Shen Mingjin had no idea how he had fainted.
Before he lost consciousness, he only noticed that the person kneeling in front of him had extremely red eyes, as red as a rabbit’s, and they were also watery, glistening under the light, with the pupils like extremely beautiful black pearls, shimmering with a faint luster.
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier, my vision became blurry, and suddenly everything in front of me went dark. My reason snapped like a broken string, instantly taking away the lingering screams in my ears.
“Shen, Shen Mingjin…”
All that remained in Shen Mingjin’s ears was Xu Duwan’s trembling voice, choked with sobs. The next second, Shen Mingjin felt himself being carried on someone’s back.
The body beneath him was not broad, but rather slender, and it swayed as it carried him forward. In his unconscious state, Shen Mingjin even felt as if he were on a boat being toyed with by the wind and waves, about to capsize at any moment. But strangely, no matter how violently the boat rocked, it always steadily carried him to the other side.
In this wonderful sense of security, Shen Mingjin finally lost all sense of the outside world, and let his arms hang down in peace, allowing Xu Duwan to carry him all the way to the nearest hospital.
The nearest hospital wasn’t a large one, and after examining Shen Mingjin’s reaction, the emergency room doctor determined that he was having an allergic reaction.
“…….allergy?”
Xu Duwan’s eyes were still red, as if he had been crying. Upon hearing this, he seemed somewhat incredulous and said blankly:
“That’s all?”
Seeing Shen Mingjin suddenly faint, Xu Duwan had imagined a thousand incurable diseases on the way, and even planned when he would go down to join him after he died. He never expected this?
“What do you mean, ‘that’s all’?” The doctor glanced at Shen Mingjin, then frowned in disapproval.
“Severe allergic reactions can be fatal. Are you his boyfriend? How can you be so indifferent?”
Xu Du choked on his words.
His fingertips slowly tightened around the edge of the table and chair, his eyes lowered to conceal the flickering light in them, and he remained silent for a long while: “………”
When Jiang Ruoling returned to the department after helping Shen Mingjin register, he saw Xu Duwan, who dared to glare at his father, being scolded by the doctor. Xu Duwan was obediently silent, like a rabbit, showing none of the gloomy and cold demeanor he usually displayed in front of others.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Jiang Ruoling asked in surprise, “Has our Wanwan changed his personality?”
“Fuck you………” When he saw the doctor’s gaze through his glasses, Xu Duwan held back and didn’t swear, but he still rolled his eyes:
“I can’t be bothered to talk to you.”
“Based on your description, the patient was given alcohol before falling into a coma, and it is very likely that he is allergic to alcohol.”
Seeing that Xu Duwan was genuinely nervous about the patient being brought in, the doctor didn’t put on airs. He adjusted his glasses and softened his tone:
“So as his partner, you have to keep an eye on him at all times to prevent him from touching alcohol again.”
“Don’t worry, alcohol allergy is very common, it’s nothing serious, you’ll recover after a couple of days in the hospital.”
After saying that, the doctor quickly wrote out several prescriptions for Xu Duwan to pick up his medicine, and then went to attend to the next patient.
“Damn, Wanwan, why is your face so red?”
Jiang Ruoling and Xu Duwan had just strolled out of the department when they saw Xu Duwan’s face was excessively red, like white frost and snow stained with rouge. They exclaimed in surprise:
“You’re allergic too?”
“……” Xu Duwan struggled to pull himself out of the false assumption of being “Shen Mingjin’s boyfriend.” He felt as if he were floating on clouds. It took him a long time to move his lips, and after a while, he gave up on rebuking Jiang Ruoling, but his expression gradually became speechless.
He vividly demonstrated what it means to change your mind faster than turning the pages of a book. He glared at Jiang Ruoling, narrowed his long, narrow eyes, and spoke in a cool, threatening tone:
“Do you want to die?”
His tone was indifferent, like a cold winter wind, cutting straight into one’s heart like a cold knife.
“No, no.” Jiang Ruoling shuddered at Xu Duwan’s gaze, touching the goosebumps covering his arms.
“Why don’t you go see your crush?”
After saying that, Jiang Ruoling thought for a moment and added, “Former male god.”
Xu Duwan was too lazy to pay any more attention to him.
Even if Jiang Ruoling hadn’t told him, he would have gone to see him anyway.
He lifted his foot and took a few steps. The cold light of the corridor reflected off Xu Duwan’s overly pale face, almost as if it could penetrate his skin through snow water, making him appear lifeless, like a wisp of wind on a high mountain that could never truly land.
After a long pause, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned around and asked Jiang Ruoling:
“Where is Gu Zhe?”
Gu Zhe is the rich second-generation who previously tried to get Shen Mingjin by getting him drunk.
“I’m telling you, Wanwan, don’t do anything reckless.”
Although Jiang Ruoling had only known Xu Duwan for a short time, he could tell from Xu Duwan’s clenched teeth that the other was going to stand up for Shen Mingjin, and he immediately became nervous and said:
“Gu Zhe’s family background is no worse than yours, and according to your father’s… thinking, he is very likely to be your future brother-in-law. Don’t be impulsive and make things difficult for both families.”
“I don’t care whether they look good or not.”
Xu Duwan sneered, pointed to his temple, and said slowly:
“Last night, I know exactly which eye he used to look at Shen Mingjin, and which finger he used to touch him.”
He had a smile on his face, but the smile was somewhat eerie, especially the curve of his mouth, which resembled a clumsy wooden doll made by a bad carpenter, stiff and terrifying.
Jiang Ruoling couldn’t help but shiver.
Oh no, Gu Zhe is going to be in big trouble.
……..
When Shen Mingjin woke up, Xu Duwan had just returned from outside.
He looked exhausted from the night before, with dark circles under his eyes. When he saw Shen Mingjin wake up, he stood awkwardly outside the door for a while, his palms unconsciously sweating.
He lowered his eyes, avoiding Shen Mingjin’s probing gaze, and told himself not to be nervous, to be more composed. Then, he boldly sat down next to Shen Mingjin, pretending to be at ease.
“how are you feeling?”
Shen Mingjin had been on an IV drip all night, and his allergic reaction had improved significantly. Hearing this, he carefully examined himself, nodded, and smiled at Xu Duwan.
“Much better.”
“Thank you.”
Xu Duwan was momentarily stunned by the smile.
Shen Mingjin rarely smiled at him before.
Shen Mingjin comes from a family of antique dealers in Ningcheng. Although the family declined a few years ago, his father, lacking the talent for appraising and making antiques, gradually became despondent and idle, eventually turning to gambling and secretly selling off many of the family’s treasures. Fortunately, his grandfather is still struggling to support the family, allowing Shen Mingjin to live a much more comfortable life than his peers.
At that time, Shen Mingjin was like a young master from ancient times, with elegant and aloof manners and an air of scholarly refinement. However, he did not come across as pedantic. Instead, he seemed to exude nobility from head to toe, like a little immortal who was difficult to approach.
In particular, the Hetian jade silver necklace he wore around his neck, with its simple yet warm design, stood out from the ordinary students around him, making him stand out from the crowd.
As a teenager, Xu Duwan was a wild child who was raised by his family. He was capable of everything from skipping school to climbing over walls to fighting and breaking rules. Given the vast difference between the two, it is easy to imagine that their future meetings would not be pleasant.
That day, Xu Duwan was punished by the teacher for violating the rules and was ordered to stand at the classroom door as punishment. Under the scorching sun, he was standing at the classroom door with his headphones on, listening to music, when he saw someone in school uniform carrying homework slowly walking towards the classroom door in his peripheral vision.
At that moment, Xu Duwan was listening to a cheerful and clear teenage love song in his headphones. It was probably the theme song of a popular romantic idol drama. As Xu Duwan turned around, the intro of the song started, and Shen Mingjin made his entrance to the rather heart-pounding background music.
Ningcheng No. 1 Middle School’s uniform is a black and white patchwork design. Because it’s a sporty style, it’s loose and baggy when worn. Xu Duwan is slender, so the top is fine, but because of his thin waist, his pants keep falling down. While he was holding up his pants, which were about to slip down again, he stared at Shen Mingjin, almost completely captivated.
Xu Duwan swore it was the first time he had ever seen someone make such an ugly school uniform look so good.
Well, even the school uniform the other person was wearing, with its ridiculously ugly color scheme, suddenly seemed surprisingly harmonious.
Shen Mingjin was still wearing his ever-present mutton-fat jade silver necklace. His porcelain-white, delicate neck resembled a swan’s curved neck, and above it were his sharply defined jawline and exquisite features. His eyebrows and eyes were like a peerless painting, yet his gaze held a faint indifference, as if it contained unresolved sorrow, which was then dispersed by the breeze. Even the sweltering heat of midsummer could not stir any emotion in him.
Like frost and snow, pure and translucent.
Xu Duwan racked his meager brains and managed to find a suitable adjective for Shen Mingjin.
But Shen Mingjin’s gaze never lingered on him, and he didn’t even glance at Xu Duwan before intending to simply brush past him.
He missed class because he went to an antique auction out of town, so he hadn’t reported to class. Therefore, Xu Duwan didn’t know that he was his classmate.
Seeing that Shen Mingjin was about to leave, Xu Duwan didn’t know if he had lost his mind or if his accelerated heartbeat and surging blood had overwhelmed his rationality. His body acted before his consciousness, and he grabbed the hem of Shen Mingjin’s clothes.
Shen Mingjin’s lower garment tightened, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
He paused for a moment, then frowned and turned to look at Xu Duwan without any expression. He didn’t speak immediately, as if he was thinking about what this strange boy who had inexplicably grabbed him wanted to do.
Although Xu Duwan was bold back then, he was still a shy young boy, not as timid as he was as an adult. After being stared at by the fairy-like Shen Mingjin for a while, his delicate face flushed red, and he stammered:
“Um… I think you’re really good-looking…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Duwan looked at Shen Mingjin’s increasingly subtle expression and felt so angry with himself that he wanted to bang his head against the wall, but he still forced himself to stammer:
“Uh, uh… I just wanted to ask what your name is.”
His voice grew softer and softer until it became like words, and then it disappeared completely.
“…” Shen Mingjin hadn’t expected the other person to stop him for this. He was in a hurry to get to class, and he was already annoyed by the delay. Seeing that the other person was alright, he gave Xu Duwan a cool look and said indifferently:
“Let go.”
When Shen Mingjin was young, he was too beautiful. If it weren’t for his high nose bridge making his features more defined, he would easily appear somewhat effeminate. He was often harassed by the school bullies who mistook him for a girl.
He was inexplicably pulled aside by Xu Duwan. Looking at the other person, who was pulling up his pants, wearing his school uniform in a nonchalant and unserious manner, and holding a cell phone that should never be on campus in his other hand, and staring straight at him, he subconsciously categorized Xu Duwan as the petty thug who used to have ill intentions towards him.
Thinking of this, the lines between Shen Mingjin’s brows deepened, but soon relaxed, revealing an even more indifferent and threatening expression.
“…If you don’t let go of me, I’ll…”
“What are you going to do, tell the teacher?”
Xu Duwan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
He wasn’t afraid of telling the teacher; at worst, he’d just be punished by standing in the corner again. So he continued:
“I’ve said so much to you, can’t you say a few more words to me?”
He thought for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, “Is this what you good students call ‘reciprocity’?”
“…………”
Shen Mingjin did not speak.
Looking at Xu Duwan’s indifferent smile and the soft dappled sunlight filtering through the layers of leaves onto his face, he felt a sudden stirring in his usually indifferent heart.
Shen Mingjin placed the book behind Xu Duwan without expression, making a move that neither he nor Xu Duwan had expected.
He took a small step forward and gently pressed Xu Duwan’s body against the guardrail of the passageway behind him.
His delicate palm brushed against Xu Duwan’s wrist, bringing a slight tingling sensation. As Xu Duwan’s eyes widened in shock, he swiftly pulled his hand away from his clothes, lowered his gaze, and said calmly:”
“What do you want me to say?
Only then did Xu Duwan realize that Shen Mingjin’s eyes weren’t devoid of emotion; there was also an unfathomable indifference, and even the fingertips that brushed against the corner of his mouth carried a slight morning coolness. His tone was tinged with a hint of mockery and sarcasm.
“You want to hear me say something to you……”
He lowered his voice, whispered something in Xu Duwan’s ear, then took a few steps back, released Xu Duwan, turned and left without looking at him again.
No one knows what Shen Mingjin, known as the “cold beauty,” said to Xu Duwan in the corridor back then. Even many years later, when his friends asked, Xu Duwan refused to say.
The reason is simple: it’s just too embarrassing.
Only Xu Duwan knew that when Shen Mingjin looked at him at that moment, their eyes met, and Xu Duwan could clearly see a fleeting hint of amusement in Shen Mingjin’s eyes:
“See you next time, classmate…”
His voice was slow, emotionless, and flat, as if it were none of his business:
“Remember to wipe your drool.”