After Shu Ci maintained a serious and earnest attitude while cutting the meat into uneven slices of varying thickness, Lu Xianyan said calmly, “Okay.”
Shu Ci’s eyes instantly lit up.
Lu Xianyan rarely praised anyone. The weight of that single word was beyond question. Shu Ci practically convinced himself of his own brilliance and completely floated away, pretending to sound casual as he said, “See? I told you… I’ve got talent when it comes to knife skills. Maybe I could even become a chef someday.”
“Mm.”
Little chef.
Lu Xianyan looked at the corners of his lips lifting in delight, then shifted his gaze to that fluffy head of hair, imagining a white chef’s hat perched on top.
Shu Ci’s hair was naturally light-colored and soft. He would look very suitable in a plush pajama set.
It was a pity that ever since he moved in, Shu Ci had never worn it again.
The two bowls of noodles were ready quickly.
Shu Ci ate slowly. When he still had half a bowl left, Lu Xianyan—who had already finished—stood by the refrigerator and asked if he wanted some fruit.
Shu Ci didn’t have any particular favorite fruit. “Anything’s fine,” he replied.
Five minutes later, apple slices with little star shapes in the center were placed in front of him.
Shu Ci froze for a moment.
He had a small habit—he liked cutting apples horizontally. Someone had taught him that as a child, saying that this way you could see the star inside.
So there really was someone who cut apples the same way as him.
As Lu Xianyan cleaned up the kitchen, he cast a glance toward the dining table from the corner of his eye. He saw Shu Ci staring at the apple slices, eyes sparkling, lips slightly curved, his expression carrying quiet satisfaction.
Lu Xianyan’s lips lifted faintly as well.
A week later, Shu Ci scheduled another appointment with the doctor.
Having someone cooperate with the treatment had indeed eased his condition to a certain extent. At least he no longer had to endure the discomfort alone when his mouth wasn’t satisfied.
But the frequency of his episodes hadn’t decreased. If anything, they had worsened.
During that week, whenever Shu Ci saw Lu Xianyan’s exposed arms, his teeth would ache.
He bit him every day… The bite marks on Lu Xianyan’s arms hadn’t even faded before new ones appeared.
The feeling of having his mouth filled with firm muscle was good—too good. It was hard to control himself.
Shu Ci felt ashamed when he told the doctor about these thoughts.
The doctor, experienced and accustomed to such cases, didn’t consider it a bad sign. He suggested that Shu Ci and his partner try desensitization therapy.
The condition was psychological. Its causes were varied—many stemmed from anxiety. Some were related to upbringing, or from a long-standing habit of biting things.
Looking at it that way, Shu Ci checked off quite a few boxes.
It was also related to his mother, Chai.
He grew up in a single-parent household. After transferring schools in his third year of middle school, he moved to Wucheng with Chai. She was a typical career woman and rarely had time to care for him. After he was admitted to Wuda University, she went abroad to expand her business. Recently, she met someone she liked overseas and was considering marriage.
When she discussed it with him, her tone carried a trace of caution.
Shu Ci didn’t hesitate. He told her to enjoy her life.
Although they had spent more time apart than together, he knew how hard she had worked over the years to give him a better educational environment. He didn’t want to become her burden.
But he was actually sad.
He was afraid of being alone. Afraid that after she formed a new family, she wouldn’t come back anymore. Afraid she wouldn’t want him.
Then he comforted himself—everyone is alone in the end.
Lu Xianyan showed no sign of resistance. “Does that mean biting more often?”
Shu Ci flushed at his bluntness and stammered, “…Mm. I—I guess.”
Lu Xianyan fell silent for a moment. “Understood.”
“Now?”
What—
Before Shu Ci could react, Lu Xianyan added, “But I accidentally injured my wrist today. It wouldn’t be very hygienic to bite it.”
Injured? And he’s still worried about hygiene?
Shu Ci immediately grabbed Lu Xianyan’s wrists. Both were badly wounded, with signs of inflammation along the edges.
It hurt just looking at them. He sucked in a breath. “Didn’t you treat them?”
Lu Xianyan shook his head.
The man’s almost wooden expression stirred a surge of sympathy in Shu Ci. What he didn’t know was that maintaining a blank face was the highest level of playing pitiful.
After finding iodine at home, Shu Ci carefully used cotton swabs to clean Lu Xianyan’s wounds one by one.
Lowered lashes. Sweet breathing close at hand.
The man couldn’t stop trembling slightly.
“Do you have a fever?” Shu Ci asked in confusion. “Why are you getting warmer?”
Lu Xianyan turned his face away, bangs covering the subtle shift in his expression. “No.”
Shu Ci murmured an “oh,” but a few seconds later, Lu Xianyan said again, “It’s a pity you can’t bite my wrist now.”
“It’s fine…”
Compared to the injury, Shu Ci felt the treatment wasn’t important anymore. Seeing Lu Xianyan frown slightly, he said seriously, “What about somewhere else? Is there anywhere else good to bite?”
Shu Ci thought for a moment. “Your arm?”
“It might be too bony.”
“…What if you relax your muscles?”
“If you bite me, I won’t be able to relax.”
Shu Ci was at a loss. And since Lu Xianyan was injured, making him cooperate with treatment felt too much like bullying.
He was just about to say, “Let’s forget it for now,” when Lu Xianyan beat him to it.
“What about my face?”
Shu Ci froze and instinctively looked at Lu Xianyan’s face.
Biting someone’s face… wasn’t that too intimate between two straight guys?
Lu Xianyan felt light under that direct gaze, suppressing the heat rising within him.
“Is that okay? Or do you want to bite somewhere else?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
Perhaps it was Lu Xianyan’s close, straightforward questioning. Or perhaps there truly wasn’t any other place on that face suitable for biting.
Shu Ci’s mind felt hazy. Without thinking, he answered—
“…Then my face.”
The moment he said it, he regretted it.
Before he could take it back, Lu Xianyan nodded. “Okay.”
Shu Ci was too embarrassed to say anything more. He could feel his cheeks burning.
But Lu Xianyan’s expression remained unchanged, as if two men pressing close to bite someone’s face was the most normal thing in the world.
It should be normal, right? Otherwise it would make him seem overly conservative.
Shu Ci cared about saving face. He responded casually with an “Mm,” and that was his final agreement.