Shen Yifeng is tall with long legs and walks very fast. Jiang Wu walks slowly and was carrying a large, heavy, double-layered food container, so he was soon left far behind.
Why walk so fast? It is not like he is rushing to catch a flight! Does he really have no awareness of his surroundings? Can he not see that I cannot keep up?
Jiang Wu complained indignantly in his heart. Although he was grumbling, his body tried its best to keep up, but his physical ability could not match his intention. Seeing Shen Yifeng’s figure about to disappear from view, Jiang Wu had no choice but to call out, “Shen Yifeng!”
Upon hearing his voice, Shen Yifeng paused and turned around. Only then did he realize that Jiang Wu was lagging far behind.
The young man was clutching the large container with both hands, his red lips pursed, and his moist, bright eyes fixed on Shen Yifeng with a look of grievance. It was as if Shen Yifeng had done something truly unforgivable to him.
Shen Yifeng felt a sense of amusement. He could not understand why some people could look so cute even when angry. Still, this was indeed his fault. He was not accustomed to waiting for others or adjusting his pace, so he had overlooked the fact that Jiang Wu could not keep up with him.
He strode back toward Jiang Wu. “Give it to me.” He reached out and took the food container from Jiang Wu’s hands.
As he took it, he noticed a deep, red mark on Jiang Wu’s fair, tender palm, likely caused by the handle of the container. It was very red and conspicuous, and for some reason, it was jarring to look at.
They entered the elevator, and Shen Yifeng swiped his card. The elevator rose rapidly, arriving in a few seconds.
Qi Gui heard the elevator and, knowing his boss had arrived, stood up. To his surprise, he saw a pink-clad youth following behind him. More importantly, his boss was deliberately slowing his pace to accommodate the youth, occasionally glancing back to make sure he was keeping up. Qi Gui was stunned, and his gossip instincts flared. Having worked for the boss for so many years, this was the first time he had seen him show such consideration for someone walking with him.
As the two approached, Qi Gui quickly suppressed his shock, put on a professional expression, and greeted Shen Yifeng. Shen Yifeng nodded without stopping. Qi Gui then watched in disbelief as his boss led the youth into his private office rather than the reception room. When he saw his boss open the door for the youth, Qi Gui felt a burning curiosity about the boy’s identity.
Regardless of Qi Gui’s curiosity, once the two entered the office, Shen Yifeng set the food container on the desk. Thinking of the red mark on Jiang Wu’s palm, he glanced at it again. It had not faded. Looking at that redness, Shen Yifeng realized he had never seen someone as delicate as Jiang Wu; he reminded him of the Princess and the Pea from the fairy tales he read as a child. Back then, he had only thought the princess was too fragile and did not like her. But with Jiang Wu, he felt something else, an emotion he could not name or understand.
Jiang Wu noticed Shen Yifeng staring at his hand. He looked down and finally saw the mark. No wonder his palm felt like it was burning; the handle of the container had rubbed against it. His skin was very soft, and the handle was a rigid rectangle rather than rounded. Given the weight of the plates and the solid wood of the container, it was no wonder he had been hurt.
Before he could react, he heard Shen Yifeng’s emotionless, slightly low voice: “Does it hurt?”
Does it hurt?
Jiang Wu was stunned by the question. Since he arrived here, no one had asked him that in a long time. In his previous life, he was the apple of his family’s eye, the youngest with two older brothers and two older sisters who doted on him. Taking advantage of their affection, he would always show off his minor injuries to garner sympathy. They would look at him with pained expressions and ask, “Little treasure, does it hurt?” After getting the desired reaction, he would act spoiled and pretend it hurt even more to get treats and attention.
Thinking of his parents and siblings, whom he would never see again, Jiang Wu’s nose felt sour. A wave of sadness turned into tears that welled up in his eyes.
Shen Yifeng watched as Jiang Wu froze and his eyes slowly turned red, gradually glazing over with moisture. It hurts. He is crying because it hurts.
Upon realizing this, Shen Yifeng stiffened. An expression of rare panic appeared on his usually unruffled face. What should I do?
Jiang Wu’s tears were already falling, blurring his vision. He was overwhelmed by the sadness of being in an unfamiliar world without family or friends. Needing to vent his grievance and anxiety, he did not care who was in front of him. He held his reddened palm up to his chest and sobbed, “It hurts, it hurts so much.”
His voice carried a spoiled, whiny tone, and because his voice was naturally soft, the way he said “it hurts” made one’s heart soften.
Shen Yifeng was tall; Jiang Wu only reached his chin. Shen Yifeng lowered his eyes to look at the fair hands with red marks presented to him. His long lashes drooped, covering his dark, deep eyes, making his thoughts unreadable, though his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as if he were swallowing.
“What do you want me to do so that it will not hurt anymore?” He shifted his gaze from Jiang Wu’s hand to his eyes.
Jiang Wu’s eyes were filled with tears, making them look bright and glistening, like two smooth, dark pearls, so beautiful it was impossible to look away. Shen Yifeng’s expression was serious, his lips pressed into a thin line. His mind was in turmoil; the Jiang Wu before him stirred an indescribable emotion in his heart. He did not understand it; it felt like a mix of cruelty and tenderness, clashing and causing chaos within him.
Jiang Wu desperately needed an outlet, and Shen Yifeng’s question gave him one. He held his hands out to Shen Yifeng’s mouth, sobbing and acting delicately, “Blow on it.”
His mother used to do that. Jiang Wu missed his mother so much; it had been over two months since he last saw her.
Shen Yifeng was bewildered. What is “blow on it”? As the heir to his family, he had been raised to be strong and self-reliant whenever he was injured or faced difficulties; he had never been coddled. Being a precocious child, he had no concept of the childish “blow on it” request.
However, looking at the teary-eyed and expectant Jiang Wu, Shen Yifeng was at a loss. He wanted to ask what it meant, but before he could speak, Jiang Wu’s tears began to fall like pearls, splashing onto the floor.
Jiang Wu’s brain was occupied by grief; he could not process anything else, stubbornly insisting on his request. He held his hands closer to Shen Yifeng’s mouth and said again, this time with a mix of grievance and stubbornness, “Blow on it.”
Shen Yifeng looked down at the hands that were a size smaller than his own, noticing for the first time the faint pinkish hue of Jiang Wu’s fingertips. A nameless, sweet scent wafted toward his nose, seemingly emanating from those hands. It was like a bewitching fragrance, leaving Shen Yifeng’s mind completely blank.
His body moved uncontrollably, his head lowering slightly as if he wanted to take Jiang Wu’s fingers into his mouth to see if they tasted as sweet as they smelled. But before he could act, a sudden knock on the door interrupted him.
The knocking sounded like a wake-up call. It brought Shen Yifeng back to his senses, and even the sobbing Jiang Wu seemed to snap out of his daze.