TL: Hua
Extra 2: Main Storyline Daily Life 2
Qin Chaoyan originally thought Ye Rongxu had just had a whim and asked the auntie at home to make him a bowl of soup.
The soup itself wasn’t important; the main thing was having an excuse to call him over.
But when he arrived at the Ye family’s house and saw the various stewing pots on the dining table, he immediately fell silent.
Then he looked at the others at the table.
Ji Qingyu was rubbing his stomach. Seeing him look over, he stiffened and said, “What are you looking at us for? We’ve already finished ours. These are all yours.”
Qin Chaoyan: “…”
It seemed Xuxu hadn’t just said it casually; he had really specifically asked someone to make soup for him.
Perhaps he was concerned about him and wanted to be good to him but didn’t know what he needed, so he did what other young couples did and put effort into having soup made for him and even had many different kinds made. He probably didn’t know which kind he liked to drink, so he prepared more.
He could have asked him directly, but perhaps Xuxu wanted to surprise him.
His little boyfriend was simply too adorable.
Faced with these various soups filled with deep affection… Qin Chaoyan naturally couldn’t refuse. He turned to look at Ye Rongxu, who was sitting at the dining table looking at him expectantly, a tender smile appearing in his eyes as he pulled out a chair.
Lifting the lid of one pot, it was turtle soup; lifting another, it was chicken soup stewed with deer antler; then there was sea cucumber stewed with pigeon…
All the soups seemed to have various strange medicinal herbs added.
At this moment, Qin Chaoyan hadn’t noticed anything unusual. He only raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at Ye Rongxu.
The tips of Ye Rongxu’s ears were a little red, and he coughed lightly, saying, “Hurry up and try them. I consulted Grandpa Du, and the ingredient ratios are all done according to what he said.”
Qin Chaoyan did not expect that the other party would specifically inquire with Doctor Du about these soups, and his heart couldn’t help but feel warm.
He picked up a soup spoon, scooped up a spoonful of amber-colored turtle soup with a wolfberry floating in it, and brought it to his lips.
“How is it?” Ye Rongxu leaned over the table, unable to help but lean forward, his eyes slightly bright, a look of anticipation on his face.
Ji Qingyu also looked up, wearing a look of waiting for a good show.
Qin Chaoyan took a sip of the soup, put down the spoon, and then turned to Ye Rongxu with a gentle smile, saying, “It’s very delicious.”
Ye Rongxu immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly urged, “Then try the others, especially the lamb one, and the deer… uh, anyway, drink more.”
Faced with the deep affection and concern of his beautiful boyfriend, Qin Chaoyan naturally… couldn’t refuse even more.
In the end, all the soups were tasted, and the ones Ye Rongxu strongly recommended were even finished. It wasn’t until he really couldn’t drink anymore that Ye Rongxu regretfully gave up trying to persuade him. Most of the soup on the table had been consumed.
Ji Qingyu’s expression shifted from initial amusement to gradual surprise and finally became complex.
Getting up to leave the dining room, he passed by the two and couldn’t help but pat Qin Chaoyan’s shoulder, saying, “Take care of your health.”
He paused, looked at Ye Rongxu, and sighed, heavily and helplessly, “You too, take care of your health.”
Ye Rongxu: “?”
Qin Chaoyan was even more baffled, turning his head to look at him questioningly.
Ye Rongxu belatedly reacted, but how could he tell Qin Chaoyan that he had asked someone to make soup for him because he was worried about…
“Cough, it’s nothing; maybe he’s envious that you get to have more soup,” Ye Rongxu said vaguely and softly.
Qin Chaoyan: “…”
Of course, he didn’t really believe this, but he didn’t pay much attention to it either.
*
After dinner, Qin Chaoyan stayed at the Ye’s residence to accompany Ye Rongxu in his exercise and rehabilitation and then naturally stayed overnight.
In the evening, he massaged Ye Rongxu’s calves as the latter lay lazily on the bed. He wondered if the indoor intelligent thermostat system was malfunctioning, as he gradually felt a bit hot.
Ye Rongxu had just finished exercising and taking a shower, and with the comfortable room temperature, he was already drowsy.
His slender body sank into the bedding, his porcelain-white profile pressed against the soft pillow, his tightly closed eyes beautiful, fine strands of hair fell across his delicate brow bone, and his sleeping face was serene.
Qin Chaoyan suddenly felt a bit thirsty, but seeing Ye Rongxu’s exhaustion, he didn’t disturb him. He gently placed the calf he was holding back under the covers, tucked in the corners of the blanket, and quietly left.
Returning to the adjacent bedroom, he frowned and went to the bathroom to turn on the cold water.
The next day, Ye Rongxu woke up early, feeling refreshed.
Qin Chaoyan, however, had a hint of fatigue in his eyes. When he entered the elevator, he raised his hand to press his brow.
Ye Rongxu was surprised. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Qin Chaoyan stiffened slightly, quickly lowered his hand, and said nonchalantly, “No.”
But as he said this, his gaze slightly avoided Ye Rongxu, and after a moment, he couldn’t help but look again.
He didn’t know what was wrong last night, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he thought of the other person, especially the way Ye Rongxu was nestled in bed, allowing him to do as he pleased (massage). His dreams were filled with these images.
Different from reality, in his dream, he gently held the other’s slender calf, massaging it carefully, and after a while, he leaned down to kiss it lightly, inch by inch upwards.
Ye Rongxu’s porcelain-white skin flushed with a light pink, his misty eyes opened, a watery shimmer in their depths, hazy and captivating…
“Qin Chaoyan?” Ye Rongxu suddenly called him, asking with uncertainty, “Are you really okay?”
Qin Chaoyan suddenly snapped back to reality, coughed lightly, and said unnaturally, “Really, I’m fine.”
As he stepped out of the elevator, he added, “I slept very well last night too.”
Ye Rongxu found this strange. No matter how he looked at it, the other person seemed to have not slept well.
Each with their own thoughts, the two went to the dining room together.
Various exquisite Western and Chinese breakfast dishes were already laid out, and in addition, there were several earthenware pots on the table as usual.
Lin Jiaojiao had been accompanying her mother in the hospital yesterday and didn’t know what had happened at home. Seeing that the kitchen was making soup early in the morning, and so many kinds at that, she couldn’t help but be curious. She lifted a lid and said, “Why are there so many soups, and with medicinal herbs too?”
“Your brother is taking care of your brother-in-law’s health,” Ji Qingyu said, picking up a soup dumpling. Seeing Ye Rongxu and Qin Chaoyan enter the dining room, he quickly greeted them and asked Qin Chaoyan casually, “Did you sleep well last night?”
His tone sounded somewhat teasing no matter how one listened.
Qin Chaoyan remained expressionless and turned to ask Ye Rongxu, “Taking care of health?”
“Yes,” Ye Rongxu nodded, his clear and innocent eyes wide open, and said seriously, “Yesterday I heard Brother Qingyu say that people like you who work overtime and stay up late every day are in a sub-healthy state. Wasn’t there some news recently about a president who died suddenly from working overtime every day?”
“I think you, my dad, and Brother Qingyu also often work overtime and stay up late, so you might be sub-healthy. That’s why I asked the kitchen to make soup to nourish you.”
Qin Chaoyan happened to know about this news, and upon hearing it, he nodded thoughtfully.
Lin Jiaojiao picked up a fried dumpling and joined the discussion, “There are many news reports about young people dying suddenly from staying up late. I think everyone should learn from my brother, go to bed early, get up early, and take good care of their health.”
Ye Rongxu gave his cousin an approving look, then pushed the earthenware pot in front of Qin Chaoyan and said solicitously, “Come on, drink up.”
Ji Qingyu could only hear “Darling, it’s time for your medicine,” and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Qin Chaoyan: “…”
He always felt that something was not quite right, but he drank all the soup that his wife handed him anyway.
*
After three or four consecutive days of nourishing soup, Qin Chaoyan finally noticed the problem.
In the evening, he massaged Ye Rongxu’s calves as usual.
Ye Rongxu had just taken a shower, and his skin was flushed a light pink from the hot water. Qin Chaoyan dotted the specially formulated medicinal cream from Doctor Du along the shinbone line, creating a row of small pointed dots like cream rosettes on a cake.
The distance between each dot also seemed to have been measured with a ruler, evenly spaced.
Ye Rongxu yawned, his misty eyes glancing at what the other party was doing. Although he was already used to it, he still felt a little speechless—Qin Chaoyan’s damn obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Even when applying cream, he had to first dot it neatly and evenly.
Qin Chaoyan noticed his gaze, looked up, and explained, “This makes it easier to rub in.”
As he spoke, his palm covered the other’s beautiful, slender calf, and the row of cream dots was instantly flattened. Then he gently rubbed it in, and a faint herbal fragrance filled the air.
Qin Chaoyan’s palm was slightly calloused and warmer than Ye Rongxu’s. Combined with the effect of the cream, the fair calf quickly turned from a light pink to a rosy red.
Ye Rongxu felt a warmth spreading from his calf to his entire body. Qin Chaoyan also seemed particularly warm today, his palm like fire, burning hot against his skin.
Ye Rongxu’s breath hitched for a moment, and he unconsciously bit his lip, shifting his gaze uncomfortably.
Then his calf was gently lifted again, held to do straightening and bending motions.
His rehabilitation in the past two years had been very effective. The calf muscles that had originally atrophied slightly were now gradually recovering, forming beautiful lines.
But perhaps because his leg was held, bent, and straightened too many times, Ye Rongxu groaned softly from exhaustion, feeling sore.
Qin Chaoyan’s movements paused slightly, and he quickly looked up and asked, “Is it too fast? Or too many repetitions?”
His voice was somewhat hoarse.
The temperature in the room seemed a bit high. Ye Rongxu turned around, his jade-white face flushed a thin red, and his eyes were watery. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his smooth forehead, unknown whether it was due to the heat.
His calf was still half-lifted, held by Qin Chaoyan. The soft fabric of his pajamas bunched up at his knee crease, the misty blue contrasting sharply with his fair skin. Qin Chaoyan’s breathing had become heavier at some point. His dark, intense eyes stared straight at him. He suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice, and asked hoarsely in his ear, “Xuxu, did you put something in the soup?”
His exhaled breath was hot, and the situation was clearly not right.
Ye Rongxu froze, his misty eyes dazed for a moment. He suddenly remembered that he had drunk soup with Qin Chaoyan tonight.
Could it be… too much nourishment?
And he couldn’t tolerate strong supplements; thus, he also…
His guilty gaze was instantly seen through. He panicked and turned to hide, but Qin Chaoyan held him tightly. He hurriedly kicked with his weak legs but accidentally stepped on the other’s suit pants.
Qin Chaoyan groaned softly. Ye Rongxu instantly froze, as if he had stepped on red-hot iron, and hurriedly tried to retract his foot.
Qin Chaoyan panted, but he held onto Ye Rongxu’s slender white ankle, his index finger and thumb forming a circle, easily pulling him back.
His usually cool and aloof face flushed a strange red. His once clear eyes were now covered with a layer of crimson, staring deeply at Ye Rongxu, his breathing becoming more and more erratic.
Ye Rongxu’s whole body stiffened. The temperature on his face rose continuously. He tried hard to break free, but his fair instep was pressed down firmly.
He was so ashamed that his entire body flushed a light pink. The toes of his recovering foot, now regaining sensation and nerve transmission, curled slightly, as if pressing against something. Qin Chaoyan groaned, suddenly hugging him tightly, with a force that seemed to want to meld him into his bones, pulling the quilt over both of them.
Ye Rongxu was trapped in his arms, the hand pressed against his instep burning hot, and the sole of his foot was also hot. After a long while, his forehead was damp with sweat, clinging to his porcelain-white skin. He breathed softly, his voice choked with sobs, “You… you…” pervert.
He paused, then choked out again, “I… I want to wash my feet.” He paused again, then changed his mind, “Forget it, I’ll take a shower instead.”
Qin Chaoyan held him, kissed his brow, then his temple, and said hoarsely, “Okay.”
…
The next day, the dining table was laid out as usual with various kinds of nourishing soups.
Qin Chaoyan wore a meticulously tailored suit, which made him appear as upright as a green pine and bamboo, his expression regaining its cool and handsome demeanor.
Ye Rongxu secretly gritted his teeth and turned his head. Seeing the earthenware pots on the table, he froze again.
Qin Chaoyan also slightly raised his eyebrows, seemingly looking at him with a hint of a smile.
Ye Rongxu was slightly annoyed and called to the butler, “Uncle Yang, why are there so many soups? Qin Chaoyan won’t drink any today; you drink them.”
Ji Qingyu, who was eating breakfast, paused slightly with his spoon and said, “That’s not very appropriate, is it?”
Uncle Yang was already quite old, so don’t trouble him.
