RKNDL chapter 28

Xie Zhinan obediently pressed his lips shut.

In moments when he shouldn’t be obedient, he was exceptionally obedient.

Wen Yun pressed his throbbing temple, paused for two seconds, and then, catching sight of the item in Xie Zhinan’s hand out of the corner of his eye, asked, “What’s that?”

Xie Zhinan blinked at him.

Wen Yun: “…”

Wen Yun: “…Xie Zhinan, speak.”

Just earlier, he had told him to keep quiet.

Why was Wen Yun’s mood even harder to figure out now than it used to be?

Xie Zhinan wasn’t upset. He simply raised the item in his hand with a hint of helplessness and said good-naturedly, “Rock sugar pear soup. It also has stewed loquat and snow fungus in it.”

He was being remarkably accommodating.

Even though Wen Yun had said something irritating first.

Wen Yun: “.”

Looking at Xie Zhinan’s cautious, placating gaze, Wen Yun decided not to argue. His gaze shifted downward to the rock sugar pear soup in Xie Zhinan’s hands. His tone sounded indifferent, but there was a strange undertone to it. “Did you make this for me?”

Xie Zhinan: “…No, I bought it on the way here. I don’t know how to make this.”

Although he hadn’t made it himself, at least he bought it in person.

Wen Yun wasn’t entirely satisfied but reluctantly accepted it.

His gaze lifted back to Xie Zhinan’s eyes. “Oh,” he said.

Xie Zhinan: “.”

His boss didn’t seem happy again.

But he also didn’t seem that unhappy.

After observing Wen Yun for a while and confirming he wasn’t angry this time, Xie Zhinan quietly responded, “Mm!”

Wen Yun: “…”

Wen Yun was silent for a moment before shaking his head in mild exasperation. “Come in.”

Xie Zhinan rubbed his nose and followed Wen Yun from the entryway into the living room.

It was a high-rise, open-plan apartment with a spectacular view. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around half the living room, offering a clear look at the stretch of gray, overcast sky outside.

The living room was decorated in black, white, and gray tones—clean, tidy, and spotless. Even the throw pillows on the sofa were neatly arranged with perfect spacing between them.

The space felt cold, lifeless, and devoid of warmth.

As if no one lived there at all.

The entryway alone was nearly the size of half of Xie Zhinan’s small apartment, let alone the expansive living room.

Feeling a little out of place, Xie Zhinan walked in and stood awkwardly near the sofa without moving.

Wen Yun turned to look at him. “Are you standing guard?”

Xie Zhinan: “.”

“No, I just noticed your voice was a bit hoarse earlier…” He raised the soup in his hand and softly asked, “Would you like some now?”

Wen Yun’s brow subtly twitched, as if he’d noticed something. His dark eyes quietly studied Xie Zhinan.

“What is it?” Xie Zhinan asked, meeting his gaze.

“You always seem to be asking me what I want,” Wen Yun said, his eyes lowering slightly, a hint of haze in his gaze as memories from the past flashed through his mind.

Xie Zhinan had asked if he wanted to come upstairs, if he wanted him to come over, if he wanted some soup.

He had always been like this, as if his entire being revolved around Wen Yun’s desires.

If Wen Yun showed even the slightest sign of annoyance, Xie Zhinan would probably vanish without a trace.

But what about Xie Zhinan himself?

Xie Zhinan didn’t even realize it. He looked at Wen Yun with slight confusion and said, “Is there… something wrong? I bought it for you, after all.”

Wen Yun didn’t respond right away.

So Xie Zhinan asked hesitantly, “Do you not want to drink it right now?”

“…It’s not that I don’t want to drink it.”

Xie Zhinan gave a small “oh” and tentatively asked, “Then should I serve it to you now?”

Wen Yun didn’t answer. Instead, he suddenly called Xie Zhinan’s name and said, “Xie Zhinan, you…”

Xie Zhinan blankly responded, “Huh?”

Wen Yun wanted to ask, Don’t you have any demands of me?
What do you want?

But as the words reached his lips, they felt inappropriate.

They were no longer in a relationship where such questions could be asked.

After a moment of silence, Wen Yun changed the subject. “Do you find it annoying that I asked you to come over today?”

Annoying?

The question seemed so bizarre that Xie Zhinan froze, unable to react for a while.

In those few seconds of silence, Wen Yun quietly studied him.

Although they were in the same company, they didn’t see each other often. Wen Yun couldn’t exactly go to the cafeteria every day at noon to find him.

Counting carefully, they hadn’t seen each other for three days.

Even though they were so close now.

It seemed that after recovering from his illness, Xie Zhinan’s face had grown even thinner. The soft contours of his face had sharpened, his chin was pointed, and his Adam’s apple more prominent. His slender neck disappeared into the light blue collar of a plush sweatshirt, the neckline tracing down his shoulder line and filling out the slightly loose fabric.

Wen Yun’s gaze roamed across his face, as if trying to note every small change.

Yet after a few seconds, Xie Zhinan still hadn’t answered.

Wen Yun’s eyes finally returned to those light brown ones, and he asked softly, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

After a pause, he asked again, “Annoying, right?”

His voice was quiet, his gaze gentle yet oddly weighted, making Xie Zhinan blink rapidly before lowering his eyes and shaking his head quietly.

“What does shaking your head without looking at me mean? You don’t like it?” Wen Yun asked knowingly.

Xie Zhinan quickly lifted his head and looked at Wen Yun, saying anxiously, “No!”

“Then what does it mean?”

Xie Zhinan hadn’t completely corrected his bad habits, and he seemed to have picked up a few new ones.

The person who once openly expressed affection now hesitated over even saying “not annoying,” as if afraid those words might fall to the ground and gather dust.

He pressed his lips together tightly, causing a faint puffiness in his cheeks, but still didn’t say anything.

Wen Yun hadn’t meant to press him—he was just changing the topic—but seeing Xie Zhinan’s reaction, his gaze dropped slightly, hiding the light in his eyes. Feigning indifference, he said, “If it’s annoying, then…” Well, there wasn’t much he could do.

“It’s not annoying.” Xie Zhinan finally squeezed out those words, nervously digging his nails into his palm.

Wen Yun paused mid-sentence. The light returned to his dark eyes, faintly glowing.

Xie Zhinan’s face had turned slightly red from the effort of speaking, and it was clear that telling the truth had been hard for him. But he was still so honest, so earnest, and softly added, one word at a time, “I came because I wanted to see you.”

“…It’s not annoying.” He seemed afraid that Wen Yun wouldn’t believe him and repeated it once more.

“Oh.” Wen Yun still sounded indifferent, his tone cool and detached. But it also seemed as if he was trying very hard to suppress something, as though afraid certain emotions might escape through his voice or his expression.

The atmosphere felt strange—not in any specific way, but definitely odd. It was like being enveloped in a soft, floating cloud, or like sinking into a jar of melted sugar.

Xie Zhinan’s back grew slightly weak, and instinctively, he wanted to escape this strange atmosphere. He muttered an awkward “yeah,” quickly raised the pear soup in his hands to cover his face, and changed the subject: “…So, about the pear soup, do you want to drink it now?”

…..

In the end, they both had a bowl of pear soup.

Xie Zhinan had spent ages on the subway carefully comparing reviews before finding a restaurant with decent ratings.

He discreetly observed Wen Yun’s expression, thinking he was being subtle. But Wen Yun, without even lifting his eyelids as he drank the soup, asked, “Why are you staring at me?”

Caught red-handed again.

Xie Zhinan rubbed his fingers together nervously and asked, “Is it… okay?”

Wen Yun replied, “You didn’t make it. Why do you care so much?”

“But…” Xie Zhinan fiddled with his fingers and softly said, “I did buy it, after all.”

Wen Yun: “…”

Wen Yun: “It’s good.”

Xie Zhinan glanced up at him, studying his expression. “Is your throat feeling better?”

A bowl of soup isn’t exactly a miracle cure.

Still, Xie Zhinan’s cautious and concerned demeanor pleased Wen Yun. So he nodded lightly, letting out a faint “mm.”

That “mm” sounded weaker than usual, causing Xie Zhinan to furrow his brows slightly.

Wen Yun’s complexion still didn’t look great. A thin sheen of sweat clung to his forehead, his pupils seemed a little unfocused, though his lips appeared better than before, no longer as dry.

Wen Yun had a habit of treating himself like a precision machine, functioning logically and efficiently even when feverish. If it weren’t for his pale complexion, it would have been hard to tell he was sick at all.

“Shouldn’t you rest for a bit?” Xie Zhinan asked earnestly.

“I rested in the morning,” Wen Yun replied.

If he were resting, how could he have responded to Xie Zhinan’s message so quickly?

Xie Zhinan pursed his lips, his mouth curving slightly downward. Now, it was his turn to look dissatisfied—though he himself didn’t realize the change in his expression.

“And in the afternoon?” Xie Zhinan pressed.

“Work.”

Xie Zhinan pursed his lips even tighter, mumbling in a low voice, “But you’re sick. You should rest.”

“Yes, I do want to rest, but… I can’t bear to.” Wen Yun looked at him as he spoke.

“Why?”

“Because you said you were coming.”

Xie Zhinan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately looked up at Wen Yun. At that moment, he dismissed some of the unlikely explanations in his mind. Stammering slightly, he tried to cover up his thoughts. “Was… was it because you were worried I might get lost? Actually, I’m not… that…” foolish.

“I was worried I might miss your messages.” Wen Yun, sitting across the table, gazed at him calmly. His expression was indifferent, as if merely stating a fact.

There wasn’t a hint of ambiguity in his tone.

Xie Zhinan froze. Several seconds passed before he swallowed the dryness in his throat and whispered, “If you miss them… you miss them. It’s not important.”

“It is important,” Wen Yun replied.

This time, Xie Zhinan’s heart and mind both felt a little numb. He opened his mouth, confused, and said, “Mr. Wen, I…”

Why would my messages be important?
Why would he say that

An invisible pressure enveloped him again, but before he could let thoughts of retreat take hold, Wen Yun suddenly said, “Xie Zhinan, I’m hungry.”

Staring at him, Wen Yun continued, “You said you’d treat me to a meal.”

“Today? Right now?” Xie Zhinan’s attention shifted instantly. He wanted to solve Wen Yun’s hunger problem but hesitated. “But I haven’t prepared anything.”

“There are ingredients in the fridge.”

Xie Zhinan still felt it wasn’t appropriate. “Mr. Wen, I think it would be better to do this another time—”

“Oh, fine.” Wen Yun looked at him coldly. “Seems like you’re planning to starve me to death.”

Xie Zhinan: “0.0.”