Xu Duwan, who was so old, would rather believe in red rain and the rising sun than believe that Shen Mingjin would hug him.
So when Shen Mingjin picked him up from the ground, Xu Duwan didn’t even have time to react.
His body was stiff, like a cat that had sprung up all over, staring blankly at Shen Mingjin, as if he had lost the ability to speak and could not say a word, like a rag doll without self-awareness.
His slender, pale fingers gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, and his blood seemed to run cold. Xu Duwan almost forgot to breathe until Shen Mingjin sat down by the flower bed with him in his arms and gently rubbed his abdomen. Only then did his reason return.
The dry, warm palms seemed to possess some special magic, with a continuous flow of warmth penetrating Xu Duwan’s body through their skin and thin clothing. Even his stomach, which had been churning, miraculously calmed down. At first, Xu Duwan gritted his teeth and struggled, but in the end, he couldn’t resist his body’s instincts and felt so comfortable that he almost fell asleep.
He turned his face away from his body, his rationality prevailing over his physical urges. His fingertips trembled, and finally, he made up his mind, grabbed Shen Mingjin’s collar, and rubbed his soft cheek against his.
It’s like the cat is silently showing affection to its owner.
His delicate and soft profile, like jelly or a gentle breeze, slowly brushed against Shen Mingjin’s collarbone, and with his hot breath, it seemed to silently stir something.
The leaves rustled, and sunlight filtered through the dappled gaps, casting soft dappled patterns on Xu Duwan’s fair and delicate face. Stray hairs swept back and forth between his brows, and his beautiful almond-shaped eyes were half-closed. Below them were a high, straight nose and lips as red as cinnabar, and his skin was as white and clear as snow.
It was unusually quiet.
Shen Mingjin paused, then looked away as if he were not used to it.
His palm landed on Xu Duwan’s waist, and he shifted slightly, drawing him closer. Observing that the color in Xu Duwan’s face seemed to have returned somewhat, he lowered his eyelashes, as if afraid of disturbing him, and asked softly:
“Are you feeling better?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Duwan’s eyelashes trembled, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.
He gripped Shen Mingjin’s hand even tighter.
Shen Mingjin couldn’t tell what Xu Duwan meant by this—whether it was dislike or affection—but judging from the other’s usual behavior, it was most likely that he didn’t like others getting close, so he considerately moved his hand away.
”Once the pain stops, I’ll…”
”pain…….”
Xu Duwan immediately spoke, his voice trembling slightly and a little sticky, like the syrup of cotton candy—soft and cloying:
”Mingjin, it hurts…”
Perhaps it was the pain that made him vulnerable, or perhaps it was Shen Mingjin’s rare gentleness, but Xu Duwan didn’t want to let go of him for a moment. He slowly moved closer, pressed his face against Shen Mingjin’s collarbone, and gently rubbed against it, like some soft and harmless little animal.
”……”
Shen Mingjin’s heart skipped a beat, and for a moment he even forgot the fierce expression on the other person’s face when he pinned him against the wall.
Shen Mingjin seems more accustomed to accepting other people’s anger, threats, and intimidation, but he is somewhat at a loss when faced with dependence, trust, and goodwill.
His fingertips hovered in mid-air, refusing to retract, and unlike before when he had hastily placed them on Xu Duwan’s abdomen. He seemed startled by Xu Duwan and remained motionless for a long time.
After showing weakness, Xu Duwan was also a little nervous. He closed his eyes and dared not look at Shen Mingjin’s face again. His heart was pounding like a drum.
What will Shen Mingjin do?
Will you walk away indifferently as before, or simply say, “It’s none of my business”?
The longer Shen Mingjin remained silent, the sweatier Xu Duwan’s palms became. His thick, dark eyelashes trembled in despair, and his heart sank slowly, as if sinking into a bottomless ocean, surrounded only by deathly silence.
Xu Duwan gave a self-deprecating twitch, cursing his own wishful thinking, and tried to straighten up from Shen Mingjin’s embrace. However, the next second, he fell back into a warm embrace.
Xu Duwan’s pupils contracted sharply: “………”
”Then, shall I go buy you the medicine?”
A pleasant sound like flowing water rang out, and Xu Duwan looked up, meeting Shen Mingjin’s clean, dark eyes, which reflected Xu Duwan’s astonished face.
Shen Mingjin patted Xu Duwan’s back gently, as if coaxing a child, while his other hand slowly massaged Xu Duwan’s abdomen, saying softly:
”I guess it’s because you didn’t eat breakfast this morning, that’s why your stomach hurts.”
Hearing the coaxing tone, Xu Duwan lowered his head, pressed his bright red ear against Shen Mingjin’s chest, and mumbled a reply:
”Maybe.”
”So, are you going to take your medicine or have breakfast?” Shen Mingjin scrutinized Xu Duwan’s face, noticing how his pale and unsightly complexion had miraculously regained its color. He thought to himself, “He’s recovered so quickly. Do I have some kind of medical talent?”
”I’ll go buy it for you.”
”Let’s have breakfast.”
Xu Duwan had been with Shen Mingjin for a semester, bringing him breakfast every day, but he had never eaten any breakfast Shen Mingjin had made for him. He looked up, staring intently at Shen Mingjin, as if testing his limits step by step:
”I want to eat what you bought.”
He emphasized the last few words, his fingertips unconsciously digging into his palm, his expression a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
”Okay.” Shen Mingjin nodded in agreement without much thought.
”I’ll go buy it for you now.”
He took off his coat and spread it out beside the flower bed to prevent Xu Duwan’s clothes from getting dirty. Then he put him down, half-squatted down, and naturally took Xu Duwan’s hand, gently instructing him:
”I’ll be right back, wait for me!”
”Mmm.” Xu Duwan lowered his eyes to look at the two people’s clasped hands, his face blushing slightly again. When Shen Mingjin let go, he was still a little reluctant to part.
Shen Mingjin took a few steps outside, then suddenly remembered something. He felt in his pocket, pulled out a cell phone that had lost power, hesitated for a moment, turned around, and asked Xu Duwan:
“Do you have money?”
”Huh?” Xu Duwan was still happily immersed in the joy of holding hands with Shen Mingjin when he heard this and looked up a beat late.
”My phone is dead.” Shen Mingjin waved his hand, showing Xu Duwan his black-screen phone, and explained:
”I bought this phone two years ago. It was soaked in seawater and is of poor quality. It ran out of power overnight and I can’t pay for it.”
Seawater? What would Shen Mingjin do in the sea for no reason?
The thought flashed through Xu Duwan’s mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.
Without thinking, he instinctively pulled out his phone to hand it to Shen Mingjin for payment, completely disregarding how much leverage it had against that fake young master.
…But to his embarrassment, he discovered that his phone was also unusable.
Yesterday, in a moment of impulse, he got into a fight with Gu Zhe. His phone accidentally fell out of his pocket and shattered into eight pieces, even cracking the tempered glass screen protector.
“Mine is broken too…” Xu Duwan fiddled with the phone for a while, then gave up on fixing it. Instead, he took out his wallet, casually pulled out a dozen or so red bills, and handed them to Shen Mingjin, who obediently spread them out like a cat seeking its owner’s affection.
”for you.”
“…No need for so many.” Shen Mingjin glanced at it, stretched out his fingertip, paused, took out a red banknote, and casually ran it across Xu Duwan’s nose, startling Xu Duwan so much that he almost exploded.
”Keep your money safe.” Shen Mingjin lightly tapped Xu Duwan’s forehead, gesturing for him to look at the crowd around them.
”Oh.” Xu Duwan blushed and obediently replied.
”There are breakfast shops outside the hospital, but they’re very busy in the morning, so you might have to wait in line for about ten minutes,” a mother holding her child said kindly, having overheard Xu Duwan and Shen Mingjin’s conversation before leaving.
”I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjin thanked her and, after a moment’s thought, spoke to Xu Duwan.
”Be good.”
After confirming that Xu Duwan’s complexion was normal, Shen Mingjin felt relieved, folded the money neatly, put it in her pocket, and walked out of the hospital.
After the brief interlude, it was already bright daylight. The blazing sun hung in the sky like an orange jewel, emitting rays that could burn one’s skin, as if trying to dry up every drop of water within its reach. It was so hot and bright that one could not open their eyes.
As that mother said, the steamed bun shop was indeed bustling with business.
Shen Mingjin stood in the crowd, but ten minutes later, the line for buying steamed buns had only shortened by half.
Exposed to the sun, Shen Mingjin felt dizzy and his palms started to itch subtly, as if ants were gnawing at them.
Shen Mingjin moved his fingertips and took his hand out of the pocket where the money was. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked to find a pale yet alluring red patch, like a blooming peach blossom, spreading from his fingertips all the way to his arm, followed by the appearance of several red rashes.
how so?!
Shen Mingjin’s pupils trembled slightly.
However, just as he realized something was wrong, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. Shen Mingjin felt as if a pair of large hands were restraining his neck, and something was squeezing his lungs from top to bottom, making it seem as if the air was stuck in his throat and he could not breathe in or out freely.
Shen Mingjin subconsciously scratched his itchy neck, but the more he scratched, the itchier he became. A few seconds later, his vision went black, his body went limp, and he almost fell on a young man in line behind him.
”Hey bro!”
The young man in line behind him was a handsome and refined young man who was playing on his phone while waiting in line. Unexpectedly, he was hit by the person in front of him and fell on his butt while holding the unconscious Shen Mingjin, unfortunately becoming a human cushion.
He sat on the ground, grimacing, his phone long since thrown aside, and even his glasses were askew.
With the help of the surrounding crowd, he sat up straight, patted Shen Mingjin who had fainted in his arms, and then his expression suddenly turned fearful and uneasy:
“Why did he suddenly faint?”
The young man wearing glasses tried to shirk responsibility:
”I didn’t do anything, and he just collapsed on me!”
”He might have heatstroke, look how red his face is.” A kind-hearted woman nearby quickly called out, and had someone carry Shen Mingjin to a shady place. Some young women with water bottles splashed water on the red spots on Shen Mingjin’s body, seemingly trying to cool him down in this way.
The dripping water meandered across the bare skin of his arm, turning from glistening to nothingness, carrying away and washing away all the dust and grime.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but Shen Mingjin slowly woke up just as the young man, whose legs were numb from being used as a pillow by Shen Mingjin, was about to lose his temper.
The moment he opened his eyes, his dark, moist eyes went from dazed to clear. As if struck by a sudden thought, he abruptly stood up, staring in surprise at the young man who had plucked two leaves to fan him. He asked, his expression uncertain:
”Who are you?”
”Lei Feng[1]used to describe someone who’s willing to help without expecting anything in return jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2399109_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2399109_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });,” the bespectacled young man said succinctly.
Shen Mingjin: “………”
”I was just kidding.” Seeing Shen Mingjin’s increasingly complicated expression, the bespectacled young man touched his nose and explained bluntly:
“Weren’t you queuing at that steamed bun shop just now? You probably fainted from heatstroke. I was shocked and took you to a shady place with some other people. I was afraid that something would happen if you lay there alone, so I decided to stay with you.”
”Just now?” Shen Mingjin was startled.
”yes.”
The bespectacled young man got tired of talking, glanced at his watch, and snapped his fingers casually.
”An hour and a half ago.”
“…” Upon hearing this, Shen Duwan’s heart pounded even harder. He pressed his temples and whispered his thanks.
”Thank you.”
”Seeing you’re alright, I’ll be going now.” The young man was also fine, and reassured himself that he was just doing a good deed, so he was about to leave when Shen Mingjin called him back.
”Wait a moment.”
”Hmm?” The young man crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”
”My friend is waiting for me, and I’m worried I won’t be able to explain later. Could you come with me?” Shen Mingjin said apologetically, “It’ll only take a few minutes of your time…”
”Sure,” the young man readily agreed, as he was unemployed and had nothing to do at home.
”Thank you.” Shen Mingjin nodded, then walked to the steamed bun shop, not forgetting to buy some snacks for Xu Duwan.
The owner of the steamed bun shop was already preparing to close, but when he saw Shen Mingjin arrive, he lazily lifted his eyelids:
”The meat buns are all gone, only sesame buns and soy milk are left.”
”Then give me a few sesame seeds.”
Shen Mingjin quickly handed the money to the shopkeeper, but then remembered that Xu Duwan was still waiting. Before the shopkeeper could give him change, he hurriedly pulled the young man away, worried that Xu Duwan would get hungry.
……
”Wanwan, don’t just sit here like an idiot. The sun is so strong, what if you get a heatstroke?”
After finding Xu Duwan, Jiang Ruoling had already sat with him under the blazing sun for an hour. The trash in the flowerbed emitted an increasingly strong stench under the intense sun. Jiang Ruoling frantically flicked away ants the length of his little finger from his body like a monkey, but the stench was unbearable. He quickly moved to a shady spot and earnestly said:
”More than an hour is a long time. Even if someone wanted to buy breakfast next year, they should have been in line by now. So, they might have already taken the money and left. They’re just messing with you. Why are you still waiting for them?”
”…” Under the sun, Xu Duwan’s face grew even paler, almost glowing. Upon hearing this, he twisted his clothes tightly, remaining silent and stubbornly staring in the direction Shen Mingjin had left.
”Why are you so stubborn?” Jiang Ruoling looked up at the increasingly blazing sun and couldn’t help but raise his hand to shield his eyes.
”Don’t you understand what kind of person Shen Mingjin is? You’ve already been burned and deceived by him once, why are you still clinging to this crooked tree?”
”Wait a little longer, he’ll come.” Xu Duwan bit his lip hard, almost tasting the faint metallic scent of blood. His expression was sinister and obsessive as he murmured in a daze:
”How could he lie to me again…?”
”Maybe he already had a partner, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he was called away by a phone call.”
Jiang Ruoling stretched out his hand and fanned himself in vain, continuing to persuade him.
However, this time Xu Duwan did not remain silent. Instead, he suddenly stood up, staring intently at Jiang Ruoling. His expression suddenly turned dark and twisted, like a demon crawling out of the deepest hell. His eyes were terrifyingly gloomy as he spoke, word by word:
”He is not allowed to have a partner.”
”He has eyes on his own body. Do you think you can stop him from finding you?” Jiang Ruoling, unaware that he had already hit Xu Duwan’s sore spot, continued to speak recklessly.
”I won’t let him have it.” Xu Duwan didn’t even realize what he had said. By the time he reacted, he had already grabbed Jiang Ruoling by the collar and pressed the terrified Jiang Ruoling against the wall. Jiang Ruoling clenched his fists and stared at him with a sinister look.
”Wanwan, you…” Jiang Ruoling never expected that such a sentence could drive Xu Duwan crazy. It was clear how obsessed the other party was with Shen Mingjin. He stared at Xu Duwan’s cracking fists, and the hairs on his body stood on end. The fear in his heart reached its peak at this moment.
Xu Duwan’s face was expressionless, but his fist swung downwards uncontrollably. Jiang Ruoling closed his eyes in fear, feeling the air whipped up by the fist, creating a strong wind that hurt his eardrums.
One second, two seconds………
Three seconds.
However, as the countdown to him being beaten began, the expected punch did not land on Jiang Ruoling’s face.
Jiang Ruoling’s heart skipped a beat, filled with doubt. He couldn’t help but secretly open his eyes, and the next second, he was shocked to the ground by the scene before him:
Suddenly, Shen Mingjin appeared out of nowhere and hugged Xu Duwan from behind. Xu Duwan, who could usually take on ten bodyguards, seemed to have all his strength drained away, his hands tightly held in Shen Mingjin’s palms.
”Why are you hitting someone again?”
Shen Mingjin held the enraged Xu Duwan tightly to prevent him from hurting anyone again, and asked patiently and gently:
”What happened? Tell me about it!”
“…” Xu Duwan’s eyes were red as he glared at Shen Mingjin. He felt his wrist, which was being held by Shen Mingjin, burning hot. He murmured like a docile rabbit:
He said, “You just ran away with your boyfriend.”
”What? I didn’t hear you?” Shen Mingjin took out a steamed bun and handed it to Xu Duwan as he asked.
”These are black sesame buns, would you like some? They’re still piping hot.”
”I said…” Xu Duwan paused subtly when he heard “black sesame buns,” his fingertips twitched, and after a moment he hesitated to take them, but was suddenly interrupted by the person behind Shen Mingjin.
“He asked you if you had just run away with your partner.”
After what had just happened, the bespectacled young man had become quite familiar with Shen Mingjin. He casually put his arm around him, finding Xu Duwan rather interesting, and teased him with a smile:
”Yes, I am his boyfriend.”
”…” Shen Mingjin was startled when he was suddenly touched on the shoulder and didn’t react immediately.
Xu Duwan was also dumbfounded. Seeing that Shen Mingjin did not deny it, his expression gradually became irritable.
Normally, if Shen Mingjin personally bought him breakfast, he would feel flattered. But at this moment, looking at this annoying man who was touching Shen Mingjin inappropriately, Xu Duwan’s mood suddenly became extremely bad.
The thought that the other person had long since become a male escort in a bar, someone anyone with money could touch, while he had cherished him like a cherished ideal for so long, made Xu Duwan feel a lump in his throat. The scene of Shen Mingjin saying he wasn’t gay and then dumping him was still vivid in his mind, only to find out he had a boyfriend right away. Xu Duwan felt as if he’d been slapped in the face; his sun-drenched brain was like mush, unable to function rationally.
He slapped Shen Mingjin’s hand away, letting the snow-white bun slip from his grasp and roll away, spinning around on the ground and getting covered in dust and dirt.
Meeting Shen Mingjin’s astonished gaze, Xu Duwan clenched his fists, finding the other person’s arm resting on Shen Mingjin’s shoulder increasingly irritating. After a long while, he said expressionlessly:
”I don’t want cheap stuff like you.”
References[+]