Xie Jinghui naturally caught the tiny changes in Yu Sheng's expression. He lightly pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses, his appraising gaze falling on the dinner in Yu Sheng's hands.
Presumably, Yu Sheng had thought of how Shen Shuangjian was still ill and how his already mediocre appetite must have worsened, so he had brought up only a bowl of congee cooked in clear chicken broth.
Xie Jinghui reached out to take it, but Yu Sheng was far too slippery. Seeing that Xie Jinghui had no intention of stepping aside, he pretended to catch sight of Shen Shuangjian, who had just sat up in bed.
"Shuangjian, you're awake! I brought you a bowl of congee!" Yu Sheng turned sideways and slipped inside as Xie Jinghui was forced to make room.
"Let me see if you still have a fever."
Without any hesitation, Yu Sheng reached out to touch Shen Shuangjian's warm forehead. The other man instinctively dodged, leaving his hand hanging in the air.
His fingers curled for an instant. Pretending not to understand, Yu Sheng leaned forward even as the beauty leaned back.
"I'm not afraid of catching it. I've thought of you as my best friend for ages. Am I supposed to avoid you just because you're sick?"
This time, Yu Sheng's hand met almost no resistance and settled smoothly over Shen Shuangjian's forehead.
His broad palm made Shen Shuangjian's face look even smaller against it. His eyes curved as he gazed down into Shen Shuangjian's clear, tea-brown eyes.
Best friend...
Words so direct and ardent inevitably stirred something faintly in Shen Shuangjian's gaze.
Shen Shuangjian knew that his cold, withdrawn nature was not likable. Growing up, because of his poor health, the female director had never allowed children his age to interact with him.
Later, as he grew older, most of those whose paths crossed his gradually backed away because he was poor with words and awkward at socializing.
Apart from Yu Sheng, he had never heard anyone say anything like that.
"..."
The bewilderment at that faint stirring in his heart became shackles that kept him silent. When Shen Shuangjian did not object, Yu Sheng pushed his luck.
"Shuangjian, hurry and try the congee Weiluo and I made ourselves. Do you have any strength in your hands? Do you need me to feed you?"
Although Yu Sheng's only contributions to the congee had been rinsing the rice and carrying it upstairs, he still said this without a blush or a flutter of his heart.
His bright eyes were like sparkling crystals, and like a large dog bobbing its head at the sight of its favorite treat, sincere and ardent.
Shen Shuangjian shook his head and refused. "No need."
But Yu Sheng looked a little troubled. "The bowl's a bit hot, though. Why don't I feed you instead? I've got thick skin. I'm not afraid of getting burned."
Shen Shuangjian was unused to such ardent concern being spoken aloud. He already had little appetite, and he disliked hot food, so he refused again.
"No."
Yu Sheng could only give up and go along with his wishes. Since he was wearing his outdoor clothes and feared Shen Shuangjian might be allergic to the dust, he plopped straight down on the rug beside the bed.
"Shuangjian, this morning really scared me to death. Our brother's so fierce. I won't dare visit your place anymore."
As Yu Sheng chattered on, Shen Shuangjian felt thirsty. He picked up the warm water Xie Jinghui had left to cool by the bed and held it in his hands, taking small sips.
He did not answer, and his expression seemed no different from usual. But Xie Jinghui, who was leaning against the wall and carefully observing him, noticed a few clues.
Xie Jinghui's brows were faintly furrowed, solely because he had noticed the brief, subtle flicker in Shen Shuangjian's eyes when Yu Sheng spoke so flippantly.
He noticed that when Yu Sheng said things that overstepped his bounds, Shen Shuangjian not only failed to press his lips together in aversion, but did not resist by withdrawing even when the other man persisted in pestering him.
Xie Jinghui took off his glasses and raised a hand, signaling for the cameraman who had followed Yu Sheng upstairs to leave.
"Sorry, Shuangjian needs to rest after he has his congee. You should head downstairs."
It really was inappropriate to linger in a sick person's room and disturb his rest. Yu Sheng gave a somewhat dejected "oh," then stood and headed for the door, looking back every few steps.
"I'll go first, then, Shuangjian. I found loads of ingredients today. When I get up tomorrow morning, I'll make you some soup!"
His last two words grew somewhat muffled as Xie Jinghui mercilessly shut the door. When quiet returned to the room, Xie Jinghui pressed his furrowed brow.
He thought he had grown far too sensitive in his observation of Shen Shuangjian, to the point where he caught and repeatedly scrutinized even the slightest expression or movement.
He understood Shen Shuangjian less and less. He did not understand his distance or his tenderness, much less whether the moon reflected in the water was an illusion or real.
By daylight the following morning, Shen Shuangjian's low fever had subsided, and he had recovered a little of his spirits. Illness receded as slowly as silk being drawn out; his whole body was weary, and he once again lacked the strength to move.
This time, however, Xie Jinghui could not indulge him and let him miss breakfast again. Over the entire previous day, Shen Shuangjian had only had half a bowl of congee that evening.
So even if he had no strength and no appetite, Xie Jinghui had to take him downstairs to eat something.
As his light footsteps fell on the wooden stairs, the clock in the living room pointed to precisely five past nine.
The livestream was on, and everyone was gathered in the dining room. Yu Sheng had been sitting furthest inside, joking with Lin Weiluo as Shen Shuangjian came downstairs.
He got along well with Lin Weiluo, and the tips she had given him lately seemed particularly effective, so he naturally grew a little closer to her in an effort to please.
"Mm-Shuangjian!"
The instant he saw Shen Shuangjian coming downstairs, Yu Sheng sprang up, made his way around the dining table with difficulty, and eagerly jogged over to him.
"Shuangjian, come have breakfast! Let me tell you, breakfast is really good today!"
Yu Sheng could not keep his hands to himself. Though his build was clearly large enough to envelop Shen Shuangjian completely, he still adopted the manner of a little bird nestling against someone, loosely wrapping his hands around Shen Shuangjian's arm as he acted spoiled.
"You..."
His overly intimate manner made Shen Shuangjian instinctively draw back. He raised a hand, instinctively wanting to push him away and make him let go.
But just then, Lin Weiluo's envious voice came at exactly the right moment. "Shuangjian and Xiao Yu are so close now. I miss my best friend. When I'm with my bestie, we practically want to be conjoined twins."
And so, with his gaze fixed on Shen Shuangjian's arm, Xie Jinghui watched Yu Sheng lead Shen Shuangjian to the dining table, half holding him, half embracing him.
And Shen Shuangjian did not resist.
Xie Jinghui pressed his lips together slightly. As his gaze darkened, all its calm vanished, leaving only a gradually emerging chill.
In that instant, Xie Jinghui practically sized Yu Sheng up from head to toe, yet no matter how he thought about it, he could not understand what was so outstanding about him.
This man clearly lacked a strict upbringing. He had no sense of boundaries, was frivolous and shallow, and his only redeeming feature was the natural advantage of his age.
So what exactly made the distance between him and Shen Shuangjian seem naturally a little smaller than it was for anyone else?
Turbulence brewed in Xie Jinghui's heart, but on the surface, he looked no different from anyone else, calmly maintaining the harmony before him that was half real and half false.
In the livestream chat, the fans who went wild at the slightest hint were in full swing.
[Our wife's only just recovered. He looks so pitiful. His face is even paler, and he seems to have gotten thinner again.]
[Even though he looks obviously sick, he doesn't look haggard at all. No, I should say he's ridiculously beautiful even when he's haggard. Why does he get prettier the sicker he is?!]
[Yu Sheng...]
[When the younger guy drops the "big brother," he's got some wild intentions.]
[Why is our wife so tolerant of him? When Xie Qingchi treated our wife like this before, he practically had "disgusted" written across his face.]
[When Xie Qingchi hugged our wife Shuangjian before, our wife went red with anger. He really overheated.]
[I don't know. All I know is I'm overheating a little right now.]
[Fuck, seeing Shen Shuangjian like this fills me with some nameless fire.]
[Not quite.]
[A nameless fire rising from your lower belly, right? (dark face)]
[What's gotten into this brat Yu Sheng lately? He's so smooth. Wasn't he a steel-straight man before?]
[What steel-straight man? He just hadn't met the right person.]
[Does Yu Sheng have any girlfriend fans left? I'm really curious.]
[I switched to being a mom fan, because I can't bring myself to curse at Shen Shuangjian's face.]
[I switched to being a Shen Shuangjian fan. If I can't have Yu Sheng, I'll steal his wife. Whatever.]
[Why aren't Xie Jinghui and Gu Xuanlin smiling? Are they unhappy?]
[No idea. I'm smiling pretty happily, anyway.]