In the end, Lu Jinsheng cooked, while Zhang Hui went into the inner room to rest.
An Yubei sat on Lu Jinsheng's bed, watching him cook noodles in an electric wok.
Lu Jinsheng was adding ham sausage and eggs.
An Yubei had offered to cook for himself, but Lu Jinsheng had refused, saying that as long as he was around, An Yubei didn't need to do any work.
An Yubei felt there was something wrong with that statement, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. He couldn't be bothered to rack his brains.
As Lu Jinsheng cooked the noodles, he asked, "How well done do you want your poached egg? Do you eat runny yolks?"
An Yubei obediently answered, "Yes."
The instant noodles were soon ready and divided between two bowls. The bowls were the same size, but the portions inside were different.
One had more, and the other had less.
Lu Jinsheng pushed a movable dining table up to the bed, set down the bowls, and then sat beside An Yubei.
He gave An Yubei the larger portion and took the smaller one himself.
This was the famous tale of Kong Rong giving away the pears.
An Yubei didn't stand on ceremony and accepted Lu Jinsheng's kindness.
After they finished the noodles, An Yubei offered to apply medicine for Lu Jinsheng.
Lu Jinsheng hesitated for a while before bringing over the medicine box.
There were many medicines inside, most of them ones Zhang Hui regularly took.
Lu Jinsheng took out a bottle of safflower oil and handed it to An Yubei.
An Yubei had used safflower oil before and didn't need Lu Jinsheng to teach him. He opened the bottle and said, "Go take your shirt off on the bed."
Lu Jinsheng froze for a moment, seemingly hesitating.
An Yubei urged him again, "Take it off. We're both men. Are you really embarrassed?"
Lu Jinsheng took off his white T-shirt and lay facedown on the bed as An Yubei asked.
Lu Jinsheng looked thin, but he actually had the sort of build that looked slim in clothes and muscular without them.
He had broad shoulders, narrow hips, and firm muscles. An Yubei took another look. Lu Jinsheng actually had an eight-pack.
They were the same age, yet An Yubei only had a flat stomach. His muscles weren't much to speak of and were clearly less firm than Lu Jinsheng's.
An Yubei poured a little safflower oil onto his hand and gently rubbed Lu Jinsheng's injured areas.
"You have such a great body. You even have an eight-pack. I'm so jealous."
As warm fingertips brushed over his back, Lu Jinsheng stiffened and said, "Don't you have one?"
"No." An Yubei took Lu Jinsheng's hand and placed it on his stomach. "Feel it. Do I?"
Lu Jinsheng's fingertips touched a soft belly. He even gave it a pinch. It felt nice.
Lu Jinsheng withdrew his hand and lay back down. "You really don't."
An Yubei continued rubbing Lu Jinsheng's injuries. "Does it still hurt?"
Lu Jinsheng said, "Once Xiao Bei rubs it for me, it won't hurt anymore."
An Yubei asked innocently, "Really?"
"Of course. I never lie."
An Yubei smiled happily, and the guilt in his heart lessened a little.
"Then I'll rub it some more, until it stops hurting."
An Yubei said, "Don't worry, Lu Jinsheng. I'll take responsibility for you."
An Yubei had always been someone who repaid kindness.
Lu Jinsheng had saved him, so he ought to repay him. He would never be ungrateful.
Lu Jinsheng heard An Yubei's words, but an ambiguous feeling welled up in his heart.
Take responsibility?
Lu Jinsheng muttered quietly, "If only you could offer yourself to me in return."
Lu Jinsheng had muttered too quietly for An Yubei to make out his words, so he asked, "What did you say? Are you uncomfortable?"
Lu Jinsheng buried his head in the pillow and suppressed the feelings in his heart. "Nothing. I'm not uncomfortable. If anything, it feels too good."
"That's good, then."
An Yubei continued diligently massaging him, unaware that Ji Shang was going out of his mind looking for him.
His phone had remained switched off, and he was nowhere to be found.
After rubbing Lu Jinsheng's injuries, An Yubei took a close look at his bruises. Thanks to his tireless efforts, they finally looked much better.
An Yubei stood up, glanced at the clock on the wall, and said, "It's so late. I need to go home."
An Yubei reached for his phone, but his trouser pocket was empty. Only then did he remember that the bad guys had smashed it.
Oh no, he thought. Ji Shang surely couldn't get in touch with him.
Ji Shang had told him they would go home together. It was so late now, and with no way to reach him, he must have been worried.
Seeing An Yubei's anxiety, Lu Jinsheng asked with concern, "Do you have money for a taxi?"
Lu Jinsheng remembered that An Yubei's phone had been smashed, so he might not have money to pay the fare.
He took five hundred yuan from an envelope and pressed it into An Yubei's hand. "Take this for a taxi."
Looking at the five hundred yuan in his hand, An Yubei was deeply touched.
The money in that envelope was what Lu Jinsheng had worked so hard to earn.
Judging by its thickness, An Yubei estimated there was only a little over a thousand yuan.
Lu Jinsheng had so readily given him half his hard-earned money. An Yubei was moved all over again.
An Yubei couldn't take Lu Jinsheng's money. Lu Jinsheng's family needed it more.
He returned the money to Lu Jinsheng and said, "I have money. I brought my bank card. I'll just withdraw some at the bank."
"You need this money more. I can't take it."
Lu Jinsheng pressed the money into An Yubei's hand again, his manner brooking no argument. "It's almost midnight. Withdrawing money in the middle of the night isn't safe. Just take it. It's fine."
"Aren't we friends? Why stand on ceremony?"
An Yubei looked at the money in his hand and understood what Lu Jinsheng meant.
Lu Jinsheng regarded him as a friend, which was why he was so eager to help him.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than a hardworking employee, with no friends or family.
The scheming in the workplace had exhausted him, body and mind. How could he have had the courage to make friends?
Now that he had transmigrated into a book, he seemed to have everything.
An Yubei sniffled, his heart aching terribly.
"Thank you, Lu Jinsheng."
After a moment's thought, An Yubei pressed his bank card into Lu Jinsheng's hand and said, "How about this? I'll take your cash, and you can have my bank card."
"There's a lot of money in it. You can use as much as you like."
It held the five million yuan in spending money Ji Dongsheng had transferred to him.
An Yubei had no shortage of food or drink now, and he would have plenty more spending money in the future. He didn't mind giving up these few million.
He thought Lu Jinsheng needed the money more right now.
With this money, Lu Jinsheng could move somewhere a little better and get Zhang Hui better medical care.
Then he wouldn't have to worry so much.
Looking at the bank card in his hand, Lu Jinsheng was filled with emotion.
He thought An Yubei really was a little fool, trusting others so easily.
How could he give his money to someone else so readily? Wasn't he afraid they would covet it?
Sure enough, he was different in An Yubei's eyes.
Lu Jinsheng smiled with his lips pressed together and casually teased, "Are you trying to keep me?"
Did Lu Jinsheng misunderstand and think I was humiliating him?
An Yubei hurried to explain, "No, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to humiliate you. I just... just want to support you."
"You're my friend. I'm well-off now, so I can absolutely support you. When you make it big someday, you can support me instead. It's the same thing."
An Yubei thought he had explained himself well, but Lu Jinsheng misunderstood even more.
He lowered his eyes to the card in his hand and chuckled. "Don't make promises so casually in the future. I'll take them seriously."
An Yubei said nonchalantly, "Then take them seriously. I really can afford to support you."
Lu Jinsheng looked straight into An Yubei's lovely almond-shaped eyes and said, "All right. I'll support you in the future."
An Yubei: "...!"
Uh, who was supporting whom? He was completely confused!