His sobs came in fits and starts. There was no telling how long they lasted.
All that time, Yuan Chen remained silent, gently patting Yuan Chen's back over and over.
Only when the fabric over his left shoulder was soaked with tears did Shen Yi finally manage to stop crying and lift his head. With his eyes red and swollen, he looked nothing like the impeccably composed secretary he usually was.
"Even if... I want to give up... that's okay?" he asked between sniffles, his emotions still unsettled and his voice trembling.
Yuan Chen gazed at him quietly, then raised a hand and gently brushed away the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes with his thumb.
"It is, but I have one condition."
"Whatever you decide, I'll respect it. We'll do what you want. Just..." He paused, his voice low and clear. "Don't think about leaving me."
His words were calm, but Yuan Chen's heart was anything but still.
He was afraid-afraid Shen Yi would cut both this accident and him out of his life.
He had been just as shocked when he found out, but the thought of Shen Yi bearing all this alone made every other emotion seem out of place.
Shen Yi had always been used to handling problems on his own. If even he was this frightened, it showed just how bleakly he viewed this "accident."
Even so, Yuan Chen had to ask himself: why had Shen Yi hidden it from him? Had he failed to give him enough confidence in their relationship, leaving him feeling he had to face it alone?
The thought that Shen Yi had suffered for so long while he remained completely oblivious brought a belated, dull ache that tightened around his throat.
He studied Shen Yi again and again,