Chapter 18: Want a Hug?
Wen Yuhuai continued to shake his head stiffly, slowly lowering his chopsticks. “No need.”
Clatter—
Lin Shiyu put down his chopsticks and bowl and stood up. “I’m done. Come sit here; why crowd with them?”
Song Xingmian, who had just wanted to speak, shut his mouth obediently. He and Lin Shiyu were originally sitting next to each other. Now that Lin Shiyu had left, wouldn’t the person sitting next to him become Wen Yuhuai?
Wen Yuhuai felt as if he had been granted amnesty. Ignoring the slightly darkened expressions of the two beside him, he quickly picked up his bowl, got up, and sat in Lin Shiyu’s seat. He turned back to glance at him. “You ate so little; are you full?”
Lin Shiyu sat unceremoniously on his hospital bed, grabbed an apple, and started peeling it. “Full. Just eat your food in peace.”
Wen Yuhuai’s gaze landed uncontrollably on his hands. It had to be said, his hands were very beautiful—slender joints, with pale blue veins meandering along the back of his hand to his cuff.
Even the action of peeling an apple looked pleasing to the eye.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Lin Shiyu paused in peeling the apple. He lifted his eyes to look at him, his tone soft and teasing, like a hook. “What, staring at me like this because you’re afraid I’ll steal a bite?”
Wen Yuhuai looked away hurriedly as if he had been burned. “What steal a bite? You peeled the apple yourself; eat it however you want.”
Lin Shiyu laughed softly again, his eyes and brows curving simultaneously. “Rest assured, I peeled it for you. I won’t eat it.”
Wen Yuhuai simply ignored him, lowering his head to concentrate on eating.
The meal was eaten with everyone harboring their own ulterior motives. As soon as Wen Yuhuai put down his bowl, Lin Shiyu brought a plate of peeled and cut fruit to him. “Eat some fruit, supplement your Vitamin C.”
Wen Yuhuai stabbed a piece of kiwi with a fork. He was immediately jolted by the sourness, putting on a mask of pain.
Lin Shiyu frowned. “Is it very sour?”
Wen Yuhuai bared his teeth in agony from the sourness. He simply stabbed a piece and brought it to Lin Shiyu’s mouth. “Taste it yourself.”
Lin Shiyu lowered his eyes to look at the fruit by his mouth. The fork was the one Wen Yuhuai had just used. If he wasn’t mistaken, it had touched his lips. Did this count as an indirect kiss?
Without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and ate it. His lips and teeth brushed against the fork. He ate very slowly and carefully, then looked up at Wen Yuhuai with a normal expression, his tone serious: “Not sour. It’s very sweet.”
Wen Yuhuai didn’t believe it. Could it be that only the piece he ate just now was sour?
He tried another piece. Without any surprise, he shuddered from the sourness again.
He knew it. How could fruits from the same batch be sour for some and sweet for others?
“Liar—”
Lin Shiyu laughed, his pitch-black eyelashes half-covering his pupils. He watched him as he laughed, whispering, “I really think it’s quite sweet.”
Sweeter than honey. It was the sweetest fruit he had ever eaten.
Wen Yuhuai ate two more pieces of apple, then shoved the fruit toward him, keeping it at arm’s length. “If it’s sweet, eat more. I’m not eating.”
Lin Shiyu picked up the fork he had used and began to eat slowly, looking satisfied.
Wen Yuhuai’s teeth ached just watching. “I didn’t see you liking sour food this much before. When did your taste change?”
Lin Shiyu looked up at him without changing his expression. “Changed just this morning.”
Wen Yuhuai scoffed and stopped talking to him.
Just then, a nurse came for rounds and notified him that the full-body check-up he booked yesterday could be done now.
Wait, check-up?
Wen Yuhuai turned slowly to look at the bowl he had just put down.
He felt he might have been driven stupid by that damn pervert, forgetting the common sense that one shouldn’t eat before a physical exam. The key was that no one around him reminded him.
The others reacted slowly as well, their faces going blank for a moment. Obviously, they had forgotten too.
The nurse followed his gaze backward and asked uncertainly, “You ate breakfast?”
Wen Yuhuai nodded, smashing the broken pot.
The nurse didn’t say much, just nodded. “Then today’s exam is cancelled for you. Do it tomorrow.”
“How did you sleep yesterday? Any physical discomfort?”
Wen Yuhuai shook his head. “Pretty good. I feel like there’s no need for an exam tomorrow either. I can be discharged now.”
“No—”
Before the nurse could say anything, the people behind him showed rare unity, rejecting his proposal in unison.
Wen Yuhuai: “…”
The nurse scribbled a few lines in her notebook. “Okay, I’ve scheduled the full-body check-up for tomorrow. It’s best to fast for eight hours before the exam. Remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow, and try not to eat supper too late tonight.”
They watched the nurse leave. Wen Yuhuai lay back on the hospital bed, looking silently at the ceiling. “I have to lie in the hospital for another day.”
The mattress beside him dipped slightly; someone sat next to him. “What are you afraid of? We will accompany you.”
Wen Yuhuai rolled over in bed, his gaze landing on the person beside him. It was Lin Shiyu.
“Come on, you’re the busiest of the lot. How do you have time to waste here with me?”
Lin Shiyu reached out to feel his forehead. “Being with you isn’t a waste of time.”
His voice was light and low, like a murmur in a lover’s ear. Wen Yuhuai uncontrollably broke out in goosebumps again.
Not only was the desensitization ineffective, but his stress response also seemed to be getting more severe.
How could this be? How could he misunderstand his good brother liking him? They were clearly straight men, straighter than steel.
The more Wen Yuhuai thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He wished he could rush into a certain app right now and continue consulting the psychologist, but there was a crowd of people around him.
The others clearly noticed his abnormality too, stepping forward to surround him. “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yuhuai rubbed his arms and stood up, only to discover an even more despairing fact.
That was: all four of them were taller than him.
Originally, he was about the same height as Song Xingmian, the youngest. But the guy stayed abroad for a while, eating god knows what, and now even he was taller than him.
Several concerned gazes landed on him simultaneously. Wen Yuhuai took a deep breath and looked up at the four of them.
The desensitization test just now was a complete failure, but he didn’t want to give up. He wanted to try one more time.
Who to choose this time?
Whatever. He’d choose whoever responded to him first.
Having made up his mind, Wen Yuhuai steeled himself, turned to look at them, his gaze sweeping equally across each of them.
“Want a hug?”
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