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Chapter 105 (Extra 7 – School Life AU 2)
As time passed, Ye Jia noticed that he was getting more and more involved with Ji Xuan.After interacting with the other party for a while, Ye Jia was able to firmly experience what it meant by ‘rumours cannot be trusted’.All the rumours and stories circulating around really weren’t the case in real life. Although Ji Xuan liked to play rough, he wasn’t a bad person. At most, he was just bad at choosing his friends.So as time went by, his attitude towards him gradually softened.But when he saw Ji Xuan sitting on the sofa in his rental, acting as if it was his own place, Ye Jia couldn’t help but be confused for a moment.Speaking of which…..how did this happen?Seems like they had unknowingly been meeting more and more often and their relationship had gradually changed.Ye Jia had a strange feeling. It was as if…..The other party was silently invading the space beside him.He proceeded to toss that thought to the back of his mind.Ye Jia walked over and, not so lightly but also not without too much force, kicked the foot that was resting on the table.“Put it down.”Ji Xuan obediently retracted his foot and even moved to make some space for Ye Jia.Ye Jia, who originally planned to sit opposite Ji Xuan, paused for a moment. After a short period of hesitation, he sat down in the space next to Ji Xuan.Ji Xuan looked over, his gaze falling onto the young man’s beautiful side profile.His eyelashes were long, glowing a golden light under the sun. His jawline and neckline were smooth and elegant, and a nice smell of soap and the sun could be smelt coming from his body.Ji Xuan’s gaze deepened. He took a sip of his drink and licked off the residue on his lips with his tongue.Ye Jia, who seemed to have noticed the other party’s gaze, looked over.Ji Xuan maintained an innocent look, “Hm?”Ye Jia, “How long do you plan on staying here for?”The first time he brought Ji Xuan over here was a mistake. The other party had memorised the route that day and would often drop by unannounced since then. Ye Jia was very reluctant at first but after it happened a few more times, Ye Jia grew apathetic.Ji Xuan asked, “Why? Ge, are you finding me bothersome now?”Ye Jia answered heartlessly, “Haven’t I always found you bothersome?”Ji Xuan wasn’t offended by his cold words. He even conversely laughed.Ye Jia frowned, “Let’s not talk about me for now. Won’t your family be worried if you don’t go home?”Ji Xuan stretched his long limbs.The sofa was a little too small for him and his knee and arm would accidentally knock into Ye Jia.“They won’t.” He answered nonchalantly, “Even if I go home late, there’s no one around.”The young man’s expression was still the same as usual, nonchalant and unbothered. It was as if he didn’t care about it at all.Ye Jia’s eyes stopped on him for a moment.He didn’t know if it was his imagination but….the other party seemed a little vulnerable.“…..Let’s not talk about you for now?” Ji Xuan changed the topic and looked at Ye Jia, “What if we did?”Ye Jia was unable to follow this sudden change in conversation, “…..?”The young man sitting next to him suddenly moved closer. His flexible body was like some kind of large feline that held limitless power. In an instant, the distance between them closed. Ye Jia was startled. He subconsciously moved away but the sofas armrest was against his back.Ji Xuan used his pitch-black eyes to look firmly at Ye Jia. He asked seriously:“Do you dislike me coming here?”His voice was deep and a little husky. It sounded like he was acting coquettish.“Ge.”Ye Jia pursed his lips with hesitation. His subconscious reaction to say yes was swallowed back down.After keeping silent for a few seconds, he looked away and said, “…..Not really.”A scarlet light flashed across the depths of Ji Xuan’s eyes. He faintly raised the corners of his lips.Ye Jia seemed to only now notice how close the two of them were. He furrowed his brows and pushed the other party away, “Hey, move away.”Ji Xuan’s loose uniform was stretched by this action of his, causing something about the size of a palm to fall out from the pocket.Ye Jia was surprised.He bent down and picked it up.It was an already opened packet of cigarettes and it looked like a rather expensive brand. There were about two or three missing in the box but it was mostly full.Ye Jia subconsciously frowned, “Yours?”Ji Xuan answered without a change to his expression, “No.”Ye Jia let out an ‘oh’ and gave the box back.He said, “It’s fine if you smoke, just don’t do it in front of me. I don’t like the smell of them.”“I don’t smoke.” Ji Xuan shook his head, “It’s a friend’s. I’m holding onto it for them for the time being.”
Ji Xuan received the packet back but didn’t put it back inside his pocket. Instead, he threw it onto the table.“Huh?” Ye Jia was confused, “You’re not going to give it back?”Ji Xuan answered calmly, “I don’t want to help him with his bad habits.”Ye Jia hesitated for a moment.Although he didn’t feel that he had the right to say anything, but for some reason….perhaps it was because the other party had been displaying shows of reliance all this time, he somehow felt the responsibility of an older person weighing on him.He said, “Um….”Ji Xuan raised his eyes.Ye Jia considered his words carefully, “You should be careful who you become friends with.”Ji Xuan, “Hm? What do you mean?”When he asked that question, there were no hints of anger in his tone. Instead, it conversely sounded amused. A strange light shone in the depths of his dark eyes.Ye Jia realised that he had spoken out of line, “I’m not trying to overstep my boundaries….”“It’s okay.” Ji Xuan interrupted him and turned to look at him, “I like it when you try to manage me.”Ye Jia, “……..”What a strange preference.He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up again, “It’s good to have friends but don’t be influenced by them.”“Okay.” Ji Xuan smiled, “Thanks, ge.”Under the sun, the young man's cold and defined features looked softer, making him finally look his age. His pitch-black eyes were curved and trust could be seen in the depths of it.*Chen Ying leaned lazily against the wall with a cigarette hanging from his lips. (KKnotes: The Ying here means shadow so I believe this is the shadow ghost)He was in the same class as Ye Jia and also used to be a delinquent who fought very fiercely but, after he was dealt with by Ji Xuan, he became a loyal lackey of his.Although he was quite wild at school, he had a soft spot for small animals.From a distance, he saw Ji Xuan come his way.Chen Ying jumped up, “Brother Xuan!”Ji Xuan lightly glanced at him, “Cigarette.”Chen Ying very efficiently dug out a box from his pocket.But Ji Xuan didn’t take it.He raised his hand and took the cigarette in Chen Ying’s mouth and proceeded to throw it onto the ground and extinguish it with his foot.Chen Ying, “???”While he was still in a state of confusion, he heard the other party say lightly, “Tell everyone that they are not to smoke at school from today onwards.”Chen Ying “???????”His face was filled with confusion. He was unable to process what had just happened.Not waiting for Chen Ying to process his words, Ji Xuan turned his head. It was dark so he couldn’t see what expression he had on his face as he looked over.“Especially you.”Chen Ying, “!”He felt a chill run through him. He immediately stammered nervously, “W-why?”Ji Xuan, “Don’t let me find out about you going to class with the smell of cigarettes on you.”He said this lightly, without any joy or anger, but the other party couldn’t help but feel afraid.Chen Ying straightened up like a soldier and stammered, “U-understood….”Ji Xuan retracted his gaze and walked towards the school building.Watching the other party’s disappearing figure, Chen Ying was still in a dazed state.What’s going on?Why did their boss suddenly turn over a new leaf?*Standing in the hall, Ye Jia raised his head and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the chandelier above him.He was wearing a washed out school uniform, making him look completely out of place in this extravagant place.Although he was technically the owner of the place, Ye Jia didn’t feel any sense of belonging.But his rental was about to end and the owner refused to let him continue renting there.In such a short period of time, he couldn’t find a new place.As a result, Ji Xuan suggested that he stay at his place for a while. He said that this place had already been put under his name so his parents wouldn’t come and make a fuss.With no choice, Ye Jia could only accept his proposal.But….
Ye Jia looked around at the extremely extravagant place and couldn’t help but sigh.It still felt very strange.Sure enough, this place wasn’t a place where he should be.Ye Jia decided that he would stay here for three days maximum. As soon as he finds a new place, he will immediately move out.Ji Xuan walked over from behind him.He seemed to have been speaking to the butler about something so he arrived a little later.He held the other party’s shoulder and said, “The room is getting prepared. It should be done soon.”Ye Jia instinctively moved away.He didn’t know if it was just an issue with him, but Ye Jia felt that he and the other party have been having too much body contact lately. Ji Xuan however would always do it without a change to his expression, looking very natural, making Ye Jia think that perhaps he was the one overthinking it---- Perhaps this was how the young ones nowadays interact?Ji Xuan didn’t seem to have noticed the other party’s stiffness.He bent down and reached out to take Ye Jia’s bags, “Ge, I’ll bring you up?”“Okay.” Ye Jia nodded but he didn’t give it to the other party:“I’ll carry it myself.”He didn’t have much, just enough to fit two bags. Most of it was clothing so it wasn’t heavy.Ji Xuan didn’t insist.Hot fingers brushed against Ye Jia’s cold hand before slowly being retracted away.Ye Jia, who felt the heat, looked over at the young man before him.Ji Xuan turned over and asked very naturally, “What’s wrong? Forgot something?”Ye Jia shook his head, “…..No.”He followed Ji Xuan.Perhaps….he was really just overthinking it?*As Ye Jia took out his bag, a pink letter fell out from inside his desk.From the writing on it, one could tell that it was from a girl.There was also a delicately wrapped box of chocolates next to it.Ye Jia was stunned. He only now realised that today was Valentine’s Day.Perhaps because he looked good, had good grades and also had a good temperament, he would often receive a number of gifts from the girls at school on Valentine’s Day. Ye Jia however never accepted any of them. If he was confessed to, he would try to politely reject them and return the gift without hurting their feelings.But something like this where they secretly hid it in his desk….Ye Jia would usually take it with him and throw it out somewhere outside of the other party’s sight.He sighed and put the letter and chocolates in his bag and proceeded to leave the classroom.By now, Ye Jia had already stayed at Ji Xuan’s place for more than a month.It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find a place, he just couldn’t find one at all.Every time Ye Jia found one that was suitable for him, it would soon be rented out or the owner would change their mind and decide not to rent it out anymore….With this happening over and over again, Ye Jia couldn’t help but wonder if he was low in luck lately.But fortunately, Ji Xuan didn’t seem to mind Ye Jia staying with him.But Ye Jia still insisted on paying him one month worth of rent calculated using the current market value.Ji Xuan had no choice but to accept it.But that at least made Ye Jia feel more comfortable. With the two of them going around everywhere together, the rumours that were spreading started to change ---- How could this pair of half-brothers have a bad relationship? They’re actually very close, probably closer than true brothers.As time passed, the relationship between the two progressed very quickly.Furthermore, although Ji Xuan was cold and indifferent to others, looking like someone they wouldn’t want to anger, he was very good at sweet-talking and acting coy in front of Ye Jia. This also made Ye Jia similarly treat the other party as if he was his blood-related younger brother.When interacting with people he wasn’t familiar with, he would usually wear a friendly mask on his face but still maintain some distance between them.But as long as it was someone he cared about, he would no longer hold back his concerns.That was why he couldn’t stand the friends Ji Xuan hung out with.They were probably the ones who made Ji Xuan become like this.But, ever since he and Ye Jia started living together, Ji Xuan seemed to be hanging out with his friends less and less. He was instead sticking by his side every day, practically like a shadow.…..In a certain sense, that was a good thing?Back in the bedroom.Ye Jia threw his bag onto the table.At this moment, Ji Xuan pushed the door open.He held a workbook in his hand, “Ge, there is a problem I can’t solve.”Seeing that the other party was turning over a new leaf, Ye Jia was pleased.He waved at Ji Xuan, “Come and sit. What are you having trouble with?”
Ji Xuan placed the workbook onto the table.Ye Jia skimmed over it and could immediately see the problem.He pointed at the bag that was next to Ji Xuan, “There are pens in there. Help me take one out.”Ji Xuan made a sound of understanding and turned to take one out.As soon as he unzipped the bag, Ji Xuan’s actions stopped.His gaze fell onto the pink letter and box of chocolates inside the bag. The emotions in his dark eyes were difficult to read.Ye Jia who didn’t hear anything for a while looked over:“What’s wrong?”Ji Xuan held up the love letter between his fingers, narrowed his eyes and said in a half-joking tone, “Looks like gege is pretty popular.”…..For some reason, the current Ji Xuan seemed a little unfamiliar.Ye Jia was stunned for a moment. His eyes fell onto the letter held in the other person’s hand.He only now realised that he had forgotten to throw them out.Ye Jia knitted his brows and reached out to take it, “It’s the girl's privacy. Don’t look.”But Ji Xuan had already opened it.He glanced at the name at the bottom and raised his brows, “Unexpectedly….Gege likes this type?”Ye Jia was not in a good mood, “Don’t speak rubbish.”He stood up to snatch away the letter and carefully put it back into the envelope.----These actions of his, compared to rejection, it was more like he was acting protective.All of a sudden, Ji Xuan stepped forward, shortening the distance between the two of them.Ye Jia’s heart skipped a beat. He looked over at the other party.The expression on Ji Xuan’s face was different from the usual. The light cast a defined shadow on his face and the scarlet hue in his dark eyes was particularly prominent.A terrifying emotion flickered in his eyes.His voice was low when he spoke, “When gege pleasures himself, do you think of that type of girl?”----This topic was crossing the line.Ye Jia’s face fell.He pointed at the door, “Get out.”*The night deepened.Ye Jia only realised now that Ji Xuan hadn’t returned the textbook he had borrowed the day before.He needed it for his class tomorrow.He went to Ji Xuan’s room.The door was tightly shut.He couldn’t act as if what happened earlier hadn’t happened but at the same time, he was both confused and troubled. Why did Ji Xuan suddenly ask something like that?Getting the book back was one thing but more importantly….Ye Jia felt that he should have a good talk with the other party.After a moment of silence, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, “….It’s me.”“Come in.”Ji Xuan’s voice travelled through the door.Ye Jia pushed the door open.The room wasn’t bright but it was enough for him to see the other person’s figure clearly.Ji Xuan who was sitting on the edge of the bed raised his dark eyes that almost contained no light and looked towards Ye Jia.“About what happened earlier….” Ye Jia slowly spoke up.But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ji Xuan, “Come in. Close the door.”There was something in his eyes that Ye Jia couldn’t read.Ye Jia was surprised for a moment.He then heard the other party add, “The butler might pass by.”I see.Ye Jia walked in and closed the door behind him.“Sit?”Ji Xuan gestured next to him.Ye Jia hesitated for a moment but eventually moved to sit down.
----After all, it might be better to sit down and talk about something like this.He took a deep breath and put on an older brother-like expression, “Earlier, why did you ask that kind of question?”Ji Xuan looked back at him:“I just wanted to know.”Ye Jia furrowed his brows, “You shouldn’t ask these kinds of questions….”Ji Xuan suddenly moved closer. Ye Jia’s face was reflected in his pitch-black eyes, “Why not?”He was clearly the one trying to talk some reason to the other party, but Ye Jia was starting to feel cornered.He said, “….This is a matter of privacy. It’s private….”“Private?”Ji Xuan slowly repeated.For some reason, Ye Jia had a bad feeling.Ji Xuan once again closed the distance between them, “But I can tell you.”Ji Xuan’s voice was low.“Ge, the one I think about is you.”…..What?Ye Jia was thunderstruck. He stiffened in place.His mind felt like paste and all his thoughts were a mess. Like a rusty machine, all it could do was creak every now and then.…..What?What did Ji Xuan say just now?Just as Ye Jia was in a shocked state, Ji Xuan silently moved closer and held his fingers.Ye Jia, who was startled, immediately shot up.Ji Xuan looked glum, “…...Sorry.”That look again.Like a kicked puppy who was drenched by the rain.While being looked at by those sad eyes, Ye Jia subconsciously stopped his instinctive reaction to escape and said awkwardly:“….I-It’s not your fault.”He racked his brains, “T-this might be a normal change with puberty. Y-you currently might not have figured out what your preferences are so, so….you need time to slowly explore it…”As Ye Jia said this, he found it strange and absurd.What on earth was he talking about?Ye Jia could hear his own voice talking non-stop but it sounded very unfamiliar. He felt as if there was a third person in the room doing the talking.“Really?” Ji Xuan asked.He looked up and used a hurt and weak gaze to look at him.Ye Jia didn’t know what he had said just now…..or rather, he had already forgotten.He just stiffly nodded.He hadn’t noticed that the distance between the two of them had shortened considerably and it was now rather dangerous.At some point in time, Ye Jia had sat back down on the bed.Ji Xuan leaned over, grabbed his hand and brought it closer to him.“Is this normal?” His voice was low and hoarse and his breath was hot as he whispered into Ye Jia’s ear.…...What?Ye Jia’s thoughts were a little slow because of the confusion.He didn’t know where he was and what he was doing.Like he was being swallowed up by a swamp, he couldn’t find a stable footing.Ye Jia could only feel…...something hot underneath the clothing.Wait a minute….What was going on?He opened his mouth wanting to say something but there seemed to be something blocking it, making him unable to make any sounds.Or should he shake his head?Or nod?B-but something didn’t seem right.“Gege, I feel uncomfortable.” Ji Xuan rested his chin onto Ye Jia’s shoulder and took in the other party’s scent. Strong possessiveness burned in his eyes and there was a flicker of desire in the depths of it. As he breathed heavily, he pleaded pitifully, “…..Help me, ge.”