CH 3

Chapter 3 

Qin Jizhen looked extremely flustered as he glanced at the person sitting beside him, who was clutching his head and seemed to be enduring pain. He was so worried that tears welled up in his eyes. “Liansheng ge, are you alright?”

“What on earth happened? What’s wrong with you… I… I’ll call for emergency help right now, just wait a moment, I’ll…”

Just as Qin Jizhen took out his phone to make a call, someone snatched it from his hand and tossed it onto the nearby sofa. “No… no need…”

“What’s going on? Liansheng ge, you… don’t scare me… what happened exactly…”

Xia Liansheng gritted his teeth, bearing the intense pain coursing through his body, and tried to speak as gently as possible. “It’s nothing, I’ll be fine in a moment, don’t worry… I’m okay…”

Qin Jizhen wiped away his tears. “No, I’m calling for emergency help, just wait a moment, I…”

Xia Liansheng hastily held him tightly in his embrace. “It’s okay… it’ll get better in a little while… just wait a bit longer, it’s normal… I’ll explain later.”

Qin Jizhen leaned weakly against his chest. “Are you really okay? Liansheng ge, you look like you’re in so much pain…”

“It’s nothing, give me two minutes… would I lie to you?”

He held him, resting his head on Qin Jizhen’s shoulder, and whispered, “It’s fine, Jizhen, don’t be afraid… Xiaozhen, don’t worry… I’m fine.”

In this way, Qin Jizhen gradually calmed down under Xia Liansheng’s reassurance. Finally, with sniffles, he still had some doubts and asked, “Are you really okay?”

“It’s a normal reaction… I… I’ll explain later, don’t worry…”

The two of them embraced each other on the sofa, without saying a word. Time passed by, second by second. After about ten minutes, Xia Liansheng finally regained his composure.

At that moment, Xia Liansheng was drenched in sweat from head to toe. “Jizhen?”

Qin Jizhen, perhaps feeling particularly at ease leaning against him, seemed a bit drowsy, as if he was about to fall asleep. However, upon hearing his voice, he rubbed his eyes and woke up.

“Liansheng ge? Are you alright now?”

Xia Liansheng nodded. “I’m fine now. I told you I’m fine, look, I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s really great, Liansheng ge… what exactly happened to you just now?”

Xia Liansheng squinted his eyes. “I don’t know what happened either. I just suddenly felt excruciating pain all over my body, but my instinct assured me that nothing serious would happen.”

Qin Jizhen asked, “Hmm? What does that mean?”

Xia Liansheng smiled and replied, “I mean I’m fine. By the way, I’m all sweaty. Can I take a shower here?”

Blushing, Qin Jizhen said, “Um… I… I don’t have your clothes here.”

“It’s alright, I have them in my car. Can you get them for me?” Xia Liansheng asked.

Qin Jizhen took him to his room and said, “You can take a shower. I’ll get your clothes. By the way, where are the keys?”

Xia Liansheng took out the keys from his pocket and handed them to Qin Jizhen, saying, “Here you go. There’s a bag in the trunk with the clothes inside.”

“I understand. I’ll get them for you,” Qin Jizhen replied.

As Xia Liansheng watched Qin Jizhen, red-faced, going downstairs with the car keys, he suddenly realized something and followed him, saying, “Forget it, I’ll go with you. I heard some strange noises outside earlier, and I’m worried.”

Qin Jizhen asked, “But we’re at my home. What is there to worry about?”

“Don’t worry, I want to be with you,” Xia Liansheng assured him.

They opened the door and went outside. Xia Liansheng carefully observed their surroundings, relieved to find no unusual activity. In the darkness, Qin Jizhen didn’t notice that Xia Liansheng’s eyes had momentarily turned into vertical pupils. After retrieving the clothes, they returned inside.

Just as they were about to close the door, Qin Jizhen heard a chilling scream from a distance. Startled, he hid in Xia Liansheng’s embrace and asked, “What’s going on? That scream…”

Xia Liansheng held her tightly and comforted, “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m here.”

“But… outside…,” Qin Jizhen stuttered.

“It’s fine, don’t be afraid. I’m here. Don’t worry about what’s happening outside. It has nothing to do with us. It’s late now; let’s rest and deal with it tomorrow,” Xia Liansheng reassured him.

“By the way, let’s check all the doors and windows tonight. We should make sure they’re locked to avoid any issues,” Xia Liansheng suggested.

Nervously, Qin Jizhen nodded and said, “Okay, I understand.”

They carefully inspected all the doors and windows, except for the occupied rooms, and breathed a sigh of relief once they confirmed everything was secure.

Xia Liansheng took a shower in Qin Jizhen’s bathroom, changed his clothes, and then sat on the edge of the bed, next to Qin Jizhen.

Qin Jizhen froze for a moment and then awkwardly stood up. “Um… Liansheng, I actually prepared a guest room for you next to my room… You can sleep there, if you want.”

Xia Liansheng nodded and replied, “Alright, I’ll go sleep there then. You should rest early too. Sweet dreams.”