“Sigh.”
The sigh from beside him pulled Ji Yueniang from his distant memories. He looked up toward Su Tian, who was leaning casually in his chair, a trace of regret in his expression.
“What’s wrong? Getting emotional just from reading a novel?” Ji Yueniang teased.
“I just saw a witch named Xueman get deceived by a scumbag noble, lose control, and then get killed by her friend. It’s kind of a pity.”
Su Tian shook his head, then turned to Ji Yueniang and asked, “Brother Ji, you’ve read this novel too, right? Which parts made you the most sad?”
“It’s definitely when the male lead realizes he’s on Earth and can never go home again—that feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. I was worried he’d lose it on the spot and explode into a pile of bugs.”
Ji Yueniang reached out, picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and sighed.
“The second part is out now, but I haven’t read it yet. I’m just waiting for the grand finale to come out so I can devour it all at once.”
“By the way, what exactly are you trying to say? Don’t beat around the bush, just spit it out already.”
“Well… it’s just that…” Su Tian scratched his head, his gaze lingering briefly on Ji Yueniang’s long hair before awkwardly rubbing his hands together.
“Brother Ji, don’t you think you’ve changed a lot recently?”
“Changed a lot where?”
Ji Yueniang blinked, pondering carefully. He didn’t feel like his body had changed much—except that his hair had grown longer.
“Your skin got whiter, your hair got longer, and your personality changed too. You used to be impulsive and fiery, but now you’re calmer. Even when you beat up those little thugs, you don’t pour alcohol on them afterward.”
Su Tian frowned, his tone filled with curiosity.
Ji Yueniang was silent for a moment after hearing that.
Then he slapped Su Tian’s shoulder and joked, “I thought it was something serious! That’s all? That’s called maturity, understand? The unique charm of a man!”
“Go, go! Hurry up and buy me a bottle of cola, make sure it’s ice-cold!!”
“If you have time to think about that, you’d better help me find those thugs’ locations so I can take them all out with a steel pipe!”
After sending Su Tian off, Ji Yueniang locked the office door behind him, sat back down in his chair, and took a small mirror from the drawer to look at himself.
“Have I changed?”
“Looks like I really got whiter.”
“My face is rounder, not as sharp as before.”
“My long hair keeps growing; even trimming it every few days doesn’t help.”
“How strange. What’s going on with me lately?”
Ji Yueniang muttered to himself, pressing his fingers lightly against his abdomen. Where there used to be solid muscle, it had softened, as if it could drip water with just a pinch.
Suddenly, his eyes landed on the novel on Su Tian’s desk: an ancient, worn clock, steampunk style, and the noble-dressed protagonist.
Manual for Playing the Faceless: You can be anyone, but you can only be yourself.
That line inexplicably popped into his mind.
Ji Yueniang instinctively took a silver coin from his pocket and looked at it. One side showed a woman—still pure and lovely—while the other side, the male face, was blurry, resembling a tall girl at first glance.
A thought suddenly struck him: Could it be that while he was playing “Ji Qingchan,” “Ji Qingchan” was also influencing him?
“Brother Ji! The cola’s here! Why did you lock the door?”
Just then, a loud voice rang outside, pounding on the office door.
Ji Yueniang snapped back to reality, put the coin back in his pocket, and turned to open the door. “Coming, don’t rush.”
…
Afternoon, Jiang Family.
With no classes in the afternoon, Jiang Chi returned home after lunch, gave his mother a big hug, then carried a plate of dried lamb meat back to his room.
In the living room, Chen Mengrou, wearing a face mask, was reporting good news to her husband.
“Yushu, good news! A’Chi’s germophobia is better! Now he even gives hugs. When will you be back?”
“This weekend? Okay, I’ll make an appointment now. Then we’ll have the whole family go out for a big meal with A’Chi and Qingchan!”
“Work hard~ Love you~ Mwah~~”
After hanging up, Chen Mengrou was in high spirits. She glanced toward Jiang Chi’s bedroom and wondered why he brought a whole plate of dried lamb meat back to his room—there was no way he could finish it all alone.
But after thinking it over, she decided not to worry about it. It was just a plate of dried lamb meat; nothing worth fretting about.
If only Chen Mengrou could peek through the bedroom door and see what was actually happening inside, she wouldn’t know whether to be shocked or to marvel at how much her son had grown.
Inside the bedroom, the boy sat at his computer desk, eyes glued to the screen playing a scene that would make anyone blush.
“Qingchan~ Qingchan~~”
“Damn it! Half an hour! Jiang Chi, are you made of steel? My hands are sore.”
“Qingchan, Ji Qingchan”
“Jiang! Hurry the hell up and come out!!”
His gaze kept shifting over the slender, fair hands on the screen, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid, heart racing faster and faster. The dried lamb meat in his hands was picked up and put down unconsciously, his mind completely absorbed by the stimulating images.
The girl’s soft moans came through his Bluetooth earphones, making Jiang Chi feel as if thousands of ants were crawling inside him, itching unbearably.
As the video progressed, Jiang Chi felt his mouth dry and his throat burn, unconsciously licking his lips and swallowing saliva.
The girl’s flushed face, the small hands moving up and down, the shy, evasive gaze, the faint white stains in her palms.
So beautiful~
So alluring~
To others, this might be considered an adult video, but to Jiang Chi, this was art!
No! This was art itself!!
Jiang Chi swallowed hard.
Now he was truly grown up, mature.
He realized how harmful his previous theories were—about saliva exchange, skin contact, and organ collision. He had indeed been just a little boy back then.
After a long while, the video ended. Jiang Chi reluctantly unplugged the USB drive from the computer and carefully stored it away.
Then he spread out an application letter—he was the applicant, and the target was the Photography Club.
Jiang Chi was planning his future, mapping out his career path, his life with Ji Qingchan, and how to combine his hobbies with work.
Main career: Finance.
Side career: Artistic video creator.
As for artistic video themes, he could draw inspiration from those websites and books—like *** those beginner-level arts.
He loved Qingchan so much, and Qingchan loved him too. She would surely accept this little hobby of his.
With that thought, a delighted smile curled on the young man’s lips.
Ji Yueniang would never have imagined what kind of “monster” he had unknowingly raised, nor how “painful” the price would be for indulging in his momentary amusement in the future.