The Little Succubus's Hypnosis Manual - Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Climbing Into Bed
“Why are you on my bed?”
Zhou Qiyue’s room was huge—more than enough space for a makeshift bed on the floor. Xie Nanxing hugged his pillow and blanket, spreading a single bedsheet over the floor, about to lie down.
“You’re just going to sleep like that?” Zhou Qiyue came back from washing up and saw that Xie Nanxing was about to lie directly on the single sheet on the floor.
It was March—cold spring weather still lingered. A spring rain mixed with snow had just sent the warming temperatures back to freezing. Even though the room had heating, the floor was still cold. If Xie Nanxing lay on it all night, his cold would definitely get worse.
But Xie Nanxing didn’t feel uncomfortable at all—he was already curled up on his pillow, about to sleep.
“Get up,” Zhou Qiyue said, feeling a headache coming on again.
Xie Nanxing climbed up from the floor, looking at Zhou Qiyue with hopeful eyes—was this a sudden burst of conscience? Was Zhou Qiyue going to let him sleep on the bed?
The floor really was too hard. It was terribly uncomfortable.
Zhou Qiyue opened his wardrobe, pulled out another blanket, and tossed it in front of Xie Nanxing. “Put this down underneath.”
“Oh…” Xie Nanxing drooped as he opened the blanket. Kneeling on the floor, he slowly began spreading it out, moving so slowly he seemed to be playing in slow motion. Zhou Qiyue had already finished blow-drying his hair, but Xie Nanxing still hadn’t finished laying the blanket.
As he spread it out, Xie Nanxing kept stealing glances at Zhou Qiyue, hoping he’d take pity and let him up on the bed.
But it was as if he were performing for a blind man—Zhou Qiyue didn’t even spare him a glance.
Frustrated, Xie Nanxing finally finished and settled down on the floor.
His face said everything. Zhou Qiyue couldn’t pretend he didn’t see it. But seeing him give up and obediently lie on the floor actually made a smile tug at Zhou Qiyue’s lips as he walked over to the bed and lay down.
The room lights slowly dimmed, leaving only the warm glow of the bedside lamp.
Xie Nanxing stared at that warm patch of light, his gaze drifting toward the bed—but he could only see the high edge of it, not even a shadow of Zhou Qiyue.
Hearing the other man’s breathing, he burrowed deeper under his covers. For as long as he could remember, he’d always slept alone—he had never experienced something like this, where someone else’s breathing was beside him.
Thinking about climbing into bed made his breathing even more nervous.
The person on the bed seemed to hear his fidgeting and grumbled, “Go to sleep.”
“Oh.” As he answered, Xie Nanxing realized his throat was so tight he could barely make a sound.
He didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid even a shift would wake Zhou Qiyue.
Only when that breathing became long and even did Xie Nanxing feel sure he was asleep. But just to be safe, he waited even longer.
Still no movement. Even a light snore had started.
Xie Nanxing tiptoed up, placing his feet softly on the thick blanket, making no noise.
He slowly climbed onto the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight. He froze, nervously glancing at Zhou Qiyue. No response.
Kneeling on the mattress, he inched forward and carefully lifted the edge of the blanket.
He propped himself up and, using the gentlest motion, slipped under the covers—still keeping a good distance from Zhou Qiyue.
His movements were cautious as he slowly moved his feet and hips closer, gently scooting his upper body forward.
Suddenly, his toes brushed against warm skin. It startled him so much he yanked them back like he’d been burned, his breath catching in his throat. He strained his neck to observe Zhou Qiyue.
No signs of waking.
Finally, he dared to turn on his side.
He was so close—just a breath away. But he didn’t dare fully press himself against him, afraid Zhou Qiyue would throw him off the bed.
He carefully nudged his foot to lightly touch Zhou Qiyue’s leg, only daring the faintest contact.
When Zhou Qiyue still didn’t stir, Xie Nanxing grew a little bolder and reached out his hand, hooking just one of Zhou Qiyue’s fingers.
As soon as their fingers touched, Zhou Qiyue moved. His big hand wrapped around Xie Nanxing’s.
Xie Nanxing tried to pull away—but it was held firmly.
Had Zhou Qiyue woken up?
Panicked, he looked over. The next second, Zhou Qiyue rolled over—Xie Nanxing’s legs were caught between his, and an arm slid under his own, landing on his waist.
The arm suddenly tightened—Xie Nanxing was pulled straight into his chest, his face pressed into Zhou Qiyue’s shoulder, warm breath brushing against skin.
“I…” Xie Nanxing stammered, trying to explain himself.
But Zhou Qiyue only hugged him tighter. “Don’t fuss, Xiao Bai.”
Xie Nanxing froze.
He didn’t know who Xiao Bai was, but it was probably just something Zhou Qiyue was muttering in his sleep. He wasn’t actually awake.
He buried his face in Zhou Qiyue’s shoulder, inhaling the surge of vibrant life force, and slowly fell asleep.
But Zhou Qiyue—who should’ve been asleep—opened his eyes.
In the dim light from the bedside lamp, he looked down at the person in his arms.
He’d been awake the moment Xie Nanxing climbed into bed. He just pretended to sleep, wanting to see what the little guy was up to.
He hadn’t expected that after all that sneaking around, Xie Nanxing would only tuck his cold feet against him, hook a single finger, and even keep a distance.
Thinking back to how Xie Nanxing had cried so hard earlier, probably really too scared to sleep alone, he finally just pulled him into his arms.
His body was icy cold—Zhou Qiyue could only hold him tighter, trying to share some warmth.
The automatic curtains slowly opened in the morning, sunlight streaming softly through sheer fabric into the room. Xie Nanxing murmured, burrowing deeper into the warm chest, wanting to go back to sleep.
But he felt a pair of eyes staring at him.
Xie Nanxing remembered he was in the human world. Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Zhou Qiyue’s partly undone shirt—revealing a firm, toned chest.
His own arms were wrapped around Zhou Qiyue’s waist, and he could clearly feel the muscles under his palm.
He let out a sheepish laugh and looked up, meeting Zhou Qiyue’s very dangerous gaze. Panicking, he tried to roll back to his floor bed—but his leg was still trapped between Zhou Qiyue’s.
He couldn’t move.
“Why are you on my bed?” Zhou Qiyue narrowed his eyes as he slowly buttoned up his disheveled shirt.
Xie Nanxing’s lips opened and closed. For a long moment, not a word came out. Finally, he just played dumb. “Dun… no.”
Zhou Qiyue laughed in exasperation. “Then tonight you sleep in your own room.”
“No.” Xie Nanxing clutched his hand, only to be easily shaken off.
He followed Zhou Qiyue all the way to the bathroom, watching him squeeze toothpaste onto his toothbrush without even a glance his way.
Xie Nanxing grew anxious. Being sent to the guest room was a small problem—but making Zhou Qiyue angry? That was a disaster.
“Angry?” he pointed at Zhou Qiyue.
Zhou Qiyue didn’t answer.
Xie Nanxing was like an ant on a hot pan, so flustered he nearly blurted out his real identity just to calm him down.
He bit his lip—so hard the soft pink turned bright red and swollen.
Zhou Qiyue frowned and pressed a thumb to Xie Nanxing’s lower lip. “Don’t bite.”
Only then did Xie Nanxing let go.
Zhou Qiyue took out a new toothbrush, squeezed a pea-sized blob of toothpaste, and handed it to him.
Xie Nanxing mimicked his motions and brushed his teeth.
The bathroom was only built for one. With two people, it felt crowded, their arms brushing as they stood shoulder to shoulder.
Zhou Qiyue looked at the mirror—Xie Nanxing had foam spilling out of his mouth, white bubbles clinging to soft red lips. It made Zhou Qiyue recall how they had felt earlier…
Soft, a little warm.
He flexed his hand absently, rinsed with water to wash away the taste in his mouth.
Was Xie Nanxing made of water or something? His hands were soft, his body was soft, even his lips were soft…
He splashed cold water on his face to wash away the increasingly inappropriate thoughts.
“This one’s warm.” Zhou Qiyue turned the tap to the left, indicating that Xie Nanxing could wash his face here.
When they came out, the housekeeper had just arrived.
Zhou Qiyue normally would’ve gone to the gym by now, and then grabbed an iced Americano downstairs on the way to work. He rarely ate breakfast.
But Xie Nanxing tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the dining table. “Eat.”
Zhou Qiyue didn’t know why—but he actually sat down with him for breakfast. The housekeeper had prepared a rich meal. Xie Nanxing held up a custard bun like a precious treasure and placed it in Zhou Qiyue’s dish.
Zhou Qiyue was a bit stunned. He watched Xie Nanxing awkwardly handling the bun with his training chopsticks and couldn’t help thinking—how could he stay mad at such a fool?
He placed one in Xie Nanxing’s dish too. “Eat it yourself.”
Xie Nanxing dug into the bun happily. The white dough was soft and fragrant, the creamy custard inside rich and sweet—it was delicious.
His face radiated satisfaction, spiritually and physically fulfilled.
Zhou Qiyue didn’t get it. How could someone look like they were eating a gourmet feast from just a bun?
He took a bite himself. The overly sweet filling stuck in his throat. He gulped down coffee to wash it away.
But in the back of his mind, he thought: He probably likes sweet things.
After breakfast, Zhou Qiyue grabbed his jacket. This time he really had to go to work—but the little tail behind him wouldn’t leave, following him all the way to the door.
Zhou Qiyue changed into dress shoes and stood up, once again warning, “I’m going to work. Stay home, be good. Remember to practice the initials and finals on the tablet—I’ll check when I get back.”
Xie Nanxing’s head hurt just thinking about those squiggly symbols. But the thought of Zhou Qiyue not being around till evening made his head hurt even more.
“Noon?” His lashes fluttered, eyes shining with hope.
Zhou Qiyue felt scorched by that gaze and quickly looked away. “I’ll be at the office at noon. I’ll be back around six.”
“Oh.” Xie Nanxing lowered his gaze, clearly a little disappointed. But he quickly cheered himself up, looking up again with a bright smile. “See… you tonight.”
“Yeah. See you tonight.” Zhou Qiyue hurried out the door—afraid he might change his mind if he stayed any longer.