After the two of them whispered for a while, Shen Kuangye finally thought to check the time. If there was still a chance, he wanted to play ranked matches.
But the phone clock told him it was already past nine in the evening.
He had slept until now.
No wonder Xingxing and the others had already eaten dinner.
Shen Kuangye tried to get out of bed, but Lu Xiangyang quickly stopped him: "You just got your fever down. I'll heat the food and bring it up."
Shen Kuangye smiled lightly: "I can still walk. No need to make such a fuss."
"That's not allowed," Lu Xiangyang said. "Even if we get old and can't walk, I'll still take care of you like this."
Shen Kuangye's tone was soft: "Thinking that far ahead?"
Lu Xiangyang's expression was serious: "Of course. I've been planning it carefully."
Being young, he couldn't hide his thoughts and was eager to share them with the one he liked.
His eyes shone with a pure, burning light. "We have to retire by 28 at the latest. After that, let's get married. Then we'll buy our own house. During the day we can play games together, at night we'll cook and sleep together, and occasionally go travel and see the world."
Shen Kuangye's heart skipped a beat when he heard Lu Xiangyang say the word married.
He lowered his eyes and looked at the young man whose face was full of hope and expectation, and his heart softened a little.
After finishing his plan, Lu Xiangyang asked, "So, what do you think? Is it boring?"
After all, it mostly sounded like eating and sleeping.
For Shen Kuangye, whatever Lu Xiangyang said was good. Whatever Lu Xiangyang liked, he liked too.
Perhaps because he had experienced too many separations in childhood, now having someone to rely on made him feel almost desperate to be with that person every moment, and other things didn't matter.
For him, just being with Lu Xiangyang all the time was enough happiness.
"Not boring," Shen Kuangye said, raising a hand to smooth the stray hair on Lu Xiangyang's forehead. "This is how we'll live from now on."
There was only one difference from what Shen Kuangye thought—if possible, he wanted to get married when Lu Xiangyang turned 21.
This young man, famous from an early age and wild on the battlefield, had once been his, and from now on, could only be his.
"But brother," Lu Xiangyang said, "I still don't understand. Why do you have to wait until after the Abyss to agree to be together?"
He twirled the strings of Shen Kuangye's hoodie between his fingers. Although what they had now was basically a relationship and their feelings were clear, Lu Xiangyang still wanted an official status.
At first, he was a friend, then a younger brother, then an ambiguous partner, and now a boyfriend.
Lu Xiangyang looked at him: "Is brother still worried about something?"
He knew Shen Kuangye must have his reasons. He hadn't dared ask before, fearing the answer he didn't want to hear.
Lu Xiangyang's words brought Shen Kuangye back to reality, and the smile at the corner of his lips softened slightly.
Indeed, back then they said they wouldn't date, but now he was completely fallen—he liked holding hands, liked hugging, and had told Lu Xiangyang a hundred times over that he liked him.
Everyone assumed they were already together, but only they knew they hadn't reached that step yet.
"Yangyang."
This was the first time Shen Kuangye called Lu Xiangyang like this, his voice low and hoarse, sounding very pleasant. It left Lu Xiangyang a bit dazed. He felt that whatever Shen Kuangye called him sounded nice, except for his full name.
For the first time, Shen Kuangye tried to share his thoughts with Lu Xiangyang. His dark eyes serious: "I'm just worried. If one day I return to my original world, you'll be very sad."
So he couldn't cross that boundary too early.
In truth, he knew he would eventually have to leave, but Shen Kuangye always felt that if he could stay in this world longer, maybe it meant he really wouldn't go back.
Lu Xiangyang's fingers tightened slightly, and he instinctively argued: "Impossible. Brother, since you've come here, how could you possibly go back?"
He was trying to find evidence to convince Shen Kuangye—or perhaps indirectly convincing himself—and murmured softly.
In that world, Shen Kuangye had completely disappeared. Even if he could return, Lu Xiangyang wouldn't want him to suffer there again.
His brother had finally learned to open up, to smile, to be clingy, and had people who cared about him. He didn't have to endure the pain from his wrist anymore. How could he go back?
The nightmare Lu Xiangyang had last night had been pressing on his heart. Of course, he wasn't fearless.
Sensing his unease, Shen Kuangye gently rubbed his head: "Alright, don't think about it."
Lu Xiangyang nodded quietly, though his mood was no longer as high as before.
Shen Kuangye sighed inwardly, knowing this would always be a thorn between them. He should have kept quiet and not caused unnecessary heartache.
Perhaps because he had caught a chill from the wind last night, he couldn't help coughing once, which completely pulled Lu Xiangyang back to reality.
He forced a small smile: "Brother, let's go downstairs to eat first."
During the off-season, everyone was more relaxed. After finishing dinner, Cheng and the others went out to have fun. Xingxing and Yishui were unusually not in the living room today, but the air conditioner was on full blast, so it wasn't cold even in short sleeves.
When they got to the kitchen, they found dishes in the fridge that Xingxing had just cooked—untouched and freshly made.
The dishes were light, and there was even seafood porridge—obviously prepared especially for Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye stared for a while before taking the dishes out. He was about to put them in the microwave when Lu Xiangyang stopped him.
"Brother, you're sick. Just sit."
He pushed Shen Kuangye onto the living room sofa, holding a soft cushion, and turned on the TV for him.
After that, Lu Xiangyang went back to the kitchen, reheated the dishes, and also made some pear soup for Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye didn't focus on the TV. He quietly watched Lu Xiangyang moving around in the kitchen, and instead of obediently sitting, he slowly walked behind him and wrapped his arms around Lu Xiangyang's waist.
Lu Xiangyang froze, then blushed: "Brother, why aren't you watching TV?"
Shen Kuangye rubbed his head against Lu Xiangyang a few times: "The TV isn't interesting."
Lu Xiangyang instinctively thought: "If the TV isn't interesting, does that mean I'm interesting?"
But he didn't say it aloud; instead, he stammered: "O-okay then."
This meal didn't taste like Li's usual cooking. Yishui's culinary skills were worlds apart—who made it was obvious.
Xingxing planned to check the surveillance later to see if the two were eating properly.
But each time he peeked, they were nowhere to be seen. He was about to go downstairs to call them when he opened the door and saw the two he thought hadn't gotten up yet, now huddled together, drinking porridge and whispering. Shen Kuangye's usually serious face now bore a smile.
He watched for a long time, then smiled helplessly and returned to his room.
---
The next day, with Shen Kuangye still fever-free, Lu Xiangyang finally allowed him to accompany him to the hospital to see Xu Wen.
Xu Wen's chemotherapy results had been fluctuating, and Lu Xiangyang was worried, so they went on the second day after returning to A City.
When they entered the ward, Xu Ning was not there.
But it was Saturday, and Xu Ning normally stayed to care for Xu Wen on weekends.
Lu Xiangyang placed the fruit basket he brought for Xu Wen on the counter. Xu Wen smiled: "Oh, our two champions are back?"
She pulled out a poster from under her pillow: "The usual, sign it."
Lu Xiangyang: "..."
What usual thing?
Xu Wen closed her eyes and held her head. "Are you okay?" Lu Xiangyang asked.
Xu Wen shook her head: "I'm fine. It's normal. Don't panic."
But with her history, her words held zero credibility for them.
Still worried, Lu Xiangyang said nothing. Shen Kuangye said: "I'll go find the doctor."
"No need," Xu Wen said. "This is just normal. I'm not lying this time."
She pressed her lips together, fingers curling involuntarily: "Lu Xiangyang, Shen Kuangye, I want to tell you something."
She had thought about hiding it, but ultimately it was better for her to say it.
Shen Kuangye frowned slightly.
Lu Xiangyang said what he was thinking: "Don't tell me you don't want treatment."
Xu Wen smiled bitterly: "It's not that."
She wanted to live now more than ever.
After a long pause, she finally gathered courage: "Do you know why Aunt Lu didn't come today?"
The topic changed too quickly, and Lu Xiangyang was momentarily stunned: "Maybe she hasn't gotten up?"
But he instinctively felt that was unlikely, because Xu Ning always woke up early. In high school, she would get up around 5:30, and so did Lu Xiangyang.
Sure enough, Xu Wen shook her head: "No."
Lu Xiangyang looked confused: "Then what happened?"
She took a deep breath: "The day before yesterday, Xia Zhan was taking care of me and fell asleep. I couldn't resist and kissed her cheek, and Aunt Lu saw it."
Xu Wen recalled the scene, lowering her eyes: "She was so shocked she dropped her cup. She probably couldn't accept it, so she hasn't come since."
Her fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly: "Xia Zhan and I grew up in the orphanage. No elder ever cared for me like this."
Her eyes reddened: "I was foolish."
Hearing this, Lu Xiangyang's face paled.
He tried to calm himself and asked: "Then you and Xia Zhan…?"
Xu Wen gave a bitter smile: "She doesn't know. She doesn't like me. She probably only sees me as a sister. It's all my fault."
Lu Xiangyang's expression darkened. He put the porridge he had brought on the table: "Drink some first. I'll persuade my mom. She's stubborn but soft-hearted—maybe in a few days it'll be fine."
Nine-tenths of what he said was to comfort Xu Wen; one-tenth was to comfort himself.
He understood why Xu Wen told them this.
By just kissing Xia Zhan, Aunt Lu had reacted so strongly. That showed she completely rejected or even hated homosexuality. Then how could she ever accept their relationship?