Chapter 148: A Little Cooperation

Chu Muyun and Bai Chenxi looked at each other in blank dismay. The main reason was that neither of them knew today was Valentine's Day.

One never paid attention to such matters, while the other hadn't even figured out his own feelings yet, so how could he possibly notice these things?

However, no one reminded them either, because everyone assumed Chu Muyun and Bai Chenxi already knew and had everything planned out. Thus, out of tacit understanding, no one disturbed them.

When Wang Ling saw Chu Muyun at Bai Chenxi's house today, she understood everything.

Given Wang Ling's decisive and brisk temperament, she surely would have ordered Bai Chenxi to go straight to the company. But remembering that today was Valentine's Day, she generously granted Bai Chenxi permission to report to work starting tomorrow.

Seeing Chu Muyun about to offer an explanation, Zhang Kay assumed he had already made arrangements for Valentine's Day, so he said nothing more.

He only gave a subtle reminder that if watching a movie was part of their date, choosing a horror film was strongly recommended.

And so, through a twist of fate, everyone assumed they knew, while the people directly involved remained completely oblivious.

Even more remarkable was that, without knowing a thing, they had somehow managed to complete the itinerary of a Valentine's Day date.

It seemed there was still one more item left...

Chu Muyun suddenly reached out and pulled Bai Chenxi toward him. Cupping the back of Bai Chenxi's head with one hand, Chu Muyun slowly leaned in.

"What... what are you doing?" Suddenly so close to Chu Muyun, Bai Chenxi found his breathing growing erratic.

"Acting!" With that, Chu Muyun brought his face even closer, stopping just inches away from Bai Chenxi.

The two were so close that they could feel each other's breath. Bai Chenxi wanted to pull back, but Chu Muyun whispered between his lips, "To avoid looking out of place and getting caught by others, just cooperate."

Thinking that today was far too special of a day, Bai Chenxi realized it would be troublesome to explain if they were discovered.

Coming to terms with this, Bai Chenxi took the initiative to reach out and wrap his arms around Chu Muyun's waist.

Noticing that Chu Muyun's breathing had grown heavier, Bai Chenxi offered comfort, "Not used to it, right? It's fine, it will pass in a moment."

Chu Muyun thought: *Which eye of yours saw that I wasn't used to this?*

The strength in Chu Muyun's hands increased slightly, pulling Bai Chenxi even closer.

"Chu Muyun, let go of me a bit, I can barely breathe." Hearing this, Chu Muyun loosened his grip on Bai Chenxi.

As soon as he caught his breath, Bai Chenxi took advantage of a momentary lapse in attention to grab Chu Muyun and slip away.

Bai Chenxi dragged Chu Muyun along until they stopped, both of them panting for breath.

"It seems you really need to check the calendar before going out. Just now, I thought I had accidentally wandered into some large-scale public affection-showing event!"

Seeing Bai Chenxi's expression of having narrowly escaped a disaster, Chu Muyun asked with a hint of displeasure, "Do you really want to avoid spending Valentine's Day with me that much?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Chenxi knew Chu Muyun was putting on airs of spoiled arrogance again, so he had to stroke his fur the right way.

"No, it's just that the two of us are already tied up in scandals. On such a special day, if we were photographed together, I wouldn't be able to clear my name even with a hundred mouths."

Chu Muyun gazed deeply at Bai Chenxi. "Do you want to distance yourself from me that much?"

"Isn't this for the sake of your reputation? In case someone who likes you misunderstands—"

Chu Muyun's gaze caused Bai Chenxi to swallow the rest of his words back into his stomach.

Chu Muyun enunciated every single word clearly, "Misunderstand what?"

"No misunderstandings." Bai Chenxi immediately changed his excuse. "Aren't you afraid your fans won't be able to accept it?"

Chu Muyun replied with absolute confidence, "Whoever I like, they will definitely like too."

Bai Chenxi nodded along internally: *That's because you only see them acting all serene and well-behaved in front of you, and have never seen how fiercely aggressive they are in front of me.*

"Let's go back!" Bai Chenxi suggested, feeling that staying any longer was pointless.

"Alright!" Chu Muyun agreed readily.

"Wait!" Bai Chenxi suddenly called out to Chu Muyun, who was about to leave.

Chu Muyun turned back to look at him. "What is it?"

Bai Chenxi flashed a flattering smile. "I want to eat grilled skewers; I can already smell them."

Seeing Chu Muyun's slightly furrowed brow, Bai Chenxi pouted his lips and spoke in a spoiled tone, "I'm hungry, I just want to go eat skewers."

Hearing this, Chu Muyun simply walked forward, leaving Bai Chenxi standing alone in place. After walking quite a distance, Chu Muyun stopped and called back, "What are you dallying for? Weren't you hungry?"

Bai Chenxi immediately beamed and hurried to catch up. "Chu Muyun, you're the best!"

Suddenly, Chu Muyun stopped in his tracks, and Bai Chenxi looked at him in confusion. Chu Muyun took Bai Chenxi's hand and said as they walked, "There are too many people on the road, don't get lost."

Chu Muyun didn't see the smile blooming on Bai Chenxi's face behind him. And Bai Chenxi didn't see the tips of Chu Muyun's ears turning red.

Holding a handful of grilled skewers, Bai Chenxi ate with a blissful expression on his face. He even turned around to ask Chu Muyun if he wanted some, to which Chu Muyun predictably shook his head.

Bai Chenxi eagerly held out the skewers and chased after him. "They're really good, won't you even have just one?"

Chu Muyun turned away, but Bai Chenxi kept following him, spinning around with the skewers in hand.

Growing impatient from the persistent chase, Chu Muyun finally opened his mouth and took a bite.

Bai Chenxi was completely stunned; he hadn't expected Chu Muyun to actually eat it, and moreover...

"The one you just ate, I've already bitten into."

Bai Chenxi assumed that given Chu Muyun's personality, knowing this would surely put him in a foul mood.

As it turned out, upon hearing this, Chu Muyun merely remarked with a completely normal expression, "Mhm! It's actually quite delicious."

"Delicious, right? I told you to eat earlier and you wouldn't. Here!" With that, Bai Chenxi handed several skewers over to Chu Muyun.

Bai Chenxi attributed Chu Muyun's lack of anger to the irresistible charm of the grilled skewers, generously sharing the majority of his food with him.

As a result, all of those skewers eventually found their way back into Bai Chenxi's stomach, as Chu Muyun fed them to him one string after another.

Seeing Bai Chenxi pack up an additional portion of congee to-go, Chu Muyun couldn't help asking, "Can you still manage to eat more?"

Bai Chenxi glanced at him and said, "This is for you. You hardly ate anything earlier."

Taking the congee, Chu Muyun looked at Bai Chenxi with a smile full of meaning and asked, "Are you showing concern for me?"

Bai Chenxi replied unnaturally, "Who's concerned about you? I'm just afraid you'll starve and get sick, and then Grandmother would worry."

Chu Muyun immediately drew a conclusion, "Then I'll just take it that you care about me."

Bai Chenxi was utterly speechless. When it came to verbal sparring, he could never win against Chu Muyun. Not to mention that recently, the latter seemed to have unlocked some kind of shameless skill tree, leaving Bai Chenxi entirely unmatched.

Standing at the door of their rooms, they exchanged goodnights and each went inside.

Previously, Bai Chenxi hadn't thought much of it, but the moment the door clicked shut behind him, a sudden wave of terror surged straight into his mind.

Even though he hadn't watched much earlier, he had still caught glimpses of certain scenes. Leaning against the door, Bai Chenxi muttered to himself, "It's fine, it's fine! Once I lie down in bed, everything will be fine."

He kept trying to comfort himself, yet the fear only grew deeper. With great difficulty, he managed to endure until he finished washing up and lay down in bed.

Bai Chenxi pulled the blanket straight up over his head, but because his mind kept conjuring up all sorts of terrifying imagery, he found himself even less able to sleep.

At the slightest sound, he couldn't help but open his eyes. Normally, the residential neighborhood was quite peaceful, but tonight there seemed to be an excessive number of noises.

The bedside lamp that had been illuminating Bai Chenxi's room suddenly flickered out. Scared out of his wits, Bai Chenxi didn't even dare to move.

Crouched deep inside his blanket, Bai Chenxi's only thought was to call Chu Muyun.