“Whoa! Braised pork ribs and shredded pork in garlic sauce!” Lin Wangye’s eyes lit up as he opened the multi-layered lunchbox, revealing a spread of mouthwatering dishes. He eagerly lined the dishes up on the bedside table, then turned to Shi Yuan with a bright smile. “You should eat some too!”
Before Shi Yuan could respond, Lin Shen jumped in with a grumble.
“Could you at least ask if I ate?”
Lin Wangye glanced at him. “Did you eat?”
“Just did,” Lin Shen answered.
“Great, then if you’ve got nothing else to do, you can head back,” Lin Wangye replied smoothly.
“…What?”
The two of them stared each other down, Lin Shen’s disbelief growing by the second as his eyes flicked back and forth between Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan.
What the hell was going on here!?
Had someone put a spell on his Xiao Lin?
He’d barely been in this room for two hours, and now he was already turning his back on family?
Meanwhile, Lin Wangye couldn’t care less. He turned back to the food, casually portioning some of the dishes for Shi Yuan while flashing a cheerful smile as they chatted.
Thinking back, Lin Shen recalled what Lin Wangye had said before — that he was going to ‘make amends’ for him.
After all, technically speaking, this whole mess was mostly his fault.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became — Lin Wangye must’ve been sacrificing himself, going out of his way to be friendly, trying to win over the injured party on Lin Shen’s behalf.
What a solid guy.
Lin Wangye’s the real deal — dependable and loyal!
Once he’d figured things out, Lin Shen casually said goodbye and bolted out of the room at top speed. Just like Lu Chengxuan earlier, he thoughtfully shut the door on his way out.
The packed meal had been prepared by Lin Qianqian. Since she didn’t want to waste food, she’d only packed a single portion, with each container filled just enough — not too full, not too little. Lin Wangye easily split it into two portions and handed the only pair of chopsticks to Shi Yuan.
“Here, you eat with these. I’ll use the spoon!”
Shi Yuan glanced at the food. “Will that be enough for you? Don’t give me so much — I’m not that hungry, I won’t finish it.”
Lin Wangye picked up his container. “If you don’t finish, I will.”
As he said this, Lin Wangye knew exactly how suggestive it sounded — how easily someone might read too much into it.
But he said it anyway, letting the words slip out in the most casual tone possible.
The truth was, ever since he’d stumbled awkwardly through their first meeting, everything he’d done since had been partly out of habit — but also just a little intentional.
For Shi Yuan, the two of them had only just met.
But for Lin Wangye, he had the ultimate advantage — the perspective of someone who already knew Shi Yuan better than anyone.
Because he’d once grown up sheltered under Shi Yuan’s quiet warmth, protected by his care — he’d been the one who benefitted most from it.
So even if there were things about Shi Yuan that remained a mystery, Lin Wangye wasn’t worried. He had plenty of time.
Sure enough, Shi Yuan froze for a moment when he heard those words.
He lowered his head, staring at the rich dishes and fluffy white rice in his container. He didn’t say anything for a while before finally picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite.
Meanwhile, Lin Wangye turned on the TV, flipping through channel after channel without finding anything that caught his eye. In the end, he just tossed the remote aside, turned down the volume to let the background noise hum quietly, and sat facing Shi Yuan like this was the perfect way to enjoy a meal.
A few seconds later, Lin Wangye suddenly asked, “Does eating without your glasses bother you?”
“Hm?” Shi Yuan looked up. “Nope. Why?”
Before Shi Yuan could react, Lin Wangye reached out without a word and snatched off those awful black-framed glasses.
The moment that charming face was revealed, it was like lifting the veil off Su Daji[mfn]A legendary beauty in Chinese mythology often associated with captivating charm.[/mfn] — stunning and mesmerizing. Lin Wangye felt instantly refreshed, genuinely marveling at nature’s masterpiece.
It finally clicked for Shi Yuan. “You don’t like me wearing glasses?”
“Actually, I love you wearing glasses,” Lin Wangye corrected him seriously, shaking his head. “I just don’t like these glasses. What happened to your sense of style? This is unacceptable.”
Shi Yuan wasn’t the least bit offended. He chuckled and explained,
“Other designs are just more expensive because they look better. As long as I can see clearly, that’s all that matters to me. This pair does the job.”
“Fair enough.”
Thinking it over, Lin Wangye realized that these clunky old-fashioned frames actually deserved some credit.
Honestly, those horrendous black frames had done him a favor — their sheer ugliness had masked Shi Yuan’s good looks.
Aside from a rare few, like Qu Liuliu, hardly anyone had realized what a hidden gem he was.
Honestly, Lin Wangye figured he should be grateful for that.
If Shi Yuan attracted admirers like Lu Chengxuan, constantly being bombarded with love letters, Lin Wangye would probably lose his mind.
He’d already had enough of that exhausting mess in their previous life — all those clingy, lovesick girls practically drove him insane.
Right now, Uncle Shi was still young — just stepping into the chaotic world of romance, full of restless energy and curiosity. There was no guarantee he’d handle things as calmly as he once did.
The more Lin Wangye thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed.
These ugly black frames deserved a place in the Hall of Fame.
Shi Yuan had never been one to spend money unnecessarily, but seeing how much Lin Wangye cared, he somehow found himself blurting out, “If you really don’t like them, I’ll get a better-looking pair next time I replace them.”
Lin Wangye panicked and shook his head furiously. “No need! Stick with these!”
After saying that, Lin Wangye grabbed the glasses resting beside the pillow, flicked open one of the temple arms with a casual flick of his wrist, and put them on with one hand. Looking through the lenses, he realized the prescription wasn’t too strong — the view ahead wasn’t all that blurry.
Shi Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Lin Wangye’s face.
All of a sudden, he started to dislike those glasses too.
He even had the sudden urge to toss them out the window right then and there.
Lin Wangye didn’t keep them on for long, worried they might mess with his vision. He quickly set them aside and kept eating. “How bad’s your eyesight?” he asked between bites.
“Left eye’s 200, right eye’s 300,” Shi Yuan replied.
In their past life, Uncle Shi’s eyesight had been much worse — over 500 in both eyes. Without glasses, he couldn’t see a thing.
But this time, it wasn’t too late. This level of nearsightedness could still be managed with some care. Nothing too serious.
Lin Wangye nodded, already running through ideas in his head about how to help Shi Yuan avoid straining his eyes too much. Absentmindedly, he kept shoveling food into his mouth and finished his meal before he even realized how fast he’d been eating.
Shi Yuan had been keeping an eye on him the whole time, worried he wouldn’t get enough to eat. So as Lin Wangye neared the bottom of his container, Shi Yuan stopped eating altogether.
The moment Lin Wangye set his empty container down, another half-full one appeared right in front of him.
“I didn’t touch this one,” Shi Yuan said. “You finish it.”
Lin Wangye knew that no matter what he said next, the answer would just be, ‘I’m full,’ or ‘I can’t eat anymore,’ or ‘You go ahead.’
So without a second thought, he accepted the container and inhaled the rest like a human vacuum cleaner, wiping it clean in no time. He let out a satisfied burp afterward.
Once they’d tidied up, Lin Wangye grabbed the empty containers and stood up.
“I’ll take these back.”
“Okay.”
After Lin Wangye left, the room fell silent again.
Shi Yuan stayed seated, still frozen in the same position as before, like he’d just snapped out of some dream.
That brief moment of warmth and comfort felt almost… unreal.
He’d spent the entire afternoon alone and hadn’t felt a thing.
But now, the quiet inside the hospital room was almost unsettling.
That fleeting warmth — like a rainbow breaking through after a storm — had appeared so vividly, yet vanished just as quickly, slipping away like sand through his fingers. No matter how hard he tried to hold on, it was useless.
In his seventeen years of life, Shi Yuan had faced plenty of things that were out of his control.
But this was the first time he couldn’t even control himself.
In that moment, a thought emerged — a sharp, consuming desire.
He wanted to hold on to that warmth, to keep it by his side forever — to make it his, no matter what it took.
Maybe it lasted only a few seconds, but that thought spread like a virus — wild and relentless, swallowing him whole.
Shi Yuan didn’t understand what was happening.
He’d never felt this out of control before.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
