Give Me a Hug

Chapter 11: Mixed-Race

Lin Shan had just finished watching a movie with his boyfriend and bought a cake on their way back. Passing by the teaching building, he noticed that the classroom lights were still on, knowing that Xie Jiaran hadn't left yet.

With the friendly intention of reminding him to go back and rest early, and to give him a taste of the cake, Lin Shan turned into the teaching building, but never expected to see such a scene.

In the corner of the classroom, two boys were sitting intimately hugging each other.

One lowered his head, with a gentle and serious expression, while the other leaned against his shoulder, his expression unclear. However, from this strange angle, it looked as if the latter was kissing the former's neck.

Damn it.

Lin Shan was dumbfounded.

Utterly dumbfounded.

Lin Shan was completely Spartan.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Was the guy who sat obediently in someone's arms, the same person with severe mysophobia that he knew as Xie Jiaran?

Was he not possessed??

Was he not hit by a meteorite on his head???

Weren't they straight guys?!!!

Lin Shan stared blankly at them, then lowered his head to look at the cake in his hand, and then back at them...

After a while, he raised his thumb admiringly, turned around absent-mindedly, and exited the door, feeling both amazed and dazed.

Impressive!

••••

Xie Jiaran finished drawing a vivid strawberry, but Liang Sunian hadn't woken up yet.

So, he put down his brush and leaned his head slightly to gaze at his face.

This was the first time he had seen someone from such a magical angle, close enough to count every eyelash of Liang Sunian's.

His appearance was truly superior.

Even at such a close distance, he couldn't find any flaws. The features presented before him were still delicate and pleasing.

His eyes were deep and clear, even though his most outstanding feature, his eyes, were tightly closed now, they still easily captivated people's attention.

Artists were most prone to immersion when faced with beautiful things.

With a purely objective mindset, Xie Jiaran carefully admired Liang Sunian's face from the bridge of his nose to the corners of his eyes, from his cheeks to the sides of his lips.

The curve from the bridge of his nose to the tip was unbelievably beautiful.

He felt a little itchy in his fingers and couldn't help but want to touch it.

But fortunately, his rationality reins pulled him back in time.

The strawberry imprint was almost dry, so Xie Jiaran tentatively touched it with his fingertip and then looked at his finger.

Hmm, no paint got on it.

So he continued to poke it, once, twice, thrice...
Until the hand couldn't bear his harassment and the fingers curled slightly, he turned his head again and met Liang Sunian's eyes, which were half-open with effort but still full of vitality.

Their gazes collided, and Xie Jiaran was momentarily stunned.

He thought he would be asked what time it was, but to his surprise, Liang Sunian's eyes struggled to stay open for a few seconds before closing again. Then, like a spoiled child, he hugged Xie Jiaran tighter, buried his face in his shoulder, and rubbed it lazily.

Being treated like a convenient pillow, Xie Jiaran's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and the shoulder he was leaning on tensed up unnaturally once again.

And it felt a little numb.

After a moment of relaxation, Liang Sunian pulled his thoughts out of the chaotic realm of sleep, lifted his head, and saw Xie Jiaran looking at him with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a smile, his voice just waking up, still slightly husky, exceptionally pleasant to the ears.

Xie Jiaren's earlobes tingled a bit, resisting the urge to rub them with his hand. His gaze wandered around his face for a moment before suddenly asking,

"Liang Sunian, are you mixed-race?"

Liang Sunian's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Why are you suddenly asking?"

"Here," Xie Jiaren lifted his hand and lightly tapped his fingertip on the center of his eyebrows, "there's a slightly different shape from Asians."

His body temperature wasn't high, at least not higher than his, and Liang Sunian felt a slight coolness where he was touched, with a slight tingling sensation.

"Wow, impressive, you noticed that." He smiled, "Well, sort of. My grandmother is French, so I guess I have one-quarter French ancestry, but it's not really useful. Asian genes are too dominant, so even if I'm mixed, it doesn't really show."

"Not useless, it shows, very obvious," Xie Jiaren said seriously, "and very handsome."

This wasn't the first time Liang Sunian had been complimented on his looks, but it was the first time he had been praised so seriously and objectively, without any emotional color.

It felt a bit strange, he thought. Maybe that's the magic of an artist.

"Yeah, indeed." He imitated his serious expression but forgot to hide the smile in his eyes. "To be praised by a future great artist for being handsome, it seems to have some use after all."

Finally, he sincerely thanked him, "You're also very handsome."

Xie Jiaran felt like he was joking with him, so he pursed his lips and didn't respond.

"Is the practice drawing finished?" Liang Sunian changed the subject.

Xie Jiaren nodded lightly. "It's done."

Liang Sunian asked, "Is it better now?"

Xie Jiaren replied softly, "Much better. Let's go back. It's almost nine o'clock."

It was only then that Liang Sunian noticed that it was already dark outside.

"Okay." He put Xie Jiaren down. "I'll go to the bathroom first. Wait for me in the corridor later."

"Okay."

As he walked away, a sense of emptiness that couldn't be reached at the bottom of his heart emerged.

In fact, it was completely within tolerable limits, but Xie Jiaran, who had just stepped out of his comfort zone, instinctively furrowed his brows slightly.

Shaking his head to try to shake it off, he began to bend down and pack up his things.

There weren't many things to take back to the dormitory, just an unfinished sketching practice and a bag of paper trash to be thrown downstairs in the teaching building.

Turning off the lights and locking the door, Xie Jiaran turned around and saw a figure leaning casually against the corner of the balcony, playing with his phone.

Approaching him with the bag in his hand to speak, Liang Sunian had already put away his phone, took the garbage bag from him, and took his hand with his free hand, palms pressed together.

"?" Xie Jiaren looked up at him.

Liang Sunian said, "Much better means not completely better."

He raised their clasped hands and shook them. "I can't help you back to the dormitory, so I'll hold your hand like this, is it okay?"

"Don't worry, there aren't many people on the road at this time, so we won't be seen."