ALCSRB Chapter 38

When Jiang Mingyi woke up, the first thing he saw was a plain white ceiling and an IV drip hanging above him. The long tubing connected all the way down to the back of his left hand.

He tilted his head and stared at the medicine dripping slowly, his mind sluggish for a moment before fragmented memories started to return.

He remembered clearly that he had been eating and talking with Pei Shiqing at the charity dinner, then suddenly his body began to feel inexplicably hot, and his head grew hazy and light.

He vaguely recalled Shen Xingyan carrying him into the car, and how uncomfortable he’d felt from the heat, tugging at his clothes nonstop—not just his own, but Shen Xingyan’s too.

That cool sensation was irresistible; he had instinctively leaned into it, clinging to Shen Xingyan and intimately wrapping his arms around the other’s neck.

There might have even been some more indecent behavior…

Jiang Mingyi didn’t dare to think further. He tried to sit up, but suddenly a voice came from the side.

“Don’t move. Lie down and behave,” Su Wanxin said, sitting nearby, her face looking a bit tired. “The doctor said you need to rest and be observed for two days.”

His cold, stiff fingers twitched slightly as Jiang Mingyi slowly turned his head. “Mom.”

“Yes.” Su Wanxin responded. “How could something happen to you at a simple charity event? Thankfully, it was caught early and your brother got you to the hospital in time. Otherwise, who knows what that drug might have done to your body.” Her voice still carried a trace of lingering fear.

Jiang Mingyi stopped moving. He stared at Su Wanxin for a while and then asked, “Was it the orange juice?”

Su Wanxin nodded. “Someone bribed a waiter to drug the orange juice you drank.”

“What kind of drug?”

“It was a type of psychoactive substance,” Su Wanxin answered vaguely. Seeing him lower his head, she reached out and gently patted him in comfort. “The amount wasn’t much. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Did they catch the person who drugged it?”

Jiang Mingyi didn’t even remember the waiter’s face clearly—everyone at the banquet was wearing the same uniform, and they all looked more or less the same.

Su Wanxin let out a sigh. “Yes, they caught him, and they also found out who was behind it.”

Jiang Mingyi immediately looked up. “Who was it?”

He usually didn’t go around offending people, so why would someone target him like this?

Su Wanxin hesitated for a moment, but finally told him, “It was that boy from the Lu family.”

“Lu Jingze?” Jiang Mingyi was visibly shocked when she nodded. “Why him?”

Even if that guy didn’t like him, drugging him seemed way too extreme.

Was it because of the incident where Shen Xingyan hit him?

If so, then he really was ridiculously unlucky.

“At the time, I found it hard to believe too, but it was definitely him,” Su Wanxin said. “Now that this has happened, your father and brother will take care of it. You don’t need to be afraid. Even if the Lu family has some ties with us, the children of the Shen family are not ones to be bullied by them.”

Hearing that made Jiang Mingyi furious.

This was just pure bad luck. That bastard Lu Jingze clearly didn’t dare confront Shen Xingyan directly, so he picked the softest target instead.

Ugh, his fists were clenching already.

“Don’t move, you’re still hooked up to an IV,” Su Wanxin quickly pressed down his hand when she saw his fist tighten. Thinking he was upset and heartbroken, she gently reassured him, “I know you used to like him, but the fact that he could do something like this says a lot about his character—or lack thereof.”

“Mom never interferes with your relationships, but you still need to see a person’s true character clearly.”

Jiang Mingyi relaxed his clenched fist. “Mom, I stopped liking him a long time ago.” That guy was awful—he wasn’t stupid enough to hang himself on such a crooked tree.

“Really?” Su Wanxin was surprised. “Could it be that he took the opportunity to get back at you because of that?”

“Who knows,” Jiang Mingyi muttered, his voice softening.

At that moment, the hospital room door opened and Shen Xingyan walked in.

His eyes immediately met Jiang Mingyi’s, who was looking over at him. The tension around Shen Xingyan’s mouth eased slightly. “You’re awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Jiang Mingyi watched him approach and pursed his lips. “No discomfort. It’s just…”

He trailed off, sneaking a glance at Su Wanxin beside him.

Shen Xingyan then said to Su Wanxin, “Mom, since Xiao Yi is awake now, why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’ll take care of him.”

“Alright.” Su Wanxin thought for a moment, then stood up. “I’ll come back tonight. You be good, okay?”

She gave Jiang Mingyi a few instructions before leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Mingyi’s eyes darted around mischievously. The moment he tried to move, Shen Xingyan gently pushed him back down.

“Whatever you want to say, say it lying down.” Shen Xingyan sat down on the chair and picked up an apple. “Want one?”

The apple in his hand was big and red. After a whole night of IV fluids, Jiang Mingyi’s mouth was dry and bitter, so he nodded. “I want it.”

Shen Xingyan chuckled softly and began peeling the apple.

His fingers were long and elegant, holding the large apple steadily in his hand. The fruit knife glided smoothly, cutting down in one clean stroke, and soon a long strip of peel curled down.

Jiang Mingyi’s gaze followed the long strip of apple peel, then returned to those hands. Shen Xingyan’s hands were clean, with slender fingers and well-defined knuckles. Even the faint veins on the back of his hand had a strangely seductive appeal.

As he stared at those hands, a hazy image flashed through Jiang Mingyi’s mind—he seemed to recall putting one of those fingers in his mouth last night.

“……”

Thud—the apple peel dropped into the trash can.

“Can’t wait any longer?” Shen Xingyan looked up and saw Jiang Mingyi staring at the apple in his hand, a hint of amusement appearing in his eyes. “Can you hold it yourself? Want me to slice it for you?”

Jiang Mingyi quickly averted his gaze and looked down awkwardly. He felt strangely warm—was it a side effect of the medication?

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Shen Xingyan simply sliced the apple, placed the pieces into a disposable container, and picked up a small fork to spear one.

“Forget it, I’ll just feed you.”

A piece of apple appeared in front of him. Jiang Mingyi pushed away his messy thoughts and obediently opened his mouth.

He chewed a couple of times—the apple was crisp and sweet. When he noticed Shen Xingyan watching him, he nudged the container toward him and mumbled, “Ge, you eat some too.”

“No need, you go ahead.”

After Jiang Mingyi swallowed, Shen Xingyan speared another piece and brought it to his lips. “Is there anything you want to—”

Before he could finish, his fingers were bitten.

The room went quiet for a few seconds.

Jiang Mingyi slowly let go, and the apple, now unsupported, dropped onto the blanket, leaving a small stain.

Shen Xingyan looked down, picked the apple piece up, tossed it in the trash, and used a tissue to wipe the spot on the blanket.

A soft voice of apology reached his ears: “S-sorry…”

“It’s just a bite.” Shen Xingyan threw away the tissue and looked back up. “It’s better than last night, at least.”

Jiang Mingyi blinked. What did that mean?

Shen Xingyan continued feeding him apple slices. “Last night you were holding me, biting and gnawing. That bite just now was pretty gentle in comparison.”

Cough, cough… Jiang Mingyi had just taken a bite when he heard that, and immediately started coughing, his face flushed bright red.

“I…” He stammered, about to ask something, but choked when he met Shen Xingyan’s teasing gaze.

Jiang Mingyi glared at him, puffing out his cheeks. “You’re lying!”

“Don’t believe me?” Shen Xingyan set the apple down, extended his left hand, and offered it. “See for yourself. Isn’t there a bite mark?”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes widened, staring at the hand in front of him.

Shen Xingyan lowered his gaze, pressing down the smile at the corners of his lips. “Take a good look.”

Jiang Mingyi leaned in. The hand was long and elegant, nails neatly trimmed, fingertips rounded—but he didn’t see any bite mark.

Realizing he’d been fooled, Jiang Mingyi suddenly looked up, cheeks puffed in anger. “You tricked me!”

Shen Xingyan didn’t look embarrassed at all. Calmly, he switched hands. “Oops, wrong hand. It was this one.”

This time, Jiang Mingyi didn’t believe him. He turned away, leaned back on the bed, and even lost interest in the apples.

If it weren’t for the IV in his hand, he would’ve crossed his arms to show his indignation.

“I’m not believing anything you say anymore.”

Hearing the light chuckle next to him, Jiang Mingyi got even angrier. He pursed his lips and decided to ignore him completely.

“I’m not lying. It’s really this hand.” Shen Xingyan’s tone softened as he held out his right hand. “Look, there’s a faint bite mark on my thumb.”

Jiang Mingyi didn’t want to look, but the hand was held right in front of his face—impossible to ignore.

Yet again, he didn’t see any bite mark on the thumb.

“Maybe it faded.” Realizing he might’ve pushed too far, Shen Xingyan tried to coax him gently. “You must’ve held back because you felt bad for me—didn’t want to bite too hard and leave a scar.”

Jiang Mingyi pouted. This guy was too much. He decided to give him the silent treatment for an entire hour.

“Actually, last night you bit me somewhere else.”

Hearing that, Jiang Mingyi assumed he was trying to trick him again and simply shut his eyes.

Just then, a knock came from outside the door, interrupting them. Pei Shiqing pushed the door open and walked in, followed by Pei Mingyue and Xie Zhuoyan.

Pei Shiqing called out, “Brother Shen,” before walking over to Jiang Mingyi’s bedside.

Shen Xingyan withdrew his gaze from Jiang Mingyi and said to Pei Shiqing, “Keep Xiao Yi company for a while,” then took the lead and walked out of the hospital room.

Jiang Mingyi opened his eyes again. Only he and Pei Shiqing were left in the room.

“Yi Bao, are you feeling okay?” Pei Shiqing looked him up and down, checking him over. “You look a lot better. You really scared me last night.”

He patted his chest, clearly still shaken from the events of the night before.

“You have no idea, last night you…” Pei Shiqing suddenly blushed as he spoke.

Jiang Mingyi noticed his expression and asked suspiciously, “What did I do?”

Pei Shiqing glanced hesitantly at the door, then suddenly leaned in and whispered, “Whatever was in that medicine, it made you keep saying you were hot. First, you clung to me and tried to pull at my clothes, then when Brother Shen came, you started rubbing against him.”

“On the way to the hospital, you even took off your clothes and were all over Brother Shen—hugging, kissing, even biting him. Luckily, it was just the three of us who saw.”

Jiang Mingyi was in such disbelief he almost cried out. After a long pause, he trembled as he asked, “Are you sure I… kissed my brother?”

Pei Shiqing nodded. “Yeah, and Brother Shen was super patient, trying to calm you down. But… you bit him pretty hard.”

“Where did I bite him?” Jiang Mingyi asked.

Did he really bite Shen Xingyan’s hand?

Pei Shiqing’s face turned red again. “It was when you were kissing Brother Shen… you bit his tongue.”

“?”

Come again?

Where did I bite him?