Memory Furnace

Young Master Yu got his wish and was carried horizontally into the bathroom by Lu Chenyang. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched as Lu Chenyang meticulously filled the tub, adjusted the temperature, placed the shower gel, laid out the non-slip mat, and even prepared a change of bathrobe in advance, neatly folded and placed within easy reach. Everything was impeccably thoughtful.

Yu Sheng felt a surge of smug satisfaction at being pampered by Jing. He stretched out his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips, waiting for Lu Chenyang's next, seemingly natural, service: to help him remove his cumbersome clothes, and then… to personally wash him. He imagined the scene, his ears turning red, a secret anticipation welling up in his eyes.

As he wished, Lu Chenyang lifted him up with his two strong arms, but the next second, the man turned around and threw him, clothes and all, into the bathtub.

"What are you doing?! Are you looking for death?!" Yu Sheng yelled loudly, both surprised and indignant. Who takes a bath with their clothes on?!

The moment she entered the water, her clothes were soaked and clung to her body, and the ends of her hair curled and floated on the surface of the water. Fortunately, Lu Chenyang steadily supported her cast leg and placed it on the edge of the bathtub.

Lu Chenyang quickly turned his face away, avoiding looking at Yu Sheng's eyes that were practically glaring at him. Feeling guilty, he touched his nose and said in a slightly guilty voice, "...cough, you take your clothes off in the water yourself, and I'll wash them later."

After saying that, he turned and fled the bathroom without looking back. This was his "bathing solution" that he had thought about for a long time.

Yu Sheng couldn't climb into the bathtub by herself, so he had to carry her. But carrying the naked Yu Sheng felt awkward. He still couldn't get that close to a grown man, especially a naked one.

That's why they came up with the "last resort" of throwing people in with their clothes.

Damn it! In the bathtub, Yu Sheng finally recovered from the huge shock. He'd been rejected! And even mocked! How could his young master temper tolerate this!

Enraged, Yu Sheng slammed her fist into the water, sending up a large splash, and roared at the closed bathroom door, "Lu Chenyang!! I'll fuck your grandpa!!!"

The bath was unusually long, taking nearly two hours. For the first half hour, Yu Sheng was completely immersed in "warm greetings" and "mental torture" of Lu Chenyang's ancestors.

He suppressed his resentment and struggled to take off his clothes in the water. His leg was in a cast, and every time he bent over or raised his arm, it aggravated the injury, making him wince in pain and move with extreme difficulty.

Midway through, Lu Chenyang, worried, came over and knocked on the door to prevent him from falling in the bathroom. As expected, he was scolded by the hot-tempered Second Young Master Yu through the door.

"Hey! You surnamed Lu! Get in here and carry me out." Young Master Yu finally washed himself clean, pulled himself out of the water, sat on the edge of the bathtub, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and gave orders to the living room.

In the living room, Lu Chenyang, who had been listening intently to the sounds from the bathroom, immediately got up and strode in upon hearing the instruction. Carefully avoiding Yu Sheng's injured leg, he steadily lifted her up and placed her on the soft sofa in the living room.

Yu Sheng still carried the slight warmth from the steam and the fragrance of shower gel. Her wet, curly hair clung to her neck, making her look somewhat disheveled... yet also uniquely beautiful.

Lu Chenyang turned his head away, not wanting to look closely. He grabbed a dry towel and covered Yu Sheng's dripping hair, asking with concern, "Why did it take you so long to wash?"

"You're asking me? You're not willing to help me, of course I'm slow because I'm not mobile." Yu Sheng rolled his eyes at him, still feeling the anger in his chest. He pinched the air conditioner remote on the coffee table with two fingers and turned the temperature down to the lowest setting in a huff; he was practically dying from the heat.

Lu Chenyang tried to snatch the remote control from his hand, but before he could finish, the man suddenly threw a tantrum, clutching the remote control tightly to his chest like a wolf cub protecting its food. His tense lips involuntarily relaxed, revealing a helpless smile. "You just took a shower, your hair is still wet. You'll catch a cold if you set the air conditioner so low."

"Then go get a hairdryer and dry my hair."

"Okay." Lu Chenyang answered crisply and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"..." Yu Sheng hadn't expected Lu Chenyang to agree so readily. The prepared lines of coercion and enticement stuck in his throat, leaving him feeling suffocated and unable to utter a word. In his daze, the air conditioner remote control in his arms had already been snatched away by the other party and turned up a few degrees.

"I can blow-dry your hair, but you can't turn the air conditioner temperature down any further." Lu Chenyang pointed at him with the remote control, his tone just like a parent scolding a child who was being unreasonable and trying to cool off.

The hairdryer's warm buzz swept through his hair, bringing waves of heat. The air conditioning wasn't cool enough, and Yu Sheng broke out in a thin layer of sweat. However, Lu Chenyang's large, dry hands gently ran through each strand of his damp hair, and the occasional fingertips that inadvertently brushed against his scalp had a strange, soothing magic that dispelled the anger and heat in his heart.

Yu Sheng had long since stopped her earlier tantrum and was now sitting obediently with her head down, like a curly-haired cat that had just been stroked comfortably. Lu Chenyang held her thick, slightly curly hair in one hand and a hairdryer in the other, the warm air gently caressing every curve. The wet, tangled strands of hair gradually became fluffy, soft, and blossoming under his fingertips.

"Is your curly hair natural?" Lu Chenyang's voice was deep and mixed with the noise of the hairdryer as he asked.

“Yes. Like my mom,” Yu Sheng replied.

"They've all grown too long. I'll have a stylist come over tomorrow to trim them for you."

"No!!" Yu Sheng covered his head with his hands, covering his hair as if afraid that someone would steal his precious treasure.

Lu Chenyang chuckled, "Why do you like growing your hair so much?"

Yu Sheng's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He remained silent for a few seconds, the noise of the hairdryer seemingly forming a protective shell around him. His voice was low, like a murmur, yet also like an answer to Lu Chenyang, a mixture of emotions—a desire to be heard and a fear of being questioned—"...because of my sister."

The wind still whistled past her ears. Lu Chenyang didn't ask any further questions; he probably hadn't heard clearly. Yu Sheng didn't know whether she should feel disappointed or relieved.

It was completely dark when Lu Chenyang finished washing up and dried his hair. He came out and noticed a dim light shining through the crack in the master bedroom door. He pushed the door open and saw Yu Sheng, like a small animal struggling to build a nest, dragging her heavy cast-up leg, huffing and puffing as she climbed onto his spacious bed.

Is it because she's afraid he won't agree, so she doesn't even need to hug him?

“…Um.” Lu Chenyang stood at the door, cleared his throat, pointed in the direction of the guest room, and reminded him helplessly, “The guest room is prepared for you.”

Having finally managed to throw herself onto the big bed, Yu Sheng let out a satisfied sigh, sinking into the pillows, and declared with a sense of entitlement, "I want to sleep here. The master bedroom is comfortable. I don't mind sharing it with you."

He even moved over a bit, patted the empty space next to him, and acted as if to express his gratitude.

Well! There was no way to communicate. Lu Chenyang looked at his "cuckoo in the nest" attitude and felt a vein twitching on his forehead.

Forget it, it's a waste of energy to reason with this ancestor.

He had a magazine interview the next morning and needed to get up early; he didn't have the energy to argue with this young master. Lu Chenyang went over and turned off the light for him, then walked silently toward the guest room.

In the middle of the night, Lu Chenyang woke up thirsty. He groggily got up to go to the living room to get some water. As he passed the master bedroom, he noticed that the door was ajar.

The stillness of the night amplifies even the slightest sound. Intermittent, indistinct murmurs escaped from the crack in the door, mixed with short, heavy breaths.

It's already past midnight, is Yu Sheng still awake? He gently knocked on the door with his finger, but after a long while, there was no response from inside, and the unsettling murmurs and panting continued.

My heart sank! Did he bump his injured leg while half asleep? Or did he fall down when he got out of bed?

The image of Yu Sheng writhing in pain from his injury, along with various terrible possibilities, miraculously formed a self-contained scene. Before his mind was fully clear, his body had already acted, and he abruptly pushed open the door!

Moonlight filtered through the thin gauze curtains, casting a hazy glow in the room. Yu Sheng curled up in the middle of the bed, like an insecure young animal, buried in the pillow.

His brows were furrowed, his once beautiful lips were now dry and cracked, slightly parted, and rapid, hot breaths accompanied broken, incoherent words that escaped intermittently from between his lips:

"...No...it wasn't me..."

It wasn't a fall. But the situation before him made Lu Chenyang's heart tighten even more.

Lu Chenyang rushed to the bedside and turned on the floor lamp to see more clearly, which made him even more anxious. Yu Sheng's cheeks were flushed with an unhealthy red, her forehead was covered with a fine layer of cold sweat, and her curly hair was wet and stuck to her skin.

He reached out and touched Yu's forehead. It was burning hot!

Sure enough! After showering that evening, I stood in the cold air for a few minutes and developed a fever. The thermometer was right by my bedside; I took it out and checked:

Drop—39.2 degrees Celsius!

Lu Chenyang's heart jumped into his throat. He quickly went back to his room to get his phone and dialed the number of a familiar 24-hour private clinic.

While waiting for the doctor to arrive, he fetched cold water, soaked a towel, and placed it on Yu Sheng's burning forehead. He also took some alcohol and poured it onto a washcloth.

He wanted to use alcohol to physically cool Yu Sheng down, but when his gaze fell on Yu Sheng's chest, which was rising and falling and flushed, his hand, which was hanging in mid-air, froze.

Lu Chenyang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and mentally prepared himself: 'It's okay, this is a necessary first aid measure, it doesn't count as intimate contact.' 'It's okay, you still have the initiative, what are you afraid of?' 'You hugged him before, what's wrong with wiping him with alcohol? You've done it before at police academy.'

Time passed in silence, several minutes in total, before the alcohol-soaked washcloth was finally pressed against that flushed, burning chest, and began to be wiped quickly.

The veins on the hand holding the washcloth bulged abnormally high. Lu Chenyang didn't know why. He had performed first aid for his classmates at the police academy before, but he felt so flustered and nervous around Yu Sheng.

The alcohol gradually penetrated her burning skin, disturbing her hazy consciousness. Yu Sheng shuddered and uttered a muffled murmur.

The person on the bed barely opened their hazy eyes, which were filled with tears, but the pupils were unfocused and undefined, staring blankly in Lu Chenyang's direction. Then they lowered their head and stared at their chest. The buttons of their pajamas were undone, revealing a large expanse of skin.

Just a few seconds later, Yu Sheng seemed to see something extremely terrifying. She gasped sharply and curled up backward like a frightened hedgehog!

He gripped the thin blanket tightly with both hands and haphazardly pulled it over his head with all his might.

He huddled under the covers, trembling, his words incoherent and his voice broken: "...No...I was wrong, I'll never hide again...I'll be good, I'll take my medicine...I'll be good...Don't take my clothes off!"

Lu Chenyang had not expected this reaction at all. The trembling figure curled up in a ball, the hands gripping the blanket tightly, and the despair crushed by fear conveyed through the chaotic babbling... it all happened so suddenly that Lu Chenyang was at a loss and extremely anxious.

"Yu Sheng? Yu Sheng!" Lu Chenyang called out urgently in a low voice, trying to pull him out of the nightmare.

However, the person under the blanket didn't react, only curled up tighter, repeating their confession over and over: "...I was wrong...I'll be good...Don't touch me, please, I was wrong, I won't hide anymore, I'll take my medicine..."

"Yu Sheng!" Lu Chenyang roared, reaching out to violently rip off the blanket that symbolized the "protective umbrella" of fear!

The sudden light and the feeling of exposure made Yu Sheng scream. She clutched her clothes tightly at her chest and instinctively wanted to curl up and hide again.

But Lu Chenyang was faster. He cupped Yu Sheng's burning, sweaty cheeks in his hands and forced him to turn towards him. "Look at me! Yu Sheng, look carefully! It's me, Lu Chenyang!"

His hot breath sprayed onto his palm, and the person beneath it trembled violently, like a dying butterfly.

Time seemed to freeze. Lu Chenyang held his breath, feeling Yu Sheng's erratic heartbeat transmitted through her thin skin. A few seconds, or perhaps longer, a faint light finally appeared deep within those unfocused pupils, gradually gathering and finally settling on Lu Chenyang's anxious face.

Yu Sheng tilted his head, his eyes filled with childlike confusion and bewilderment, as if trying to discern a figure that was both extremely strange and familiar. After a long while, he asked weakly, "...Officer Lu...you...how come you're...at the hospital too? Are you sick too?"

The hospital? He was completely delirious with fever. Lu Chenyang didn't bother to explain, but tried his best to make his voice sound calm and gentle, "Yes, you have a fever. I'll take care of you. I'll use alcohol to lower your temperature first, and the doctor will be here soon."

Unexpectedly, the feverish, delirious person on the bed suddenly erupted, frantically shoving him, shouting, "You... go! Go! I can't leave, you go! Don't let them catch you..."

"Who are they? What's wrong with you?" Lu Chenyang held Yu Sheng's arms tightly, but didn't dare to use too much force for fear of hurting him. He could only ask patiently, "Ah Sheng, it's okay. This is my home, it's safe, relax."

“…Your home?” Yu Sheng closed her eyes, seemingly trying to understand Lu Chenyang’s words, her long eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes. But her answer was still incoherent and illogical, “…When you’re sick…you have to take medicine…even if you’re not sick you have to take it. You have to be obedient.”

Lu Chenyang paused in his wiping motion, his memory returning to the question he had asked when he was blow-drying his hair that night, Yu Sheng's vague reply, "Because of my sister." At that time, he sensed something was off about the other person, so he chose to remain silent in a gentlemanly and considerate manner.

At this moment, Lu Chenyang inexplicably wanted to know about the past of the person in front of him. He cautiously probed, "Whom do you listen to? Is it your sister?"

Yu Sheng rubbed against the pillow, like a child seeking comfort, and shook her head helplessly, "...No, my sister...doesn't talk to me at all."

Large, hot tears welled up in his eyes without warning, quickly soaking his pillowcase. He seemed to be transported back to that helpless moment, his voice choked and broken, filled with grievance and confusion: "...But...but I'm not sick...I've been very obedient...Why do you keep making me take medicine...?"

He reached out and grabbed Lu Chenyang's forearm. "...That person hates me, yet I need him. He wants me dead, but he's also afraid of me dying... He sent me away, locked me up on a small island, where no one treats me like a human being... My sister... My sister hates me too... But clearly... Clearly, I miss my mother too... I don't want to... I don't want to kill my mother..."

"Don't cry, don't cry..." Each scalding tear and each helpless sob was repeatedly cutting into Lu Chenyang's heart. He couldn't tell if it was his own pain or his heartache.

He disregarded any notion of "safe distance," bent down, and wrapped his strong arms around Yu Sheng's trembling back, patting it gently and tenderly.

Lu Chenyang didn't know how to comfort him. He knew nothing about Yu Sheng's past, and had no idea what he was saying.

He could only carefully adjust his posture, gently pressing one hand against the back of Yu Sheng's neck, letting his burning forehead rest against the crook of his neck. The touch of skin against skin made his body instinctively stiffen for a moment, but the violent trembling and aggrieved tears of the person in his arms overwhelmed everything.

The person in his arms seemed to have cleared up a bit from the tight embrace and comforting words, and whispered on his shoulder, "Don't you get annoyed by how much I make a fuss every day?"

Yu Sheng has the temper of a young master and is always quick to anger and nitpick, but he is by no means the kind of person who enjoys bullying others. He is just using this boring and childish method to make sure he is safe.

A soft chuckle came from beside him, and Lu Chenyang's voice was gentle, "No. And... I didn't think you were being very noisy."

Yu Sheng moved slightly, stepping back a little, and raised her eyes, which were swollen and red like peaches. Her beautiful eyes were completely washed by tears, and glistening water droplets still clung to her long, butterfly-like eyelashes.

He stared intently at Lu Chenyang, his usual arrogance gone, replaced by a devout and cautious inquiry. His voice was as soft as a feather, “…Lu Chenyang…I’m actually a good person. Please get to know me better. I didn’t do anything wrong. They were the ones who bullied me. You won’t bully me, right?”

"Yes." Lu Chenyang answered decisively, "I won't bully you. Officer Lu doesn't bully people."

"Then will you like me?" Yu Sheng asked again.

The question came so directly, so suddenly. Lu Chenyang's mind went blank for a moment, all his composure crumbling before those eyes brimming with fragile expectation.

He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word. Just as this suffocatingly awkward silence was about to spread, the doorbell rang as if from the heavens.

—The doctor has arrived!

Lu Chenyang felt both embarrassed and relieved, and quickly got up to open the door.

After the IV drip was connected and the doctor's careful instructions were given, I saw the other person off and returned to the bedside. Yu Sheng had already fallen asleep again due to the effects of the medication and exhaustion. However, he was still curled up, his brows furrowed, and occasionally he would utter a few indistinct murmurs. His eyes were always moist, and the tears seemed to have their own will, stubbornly seeping out even when their owner was asleep.

"...No...I won't hide anymore, please..."

"...Take me...away...please..."

Lu Chenyang sat in the shadows by the bed, listening intently to Yu Sheng's intermittent murmurs in her sleep.

Every word felt like a stone weighing on his heart. Holding Yu Sheng's hand, which wasn't pricked by needles, he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

He could alleviate the burning sensation in his body, but he couldn't touch the abyss of coldness in his heart. This unbearable pain made his chest feel heavy and uncomfortable.

Reason told him that this person's pain was none of his business, but watching him struggle in his nightmares, he was able to empathize with him.

Suddenly, a fragment of memory flashed back—the phone call Yu Sheng made after he was drunk.

He took a deep breath, leaned down slightly, and his warm lips almost touched Yu Sheng's burning earlobe. With a clear and gentle voice, he clearly sent each word into the depths of Yu Sheng's dream:

"Danger is over, Ah Sheng. Listen carefully, danger is over."

"You are safe, I assure you."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Go to sleep."

It was like a spell imbued with magic. The tense, trembling body in her arms shuddered almost imperceptibly upon hearing the voice.

The veil of darkness that shrouded him seemed to be torn open by that steady voice. The familiar and reassuring aroma of crisp white wine pierced through the fear.

At the end of the faint light shining through the crack, an incredibly warm silhouette emerged: like the warm sun deep in his memory, slowly reaching out its hand to him.

That large hand took his, its warmth soothing all his wounds.

"Don't be afraid, Ah Sheng. I'll take you away."