Chapter 67: Coveting — The thing I dislike most is someone coveting my…
Before Jiang Yunian could digest the fact that he might have been sneak-attacked, a knock sounded at the door. His heart jumped, and he subconsciously pursed his lips, which still seemed to hold some heart-flustering sensation.
His ankle was still throbbing faintly. He moved his body with difficulty, wanting to get out of bed to open the door. Just then, the knocking stopped, and a call came through on his phone.
Lu Yuanbai.
He stared at the name, his finger hovering over the answer button for a moment before swiping it.
“Just woke up?” Lu Yuanbai’s voice came through the receiver, gentle as always. “Are you okay? I’m at the door.”
After a sleep, the pain had indeed lessened, but his head was still a bit groggy. Jiang Yunian thought the Senior had probably gone to deal with other things while he was asleep. “Mn… Senior, wait a moment, I’ll open the door.”
“Can you manage?”
“I can, I still have one good foot.” Jiang Yunian said, hopping on one foot, moving slowly to the door.
He opened the door a crack, his gaze drifting, not quite daring to meet the eyes of the person outside directly, lowering his head slightly to hide something.
Lu Yuanbai held an insulated bag in his hand. His gaze naturally passed over him, sweeping a glance inside. The living room was quiet, only the light on Jiang Yunian’s side was on; it didn’t look like anyone else was there. His expression relaxed a bit, and he said warmly, “I made some porridge for you. Better eat it while it’s hot.”
Jiang Yunian stared at the insulated box in his hand. His stomach wasn’t hungry; in fact, he felt full. His memory was chaotic; he felt as if someone had fed him while he slept. It was so real—could it be a dream?
“What’s wrong?” Lu Yuanbai keenly sensed his momentary strangeness. “Still uncomfortable?”
Jiang Yunian shook his head, turning sideways. “No… Senior, come in.”
He was just about to hop back when Lu Yuanbai stepped inside, his arm going under his knees and back, easily picking him up horizontally.
“Ah,” Jiang Yunian cried out softly, instinctively clutching Lu Yuanbai’s shoulders. “Senior, no need for this, I can do it myself…”
Lu Yuanbai’s arms were steady. Holding him, he walked straight to the dining room, his tone carrying an irrefutable firmness mixed with a hint of joking: “A patient should have the self-awareness of a patient. If you stumble and fall again, the one whose heart aches will be me.”
The meaning in these words was too obvious. Jiang Yunian’s ears heated up. His fingers gripping the clothes on the shoulder tightened. Not knowing how to respond, he silently shut his mouth, letting himself be placed on the chair at the dining table.
Lu Yuanbai took out the still-warm porridge, served a bowl, and gently pushed it in front of him.
The millet porridge, cooked until soft and rotten, wafted a rich aroma, but Jiang Yunian really couldn’t work up an appetite. He touched his stomach, hesitatingly pushing the bowl slightly towards Lu Yuanbai. “Senior, you eat… I’m not very hungry.”
He didn’t know how to thank him for today’s events. His mind was messy. Lu Yuanbai had helped him too much these days, making him feel both grateful and overwhelmed, even birthing some self-loathing. Just recovered a bit, and now injured again, always troubling others like this…
Lu Yuanbai looked at the pushed-back bowl, his eyes moving slightly, instantly understanding something. The arc of his smile faded a little. He didn’t force it, only saying, “Aren’t we friends?”
His tone returned to normal, carrying a reassuring power. “Between friends, no need to always say thanks.”
Hearing him say this, the tightness in Jiang Yunian’s heart relaxed slightly, and he pulled a very faint smile.
Lu Yuanbai seemed truly hungry and lowered his head to eat. Jiang Yunian sat quietly by the side accompanying him. The living room gradually quieted down. Lu Yuanbai uncharacteristically didn’t say much, and Jiang Yunian wouldn’t actively find topics, so the atmosphere was a bit subtle for a while.
Halfway through eating, Lu Yuanbai suddenly put down his spoon. He lifted his eyes, faintly sweeping over the two bedrooms with lights off. Seeing him eat little, Jiang Yunian was about to persuade him to eat more when he met a burning gaze in the next second.
That look was very deep, surging with complex emotions Jiang Yunian couldn’t understand. Jiang Yunian saw his own reflection in his clear pupils, his heart tightening inexplicably, forgetting the words on the tip of his tongue.
Lu Yuanbai looked at him steadily for a few seconds, attempting to speak. “Did you and him… break up?”
Jiang Yunian was stunned, taking several seconds to realize “he” referred to Jiang Yan.
His relationship with Jiang Yan was an open secret to those around him, nothing strange. It was just that asking so directly caught him off guard.
He always felt that breakups were private matters, unnecessary to declare deliberately, let alone such an… unspeakable relationship. Thinking of that person, his eyes dimmed. Those fragmented memories slid past lightly, vanishing in a flash. Perhaps not wanting to admit he had a failed relationship, he ultimately just lowered his eyes in silence.
“I understand.” Lu Yuanbai got his answer from his evasive eyes. The customary calm confidence seemed to return to his face. Because of his laissez-faire attitude before, he had let someone else take advantage. The taste of missing out was unpleasant. This time, he absolutely wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
This thought passed with barely any deliberation. Lu Yuanbai said bluntly, “You broke up—does that mean I can pursue you?”
Clearly, a second ago they were “friends,” how come now…
Jiang Yunian’s mind went blank.
Tonight’s Senior was distinct from the elegant, calm Lu Yuanbai in his perception, carrying a strange aggressiveness. Inexplicably, he thought of the kiss in his dream again, almost certain who the person who kissed him was.
Before he could digest the chaos brought by “being sneak-kissed,” he was stunned by this sudden confession. He thought his previous hints had already made the Senior understand his attitude, he didn’t expect…
His dry throat rolled. It took a long while to squeeze out a sound: “I…”
Lu Yuanbai took in his bewildered appearance, knowing now might not be the best time. But feelings were sometimes unreasonable impulses. He didn’t regret saying it, only regretted not expressing his heart sooner.
“Sorry,” he softened his tone, trying not to look like a lovestruck boy, comforting him with ample patience. “It might be inappropriate to say this now. I just wanted you to know my feelings. You don’t have to respond immediately. We’ll interact as before; don’t have any psychological burden.”
He paused, his gaze deep and firm. “As for pursuing you, that is my decision. I hope it won’t cause you trouble.”
Jiang Yunian looked at him in a daze, a warm current flowing through his heart. The Senior was always like this, using the most comfortable way not to put him in a difficult spot. This thoughtfulness made him grateful, but following it was inevitable confusion. He had just experienced a failed relationship, hadn’t even fully walked out of it; he really didn’t have extra energy or courage to step into another unknown emotion.
“I…” He stopped and started several times, unable to find an opening, finally sighing helplessly: “I’m not that good either.”
“I don’t like you because you are good.” Lu Yuanbai’s eyes were focused, containing undisguised deep affection and certainty. “With me, liking is just liking; there aren’t so many reasons.”
Jiang Yunian looked up, crashing into those deep eyes, speechless for a moment.
In the silent gaze, a subtle balance formed. No one spoke. Or rather, both were waiting for the other to break it.
Just then, footsteps faintly sounded in the corridor, stopping at the door. Immediately after, the sound of a key inserting into the lock.
The next second, the door opened.
Jiang Yan pulled out the key and walked in, his face showing slight fatigue, as if he had rushed over right after finishing something. The moment he saw the people inside, his body paused. His gaze first landed on the equally surprised Jiang Yunian, then glimpsed Lu Yuanbai beside him. His face sank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“Why is he here?”
The low, hoarse voice revealed obvious displeasure—a hostility instinctively rising in a male whose territory had been invaded.
Lu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows alertly, turning his head calmly to meet Jiang Yan’s cold, scrutinizing gaze. Their eyes met in the air, the silent confrontation almost freezing the already stagnant air.
Seeing him enter without even knocking, Jiang Yunian remembered the other still had a key to this place. His brow furrowed unconsciously: “What are you doing here?”
Jiang Yan seemed not to hear, walking straight towards them, his steps carrying an oppressive momentum. Jiang Yunian keenly sensed that the unkind hostility was directed at Lu Yuanbai. His heart tightened, and almost reflexively, he stood up, blocking in front of Lu Yuanbai.
This act of disregarding his own safety to protect that man stung Jiang Yan’s eyes. His steps were forced to a halt. His constricted dark pupils revealed disbelief when looking at the other, and a trace of imperceptible hurt.
Lu Yuanbai also stood up, sweeping a glance between the two, understanding in his heart. He was quite pleased with Jiang Yunian’s subconscious defense of him. He reached out and gently pressed on Jiang Yunian’s shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. Your leg is still injured; sit down first.”
Jiang Yunian froze and didn’t move, even shaking his shoulder to dodge the touch. He dared not provoke Jiang Yan’s bad luck at this moment. He knew better than anyone how terrifying Jiang Yan’s near-paranoid possessiveness was. He dared not imagine the uncontrollable consequences of angering him.
Jiang Yan watched his Ge’s avoiding action. Whether for avoidance or something else, it was much more pleasing to the eye. But his sullen face was still oppressive. He stared unblinkingly at his Ge, seemingly reminding, seemingly warning: “I said, I don’t like Ge bringing outsiders inside.”
“Make him leave.”
Lu Yuanbai’s expression turned stern, the trace of gentleness on his face vanishing completely. He didn’t give Jiang Yunian a chance to compromise, but faced the other directly, hitting the nail on the head: “You have already broken up.”
Jiang Yan’s eyelid twitched, clearly not expecting Jiang Yunian to have told Lu Yuanbai even this. His black pupils grew a few degrees colder. He glanced at the pale-faced Jiang Yunian before turning to Lu Yuanbai. “Who told you we broke up?”
“Look clearly, this is my home.” He enunciated word by word: “What I dislike most is someone coveting my things.”
Lu Yuanbai was not forced back by his words. Instead, he looked at Jiang Yunian with an inquiring gaze, holding his hand encouragingly. “Yunian, tell him your true thoughts.”
“…”
“Rest assured, with me here, no one can force you.”
The tension fell into an invisible tug-of-war. Time stretched; every second was torture. Jiang Yunian lowered his head, fingers tightly gripping the hem of his clothes. He felt useless and cowardly, a wimp who dared not resist. But having experienced Jiang Yan’s extremism, he couldn’t help but fear, afraid of implicating those around him.
In the end, he could only be a coward.
He dared not look at Lu Yuanbai’s expectant eyes. Slowly, bit by bit, he withdrew his arm, saying muddily, “No one is forcing me… He is, after all… my brother. I can handle our affairs myself…”
He took a deep breath, forcing calmness as he looked up: “It’s late, Senior, you go back first.”
After this sentence, the light in Lu Yuanbai’s eyes dimmed noticeably. Unconcealable disappointment flooded up. Although he knew this timid stone couldn’t be cracked open in a moment, he still felt disappointed—disappointed at not being trusted.
He was silent for a moment, finally choosing to respect the decision. “If anyone forces you, remember to find me anytime.”
Whom this sentence was meant for was self-evident.
Jiang Yan blinked expressionlessly, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
The moment the two men brushed past each other, their eyes clashed briefly again—invisible swords drawn, chilling to the bone.
With a soft “bang.”
The door closed, and Lu Yuanbai left.
Only the two of them were left in the living room.
A strange silence spread, mixed with a suppressed sense of depression.
Jiang Yan stood still, not moving immediately, just quietly watching the person radiating tension all over. After a long while, he slowly stepped forward, walking in front of him.
He didn’t approach recklessly as usual, but stopped a step away. Then, he slowly squatted down. This posture required him to look up slightly to see Jiang Yunian’s face, invisibly reducing a lot of aggression.
His gaze fell on Jiang Yunian’s still-swollen ankle, his voice softening, as if the scene just now had never happened.
“Does it still hurt?”
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