Zhao Shang was taken aback. “Brother Xie Sui, what do you mean by that?”
Xie Sui looked at him at his own leisure. “Zhao Shang, you know perfectly well in your own heart what you are actually thinking, so there is no need to keep pretending with me. Even if I don’t agree when you come to ask for my opinion, what difference would it make? Would you listen? Why trouble yourself with such an unnecessary move.”
Zhao Shang explained, “Are you still angry about what happened that day? At that time, I just felt the content was too plain, so I temporarily changed it. I didn’t mean anything else.”
Someone heard the conversation between the two of them and came out to smooth things over. “Oh dear, harmony brings wealth. Last time, Zhao Shang was probably just trying to get traffic too. After all, this public account has always been lukewarm, and now the outcome is very good, everyone is happy.”
The person speaking was an editor named He Bin, who had just been discussing things with Zhao Shang.
Zhao Shang echoed, “Yeah, Brother Xie Sui, now that the traffic is so good and we’ve gained so many followers, isn’t that great?”
Hearing the two of them talk like this made Xie Sui just want to laugh; their implication was that he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
“So?”
Zhao Shang said, “Then take a look at this candidate. He is a worker who left his hometown, living in a cramped basement. Right now, we have a preliminary understanding that his relationship with his family isn’t very good, and his career isn’t going smoothly either. It should be able to attract a lot of people’s resonance.”
After listening, Xie Sui’s hand sorting through the materials paused. “What is the difference between this and stepping on other people’s sore spots to exchange for traffic like before?”
Zhao Shang’s face shifted, and he said in disapproval, “You can’t say it like that. Looking at it from another angle, after getting attention, his life might actually become better and better.”
“Did he agree?”
Zhao Shang was somewhat hesitant. “It’s still in the discussion stage.”
Xie Sui returned the materials to him. “Then let’s talk about it after he agrees.”
After that, Xie Sui ignored him completely and started busy with his own work.
Zhao Shang said something else to He Bin, but Xie Sui didn’t hear it clearly and wasn’t interested either.
Before he knew it, it had reached five-thirty.
Xie Sui packed up his materials and clocked out of work. Before leaving, he said goodbye to Yan Shuzhi.
Yan Shuzhi peered at Xie Sui’s complexion and furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong with you? Why do I feel like your complexion is a bit poor?”
“Is it? Going to do an interview early in the morning and facing the computer all afternoon, it’s very normal. I’m going back to rest now.”
“Alright, hurry back and rest then.”
Upon returning home, Xie Sui’s stomach ached even more. Having barely eaten anything all day, he thought it was due to hunger. He hurriedly went to the kitchen to rummage through it. The refrigerator was packed with instant food, but he was truly too lazy to cook.
Flipping out the half-bag of cookies left over from before, he took them out and ate them.
Originally, he wanted to order some takeout, but looking at the wide variety of dishes, he instantly lost his appetite entirely.
He then went to the study to work for a short while longer.
Sitting down made him feel rather uncomfortable. At first, it was just minor discomfort, so Xie Sui didn’t pay it much attention.
Later, it became more and more unbearable. He stood up intending to pour a glass of hot water, but the pain suddenly transformed into a continuous, cold-sweat-inducing colic. He forced himself to walk to the kitchen and drew a glass of warm water to drink, but that tiny bit of warmth couldn’t alleviate the churning in his stomach at all. He pressed his hand firmly against his stomach area, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, forcing him to support himself against the edge of the kitchen cabinet and lean over slightly, attempting to resist the waves of agony that grew stronger by the turn.
Right at this moment, the phone left on the living room coffee table began to ring.
Xie Sui took a deep breath, enduring the torment as he slowly shuffled to the living room. The screen flashed with the contact name “Mad Dog.” He answered the call: “Hello?”
“What are you doing?” Jin Huaiqian’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Nothing, just watching TV at home. Do you miss me?” Xie Sui’s tone was lighthearted.
The other end of the line fell silent for two seconds. Jin Huaiqian’s voice rang out again: “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Xie Sui denied it subconsciously, while his other hand pressed even tighter against his stomach.
“Xie Sui,” Jin Huaiqian called his name, his tone solemn. “Tell the truth. Your voice isn’t right.”
This was the first time Jin Huaiqian had called his name—not Mr. Xie, but Xie Sui.
The colic in his stomach happened to intensify yet again at this moment. Xie Sui couldn’t hold it in and let out a sharp, brief gasp. He bit his lower lip, the sweat from his temples sliding down his cheek.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” Jin Huaiqian asked immediately.
“Stomach ache.” Knowing he couldn’t hide it, Xie Sui simply admitted it. He curled up on the sofa, trying to alleviate the pain.
He said indifferently, “It’s nothing major, an old ailment. It’ll be fine in a bit.”
“Wait there.” Jin Huaiqian only uttered these two words before hanging up the phone.
Xie Sui listened to the busy tone from his cell phone, feeling a bit dazed.
Wait there? Wait for what? Could it be that Jin Huaiqian was coming over?
The pain left him unable to think too much. He curled himself up inside the sofa, pressing a throw pillow against his stomach, trying to find a bit of support. Time trickled by minute by minute, each second dragged out exceptionally long by the dull ache in his stomach.
Just as Xie Sui was being turned groggy and lightheaded from the pain, the doorbell rang.
Xie Sui struggled, wanting to get up to open the door, but his legs felt a bit weak.
The doorbell began to ring urgently. Prompted by the noise, Xie Sui grew irritated: “Stop ringing, I’m coming right now.”
He gnawed his teeth to go over and open the door. The next second, the door was pushed open, and Jin Huaiqian walked inside carrying a trace of the outdoor cool air on his body.
The moment he saw Xie Sui, his brow knit tightly at once.
Xie Sui’s face was pale, his lips entirely devoid of color, and a few strands of his bangs were dampened by cold sweat. The entire person looked somewhat disheveled. Jin Huaiqian took a few strides to arrive in front of him, holding him, the back of his hand naturally pressing against his forehead, touching a sheet of cold and clammy skin.
“Do you have any medicine?” Jin Huaiqian asked.
“Probably, maybe not.”
Jin Huaiqian had left in a rush, forgetting the matter of buying medicine ahead of time.
He felt somewhat vexed. “Wait here, I’ll have Zhou Zheng buy some and bring it over.”
Xie Sui leaned weakly against his body.
Jin Huaiqian lowered his eyes, unable to stop himself from giving a light kiss to Xie Sui’s forehead. “I didn’t expect that I’d actually get to see such a disheveled side of Mr. Xie.”
Xie Sui rolled his eyes. “Have you seen my disheveled sides any less?”
Jin Huaiqian steadily supported his waist and abdomen to carry him over to the sofa, his palm resting against his back to stroke it gently twice. “Lie here for a bit.”
Having said that, he turned around and went to the kitchen.
Xie Sui half-closed his eyes, listening to the light clicking sound of the gas stove.
During this interval, Jin Huaiqian came back over to check on his condition again.
Xie Sui couldn’t summon any energy, allowing Jin Huaiqian to fuss over his face. Even when the man reached out to pinch his cheek, Xie Sui didn’t have the strength to scold him out loud.
After a short while, Jin Huaiqian brought a bowl of porridge over.
“Drink a bit first, to ease it up.”
“Don’t want to get up, don’t want to move.”
“Well, you can’t exactly drink it while lying down.”
“What’s wrong with drinking it while lying down? It’s not like I’ll choke to death.”
Perhaps due to being sick, Xie Sui rarely revealed a childish side.
Jin Huaiqian sat onto the sofa, his arm wrapping around his neck to help pull him into a sitting position. “Sit properly, I’ll feed you.”
Yet the moment he loosened his grip, Xie Sui acted as if he had no bones, collapsing limply toward his back.
Jin Huaiqian lifted him again helplessly, and Xie Sui collapsed again, refusing to exert a single bit of strength.
Jin Huaiqian simply pulled the person into his embrace, securing him firmly, then scooped up a spoonful of porridge and placed it into Xie Sui’s mouth.
Xie Sui was like a little cat whose movements had been completely restricted by its owner grasping it to clip its nails. Only his mouth opened and closed, expressing his dissatisfaction.
The warm porridge flowed into his stomach, bringing forth a small amount of comfort.