The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

27

Chapter 27
Paint on his face?
Ji Ru'an extricated himself from Gu Xiuyi's embrace and instinctively activated the front camera on his phone.
...His face was indeed a mess.
Splotches of interwoven orange and red were scattered on his cheeks and chin, and where his fingertips-covered in paint-had touched his eyelids, a smudge of dark gray pigment had transferred.
Coupled with the red blush of embarrassment, his face now resembled a vibrant painter's palette.
"Oh my God..."
Ji Ru'an was stunned by his own reflection, putting aside his shyness and immediately heading to the sink to clean up.
As the warm, soft young man slipped away, Gu Xiuyi finally took a deep breath, pinched his slightly numb fingers, and shoved them into his pockets.
He glanced at the painting on the wall, attempting to alleviate the awkwardness, and cleared his throat, "You've painted the sun beautifully."
From the corner of his eye, he saw Ji Ru'an stiffen for a moment, before responding as if nothing had happened, "Thank you."
Gu Xiuyi was at a loss for words.
In reality, the blame lay entirely with him. Whether it was from pleasure or pain, making a noise during a massage was a natural reaction.
Ji Ru'an had simply acted normally. It was Gu Xiuyi, with his exaggerated reaction, who was the problematic one.
Gu Xiuyi remained silent, trying to compose himself, while Ji Ru'an was still silent on his end.
By the time Gu Xiuyi had completely calmed down, Ji Ru'an was still bent over the sink, with a thin stream of water flowing from the tap. It seemed as though he was in pain and couldn't get clean, occasionally standing upright and rubbing his back.
Gu Xiuyi frowned, approached, and pulled Ji Ru'an upright, shutting off the tap.
The tap water was always cold, bone-chilling in the winter. After washing for a while, Ji Ru'an's hands had turned red from the cold, and his cheeks were flushed. At least most of the paint had been washed away, but his eyelids remained dark.
Gu Xiuyi touched Ji Ru'an's cheek with the back of his hand, startled by the coldness, "What happened?"
Ji Ru'an was equally perplexed.
The paint they used for their artwork was hard to wash off. The stains on their hands could be removed with a few scrubs using soap, and a bit of soap might work on the cheeks if one was persistent.
However, Ji Ru'an dared not use soap on his eyes, and merely wiping them with water proved to be of little help.
"I can't get it off..." Ji Ruan sighed weakly.
"Avoid cold water for now," Gu Xiuyi guided Ji Ruan to the resting area and handed him some tissue, "Wipe it."
Ji Ruan folded the tissue and gently dabbed at his wet face, appearing a bit wilted.
Scrolling on his phone, Gu Xiuyi asked, "The internet suggests using makeup remover oil for this?"
Ji Ruan lifted his head, blinking, "Right, I've heard that too. But I don't have any on hand..."
Gu Xiuyi pondered, "Do you plan to continue painting later?"
Ji Ruan shook his head, "I've nearly finished my part for today. My seniors will take over this evening."
Gu Xiuyi sat next to Ji Ruan, helping him dab his wet eyelashes with the tissue, suggesting, "Why not come to my place? Tomorrow's the weekend anyway. I'll buy some makeup remover oil on the way, and we can clean up properly."
With his vision blurred due to the damp lashes, and Gu Xiuyi's gentle touch, Ji Ruan instinctively closed his eyes, taking his time to consider.
Gu Xiuyi patiently wiped his face, even gently touching the corner of Ji Ruan's eyes with his fingertip.
"You have a point," Ji Ruan finally spoke after a while, "If I go back to the dorm now, Han Xiaolin and the others will definitely tease me. I might as well go with you. Plus, I've been craving Auntie Zhao's spicy fried shrimp."
A satisfied smile curved Gu Xiuyi's lips, "Alright, I'll let her know."
He grabbed Ji Ruan's down jacket, helping him put it on, then took his hand, leading him out, "Let's go home."
·
By dinner time, the tantalizing aroma of spicy fried shrimp filled the entire villa, drawing the attention of Xiao An, who circled Auntie Zhao eagerly.
Upstairs, Ji Ruan was using makeup remover oil to cleanse his eyes in the bathroom, swallowing as he did so.
Leaning against the doorframe, Gu Xiuyi chuckled, "You seem so eager for dinner. Why not eat first, then clean up?"
"The longer I wait, the harder it is to remove," Ji Ruan said, focusing intently on the mirror but still conversing with Gu Xiuyi, "There's a school anniversary at the beginning of next month. Will you come?"