Chi Yan tried to mock You Xiaoqi, but You Xiaoqi wasn’t one to back down easily. In some ways, their personalities were similar, which was likely why they became friends in the first place. There’s truth to the saying that “birds of a feather flock together.”

“Exactly! It’s when you’re young that you should be wild! What, you think you’ll have the energy for that at seventy or eighty?” You Xiaoqi’s sharp tongue left Chi Yan momentarily speechless.

“I just thought of something—what if your ‘labor force’ takes a liking to me?” Chi Yan wasn’t being vain. After all, the way he met You Xiaoqi was because You Xiaoqi’s then-boyfriend had tried to pursue him.

“If you don’t mind that I’ve already slept with him, I’ll gladly hand him over to you.” You Xiaoqi was always generous when it came to Late Yan. He had once even joked that if Chi Yan were interested, he’d clean himself up and offer himself.

Too bad for You Xiaoqi, Chi Yan had no such interest. In fact, he had once teased that You Xiaoqi wouldn’t be able to “satisfy” him. This remark struck You Xiaoqi’s pride deeply.

Though a bottom, You Xiaoqi felt his “equipment” was perfectly adequate. He even went as far as to start unbuttoning his pants, intending to prove his point. But Chi Yan stopped him, joking that he didn’t want to risk an eye infection by looking.

This stung You Xiaoqi, who nearly lost his temper. But staring at Chi Yan’s beautiful, elegant face made it hard to stay mad. “I’ll remember this! One day, if you ever get ugly, I’ll settle this score with you.”

Chi Yan just blinked innocently, pretending not to understand.

After meeting Feng Min that night, things seemed to settle down. Feng Min didn’t appear again, and Chi Yan didn’t go looking for trouble. He had always been someone who could let things go easily.

Life quickly returned to normal, until one day, Chi Yan started feeling unwell after eating some takeout stir-fry. The restaurant was right downstairs, and he thought getting it to-go would mean bigger portions than dining in. He cooked his rice at home and started eating, but after just a couple of bites, he felt a wave of nausea.

At first, he brushed it off as nothing and drank some water. But soon, his stomach was in full revolt, and he ran to the bathroom, throwing up everything he had just eaten. His stomach, throat, and head all hurt, the latter throbbing in time with his heaving.

After cleaning up and washing his face, Chi Yan sat on his couch, hugging a pillow to his stomach. He opened his phone’s browser and searched, “Why do I feel nauseous after eating stir-fry?”

The first result suggested it might be gastritis or an ulcer, aggravated by the spicy food. The recommendation was to take some medicine and stick to a bland diet.

Chi Yan had eaten from that restaurant before without issue, so he figured it was just a mild case of gastritis and nothing too serious. He put the leftover stir-fry away and decided to snack on some fruit instead.

After eating, his stomach felt better, but he was exhausted. He lay down and fell asleep from early afternoon until after five. His dreams were chaotic, filled with scenes of him running from unseen pursuers and nearly falling off cliffs.

When he woke up, feeling groggy and disoriented, his stomach had settled, but he was ravenous. Even though he hadn’t eaten much, it felt like he could devour ten pounds of meat. Stir-fry was too harsh, so he decided soup would be a better option. The mall across from his apartment complex had a restaurant that served nourishing soups.

Chi Yan got dressed, noting in the mirror that he looked a bit pale and worn out. After eating a warm, soothing soup, his body felt much better.