Chapter 46

Chapter 46

While Shen Yue was out buying food, Wei Jinchuan and Shen Cuo ended up in the hospital after fighting each other.

When he first received the call, Shen Yue thought it might be some new kind of scam. But the voices on the other end were unmistakably theirs, and after returning home to find neither of them there, he had to go to the address they provided.

The hospital room was strangely quiet.

Shen Yue had just passed several noisy wards, and when he reached the room number from his phone, he wondered if he had the wrong place. He looked up to check the room number, then down at his phone, doing this several times—so long that a passing nurse thought he needed help and asked, "Do you need any assistance?"

"Huh? No."

Startled by the voice behind him, Shen Yue quickly composed himself and gave her a polite smile. "My friend is inside."

The nurse gave him a few odd looks. If Shen Yue hadn’t been so good-looking and didn't seem like a troublemaker, she might have subjected him to further questioning.

Inside the tightly shut room, Wei Jinchuan and Shen Cuo, who had been in a tense standoff, simultaneously heard Shen Yue’s voice. They exchanged a glance and, with unspoken understanding, put on calm expressions, quietly waiting for him to enter.

With a click, the door opened. The two figures inside "casually" turned toward the sound. Though neither spoke, their intense gazes felt almost tangible, as if trying to bore holes through the newcomer.

Taken aback by this welcome, Shen Yue paused in the doorway. The room had two hospital beds, with Shen Cuo and Wei Jinchuan sitting on opposite sides. No one spoke, yet the air was thick with tension, making it hard to endure.

Having grown accustomed to dramatic scenes since childhood, Shen Yue sized up the situation in seconds. He didn’t hesitate long between the two, walking directly to Shen Cuo’s bedside and placing the lukewarm food he'd bought on the nightstand. "Brother, can you still eat?"

Having just been in a fight, how could Shen Cuo possibly have an appetite? Besides, he wasn’t hungry to begin with—he’d only sent Shen Yue out to get him out of the way. He shook his head without thinking. "No need."

The answer was expected. Shen Yue nodded and turned to Wei Jinchuan. "What about you? Can you eat?"

Wei Jinchuan was already irritated that Shen Yue had gone to Shen Cuo first. Now, seeing him offer what even Shen Cuo had refused, he scowled. "No."

"That's too bad."

With that, Shen Yue found a chair and sat down, falling silent.

He acted as though he didn’t see their injuries or care how they’d ended up in the hospital. Once seated, he began scrolling through his phone, leaving Wei Jinchuan—ready to complain—frustrated. "Aren’t you going to ask why we’re in the hospital?"

"Do I have to?" Shen Yue raised an eyebrow, glancing between them. "Isn’t it obvious?"

Given the tension between them, it would be foolish not to realize they’d just been fighting.

Wei Jinchuan was left speechless, then noticed Shen Cuo’s composed demeanor. He felt a surge of resentment.

He pressed on, "Then why aren’t you asking why we fought?"

"Do I have to ask that, too?" Shen Yue knew Wei Jinchuan was determined to explain. He set his phone aside with a wry smile. "If you want me to know, just say it. If you don’t, there’s no point in asking now."

They're adults—why act so childish?

Besides, even without being told, Shen Yue had a rough idea why they’d fought—and it likely involved him. If he hadn’t guessed, he might have asked. But since he had, questioning them further would only invite trouble.

Shen Yue disliked trouble above all else. Rather than stir up trouble, he preferred to play dumb.

Seeing that Shen Yue really didn’t care, Wei Jinchuan’s mood worsened. His already heavy heart felt even more suffocated, and he fell silent.

The room remained awkwardly silent for over ten minutes until a nurse finally arrived to change their bandages.

Most of Shen Cuo’s injuries were hidden under his clothes. Shen Yue couldn’t easily check them, but he noticed his brother bearing the bandage change without complaint, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Concerned, Shen Yue asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Not too bad," Shen Cuo replied without flinching, reassuring him. "He doesn’t hit hard enough to hurt me."

Wei Jinchuan rolled his eyes, thinking, *What an actor.*

Wei Jinchuan’s injuries, meanwhile, were on his face: a large bruise on his right cheek, with additional marks on his temple and jaw. When the gauze was removed, the wounds looked pretty bad.

Shen Yue had only seen the bandaged part of his face earlier and hadn’t realized how severe it was. Now, seeing the extent of the injuries, he was startled, his voice shocked. "How did it get this bad?"

Shen Cuo frowned, hearing genuine surprise in Shen Yue’s tone. He was about to explain when Wei Jinchuan spoke first: "He hits hard—it hurts so much... Shen Yue, can you come blow on it for me?"

He was clearly copying Shen Cuo’s earlier words but twisting them! He even looked pitifully at Shen Yue, trying to see past the nurse, as if it took great effort.

Shen Yue knew he was exaggerating. However, the wounds were alarming, and since his brother had caused them, he felt somewhat responsible. After a brief hesitation, he decided not to call him out.

He walked over but, of course, didn’t get in the nurse’s way. Flirting should be done in private—especially with his brother present. Shen Yue couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He watched as the nurse dabbed antiseptic on his wounds. The latter winced, occasionally hissing in pain. Shen Yue asked the nurse, "Is it very painful?"

"Very."

Wei Jinchuan nodded firmly, accidentally brushing his wound against the cotton swab. He gasped and put on an exaggerated pitiful expression, pleading, "Shen Yue, it hurts so much."

"..." Shen Yue turned to the nurse, who was focused on her task. "Is there any way to ease the pain? Or can you be gentler?"

"No, this is how it’s done," the nurse replied without looking up, sounding annoyed. "You’re a grown man—stop fussing."

Shen Yue could only look back helplessly at Wei Jinchuan. Though he didn’t say a word, his clear eyes seemed to say, *See? I asked. Even the nurse says there’s nothing to be done.*

Playing it up, Wei Jinchuan wasn’t about to let it go. Soon, he groaned again, "Shen Yue, it still hurts."

Shen Yue sighed inwardly but kept a concerned expression. "Doctor, could you—"

"It’s impossible for it not to hurt, but I have a way to make him stop complaining. Want to try it?"

The nurse continued applying ointment to the corner of Wei Jinchuan’s mouth as Shen Yue nodded eagerly. She said, "If you leave the room now, I guarantee he won’t make a sound until I’m done."

A faint chuckle came from Shen Cuo’s bed.

Shen Yue’s eyes lit up—the nurse’s suggestion was exactly what he needed. The room’s atmosphere was stifling, and he was tempted to try it.

But Wei Jinchuan, who had been watching him closely, saw right through him. He immediately stopped groaning and straightened up, his tall frame sitting rigidly. With a firm expression, he declared, "It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine. Don’t go."

Shen Yue felt a twinge of disappointment.

Soon, Wei Jinchuan’s bandages were changed, and fresh gauze was applied. Shen Yue finally turned his attention away, about to ask when they could leave, when Wei Jinchuan spoke again: "Shen Yue, I want some water."

Whether from genuine thirst or all the talking, Wei Jinchuan’s voice did sound slightly hoarse.

Shen Yue paused, not yet responding or moving, when Shen Cuo interjected sarcastically, "If you’re thirsty, get it yourself. My brother isn’t your servant. Why do you keep ordering him around?"

Shen Yue wholeheartedly agreed. But the next moment, Wei Jinchuan innocently raised his hands, revealing bandages wrapped thickly around them.

During the fight with Shen Cuo, the wounds on his hands, which hadn’t yet healed, had reopened. At the hospital, they’d been re-bandaged, clearly showing recent serious injuries.

He held his hands up in front of Shen Yue’s eyes but glanced slyly toward Shen Cuo, his innocent expression unmistakably provocative. "Shen Yue, my hands are injured. I can’t hold a cup."

"..."

Shen Yue was helpless; since he was partly responsible for the injury to Wei Jinchuan's hand, he had no choice but to pour him a glass of water.

Simply pouring water wasn’t enough—Wei Jinchuan, using his injury as an excuse, insisted that Shen Yue hold the cup to his lips and help him drink. The nurse had already left after changing his bandages, and with no one else around to help, Shen Yue, as the "instigator" of the whole situation and Wei Jinchuan’s boyfriend, couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

Shen Cuo watched Shen Yue’s obedient actions from the side, his gaze dark and heavy with menace. He knew he had miscalculated today. Next time he fought Wei Jinchuan, he would have to pick a secluded spot—somewhere Shen Yue definitely couldn’t find them.

—Let’s see him try pulling those stunts on *my* Xiao Yue then!

At the same time, he regretted not being more cautious from the start, allowing Wei Jinchuan to take advantage so easily. Shen Cuo knew that Shen Yue responded better to softness than force, but to avoid worrying him, even when seriously injured, Shen Cuo had always made a habit of acting unaffected in front of his younger brother.

Who would have thought that this small moment of tenderness would give Wei Jinchuan such a big opening?

Shen Cuo pressed his lips together, his dark eyes hidden in the shadow of his disheveled hair, not revealing a trace of emotion.

After all the commotion, it was already 2 a.m. by the time the group left the hospital.

Shen Yue’s body clock, accustomed to early nights, made his eyes well up with tired tears. The three of them walked together toward Shen Cuo’s modestly sized apartment, and it wasn’t until they reached the door that Shen Yue remembered something. Hesitantly, he looked at his older brother and asked, “Brother, where are you staying tonight? Did you book a hotel?”

Shen Cuo looked down at his younger brother’s eagerness to send him away and gave a short, humorless laugh. “What, am I not allowed to stay here?”

This was clearly his place—why did Shen Yue’s tone make it sound like he was the one who had to leave so Shen Yue and Wei Jinchuan could stay together?

The moment Shen Yue heard it, he realized the misunderstanding. “It’s not that. It’s just that with three of us, there might not be enough space.” Knowing Shen Cuo’s temperament, he thought it over and offered a compromise. “How about this, Brother—you stay here with him, and I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”

“No way!”

“Stay with him?”

The two men, who had just been fighting, rejected the idea in perfect unison. They exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away in disgust. Wei Jinchuan grumbled angrily, “There's no chance I'm staying with him!”

Shen Cuo said flatly, “He can go stay at a hotel. Xiao Yue, you stay here. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to talk, just the two of us.”

As a matter of course, he claimed Shen Yue as his own, which made Wei Jinchuan bristle instantly. “When did I say I was going to a hotel?”

“You don’t want to stay with me,” Shen Cuo said. For Shen Yue’s sake, he held onto his manners and still responded to Wei Jinchuan, though his tone was sarcastic. “This is my apartment. If you’re not leaving, are you expecting me to go?”

Author's Note: The Shen family is also a mess. Actually, I feel like the older brother is kind of pitiful too (what am I even saying?).