A Tingly Itch

Some unsuspecting people clicked on the trending topic out of curiosity and saw the recording of Su Tingbai's livestream.

The man was dressed casually, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, muscular forearms. He sat boldly on a stool, staring straight at the camera. Then his Adam's apple bobbed, drawing countless eyes. Especially those long, deep-set eyes fixed unblinkingly on the lens—they somehow made the desire nearly overflowing from his gaze impossible to miss.

The comments beneath the video were full of thirsty perverts screaming.

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

[This is Su Tingbai, a food blogger.]

[Holy shit? Is the food content scene this competitive now? Are they competing over looks too?]

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

[He's no worse than a celebrity.]

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

[Holy shit, 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 from 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 to spread, to the point that even Su Tingbai's family and friends saw it. Unable to resist, they asked who had made his heart stir.

Father Su and Mother Su were even more straightforward. If he had someone, he shouldn't hide them away; he should bring them home for the family to see.

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

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

Su Tingbai saw his phone chiming nonstop. When he opened it, it was full of questions from family and friends curious about the person he liked.

Su Tingbai: ...

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

But to Grandpa 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 all too well. The boy was a complete looks addict. He remembered when Shen Rui'an had been brought over by the Shen Household to play as a child; the little brat had eagerly piled all his treasured possessions in front of Shen Rui'an.

Usually, Su Tingbai was incredibly possessive. No one 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 prized toys.

Yet the moment Shen Rui'an arrived, he had voluntarily offered them up. That was the first time.

But as Shen Rui'an grew older, he went out less and less, and the two rarely had the chance to meet. Su Tingbai probably no longer remembered any of it.

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 good looks, then took away his health.

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

When Su Tingbai saw that message, he replied again: ...No need. He's very well-behaved.

At the Su residence, the old man could not help laughing when he saw that reply. He knew it.

Su Tingbai had no idea his grandfather had him completely figured out. Frowning at the video his friends had sent him, he turned the volume down to the lowest setting and guiltily glanced at Shen Rui'an, who was holding the camera and filming the campsite from every angle.

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

And what was this nonsense about him falling in love? It was simply... utter bullshit!

He had only looked at Shen Rui'an a little longer because he was good-looking. Everyone loved beauty; what was wrong with being momentarily stunned by a beautiful person?

He refused to believe they would not be dazzled if they saw Shen Rui'an!

If the netizens knew what he was thinking, they would definitely respond: We wouldn't, 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 out, "I'm going to see what Shen Rui'an is doing."

Then he vanished from sight. Following Baisui's movements, he found Shen Rui'an filming the waterfall with his camera.

The sun was especially bright at that moment, and the light was perfect. It fell over the stream, making the water glitter. 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 thin figure carrying the camera for a while before softly calling out to him.

"Hm? What is it?" Shen Rui'an turned around and brought Su Tingbai back into the frame. Once again, Su Tingbai was reflected in his eyes.

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

Shen Rui'an's gaze swept across Su Tingbai's broad shoulders and solid biceps before falling to his chest and abs. His inverted-triangle physique was displayed to perfection by this outfit, especially his long legs beneath those cargo pants.

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

He could not help lowering his head to look at his own arm. There was no muscle there. It was soft to the touch, covered only by a layer of soft flesh. Compared to Su Tingbai's, it was far too lacking.

"Ah..." He sighed, filled with envy.

Perhaps people always longed for what they did not have. Since he was often sick, Shen Rui'an envied people 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 gain a little more weight.

Under Shen Rui'an's unrestrained scrutiny, Su Tingbai's muscles tensed, and he grew a little nervous. He took a deep breath before stepping forward. "Are you tired? Let me carry that for you first?"

Having had his fill, Shen Rui'an readily handed the camera to Su Tingbai. Su Tingbai turned it off, holding it in one hand while extending the other toward Shen Rui'an. "Careful. These rocks have been soaked by the stream year-round, so some of them are slippery."

Shen Rui'an placed his hand in Su Tingbai's palm, held on tightly, and slowly moved closer. Once he finally reached the grass, Shen Rui'an curiously stared at the hand holding his. He let go, and Su Tingbai stopped, turning 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 and holding up his own hand for comparison. "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. Since he cooked often, there were thin calluses on it.

Shen Rui'an's hands were the opposite—soft and smooth, without calluses, and incredibly fair. They were too fair, though, with no hint of color in them.

Shen Rui'an noticed that too. He extended his index finger and lightly poked, then rubbed Su Tingbai's palm. He pressed down hard, then let go. His palm turned white under the pressure, but after Shen Rui'an's finger moved away, it returned to a healthy rosy color. This was a palm full of vitality.

In contrast, compared to Su Tingbai's hand, Shen Rui'an's palm looked faintly bluish-white. One look was enough to tell that he lacked vitality and blood.

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

Su Tingbai opened his mouth, feeling the faint tingle in his palm. He looked up at Shen Rui'an's envious face, briefly at a loss for words.

It was strange. Shen Rui'an had clearly touched only his palm, yet it felt as though that index finger had touched his heart too, leaving it faintly tingly and numb.