Chapter 28: 抱着睡,好不好? 

Can I hug you while sleeping?

Lin Ran somewhat did not understand, why did he say that he learned all that nonsense from the TV?

He let Song Zhi Xu pinch his cheek and didn’t struggle. He blinked his eyes as he looked at Song Zhi Xu in confusion.

Song Zhi Xu looked at him for a moment, but still let go of him and walked upstairs in quick steps.

By the time Lin Ran caught up with him, Song Zhi Xu had already closed the door to his study room. Lin Ran twisted the door handle from outside, but the door didn’t open, so he could only pout his mouth and wait for him outside.

He didn’t go downstairs, but stood directly in the entrance, facing the door.

He did not want to disturb Song Zhi Xu but Song Zhi Xu could hardly come back during the daytime,so Lin Ran was afraid that when he didn’t see him, Song Zhi Xu would leave again.

During the daytime when Song Zhi Xu was not at home, Lin Ran was bored so he would take a nap at noon after eating. He had developed some napping habits. He hadn’t stood for long yet he started to get sleepy. He yawned even when he was standing.

Until Song Zhi Xu had briefly dealt with the company’s business in his study room and called his secretary to tell him that he would not be going to the office in the afternoon, he then came out of his study and saw Lin Ran standing in the doorway, already about to fall asleep.

The moment Song Zhi Xu went out, Lin Ran just in time, nodded his head sleepily with his eyes closed. Probably, because he was startled by the sound of the door being open, he couldn’t stand up steadily for a moment and leaned over forward into Song Zhi Xu’s embrace as he was caught by him.

Lin Ran opened his eyes, his eyes still drowsy as he called out, “Song Zhi Xu.”

Song Zhi Xu answered, looked at him for a moment before he asked again, 

“Why are you standing here when you’re sleepy and not going back to your room to sleep?”

Lin Ran shook his head and leaned reassuringly into Song Zhi Xu’s embrace.

　

“Ran Ran is not sleepy. Ran Ran is afraid that Song Zhi Xu will leave.” As he said this, he couldn’t help but yawn. His words were not convincing at all. 

In the end, Song Zhi Xu could only pick him up and carry him back to his room.

These days, Lin Ran often sleeps in the same room with Song Zhi Xu, both of them sleeping on the same bed with each of them with their own quilt. 

Lin Ran had an indescribable feeling of dependence toward Song Zhi Xu and as long as Song Zhi Xu was home, he wanted to be by his side all the time. Ever since Song Zhi Xu indescribably did not want him to go back to his own room and talk to that photo, therefore he agreed.

Lin Ran was not even in that photo at all, and the so-called ‘Papa and Mama’ on it were just leaving him alone outside and not caring about him at all. 

Song Zhi Xu did not know much about the Lin family, but from the fact that the outside world did not know that there was a little young master in the Lin family (beside Lin Mu) for so many years, from that alone, it was clear that the family did not accept Lin Ran.

He put Lin Ran on the bed but Lin Ran hugged Song Zhi Xu’s neck and wouldn’t let him go, his head rubbing inside Song Zhi Xu’s embrace, his voice soft with some sleepiness in it as if he was acting coquettishly. 

“Ran Ran wants to sleep with Song Zhi Xu. Can I hug you while sleeping?”

Song Zhi Xu hesitated for a moment before he followed him to lie down, but still did not agree to hug Lin Ran while sleeping. 

He pushed the person away from him, then pulled the quilt and wrapped him up like a chrysalis on one side of the bed to save Lin Ran from rubbing himself into his arms again later on.

Then Song Zhi Xu closed the curtain and lay on the other side of the bed, his voice was slightly cool as he said, “Sleep.”

Lin Ran moved around, looked at Song Zhi Xu and finally obediently closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Song Zhi Xu was not used to sleeping at this hour, but lying with Lin Ran, he inexplicably also felt a bit sleepy and it didn’t take long for him to drift off to deep sleep.

The two of them fell asleep, but in the end they were woken up by the ringing sound of Song Zhi Xu’s phone. 

Song Zhi Xu frowned as he opened his eyes. He searched his phone on the bedside table and saw Mu Qingting’s name moving up and down on the screen. 

Song Zhi Xu saw that Lin Ran had also woken up, so he just picked up the phone directly and put it in his ear.

Soon, Mu Qingting’s voice came from the other side, asking if he had time and asking him to go out and play ball.

After thinking about it, Song Zhi Xu thought that since he had nothing to do at home, moreover not to mention that he hadn’t taken Lin Ran out these days, so  he simply agreed to it. 

After hanging up the phone, Song Zhi Xu looked at Lin Ran who was next to him.

“Ran Ran, do you want to go out and play ball?”

Lin Ran didn’t quite understand what ‘play ball’ meant, but he naturally wouldn’t refuse if he could be together with Song Zhi Xu.

The two of them got up. Song Zhi Xu went into the bathroom to take a shower, after he finished, blow-drying his hair, letting the thin bangs on his forehead fall down casually, then changing into a sports outfit.

He stood with Lin Ran who also had changed his clothes and deliberately looked in the mirror a few more times.

In fact, he still looked quite young like this. He didn’t look that much older when he stood beside Lin Ran, even though he and Lin Ran were six years apart.

“Ran Ran, do you still not know how old I am?” Song Zhi Xu suddenly spoke.

Lin Ran was a little confused as to why he suddenly asked this, but after thinking about it he still nodded seriously, he indeed didn’t know how old Song Zhi Xu was.

“Then… Song Zhi Xu, how old are you?” Lin Ran asked.

Song Zhi Xu said lightly, “We are about the same age.”

He left the mirror after he had said that and went to get his car keys as he prepared to go out.

Lin Ran knew that he was twenty years old. Song Zhi Xu said he was about the same age as him, so he was probably twenty years old too?

Lin Ran just thought about it for a moment, left as he followed behind Song Zhi Xu. He just asked casually, it didn’t even matter in the first place.

Song Zhi Xu drove the car, bringing Ran all the way to the gym where he and Mu Qingting often went.

Since it was not free here, there weren’t many people there. On top of that, it was a studio. When Song Zhi Xu arrived, there was only Mu Qingting alone on the basketball court, running and jumping to shoot the basketball.

When he saw them enter, Mu Qingting held the ball and walked towards them, slightly panting as he said, 

“It’s so rare, ah! This time it’s so easy to invite you. You are not working?”

Song Zhi Xu nodded slightly and glanced at Lin Ran next to him, who seemed to be a little uneasy in the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Something came up today, so I didn’t go to the office.”

“No wonder.” Mu Qingting picked up the mineral water and took a sip, moistening his throat before he said, “Knowing that you must have brought little Ran Ran over, so just now, I went out to buy him some snacks. Let him eat while we play ball. I’m sure I’ll be able to win from you today.”

When Lin Ran heard his name being called, he looked sideways and saw Mu Qingting carrying a large bag of snacks and handing it over to him, his eyes lit up, but he still subconsciously looked at Song Zhi Xu. He didn’t dare to take it.

Song Zhi Xu nodded slightly: “Go ahead and eat, but don’t eat too much.”

Lin Ran agreed, took it and found a place to sit and eat.

Song Zhi Xu and Mu Qingting walked towards the basketball field. 

Mu Qingting was on the school’s basketball team before, so he was naturally a good player, but he had never won against Song Zhi Xu. If it wasn’t for the fact that Song Zhi Xu thought it was troublesome and couldn’t be bothered to join the basketball team, where would there be such a story that Mu Qingting playing basketball to attract young girls?

They played for a long time, until their entire body was covered in sweat, then they stopped and sat on the ground, panting heavily. 

While taking a break, Mu Qingting laid on his back on the floor as he patted Song Zhi Xu and said, 

“This time, I let you win, next time I’ll beat you for sure.”

Song Zhi Xu drank his water and smiled, not answering, every time Mu Qingting would say that, but it never came true.

“Tell me, why did Dr. Mu, who is so busy, come here to play basketball on a weekday, what happened?”

The two of them had known each other for many years, Song Zhi Xu still understood Mu Qingting very well.

As expected, Mu Qingting showed a distressed and tormented expression, only after a while did he whisper, “I recently… it seems like I’m being pestered by someone,”