After the Stand-in Hugged the White Moonlight's Thigh Tightly - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Interesting Little Sparrow

Woken by the call, Ruan Mingyu’s eyes, as black as lacquer, were half-closed. He was completely languid and boneless, as if he hadn’t slept for months. Since leaving Lu Peak and stopping the medicine Shen Yanyuan gave him, he had become extremely sleepy.

Seeing the person in front of him, he instantly became alert.

“Why are you here?”

Song Chenxi no longer pretended to be gentle in front of Ruan Mingyu; he seemed somewhat arrogant, his high ponytail swinging with his movements. He raised an eyebrow: “Why can’t I be here? Well, how should you thank me?”

Ruan Mingyu said: “I’ll give Senior Brother half of my monthly disciple spirit stones?”

Song Chenxi: “I’m not interested in your paltry amount.”

“You are currently sleeping in my bed,” Song Chenxi teased, “I haven’t agreed to let you sleep there.”

The book said Song Chenxi had a gentle temperament and was a gentleman as refined as jade. Ruan Mingyu felt he was the complete opposite, an evil, chaotic troublemaker.

Ruan Mingyu: “There’s only one bed in the room. Where else am I supposed to sleep?”

Song Chenxi pointed to the ceiling: “Sleep on the roof beam.” He was a bit of a clean freak and couldn’t stand sharing things with others.

Seeing Ruan Mingyu ignore him, Song Chenxi decided to play a trick. He grabbed his collar to drag him off the bed.

Unexpectedly, the fabric of the clothes was poor quality. With a ‘swish’, half of Ruan Mingyu’s snow-white shoulder was exposed.

Song Chenxi froze. Snapping back to his senses, he immediately turned around and cursed: “What an indecent sight! Put your clothes on right now!”

Ruan Mingyu was stunned, then immediately retorted: “You tore my clothes and you’re cursing me? That’s so unreasonable!”

Song Chenxi: “Who told you to sleep in my bed? It’s a miracle I didn’t chop you to pieces with my sword!”

Ruan Mingyu was not happy that his good dream was disturbed. He wrapped himself in the quilt and refused to get down, grumbling: “Senior Sister told me to come, so I’m sleeping here.”

Song Chenxi feigned anger and reached out to pull him. Ruan Mingyu, of course, refused, and the two wrestled on the bed.

Although Ruan Mingyu was thin, his strength was considerable. Song Chenxi had to exert some effort to subdue him. He grabbed both of Ruan Mingyu’s wrists and pinned him down.

“How about it? Do you submit? Even without using immortal magic, you can’t beat me.”

He had been cultivating for so long, and he had the nerve to say that to him.

Ruan Mingyu was sharp-tongued, but this person had just brought him away from Shen Yanyuan, so he couldn’t curse him out.

He reluctantly said against his will: “Senior Brother is all-powerful and invincible, incredibly brave, and unmatched in the world. Please let me go.”

Hearing his words, Song Chenxi couldn’t help but lose his composure. He could no longer pretend to be angry, his eyes filled with amusement: “Since Mingyu is so good at saying nice things, then I, your all-powerful, incredibly brave, and unmatched Senior Brother, will be magnanimous and allow you to sleep in my bed.”

The Senior Sister heard the commotion and pushed the door open. Seeing Song Chenxi lying on top of Ruan Mingyu, a normal person might have inappropriate thoughts, but her mind was anything but normal. She happily said: “You two Junior and Senior Brothers have become bosom friends at first sight and are already playing rough!”

Ruan Mingyu shouted: “Senior Sister, save me!” but his mouth was instantly covered.

Song Chenxi lowered his voice and leaned close to his ear: “Save you from what? My good Junior Brother, your plan has gone awry.”

Ruan Mingyu sized up the situation and immediately begged for mercy, hugging his neck to apologize: “Senior Brother, I didn’t mean it. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have slept in your bed.”

Unexpectedly, Song Chenxi’s cheeks suddenly flushed red, and he loudly cursed: “Who told you to hug me! You… shameless! Stop trying to seduce me!”

What kind of person is this? He says a bunch of nice things and then curses him!

Ruan Mingyu took advantage of his stiffness, exerted force, pushed him away, and immediately hid behind the Senior Sister to complain.

“Senior Sister, Senior Brother is trying to hit me!”

The Senior Sister hurriedly said to Song Chenxi: “I forgot to tell you, this is the new Junior Brother. We’re short on space here, so you two will have to squeeze in together. You won’t feel awkward once you get used to each other.”

Song Chenxi gritted his teeth: “I’m not awkward!”

Senior Sister: “Your face is that red and you’re still not awkward?”

Song Chenxi: “…”

The Senior Sister said to Song Chenxi: “This is your Junior Brother Ruan Mingyu.”

The Senior Sister said to Ruan Mingyu: “This is your Senior Brother Song Chenxi.”

Senior Sister: “Come, shake hands. From now on, you’re good brothers.”

She didn’t know the two had already met. Song Chenxi reached out and grabbed Ruan Mingyu’s hand. His hand was larger than Ruan Mingyu’s, completely enveloping it.

He smiled broadly: “Junior Brother, I will take good care of you from now on.”

Ruan Mingyu sneezed, smiling insincerely: “Then thank you, Senior Brother.”

…

The old Taoist of the Three Purities, Ruan Mingyu’s master, had been out for several days and hadn’t returned. The Senior Sister, afraid Ruan Mingyu would be idle on the mountain, assigned him the task of watering flowers.

Sleeping with Song Chenxi these past two days was almost curing Ruan Mingyu’s hypersomnia.

Not only did Song Chenxi sleep late, but he also woke up before dawn every day to practice his sword in the courtyard. Ruan Mingyu could only sleep peacefully after he left.

Ruan Mingyu only crawled out of bed to water the flowers when Song Chenxi was almost done with his sword practice. In fact, the Senior Sister didn’t need to worry about him being bored; he could easily sleep until the afternoon.

Seeing his lazy appearance, Song Chenxi picked up a small pebble and threw it at his head: “Mingyu, come and practice the sword with me.”

Ruan Mingyu was half-asleep while watering the flowers. Song Chenxi didn’t throw the pebble hard, so Ruan Mingyu didn’t even notice it hit his head, but Song Chenxi chose the wrong moment to throw the stone at him.

The next moment, Ruan Mingyu was too tired to stay awake. He immediately fell asleep, collapsing onto the ground.

The Senior Sister, who witnessed the whole thing, shouted: “Oh dear! Junior Brother has been beaten to death by Senior Brother!”

Ruan Mingyu wasn’t quite sure what happened next. He only vaguely remembered Song Chenxi rushing over to catch him and then aggressively pressing the philtrum (an acupuncture point on the face).

Upon waking, Ruan Mingyu sat up in bed and found Song Chenxi sitting beside him, no longer pretending, his face completely grim.

Ruan Mingyu: “What are you doing sitting by my bed?”

Song Chenxi: “Checking if you’re dead.”

Ruan Mingyu: “Your words are so unpleasant.”

Song Chenxi: “If you don’t like it, cover your ears.”

How did he become a magnet for affection with such a terrible personality? Is it simply because of his face?!

Ruan Mingyu didn’t want to deal with him. He pulled the blanket over his head, turned his back to him, and continued to sleep.

The person next to him sat for a while and then left. Ruan Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a sense of oppression when Song Chenxi was near.

He hadn’t even fallen asleep when the person suddenly returned!

Song Chenxi leaned down and dragged Ruan Mingyu out of the covers.

His hands were very cold. When they touched Ruan Mingyu’s wrist, the cold made Ruan Mingyu shiver.

Ruan Mingyu: “What do you want?”

Song Chenxi smiled gently: “Good boy, drink your medicine.” He held a bowl of murky black traditional medicine in his left hand.

Ruan Mingyu: “I’m not sick, why would I drink medicine!”

Song Chenxi: “People who are sick always say they aren’t.”

Ruan Mingyu shrank back: “I’m not drinking it.”

Seeing Ruan Mingyu’s strong reaction, Song Chenxi wanted to tease him again, a hint of mockery in his eyes: “Senior Sister says I knocked you ill. How can you not drink it? My good Junior Brother.”

His tone was sarcastic, making Ruan Mingyu’s scalp tingle: “I didn’t blame you for it.”

Song Chenxi grabbed his chin, about to force the medicine into his mouth.

Ruan Mingyu understood: “You’re trying to play with me!”

Song Chenxi smiled sweetly: “I never said that.”

Ruan Mingyu immediately submitted: “Senior Brother, if I offended you before, I apologize, okay? Please put the medicine on the table, and I’ll drink it myself later.”

Song Chenxi’s actions paused. Seeing that this worked, Ruan Mingyu tugged at his sleeve and continued to call out: “Senior Brother…”

Song Chenxi quickly retracted his hand. When Ruan Mingyu tugged his sleeve, he accidentally touched his hand.

“Hearing you call me Senior Brother still feels a bit unfamiliar. Why don’t you keep calling me Brother?”

“…”

Song Chenxi was definitely sent by the heavens to torment him!

“Fine, don’t drink it. Don’t blame me if Mingyu dies, though.” Song Chenxi felt a strange sensation in his heart. He frowned and put the bowl down, seemingly deep in thought. He left without saying a word.

Ruan Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, people like Song Chenxi respond better to softness than to force.

He quickly poured the medicine away before Song Chenxi returned. Traditional Chinese medicine is horribly bitter; he wouldn’t drink it even if he was beaten to death.

Song Chenxi disappeared after leaving the room. Ruan Mingyu didn’t see him all afternoon, and his mood improved significantly. He went out for a stroll to familiarize himself with the area.

As soon as he stepped out, Ruan Mingyu stopped.

Sitting on the stone steps was a Senior Brother with an indifferent aura, giving off the feeling of an enlightened recluse, but he was there… embroidering.

Ruan Mingyu greeted him: “Hello, Senior Brother!”

The embroidering Senior Brother glanced at him indifferently, his eyes empty of desire, and offered no response before looking down to continue his embroidery.

Ruan Mingyu: “…”

Ruan Mingyu thought he hadn’t met a single normal person since coming here.

The unreliable Senior Sister, the soul-dead embroidering Senior Brother, plus that unpleasant, sarcastic Song Chenxi who does nothing right.

What kind of people has he ended up with?! He jumped out of one pit and into another!

Living under the same roof, he couldn’t avoid seeing them. Especially Song Chenxi!

Ruan Mingyu wandered all over the mountain. There was a large patch of bamboo behind the mountain. He figured there would be a lot of bamboo shoots next year, and he could dig some up to stir-fry with meat then.

While wandering, he desperately tried to recall the original plot. He had secretly read the book in class years ago, and the plot was mostly forgotten.

Ruan Mingyu racked his brains and finally only remembered that there were roughly four male leads in the book. Besides the cold and controlling Shen Yanyuan, the others were a Demonic Clan Young Lord, one from the Joyful Union Sect, and another was a Medical Cultivator.

As for the stand-in plot, Ruan Mingyu only knew the general idea, vaguely recalling that these male leads had all sought him out as a stand-in. In any case, avoiding the plot was the right choice. Ruan Mingyu had no interest in joining a melodramatic BL romance.

The mountain environment was tranquil and quite suitable for sleeping, but it was too big. He almost couldn’t find his way back.

Ruan Mingyu walked around for most of the day and only found the path he came on when it was nearly dark. The bamboo leaves crunched under his feet. Ruan Mingyu walked two steps and heard the same footsteps coming from ahead.

He looked forward and saw an unexpected visitor in the mountain forest: Song Chenxi.

The golden light of the setting sun stained the dappled tree shadows, falling on him and making him seem covered in a layer of radiance. From a distance, he looked exactly as he appeared on the surface: elegant and gentle as jade. However, a closer look at his eyes revealed they held an air of disdain for everything, as if nothing in the world could capture his attention.

He looked up, and his eyes met Ruan Mingyu’s. Ruan Mingyu’s reflection suddenly appeared in those haughty eyes.

“Ruan Mingyu, where did you run off to? Your master is back and wants to see you,” he said.

Ruan Mingyu replied: “Understood. I’ll go back with you.”

Song Chenxi turned and walked ahead. He walked fast, and Ruan Mingyu couldn’t keep up, quickly calling out: “Senior Brother, slow down. The path is so steep, I’m going to fall!”

Song Chenxi initially maintained his original speed but soon realized there was a long distance between him and Ruan Mingyu.

Ruan Mingyu walked as if on a tightrope, leaning on the bamboo nearby to descend.

Song Chenxi stopped, waiting for Ruan Mingyu to catch up.

When Ruan Mingyu reached him, he still didn’t move. Ruan Mingyu asked: “Senior Brother, are we not going to keep walking?”

Song Chenxi complained: “Mingyu, you’re so slow.”

Ruan Mingyu was about to retort: “I didn’t ask you to wait for me.”

But Song Chenxi grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.

Song Chenxi was very strong, and Ruan Mingyu felt like he was being dragged along as if flying.

The mountain path was steep and narrow. Ruan Mingyu panicked: “Slow down, slow down! Let go of me, I can’t walk anymore!”

Song Chenxi smiled at the corner of his lips, only walking forward.

Finally, Ruan Mingyu ran out of energy. He accidentally twisted his ankle and stumbled, falling with a ‘thud’ and crashing into Song Chenxi. The two tumbled down together, Ruan Mingyu’s scream echoing in the mountains until they stopped on a gentle slope.

Fortunately, Song Chenxi cushioned the fall, so Ruan Mingyu wasn’t injured, but his knee ached, possibly scratched during the fall.

Ruan Mingyu gasped in pain, almost forcing tears out. He angrily muttered: “I told you to slow down.”

Song Chenxi didn’t seem to be thinking about anything. His face was calm, without the arrogance Ruan Mingyu first saw. He said: “Get up.”

Ruan Mingyu was still lying on top of him. He cursed under his breath, “I told you not to walk so fast,” and got up, limping away.

Song Chenxi stood up and dusted the dirt off his clothes. Ruan Mingyu was unhappy and walked off on his own.

Song Chenxi called out to him.

“Ruan Mingyu, stop walking.”

Ruan Mingyu turned back, complaining: “If I don’t walk, are you going to carry me?”

Song Chenxi glanced at his limping leg, then crouched down and said: “Yes. Come here, I’ll carry you.”

Ruan Mingyu’s knee was hurting badly, and he really didn’t want to walk anymore. Seeing this, he didn’t refuse, immediately wrapped his arms around Song Chenxi’s shoulders, and changed his tune: “Thank you, Senior Brother!”

Song Chenxi chuckled softly. He had never met anyone like Ruan Mingyu, cursing one moment and calling him Senior Brother the next.

Song Chenxi carried him, walking along the quiet forest path. The person on his back tightly held his neck, his body pressed against his. It was as if he was afraid of being dropped.

Song Chenxi pursed his lips. This feeling of being wholeheartedly relied upon was something he had never experienced before.

The mountain road was bumpy, and Ruan Mingyu held onto him even tighter, afraid of being tossed off.

After walking for a while, Song Chenxi suddenly tensed up and said: “Don’t touch my Adam’s apple with your hand.”

Ruan Mingyu said “Oh” and moved his hand slightly.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

After that, Song Chenxi didn’t say anything else. They walked for a long time, finally approaching the exit.

Ruan Mingyu had walked for at least an hour to get into the mountain that afternoon. Song Chenxi was truly capable, carrying him for so long without showing any sign of tiredness.

Ruan Mingyu lay on his back and said: “Senior Brother, you’re actually quite a nice person.”

Song Chenxi’s lips curled into a slight smile, then he heard Ruan Mingyu say: “If only your words weren’t so unpleasant.”

Song Chenxi immediately glared: “Little sparrow, it’s better for you to keep your mouth shut sometimes.”

Ruan Mingyu quieted down for a moment, but his mouth couldn’t stay idle. He asked: “Senior Brother, can I ask you a question?”

Song Chenxi replied coolly: “Ask.”

Ruan Mingyu said: “What’s the Senior Sister’s name? What’s the Master’s name? What’s the embroidering Senior Brother’s name? I… I only know your name.”

Song Chenxi: “You sound like you’re conducting a census.”

Ruan Mingyu: “We’ll be interacting in the future. It’s not good not to know their names.”

Song Chenxi scoffed: “Why should I tell you?”

Ruan Mingyu gave an insincere smile: “Because you’re my Senior Brother.”

Song Chenxi paused, looked away, and said: “Master is Three Purities, Senior Sister is Cen Tao, and Senior Brother is Ji Ying. Oh, and that’s not my master, that’s your master. My master is in seclusion and told me to come here to study with Junior Uncle.”

Ruan Mingyu asked: “Who is your master?”

Song Chenxi: “He’s also someone with white fur, but he doesn’t have a beard.”

Along the way, Ruan Mingyu was like a chatty sparrow. Song Chenxi listened to him talk the entire time they walked.

It was noisy, but not annoying.

…

Ruan Mingyu greatly admired Song Chenxi’s physical strength. He could walk so fast even while carrying him. The two finally made it back before dark.

The old man Three Purities had long been back. It was truly undutiful for the master to wait for the disciple.

Ruan Mingyu got off Song Chenxi’s back. He stumbled, and Song Chenxi wrapped his arm around his waist to stabilize him. Although he hadn’t walked himself, he was still exhausted from the long day. Ruan Mingyu wanted nothing more than to lie down in bed and fall asleep.

Senior Sister Cen Tao saw Ruan Mingyu return and handed him a cup of tea.

Ruan Mingyu took it and said: “Thank you, Senior Sister.” He was very thirsty and was about to bring the tea to his lips.

Cen Tao lowered her voice: “Don’t drink it. Go offer it to Master.”

Ruan Mingyu stopped his action and limped over to offer the tea to the old man Three Purities: “Master above, please drink your tea.”

The old man Three Purities accepted the tea and took a sip.

“Starting today, you are officially entering my tutelage.”

“Thank you, Master!”

He then dismissed the other disciples, leaving only Ruan Mingyu. Before leaving, Song Chenxi gave Ruan Mingyu a look.

“Your Senior Sister said you seem to have a medical condition?”

Apart from his hypersomnia, Ruan Mingyu didn’t feel there was anything wrong with himself.

Ruan Mingyu: “Senior Sister might be overly worried about me. I’m perfectly fine!”

The old man Three Purities told Ruan Mingyu to hold out his hand. After a moment of diagnosis, his expression suddenly turned serious. He said: “You may not have much time left to live.”