I Want to Hold Him

Lin Nuan had come this time intending to take the controversial, attention-grabbing route. Jiang Ning saw that clearly, so he had no desire to get involved with her. Who knew that after Wen Shuang handed her the shoes, Lin Nuan kicked them on and immediately went "tap tap tap" after him? Jiang Ning could not help becoming wary, but a few minutes later, he realized Lin Nuan was not targeting him.

"Wen Shuang, I can't recognize mushrooms or wild vegetables. Can you teach me?" Lin Nuan looked eager to learn.

Wen Shuang stared at her for several seconds, then nodded. "Sure."

Those few seconds gave Lin Nuan the illusion that he had seen straight through her.

Those eyes were far too clear, completely unlike before, Lin Nuan thought.

Jiang Ning helped Wen Shuang, doing his best to avoid interacting with Lin Nuan. His attitude of treating her like a venomous snake was not overly obvious, but the person involved could still sense it to some extent. A mocking smile flashed through Lin Nuan's eyes. Before coming here, she had known exactly what kind of situation she would face. After that incident, her reputation had been utterly destroyed. Clawing her way back up had cost her half her life, yet she still could not let it go.

"Don't touch that." Someone suddenly grabbed her wrist. Startled, Lin Nuan realized that while distracted, she had nearly touched a fuzzy green plant.

"It bites. Its branches and leaves secrete toxins, and your hand will swell when you get back," Wen Shuang warned.

Lin Nuan hurriedly pulled back her hand. This small incident somehow cracked something open inside her. Wind slipped in, stirring up dust that had lain silent for a long time. Lin Nuan was only twenty-five, but she had felt for a long time that her life was already over. After waiting a while, she suddenly bent down and spoke softly while Jiang Ning went off to find some water. "Didn't you ever consider that staying in this circle means you might run into Zheng Yuanfei? I heard Lu Li will be back soon."

This was not Lin Nuan's first time meeting Wen Shuang. It could be said they had started out on the same path, except the original owner had set his sights on marrying rich and had no impression of Lin Nuan, so Wen Shuang naturally had received no information about her.

After saying that, Lin Nuan waited for Wen Shuang's expression to change. From hypocritical kindness to a vicious reveal—perhaps he would be afraid, and yet she felt faintly excited.

But Lin Nuan was disappointed. Wen Shuang's expression remained unchanged. He blinked. "You knew?"

"A year ago, we went to Blue Court Club together. We barely exchanged a few words," Lin Nuan explained. Back then, Wen Shuang had pretended to attend with some boss, but Zheng Yuanfei had been his real target. He got drunk and fell onto him. Through the crowd, Lin Nuan had seen it, but Zheng Yuanfei had been remarkably unromantic. He shoved Wen Shuang away like he was pushing aside trash, then left with a dark expression.

Wen Shuang nodded. "I see."

Lin Nuan still would not give up. "Aren't you afraid? Once Lu Li starts competing with you for resources, Zheng Yuanfei definitely won't let you off." Mainly because Wen Shuang liked Zheng Yuanfei so much.

"Then I can just give up the resources, can't I?" Wen Shuang laughed. "I never planned to enter the entertainment industry anyway. I only did it because I needed money to buy a house, and the company's pay was too tempting."

Lin Nuan was dumbfounded. No matter how she heard it, that did not sound like something Wen Shuang would say.

She still remembered the first time she had met him. He had carried the aura of her kind—equally poor, with the same inferiority buried in his bones. Heaven had given them some capital in their looks, only for beasts to lurk in the shadows. Wen Shuang was better off as a man, but she had no way to escape. Back then, Wen Shuang had clearly lacked confidence and been scared to death, yet he had held his chin high, letting an old man beside him grope his waist. Still, she had heard he left that very night and did not stay behind to accompany anyone.

Lin Nuan smiled, her emotions unreadable, her tone cool. "What, are you planning to start over?"

"Mm." Wen Shuang nodded openly.

"You think you can?"

Wen Shuang looked deeply at Lin Nuan. "Why not? I'm still alive."

As long as a person was alive and their heart had not died, they had a chance to start over. Perhaps much later, perhaps in the very next second.

Lin Nuan's smile faded. She stood where she was without moving, then turned and left once Jiang Ning returned.

"Did the talk fall apart?" Jiang Ning asked in surprise.

"We didn't talk about much." Wen Shuang brushed it off with a soft laugh. In that short while, he had gathered another pile of mushrooms and wild vegetables. Wang Yuze from next door cast a curious glance over, unable to understand why Wen Shuang's luck was so good.

Wen Shuang had been moving around earlier and sweating, so he had assumed it was from exhaustion and paid it no mind. But once he stopped, he began to feel cold. His throat hurt whenever he swallowed. Wen Shuang had controlled this body for some time now and knew there was a ninety-percent chance he was coming down with a cold. After finishing the last mouthful of water, he continued working. Worried he might not be able to get up tomorrow, he gathered whatever he could while he still could.

The production team had also arranged some entertainment activities for the guests, but after exchanging for food, who the hell would care about entertainment? A group of people crammed into the kitchen and threw the ingredients together. Wen Shuang and Wang Yuze took charge of the cooking, fighting for their lives just to get a proper meal. Everyone's eyes practically glowed green. Even Lin Nuan, who slacked off whenever she could, helped pick vegetables.

Wang Yuze knew how to make a few home-cooked dishes, but he was clearly nowhere near as practiced as Wen Shuang when it came to tossing a wok. He had originally wanted to show off, but after seeing Wen Shuang in action, he quietly gave up.

Jiang Ning brought over the seasonings. Seeing the layer of sweat on Wen Shuang's forehead, he immediately pulled out a tissue to wipe it off. The cameramen had already developed sharp instincts and began snapping away. They could all imagine how lively the internet would get once these scenes aired!

There was a messy assortment of food. Since there was not enough rice, they ate noodles instead. Ordinary cucumbers and tomatoes that no one would normally glance at on a table were cleaned out today. Wu Tan even used a steamed bun to mop up every last drop of sauce. This meal meant something different. Everyone had worked together, so their relationships eased a little. Even Chen Zong could smile and exchange a few words with Wu Tan.

The scene before Wen Shuang's eyes swayed slightly, and the voices around him sounded hazy and distant. He forced a smile until Zhu Lian gestured for him to come over.

Avoiding the cameras, Zhu Lian touched Wen Shuang's forehead. "Oh dear, you have a fever."

"Mhm." Wen Shuang had guessed as much. "Sis, do you have any medicine? Just give me some cold medicine or something."

Zhu Lian carried such things with her. She immediately prepared some cold medicine and gave Wen Shuang pills to take. The director came over when he saw this. "Are you alright?" What he was really thinking was that if Wen Shuang was not, they could send him back to rest for half a day. Otherwise, with this bug around, their show was going far too smoothly.

Naturally, Wen Shuang did not give him that satisfaction. More importantly, he did not want to trouble anyone else. "I'm fine. It's only one more night anyway."

Wen Shuang went back to join everyone. By nine o'clock, everyone was too sleepy to keep their eyes open. Jiang Ning suggested going upstairs to rest, and they all vanished in a flash. After returning to the room, Wen Shuang showered first. Once he lay down on the bed, he was groggy and muddled. Jiang Ning came over at some point and seemed to say something, but Wen Shuang did not hear a word. He only felt hot and cold by turns and slept uncomfortably. By the time he woke up the next day, it was already eleven in the morning. The medicine had not worked. His constitution from his previous life seemed to have followed him over; he needed an IV drip before he would recover. Wen Shuang dragged himself up, his head heavy and feet light, still drowsy. By the time he finished washing up, Jiang Ning happened to come in carrying porridge.

Jiang Ning had done well. That morning, he had found some valuable mushrooms and traded them to a farmer for white rice. Then he had clumsily cooked some porridge. He was in good spirits, and since they could leave that afternoon, it was fine if he did not eat anything that morning.

"Come on, have a little to line your stomach," Jiang Ning called.

"Did you eat?" Wen Shuang asked.

Jiang Ning nodded frantically. "I did, I did."

Wen Shuang had no appetite and only ate a third of it. Food was precious in the villa, and Jiang Ning could not bear to waste it. He was not remotely bothered by Wen Shuang either; they were both grown men, after all. So he quickly finished the rest of the porridge.

The camera filmed quietly while several young female planners watching from elsewhere laughed like cackling chickens.

Wen Shuang took out his phone and only then noticed Xuan Zhe's message, sent at eight that morning. [Sick?]

It was a small matter. Given Wen Shuang's temperament, he would usually reply, "I'm fine." But those three words stalled at his fingertips. Wen Shuang rubbed the screen, then typed after a moment: [Mm, just woke up.]

The reply came quickly. [When will filming be over?]

Wen Shuang: [Maybe four or five.]

Xuan Zhe: [Okay.]

Wen Shuang did not understand what that "okay" meant either.

"Who is it?" Jiang Ning suddenly pounced over, but Wen Shuang was too quick for him and he did not see anything. He pressed on, "Your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," Wen Shuang said softly.

"No way?" Jiang Ning looked teasing. "Even if she's not your girlfriend, she has to be someone you like, right? Otherwise, why did you have that expression just now?"

Wen Shuang paused. "What expression?"

Jiang Ning's hand nearly twisted itself into a knot as he described it with all his might. "That look of anticipation! That liking spilling out from your eyes! You know?"

Wen Shuang: ... I don't.

Then Jiang Ning's words threw his thoughts into disarray. Anticipation? Or liking? There seemed to be both... Wen Shuang was slow when it came to feelings, but he understood most of his emotions clearly enough. When he opened his phone and saw Xuan Zhe's message, he had to admit that his heartbeat had first stalled, then sped up wildly. Especially since Xuan Zhe knew what he was going through right now. It was like a hope he had quietly cast out had received an answer. Beyond the overwhelming sense of security, there was only joy.

After eating, Wen Shuang was still sleepy. He could not participate in the filming outside, so he told Jiang Ning to take care of himself before curling up in bed and going back to sleep.

This sleep was muddled too. He did not know how long had passed when Wen Shuang slowly opened his eyes. Through the window, he saw the sunset at the horizon, torn apart like scraps of cotton. It had definitely passed four o'clock. Why had no one called him?

"Click." The door opened. Wen Shuang thought it was Jiang Ning. His throat felt like it was on fire as he asked hoarsely, "What time is it?"

"Ten years later." The low, magnetic voice completely scattered Wen Shuang's tofu-soft reason. Xuan Zhe seemed to have just driven over, still dressed in a suit and leather shoes, travel dust lingering on his shoulders. He crouched halfway beside Wen Shuang's bed and raised a hand to touch his forehead. Then he frowned. "Why is your fever so high?"

Xuan Zhe was about to pull his hand away, but Wen Shuang craved that coolness and grabbed it. Boldly, he pressed Xuan Zhe's palm against his own face and muttered softly, "It feels like I'm dreaming."

"I arranged it beforehand. I came after the artists and production team had all left." Xuan Zhe let him do as he pleased, then asked, "Can you move?"

Wen Shuang's brain short-circuited, and he blurted out, "What if I can't?"

Xuan Zhe immediately moved as if to pick him up. Startled fully awake, Wen Shuang scrambled up and started getting dressed. He wore only a white T-shirt underneath, and as he moved, his waist looked pale and slender. Xuan Zhe glanced at it once, then turned his head away with difficulty.

Keep teasing me all you want! Xuan Zhe thought resentfully.