A few minutes later, Bai Yue opened a can of beer and sat on the sofa with Ye Xi.
Pop!
The sound of the can opening released a faint malt aroma into the air.
Bai Yue took a sip and asked, “Can’t sleep?”
Ye Xi kept his head down, biting into the ice cream, not daring to look at Bai Yue.
Bai Yue was in a silk robe—dark gray, loosely tied at the waist. It was even more tempting than that thin sweater from before, and Ye Xi didn’t know where to look.
To make things worse, Bai Yue’s lips were a little wet from the beer, thin and shiny, the kind of dangerous good looks that screamed heartbreaker.
Damn sexy.
Damn it, Ye Xi cursed internally. He’s totally seducing me. I ought to just pull him in and kiss him a hundred times.
But on the surface, he lowered his gaze and nodded obediently, more well-behaved than the hamster he once had.
Bai Yue laughed and teased, “If you don’t sleep properly during puberty, you won’t grow tall. See—you’re still shorter than Zheng Yang.”
That hit Ye Xi right in the sore spot.
Why bring up Zheng Yang of all people?
And saying he wasn’t as tall?
Ye Xi bit into his ice cream, cheeks puffed up, and muttered in protest, “I’m almost the same height as Zheng Yang. He’s only 179. I’ve grown recently—I’ll catch up soon.”
He was 174 now—not that short.
Just the other day, Liang Zhan from the front row called him tall and handsome, flattering him so much he agreed to be her makeup model.
But Bai Yue only laughed harder.
Ye Xi rarely got this riled up, his puffed cheeks making him look a bit childish.
“My bad,” Bai Yue said agreeably. “I forgot you’ve been growing again lately.”
That made Ye Xi too embarrassed to keep sulking.
Maybe it was because the room was dim—just one little desk lamp casting a soft glow.
In that atmosphere, Bai Yue’s focused gaze on him was devastatingly intense.
Ye Xi squirmed uncomfortably.
His lips, still cold from the ice cream, started to tremble.
But he didn’t want to go back to his room.
Zheng Yang, that annoying jerk, was finally out of the picture. It was just him and Bai Yue now.
If he didn’t seize this opportunity, Li Rui and his so-called “love mentor” would absolutely roast him.
But what should he say?
Ye Xi looked around, trying to come up with something, when his eyes landed on Bai Yue’s hand.
He suddenly remembered a conversation between some girls during break time.
A lightbulb went off in his head.
He chomped down on a chunk of the ice cream so hard it hurt, but quickly swallowed and looked at Bai Yue, eyes sparkling.
“Bai-ge, have you ever had your palm read?”
Bai Yue paused. Does getting dragged up the mountain by my dad to see a fortune-teller count?
The fortune-teller said he’d have a smooth life but suffer emotionally. Still, in the end, he’d find true mutual love.
His dad laughed at him for the rest of the day.
But of course, he knew what Ye Xi meant. He played along and shook his head.
“Then—then let me read it for you,” Ye Xi said bravely. “A classmate just taught me yesterday.”
Liang Zhan and Li Rui had been all over the topic earlier, even grabbing Ye Xi’s hand and saying he was the faithful, one-true-love type.
But now that he’d said it, Ye Xi began to regret it a little.
Would Bai Yue think it’s childish?
He didn’t expect Bai Yue to actually stretch out his hand.
It was clean and well-proportioned, with long fingers, fair like jade, and the lines on his palm clearly visible.
Bai Yue smiled at him. “Sure. What can you read? Can you read about love?”
Ye Xi immediately nodded.
What a coincidence.
There were many things he didn’t know, but when it came to love-related palm reading, Liang Zhan had just taught him recently.
He carefully took hold of Bai Yue’s hand. Even though during their tutoring sessions Bai Yue often held his hand—using the water-based pen in his grip to write out solutions on the test papers—he still hadn’t gotten used to it.
He felt Bai Yue’s hand was warm and dry, unlike his own, which always seemed a bit cool.
Once held, Bai Yue’s hand shifted slightly, almost as if uneasy, and his fingertip brushed against Ye Xi’s thumb.
Ye Xi tried hard not to get distracted and widened his eyes to study the lines on Bai Yue’s palm.
He hadn’t lied—he really did remember the things Liang Zhan had explained.
After examining for a while, Ye Xi smiled softly:
“Bai-ge, your palm lines… they’re the popular kind.”
He gently tapped the space between Bai Yue’s middle and index fingers, then looked up and smiled at him.
“See this ring-shaped line here? It means you’re very charming. It’s easy for people you’re attracted to… to fall for you too.”
Bai Yue curved his lips into a faint smile.
Whether Ye Xi was reading it correctly or not, at the very least, he liked this explanation.
“And what else?” he asked in a soft, coaxing voice.
Ye Xi lowered his head again and continued examining:
“Here—your wisdom line curves upward. That means you know exactly what type you like… and the shape of your love line…”
As he got to this part, Ye Xi’s voice trailed off, unsure.
He glanced at Bai Yue’s noble and refined face and suddenly felt like palm reading wasn’t very accurate after all.
Bai Yue, however, pressed on:
“What is it? What does that mean?”
Ye Xi added in a small voice:
“This line… it’s very straight and reaches all the way across. It means you’re someone extremely loyal in love, with deep affections—but also strong jealousy and possessiveness.”
But Ye Xi didn’t think this sounded like Bai Yue at all.
Bai Yue had always been elegant and composed, calm and dignified—not someone who would go mad with love or jealousy.
So Ye Xi quickly added:
“But I might’ve read it wrong. This is just stuff my classmate taught me. I’m not sure if I even remembered it right.”
Bai Yue, however, smiled.
He thought to himself: Wrong? No, most of it was right.
“Then I’ll have to be careful,” he said with a chuckle.
“Can’t let my jealousy and possessiveness show too much—wouldn’t want to annoy my other half.”
He said it lightly, but Ye Xi’s heart gave a small twinge.
Other half.
That word coming from Bai Yue’s mouth—it made his heart tremble… and feel a little disheartened.
Even though he’d thought about seducing Bai Yue for a night of passion, he never truly imagined becoming Bai Yue’s partner.
Whoever Bai Yue ended up loving and marrying would probably be someone equally dazzling—someone who could stand proudly by his side.
Thinking that made Ye Xi feel a little down again.
He didn’t reply, just forced a smile and let go of Bai Yue’s hand, his eyes drifting to the beer can on the table, suddenly wanting a sip himself.
Bai Yue noticed his gaze.
He picked up the beer and gave it a small shake in front of Ye Xi.
“What, want a drink?”
Ye Xi hesitated for two seconds, then honestly nodded.
He figured Bai Yue probably wouldn’t mind too much and might let him grab one from the fridge.
“You can drink,” Bai Yue said softly,
“but you have to answer one question first.”
Ye Xi blinked, confused but obediently nodded.
“What about your palm lines?” Bai Yue asked, eyes lowering slightly, his gaze locked on Ye Xi’s lips with a hint of danger.
“Are you the flirty type? The loyal kind? Or someone who doesn’t understand love at all?”
But Ye Xi didn’t catch the subtle danger.
He was a little surprised by the question, but still gave it serious thought.
“I’m… the loyal type,” he said, blinking. “My classmate said I might be a bit of a love-struck fool, but my luck in love is pretty good.”
A love-struck fool…
Didn’t seem that way.
Bai Yue thought to himself but still chuckled lightly.
“All right. Then I’ll allow you a sip.”
But instead of getting a fresh can from the fridge, he directly raised the can he had been drinking from and brought it to Ye Xi’s lips.
The part he had drunk from was aligned right with Ye Xi’s mouth.
Ye Xi’s eyes widened slightly, looking at him helplessly.
Bai Yue’s lashes fluttered. He clearly knew this wasn’t quite right, but his hand remained steady—no intention of pulling away.
“Just one sip,” he said softly, his face cool and slightly intimidating under the dim lighting.
“Want it or not?”
Ye Xi’s lips trembled.
He noticed—of course—the side of the can Bai Yue offered was the same side he had just sipped from.
What was this…?
An indirect kiss?
Wasn’t that too much?
His heart pounded. Without a word, he grasped Bai Yue’s wrist and took a light sip.
The malt carried a refreshing fruity flavor—citrus, orange peel, with a hint of daisy and neroli.
The cold liquid flowed down his throat like a chilly kiss, landing in the warmth of his stomach.
One sip.
Bai Yue kept his word and pulled the can away immediately.
But Ye Xi’s lips were now glistening with the wet sheen of beer.
Bai Yue raised his hand again, as if re-enacting the same scene from before. As if it were completely normal, he gently wiped the corner of Ye Xi’s mouth.
“You see?” he teased softly.
“You say you’re not a little mouse, but here you are—sneaking a taste, leaving all the evidence behind.”
Ye Xi’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
