From a Thousand Year Ago

Chapter II: Immortal

Gong Jun half jumped out, his heart racing fast. He was in a daze and his sight unfocused, typical of one who was startled awake from a deep slumber. Before he could register what was happening, the look of absolute panic in a familiar face presented before him nailed him in place. It took him a good ten seconds to recall the recent events and recognize who this person was.

"O-Oh, it's you Mr. Zhou..." he said, sighing in relief, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Zishu did not answer. The expression he was wearing was not far from the one he showed when he first saw Gong Jun's face under his goggles back there. His composure was nowhere to be seen, the hands gripping on Gong Jun's arms were trembling incessantly.

"...Mr. Zhou? Is...something the matter?"

Gong Jun finally managed to gather his thoughts and noticed the oddness in Zhou Zishu's behavior. Those pitch black eyes remained locked onto him for a long time, his grip on Gong Jun's arms did not loosen. It was as if the clock had stopped ticking between the two of them, until half a minute later, Zhou Zishu drew back slowly, letting him go.

"Mr. Zhou?"

"...Why are you here?" in the blink of an eye, that frosty look returned to Zhou Zishu's visage, "Did I not tell you to sleep in the bedroom?"

For the tension to disappear so suddenly, Gong Jun failed to think of an immediate answer.

"Oh, that, I..." he stuttered, "I...was looking for you."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"...Now that you ask me that, I don't quite remember..." Gong Jun scratched the back of his head. Though he tried to behave as casually as he possibly could, it was more of an act to distract himself from Zhou Zishu's piercing glare that could penetrate through one's soul. He would be lying to say he wasn't worried this person might be angry at him.

However, despite his sharp gaze, Zhou Zishu ended up sighing deeply. His stiff shoulders were relaxing at last.

"Go back to your room," he told Gong Jun while rising to his feet, "Sleeping on the floor won't do you well. You might become sick."

"Wait!"

Again, Gong Jun's body acted faster than his mind could think, jumping to grab Zhou Zishu's hand out of the blue and stopping the man in his tracks. Only after he saw Zhou Zishu staring at their joint hands did he snap out of it. Gong Jun pulled back at once like a child afraid of getting scolded.

"What is it now?" Zhou Zishu asked him; his face tired.

"I..." feeling nervous, Gong Jun unconsciously bit his lips, "I just want to as if...we could just sleep together."

Those words left his mouth for a half a second and Gong Jun immediately realized how he sounded just now.

"No, wait! That's not what I meant! Please don't misunderstand" flustered, he waved his hands furiously, face turning red.

"Then what do you actually mean?"

"I mean to say that it is not right for you, the owner of the house, to sit here outside while I'm using your bedroom."

"There is only one bed. If I sleep there, where do you intend to sleep?" Zhou Zishu said.

"Don't worry about it. I bring a sleeping bag with me. It won't be a problem for me to sleep on the floor."

As he expected, a frown appeared on Zhou Zishu's face.

"What is a sleeping bag?" he asked.

By the time the two of them had returned to the bedroom, Gong Jun was carrying with him a huge rolled nylon. Naturally, Zhou Zishu had no idea what it was, what material it was made of, let alone how it was supposed to be used. He sat on the bed, curiously staring at Gong Jun as he unrolled and spread the big item on the ground.