Chapter 18 I'm the one who's clearly taking advantage.

At this moment, Shen Jin just wanted to smash his head against a wall and die!

Oh my god!

His legs trembled, he held his head in his hands, his face flushed as if blood had boiled, his eyes wide, and he muttered incoherently, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into so he wouldn't have to face Yan Yu.

So he dragged his battered body into his bedroom, closed the door tightly, and as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, he collapsed limply to the ground.

"Hiss..." The moment his butt hit the ground, a sharp, tearing pain shot through him from behind, causing Shen Jin to gasp slightly. "It hurts..."

It really hurt, a burning pain, a feeling I had never experienced before meeting Yan Yu, but now it could make him happy.

Could it be me...?

Has she really fallen for Yan Yu?

The moment this thought surfaced, it wasn't a question mark in Shen Jin's mind, but rather a certainty.

Immediately afterwards, the color drained from his flushed face, turning him deathly pale. His eyes held a hint of bitterness, and his lips were dry as he pursed them.

He was at a loss. How could he fall for Yan Yu? Yan Yu wouldn't like him back; their social status and position were clearly different.

The dilapidated iron door pressed against his body, making him feel inexplicably cold. Even though he was only separated by a door, and could see Yan Yu the moment he pushed it open… it felt as if they were separated by thousands of miles.

Just as he was lost in thought, Yan Yu's magnetic and pleasant voice sounded softly from outside the door. He asked in a low voice, "Where is he? I brought the groceries over for you."

Shen Jin didn't respond to him. He didn't know what to say, so he just hugged himself, buried his face in his knees, sighed softly, and felt a little bitter.

The sweet moments he shared with Yan Yu not long ago felt like a dream, making him dare not have any more expectations.

Knowing it was impolite to remain silent, he sniffed, composed himself, patted his face, and replied stiffly, "Thank you...you, you can just put it on the table for me."

He didn't want to go out because he didn't know how to face Yan Yu, so he thought he would just stay in his room and wait for Yan Yu to leave.

Perhaps as time went on and the two had little interaction, he stopped liking Yan Yu.

So he spoke softly again, "If you want to go back... then go back first."

"What's wrong?" Yan Yu frowned, unable to understand what was wrong with him. He was fine just now, so why was he so eager to kick him out now?

Hearing his voice, Shen Jin felt his heart race again. The memory of their passionate encounter in the kitchen not long ago flashed through his mind, and his ears burned. He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry... I... I thought it was fake... I didn't know..."

Yan Yu: "..."

After Shen Jin apologized, he didn't hear Yan Yu's voice. His heart sank, but he breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if Yan Yu was angry.

After a while, he heard Yan Yu's low laughter, which was exceptionally pleasant to hear. Then he heard him say, "I was the one who took advantage, so why are you the one apologizing?"

Shen Jin was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected that he wouldn't be angry. His feelings were mixed, mostly joy and a little bitterness.

"Don't you still need to cook? Hurry up and come out." Yan Yu said from outside the door. "Go take a shower first, then continue cooking. I didn't eat much yesterday, and I'm a little hungry."

When the topic of bathing came up, Chen Jin felt a little embarrassed, but then she seized on another point of interest and asked with some surprise, "Would you eat the food I cook?"

"I'm hungry, why can't I eat?" Yan Yu's teasing voice came from behind. "Or are you saying you don't want to give me any?"

"No, no!" Shen Jin shook his head fiercely, then stood up from the ground, saying excitedly, "I'm willing..."

He pushed open the door and walked out somewhat embarrassedly. Seeing Yan Yu smiling at him, he became even more embarrassed and could only lower his head awkwardly, saying, "I'm going to take a shower first..."

Yan Yu followed behind him, saying, "I'll go with you."

Shen Jin wanted to refuse, partly because he was embarrassed, and partly because his bathroom was small and it would be cramped for two people. But his refusal was useless; Yan Yu didn't listen.

Therefore, when the two of them squeezed into the same bathroom to shower, Yan Yu couldn't help but tease him, wasting a long time before they finished showering, and only then did they cook together.

Yan Yu, who had never lifted a finger to cook, and didn't know how, just stood by and watched him until he finished cooking and put the food on the table, then they ate together. He also teased him and fed him with his mouth.

Even though Shen Jin's face remained flushed, she smiled sweetly and happily, feeling joyful, even if this happiness was fleeting.

After the meal, Yan Yu smiled and lowered his head to leave a light kiss on Rang's forehead.

In that instant, Shen Jin felt as if they had lived together for many years.

It even made him feel like they were a couple in love...

"Why are you so dazed?" Yan Yu smiled and gently flicked his forehead. The gesture was very intimate, and the faint smile on his lips made Shen Jin even more infatuated.

Little did he know that his close relationship with Yan Yu would lead to a series of trials and tribulations...

The intimate moments the two spent together during this period were all secretly photographed and quietly sent to the hospital, to the sick beauty lying in bed—Xie Li.

Xie Li flipped through one photo after another, a layer of frost gradually forming on his handsome face, making him extremely cold. He gripped the photos with unusual force, as if he wanted to tear them apart, and a hint of crimson crept into the corners of his eyes.

Because of his heart condition, he hadn't been this emotional in a long time, and he always tried to remain calm and composed. But at this moment, he just couldn't stay composed...

Why?! Why?! Why?!

Even though he never responded to Yan Yu, to him it belonged to him, and without permission, what was that guy surnamed Chen?

Standing in front of Xie Li was a handsome young man. His gaze fell on Xie Li's face with an indescribable gentleness, but at this moment he said with some concern, "Ah Li, calm down first."

Xie Li gritted her teeth, suppressing the anger in her heart, then raised her beautiful eyes to look at the handsome young man by the bed, and chuckled softly: "Ah Cheng, do you think this is true?"

Xu Cheng, a man who has loved Xie Li for many years.

This person is someone Xie Li can use and trust, because in this person's heart, he is placed in the highest position.

Even though Xie Li would never take this person seriously.

Seeing him smile, Xu Cheng smiled back, sat down in the chair next to him, his eyes filled with infatuation, and said gently, "That's good, isn't it? That way, Yan Yu will have someone he likes, and he won't bother you anymore. Then, could you...?"

Could you... also look at me?

Xu Cheng stopped speaking before he could finish, because he saw Xie Li's beautiful eyes turn cold in an instant.

Ali, don't you dislike Yan Yu? Why do you still spend so much energy on him?

But in my eyes, there is only you, yet you just can't see it.

There was an indescribable bitterness in Xu Cheng's eyes. He could only look at him and smile blankly, his voice tinged with sadness: "Ali, you actually like Yan Yu very much, don't you?"

Xu Cheng and Xie Li met in college and have known each other for several years since graduation. He has loved Xie Li for many years and knows him better than Xie Li himself, but he just doesn't want to believe the truth.

Because he felt that as long as he put in the effort and treated Xie Li well, Xie Li would eventually find out and look at him. But after so many years, Xie Li's gaze still held no love whatsoever.

On the contrary, when he looked at Yan Yu, he would always show some restrained affection.

Because Xu Cheng had been watching him all these years, he knew that Xie Li's smiling gaze would always fall on Yan Yu.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Li's beautiful face cracked the moment she heard his question, and she forced a smile, "Don't make such pointless jokes."

Xu Cheng gritted his teeth, somewhat annoyed, and said, "If you don't, then why do you always look at him! You're always staring at him, staring at him, staring at him! And yet you insist that you don't like him! If that's the case, why haven't you been honest with him all these years? Why have you deliberately maintained such an ambiguous attitude!"

Xie Li was startled by his sudden roar, and his face paled slightly. In his memory, this person was always very gentle to him, and spoke in a very soft voice, as if afraid of frightening him.

But at that moment, he was yelling at him.

He should have immediately denied what he had just said about liking Yan Yu, but Xie Li didn't know why, seeing this person who always indulged him getting angry, he couldn't help but say, "Are you being mean to me?"

Xu Cheng's anger was quickly released. He pursed his lips and lowered his voice considerably: "...I didn't."

Xie Li stared at him for a while, and only when he knew that Xu Cheng was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze did he look away, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, before he smiled and said, "I'm going to be discharged from the hospital. It's too stuffy in the hospital."

Xu Cheng paused for a moment, then smiled gently at him and asked softly, "Then I'll prepare a place for you to stay, okay?"

"No need, I have a place to stay." Xie Li refused casually, without even looking at Xu Cheng's somewhat disappointed expression because of his refusal. He just quietly looked out the window, holding the photos of Chen Jin and Yan Yu in his hand, gripping them a little tighter.

Regardless of whether he liked Yan Yu or not, he would not allow that penniless wretch Shen Jin, who appeared out of nowhere, to take him away...