Han Tian didn’t notice someone standing behind him as he continued chatting on his phone, until the person on the other end interrupted, "Alright, you should head back. Don’t let him find out, or it’ll be too much for you to handle, and it’ll hurt me to see you upset."
Seeing the other person’s displeasure, Han Tian coaxed, "Come on, don’t be mad. I’ll bring you your favorite food next time."
Cheng Meng let out a derisive laugh, "I’m not mad. There’s no need to be."
……
Cheng Shuoning turned and walked forward, the conversation between the two echoing in his ears.
From their chat, it was clear that Han Tian and Cheng Meng’s relationship wasn’t as indifferent as it usually seemed. Instead, they were quite close.
And it wasn’t something that happened overnight; it seemed to have been going on for a long time.
Recalling Han Tian’s look of disdain when he mentioned Cheng Meng before, Cheng Shuoning felt a tightness in his chest.
Did Han Tian like Cheng Meng? Or was it the same as with him, where he acted nice on the surface but was actually full of disgust inside?
How much more was he hiding?
A sense of helplessness spread through his body, and Cheng Shuoning somehow found himself in the bathroom.
The mirror above the sink reflected his face, pale to the point of transparency.
He looked somewhat disheveled.
But having secretly loved Han Tian for so long, and having expressed his feelings multiple times, he felt even more pathetic.
Avoiding his wound, Cheng Shuoning washed his face, the cold water jolting him into clarity. When he looked up, he suddenly saw another person in the mirror.
A boy in a black shirt stood behind him, expressionless, with faint bruises on his face and a bandage wrapped around his right arm, as if he’d been in a fight.
Xu Wangzhi didn’t seem like someone who would get into fights.
Cheng Shuoning stared blankly at the boy in the mirror, unable to process what he was seeing.
‘Did I scare you?’
‘Why is your face so pale?’
‘Does your head hurt?’
‘Do I look good?’
The questions startled Cheng Shuoning, and he instinctively replied, "A little, it doesn’t hurt anymore, you look… good…"
Then he suddenly realized that Xu Wangzhi hadn’t actually spoken; all those words were what he was thinking.
So, the usually silent Xu Wangzhi at school thought about so many things in his head? He even cared about others.
Because of Xu Wangzhi’s stark contrast, Cheng Shuoning suddenly wasn’t sure if he could really hear others’ thoughts.
He looked away, pretending to wash his hands, but he was still secretly watching the person in the mirror.
The boy, with his aloof and distant demeanor, seemed uninterested in what Cheng Shuoning had just said, only uttering, "Move over."
Realizing he wanted to wash his hands, Cheng Shuoning quickly stepped aside. As he was about to leave, his gaze fell on Xu Wangzhi’s arm, and he couldn’t help but ask, "What happened to your arm?"
The bathroom was empty except for the two of them, with only the sound of running water breaking the silence.
Cheng Shuoning didn’t expect an answer to his question and took a few steps forward, only to hear Xu Wangzhi say, "I bumped it."
His tone was indifferent, without any inflection, just like when they had to communicate at school.
The faucet was turned off, and the bathroom grew even quieter.
For some reason, Cheng Shuoning remembered the earlier question, "Does your head hurt?" He wanted to ask Xu Wangzhi but feared he was overthinking it, so he mumbled, "Um, take care and rest well."
Not wanting to return to the ward, he sat on a chair in the hallway, watching people pass by, trying to see if he could only hear thoughts when making eye contact.
A little girl in a dress not far away was on the phone, crying with tears streaming down her face. She noticed Cheng Shuoning and turned to stare at him, saying into the phone, "Okay, I won’t cry, I won’t cry."
‘That brother is so handsome. Why is he staring at me? Is it because I look ugly when I cry? Boo hoo, then I won’t cry.’
A young man pushing a wheelchair was comforting the elderly man sitting in it, "Dad, just stay in the hospital peacefully. Don’t worry about the money."
The wheelchair nearly bumped into Cheng Shuoning’s foot, and the young man looked at him, offering an apologetic smile.
‘Even if I have to sell the house and car, I’ll make sure you get treatment. Don’t worry.’
A woman with permed hair passed by, suddenly turning to look at Cheng Shuoning.
‘Such a handsome young man? Does he have a girlfriend? Young man, do you like older sisters? How about a sister-brother romance? Young man, look at me again, you’re so cute, ah, ah, ah, look at me one more time.’
"…"
Cheng Shuoning looked at others who were talking, but he couldn’t hear their thoughts, so the trigger condition was indeed eye contact.
His phone rang with a call from Han Tian, probably because he returned to the ward and didn’t find him there.
Cheng Shuoning got up and went back to the ward.
*
After making three unanswered calls, Han Tian was about to go out and look for him when he saw Cheng Shuoning return. He took a few steps forward, anxious, "Ning Ning, where did you go? I was worried sick about you."
Cheng Shuoning poured himself a glass of water and drank it, responding with a question of his own, "Why do you dislike Cheng Meng?"
Han Tian’s eyelid twitched, unsure why he brought up Cheng Meng again, and he smiled, "Dislike is just dislike, does it need a reason? I just can’t stand him."
"Really?" Cheng Shuoning stared at him.
The boy’s lips, still glistening from the water, made Han Tian feel an urge to kiss him.
‘If I kiss him now, Ning Ning probably won’t get mad, right?’
Cheng Shuoning paused, frowning, "Han Tian?"
"Really." Han Tian snapped back to reality.
‘Of course, that’s a lie. I find him very pleasing to the eye now, so cute.’
"He’s rude, and he inexplicably dislikes you, targets you, so of course I don’t like him. I like Ning Ning the most." Han Tian hugged Cheng Shuoning, ruffling his hair, and whispered warmly in his ear, "So Ning Ning, please don’t ignore me like you did this morning, okay? I’m going crazy with worry."
Cheng Shuoning pushed him away, placing the glass on the table, "Got it."
The ambiguous response left Han Tian momentarily stunned.
He knew Cheng Shuoning’s personality well: obedient, sensible, rarely angry, and occasionally playful.
Usually, their interactions were filled with smiles, warm like the sun.
So, receiving such a response now, he could instantly sense the difference.
He was cold, lacking the previous enthusiasm, even distant.
Han Tian felt particularly uneasy, pinching Cheng Shuoning’s cheek and teasing him with a smile, "Ning Ning, smile for me. I want to see your smile, it’s so cute."
Cheng Shuoning removed his hand, "I’m a bit tired."
This time, it was Han Tian who couldn’t smile, "Ning Ning, did I do something to upset you? If I did, please tell me, okay? You can hit me or scold me, just don’t sulk alone, it makes my heart ache."
Cheng Shuoning could guess how much of this was sincere, and he replied blandly, "Thank you for caring."
He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes after pulling up the covers.
Han Tian had no choice but to sit quietly by the bed, watching Cheng Shuoning’s back, and took out his phone.
The phone vibrated a few times, and Cheng Shuoning opened it to find apology messages from Han Tian, along with many cute emoji stickers.
Looking at the adorable bunny emojis, his lips involuntarily curled up, but he quickly pressed them together and hit the back button.
Just as he did, a message from Cheng Meng came through: "I heard you’re in the hospital? Do you need me to come see you? /smile.jpg."
The unfriendly emoji made Cheng Shuoning pause, and he typed back, "No need."
"After all, I’m your brother. If something happens to you, I should come see you, or people will say I’m heartless. /smile.jpg."
"Then I’ll come see you tomorrow. /smile.jpg."
"Don’t worry, I’ll bring a gift when I come to see you. /smile.jpg."
Cheng Shuoning ignored his sarcastic remarks, didn’t reply to Han Tian’s messages either, and went straight to sleep.
When he woke up the next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
Cheng Shuoning lifted the covers, intending to get out of bed and wash up, only to find Han Tian sitting in a chair, lost in thought, with noticeable dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept all night.
Seeing Cheng Shuoning awake, Han Tian smiled, "Ning Ning, get up and wash up for breakfast. You didn’t eat dinner last night, you must be hungry by now. I just went out to buy this porridge, it’s really good."
He opened the thermos container beside him, poured the porridge into a bowl, and placed it on the table next to the bed, then sat back in his previous chair, keeping a distance from Cheng Shuoning.
The sight made Cheng Shuoning’s heart clench slightly, "Did you stay up all night?"
"I was afraid you’d get hungry or feel unwell at night, so I didn’t dare sleep. But don’t worry, I’m in good health, even if I don’t sleep all night, I’m still energetic." Han Tian looked at him gently.
‘Feel sorry for me, feel sorry for me, now you should feel sorry for me and make up with me. I really don’t want to see your face without a smile anymore, just smile at me, and I won’t hold your previous inexplicable behavior against you.’
Cheng Shuoning silently got out of bed, washed up, changed clothes, and moved the porridge aside, making room for Han Tian, "You lie down and sleep for a while, don’t faint."
"No need, I’m fine." Han Tian grinned, "Don’t worry about me, Ning Ning, just eat."
He stood up, walked over to Cheng Shuoning, and reached for the bowl, "Let me feed you."
"No need." Cheng Shuoning avoided his hand, "I have hands, I can eat by myself, no need to trouble you."
Han Tian sighed dejectedly, "Ning Ning, you used to let me feed you…"
Cheng Shuoning pretended not to hear, and Han Tian had no choice but to eat as well.
Halfway through the meal, the door opened, and Cheng Meng walked in, dressed in black.
He held a white flower in his hand, and the pattern on his short-sleeved shirt was also a white flower. He stood in front of Cheng Shuoning with a smile.
"Why are you here?" Han Tian stood up, looking displeased.
"To see my brother," Cheng Meng smiled, placing the flower on the table, "Here’s a flower for you, hope you like it."
Now that he was closer, Cheng Shuoning could see that the white flower was a chrysanthemum, and the pattern on Cheng Meng’s shirt was also a white chrysanthemum. His expression turned cold.
Cheng Meng’s smile widened, "Don’t like the gift I brought? Brother? I saw this flower at the florist and thought it suited you, so I bought it."
"Cheng Meng, you’re being too much. What do you mean by buying this flower?" Han Tian picked up the flower from the table, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it, glaring at Cheng Meng with anger.
"I didn’t mean anything by it. Isn’t it customary to bring flowers when visiting someone in the hospital? What else could I mean by giving this flower?"
He spoke with an air of innocence, as if suddenly realizing something, "Ah, I remember now, white chrysanthemums are sometimes given to the deceased. Brother, you don’t think I gave you this flower on purpose, do you? Sorry, I really didn’t mean anything else, I just thought the flower was pure and clean, like you, so I bought it for you."