Qiao Yun turned her head, hands on her hips, “Laugh, laugh, laugh, you still have the nerve to laugh. Do you know how worried everyone has been about you?” As she spoke, her eyes suddenly turned red, “What would we do if something really happened to you?” Xia Zimu was momentarily stunned. It was the first time he had seen Qiao Yun cry like this, and he couldn’t help but apologize, “Mom, I’m sorry…”

Qiao Yun sniffed, reached out to touch his head, “Last night, Xia He stayed with you the whole night, then went straight to work early this morning. When you get out of the hospital, you should thank him properly.” Hearing Xia He’s name, Xia Zimu’s body stiffened, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he felt a bit disappointed inside.

Seeing him down, Qiao Yun couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Did you and Xia He have a fight?” Xia Zimu shook his head lightly, “No, of course not.”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll have someone bring it to you,” Qiao Yun asked again. Maybe because of the medication, Xia Zimu didn’t have much of an appetite, and in the end, Qiao Yun insisted he drink a little mild porridge. After taking the medication, Xia Zimu felt drowsy, but his mind remained very clear, which reminded him of what happened that night.

[Flashback] Xia He had forcefully kissed Xia Zimu on the corner of his mouth and domineeringly confessed, “I damn like you!” At that moment, Xia Zimu was completely stunned, frozen. Xia He took the opportunity to kiss him again, his eyes full of affection, “Mu Mu, I like you. Don’t like Nanxing anymore, okay?” In that moment, Xia Zimu’s heart almost leapt into his throat. He instinctively covered his mouth and looked at Xia He in disbelief, nervously asking, “You’re joking, right?” Even now, he couldn’t quite believe that his childhood friend, someone he had grown up with, would like him.

Xia He tightly hugged Xia Zimu, his gaze firm and sincere, with no hint of jest in his tone, “Mu Mu, I’m not joking. I only like you, only you.”

Xia Zimu was taken aback by the sudden embrace. His body stiffened in Xia He’s arms, unsure of what to do. To prove his sincerity, Xia He gently took his hand and guided it to his strong chest, “Only when I’m with you does my heart race this much.”

The sound of Xia He’s strong heartbeat transmitted through Xia Zimu’s palm, reverberating in his ears with every thud, as clear as a drumbeat. Xia Zimu felt as if he had been burned, quickly pulling his hand away. He couldn’t look Xia He in the eyes, his head lowered, his ears bright red like blood, “I…”

Xia He sighed, already knowing he had scared him, but he didn’t regret it. After all, sooner or later, his jealousy would disrupt the balance between them. He reached out to touch Xia Zimu’s head, but Xia Zimu stepped back, avoiding him. Xia He looked at his empty hand, his gaze darkened, “Mu Mu, do you hate me now?”

Xia Zimu quickly denied, “No, no, I don’t hate you. I just don’t know what to say…”

In truth, Xia Zimu was conflicted inside. He really didn’t know how to face Xia He anymore. It must have been because Xia He drank too much tonight, and he was definitely dreaming. Yes, it had to be a dream. Xia Zimu lowered his head, muttering to himself as he tried to self-hypnotize.

But Xia He didn’t give him any chance to avoid it. He forcefully lifted Xia Zimu’s head, their eyes meeting, “Mu Mu, can’t you give me a chance to pursue you, to love you?”

Xia Zimu, feeling deeply embarrassed, turned his head away, trying to change the topic, “I’m so tired, I want to sleep.”

Xia He didn’t wait for his answer and lowered his head in disappointment, his eyes red, “Okay, goodnight, Mu Mu.”

Xia Zimu covered his head with the blanket, lying on Xia He’s soft bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep at all. After a while, with the sound of the door closing, Xia He left the room. Xia Zimu sighed in relief, irritatedly scratching his hair, “What’s going on here!”

The person who should have confessed didn’t, and the least likely person ended up bravely pursuing love… and it was me!

The more Xia Zimu thought about it, the less he could sleep. His mind kept flashing between Xia He’s confession and the image of him kissing him. Thinking about that kiss, Xia Zimu touched the corner of his mouth, hissing as he couldn’t help but complain, “Xia He, are you a dog or something?” Not only did he steal his first kiss, but he also made his lips bleed!

Really pissed off!

Zhou He left the room and turned to go to the study. He decided to give Xia Zimu some space to be alone, hoping that he would think things through and, hopefully, accept his confession. Otherwise… Thinking about the possibility of being rejected, a hint of gloom flashed in Zhou He’s eyes. “Mu Mu, don’t make me wait too long…” Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what crazy thing he might do…

The whole night, both of them couldn’t sleep. Xia Zimu stayed up the entire night and only started feeling sleepy as the sky brightened. Zhou He made breakfast, opened the door, and saw that Xia Zimu was still asleep. He left a note and went out.

…

Xia Zimu thought about what happened that night, and a blush slowly spread across his cheeks. He kept thinking about how to face Zhou He if he came over later. When Shen Nanxing and Fu Zhiyuan arrived, Qiao Yun wasn’t in the room. Xia Zimu was the only one lying in bed, looking troubled.

Shen Nanxing cleared his throat, interrupting his thoughts, “What are you thinking about?” Xia Zimu snapped out of it and, upon seeing them, his eyes visibly lit up. “Wuwu X﹏X, Nanxing, you finally came to see me!”

Shen Nanxing hurriedly explained, “I came yesterday too, but you weren’t awake then.”

“Really? I’m so touched, wuwu X﹏X.” Xia Zimu wiped away the nonexistent tears on his face.

Fu Zhiyuan coughed and gestured for him to stop. Xia Zimu pretended to just notice Fu Zhiyuan’s presence, “Oh? Uncle Fu, you’re here too?”

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t dare talk to Fu Zhiyuan like this, but now he was the patient, and Fu Zhiyuan surely wouldn’t dare do anything to him. Xia Zimu grew bolder and acted pitiful in front of Shen Nanxing, “Nanxing, I want to go to the bathroom, can you help me?”

In truth, he didn’t need to go to the bathroom. He just wanted to get closer to Shen Nanxing and annoy Fu Zhiyuan. Hmph! It was all because Fu Zhiyuan stole Nanxing away. That scheming old man was utterly despicable!

When Shen Nanxing heard him say he needed to go to the bathroom, he secretly thought, “No wonder he looked at me like I was a savior, turns out he was just holding in his pee!” He glanced at Xia Zimu with a touch of sympathy and said, “Wait here, I’ll get you a wheelchair.”