When Shen Yuqing woke up the next morning, he found himself nestled in Pei Yiyan’s arms.
Opening his eyes, he stared blankly at Pei Yiyan’s collarbone, only to realize that Pei Yiyan had completely taken over his pillow.
Wait, this wasn’t how it usually went. Normally, he was the one being clung to tightly, so why was it the other way around today? And wasn’t this position way too intimate?
Shen Yuqing muttered to himself, tilting his head back slightly to try and wriggle free. But as if sensing his movement, Pei Yiyan tightened his arms just as Shen Yuqing was about to break free, pulling him right back into place even closer than before, his face now buried in Pei Yiyan’s chest.
Every breath Shen Yuqing took was filled with Pei Yiyan’s scent.
Hmm… this smell was familiar. Faint, but he was sure he’d smelled it somewhere before. Wait no, that wasn’t the point!
The point was, he needed to get up.
Shen Yuqing struggled again and finally managed to free himself.
Sitting up, he stretched his neck and then looked down at Pei Yiyan, who was still sound asleep on his pillow.
How had they ended up sleeping like this last night?
He had started in the middle of the bed, but now he was so close to the edge that one wrong move would send him tumbling off.
Pei Yiyan remained deep in sleep. There was one good thing about the nightmares once he got past that period of restless dreaming, he slept like a log. Nothing, not even Shen Yuqing getting up, could wake him.
And thank goodness for that.
Shen Yuqing didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if Pei Yiyan woke up and saw them like this. His blackening meter would probably shoot straight to 100, wouldn’t it?
But wait did Pei Yiyan have some kind of comfort object he needed to sleep?
Like how some people needed to hold onto a piece of fabric to fall asleep peacefully?
He didn’t seem to have one before, but ever since the nightmares started, he’d been clinging to Shen Yuqing almost every night to sleep soundly.
He’d have to find a way to ask about it later. If Pei Yiyan really did have something like that, he’d help him retrieve it from the Pei family.
Having made up his mind, Shen Yuqing glanced back at Pei Yiyan, who was still fast asleep, half his face buried in the pillow.
He looked so peaceful.
Good thing Shen Yuqing was already awake. He stretched lazily otherwise, he might have been tempted to go back to sleep.
Stepping out of the bedroom, he found Xiao Zhao in the middle of preparing lunch.
He walked over and said, “Make some soup later. I’ll need to take it with me this afternoon.”
Xiao Zhao nodded. “What kind of soup would you like, Young Master?”
Shen Yuqing thought for a moment. Pei Yiyan had been exhausted lately. “Make a pot of old duck soup and a pot of chicken soup. I’ll take the chicken soup.”
Xiao Zhao nodded again. “I’ll go buy the ingredients soon.”
Shen Yuqing added, “Pei Yiyan and I will go get haircuts after he wakes up.”
Xiao Zhao replied, “I’ll contact the driver right away and inform the barber.”
Shen Yuqing hummed in agreement. “Good, go ahead and arrange it.”
Xiao Zhao prepared a bowl of wontons for Shen Yuqing. “Young Master, where are you going this afternoon?”
Shen Yuqing answered, “Song Wangzhuo is injured. I’m going to visit him.”
After a pause, he added, “Don’t mention this to anyone else.”
Pei Yiyan seemed particularly averse to Song Wangzhuo’s pheromones. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better not to tell him about certain things.
Xiao Zhao nodded. His first priority was always to follow Shen Yuqing’s instructions. Now that Shen Yuqing had made it clear, he knew exactly what to do.
After Shen Yuqing finished a bowl of wontons, Pei Yiyan finally emerged from the bedroom.
Xiao Zhao, seeing him come out, prepared another bowl of wontons and placed it on the table.
Both Shen Yuqing and Pei Yiyan enjoyed these small wontons, though Shen preferred a slightly stronger flavor, adding a bit of chili and vinegar.
Pei Yiyan looked at his own bowl of plain, lightly seasoned wontons and, for some reason, felt the urge to try the taste Shen was enjoying.
He said, “Xiao Zhao, add a little chili and vinegar for me.”
Without looking up, Shen Yuqing remarked, “You won’t be used to it.”
Then he added, “I didn’t add much vinegar today, did I?”
Why was Pei Yiyan suddenly interested?
Pei Yiyan replied, “How will I know if I don’t try?”
In Shen Yuqing’s eyes, Pei Yiyan was now like a pampered young master who could be set off at the slightest provocation. He pursed his lips and personally added just a tiny amount of chili and vinegar half the usual portion.
Setting down the vinegar bottle, he said, “Alright, go ahead and eat.”
Pei Yiyan picked up his spoon, gave the soup a light stir, then scooped up a wonton. He blew on it gently before taking a bite.
It wasn’t as hard to accept as he’d thought.
He could handle spice, but this chili wasn’t particularly hot just fragrant. The vinegar was minimal but enough to stimulate his taste buds.
It was actually quite delicious.
Shen Yuqing kept a close eye on Pei Yiyan’s expression, ready to ask Xiao Zhao to prepare a new bowl at the first sign of discomfort.
But judging by his demeanor, it seemed fine.
Shen Yuqing asked, “How’s the flavor? Good?”
Pei Yiyan gave a small hum. “Not bad.”
Shen was surprised. “That’s good to hear.”
He hadn’t expected Pei Yiyan to actually enjoy it.
Watching Pei Yiyan eat the wontons one after another, he couldn’t help but muse to the system: If only every blind person could move as freely as Pei Yiyan.
The system replied: True, but Pei Yiyan is already an exception among exceptions. There’s no comparison.
Shen Yuqing knew this too. He sighed softly and lowered his head to quietly finish his own wontons.
After breakfast, the driver arrived.
The two changed clothes, and Xiao Zhao prepared to see them off downstairs, but Shen Yuqing said, “No need. Just hand me the things we’ll go down ourselves. You can tend to your own tasks.”
Xiao Zhao nodded and passed Pei Yiyan’s white cane to Shen Yuqing.
Shen gripped it and gave it a couple of experimental swings. Honestly, if it were a bit longer, it would resemble those royal scepters from movies and TV shows pretty cool-looking.
Pei Yiyan watched Shen Yuqing waving his cane around and couldn’t help but smile faintly, though his expression quickly returned to normal. “Aren’t we leaving yet?”
Shen snapped back to attention. “Oh, right. Let’s go. Here’s your cane.”
But Pei Yiyan didn’t take it. “I know this route,” he said, meaning he didn’t need it.
Of course.
A prodigy like him would rely on himself whenever possible, still striving to live a normal life.
Shen Yuqing did the math but they’d have to wait a while longer. The main storyline hadn’t even begun yet.
Though familiar with the path, Pei Yiyan walked very slowly.
Shen Yuqing, matching his pace, found it a bit awkward. Their apartment had a private elevator, and the distance from the door to the lift was only seven or eight steps a matter of seconds. Yet it took them a full minute to finally step inside.
The elevator soon reached the first floor exactly as Shen Yuqing had intended.
He thought the nice weather today would be perfect for a stroll around the neighborhood to breathe in some fresh air. The morning air was so invigorating it could really lift one’s spirits.
But now he was having second thoughts.
Pei Yiyan was walking far too slowly!
As they stepped out of the elevator, Shen Yuqing hesitated before suggesting, “Pei Yiyan, why don’t I give you the white cane?”
Pei Yiyan shook his head. “No need, I know this route.”
He might know the way, but the problem was his pace.
Just then, the elevator doors opened again, and a neighbor from some floor emerged. Seeing them moving at a snail’s pace, the neighbor couldn’t help but ask, “Are you two participating in this year’s slow-walking competition?”
To be fair, it was quite a niche event, but such competitions did exist.
Shen Yuqing smiled. “No, we’re just taking time to observe life.”
The neighbor walked away, baffled.
Once they were alone again, Pei Yiyan said, “Maybe I should take the cane after all.”
His tone carried an unmistakable note of dejection.
Truthfully, his slow pace wasn’t his fault. Being visually impaired, his reactions to the surroundings naturally differed from those of sighted people. Moving cautiously gave him more confidence.
Though the neighbor’s comment had been offhand, to Pei Yiyan, it felt like an insult.
“You said you knew the way, didn’t you?” Shen Yuqing said. “Why let their words bother you?”
Pei Yiyan pressed his lips together in silence.
Understanding his quiet distress, Shen Yuqing sighed softly. “Here, let me guide you.”
He reached out to grasp Pei Yiyan’s wrist, about to lead him forward, when Pei Yiyan suddenly asked, “If you’re going to hold my hand, why are you grabbing my wrist instead?”
