Chapter 5: Fawn Eating Meat
He had no classes today and planned to have a good sleep at home, but he forgot to turn off the alarm clock. At seven in the morning, the sharp beep of the alarm clock pierced the silence.
Ruan Xingfeng frowned, reached out from under the quilt, fumbled to turn off the alarm clock, and the remaining sleepiness was completely shattered.
He finished washing up slowly, and just as he stepped out of the room, he heard the sound of a door opening downstairs and the low conversation of two men.
He paused at the stairs, his fingertips unconsciously pinching into his palms. The person who came back with Liao Feng must be his friend, or someone else.
Ruan Xingfeng did not retreat, but he did not walk away either. He just stood there quietly, like a decoration forgotten in the corner.
Until Liao Feng's voice came from downstairs, with a bit of nonchalantness: "Ruan Xingfeng?"
He then pretended to have just woken up and walked away, his eyelashes drooping, deliberately avoiding the other man's sight. Liao Feng reached out and pulled him behind him, with a bit of boasting in his tone.
Meaning: "The one you mentioned, Ruan Xingfeng."
Xu Nuoyan looked at him with a cold gaze as if he was evaluating a commodity, then just nodded and turned to go upstairs familiarly, as if he knew the house like the back of his hand.
Liao Feng rubbed his temples and followed him upstairs. Throughout the whole process, no one said a word to Ruan Xingfeng.
He stood in the middle of the living room, his fingertips cold.
Liao Feng brought him down just to show his new "collection" to his friends, just like showing off a newly purchased work of art or a carefully raised canary.
Ruan Xingfeng's existence never requires the right to know, let alone the right to speak.
He's just a beautiful, breathing ornament.
Ruan Xingfeng saw them going upstairs together and thought they slept together. Sitting in the living room, he happened to glance at the stairwell. He didn't know when Liao Feng came down from upstairs. He had changed his clothes and looked less scary. The lion's tail and ears were exposed, which made him look cute, if it weren't for the scary fangs.
Liao Feng pressed the switch and the kitchen opened. Ruan Xingfeng stood up and helped, and inadvertently checked Liao Feng's neck to see if there were any marks.
Obviously, Liao Feng's neck was still as clean as ever, without any marks. He was very glad that it was not the kind of relationship he thought. It seemed that they were attacking each other and would definitely have a collision.
Liao Feng turned his head and saw Ruan Xingfeng grinning foolishly at the sink.
"Get out if you don't want to help. Stop grinning like an idiot." His voice was cold and hard, which frightened Ruan Xingfeng so much that he hurriedly threw the washed vegetables onto the chopping board, and the knife blade made a sharp sound when it collided with the chopping board.
There were footsteps downstairs. When Xu Nuoyan rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked into the kitchen, this was what he saw.
Ruan Xingfeng cut the vegetables very carefully, but his eyes kept drifting towards Liao Feng; Liao Feng was cooking with his back to him, his apron strings highlighting his straight back, and he was completely unaware of the burning gaze behind him.
This realization made Xu Nuoyan stop at the stairs. He was too familiar with this scene. The love that could not be hidden in Ruan Xingfeng's eyes and the indifference in Liao Feng's bones were like green and red peppers placed side by side on a chopping board, so bright and dazzling.
But this is Liao Feng. He never lowers his head to look at the thoughts at his feet, just like the sun does not care which sunflower is chasing its direction.
Xu Nuoyan: "Is Xuexi not coming over?" He walked over and half leaned against the door frame and asked. When Ruan Xingfeng heard him, the first thing he looked at was Liao Feng. The latter nodded and replied: "She has a meeting this morning and is going abroad in the afternoon." Liao Feng poured the meat into the pan and fried it in hot oil. The kitchen was filled with the sound of frying fish.
Liao Feng not only made sweet and sour pork ribs, but also made a few vegetarian dishes. After all, there was a herbivore he had to consider. This was just out of courtesy and had no other meaning.
Ruan Xingfeng was so happy when he saw a few dishes he could eat at the dinner table. He felt that Liao Feng cared about him, otherwise he would not have prepared vegetarian dishes specifically for him.
Xu Nuoyan likes sour food, while Liao Feng likes meat. Although the two carnivores seem to be eating peacefully on the surface, they are actually fighting over the meat.
Ruan Xingfeng saw this and thought that the two of them were so childish. They looked so cold and aloof, but they actually fought over meat at the dinner table.
When the last piece of meat was left, Liao Feng and Xu Nuoyan's chopsticks touched the meat at the same time, and the two of them started a chopstick war without saying a word.
Ruan Xingfeng didn't dare to look up, for fear of getting involved in the fight over the meat. But when the two of them were fighting with their chopsticks, they used too much force and the meat flew into Ruan Xingfeng's bowl. The two of them instantly shifted their gaze from the plate in the middle to Ruan Xingfeng, looking at him expectantly.
Ruan Xingfeng felt embarrassed when they looked at him, and he didn't know what to do. When he picked up the meat, Liao Feng thought he would give it to him, but unexpectedly, Ruan Xingfeng opened his mouth and ate it himself.
Liao Feng and Xu Nuoyan looked at Ruan Xingfeng in disbelief. This was the first time they saw herbivores eating meat. It was a scary scene.
The air became eerily quiet. The two of them just looked at Ruan Xingfeng without moving their chopsticks. Seeing that he had actually swallowed it, they both swallowed their saliva at the same time, thinking in their hearts what a cruel person he was.
Ruan Xingfeng's normal complexion lasted only a minute, then he turned pale and ran to the bathroom to vomit. As expected, herbivores cannot eat meat. He leaned against the sink, feeling a little weak. His body began to itch, and soon a rash appeared.
Seeing that he had not come out for a long time, Liao Feng guessed that he might be feeling uncomfortable after eating meat, but when he heard the sound of a fall in the bathroom and smelled blood, he wondered what had happened to the deer. He got up and quickly went to the bathroom, where he saw the deer lying on the ground with blood on its head.
Maybe he hit something when he fell due to exhaustion. Liao Feng reacted quickly and called Xu Nuoyan to come in and save him. When Xu Nuoyan came in with a medical kit, Liao Feng was stopping Ruan Xingfeng's bleeding.
He quickly gave Ruan Xingfeng first aid and only breathed a sigh of relief when he ensured that his life was not in danger. This little deer was really weak. Eating a bite of meat could cause so many chain reactions.
Liao Feng was still worried, so he took Ruan Xingfeng to the hospital. Xu Nuoyan hadn't rested for more than a month, and he wanted to sleep, so he didn't go with them.
The lights in the hospital were pale and cold, and the smell of disinfectant was pungent. Ruan Xingfeng was wheeled into the emergency room. The doctor's face was solemn after the examination:
"Severe stomach cramps, electrolyte imbalance, and mild concussion." The doctor flipped through the report and frowned at Liao Feng. "Is he a herbivore?"
"Yeah." Liao Feng sat aside with a blank expression.
"Herbivorous species consuming animal protein will suffer from acute rejection, which can lead to organ failure in severe cases." The doctor said in a serious tone, "He must be hospitalized for two days of observation."
Liao Feng said "hmm" indifferently, as if he was just listening to an insignificant notice.
Ruan Xingfeng lay on the hospital bed, his fingers unconsciously tugging at the sheets, his voice weak: "...I can go home, no need to stay in the hospital..."
"Shut up." Liao Feng glanced at him, "The doctor has the final say."
Ruan Xingfeng immediately fell silent and dared not refute anymore.
During the days in the hospital, Liao Feng came almost every day. I don’t know what his mood was, but he always brought food every time he came, although his attitude was always bad.
Xu Nuoyan started to go to work as usual, and when he was free, he would come to his ward for a stroll and mock Liao Feng. Today was the same. He helped to get Ruan Xingfeng's infusion, and then sat by the bed waiting for Liao Feng to come and grab some food.
Liao Feng was already annoyed by the smell of disinfectant when he came to the hospital every day, and now Xu Nuoyan was provoking him like this, which was really adding insult to injury.
Liao Feng walked in and kicked the chair where Xu Nuoyan was sitting. He placed the snacks and lunch box in Ruan Xingfeng's arms, then turned to Xu Nuoyan and said, "Don't you have to go to work?"
Xu Nuoyan didn't answer his question and was about to take the snacks that Ruan Xingfeng had put aside, but was stopped by Liao Feng again, "Are you sick? How old are you and still fighting with children?"
Xu Nuoyan: "Then you also value love over friendship, so you brought him food and gave me nothing." There was a lot of tension between the two of them, but there was no real quarrel. Ruan Xingfeng ate his meal and pricked up his ears to listen to them.
Liao Feng was speechless after being confronted by him, but he couldn't find any words to refute. He really couldn't win the argument with Xu Nuoyan.
Liao Feng: "Okay, I'll treat you to dinner now." He was annoyed by Xu Nuoyan's sarcastic words. He glanced at Ruan Xingfeng on the hospital bed and walked to the door. Xu Nuoyan nodded and went out. When he was about to change clothes and go to dinner with him, the young nurse came running to find him. Xu Nuoyan put on his white coat again and ran out of the lounge.
Liao Feng looked at his back and suddenly felt distressed. Xu Nuoyan had been unable to eat properly and rest properly for nearly ten years.
Liao Feng couldn't help but think of his primary school days, when the three of them were carefree.
But as they grow older, they have people they love and goals to strive for. They gain a lot, but also lose too much.
When Xu Nuoyan walked into the conference room, he found out that the director he was going to meet today was a returned overseas director, who was the only director of both neurology and neurosurgery in the hospital.
At first, Xu Nuoyan was not interested in this overseas returnee, but after hearing that he was the only dual-department director in the entire hospital, he couldn't help but want to see who this powerful person was.
When the man pushed the door open and walked in, Xu Nuoyan felt as if his heart had stopped beating. It turned out that day was not an illusion, that man really came back.
A man's cool and elegant voice echoed in the conference room: "Hello everyone, I am Ran Yian, the new director of the Department of Neurosurgery. I look forward to your guidance in the future."
Before he finished speaking, there was thunderous applause. Only Xu Nuoyan looked at Ran Yian, with an indelible attachment in his eyes. However, Ran Yian's gaze stayed on him for a while and then moved away. He seemed not to recognize Xu Nuoyan. After all, they had only met a few times, and the last time they met was 10 years ago. It was normal that he couldn't remember.
After the meeting, Xu Nuoyan was still standing there motionless. Before leaving, Ran Yian glanced at Xu Nuoyan. This person was really familiar. When he was about to leave, something hit his mind.
Promise...
Memories came flooding back like a tide, and that name and that youthful face finally coincided. The boy who had confessed his love to him in medical school ten years ago had now grown into this appearance.
He was dazed for a moment, then turned and walked towards the office. So what if it was him? Ten years had long since faded the naive heartbeat of youth.
But Xu Nuoyan's eyes were always following that figure. When he came to his senses and rushed out the door, the corridor was already empty.
Just then, Liao Feng came from the other end, his face also full of disbelief.
"He's really back?" Liao Feng's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, with a hint of tentativeness. When Xu Nuoyan mentioned it that day, he thought it was an illusion caused by his friend missing him so much.
But he had just seen Ran Yian passing by in a white coat, and the shock had still kept him from calming down.
Xu Nuoyan nodded and wanted to speak but couldn't say anything. Liao Feng patted his shoulder. Liao Feng had always hoped that he would give up Xu Nuoyan.
But even though the two of them had no contact in the past ten years, Xu Nuoyan still couldn't forget him. He always missed that person by looking at the photos he took, and cried calling his name when he was drunk.
Liao Feng's words made Xu Nuoyan see hope after his collapse: "Now that we are in the same hospital, it will be much easier for you to pursue him." He raised his head and gained confidence from the other's firm eyes.
Liao Feng looked at the time and it was time for him to go back to the company. He chatted with Xu Nuoyan for a few words and then went back.
Ruan Xingfeng lay on the bed, staring at the pale ceiling in a daze.
The lingering smell of hospital disinfectant lingered, and the occasional chirping of birds outside the window made the ward even quieter. He had already taken several days off, and he must have fallen behind in his classes. Even more frustrating was that he couldn't even get out of bed to draw his designs.
My fingers unconsciously clenched the sheets, my knuckles turning slightly white. Countless ideas surged through my mind, but my body was trapped in this hospital bed, unable to do anything.
"Tsk..." He closed his eyes irritably, his chest feeling stuffy and anxious.
Another week passed, and Ruan Xingfeng was finally discharged from the hospital. However, when he pushed open the familiar door and stepped into the magnificent apartment, he felt suffocated.
The crystal chandelier reflected cold light, the expensive furniture had a cold and hard texture, and the huge space was so quiet that even breathing seemed harsh.
Like a canary stuffed back into its cage.
And the man who supported him still seldom came back. Even if he did, it was only for that matter. He never asked about his health, let alone what he was thinking.
Ruan Xingfeng stood at the entrance, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the door frame, and suddenly he pulled the corners of his mouth and laughed at himself.
How could he be so naive as to think that person would care about "Ruan Xingfeng"?
His knuckles tightened against the cold metal doorframe, and he took a deep breath, turning and heading towards the living room.
Outside the French windows, dusk was falling, casting a gray-blue shadow on the expensive furniture. His eyes swept over the unopened gift box on the coffee table and walked straight to the easel in the corner.
The window was open and a cold wind blew in. He shrank his shoulders. Autumn seemed to have arrived silently along with the last rain. Winter was about to come too.
When the pen finally came to rest, he exhaled. Lines grew wildly across the paper, as if trying to purge whatever was stagnant in his chest. Only then did he feel like "Ruan Xingfeng," not a docile pet on Liao Feng's bed, or even just another exquisite ornament in this mansion.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard on the second floor. His back stiffened, and his pencil snapped onto the paper.
Liao Feng walked down the stairs leisurely with steady steps, his posture as straight as a pine tree. The well-tailored suit fit his figure perfectly, making him look even more handsome and elegant.
He casually put one hand in his pocket and nonchalantly twirled the lighter with the other hand. The golden shell gleamed coldly under the light.
When he came in front of Ruan Xingfeng, Liao Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gaze slowly swept from the top of Ruan Xingfeng's head to his toes, looking him up and down.
He frowned slightly, opened his thin lips, and said with a bit of disgust: "Are you discharged from the hospital? Go take a shower, you smell of disinfectant." The voice was low and magnetic, and revealed an unquestionable command tone.
Ruan Xingfeng came back to his senses, nodded, and got up to go to the bathroom. Liao Feng's attention was attracted by the design drawing on the table. He walked to the sofa, picked up a piece of draft paper, and looked at it carefully. He felt that the design draft was a little familiar, and at another glance it was the general outline of this apartment.
Liao Feng felt a little strange, but when he saw the laptop screen display "half an hour left before submitting the assignment", Liao Feng didn't know what happened to him but picked up the pencil and completed the design drawing, took a photo of the design drawing, and then imported it into the laptop and sent the assignment successfully.
He didn't know what the assignment was. After all, he was not familiar with this major and was not interested in it. He just thought the painting was very good.
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