Chapter 51 – Exposed
However, the other person involved in the incident was completely oblivious. He leaned against Yan Shengping’s chest, whimpering and imperiously mumbling about a headache, exuding a spoiled air. The flush on Yan Shengping’s sickly face lingered for a long time before fading. In the end, he resignedly reached out to rub Lin Ganzhi’s temples until they reached the house in the suburbs.
As soon as the car’s engine cut out, Lin Ganzhi sat up as if sensing something. The moment Yan Shengping got out, he scrambled to follow, afraid of being left behind. Uncle Yan smiled and drove the car into the garage.
“Sir, you should take Ganzhi upstairs to rest,” he said. “I’ll go make some sobering soup.”
Yan Shengping desperately needed that right now, so he nodded. Fortunately, when Lin Ganzhi was drunk, he didn’t cry or cause a fuss; he just liked to be clingy.
Yan Shengping would take a few steps, and Lin Ganzhi would slowly follow a few steps behind, like a mother hen leading her chick.
Yan Shengping turned back, unable to resist a soft chuckle. Looking at Lin Ganzhi’s dazed eyes, he said, “If only you were this well-behaved when you’re sober.”
Lin Ganzhi tilted his head, his reaction slow as he pondered the question. Then, he mumbled with some dissatisfaction, “Am I not usually well-behaved with you? I’m only well-behaved with you.” He sounded a little aggrieved, his loose tongue from the alcohol letting everything spill out. He continued his complaint, “And you still scared me. You scared me so much I had nightmares all night.”
Yan Shengping watched Lin Ganzhi struggle to enunciate each word, however slowly, and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. What a petty guy, to remember these things so clearly. Was Lin Ganzhi usually well-behaved with him? Faking it was more like it.
“As long as you’re good, I won’t scare you anymore,” Yan Shengping promised the drunkard.
Lin Ganzhi blinked slowly, feeling like he’d struck a huge bargain. He asked in disbelief, “Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you?” Of course, some things you don’t ask about, and I don’t mention, don’t count as lies.
Lin Ganzhi lowered his head and thought fuzzily. Hmm, I guess he hasn’t.
With that thought, he shuffled closer to Yan Shengping, mimicking the waddle of a baby penguin.
The corners of Yan Shengping’s eyes lifted slightly, making him look just like a sly old fox that had eaten its fill.
And just like that, Lin Ganzhi was tricked into the bedroom by Yan Shengping.
“Get some rest. Uncle Yan will bring you some sobering soup in a bit.” Yan Shengping wasn’t so shameless as to take advantage of him at a time like this.
But just as he turned to leave, Lin Ganzhi’s hand shot out and grabbed him. “Where are you going?” Confusion and stubbornness flashed across Lin Ganzhi’s face.
Yan Shengping paused, his gaze on Lin Ganzhi turning a little dark. “Lin Ganzhi, do you remember that we sleep in separate rooms?”
“Mmm,” Lin Ganzhi thought for a moment but couldn’t recall. He just didn’t want the man to leave. “Don’t go, don’t go.”
Lin Ganzhi’s whimpers were like fine but tough silk threads, wrapping tightly around Yan Shengping’s body. Yan Shengping looked down to see all ten of Lin Ganzhi’s fingers desperately clutching his sleeve. When he took a few steps back, Lin Ganzhi’s head followed, leaning against him as his pink hair brushed gently. “My head hurts, it hurts~”
He was like a child.
When drunk, he became a master of being clingy and coquettish.
Yan Shengping took a deep breath and finally sat down beside Lin Ganzhi. He decided it was best to wait for him to fall asleep, otherwise he would just keep making a fuss.
He pulled over a blanket and helped Lin Ganzhi take off his jacket. Lin Ganzhi felt even more slender than he had imagined, and Yan Shengping wondered where all the food he ate went. He gently supported Lin Ganzhi’s head with one hand while sliding a pillow underneath with the other, then covered him with the blanket. Throughout the entire process, Lin Ganzhi held onto Yan Shengping’s hand, refusing to let go.
Lin Ganzhi lay on the pillow, staring at Yan Shengping with his almond-shaped eyes that seemed to glow. The fingertips holding his hand were a little hot, and his little finger fidgeted restlessly, like foxtail grass dancing in the wind.
Yan Shengping’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Lin Ganzhi, behave,” he said hoarsely.
Lin Ganzhi’s finger stopped. Just as Yan Shengping was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Lin Ganzhi’s other hand grabbed his, and they both began to swing back and forth cheerfully!
He had absolutely no intention of listening!
Yan Shengping’s face darkened for a moment. A sleeping Lin Ganzhi was terrifying, but now he had to add a drunk one to the list. What a lawless little tyrant.
The more you indulge him, the more he acts up. Give him an inch, and he’ll take a mile.
Yan Shengping glanced at Lin Ganzhi in resignation, lifted the covers, and slipped in. No point in making himself suffer!
Upstairs, Uncle Yan brought the sobering soup. After knocking on Lin Ganzhi’s door three times with no response, he had no choice but to push the door open. Upon entering, he saw two people asleep in the bed.
Yan Shengping lay fully clothed on one side, his chiseled profile visible. His brows were slightly relaxed, and even with his sickly complexion, his face displayed an extreme beauty. The mole on his neck was faintly visible above his collar. What surprised Uncle Yan was that Yan Shengping’s outstretched arm was being used as a pillow by Lin Ganzhi, something that had never happened before.
Lin Ganzhi was stretched out, snuggled tightly against Yan Shengping, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly. One of his restless hands was held firmly by Yan Shengping, not letting go even in sleep. The sight of the two of them nestled together completely eased the great worry in Uncle Yan’s heart.
Holding the sobering soup, he exited the room, completely satisfied.
The moment the door closed, Yan Shengping’s eyes slowly opened. A minor scheme had just been completed, a small proof of the fact that Lin Ganzhi was his.
***
The next morning, Lin Ganzhi groggily woke up at ten o’clock. The second he opened his eyes, he saw someone who shouldn’t have been in his bed: Yan Shengping.
Lin Ganzhi jolted, so startled he almost sat bolt upright. He managed to calm himself down and check Yan Shengping’s face. Yan Shengping frowned slightly, his eyes not yet fully open, but he was still so handsome it was infuriating. Even the sunlight seemed to favor him, covering a much larger area of his face than his own.
Lin Ganzhi breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed the blanket he had balled up. Yan Shengping, at a towering 1.85 meters, was left with only a small portion of the covers, his long limbs slightly curled up.
Lin Ganzhi gasped in horror and quickly reached out to rearrange the blanket, successfully draping the two-meter-wide cover securely over Yan Shengping. Phew, thankfully, he hadn’t woken up. That was a close call.
Just as the pink-haired boy was feeling lucky…
“Trying to hide the evidence?” a voice suddenly came from above him. Lin Ganzhi froze, then shot up into a sitting position!
!!! Lin Ganzhi scrambled up in a panic, his hand on the blanket going slack. The memories of last night flooded back. It seemed he was the one who, in a drunken fit, had made the man stay. Is this how you treat a guest, Lin Ganzhi? Is this how you treat your boss?!
Yan Shengping propped himself up on one arm, his voice unusually hoarse. “Lin Ganzhi, I should sign you up for a class.”
“Huh?” Why the sudden change of topic? Still, Lin Ganzhi asked curiously, “What kind of class?”
“A ‘Sleep-Quietly-at-Night’ class.” Yan Shengping smiled, but his sickly face could barely contain his dark mood.
Lin Ganzhi scrambled back several steps, though still on the bed. If one had to describe it, it was more like crawling backward.
“I’m well-behaved when I sleep alone! It’s just that sleeping with someone else awakens my competitive spirit. I won’t drink recklessly anymore. I can take care of myself!” Lin Ganzhi tried to explain.
Yan Shengping’s smile stiffened. What did that mean? “You’re going to sleep alone from now on?”
Lin Ganzhi blinked. “Huh? What else?”
Yan Shengping’s good morning mood began to fade. “I’m talking about the future. For example, when my health improves.”
Oh! So that’s what he meant!
Lin Ganzhi answered a bit sheepishly, “That’s easy. Two people for the ‘activity,’ and then we sleep separately afterward. I don’t mind,” he said magnanimously.
Yan Shengping: “Don’t you consider whether the other person minds?”
“The other person?” Lin Ganzhi scratched his head. “I’ll keep that in mind when I’m looking for someone!” As he spoke, he thought Yan Shengping had a point. He’d have to add that to his criteria for a partner.
“You—” Yan Shengping suddenly realized he had completely misunderstood. Just as he was about to say something, he started coughing violently. “Cough, cough, cough, cough!”
He hadn’t coughed like this in a long time, and it caught him off guard. Lying on his side, he couldn’t completely cover his mouth in time. His dry throat felt as if it were being sliced by blades, and soon, a metallic taste of blood welled up.
Lin Ganzhi’s casual attitude vanished. He quickly got up, took a cup of warm water from his thermos, and handed it over. “Drink some first, take a deep breath!” Lin Ganzhi ordered, forcing himself to remain calm.
After a long moment, Yan Shengping slowly took the cup and gulped down a large mouthful of water. The trembling in his chest gradually subsided, but the chill in his heart had yet to thaw.
Lin Ganzhi didn’t know what Yan Shengping was thinking. He just gently patted his back, and when Yan Shengping looked up, he reached out to check his forehead. It was a little warm, likely a low-grade fever.
Yan Shengping’s body was still too weak; the slightest disturbance was enough to make him suffer. The heartache in Lin Ganzhi’s eyes was impossible to suppress.
“When did you start keeping warm water in your room?” Yan Shengping asked after he recovered.
“You’re always coughing and getting sick. I keep it in my room in case a situation like today happens, so I don’t have to go downstairs for water and make you suffer for a few more minutes,” Lin Ganzhi said frankly. Because Yan Shengping didn’t like to associate his work and rest area with food, he didn’t keep any food or water upstairs.
Yan Shengping fell silent. Lin Ganzhi’s kindness toward him wasn’t mixed with any other feelings. It was truly just the simple kindness one shows a friend.
“Weren’t you saying you only liked me? That you loved me?” Yan Shengping suddenly asked.
Lin Ganzhi froze. Oh no, did Yan Shengping’s confession yesterday make him get carried away? “Th-that…” Lin Ganzhi was at a loss for words.
“Forget it.” Yan Shengping stood up, staggering slightly, but steadied himself before Lin Ganzhi could help. He reached out and patted Lin Ganzhi’s head. “I knew you were faking it all along. But I’ll remember your kindness. Don’t worry.” Yan Shengping’s voice was gentler than ever before.
After speaking, Yan Shengping bent down, picked up the suit jacket from the sofa, and draped it over his shoulders. The flush on his face had receded, leaving only pallor. “Help me call Doctor Zhang. You go eat breakfast first. I’m going to get some more sleep.”
Lin Ganzhi hummed in acknowledgment. He didn’t even look up at the sound of the door closing. His heart felt empty. He knew all along, so why was he willing to play along with my act?