The Little Succubus's Hypnosis Manual - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Failure
“Gege, can you give me a kiss?”
“What did you say?” Zhou Qiyue’s pupils dilated slightly. He almost stumbled back in a panic, but the arms around his neck held tight.
As he stepped back, Xie Nanxing stood up on the bed and stuck to him like a stubborn leech, refusing to let go.
“Gege…”
Only then did Zhou Qiyue realize that he was being held by Xie Nanxing’s hands. He hastily pulled away and put some distance between them.
He was beginning to regret soothing Xie Nanxing that morning—it felt like he’d spoiled him too much.
But when he looked into Xie Nanxing’s eyes—so pure and clear it was almost unreal—his guilt flared up, and he turned away, not daring to meet them. “Go to bed, be good.”
“Don’t go!” Xie Nanxing jumped off the bed barefoot and ran across the cold floor, throwing his arms around Zhou Qiyue’s waist.
The sudden hug caught Zhou Qiyue off guard and made him stumble a bit. Hearing the slap of bare feet on the floor, he instinctively wanted to scold him again.
He’d said so many times not to run around barefoot at home.
But before he could say anything, a familiar voice echoed in his mind:
“You will forget everything from the past two days about Xie Nanxing. You will treat him gently, just like always.”
Zhou Qiyue shook his head, trying to get rid of that ethereal voice. As he grasped Xie Nanxing’s hand and tried to pull him off, their hands brushed against the ring Zhou Qiyue was wearing.
That ring… it had arrived at the house a while ago, and Zhou Qiyue had kept it.
Aunt Wu had once said that humans usually only exchanged rings when they were engaged or in a relationship. Did that mean Zhou Qiyue was already seeing someone?
The failure of the hypnosis and the sight of the ring on Zhou Qiyue’s finger sent a wave of unease crashing over Xie Nanxing.
The thermometer reading had stayed stuck at 40 for a while—and now it had even dropped by two bars.
He’d already given Zhou Qiyue the gem. He could only pursue Zhou Qiyue now. If Zhou Qiyue ended up with someone else, what would happen to him?
Frantic, he tried to hypnotize him again—but Zhou Qiyue still didn’t react, just stood there frozen like a machine running on overload.
Xie Nanxing bit his lip hard. Was there really nothing he could do?
It felt like he was clinging to a crumbling branch over a cliff. The gap between the branch and the ledge widened by the second. All he could do was wait helplessly for the fall.
In the chaos, he grabbed Zhou Qiyue’s hand like it was his last hope.
“Gege, can you kiss me?” Xie Nanxing was so anxious he nearly burst into tears. He stared into Zhou Qiyue’s blank eyes, trying to test whether the hypnosis had any effect left.
Zhou Qiyue’s hand slowly lifted and pressed gently against the back of Xie Nanxing’s neck, guiding him forward.
Their breaths mingled. Xie Nanxing had only said those words in a panic, not expecting anything to come of it. But now it looked like it might actually happen.
Dream and reality blurred together. Xie Nanxing closed his eyes, nervously anticipating the kiss he’d only experienced in dreams.
But the expected kiss never came.
He cracked one eye open and looked at Zhou Qiyue—just in time to see him raise his other hand and flick his forehead.
“Ah—!” Xie Nanxing clutched his forehead. It didn’t really hurt, but he hadn’t expected to be hit.
Zhou Qiyue looked at him with exasperation. “Do you think kissing is something you can just do with anyone? People kiss when they’re in a relationship. What are you and I?”
Xie Nanxing tilted his head and echoed the words, “In a relationship?”
Zhou Qiyue clutched his chest. His poor, innocent little companion had been completely corrupted. “Are you a girl? Am I a girl? How could we be in a relationship like that?”
“Then… a boy-boy relationship?” Xie Nanxing asked curiously. In his world, gender didn’t matter—if you liked someone, that was enough.
Zhou Qiyue nearly spat out bl00d. “Who taught you these things?!”
Xie Nanxing covered his mouth quickly, but Zhou Qiyue kept pressing. He couldn’t reveal his true identity, so he said, “The TV.”
“No more TV for you!” Zhou Qiyue said angrily, temporarily forgetting everything else.
“No—” Xie Nanxing tried to plead. He really liked watching TV. If he could, he wanted to take a television home with him.
But Zhou Qiyue gave him a sharp glare, and Xie Nanxing immediately lowered his head, quietly fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.
“I’m not saying no more TV ever. But from now on, you’re only allowed to watch children’s shows. One hour a day—no, thirty minutes.”
Xie Nanxing nodded obediently and slowly inched closer to Zhou Qiyue. Then he asked the one question he’d been dreading most: “Gege… do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”
Zhou Qiyue sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Boyfriend or girlfriend—what even is that?” He walked around Xie Nanxing, picked up the slippers from the floor, and squatted down.
“The floor’s cold. Don’t go around barefoot.”
His broad palm gently grasped Xie Nanxing’s calf. The weather had warmed, and Xie Nanxing was wearing short pajamas.
Zhou Qiyue lifted his leg and slid the slippers onto his feet.
After finishing, Zhou Qiyue stood up and said gently, “I’m really busy with work right now. Don’t worry—I’m not bringing anyone else home.”
It took a moment for Xie Nanxing to understand. That meant there was no one else—for now, at least.
Zhou Qiyue turned to go. “I’m sleeping in the guest room tonight. You should rest too.”
“No,” Xie Nanxing said instantly. “Gege… sleep with me… I’m scared.”
Zhou Qiyue didn’t dare sleep with Xie Nanxing again—he was afraid something might happen.
“Gege.” Seeing that Zhou Qiyue wasn’t pushing him away, Xie Nanxing mustered the courage to grab his sleeve and shake it slightly.
Zhou Qiyue still didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either.
Xie Nanxing stepped a bit closer and wrapped his hands around Zhou Qiyue’s hand, gently shaking it again.
“Gege, please.”
His voice was soft and clear, the kind of youthful, innocent tone that ended in a coquettish lilt. Anyone with a weaker will would’ve agreed on the spot.
But Zhou Qiyue was the type to remain calm even with a beauty in his arms. Or at least he had been.
Now, all his usual resolve felt as thin as tissue paper. With Xie Nanxing, it didn’t even need to be torn—it would fall apart with a single breath.
“Enough,” Zhou Qiyue said, feeling like his whole body was burning. Especially his face. The heat crawled down his neck and hid behind his ears, invisible but intense.
“Stop acting cute. It doesn’t work.” He wasn’t sure if he was warning Xie Nanxing or himself. Flustered, he rushed out of the bedroom and fled to the guest room.
Left alone, Xie Nanxing held the hand that had just touched Zhou Qiyue. He could still feel the lingering warmth.
At least Zhou Qiyue wasn’t that mad anymore.
He tried to comfort himself.
Sure enough, the next morning Zhou Qiyue sat down at the dining table without fuss. Xie Nanxing practically glued his eyes to him the entire time.
Aunt Wu saw them and thought Finally, they’re making up. She covered her mouth and went back into the kitchen, leaving them alone.
Xie Nanxing walked Zhou Qiyue to the door. “Gege, come home early!”
“Okay,” Zhou Qiyue replied.
Xie Nanxing’s smile stretched all the way to his ears.
This tactic always worked with Zhou Qiyue. He figured if he kept acting cute in the evening, everything would go back to normal.
Humming a song he’d learned from a drama, he happily followed Aunt Wu to help out.
That night, the moment Zhou Qiyue returned, Xie Nanxing clung to him again. During dinner, he picked out food and placed it in Zhou Qiyue’s bowl. “Gege, try this! I made it!”
Zhou Qiyue had been planning to sit down and sternly talk to Xie Nanxing—to correct his thinking.
But how could he stay stern when the kid was making him dinner and serving him with a bright smile?
“Mm, it’s good.” Zhou Qiyue chewed the stir-fried meat. A few weeks ago, Xie Nanxing had been afraid to even crack an egg. Now he could cook a decent dish.
Maybe he should’ve installed the house camera in the kitchen instead.
“TV—I only watched… one hour.” After dinner, Xie Nanxing ran up to him asking for praise. Zhou Qiyue huffed and gently pushed him away from his computer screen.
“Gege, can you sleep with me now?”
Zhou Qiyue nearly spat out his water. But he figured Xie Nanxing probably didn’t understand the full implications—he just wanted someone to sleep next to.
“No.” He forced the water down and said firmly.
If only his hypnosis lasted longer than 30 minutes, Xie Nanxing thought. Then he could command Zhou Qiyue to sleep cuddling him every night.
But since he couldn’t, he had to bargain for something else.
He leaned in, locking eyes with Zhou Qiyue, and spoke slowly: “From now on, Gege will always want to touch my body.”
The moment he said it, Zhou Qiyue—who’d just been trying to push him away—pulled him into his arms instead. But he didn’t do anything inappropriate. He just held him close and buried his face in Xie Nanxing’s shoulder.
“So fragrant,” Zhou Qiyue murmured.
In his eyes, Xie Nanxing now resembled a soft, white ragdoll cat—docile and gentle, perfect to cuddle.
His hand moved to gently rub the “cat’s” ears, and when he felt the boy tremble slightly, Zhou Qiyue immediately softened his touch.
His other hand slipped under Xie Nanxing’s clothes, rubbing his soft, warm belly.
“So squishy.” Zhou Qiyue couldn’t help commenting as he touched it, making Xie Nanxing squirm with embarrassment. His whole body felt like it was on fire.
“Gege~” Xie Nanxing melted like water in his arms.