The sea kissed the sunset

After a full day of blazing sun, the temperature abruptly rose as the sun sank in the west, turning the once-comfortable air inside stifling.

Drenched in sweat, Cheng Yue escaped the kitchen and pulled the door shut behind him, trapping the heat inside.

Without stopping to wipe his sweat, he dug the air conditioner remote out of the storage box. As cool air washed over his face, he let out a heavy breath and slumped comfortably onto the couch.

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what sins he had committed in his previous life to deserve making soup in thirty-six-degree weather for a sanctimonious debt collector!

Damn him!

The more Cheng Yue thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. In a fit of anger, he clenched his fists and punched the air a few times. "Ji Huaijin, leave so much as a mouthful and you can forget about next time!"

Since it was dinner, he hadn't made anything particularly complicated: lion's mane mushroom and millet soup, with a few chunks of pumpkin thrown in. For the side dish, he had stir-fried some tofu, which was easy to digest and provided protein, too.

By the time Cheng Yue had packed everything and set off, the sun had just gone down. He wasn't going to be as foolish as he had been yesterday.

It was rush hour, and cars stretched into a long line along the road. Riding a borrowed electric scooter, Cheng Yue enjoyed the evening breeze as he breezed through the dense crowds.

In the parking lot beneath Inpatient Building 6, a green-and-white electric scooter brazenly occupied a parking space among an assortment of luxury cars.

Unlike the steady, measured knocking at noon, this erratic rhythm seemed to announce that the visitor had little patience.

Ji Huaijin couldn't help laughing inwardly. He should have known long ago that, in bed or out, this man was always so straightforward and full of life, yet so adorable that he made his heart melt.

"Come in."

Cheng Yue was indeed impatient, but he had manners. Whatever their relationship, he should give the other person the respect he deserved.

The door swung wide open. Cheng Yue's brisk steps faltered at the sight of the tray of food on the table, and his grip abruptly tightened around the insulated food container.

"Oh, already eating, are we?"

Cheng Yue knew he shouldn't have said that. He hadn't told Ji Huaijin beforehand that he would be bringing dinner, and he couldn't expect the man to wait forever without eating.

But remembering how he had sweated through preparing the meal in the kitchen, then gone to all the trouble of bringing it here, he felt a surge of frustration. His mouth got ahead of his brain, and the barb slipped out.

Ji Huaijin glanced at the dinner the nurse had brought, then looked up at Cheng Yue, who stood rooted to the spot with his lips pressed tight. He took a tissue from the table and rose to approach him.

He gently wiped the beads of sweat from Cheng Yue's forehead, his rich voice warm and tender. "I haven't eaten. I've been waiting for you."

So now you're the one feeling wronged? Cheng Yue snatched the tissue and wiped his forehead again, pressing hard as though to erase the sensation of that earlier touch.

"So I'm late, then."

Ji Huaijin watched him with deep, dark eyes, one finely shaped eyebrow lifting. "Not late."

His gaze was tender, his eyes filled with nothing but the man before him, starlight flowing through them, steeped in the warmth of spring. "Because I only want to eat what you bring me."

So whether you made it or not, as long as you brought it, you would never be too late.

Far away, the sea kissed the sunset, and dreams hid among the clouds. The timing was just right. The flutter of the heart sought for a lifetime appeared in the smile in your eyes, and in my unguarded glance, I fell straight into the embrace of dusk.

The hospital meal on the table ultimately ended up in Cheng Yue's stomach. It had nothing to do with not wasting food. He simply wanted to eat it.

Building 6 had its own private kitchen, and the hospital prepared different meals according to each patient's condition. The food looked plain and bland, but beneath that unassuming appearance lay unexpected delights.

Cheng Yue adamantly refused to admit that he had eaten those three nutritious dishes and soup with a stomach full of sour jealousy.

He had thought Ji Huaijin would be lying pitifully in his hospital bed, perhaps unable to get even a sip of water. That was why he had bustled around making dinner and delivering it, only to discover that the man was living better than a god!

Remembering how he had pitied him earlier, Cheng Yue wanted to slap himself!

He really wanted to get on his knees and beg himself to stop wasting his sympathy.

"I have work tomorrow, so I won't come. You've got plenty to eat and drink here anyway."

It would also save him from making soup with lion's mane mushrooms that cost dozens of yuan per pound and thinking himself wonderfully kind, only to discover afterward that the other man was having millet stewed with Liaoning sea cucumber. (A little tip: people with gastric bleeding shouldn't eat sea cucumber, though they can have a little during recovery. Qiuzi only used it here for contrast, so don't take it literally.)

The disparities in this world.

Looking around the fully equipped private VIP room, where anything one could want was available, Cheng Yue couldn't help reflecting that they truly lived in the same world, yet led such different lives.

The generously packed soup and side dish had been eaten clean. Not a trace of seasoning remained in the empty containers, and Ji Huaijin looked up with a smile.

"But they won't pick out the garlic slices I don't want to eat."

Heat abruptly crept up Cheng Yue's cheeks. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away, avoiding that searing gaze.

The last time he had washed the containers at home, he had found the garlic slices left inside. Today, he had already packed the food, but just before leaving, he had gone back and picked them out with chopsticks, muttering all the while about a grown man still being such a picky eater.

Unwilling to let him feel smug, Cheng Yue kept his face stiff and replied coldly, "Then starve if you won't eat!"

Given that Ji Huaijin could afford to stay here, Cheng Yue didn't believe for a second that the hospital staff wouldn't pick them out if he asked.

Cheng Yue had every reason to suspect that he simply wanted to make trouble for him. Just as he was about to speak, his left hand was suddenly caught and tugged forward, his palm meeting something warm.

He looked up in astonishment.

Ji Huaijin's unusually warm palm covered the back of his hand, pressing it against his stomach. His voice was soft and slow, carrying an allure that could beguile anyone.

"It hasn't healed here yet. It'll hurt if I don't eat."

His palm and the back of his hand were both held captive, his fingertips resting right over Ji Huaijin's heart. Cheng Yue heard their heartbeats as though they had joined together, beating in the same rhythm.

"Cheng Yue."

With his throat unbearably dry, he managed a strained sound of acknowledgment.

Ji Huaijin's smile was gentle, but his gaze was frighteningly hot. "Cheng Yue, will you keep bringing me meals?"

It was a question, and also a statement.

Cheng Yue opened his mouth to say something, only to discover that his mouth had long since gone dry. Instinctively, he moved to lick his lips.

The next second, he was lifted off his feet.

What he had wanted to do was forcefully claimed by someone else, leaving him no room at all.

Rain poured down through the faintly cool night. Endless droplets fell as banks of clouds rolled overhead, and damp mist swept along with the curtain of rain, darkening the pale earth and nourishing it into a beautiful hue.

The hospital room was dim, with only a pale yellow lamp glowing in the small outer room. At the corner of the couch, Cheng Yue hid in the shadows, moisture welling at the corners of his eyes.

The rain pattered on for a long time. At some point, a gentle breeze began to entwine with it, sending droplets tapping against the glass. They gathered into a transparent stream that slowly broke apart.

"Promise me, Cheng Yue."

Beyond the window, everything was blurred, the entire city shrouded in the vast darkness of night.

Cheng Yue lifted his damp lashes, and their eyes met.

"Mm."