Shen Yuanting had said he was close, and he really was. When he arrived, Yan Zhao’s heart gave a little jolt.
Shen Yuanting had searched all the way here. Could Yan Zhao have come too late? Was the cat about to die?
Fortunately, Shen Yuanting’s next words put those fears to rest.
“I searched here, but couldn’t find it.”
Shen Yuanting’s hand hovered above the cat curled up in a ball. He wanted to touch it, but didn’t dare get any closer.
Shen Yuanting was blaming himself.
“The rain’s so heavy, and it’s pitch-dark out. It’s not your fault you couldn’t find it. Besides, we found it now.” Yan Zhao tried to comfort him, lowering his eyes to the little ball of soot in his arms. “Let’s get to the animal hospital. I looked up the nearest one and called. They still have a doctor on duty.”
Finding Wangzai didn’t necessarily mean it was safe. In its current state, it was truly teetering on the brink of life and death.
Shen Yuanting glanced at him. In the dark, Yan Zhao couldn’t make out his expression.
He was probably grateful…?
Whatever, it had better be something positive. If I find your cat for you and you still hate me, you’re a real piece of work!
Shen Yuanting opened the passenger-side door and nodded at Yan Zhao. “Get in my car.”
Yan Zhao pointed to the side. “I have a car.”
In weather like this, if he’d had to walk on his own two feet, he’d have collapsed halfway there.
Shen Yuanting frowned. “How long have you been looking? It’s three in the morning. Aren’t you worried you’ll get into an accident driving when you’re exhausted?”
Listen to that tone. He was clearly worried about someone, yet somehow managed to make it sound like he was picking a fight.
“Aren’t you driving tired too? What gives you the right to lecture me?” Yan Zhao shot back, then got into the car anyway, his body more honest than his mouth.
He really was exhausted after searching for so long. And freezing.
Yan Zhao stared at the tips of his shoes, feeling as if he were barefoot, standing in cold water.
His vision darkened as a black coat was roughly dropped over his head. It still held the warmth of its wearer.
Yan Zhao grabbed the coat and poked his head out. “You…”
The engine started, and the dim scenery outside slid past. Shen Yuanting kept his eyes on the road, broad shoulders clad in nothing but a thin shirt. “Don’t catch a chill. I already owe you a big enough favor.”
“Be a little gentler. If you’re putting it over me, fine, but if you did that to a woman, you’d be dead.” Yan Zhao grumbled, though the corners of his mouth curled up despite himself.
He wrapped the coat, still faintly scented with cologne, more tightly around himself. Wangzai stirred in his arms, poking a tiny black nose through a gap.
While Shen Yuanting handled the paperwork, Yan Zhao sat waiting in a chair.
He rested his elbows on his thighs, bent forward, and let his head hang. Water droplets clung to the ends of his hair.
His eyes began to droop. He shook his head, trying to fling off the drowsiness.
He was a top star, for heaven’s sake. How could he doze off in public?
He swept the damp hair from his forehead. A pair of leather shoes came into view and stopped in front of him.
Yan Zhao raised his head. A lock of hair fell out of place, hanging near his right eye.
Under the bright lights, nothing escaped notice.
A droplet ran down from Shen Yuanting’s temple, over his handsome face and along his neck, disappearing beneath his shirt and leaving a faint trail of water.
He had only just calmed down after that rush of emotion, and his chest was still rising and falling noticeably. His eyes, which seemed to hold every feeling inside him, were like a lake struck by the night rain, glimmering with ripples of light.
Yan Zhao moved his fingers, suddenly wanting to laugh. Come to think of it, this was his first time meeting Shen Yuanting. One was a celebrity, the other a CEO. They should have made their debuts looking dazzling, but instead they were both a mess, showing each other their worst sides right from the start.
He stood up. His knees felt a little weak, and his cheeks were warm.
He’d been so cold earlier that he’d lost feeling. Was his body so exhausted that his functions were going haywire?
“How’s Wangzai?” he asked. His throat felt clogged, and his breathing was a little strained.
Shit, was he getting sick? Finding the cat had come at a pretty high price.
“It’s all right for now. Still under observation. The doctor said they won’t know for sure until tomorrow morning.” The image of Wangzai curled up in a ball came to mind, and Shen Yuanting’s fist clenched, then slowly relaxed. He looked up at Yan Zhao’s unnaturally flushed face, frowning again. “Come on. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Yan Zhao was starting to think Shen Yuanting never stopped frowning. His brows were either drawn into a three-dimensional “川” or settled into a flat “川.”
“No need.” Yan Zhao took hold of one corner of the coat and turned his face away, avoiding Shen Yuanting’s gaze. He didn’t notice the hand reaching toward him. “It’s just a little cold. I’ll sleep it off… Ah!”
Yan Zhao stumbled a few steps. Shen Yuanting had him by the wrist, gripping so tightly he could practically drag Yan Zhao along. He had no choice but to hurry and catch up, walking beside Shen Yuanting.
“All right, I get it. I’ll go to the hospital. Let go of my hand!” Yan Zhao’s wrist was in the other man’s grasp, and he clutched Shen Yuanting’s coat with his free hand to keep it from slipping off.
The burning warmth around his wrist vanished. Yan Zhao let out a breath and tugged his mask back up over his chin, covering his face.
Better safe than sorry. The best paparazzi were nocturnal creatures. If someone got a picture of him holding hands with a man, his career as an idol would be over.
Yan Zhao leaned back, putting all his weight against the seat.
He closed his eyes and fumbled for the seat belt. “Take me to a private hospital. I’m going to sleep. Wake me when we get there.”
Shen Yuanting answered, “Okay.”
In the dark, Yan Zhao tried to guess how many streetlights they passed by the flickering patches of light. Shen Yuanting seemed to be on the phone with his secretary, telling him to go home and rest, and to take tomorrow off.
After that, every light and sound was like a stone dropped into the sea, sinking into its quiet, restless depths.
…
“Who is this?”
What was that sound? Who’s playing a radio drama in my room? That voice actor’s got a deep voice.
Yan Zhao wrinkled his nose. A man’s low, magnetic voice slipped into his ears. It took him a moment to understand what the words meant.
“He has a fever. He’s taking the day off.”
Right, he was on his way to the hospital!
Yan Zhao opened his eyes. A faint light filtered into them.
Heavy curtains were drawn, leaving the room dim, but it was clearly morning.
This didn’t look like a hospital. Had he gone back to the Shen family home?
The room was spacious and bright, with potted plants on the balcony and a guitar hanging on the wall. Everything about the decor spoke of someone living here. And, most importantly, it was a mess. What hospital room could possibly be this messy? It should be shut down.
A man sat on the edge of the bed, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, his phone to his ear as he spoke to someone.
“I remember. What is it?”
“No need. The hospital will arrange it for her.”
“I will.”
“If that’s all, I’m hanging up.”
Yan Zhao sat up and rested a hand on the blanket. “Who were you talking to?”
The other person had gone on for five minutes, and he’d barely said a word. What a cold fish.
“You’re awake?” Shen Yuanting set his phone on the bedside table and turned toward him. “Your teammate, Ning Yunfan. He said you were late today.”
At the word “late,” Yan Zhao’s back stiffened instinctively. Then he relaxed and lazily tucked a pillow behind his lower back.
He didn’t have anything scheduled today. No movie shoot or commercial recording. Being late could only mean he’d missed training.
“I heard. Thanks for calling in sick for me.” Then an image of a cat, barely clinging to life, flashed through Yan Zhao’s mind. He hurriedly asked, “How’s Wangzai?”
A weak meow came from the corner of the room. Yan Zhao followed the sound and saw a little ball of soot sprawled on a chair.
Its voice was still faint, but if it had been discharged, it must be out of danger.
“You’re sick yourself, and you’re still worried about it?” Shen Yuanting chided him, then stood and pulled open the curtains. Bright sunlight immediately flooded the room.
“Mrow!” Wangzai meowed listlessly, sounding a little annoyed.
Shen Yuanting patted its head and scolded it. “And you, too. You had a perfectly good bed, but you came all the way over here to sleep.”
Wangzai had come to visit him? Yan Zhao was a little surprised, then felt a touch of warmth in his heart. It really was adorable.
“There’s medicine on the bedside table,” Shen Yuanting said.
“Oh.” Yan Zhao swallowed the medicine with a sip of water. It was warm, just the right temperature.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tiny needle mark on the back of his hand. Against his smooth skin, it looked rather grim.
Yan Zhao stared at it in surprise. “…I had an IV?”
Shen Yuanting confirmed it. “Your fever was serious. We couldn’t wake you, and it only came down after they gave you an IV.”
Yan Zhao nodded and let out a relieved breath.
Thank goodness he’d slept through it! He wasn’t sensitive to most kinds of pain, but he couldn’t stand the sharp sting of a needle.
Seeing Yan Zhao’s relieved expression, as if he’d just dodged a bullet, Shen Yuanting raised an eyebrow. He was happy about being sick?
Yan Zhao looked up, hesitated, then asked, “…Did you carry me upstairs by yourself?”
Shen Yuanting replied coolly, “Who else?”
Yan Zhao stared at the cuff of his silk pajamas. “It’s nothing. Thank you.”
Even if the original host and Shen Yuanting had a terrible relationship, they were legally married. They must have seen each other naked plenty of times already.
But still.
But…!
“Don’t you have work?” Yan Zhao tried to change the subject. As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what a stupid question it was.
Shen Yuanting was the CEO, and his father was the chairman. He didn’t have to worry about the ordinary office worker’s need to clock in on time.
Shen Yuanting leaned against the desk, his expression calm. “I took half a day off.”
Yan Zhao figured Shen Yuanting hadn’t taken the day off entirely for his sake. But even if Yan Zhao accounted for only 1 percent of the reason, that was still worth celebrating. After all, Boss Shen was the man who’d told Big Male Lead Ning, “You’re so upset you want to die over me? Are you sick? Move. You’re in my way.”
How cold! How heartless! What a lack of gentlemanly manners! No wonder you couldn’t be the legitimate top!
Yan Zhao grinned triumphantly, then noticed the dark circles under Shen Yuanting’s eyes. His mood sank, and he asked with concern, “Your dark circles are so bad. You didn’t stay up all night, did you?”
Shen Yuanting glanced at him and replied unconcernedly, “So what if I did?”
What do you mean, so what! You may be the boss and not likely to drop dead anytime soon, but at least think about your heart, your brain, and your hair!
Yan Zhao immediately felt guilty. He shifted over, making room on one side of the bed. “You should get some sleep.”
Shen Yuanting looked at him thoughtfully. After a moment, he asked, “Did the fever fry your brain?”
Yan Zhao: “…”
What kind of thing was that to say?
Before he could teach Boss Shen a thing or two about the art of conversation, Shen Yuanting dropped a bombshell. “When have I ever slept with you?”
Yan Zhao: “…”
They… had never slept together?
Did he mean they’d never “slept” together, or that they’d never even shared a bed?
How could the original novel leave out something this important? The legitimate top had sex seven times in one night, over and over, but the author couldn’t spare a line for a side character’s sex life?
But the original host did seduce the legitimate top later on and successfully slept with him, so the problem definitely wasn’t on his end!
Yan Zhao hadn’t even had a chance to wonder whether Shen Yuanting was asexual when Shen Yuanting asked, in an unhurried voice, “I wanted to ask you yesterday. Aren’t you afraid of cats? You usually go out of your way to avoid Wangzai.”
There was no way to keep up the act now!