Chapter 48: Chapter 48 “What Family Heirloom Is a Conch?…

Chapter 48

"What kind of family heirloom is a seashell?..."

That blessing plaque was something Lu Zhishi personally went to an ancient temple in the suburbs to obtain. He only asked for two—one for Lu Zhiyu and one for Chi Chen—and Lu Zhishi personally tied them on.

Now the plaque on Chi Chen's backpack was gone.

Lu Zhiyu's was still there, but Chi Chen's was missing.

"Brother Xiao Chen, where's your blessing plaque?"

Lu Zhishi anxiously and disappointedly circled Chi Chen's backpack, even putting down his milk tea, unable to hide his sadness.

"It's inside the backpack." Chi Chen took off his backpack and produced a sandalwood plaque engraved with the character for "blessing."

Lu Zhishi breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it had been lost, and losing a blessing plaque would be bad luck.

"You should wear it properly; it's been blessed."

As he spoke, Lu Zhishi stepped forward, tugged on the strap of Chi Chen's backpack, and walked into the house with him.

"I even donated a lot of incense money, and the master picked the two best blessing plaques for me."

Chi Chen tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Lu Zhishi's chattering mouth, watching him count on his fingers.

He said, "I'll take good care of it."

Entering the Chi household, Lu Zhishi felt right at home, sitting down on the sofa and pouring tea for Chi Chen.

"Just like my seashell, let's put a clear case on the blessing plaque."

Lu Zhishi had worn his seashell for many years, protected by a clear case, and it was still clean and beautiful without a single scratch.

He took out his keychain—a large seashell along with several keys. The seashell was only the size of a palm.

He used to tie it to his backpack but was afraid it would fall off, so later he moved it to his keychain.

Lu Zhishi thought back to their childhood: "When you first gave me the seashell, I thought it was huge."

Chi Chen said, "Your hands were small back then."

"It could be a family heirloom." Lu Zhishi touched the plump seashell and said.

Chi Chen, drinking tea, was suddenly startled by this and choked, coughing: "Cough..."

"Why are you coughing!" Lu Zhishi was alarmed and rushed over, patting his back repeatedly, extremely worried.

Chi Chen grabbed his hand and said helplessly, "Gently."

He almost knocked the wind out of him.

Lu Zhishi switched to gently stroking his back, helping him catch his breath, then poured a glass of water and handed it to him: "Drink quickly, soothe your throat."

Holding Lu Zhishi's hand lightly, Chi Chen looked into his eyes and took a few sips of warm water from his hand.

Lu Zhishi's attention was entirely on Chi Chen's lips, and only when he saw him drink did he relax, patting his back seriously: "Be more careful next time; don't make people worry."

People—specifically, a certain Lu. Don't make a certain Lu worry.

Chi Chen smiled. At thirteen or fourteen, he was already learning to talk like an adult.

"What kind of family heirloom is a seashell?"

"In my family, it is."

Chi Chen still smiled, lowering his eyelids to drink water, the cup hiding his upturned lips, his whole body radiating joy.

"Come to my place for dinner tonight. Let Uncle Lu and the others join too. I'll cook."

"Sure, come to my place tomorrow. My brother is coming back tomorrow."

Lu Zhishi rolled up his sleeves, ready to assist Chi Chen. He wasn't as good at cooking, but he was pretty good at chopping vegetables.

"Just wash the vegetables; I'll handle the chopping." Chi Chen rolled up his sleeves, took the knife from him, and stood beside Lu Zhishi.

One washed, the other chopped. The sunset streamed through the kitchen window, bathing them in light, making them look like an ordinary couple—ordinary yet warm.

But they weren't yet...

Chi Chen lowered his eyelashes, placed the chopped vegetables on a plate, and heated the oil in the pan.

"Did you not tell Uncle and the others about coming for dinner tonight?"

Lu Zhishi paused while drying his hands: "Oh right!"

He hung up the towel and rushed out energetically, running noisily to the next house, his voice drifting back from outside: "I'm going now!"

A few minutes later, he rushed back in, followed by Song Qinian and Lu Tingan, along with Chi Yuehang and Bai Yansheng.

Lu Zhishi helped Chi Chen in the kitchen.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan sat in the living room drinking tea, chatting with Chi Yuehang about recent work.

Bai Yansheng had just returned from the hospital, carrying the smell of disinfectant, and went upstairs first to shower and change.

After dinner, they agreed to have dinner at the Lu family's place tomorrow. They also called the Zhao family, but Lin Sheng and Zhao Xiaoyun weren't home, so they invited Zhao Mingzhu to bring Chubby Xing over.

However, the Zhao family had a clan gathering tomorrow and couldn't make it, so they scheduled it for another time.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan went home, but Lu Zhishi hadn't left yet. He carried his backpack and followed Chi Chen upstairs to chat.

Tossing his backpack onto the carpet, Lu Zhishi pulled out a few test papers, burying himself in homework in the small living room while distractedly talking to Chi Chen.

"Brother Xiao Chen, you've lost so much weight. Tomorrow, I'll make you bone broth to nourish you."

Chi Chen glanced at Lu Zhishi's fluffy head, then at the floor-length mirror. Only he would say Chi Chen had lost weight and needed nourishment.

"You seem to have gained some weight." Chi Chen's voice carried a hint of laughter.

Lu Zhishi bristled, standing up abruptly with a pen in hand, pulling up his shirt to reveal his stomach.

"I haven't gained weight; I've lost some!"

Chi Chen lowered his gaze, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. He didn't see where he'd lost weight; the soft flesh on his stomach seemed to have increased a little.

He didn't say anything, but Lu Zhishi, seeing him turn away with a fist pressed to his lips, knew he was laughing.

"I'm growing taller; it's normal to gain a little weight. It'll be fine later..." Lu Zhishi embarrassedly put his shirt down, pinching the soft flesh on his stomach. What could he do? If he didn't eat, he'd be so hungry.

Chi Chen turned around and chuckled softly, "This is just right. Don't think about losing weight, or you might not grow taller."

Lu Zhishi might ignore other advice, but if it was about possibly stunting his growth, he would definitely pay attention.

Sure enough, Lu Zhishi panicked upon hearing that he might not grow taller and hurriedly said, "I'm not dieting! I'm going to eat even more—I want to reach 180 centimeters."

"Mm, a 180-centimeter Cheese."

Lu Zhishi gave a shy little laugh, then sat back down to do his homework, his voice clear and bright: "For now, I'm still a 168-centimeter Cheese."

The hint was obvious. Chi Chen understood immediately and responded, "You've grown taller again."

Lu Zhishi smiled with his eyes curved, and Chi Chen’s lips unconsciously lifted, his gaze tinged with the same joy and happiness.

Before Lu Zhishi could look over, Chi Chen lowered his head and averted his eyes, avoiding his gaze.

He was afraid his affection would spill out from his eyes, startling his beloved...

After finishing his homework, Lu Zhishi went home. He took a shower, dried his hair, called Lu Zhiyu, and turned off the lights when it was time to sleep.

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Lu Zhishi closed his eyes and thought of Chi Chen, dreaming of him too.

The next day, Lu Zhiyu returned. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing took Chi Chen’s car to pick him up from the airport. On the way, they stopped, and Lu Zhishi bought a bouquet of pink lisianthus.

When Lu Zhiyu got off the plane, he hugged Chi Chen, handed him a few gift boxes, and said cheerfully, "Long time no see, bro. How’d you get chubbier?"

"..." Chi Chen gave him a faint glance, jabbed his side, took the gifts, and said, "I haven’t gained weight. It’s been months since we last met, and you’ve become even more obnoxious."

Lu Zhiyu laughed uncontrollably.

After talking to Chi Chen, he ruffled Zhao Xiaoxing’s hair, calling him "Little Mushroom Head": "Have you grown taller and put on a little weight, Mushroom Head?"

Truly obnoxious, Zhao Xiaoxing’s face and eyes turned slightly red, and he couldn’t help sniffling: "I’ve grown taller, not put on weight, and I’m not a mushroom head..."

Having made him cry, Lu Zhiyu then comforted him himself—he really was getting more and more insufferable.

After calming him down, Lu Zhiyu gave Zhao Xiaoxing the gifts he had specially brought back for him. Zhao Xiaoxing held the gift boxes, head lowered, guessing what was inside.

He then hugged Lu Zhishi, taking the bouquet from him while teasingly complaining.

After a month apart, Lu Zhishi had also lost a little weight. He wasn’t tanned, and his smile was brighter and more cheerful.

"Am I, a 185-centimeter tall guy, really suited to holding a bouquet of pink flowers?"

Lu Zhishi pretended to be angry: "If you don’t want it, give it back."

"Hey, you can’t take back a gift once it’s given." Lu Zhiyu raised his hand, lifting the flowers high.

Lu Zhishi couldn’t reach, even on tiptoe, and ended up pinching his older brother’s waist.

"Ouch, Stinky Cheese, that was really harsh."

Lu Zhishi quickly hid behind Chi Chen, grabbing his clothes and peeking out: "Don’t fake it, I didn’t even use much force."

Lu Zhiyu chuckled wryly.

The moment they met, they started bickering. Chi Chen sighed with resignation, standing between them and pulling the two childish guys toward the car, with Zhao Xiaoxing playing peacemaker.

Their uncles in S City had sent many gifts. Lu Zhiyu arranged for them to be sent home first, while he rode back in Chi Chen’s car.

As soon as he got home, Lu Zhiyu headed straight for a shower. By the time he finished and dried his hair, an hour had passed. Only Chi Chen was in the living room, looking at his phone.

"Have Fat Cheese and Pang Xiaoxing gone back to sleep?"

"Mm, Xiao Xing went back. Uncle Lin is coming home today." Chi Chen’s lips curled into a smile again: "Fat Cheese was so sleepy he looked like a chick pecking at food."

Usually reserved and aloof, whenever Chi Chen mentioned Lu Zhishi, his eyes always held a smile, and the curve of his lips was especially noticeable.

Lu Zhiyu was used to it. In his memory, Chi Chen had always been like this.

Besides, his precious younger brother was so well-behaved—who wouldn’t smile when talking about him? Lu Zhiyu was the same.

"Too bad I didn’t see it. Otherwise, I’d have recorded it to show him at his wedding." The thought of that scene made Lu Zhiyu burst into laughter.

"He’d get mad at you." Chi Chen thought about it for a moment, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

Lu Zhiyu pondered and chuckled, "True enough—a prickly Cheese, like a hedgehog."

No one had cooked for Lu Zhiyu, so Chi Chen had lunch delivered for him, which had just arrived.

"So pitiful, coming home to no warm meal." Lu Zhiyu finished his last bite, put down his chopsticks, and sighed.

Chi Chen, who had been on his phone across the table, looked up: "Then spit out the warm meal you just ate."

Lu Zhiyu was stunned for a second, then burst out laughing, doubling over with laughter.

"Oh, I’m dying of laughter, Chi Chen..."

Chi Chen ignored him, put away his phone, and stood up, telling him to clean up the dishes himself: "Hurry up. After eating, we’ll go get groceries for tonight’s dinner."

"Are you cooking?"

"Who else?"

Lu Zhiyu’s cooking skills hadn’t improved in ages—perfect ingredients ended up tasteless under his hands.

Waking up on his own, Lu Zhishi lay in bed for a while, stretching only when fully awake.

Heading downstairs, he heard noises from the kitchen from afar.

Getting closer, he saw the same scene as yesterday: Chi Chen chopping vegetables, with Lu Zhiyu washing them beside him.

"Lu Zhiyu, I’ve had it with you. How many times are you going to wash those leaves?"

"There’re bugs! Stinky Cheese’s cabbage has bugs again. We have to wash them well!"

"Then you can eat the soggy leaves yourself tonight."

"Don’t be like that, Chi Chen. Give them to Stinky Cheese to eat."

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Lu Zhishi widened his eyes, couldn’t believe his ears. He wondered if he had misheard.

What a great brother—not only did he mess up his cabbage, but he also wanted him to eat the soggy leaves.

He slowly walked over and stood beside Lu Zhiyu, fixing him with a silent stare.

Lu Zhiyu turned around inadvertently and got startled: "Stinky Cheese, when did you get here?"

Lu Zhishi's gaze held a hint of accusation. "When you said you'd give the rotten vegetable leaves to Stinky Cheese to eat..."

Lu Zhiyu laughed awkwardly. "Just kidding. These rotten leaves are for Big Dad to eat."

Lu Zhishi couldn't hold back his expression and popped out laughing. "Such a filial son..."

At a company meeting, Song Qinian suddenly sneezed. Taking the tissue handed by his assistant, he wiped his nose, puzzled, and motioned for the reporting department manager to continue.

On the way home, Song Qinian said to Lu Ting'an, "I wonder who's talking about me behind my back. How rude, and they don't even say it to my face."

Lu Ting'an chuckled lightly. "Fatty Fish is coming back today. Maybe he's missing you."

Song Qinian felt a little better but still said, "He's such a grown-up now, yet he still always misses his dad."

Chi Chen cooked dinner. Song Qinian and Lu Ting'an arrived home on time, while Chi Yueheng went to the hospital to pick up Bai Yansheng and came a little later.

During the meal, Song Qinian took some cabbage with his chopsticks and asked curiously, "What is this?"

It looked strange—not quite like cabbage, not quite like leaves, and all misshapen.

Lu Zhishi glanced at Lu Zhiyu beside him, holding his bowl and lowering his head to hold back laughter, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Catching his glance, Lu Zhiyu also couldn't hold back his laughter. He looked at Chi Chen and, seeing the corners of his mouth curl up, started laughing loudly.

Bai Yansheng laughed. "What's going on with you three?"

Lu Zhiyu waved his hand, laughing. "Nothing, nothing. It's just cabbage, but it got a bit misshapen from being washed too long."

"How many times did you wash it? It's rotten like this," Song Qinian said.

Lu Zhishi found it hilarious. He put down his bowl, held his stomach while laughing, and leaned against Lu Zhiyu.

"Big Brother washed it. He accidentally washed it until it fell apart and said he’d give it to you to eat."

"I didn’t! I said I’d give it to Stinky Cheese to eat."

The adults burst into laughter. Song Qinian said with a laugh, though annoyed, "No wonder I suddenly sneezed during the meeting this afternoon. So it was you two—such filial sons, you'll be the death of me..."

Dinner ended amidst laughter.

The adults, finally on break and having not gathered in a long time, moved a few chairs to the yard to enjoy the cool evening air and chat, slowly sipping red wine.

Chi Chen was in Lu Zhiyu's room, playing games with him. They were also on a rare break with no work to handle, sneaking in some relaxation.

Lu Zhishi squeezed between the two of them, huddled, and holding a tablet to watch a horror movie.

He was scared but hooked; the more he watched, the more frightened he became, and the more frightened he was, the more he wanted to watch.

Succumbing to sleepiness, Lu Zhishi grew sleepy when the time came but was too afraid to go back to his room and sleep alone.

He went to get his pillow and large stuffed rabbit to sleep with Lu Zhiyu.

No one knew how he managed it, but as he slept, he ended up taking over most of the bed.

"So domineering, Stinky Cheese..." Lu Zhiyu said, leaning down to gently pull the quilt up over his sleeping brother.

Chi Chen asked softly, "Does he often hog the covers?"

"Yeah, every time I sleep with him, I wake up cold in the middle of the night," Lu Zhiyu said. "He didn’t hog the covers when he was little, or maybe he just couldn’t beat us to it."

Chi Chen smiled, patted Lu Zhiyu's shoulder, and got up to return to his own room to clean up and rest.

The day after Lu Zhiyu returned, the family went back to the old house to have meals with their grandparents and stayed for three days before returning.

In the meantime, the Lu, Chi, and Zhao families gathered for a meal. Usually too busy, they finally had a chance to reconnect.

Time off was always short. Before Lu Zhishi could spend a few more days with his brother, he had to send him off to school.

After sending off Lu Zhiyu, he also had to say goodbye to Chi Chen, reluctantly seeing him off to the car.

"Will you come back on the weekend?" Lu Zhishi asked in a small voice, holding onto the car window.

"Yes, I’ll even pick you up after school on Friday."

Chi Chen's hand on the steering wheel twitched slightly. He couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle Lu Zhishi's hair, his fingers brushing lightly against his cheek as he pulled away.

"Study well, eat and sleep properly... I’m leaving now."

"Goodbye, Brother Xiao Chen..."

Lu Zhishi took two steps back, waved, and watched the black car slowly drive away.

In just a few days, both brothers had returned and left again. The house felt emptier, and Lu Zhishi’s spirits were low.

Goodbyes are a required lesson for everyone, and Lu Zhishi was a failing student.

After the break, everyone got back to their busy routines—adults with work, students with studies.

In the classroom, Lu Zhishi had just finished his weekly exam and was waiting to hand it in and leave school.

Today was Friday.

In the new semester, he looked forward to Fridays the most and disliked Sundays the most.

Lu Zhishi withdrew his gaze from outside the window, propping his head with one hand and holding the fat conch shell with the other.

By the time Zhao Xiaoxing finished his exam, his deskmate had already daydreamed twice, his thoughts drifting far and wide.

So when the proctor looked up to scan the students, he suddenly noticed both deskmates spacing out, their expressions and positions exactly the same.

"..."

The teacher turned a blind eye. As the top two students in the grade and not disturbing anyone, he could let it slide.

The school didn’t allow early submission of weekly exams to avoid disrupting other students. Lu Zhishi waited until the bell rang before handing in his exam with Zhao Xiaoxing and walking out.

The crowd was thick. Lu Zhishi walked slowly for a while before reaching the school gate, his eyes looking around.

At their usual spot, he saw Chi Chen in a shirt and black pants, tall and slender with sharp features, standing quietly by the car.

Though surrounded by gazes, his eyes saw only Lu Zhishi. Meeting those curved eyes, his thin lips also curved slightly.

"When did you get here, Brother Xiao Chen?"

Lu Zhishi pulled Zhao Xiaoxing over, unslung his backpack and tossed it into the back seat, and got in with Zhao Xiaoxing.

"Just arrived."

Zhao Xiaoxing looked around the car, "Brother Chi Chen, aren't we buying milk tea today?"

Lu Zhishi raised his hand, "Same here."

Chi Chen said, "So you two still want to go in?"

They looked back and realized it was true—Chi Chen was still standing outside.

Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing got out of the car again, pushing through the crowd to reach the best milk tea shop at the school gate.

Once they'd ordered their drinks, Lu Zhishi pointed behind him, "My brother's paying."

Chi Chen stood behind the two shorter boys, handed over his phone to pay and then took it back.

When they got back to the car with the milk tea, Chi Chen said, "You two, do you drink milk tea every day?"

Lu Zhishi quickly looked up from his drink, "Nah, not every day."

After saying that, he elbowed Zhao Xiaoxing, who was engrossed in drinking his milk tea.

Zhao Xiaoxing swallowed the boba in his mouth and quickly added, "Occasionally, occasionally."

"Don’t drink too much," Chi Chen said calmly. "Even if someone else is buying."

Lu Zhishi glanced down at the milk tea in his hand.

Glancing in the rearview mirror and meeting two faces pretending to hesitate, Chi Chen paused: "..."

Chi Chen: "This one is an exception."

The milk tea was a small cup, finished in just a few sips. When Lu Zhishi got out of the car, he even let out a burp.

"That was really good. Next time, we should get a large."

Zhao Xiaoxing had already been dropped off, so only Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen remained. Lu Zhishi said to Chi Chen.

"When is 'next time'?"

"Next week, when you pick me up after school."

"No milk tea next week, we’ll have juice instead," Chi Chen said. "Watermelon Boba."

When he said "Watermelon Boba" with a straight face, Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of a joke his classmates often talked about.

‘Taro ball boba milk tea, no taro balls, no milk tea, just boba~’

Chi Chen didn’t know what he was laughing about and frowned, wondering if there really was a generation gap between them.

"Boba~ add extra boba," Lu Zhishi said with a laugh, his face red with laughter.

Chi Chen replied, "Got it."

He didn’t quite understand the minds of kids—would adding extra boba really make them happier?

Chi Chen went to his room to shower, while Lu Zhishi tossed his backpack aside and sat in the living room watching anime.

The drawer under the coffee table was full of snacks, fully replenished by Chi Yuehang just a couple of days ago.

By the time Chi Chen came back down, Lu Zhishi had already eaten two packs of jelly.

"What do you want to eat?"

Lu Zhishi shook his head, "Brother, I’m going home for dinner today."

Chi Chen frowned slightly but didn’t say anything, washing some fruit for him instead.

Scooting closer, Lu Zhishi sat next to him and handed him a jelly, "Oolong tea flavor. A lot of people in my class like it."

After eating it, Chi Chen’s frown deepened—it was a strangely flavored jelly.

He glanced at Lu Zhishi, who was happily eating, and his doubts resurfaced.

Was the generation gap really this wide with just a five-year age difference...

Lu Zhishi had no idea what he was thinking. After finishing the latest episode of his anime, he headed home, skipping along with his backpack.

When Chi Chen came back on weekends, he still had to work, so he only got to see Lu Zhishi in the evenings.

Even so, Lu Zhishi was happy—wasn’t it better than not seeing him for a whole month?

Every Friday was what Lu Zhishi looked forward to the most.

When he got tired from doing homework, he would look out the window, thumb rubbing his favorite conch shell, counting how many days were left until Friday.

Summer passed completely, and autumn arrived with cool breezes. The maple trees at school shed red leaves.

By December, cold winds blew again, and a light snow fell.

A couple of days ago, during P.E. class, Lu Zhishi had worked up a sweat playing basketball. When the cold wind hit him, he fell ill again.

"I think Zhao Xiaoxing passed it to me. It’s not because I caught a cold," Lu Zhishi said seriously.

Song Qinian glanced down at him and patted his head, "Stop talking."

Lu Zhishi sniffled and shrank deeper into his thick coat.

Nearby, Zhao Xiaoxing giggled, his round, bright eyes crinkling with glee even behind his mask.

Song Qinian gave him a light tap on the head too, "You stop talking as well."

He bent down to adjust Pang Xiaoxing’s arm, making sure it wasn’t bleeding again, then straightened up, "Keep your hand still. Don’t move around. None of you are easy to handle."

Checking his watch, Song Qinian went out to the hallway to make a call, leaving only Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing in the hospital room.

"Hehe..."

Lu Zhishi opened his eyes, "Still laughing, Zhao Qixing."

"I told you to put on more clothes, but you didn’t listen," Zhao Xiaoxing said, eyes curved in amusement.

Lu Zhishi retorted, "And what about you? Who was it that sneezed right in my face twice?"

He started coughing again, his nose running. He pulled down his mask to wipe it, then put it back on.

Zhao Xiaoxing shot back, "Me? Who was it that tickled my nose with a feather while I was sleeping?"

Now it was Lu Zhishi’s turn to laugh uncontrollably, cackling wildly between coughs.

"Still laughing? If you ruin your throat from coughing, the doctor might give you an extra shot or two," Zhao Xiaoxing tossed a pack of tissues at him, hitting Lu Zhishi right on the head.

Lu Zhishi grabbed the tissue box, pulled out two sheets to wipe his eyes—he'd laughed until he cried.

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking about it."

He coughed a few more times, then Lu Zhishi picked up the cup on the table and raised it in a toast.

Zhao Xiaoxing glanced at him and poured him a cup of warm water with his unneedled hand.

Lu Zhishi then picked up another cup, and Zhao Xiaoxing poured again.

A pair of misery-laden brothers, propped up in their hospital beds with IV needles in their arms, one coughing and the other sneezing, both lethargically drinking water.

"We can't go out on New Year's Day."

"Still thinking about New Year's? Think about tomorrow's IV first."

Zhao Xiaoxing grinned again: "Heh, I only have to get stuck tomorrow. You have to get stuck tomorrow and the day after."

"Alright, quit saying such depressing things." Lu Zhishi closed his eyes briefly.

Zhao Xiaoxing lifted his cup at him: "Don't worry, I'll come hang with you."

"You'd better stay home and rest up to help me copy my notes."

After taking a few days off, his notes weren't caught up.

The medicine was starting to take effect; sweat was beading on Zhao Xiaoxing's forehead. "When do winter break start?"

"Next month."

New Year's hadn't even come yet, and he was already thinking about winter break. Though, Lu Zhishi also really wanted to rest at home during the holidays.

Making small talk, Lu Zhishi was nearly asleep. Just as his eyelids grew heavy, he was suddenly startled awake by the ringtone of his phone.

He scrambled to answer it.

A glance at the caller ID showed it was Brother Xiao Chen.

It was a video call. Lu Zhishi didn't answer—he hadn't told Chi Chen about his cold.

These past couple of days, Lu Zhishi had only been sending Chi Chen messages. He hadn't sent any voice messages, let alone made a video call.

Usually, Lu Zhishi was the one who initiated calls to Chi Chen. This time, Chi Chen suddenly video-called him, and Lu Zhishi was actually quite happy.

It was just bad timing—he was in the hospital getting an IV.

Switching it to voice call, he coughed a couple of times to clear his throat and lowered his voice: "Brother Xiao Chen?"

"Are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine, not sick at all," Lu Zhishi lied. "I'm at home watching TV."

There was silence on the other end for a while. Lu Zhishi thought the connection was bad and pulled the phone away to check: "Brother Xiao Chen?"

Chi Chen said, "I'm at your house right now. Why don't I see you?"