“Thanks for your concern.”

“Ming ge, time to eat.”

Finally having a chance to shine, the assistant confidently began feeding Ming Che.

“Okay.” Ming Che opened his mouth and ate the first spoonful of rice the assistant fed him.

“You must have known Ah Lin Gege from when he was outside, right? You must have been shocked when you found out his true identity, realizing that the person you knew was suddenly in a different world,” Song Leran said casually, as if just making small talk.

“Did you know? His family was so happy when he came back, and I’m really happy for him too.”

Ming Che was still eating, so even if he wanted to respond, he couldn’t. He could only continue listening to him talk.

“Actually, he’s really busy now. Sometimes he leaves without even having breakfast. Yesterday, he didn’t come home for dinner, and Auntie was really worried.” Song Leran stared at Ming Che.

“If you don’t mind, I can come see you every day, or would you like to switch to a better hospital? I know someone who can help arrange it.”

“Our Ming Ge has an injury on his foot, so it’s not suitable to move him,” the assistant interjected.

“That’s true. Then I’ll come see you every day. It must be boring to stay here all the time.”

“We don’t seem to be that familiar, do we?”

Ming Che finally finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and looked at Song Leran.

Ming Che thought he had a pretty good temper. Song Leran’s words didn’t make him angry; he just found it interesting. The main character shou seemed to have some hostility towards him.

Between the lines, he was telling him that he and Wen Lin were no longer in the same world, and that Wen Lin’s current family would be worried if he was with him.

“But Ah Lin Gege is really busy. If he keeps coming to see you, it’ll delay a lot of things. Don’t you think?”

“That’s true. I’ll talk to him when I see him and tell him not to come so often.”

“That’s great. I’ll thank you on behalf of Auntie. Take care and recover soon. I’ll come visit when I have time.”

Having achieved his goal, Song Leran didn’t plan to stay any longer. He left after telling Ming Che to rest well.

“Ming Ge, so that brother he mentioned is actually that investor.”

The assistant, although not knowing much, had pieced things together after listening for so long.

“Yeah.”

“So are you really planning to tell him not to come? He seems to care about you a lot.” The assistant sat on the side, finishing the leftover food.

“Well…” Ming Che had just said that to quickly get rid of Song Leran.

Initially, he had no intention of getting involved in the story of the two main characters, but now… he was a bit interested.

977 said it was impossible, so what was the reality?

…

At five in the afternoon, Wen Lin finished work and directly asked his assistant to drive to the hospital.

The ward was empty, but the belongings were still there, indicating they had just stepped out. Wen Lin asked his assistant to wait there while he went out to try his luck finding them.

To be honest, Wen Lin’s luck was quite bad. He searched many places before finally finding Ming Che, who was wearing a black baseball cap, with his assistant pushing him slowly along a path.

Wen Lin walked over, and Ming Che had a pile of paper stars on his lap.

“Ming Ge, he’s here,” the assistant whispered to Ming Che.

Ming Che looked up. The sunset wasn’t blinding, and he looked at Wen Lin. The next moment, Wen Lin suddenly squatted down.

Five years had passed, and Wen Lin had changed quite a bit, but up close, he seemed not much different from before.

“Let’s go back and eat,” Wen Lin said.

In this setting, Ming Che detected a hint of gentleness in his tone.

“Oh.”

Ming Che stuffed the pile of stars into Wen Lin’s pocket.

“Hold these for me.”

Wen Lin took over the wheelchair from the assistant and pushed him back to the room. Ming Che noticed his gaze shifting between the bed and himself. In this situation, carrying him to the bed was the simplest choice. He wondered what Wen Lin would choose.

He watched as Wen Lin bent down, slipped his hands under his legs, and lifted him up. Ming Che cooperatively wrapped an arm around his neck, releasing only when he was placed down.

Wen Lin set up the meal and began feeding him again, embodying the phrase “less talk, more action” to the fullest.

“Do you want to take off your hat?”

Only then did Ming Che realize he was still wearing the hat from when he went out. His assistant had insisted on him wearing it to avoid being recognized, as the company and crew had decided to keep his injury under wraps.

Ming Che paused in his action of removing the hat.

“Forget it, I haven’t washed my hair since I got here.”

The most inconvenient thing after getting injured was bathing, relying on the assistant for help. Thinking of this, Ming Che lowered his head in frustration.

“Do you want to wash up a bit after dinner?”

Ming Che looked up at him uncertainly, “Are you going to help me?”

“That’s normal, isn’t it?” Wen Lin said, not pausing in his actions, using a spoonful of rice to block Ming Che’s mouth, forcing him to chew with puffed cheeks.

Each subsequent bite was particularly full. Ming Che realized he was doing it on purpose and glared at him in dissatisfaction.

“I’m done.”

Ming Che kept his mouth shut, ignoring the food offered to him.

“You eat it yourself.”

As soon as Ming Che spoke, the spoon was swiftly shoved into his mouth.

So childish.

“Enough, you eat it.” Ming Che held his hand to prevent any more antics.

After dinner, Wen Lin began preparing to help Ming Che wash his hair. Although he offered to help, he didn’t have much experience.

Ming Che sat on the bed, back to him, hearing the sound of water. He felt Wen Lin using a damp towel to wipe his hair, wetting it bit by bit before applying shampoo.

Wen Lin was very careful, his fingers slowly threading through Ming Che’s hair, creating lather. To avoid getting his clothes wet, Ming Che tucked a towel inside his shirt, lowering his head to make it easier for Wen Lin to work.

Wen Lin focused on washing his hair, water droplets falling from Ming Che’s hair, trailing down his neck and disappearing into his collar. There was a faint mole there, invisible from a normal angle.

“This afternoon.”

Ming Che suddenly turned around, meeting Wen Lin’s slightly dazed gaze.

“What about this afternoon?” Wen Lin continued his task.

Ming Che smiled, “A very cute little brother came this afternoon.”

“What?”

He looked puzzled, clearly unaware of any little brother. Ming Che narrowed his eyes, not planning to reveal anything. He held Wen Lin’s hand.

“It’s fine, I think it’s about done.”

“Not clean yet.”

Wen Lin picked up a strand of Ming Che’s hair, feeling the wetness, and continued wiping with the damp towel.

By the end, Ming Che’s neck felt a bit sore. He massaged the back of his neck to relieve the tension while Wen Lin blow-dried his hair.

“All done.”

His hair was dry, and Ming Che touched it, satisfied, looking at Wen Lin.

“Thanks. Are you leaving now?”

“I’m not in a hurry.”

“Oh.”

“You really want me to leave quickly.”

Seeing the obvious displeasure on his face, Ming Che laughed, “I didn’t say that, did I?”

“Then… you don’t want me to leave.”

The ward was just the two of them. Perhaps it was the prolonged contact or something else, but many images flashed through Wen Lin’s mind, both real and dreamlike.

In any case, he reached out to Ming Che.

Ming Che didn’t dodge, allowing him to touch his face.

“If you want to stay, you can stay for a while.”

For greedy people, retreating only invites further encroachment.

“What I want to do isn’t just staying here.”

Perhaps knowing that Ming Che was currently defenseless, Wen Lin did something he had always wanted to do. Like yesterday, he pinched Ming Che’s chin, but much more gently.

This was a scene he had imagined countless times.

Getting closer and closer.

Ming Che watched as he stopped just before touching.

He wanted to kiss him but didn’t take the final step. Ming Che stared at his lips, not thinking much, and leaned in.

It was a sensation he had never experienced before. The strange feeling from his lips reached his brain, bringing a hint of pleasure.

Wen Lin’s reaction was intense when he realized what Ming Che had done. At first, he was motionless, and when he finally reacted, he couldn’t control his strength. He gripped Ming Che’s hand so tightly that Ming Che almost thought his uninjured hand would suffer too.

Ming Che knew how to kiss, but seeing Wen Lin’s state, he didn’t plan to go further. Just a touch was enough. However, he didn’t expect Wen Lin to mess up something so simple. He was too forceful, and their teeth clashed, causing Ming Che some pain.

Naturally, this couldn’t continue for long. Ming Che pushed him away. Although the process wasn’t perfect, being the first time, Ming Che curiously touched his lips. If it were just fingers, there wouldn’t be any special feeling.

“That’s the reward.”

“?”

Ming Che looked at him, his lips particularly vivid after being ravaged, his eyes moist and clear, making one feel guilty after a few more glances.

Wen Lin turned his face away, “For taking care of you.”

Ming Che blinked, feeling this was a special service.

“Rest well. I’ll be busy at noon and can’t come.”

Wen Lin picked up his clothes, giving Ming Che’s lips a final brush, a bit like claiming ownership. If his face weren’t so red, he might have seemed more imposing.

After Wen Lin left, Ming Che leaned back in bed, and 977 revealed its true form, a glowing orb floating in the air.

[Host, what are you thinking?]

[Thinking about Wen Lin. He’s quite interesting.]

[Host, do you like him?]

[I don’t know.]

He didn’t know what could be considered liking. His feelings for Wen Lin were far from uncontrollable.

…

The car drove through the night, and Wen Lin absentmindedly watched the scenery outside. It was hard not to recall what had just happened, the lingering sensation on his lips reminding him it was real.

However, his performance seemed a bit lacking. Thinking back, it was a bit embarrassing. Why hadn’t he prepared better?

“Young Master, we’re here.”

Wen Lin snapped back to reality. Outside the car window, the villa was in full view. He thanked the driver and got out of the car as usual.

On the way to his room, he ran into Song Leran again. Wen Lin thought it was too coincidental to meet him every time he came back, unless he was waiting on purpose.

“Do you need something?” Wen Lin didn’t want to beat around the bush with him.

“I just heard a noise from my room and thought it might be you coming back, so I came to check. Auntie thought you’d be back for dinner tonight.”

“You don’t need to wait for me to eat.” Wen Lin replied, walking past him without stopping.

“Ah Lin Gege.”

Wen Lin was suddenly grabbed by the hand. He quickly shook it off, his face showing some displeasure, and his tone turned cold.

“What are you doing?”

Song Leran looked like a startled deer, showing a hurt expression.

“I just want to get closer to you. I hope our relationship can improve. We used to play together a lot when we were kids.”

“I don’t remember those things anymore.”

Wen Lin glanced at him and turned to leave.

In his room, the sound of running water continued for a long time. Wen Lin washed his hands expressionlessly until he felt it was enough.

He dried his hands with a towel, took off his jacket, and was about to throw it into the laundry basket when he remembered something in the pocket.

He reached in and found a handful of stars.

He forgot to take them out and return them to Ming Che.

Oh well, maybe he doesn’t even remember.

Wen Lin looked at the stars in his hand and found a place to put them.