Exclusive Model for the Top Painter Chapter 25

Long Night in the Same Bed

---

Ji Xiuyuan looked at him curiously, "What's wrong? Suddenly so excited?"

Liang Jin said sheepishly, "Nothing, my foot slipped."

Ji Xiuyuan said with concern, "Where did you hit?"

"Nothing, I just bumped my head a little." Liang Jin was glad that the curtains were closed and the light was dim, hiding his red face: "Will you sleep a little longer?"

Ji Xiuyuan walked up to him, leaned down slightly and put his hand on the back of his head: "Does it hurt?"

His scent surrounded him, as if he was in his arms. Liang Jin leaned against the wall, and a boundless warmth came over him: "It hurt a little just now, but not anymore."

"Is it here?" Ji Xiuyuan ran his fingers through his hair and lightly tapped on a certain spot.

"Mmm." As if he had been electrocuted, Liang Jin's body trembled gently. It was clearly normal physical contact, but because of his touch, he had become unusually sensitive.

Ji Xiuyuan tenderly rubbed the spot for him, while his other hand naturally wrapped around his waist: "I just had a dream about the French town I lived in when I was a teenager. The funny thing is, you were there too."

"I haven't been to France before. I'm a little curious, what did I do in your dream?"

Ji Xiuyuan's voice was low, and as he leaned in extremely close, he whispered in Liang Jin's ear with heart-stopping seduction, "We walked side by side through every street in Giverny, through Monet's house and gardens, and arrived at St. Radegund's Church. It was late afternoon, the sky was blue and there was no one else in the church. We sat in the first row of the main hall, you looked at me and I kissed you."

The description was romantic and delicate, Ji Xiuyuan's eyes were deep, and Liang Jin felt as if he was drowning, even forgetting to breathe.

"It's just a dream, what are you so nervous about?" Ji Xiuyuan laughed lightly, "The way you look now, it does remind me of that scene in my dream."

I want to kiss him so badly.

But, this is reality, not a dream.

"Xiao Jin, do you have someone you like?"

"I… don't."

"Really don't?"

"That depends on what kind of like, if it's..."

"What if it's towards me?"

Liang Jin's heart skipped a beat as he abruptly raised his eyes to look at Ji Xiuyuan.

He wasn't sure if this comment, was it a joke or some sort of test...?

There was silence for a long time before he feigned flirtation and said, "If it's Ji Shen, then I definitely like, very much, invincibly, the best in the world!"

At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open and Liang Ci poked his head inside.

The curtains were drawn and the dim light made him uncomfortable.

Liang Jin immediately pushed Ji Xiuyuan away and instantly moved to the door: "Dad, what's wrong?"

Liang Ci asked in a whisper, "Has Mr. Ji rested yet? Your mother cut up some fruit, I came to call you guys."

Liang Jin said, "Oh he's awake from his nap, but can you knock on the door? It's been like this since I was a kid, no respect at all."

Liang Ci tugged on his ear, "I'm your father, does it matter if I knock or not? If you were a daughter, I would have been more respectful. You're a grown man, is there something you're ashamed of?"

Liang Jin thought of the ambiguous atmosphere between him and Ji Xiuyuan earlier, if his father had caught them, he would have been really cold. So he said, "It's not me, it's Ji Xiuyuan. A man of his stature needs privacy, understand?"

Liang Ci's attitude immediately turned a hundred and eighty degrees: "Indeed, I was careless." He stared at Liang Jin for a while and sighed, "It would be nice if you were a girl."

"If I were a girl, you'd let Ji Xiuyuan share a room with me?"

"If you were a girl, I would have proposed marriage today."

"Wow Dad, at least have some modesty, isn't it the man who proposes to the woman?"

"If he's interested in you, why should I care?"

"... Fortunately, I'm your son."

"It's not like a son can't..."

Liang Jin immediately exploded, "Shut up now!"

Liang Ci growled lowly, "This child, how dare you talk back to your father?"

Ji Xiuyuan stood aside and watched the father and son bickering for half a day in a particularly amusing manner.

After lecturing his son with a serious expression, Liang Ci smiled benevolently at Ji Xiuyuan, "Mr. Ji, shall we go and have some fruit together?"

———

During afternoon tea, Liang Ci and Ji Xiuyuan kept talking about artwork.

After listening for a few minutes, Liang Jin felt bored, so he started teaching his mother to play video games.

The afternoon soon faded away and after the sun went down, Liang Jin took Ji Xiuyuan for a stroll around the neighbourhood.

As the two walked side by side on the street, Liang Jin asked, "Ji Shen, you're usually so busy, why do you seem to be particularly free today? I haven't seen you dealing with work matters."

Ji Xiuyuan said, "I'm taking the day off."

"Ever since I met you, I've hardly ever seen you take a day off." Liang Jin blinked: "Does it feel particularly good to have a break?"

"Mhmm." Ji Xiuyuan suddenly asked, "What do you think about homosexuality?"

Liang Jin was taken aback by the question, "... What age is it now, it's normal, right?"

"Would you reject it?"

"... No."

Liang Jin lied.

He was a rather straight character. Although he had no prejudice against homosexuality, he had always been vaguely repulsed by it and had never felt he would like men.

Until he met Ji Xiuyuan.

He had a feeling that his fondness for Ji Xiuyuan had far exceeded the limits of friendship.

So when Ji Xiuyuan asked him this question, he instinctively said no.

Ji Xiuyuan smiled lightly, "Okay, I understand."

After this question, the atmosphere became subtle.

Liang Jin's mind was reeling with thoughts, and Ji Xiuyuan was in thought the whole time.

When they returned home, it was already night.

Liang Jin finished his shower and said to Ji Xiuyuan while drying his hair, "Ji Shen, I'm done, you can go wash up."

After Ji Xiuyuan went into the bathroom, it wasn't long before Liang Jin heard him call out to him, "Xiao Jin, was the water turned off?"

"No way, right? Wait a minute." Liang Jin ran outside to the kitchen, turned on the tap and tried it, but the water had not been turned off. It suddenly occurred to him that the shower in the bathroom in his room was faulty...

He knocked on the bathroom door, "Ji Shen, the water is not off. There's something wrong with that shower, I'm coming in to fix it, is that okay?"

"Mhmm."

Despite his mental preparation, the moment he stepped into the bathroom and saw Ji Xiuyuan's half-naked body, Liang Jin felt a surge of heat.

Resisting the urge to have a nosebleed, Liang Jin stopped himself from looking at Ji Xiuyuan, mechanically took the shower head down and knocked it violently. The water bubbled out with a loud gurgle.

Liang Jin adjusted it for a while to make sure it functioned properly, then put it back on the rack: "Okay."

Thinking that he could finally slip away, he turned around in such a hurry that he almost slipped and fell to the ground. Ji Xiuyuan supported him, "Be careful."

When Liang Jin raised his eyes, he saw Ji Xiuyuan's collarbone, and then his abs, and then his...

The nosebleed that he had been holding back for a long time came out.

When Ji Xiuyuan looked at him with a smile, Liang Jin became irritated: "Shut up!"

"Xiao Jin, I didn't say anything."

"I'm younger than you, so I'm easily impulsive." Liang Jin explained haphazardly, "It's normal, you're not allowed to laugh!"

"So cute."

Liang Jin: "......"

After wiping his nosebleed, he dried his hair. Liang Jin took out a blanket and spread it on the floor, before hugging his pillow with the intention of sleeping.

Ji Xiuyuan came out of the bathroom, wearing a robe. Pulling the pillow out of his arms, he put it back on the bed, "Let's sleep together."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 15, 2023