The hospital corridors were saturated with the scent of disinfectant mixed with various medicines. It wasn’t a pleasant smell, and it left Ye Linghan feeling restless and irritable.
He sat on the long bench outside Yin Chen’s room. The icy texture of the seat felt piercingly cold against his skin. He kept his head buried low, reflecting on everything that had transpired over the past few days.
Vampires were not invincible. Even though their lifespans were relatively long and they didn’t die easily—possessing the ability to self-heal from injuries—that bullet had pierced through his heart.
The bullet had been forced to explode inside Yin Chen’s body. Unable to withstand the impact, the skin on his chest had been torn open from the inside out. It was a level of pain Ye Linghan didn’t even dare to imagine.
Yet, to keep Ye Linghan from being harmed, Yin Chen had chosen to endure it all alone.
“Aren’t you going in?” A voice accompanied by approaching footsteps drifted over.
Ye Linghan looked up to see Sun Mao walking toward him. He managed to force a faint smile onto his face.
Propping himself up by the armrests of the bench, he stood and looked through the glass pane of the door at Yin Chen lying on the sickbed. Then, he shook his head slightly.
“I’d better not. I don’t know how to face him.”
He felt a lingering fear. If Yin Chen had been an ordinary human, the two of them would certainly be separated by death now. To make matters worse, he had been acting out and giving Yin Chen the cold shoulder before this. If anything had truly happened to Yin Chen, he would never have forgiven himself for the rest of his life.
Now, seeing Yin Chen lying safely in bed, the thought sprouted in his mind that it was because of him that the other man was so severely injured. Suddenly, he lost his courage again; he wanted to retreat.
Sun Mao sighed and stood beside Ye Linghan, gazing at the man inside the ward with him.
“The Young Master has always had you in his heart. You could say he monitors your whereabouts every moment, terrified that something might happen to you. In front of others, he is always decisive and cold, but that’s because of the position he holds—there is too much bitterness and too many things beyond his control.”
Sun Mao paused for a breath before continuing, “But he is very soft toward you. He has been giving all this time silently. The reason he doesn’t express it is only that he’s afraid someone will find a weakness and use it to hurt you.”
Ye Linghan looked at Sun Mao in astonishment. His thin lips parted slightly, and his throat felt as though it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, preventing him from making a sound.
Sun Mao softened his tone. “Go see the Young Master. He has been fighting a lonely battle at the top for too long; he hasn’t felt the taste of being loved in a very long time. I hope your arrival can bring some warmth to his heart.”
At this point, Sun Mao suddenly smiled. Ye Linghan was puzzled, watching him with a hint of wariness in his eyes.
“You do like our Young Master, don’t you?”
Sun Mao feared that saying so much might place pressure on Ye Linghan or feel like moral kidnapping, so he couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Linghan blushed at the sudden question but nodded honestly, admitting his feelings for Yin Chen.
“Then there’s nothing to hesitate about. If the Young Master wakes up and sees you by his side, he will surely be very happy.”
This was the first time Ye Linghan had heard Sun Mao speak so much. At the same time, he was grateful for these words; they allowed him to regain the courage to face Yin Chen.
After Sun Mao left, Ye Linghan pushed the door open and entered the ward. He sat by the bedside. The person on the bed had his eyes tightly shut, his face devoid of color. His silver-white wolf-tail hair gave him a touch of wildness even in his quiet state.
Ye Linghan wrapped his hands around Yin Chen’s icy fingers. The other man’s hand was large; Ye Linghan worked to hold it firmly and brought it to his lips.
Why on earth are you so good to me? Ye Linghan wondered silently as he looked at Yin Chen.
When someone is good to another, there is usually an ulterior motive. What was it that he sought? To the point of using his life as a bargaining chip?
The vast ward held only the two of them. This area belonged privately to Yin Chen, so it was quiet and free from interruptions.
Ye Linghan lightly kissed the calloused fingertips and listened to the steady “beep—beep—” of the heart monitor.
Thank goodness, his heart is still beating.
This was the most direct proof that Yin Chen was still alive.
Ye Linghan lifted the covers and lay down beside Yin Chen. He turned on his side, reaching out a hand to gently cover Yin Chen’s heart. Beneath his palm was thick gauze. He buried his face in the crook of the man’s neck, smelling the faint scent on his body, and fell into a deep sleep.
Lying beside Yin Chen, Ye Linghan’s heart felt a rare sense of peace. He didn’t have any of those strange dreams, so much so that he didn’t notice when the person beside him left.
Where is Yin Chen?
In his groggy state, the realization that the person beside him was gone hit him like a jolt. Ye Linghan sat up instantly and looked around. After confirming Yin Chen wasn’t in the room, he scrambled out of bed and stumbled toward the door.
Just as he reached the door, he heard voices outside.
Through the window, he saw Yin Chen and Sun Mao standing there. The former was wearing the same hospital gown as him and was carrying a bag.
Ye Linghan didn’t go out; instead, he leaned in to listen.
“Young Master, we took that man named Duan Jiu back for interrogation, but his mouth is sealed tight. And then…”
Sun Mao’s voice grew quieter; Ye Linghan couldn’t hear the subsequent words.
“Fine, I understand,” Yin Chen’s tone was flat, without much emotion.
Sun Mao continued, “By the way, Dr. Zhang said the surgery was a success. Is it possible to disch—”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Before Sun Mao could finish, Yin Chen suddenly began to cough violently, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Ye Linghan’s heart tightened. Losing control of his body and unable to think clearly, he pushed the door open and rushed out.
“Yin Chen!”
The sudden shout startled Sun Mao; he hadn’t expected Ye Linghan to suddenly appear.
“How are you? Does it hurt? Is anything uncomfortable?” Ye Linghan supported Yin Chen, asking urgently with concern.
Looking at Ye Linghan’s anxious expression, a smile quirked at the corner of Yin Chen’s mouth. He said softly, “I’m fine.”
Standing to the side, Sun Mao’s eyes went wide. He was amazed that his Young Master only showed such a soft side when seeing Ye Linghan. He watched their interaction blankly.
Ye Linghan wanted to touch Yin Chen’s chest, but the latter—mistaking the gesture for an attempt to check the wound in public—slightly shifted his body to dodge.
“We’re outside, don’t be naughty.”
My goodness…
The sheer indulgence in his tone left Sun Mao standing there dumbfounded.
Ye Linghan’s face flushed instantly. He silently withdrew his hand. “Then let’s go back inside.” He propped up Yin Chen’s body, making him lean as much weight as possible on him.
“Alright.”
Yin Chen glanced back at Sun Mao. The latter immediately understood his boss’s meaning and turned around to make a quick exit.
The two returned to the ward. Yin Chen opened the bag and pulled out a meal box.
“Quick, try it.” He handed the chopsticks and spoon to Ye Linghan, his eyes full of anticipation.
Ye Linghan’s eyes were slightly red. He stared blankly at the man in front of him and didn’t take them.
At this moment, one was sitting while the other stood, gazing at each other.
After a moment, Yin Chen gave a bitter smile and lowered his hand.
But simultaneously, Ye Linghan stood up quickly and hugged the man’s waist, burying his face in his chest.
Yin Chen was knocked back two steps by the momentum, but he caught the “self-offering” Ye Linghan steadily. His expression was surprised at first, then turned to one of relief as he hugged Ye Linghan back.
He had waited a long time for this moment.
Without waiting for the person in his arms to speak, Yin Chen said to himself, “I thought… You wouldn’t want to have physical contact with me again, so I didn’t dare touch you.”
That kiss in the factory had been a privilege he bought with his life.
Hearing this, Ye Linghan’s body froze.
He actually…
Ye Linghan recalled everything that had just happened. It seemed every bit of physical contact had been initiated by him, and even when supporting him, they were separated by clothes. Yin Chen really hadn’t touched him once.
“Then your wound…”
This time, when Ye Linghan reached out to touch him, Yin Chen did not dodge.
Beneath his fingertips, through the fabric, he could clearly feel the thick layer of gauze still wrapped around Yin Chen’s chest.
Wrapped so thick, it must be very uncomfortable…
Thinking this, his heart ached even more.
“I’m fine,” Yin Chen allowed Ye Linghan to “inspect” him.
“I don’t know what your feelings for me are truly like, but I can be certain that I have liked you for a very long time.”
Yin Chen murmured in a low voice.
The sudden confession left Ye Linghan at a loss. He stood there dazed, his spine stiff.
“Perhaps you have always had reservations about our relationship, but I have never thought of you that way. You aren’t what they call a ‘blood slave.’ In my heart, you have always been my family, but once I realized my true feelings for you, I wasn’t satisfied with just being family in the ordinary sense.”
Ye Linghan’s outward composure was a mask for his pounding heart. If he were hooked up to a heart monitor right now, it would surely spike to 180.
When Ye Linghan was young, he had vampire classmates. When they learned of his status as a blood slave, they would mock and ridicule him. But at some point, those voices seemed to disappear; no one said those things to him anymore.
Could it be that those voices disappeared because Yin Chen was applying pressure behind the scenes, forbidding people from saying that?
It turned out that even back then, he had been protecting him.
Seeing that Ye Linghan remained silent, Yin Chen’s expression showed a hint of disappointment, but his tone remained gentle.
“I can no longer remember how many centuries I have lived, but the only person who has ever moved my heart is you.”
Yin Chen paused before continuing solemnly, “Ye Linghan, I love you. Not as family, but as a lover. So, do you… At any moment, have even a sliver of feeling for me?”
Ye Linghan’s brain was buzzing, his thoughts spinning wildly.
Did Yin Chen just say he loves me?
Ye Linghan stared blankly at the man before him.
He wanted to answer that his heart was moved too—that it had been moved a long time ago—but the numbness in his brain made him lose control. He couldn’t utter a single syllable.
“I…” Ye Linghan struggled, managing to force out a single word amidst his shock.
Seeing Ye Linghan speak, Yin Chen felt a sense of relief. At least he was still willing to talk to him; at least there was room for explanation. He wasn’t in a hurry for a reply, patiently giving the other person time to react.
“I know many people covet me—not just for who I am, but for my status and position. Originally, I didn’t dare to get close to you because I feared that if those people knew you were my weakness, they would use you to threaten me. But power and status… I don’t care about any of it. The only thing I care about is you.”
“The day you were kidnapped, I was truly afraid. I feared that if I arrived one step late, I would only see a cold version of you. So, I decided to voice the words I’ve hidden for so long, so that I can protect you openly and honorably.”
“Yin Chen, I…”
Ye Linghan had received too much information at once and couldn’t digest it. He looked at the man before him woodenly.
Driven by instinct, he did the thing he had wanted to do for a long time but never realized.
Ye Linghan grabbed the hem of Yin Chen’s shirt at the waist and stepped forward, closing the distance.
Yin Chen didn’t understand, but he followed the others’ lead, cooperating gently.
Ye Linghan pushed him back onto the sofa behind them and sat astride his lap. Their bodies were extremely close, without a gap between them. He closed his eyes and, following his intuition, pressed his lips against Yin Chen’s.
The impulse he had thought about day and night and restrained for so long finally erupted at this moment.
Yin Chen’s body stiffened for a second, then he reclaimed the initiative. One hand wrapped around Ye Linghan’s waist while the other cupped the back of his head, preventing him from pulling away.
Through two thin layers of fabric, they could feel the heat of each other’s skin and the violent rising and falling of their chests.
With their lips and tongues entwined, Yin Chen carefully savored the taste of Ye Linghan. First with inch-by-inch pecks, then driving deep. This seemed to possess more magic than his blood, making him unable to extricate himself.
Ye Linghan was also lost in this “tender trap.” His waist arched instinctively, pressing tightly against Yin Chen, feeling his uncharacteristically hot skin.
But his lips were cold—a collision of ice and fire.
The movements of both men were very gentle, tracing the outlines of one another, as if they were reading an obscure book of poetry.