The Little Succubus's Hypnosis Manual - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Shyness
“I didn’t mean to… take advantage of you…”

Zhou Qiyue panicked and hurriedly helped Xie Nanxing up, placing him on the chair. “I’m sorry, I…”

He patted his head in frustration, not understanding what had come over him. He had clearly been the one to ask Xie Nanxing to sit on his lap, yet now he couldn’t even recall why.

Xie Nanxing sat quietly, watching the tension in Zhou Qiyue’s muscles caused by panic.

He bit his lip. It seemed that overly intimate contact still wasn’t okay. But things like this would need to progress slowly.

“Read this part on your own first.” Zhou Qiyue fled the study in a fluster and poured himself a glass of ice water from the fridge, gulping several sips.

Back in the study, Xie Nanxing stared blankly at the door Zhou Qiyue had exited, nervously tugging at the hem of his shirt. Would Zhou Qiyue hate him now because of that?

As soon as Zhou Qiyue returned, Xie Nanxing looked up at him with expectant eyes, but Zhou Qiyue quickly averted his gaze upon meeting his eyes.

This made Xie Nanxing panic even more. He jumped up from the chair and ran to Zhou Qiyue, standing before him. “Gege, I…”

“I’m sorry.”
Zhou Qiyue apologized before Xie Nanxing could even say anything.

“I don’t know what got into me just now… I didn’t mean to… take advantage of you. If I ever make any unreasonable requests like that again, you have to refuse me. Don’t just agree to everything.”

His tone was serious, eyes filled with regret.

Xie Nanxing bit his lip. Was that really taking advantage? But he had been the one to hypnotize Zhou Qiyue in the first place.

“I… I like… cuddles,” Xie Nanxing said, gripping the hem of Zhou Qiyue’s shirt and looking up at him.

His clear eyes, like black gemstones, stared straight into Zhou Qiyue’s, making Zhou Qiyue feel even more uneasy—like he had tainted something pure.

“That’s not right. We’re both grown men. Only people in love should be that close,” Zhou Qiyue explained again, gently but firmly.

But Xie Nanxing didn’t understand the nuances of emotions. He just blinked his big eyes and delivered the final blow: “I like Gege.”

“Not… not that kind of like,” Zhou Qiyue rubbed his throbbing temples. “Forget it. Let’s just teach you how to speak properly first before talking about things like that.”

So Xie Nanxing was once again sat down beside the chair and made to practice phonics and pronunciations.

That night, Xie Nanxing took out the new pajamas from the wardrobe. Auntie had already washed the clothes, and they smelled faintly of laundry detergent.

Another set of pajamas had also been placed in the closet. Holding the blue set, he knocked on Zhou Qiyue’s room door. Zhou Qiyue had just finished his shower and was only wearing a towel.

Seeing Xie Nanxing, he instinctively pulled his towel tighter, afraid it might slip off.

“You should sleep in your own room,” Zhou Qiyue told him. But every time this topic came up, Xie Nanxing would start whining and acting cute.

“Afraid of the dark QAQ…”

“Then sleep with the lights on.”

“Alone… scared…”

“…Fine.” Zhou Qiyue gave in once more.

Xie Nanxing changed into the pajamas he had bought earlier that day. The soft, delicate color made his face look even fairer.

He waved the blue pajama set in front of Zhou Qiyue. “Gege wear.”

“I already said I’m not wearing that,” Zhou Qiyue said, a dark vein appearing on his forehead.

But Xie Nanxing was unusually persistent, holding the pajamas up like he wouldn’t budge unless Zhou Qiyue wore them.

“Agh…” Zhou Qiyue grabbed the clothes. “Fine, fine. You go make the bed and sleep soon.”

He retreated into the bathroom to change, while Xie Nanxing, hugging his pillow, snuck into Zhou Qiyue’s bed.

When Zhou Qiyue came out, he saw a suspicious bulge in the flat bed.

Xie Nanxing had laid down completely flat, trying his best to minimize his presence. But he suddenly felt pressure on him and the world spinning—Zhou Qiyue had rolled him up like a spring pancake and tossed him off the bed with the blanket.

Xie Nanxing rolled twice on the floor before managing to unwrap himself from the blanket.

“Ugh, Gege!” he puffed out his cheeks angrily, but Zhou Qiyue just calmly took out another quilt, turned off the lights, and lay down to sleep.

Xie Nanxing attempted to climb back up onto the bed, but as soon as one knee touched it, Zhou Qiyue coldly threatened, “Do I carry you back to your room, or are you getting off yourself?”

Xie Nanxing, of course, chose the latter and quietly pulled his knee back, retreating to his floor bed.

Although he had gathered enough spiritual energy to last half a month, it was still far from enough to properly hypnotize Zhou Qiyue.

He sighed and finally drifted off to sleep after tossing and turning.

Hearing his light snores, Zhou Qiyue finally relaxed and fell asleep himself.

They had gone to bed a bit late the night before, so Xie Nanxing was reluctant to wake up the next morning, curling up in his blanket for more sleep.

It was the weekend, and Zhou Qiyue didn’t have anything urgent, so he let him be.

But as soon as Zhou Qiyue started brushing his teeth, the boy on the floor suddenly sat up, rushed to wash his face, and ran off toward the kitchen with Auntie Wu.

Zhou Qiyue watched, puzzled by Xie Nanxing’s energy.

In the kitchen, Auntie Wu didn’t let him just assist this time. Instead, she handed over full control and stood nearby to give verbal instructions.

Breakfast was something simple. Xie Nanxing held an egg, preparing to fry it. The oil in the pan was already hot.

“Tap the egg on the edge of the table and make a small crack,” Auntie Wu said.

Xie Nanxing followed her instructions, but the egg wouldn’t crack.

“Use more force. Don’t be afraid.”

“Oh.” He increased the strength. The egg didn’t just crack—it completely splattered to the floor.

Zhou Qiyue covered his mouth to hold in a laugh. Auntie Wu simply handed him another egg. “It’s okay. Let’s try again.”

This time, he succeeded.

“Use both thumbs to pry the crack open.”

“Mhm.” As soon as the egg hit the hot oil, it sizzled and splattered, burning Xie Nanxing’s hand. He jumped back in fright and accidentally dropped the eggshell into the pan.

Zhou Qiyue rushed in, grabbed Xie Nanxing’s hand, and asked anxiously, “Are you okay?”

Auntie Wu took over with the spatula, fished out the shell, and flipped the egg. In that short time, the edges had already turned crispy and black.

Zhou Qiyue held Xie Nanxing’s arm under the running tap, cooling the burn.

The oil hadn’t splattered too much, and after a while, the red spots faded.

“Gege, it doesn’t… hurt,” Xie Nanxing said cheerfully, not at all bothered. He even noticed the thermometer above Zhou Qiyue’s head rising slightly. Although it hadn’t gone up a full bar, he was already satisfied.

Zhou Qiyue didn’t listen. He carefully checked Xie Nanxing’s fingers to ensure there were no serious burns. Luckily, it was just a few red dots.

“The kitchen’s too dangerous. You should stay out of there,” he said, pulling Xie Nanxing out.

Normally, Xie Nanxing would listen without question. But this time, he desperately wanted to do something for Zhou Qiyue. If he couldn’t even manage this small thing, wouldn’t Zhou Qiyue eventually kick him out?

He grasped Zhou Qiyue’s hand and gently pulled it away. “Gege, no.”

Auntie Wu soon brought breakfast out of the kitchen. Seeing the two locked in a standoff, she chuckled. “Mr. Zhou, the little young master just wants to cook for you. Let’s eat first before it gets cold.”

“…”
Xie Nanxing looked up at Zhou Qiyue with wide eyes, unmoving.

“…Fine,” Zhou Qiyue finally relented, sitting down. Xie Nanxing immediately scooted close to his side.

After breakfast, they lazed around in the bedroom, soaking up the sunlight. But every time Auntie Wu did something, Xie Nanxing would get up and rush to help.

Zhou Qiyue watched as Xie Nanxing wiped every table surface. He didn’t know how to use the smart vacuum, so he followed behind it with a rag, wiping whatever it missed.

Auntie Wu chuckled behind him. “This robot turns around on its own and cleans everything eventually. You don’t need to follow it.”

But Xie Nanxing remained skeptical. He refused to put the rag down. The progress bar that hadn’t moved at all in the morning had now begun to rise—he couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

He stared hard at the robot and finally found a flaw. He pointed at a dusty corner, wiped it, and sure enough—there was dirt.

Auntie Wu was torn between amusement and exasperation. Even Zhou Qiyue, sitting on the sofa, couldn’t help but laugh.

“I have to go out for a while this afternoon. Stay home and behave,” Zhou Qiyue said.

Xie Nanxing pouted. Zhou Qiyue was finally off for the weekend and still had to work.

“When I get back, I’ll check your homework. If it’s not done, you can’t sleep in my room tonight.”

“Ugh… then what’s the reward?” Xie Nanxing blinked up at him. If there’s punishment, there should be a reward too!

“If you finish, I’ll bring you a small cake tomorrow.” Zhou Qiyue smiled. Needing a reward to do homework—he really was just like a kid.

A small cake was sweet, sure, but spirit energy was his real nourishment. Looking at Zhou Qiyue, Xie Nanxing could only look but not touch.

He smacked his lips and nodded. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just hypnotize him… and get a little touch.