similar build, they could completely swap clothes without an issue. Black seemed to fit this youth naturally, lending his sharp, aloof features a touch of composed maturity and softening the greenness of his age.

“Is there… still any saving me?” Lu Wenxi took another drag of his cigarette and asked. Only after speaking did he notice his voice had grown raspy, likely from the stress combined with chain-smoking.

“Find the person who wishes you harm and destroy their ritual formation. That will preserve your life,” Xu Chen answered.

“Can’t you guys battle formations remotely through the air?”

Xu Chen shook his head. “Right now, they have merely laid down the formation and have not yet struck directly. If I can be present at the moment they cast their spell and discern what method they are using, I can find a way to break it. At present, facing only the aura of death on you, I have no starting point.”

“And if I can’t find that person, I can only wait to die?”

“Accumulate virtue and do good deeds. Only then can you preserve your life.”

Hearing those words, Lu Wenxi felt a little dazed. He hesitated before repeating, “Accumulate virtue and do good deeds?”

“Correct. Casting dark arts upon you destroys the caster’s hidden karmic merit. If you cultivate virtue, you can accumulate merit of your own, which can dissolve part of the curse.”

“Like donating to build Hope Primary Schools?”

“It requires sincerity.”

“I think nothing is more sincere than money.”

“…” Xu Chen pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

Lu Wenxi didn’t know if Xu Chen could understand what he was saying, yet he couldn’t stop himself from talking. “Honestly, sometimes when you’re genuinely strapped for cash, don’t care too much about pride—it isn’t worth a dime. Once you take the money and get by, you’ll still have plenty of chances to regret lacking backbone back then. But if you cling to your pride, who knows how much longer you’ll even stay alive to be proud?”

Xu Chen: “…”

Lu Wenxi continued, “Of course, you could also end up like me—clearly swimming in money, yet without much time left to live.”

Finishing his thought, he leaned back against the balcony wall, tilted his head up, and let out a long sigh.

“I will watch over you,” Xu Chen said suddenly, his tone deeply earnest.

Lu Wenxi froze and looked over at him.

Through the gap of the sliding balcony door, their gazes met squarely.

“If I did not intend to get involved, I would have walked away immediately. Once I have agreed, I will use every ounce of my ability to protect you,” Xu Chen spoke again, explaining himself to Lu Wenxi.

“Is that so…”

“I keep my promises. My word is my bond, and I never go back on what I say. By the same token, I hold firm to my convictions—even if it brings unbearable pain, I will see it through.”

“How stubborn,” Lu Wenxi couldn’t help remarking. Remembering that Xu Chen was a penniless kid who had insisted on coming down the mountain to attend university anyway, he abruptly believed Xu Chen’s words. Whatever Xu Chen set his mind to, he would undoubtedly push through to the end, no matter how grueling, without a shred of regret.

Lu Wenxi suddenly felt a surge of admiration, thinking this kid was far stronger than he was. Up until now, he had merely been an aimless rich second-generation heir, whereas Xu Chen—despite being five years younger—knew with crystal clarity what he wanted to do.

Xu Chen said nothing further. He merely glanced up at the night sky and announced, “The hour is late. I am going to rest.”

“Oh…” Lu Wenxi murmured in acknowledgment. He stood up, glanced at the sky as well, and guessed it had to be past midnight by now. Indeed, “the hour was late,” and he ought to get some sleep too.

Insomnia got the better of Lu Wenxi, forcing him to pop a sleeping pill from his nightstand drawer and wash it down with mineral water before he finally drifted off.

In the morning, he vaguely heard the doorbell ringing through his haze. Furrowing his brows, he ignored it, pulled the quilt over his head, and went right back to sleep.

Yin Hanwei unlocked the door and walked into the apartment carrying breakfast. He had come alone today; since Lu Wenxi had no outdoor schedules, he was simply dropping off meals.

The moment he stepped inside, however, he came face-to-face with Xu Chen.

Xu Chen had just emerged from the bathroom after washing up, still holding a towel in his hands. Having been disturbed by the doorbell, he had come out to see what was going on.

Yin Hanwei stared at Xu Chen, then looked down at the pajamas he was wearing, freezing on the spot for a long moment.

“Boss! How could you do this kind of thing at a time like this?!” Yin Hanwei shouted instantly, practically on the verge of a mental breakdown as he marched straight toward the bedroom. “You actually invited a hookup buddy over to your house! If this gets exposed, you’ll never be able to bounce back!”

If Han Fanming found out, Yin Hanwei would almost certainly get fired too, blamed for failing to keep Lu Wenxi on a tight leash!

Yet who could possibly rein Lu Wenxi in?! It had only been a single night, and a whole living, breathing person had materialized in his apartment!

Still buried beneath his quilt, Lu Wenxi was abruptly annoyed awake by Yin Hanwei’s yelling. He shot upright, his hair a wild, messy nest, and glared daggers at Yin Hanwei. “Do you have any idea how precious my rest time is? Do you know how hard it was for me to fall asleep, huh?!”

“Oh sure, your time is so precious that you seized the opportunity to bring someone straight home?” Yin Hanwei retorted, shooting another glance at Xu Chen before rattling off at lightning speed, “Even if he’s good-looking, you shouldn’t lose all self-control…”

Mid-sentence, Yin Hanwei looked back at Xu Chen again and couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Damn, he’s really handsome… holy crap.”

Realizing Yin Hanwei had gotten the wrong idea, Lu Wenxi immediately clarified, “We slept separately. He stayed in the guest room.”

“Boss, if you want to keep things Platonic, you can add a bit more distance—you sleep at your house, and he sleeps at his own house.”

Lu Wenxi felt a headache coming on. How was he supposed to explain Xu Chen’s actual identity to Yin Hanwei? Tell him Xu Chen was a little Taoist priest and that he himself didn’t have long to live? Within seconds, the entire company would hear he was dying—before he was even dead, they’d probably already have his memorial service planned out.

“He’s… a new part-time assistant I just hired.”

Yin Hanwei clearly didn’t buy it, though he still turned around and walked over to Xu Chen. “Come here, rookie. Let me brief you on everything you need to watch out for as Boss’s assistant.”

You’re the boss, what you say goes—if you say he’s an assistant, then he’s an assistant! As long as no scandal broke out, Yin Hanwei was more than willing to turn a blind eye.

Seeing the situation smoothed over, Lu Wenxi immediately flopped back down onto the bed to keep sleeping.

Xu Chen had been quietly watching the two banter. Now, seeing Yin Hanwei walk over and begin listing rules and precautions, Xu Chen figured that since he genuinely needed to protect Lu Wenxi for a while, he might as well sit down and listen carefully.

“An assistant’s main job is taking care of Boss’s daily routine—for example, I came over today to bring him breakfast. Whenever Boss has appearances, you arrange his travel times and daily itinerary. When he has a new drama, you highlight his lines in advance. Don’t worry about finances; Sister Xia just handed those over to me last night. Starting out, you’ll mainly be running errands, buying things, blocking reporters and fans, plus going around apologizing to whoever Boss manages to offend.”

Hearing this, Xu Chen furrowed his brows slightly, feeling these job duties sounded somewhat absurd.

“You know how our Boss is—he rows his boat without oars, relying purely on making waves. Every time his mouth opens and closes, if you aren’t paying attention, he’s either offended someone new or flirted with someone new. Boss never cleans up his own messes—he’s the textbook definition of an irresponsible man—so we have to handle the aftermath,” Yin Hanwei continued his orientation.

“He offends a lot of people?” Xu Chen pinpointed the key takeaway.

“Honestly, most of them are just jealous to begin with. After all, our Boss has the looks, the family background, the resources, and massive popularity.” Seemingly unbothered, Yin Hanwei moved on to other details. “When you’re around Boss, the main details to watch are keeping him from binge-eating, because he used to be chubby and puffs up the second he overeats. Also, if he suddenly turns super serious while walking—raising an eyebrow, looking deep and brooding, or acting overly lively—don’t panic. There is guaranteed to be a mirror somewhere within his line of sight.”

“Oh…” What a load of utter nonsense.

Yin Hanwei pulled his phone from his pocket. “Give me your WeChat ID so we can add each other. From now on, just call me Brother Yin—never call me Brother Wei.”

“I do not have WeChat.”

“QQ then?”

“I do not have that either.”

“Phone number?”

“None.”

“You’re not a spy, are you?” Yin Hanwei blurted out in astonishment.

“What is a spy?”

Yin Hanwei froze, staring at Xu Chen, half-suspecting this kid was pulling his leg.

Right then, Lu Wenxi walked out of the bedroom and headed toward the dining room. Having overheard snippets of their conversation, he said, “Give him my spare camera phone, then take him out to get a SIM card. He genuinely doesn’t have a phone.”

“Oh…” Yin Hanwei replied. Secretly opening his phone camera, he snapped a photo of Xu Chen, opened his chat window with Lin Xiao, and hit send.

Once sent, he noticed that what should have been a crystal-clear picture had turned into a blurry silhouette.

He switched back to his photo gallery to check and saw the saved image was a blurry figure as well. He stealthily snapped another shot—still completely blurry. Starting to suspect his phone camera was broken, he secretly took a picture of Lu Wenxi, only to find it came out completely normal.

Lin Xiao had already replied: Why are you sending me a pic of Boss? And why’d you take it so blurry?

Yin Hanwei: Weird as hell. I was taking a photo of Boss’s new assistant, and every time I aim at this kid, the picture comes out blurry. Let me try a short video.

Typing that, Yin Hanwei recorded a brief video clip of Xu Chen, only to discover Xu Chen appeared as a blur in the video too.

Talk about bizarre.

Sitting down to eat, Lu Wenxi called out, “Xu Chen, come over and eat too.”

“Alright.” Xu Chen immediately walked over. Looking at the spread on the table—boiled vegetables, a steamed bun, pickled mustard tuber, and a cup of soy milk—there barely seemed to be enough for one person.

Lu Wenxi broke the steamed bun in half and handed one piece to Xu Chen. Xu Chen reached out, accepted it without hesitation, and began eating alongside him.

“What time do your classes end today?” Lu Wenxi asked.

“A little past three in the afternoon.”

“Good. After class ends, come back here, and we’ll go to my family’s place together.”

Still fiddling with his phone, Yin Hanwei was thoroughly shocked by those words, blurting out involuntarily, “You’re already meeting the parents?!”

So they weren’t hookup buddies—it was true love?!

Utterly speechless, Lu Wenxi immediately stressed, “I already told you, we don’t have the kind of relationship you’re imagining.”

Yin Hanwei badly wanted to believe him, but… who on earth hires an assistant via a nighttime interview at their private apartment, hands them their own pajamas afterward, and has them stay the night?!

Still, since Lu Wenxi had emphasized it repeatedly, Yin Hanwei could only shut his mouth, lean back on the sofa, and continue texting.

Lin Xiao: Hired a new assistant that fast? With live-in accommodations too?

Yin Hanwei: An insanely handsome assistant. Handsome to the point… that it makes me uneasy, like… an assistant who doesn’t look like an assistant at all. Just giving you a heads-up, don’t get scared when you come over to Boss’s place—I’m still having heart palpitations right now.

Lin Xiao: Holy sht, won’t Old Han explode?*

Yin Hanwei: Keep your mouth shut tight, don’t breathe a word of this.

Lin Xiao: I know. If Boss goes down, it’d be damn hard to find another employer this generous.

Yin Hanwei: Handsome, super handsome, ridiculously handsome—the aloof high-flower type. And super young, probably only eighteen or nineteen. Boss is spoiling him rotten!

Lin Xiao: Send me a pic so I can see.

Yin Hanwei: Pic failed to come out right. Come see for yourself this afternoon—the two of them are going to meet the parents later.

Lin Xiao: That juicy?! I have to come. I’m wide awake now, going to wash up.

Completely unaware that he had already been thoroughly gossiped about by his assistant and makeup artist, Lu Wenxi sent a WeChat message to Lu Yushang while eating, letting his old man know he was coming home tonight to visit them.

Lu Yushang: Changed your mind and decided to come back and join the family business?

Lu Wenxi: No, just coming home for dinner so you can see your son is still outrageously, unconscionably handsome.

Lu Yushang: Told you to study harder—just look at how you misuse idioms.

Staring at his phone screen, Lu Wenxi felt thoroughly disdained. On a rare trip home, he was already getting lectured by his dad before even stepping out the door.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Chen changed back into his own clothes. When he emerged, he was holding two talismans in his hand. Lu Wenxi understood immediately and reached out to accept them.

“While I am away, take good care of yourself,” Xu Chen told Lu Wenxi, hoping Lu Wenxi would manage to stay alive until he returned from class.

“Got it, I know,” Lu Wenxi replied, letting out a helpless laugh.

Just as Yin Hanwei braced himself to witness the two exchange a farewell kiss, Xu Chen simply walked out the door without a shred of drama. Not that this stopped Yin Hanwei, who immediately texted Lin Xiao: I practically can’t bear to watch this—Boss has never treated me like that! Just now the new assistant had to leave for school, and the two of them lingered in a reluctant farewell like lovers parting in life and death. I think Boss has fallen head over heels in love.

__

Author’s notes:

The assistant has been with Lu Wenxi since Lu Wenxi was a rookie; they have a buddy-type relationship.