Kangfu Log
Lu Chenyang lay on his side with his back to Yu Sheng, creating distance between himself and the warm body behind him.
Several months have passed since the "Shattered Light" drinking party. The initial dislike and rejection were subtly transformed into a slight appreciation after Yu Sheng's dazzling display of professional competence, and then evolved into an irresistible curiosity.
Now, he has repeatedly tolerated this person "acting arrogantly" in his world. The shackles of his "cold-bloodedness" have quietly loosened and melted away, and the icy water is flowing, threatening to drown him.
Strangely, he couldn't muster any thoughts of resistance. Instead, he let himself sink into this raging "water," letting it soak his clothes, immerse his bones, and eventually submerge him.
He indulged himself in this state without seeking a way out.
Of course, they would never take the initiative to move forward.
Soft, even breathing gradually came from behind him. Yu Sheng had fallen asleep. Only then did Lu Chenyang slowly turn over, carefully controlling his movements so that the indentation and friction of the mattress wouldn't wake the sleeping kitten.
The curtains were drawn with only a layer of white gauze, and the pale, soft moonlight, like that person, seemed fragile yet unusually forceful as it squeezed in, silently invading all the space and bathing the entire room in a hazy, warm yellow light.
Lu Chenyang's gaze fell on Yu Sheng, who was sleeping as usual. Curled up, she tightly clutched a corner of the blanket to her chest. Her thin eyelashes trembled restlessly beneath her eyelids, like a broken butterfly desperately trying to break free from a spiderweb.
Perhaps a few seconds passed, or perhaps longer. Lu Chenyang remained propped up on the bed with his elbows bent until a tingling numbness rose in his shoulders. He exhaled softly, as if sighing. Was it a sigh for his heartache for Yu Sheng, or a sigh for his own confusion? He couldn't tell.
With a hand accustomed to holding dumbbells and sticks, Lu Chenyang gently lifted it up, and with a touch of gentleness he himself didn't even realize, he lightly brushed away the stray hairs on Lu Chenyang's forehead with his fingertips, and patiently smoothed the furrowed brow that hadn't relaxed for a long time.
For the first time in his life, he shared a bed with someone other than his close relatives. Despite his own body's resistance, Lu Chenyang's stubbornness persisted, keeping him wide awake.
His phone screen showed it was already 11:30 p.m. He idly scrolled through the screen, unable to find an app to kill time. His life was rigid and monotonous; he almost never played games. After flipping through the screen, he finally opened the Notes app.
Click on the pinned note titled "Young Master Kangfu's Diary".
The first entry in the notes is dated the first day Yu Sheng checked in.
July 27, 12:30:
—'Too disruptive, spoiled brat. He's too pampered, he should be given a beating!!'
—'A picky eater! Doesn't like overly sour foods, loves spicy food, has high standards for desserts, and doesn't eat scallions. What a hassle!!'
...
Article 2, July 28, 00:34:
"The young master has a high fever and is constantly talking in his sleep. He said so much... I can't help him, and it's painful to see him suffer."
—'So he's really afraid of getting sick.'
"The island? His dad? His sister? And those other people? I wanted to ask him, to get him to tell me the source of all his fears, but he didn't want to talk about it, so I couldn't ask."
"I think I've found a way to help him. The danger is over. It really worked. He wasn't lying to me before."
"He's asleep, I'm afraid to leave."
Article 3, July 28, 7:25:
"The young master's fever has subsided. I made fish porridge, but I have to go now."
—'It seems I haven't been exercising much; my back aches after just one night lying face down on the edge of the bed.'
Article 4...
………
Lu Chenyang's finger continued to slide down, glimpsing fragments of complaints and notes, finally stopping at a blank space. His fingertip hovered on the screen for a moment before typing new text:
August 2, 23:37:
—'This young master has taken over my house and is completely lawless! He stole my house to open a fashion show, forcibly demolished the second bedroom, and threw away my bed!!!'
—'He should be beaten up!!!'
—'Trying to get a law enforcement officer to let me sleep in the same bed with him, is that coercion? Or bribery? He deserves a beating!'
"I bathed the young master today, and surprisingly, I didn't resist. Is this desensitization and recovery? I need to see Dr. Bai in a few days."
—"I suddenly remembered that time I bumped into the young master at Dr. Bai's research institute. He said he was a shareholder inspecting the work, but I later asked Dr. Bai, and it turns out it's a family business founded by Dr. Bai's father. He's not a shareholder at all! He lied to me again!! He really deserves a beating!!"
"—What was he doing there? Does he also have traumatic issues? He probably does; my observation is correct."
—'This guy… he really deserves to be hung up and beaten; he didn't tell a single truth!!!'
Lu Chenyang glanced back at the person who "deserved a beating." The person remained motionless, curled up obediently, breathing shallowly like a sickly kitten. He sighed and typed the last line on his phone.
—'Alright, let's be kind to animals, I won't fight anymore.'
For Yu Sheng, who hadn't slept well in a long time, this night was exceptionally deep. He was completely unaware of the restless thoughts and rustling movements of the person beside him.
When he woke up, the sunlight had already filled the entire bed. The spot beside him was empty, with only a few faint wrinkles on the sheets, proving that he hadn't slept alone last night.
Yu Sheng buried her head in the sun-scented pillow, rubbed it contentedly, yawned widely, pulled off the blanket, and huffed and puffed her way up to the wheelchair beside the bed.
The cast restricted leg movement, but after rest, it wouldn't hurt as long as the movements weren't too strenuous. He no longer allowed the caregiver to help him get in and out of bed; he could manage it himself, albeit only when Lu Chenyang wasn't home.
Why didn't you call me and just got out of bed by yourself?
He had only climbed halfway up, his bottom not even touching the edge of the wheelchair, when he heard a clear, melodious voice, like the sound of chilled white wine, coming from the doorway. Immediately, he changed his mind, letting go and collapsing to the edge of the bed. He looked exactly like a pitiful figure, exhausted from a strenuous climb.
Seeing this, Lu Chenyang quickly stepped forward to support him, picked him up horizontally, and placed him steadily on the wheelchair. His tone was slightly reproachful and anxious, "Why didn't you call me when you got out of bed? What if you fell?"
Yu Sheng immediately put on a pitiful expression and pouted dramatically, "Who knew you were home?"
"Why didn't you call a caregiver when I wasn't home?" Lu Chenyang scolded him verbally as he pushed the wheelchair toward the bathroom. "Do you even want your legs to heal sooner?"
Looking at the two pairs of panties hanging side by side in the bathroom, Yu Sheng obediently accepted the instruction without arguing. It wasn't that he was afraid of troubling others; he simply disliked being held and carried by anyone other than Lu Chenyang. "Okay, okay. I'll definitely do it next time."
After a quick meal that was hard to tell whether it was breakfast or lunch, Lu Chenyang, fully armed with a hat, mask, and sunglasses, went downstairs to his car and took Yu Sheng to the hospital for a follow-up check-up.
Despite trying to keep a low profile, they still encountered paparazzi staking out the underground parking garage.
Yu Sheng didn't seem to care, and even waved to the camera in a good mood, but Lu Chenyang had a gloomy face. He took off his baseball cap and put it on Yu Sheng's head, which was shaking wildly, and gave him a light pat as punishment.
"What's there to be afraid of? Let them take as many pictures as they want." Yu Sheng straightened her hat nonchalantly and muttered under her breath, "We're sleeping together, what's there to be afraid of people seeing?"
"What did you say?" Lu Chenyang, whether he heard him clearly or not, pushed his wheelchair next to his SUV and asked.
Yu Sheng shrank back guiltily and quickly changed her words, "I said I wanted you to carry me into the car, but the chassis is too high for me to get in."
Lu Chenyang opened the car door and said without any surprise, "I know, I'm always the one who carries you. Hold on tight, don't fall."
"Okay!" Yu Sheng smiled broadly and opened her arms wide.
Supported by two strong arms, Yu Sheng obediently wrapped his arms around Lu Chenyang's neck. His chest pressed against the thick pectoral muscles, he buried his head in the crook of the other's neck, his nose filled with the other's clean scent. His lips and teeth were only a hair's breadth away from the powerfully pulsating carotid artery, the warm pulse clearly transmitted through the skin, carrying a primal allure that made his throat bob, wanting to bite down hard.
In the end, he couldn't bear to part with it. He parted his lips slightly and instead planted a kiss on the bluish-green carotid artery.
"Smack—" A loud kiss followed. The clear sound echoed in the quiet garage.
The lifting motion abruptly froze. This wasn't the first time Yu Sheng had kissed Lu Chenyang's neck, but this time, it felt like an electric current shot through his spine, rushing to the top of his head, bringing a tingling, chaotic sensation that made his scalp tingle. An impulse mixed with resistance, trembling, and deeper, undefined emotions surged up.
They wanted to throw him out! To break his other leg!
However, a faint scent of cologne enveloped his respiratory system, soothing his restless nerves as if gently calmed by a large hand. He resignedly thought that if he threw it out, he would have to retrieve it, and if it got hurt, he would be responsible for taking care of it—it wasn't worth it.
After having X-rays taken at the hospital, the recovery was progressing well, and the cast could be removed in three weeks. After the check-up, the two went to Grandma's ward. Targeted therapy had already been started, and perhaps due to the medication, the caregiver said that Grandma had been sleeping significantly more lately, remaining asleep until Lu Chenyang and Yu Sheng left.
Dr. Sui also met with the two of them to explain in detail the grandmother's condition. Although the targeted drug could not produce immediate results, it had already shown initial efficacy and could basically prevent the condition from worsening.
Leaving the hospital, Yu Sheng noticed the change in Lu Chenyang's expression. Although he seemed focused on driving as usual, Yu Sheng keenly noticed the occasional trembling of his fingertips. He was probably still worried about his grandmother, since the best treatment for leukemia was a bone marrow transplant, but a suitable match had not yet been found.
“Officer Lu.” Yu Sheng broke the silence, trying to amuse Lu Chenyang with his usual flippancy, at least to divert his attention. “You said we were just photographed without our consent, what’s the situation on Weibo now?” He scratched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I guess… the CP fans are already popping champagne.”
"Perhaps," the man replied casually.
Seeing that he didn't refuse to communicate, Yu Sheng continued her efforts, even taking out her phone to read the fan comments on the CP supertopic. Seeing that the tense lines on Lu Chenyang's profile seemed to have eased a bit, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and casually mentioned, "By the way, that stalker... the police called me yesterday and said they've charged him with intentional homicide. However... that person does have mental problems, and his family is quite powerful, so even if the verdict comes through, he'll be locked up in a mental hospital."
Yu Sheng smiled generously, "I've already issued a statement on Weibo saying that this matter has nothing to do with you, so it shouldn't have too much of a negative impact on you."
A brief silence fell over the car. Just when Yu Sheng thought the topic would fizzle out, Lu Chenyang's voice rang out softly, heavy and suppressed, carrying an overwhelming sense of apology, "...I'm sorry."
This isn't the first time he's apologized. The day after Yu Sheng's incident, he publicly apologized on Weibo, taking full responsibility upon himself with a sincere and humble attitude, completely disregarding the potential damage that a worsening situation might cause to his acting career.
“…Hey!” Yu Sheng paused for a couple of seconds, then waved his hand dramatically, looking completely unconcerned, and patted his leg in a cast. “I guess I’m lucky to have survived such a close call. Look at me now, I have Officer Lu personally taking care of me. I never even dared to dream of this kind of treatment before.”
Lu Chenyang glanced at his over-the-top act of magnanimity out of the corner of his eye, and felt a slight pang in his heart, a bittersweet feeling seeping in. His tightly clenched lips finally couldn't help but curve upwards into a subtle arc.
“You smiled! You just smiled!” Yu Sheng pointed at the corner of his mouth and laughed out loud herself. “That’s right. Don’t be unhappy, Officer Lu. Grandma’s illness will get better, believe me! I’ve already asked someone to contact a bone marrow registry overseas for you. We will definitely find a suitable match.”
“…Thank you.” Lu Chenyang’s voice choked with emotion, his throat feeling like it was stuck with a lemon candy, the sourness followed by a sweet aftertaste. His gratitude at this moment far surpassed Yu Sheng’s help with his grandmother’s medical resources. What warmed his heart even more was how keenly this person could perceive his deeply hidden emotional fluctuations and clumsily yet persistently try to dispel that gloom.
This feeling of being meticulously cared for and looked after... he had never experienced anything like it except with his grandmother, with whom he depended on each other. And all Yu Sheng did was simply because of... a single sentence, "I need you"?
"Alright, alright, stop being so mushy." Yu Sheng interrupted his sentimental spree, pointing to the intersection ahead, "Let's not go home first. Come with me to Shuye to pick something up. Someone gave me a 'big gift'."
"A big gift?" Taking advantage of the fact that there were no cars ahead, Lu Chenyang quickly turned his head to glance at him. "Who sent it? What is it?"
"You'll know when we get there," Yu Sheng said, leaning back in her chair and mysteriously keeping everyone in suspense.
The car drove past several intersections and stopped in front of the Shuno Hotel.
"I'm not going down. Help me load my things into the car," Young Master Yu said lazily, giving instructions.
As soon as Lu Chenyang parked his car, the hotel manager greeted him warmly. Then, to Lu Chenyang's astonishment, five or six waiters filed out carrying, hugging, and lifting various "items" and began stuffing them into the trunk and back seat of his SUV.
He stood there dumbfounded, staring at the so-called "grand gift": bulging urea bags filled with potatoes still covered in fresh soil; rough willow baskets piled high with plump cabbages; round, large pumpkins and full, golden corncobs; finally, the manager carefully presented a tightly sealed woven bag containing a lively old hen with its head sticking out, clucking away!
This... is the "grand gift" that Yu Sheng was talking about?
Lu Chenyang could hardly believe his eyes. Yu Sheng's image as a spoiled and extravagant playboy, who even wanted toilet paper to be edged with gold, was deeply ingrained in his mind. How could someone give him such a "down-to-earth" gift? And he actually solemnly called it a "grand gift"?
"Ouch!" The car window rolled down, and Yu Sheng looked at the thrashing hen, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Minmin, that girl... why did she send me all the laying hens? It would have been better to keep them."
The manager stuffed the tightly sealed bag of chicken into the back seat and leaned against the car window to explain, "Minmin said that old hen soup is very nourishing. She heard you were injured, so this morning she and her grandfather specially rode their tricycle all the way from the village to deliver it! The chicken wasn't killed, in case it wasn't fresh for you."
"Alright, I got it." Yu Sheng shook his head helplessly, but with a hint of indulgence. "This little girl's ideas are getting bigger and bigger." He turned to look at Lu Chenyang, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and called out loudly, his tone full of undisguised amusement and matter-of-factness: "Hey! Officer Lu, stop standing there! Hurry up and go home to kill a chicken! Make soup!"
With heavy traffic on the weekend, no one would have guessed that inside this SUV weaving through the streets and alleys, there was not only a hot celebrity, but also... an old hen!
After driving around most of Beijing, we gave Bai Hua and Lan Zhong some "big gifts" that were almost overflowing from their trunks.
The old hen was left behind, occupying the spacious back seat all by herself. On the way back, it fluttered about in the bag, making loud "clucking" sounds. When they stopped at a red light, Lu Chenyang couldn't help but glance at it in the rearview mirror, and seeing its vigorous, even somewhat "unreasonable" vitality, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
This reckless and oblivious behavior... it really does resemble the unreasonable behavior of the young master beside me.
He suppressed a laugh, his gaze sweeping over Yu Sheng in the passenger seat, trying to compare him to the old hen in the back. Unexpectedly, Yu Sheng immediately caught this subtle shift in his gaze.
"What are you laughing at?" Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"...Ahem." Lu Chenyang coughed lightly, covering up his absurd association, and then asked the question he had been holding back all the way, "By the way, you said this chicken was a gift from Minmin? Who is Minmin? Do you have friends who live in the countryside?"
Yu Sheng snorted, a smug look on his face that seemed to say, "You wouldn't understand the depth of my connections." He continued, "Minmin, that little girl, is like a half-sister to me."
"You have a younger sister?" Lu Chenyang asked incredulously. Everyone in the industry knew Yu Sheng's background: founder of Shuye Hotel, shareholder of Xinghua Entertainment, and heir to Dongyao International Bank. It was hard to imagine that he would have a rural friend who needed to deliver old hens by tricycle, and that he would call her "younger sister."
“I already said she’s ‘half’ a younger sister. Minmin is probably seventeen this year, right? It happened many years ago. Back then, her grandfather was seriously ill and urgently needed money. I don’t know what this little girl was thinking, she foolishly tried to sell her kidney like other people… and I just happened to run into her.”
Yu Sheng spoke calmly, as if she were talking about a trivial matter, "I just helped out casually. Later, seeing that the child was quite sensible, I also sponsored her education."
Lu Chenyang listened quietly, his gaze fixed on Yu Sheng's seemingly nonchalant profile. He sensed that this "casual act" was anything but casual. Yu Sheng's affectionate "little girl," a term even the manager of the Shuye Hotel knew well, demonstrated his care and concern for Minmin. Yet this man insisted on portraying this act of kindness, capable of changing someone's destiny, as as casually as helping a neighbor throw out the trash.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yu Sheng noticed his gaze, turned her head to glare at him, and deliberately used a flippant tone, "Do you think I suddenly look tall and mighty? Like I'm glowing with golden light?"
Lu Chenyang ignored his teasing and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: "You always hide your good qualities, why? Are you afraid that others will see them?" The question was a bit inappropriate, but he just wanted to ask it, even if he didn't get an answer.
The air inside the car seemed to freeze for a moment. The playfulness on Yu Sheng's face faded, and he turned his head, his gaze falling on the endless stream of city lights outside the car window. "Saving a family? It sounds noble. But I know myself, I was only eighteen when I helped Minmin."
He paused, his gaze drifting to some unseen point in the distance, a hint of loneliness in his eyes. "I have no home. So... I don't want to see others without homes either. That's all. As for money? I don't lack it."
He gave a self-deprecating smirk: "You don't need to ask me if I'd be willing to trade all my money for a warm home. My answer is no, absolutely no! Without money, if I run into Minmin again, all I can do is offer her a tissue, not a life-saving bank card. Besides, I like money, otherwise how could I have joined the 'Shattered Light' crew and been so persistent in pursuing you?"
He turned his head to look at Lu Chenyang, his eyes open yet veiled by a thin layer of mist: "So, don't think I'm so great. I just used the most readily available thing to help her, it's nothing special. I never deliberately hide my 'goodness,' just as I never conceal my 'badness.' That's just who I am."
The car slowly drove into the familiar underground parking garage and stopped. Lu Chenyang leaned over to unbuckle his seatbelt. He regretted asking that question, which touched on a past the other person was unwilling to discuss, making Yu Sheng unhappy.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice softening. “Let’s go home and I’ll make you some chicken soup.”
"Okay!" Yu Sheng immediately agreed, trying to shake off the gloom and put on a smile again. He didn't want Lu Chenyang to ruin this precious time he had alone with him.
So, Lu Chenyang pushed the wheelchair, with Yu Sheng holding the tightly bound, clucking old hen in her arms and some fruits and vegetables on her lap, as they were pushed home with silly smiles all the way.
Half an hour later, Yu Sheng wheeled himself to the kitchen door and was amused by the scene before him. There were chicken feathers scattered all over the floor, and on the cutting board lay the cleaned and gutted old hen. He widened his eyes in surprise: "Officer Lu, you really know how to kill a chicken?"
“Of course.” Lu Chenyang didn’t even turn his head, his knife flashing as he deftly chopped the food into pieces. His tone carried a hint of smugness, befitting a five-star chef. However, a wisp of chicken feather had somehow gotten stuck to his head, making him look rather silly and endearing.
"Pfft—" Yu Sheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. She mischievously decided not to remind him for now, but still teased him, "As expected of the man I, Yu Sheng, have my eye on, he really knows everything! What do they call this online..." Yu Sheng thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "The feeling of a married man!"
This time, Lu Chenyang unusually didn't refute, but focused on rinsing the chicken pieces, the water gushing. With his back to Yu Sheng, he said, "When I was little, my family wasn't well-off, so I had to learn to do everything myself. I learned it through practice."
Yu Sheng rested her elbow on the armrest of the wheelchair, propped her chin on her hand, and watched his busy figure with great interest. She casually asked, "What were you like when you were a child? Tell me about it."
Lu Chenyang's hands, which had been moving smoothly, paused almost imperceptibly. He didn't turn around, but his voice clearly deepened, becoming muffled, "...I...I have no memories before I was seven years old. If you want to hear them, I can tell you what I remember."
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