Chapter 3

Shen Yuanting said that he was close, it was really close, so close that when he rushed over, Yan Zhao’s heart trembled.

He had already searched all the way here, he wouldn’t be late, this cat wouldn’t die soon, right?

Fortunately, Shen Yuanting’s words dispelled Yan Zhao’s doubts.

He said, “I’ve searched this place but haven’t found it.”

The man’s hand hung above the curled-up body of the cat, wanting to touch but not daring to approach.

This was self-blame.

“The rain is so loud, and the night is dark. Not finding it is not your fault. Besides, we’ve found it now,” Yan Zhao comforted, looking down at the small coal ball in his arms. “Let’s hurry to the pet hospital. I searched for the nearest one, and I just called; there’s a doctor on duty.”

Finding it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. Wang Zai is truly on the brink of life and death.

Shen Yuanting glanced at him. In the dark night, Yan Zhao couldn’t discern his expression.

It should be gratitude…?

— Anyway, it’s a good thing. Otherwise, if I find the cat for you, and you still resent me, that would be too inhumane!

Shen Yuanting opened the passenger door, nodding towards Yan Zhao, indicating, “Get in my car.”

Yan Zhao pointed to the side, “I have a car.”

Such heavy rain, if he had to rely on two legs to walk, he would have collapsed halfway.

Shen Yuanting frowned, “How long have you been searching? Driving fatigued at three in the morning, aren’t you afraid of accidents?”

The tone of his words clearly showed concern, but it somehow carried a feeling of “are you looking for trouble?”

“Are you not driving fatigued? Do you have the qualification to criticize me?” Yan Zhao retorted, sitting in the car with a hint of complaint and a straight posture.

After searching for so long, he was indeed tired, and very cold.

Yan Zhao stared at the tip of his shoes, as if walking barefoot in cold water.

His vision darkened as a black coat rudely covered him from above, still carrying the warmth of body heat.

Yan Zhao grabbed the coat and popped his head out, “You—”

The sound of the engine igniting echoed, and the dim scenery outside the window shifted backward. Shen Yuanting stared straight ahead, wearing only a thin shirt with broad shoulders, “Don’t catch a cold. I already owe you a favor.”

“Be a bit gentler. Just covering me is fine, but if you cover a girl like this, you’ll be dead.” Yan Zhao complained, and his mouth involuntarily curled upwards.

…

He tightly held onto the coat, which still had a faint scent of cologne, and Wang Zai moved in his arms, sticking a small black nose out from the gap.

While Shen Yuanting dealt with paperwork, Yan Zhao sat on the chair and waited.

His elbow rested on his thigh, his upper body leaned forward, and his head naturally hung down, with water droplets hanging from the tips of his hair.

His eyes began to struggle to stay open, shaking his head to shake off drowsiness.

As a popular celebrity, how could he possibly fall asleep in public?!

Wiping away the dampness on his forehead, a pair of leather shoes entered his field of vision, stopping in front of him.

Yan Zhao lifted his head, a strand of hair disobediently falling down, blocking his right eye.

In the bright light, no detail remained hidden.

A droplet of water slid down from his temple, gliding across the handsome face of the man. It followed to the neck, flowing into the shirt, leaving an inconspicuous water mark.

Having just calmed down from intense emotions, the rise and fall of his chest still showed some signs. His eyes, hiding all emotions, resembled a lake surface struck by night rain, shimmering like scales.

Yan Zhao moved his fingers and suddenly felt like laughing. Thinking about it, this was his first meeting with Shen Yuanting. One a star, the other a CEO, they should have appeared dazzlingly, but each looked more disheveled than the other, presenting their worst states directly to each other.

He stood up, his knees a little weak and his cheeks a little warm.

Clearly, he was freezing moments ago… could his body be so tired that it’s malfunctioning?

“How’s Wang Zai?” he asked, his throat feeling a bit obstructed.

Damn, he couldn’t be getting sick. The cost of looking for a cat was quite high.

“At the moment, everything’s fine. Still observing. The doctor said we have to wait until tomorrow morning for a definite result.” The image of Wang Zai curled up in a small bundle flashed before him as Shen Yuanting clenched and then loosened his fist. Lifting his gaze, he stared at Yan Zhao’s face, now flushed abnormally. His brow furrowed again. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Yan Zhao felt like Shen Yuanting’s brow had never relaxed, either forming a three-dimensional “川” or a plain one.

“No need.” Yan Zhao grabbed a corner of his coat, and turned his head to avoid Shen Yuanting’s eyes, so he didn’t notice the hand reaching out to him. “This is just a minor illness, I just need a good night’s sleep—ah!”

Yan Zhao stumbled a few steps, his wrist was grabbed , and the force applied almost dragging him along. He had to quicken his pace to catch up, walking side by side with Shen Yuanting.

“I get it. I’ll go to the hospital. Let go of my hand!” With one hand held and the other gripping the man’s coat to prevent it from falling, Yan Zhao shouted.

The burning temperature on his wrist left, and Yan Zhao let out a sigh. He pulled the mask on his chin up to cover his face.

Better safe than sorry. Paparazzi are cunning creatures, especially active at night. If a picture of him hand in hand with a man was taken, his idol career would be over.

Leaning back, he pressed his upper body weight on the seat.

Closing his eyes, he fumbled to fasten the seatbelt and instructed, “Go to a private hospital. I’ll take a nap; wake me up when we arrive.”

Shen Yuanting responded: “okay.”

Relying on the sporadic light in the darkness, he guessed the passing of the car and the street lamps. Shen Yuanting seemed to be on the phone with his secretary, telling him to go back and rest, taking a day off tomorrow.

Later, all lights and sounds were like stones dropped into the sea, sinking into the quiet yet turbulent depths.

…

“Who is this?”

What a voice. Who’s playing a radio drama in my room, and with such a deep bass voice?

Yan Zhao wrinkled his nose as the man’s low and magnetic voice entered his ears. It took him a moment to react, and gradually, the meaning of the words became clear.

“He has a fever, so he took the day off today.”

Right, he should be on his way to the hospital!

Yan Zhao opened his eyes, and faint light shone into his pupils.

Thick curtains were drawn, making the room dim, but it was evident that it was morning.

Is this not the hospital? Did he return to Shen’s house?

The space here was bright and open, with potted green plants on the balcony and a guitar hanging on the wall. The decoration and layout exuded a sense of life. Of course, the most important thing was that it was messy. If a hospital ward looked like this, it should be shut down.

The man sat on the edge of the bed, with broad shoulders and narrow waist, with a cellphone by his ear, engaged in a conversation.

“I remember. Do you need anything?”

“No need. The hospital will take care of it for him.”

“I know.”

“If there’s nothing else, hang up.”

Yan Zhao sat up, placing his hand on the blanket and asked, “Who were you talking to?”

The other person would take five minutes to respond with just one sentence. He was really aloof.

“Awake?” Shen Yuanting put his phone back on the bedside table, turned to the side, and said, “Your teammate, Ning Yunfan. He asked you were late today.”

Upon hearing the word “late,” Yan Zhao reflexively tensed his back, but quickly relaxed again, lazily propping a pillow behind his waist.

There were no scheduled activities today, no filming or recording advertisements. Being late would only mean being late for training.

“I heard it. Thanks for helping me take the day off.” Yan Zhao said, and suddenly a dying cat flashed in his mind. He quickly added, “How is Wang Zai?”

A weak meow came from the corner of the room, and Yan Zhao looked in the direction of the sound, seeing a small black fur ball lying on a stool.

Although the voice was feeble, being able to leave the hospital meant it wasn’t a serious problem.

“You’re sick yourself, yet you still have the energy to care about it?” Shen Yuanting teased him, standing up and pulling open the curtains, allowing bright sunlight to fill the room.

“Meow!” Wang Zai let out a disgruntled meow, seemingly a bit unhappy.

Shen Yuanting patted its head, admonishing, “You too, instead of sleeping in your own bed, you come over here.”

“Wang Zai came to visit me?” Yan Zhao was a bit surprised, but then a warm feeling surfaced in his heart. It really was a cute little animal.

Shen Yuanting said, “There’s medicine on the bedside table.”

“Oh.” Yan Zhao responded, putting the medicine in his mouth and taking it with water. The water was warm, just the right temperature.

From the corner of his eye, he saw there was a needle mark on the back of his hand, contrasting with his clean skin, looking a bit harsh.

Yan Zhao exclaimed, “…I had an IV?”

Shen Yuanting’s words directly confirmed his thoughts: “You had a high fever, couldn’t be awakened even when called, so we gave you an IV to bring down the fever.”

Yan Zhao nodded, exhaling a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness he slept through it! He was not very sensitive to most pains, except for the sharp pain of getting a shot.

Seeing Yan Zhao’s relieved expression, Shen Yuanting raised an eyebrow, wondering if getting sick was something to be happy about.

Yan Zhao lifted his gaze, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Did you carry me up here alone?”

Shen Yuanting replied indifferently, “Who else would do it?”

Yan Zhao stared at the silk pajama cuff, saying, “Nothing, thank you.”

Regardless of the original relationship between Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting, they were legal partners, and they must have faced each other candidly long ago.

But.

However…!

“Aren’t you going to work?” Yan Zhao attempted to change the topic, but as soon as he asked, he realized he had asked a silly question.

Shen Yuanting was a president, and his father was the chairman. He didn’t need to worry about the troubles of a regular office worker, clocking in on time.

Leaning against the desk, Shen Yuanting replied calmly, “Took half a day off.”

Although Yan Zhao speculated that Shen Yuanting’s leave might not be entirely for him, even if his factor in it was only 1%, it was still a reason to celebrate. After all, Boss Shen had once coldly told the male protagonist, Ning Yunfan, “Feeling so sad that you want to die for me? Are you sick? Move, you’re blocking my way.”

So cold! Ruthless! Lacking gentlemanly demeanor! No wonder you can’t be the main Gong!

Yan Zhao smirked triumphantly, but then he noticed a deep shade of blue under Shen Yuanting’s eyes. His heart sank, and he worriedly asked, “Your dark circles are so heavy. Have you been staying up all night?”

Shen Yuanting glanced at him, indifferent, “And what if I have?”

What if! Even though you’re the boss and won’t easily succumb, at least consider your heart, brain, and hair!

Feeling suddenly guilty, Yan Zhao shifted his position, making space on one side of the bed, “Take a nap for a while.”

Shen Yuanting looked at him thoughtfully, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, “Is your brain burned out?”

Yan Zhao: “…”

How does this person talk?

Before Yan Zhao could educate Boss Shen on the art of conversation, Shen Yuanting dropped a bombshell: “When did I ever sleep with you?”

Yan Zhao: “…”

— Haven’t, haven’t we slept together?!

— Is it that we haven’t “slept” together, or we never even slept together at all?!

Why wasn’t this crucial information mentioned in the original work? The protagonist has had numerous intimate encounters with the main Gong overnight, but is it too much to ask for a mention of the supporting character’s love life?!

But the original body is supposed to seduce the main Gong later and succeed, so the problem must not lie with him!

Before Yan Zhao could contemplate whether Shen Yuanting might be frigid, he heard him leisurely ask again, “I wanted to ask you yesterday, aren’t you afraid of cats? You usually go around avoiding Wang Zai.”

There is no way this plot can go on!