Death before dishonor!

Aunt Fen really did know what she was doing. The moment she took the kitten from Shen Lian, she rushed into the bathroom, ran some warm water, submerged half its body, and pressed on its heart several times. Only when the kitten began making little noises did she breathe a sigh of relief.

The house had everything they needed. At Aunt Fen's command, Shen Lian immediately fetched a syringe and some glucose solution.

Chu Yilan came over after changing his clothes and found the two of them standing at the sink, their heads huddled together. Shen Lian still had his coat draped over him.

"Go take a shower," Chu Yilan said in a low voice.

Shen Lian didn't even turn around. "No, no, no. Aunt Fen's saving a life here."

Chu Yilan stood off to the side with his arms folded, watching the kitten suck down most of the glucose in one go. He thought it ought to survive at this rate.

The three of them crowded around in silence until Aunt Fen straightened up. "Oh, thank goodness, we finally saved it. Now we just need to keep it warm and see how it's doing tomorrow."

"Aunt Fen, you're a miracle worker!" Shen Lian exclaimed sincerely.

Aunt Fen laughed and laughed. "What miracle worker? Back in the countryside, when the chickens, ducks, or geese got sick, we'd always do what we could to save them."

Shen Lian could finally go change and shower with his mind at ease.

He was still woozy, and the steam from the hot water kept making him want to fall asleep. He absently rubbed his chest, then heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Who else could it be?" Chu Yilan said. "Are you planning to live in there?"

Shen Lian hurriedly rinsed off the suds. "Coming."

He dried himself off and slipped straight into a bathrobe.

It was part of a matching couple's set he'd bought online out of boredom, one black and one gray. He'd kept the gray one and given the black one to Chu Yilan, but Master Chu was particular about such things and had never let Shen Lian see whether he actually wore it.

Only when he heard the bathroom door open did Chu Yilan's tightly knitted brows ease a little.

He sat on Shen Lian's bed in casual loungewear, looking composed and handsome. The lighting happened to conceal the scars on his face. One look was all it took for Shen Lian to decide that he would see Chu Yilan through getting every scar removed. Anything less would be an insult to God's masterpiece.

Shen Lian was about to walk over when the man said, "Dry your hair."

"Oh."

By the time he finished, Shen Lian was exhausted, but he was still worried about the kitten.

"Master Chu..."

He had barely opened his mouth when Chu Yilan's expression changed and he turned his head away.

Shen Lian: "???"

"Don't tell me you're disgusted with me!"

Chu Yilan's jaw bulged slightly, as though some emotion had surged up only for him to force it back down. Soon, he turned to look at Shen Lian again and said coldly, his face expressionless, "Are we short on underwear in this house?"

Underwear? What underwear?

Only then did Shen Lian notice the chill down below.

Ummm...

Shen Lian might have been openly flirtatious, but he still had some shame. He was just about to return to the bathroom to remedy the situation when he noticed that Chu Yilan's ears had turned red.

No exaggeration: Shen Lian's weakness for cute things went into overdrive.

And with the alcohol still in his system, being provoked like this filled him with an indescribable boldness.

Under Chu Yilan's death glare, Shen Lian walked toward him, step by step.

Chu Yilan's face remained stern.

Shen Lian bent down and kissed him.

"Am I beautiful everywhere?" Shen Lian asked huskily.

Everything afterward felt as though someone had thrown a soft blanket over his head. Every sound seemed distant, the rain falling beyond mountain after mountain, yet Chu Yilan's breathing was unmistakably real.

Before Shen Lian could make sense of what was happening, his awareness shattered.

The ceiling kept spinning. A little while later, Shen Lian's chest heaved, disbelief written across his face.

Chu Yilan actually...

(Fill in the blanks yourselves. I got locked out QAQ.)

Unexpectedly, Chu Yilan's voice held a smile. "Shen Lian, how many minutes did you even last?"

Shen Lian: "?????"

He stubbornly lifted his upper body and roared at Chu Yilan, "Death before dishonor!"

Chu Yilan let out a low laugh.

"You... wait, wait! You don't have to..."

"I don't," Chu Yilan interrupted.

It wasn't time yet. Although Chu Yilan was slowly accepting Shen Lian, his heart was still encased in a shell covered with thorns. They wouldn't hurt anyone for now, but if someone came closer, there was no telling. For the first time, Chu Yilan felt the urge to clear them away. Once he was a little more "normal," he would naturally claim Shen Lian completely.

Chu Yilan helped clean Shen Lian up. Shen Lian drifted into a heavy sleep, then began coughing in the middle of the night. Half-conscious, he was gathered into someone's arms and fed several horribly bitter pills. He wanted to spit them out, but at a single command of "Swallow," he obediently swallowed them.

Shen Lian slept until morning and was still dazed when he sat up.

He pressed a hand to his head. The slight discomfort was probably from drinking too much the night before.

Then he remembered something, immediately threw back the covers, and got out of bed. After hurriedly washing up, he went to find Aunt Fen.

"Aunt Fen!"

"I'm here, I'm here." The moment Aunt Fen heard him, she knew what he wanted. "Over by the balcony. I put down a heated blanket, and the temperature's just right. It's still alive."

Shen Lian ran over to look.

Aunt Fen was meticulous and attentive. The kitten had clearly been cleaned, and judging by its markings, it was a little black-and-white one.

A cow cat. Perfect. Shen Lian pointed at the kitten and said to Chu Yilan, who happened to be coming downstairs, "I knew at first sight this cat was meant to be ours. Come on, Master Chu. Do us the honor of naming it."

Chu Yilan adjusted his cuffs and said casually, "Three Minutes."

Shen Lian stared in astonishment. "What kind of name is that?"

Chu Yilan gave him a calm look without speaking.

"Shen Lian, how many minutes did you even last?" The words suddenly exploded in his ears.

Aunt Fen came out just in time to see Shen Lian frozen in place. Then, little by little, he visibly turned red all over.

"Oh my!" Aunt Fen exclaimed in surprise. "What happened? Did you eat one of those little hot peppers I grew?"

Shen Lian strode stiffly and swiftly into the kitchen.

There were small cakes on the table, freshly baked not long ago. Shen Lian grabbed two and stuffed them into his mouth, his eyes vicious, as though he were devouring someone's flesh.

Aunt Fen looked bewildered. "Shen Lian?"

"I'm going to choke myself to death!" Shen Lian mumbled through his mouthful. "Let Chu Yilan regret it for the rest of his life!"

Chu Yilan leaned casually against the doorway. "If you're hungry, you're hungry. Stop blaming me. Something's come up at the company. I'm heading out."

"Aren't you going to have something to eat, sir?" Aunt Fen asked.

"I'm going to starve myself to death," Chu Yilan said with a perfectly straight face, imitating Shen Lian. "Wouldn't want someone getting lonely in the afterlife."

You might as well just infuriate me to death, Shen Lian thought.

It took Shen Lian half an hour after Chu Yilan left to recover.

Around noon, Aunt Fen received a phone call. After listening for a moment, she glanced outside, then covered the receiver and said softly, "Yes, he's in good spirits. I've made chicken soup. All right, I'll keep an eye on him."

Shen Lian knew nothing about this. He had moved the kitten, heated blanket and all, onto the sofa and sat beside it, watching.

So cute!