Chapter 25 Part 2: Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy

When Xie Yan woke up, he felt something strange in his arms.

Where there should have been a lean but firm back, there was now a complete lack of muscle, soft and squishy, sinking in with any pressure.

He groggily opened his eyes.

A plump, white pillow had replaced the body from last night.

And he was still hugging it tightly, looking like an idiot.

Lin Chuji was sitting on the other bed, having caught him in the act.

He smiled faintly and asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Xie Yan couldn’t process the situation for a moment.

He recalled his sleep quality and said openly, “Not bad.

Slept straight until dawn.”

Lin Chuji nodded with relief and decided to stuff a pillow in his arms every night from now on.

“Good.

I hope tonight is the same.”

Xie Yan squinted at him.

Tonight again?

Announcing it in advance?

It’s fine.

He was already used to this midnight bed-crashing behavior.

Unmoved as a mountain.

“Sure.

Anything goes tonight.”

Xie Yan responded impassively, tossing the pillow aside, nearly rolling it onto the floor.

Lin Chuji looked at him suspiciously, feeling that his words carried some hidden meaning.

But he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

He just checked the time and said, “Let’s go pick up Wanwan.

If we’re late, we’ll have to queue.”

As they got ready and left, Xie Yan noticed another detail.

They were matching outfits.

Although T-shirts all looked similar, he rarely wore a solid black one with no patterns, and Lin Chuji had deliberately worn a pure white one.

He hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw how every little detail revealed traces of Lin Chuji’s intentions.

Walking through the crowd with two handsome guys, Xie Wan couldn’t help slowing down and sighed at their backs.

“They really look good together.”

See?

Even my sister sees through your little schemes.

Isn’t this basically a date?

Xie Yan, hands in his pockets, sighed softly.

“Come, come, don’t move.

Take a picture.”

Xie Wan crouched down, framing the two in her shot, directing, “Brother, put your arm around him.

Hurry.”

“Can you stop your CP-shipping antics?”

Xie Yan clicked his tongue, getting annoyed from the constant teasing since yesterday.

“One more word, and I’ll send you and your suitcase back home right now.”

Xie Wan haphazardly pressed the shutter, secretly taking photos of their two pairs of shoes standing side by side, muttering, “Stubborn straight guy.

No romantic sense.”

Lin Chuji felt the atmosphere turn awkward and stood there uncomfortably.

After a moment, he reached out and tugged at Xie Yan’s hem, making him turn around.

“What?”

Xie Yan’s tone was resigned.

“Just let her take them.

She came all this way.

Make her happy,” Lin Chuji said softly.

Xie Yan glanced sideways at him.

You’re pretty happy too, aren’t you?

Everyone’s happy.

I’m just an emotionless tool.

He stood next to Lin Chuji, hands still in his pockets, expressionless.

Broad shoulders and long legs made even a plain T-shirt look textured, giving off a cool kind of sexiness.

Lin Chuji carefully leaned closer, looking straight ahead, and whispered, “Putting your arm around my shoulder… maybe not…?”

The moment he finished speaking, Xie Yan pulled his hand out and decisively put it around him.

Xie Yan curled his lip.

You say no, I’ll do it.

He wouldn’t fall for Lin Chuji’s “play hard to get” routine.

Xie Wan bit her lip, trying hard to suppress a scream of delight, and nodded slightly.

“Good, hold that.

I’ll take a few more.”

This is way more fun than the amusement park.

The giant pendulum ride has nothing on the joy of shipping CPs.

Xie Yan stood with his arm around Lin Chuji for nearly three minutes before his patience ran out.

“That’s enough.”

They were standing under the entrance sign, surrounded by people coming and going.

Lin Chuji had been stared at by several passersby and was getting a bit embarrassed.

“Can we stop?”

Xie Wan nodded “mm-hmm” and put away her camera.

Little sister-in-law is so soft, so adorable, such a good temper, and stunningly beautiful.

Can’t find a single flaw.

Her brother deserved this after all the hardship he’d endured.

It was the weekend, and the park was crowded.

Every ride had long lines.

Xie Yan accompanied her past three thrill rides, noticing she didn’t seem interested in any of them.

He said flatly, “What do you actually want to ride?”

Xie Wan thought to herself, Of course, I want to ride something that makes you two stick together.

She looked around and spotted a shooting game in the distance.

She raised her finger.

“That one.

I suddenly want that biggest stuffed animal.

Brother Chuji, can you win it for me?”

Lin Chuji had never played before and found it difficult, but he didn’t want to be a buzzkill.

He said softly, “Okay.

It looks fun.

I’ll try.”

They stood in front of the booth.

Xie Yan first bought a hundred rounds and handed them over.

“Go ahead.

Don’t feel pressured.”

Lin Chuji tried to aim.

Three points in a line, hold his breath, then… shoot.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw people constantly looking over.

Performing poorly at an unfamiliar skill under everyone’s gaze made him very nervous.

He squeezed the trigger, and the soft bullet completely deviated from its trajectory, nearly landing on the neighboring balloon target.

He vaguely heard someone laugh.

Maybe they weren’t laughing at him, but he was sensitive.

Lin Chuji felt his cheeks grow hotter.

He probably shouldn’t have tried in the first place.

It was clearly hard to learn.

Now he would be scrutinized and talked about under everyone’s gaze.

In the past, he would have fled in shame.

But if the person in his shoes were Xie Yan right now, what would he do?

He would probably act completely indifferent, even crack a joke: “Boss, you’re really making a killing today.”

Lin Chuji took a deep breath, turned around, and begged, “Can you teach me?”

It was hard for him to make such a request, but for some reason, he felt Xie Yan wouldn’t refuse him.

But today, Xie Yan was different.

He didn’t move.

He just curled his lip and looked at him, smiling as he asked, “How should I teach?

Use your upper arm, keep your forearm steady, pull the trigger decisively.

Aim a third of the way above the target, and you won’t miss.”

His tone was a bit distant, keeping a distance.

Lin Chuji felt a bunch of theoretical knowledge rush into his brain, going in one ear and out the other.

He hadn’t learned a thing.

He tried another shot—still missed.

Very poor aim.

“No… could you…”

Lin Chuji himself found it hard to say, “Teach me hand over hand?”

Xie Yan’s gaze fell on his lips—sun-scorched, red, showing a hint of his tongue.

Moving up, a pair of light-colored eyes stared straight at him, pleading.

What new trick is this?

Teaching hand over hand—how would that work?

Holding his hand, wrapping an arm around his waist?

Xie Yan slowly recalled the book from yesterday—some trick or another.

“When necessary, you can plead for help, taking the dominant position in a vulnerable process.”

Lin Chuji was truly putting it into practice.

Even though he was socially anxious, he had made the request in front of all these people.

Did he think Xie Yan wouldn’t dare?

That a few words could stir his heart?

“Bro, what are you staring for?

Teach him,” Xie Wan said, frustrated at his ineptitude.

Lin Chuji’s hand holding the gun trembled.

He looked back at the target and said with a hint of pride, “Never mind.

I’ll try again.”

Just as he was about to aim again, he felt someone wrap around him from behind.

His back pressed against a solid chest, fitting perfectly.

A hand broader than his own grasped his pale one, adjusting its position, acting as a fixed support.

The other hand helped steady the gun.

Because of the need to aim, the person behind him, being taller, slightly bent his waist, leveling his gaze with Lin Chuji’s to look at the tiny pinhole target, so that even their breaths landed on his ear.

Too close.

In front of everyone.

Even though they were both guys, Lin Chuji wouldn’t think in that ambiguous direction, but still, it was too close.

He wasn’t comfortable with such a close social distance.

He thought blankly, Didn’t ‘teach me hand over hand’ mean he demonstrates next to me and I follow?

What was Xie Yan doing?

Toying with him?

Lin Chuji held his breath for several seconds, still feeling his scalp tingle.

Finally, he spoke.

“There’s no need to… teach like this…”

Xie Yan wanted to laugh.

His expression was very relaxed, as if he had everything under control.

Still dare to use little tricks to turn a straight guy?

A straight guy can be straight as a rod and scare you to death.

He had hit a dead end this time.

Maybe next time he wouldn’t use the little tricks on him anymore.

Embarrassed, Lin Chuji tried to pull his hand back, mumbling, “Okay…

I’ll do it myself…

I think I’ve got it…”

Xie Yan held onto his fleeing hand and put it right back, practically interlacing their fingers over the gun.

His gaze landed on Lin Chuji’s ear, red as if about to drip blood.

He pulled the trigger.

Swish.

The bullet shot out.

The moment it precisely hit the target, he tilted his head and asked casually, “Two guys shooting a gun together.

What are you getting shy about?”

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