RTCBM 20

Mu Yuan was crashing at Wen Shang’s place while recovering. It wasn’t like he wanted to. He just didn’t have many options.

His own place was out of the question. That was Xiao Xing’s territory. With all the Sixth House brothers coming in and out, too many mouths meant someone was bound to slip up, and the whole damn act would fall apart. He Dongying’s place was off-limits too. The guy had cats, and Mu Yuan was allergic to cat hair. As for Luo Yi’s house, that actually wouldn’t have been a bad choice, but the place was always packed with relatives and visitors. Mu Yuan didn’t want to be a burden.

After weighing every option, somehow Wen Shang’s place was the last one standing.

On top of that, the whole Xiao Xing thing had started to become a pain in the ass. He’d created that persona just to get close enough to steal the video. Now that the job was done, he had no clue how the hell to end the performance. What confused him even more was that Wen Shang hadn’t tried contacting Xiao Xing lately. Mu Yuan couldn’t figure out why, but it was just as well. Saved him the headache of keeping up the act. So for now, Xiao Xing had been shelved and shoved to the back of his mind.

Tonight’s dinner was salad.

For someone like Mu Yuan, who fucking hated vegetables, this was pure torture. The only meat on the plate was some plain boiled chicken breast. Bland, dry, and boring as hell. He looked at the plate like it owed him money, lazily pushing the salad around with his fork. Not a single bite looked appetizing.

He glanced up at Wen Shang, who was sitting across the table. That asshole looked like he was enjoying the hell out of it. Mu Yuan curled his lip and tapped his fork loudly on the table.

Wen Shang didn’t even bother turning his head. Just kept eating.

“Hey. Don’t you get sick of eating this crap every day?”

“Fiber and vitamins are good for your body. They slow digestion, help your gut, and improve your blood quality.” Wen Shang spared a quick glance at Mu Yuan’s untouched plate. “That’s dinner. You can leave the table when you finish.”

“…”

Mu Yuan picked out a few chunks of chicken breast and choked them down. But the pile of greens? Fuck that. He couldn’t stomach it. Just when he was about to give up, he noticed Nai Gai sprawled out under the table. And just like that, an idea popped into his head.

To throw Wen Shang off, he tried making small talk.

“That lizard of yours. How long have you had it?”

“Seven years.”

“I’ve always wondered… how the hell did you end up liking that kind of thing?”

Wen Shang looked up at him.

Mu Yuan froze. He shoved the lettuce leaf he was about to feed Nai Gai straight into his mouth and started chewing like he meant it.

“Is that really so hard to understand?” Wen Shang said flatly. “Some people like cats, some like dogs, some like SM. I like reptiles. What’s so weird about that?”

Mu Yuan was speechless. Cats and dogs… and SM? What the hell kind of comparison was that?

The room went quiet for a moment. Then Wen Shang asked, “Did you block me?”

“Did I?” Mu Yuan put on a surprised face, pretending not to know anything.

“Cut the act. It’s pointless.” Wen Shang let out a short, cold laugh.

Since the lie wasn’t working, Mu Yuan just rolled his eyes and said it straight.

“Tch. Yeah, I blocked you. So what? You blocked me first anyway. It’s not like we talk. Once the stitches on my back come out, I’m getting the hell out of your place. After that, let’s not see each other again. You live your life, I live mine. We stay the fuck out of each other’s way.”

Wen Shang suddenly set his utensils down and stood up. He walked toward Mu Yuan.

His expression looked darker than usual.

Mu Yuan didn’t know what had triggered the shift. They had just been talking a moment ago. Why the sudden mood swing? Seeing Wen Shang getting closer step by step, Mu Yuan’s instincts kicked in. Given this bastard’s perverted streak, he figured he’d better be on guard.

Trying to stay calm, he casually glanced down toward Wen Shang’s crotch. If the freak tried anything funny, he’d go straight for the family jewels with a kick.

Wen Shang stopped in front of him.

Mu Yuan swallowed hard, ready to move.

Wen Shang leaned forward and grabbed the hand he’d been using to sneak vegetables to Nai Gai. His voice dropped low and sharp.

“Try feeding the damn lizard vegetables one more time. I’ll shove every single leaf into your mouth myself and watch you chew it clean before you leave this table.”

Mu Yuan said nothing.

Fuck. What happened to that whole speech about taking care of him during recovery? This felt more like prison than convalescence.

He wanted to fight back, but with the wound on his back still healing, there was no way he could win against this pervert. By the time dinner was over, he was full of rage and nothing else.

Living under Wen Shang’s roof meant having no freedom. Not only did he have zero say in what he ate, even his daily schedule was controlled to the minute. It wasn’t healing. It was punishment.

More than once, Mu Yuan tried sneaking in late-night takeout after Wen Shang had gone to bed. But every time, the delivery never made it to his hands. Turns out Wen Shang had already bribed the building security. Any food addressed to his apartment was blocked at the entrance.

Mu Yuan clenched his teeth so hard it hurt. That bastard really planned ahead.

Mu Yuan was not the kind of guy to sit still and behave. The more someone tried to restrict him, the harder he pushed back. After being forced into a week of bland, Buddhist-style health food, he finally snapped. Today, while Wen Shang wasn’t home, he snuck out to grab some real food.

He went to his usual fried chicken joint and ordered the largest family bucket they had. Hugging the hot, greasy box like it was treasure, he had just stepped out of the shop when he ran smack into a familiar stone-faced bastard.

“Fuck me… you got someone tailing me now or what?”

Wen Shang ignored the question completely and, without a word, reached out and snatched the bucket out of Mu Yuan’s hands.

Mu Yuan wasn’t having it. He lunged forward and grabbed it back.

“If you want fried chicken, buy your own. What the fuck are you stealing mine for?”

“Give it to me,” Wen Shang ordered.

Mu Yuan acted like he didn’t hear a thing, hugging the chicken close to his chest as he sped up. Wen Shang caught up again and yanked the bucket away, this time with no intention of giving it back.

Mu Yuan’s temper exploded. He charged at Wen Shang and tried to wrestle it back. Neither of them was willing to back down. In the middle of the tug-of-war, the bucket tipped and the chicken spilled everywhere. Pieces scattered across the pavement, still steaming hot.

Mu Yuan stood frozen, staring at the mess. Rage boiled up from his gut. It felt like his fucking scalp was about to start smoking.

“You owe me fried chicken!”

Wen Shang looked completely unfazed. Calm and slow, he said, “You think eating shit like this is justified?”

“Bullshit! I’ll eat what I want. What the fuck are you gonna do about it?” Mu Yuan snapped. “You think that’s the end of it? You think I won’t eat fried chicken now? I’ll go right back in and buy another fucking bucket.”

He spun around and stormed back toward the shop. But just as he stepped through the doorway, Wen Shang grabbed him from behind and dragged him back out.

“You piece of shit, you fucking psycho! Don’t grab me in broad daylight, what the hell’s wrong with you? Let me go!” Mu Yuan barked, cursing non-stop.

Wen Shang was just as stubborn as he was. The two of them were like two forces pulling in opposite directions. One wanted to go in, the other was dragging him out.

It all happened right in front of the shop entrance. Pedestrians stopped and stared, and the scene completely blocked the store’s entrance. No one dared get involved though. The air around them was too tense. People were more afraid of getting punched than trying to break it up.

In the middle of the struggle, Wen Shang suddenly let go.

Mu Yuan lost his balance and pitched forward. He barely caught himself by grabbing onto a signboard next to the entrance, avoiding a full-on faceplant in public.

Mu Yuan had twisted too hard trying to dodge just now. The sharp movement pulled at the wound on his back, and the pain shot through him like a knife. He dropped to the ground on his ass, breath stuck in his throat, too stunned to even shout. It hurt like a motherfucker.

Wen Shang took two steps forward, crouched down in front of him, and smirked.

“What’s wrong? Not going in to buy more fried chicken? You looked pretty cocky just now.”

“You fucking did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Mu Yuan glared at him.

Wen Shang narrowed his eyes, staring straight at him.

“This is karma. For sneaking out and stuffing your face with fried chicken when the doctor told you not to.”

During recovery, the hardest part wasn’t the food restrictions. It was quitting smoking.

Mu Yuan’s addiction wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t mild either. With Wen Shang breathing down his neck every damn day, sneaking even a single smoke felt harder than robbing a bank.

But Mu Yuan was slippery as hell. He got his hands on two packs and smuggled them into the house. Late at night, when the place was quiet, he’d sneak out of bed and sit on the toilet, enjoying a stick or two like he was living the high life.

He thought he had it all figured out.

But he had underestimated Wen Shang’s nose.

The smell of smoke drifted from the bathroom into the hallway. The moment Wen Shang caught the scent, he walked over and knocked on Mu Yuan’s door.

Mu Yuan jolted up as soon as he heard the knock. He tossed the half-smoked cigarette into the toilet and flushed it, stuffed the rest of the pack under the blanket, and ran out to open the door.

“You need something?”

Wen Shang narrowed his eyes, scanning him from head to toe.

“You were smoking.”

“Bullshit. Where would I even get cigarettes?” Mu Yuan feigned innocence.

His acting was top-notch, but the thick smell of smoke still hanging in the air completely betrayed him.

Wen Shang glanced around the room. His gaze landed on the messy bed. He didn’t even need to search. A cigarette casually rolled out from under the blanket and dropped right onto the floor, as if it had been dying to get caught.

“And how the fuck are you gonna explain this?” Wen Shang bent down, picked up the contraband, and held it up in front of Mu Yuan’s face.

“You don’t get it, Wen Xiong.”

The second Mu Yuan called him “Wen Xiong,” Wen Shang visibly flinched, his brows twitching like he’d just been slapped.

Mu Yuan explained with a straight face, “The shop owner said this is a health cigarette. Not like the regular kind. The more you smoke, the longer you live. But it only works if you smoke it long-term.”

Wen Shang stared at him like he had just heard someone try to bend time by flying around Earth faster than light, only to end up getting their own ass destroyed in the process.

In short, it was complete fucking nonsense.

“You’re seriously full of shit.”

Mu Yuan’s eyes lit up like he had just uncovered a national secret. “You just cursed?!”

Wen Shang ignored him.

Mu Yuan grinned like a little shit and poked at his arm. “I didn’t know you could say shit like that.”

“Why does that surprise you?”

“Well, not really… It’s just that in my mind you’ve always been…” Mu Yuan caught himself just before he said ‘a well-dressed beast,’ and quickly switched lanes. “You just never swore around me, is all.”

“I never said I was some noble gentleman.”

“Come on, say it again. That same curse from just now. I want to hear it. Let me witness it one more time. Hahaha…”

Wen Shang let out a quiet laugh, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear.

“Idiot.”