Xie Jinghui slid his hand down to take Shen Shuangjian's. Perhaps it was because they had just stood together against an outsider, or perhaps Shen Shuangjian's thoughts had yet to catch up, but as Xie Jinghui led him upstairs by the hand, Shen Shuangjian did not pull free as he usually did.
"Does your hand hurt?"
The bed in the bedroom was still somewhat rumpled. Shen Shuangjian sat at its foot with his eyes lowered and slowly withdrew the wrist Xie Jinghui held in his palm.
Under his gaze, Shen Shuangjian only shook his head lightly in response to Xie Jinghui's question.
His eyes flickered as he spoke. "My hand is fine." Shen Shuangjian pressed his lips together and paused, then continued, "But I'm feeling a little unwell now."
When he got up that morning, Shen Shuangjian had already been listless after sleeping poorly the night before. If Xie Jinghui had not coaxed him repeatedly, he probably would not have gone downstairs for breakfast at all.
Unfortunately, after the commotion Shen Sixian caused, not only had Shen Shuangjian failed to eat breakfast, but the emotional upheaval had also drained him mentally, leaving him feeling even worse.
"All right."
Xie Jinghui suddenly dropped to one knee and lifted Shen Shuangjian's lower leg. Before his hand could reach farther, however, Shen Shuangjian, sitting at the foot of the bed, drew back first.
"Mr. Xie?"
Shen Shuangjian bent the leg Xie Jinghui had just held in his palm and slowly shifted backward, seemingly not understanding why Xie Jinghui had done that.
"Sorry. I was just worried that you weren't feeling well, so I instinctively thought to help you take off your shoes."
Xie Jinghui lowered his eyes, his gentle composure carrying the unflappability unique to someone older. "I was being overly concerned. Perhaps you can manage it yourself."
As he spoke, he raised his eyes, letting his gaze fall on Shen Shuangjian's bent lower leg against the soft white sheets.
The loose trouser leg had naturally slid upward with his movement. Even the smooth, soft white sheets could not rival his snow-white skin.
His slender, delicate ankle looked as though one light clasp of Xie Jinghui's hand would leave it trapped, unable to break free.
Perhaps Xie Jinghui's gaze was too direct and too heated, for Shen Shuangjian reached out and lightly covered his own ankle, a gesture that only made what he wanted to hide more obvious.
It was hard to say whether his hand or his foot was fairer, but his exposed fingertips were flushed red, like pearls dotted with cinnabar, filling the eye with fragrant beauty.
"Mr. Xie."
Shen Shuangjian tilted his head slightly. As his long hair spilled down, the tips of his small ears were tinged faintly pink. Calling to Xie Jinghui, he slowly drew up both legs.
"Thank you for today."
A beauty showing timidity should have been the perfect opportunity to push for more, yet Xie Jinghui stepped back at just the right moment. He rose and lifted the covers, his voice gentle.
"There's no need to thank me. We've known each other for a while now, Shuangjian. It's nothing."
His slender body sank into the bed. Xie Jinghui gently laid a hand over Shen Shuangjian's forehead and, after briefly checking his temperature, compared it against his own several times.
"You're a little warm. I'll find you some medicine and get some hot water."
His care was meticulous, his manner as mild as a spring breeze. He carried himself with an easy composure that let things take their course, never seeming abrupt or displaying even a moment of aggressive haste.
"I'm sorry. I've still ended up troubling you."
Shen Shuangjian lowered his long, thick lashes. Like frost flowers that vanished with winter when spring arrived, he looked fragile enough to stir pity.
Xie Jinghui chuckled softly and shook his head, then went downstairs to pour Shen Shuangjian a glass of warm water. As the door closed again, Xie Jinghui let out a long breath almost instinctively.
Of course he could sense Shen Shuangjian relenting. It had nothing to do with romantic love; he was simply too shy, too soft.
Gentleness and closeness, as quiet as rain nourishing all things, pressed close and melted him little by little. By the time he looked back in surprise, he could no longer refuse or disregard them.
Xie Jinghui knew that, at least for now, he was likely the only person around Shen Shuangjian who was more than a stranger or someone he had met a handful of times.
He advanced step by step, neither revealing so much that he provoked resistance nor hiding things over and over out of excessive timidity like the others.
It was the principle of boiling a frog in warm water. With his heart set on it, why worry that he could not warm Shen Shuangjian's heart?
Friend or lover, he had a sincere heart laying bridges and paving roads beneath his feet. As long as he took his time, he would surely reach Shen Shuangjian's side.
When Xie Jinghui went upstairs, Shen Shuangjian had already closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep. He set the hot water on the bedside cabinet and softly called to Shen Shuangjian.
In just that short time, Shen Shuangjian's head had grown heavy and muddled, and his body had gradually begun to heat up.
With little strength, he braced his elbows on the bed to push himself up, but his long hair lay loose around him. Some strands were pinned beneath him and tugged, forcing a soft cry from Shen Shuangjian.
"Careful. My fault-I forgot to tie your hair back."
Xie Jinghui reached out to rub his head, his fingertips slipping through the cool, silky strands. There seemed to be an elusive intimacy to it, yet it also seemed like nothing more than an offhand gesture of concern.
Shen Shuangjian merely remained silent. The ache seeping through his bones left him utterly weary. He did not pull away, either, only taking the medicine from Xie Jinghui's hand and swallowing it.
Shen Shuangjian's constitution was too weak. Whether his heavy thoughts had exhausted him or he was belatedly struggling to acclimatize was unclear, but after taking the medicine, he developed a low fever.
Shen Shuangjian slept fitfully from morning until evening, while Xie Jinghui remained in the room with him the whole time. Whenever Shen Shuangjian wanted water or anything else, he heard him immediately and met his needs.
Only at dinnertime did Shen Shuangjian slowly stir from his hazy, shallow sleep.
The bedroom lights were dim, and warm air from the air conditioner kept the room cozy. A small lamp glowed beside the bed, tracing Xie Jinghui's profile and his silver-rimmed glasses.
He seemed not to have noticed that Shen Shuangjian was awake. He simply sat leaning quietly back in the chair, his well-defined fingers turning the pages of an original-language book resting on his crossed legs.
His relaxed loungewear, made of expensive fabric, stripped away his cold, unapproachable side. Warm light fell over him from one side, making Xie Jinghui resemble a poised, refined clivia, aloof and distinguished, yet with gentleness in his composure.
The rustle as the person in bed shifted was faint, but Xie Jinghui still caught it. He looked up, meeting Shen Shuangjian's half-open gaze squarely.
"You're awake."
Xie Jinghui's voice was warm and mellow, less deep and all the gentler for it. "Do you still feel unwell? Would you like some water?"
But Shen Shuangjian shook his head faintly. His thin wrist brushed across his still slightly feverish forehead. The fever had sapped his strength, yet lying down had become uncomfortable too.
"Knock, knock, knock-"
The soft, unhurried knocking came at just the right moment. From outside, Yu Sheng's voice sounded a little muffled through the door.
"Shuangjian, are you awake? I brought you some dinner."
"Shuangjian-"
Before the final drawn-out syllable could leave his mouth, the door slowly creaked open.
Delight had only just appeared in Yu Sheng's eyes, but the next instant, once he saw everything clearly, it gradually faded.