The air in the study was thick and suffocating, the atmosphere charged with tension, wrapping the two of them tightly together.
Zhou Chiye's gaze lingered on Ji Zhaoxi's lips. He had kissed her before, he had drunk from her cup, and his eyes were filled with longing.
Ji Zhaoxi noticed his look and realized what he wanted to do. Her face flushed bright red as she immediately covered her mouth with her hand and glared at him.
"No way!"
Zhou Chiye's eyes held a hint of hurt. He still said nothing, but his deeply flushed face moved closer to hers. The heat radiating from his skin was almost scorching as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her toward him.
Ji Zhaoxi's ears burned bright red. She tried to say something more, but Zhou Chiye couldn't hear a thing now. All he could see was her lips moving, and it only made him want to kiss her even more.
They drew closer and closer, their breath intertwining completely. Zhou Chiye breathed in her scent, his heart pounding faster than ever.
Why was she so adorable? Was she doing this on purpose...
Watching her ears turn red while she tried to reason with him in all seriousness, his Adam's apple moved involuntarily.
He leaned in slowly, their noses almost touching. He felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
Just as Zhou Chiye was about to press his lips to hers, he suddenly pulled back and buried his head in Ji Zhaoxi's shoulder.
He gasped for air, his heavy breaths landing on her shoulder. His hands were still wrapped tightly around her, refusing to let go.
Zhou Chiye's mind was blank now. He didn't even know where he was. No, this was too intense...
Ji Zhaoxi froze for a moment before realizing that Zhou Chiye had chickened out. She immediately turned smug.
"Zhou Chiye, were you just about to kiss me?"
Zhou Chiye stayed buried in her shoulder, covering his face and staying silent.
"Weren't you? Go on, kiss me. I'm giving you permission," Ji Zhaoxi said triumphantly. She pushed him away and leaned in, staring at his red-rimmed eyes.
Zhou Chiye tried to avert his gaze awkwardly, but Ji Zhaoxi grabbed his hand, refusing to let him escape, her eyes sparkling. "Kiss me!"
She had been scared just a moment ago, but now she knew. Zhou Chiye was just a paper tiger!
Zhou Chiye felt that Ji Zhaoxi was terribly mischievous—a sly little fool with a heart full of tricks.
He pinched her cheek in frustration and sat down to do his homework instead.
Ji Zhaoxi kept laughing at him beside him, while Zhou Chiye pretended not to hear.
From that day on, Ji Zhaoxi took every chance to tease him.
She knew Zhou Chiye wouldn't dare to kiss her!
But she didn't dare to provoke him into biting her, because Zhou Chiye definitely would.
One time, while blowing Ji Zhaoxi's hair dry, Zhou Chiye secretly took one of her hair ties. He had seen online that it signified a claim of ownership.
He wanted to stake his claim too. The hair tie on Zhou Chiye's wrist meant that Ji Zhaoxi was taken, and everyone else should keep their distance.
But nobody actually knew whose hair tie Zhou Chiye wore—since everyone's hair ties looked pretty much the same.
"Brother Ye, can I borrow your hair tie? My hair keeps falling in my eyes," a panting boy ran up and asked.
Zhou Chiye frowned deeply. "Do you know what this hair tie means? How could you just borrow it casually?"
The boy scratched the back of his head. "It's just for tying hair, isn't it?"
He guessed Brother Ye must be trying to grow his hair out like those artsy guys.
In the school's literature club and anime club, there were several boys with long hair.
The literature club guy was a wannabe ancient scholar, always wearing elements of traditional Chinese clothing and carrying a folding fan—even in gym class.
The anime club guy was a moody type, with hair covering half his face. He favored black clothes with split tails and always carried an elaborate long black umbrella, perfect for both sun and rain.
The boy suddenly thought Brother Ye could go for a sporty look. Long hair while playing basketball wouldn't be bad either.
Zhou Chiye had had enough. "This is Xixi's hair tie. Do you know what that means?"
Several people had gathered around, all chattering at once.
"It means she gave it to you, right, boss?"
"Brother Ye must have borrowed it from Ji Zhaoxi."
"What does it mean, Brother Ye? Is Ji Zhaoxi using the hair tie to tie you to her? Like, to keep you with her forever?"
Zhou Chiye looked at the speaker in surprise. That explanation was one he absolutely loved.
Seeing Zhou Chiye's approving look, the boy puffed out his chin proudly. This was his specialty.
The boy with single eyelids next to him was drinking water quietly, squinting in the sunlight.
He was pretty sure Zhou Chiye had stolen it himself.
Somehow, it started spreading like wildfire that Ji Zhaoxi had an incredibly strong sense of possessiveness. Even Ji Huaichuan came to ask her about it.
Ji Zhaoxi was completely confused—until she saw the hair tie on Zhou Chiye's wrist. Then everything clicked.
"Take that off!"
Zhou Chiye frowned deeply. "Why? I can't even wear a hair tie now? I need to tie my hair too!"
Ji Zhaoxi: ...
"Just take it off. It's so embarrassing..."
Zhou Chiye's eyes reddened. "You think I'm embarrassing? How am I embarrassing? Who makes you feel less embarrassed?"
Ji Zhaoxi had never thought he was embarrassing before. She used to look at him with sparkling eyes. But now she didn't anymore. Someone else must have stolen those sparkling eyes from him...
Zhou Chiye felt like his world was collapsing. He grabbed his racing helmet and started heading out. Ji Zhaoxi quickly stopped him, flustered. "It's just embarrassing, okay! And it looks tacky!"
Zhou Chiye let out a bitter laugh. "I'm tacky? I'm only tacky because someone else is setting the bar. That guy better pray I never catch him."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him blankly. What was he even going on about?
Who was this "him" he kept talking about? A ghost?
Zhou Chiye was acting so strange...
Not a moment after raging about going to the racetrack to blow off steam, Zhou Chiye turned around and started nibbling on Ji Zhaoxi.
Every time he saw her, his heart would feel a certain ache. He just had to bite down to soothe that little itch.
Without giving her time to react, Zhou Chiye, like a dog finding a bone, quickly left a faint bite mark on her arm.
He didn't dare bite hard. Feeling his teeth sink into the softness, he couldn't help rubbing against her. The sour ache in his heart from before melted into warmth.
Ji Zhaoxi never understood Zhou Chiye's obsession with biting. Once, she bit him back to see how he would feel.
"I bit you. How does it feel?" she had asked at the time, hoping he would reform himself.
Instead, he coughed, his face red, and said, "I like it."
After that, Ji Zhaoxi never bit him again.
