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But it wasn’t the time now to appreciate handsome men.

Jiang Chijing unhurriedly shifted his gaze from Zheng Mingyi’s side profile to Old Nine, taking off the walkie-talkie that was clipped to his shoulder.

He wasn’t afraid that Old Nine would make trouble in the library. If that guy did, he would immediately call the patrol team over. A group of this size having a confrontation with the prison guards would be classified as a riot, and they would be transferred to another prison or have their sentences increased.

It might not matter to Old Nine if his sentence was increased; in any case, he would never be able to get out anyway. But for those lackeys, it was harsh to have their sentences increased.

If Jiang Chijing wasn’t mistaken, there were quite a few among them who would be able to get out of prison within three years.

So this would depend on whether these little lackeys valued their brotherhood more or their own interests.

Of course, this also depended on whether Old Nine, a guy without a conscience, would use the futures of those following him to fulfill his own selfish desires.

From the present situation, Jiang Chijing guessed that there was a low likelihood of that happening.

The conflict between him and Old Nine wasn’t any kind of bitter and deep-seated hatred. It wasn’t worth putting the futures of so many people on the line for such a small spat. Old Nine could take second in the prison’s pecking order behind Xu Sheng not only due to his daringness to act out, but also because he had at least a little brain.

Chess was a game of predicting your opponent’s intentions. Though Jiang Chijing guessed that Old Nine’s purpose wasn’t to make trouble, he still picked up the walkie-talkie as a deterrent.

This was because, in chess, unforeseen circumstances might develop. If Old Nine suddenly decided to duke it out with him, this walkie-talkie could minimally force him to cool his head.

In actuality, Jiang Chijing wasn’t off the mark. After one of them supported Old Nine back up, he stopped the other from pushing forward with a hand. He said, “It’s fine. Sit back down.”

Jiang Chijing casually placed the walkie-talkie on the table like a warning sign, cautioning Old Nine of the consequences of making trouble.

However, even if Jiang Chijing had analysed that Old Nine wasn’t here to make trouble, he wasn’t able to deduce Old Nine’s objective for coming here.

He thought that Old Nine had brought a bunch of people here to leave a few threats and reclaim his lost dignity, then leave. But what happened was that Old Nine didn’t even say anything provocative, only sitting with his lackeys and staring at Jiang Chijing unwaveringly.

It was creepy to be stared at by a crowd, especially considering that these people didn’t wear any expression on their faces, like they were each a puppet, watching him in dead silence.

Only Old Nine looked like he was here to watch a good show, obviously anticipating Jiang Chijing’s response.

“Can I poke their eyes out?” Zheng Mingyi turned his head over to ask.

That was impossible, but this question made evident his frustration at the staring.

“It’s fine,” Jiang Chijing said, “Let them look.”

Despite saying so, in truth, Jiang Chijing wasn’t faring much better than Zheng Mingyi.

These prisoners weren’t even making any noise, so Jiang Chijing had no reason to chase them off. Even using the excuse that they came here without the intention to read wasn’t anything insurmountable; they were entirely capable of going to the shelves and picking a book at random.

“I don’t like them staring at you.” Zheng Mingyi’s face was blank as he stared back at those puppets, but the unhappiness was palpable from his icy tone.

Jiang Chijing turned his head slightly to glance at Zheng Mingyi askance.

He had to admit that it did feel rather good having someone by his side, standing up for him, when being targeted by a group of people.

He was suddenly less annoyed. He reached out to rest his hand on the back of Zheng Mingyi’s hand, patting it lightly. “That’s not a problem, beautiful things are made to be appreciated.”

“Beautiful things?” Zheng Mingyi looked over at Jiang Chijing, a trace of uncomprehending in his eyes.

“I’m talking about my stunning good looks.” Jiang Chijing laughed at himself after saying this, drawing his hand away from Zheng Mingyi’s.

He thought that this joke would score 90 points at least, but the person next to him didn’t show the slightest reaction. He glanced over and ended up squarely meeting the gaze that Zheng Mingyi fixed on him.

“Why, isn’t it funny?” Jiang Chijing asked.

“No.” Zheng Mingyi looked at Jiang Chijing. “If you’re a stunning beauty, then what about me?”

Jiang Chijing didn’t expect that Zheng Mingyi would take it further. He pretended to mull it over, saying, “You fall short by a little bit.”

“Where do I fall short?” Zheng Mingyi raised his eyebrows, asking in all seriousness.

“Hm—” Jiang Chijing touched his chin, giving Zheng Mingyi a once-over.

In all honesty, Jiang Chijing felt that Zheng Mingyi’s appearances weren’t lacking in any way, only that it was a different style from his. If he gave off the harmless, delicate vibe of the boy-next-door, then Zheng Mingyi was the sexy plumber who came into the house for repairs, making people want to engage in various acts with him.

Wait, no. Not at all. He didn’t just have this thought.

His mind was veering in a strange direction again. To avoid this dangerous answer, his guilty conscience pushed him to pick a different one. “You look better in a suit.”

The moment these words left his lips, Jiang Chijing felt that something wasn’t quite right.

Compared to a sexy plumber, a social elite in a suit was indeed much safer. But he had never intended to give Zheng Mingyi a compliment in the first place. It was just that his avoidance of a dangerous answer ended up turning this into a blunt compliment.

—Where do I fall short?

—You look better in a suit.

This was equivalent to saying that he wasn’t lacking in any way, only that it would be perfect if he was in a suit.

“A suit?” Zheng Mingyi looked down at the prison uniform he was wearing. Then, he looked back up at Jiang Chijing. “I’ll wear it for you in the future.”

At this, he paused, and he added, “I’ll wear it for you in private.”

When Jiang Chijing heard this, a thought immediately jumped into his mind. In what situation would a suit be worn in private?

Suits were worn for formal occasions. If it was worn in private for someone to see, the only function that Jiang Chijing’s filthy brain could come up with was—to be stripped.

Stripped down to only a tie, then, pulling the other person over by it…

Halt.

Those words should seriously be illegal. They were no more than ‘in private’ and ‘suit’, yet Jiang Chijing’s mind was able to supplement a whole workplace episode.

Jiang Chijing couldn’t help but find it strange. Since when did he become like this? It wasn’t as though he hadn’t come across handsome men in the past, but they had never induced him to indulge in such flights of fancy.

From the way it appeared, it really did seem to have an inextricable connection to his voyeurism.

There would naturally be a sense of unfamiliarity from a casual acquaintance, but there wouldn’t be such fetters on his imagination when it came to a person he used to spy on every day.

“Wear it if you want,” Jiang Chijing unnaturally averted his gaze. “It’s not like I’ll look.”

Zheng Mingyi chuckled softly. He asked, “Are you really not going to look?”

Jiang Chijing was resolute. “Yes.”

Zheng Mingyi asked again, “What about an apron?”

“An apron?” Jiang Chijing’s heart jolted. He had this feeling that Zheng Mingyi seemed to be deliberately making allusions to something. His expression was unchanging as he asked, “Why? Do you often wear an apron at home?”

“Not exactly often,” Zheng Mingyi said. “I normally pull overtime and only have time to make meals for myself over the weekends.” He paused, then he asked, “Have you seen me in an apron before?”

Jiang Chijing had, of course. Zheng Mingyi wearing an apron when topless was minimally in the top 3 visuals that he loved to watch on the sly. He could still remember how much he had to restrain himself from the impulse of sneaking a shot.

“Never.” Jiang Chijing said indifferently, “I’m not interested.”

The two of them chatted to each other like the work area was an isolated world, unmoved by whatever antics Old Nine and his lackeys were pulling outside.

But Old Nine obviously wasn’t going to make it easy for Jiang Chijing. He had brought a group of people over, and if he wasn’t able to get back at him, this was no different from having his face rubbed against the ground.

Not long later, an uncomfortable noise spread through the library; chairs were creaking under the weight, and the back of the chairs kept knocking into tables.

Jiang Chijing looked over at the noise and saw that some of those opposite were shaking their legs and some were rocking their chair. None of them were seated properly. He breathed in deeply, about to rebuke them when those people immediately stopped, as if knowing what Jiang Chijing was about to say.

However, the moment that Jiang Chijing looked away, the frustrating noise began again.

It was obvious that they were doing it on purpose to make Jiang Chijing uncomfortable. Even if Jiang Chijing had more patience, it was hard for him to feign obliviousness when people were acting so audaciously in his territory.

He expressionlessly stared back at Old Nine and decided that it was better to get the patrol team over first. However, just as he picked up the walkie-talkie, someone suddenly sprinted through the library door.

“Oh no, Idol, I heard—”

The latter part of Yu Guang’s sentence caught in his throat, for he had caught sight of the people sitting in the library. He stuck close to the wall as he snuck over to the work area, whispering to Jiang Chijing, “I heard that Old Nine was bringing his gang to get back at you.”

This information was very timely.

“This has nothing to do with you,” Jiang Chijing said. “Hurry up and get out.”

“No way, I’m going to help you.” Yu Guang said and checked around him, then walked towards the tables in the library.

Jiang Chijing was surprised by this. Could Yu Guang be going to pick a fight for him?

In the end, Yu Guang politely spoke to someone blocking his way. “Excuse me.”

That guy looked Yu Guang from head to toe, then back up again, probably not understanding what on earth this weakling was up to. In any case, he pulled his legs back.

Yu Guang went to grab a chair from the last row and clumsily crossed the ‘enemy zone’, placing the chair next to Jiang Chijing’s work area.

As Jiang Chijing was seated on the inside, Zheng Mingyi was nearer to Yu Guang. Yu Guang’s gaze traversed Zheng Mingyi as if he was air, solemnly telling Jiang Chijing, “Idol, I will support you forever.”

“Hey.” Zheng Mingyi waved a hand in front of Yu Guang, breaking his ardent gaze. “Go back to wherever you came from, we don’t need you meddling.”

“What is it to you?” Yu Guang said irritably. “Do you know what kind of relationship Officer Jiang and I have? So what if you came here first? The place you’re sitting now may not be yours in the future.”

“What,” Zheng Mingyi asked, amusement written on his face. “You even want to steal my place?”

“Of course, I have to protect my Officer Jiang.”

“Your Officer Jiang?”

“Could he be yours then, huh?”

His head throbbing, Jiang Chijing looked out of the window, forcibly suppressing the urge to massage his temples.

What on earth were they doing?

Did Zheng Mingyi have nothing better to do? He clearly knew that Yu Guang worshipped his online handle, not Jiang Chijing, yet he could still get a kick out of beating chests with Yu Guang.

Further, Yu Guang was also unable to read the atmosphere. Jiang Chijing hadn’t thought of a way to resolve Old Nine; it wasn’t the time to get into this now with so many people in the audience.

“Officer Jiang.” Yu Guang’s voice pulled Jiang Chijing’s attention back. “Tell us, who is more important between me and him.”

Yu Guang’s eyes carried absolute surety, as if saying that an outsider couldn’t compare to the length of time that he and his idol had known each other.

But Jiang Chijing really wanted to say: Kid, you got the wrong guy.

Also…

This big brother really doesn’t go for tender grass.