As soon as the door closed, Yu Yan let out a sigh of relief.

“Bring me my laptop,” Shen Yuming glanced at the time.

Yu Yan immediately grew wary. “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about work?”

Previously, when the company’s employees said Shen Yuchen was a workaholic, Yu Yan didn’t think much of it. After all, Shen Yuchen always left work on time whenever they were together. Sometimes, he would even skip work to try out trendy restaurants.

But now, despite having fractures and a concussion, he still wanted to work!

Shen Yuming could tell what Yu Yan was thinking. “There’s an electronic contract I need to sign. It was scheduled a few days ago and can’t be delayed.”

Yu Yan stayed silent, standing there and staring at Shen Yuming, unwilling to let him work in his current condition.

“Ten minutes, that’s all. Once I’m done, I’ll keep you company,” Shen Yuming smiled faintly, his deep voice calm and magnetic.

Yu Yan muttered, “Who needs your company?” but still skillfully moved the table closer to the hospital bed and turned on the laptop for him.

Once Shen Yuming had the laptop, instead of opening any electronic contract, he pulled up his chat with Yu Chen and his email.

Their chat was filled with evidence of the Qi family’s crimes.

Yu Chen had already sent him a ton of messages, including details about the assets Qi Ke had transferred overseas. The two of them meticulously verified the information to ensure no loose ends were left. They were determined to block every potential avenue for Qi Ke to make a comeback once he got out of prison.

After wrapping up, Shen Yuming scooted over slightly. “Want to join me?”

“Better not. What if I accidentally bump into you?”

The hospital’s single bed was only about 1.2 meters wide, far narrower than the spacious 2.2-meter bed at Shen Yuming’s home. Plus, Shen Yuming was the patient here—how could Yu Yan compete for space with an injured person?

“It won’t happen. My injuries are on the right side,” Shen Yuming said as he lifted the blanket to invite Yu Yan up.

Yu Yan’s body was faster than his words. He quickly kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed. “If I do bump into you or touch your injury, you better tell me.”

“Alright.”

Yu Yan originally planned to watch a movie or play a game, but Shen Yuming, with his cast, couldn’t play games. And given his mild concussion, watching movies wasn’t a great idea either.

Eventually, they ended up lying there playing on their phones. Yu Yan was busy in his group chat, explaining the details of the car accident.

“You changed the group name?”

A deep voice sounded beside his ear, the warm breath brushing against his earlobe. The familiar scent of tobacco mixed with a hint of mint lingered in the air.

Yu Yan’s ears turned red involuntarily!

He softly replied, “Yeah, He Zhiyu changed it. He wanted to be trendy.” To hide his flustered state, he scratched his ear as if nothing had happened.

Shen Yuming showed no awareness of having peeked at someone else’s chat. Instead, he leaned in closer, prompting Yu Yan to decisively place his phone between the two of them so they could look at it together.

“Is he complimenting me?”

A new message from He Zhiyu popped up on the screen: [He Zhiyu: President Shen is solid, someone worth knowing.]

“Yeah, I told them your driving skills are amazing. You even broke your bones to protect me,” Yu Yan said, his arm pressed against Shen Yuming’s. Even through the fabric, he could feel the faint warmth of his skin, and his thoughts became a jumbled mess.

Shen Yuming didn’t seem to mind. “Worth knowing for what?”

The phrase “for dating” rolled around Yu Yan’s tongue but was swallowed back in haste.

For some reason, ever since being led astray in group chats by Song Yunjing and the others, Yu Yan couldn’t bring himself to crack bold jokes in front of Shen Yuming anymore.

“Not for anything. It just means you’re a good person, someone worth forming a deep friendship with.”

The group chat suddenly shifted topics and began answering Yu Yan’s earlier question: How should I thank Shen Yuming for saving my life?

Aside from Song Yunjing and Jian Ran, who were relatively reliable, He Zhiyu and Chen Qingyu were completely coming up with random ideas.

Chen Qingyu was willing to act as He Zhiyu’s lackey, calling him “big bro” in every conversation, whether in the group chat or elsewhere. He Zhiyu, pleased with the attention, even introduced him to a movie role as an extra.

A flurry of unserious messages kept flooding the chat. Just as Yu Yan let out a sigh of relief, a new message popped up:

[He Zhiyu: Stop with all those useless suggestions. The best way to repay someone is to offer yourself!]

The moment Yu Yan read the message, his body tensed. He swiftly covered his phone with the blanket in a panic.

Shen Yuming raised an eyebrow slightly. “Hmm? What’s something I can’t see?”

“See what…” Yu Yan’s mind raced for an excuse. “Oh, no, I was just thinking about how to repay someone for saving my life.”

Shen Yuming seemed to be in a good mood. “Didn’t they already tell you?”

The phrase “offer yourself” flashed quickly through Yu Yan’s mind.

His reaction was so fast that Shen Yuming likely didn’t see the message, right?

Maybe Shen Yuming was referring to one of the earlier suggestions from the group?

Yes, that had to be it. Surely Shen Yuming wasn’t trying to tease him… right?

Yu Yan paused for a moment, then thought carefully before speaking. “This favor is too significant. No matter how much I try, I won’t be able to fully repay it. How about you decide? I’ll do whatever you ask.”

“Then… just promise to forgive me unconditionally once, as a way to say thank you,” Shen Yuming said, lightly tapping his fingers and lowering his gaze.

“Forgive you for what?”

“Anything. Just promise that if you ever get mad at me in the future, you won’t ignore me.”

“What kind of request is that?” Yu Yan boasted confidently, “Once? Ten or even eight times wouldn’t be a problem.”

This was a life-saving favor, after all! How could a simple mistake be enough to repay it?

Besides, he didn’t think Shen Yuming was capable of doing anything that he couldn’t forgive.

“Alright,” Shen Yuming agreed.

The filming of Star Origin and Embracing Spring was nearing completion, and Yu Yan started picking out gifts for his family. After all, these were gifts purchased with his own earnings for the first time, making them especially meaningful.

After selecting the gifts, Yu Yan began researching and reviewing blockbuster movies from recent years.

Unlike before, when he relied on memory to pick safe projects, this time he was starting from scratch. Even with Yang Chao and Zheng Zhuo joining the team, there was still significant risk involved.

When Yu Yan mentioned his intention to invest in making a movie, Shen Yuming didn’t discourage him. On the contrary, he enthusiastically offered to invest in the project.

“You’re willing to invest even without seeing the script?” Yu Yan teased.

Shen Yuming nodded. “I’ll invest in anything you make.”

The movie Yu Yan wanted to produce was a big-budget project. It was tough for him to fund it alone. If he sought external investors, most would only contribute a token amount out of respect for the Yu family name.

Originally, Yu Yan planned to persuade his parents and brother for funding and then look for additional investments. Unexpectedly, Shen Yuming offered to invest half of the required amount upfront, which was enough to cover the early production stages.

“Thanks, bro. Why are you so good to me?”

Yu Yan clung to Shen Yuming’s arm, trying to probe him subtly.

Shen Yuming didn’t answer directly. Instead, he countered, “Why are you so good to me?”

Yu Yan couldn’t find an answer. Only recently had he realized how well he treated Shen Yuming—so much so that even his brother Yu Chen found it unusual.

Maybe it was out of sympathy? But Shen Yuming didn’t need his sympathy.

Or perhaps it was because Shen Yuming treated him so well? Yet their first meeting hadn’t exactly been pleasant, so who changed first?

Yu Yan let out a soft hum. “Anyway, I think things are fine the way they are now. Let me show you my concept for the new movie.”

Yu Yan eagerly pulled out a crumpled A4 sheet of paper from his pocket. It was a simple relationship diagram for the characters he had drawn himself.

“This is my idea. The details will still need to be filled in by Yang Chao and Lu Zhuo.”

“Been practicing your handwriting?” Shen Yuming raised an eyebrow. He recalled how Yu Yan’s handwriting during his first contract signing had been round and childish, like a kid’s. Now, it had improved toward a semi-cursive style, showing decent progress.

“I got a calligraphy guide from Sister Xi Yuan. I wanted to pay her for it, but she wouldn’t take the money. I’ve been practicing for half an hour every day for months now. Not bad, right?”

Shen Yuming nodded. “It’s looking pretty good.”

“Hehe, Sister Xi also gave me a set of tools for writing with a brush. The felt mat is so pretty, but unfortunately, I don’t know how to use it yet,” Yu Yan said proudly, clearly pleased with his progress.

He had never publicly shared his calligraphy practice, preferring to surprise everyone with his improvement.

After glancing at the relationship diagram, Shen Yuming immediately understood the story Yu Yan wanted to tell. “This kind of concept shouldn’t be hard to attract investors.”

“It’s not hard to attract investment. I even asked Yang Chao about it. But the investors want to insert advertisements into the movie, which would feel very out of place. Besides, I don’t want to exploit everyone’s sympathy to make advertisements.”

Everyone’s sympathy is limited, and Yu Yan didn’t want to overconsume it.

Shen Yuming chuckled softly, “Just go at your own pace.”

“That works too, especially since you said you’d invest in me.”

“You won’t lack anything. Don’t worry.”

…

The next day, Yu Yan was still half-asleep when he vaguely heard an angry roar.

Yu Chen let out a sharp shout, “Why are you two sleeping together?”

Yu Yan stared blankly for a moment before realizing the current situation. He was curled up in Shen Yuchen’s arms, with one leg draped over Shen Yuchen’s side.

His head was nestled against Shen Yuchen’s neck, and when he looked up, he could see Shen Yuchen’s slightly prominent Adam’s apple.

It was oddly sexy—better looking than the male models on magazine covers.

Wait, no, this wasn’t the time to think about that!

Just as Yu Yan was about to get up, he realized that Shen Yuchen had an arm around his shoulder, seemingly to prevent him from falling off the bed.

Awkwardly, Yu Yan sat up and found that the person beside him was already awake and even holding a laptop, reviewing documents.

“Explain!” Yu Chen’s face was as dark as coal.

Yu Yan mumbled, “Um, we were watching a movie last night and forgot to go back to the other bed.”

“That’s your excuse?” Yu Chen practically spat the words through gritted teeth.

Yu Yan tried to change the topic, leaning over to grab breakfast. “Bro, did you bring this breakfast from home or buy it outside? It smells amazing.”

Yu Chen glared at him.

“You’re not even working today, but you woke up so early to bring us food. Thanks, bro. You should sit down and rest. I’ll go freshen up.”

Yu Chen, full of anger but with no outlet, gave Shen Yuming a fierce look. Shen Yuming suddenly closed his laptop, revealing the arm in a cast and the stitches on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Yu Yan came out of the bathroom, unusually brushing his teeth in the hospital room while watching Yu Chen’s reaction.

Yu Chen: “…”

What, was he some kind of villain who didn’t even have the right to be angry or ask questions?

Suppressing his frustration, Yu Chen said, “I’m leaving. Someone will deliver lunch later.”

“Hehe, thanks, bro. I knew you were the best.” Yu Yan, his mouth full of foam, spoke unclearly.

Yu Chen gave him a resentful look but ultimately said nothing.

Just as Yu Yan thought the matter was over, he finished washing up only to find that a new bed had been added to the single-patient room, separated from the original bed by a nightstand.

It wasn’t the hospital’s standard companion bed—it was slightly larger, with a layer of padding on top.

He nudged the bed frame with his foot. “Where did this come from?”

Shen Yuming looked up. “Your brother had someone bring it over.”

Yu Yan: “…”

Shen Yuming gestured toward the floor nearby. “That guy who got locked up with you brought this.”

On the floor was a box of assorted premium fruits, seemingly handpicked with care.

Yu Yan processed this for a moment. “Cao Yuanye? Where is he?”

“He left.”

“He left so quickly? Without saying anything?” Yu Yan casually snapped a photo of the fruit box and sent it to Cao Yuanye as a thank-you.

Cao Yuanye wasn’t much of a talker and almost never sent messages in group chats, but he had been sending fruits and local specialties more and more frequently.

Next month, he and his mother would be moving into the dorms. This box of fruit was probably his way of expressing gratitude to Yu Yan.

“You really want to talk to him?” Shen Yuming’s voice was low, carrying a hint of interrogation.

Yu Yan instinctively felt there was a trap in the question. “Not… not really. He was kind enough to bring things over, so I should at least show some appreciation, right?”

“You’ve helped him so much. Shouldn’t he be the one thanking you?” Shen Yuming said, slightly displeased.