Chapter 23 – Stop Teasing Me.

At four-thirty in the morning, the sky was tinged with a warm white hue. Lying on his side facing inward, Jiang Ruo rubbed at his eyes with the pads of his fingers, trying to conceal certain traces.

Despite his dazed state, his ears were alert, listening to Xi Yufeng’s movements around the house and the sound of water from the bathroom.

A while later, footsteps approached again. Jiang Ruo quickly shut his eyes tight, feeling a hand reach out to his forehead, pausing for two seconds before moving away.

Immediately after, he heard the sound of car keys being picked up from the table.

Unable to hold back, Jiang Ruo asked, “Are you leaving?”

Standing by the door, Xi Yufeng replied, “Yeah, leaving now.”

Half of Jiang Ruo’s head buried in the blankets, he couldn’t see the other’s expression.

He mumbled, “Oh, then go ahead.”

As he opened his eyes again, he heard the sound of the card reader unlocking the door.

Turning over slowly, he saw the familiar figure in a white shirt and black trousers. Jiang Ruo murmured incoherently, “Aren’t you really busy?”

Xi Yufeng didn’t respond.

“Did you come back just to check if I’m… alive or dead?”

Sighing, Xi Yufeng walked to the bedside. “This mouth.”

There was no reprimand, only indulgence.

It made Jiang Ruo’s heart soften and tremble, wishing this dream would last longer.

In the “dream,” there was no need to hold back. He stretched out his hand from under the blankets toward Xi Yufeng. “This mouth of mine has many uses.”

To eat delicious food, say “Don’t leave,” and… kiss you.

As if he could read his thoughts without him saying a word, Xi Yufeng grasped Jiang Ruo’s outstretched hand, his other hand lifting to stroke the soft hair atop his head.

This time it wasn’t to check his temperature, but simply to comfort. When he spoke, the previous gloom had faded. “Sleep. We can talk about anything tomorrow.”

The next nap lasted until late morning.

On a clear day after rain, pulling open the curtains let in an abundance of sunlight. Jiang Ruo hurriedly looked for his shoes, hearing Xi Yufeng say that he had already taken a leave of absence for him from the film crew. This left him stunned.

“Leave… how long for?”

“Three days.”

“What about filming? I still have several scenes.”

“They’ve postponed it. They’ll shoot other parts first.”

“So… what am I supposed to do these three days?”

This question seemed superfluous, yet Xi Yufeng still answered. “Rest quietly.”

But Jiang Ruo couldn’t sit still, hopping around the room on his good leg. Watching Xi Yufeng focus intently on his computer screen, he felt a sense of urgency at having nothing to do.

Jiang Ruo asked as if looking for trouble. “So what are you going to do these three days?”

Xi Yufeng glanced at him, saying indifferently, “I’m also resting quietly.”

Xiao Shen came by at noon.

Jiang Ruo went to open the door. While Xi Yufeng was resting inside with his eyes closed, he asked Xiao Shen what had happened the night before. Xiao Shen truthfully reported, “When you got hurt, I was really worried, so I told Assistant Shi.”

Jiang Ruo wore an expression of “just as I thought,” asking when Xiao Shen had informed Assistant Shi. Xiao Shen said it was around two o’clock in the morning.

Then confirming the work arrangements on the set, Jiang Ruo put on a fierce face. “Didn’t I say to listen to me? I told you not to tell them, but you went ahead and did it anyway!”

Xiao Shen knew she was in the wrong, hanging her head. “But you refused to go to the hospital. What if something happened…”

It was merely concern for his well-being.

Jiang Ruo wasn’t actually angry, but a warning was still necessary.

“It’s no use telling Assistant Shi either.” He shrugged. “Even if President Xi came, I wouldn’t go to the hospital. There’s probably no one born yet who can control me.”

After saying this, he noticed Xiao Shen’s eyes darting, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Turning his head,

a few steps behind him, Xi Yufeng stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at him without much expression, but with a slight curl to his lips, as if to say — oh, is that so?

For the entire afternoon, Jiang Ruo was as quiet as a chicken.

He tidied up the food Xiao Shen had brought, took the anti-inflammatory pills according to the instructions, then opened the ointment to apply it himself.

The fever came and went quickly. Now, Jiang Ruo had regained his strength. The process of applying the ointment was like completing a series of gymnastics moves, striking several high-difficulty poses that most people couldn’t achieve — bending over, twisting his hips, his arms rotating 360 degrees… smooth as silk, showcasing his body’s flexibility.

Feeling refreshed after finishing, he looked up to see Xi Yufeng watching him from the adjacent bed. Jiang Ruo raised an eyebrow. “Am I impressive?”

Xi Yufeng remained silent.

“Wanna try new positions in bed?”

When Xi Yufeng stood up, Jiang Ruo backed down. “Forget it, the bed is too small here. Besides, I still have to film.”

Supporting himself on the sheets with both hands, he moved backward, but was still caught by Xi Yufeng leaning over, a large hand gripping his slender ankle.

It was the uninjured one, easily dragging him back to the edge of the bed. Then, he switched to holding the other calf, his left hand reaching for the bruise ointment, opening the cap, scooping a fingerful, and applying it to the swollen ankle.

Jiang Ruo was stunned for a moment, remembering that he had rubbed everywhere except his sprained foot.

And clearly, Xi Yufeng wasn’t adept at applying ointment. The sticky salve was applied unevenly, thin in some places and thick in others. The injured area wasn’t fully covered, but his own hand ended up with a glob of it.

Seeing his increasingly furrowed brow, Jiang Ruo wanted to laugh, retracting his leg and pushing him away. “Let me do it myself…”

But Xi Yufeng restrained his wrist as well.

His actions were somewhat rough, and his voice was hoarse. Alongside “Don’t move,” Jiang Ruo also heard him say, “Stop teasing me.”

Thus, the latter half of the afternoon, Jiang Ruo was even quieter.

He picked up the script he had already flipped through countless times, reciting lines he knew by heart over and over again.

Not forgetting to pay attention to the sounds from the adjacent bed. Xi Yufeng held his laptop all along, working. Occasionally, he went out to take calls, returning each time with a stronger scent of smoke on him.

Dinner was delivered by Xiao Shen once again. The area around the film studio was crowded and gossip-filled. Even though their relationship was tacitly understood within their circle, it was still necessary to maintain a low profile for the sake of Jiang Ruo’s future career.

They ate the takeout from the tea restaurant they had visited before. Although not as fresh and hot as dining in, it was far better than the rough home-style dishes from nearby small restaurants.

But Jiang Ruo found it tasteless, starting to miss the smoky atmosphere of street stalls.

Biting on his chopsticks, he proposed to Xi Yufeng, “How about we go for barbecue the day after tomorrow?”

Xi Yufeng picked up on the key point. “The day after tomorrow?”

Jiang Ruo immediately changed his mind. “Forget it, let’s not go. Eating that will make me gain weight.”

Although they spent little time together, the two seemed to have adapted to this mode of interaction where their worlds revolved solely around each other.

As night fell, Jiang Ruo turned on the second-hand projector he had recently bought online, selected a movie, and clicked play.

At this moment, he was grateful for the simple, clean white walls of the hotel. Without a screen, the projection quality was still good, and the yellowish walls even added a vintage feel to the movie images.

It matched the movie Jiang Ruo had chosen. This time, they watched Knives Out. After watching the beginning for five minutes, Xi Yufeng laughed, asking Jiang Ruo if he liked watching dramas about wealthy people plotting against and killing each other.

Jiang Ruo was completely innocent. “How would I know rich people are so good at playing games?”

This time, the clues were buried deeper. Jiang Ruo was engrossed, but Xi Yufeng leaned against the headboard and fell asleep.

Presumably because he hardly slept the previous night. Xiao Shen said the message was sent to Assistant Shi at two o’clock, and Xi Yufeng arrived at three. Jiang Ruo calculated the time difference; he must have rushed over upon receiving the message.

Lowering the movie volume, Jiang Ruo tiptoed out of bed, pulling the blanket piled on the side to cover Xi Yufeng.

When Xi Yufeng woke up, the movie was still playing.

On the screen, the dark-haired girl looked at the old man’s portrait on the wall. The harmonica sounded, and the people expelled from the estate had blank expressions as they looked up.

Xi Yufeng moved, trying to extract his stiffened hand, but upon raising his eyes, he saw Jiang Ruo, crouched by the bed, making a “shh” gesture, then pointing to the movie.

Xi Yufeng remained silent, watching with him until the screen showed black letters on a white background.

When Jiang Ruo learned that Xi Yufeng woke up because he was bitten by a mosquito on his hand, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

“There are a lot of mosquitoes here. Running the air conditioning doesn’t help.” He got up to look for something, rummaging through the suitcase on the floor, back to Xi Yufeng. “Earlier, when I reached a critical scene, I got a bit nervous, so… I grabbed your hand.”

And hadn’t let go since.

Applying mosquito repellent on Xi Yufeng, Jiang Ruo noticed his displeased expression, unsure whether it was due to lingering irritability from waking up or discomfort from sweaty palms.

Later, it was Xi Yufeng himself who couldn’t resist asking, “What’s that smell?”

He rarely displayed emotions beyond indifference, and Jiang Ruo found it curious. “It’s the smell of mosquito repellent. Haven’t you used it before?”

Xi Yufeng pursed his lips without speaking.

Jiang Ruo understood — it was his first time using it.

Rich people probably had more advanced methods to repel mosquitoes, no need to coat themselves in the pungent scent of artificial fragrance.

Unexpectedly, it sparked Jiang Ruo’s playful side. After applying the repellent on Xi Yufeng’s hands, he held the bottle aloft like a seasoning jar, pouring it on him.

Facing Xi Yufeng’s speechless expression, Jiang Ruo couldn’t stop laughing, doubling over. “The mosquitoes here are poisonous. If you don’t use enough, you’ll definitely wake up covered in bites tomorrow.”

But Xi Yufeng had his own distinct scent, one that didn’t easily mix with others. Therefore, within the time it took to smoke half a cigarette, the cheap aroma from the mosquito repellent dissipated.

When Jiang Ruo came out of the shower, he saw Xi Yufeng, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, leaning against the headboard with one leg crossed, his hand holding a cigarette resting on his knee.

He seemed completely out of place, exuding an expensive aura that clashed with the cramped, old room. Jiang Ruo noticed this when Xi Yufeng stayed in the hotel’s twin room the last time.

Or perhaps even earlier, when Jiang Ruo described him as an unattainable “high-end product.”

Perhaps because of staying in the steamy space for too long, Jiang Ruo experienced a rare surge of heat-induced impulsiveness.

This time, he stepped forward, snatching the cigarette from between Xi Yufeng’s fingers, bringing it to his own lips.

Taking a deep drag, he wasn’t surprised to be choked again.

Meeting Xi Yufeng’s amused gaze, Jiang Ruo didn’t show any embarrassment for once, instead coughing lightly and offering the cigarette back. “Teach me how to smoke.”

Standing by the bed, his spine straight, slightly tilting his face upward, his gaze downward, casting shadows from his thick lashes.

Moonlight bathed him in its pale glow.

It reminded Xi Yufeng of that early spring night, when he snatched the lit cigarette from his hand, only to toss it into the trash bin after turning away.

Just as stubborn.

Just as breathtakingly beautiful.

So before the lesson began, a deep, lingering kiss served as a prepayment.

Pulling Jiang Ruo into his embrace, to avoid his injured leg, Xi Yufeng’s movements were unusually gentle, contrary to his usual demeanor.

Their lips and tongues entwined, as if gasping for oxygen.

When they parted, Jiang Ruo’s eyes were unfocused, his breaths disordered.

This slightly bewildered appearance seemed to please Xi Yufeng. He gripped Jiang Ruo’s chin, his gaze lingering on the prominent collarbone below his neck, and the depths that rose and fell with each breath.

His voice was soft, laced with a hint of resignation. “Stop teasing me.”