An Itchy Tingle

Some curious people who were out of the loop clicked into the trending topic and saw a recording of Su Tingbai's livestream.

The man was dressed casually, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, powerful forearms. He sat boldly on a stool, staring straight into the camera. Then his Adam's apple bobbed, an especially eye-catching sight. Those narrow, deep-set eyes never left the lens, somehow making the desire nearly overflowing from them impossible to miss.

The comments beneath the video were packed with thirsty viewers howling away.

[Is this a newcomer? I have never seen you before.]

[This is Su Tingbai, a food blogger.]

[Whoa? Is the food content scene this competitive now? Are they competing in looks too?]

[Su Tingbai has always been handsome, but he rarely shows his face on purpose. Videos of him staring so directly into the camera are even rarer. Usually, his videos just show his profile, back, hands, and so on. I always knew he was handsome, but this is the first time I've realized just how handsome he is!]

[He's no worse than a celebrity.]

[Some celebrities aren't even as handsome as him, and he's so damn alpha! His body is incredible too. If you didn't tell me he was a food blogger, I'd think he was some newly debuted hot guy!]

[Whoa, this video has such a vibe. It feels like he's looking at someone, full of desire and determination.]

[So who exactly was he swallowing over?]

[His new guest, I think. What was his name? Shen An? Or Shen An'an?]

[What does Shen An look like? I'm going to check.]

[He didn't show his face, but judging by his clothes, voice, and hands, it's not hard to tell he's a handsome guy too.]

[He didn't show his face? Now I'm even more curious.]

The video continued spreading, to the point that even Su Tingbai's relatives and friends saw it. Unable to resist, they asked who had made his heart flutter.

Father Su and Mother Su were even more direct. If he had someone, he should stop hiding them and bring them home for the family to meet.

Su's eldest brother directly sent him money and asked who his future sibling-in-law was.

Grandpa Su cheerfully asked whether he liked little Rui'an.

When Su Tingbai saw his phone constantly chiming, he opened it to find nothing but curious questions from friends and family about the person he fancied.

Su Tingbai: ...

Su Tingbai had no idea how things had suddenly turned out like this, and he couldn't help replying to his friends with a "?"

To his grandfather and the others, he replied: ...

Father Su and Mother Su were baffled, but Grandpa Su continued: Is little Rui'an very well-behaved?

He knew his youngest grandson far too well. The boy was obsessed with looks. Back when Shen Rui'an had been brought over by the Shen Household to play as a child, Su Tingbai had eagerly piled all his treasured possessions in front of him.

Usually, Su Tingbai had been incredibly possessive. Nobody was allowed to touch his treasures, and if anyone did, he would fight them. As a result, everyone among the younger generation knew that Su Tingbai had a bad temper, was domineering, and was not someone to provoke. Over time, no one dared covet his beloved toys.

Yet now that Shen Rui'an had come, he had voluntarily handed them over. This was the first time.

But as Shen Rui'an grew older, he went out less and less, and the two rarely saw each other. Su Tingbai probably did not even remember.

Grandpa Su thought Shen Rui'an was very well-behaved. It was the first time he had ever seen such a beautiful child. Unfortunately, heaven envied beauty—it gave him those looks, then took away his health.

Thinking of that, Grandpa Su sighed and reminded Su Tingbai: Take good care of little Rui'an. If he upsets you, don't get so angry. Tell Grandpa. If needed, I'll swallow my pride and have a word with your Uncle Shen.

Upon seeing that message, Su Tingbai replied again: ...No need. He's very well-behaved.

Over at the Su residence, the old master could not help laughing when he saw that reply. He knew it.

Unaware that his grandfather had seen right through him, Su Tingbai frowned at the video his friends had sent him. He lowered the volume to the minimum and guiltily glanced at Shen Rui'an, who was holding a camera and filming the campsite from every angle.

He opened the video himself. It was a recording someone had made of the livestream. After watching it, his ears grew a little hot, and he could not help touching his face. Had he really been that obvious?

And what was this nonsense from those netizens about falling in love? It was simply... utter rubbish!

He had merely looked at Shen Rui'an a little longer because he was good-looking. Everyone loved beauty. So what if he had blanked out for a moment while looking at a beauty?

He refused to believe they would not be stunned by Shen Rui'an's looks too!

If the netizens knew what he was thinking, they would definitely reply: We wouldn't be, unless you let us see him.

But that could only remain hypothetical.

Seeing that the food on the table had mostly been eaten, Su Tingbai stood and tossed Little Zhu and the others a line. "I'm going to see what Shen Rui'an is up to."

Then he vanished in a flash. Following Baisui's movements, he found Shen Rui'an standing with his camera aimed at the waterfall.

The sun was especially bright then, and the light was perfect. It fell across the stream, making the water sparkle. From afar, it looked as though countless stars had fallen into the stream to bathe, flashing with dazzling brilliance.

"Shen Rui'an." Su Tingbai quietly watched the slender figure carrying the camera for a while before softly calling out.

"Hm? What is it?" Shen Rui'an turned, capturing Su Tingbai in the frame again. Su Tingbai was reflected in his eyes once more.

Su Tingbai stood on the bank and looked at him. The man wore cargo pants today. He had originally had on a thin jacket with its sleeves rolled up, exposing his arms, but he had taken it off by now. He wore only a sleeveless black fitted shirt, showing off his perfect physique without reservation. A silver necklace hung around his neck. At first glance, he carried a somewhat rakish, roguish air.

Shen Rui'an's gaze swept over Su Tingbai's broad shoulders and firm biceps, then fell to his chest and abs. His inverted-triangle figure was displayed to the fullest by that outfit, especially his long legs beneath the cargo pants.

It was exactly the kind of body Shen Rui'an particularly liked.

Unable to resist, he lowered his head and looked at his own arm. There was no muscle on it. It felt soft when pinched, covered only by a layer of soft flesh. Compared to Su Tingbai's, it was worlds apart.

"Ah..." He sighed, deeply envious.

Perhaps people always yearned for what they lacked. Since he was often sick, Shen Rui'an envied those with strong, healthy bodies most of all.

Someone like Su Tingbai was practically his ultimate dream.

But he knew he could never grow into that. He did not ask for much—he only hoped to live a little longer, be a little healthier, and put on a little more weight.

Shen Rui'an's unabashed appraisal made Su Tingbai's muscles tense, and his whole body grew somewhat nervous. He took a deep breath, then stepped forward. "Tired? Let me hold that for you first."

Having had his fill of looking, Shen Rui'an naturally handed the camera to Su Tingbai. Su Tingbai turned it off, holding the camera in one hand while extending the other toward Shen Rui'an. "Careful. These rocks have been soaked by the stream for years. Some of them are slippery."

Shen Rui'an placed his hand in Su Tingbai's palm, held tight, and slowly moved toward him. Once he finally reached the grass, Shen Rui'an curiously stared at the hand holding his. When he let go, Su Tingbai stopped and turned back to look at him in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Su Tingbai." Shen Rui'an could not resist pulling out Su Tingbai's broad fingers, then held out his own hand to compare them. "Why is your hand so much bigger than mine?"

Su Tingbai's gaze fell on their two very different palms. His hand was somewhat rough from cooking often, with a few thin calluses on it.

Shen Rui'an's was the complete opposite. His hands were soft and smooth, without calluses, and incredibly fair—too fair, in fact, looking almost bloodless.

Shen Rui'an noticed it too. He extended his index finger and lightly poked and rubbed Su Tingbai's palm. After pressing down firmly, he released it. Su Tingbai's palm turned pale under the pressure, then returned to a healthy flush once Shen Rui'an's finger moved away. This was a palm full of vitality.

By contrast, compared with Su Tingbai's hand, Shen Rui'an's palm looked somewhat bluish-white, clearly showing a lack of blood and vitality.

"I'm so jealous of you," Shen Rui'an said sincerely.

Su Tingbai opened his mouth, feeling that faint itch in his palm. He looked up at Shen Rui'an's envious expression, momentarily speechless.

It was strange. Shen Rui'an had clearly touched only his palm, yet it felt as though his index finger had brushed against Su Tingbai's heart as well, leaving behind a soft, tingling numbness.