“Wow, how cunning. I said why you suddenly sat up and left, so it was because you didn’t want to let me eat,” Li Jianbing chattered along behind them, pulling out a chair. “Fortunately, I am a light sleeper.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his arm and hauled over the wine Lin Zong had just pushed back.
“Uncle, I will drink it,” Li Jianbing said with a cheeky grin, sniffing the bottle. “A mature man should drink a little alcohol. You can tell just by smelling this.”
“Go ahead and eat,” Lin Zong, both sleepy and starving, cut him off. “Spare us the speech.”
The whole family finally picked up their chopsticks.
Huo You kept his mouth shut throughout.
Not that it was completely shut, since he still had to eat.
He made zero sound while eating, though he ate quite fast. Lin Zong felt that after just a brief nap, Huo You’s rice bowl was already empty.
Had he even seen him pick up any side dishes?
Was he too embarrassed?
Lin Zong put himself in the other’s shoes to think about it.
If he were the one staying at someone else’s house and eating for the first time…
Oh, well, he probably would not have felt embarrassed at all.
Lin Zong buried his head to shovel down a couple of mouthfuls, then abruptly stood up.
“What is it?” Li Jianbing struggled to swallow a chicken leg. “Are you going to give a mid-meal speech? I am not listening.”
Lin Zong glanced sideways at him, reached out, and snatched the rice bowl right out of Huo You’s hand.
This guy had finished eating ages ago and was just putting on an act, scraping at thin air.
With his parents sitting right across the table, they probably had not noticed him putting on a show.
Huo You was startled, though he did not show it on the outside, merely raising his eyes in a silent inquiry.
Without even looking at him, Lin Zong carried both bowls into the kitchen to refill them.
There were far too few people in the world as thoughtful as he was, and Lin Zong figured Huo You must be feeling profoundly moved.
Moved enough to open up and bare his soul to him.
When that time came, he could use the opportunity to ask what on earth was wrong with the other’s eyes.
How could someone possibly feel so uncomfortable that they rolled their eyes?
Lin Zong filled Huo You’s bowl to the brim, setting it down on the dining table with a reasonably firm thud.
“Eat up,” he said with a grand wave of his hand. “Let me know if it is not enough and I will add more.”
Huo You stared at the mountain of rice piled up in front of him.
To say he was not touched would be a lie; it had been a very long time since he last experienced this kind of genuine care from someone else.
The portion was just a little too much, though.
The bowls used for rice in Lin Zong’s household were different from the small bowls you get at restaurants; they were easily equivalent to three small bowls combined.
To be honest, he was already mostly full and had no intention of eating any more, having only been scraping at the last grain of rice moments ago.
After all, since he had to sit in a wheelchair every day now, eating too much would make him gain weight.
Still, catching sight of Lin Zong’s expectant and earnest gaze, Huo You bit the bullet, lowered his head, and resumed eating.
At the same time, Lin Zong’s parents seemed to feel they had not taken good enough care of Huo You either, as they began using serving chopsticks to pile food onto his plate.
Unfortunately, Huo You had no idea how to decline, leaving him stuffed to the point of his throat by the time the meal ended.
This left him with no choice but to grab his crutches and head to the backyard to walk off the food.
The backyard of Lin Zong’s house was a patch of lawn, bordered by two fish ponds with large patches of lotus flowers floating on the water.
In mid-June, right in the middle of the blooming season, plenty of pink accents dotted the expansive green lotus leaves.
On the lawn to the far right stood a wooden cabin, with a Border Collie lying by the entrance. Hearing the noise, its ears twitched upward, but it did not move.
Huo You could not help suspecting that the dogs at Lin Zong’s house stayed up late too.
Otherwise, there was no way they could be this sleepy.
He dragged himself through a couple of arduous rounds along the backyard veranda, the air exceptionally fresh and pleasant.
Deep within his memories, he seemed to have experienced such a leisurely time before as well.
It was just too blurry, feeling more like a dream.
After lingering outside for a bit, feeling a swelling ache in his leg, he decided not to push his luck further and headed back inside his room.
Huo You’s adaptability to unfamiliar environments was usually quite strong, and he rarely ran into issues as long as he remained physically able-bodied and self-sufficient without troubling anyone else.
It was not until nighttime that he truly understood what real discomfort and awkwardness meant.
Lin Zong was sitting casually astride his suitcase, scooting back and forth across the room.
“What on earth are you feeling so shy about?” Lin Zong’s voice drifted closer and further with the movement of the suitcase. “I usually do not help people take showers, you know. I have never even helped Jianbing.”
Huo You did not dare to speak casually.
He had to exercise the utmost restraint just to ensure that whatever came out of his mouth would be a refusal.
In reality, his skin hunger was at its absolute worst during the night.
If he could just be touched by Lin Zong for a moment, he would probably feel amazing.
No, not probably. Most definitely.
Even so, he could not set a precedent for this kind of thing, as Lin Zong could not possibly help him shower every single time.
Besides, if Lin Zong ever found out what was running through his mind, the other would likely find it repulsive.
After all, thoughts like these were somewhat perverted.
Huo You took a deep breath and said slowly, “There is no need, thank you.”
Lin Zong clicked his tongue and abandoned the suitcase.
“What are you going to do if you take a fall?” Lin Zong walked right up to him, shoved his hands into his pockets, and leaned down to peer into his eyes. “Do you really have to be this shy? Can you not just tell me what you need? How on earth are you supposed to recover properly if you try to handle everything yourself like this?”
Lin Zong had not originally planned to be quite this accommodating, but his mother had just transferred some funds over to him.
He had expected to have zero allowance for the entire summer break, but thanks to the arrangement of taking care of Huo You, he suddenly had funds.
Since he had already accepted the labor fee, how could he possibly slack off on the job?
That simply was not Lin Zong’s style!
“Really.” Huo You’s nasal passages were filled entirely with Lin Zong’s scent. The urge to be stroked by him rolled through his mind like ocean waves, battering his reason until it was on the verge of shattering completely, yet he still gritted his teeth and said, “I do not need it.”
Lin Zong pondered for a moment. He could hardly force the issue.
“Then let me think of a way.”
With that parting line, he walked out, prompting Huo You to grab his crutches and scramble toward the bathroom in a hurry.
This was the fastest he had moved since breaking his leg.
Lin Zong returned shortly after with a roll of plastic wrap and a small stool, only to scan the room and find it completely empty.
The faint sound of running water drifted out from the bathroom the next second.
Lin Zong was struck dumb with dismay.
This guy was entirely too stubborn!
What was he supposed to do if his leg got wet?
Did he actually want to ruin his leg just so he could demand someone play caretaker?
Rushing over to the door, Lin Zong hammered on it. “Huo You, get out here right now so I can wrap up your leg!”
Huo You paid him no mind.
Used to the other’s silence as he might be, Lin Zong felt his anger shoot straight through the roof this time.
He placed the low stool right outside the bathroom door, sat down, and fixed his gaze squarely on the frosted glass door.
The sound of running water inside was intermittent, but fortunately, there were no other alarming noises.
Growing a bit bored yet terrified that Huo You might actually take a tumble the moment he walked away, Lin Zong had nothing better to do than poke his finger against the door, tracing shapes back and forth.
Holding the showerhead and rinsing himself off, Huo You caught a glance outside and nearly jumped out of his skin.
He even began to wonder if the outside could actually see through.
Right as the thought crossed his mind, he caught sight of Lin Zong’s eyes.
Or rather, what he deduced to be Lin Zong’s eyes: two shadowy blobs on the glass door, separated by precisely the width of a bridge of a nose.
Huo You froze in place, turning his body slightly to angle away from the bathroom door.
Even though he figured Lin Zong’s parents would never accept a design where the bathroom door allowed people outside to see inside, what if?
Just what if.
What if they installed this door backward?
“Huo You, what are you meditating in there for?” Lin Zong suddenly shouted out. “Standing completely frozen.”
Huo You’s brows twitched uncontrollably, his pupils constricting sharply.
Unable to hold back, he asked, “Can you see?”
Without answering immediately, Lin Zong let out a laugh instead, his tone rising in pitch. “Guess?”