A Perfect Match

Jiang Qiao had spent the entire day at the training grounds yesterday, followed by two more intense rounds of exercise that night, plus the alcohol he had just consumed.

The moment he lay back in his own bed, exhaustion swept through his body. Before his head even touched the pillow, he had already lost consciousness.

Shi Junyi, on the other hand, had eaten and drunk his fill and slept soundly until dawn.

When he opened his eyes, Jiang Qiao was already nowhere to be seen. Yet on the electronic memo board beside the bed were two ugly little hearts, squeezed together and snuggled up against each other.

He gave a derisive laugh. Before pressing the delete button, he took a photo with his phone, then got out of bed to wash up.

The person who came to clean the room today was not the usual housekeeper.

When Shi Junyi came out after getting himself ready, he saw Fu Zhilan squatting on the floor, picking up tissues.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a frown.

Fu Zhilan tossed the tissues into the wastebasket, winked at Shi Junyi, and smiled. "I came to clean."

"You can use a broom," Shi Junyi said, looking down at him.

Fu Zhilan shook his head. "A broom can't clean this carpet properly."

He wore a smile on his face, but inside, he was nearly furious.

That morning, he had specifically asked the housekeeper for permission to clean Shi Junyi's bedroom. Yet the moment he opened the door, he was hit by an indescribable smell and an entire room in disarray.

Shi Junyi found the scene oddly uncomfortable and quietly decided that next time, he should clean up himself. It was not much trouble anyway.

He selected a tie and watch to match today's suit from the walk-in closet, then said to Fu Zhilan, "You don't need to deal with the bed. Once you've tidied this up, go take care of something else. Don't come in here unless I tell you to."

Fu Zhilan stood up, wiped his hands on the white apron around his waist, and picked up a cup of coffee from the table. "Young Master, I made coffee for you."

Shi Junyi glanced at the light brown, milk-added coffee in the cup and waved a hand. "No need. I only drink Americanos."

With that, he walked straight out of the room, ignoring Fu Zhilan's disappointed expression.

Jiang Qiao woke up from the cold.

His whole body ached, and his eyes felt a little dry and sore. As expected, he was probably running a fever.

He checked the time. It was already five in the afternoon. Having gone an entire day without food, his stomach felt terribly empty.

Jiang Qiao climbed out of bed and groggily opened the door, only to find that there was no delicious meal delivered by the servants on the dining table.

There were only two completely empty plates, and Shen Guiyi, sitting cross-legged on a chair with her belly sticking out.

"You ate both portions?" Jiang Qiao asked.

Shen Guiyi nodded. "You couldn't eat them anyway, so I handled them for you. No point wasting food."

Jiang Qiao laughed in exasperation. "Why couldn't I eat?"

Shen Guiyi waggled her brows. "Just look at those rosy little cheeks. I knew you'd get a fever. Big Sis made you some porridge."

She brought over a small single-serving electric pot from the bar, laid down a soft cushion for Jiang Qiao to sit on, then opened the pot.

Inside was steaming vegetable and lean pork congee, cooked until soft, warm, and fragrant.

Jiang Qiao sniffed. "Guiyi, your cooking is amazing. Whoever marries you will be lucky."

"Stop flattering me. Tell me, what's the deal with that little boy in the servant uniform, the one named Fu Zhilan?" Shen Guiyi asked.

She had waited all night, but when Jiang Qiao returned, he had rambled on about a bunch of other things. By the time she remembered that she had yet to ask about the important matter, Jiang Qiao had already passed out.

Jiang Qiao had not expected Shen Guiyi to still be thinking about it. Suspiciously, he asked, "You're that interested in him?"

Shen Guiyi nodded. "To be honest, if you don't like him, I'm planning to make a move."

Jiang Qiao choked again. "You like that type?"

Shen Guiyi nodded again. "Of course. Who wouldn't like a fair, soft, adorable, well-behaved little boy—"

Jiang Qiao stared at Shen Guiyi in shock. "Are you a tranny?"

Shen Guiyi smacked him right on the forehead. "I'm a woman!"

Jiang Qiao could not figure out Shen Guiyi's orientation.

Still, he said, "But he likes men. He came here for Shi Junyi."

"How am I inferior to men? What can men do that I can't?" Shen Guiyi said as if it were only natural.

Jiang Qiao had interacted with few women before, and even fewer who could casually spout such ferocious words.

His head was already spinning, and it took him a long time to sort through what Shen Guiyi meant.

"I thought you had something going on with Shi Jiao."

Shen Guiyi glared at him. "She and I are purely best friends. Did you think everyone was as twisted as you? I'm straight as an arrow."

And so, the two hit it off immediately. Shi Junyi would be Jiang Qiao's to win over, while Fu Zhilan would be handed to Shen Guiyi for a secret, unconventional attempt at turning him straight.

Jiang Qiao's injuries were not actually serious, but perhaps it was because he had also taken a whip kick at the fighting arena that afternoon and drank half a glass of vodka when he came back that morning.

Or perhaps his body's self-protective instincts were simply too strong.

As soon as night fell, his fever shot past 39°C.

Thus, Jiang Qiao had no choice but to abandon his plan to climb through the window. He lay quietly in bed and found a movie to pass the time.

Just as he was starting to drift off, he suddenly heard a soft click from his bedroom door.

He opened his eyes, paused the movie, switched on the bedside lamp, and saw Shi Junyi standing at his doorway in pajamas.

"What brings you here, Ge?" Jiang Qiao asked in surprise.

After showering that evening, Shi Junyi had done as usual—handled some emails, then read a book to help himself sleep when he had nothing else to do.

But tonight, the book was far less engaging than usual. He reread a short line over and over, yet none of it sank in.

Instead, his gaze kept drifting toward the window of its own accord.

Even when it reached the time yesterday when Jiang Qiao had been applying medicine for him, there was still no movement outside the window.

So he locked his bedroom door from the inside and followed the route Jiang Qiao had used to leave his room the previous times, sneaking into Jiang Qiao's quarters.

After all, his fingerprint was the master pass for every room in the Shi family residence except Old Master Shi's.

Shi Junyi shut the door behind him, sat at Jiang Qiao's bedside, and looked at his flushed face. He raised a hand to touch his forehead. "You didn't take any medicine?"

Jiang Qiao shook his head. He had rarely taken medicine before. As long as he was not dead, he would tough it out.

Shi Junyi had expected as much. He took a small tube of ointment and a fever-reducing pill from his pajama pocket, then patted Jiang Qiao's thigh. "Turn over."