Jiaobai put his nose to the amulet and sniffed it subconsciously. He felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body became hot and smoke came out of his head.
Grass.
Jiaobai jumped up from the pillar at the end of the bed and ran away. He ran to the elevator in one breath and quickly pressed the elevator button to go in.
The elevator door reflected his extremely guilty look.
Oh my god.
Jiaobai rubbed his face hard and felt a pain on his chin. It was the Buddha amulet that was shaking up.
The thin rope was still wrapped around his fingers, and the gray-black color with a hint of agarwood formed a sharp contrast with his paleness.
There is a little bit of lustful taste.
Jiaobai wrapped the rope around and held the amulet hanging in the air between his fingers.
The elevator reached the first floor, Jiaobai walked out, with a hot face, walked through the quiet and long corridors, went straight to his room and closed the door.
When Zhang Zhen came to call Jiaobai for dinner, he was copying Buddhist scriptures.
Yes, Buddhist scriptures.
There is already a small stack on hand.
"Baibai, why are you copying scriptures?" Zhang Zhen exclaimed in surprise.
"Calm down." Jiaobai put the brush on the edge of the inkstone, picked up the rice paper on the table, and blew on the wet... dog-crawling words on it.
Zhang Zhen's face twitched. Are Bai Bai and Third Brother so similar? They even have the same way of regulating their emotions.
In fact,茭白 is just pretending to be cool.
"Brother, don't tell the guy on the fifth floor about me copying books." Jiaobai was afraid that the old pervert would assign him homework.
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it." Zhang Zhen pulled Jiao Bai up, "Let's eat."
Zhang Zhen pushed him out: "It's just the two of us eating. Third brother won't come down. His cold has worsened. I have to be on duty at night..."
Jiaobai stopped and looked back: "Isn't it already dripping, why is it getting worse?"
"I don't know." Zhang Zhen stroked his hair and sighed, "Third brother is confused because of the fever."
"Originally, the third brother just had a slight cold, but he didn't rest. He insisted on staying up late to work overtime for a long time, did not turn down social engagements, and continued to smoke and drink when he was sick. He even coughed up blood in the company in the afternoon." Zhang Zhen was willing but not able to do enough.
Jiaobai frowned: "What's going on with the Shen family? What's the situation like?"
"Now several parties are competing for a major government project." Zhang Zhen was vague.
Jiaobai hooked the rope of the Buddha amulet in his pocket. Businessmen and business tycoons also fought in the business world.
Their respective means and resources are swords.
He ate something without knowing the taste, threw the bowl away, wiped his mouth, and ran outside. He followed the handfuls of fireflies in the woods and looked at the stars and the moon.
At around eight or nine o'clock, Jiaobai came upstairs with the smell of grass and trees from outside. He had sweated a lot, his body was flushed and sticky, his pores were open, and the coolness from all around wrapped around him all the way to the fifth floor.
Jiaobai approached the bedroom and shivered. In the summer, living in Lanmo Mansion, there is no need to turn on the air conditioner.
"Mr. Bai, you are here to see Master Qi." Qi Twelve at the door greeted politely, "Wait a moment, I will inform him."
Jiaobai smelled the sweat on his clothes and thought that Qi Yilao, with his obsessive-compulsive disorder, would definitely dislike it.
Finally, I thought, the thing is burning and I can’t smell anything.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yiliao's hoarse but clear voice came from inside: "Don't let him in."
At the same time, the cat put its paws on its cold face and covered it.
Wild rice: “…”
Haha, if you don’t want to watch it, then don’t watch it. Who cares
Jiaobai ignored Qi Twelve's embarrassment and turned away.
Qi Twelve watched helplessly as the young master was driven away by Master Qi. He thought this was suspicious and sent a message to his brother Zhen.
Zhang Zhen came directly from the gym, casually wearing a sports shirt over his vest, his beautiful and hot muscles flexing, he entered the bedroom sweating profusely: "Third Brother."
Qi Yiliao leaned against the head of the bed. On the quilt were some documents that needed approval. He was holding one in his hand and flipping through it. The infusion tube swayed from time to time as he moved.
Zhang Zhen watched his third brother handling official business while receiving an IV drip, and the second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat.
"If you have something to say, just say it." Qi Yiliao coughed a few times.
"I heard from Twelve that Baibai came to see you, but you didn't let him in." Zhang Zhen scratched his sweaty scalp, "Did he make you angry in some way?"
Qi Yiliao signed the document: "Did he ask you to come and ask?"
Zhang Zhen shook his head: "No."
"Then what are you asking?" Qi Yiliao put the signed document aside. There was a look of sickness and fatigue between his handsome and elegant brows.
Zhang Zhen was speechless. The two most important people in his life were having an emotional entanglement, and he was caught in the middle, worrying about both sides.
Qi Yiliao was processing the next document when he suddenly said, "The admission letter from the Medical University will be coming soon."
Zhang Zhen was stunned: "I guess it will be soon."
"Let's hold a small party to celebrate." Qi Yiliao said with a cough.
Zhang Zhen hesitated: "During this period..."
"It has no impact." Qi Yilao interrupted.
"Then I'll send someone to arrange it." Zhang Zhen responded. Since his third brother was holding a banquet for Bai Bai, there shouldn't be any conflicts.
So, why is Third Brother not allowed to enter Baibai’s bedroom
"Third brother, should I go and counsel Bai Bai?" Zhang Zhen said half-truthfully, "Twelve said that when Bai Bai left, his face was blue, and I don't know why he is so sad now."
After he finished speaking, he realized that the surroundings were too quiet, so he glanced at his third brother and met his half-smile and half-smile gaze.
"Sad? Your brother will only scold me." Qi Yiliao laughed to himself, and the smile on his lips faded. "Send him a few peaches, and he will be happy after he eats them."
"The first batch has been eaten, and the second batch is not yet cooked." said Zhang Zhen.
"Then send half a watermelon." Qi Yiliao said with a sigh, "A small one. It will prevent him from eating too much and getting a bloated stomach."
Zhang Zhen: “…”
Vaguely discovering something, he stared at the collar of his third brother's pajamas, trying to find out what was going on.
"What are you still standing there for?" Qi Yiliao waved his hand, "Go out and coax him."
Zhang Zhen received an important task and went downstairs. He went to the backyard to pick a round watermelon, cut it in half and brought it to Jiaobai's room.
No one was there. Zhang Zhen went to the open study room on the first floor.
"Bai Bai." Zhang Zhen handed over half a watermelon with a thin spoon stuck in it. "It's so late, are you still studying?"
When I got closer and took a look, Zhang Zhen was silent.
There was a piece of paper on the desk, and on it was a... cat? Maybe.
"Baibai, do you like cats?" Zhang Zhen gave him the watermelon.
"I don't like it." Jiaobai drew a few hairs on the cat. He threw away the brush, scooped a piece of watermelon with a spoon and stuffed it into his mouth. "Where did you get it from?"
"Fifth floor." Zhang Zhen sat down on the small single sofa next to him and picked up his sportswear to wipe the sweat off his abdominal muscles. "Third brother asked me to get you the watermelon."
Jiaobai snorted.
"Third brother doesn't want to see you, maybe because he's afraid of infecting you." Zhang Zhen said seriously, "You have a weak constitution."
The wild rice rolled its eyes and said, "Fart. There must be another reason."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. The old pervert had always been a gentleman, his emotions were all hidden under that layer of skin, and he was rarely so direct.
It's like... I'm afraid he'll go in.
What are you afraid of? I won't eat you. Jiaobai finished a large piece of watermelon, filling his mouth with watermelon flesh and sweet juice.
"Bai Bai, I suspect..." Zhang Zhen clasped his hands together and placed them on the table, muttering to himself, "Third brother lost something very important."
"It's a Buddha amulet. He always wears it around his neck. I've never seen him take it off. Just now when I was talking to him, I noticed that his collar was empty. It's so valuable, where would he throw it away..."
Zhang Zhen noticed the strange atmosphere as he spoke. He looked at the young man who put down the spoon and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I have one here." Jiaobai licked the watermelon juice from the corner of his mouth, "Third brother gave it to me."
Zhang Zhen didn't understand for a moment: "What?"
A few seconds later, there was an object in front of his eyes, hanging by a thin rope.
The air was very quiet.
Jiaobai pushed the amulet towards Zhang Zhen and took the initiative to test: "What you said is different from what I have in my hand..."
"This is my third brother's Buddha amulet." Zhang Zhen said shockingly.
Jiaobai took a breath, his expression unrecognizable: "Brother, take another look, are you sure he's wearing this?"
"Confirmed." Zhang Zhen pointed at the amulet, "There are words engraved on the bottom edge. There are seven or six words. Take a closer look."
Jiaobai only felt that the amulet had a solemn and heavy feeling, and the carving was also very exquisite, but he didn't look at it carefully.
At this moment, Jiaobai brought the amulet closer and checked the bottom border according to Zhang Zhen's instructions. He rubbed it inch by inch with his fingertips and stopped at one place.
There are actually words there.
- Avoid greed, anger and ignorance.
Jiaobai's eyes swept from the first word to the last and he read it out unconsciously.
"Yes, that's the sentence!" Zhang Zhen's heart surged a little. Although he didn't know the whole secret of the Qi family, he accidentally saw a small part of it. When he first came to the Qi family, his third brother often wrote those six words, but later he never wrote them again.
Jiao Bai looked at the Buddha amulet in his hand and was speechless for a moment. He thought that the reason why this Buddha amulet smelled the same as Qi Yiliao was because Qi Yiliao also wore one, and theirs were made by the same master.
Who knew it was the same one.
Jiaobai placed the Buddha amulet on the table and leaned against the bookshelf. The sweetness of the watermelon spread everywhere, and he had no appetite at all.
"What's the meaning of this Buddha amulet?" Jiaobai met Zhang Zhen's hesitant look.
"The amulet was carved for my third brother by his mother," Zhang Zhen said with emotion. "He was wearing it when I first met him. It has been decades since then. I don't know how many times he has changed the string, but the amulet is always there."
The third brother even gave away the relic that his mother made for him. He also added a translucent box on the outside, which should be a location tracker used by politicians.
Zhang Zhen was shocked by this. He never expected that something like this would happen.
It has been a while since Baibai came back from North City. He has secretly observed Baibai's reaction to his third brother.
I’m afraid my brother is really going to become my sister-in-law.
In the delicate atmosphere, Jiaobai asked another question: "Have you met the third brother's mother?"
"There is no real one." Zhang Zhen said.
When Jiaobai saw Zhang Zhen still looking at him, he was speechless and grabbed a book to cover his face.
"Baibai, you must take good care of this Buddha amulet and don't lose it." Zhang Zhen said seriously.
The wild rice stem didn't move.
Zhang Zhen knew that he was uncomfortable, so he didn't say much and let him calm down himself.
After Zhang Zhen left, Jiao Bai was still leaning on the bookshelf. He didn't feel uncomfortable, but he felt that the Buddha amulet was too hot.
Not to mention wearing it, even looking at it requires courage.
Jiaobai suddenly stood up, staring at the amulet. The Qi family was small, with weak yang energy. The house was next to a cemetery, and it was gloomy. The head of the family also believed in ghosts and gods, believed that there were dirty things in the world, and believed in evil spirits possessing people.
Could it be that the Buddha amulet was made famous by some guru and used as a talisman to ward off evil spirits or bad luck
Wearing a Buddha amulet is good for Qi Yilao's body and mind, but when he took it off, he got sick
Jiaobai's face turned black. He was not superstitious before, so why was he thinking about that now
Then I thought, I am a ghost.
Resurrection from the dead.
In the middle of the night, Jiaobai climbed the stairs to the fifth floor. He moved very quietly, like a night owl, and didn't make much noise.
Zhang Zhen, who was on duty, pretended not to notice him and called the other two brothers away.
So when Jiaobai came up, the entire fifth floor was eerily quiet. He cursed while listening to his own heartbeat and breathing. Why did he have the fucking illusion of meeting his lover? Why was he doing it in secret? There was no need for that.
When Jiaobai was within five meters of the bedroom, his account was automatically logged in and the friend's avatar at the top lit up.
The cat frowned and looked at him, not knowing what he was worried about.
Jiaobai ignored him and walked step by step to the bedroom door. He found that the door was not closed and it opened with a gentle push.
The bedroom was not completely dark. The bedside lamp on one side was on, emitting a warm white light, but the range of the halo was not wide, and other places were very dim.
Jiaobai took out a Buddha amulet from his pocket, squeezed it, and walked lightly to the bed, intending to put the amulet next to the pillow.
Just then, the phone rang. It was the alarm clock.
Jiaobai was afraid that he would oversleep, so he specially set a time to come here, but he arrived early and forgot to turn off the alarm.
Now ding ding ding.
Jiaobai hurriedly turned off the alarm clock and was caught off guard by a gaze. He swallowed and turned to meet the gaze.
Qi Yiliao woke up at some point and looked at him: "Are you sleepwalking?"
There was a gleam in Jiaobai's eyes. This was a good idea.
But damn, even if he was sleepwalking, Lan Mo Mansion is so big, why couldn’t he go anywhere? Why did he have to come to the fifth floor
Forget it. This excuse is too lame and it’s easy to end up losing more than you gain.
So Jiaobai waved away the step given by the old pervert, or some kind of bait, and chose to confess: "No, Third Brother, I am sober."
"Awake?" Qi Yiliao's pale lips curled up, "Then you in the middle of the night,"
He took down the phone from behind the bed and opened it to take a look. "What are you doing in my room at 2:45 in the morning?"
Jiaobai said, "Return the things."
Then he held up the amulet and said, "I didn't know you wore it yourself."
"So what?" Qi Yiliao said indifferently.
Jiaobai said, "Your mother's relics."
Qi Yiliao still said the same few words, his tone did not change: "So what?"
Jiaobai pursed her lips and said, "It's too expensive. I can't accept it."
"I didn't say I was giving it to you." Qi Yiliao said.
Jiaobai: “…” No, uncle, can you slow down a bit and consider me, a junior who is one generation younger than you
Qi Yiliao put the phone back behind the bed and said, "The situation is not peaceful. You returned the 'Star' attachment to your friend. It is no longer safe. The Buddha amulet with tracking device is for it. When things are stable..."
Jiaobai continued: "I'll give it back to you?"
Qi Yiliao raised his eyelids and looked at the young man who seemed to be tickled by something and felt uncomfortable all over. He moved his Adam's apple for a while and said, "Hmm."
Such a simple syllable made Jiaobai feel that the amulet was no longer hot and he could hold it.
If he knew that the tracking device on the amulet was not there from the beginning but was only installed recently, he would definitely throw it into Qi Yiliao's arms.
"Third brother, does this amulet have anything to do with your illness? Did you get sick because you took it off?" Jiao Bai said seriously, "I was possessed by an evil spirit before, so I'm afraid of this." "It's okay." Qi Yiliao said, "It's just a fever, not contaminated by anything dirty."
When he said the second half of the sentence, he seemed to smile. It was hard to tell whether it was a mockery or something else.
"What if I lose the amulet?" Jiaobai asked again.
"Are you a three-year-old child?" Qi Yiliao asked back.
Jiaobai was powerless to refute. I am not three years old, but I am a tool for eating dog blood. All unexpected things may happen to me.
"We'll talk about it after we lose it." Qi Yiliao's eyes were half open and half closed, and he looked a little sleepy. But when he saw the young man turn around, he frowned and asked, "Are you leaving?"
Jiaobai was stumped by the question, why am I staying here if I'm not leaving
"Xiaobai," Qi Yiliao's face was sunken in the dim light, and he sighed helplessly, "It's so late, you woke up your uncle, don't you take responsibility?"
"Meow"
The cat called to him softly, but still looked indifferent.
Jiaobai twitched his lips. What’s wrong with the two of them, one big and one small? Do they still need me to coax them to sleep
The bedroom was spacious with some space in it. Several layers of curtains were drawn, and the chandelier and wall lamps were not turned on. Only the bedside lamp on one side was still on.
Jiaobai sat on the carpet next to where Qi Yiliao was sleeping.
He was just trying to find a topic to talk about when a burst of hot air mixed with the smell of medicine came towards him.
Qi Yiliao lifted the quilt and stretched out an arm: "Give it to me."
Jiaobai frowned: "What?"
"Amulet." Qi Yiliao chuckled, "I'll put it on for you."
"No, no, no." Jiaobai refused three times in a row with a firm attitude.
Qi Yiliao did not get angry because of the rejection. He said in a gentle tone: "Then wear it here. I'll watch."
Jiaobai loosened the rope, put it over his head, and fished it out. At that moment, his heart sank.
It was a Buddha amulet that was pasted on with a dangling motion.
Jiaobai looked at the amulet, was silent for a moment, and stuffed it into his collar.
"Third brother, do you have any scriptures or foreign language manuscripts? I'll read a passage to you." Jiaobai glanced at his activity level which had increased by 0.03, and said to the person on the bed with a smile.
"Read it tomorrow." Qi Yiliao said.
Jiaobai couldn't laugh anymore. Then what am I doing here, just sitting there like an idiot
The cold and dull bedroom was filled with a youthful atmosphere, vigorous and intense. Qi Yiliao lay flat for a while, then turned sideways and faced the young man sitting on the carpet in front of his bed: "Where did you go to digest your food after dinner?"
Jiaobai's eyelids twitched when she met his guiding gaze.
This old pervert is really something. He is sick and confused due to fever, but instead of lying down to rest, he is watching the surveillance camera.
Jiaobai looked at the four walls of the bedroom. He seriously doubted which one was multifunctional and could call up all the surveillance images inside this place.
"I went for a walk in the mountains." Jiaobai was honest as he wished, "There were a lot of fireflies. I took a few videos. Do you want to see them?"
Qi Yilao nodded.
Jiao Bai first deleted the rubbish photos and cleaned up the album before clicking on a video and turning the phone towards Qi Yiliao.
The video shows a small group of fireflies, resting on the branches of the bushes and flying through the grass.
The background sounds included the sound of茭白's soles stepping on twigs, weeds and gravel, and the sound of him using a small twig to poke a swarm of fireflies.
"Fireflies have just been introduced and are still new. They have even become a hot topic on the internet." Jiaobai said lazily, resting his chin on the edge of the bed covered with a quilt.
Qi Yiliao put his arms behind his head: "Really?"
"There was a live broadcast," Jiaobai covered his mouth and yawned, sliding his hand across the screen to switch to the next video, "He used a small net bag to catch fireflies, put them in a bottle, and turned them into a lamp. Many netizens said it was beautiful and followed suit."
"Being locked up is a form of strangulation." Qi Yilao closed his eyes and said calmly, "Flying freely is the most beautiful."
Wild rice agreed: "Yeah, that's right."
Noticing Qi Yiliao looking at him, Jiaobai couldn't help but look over.
They looked at each other, and no one spoke.
The light from the mobile phone screen drew the people on and off the bed in, isolating them from this complex and ever-changing world. Their small space was filled with the scent of medicine and agarwood.
The vigorous vitality and the declining vitality are intertwined together.
The light dimmed.
The intertwined lifeline broke, but seemed to be even tighter.
The big white cat's golden eyes became particularly bright and shone brightly.
The activity level increased by several decimal points.
Jiaobai suddenly came to his senses and immediately got up. His legs were numb and he moved so fast and with such a large amplitude that he lost his balance and fell directly onto the bed, almost falling onto Qi Yilao.
If they really fell like this, both of them would be hurt.
The wild rice stem is randomly looking for a support point.
His hand felt warm, and it was the outline of Qi Yiliao's face, most of which was covered by him.
At this moment, Qi Yilao's pursed lips moved slightly.
Like,
He kissed the young man's moist palm.