Chapter 25: Exclusive on Jinjiang 1/2

That day, Song Fuzhi ate the breakfast Shi Zhang left for him and then went back to sleep, waking up around noon. He slept soundly.

In the following days, Professor Shi was busy with experiments and supervising students, often coming home late. Song Fuzhi spent most of his time alone, enjoying a leisurely summer vacation.

Shi was in charge of making breakfast, while Song Fuzhi handled dinner, with each dealing with lunch individually.

Song Fuzhi gradually realized that Professor Shi was quite occupied even during the summer break, with experiments to monitor and students to mentor.

Luoluoluo was at home, immersed in her writing, during this period, making it impossible to meet up.

Most of the time, Song Fuzhi was alone at home, free to do whatever he wanted. He and Professor Shi spent their evenings together, but the conversations were sparse, each immersed in their own activities, resembling high school students studying in the library.

Professor Shi occasionally participated in video conferences, mostly for exchanging ideas with other labs or giving lectures at foreign universities.

Life had a steady rhythm, but Song Fuzhi felt that his holiday life had become somewhat monotonous, as if something was missing.

At first, he didn’t realize the reason. It wasn’t until he opened Weibo, refreshed the page multiple times, and couldn’t find any new works from Octopus Teacher that he realized what was lacking.

In the past, when a favorite artist left the fandom, Song Fuzhi would feel a bit lost for a while. It wasn’t just because he couldn’t see new works but also because of a sense of missed connection.

When someone leaves the fandom, they disappear from the lives of many people in a subtle way.

During these days, Song Fuzhi occasionally returned to his old home, read manga, and flipped through photo albums, feeling recharged.

In the past, his parents urged him to get married because they thought he was lonely and pitiful living alone. However, Song Fuzhi never felt that way; he even enjoyed the solitude.

These days, Song Fuzhi would return to his former home from time to time, looking at manga and browsing through collections, recharging as if he were plugging in.

After getting married, he still went back to his solitary home to recharge. However, living with Professor Shi didn’t consume much energy. They led a very regular life, and Song Fuzhi had transformed from a night owl to a health-conscious individual.

Then one day, Song Fuzhi had a dream.

In the dream, a silver-haired man with shoulder-length hair and sharp features was bathed in harsh white light, obviously in a fit of anger.

This was the character Octopus Teacher cosplayed at the final comic convention. However, dreams were irrational, and the character remained, but the plot changed.

In the dream, Song Fuzhi was the most favored male concubine by a young king, receiving nightly affection and having the freedom to come and go by the king’s side.

But his true identity was that of an undercover agent from an enemy nation, forced to sacrifice his dignity to gain the king’s trust and gather intelligence.

One day, the truth was revealed, and before Song Fuzhi could escape, the enraged king imprisoned him in the underground dungeon.

As Song Fuzhi tried to plead, his lips were sealed by a bite-like kiss.

The other person made him feel as if he were alive and dead, dead and alive.

At the brink of life and death, he finally gasped for breath, and the words of plea that came out weren’t the character’s name but a desperate, “Zhang…”

Song Fuzhi abruptly opened his eyes. Sunlight bathed the room, and everything was quiet.

He was alone in bed; Professor Shi had already left, and the house was silent.

Song Fuzhi lay on the bed without moving, his breathing still fast.

The sunlight was intense, squeezing through the gaps in the curtains and casting a golden hue on half of the bed.

Although the dream character was from the two-dimensional world, Song Fuzhi was sure it was a version of Octopus Teacher, probably because the dream felt too real, placing him in a mixed state of the second and third dimensions.

To be honest, Song Fuzhi hadn’t had such dreams for a long time.

Suddenly, dreaming about it made the old man feel a bit embarrassed.

But I am also quite satisfied.

Perhaps it was because Octopus Teacher had withdrawn from the online community, so he chose another way to show updates to Song Fuzhi.

A more reasonable explanation, however, might be that he had been holding back for too long.

Normally, the two of them slept properly without anyone bringing up this matter or finding the right opportunity; naturally, no one would take the first step.

Song Fuzhi paced around the room, then went back to his own place.

Opening the wardrobe door, Song Fuzhi reviewed the treasures in depth. He had already picked out a few, hesitated for a while, but ultimately didn’t take them.

The risk of bringing them home was a bit too high.

But mental sustenance couldn’t be lacking, so Song Fuzhi sat by the desk for a while, opening drawers and choosing.

In the end, he selected several photo books of cosplayers—

Not just anyone; all of them were Octopus teachers.

There was no choice. He couldn’t bring all the collections home now, so he could only bring the best ones.

On the way, Song Fuzhi felt like laughing. What he did was like moving a hamster, and he had to do it secretly, not in the open.

He was already an adult, yet he acted like he did when he was a child, secretly avoiding his parents, like when reading manga back then.

There were two desks in the study, one for each person, both equipped with locks, but neither of them used them.

Song Fuzhi placed the photo books in the bottom drawer, pressing down with some five-year high school exam simulations on top, feeling secure.

After much consideration, he decided to add a lock to the drawer.

Although he believed that Professor Shi wouldn’t go through his things, just in case there were guests at home in the future or a child accidentally opened the drawer,

Moreover, Shi Zhang had always been understanding of boundaries and distance, allowing them to have secrets between them. He should understand the existence of the lock.

After settling the photo books, Song Fuzhi randomly picked one lucky photo book and walked to the bedroom. His steps were a bit hurried.

For so many days, Professor Shi had never come home, so he was free at home alone.

The feeling in the new home was different. The bed was expensive and spacious. Thinking that another man had lain on this bed a few hours ago, his faint scent still lingered.

An hour later, the bedroom returned to its original state, and the air was fresh as usual.

Shortly after, Shi Zhang called. Song Fuzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; luckily, he had finished.

This feeling, as if he had done something wrong—what was it?

Professor Shi said on the phone that he would come back for dinner.