The Companion Player Doesn’t Want a Shura Field [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20

The lights in the vast arena suddenly flared to life, illuminating the corners that had just been submerged in a sea of colorful lightsticks.

The members of Lumos retreated to the center of the stage hand in hand. On the giant LED screens on either side, Qi Ming bowed first as sweat rolled off the dark tips of his hair. The other three followed immediately, bowing in unison.

“Thank you very much, everyone!” they shouted together.

Qi Ming straightened up and casually swept his sweat-matted bangs back from his forehead. He looked out at the audience and said into his handheld microphone, “Wow, I noticed that this time, you could sing along to several of the songs. Your singing skills are almost better than mine now.”

Rebuttals immediately erupted from the spectator seats.

“What?” “No way!”

“Oppa’s singing is the best!” “Qiqi is the visual king!”

Girls wearing fan gear held their banners high. Constant singing had made their voices hoarse, but it could not suppress their current passion. There was even a tall, thin boy standing at the very front. He stretched his arms as far as he could, unfurling a giant solo poster of Qi Ming beneath the railing.

Such an outpouring of affection made Qi Ming unable to stop himself from smiling. “The Jasmines always praise me so much. How am I supposed to improve?”

Two hours of high-intensity dancing had left a deep sense of fatigue between the man’s brows. But when that continuous ocean of fans fell into his gaze, his dark green pupils became like washed emeralds. The starlight held in the corners of his eyes was even more dazzling than the harsh white lights above the arena.

Cui Yuxuan gazed intently at that stunning profile and raised his microphone to tease, “Hyung, being too humble is sometimes a form of conceit!”

The fans, as expected, began to agree. “Yes!”

Bian He, who had been panting nearby, also pursed his lips and nodded.

“See, they are all laughing at you secretly.” Kim Woo-sung wiped the sweat from his eyes and pointed at a few girls in the crowd who were doubled over with laughter.

“Really?”

They began to wave their hands and shake their heads frantically.

“I do not believe it. I saw you laughing.” Qi Ming took a few steps forward and squatted at the edge of the stage. Resting his elbows on his knees, he tilted his head while holding the mic. “At the signing event later, tell me what you were laughing about.”

“Ahhh! Okay!”

“Oppa, see you in a bit!” “I love you, hubby!”

At the mention of the fan signing, the fans screamed. This was the first offline signing for Lumos. They finally had the chance to chat face-to-face with their favorite idols and could even hold hands with Qi Ming and the others. How could they not be excited?

Leaving the stage through the tunnel, they rushed to the lounge to shower and change clothes. As Lumos was a top-tier trending boy group, the organizers had prepared a separate lounge with a private bathroom for each of the four members.

Cui Yuxuan walked the slowest. After seeing Kim Woo-sung and Bian He close their doors, he turned and flexibly slipped into Qi Ming’s lounge next door.

No one was in the main room. As he expected, the sound of pitter-patter water came from the bathroom. Hyung was showering right now.

The realization made Cui Yuxuan’s blood race. He crept over and grasped the bathroom door handle to see if Qi Ming had locked it. After years of living together, Cui Yuxuan had found that while the man was strict during practice, he was often very casual in his personal life. When Qi Ming was alone in his room, he would sometimes be too lazy to lock the door while showering or even leave it halfway open.

But how did Cui Yuxuan know this?

The first time, he went to the room to find Qi Ming and accidentally stumbled upon him showering. At that time, he did not dare look closely and fled the scene with a bright red face. The second, third, and countless subsequent times he “stumbled” upon it were intentional.

This also allowed Cui Yuxuan to discover a cute trait: Hyung liked to hum songs in the shower. It was not a song from their group; the melody was strange and unfamiliar. He could not find the title even after searching his entire memory. Perhaps it was a tune Qi Ming had composed on a whim, but it was beautiful. Just listening to it made one instinctively think of the vast universe and the Milky Way. It made him think of a free spaceship.

Thanks to this habit, Cui Yuxuan’s peeping had never been discovered. Now that he had finally started a relationship with Qi Ming, he could have walked in openly. However, Cui Yuxuan was still habitually secretive, simply wanting to see the other man’s unguarded side.

The door handle in his palm turned. It was indeed unlocked!

Just as joy welled up in his heart, a light “Stop right there” came from inside, making Cui Yuxuan freeze instantly. Through the sound of the water, he could not hear the emotion in Qi Ming’s words; he only felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.

What should he do? Was Hyung angry?

He stood in front of the bathroom door, motionless, and began to reflect on his actions. When the sound of the water stopped, Cui Yuxuan blinked, about to say something, when the door suddenly opened.

A slender arm reached out from the billowing mist, grabbed Cui Yuxuan by the shoulder, and dragged him inside. The bathroom did not have separate wet and dry areas, and the floor was covered in water. Being pulled in so unexpectedly, Cui Yuxuan’s foot slipped and he fell.

Leaning against the tiled wall, he looked up in a panic to find Qi Ming half-squatting in front of him, looking down at him.

Because he had just finished showering, water was still dripping from the tips of the man’s hair, sliding down his neck, past the hollow of his collarbone, and along the silver ring hanging from his necklace into the indentation of his chest muscles. Qi Ming was only wearing black sweatpants with a white border. The waistband sat loosely on his hip bones, and the exposed skin was dazzlingly white and well-defined.

He was still holding a white towel, casually drying his hair. The scent of white peach shower gel lingered in the air, mixing with the aura radiating from Qi Ming. Cui Yuxuan only felt his earlobes suddenly become scorching hot.

This visually impactful image left him momentarily unable to recover. It must be because the steam blurred his eyes that he was having hallucinations. Was this person still the gentle leader he knew? Cui Yuxuan had never seen such an aggressive look on Qi Ming.

As he dried his hair, the muscles on the man’s shoulders bulged. Every line and curve exuded a sense of pressure, like a midnight tide hiding unimaginable power beneath the surface.

When his hair was mostly dry, Qi Ming pulled the towel away and tossed it over, perfectly covering Cui Yuxuan’s stunned face. He placed his left hand on the younger man’s head, slowly stroking it, and laughed nonchalantly.

“You like watching that much? Are you not tired of it after all these years?”

The familiar, cool voice made Cui Yuxuan relax. No matter what, this was his Qi Ming-hyung. There was no mistake. But the meaning behind the words made his muscles tense up again. It turned out Qi Ming had known for a long time. He knew he was peeping at him in the shower.

“I am, I am sorry, Hyung. Please do not be angry with me. Mm!”

He felt the gentle pressure on his head and hardly dared to move. Before he could finish speaking, a large hand covered his mouth through the towel.

“Shh.”

Once the bathroom fell silent, Qi Ming released his hand. He then grasped the back of Cui Yuxuan’s neck, pulled his head close, and said slowly, “Since Xiao Xuan apologized, I will not be angry. As long as you know you were wrong, I will always forgive you.”

“Really?” Cui Yuxuan could hardly believe it.

“Of course. Only you can be like this.”

Hearing this, Cui Yuxuan was incredibly moved, not even caring about the towel draped over his face. He wrapped his arms around Qi Ming’s waist, desperately wanting to pull his head closer.

“Hyung, I love you. I really love you so much. Do you love me?”

Qi Ming pressed down on Cui Yuxuan’s restless head with one hand and did not answer. He pulled the towel off the young man’s face and, under that burning gaze, tilted his head and left a light kiss on the corner of the other’s mouth.

He cupped Cui Yuxuan’s cheeks, his thumb applying slight pressure to leave a shallow red indentation, like a stamp on his own property.

“As long as you love me,” he said.

As long as you love me, I will love you. But if you stop loving me, what value would you have left?

Drunk on joy, Cui Yuxuan failed to catch the hidden meaning. He only felt that dying right here, in his arms, might be a kind of happiness. His feelings were just that simple.

“Alright, you still need to shower. We will continue the rest tonight.”

Qi Ming habitually patted Cui Yuxuan’s cheek. Receiving an obedient response, he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. He stood up and stretched, tapping his thighs which were a bit numb from squatting.

When no one was around, Qi Ming was actually too lazy to act. Constantly performing was exhausting. The Qi Ming who had just been in front of Cui Yuxuan was the real him. Because he was too tired, he did not want to act anymore and decided to see the boy’s reaction.

Initially, the shock in Cui Yuxuan’s eyes made Qi Ming feel bored. That predictable reaction was not what he wanted. However, as soon as he spoke, he noticed the hint of doubt in the young man’s eyes instantly turn into deep love.

This was the look Qi Ming was most familiar with. Before this, many people had looked up at him with this gaze. Qi Ming sincerely enjoyed the pleasure of being wrapped in humble love. It was so indulgent and willful. No one would ever again look at him as if he were a high-quality product or a ridiculous toy without autonomy. They would only beg him; beg for his love.

But the only thing he loved was himself. And money.

Suddenly thinking of something, Qi Ming’s expression became blank. He turned to glance at the young man, who had already begun taking off his clothes to shower, and raised an eyebrow.

Among all the high-society people he had met, Cui Yuxuan was indeed the simplest when it came to emotions. He was obedient, innocent, and easy to deceive. There was no need to waste brainpower figuring out twists and turns. Since Cui Yuxuan was so low-maintenance, Qi Ming decided to be a bit nicer to him tonight.

At least, it would not be a bloody affair for the first time.

He crossed his arms and watched Cui Yuxuan shower openly. In his view, the tall young man kept his back turned, not daring to turn around, with the back of his neck turning a blood-red color.

Qi Ming licked his lips and thought, “Of course, it will be better provided that I am satisfied first.”