After Transmigrating into a Professional Bootlicker, I Messed Up - Chapter 82.1

Extra Story 4 Part 4

As the saying goes, once you’re full and warm, your mind drifts to certain… interests.

After a nice meal, it was natural to think about sleep.

The room was small, naturally meaning the bed was small, the sofa was small, the blanket was small, and Lin Luo was also small.

Only Ji Chi’an was large.

Ji Chi’an saw Lin Luo shivering under the thin blanket and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I only have one blanket.”

Lin Luo bit her lip. “Well… I don’t mind…”

“I do.”

Ji Chi’an gave her a cold glance, as if she were an idiot.

Lin Luo pouted subtly. Ha! The truth is that people always come around to their desires eventually. Back then, you were the one begging to sleep with me. I’d bet that soon enough, you’ll be begging for it again!

The cold wind swept through the old, creaking windows of the rundown apartment, chilling the room. Lin Luo shivered. There was no way she could let Ji Chi’an sleep without a blanket, so she tugged it off herself and offered it to him. “You’re tall, you take the bed and the blanket. I’ll sleep on the couch. Just lend me one of your long coats to use as a cover.”

Ji Chi’an didn’t respond but instead said, “Stand up.”

Confused, Lin Luo did as he asked. He took a step forward and gauged her height—just up to his chin, a full twenty centimeters shorter and very petite, easily covered.

Turning away, he pulled a thick, ankle-length coat from the old wardrobe and handed it to her. “This should keep you warm enough.”

Lin Luo took the coat, hugging it. It smelled freshly washed, with a hint of cedar and camphor. She nodded and was about to settle on the couch when Ji Chi’an caught her by the collar, pointing to the bed. “You sleep on the bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Lin Luo shook her head. “No way. Your legs are too long to fit on the couch.”

Ji Chi’an smirked. “My legs are long, sure, but I won’t let a girl sleep on the couch. I’ll take the bed. Got it?”

That ridiculous machismo! Lin Luo rubbed her nose and said, “Fine.”

It was her usual tone when being playful with him; she’d always say “Fine” in a soft, gentle voice, and Ji Chi’an would usually respond by hugging her, giving her a kiss, and calling her his “little girl.”

But that was in the past. Now, though Ji Chi’an felt a strange warmth at her response, he merely made up the bed for her without expression and then grabbed fresh clothes, heading to the bathroom.

He was usually pretty calm, but for some reason, as he undressed and turned on the shower, he suddenly recalled the silhouette cast on the shower curtain earlier.

He’d only glanced at it, not daring to look too long, but couldn’t shake the image. The gentle curves, unmistakably feminine, lingered in his mind, filling him with a strange heat on this rainy night. Sighing, he steadied himself against the wall, letting the water run over him, trying to regain control.

He kept reminding himself she was just a stranger he happened to help, trapped here by a rainstorm. Sure, they were a lone guy and girl in a tiny room, and yes, she was beautiful, and yes, he was at an age when hormones ran high, but…

Damn it, she was really getting to him.

And yet, somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to act coldly toward her. If it had been anyone else, he’d have tossed them out long ago—or wouldn’t have given them his umbrella in the first place.

He thought of the way she’d looked when she saw him, the shock and sorrow in her eyes, and the way she whispered his name, “Ji Chi’an.” Was fate really this strange, this strong?

The water calmed his hair, but his mind remained tangled, until a scream pierced through the noise. “Ah! Ji Chi’an! There’s a spider! Ahhh! Hurry up and come out!”

In an old apartment like this, mice and cockroaches were common, not to mention spiders. Hearing her voice laced with genuine fear, Ji Chi’an felt instantly calm again. I was really wasting my time overthinking things.

According to her, she was a famous star, rich and beautiful. And he was just a poor orphan, three or four years her junior. Their encounter was just a ridiculous twist of fate, a fleeting oddity. How could he have read so much into it?

What a foolish daydream.

He dried himself off, changed clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. Grabbing a newspaper from the doorway, he headed towards the bed.

Lin Luo was curled up in his coat in the corner, looking ready to face her doom as she eyed the spider on the wall.

Ji Chi’an, who hadn’t even noticed the spider at first, saw it now. The little spider, about the size of a third of a fingernail, had her absolutely terrified. She really is delicate and pampered.

He leaned forward, placing one hand on the bed and the other over the spider with the newspaper, squashing it in one swift motion. Crumpling up the newspaper, he tossed it into the trash.

Just as he was about to stand up, his wet slippers slipped, and he stumbled forward, his balance lost.

He was falling—right toward the spot where Lin Luo was curled up.

Lin Luo watched him topple towards her, blinked, and didn’t move an inch.

📜 Scroll Down for Kliraz’s Scoop! 🕷️💕

In many traditional Asian households, sharing a single blanket (or coat!) is a symbol of intimacy. Here, Ji Chi’an’s insistence on giving Lin Luo the bed reflects the classic “protective male” archetype in Chinese culture—adding a dash of old-school chivalry! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Ji Chi’an’s battle with his own feelings speaks to “suppressed attraction.” He’s rationalizing why he shouldn’t be interested, yet he keeps noticing little details about Lin Luo, showing he’s fighting a losing battle with his subconscious! ( ˘︹˘ )

Fun fact! Spiders in storytelling often represent entanglement—symbolizing situations that “trap” characters emotionally or physically. Here, Lin Luo’s fear and Ji Chi’an’s reaction set the stage for a close moment, tangled up together.

Have any “close encounters” of your own with creepy-crawlies? Let’s hear those stories!

(っ˘ڡ˘ς)