IMPGS Chapter 95

Since his physical issues arose, Jiang Ying spent most of his time either at the hospital or staying home, avoiding invitations from friends to go out drinking for fear of being discovered.

He carefully hid his medical records and always wore a mask during his hospital visits. Yet, despite all his precautions, he never anticipated that the scent on his body would give him away.

Was Jiang Zihe a bloodhound? How could his nose be so sharp?

Looking down at his younger brother’s curious expression, Jiang Ying tried his best to maintain composure. Pretending to be nonchalant, he raised his arm and sniffed at himself vigorously.

“Really? I don’t smell anything.”

Jiang Zihe didn’t believe him. He was sure he’d caught a distinct scent earlier, one that resembled the specific smell of disinfectant often found in hospitals—a unique blend, unlike regular cleaning products.

“Are you sure you didn’t go to the hospital?”

Going to the hospital wasn’t a big deal.

Why lie about it?

Jiang Zihe studied Jiang Ying’s expression closely, noticing that he seemed weaker than before. His energy had waned significantly, his complexion looked haggard, and he even had several pimples on his face.

“Are you under a lot of stress?”

Seeing that lying outright would only make Jiang Zihe more suspicious, Jiang Ying decided to lean into the narrative. Massaging his temples, he sighed, “A little bit, yeah.”

Jiang Zihe nodded in understanding.

“I get it. You work so hard, but you’ve got to take care of your health too.”

Then he muttered, almost as a complaint, “Why are you all like this?”

Jiang Ying’s brows furrowed slightly.

“You all?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Zihe said without much thought, “Xiao Cheng, too. Once he starts working, he’s nowhere to be found.”

What’s the point of working if you can’t slack off occasionally?

Jiang Ying sat down beside him on the couch.

“What’s Xiao Cheng busy with these days?”

Suddenly recalling his brother’s prior interest in Xiao Cheng, Jiang Zihe cast a side-eye at Jiang Ying.

Even if they were related, he couldn’t help mentally calling his brother a scumbag.

Seriously, eyeing both halves of a couple?

Still, he decided not to withhold the information and mentioned Xiao Cheng’s internship.

Jiang Ying nodded thoughtfully, but it was unclear what he was actually thinking.

After listening to the explanation, Jiang Zihe added, “Xiao Cheng barely even responds to my messages when he’s working.”

Jiang Ying seemed to take this in, then suddenly asked, “So, did he and Luo Jingshu get back together a long time ago?”

Alarm bells went off in Jiang Zihe’s head. He shot a glance at his brother, his expression as though looking at a beast. Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu were obviously back together—why would he ask such a thing?

Previously, Jiang Zihe had only mentioned they got back together around the New Year without specifying the exact timing. Not wanting to lie, he reluctantly clarified, “Not that long ago—just a few days, actually.”

Jiang Ying frowned. “What about before that?”

Speaking of it, Jiang Zihe also found the situation peculiar.

“They got back together really fast. Before the holidays, Xiao Cheng told me they weren’t involved at all.”

Jiang Zihe, ever the gossip connoisseur, had been keeping tabs on Xiao Cheng’s love life.

Feeling guilty for not being upfront with Jiang Zihe earlier, Xiao Cheng had since been honest whenever asked.

“It’s kind of ridiculous, actually,” Jiang Zihe mused.

“Who would’ve thought? Over the break, they barely saw each other, and yet in just a few days, they were back together.”

If it weren’t for Luo Jingshu’s social media post announcing their reconciliation and Xiao Cheng’s verbal confirmation, Jiang Zihe wouldn’t have believed it.

The more Jiang Ying listened, the more something felt off. He didn’t have either of them on social media but had always kept an eye on their movements.

Hadn’t Luo Jingshu spent over a month in City A?

Jiang Ying had assumed he was there to win Xiao Cheng back.

But if they hadn’t even seen each other much, then what had Luo Jingshu been doing there?

Ever since his fallout with Luo Jingshu, the latter hadn’t collaborated with anyone else as far as Jiang Ying knew.

Jiang Ying didn’t know about Fu Ju’s involvement and could only speculate.

He found it odd. With Luo Jingshu’s personality, he wouldn’t waste time like that.

Could it be that he’d gone to City A under the guise of pursuing Xiao Cheng, while secretly working on something else?

The two major projects under Jiang Ying’s company were at a critical juncture. Whether or not he could deal a heavy blow to the Xiao family hinged on this moment, so he was more anxious than ever.

Though he kept an eye on Luo Jingshu, Jiang Ying couldn’t imagine him knowing about these plans. Luo Jingshu didn’t have those kinds of connections.

What Jiang Ying could never anticipate was that Luo Jingshu didn’t need connections. He himself was the ultimate wildcard.

After much deliberation, Jiang Ying dismissed the notion as overthinking, chalking it up to his heightened stress levels.

Still, the thought of his mysterious health issues soured his mood once more.

Whoever was behind it better pray he never found out!

Meanwhile, Xiao Cheng enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet. The day after the twins recovered, his uncle and aunt took them away, giving him some breathing room.

Later, He An had a heart-to-heart talk with him. This time, He An opened up, and Xiao Cheng finally voiced his concerns as well.

He An sighed again, scolding him for caring too much about others and ignoring his own discomfort.

Xiao Cheng obediently listened, but after He An finished speaking, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She knew her son was just worried about his family, willing to inconvenience himself for their sake.

After talking about the serious matter, He An asked, “When are you bringing your boyfriend home to meet us?”

“Ah.” Xiao Cheng froze, staring wide-eyed at He An.

“Could it be that you’re not planning to let your mom meet your boyfriend?” He An shot him a sideways glance. “You hid it from me last time, and now you still plan to keep him from me?”

Xiao Cheng wasn’t against bringing Luo Jingshu to meet He An, he just felt it was too soon. They had only gotten back together a couple of days ago, was it too rushed to meet the parents?

Luo Jingshu’s parents probably didn’t need to meet, so the only “obstacle” they had to face was Xiao Cheng’s parents.

Xiao Cheng observed He An’s expression, and she didn’t seem opposed at all; in fact, she seemed quite eager.

“Isn’t it too fast?” Xiao Cheng asked cautiously.

“Too fast?” He An let out a cold hum, “A few days ago in your room, were you two just sleeping under the covers?”

Talking about this with his mother made Xiao Cheng’s face turn red.

“Well, not exactly.”

He An nodded. “Exactly.”

She had never met Luo Jingshu before. When she knew Xiao Cheng had a good relationship with Luo Jingshu, her brother had only investigated his background.

After reading it, He An thought he seemed like a good kid.

Who knew later she would realize maybe she had misjudged.

After Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu broke up, Xiao Cheng had been down for quite some time.

He An had seen it.

She just wanted to ensure her son was making the right choice, no problem, right?

Xiao Cheng hesitated, “Maybe I should talk to him about it.”

“I still feel it’s a bit too early.”

Actually, there was no need to discuss it; Xiao Cheng could already imagine Luo Jingshu’s reaction to this news—his puppy would be eager.

The problem was Xiao Cheng wasn’t so sure.

He had just persuaded himself to forgive Luo Jingshu, so he wanted to give him some time to prove himself. How could he be in such a hurry to meet the parents?

If he did, it might make it look like he was too eager.

He An didn’t fully understand Xiao Cheng’s meaning, but she wasn’t the type to force decisions on him, so she added, “I’m not in a hurry, it’s up to you two.”

Xiao Cheng sighed in relief. “Then let’s wait a little longer.”

He instinctively kept this from Luo Jingshu, not telling him.

Recently, Luo Jingshu was feeling great, radiating a happy and carefree vibe.

He had always been clingy, but before, he didn’t dare message Xiao Cheng. Now he had a legitimate reason, and he couldn’t resist texting Xiao Cheng every five minutes.

Xiao Cheng didn’t think much of it before; maybe people in love just weren’t rational. Now, though, he found it annoying.

How could someone be so clingy?

Did Luo Jingshu have nothing better to do than message him?

Thinking back to how he had once clung to Luo Jingshu like this, Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but wonder, did Luo Jingshu find him annoying back then too?

He probably did.

Luo Jingshu quickly noticed Xiao Cheng’s lack of enthusiasm, which showed in his fluctuating moods. Sometimes he was very warm, other times he wouldn’t reply for a long time, and when he did, it was rushed.

Even though Luo Jingshu was smart, he couldn’t figure out why.

He felt like he was being treated like a pet fish in a pond, fed occasionally but mostly ignored, as if Xiao Cheng didn’t want to bother with him.

Luo Jingshu had never experienced such insecurities before, but now he was feeling them all with Xiao Cheng.

Though he tried to put on a tough face, deep down, he felt insecure and didn’t dare ask Xiao Cheng directly, keeping his fears bottled up.

He started wondering if Xiao Cheng didn’t like him as much anymore.

Maybe after getting back together, Xiao Cheng realized he wasn’t what he had expected and just didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

Luo Jingshu thought of countless possibilities, each one more unbearable than the last.

He grew increasingly anxious, but Xiao Cheng hadn’t yet noticed the fear building up in him.

As the saying goes, either it explodes in silence, or it transforms into something even worse in silence.

Luo Jingshu had always been obsessive, and after bottling it up for so long, his darkness had only grown.

On the last day of the holiday, Luo Jingshu couldn’t take it anymore and asked Xiao Cheng to meet up.

They followed the usual routine, eating and watching a movie, with Luo Jingshu sticking to Xiao Cheng like glue, and Xiao Cheng didn’t reject him.

Luo Jingshu kept watching his reactions, and his anxiety eased a little.

“Why do you keep looking at me tonight?”

Xiao Cheng looked calm on the outside but felt uneasy, his face burning.

After the movie, Xiao Cheng couldn’t hold back anymore.

During the hour and a half of the movie, Luo Jingshu had been staring at him for at least an hour, probably not even paying attention to the movie.

Luo Jingshu’s gaze fell on Xiao Cheng’s lips. “You’re so good-looking.”

Even if he was handsome, you can’t just stare like that!

Xiao Cheng pushed his face away, pretending to be impatient. “Don’t look at me.”

But Luo Jingshu quickly grabbed his wrist, leaning in to whisper, “If I can’t look, who can?”

Xiao Cheng was confused, not meaning it when he said that.

“What’s up with you?”

Is it weird?

Luo Jingshu didn’t think so. Besides, if he was weird, it was Xiao Cheng’s fault for making him this way.

“Only I can look at you, and if anyone else dares, I’ll gouge out their eyes.” Luo Jingshu swallowed, “Okay?”

What unreasonable words!

Xiao Cheng thought he was just joking, so he rubbed his head. “Alright, stop being so clingy.”

Luo Jingshu gently stroked the inside of Xiao Cheng’s wrist with his finger. “You’re not going back tonight, right?”

Xiao Cheng looked at him, his face slowly turning red. “Well…”

He had mentally prepared himself before coming out, but now that it was happening, Xiao Cheng was still a bit scared.

But soon, he gathered courage, reminding himself there was nothing to be afraid of; it wasn’t their first time.

“Okay.”

Luo Jingshu’s eyes darkened at his answer, his body tensing as he looked steadily at Xiao Cheng.

“I’ll go buy an umbrella[mfn]lolololol he means ‘condoms’ idk why luo jingshu said “umbrella” maybe due to censorship, but my taiwanese bf said umbrella can protect from rain (water) so same as condoms:D [/mfn].”

Xiao Cheng frowned. “Aren’t there umbrellas in the hotel?”

Most hotels would have them, right?

Luo Jingshu’s face remained calm.

“Too small.”