The person outside smiled at Shen Yuqing, then pointed at the door, signaling that he was coming in.
Pei Yiyan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye unfamiliar. But judging by Shen Yuqing’s expression, he didn’t seem to like the person standing outside.
Shen Yuqing snapped out of his thoughts and placed a dish into Pei Yiyan’s bowl. “Song Lejin is here,” he said.
“Who?” Pei Yiyan felt the name was somewhat familiar, as if he’d heard it somewhere before.
Shen Yuqing looked at him. “He was in the same music class as you piano or something, I can’t remember. I mentioned him to you when he first came back.”
Only then did Pei Yiyan vaguely recall probably the Omega youngest son of the Song family.
But how had this person offended Shen Yuqing?
Judging by Shen Yuqing’s demeanor, they certainly weren’t on good terms.
In the brief exchange between the two, Song Lejin had already approached. He smiled brightly. “Yuqing, what a coincidence.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Then Song Lejin turned his gaze to Pei Yiyan. His expression softened slightly, and though he tried to suppress it, his voice still trembled faintly. “Brother Yiyan, it’s been a long time.”
Shen Yuqing lowered his head and picked at his food, pretending not to hear.
Pei Yiyan, however, remained polite. “Hello.”
Song Lejin said, “I’m Lejin. Do you remember me?”
Remember what?
He’d just been asking about it.
But Shen Yuqing couldn’t very well say that it would make things too awkward.
He heard Pei Yiyan reply, “I haven’t kept in touch with people from back then for a long time, so my memory’s a bit fuzzy.”
Now that was a masterclass in diplomacy.
Shen Yuqing glanced at him sideways and dropped another piece of spare rib into his bowl.
Song Lejin smiled. “That’s understandable. I’ve been traveling abroad most of these years and rarely came back. It’s normal if you don’t remember.”
His eyes flicked to the empty seat between them. “Mind if I join you?”
Shen Yuqing finally looked up from his bowl. He glanced at Pei Yiyan, who replied coolly, “We’ve already started eating, so it wouldn’t be convenient to host you.”
A direct rejection.
Song Lejin didn’t seem surprised. He nodded. “My mistake.”
But he quickly added, “By the way, my birthday is on the 15th next month. I was wondering if you’d be free to come, Brother Yiyan.”
He glanced at Shen Yuqing and amended, “Along with Yuqing.”
Shen Yuqing replied, “Ah, I probably can’t make it.”
Song Lejin looked at him. Shen Yuqing continued, “Isn’t the 15th next month when the field practice starts?”
…Right.
Song Lejin had forgotten about that. But it was just a field practice if he wanted to throw a birthday party, it wouldn’t be hard to arrange.
Just as he was about to speak, Pei Yiyan cut in, “I won’t intrude either,” shutting him down.
Song Lejin opened his mouth but eventually forced a smile. “Alright, then. Let’s catch up another time.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “We’ll see.”
Song Lejin’s smile was strained. “Enjoy your meal, then.”
He didn’t go far, taking a seat at the table in front of them. Fortunately, the seating was arranged with partitions, offering each guest some privacy.
Shen Yuqing placed another dish into Pei Yiyan’s bowl and remarked, “I didn’t expect you to be so approachable.”
Pei Yiyan glanced at him, picking up a deboned piece of fish with his chopsticks. “How so?”
Shen Yuqing replied, “I thought you’d say something like, ‘I don’t know you,’ ‘I don’t remember,’ or ‘Who are you?'”
After all, Pei Yiyan had been so cold to him before!
Pei Yiyan swallowed the fish and said, “That does sound like something I would’ve said in the past.”
But as time wore down his edges, he had come to understand that there was no need to make enemies unnecessarily. Being kind to others was far better than constantly antagonizing them.
Shen Yuqing smiled faintly and didn’t press further, dutifully serving him more dishes from the table.
By the time they finished eating, an hour had passed.
Pei Yiyan preferred to eat slowly, and whenever Shen Yuqing dined with him, he unconsciously matched his pace. Rubbing his stomach, Shen Yuqing realized he had eaten a bit too much enough to feel uncomfortably full.
He called the waiter to settle the bill, only to be told it had already been paid.
“Already paid?” Shen Yuqing was surprised.
The waiter nodded. “The guest at Table 23 settled your bill when they left.”
He gestured toward Table 23, the very spot where Song Lejin had been sitting earlier.
“Alright, thank you,” Shen Yuqing said.
What was Song Lejin thinking, paying for their meal out of the blue?
First of all, it definitely wasn’t for him. That left only one possibility.
His gaze shifted to Pei Yiyan. The answer was obvious.
“Song Lejin paid for us,” Shen Yuqing said.
“I heard,” Pei Yiyan replied.
Shen Yuqing pressed further, “Are you two—”
“Shen Yuqing.” Pei Yiyan called his name in a low voice, a hint of displeasure in his tone.
Shen Yuqing pouted and muttered under his breath, “I didn’t even say anything yet.”
But Pei Yiyan had already extended his hand toward him, and Shen Yuqing instinctively took it.
Only after Pei Yiyan stood up did Shen Yuqing inwardly scold himself Damn reflexes.
He had meant to hand Pei Yiyan his cane, but the moment Pei Yiyan reached out, his own hand moved on its own, lacing their fingers together.
Hand in hand, they left the restaurant. Wu Yi had already pulled up another car outside. His eyes lingered on their intertwined hands for a moment longer than necessary before he looked up only to meet Pei Yiyan’s icy stare.
Why does that gaze feel so chilling?
Pursing his lips, Wu Yi stepped forward. “Young Master Shen, Young Master Pei.”
Shen Yuqing handed the cane to Wu Yi. “Alright, you two go ahead. I’ll head back.”
Pei Yiyan asked if he wanted to come along, but Shen Yuqing declined. Seeing no reason to insist, Pei Yiyan simply nodded. Shen Yuqing helped him into the car and said, “I asked Xiao Zhao to prepare some soup for you. Have some when you get back tonight.”
Pei Yiyan hummed in acknowledgment. “Got it.”
Shen Yuqing closed the door and turned to Wu Yi. “Drive carefully.”
Wu Yi saluted. “Mission accepted!”
With that, Shen Yuqing turned and got into the other car.
Only after both vehicles had driven off did Song Lejin emerge from the café across the street. He stared in the direction they had gone, unable to shake the image of them holding hands from his mind.
Since when did they get so close?
In his memory, the two had always been at odds.
Yet all the signs pointed to one undeniable conclusion—
That Shen Yuqing was just like him.
Shen Yuqing didn’t have time to rest when he got home. Having delayed a bit while eating out with Pei Yiyan, it was already past two o’clock when he returned. He still had to fetch Song Wangzhuo’s belongings and textbooks, spinning around like a little top.
By the time he finished everything and arrived at the hospital, it was well past three. When he entered the ward, Song Wangzhuo happened to be out for a checkup, leaving the room empty.
Shen Yuqing set the things down, picked an apple from the fruit basket, washed it, and started munching while waiting for Song Wangzhuo to return.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long before seeing Song Wangzhuo being slowly helped back into the room.
Shen Yuqing looked at him curiously and asked, “Isn’t there a wheelchair? Why aren’t you using it?”
Song Wangzhuo shot him a glance and slowly made his way to the bed. “I injured my abdomen, not my legs.”
Shen Yuqing coughed lightly. “I never said that.”
He then turned to the caregiver. “There’s chicken soup in here, still warm. Go get a bowl.”
The caregiver went to the small kitchen to fetch utensils.
Song Wangzhuo sat on the bed while Shen Yuqing opened the other bags. “Here are your textbooks.”
“And these are the clean clothes you asked for. I didn’t know what you usually wear, so I just grabbed a few random pieces. Take a look.” He placed the clothing bag on the bed.
Song Wangzhuo hadn’t planned on checking, but at Shen Yuqing’s words, he obediently pulled the clothes out of the bag.
As the bag neared empty, Song Wangzhuo instinctively reached in again, only to find the texture unfamiliar. He looked down.
The next second, his face burned crimson.
