Chapter 14

Yan Tingshen frowned slightly and took two steps forward. "What is it?"

Qin You smiled. "I can't stand steady. Will you come support me?"

Yan Tingshen was already in front of him. "This is what you meant by 'just a little'?"

Qin You laughed again. "I was joking."

Seeing that Yan Tingshen had already raised his left hand, he changed his tune. "Of course, a little help would be nice."

With that, he caught Yan Tingshen's hand as it was about to drop back to his side—

Caught off guard, Yan Tingshen instinctively took half a step back. But Qin You pulled at the same time, and before Yan Tingshen realized it, he was dragged to the bedside, where his left knee struck the bed.

"You—"

Seeing that Yan Tingshen's injured left arm was about to take the impact, Qin You's smile vanished.

He reached forward, swept Yan Tingshen into his arms, and turned his back to the bed, catching Yan Tingshen's weight as he fell.

Yan Tingshen also bent his arm and braced his hand beside Qin You's ear to avoid pressing on his wound.

"How are you?"

The forgotten earbud tumbled out from between them.

Qin You lay on the bed and closed his eyes, easing the momentary muddle brought on by the alcohol. "I'm fine."

Hearing fabric rustle by his ear, he turned his eyes and saw that Yan Tingshen's hand was tightening against the bed, his knuckles already white.

Of course.

The target was still undergoing rehabilitation. There was no telling which nerve the impact had pulled this time.

Knowing how stubbornly the target clung to his pride, Qin You pressed a hand against his lower back, holding him close. He was about to move him underneath so he could get up more easily, when he suddenly heard heavy, restrained breathing beside his ear.

"..."

Qin You turned his face but couldn't see his expression. "A-Sheng?"

Only after a long while did Yan Tingshen speak. "Don't move."

Qin You asked, "Does it hurt badly? Do you need a doctor?"

"No," Yan Tingshen said.

He was only putting on a brave front; he wasn't someone who didn't know his limits. So Qin You said no more and let him recover.

The night was quiet.

Their silent breaths lingered and intertwined.

After another long while, Qin You looked at the target's profile, only a breath away, then at their tangled shoulders and necks, and closed his eyes briefly.

Lying in bed with another man in this position, what couldn't happen?

Snow filled the sky, tapping softly against the window.

The rich, potent alcohol was still brewing.

Perhaps he really had drunk too much tonight.

Qin You kept his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he said softly, "A-Sheng."

Yan Tingshen's clenched fingers were loosening. "Mm."

At such close range, the smell of alcohol was stronger, and heat surged between them.

He could hear Qin You's voice and his heartbeat. Between their chests, even the vibrations when Qin You spoke were distinctly clear.

He still wasn't quite used to this kind of situation.

"I—"

But the next moment,

Qin You's voice interrupted him.

He heard him say,

"I like you."

Chapter 14

The room was silent.

Even their heartbeats sounded deafening.

At the other end of the still-connected call, Pei Sheng sat at his desk, equally stunned.

Three times he had wanted to hang up, but all three times he had been interrupted.

The first time, he had mistakenly thought Qin You would leave soon.

The second time, he had been distracted by how unusually familiar the two were with each other.

The third time, he had heard the two stumble and fall and was worried about their injuries.

He had never intended to pry into private matters in the slightest, but Qin You's voice had come so suddenly that it caught him completely off guard.

Silence encouraged thought.

A jumble of thoughts came rushing in.

Qin You liked Tingshen...

No wonder Qin You had always treated Tingshen differently.

No wonder, both times an accident had happened, Qin You had risked his life to keep Tingshen safe.

It all made sense now.

And another thing.

Could it be that Qin You disliked him not because of anything he had done, but simply because he was too close to Tingshen?

It wouldn't be the first time.

When he had first joined the company, he had been so busy he barely had a moment to rest, and he had spent almost every waking hour with Tingshen. That had led Mr. Yan to the same misunderstanding.

Pei Sheng was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a sound at last from the call, which had fallen so quiet it might as well have disconnected.

Fabric brushed against fabric.

The faint sound came straight through the earbud and into his ear, like the startling peal of a bell.

Pei Sheng's hand trembled, and he quickly ended the call.

"...Let go."

Feeling the waist and back beneath his hand stiffen, Qin You couldn't help chuckling.

A man had confessed to him out of the blue, with nothing between them to suggest it. Given the target's character, Qin You had expected him to most likely turn him down calmly to his face, then gradually distance himself afterward;

or to be disgusted, even angry, that Qin You had approached him with an ulterior motive.

He had never expected this reaction.

Was he pretending it hadn't happened?

Avoiding the issue wasn't the target's style.

Qin You asked, "Are you sure you can stand?"

The warm breath from his words slipped into Yan Tingshen's collar. Yan Tingshen pressed his thin lips into a straight line. "None of your concern."

Qin You glanced at him, then let him go as requested.

Yan Tingshen put a little strength into his left arm and was about to push himself up from the bed when the lines between his brows suddenly deepened, and his fingers slowly curled tight again.

His strength gave out, and he had no choice but to fall back against Qin You. Before he could recover, he suddenly heard the faintest chuckle beside his ear.

"..." Yan Tingshen's expression darkened slightly.

Qin You firmly held down the patient in his arms, who was still trying to have another go. Smiling, he said, "Is there any need to act like you're facing a great enemy? I only said I liked you. It's not like I'm planning to do anything improper to you. If you keep struggling, all your rehabilitation so far will have been for nothing."

At that, Yan Tingshen stopped.

Silence spread once again, drifting between them.

After a while, Yan Tingshen asked, "Why?"

Qin You wasn't surprised that he had regained his reason after calming down. "You should know the reason."

Yan Tingshen frowned. "If you mean what happened when we were four, I don't remember it."

The dizziness brewing in Qin You's head quietly gave way to sleepiness in the still warmth.

Qin You closed his eyes as he listened to the target and answered softly, "It doesn't matter if you don't remember. As long as it's you, that's enough."

Yan Tingshen turned to look at him. "Just because of an accident when we were children, are you sure it's affection and not gratitude?"

When he received no answer for a long time, Yan Tingshen frowned slightly again. "Qin You."

Qin You didn't open his eyes. His voice was already low and hoarse. "Mm?"

Suddenly, he remembered something and asked to confirm it. "By the way, were you the one helping me with the Qi Household?"

Yan Tingshen's tone was indifferent. "Scum like that would only cause more harm if left alone."

The corners of Qin You's lips rose slightly, and his voice was soft and slow. "Thanks."

Yan Tingshen said, "Don't you have your own theory that there's no need for thanks?"

Qin You couldn't help looking at him, the smile on his lips spreading to his eyes. "What I said was that there's no need to stand on ceremony over small things. But you helped me deal with a hidden danger and spared me some trouble. How is that a small thing? Of course I should thank you."

The expressive eyes and brows that were usually at a distance were now inches away.

The depth of the attention in those eyes was plain to see. Entwined with the layers of faint smiles, it seemed to burn with heat.

Yan Tingshen looked away. "Compared to what you've done, this isn't worth mentioning."

Once again, only silent breathing remained by his ear.

Yan Tingshen turned and saw that he had closed his eyes and fallen asleep again. "Qin You."

Qin You didn't answer, only moved toward the sound—

Yan Tingshen's pupils contracted slightly.

The breath beside his ear suddenly drew closer. The soft sensation he had once experienced by accident brushed across his cheek the next moment and landed beside his lips.

He immediately pulled away.

But they were already so close that the lips he avoided brushed his jaw, then seemed to rest against the side of his neck, appearing and vanishing with each heartbeat and breath.

Yan Tingshen's hand, braced against the bed above Qin You's shoulder, loosened slightly, then tightened again.

The man in his arms was already fast asleep.

The little strength he had recovered still wasn't enough to support his own weight.

He closed his eyes briefly.

After a long while, he finally let go.

The next day.

Early morning.

As soon as Qin You woke, he raised a hand and pressed his slightly aching forehead.

[Host, you're finally awake!]

The system said, [Get up quickly! The target's running away!]

Running away?

Qin You opened his eyes and only then noticed that he was still wearing yesterday's clothes, and that this wasn't his room either.

Suddenly,

memories of the previous night came flooding back.

Qin You paused, then slowly sat up in bed.

He spread his fingers against his temples and asked the system, [Where did he sleep last night?]

[On the sofa in the study.]

The system said, [Host, you have no idea. The target was so good to you. When he saw you'd fallen asleep, he couldn't bear to disturb you, and it was a long time before he stood up.]

Qin You: "..."

The target had been hurt quite badly in that fall. It probably had taken him a long time to recover last night.

The original owner's alcohol tolerance was simply too poor; a few drinks were enough to knock him out. Otherwise, he could have helped him stretch.

He threw off the blanket covering him, then paused again. [He covered me with a blanket?]

[No, he didn't.]

The system said, [But the target stood by the bed and watched you for quite a while last night, Host! Maybe it was because he was injured, but he couldn't lift you, so he didn't help. The housekeeper covered you with that blanket when he came in this morning.]

Qin You: "..."

Stood by the bed and watched me for quite a while.

It seemed the target had been too angry to get up last night.

Hearing a sound outside, he got out of bed. [Explain what you mean by running away.]

[Oh!]

The system realized what he meant. [This morning, the target made two calls as soon as he woke up. Just now, the housekeeper came upstairs and said the driver had arrived, then carried the target's computer downstairs for him. He still hasn't come back!]

Qin You asked, [How long ago was "just now"?]

The system hurriedly said, [Less than ten seconds! Host, hurry downstairs and chase him! You'll definitely catch him.]