Under Jin Cixu’s gaze, Shi Jiufeng’s indifferent eyes gradually returned to a calm state.
Jin Cixu saw it clearly: there was not a trace of affection in Shi Jiufeng’s eyes.
This was within expectations. Jin Cixu had already prepared himself. He curved the corners of his lips, took Shi Jiufeng by the hand, and led him toward the front passenger seat.
Filled with doubts, Shi Jiufeng felt that Jin Cixu was unpredictable and emotionally unstable.
With a slight nod, he got into the car. Just as he was about to fasten his seatbelt himself, a thick, warm hand reached over and completed the motion for him.
The whole process took only a few seconds. By the time Shi Jiufeng reacted, Jin Cixu was already seated right beside him.
The Maybach slowly started, gradually accelerating to a suitable speed before driving smoothly down the road.
There was no air conditioning turned on in the car, but a faint fragrance lingered in the air. Perhaps because the black exterior absorbed the heat, the sunlight filtering through felt even warmer.
Shi Jiufeng’s entire body grew warm, and even the slightly dazzling sunlight suddenly felt endearing.
After driving out of the mountain winding road, Jin Cixu glanced sideways, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times as he asked in a low voice, Ah-Feng, are you hungry? Shall I take you out for breakfast?
Shi Jiufeng pondered for a moment and refused, No need, I’m not hungry.
Jin Cixu wasn’t annoyed by the rejection and pursued further, Then where are you going now? I’ll accompany you.
Shi Jiufeng named the sanitarium.
Shen Biyun had asked him to visit Ling Yuehua today, so it was better to finish the task earlier.
It was already bad enough that he hadn’t taken the Ling family’s car; if he were even late to see Ling Yuehua, it would be truly difficult to explain.
Jin Cixu: You’re going to see Ling Xiao’s father?
Shi Jiufeng looked at Jin Cixu with considerable surprise: How did you know?
Jin Cixu said half-jokingly, A person always needs to know a bit more about their rival in love.
This remark once again drew Shi Jiufeng’s attention to the fact that Jin Cixu liked him. He looked at Jin Cixu.
His gaze swept over Jin Cixu’s standard and fiercely styled facial features one by one.
Jin Cixu was a standard handsome man in the worldly sense, except that he usually wore a cold expression, giving people a sense of distance. But as long as he softened his expression or smiled, he certainly wouldn’t reach the point of not being able to find a partner.
What’s more, with the Jin family backing him, it wouldn’t matter if Jin Cixu were genuinely ugly.
Compared to someone like this, Shi Jiufeng felt that he truly possessed nothing outstanding or worthy of being liked.
This wasn’t an inferiority complex; Shi Jiufeng simply felt that he was destined to be unconnected with such emotional feelings brimming with palpitations and tender affection.
Yet six years ago, Shi Jiufeng had never thought this way.
To put it simply, from the beginning of junior high school until before senior high school, during that period of time, there was no one who didn’t like Shi Jiufeng.
The thin, bony teenager was among the first to grow tall, with a well-proportioned figure. Although quiet, he also possessed the strength proper for a male. The ugly indigo school uniform looked no different on him than the carefully designed styles in idol dramas.
He always smiled, his gaze firm and powerful. He got along seamlessly with friends who shared his wavelength, and when facing people he disliked, he never did anything excessive.
His grades were also shockingly good. He could write as well, producing all sorts of stories that everyone loved. Everyone knew he had an incomparably bright future, and most people could not suppress the hazy, youthful palpitations of their youth.
Whenever Shi Jiufeng received adoration, he was always composed and at ease, rejecting the other party with a gentle voice. Even after being rejected, those people would still maintain favorable impressions of him.
Of course, such a wonderful person would always be envied.
This filthy emotion did not need a logical reason to arise; rats simply cannot control their malicious thoughts.
He was more trusted by the teachers, his school uniform was cleaner, he was good-looking, things like these could all become excuses for them.
The former Shi Jiufeng had a bit of arrogance in this regard.
Upon accidentally discovering that he was loathed in such a manner, he felt unconcerned inside, and could even generate an aloof, arrogant thought: The way you look when you’re jealous is truly ugly.
However, after being struck ruthlessly and cruelly by reality, Shi Jiufeng could no longer believe that any good things would happen to him.
He couldn’t help asking Jin Cixu, What on earth do you like about me?
Jin Cixu’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Do you think my liking for you isn’t sincere?
Shi Jiufeng shook his head.
Yesterday he indeed had doubts in his heart, but now he didn’t.
Because if it were a fake liking, there was no need to stand in the middle of the road and risk one’s life to block a car.
Jin Cixu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his efforts over the past two days had meaning, at least Shi Jiufeng believed that he genuinely liked him.
Jin Cixu said, Liking is simply liking. You only need to know that you are worthy of being liked by anyone, and I am just among…
At this point, Jin Cixu paused.
Would saying he was the one who liked Shi Jiufeng the most seem overly confident? It might make him disliked, so no.
Saying he was the handsome one? That wouldn’t work either; he had already said yesterday that he was more handsome than Ling Xiao, and Ah-Feng didn’t care at all.
Jin Cixu cleared his throat and spoke the third answer that came to his mind: I am among them, the one who most wants to be chosen by you.
Thump, thump,
Thump, thump,
Shi Jiufeng heard a few out-of-frequency heartbeats.
The Maybach sped all the way, keeping to the speed limit, and delivered Shi Jiufeng to the sanitarium right on time.
Jin Cixu originally wanted to follow, but he was afraid that seeing Shi Jiufeng acting considerate toward his father-in-law in the posture of a dutiful daughter-in-law would drive him mad with jealousy, causing him to make a fool of himself in front of Shi Jiufeng. Therefore, he stated that he would stay in the car and wait.
Shi Jiufeng didn’t want Jin Cixu to appear in the sanitarium either.
If word got back to the Ling family, he wouldn’t be able to explain it.
Inside Ling Yuehua’s ward, Shi Jiufeng stood by the bed, quietly listening to the doctor report Ling Yuehua’s recent condition.
Married for two years, counting this time, he had been here a total of four times. The first three times were all with Shen Biyun, so this was also his first time carefully examining Ling Yuehua.
This was the best sanitarium in the country, equipped with complete facilities that were among the most advanced internationally. Medical staff conducted regular inspections and daily maintenance. Yet even so, Ling Yuehua, who had been in a coma for many years, had grown thin to the point of being unrecognizable.
Even though this person had withered away to skin and bones, it wasn’t hard to tell how much he resembled Ling Xiao. This degree of similarity immediately reminded Shi Jiufeng of the expression on Ling Xiao’s face that made him feel disgusted and repulsed.
Shi Jiufeng frowned slightly.
Under the guidance of the medical staff, Shi Jiufeng massaged Ling Yuehua’s limbs, which could slow down the rate of muscle atrophy on his body.
During this period, Shi Jiufeng saw the doctor take a few photos of him, which should have been sent to Shen Biyun.
When the massage ended, Shi Jiufeng washed his hands three times with disinfectant, then walked out of the ward without looking back.
He stepped through the shadows, step by step moving toward the bright area, until his entire body was enveloped in sunlight.
At the end of the sunlight, Jin Cixu leaned against the car, watching him with a smile.
Jin Cixu’s shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing half of his robust forearms.
Jin Cixu waved his hand, and Shi Jiufeng suddenly smiled, feeling that this moment resembled a scene from a romantic movie.
Thinking that he had an entire daytime at his disposal to use freely, and without Wushen’s prying gaze, Shi Jiufeng felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
He slowly walked up to Jin Cixu. Jin Cixu opened the car door and, just as before, waited for Shi Jiufeng to sit down before leaning over to fasten his seatbelt for him.
Shi Jiufeng leaned back lazily against the seat, feeling the custom seat fit against his spine. The tangible comfort made the signal of relaxation in his mind grow larger and larger.
Like a house cat squinting lazily from basking in the sun, he narrowed his eyes lazily, looking as though he could fall asleep at any moment.
Jin Cixu looked at his skin, which was white to the point of transparency, looked at the obvious blood vessels beneath the skin, and also looked at his dense, feather-like eyelashes. Not daring to make a sound to disturb him, he only silently started the car and drove away from the sanitarium.
Shi Jiufeng wanted to say that he was a little hungry, but his two lips were pressed together tightly, making him unable to utter even a single syllable.
At that very second, he seemed to have suddenly turned mute, his vocal cords and tongue entirely losing their function. Following closely behind was a surging wave of fatigue and a faint sense of annoyance.
This instantly dissipated the previous relaxation and delight, and his previously relaxed brows and eyes were almost immediately stained with gloom.
Jin Cixu took in all of this through his peripheral vision, feeling that it was necessary for him to take Shi Jiufeng to see a doctor.
This was clearly a psychological problem.
Yet why would this psychological problem arise?
Jin Cixu glanced at the mark on Shi Jiufeng’s neck.
Compared to when they first met, that mark had faded a bit. But it still allowed one to see at a glance what kind of treatment this white, graceful area had been subjected to the previous night.
Jin Cixu recalled Shi Jiufeng saying it didn’t hurt, and his expression didn’t seem fake. Did that indicate he was willing to be treated like this by Ling Xiao?
Jin Cixu didn’t dare to continue thinking about it; he intended to take Shi Jiufeng to see a doctor.
However, before seeing a psychologist, he first had to gain Shi Jiufeng’s trust.
Given their current relationship, which was as unfamiliar as strangers could be, if he dared to say he wanted to take Shi Jiufeng to see a psychologist, Shi Jiufeng would definitely turn around and walk away.
It was even possible that he wouldn’t see him ever again.
What should he do then?
Endure the pain of Shi Jiufeng being sick while also enduring the pain of not being able to see Shi Jiufeng?
Could that person still have a path to survive?
Jin Cixu spoke in a low voice, Ah-Feng, shall I take you to get something to eat?
Shi Jiufeng wanted to say okay; the veins on his neck even bulged from the effort of wanting to speak, yet that simple word refused to be expressed.
His eye sockets suddenly moistened. He didn’t allow himself to shed tears, and after dedicating most of his attention to suppressing his instincts, he conversely felt the confinement on his throat loosen slightly.
He finally said in a trembling voice, Okay.
To Jin Cixu’s ears, this voice wasn’t actually trembling; rather, the ending note was infinitely soft and gentle, resembling a traveler who had been exhausted for a long time finally lying down on a warm, soft bed. Every muscle in his body was relaxed, so even his speech sounded lazy.
He rolled his Adam’s apple, nodded in acknowledgment, and then slightly adjusted his sitting posture.
Today he had spent a bit too much time alone with Ah-Feng, and he was getting a bit too excited.
He needed to control himself; what if he got discovered as a weirdo?
Shi Jiufeng knew nothing of this. He narrowed his eyes, feeling as though he was about to be swallowed by fatigue. After tossing and turning for a long time last night and barely sleeping well at the end, he was genuinely a bit tired right now.
Inside Jin Cixu’s car, it should be safe, right?
Even if it wasn’t safe, he had no other choice. Besides, insecurity was what he expected, so there was nothing to worry about.
Shi Jiufeng’s consciousness gradually dissipated, and finally his head tilted to the side as he fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Jin Cixu took the opportunity of a red light to adjust Shi Jiufeng’s seat so that he could lean back more comfortably.
At the end, he used his fingertips to gently brush against Shi Jiufeng’s hair.
So soft…
But Ah-Feng’s face should be even softer, right?
When on earth will he be able to touch Ah-Feng’s face?
Before long, Jin Cixu parked the car outside a private dining restaurant. Lighter on his feet, he got out of the car to order food and pay inside, while telling them to delay cooking a bit longer and not to start until he brought someone inside.
The owner agreed readily, smiling broadly as he saw off this generous patron who ordered thirty thousand yuan worth of food in one breath.
When Jin Cixu returned to the car, Shi Jiufeng was still asleep.
The front seats of a Maybach could not be laid completely flat, so Shi Jiufeng was currently only half-lying, yet he was still sleeping soundly, his breathing even, his chest rising and falling steadily, emitting a faint fragrance all over his body.
Jin Cixu couldn’t help taking dozens of photos.
Alright, literally dozens.
He set Shi Jiufeng’s sleeping brows and eyes as his lock screen wallpaper, and Shi Jiufeng’s hand as his home screen wallpaper. He wanted to change his WeChat Moments background to Shi Jiufeng as well, but the moment he clicked into WeChat, he suddenly remembered something.
He didn’t have Shi Jiufeng’s contact yet!
Just as Jin Cixu was calculating how to phrase adding WeChat to have a higher success rate, Shi Jiufeng’s phone in his pocket suddenly rang with a life-threatening ringtone.
With a conditioned reflex, Shi Jiufeng opened his eyes abruptly. Without wasting even a second, he immediately answered the call.
The moment the call connected, Ling Xiao’s furious roar blasted through the earpiece:
Shi Jiufeng, who gave you permission to leave without authorization?!