Lin You stood outside Su Jin’s door and knocked gently twice: “Su Shao, I’ve brought your meal.”
There was no response from inside. After waiting a full minute, she finally pressed down the door handle and carefully pushed the door open.
The darkness that greeted her made her instinctively reach out to feel along the wall, her fingertips brushing against the light switch panel.
With a “click,” warm yellow light instantly filled the entire room.
Under the illumination, a slender figure was half-reclining against the headboard.
Su Jin’s pale skin appeared almost translucent in the dim yellow light, with faint blue veins clearly visible on his neck.
His facial features were sharply defined, his high nose bridge casting a shadow, and his thick eyelashes lowered, making his expression unclear.
Below his slender neck, his collarbones protruded, the loose silk pajamas hanging slackly on his shoulders and revealing a large portion of his chest.
Those distinctively bony hands rested weakly on the brocade quilt, his wrists so slender they seemed like they would break with a snap.
Lin You unconsciously tightened her grip on the tray she was holding.
The aroma of seafood porridge spread through the room as she quietly walked to the bedside and placed the tray on the nightstand.
The bowl made a soft “clack” as it touched the table surface.
The person on the bed still showed no reaction.
Lin You’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
Although reason told her that as one of the male leads, nothing could possibly happen to him, the overly pale figure before her still made her heart tighten.
As if possessed, she extended her index finger and slowly brought it close under the other’s nose. Just as her fingertip was about to touch him, a large, bony hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Lin You hissed in pain and looked up to meet a pair of dark, clear eyes.
Su Jin had opened his eyes at some point, his gaze falling on her. His eyes swept over the girl’s slightly reddened eye sockets and her trembling eyelashes from fright, finally resting on her pink lips pressed tightly together from pain.
“Who are you?” His voice was hoarse and dry.
Lin You tried to pull her hand back but found it completely immobile, so she simply gave up struggling.
She offered a polite, faint smile:
“Su Shao, I’m the new assistant, Lin You. Housekeeper Zhou asked me to bring you dinner.”
Only then did Su Jin notice the steaming seafood porridge on the nightstand.
Almost instantly, a sharp pain twisted in his stomach, and his throat unconsciously tightened.
He abruptly released the girl’s wrist, his tone cold: “Take it away, I’m not eating.”
Lin You rubbed her reddened wrist, her curled eyelashes fluttering slightly, but she remained standing in place: “No, you have to finish it before I can take it away.”
Su Jin raised an eyebrow in disbelief: “You’re telling me what to do?”
The girl tilted her head, her almond-shaped eyes reflecting the warm glow of the bedside lamp as she stared directly at him, her gaze showing not a trace of fear.
After a long moment, she nodded with extreme seriousness: “Yes, you must drink this bowl of porridge tonight.”
“I won’t eat it, what can you do about it!” Su Jin sneered angrily, completely turning over and pulling the quilt tightly around himself, leaving only a mess of black hair at the back of his head facing her.
This new assistant was quite bold, daring to speak to him like that.
However, aside from being somewhat pleasant to look at, she wasn’t much different from all the others who found various ways to bother him. If he didn’t want to eat, he just didn’t want to eat.
He heard the rustling of fabric and the girl’s soft sigh from behind him.
Lin You gazed at the lump under the bedsheets, her brow furrowing in frustration.
She truly didn’t want to resort to force, but if she failed this task and he ended up hospitalized tomorrow, the first to be held accountable would undoubtedly be her—the new assistant in charge of meal delivery.
Had he not been in such poor condition, this bowl of congee would have already ended up in her stomach, and she’d be reporting her completed task by now.
After a few seconds of internal conflict, Lin You climbed onto the bed, pressed her hands against the man’s shoulders, and forcibly turned him over.
Su Jin’s eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, he felt a warm, soft body pressing down on him.
“What are you doing?!” His voice cracked, his body instinctively stiffening.
His Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously as he clearly caught the scent of jasmine from her hair—sweet yet tinged with bitterness, like a jasmine garden after rain.
Lin You remained silent, half-lying atop him. With one hand firmly pressed against his chest, she reached for the congee bowl on the bedside table with the other.
The position strained her uniform shirt, accentuating her slender waistline.
“Su Shao, my apologies.”
“Whether you’re willing or not, you’re finishing this today.”
Her voice was soft, but the pressure from her hands never relented: “I won’t leave until it’s all gone.”
Her warm breath brushed against his ear, making Su Jin’s eyelids twitch involuntarily.
He turned his face away, yet caught the aroma of the seafood congee. Unlike usual, it didn’t immediately trigger intense physical revulsion.
Perhaps it was muted by that faint jasmine fragrance, or maybe… he was distracted by this absurd situation.
“You… get off first.” He could feel his heartbeat racing abnormally, accompanied by an unfamiliar burning sensation where her palm pressed against him.
Lin You blinked. Seizing the opportunity of him speaking, she scooped a spoonful of congee and brought it to his lips: “Ah…”
The porcelain spoon clinked softly against his teeth.
He parted his lips, about to say he really didn’t want to eat and not to waste her effort.
But as his mouth opened just a crack, a spoonful of warm congee was slipped inside.
The temperature was perfect. As it glided over his tongue, Su Jin’s taste buds awakened like parched earth receiving rain, though his body still resisted.
“Cough… How dare you!” He choked, his eyes reddening from the violent cough.
His long lashes were dampened by tears, clinging together in clumps that glimmered under the light.
Lin You seized the moment to feed him another spoonful: “Su Shao, eat slowly. Chew thoroughly.”
Her knee accidentally pinned down a corner of the quilt, causing her dress to ride up slightly.
In his fluster, Su Jin caught a glimpse of that pale skin, and the tips of his ears instantly flushed crimson.
He hastily averted his gaze, feeling blood rush throughout his body, unsure whether it was anger or some other emotion.
“Mmph… sto…” As congee continued to fill his throat, Su Jin’s struggles gradually weakened.
His Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow, casting small shadows across his pale skin.
His long-empty stomach twisted with pain, yet a secret satisfaction spread through his esophagus.
When the final spoonful slid down his throat, Su Jin collapsed back onto the pillow as if all strength had left him.
The embroidered pattern on the pillowcase left faint imprints on his cheek.
His chest heaved violently, his lips glistening with moisture from the recent friction, appearing particularly flushed under the bedside lamp.
A strand of black hair clung to his sweat-dampened temple, trembling faintly with each breath.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery sheen over his pale skin, rendering him like a desecrated deity freshly profaned.