Ye Ning stayed in the hospital for a week.
It only took Qin Lezhou three days to go from visiting twice a day to five times a day and then back down to two—one of which lasted half a day.
And it only took Ye Ning three days from resisting to going completely numb.
Ever since Qin Lezhou decided Ye Ning didn’t mean what he said, every time Ye Ning told him, “Don’t come again,” he would give him a complicated look, say something about ‘friendship’ or ‘bonds,’ and then barge in anyway.
Ye Ning completely surrendered.
As a result, on the seventh day of his hospital stay, at 8 a.m.—
Qin Lezhou casually strolled into Ye Ning’s hospital room like it was his second home, stood at the bedside with a serious face, and said, “Bo Wen-ge just came to see me. Oh—wait, you probably don’t know him. His surname’s Yao. He’s the Vice President of Yunxiang Technology and currently my brother’s right-hand man. I’ll introduce you next time.”
“He said my brother’s been busy with an acquisition lately, so he hasn’t had time to come to the hospital. My injury is just minor, it’s no big deal—it’s not because he was… trying to avoid you.”
“You really want to see him, right? Honestly, it’s probably because I only got a mild concussion—didn’t even get a scar. If I had broken a leg like Luo Guang or something, my brother would definitely—”
Ye Ning stuffed a piece of fruit from Qin Lezhou’s basket into his mouth to shut him up.
Just as Qin Lezhou started thinking about faking an illness to trick Lu Sihuai into coming, hoping to ease Ye Ning’s lovesickness, Ye Ning finally couldn’t take it anymore and checked out of the hospital that very afternoon.
But he forgot one very important detail.
That evening, Qin Lezhou showed up at the villa door, fruit basket in hand.
That’s when Ye Ning remembered—they lived in the same residential community, and with his luck, their villas were right next to each other.
Ye Ning: “……”
Qin Lezhou’s first words were, “Did my brother add you yet?”
Ye Ning officially gave up.
Aside from the ‘friendship and bonds‘ speech, Qin Lezhou never missed a single day of asking, “Did my brother add you today?”
Thankfully, in the name of protecting his friend’s fragile and sensitive privacy, He never checked Ye Ning’s phone—so he had no idea Ye Ning hadn’t even opened that contact card and didn’t plan to.
Qin Lezhou placed the fruit basket on the kitchen island and asked cautiously again, “Still no add from my brother?”
Ye Ning: “Mhm.”
Qin Lezhou frowned. “It’s been seven days—what is Lu Sihuai even doing?”
Ye Ning’s hand paused mid-motion.
Maybe to avoid upsetting him, Qin Lezhou hardly ever mentioned Lu Sihuai around Ye Ning.
Other than the daily inquiry of “did he add you yet,” he only brought him up in specific situations—like with Yao Bowen—to cautiously explain why Lu Sihuai hadn’t come to the hospital.
Even then, he only used “my brother” to refer to him. It was almost unheard of for him to directly say “Lu Sihuai” like he did today.
The moment he heard “Lu Sihuai,” Ye Ning’s mind flashed back to their rooftop conversation.
—”Ye Ning.”
—”You like me.”
Ye Ning still didn’t understand why Lu Sihuai had said that out of nowhere.
Qin Lezhou didn’t hear anything from beside him for a while. When he turned, Ye Ning was leaning on the counter, completely zoned out.
All he did was mention his brother’s name…
Ye Ning’s sprained wrist and ankle had already healed, but the bruise on his forehead was still there—faint purple and green, making him look especially pitiful.
It had been a whole week with no message—Ye Ning must’ve taken that pretty hard.
Qin Lezhou let out a long sigh.
Every time it came to his brother, Ye Ning always seemed to hold back. He’d even gone so far before as to completely refuse any contact information… and suddenly, a possibility occurred to Qin Lezhou.
Qin Lezhou: “Ye Ning.”
Ye Ning responded with a quiet, “Mhm.”
“Be honest with me. You didn’t… actually add him at all, did you?”
Ye Ning’s expression froze.
These two brothers had the exact same talent for switching topics out of nowhere.
“I did,” Ye Ning said, forcing himself to stay composed.
But his eyes darted away.
Qin Lezhou stared at him without blinking. “You’re lying.”
Ye Ning: “……”
Qin Lezhou held out his hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll check.”
Ye Ning: “……”
Qin Lezhou looked at him with frustration, about to say something, when he suddenly heard Ye Ning’s voice.
“He’s not going to add me.”
Dusk was settling in, and no lights were on inside the house. Only the soft glow of the setting sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, falling onto the kitchen island and brushing the side of the disappointed young man’s face.
Ye Ning had his head down, eyes lowered, his expression hidden in the shadows.
“I know,” Ye Ning said, his voice barely a whisper. “I knew from the beginning.”
Qin Lezhou was suddenly speechless.
Ye Ning turned his back to him and walked slowly toward the fridge.
“If it’s impossible from the start, why bother trying and making myself suffer?”
He opened the fridge, hid behind the half-height door, grabbed a bottle of cold water, and tilted his head back to take a drink.
Then another.
And another.
He didn’t stop until half the bottle was gone, and only then did his heartbeat begin to slow back down.
How had he figured out he hadn’t been added?
Yet dragging this out wasn’t helping anything. Once he calmed down, Ye Ning realized this might actually be a good time to end it once and for all.
He could finally delete that contact card for good.
Using the fridge door as cover, Ye Ning took a moment to steady his breathing. “I know you want to help me, but let’s just leave it at—”
Where’d he go?
Ye Ning closed the fridge and looked out at the empty living room.
Wasn’t he just sitting there a second ago?
Out in the courtyard, Qin Lezhou stood with his phone in hand. The call had already lasted two minutes.
When he got Qin Lezhou’s call, Lu Sihuai was in the Scripture Copying Hall of the East Wing at Fayuan Temple.
He wasn’t copying scriptures—just waiting for someone.
Qin Lezhou was rambling on and on, but the main part of everything he said was solely one name—Ye Ning.
In only a week, the two seemed to have gotten along quite well.
Lu Sihuai kept his eyes lowered as he listened, gently fiddling with the Mountain Stream Lotus-Leaf Inkstone that Master Huiwen had recently added to his collection.
Wasted effort. Bringing pain upon himself…
“He said that?” Lu Sihuai put down the inkstone and finally spoke.
“Mhm.”
“Ge,” Qin Lezhou’s nose stung just thinking about the look on Ye Ning’s face—it was like the whole world had gone silent and he was the only one left in it. “…You didn’t see how he looked earlier.”
“He looked… he looked…” Qin Lezhou searched for the right words, then finally found them. “He looked like he was about to break.”
Lu Sihuai lowered his head. Beside his hand was the scripture that Master Huiwen had copied to the final page, stopping right at four words—false words, false speech [mfn][T/N: “妄言妄語” refers to speaking recklessly or dishonestly, often used in Buddhist teachings to warn against lying or speaking without mindfulness.][/mfn].
Wasted effort. Bringing pain upon himself.
People like you can stay by his side but I can’t?
Lu Sihuai suddenly let out a quiet laugh. “That’s pretty fitting.”
Qin Lezhou didn’t catch it. “Ah? What did you say, Ge?”
“Nothing.” Lu Sihuai folded up the Heart Sutra, packed it away, washed his hands, and turned to leave the hall.
The last thing Qin Lezhou heard through the phone was the distant chime of Fayuan Temple’s bell—and his brother’s voice, tinged with unmistakable amusement.
“Send me Ye Ning’s contact information.”
Ye Ning called Qin Lezhou, wondering where he’d gone, only to see the line was still busy.
He didn’t think much of it and hung up. Not long after, the entryway sensor light turned on.
Ye Ning looked over and saw Qin Lezhou returning, his expression… a little strange.
Like he was thrilled—but hesitating at the same time.
Qin Lezhou: “My brother, he…”
Here we go again.
Ye Ning had to admit defeat.
However, maybe it was a good thing. He could take this chance to finally say what he hadn’t earlier—before this turned into a daily routine.
He’d already rehearsed it in his head, so Ye Ning spoke smoothly, “Stop doing pointless things. I—”
Buzz.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
Ye Ning instinctively looked down.
[LSH has requested to add you as a friend]
[Note: Lu Sihuai]
Ye Ning: “………………”
Ye Ning’s brain completely shut down.
Qin Lezhou rushed over, lowered his head, and looked down at the screen with a hopeful anticipation.
It really was his brother!
He glanced at Ye Ning, who stood frozen like a tree in winter, paralyzed with disbelief—his lips were even trembling.
For the first time, Qin Lezhou realized that the saying ‘a secret crush is one person’s chaos’ wasn’t a lie at all!
Qin Lezhou couldn’t hold it in any longer. He reached out and patted Ye Ning’s shoulder. “You don’t have to say anything. I get it, I know everything. You finally got what you were waiting for.”
Ye Ning honestly felt like he had no strength left to live.
“Why did… Lu Sihuai suddenly add me?” Ye Ning’s voice was hoarse.
Qin Lezhou let go of his hand. Even though he’d reined in his expression a little, he still couldn’t hide the look of pride on his face.
“Don’t thank me or anything. We’re brothers, after all.”
Ye Ning felt like all the energy had drained from his body—he didn’t even have the strength to lift his arm.
Qin Lezhou: “Are you happy?”
Ye Ning’s face was ashen. “Thanks so much.”
He stared at his phone, trying to figure out how to politely reject the request using what little brainpower he had left—when a hand suddenly reached over.
The next second.
[You have added LSH. You can now start chatting.]
Ye Ning: “……”
“This time, don’t talk about wasted effort. Be brave.”
And one second after that.
Brave little Qin Lezhou was accompanied out of the villa by Ye Ning.
Qin Lezhou stood outside the villa for a long moment, deep in thought, then sent Zhao Haonan a message.
[Zhao Haonan: Lu-ge really added him?]
[Qin Lezhou: Mhm.]
Zhao Haonan: “So how’s Young Master Ye doing now?”
Qin Lezhou: [He was really emotional, even his breathing was unsteady. Just now he told me he wanted some quiet, walked me to the door—I saw his right hand clenched tight, and he wouldn’t even look at me. He’s definitely afraid I’ll see him cry!]
[Zhao Haonan: Well done!]
But Qin Lezhou felt like it still wasn’t enough.
[Qin Lezhou: I have to help him.]
[Zhao Haonan: How are you gonna do that?]
Qin Lezhou put his phone away and looked back at the villa with a serious expression.
Calling him brother wasn’t merely for show.
Lu Sihuai’s WeChat was now in Ye Ning’s contact list—but it only sat there. No messages.
Ye Ning calmed down fast. Not long after Qin Lezhou left, he’d already figured things out.
What was scary wasn’t Lu Sihuai—it was how off-track this plot had become.
It was merely a WeChat add. It’s not like he was going to start dating the male lead or anything.
So Ye Ning ignored it.
The next day.
After getting out of the shower, Ye Ning heard his phone buzz seven or eight times in a row.
He opened it and took a look.
[Qin Lezhou: Recommendation – ‘From a guy’s perspective: Chasing the guy you like is actually super easy.’]
[Qin Lezhou: Recommendation – [‘From a guy’s perspective: How to hook a boy like a fish with a big bite.’]
[Qin Lezhou: Recommendation – ‘Follow these 8 steps and he’ll be so into you he won’t be able to stop himself’]
Ye Ning: “……”
He was wrong.
The truly scary one wasn’t the plot—or the male lead—it was the male lead’s little brother.
Qin Lezhou clearly believed Ye Ning wouldn’t be the one to reach out to his brother.
And he was absolutely right.
On the third day after they’d added each other, Qin Lezhou saw that the chat was still empty. All Ye Ning had said was, “I know what I’m doing. I have my own pace.”
“Your pace is… not saying anything forever?” Qin Lezhou asked, confused.
Ye Ning: “.”
Qin Lezhou was way too easy to read—every thought showed on his face. Ye Ning saw right through him in a glance.
—Qin Lezhou was planning to go talk to Lu Sihuai next.
Finally, Ye Ning’s alarm bells went off.
He didn’t know exactly what Qin Lezhou had said to Lu Sihuai that day to make him send a friend request, but the core of it must’ve been the same—he loves Lu Sihuai.
He couldn’t let Qin Lezhou go to his brother again.
On the night of the third day after they’d added each other, Ye Ning thought it over for a long time. At exactly 2:03 a.m., he finally sent the first message.
[Good night.]
