I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

“I…” Chi Hui was so stifled he couldn’t catch his breath.

Qi Xu didn’t realize he was provoking him again. His gaze, falling in front of Chi Hui, involuntarily began to sweep up and down.

He had noticed last time—Chi Hui was the “lean in clothes, muscular underneath” type. Today, he was wearing a slim-fit black turtleneck base layer. The soaking wet fabric clung tightly to his chest and abdomen, revealing well-defined contours that spoke of a great physique.

Qi Xu half-lowered his eyes, his scrutinizing gaze completely undisguised.

Chi Hui had been watching him the whole time and saw a certain someone staring fixedly at his body in a daze.

“…” Chi Hui pursed his lips, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.

After a long moment of being stared at, the person being watched silently turned sideways.

Qi Xu’s gaze was interrupted. He slowly lifted his eyes and caught a glimpse of Chi Hui’s ear tips turning a mysterious shade of red.

“?” His wide eyes blinked twice. Qi Xu stole a quick glance at Chi Hui, and a thought suddenly popped into his head. He parted his lips.

Realizing Qi Xu seemed to have something to say, Chi Hui turned his head to look over.

Qi Xu looked back and asked, “…Do you have a partner?”

Could the system’s information be incomplete? Maybe Chi Hui actually had a significant other, which was why he was so resistant to others getting close?

“…”

Chi Hui practically wanted to roll his eyes. He couldn’t help but laugh out of pure exasperation. “Do you think that’s possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?” Qi Xu asked sincerely.

Chi Hui was handsome, rich, and a big star; there must be many people who liked him.

“Then, for the past half-month or so, what living creature do you think I’ve seen the most?” Chi Hui asked, testing his patience.

Qi Xu rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and replied, “What?”

“I’m asking you,” Chi Hui said, not realizing Qi Xu was asking for the answer, thinking he was just repeating the question.

Qi Xu had no choice but to answer again: “What indeed? Isn’t your little dog always with you?”

“…” For the umpteenth time in just a few minutes, Chi Hui was left speechless.

What kind of terrible name did Xu Changshu give that stupid dog?

“…Besides it.”

Qi Xu didn’t know what point he was trying to make, so he followed the prompt to continue the process of elimination: “That tank of fish?”

“…”

Chi Hui remained silent for a long time before biting out a sarcastic remark: “Why don’t you say the flowers on the balcony?” He was completely defeated by Qi Xu’s train of thought.

To his surprise, Qi Xu froze, then suddenly looked enlightened. “Oh, so it’s the flowers.”

Looking at his “so that’s how it is” expression, Chi Hui endured it as long as he could. Finally, he couldn’t help but reach out and flick Qi Xu’s forehead to vent his frustration. “It’s you, you idiot.”

Qi Xu felt that Chi Hui’s forehead-flicking technique was becoming increasingly skilled—the force was just right: enough to startle but not enough to cause brain damage.

He stared blankly at the other man, still not quite understanding.

“Who do you think I can date? The dog or the flowers?” Chi Hui asked crossly.

Qi Xu scratched his cheek.

Oh. So he went in a huge circle just to prove he didn’t have a partner. But honestly, he could have just said “I’m not dating anyone,” and Qi Xu would have believed him.

However, Chi Hui’s answer made him breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, it would be too immoral to keep “licking” (playing the sycophant) toward a married man.

That expression of being “relieved of a heavy burden” was caught entirely by the other man.

Chi Hui watched the person in front of him. After a while, he looked away. “…What about you?”

Qi Xu looked up. “Hmm?”

“Doesn’t your partner mind?” Regardless of gender, Qi Xu might already have a lover. Society was much more open about sexual orientation now, and sometimes it wasn’t just about gender boundaries—same-sex relationships required boundaries too.

Qi Xu’s eyelashes flickered.

What would a partner mind?

He didn’t quite understand Chi Hui’s conservative thinking. Rolling his eyes, he peeked at the other man a few times.

Chi Hui happened to look over as well, his expression even carrying a faint hint of expectation, as if he were curious about something.

Qi Xu paused, then suddenly realized: “Ah… do you want to ask if I have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”

Qi Xu was always dense where he should be sharp and unexpectedly sharp where he should be dense. Having his thoughts exposed, Chi Hui’s eyes flickered away for a moment.

“I don’t,” Qi Xu said.

Linking this to the question from that elderly person at Jiang Yingshen’s house this morning, Qi Xu thought it was quite funny. He wondered if he should carve the words “Currently Single” on his forehead, otherwise, why was everyone so curious about his relationship status?

Or was it because he had a face that looked “poly-affectionate”?

Thinking this, Qi Xu asked out loud: “Do I look pretty good?”

Chi Hui was stunned by the sudden question. His gaze instinctively fell on Qi Xu’s face, which was flushed from the steam.

Qi Xu widened his eyes and leaned in a bit closer. “Hmm?”

His lips were moist and curved slightly upward, and his dark, bright eyes sparkled with anticipation. Even the small mole on his cheekbone was excessively beautiful.

Chi Hui felt a sudden tightness in his throat. He swallowed uncontrollably, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but the dryness didn’t subside.

Seeing no response, Qi Xu took another half-step forward, leaning in, insisting on an answer.

Watching the distance between them shrink, Chi Hui turned his head away and reached out to hold back the person trying to get closer. His tone was stiff: “Stop being so full of yourself.”

Qi Xu pouted, dissatisfied at not getting the compliment he wanted.

He had even asked the system if compliments from the protagonist counted toward “Simp Points.”

Chi Hui stared at the corners of Qi Xu’s drooping eyes. His lips moved twice, but in the end, he didn’t voice the affirmation that was on the tip of his tongue.

While they were dallying, the bathtub had already overflowed, the water reaching their feet. A jar of face cream sitting on the small ledge had fallen at some point, and the spilled lotion was being washed away by the water.

Qi Xu was wearing cotton slippers. Seeing the mess, he took a step to the side, but the water mixed with lotion was slipperier than expected. He lost his balance and slid.

Chi Hui, standing nearby, was startled. Before he could reach out to help, Qi Xu instinctively grabbed his sleeve.

He didn’t fall.

Qi Xu leaned against Chi Hui, blinking rapidly as he quickly analyzed the situation—

The good news: he grabbed Chi Hui’s left arm, not the injured right one.

The bad news: Chi Hui’s black base layer was very stretchy. Being pulled out of shape, the originally narrow neckline was forced open, revealing half of Chi Hui’s shoulder.

Qi Xu: “…”

Chi Hui: “…”

Qi Xu stared at a mole on Chi Hui’s left shoulder, then looked up at Chi Hui’s complicated expression and gave a weak smile.

—Heh, didn’t mean it.

“Aren’t you going to let go? Are you planning to strangle me directly?” Chi Hui closed his eyes in exasperation.

Qi Xu glanced at Chi Hui’s neck, which had been quickly reddened by the fabric, and immediately let go.

“I still have a use for my limbs, and my life is quite expensive,” Chi Hui said after a few seconds of silence, his voice trailing off gloomily.

“?” Qi Xu clasped his hands in front of him, looking up at the man.

Chi Hui ran a hand through his hair, met Qi Xu’s eyes, and smiled. “So, can you get out now?”

Qi Xu also realized he had almost made things worse. He had no choice but to follow orders. To let Chi Hui change out of his wet clothes as quickly as possible, Qi Xu reluctantly shuffled his slippers and headed toward the door.

The small goal of “helping the protagonist bathe for the second time” had failed again.

Just as he took a few steps, his foot slipped again. Chi Hui, who had been watching him closely, instinctively reached out in a panic.

This time, Qi Xu steadied himself against the sink. After standing firm, he turned to look at Chi Hui and couldn’t help but laugh at his own clumsiness.

He gave Chi Hui a cheeky grin. “The floor is really slippery, you should be careful.”

Chi Hui: “…” Worry about yourself first.

After Qi Xu left, Chi Hui stared at the closed bathroom door and didn’t move.

One, two, three…

When he reached six, the bathroom door pushed open again.

A certain someone poked his head in. “You said earlier I could go to your room and grab a piece of clothing to wear, right?”

Looking like he had expected this, Chi Hui walked over. “The first cabinet near the bedroom door has jackets.”

Qi Xu watched the man walking toward him and nodded. Before he could say thank you, with a “clap,” the bathroom door closed in his face again, bringing a gust of warm, moist air.

Unlike last time, this gust of wind blew back the hair on his forehead.

Qi Xu’s mouth was half-open when he heard the crisp sound of the bathroom door being locked.

“…” He really is still guarding against me.

But since it wasn’t the first time, Qi Xu didn’t mind much. He turned and happily skipped into Chi Hui’s bedroom.

This was his first time entering Chi Hui’s bedroom during his time as an assistant.

The total area of the apartment was about eighty square meters, with two bedrooms and one living room. The other room had been turned into a study.

Chi Hui’s room should be the master bedroom; it was significantly larger than the one next door. There were quite a lot of things inside, but everything was organized very neatly.

Qi Xu hugged his arms, feeling chilly all over. He quickly grabbed a jacket from Chi Hui’s wardrobe and draped it over himself.

Chi Hui, after all, had a model’s physique; his frame was a size larger than Qi Xu’s, and his clothes followed suit. They hung loosely on Qi Xu, looking somewhat comical.

Qi Xu tried his best to straighten his arms, barely managing to reveal two fingertips. He rolled up the sleeves and couldn’t help but mutter, “So big.”

Since the owner wasn’t there, he didn’t want to linger too long. However, just as he was about to leave the room, his peripheral vision caught a guitar resting on the nightstand near the far side of the bed.

Driven by curiosity, Qi Xu instinctively walked over. Upon closer inspection, he noticed several messy sheets of paper pinned under the guitar, with two having fallen onto the floor.

He leaned down to pick them up and found short segments of musical notation sketched on the paper.

Qi Xu had studied violin for a period when he was a child, so these notes weren’t unfamiliar to him. At the very least, he could tell these were unfinished creative fragments—perhaps inspirations jotted down on a whim.

He looked at the well-maintained guitar again, and suddenly recalled the image of Chi Hui holding a microphone and singing on stage during the birthday fan meeting.

Combining that with the information he heard from that female fan on the day of his interview—Chi Hui had released original songs at the age of 19.

So, this was why Chi Hui cared so much about the injury to his wrist.

But why did he later choose the path of a model?

Qi Xu stared down at the paper in his hand, lost in thought, and didn’t notice the person who had walked up behind him.

“I’m finished washing up,” Chi Hui said, pulling the drafts from his hand. “Do you want to wash up too?”

Qi Xu was startled by the sudden voice, his eyelashes trembling.

After reacting, he looked up at the man behind him and blinked.

Chi Hui’s expression was calm; he didn’t show any of the impatience or anger one might expect from someone having their things touched.

Nevertheless, Qi Xu pursed his lips and apologized: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have touched your things.”

Chi Hui tossed the papers onto the nightstand, his expression indifferent. “It’s nothing, just random scribbles. We’re not cooking tonight, let’s order takeout. What do you want to eat?”

Qi Xu could see that the man clearly didn’t want to talk more, so he politely suppressed his curiosity and didn’t ask further.

“Anything is fine.”

In the end, Qi Xu followed Chi Hui out of the room and used the bathroom for a quick rinse.

When he came out of the bathroom, Chi Hui had just finished ordering and was sitting by the sofa drying his hair.

Seizing the opportunity, Qi Xu moved in and took over the hairdryer.

Since they had a previous experience of Qi Xu drying his hair, Chi Hui didn’t refuse this time.

The warm air from the hairdryer made the jasmine scent on his hair more prominent. The warm fragrance was very pleasant. Even though they used the same toiletries, Qi Xu felt the scent on the two of them was different. He instinctively leaned in to take a sniff.

Sensing something, Chi Hui froze for a few seconds before hesitantly turning around.

Their eyes met.

Qi Xu ruffled Chi Hui’s hair and praised with curved eyes, “You smell so good.”

As soon as he said it, he realized the phrase sounded familiar—it seemed he had said the same thing to someone else before.

“…” Chi Hui stared at the person who blurted out such nonsense, momentarily speechless. He silently turned his head back.

Qi Xu didn’t mind the lack of response and continued drying his hair.

The slightly long hair was blown up, then pressed down by his hand. Qi Xu found it very fun and played with it for a long time. The person being played with didn’t know what to say, so he simply pretended not to notice.

Once Chi Hui’s hair was completely dry, Qi Xu started drying his own.

Chi Hui stayed seated, glancing at Qi Xu a few times.

But a certain someone was immersed in his own world and didn’t notice his gaze.

Chi Hui lifted his left hand, pretending to stand up.

This time, Qi Xu noticed his movement and proactively made way for him.

“…” Chi Hui left somewhat unwillingly and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

Carrying the glass, he soon wandered back, intentionally walking past Qi Xu.

One moment he was teasing the fish, the next he was playing with the dog, then looking at the flowers—he practically had “I am very bored” written on his face.

However, this time, the person who was usually so good at reading expressions and taking hints had lost his perceptiveness.

Seeing that Qi Xu’s hair was almost dry, Chi Hui couldn’t help but cough twice.

Qi Xu’s attention was drawn by the coughing. Concerned, he asked, “Did you catch a cold?” Could it be from getting soaked earlier?

Chi Hui looked at the worry in his eyes and felt somewhat satisfied. Just as he was about to reach out to him, the doorbell rang.

Qi Xu didn’t notice his intention and directly turned off the hairdryer, running to open the door.

Chi Hui stared at his hand hanging mid-air and laughed in annoyance.

It was rare for him to have the idea of “mutual assistance.” He thought that based on his understanding of Qi Xu, the other person would definitely ask him to dry his hair, but Qi Xu hadn’t mentioned it once from start to finish.

Qi Xu returned carrying the dinner Chi Hui had ordered, with a box in his other hand.

“What’s that?” Chi Hui glanced at it.

Qi Xu opened the box, took out the item inside, and held it up to Chi Hui, his lips curling up: “A wrist fixation brace.”

Chi Hui stared at the object in a daze, then slowly shifted his gaze to Qi Xu’s face.

“Use this. Although the effect isn’t as good as a cast, it provides some fixation, and it’s easy to put on and take off.” Qi Xu had ordered it just before he went to shower.

If he wanted to continue the path of music, he had to take good care of his hand.

Chi Hui’s right hand, hanging at his side, curled uncontrollably.

Seeing that the other didn’t speak or object, Qi Xu took the initiative to take his hand and put on the brace according to the instructions.

Chi Hui’s lips pressed into a tight line. He lowered his head, staring at the hair on top of Qi Xu’s head that had been blown messy, his eyes flickering.

“There! Now let’s eat.” Qi Xu was very satisfied with his work.

“Not finishing your hair?” Chi Hui asked from behind as he watched him bring the takeout to the dining table.

Qi Xu instinctively reached up to feel the half-dry hair at the back of his head.

“It’s okay, the rest will dry on its own.”

But Chi Hui turned and sat on the sofa, beckoning him over: “The back of the head isn’t dry; aren’t you afraid of a migraine?”

Qi Xu froze for a moment. Realizing that the other seemed to want to help him dry his hair, he immediately put down his things and walked over.

Chi Hui sat on the sofa, and for convenience, Qi Xu naturally sat on the rug in front of him.

The warm breeze blew Qi Xu’s hair back and forth, revealing a scar on the back of his head.

Chi Hui frowned as he stared at the scar. “How did you get the scar on your head?”

“Oh, that. I fell when I was a kid,” Qi Xu said nonchalantly.

“The location is very dangerous.” Chi Hui looked at the fairly large mark.

Qi Xu didn’t deny it and nodded. “Yeah, I almost died.”

Although he suspected the injury must have been serious, hearing the conclusion “almost died” made Chi Hui’s heart suddenly suspend, a strange wave of bitterness washing over him.

“But it’s fine now.” Noticing the person behind him had suddenly gone silent, Qi Xu realized the topic was a bit heavy and turned it around to comfort him.

Chi Hui’s brow didn’t relax because of the comfort. He stared at the scar and involuntarily reached out his hand.

The hair brushing against his palm was very soft, making the scar under his fingertips appear even more cruel and jagged.

Qi Xu shrunk his neck and laughed. “It tickles.”

The scar hadn’t hurt for a long time; even the scar tissue was quite dull to sensation, but Chi Hui still touched it extremely carefully—so lightly that it tickled Qi Xu.

Chi Hui looked at the fluffy head in front of him, rubbed the top of Qi Xu’s head, and suppressed the emotions in his eyes. “It’s dry. Let’s eat.”

Qi Xu ruffled back the hair Chi Hui had flattened and followed him to the dining table.

Today’s takeout didn’t quite suit Qi Xu’s taste, but since he hadn’t eaten much at lunch, he forced himself to eat a few bites.

After finishing the meal, Qi Xu stood by the balcony window, looking out. Only then did he notice that it had started snowing again.

“Don’t go back tonight,” Chi Hui said, glancing at the snow forecast on his phone for the next few hours.

“Huh?” Qi Xu turned to look at him, slightly dazed.

“It’s going to be sleet for the next few hours. Xu Changshu is coming to pick us up very early tomorrow. You live so far away, it’s inconvenient to travel back and forth, and the roads will be frozen tomorrow morning.”

Qi Xu lived in the next neighborhood, so it wouldn’t actually be an inconvenience—he just couldn’t tell the truth.

“Okay,” he agreed.

There were no spare bedrooms in the house. Fortunately, there was a single bed in the study, so Chi Hui arranged for him to stay there for the night.

After settling Qi Xu, Chi Hui also returned to his room.

He unbuttoned his clothes with one hand, his peripheral vision inevitably drifting to the nightstand. He set his jacket aside, walked over, and picked up the two drafts Qi Xu had been looking at earlier.

His half-lowered eyes were deep with emotion. Only two bedside lamps were on in the room, and the weak light couldn’t penetrate his deep pupils.

The hand holding the draft paper gradually tightened, and the thin paper soon became crumpled. Finally, Chi Hui pulled open the nightstand drawer and shoved the papers inside.

Just as he was about to turn off the light, there was a knock on the door.

He frowned and went to open it.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Hui asked, looking at the person standing there holding a pillow and blanket.

“I think I’m a bit… homesick for my bed (recognizing the bed),” Qi Xu pursed his lips.

Chi Hui stared at Qi Xu’s face, exposing his little trick: “So you won’t ‘recognize the bed’ if you sleep in my room?”

Qi Xu didn’t respond to that. Instead, his gaze drifted as he found another excuse: “The wind outside is so loud, I can’t sleep.”

The howling of the cold wind outside was indeed a bit disturbing; perhaps the soundproofing in the study wasn’t that good.

Chi Hui: “How about we swap rooms?”

Qi Xu lifted his eyes, staring intently at Chi Hui, and shook his head: “No, I don’t want to sleep alone. I’m scared.”

Chi Hui scanned him from head to toe. Qi Xu was wearing the pajamas he had given him. The pants were too long—one leg was rolled up, while the other dragged on the floor.

A thin figure pitifully saying he was scared and didn’t want to sleep alone.

“How can you be so clingy?” Chi Hui leaned against the doorframe, staring at the person in front of him, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Qi Xu scratched his cheek. “Hmm… yeah, my brother said the same thing.”

Brother?

The image of Jiang Yingshen automatically appeared in Chi Hui’s mind, and he couldn’t help but frown.

Qi Xu, holding his spare pillow and blanket, thought the frown meant he was unwilling, so he activated his “skill,” staring at the other and blinking his eyes hard.

Chi Hui: “…”

“Tsk.” Chi Hui ran a frustrated hand through his hair and stepped aside to make a path. “You can only sleep on the floor.”

Qi Xu happily darted into his room.

Having finally squeezed into Chi Hui’s private space, he didn’t dare make any more requests and consciously started setting up his little nest.

After everything was settled, Qi Xu finally lay down before 10:30 PM.

Chi Hui had also climbed into bed early. Seeing that Qi Xu was already half-asleep, he felt it was a bit funny. “I’m turning off the lights then.”

Qi Xu nodded in response. “Mm.”

In the darkness, the other person’s breathing was so obvious. Chi Hui couldn’t sleep, so he stayed there with his eyes open.

After an unknown amount of time, he turned his head to look at the floor.

“Asleep?” Chi Hui asked.

Hearing the question, Qi Xu managed to open his eyes a crack. “Mm.”

“You can still talk to me while asleep?”

“Not asleep… not yet.” Although he could answer, Qi Xu’s voice was already slurred, clearly on the verge of deep sleep.

And he said he “recognized the bed”? He could sleep anywhere.

Chi Hui stared at the ceiling, silent for a while. Taking advantage of his fading consciousness, he asked again, “Since you’re so clingy, why didn’t you ask me to help you dry your hair earlier?”

“I felt like I made you in a bad mood.” Qi Xu’s voice was very low, but he was indeed answering, and he seemed quite serious.

Chi Hui was sometimes truly surprised by Qi Xu’s ability to read people.

“It wasn’t because of you,” Chi Hui explained.

“Mm, it was because of those papers.” Qi Xu rolled over and curled up.

Chi Hui was a bit surprised but found it interesting. He asked again, “Then why did you come to bother me now?”

“Didn’t want you to be alone… when in a bad mood… need someone…” This time Qi Xu’s voice became fragmented, and finally, he stopped moving before he could finish.

Then, steady and long breaths followed.

Chi Hui looked at the shadow of the ceiling light, his expression somewhat stunned.

After a long while—

“A beautiful idiot who makes one’s heart soften.” A very faint voice suddenly drifted out in the darkness.