Staring at Xiao Min intensely, Shen Li stepped towards him, his strong upper body visible through the slit of unbuttoning the shirt.
Xiao Min tried to get away, but before that, Shen Li reached him and pushed him back, which made him sit on the couch behind him.
Shen Li leaned down as his both hands rested on Xiao Min’s either side on the couch’s backrest, trapping him not to let him move.
Puzzled, Xiao Min looked at him as it was surprising for him the way his senior acted. His mind simply couldn’t accept this change.
Moving his face closer to Xiao Min’s as Shen Li stated in his eyes, he spoke, "You heard it right. The only thing I need is you."
Xiao Min felt like under his spell, but the next moment, he got hold of himself, "I’m not a thing that you keep throwing away or keep wanting whenever you wish."
Shen Li had nothing to say in his defense. All he could do was to accept his fault and apologize.
"I’m sorry. I know I was wrong."
Xiao Min didn’t give up on his cold stand and instructed, "Get back."
Shen Li did so as provoking Xiao Min by going against his will was a bad idea.
If not that, Shen Li would have held him tight and kissed him right away the way Xiao Min did with him in his drunken state.
Just as Shen Li stepped back and gave Xiao Min space, he stood up and went to his study table.
Shen Li Quietly went to shower and returned in a while with the white towel wrapped around his waist. Till then Xiao Min finished his work and happened to look at Shen Li.
Xiao Min stared at Shen Li, who was ruffling his hair with the finger.
Xiao Min gulped as he thought, ’I never knew he looks so damn good like this. Why haven’t I seen him like this? Should I just forgive him and....’
Just then, Shen Li looked at him, and the train of wild thoughts in Xiao Min’s mind disrupted, and he looked away.
’I’m hopeless,’ Xiao Min thought.
Shen Li could guess how hard Xiao Min was trying to give him the cold shoulder, but he was sure soon he would be able to melt him.
Shen Li removed his towel, threw it on the chair, and picked up the undergarment pack that Xiao Min gave him a while ago.
With his eyes opened because of the unexpected shamelessness from his senior, Xiao Min turned around as he frowned, "Since when have you become so shameless. Can’t you put on the clothes in the bathroom?
"I have a habit of putting it on outside," Shen Li countered. He lived alone, so there was no one to question him where and what he did.
"No need to act embarrassed. If I remember right, once you were the one trying to remove my clothes," Shen Li commented.
"Ohh, so you remember that day," Shen Li concluded as he continued putting on clothes.
Xiao Min realized he was caught. In the past, after that night, he acted as if he didn’t remember it the next day, and he hid it to date, but he spurted out the truth.
"I don’t know what you are talking about," said Xiao Min and went to bed.
"It was nothing much. You confessed how much you love me, then kissed me wildly and asked for more trying to pull out my clothes," Shen Li answered as he enjoyed teasing the cold guy.
"As I said, I must have lost my mind," Xiao Min climbed the bed and slept as he covered himself with the quilt, "Turn off the light. That couch is ready for you."
Shen Li was done putting on his clothes and went to bed. He was about to climb bed, but Xiao Min turned to look at him, realizing the movement on the bed.
"You are sleeping on the couch," Xiao Min instructed.
"Then Why are you sleeping on one side of the bed, leaving half of it for someone else?" Shen Li asked, smiling teasingly.
"It’s a habit," Xiao Min replied.
"I have the same habit too as I wait for the day when one idiot will occupy that space," Shen Li slept on the bed, ignoring Xiao Min’s instructions.
"The person would be an idiot for sure," Xiao Min commented as he added, "Good night."
Shen Li mumbled, "A sweet idiot." Then, he looked at Xiao Min, who wished to face him back towards Shen Li the entire night and said, "Good night."
--------
Lu Lijun continued the office work the entire day and later worked till late night on what he was most curious about. Noah used to stay with him in the office as he had nothing to do after that.
Lu Lijun couldn’t find the answers to so many things about Lu Qiang’s accident as if someone had intentionally blocked all his ways. The disappointment of not reaching any solid point and what Mr. Wen said about Jiang Yuyan and his son’s marriage made him frustrated.
He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes as his hands rested on the hand rests of the chair.
"In such moments, drinks are best friends, but you can’t even do it," Noah chuckled, seeing the frustrated Lu Lijun.
"I’m not weak like you to get drunk to run away from things," Lu Lijun countered.
"It’s just a matter that I can drink, and you can’t," Noah said as he mumbled, "I can see the days are closer when you will ask to get drunk."
"Bullshit," Lu Lijun frowned and stood up as he picked up one file, "Let’s go."
Noah stared at the file and asked, "Why did you take that file?"
"Just," replying, Lu Lijun stepped to go out, and Noah followed him.
They both left Lu Corporation. When Lu Lijun reached home, it was already late, and the entire Mansion turned silent with few servants and the guards outside, doing their work.
Lu Lijun looked at the Mansion and then to Jiang Yuyan’s room. When he entered the Mansion, Butler was there, and he bowed to Lu Lijun.
"Is everything fine?" Lu Lijun asked. He didn’t know why he asked and what he wanted to know.
"Yes, fourth young master," the butler replied.
Before Lu Lijun could leave, the butler added, "Doctor came to check on the young mistress."
Lu Lijun stood there silently, not reacting to it, and the butler continued, "Her leg is fine, and the cast on the hand would be taken off in a month."
The butler stopped, and Lu Lijun left. Reaching the second floor, the same thing happened to him. Lu Lijun was conflicted over whether to go to her or not and if he went and she asked, then what will he say?
He looked at the file in his hand. Somewhere he knew he was ready for this situation. That’s why he carried the file with him when there was no need.
He knocked on the door lightly and entered the room lit with only a night lamp.
Jiang Yuyan was sleeping soundly. Lu Lijun stepped towards the bed and looked at her.
She looked calm and in a deep sleep, but suddenly there were frown lines on her forehead. Thinking she was awake, Lu Lijun stepped back, feeling worried about what she would think seeing him there.
Just as he thought to turn, he realized it was something else. He went closer and saw she had a nightmare. Her forehead turned sweaty as she said something.
"Lu Qiang,..stay with me... Don’t go please.."
The tears rolled her eyes as her face covered with painful expressions, and she continued to mumble.
Not thinking much, Lu Lijun put the file on the bedside table, sat at the edge of the bed, and held her hand. He didn’t know what to say or how to get her out of the nightmare but he just held her hand and continued to caress it.
In a while, she gripped his hand and stopped mumbling. Lu Lijun could see she was calm and let her hold his hand, but the frown lines on her forehead were the same.
Making one hand free from her grip, Lu Lijun hesitantly caressed her head and ran his fingers softly over those frown lines, which disappeared the next moment.
Lu Lijun felt better seeing her normal and continued patting her head until he sensed her even rhythmic breathing.
He looked at her soft palm that he held in his hands and realized how small her hands were in front of his big-sized hands. It made him realize nothing was like before.
Lu Lijun held her hand so often in the past, but he never felt like this, and her hands never felt this small. Things had been changed. He changed to a man from a kid, but there was more to it. There was a change in the way he felt, which he failed to realize or didn’t wish to realize.
Making sure she was fine, he left the room though somewhere he felt to stay there to look after her.
Lying on his bed, he continued looking at his palms that held her hands a while ago as he thought what was happening to him.