Mr. Zhou Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore!

Chapter 45

Coming out of the haunted house, Zhou Chenxi shivered in the wind and realized he was covered in cold sweat.

His clothes were already thin, and the chilly wind made him sneeze.

He had been pretending to be strong all along.

Lu Ji hurriedly took off his coat and draped it over Zhou Chenxi. “Hurry back and take a hot shower to avoid catching a cold.”

Zhou Chenxi nodded. “Okay.” Although he really wanted to go somewhere else with Lu Ji, his health was more important, and falling ill would be a problem for the film crew.

The two of them got into Lu Ji’s car and headed back. This time, Lu Ji had booked the same hotel as Zhou Chenxi.

There weren’t many hotel options in Z City, and when Zhou Chenxi inquired, they ended up staying on different floors.

Zhou Chenxi happily suggested, “So can we have breakfast together tomorrow morning?”

Lu Ji looked at his short hair dampened by sweat and chuckled. “No rush. We have a project in the neighboring city N, and we won’t attend until tomorrow afternoon. We can have lunch before going.”

Zhou Chenxi was delighted and unconsciously played with the round button on Lu Ji’s coat.

He felt that Lu Ji’s coat had a pleasant fragrance, a scent he really liked.

Lu Ji accompanied Zhou Chenxi to his room’s door. When Zhou Chenxi swiped the card to enter, he hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ji asked.

“Why, why aren’t the lights turning on?” Zhou Chenxi’s teeth started to chatter.

The fear he had unconsciously suppressed began to resurface.

“I’ll take a look.” Lu Ji went around and tried Zhou Chenxi’s room card again.

The lights flickered for a moment, then went dark, and finally lit up steadily.

“It should be a bad contact, and it’s fixed now,” Lu Ji turned to look at him.

“R-really?” Images from many horror movies started flooding Zhou Chenxi’s mind. “What if the lights go out again later?”

Lu Ji said, “Then… should we call someone to come and fix it?”

“I heard that some things have a mysterious magnetic field. When you pass by, it can generate a little electric current, and the lights… whoa!” The light behind Zhou Chenxi dimmed again, and this time he was really scared. He jumped and practically dived into Lu Ji’s arms.

Lu Ji was startled by his sudden move and quickly patted his shoulder, reassuring him softly, “It’s alright, it’s alright. It was me who took your room card earlier, I’m sorry. Let’s get someone to check your room, so you can feel at ease. Look at you… your forehead is covered in sweat. If you don’t take a shower now, you might catch a cold.”

Tears welled up in Zhou Chenxi’s eyes as he said, “I’m sorry, I got scared so easily.”

Lu Ji felt a bit regretful; he shouldn’t have frightened him so much. He reached out and wiped away a tear from the corner of Zhou Chenxi’s eye. “How about you go to my room to shower, and I’ll call someone to check your room afterward, okay?”

Zhou Chenxi nodded and said, “Okay,” wiping his eyes.

With Zhou Chenxi leading the way, holding Lu Ji’s hand, they headed to the bathroom. Zhou Chenxi wiped his eyes once more before going in.

Lu Ji watched him with concern. After a moment, Zhou Chenxi hesitated and turned to explain, “Actually, I’m not that scared.”

“Really?” Lu Ji leaned against the door frame, patiently listening.

“I’m not even afraid of ghosts,” Zhou Chenxi continued.

“Yeah,” Lu Ji couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s just that I don’t like darkness a little bit,” Zhou Chenxi extended his hand and made a small gesture. “It’s that sudden kind of darkness.”

Because nightmares and death both come with a sudden, overwhelming darkness.

Lu Ji’s heart skipped a beat. He walked over, gently brushed aside the hair on Zhou Chenxi’s forehead, and planted a kiss on his brow. “It’s alright now. The nightmares have dispersed. Go take a shower.”

Zhou Chenxi felt warmth in his heart. He closed the bathroom door behind him, and after a while, he suddenly raised his voice, “Are you still outside?”

Lu Ji hadn’t planned on leaving. He even made himself a cup of coffee using the nearby coffee maker. “I’m still here,” he replied.

“Okay,” Zhou Chenxi happily acknowledged.

He began to shower, and the sound of running water filled the room. After a while, he said again, “Are you still outside?”

“I am,” Lu Ji said.

“Okay,” Zhou Chenxi raised his voice.

As the sound of the water decreased, Zhou Chenxi began shampooing his hair. He thought Lu Ji had left by now, so he muttered softly, “Are you still… out there?”

“I am,” Lu Ji said somewhat helplessly. “I’m not leaving. Go ahead, enjoy your shower. Make the water warmer to avoid catching a chill.”

Zhou Chenxi was delighted, no longer afraid. He began humming a little tune happily.

Zhou Chenxi, the clingy one, bathed with a fragrant shower gel. Soon, he forgot about his earlier fear. When he came out of the bathroom, he sat on the couch, sipping milk from a glass. A small ring of milk froth formed above his lips.

“I wonder how the circuit inspection downstairs went,” Zhou Chenxi said.

Lu Ji said, “Let me check.”

He made a casual call to the hotel service desk while sitting down, and his lower half was covered only by a towel, revealing his slender waist.

Zhou Chenxi’s gaze sneaked around, but he quickly brought his attention back to where it should be, thinking to himself.

Lu Ji finished the call, and, before entering the bathroom, he casually removed his shirt.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—” Zhou Chenxi turned on the hairdryer to blow-dry his hair.

His short, flaxen hair fell around him, tousled, and Zhou Chenxi peeked at Lu Ji through the wet strands.

Lu Ji was wearing only underwear and a towel around his waist, revealing his nicely shaped buttocks.

Zhou Chenxi forcibly averted his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed in the right direction.

Lu Ji, having finished drying his hair, put on a robe and said, “Feeling cold?”

After finishing the hot milk, Zhou Chenxi felt much more comfortable; his stomach was warm. He shook his head.

“Then let’s go to sleep,” Lu Ji checked the time. “It’s quite late.”

Zhou Chenxi placed the empty milk glass down and, with both legs exposed, slipped under the covers.

Lu Ji sat on the other side and picked up a book from somewhere, dimming the bedside lamp slightly. He said to Zhou Chenxi, “I’ll turn off the light after you fall asleep.”

Zhou Chenxi, peeking out from under the covers with his big round eyes, brought up the topic from earlier, “I’m really not scared, you know.”

Lu Ji responded with a simple “Mm-hmm.”

“I just remembered something slightly unpleasant.”

Zhou Chenxi, with his stubborn and defiant mouth, was like a kid who wanted to play the brave adventurer game but was afraid of being teased as a scaredy-cat by others: “It’s not because of that haunted house.”

“Alright,” Lu Ji regretted once again for scaring him downstairs earlier.

“So, if there’s another haunted house next time, will you go with me again?” the clingy yet timid Zhou Chenxi asked.

“We can go to even more fun places together,” Lu Ji replied gently.

Zhou Chenxi was content with that answer.

Lu Ji glanced at him a few times, seeing that he had nothing more to say, and then began leaning against the headboard, reading his book intently.

His eyelashes cast shadows on his eyelids, and his expression was incredibly focused.

Lu Ji is really handsome, Zhou Chenxi thought quietly. No wonder all the girls were so excited when they saw him today.

Gradually, Zhou Chenxi’s heartbeat settled down. He closed his eyes, breathing steadily, and drifted off to sleep.

Lu Ji dimmed the light a bit more, thinking that although he might have scared him a little too much earlier, it seemed to be worth it in the end.

The next morning, when Lu Ji woke up, he felt like he was weighed down by something heavy. It turned out to be Zhou Chenxi.

Zhou Chenxi had a habit of hugging a pillow while sleeping, but this time, he hadn’t brought his favorite lazy egg pillow with him, so he ended up hugging Lu Ji instead.

Lu Ji still remembered the events of last night: two bare legs had wrapped around him, followed by an arm, making it hard for him to breathe. He had just managed to peel Zhou Chenxi away, but Zhou Chenxi had clung to him again. Eventually, it seemed like Zhou Chenxi was disappointed that Lu Ji wasn’t letting him hug him, so he went to the other side to look for the pillow. His hands and feet dangled outside the blanket.

Lu Ji was worried about him catching a cold, so he had no choice but to pull him closer.

Maybe it was because Lu Ji was emanating a warm heat, but Zhou Chenxi found it even more comfortable than hugging a pillow. He wrapped himself around Lu Ji like a koala, fitting perfectly against him, with even his head buried in Lu Ji’s shoulder.

Lu Ji shifted slightly, pulled out one hand, and checked the time.

Six thirty.

If he remembered correctly, Zhou Chenxi would have to go to the set in an hour.

“Chenxi?” Lu Ji called him softly. “Isn’t it time to get up?”

“Hmm?” Zhou Chenxi rubbed his eyes, half-asleep, and asked, “What time is it?” His voice still had a hint of nasal tone.

Lu Ji said, “It’s six thirty. Aren’t you going downstairs for breakfast?”

Zhou Chenxi grumbled, “Let me sleep a little longer.”

Lu Ji, feeling helpless, had to let him continue lying on top of him.

It wasn’t until Zhou Chenxi felt a certain firmness pressing against him that he instantly woke up and exclaimed, “What time is it?!”

“Six forty-five,” Lu Ji continued to be a merciless timekeeper.

Zhou Chenxi froze, realizing what was happening in a certain area. He also realized that his entire body was draped over Lu Ji. He quickly backed away and said, “I’m sorry, did I crush you?”

Lu Ji’s arm felt a bit numb as he rubbed it. He sat up and said, “It’s okay. I’ll go wash up first.”

Saying that, he stood up and entered the bathroom.

Closing the door, the sound of running water could be heard from inside.

Zhou Chenxi turned beet red, noticing that something about himself wasn’t quite normal. He sat up and tried to clear his head.

The room was at a perfect temperature, and the chirping of birds outside could be heard. Zhou Chenxi, feeling a little drowsy, almost drifted back to sleep.

When Lu Ji came out of the bathroom, he asked, “Skipping breakfast might make you hungry. Aren’t you going to have a busy day today?”

Zhou Chenxi suddenly remembered that Lu Ji also had work in the afternoon, so he quickly got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

In order to make space for him at the sink, Lu Ji stood in front of the dressing mirror outside and shaved his beard with a buzzing sound.

After rinsing off the toothpaste foam in his mouth, Zhou Chenxi thought, “Even when shaving, Lu Ji looks so handsome. What am I going to do?”

After finishing breakfast and bidding farewell to Lu Ji, Zhou Chenxi headed to the set and quickly immersed himself in a busy day of work.

Unbeknownst to him, one of the two girls he had encountered in front of the haunted house last night had quietly posted on Weibo:

“Yesterday evening, I ran into Chairman Lu and XiXi at Z City Film and Television City. XiXi is so tall! His skin is so fair! Chairman Lu is so handsome! Chairman Lu even indulgently told XiXi that if he’s scared, he can hold his hand. AWSL [I love you]! Hoping for SZD [a loving future]!”

A little while later, a Weibo user with the handle “Zhou Chenxi Global Fan Club” left a merciless comment below: “[This is] a hater’s comment, already reported.”

Author’s Note: Bro: Really? I don’t believe it.

Thank you for the nutrient solution from “ChinChin,” “Little Dream Command,” “Luo Ru,” “Sand Sprout,” “Mysterious Bystander,” “Little Leaf,” “I Heard There Was a Power Outage?” “Muddy Head 1128,” and “Smiling with Poverty.”

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”