Chapter 65 [VIP]
After taking the medicine, Chen Mian quickly fell asleep again, feeling dizzy. Chen Ci tidied up her things, took off her coat, and got into bed.
He held Chenmian in his arms just like when they were children, resting the boy's head on his lap, and lowered his head to play with Chenmian's hair.
Shen Mian's hair is of excellent quality, a result of the careful nurturing she received from the Shen family since childhood.
Shen Ci twirled a small tuft of hair and deliberately scratched the face of the sleeping boy.
The person in their sleep grunted in dissatisfaction, shifted their position, and covered their face with their arm.
Shen Ci stared at him for a while, then lay down beside the boy fully clothed, hugged Shen Mian, and fell asleep together.
He slept until noon. The phone beside his pillow rang tirelessly. Shen Ci reached for it, intending to hang up, but then saw that the caller ID was "Zong Bingwen". He hesitated for a moment but still insisted on hanging up. However, the sleeping man in his arms had already woken up and asked groggily who it was.
Shen Ci felt a dryness in his throat and was momentarily at a loss for words.
He couldn't help but feel annoyed, blaming himself for not glancing at the phone first instead of hanging up immediately, so he wouldn't have felt guilty.
“It’s Zong Bingwen,” he answered in a low voice, holding his breath and praying that the delirium caused by his sleep disorder would prevent him from processing the information in those words.
But he didn't fall into a deep sleep; after taking the medicine and lying down for a morning, his condition improved considerably.
He crawled out of bed, exhaled a breath of hot air, took the phone from the man beside him, and answered the call.
"Mianmian," the voice on the other end asked, both excited and a little worried, "didn't you promise to come out today?"
"Huh?" Chenmian was still half asleep and didn't remember for a moment. She straightened up and leaned against Shen Ci's chest, saying sickly, "I forgot, I'm sick."
Even without her saying anything, Zong Bingwen could tell from the boy's voice that his worries were confirmed. The man's tone became more urgent: "Mianmian, shall I take care of you? Have you taken your medicine?"
"I think I've eaten," Chenmian said with her eyes closed. "Are you free? Come over here."
The voice on the other end suddenly carried a hint of shyness, and Zong Bingwen seemed a little embarrassed: "Mianmian, I'm waiting for you downstairs at your house."
"Then come over, I feel really unwell, I'm going to sleep." She hung up the phone and lazily nestled in Shen Ci's arms. "I need to pee."
Shen Ci understood and wanted to hug Shen Mian to help him get up and get off the bed, but the boy hit him with the hand around his waist, so he had to lower his head and change his posture to help Shen Mian off the bed.
He helped Chenmian to the toilet, lifted the toilet seat, and was about to help the boy take off his pants.
His still-sleepy and confused mind was suddenly awakened by this action. He opened his eyes, his eyes wide open, and he looked a little angry: "Shen Ci, what are you doing?"
"Didn't you say you needed to use the restroom?" Shen Ci still had that submissive look on his face.
Chenmian gently pushed him: "That's enough, you've done enough. I can take off my pants myself. You can get out."
He kicked Shen Ci out.
The sound of flowing water filled the silent space, and Chenmian's face turned red—partly from the heat, and partly from being embarrassed by Chen Ci.
He recalled that a few months earlier, on the evening after he and Lin Langli had just finished, the man had also so presumptuously tried to help him urinate.
They even whistled in his ear in a very malicious way.
That's terrible!
After straightening her pajama bottoms and washing her hands at the sink, Chenmian opened the door and then threw herself onto Chen Ci, who was standing guard at the door.
This time, his fever seemed particularly high. Logically speaking, he had experienced countless minor illnesses like this before, and he shouldn't be so weak and listless now.
Someone was knocking on the gate again; it must be Zong Bingwen. Chen Mian, with her eyes closed, nudged Chen Ci, urging him to go open the door.
Zong Bingwen arrived later than Shen Ci had expected. After the man came in, Shen Ci noticed that he was carrying a bag of medicine.
He was not very happy, but said expressionlessly, "We have everything at home. I've taken care of Chenmian for so many years, I know exactly what medicine he takes and what he's allergic to."
"Oh, really?" Zong Bingwen didn't seem to have any intention of arguing with Shen Ci. The man put down his car keys and asked, "Which room is Mianmian in?"
Shen Ci reluctantly pointed out the direction.
QQ—
Zong Bingwen knocked on the door briefly, and a few seconds later he opened the door and went into the room.
As soon as he stepped outside, the chill on his body had not yet dissipated. Zong Bingwen thought for a moment, took off his coat, and walked closer to the bed.
I didn't fall asleep, but my eyelids were sore from being sick, and my eyes kept tearing up when I opened them, so I kept them closed.
Zong Bingwen first touched the boy's forehead with the back of his hand, and frowned after feeling the burning temperature.
There was still the medicine that Shen Ci had fed her that morning by the bedside. Zong Bingwen glanced at it, then got up to get Shen Mian another glass of water.
But when her clothes were gently tugged, Chenmian kept her eyes closed, her face flushed, and whispered, "Don't go, stay with me."
Zong Bingwen sat back down on the edge of the bed, his voice soft and gentle: "I won't leave, I'll stay with you."
Chenmian pulled the blanket inside and hugged it with one of Zong Bingwen's hands.
The person on the bed gradually regained their breathing regularity, and the grip on their arms loosened considerably.
Zong Bingwen smiled, removed his arm, and quietly took his coat and left the room.
Shen Ci was playing a game in the living room with the volume turned very low. Zong Bingwen only realized he was playing it on speakerphone when he walked up to him.
"Shen Ci, Mianmian is sick. Is it because of last night?" Zong Bingwen's tone was polite, but his words were not so polite.
Upon hearing this, the young man on the sofa looked up, putting the game aside: "It's good that you know. Didn't Shen Jinshan tell you that he's not in good health? You'll just go if he wants to take you outside?"
Zong Bingwen's face darkened, and he changed the subject: "Let's leave Lin Langli aside, since we haven't spent much time together. But Shen Ci, you're his brother, and we've known each other for so many years. How can you disregard human relations and try to bully Shen Mian like this?"
Seeing such a blatant attempt to seduce a mistress, Shen Ci was so angry he laughed instead.
Back then, Lin Langli didn't dare to say such things to him and Shen Mian? Now, Zong Bingwen, who has been in power for less than a day and a night, dares to act arrogantly in front of him?
However, Shen Mian was still ill, and he didn't like others bringing these disputes to his attention. Having suffered two losses at the hands of Lin Langli, Shen Ci managed to suppress his temper.
“Shen Mian doesn’t like you, so stop putting on this act,” Shen Ci thought for a moment and then said, “Also, stop speculating about my relationship with Shen Mian. We’ve been together for so many years, and our relationship isn’t something you can define.”
"No matter what, I'm Mianmian's boyfriend now." Zong Bingwen only said this one sentence.
Shen Ci was so angry that his jaw clenched and the veins on his arms bulged. He glared at the man who had barged into the room, wanting nothing more than to drive him out.
But after Zong Bingwen said that, he probably felt that arguing with Shen Ci was pointless—if Shen Ci were more capable, then Shen Mian's previous boyfriend wouldn't have been Lin Langli.
Based on Shen Mian's behavior last night, it's clear that the boy doesn't really like Shen Ci, or rather, he doesn't like him enough. He just considers him a relative, so there's nothing to be wary of.
Zong Bingwen turned and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, glanced at the remaining ingredients, and then placed an order at a nearby supermarket using his phone.
Twenty minutes later, the fresh ingredients were delivered by the property management. Zong Bingwen took the groceries, put on an apron, and began to cook skillfully.
Shen Ci didn't want to pay attention to Zong Bingwen's movements, but the sound of the range hood in the kitchen kept penetrating his ears, along with a faint aroma of food, which he keenly noticed.
He put away his phone, casually strolled into the kitchen, and pretended to casually watch Zong Bingwen cook.
"If you have nothing else to do, go wash the vegetables." Zong Bingwen gave him a cold glance.
Shen Ci snorted coldly, but still washed the vegetables.
He didn't leave after washing up; he watched how Zong Bingwen cooked the dishes and wondered if Chenmian would eat them.
Chenmian said his cooking was terrible. Is it really that bad?
The four dishes and soup were quickly prepared. Zong Bingwen found a set of small plates, put a little bit of the dishes and soup into each bowl, cut some fruit, arranged them on a plate, and sent them to Chenmian.
He had recovered from his fever while sleeping in his room, and he knew someone was cooking outside.
When Lin Langli was still alive, he would also get sick, and then the other person would cook and then bring the food to him.
Will Zong Bingwen treat him this well? Will he feed him like a baby?
As he was lost in thought, the door was gently opened, letting in the light from outside. Zong Bingwen entered carrying the portioned dishes.
"Mianmian, you're awake?" He also brought a glass of warm water. After putting down the tray, he pulled Chenmian into his arms and fed her the water.
Chenmian took two sips from the man's hand, finding it tasteless: "Did you cook? What did you make?"
"I made corn and pork rib soup, steamed minced meat and egg custard, stir-fried pea sprouts and beef, and stir-fried bitter melon."
"I don't like bitter melon," Chenmian said sullenly. "I want steamed egg custard with rice. Can you mix it for me?"
Like a little child. Zong Bingwen couldn't help but chuckle. Following Chenmian's instructions, he mixed the rice and then fed it spoonful by spoonful to the boy on the bed.
When Chenmian eats, she looks exceptionally well-behaved, with her eyes slightly lowered, revealing her thin, pink eyelids, delicate and pert nose, and cheeks slightly puffed out because she has food in her mouth.
He ate slowly, but Zong Bingwen didn't feel that a long time had passed, and watched him with a gentle smile the whole time.
After drinking half a bowl of soup, eating a few pieces of pork ribs, and then half a bowl of rice, Chenmian didn't want to eat anymore. He politely complimented her, saying, "Did Brother Bingwen make this? It's delicious!"
Zong Bingwen laughed, put down the bowl and spoon in his hand, leaned closer, and touched the boy's cheek with his lips: "Do you really like it? Don't force yourself to say it's delicious."
"It's really delicious!" Zong Bingwen's kiss was fleeting; Shen Mian hadn't even had a chance to feel the other's warmth before it vanished. He thought for a moment, then tilted his head back and gently kissed the man's chin again, as if to say, "Why are you such a good cook? Will you cook for me again in the future?"
“Yes,” Zong Bingwen answered slowly and firmly, “I will always cook for you.”
After finishing his meal, Zong Bingwen opened a small window in the room, tucked Chenmian in, and left with the tableware.
Shen Ci had already finished eating. Perhaps because he felt obligated to eat, he washed the bowl and chopsticks he had used.
Zong Bingwen glanced at him coldly and said nothing more.
While Zong Bingwen went into the kitchen again, Shen Ci, preoccupied with her own thoughts, slipped into the room where Shen Mian was sleeping.
He completely disregarded Shen Mian's warning, casually closed the door after entering the room, walked to the bed, leaned down, and kissed Shen Mian on the face without saying a word.
Shenmian opened his eyes, his gaze filled with anger. He glanced nervously at the door behind the young man and whispered, "Are you crazy?"
A note from the author:
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