CH 4

TL: Hua

Are you touching me?

Father Xia was humiliated by the Gao family. He couldn’t hold back his anger for a while because they’d been brothers for many years. After sobering up, he became open-minded again, saying that he was going to leave behind the friendship of the past few decades.

He calmed down and then remembered that he still had to go to the bank, so he said to Xia Shu’an, “Xiao An, you don’t need to go to the bank with me. You’re not in good health, so just go home early.”

Xia Shu’an opened her mouth, paused, nodded, and said, “Okay.”

He got out of the car on a road downtown. There was a lot of traffic on the driveway. He walked slowly to the side, next to the store. Not far from the entrance of a restaurant, several men standing beside the car were smoking and chatting happily. Someone glanced up—

“Brother Cong, brother Cong, look.”

“What?” The man called Brother Cong turned his head with an expression of interest on his face.

“Xia Shu’an.”

“Didn’t the Xia family go bankrupt? That’s right. It’s so pitiful. They don’t even have a driver.”

“Come on, let’s go and catch up with Young Master Xia.”

Although the autumn sun was warm, Xia Shu’an’s face was still hot after prolonged exposure to the sun. He was walking in the shade when his eyes suddenly darkened. Someone was blocking him.

He then raised his head.

“Young Master Xia, long time no see.”

Xia Shu’an raised his eyes and said, “Mo Shaocong.”

Mo Shaocong in front of him was wearing a brand-name suit, but it couldn’t hide his rascal aura. He’s the walking definition of “rich second generation,” which the general public had a negative impression of.

Xia Shu’an and him were people on two parallel lines, but once before, Mo Shaocong fell in love with Xia Shu’an’s junior and launched a romantic pursuit on her.

The girl couldn’t bear the disturbance and finally begged Xia Shu’an for help. At that time, the Xia family and the Mo family had cooperation, and Xia Shu’an tactfully asked the Mo parents to control Mo Shaocong. Because of this incident, Mo Shaocong hated him.

Mo Shaocong looked at Xia Shu’an up and down. Xia’s family went bankrupt, but not to the point of letting their only son wear tattered clothes. Xia Shu’an wore a set of simple casual clothes today, including a sweater and sweatpants. He looked no different from ordinary young people, but his face particularly stood out, making people steal a few more glances.

Mo Shaocong used to see Xia Shu’an at school before. He was wearing a shirt and windbreaker, with a scholarly air, abstinent and noble, completely different from the handsome young man in front of him, who seemed to be easily held in the palm of his hand. He couldn’t help licking his lips and half-jokingly saying, “Young Master Xia caused me to lose a girlfriend. I think your face is not bad. If you compensate me for a ‘girl’ friend ……”

He said ambiguously, “Then our affairs will be written off.”

—”Mr. Xia seems to be in trouble.”

The assistant glanced at the person in the back seat through the rearview mirror and asked, “Do you need me to get out of the car?”

The man’s fingers tapped on the door handle, but there was no response. The assistant couldn’t figure out what his boss was thinking. Anyway, the big boss didn’t make a sound, so he can only sit still.

Returning to the original scene, Xia Shu’an’s face was a little tired, his eyelids were half down, and he said weakly, “Look behind you.”

“What?” Mo Shaocong turned his head.

Xia Shu’an answered, “Traffic police.”

“Look at the direction on your left.”

“Bank, two security guards are here.”

Xia Shu’an said calmly, “If this is not enough, I can make a phone call now and ask the police to come over. How about that?”

Mo Shaocong’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth and said grimly, “Xia Shu’an, don’t be so arrogant; I’ll see the day you fall into my hands.”

Xia Shu’an lowered his head and did not answer.

The assistant in the car was relieved when he saw those people had left.

After those people left, Xia Shu’an turned into the pharmacy on the side. After buying the medicine, he remembered something again and walked a few steps into the convenience store by the road.

He just paid the money and went out when a tall figure stood in front of him, accompanied by a familiar door-opening bell. Xia Shu’an thought it was Mo Shaocong and the others who came back again and looked up: “Is there anything else…”

Then he swallowed the rest of the words and stared blankly at the person standing in front of him while subconsciously saying, “Why are you here?”

Shen Boyan was dressed in a suit, with a gentle and elegant hairstyle and face. He raised his eyebrows and said, as if he had heard something funny, “This is near my company; why can’t I be here?”

Xia Shu’an was taken aback for a moment. It really is.

He didn’t think hard about how a boss would come to a convenience store; after all, the boss is also a human being, and the porridge he cooks is just as rubbish.

He didn’t want to get entangled with Shen Boyan, so he stepped directly past him. However, he only took a step when he suddenly slipped, and his body fell limply against Shen Boyan’s shoulder.

Shen Boyan was also a bit bewildered. He raised his hands and said with a chuckle, “Mr. Xia, are you trying to take advantage of me?”

However, before his laughter rested, he saw a large flush on Xia Shuan’s face. The curvature of his lips flattened instantly, and the muscular forearm under the suit lay across Xia Shu’an’s chest, picking him up at once and reaching out to press his forehead.

He frowned and said, “Don’t you even know you have a fever?”

“I know, I know.” Because of the fever, Xia Shu’an’s every word was like mussels crushed through rough gravel.

He glanced at Shen Boyan weakly, and picked up the plastic bag with the pharmacy logo printed on: “So I bought medicine.”

“…”

Shen Boyan was silent for a while, and in the next second picked up the young man by the waist and carried him to the car.

The information collected by Shen Boyan said that Xia Shu’an was in poor health and often went to and from the hospital when he was a child. Later, father Xia simply invested in a private hospital for him, and there was also a family doctor at home. But he had never taken care of Xia Shu’an himself, so he didn’t know exactly how bad his health was.

Looking at the young man curled up on the seat with a flushed face, he felt both amused and shocked.

He sneered and said, “You have a fever even when you go out for a walk. Are you a little princess?”

The assistant at the front spoke after deliberation: “Mr. Shen, where are we going?”

Shen Boyan looked ahead, and after a while he said, “Go to the Wells Hotel.”

…

…

A ray of white light pierced Xia Shu’an’s eyes like needles. He blocked it with his hand, only to realize that his whole body was sore. Memories flooded in instantly, and after a while, he accepted the reality that he was dead and reborn, and after rebirth, he met Shen Boyan again.

With extremely dry lips, Xia Shu’an lifted the quilt and got out of bed, examining the walls on both sides. This is obviously not his home, and certainly not Shen Boyan’s. The layout looks like a hotel. He walked out of the bedroom in a pair of cotton slippers and saw a man he knew very well sitting in front of a bar-style table with a computer on it.

The man’s eyes were originally fixed on the computer screen, but when he heard the movement, he slowly raised his head and showed a not-so-kind smile to Xia Shu’an.

“Mr. Xia, you finally woke up. Your fever must have subsided.”

Rather than interrogative sentences, it was more like a firm statement after controlling the progress of the matter. Xia Shu’an simply nodded and said, “The fever is gone.”

He looked to the left and right, asking, “This is?”

“Hotel.” Shen Boyan smiled and said politely, “After all, I can’t bring Mr. Xia to my house. We only met twice. It’s too strange.”

No, it’s even stranger to be taken to a hotel.

Forget it; it’s better than being taken to the hotel at the first meeting.

Xia Shu’an had just recovered from a fever, so he didn’t want to bother with him. Seeing a kettle on the table, he took a cup, poured a glass of water, and drank slowly.

The warm water slowly moistened the injured throat from the high fever. He held the cup in both hands and drank the water until it bottomed out. Then he took another breath, turned his head, and said:

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Shen. I’ve delayed your time.”

Shen Boyan seemed to be looking at him all the time and said quickly after hearing the words, “No delay.”

He pointed to the notebook on the table and said, “I can also handle work here.”

“Oh, by the way, your father just called. I answered it for you while you were asleep.”

He looked at Xia Shu’an with a half-smile on his face. It was obvious that he had bad intentions when he mentioned this matter, but Xia Shu’an and him have been grinding for five years, and his heart has already been honed to be as thick as the leather clothes bought in the mall, so he replied calmly, “Then what did President Shen say?”

“I said—”

The corners of the man’s lips raised slightly, and his deep voice was deliberately suppressed by him, which seemed a bit provocative: “Shu An is asleep now, so it’s inconvenient to answer the phone.”

After he finished speaking, he seemed to be waiting for Xia Shu’an’s reaction.

“Well, that’s the truth.”

Xia Shu’an accepted this fact calmly, and took out his cell phone while walking towards the bedroom: “I’ll call my dad back.”

He ignored the probing eyes behind him, walked into the bedroom, sat down on one side of the couch, and called his dad. The phone rang twice and was quickly connected.

“Dad.”

“Xiao An, where are you?”

“I’m at my friend’s.”

“What kind of friend is it? He said you just fell asleep?”

“Well, I was a little tired, so I fell asleep and just woke up.”

“So that’s how it is. Then it’s fine.”

Although the Xia parents were very concerned about Xia Shu’an’s physical condition, they did not restrict his personal social interactions, so father Xia did not ask any further questions.

“Dad, I’m fine right now …… I’ll be back later in the evening, so you and Mom don’t have to wait for me. Just eat first.”

“Okay, take a good rest; don’t get tired.”

Hanging up the phone, Xia Shuan walked back to the living room.

“Mr. Shen, can you let me stay a little longer?”

“I want to go back after the fever subsides completely. I don’t want them to worry.”

This short sentence seemed to have poked some nerves in Shen Boyan’s head. His smile faded, and he said, “Mr. Xia is really filial. You can stay here. I have rented this room all year round.”

“Then thank you, Mr. Shen.”

Xia Shu’an didn’t bother to inquire about his sudden change. He yawned slowly and returned to the room. Shen Boyan’s position was changed to the sofa. From Xia Shu’an’s perspective, he could see him lowering his head and casting his eyes on the computer. Watching him concentrate on his work, Xia Shu’an fell asleep in a daze.

This time he slept until after five o’clock in the afternoon, and his stomach was rumbling after being empty all day.

“Are you awake?” Shen Boyan turned around at the door of the room and said, “Get up and eat something.”

Xia Shu’an looked out the window. The dusk was gathering outside, and the red sunset glow dyed the sky half orange, half light gray. The tall buildings not far away had already been lit, and dazzling neon lights flashed across the outer walls of the buildings.

Xia Shu’an sat down. Shen Boyan called the hotel room service, which surprisingly had white porridge. The porridge was very thick and tasted very bland, which was just right for a patient like him whose fever had just subsided and who had no appetite.

“Drink porridge, and eat more fruit.” Shen Boyan resumed his “gentleman” demeanor and thoughtfully prepared dishes for Xia Shu’an.

“……Thanks.”

Although he knew what kind of person Shen Boyan was, Xia Shu’an was still not good at giving the cold shoulder to those who showed kindness to him. He cautiously said thank you and picked up the soup spoon that was placed on the dinner plate.

Shen Boyan’s lips curled up when looking at Xia Shu’an, feeling slightly annoyed at himself but also a little helpless.