If he had known it would turn out like this, he wouldn’t have asked if he wanted a drink in the first place. Lin Ruohuai agreed with a smile on his face, but the moment he turned around, he began to feel like weeping without tears. He hadn’t even taken two steps when Shen Qi’s voice rang out behind him again.
It was like a gust of chilly, eerie wind. “I’ll wait for you here.”
Lin Ruohuai adjusted his mindset, turned around to reveal a friendly smile, and said, “Okay.”
Shen Qi didn’t buy it: “Please hurry. I’m thirsty.”
To Lin Ruohuai’s ears, it sounded like a threat. A threat of what? Was he afraid Lin would go find Xie Yusheng and disturb the couple? He wasn’t capable of doing something so wicked.
It seemed Shen Qi really couldn’t stand him.
Why? He hadn’t done anything. Was it just that standing there made Shen Qi uncomfortable? Lin Ruohuai thought wickedly: In that case, I’ll stand here a bit longer.
A trace of something flickered in Shen Qi’s eyes, and he said gloomily, “Is it that I can’t trouble you anymore?”
Lin Ruohuai curled his lip and walked away.
Not long after he left, Shen Qi received a call from Shen Qingyi. His voice was very soft: “Brother, I can’t get away for the moment. I’ll call Assistant Lin to pick you up and take you upstairs; he just reported to me that he’s in the activity room on the second floor.”
Shen Qi’s gaze was still fixed in the direction Lin Ruohuai had gone. His tone was flat: “No need. You have your fun.”
“I’m not playing.”
“Do your thing.”
“I’m also not.”
Shen Qingyi bit his lip, realizing his brother was digging a hole for him, so he simply hung up the phone.
In the distance, Lin Ruohuai, wearing his little suit, slowly approached. Considering he wasn’t sure of Shen Qi’s tastes, he brought one glass at room temperature and one with ice.
He figured Shen Qi would choose the room temperature one, so the iced one would be his. The orange juice here was fresh-pressed, different from the stuff outside; he hadn’t had enough earlier.
Lin Ruohuai looked at him with delight: “Mr. Shen, which glass would you like?”
Shen Qi lifted his eyelids. When he looked toward the room temperature glass, Lin Ruohuai maintained his smile. When his gaze moved to the iced glass, the curve of Lin Ruohuai’s mouth subtly tightened as he watched him warily.
Shen Qi gave a half-smile. “I want the iced one.”
Lin Ruohuai: “…”
Shen Qi took the iced orange juice, the chill seeping into his palm. Lin Ruohuai didn’t even give him a second glance; his mouth was already pressed against his own glass as he took a big gulp. His lips got wet, and he licked them once.
Shen Qi retracted his gaze: “It’s too cold. I can’t drink it.”
Lin Ruohuai paused and turned to look. Shen Qi was already holding it up and drinking. The fire in Lin’s heart was about to burst—so he was just messing with him?
He was a little angry, but he could only hold it in.
He could only curse quietly in his head: So annoying.
No wonder he was still single. Looking around and seeing that almost no one dared to approach and talk to Shen Qi made it obvious just how bad his personality usually was.
Shen Qi drank more than half. It was sweet and sour, making him frown as he drank, but seeing Lin Ruohuai’s depressed face out of the corner of his eye, he let out an imperceptible curve of his lips.
Lin Ruohuai realized he probably wouldn’t get that cake from Xie Yusheng. Fortunately, Shen Qi didn’t ask further, otherwise how would he answer? The more “horse hooves” (slips) he showed, the worse it would be for him. The contract was only for three months and only one month had passed. For the sake of money, he would endure.
Speaking of which, could he apply for a commission and bonus?
Did taking care of Shen Qi here count?
Lin Ruohuai immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Xie Yusheng. He didn’t get a reply but wasn’t in a hurry.
Less than ten seconds later, Xie Yusheng replied quickly: Counts.
When Shen Qi looked over again, Lin Ruohuai’s gloomy face suddenly became bright and sunny. It seemed the depressed mood from earlier had vanished. He even smiled at him and diligently asked if he wanted more orange juice.
“…”
Lin Ruohuai continued: “Or other drinks are fine too. Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”
Shen Qi looked down at the person squatting by his wheelchair: “And then you’ll leave and never return?”
“I won’t! I won’t leave. I’ll stay here to keep you company.” After saying that, Lin Ruohuai smiled at him very gently.
Shen Qi didn’t say a word, just stared.
Later, a few highly respected seniors came over to chat. Lin Ruohuai wasn’t qualified to join, so he sensibly stood behind Shen Qi’s wheelchair, quietly minimizing his presence.
Shen Qi lightly tapped his knuckles on the armrest, dealing with the seniors, while his peripheral vision noted Lin Ruohuai, who was picking at his hands and looking around with wide, curious eyes like a schoolboy listening to a lecture.
Once the old fogies left, Shen Qi looked at him for two seconds: “Could you understand that?”
“I couldn’t,” Lin Ruohuai said honestly. “But your voice sounds so nice. You don’t talk to me like that.”
Shen Qi’s tapping stopped. He pursed his lips slightly and tilted his chin up to look at him. His eye sockets were deep, and a vortex was hidden within the dark abyss, easily pulling people in.
Lin Ruohuai felt a flutter in his heart from the gaze, but he didn’t feel he had said anything wrong, so he just smiled at him.
Fortunately, Shen Qi only held the gaze for two or three seconds. After a moment of silence, he said flatly, “I’m going upstairs to rest.”
Lin Ruohuai looked at his upturned eyelashes: “I can help you contact your assistant. What’s his number?”
“He didn’t come along.”
Lin Ruohuai understood the implication. He gripped the handles at the back of the wheelchair; they were very high-quality and felt heavy just by touch. “Then I’ll take you up.”
The moment he finished speaking, he pushed forward. With a clack, the wheels wouldn’t turn, and Shen Qi’s upper body pitched straight forward.
“!”
Lin Ruohuai’s body reacted faster than his brain. He rushed around to the front and caught Shen Qi just in time. When the shoulder and chest slammed into him, Lin Ruohuai was in so much pain his tears almost came out.
He hadn’t noticed while Shen Qi was sitting, but only knew after being hit: Shen Qi must exercise frequently. His shoulders were broad and his back was lean; his physique was excellent, with a definite size difference between them.
Lin Ruohuai helped him sit back up with a racing heart. The commotion was quite loud, and people around turned to look. The gazes directed at Lin Ruohuai were full of condemnation. On the other side, Mother Xie saw the situation and walked over: “Ruohuai, what’s wrong with you? You nearly dropped Mr. Shen?”
Knowing it was his fault, Lin Ruohuai didn’t argue. He said honestly: “I didn’t drop him. I didn’t know the wheels were locked.”
Mother Xie was more angry than concerned: “You’re just like before clumsy and unrefined. Mr. Shen, I’ll find someone to take you upstairs.”
Their mode of interaction was very strange. In Shen Qi’s eyes, Lin Ruohuai looked like a little daughter-in-law, even though he hadn’t married into the family yet.
Shen Qi ignored everyone and said concisely: “Let’s go, Mr. Lin.”
Mother Xie’s “face” wasn’t accepted, and her expression looked ugly for a moment before she put on a smile again: “Then let Ruohuai do it.”
It was also this opportunity that made Lin Ruohuai realize just how difficult a wheelchair was to push. It wasn’t that he couldn’t move it, but that it was too easy to get tired. Perhaps he wasn’t using the right force.
After entering the elevator, Lin Ruohuai subconsciously glanced at his legs. When he had caught the man earlier, his butt had accidentally sat on them, but Shen Qi had no reaction at all.
However, his butt had been poked by the man’s leather shoes, which hurt a bit.
The phone in his pocket vibrated. Lin Ruohuai saw Shen Qi was resting with his eyes closed and quickly opened his phone to check.
(Xie Yusheng) Boss: Stall him.
Shen Qi’s room was arranged on the top floor. The space was spacious and fully equipped so large that Lin Ruohuai almost went the wrong way at first. He had circled around the sky garden along the terrace before finding his way back to the room.
Back in the room, Shen Qi was expressionless and mocked: “You really have the leisure for that.”
Lin Ruohuai didn’t dare speak the truth: “The view from the terrace is good. I was taking a stroll.”
“You circled it twice.”
I was just too excited about getting a commission, so I walked a few extra steps carrying my bonus… is all.
Lin Ruohuai adapted on the fly: “The scenery was too good; I wanted to see more of it.”
The atmosphere shifted from indifferent to icy, gradually freezing into an awkward stillness.
Just then, Shen Qi received a message.
Shen Qingyi: Brother, I’m going back. Get some rest early.
Lin Ruohuai wasn’t sure about Shen Qi’s daily habits whether he needed someone to carry him to bed, prepare bathwater, or light candles and incense. Rich people always had strange eccentricities. Speaking of which, where was Shen Qi’s caregiver? His assistant wasn’t there either. Did Shen Qingyi have to do everything?
He didn’t know what he could do by staying, but he couldn’t leave. The longer he stayed, the better; the commissions and bonuses would pile up. Of course, more importantly, it was to leave time and space for Xie Yusheng and Shen Qingyi.
But Shen Qi issued an eviction notice: “You can leave now.”
It seemed there really was no reason to stay. Lin Ruohuai harbored a slim hope and looked at him pitifully: Is it okay if I stay a bit longer?
Shen Qi was not surprised. He pressed a button, and the wheelchair moved slowly toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Dark clouds loomed in the distance, covering half the sky, foretelling an imminent storm.
“Mr. Lin, given your status, being alone in a room with me will inevitably cause gossip. I hope you can understand this.” Shen Qi’s eyes held no warmth, as if he could see through a supposed unfaithful, wild heart not to mention he was the fiancé of his younger brother’s former partner.
You’re overthinking it. Besides, you’re disabled what could happen? Lin Ruohuai suppressed the urge to complain and put on a perfect smile: “It won’t happen. I’m only taking care of you in Shen Qingyi’s place. Everyone will only praise my helpful spirit; they won’t randomly speculate that I have any inappropriate relationship with you. Besides, spreading such false rumors would cause reputational damage to us, and we could sue them for defamation.”
He said it all in one breath without stopping, nearly suffocating himself. Lin Ruohuai took a few breaths.
Shen Qi said nothing. His clearly defined features didn’t even move. Suddenly, however, he reached out and tugged at his tie. Lin Ruohuai’s eyelid jumped, as if “bewitched” by the gesture.
Shen Qi acted as if he hadn’t seen the subtle change in his expression: “I haven’t done anything, Mr. Lin.”
Lin Ruohuai lowered his head with a slight sense of guilt and checked the time on the wall: “I’ll leave at ten o’clock, is that okay?”
A round number sounds better.
Shen Qi didn’t argue, taking his silence as consent. He controlled the wheelchair to move to the table and uncovered a lid, intending to light the remaining scented candle inside.
However, the lighter was over by the bedside table. Observing the situation, Lin Ruohuai ran over, grabbed it, and in the process of handing it over, his fingertips touched the back of Shen Qi’s hand. It was icy cold, not like the temperature of a living person.
The central air conditioning in the lobby was as cold as an ice cellar, and after drinking iced orange juice in that environment, had he caught a cold?
He was Shen Qingyi’s brother. If Xie Yusheng “loved the house and its crows,” would he blame Lin Ruohuai? His bonus would be cut in half, and he would be forced to accept capitalist exploitation without a word.
The consequences were quite serious. Lin Ruohuai thought: I’d better take care of you. Plus, it was a good opportunity to get closer and show some gentle kindness: “Don’t be in such a hurry to kick me out. I’ll get you a blanket. Do you want some hot water? Drink some; your hands are so cold.”
Shen Qi repeatedly mulled over that sentence in his heart: You’re taking care of me? He lifted his eyes, which clearly wrote: Who do you think you are to take care of me?
Lin Ruohuai didn’t push it. His actions were indeed a bit presumptuous; after all, the other person was his “rival’s” brother. But if he got sick, it couldn’t be blamed on Lin Ruohuai. “Should I still get you a blanket?”
Seeing his persistence, Shen Qi relented: “Bring me the one on the sofa.”
There was a brown plaid shawl draped over the sofa. It felt very soft. He was momentarily stunned, remembering his late grandmother had one just like it. His movements became much more tender; he walked over and, by reflex, covered Shen Qi’s legs.
The posture of leaning down brought the distance between them very close. Shen Qi could even smell the sweet scent of orange juice on his breath and the fragrance wafting from his hair.
Shen Qi’s gaze moved from bottom to top, sliding from Lin Ruohuai’s neck to his eyes. His Adam’s apple rolled slightly.
What did this mean? Someone with such a striking face, smiling so gently while covering him with a blanket what did it mean?
Shen Qi’s voice was slightly hoarse: “Mr. Lin.”
Lin Ruohuai finished tidying the blanket for him. It was exactly ten o’clock. He was preparing to take a photo as evidence to “clock out” of work. Hearing Shen Qi call him, he tilted his head slightly: “What is it?”
“Please restrain yourself.”