When Shen Yuqing woke up, Pei Yiyan was still asleep. He deftly slipped his hand out of Pei Yiyan’s grasp, got out of bed, stretched with a languid twist of his body, and then trudged groggily toward the bathroom. Halfway there, it dawned on him there were no classes today.
It was the weekend! Right!
Shen Yuqing had been so consumed by school that he’d nearly forgotten. Glancing at the clock on the dresser, he saw it was just past eight.
After a brief hesitation, he went ahead and washed up.
He still needed to visit Song Wangzhuo. He’d promised to see him today, and he could always come back afterward.
By now, Song Wangzhuo should have been moved to a regular ward.
Once freshened up, Shen Yuqing stepped out to find Pei Yiyan already awake, sitting on the bed with an indifferent expression, clearly just roused from sleep.
Shen Yuqing walked over and asked, “It’s only eight. Not going back to sleep?”
Pei Yiyan responded lazily, “I’m heading out.”
Shen Yuqing gave an indifferent “Oh” and said, “Alright, I’ll have Xiao Zhao make you breakfast before you go.”
As he turned to leave, Pei Yiyan’s voice stopped him. “Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going?”
“What’s there to ask?” Shen Yuqing glanced back. “Do whatever you want. You’ve been cooped up at home so much, I was starting to worry you’d lose your mind. It’s good you’re going out get some fresh air. Who knows, maybe your eyes and glands will even recover.”
By now, Shen Yuqing was feeling hungry. “Hurry up. I’m going ahead I need to eat.”
After he left, Pei Yiyan finally got out of bed and strode steadily to the bathroom.
Reaching for his toothbrush, his gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing’s instead.
He stared at it for a moment before finally picking up his own.
Shen Yuqing still hadn’t mentioned how he clung to him during nightmares, nor had he objected to his frequent outings.
What exactly was he thinking?
Pei Yiyan spat out the toothpaste foam and stared impassively at his reflection in the mirror. He was becoming harder and harder to read.
After breakfast, Pei Yiyan left with Wu Yi. Shen Yuqing stayed home for a while, then headed out once he figured the timing was right.
Xiao Zhao asked, “Young Master, will you be back for lunch?”
Unaware that Song Wangzhuo was hospitalized, Xiao Zhao assumed Shen Yuqing was going for tutoring as usual.
Shen Yuqing replied, “No.”
As he changed his shoes, he suddenly thought of something else. “Is Pei Yiyan not coming back either?”
Xiao Zhao nodded.
“Alright,” Shen Yuqing said. “Take the day off then go do your own thing.”
The sudden holiday left Xiao Zhao momentarily stunned before he cheerfully replied, “Yes, Young Master!”
After all, what worker didn’t love a break?
Shen Yuqing hummed in acknowledgment and finally left.
He took a taxi to the hospital. At the nurse’s station, he learned that Song Wangzhuo had been transferred to a regular ward early that morning. After getting the bed number, Shen Yuqing made his way there.
The academy had taken Song Wangzhuo’s injury very seriously, even securing a VIP room for him to ensure proper recovery without complications.
When Shen Yuqing arrived, the homeroom teacher was already there.
The teacher looked up and said, “You’re here.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Teacher.”
The homeroom teacher said, “Perfect timing. Since you’re here, keep him company for now. I need to go pay some fees and ask when they’ll come to change his dressing.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Yes, teacher.”
He watched as the homeroom teacher left the ward. Only after the teacher was gone did he quietly exhale in relief. Whether in this life or his previous one, he’d never been comfortable being alone with teachers.
Coming back to his senses, Shen Yuqing turned his attention to Song Wangzhuo lying on the hospital bed.
Song Wangzhuo was already awake. Though he hadn’t spoken, his gaze had been fixed on Shen Yuqing the whole time.
Shen Yuqing walked over, glanced at the fruit basket on the counter, picked out a banana, peeled it, and offered it to Song Wangzhuo.
When Song Wangzhuo shook his head, Shen Yuqing didn’t insist. He took it back and took a couple of bites himself, mumbling with his mouth full, “Did the teacher come to ask you about what happened that day?”
Song Wangzhuo nodded. “He hadn’t started asking yet. He just arrived.” His voice still sounded weak, but noticeably better than yesterday.
Dressed in hospital gown, he wore something around his neck.
Shen Yuqing asked curiously, “What’s that thing on your neck?”
“A device to prevent pheromone leakage,” Song Wangzhuo replied slowly. Injured as he was, his pheromones might involuntarily flare up to intimidate others in stressful situations. Normally he wouldn’t need it, but his current injuries were severe enough that he couldn’t properly control them.
Shen Yuqing took another bite of banana. “Oh~ I see. Fancy stuff.”
Song Wangzhuo kept watching him. Yesterday, between the anesthesia and injuries, he’d been mentally confused and tense, too exhausted to focus. Today, aside from the lingering pain, he was mostly fine.
He hadn’t thought much about it earlier, but seeing Shen Yuqing now brought back fragmented memories.
After losing consciousness, he’d actually been briefly awake for a few seconds. Severely blood-deprived, his eyelids had felt unbearably heavy, and he’d thought he might actually die there.
In those seconds, he’d sensed someone carefully examining his wounds.
He didn’t know who it was, couldn’t open his eyes to see.
Yet instinct told him it was that elusive friend who’d once taken care of him and helped him, the one who always disappeared without a trace.
As the person left, he’d mustered all his remaining strength to open his eyes, catching only a blurred glimpse of their retreating back.
If he remembered correctly, the color of that clothing matched what Shen Yuqing had been wearing yesterday morning.
Shen Yuqing waved a hand in front of Song Wangzhuo’s face. “What are you thinking about? You’re not responding when I talk to you.”
Snapping out of it, Song Wangzhuo met Shen Yuqing’s gaze. “Just wondering when the police will come. The teacher said they’d visit today.”
Shen Yuqing made an acknowledging sound. After tossing the banana peel into the trash, he was about to say his goodbyes when Song Wangzhuo asked, “Where exactly was I carried out from yesterday?”
“That storage room we went to before. Why?” Shen Yuqing looked puzzled. “Don’t you remember?”
Expression neutral, Song Wangzhuo shook his head. “No. I encountered them below the teaching building.”
Shen Yuqing frowned. “They must have knocked you out before taking you there.”
Song Wangzhuo glanced at the fruit basket. “The apples are good. Have one.”
Shen Yuqing glanced at the apples they did look good. Medium-sized but vividly red, appearing perfectly sweet. With nothing better to do, he picked one up. “Has this been washed?”
“No.”
Hearing this, Shen Yuqing froze mid-motion as the apple hovered near his lips. He then stood and walked toward the bathroom.
Song Wangzhuo’s gaze followed Shen Yuqing’s retreating figure intently. Was it just his imagination, or did that figure look exactly like the one from yesterday when someone had checked his injuries?
But if it was him, why would he lie?
Song Wangzhuo couldn’t make sense of it.
Soon, Shen Yuqing returned with the washed apple. Coincidentally, their homeroom teacher entered with the police likely to inquire about yesterday’s incident.
Seeing this, Shen Yuqing said, “Since you’re busy, I’ll head out first.”
“Shen Yuqing.” Song Wangzhuo stopped him.
Munching on the apple, Shen Yuqing turned. “What’s up?”
Song Wangzhuo opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to voice his thoughts.
Yet, surprisingly, Shen Yuqing seemed to understand. He took another bite. “I’ll just wait outside.”
Song Wangzhuo’s eyes brightened slightly before he gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Shen Yuqing politely greeted the teacher and officers before leaving the ward to sit outside.
The questioning took half an hour.
As the teacher prepared to escort the police out, Song Wangzhuo suddenly asked, “Sir, does everyone know I was carried out of the storage room?”
The teacher replied, “Only a few. We contained the news immediately, and since you were taken out through a shortcut, most only heard someone got hurt.”
“Does Shen Yuqing know?”
“Shen Yuqing?” The teacher thought for a moment. “Probably not. He was on the sports field then likely didn’t even see you.”
Song Wangzhuo smiled faintly. “Got it.”
The teacher frowned. “Why do you ask?”
Song Wangzhuo kept his expression neutral. “No reason. Just curious.”
In a hurry, the teacher didn’t press further and left.
Alone, Song Wangzhuo leaned back against the bed, his suspicions now 70-80% confirmed.
Once they were gone, Shen Yuqing reentered.
Song Wangzhuo studied him again, this time trying to decipher his thoughts.
What exactly was going through his mind?
