Can I Touch Your Pecs?

Shen Rui'an crouched by the stream, pinching a few pebbles and tossing them into the water. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, rubbing the skin around them red.

Noticing that he was in low spirits, Baisui circled him anxiously, whining.

"I'm fine, Baisui." Shen Rui'an rubbed its little head and gradually calmed down, staring blankly at the gently flowing stream.

The stream shimmered with lake-like light, dancing across Shen Rui'an's fair cheeks. Sunlight fell over his hair. Though he was clearly a six-foot-tall man, crouching beside the water made him seem unbearably small, like an angel with broken wings, stirring inexplicable heartache.

When Su Tingbai caught up and saw this scene, his heart tightened. He took two steps in one and rushed over.

"Shen Rui'an."

The man's voice suddenly rang out. Even without turning around, Shen Rui'an could hear Su Tingbai approaching.

Sensing a shadow fall beside him, Shen Rui'an silently shifted away and answered softly, "Mm."

Su Tingbai looked at his lowered eyes. His eyes and the tip of his nose were a little red. Had he been crying?

It felt as though someone had pricked Su Tingbai's heart with a needle, sending a dense ache through it. Why was he crying?

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Su Tingbai crouched beside him.

"I'm okay."

Shen Rui'an was even colder and more distant than when he had first arrived. Though less than half a meter separated them, Su Tingbai felt as if an invisible, thick city wall stood between them, one he could not cross at all.

As soon as he moved closer, Shen Rui'an shifted farther aside again. No matter how careless Su Tingbai was, he knew now that he had upset him. His movement halted, and the easy smile he had forced onto his face grew far stiffer.

"Did I make you angry?" Su Tingbai grabbed the person who wanted to move away again and asked urgently.

"No. I'm angry at myself." Angry at himself for being so pathetic, for thinking that just because someone treated him a little better, that person ought to indulge him.

Shen Rui'an pressed his lips tightly together. Even the lips that usually carried a faint smile had become a straight line.

Su Tingbai's smile vanished. His brows furrowed as he stared unblinkingly at Shen Rui'an, who was lowering his head and playing with the pebbles. "Look at me."

Shen Rui'an turned his head away and refused to look at him.

Su Tingbai reached out and cupped his face. His large hands nearly covered Shen Rui'an's small face completely. He firmly turned Shen Rui'an's face back, leaving no room for refusal, yet making sure not to hurt him.

Forced to meet Su Tingbai's gaze, Shen Rui'an saw the man's solemn expression, his furrowed brows forming a deep crease. Shen Rui'an could even see his own reflection in those pitch-black eyes.

"Did I make you angry? If I did, I'll apologize, but I want to know why. Tell me, and I won't do it again next time, okay?" Su Tingbai softened his voice, afraid of startling Shen Rui'an and earning another mark against himself.

Shen Xiaoyao seemed more sensitive and fragile than ordinary people. Su Tingbai had no choice but to treat every little emotion of his with utmost care.

He remembered how Shen Rui'an had thought he was being harsh with him last time just because he had spaced out and failed to respond. What was it this time? Why had he gotten upset again?

Su Tingbai did not understand how he had angered him again. Instinctively, he wanted to apologize, and he also wanted to know what he had done wrong this time.

Pressed by him, Shen Rui'an's emotions, which he had already sorted out, suddenly surged into grievance again. He bit his lip, trying not to lose control.

"I know you hate me."

Huh? Su Tingbai's eyes widened in fright. Wait, what? When had he ever said he hated him?

Shen Rui'an seemed to see through Su Tingbai's thoughts. Giving up on holding back, he launched into a disjointed accusation. "I know you never said you hated me, but I know you didn't welcome me from the start. I touched you just now, so you got angry and left. You went back and deliberately changed into long sleeves because I, this unlucky sickly person, touched you, and you didn't want me touching you again, right? Don't worry. There definitely won't be a next time."

He pulled Su Tingbai's large hand away from his face and continued angrily, "I'll keep my distance from you from now on. Don't worry. Once this period is over, I'll have Dad and my eldest brother come pick me up. I won't trouble you to take care of me anymore."

The more Shen Rui'an spoke, the sadder he became. He wanted to go home a little. Living to a hundred or whatever—it did not matter. It was the same anywhere. Why stay here and annoy people?

Su Tingbai was rendered speechless by Shen Rui'an's string of accusations. Good heavens, he had been wronged!

Seeing Shen Rui'an stand up to leave again, he ignored everything else and rose to grab him. Shen Rui'an stumbled at the sudden tug and fell into his broad embrace.

His head knocked against Su Tingbai's chin, making his vision swim a little. Before he could recover, the man hurriedly explained, "When have I ever hated you? Yes, before you came, I was a little annoyed, but it wasn't directed at you. I just hate trouble, so I'm equally annoyed by any sudden event that disrupts my peaceful life. But I don't hate you, and I don't think you're troublesome. I think you're adorable, and I don't think being sick makes you unlucky. Birth, aging, illness, and death are simply part of life. I just feel a little sorry for you. When you pinched me just now, I wasn't angry either. I was just... just..."

Su Tingbai found it a little hard to say.

Hearing that he had not been disliked, Shen Rui'an's eyes immediately lit up. Su Tingbai did not think he was unlucky? He did not dislike him?

Shen Rui'an felt comforted at once. He straightened his back and raised his chin slightly, feeling like he was back in form. He knew it—he was so good-looking that no one could possibly dislike him... right?

He quietly waited for Su Tingbai to continue, but after hearing him say "just" for ages without getting to the point, he looked up, puffed out his cheeks, and glared at him fiercely. "Just what? And you say you don't hate me?"

Looking down at his wide-eyed glare, Su Tingbai thought he looked like a tiny kitten baring its claws to put up a fierce front. Su Tingbai took a deep breath and, as if letting it all out, closed his eyes and murmured almost inaudibly, "I was just a little... embarrassed."

Huh?

Huh???

Embarrassed? Shen Rui'an abruptly tilted his head, his bright, clear eyes filled with confusion. "Embarrassed?"

Faced with the confusion of the person in his arms, Su Tingbai gave up entirely and said, "A great beauty suddenly pinched my arm. Can't I be embarrassed?"

He was human, not a god. Was it not normal for him to get embarrassed?

Shen Rui'an was pleased by those words, and he could not quite suppress the curl of his lips. He felt a little smug. He knew he was good-looking, but he had not expected Su Tingbai to be charmed by him too.

"Hmph!" Shen Rui'an looked Su Tingbai up and down, then turned the blame on him. "Then why didn't you say so earlier? You made me angry!"

Su Tingbai was left at a loss for words. He did not argue, merely coaxing him gently, "So next time I upset you, don't sulk by yourself, okay? If you don't tell me, I won't know how I offended you again."

He was like a criminal, committing a crime without knowing it, then being sentenced to death by Shen Rui'an.

Shen Rui'an's little tail practically rose into the air. He wriggled free from Su Tingbai's embrace and huffed, "I'm always very generous. If you don't provoke me, why would I get angry?"

"Yes, yes. So, Lord Shen Rui'an, when this humble one makes you angry next time, could you please tell me why? At least let me die knowing the reason." Su Tingbai pleaded.

"Fine, but I'm unhappy right now, so I don't want to tell you!" Shen Rui'an said fiercely. That awful Su Tingbai had made him feel sad for nothing!

"Then what can I do to make you happy?"

Shen Rui'an's gaze swept over Su Tingbai's pecs with a sly grin. Perhaps because he was wearing a black satin shirt, the fabric clung closely to his skin. If it were pulled taut even slightly, Su Tingbai's abs would be visible.

"Can I touch your pecs? I'm a little curious."

Shen Rui'an asked sincerely. He wanted to know whether they were hard or soft.

Su Tingbai froze, never expecting Shen Rui'an to ask that. After coming back to his senses, he smiled and gently took Shen Rui'an's hand, pressing it against his unsteadily rising chest. He asked in a low voice, "Can you feel it this time?"