No Pampering the Vicious Cannon Fodder! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 19

“Is there really nothing else?”

In the arena’s lounge, Xin Rong paced around three times, still unable to believe that Jing Yue’s luggage didn’t even fill a single corner of the storage bin.

Jing Yue leaned against the wall, his tone indifferent, as if the matter had nothing to do with him: “I told you earlier there was no need to buy a storage bin.”

Xin Rong pouted, very dissatisfied with Jing Yue’s “I told you so” attitude, and gave him a fierce glare.

When he had tossed out the idea of living together to Jing Yue at the dining table, the calculation in his heart was actually quite simple—since there was no way to bribe Jing Yue’s landlord, he would simply become Jing Yue’s landlord.

By cutting out the middleman and the price difference, wouldn’t it be much more convenient to perform his tasks?

There simply wasn’t a more genius idea than this!

Jing Yue obviously hadn’t expected him to make such an absurd request; the expressions on his face were momentarily quite spectacular.

As soon as Xin Rong saw him about to back out, he immediately covered his ears and shouted unreasonably, “I don’t care, I don’t care, anyway you already agreed.” giving him no room to maneuver.

Immediately after, he scurried off to the arena, clamoring to pack Jing Yue’s luggage. With his sleeves rolled up and his posture full of determination, he insisted on buying a storage bin. Several times Jing Yue spoke up to stop him, but he was countered by one eye-roll after another.

A crowd of onlookers in the arena, hearing that Jing Yue was going to cohabit with Xin Rong, were all stunned and speechless. They hadn’t even figured out how Jing Yue had turned danger into safety last night, and today they were shocked to hear he was entering a new stage of life; the speed of the turn of events was truly baffling.

After returning to the apartment, Xin Rong enthusiastically cleaned Jing Yue’s room. An hour later, he stood in the center of the room with satisfaction, looking at the brand-new environment, his brows and the corners of his eyes full of pride.

“Alright, the bed is made too.” Xin Rong gave a meaningful look at the changed bedsheets and smiled at Jing Yue, “Tonight, you can have a good night’s sleep.”

The next day, Jing Yue woke up before Xin Rong and prepared breakfast as agreed.

“Did you get used to sleeping here last night?” Xin Rong asked seemingly casually while biting into a fried egg.

“Mhm.” Jing Yue didn’t even look up.

Xin Rong’s gaze darkened, and he asked unobtrusively, “The sheets haven’t been used for a long time, is there a smell?”

“No, it’s quite good.”

Xin Rong didn’t ask further, but simply stared straight at him.

Jing Yue felt a bit uneasy under his burning gaze: “What are you looking at?”

Xin Rong tilted his chin up, his nose wrinkling slightly as he leaned in close to Jing Yue: “I’m looking at a big fat liar who is both stupid and loves to tell stories.”

Jing Yue’s brow furrowed tight.

In the next second, Xin Rong suddenly got up, charged into Jing Yue’s room like a whirlwind, and yanked the quilt back—

Under the pillow lay two raw eggs, safe and sound, their fragile shells completely intact.

The lie instantly crumbled.

Sure enough, he hadn’t touched the bed at all!

Xin Rong narrowed his eyes like a small animal that had successfully caught its prey, folding his arms across his chest. “Explain yourself, Mr. Jing. Why aren’t you sleeping again?”

Facing this nearly absurd situation, Jing Yue was so helpless he was speechless for a moment.

“I wasn’t ‘not sleeping.'” he sighed and turned his face away, “I just didn’t sleep on the bed, alright?”

“Then where did you sleep?” Xin Rong’s eyes went round.

“I can sleep anywhere.” Jing Yue pursed his lips and asked back irritably, “Is it important?”

Xin Rong was very dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude and argued righteously: “Of course it’s important. You are my roommate now, and I have the right to ask about your living habits. I want to know right now why you won’t sleep on the bed.”

Jing Yue didn’t want to continue this topic and turned to clear the dishes.

Xin Rong remained relentless, following closely behind: “If you don’t tell me, I’ll squat in your room tonight and watch you sleep!”

He didn’t believe a word of that “I can sleep anywhere” nonsense.

Jing Yue clearly had a sleep disorder, and Xin Rong couldn’t sit idly by regarding a roommate’s potential health hazard.

Jing Yue’s back stiffened for a moment, and he finally spoke in a low voice: “I don’t sleep in beds. I can’t fall asleep in a bed, I… I’m not used to it.”

Xin Rong froze, his brain suddenly connecting a switch, and he suddenly understood something.

This person had been displaced since childhood, accustomed to sleeping on streets and in alleys, his nerves always taut, needing to be alert to the dangers around him at all times; naturally, he couldn’t fall asleep peacefully on a soft, warm bed like an ordinary person.

Xin Rong’s voice softened unconsciously, adding a bit more patience: “Now that you have a bed, you have to slowly adapt.”

“I can’t adapt.” Jing Yue gave a bitter smile, “I’ve lived perfectly well without sleeping in a bed.”

“You’re alive, but you’re not living well enough.” Xin Rong took a step forward, his tone becoming firm. “You have to learn to sleep in a bed. If you can’t, I can help you.”

Jing Yue stared at him as if he had seen a ghost: “How can you help?”

“I’ll watch over you.” Xin Rong’s gaze was incredibly serious. “If you don’t feel secure, I’ll watch you sleep until you get used to it.”

“Xin Rong,” Jing Yue rubbed the bridge of his nose, his voice low and hoarse, as if he had exhausted all his patience, “stop messing around.”

“I’m not—”

Jing Yue irritably grabbed his hair, his voice carrying a trace of hoarse self-mockery: “I’m just this kind of person. Besides not sleeping in beds, I have a bunch of other faults. To put it plainly, I grew out of the mud, it’s enough just to be alive. It’s impossible for me to ‘live well’ the way you say.”

He let out a low laugh, as if he had told a joke to himself that wasn’t very funny.

“You insisted I move in, and I moved. But if you want me to live like a normal person… I can’t do it.”

On the very first day of living together, Jing Yue knew this was a huge mistake.

It wouldn’t even take a day for Xin Rong to discover what an unbearable and unworthy person he was to like.

“I didn’t ask you to be normal, this has nothing to do with being normal or not.” Xin Rong was so anxious he nearly stomped his feet. “I just want you to sleep properly.”

“Don’t say anymore,” Jing Yue’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he snatched up his helmet. “…I have work, leaving now.”

Xin Rong watched his departing back, his chest tight with anger.

How could this person be so stubborn?

Just to have a good night’s sleep—is it really worth acting like it’ll take his life?

Xin Rong went to the preparatory school with a belly full of pent-up anger. His mind was a mess, and he was out of sorts all day.

In the evening, when he bumped into Jing Yue at the arena, the atmosphere was still stiff, neither said a word to the other.

When it was time to get off work, he didn’t even wait for Jing Yue to walk together. In a fit of pique, he returned to the apartment alone, climbed into bed early, and tossed and turned under the quilt, unable to sleep at all.

Suddenly, extremely light footsteps came from outside the door, pacing back and forth, hesitant and indecisive.

Xin Rong sat up suspiciously, stepped onto the cold floor with bare feet, and gently pushed open the door.

He came face-to-face with Jing Yue’s stunned eyes.

The dim yellow light spilled down, making his silhouette look exceptionally deep, yet a rare trace of helplessness showed in his eyes.

The two confronted each other in silence.

Jing Yue’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, but in the end, he still didn’t speak. He lowered his head, turned around, and walked toward his own room.

For some reason, as Xin Rong looked at that back, his heart suddenly moved.

As if he understood something all at once, he didn’t ask questions or call him; he just naturally followed.

He saw Jing Yue silently lift the corner of the quilt, leaving half the bed empty.

Xin Rong sat on the edge of the bed, his legs curled up, leaning against the headboard, his body tilting slightly forward.

The night was thick, but those eyes were startlingly bright.

When Jing Yue turned his head to look at him, four words inexplicably popped into his head—Guardian Angel.

That night, he slept soundly until dawn for the first time.

Accustomed to light sleep while curled in corners or slumped over tables, he had always been abnormally sensitive to the slightest movement around him. But that night, he experienced for the first time what deep sleep felt like.

Between dreaming and waking, Jing Yue felt a lump of warmth press against him.

Xin Rong had somehow snuggled into his arms at some point, his arms encircling the man’s waist, murmuring dizzily: “Awake?”

Jing Yue looked down at him and said softly: “Morning.”

“You fell asleep last night,” Xin Rong still had his eyes closed, a lazy smile on his lips. “I watched you fall asleep.”

Jing Yue nodded, the corners of his mouth curving slightly: “Mhm.”

“Seeing how heavy your dark circles usually are, I knew you didn’t sleep well…” Xin Rong’s voice still carried the weariness of sleep and was exceptionally soft, the end of his words trailing up like a hook, making one’s heart itch. “You see, it’s not hard to live a little better, is it…”

His voice gradually weakened as the youth sank back into dreamland.

The morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, spilling over his peaceful face.

Jing Yue reached out, his fingertips brushing over the slightly upturned corner of the boy’s mouth, finally stopping at the brow. Because he was afraid of waking him, his movements were extremely light.

Even though Xin Rong was already deep in sleep, he still responded softly: “…Mhm.”

Only…

That kind of life of ‘living a little better’—

Probably required a specific person who would willfully and overbearingly barge into his life.