Massage

Ying Huai sat quietly outside the office, his eyes lowered.

He looked down at the sudden reversal of public opinion about Song Fengyi on his phone and sighed silently.

—This must be what Ying Qi and Liang Shining had been hiding from him.

Ying Huai was rather surprised that Chu Hongsheng would still protect Song Fengyi.

The Song Fengyi incident had blown up too big; even if he were forcibly shielded, it had already stirred public outrage.

Based on Ying Huai's understanding of Chu Hongsheng, he wouldn't do something so unprofitable.

Sunlight fell in from the window beside him. Ying Huai tilted his head slightly, watching the tiny dust motes drifting aimlessly in the air.

His older brother and Liang Shining had sent him away—clearly they didn't want him involved in this.

—But that only made Ying Huai feel more uneasy.

A feeling that it was because of him that they'd been dragged into a more dangerous situation.......

"Hey, quick question—is Vice President Ying's office here?" A somewhat arrogant male voice suddenly came from beside him.

Ying Huai's thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

He instinctively looked up and was immediately choked by the cloying sweet fragrance that hit him.

Ying Huai couldn't help covering his mouth and coughing. The heavily made-up young man in front of him frowned in disgust and openly spat: "Tch, what a sickly weakling."

"Sorry, my airways haven't been great lately—I can't handle strong scents." Ying Huai smiled as he looked up, his eyes curving.

"Are you here to see Ying Qi?"

The heavily made-up young man didn't catch the hidden mockery in Ying Huai's tone at all.

Hearing Ying Huai's words, he raised his chin smugly: "Of course—Vice President Ying specifically asked to see me."

He finally thought of something as he said this, and lowered his head suspiciously: "But how did you know?"

Ying Huai instantly understood. He exhaled silently.

—Uncle Chu Hongsheng really did pick a fine 'blind date' for his older brother.

The 'blind date' Ying Huai had mentioned to Liang Shining earlier wasn't a lie—it just wasn't his.

It was the blind date Chu Hongsheng had arranged for Ying Qi.

Ying Qi hadn't originally told Ying Huai about this, but Chu Ming, who'd been pestering him the past few days, had let it slip by accident.

Ying Huai immediately sensed something was off.

A few years ago, Chu Hongsheng had a falling out with Ying's father over differing philosophies, and in recent years had rarely involved himself in Ying Corporation's affairs, barely came to the company, and was essentially just a figurehead.

Suddenly arranging something like this was far too strange.

That same day, Ying Huai confirmed with Ying Qi's assistant when the blind date would arrive.

He'd originally planned to first tell his older brother what he'd learned from Song Fengyi, and then casually warn him about this blind date. He hadn't expected, by some twist of fate, to run into the person first.

Ying Huai didn't know what Chu Hongsheng's purpose was, but suddenly arranging a blind date for Ying Qi—one with a man, no less—was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

He looked down at the news of Song Fengyi's public opinion reversal on his phone, belatedly realizing something.

—So this is what Chu Hongsheng was after.

Thoughts raced through Ying Huai's mind.

Listening to the young man in front of him still pressing with questions, Ying Huai took a quiet breath and smiled at him: "Because Vice President Ying mentioned you to me."

The heavily made-up young man's expression faltered.

Ying Huai rose unhurriedly to his feet.

Since his falling out with his father, he had barely set foot in Ying Corporation, and the young man in front of him clearly didn't recognize him either.

Ying Huai immediately had a plan.

He smiled and looked up: "Then let's head to the lounge next door first. I'm........"

Before he could finish, the young man suddenly said in realization: "So you're Vice President Ying's blind date too, aren't you?"

Ying Huai, who had been about to say he was Ying Qi's assistant: ?

He began, half between laughter and tears: "No, I'm........"

"Don't try to wriggle out of it. I was wondering why you kept calling him 'Ying Qi, Ying Qi' so familiarly just now," the young man in front of him sneered. "What, you think just because you got here first, you can pretend to be close to him?"

Ying Huai: ???

For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The young man in front of him, thinking he'd guessed right, gradually let a hint of smugness show: "Don't think that just because you're getting close, Vice President Ying will like you. From what I know, even though Vice President Ying is always gentle with everyone around him, he's never been close to anyone. Don't waste your effort."

Ying Huai nodded in apparent deep agreement, then suddenly said: "So what makes you think you're the exception?"

The self-satisfied young man choked, then gritted his teeth: "Just because.......just because Vice President Chu recommended me!"

Ying Huai paused, then looked up with keen interest.

"Which department head recommended you up here? You didn't sneak up here on your own, did you?" The young man belatedly realized something and sneered.

"All these years, so many department heads have tried to push people onto Vice President Ying, but every single one was rejected by him without hesitation."

—And Chu Hongsheng was, after all, a senior executive of the older generation; Ying Qi couldn't afford to make things too awkward, so he could only tacitly allow it for now.

Ying Huai's eyes flickered.

The young man sauntered up to him, looking down at him from above: "So don't waste your tricks. Looking like that......."

His words paused for some reason, then he quickly covered it up and switched to a disgusted tone: "—dressed like that, and you have the nerve to climb into Vice President Ying's bed."

Ying Huai: ........?

Today he was wearing a thick white sweater and beige casual pants, as comfortable and languid as ever.

But the main thing was that before leaving, Liang Shining had wrapped him up tightly in a light grey scarf and knitted cap from god-knows-where, leaving only a pair of slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes exposed.

—Not a shred of intimidation left.

The door of Ying Qi's office behind him shifted slightly. Ying Huai's eyes flickered.

A staff member who had been watching from nearby sensed something was wrong and hurried forward, only to see Ying Huai, who appeared to be at a disadvantage leaning back in his chair, lazily wave him off.

The staff member froze.

Ying Huai rubbed the light grey scarf in his hand, stared thoughtfully for a few seconds, then suddenly wore an expression of dawning realization: "So that's why you're dressed up like this."

He looked up and smiled at the young man in front of him: "You must be very experienced."

This remark was a veiled jab at the young man's earlier comment about 'climbing into bed.' The staff member beside them couldn't help a quiet laugh, but the young man didn't notice and instead grew more smug.

"Of course, I dressed up specifically—"

Before he could finish, hearing the laughter behind him, he belatedly realized something.

"Wait—"

The young man's face twisted. He stepped forward and grabbed Ying Huai's collar: "What did you mean by that just now? Are you cursing me........"

Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm.

The young man couldn't help crying out in pain and instinctively let go. The next second, a tall figure stepped directly in front of Ying Huai.

"Shifu."

Liang Shining tilted his head slightly, quickly scanning him with his eyes, and said quietly: "Is shifu alright?"

Ying Huai shook his head.

"I'm fine."

He yawned and said lazily, as if offhand: "But he just wrinkled the scarf you put on me."

The young man: ??

He tried to argue: "What nonsense are you talking about? I clearly only grabbed your collar just now........"

The young man tried to step forward to continue arguing with Ying Huai, but Liang Shining had his wrist firmly pinned, leaving him unable to move.

He tried to break free of Liang Shining's grip while gritting out: "Who are you? Let go of me—are you crazy? Vice President Ying agreed to this blind date, get lost......."

Before he could finish, he felt another sharp pain in his wrist.

"Blind date?" Liang Shining said quietly.

The young man's voice pitched with pain: "Yes! Are you insane? Just wait—I'll tell Vice President Ying and you'll be sorry......."

Before he could finish, the next second he felt a great force on his arm.

The young man stumbled uncontrollably, then heard a slightly low voice from in front of him.

"Get lost."

Liang Shining said quietly: "Shifu is mine."

The heavily made-up young man: ??

Behind them, Ying Qi's expression froze.

·

The young man was nearly beside himself with rage: "What are you doing? Are you crazy? Get lost........"

His voice cut off abruptly when he looked up and saw Ying Qi, who had suddenly appeared.

Liang Shining no longer had time to mind anything else and quickly crouched down to check on Ying Huai.

"Vice Pres—no, President Ying." The young man opened his mouth blankly. "When did you........finish your meeting?"

Ying Qi released his hand.

He frowned at the young man in front of him, then turned and said quietly: "Are you alright?"

Ying Huai didn't speak, just shook his head.

The heavily made-up young man was looking down, rubbing his reddened wrist, and didn't see Ying Huai's gesture—he assumed Ying Qi was speaking to him.

"I'm fine, President Ying. Just now it was all because he insulted me out of nowhere, and I lost my temper for a moment........ No, it's because he was slandering you that I.........."

Ying Qi gave him a baffled look.

He turned around directly, looked at Ying Huai for a few seconds, then slowly crouched down and reached out to smooth Ying Huai's wrinkled collar.

The young man behind them fell silent at once.

He widened his eyes in disbelief. "President Ying, you......."

"Did he do anything else to you just now, Xiao Huai?" Ying Qi asked gently.

Ying Huai glanced up at the young man, smiled and shook his head: "No, ge. You came out just in time, I'm fine....... cough cough cough."

Before he could finish, he suddenly seemed to be choked again, and instantly covered his mouth, coughing rapidly.

Ying Qi frowned.

He slowly stood up, finally letting his gaze fall on the heavily made-up young man.

"I'm sorry, but could you please step back a little."

Ying Qi's voice was slightly cold, though his tone remained as gentle as ever: "My brother's health isn't good. Please, next time, don't spray such an.......intense perfume."

The young man opened his mouth soundlessly.

—He belatedly realized what Ying Huai had meant by 'strong scent' at the very beginning.

Seeing things had already reached this point, he gritted his teeth and suddenly lunged straight at Ying Qi.

"President Ying, please believe me, I really........"

But the moment he moved, the security personnel nearby—long prepared at Ying Huai's signal—stepped forward swiftly and pinned him to the ground.

·

The security personnel took him away without further ado.

Ying Qi let out a soft breath.

He turned to look at his still-smiling younger brother with some concern: "Why didn't you call us earlier?"

Ying Huai curved his eyes: "If I called earlier, wouldn't he have gone straight to ge's office to bother you?"

He meaningfully let his gaze circle between the two people in front of him: "Ge and Mr. Liang are discussing business, so as an idle person, of course I should share more of ge's worries."

Ying Qi caught the hidden displeasure in Ying Huai's words about being sent away earlier.

He smiled somewhat helplessly, reached out to pat his younger brother's head, but deliberately avoided the topic: "Thanks, Xiao Huai."

Ying Huai narrowed his eyes.

But he didn't ask anything more, and instead actively changed the subject: "Chu Hongsheng wants to use this incident to suppress the public opinion about Song Fengyi's matter."

As he spoke, he pulled a Mini Camera from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

Ying Qi was stunned for a moment, and Liang Shining's expression darkened slightly: "This was taken from that person just now?"

Ying Huai nodded casually: "Yes, when he grabbed my collar just now, I caught a glimpse of it by accident, so I just took it along."

Seeing Ying Qi and Liang Shining's brows gradually furrow, he quickly added: "I didn't let him grab me on purpose, it was just a coincidence, a coincidence."

"This person was arranged by Uncle Chu to go on a blind date with ge." Ying Huai coughed lightly and continued.

Liang Shining beside him suddenly raised his head, and Ying Huai glanced at him with a half-smile, said nothing, and casually played with the Mini Camera in his hand.

"Uncle Chu must have planned to have him do something indecent after entering ge's office, then take the opportunity to create some scandal to divert attention from Song Fengyi's matter."

Ying Qi and Liang Shining exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly understanding.

—Chu Hongsheng really took the bait.

A smile unconsciously appeared at Ying Qi's lips. He turned his head, only to meet Ying Huai's thoughtful expression: "What are you laughing at, ge?"

"Nothing," Ying Qi quickly came back to himself, speaking warmly with a hint of fluster, "just thinking how fortunate it is that you noticed in advance, Xiao Huai."

"Give this camera to ge, let the PR technical people analyze it and see if there's anything else valuable inside." Ying Huai handed the Mini Camera to Ying Qi and gently pressed his brow.

"But I think, given how cautious Chu Hongsheng is, he wouldn't leave any evidence."

—In other words, they still didn't have any solid evidence.

Ying Qi shook his head: "It's fine."

"Since this method didn't work, he'll definitely try again."

—As long as the bait Liang Shining set is still there.

Ying Qi spoke word by word: "He will definitely pay the price for what he's done."

Ying Huai rarely heard Ying Qi speak such harsh words.

His eyes moved slightly, and he suddenly spoke: "Speaking of which, how did ge know that Chu Hongsheng is the mastermind behind all this?"

Ying Qi sighed softly: "I previously traced the IP of the original source of those black materials, and it was located to a certain senior executive within Ying Corporation."

"I investigated layer by layer, and finally narrowed the scope down to—our level."

Ying Huai was stunned.

—Only Ying Qi and their father had internal network access at this level.

Ying Huai's voice unconsciously carried a slight tremor: "So father was also involved........"

"No." Ying Qi shook his head.

"I suspected father at first too, but that day when I asked him directly, I found his reaction didn't seem like he knew."

Ying Qi looked up at Ying Huai, his voice softening slightly: "And after asking father that day, one day I discovered that uncle.......no, Chu Hongsheng's internal network access was mysteriously suspended."

Ying Huai's expression went slightly blank.

Liang Shining beside him gently squeezed Ying Huai's fingertips, and Ying Huai suddenly came back to himself, speaking almost flusteredly: "And then?"

"Ah then, after realizing it had nothing to do with father, I suddenly remembered that a few days before the black materials were released, Chu Hongsheng happened to have come to the company."

Ying Huai's expression paused slightly.

Ying Qi said quietly: "I'm not sure how he did it, but it's obvious he tampered with things through some method."

"I'll look into this again later."

Ying Huai looked up at him, about to say something, when he heard Ying Qi say with a smile: "—Don't worry, on the premise of ensuring your own safety."

Ying Huai was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

It was getting close to evening. Although Ying Huai didn't say anything, Ying Qi could clearly see the fatigue he couldn't hide in his expression.

"Xiao Huai, you and Xiao Ning should eat and head back soon." Ying Qi said softly.

"It's too late, get some rest early."

The moment he finished speaking, he saw Ying Huai suddenly look up: "Can I eat here at ge's place?"

Ying Qi was stunned, and the next second, he heard Liang Shining speak first: "Shifu can't eat outside right now."

Ying Huai's expression quickly fell.

Since the last drugging incident, Song Si Lan had not only prescribed him a pile of conditioning medicine, but also prepared a series of food tonics.

Sour things made sweet, bitter things made spicy—even with Liang Shining's cooking skills, once made according to that recipe, the taste completely changed.

—Ying Huai had never eaten anything so terrible in his life.

But Liang Shining always strictly followed the doctor's orders, never missing a meal, watching him eat.

Ying Huai had been avoiding people for a while, partly for this reason.

He looked to his older brother for help, only to see Ying Qi, who had figured out the whole story, shake his head with a gentle but unyielding expression.

"Then there's nothing to be done, Xiao Huai."

"Next time when you're better, ge will treat you to something good, alright?"

Ying Huai said expressionlessly: "If I still have my sense of taste by then, I'll definitely come find ge."

Ying Qi laughed helplessly.

Ying Huai walked outside with a look of utter despair, and Liang Shining behind him stood up as well, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned to Ying Qi.

"That boy just now was arranged by Chu Hongsheng to go on a blind date with Ying-ge, so Ying-ge didn't........"

Ying Qi was somewhat puzzled: "What are you saying, Xiao Ning?"

Liang Shining closed his eyes briefly.

He bit his lip, and finally said quietly: "Ying-ge hasn't arranged any other blind dates for shifu........"

Ying Qi was stunned, and instantly understood why Liang Shining had been acting strangely.

"No."

Ying Qi watched Liang Shining instantly relax, and said somewhat amusedly: "Did Xiao Huai say something to you?"

Liang Shining shook his head.

"No, I was just overthinking."

But Ying Qi immediately understood something.

"Xiao Huai was just teasing you," Ying Qi said with a teasing smile, "of course, if you want me to arrange a blind date between you and Xiao Huai, I can do that too."

A trace of unnaturalness instantly flashed across Liang Shining's face.

He stepped back and gave Ying Qi a slight nod: "No need, thank you Ying-ge, I'll take shifu and leave first."

Ying Qi didn't reply.

He stared at Liang Shining, then suddenly said slowly: "Did you and Xiao Huai have a fight before you came?"

Liang Shining's steps paused.

He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head again: "No, I was the one who made shifu angry........."

"Xiao Huai has a good temperament, but he's also stubborn. Sometimes when he doesn't know how to back down, he uses joking to cover it up, stubbornly holding on." Ying Qi said unhurriedly.

Liang Shining was stunned, and his eyes instantly brightened.

"He always responds to softness but not to hardness—but he also can never withstand persistent gentle coaxing." Ying Qi continued with a smile.

Liang Shining nodded thoughtfully.

Ying Qi stood up holding the Mini Camera, and suddenly said softly at last: "About that thing with Xiao Huai—I wasn't entirely joking."

Ying Qi lowered his eyes, his voice gentle: "If you really like Xiao Huai, you should at least confirm his feelings."

Liang Shining's expression paused.

·

After getting home, Ying Huai headed straight for his room, even completely ignoring Bouquet's enthusiastic pawing.

But as expected, he was forcibly stopped by Liang Shining while going up the stairs.

Liang Shining, afraid of hurting him, simply picked him up and placed him directly beside the dining table.

Ying Huai's vigorous resistance was futile, and he tried to seek help from Bouquet.

But Bouquet was attracted by the cat treats Liang Shining had already placed.

Without hesitation, he directly abandoned his original owner who had just refused to play with him, meowing "mew mew" as he trotted straight to his bowl.

"Treacherous to your own." Ying Huai said through gritted teeth.

"More accurately, forgetting loyalty for food." Liang Shining brought today's food tonic to the table, trying to chime in.

Ying Huai narrowed his eyes.

He raised his head and looked at Liang Shining with a half-smile. Liang Shining had a sudden flash of inspiration and immediately corrected himself softly: "Whatever shifu says is right."

Ying Huai glanced at him and lowered his head again.

He looked somewhat disdainfully at the unidentifiable thing in his bowl and couldn't help but sigh: "Really can't not eat it?"

Liang Shining shook his head.

Ying Huai glanced at the silent person standing beside him, trying to hint: "Then is there any reward? If I finish it—"

Liang Shining instinctively wanted to say he could reward him with a Mint Chocolate.

But he had made Ying Huai angry too many times these past few days, and for a moment hesitated, not daring to answer. Ying Qi's words about "persistent gentle coaxing" inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Liang Shining opened his mouth, but the words that came out inexplicably turned: "Reward shifu—switch to a different food tonic recipe tomorrow?"

Ying Huai, who had finally gotten used to the recent food tonic taste: ???

"Are you trying to reward me or punish me?"

Unable to bear it any longer, he said through gritted teeth: "Bouquet gets cat treats for eating well, why can't I have Mint Chocolate?"

Liang Shining didn't know what was wrong with him today.

He nodded hurriedly and quickly corrected himself again: "Yes, I'll get it for shifu in a bit."

Ying Huai narrowed his eyes.

He sat back down at the dining table, unhurriedly picked up the spoon, and hummed an "mm" with a smile.

Liang Shining watched the person in front of him whose expression instantly turned from cloudy to sunny, and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

—He suddenly felt that his shifu essentially wasn't much different from Bouquet.

·

Ying Huai suffered through the meal, and even after eating the Mint Chocolate, still felt that sweet-not-sweet, bitter-not-bitter taste all over him.

He took a deep breath, pushed Bouquet in his arms aside, and got up to walk upstairs.

Liang Shining rushed out from the kitchen: "Where are you going, shifu?"

"Bath—then soak my feet." Ying Huai yawned and said slowly.

His heart wasn't good, and soaking in a bath could easily trigger cardiovascular spasms and insufficient blood supply, so Song Si Lan had come up with a workaround—getting him a whole pile of herbal foot-soak sachets.

They didn't do much for the swelling in his calves, but they could give Ying Huai a little relief when he was tired.

Ying Huai glanced down at the person below, his expression caught somewhere between a smile and not: 'Does Mr. Liang have an opinion?'

The moment his words fell, he heard Liang Shining blurt out: 'I'll keep shifu company!'

Ying Huai: ???

He stumbled underfoot, steadied himself against the staircase beside him, and said through gritted teeth: 'Did you take the wrong medicine today, Liang Shining?'

Liang Shining immediately realized Ying Huai had misunderstood.

'No, I meant—while you're soaking your feet, I could give shifu a massage.'

Liang Shining said quietly: 'Shifu walked a lot today, and your calves look swollen again. Last time I asked Song Si Lan about a few acupressure points—let me massage them for shifu in a bit, it might help with the leg pain.......'

Ying Huai frowned, a flash of poorly concealed irritation crossing his expression.

Once winter set in, the load on his already fragile heart began to grow heavier along with it—the heart needed more oxygen and nutrients to meet demand.

Staying home most of the time was fine, but once he was out and about for too long, the insufficient blood supply to his heart could easily bring on mild swelling.

It made Ying Huai think, uncontrollably, of those final days in his previous life—when the pain in his legs had been so bad he couldn't even get out of bed.

Liang Shining hadn't noticed the shift in Ying Huai's mood.

Even as he spoke he was already trying to follow Ying Huai up the stairs, but the next second he heard Ying Huai say directly: 'No need, I can handle it myself.'

Liang Shining froze for a moment.

He was a little anxious: 'If the swelling doesn't go down, shifu's legs will hurt even more tonight.......'

Before he could finish, he heard Ying Huai say quietly: 'I said, I can do it myself.'

Liang Shining's words cut off.

—He realized at once that Ying Huai was angry.

He watched Ying Huai lower his eyes and say lazily: 'Or does Mr. Liang think I've already lost even the basic ability to take care of myself?'

A flash of panic crossed Liang Shining's expression.

He opened his mouth soundlessly, but the next second he saw Ying Huai turn and walk briskly upstairs without looking back.

·

After Ying Huai finished his bath, he was, as expected, so tired he could barely speak.

But the pain in his calves had only grown worse rather than better. Ying Huai sighed, set the towel he'd been using to dry his hair aside, and resignedly pulled out the things for his foot soak first.

He'd originally planned to dry his hair while soaking his feet.

But probably because he'd truly been too exhausted today, the moment the hot water wrapped around his feet, Ying Huai felt his whole body relax beyond his control.

He leaned half against the headboard, drying his hair in slow, absent strokes, not realizing his eyelids were growing heavier and heavier, the hand holding the towel slowly, uncontrollably, drooping lower.

His slender wrist folded weakly, and Ying Huai felt only the weight of his wrist bones sinking.

His tired eyelids closed, his arm fell heavily to his side, and his breathing gradually evened out.

The room was utterly still. Only at the tips of his half-damp hair did a single droplet slowly gather, then suddenly slide down, landing softly on the Hongyu Jewel Pendant at the ends of his hair.

Ying Huai remained fast asleep, oblivious to it all.

·

When Liang Shining came in, this was the scene that met his eyes.

The person half-leaning against the bed wore a long, semi-sheer shirt, his whole body soft and slack against the headboard, his fingers slightly parted, curling weakly.

Liang Shining's expression instantly tightened.

He stepped forward quickly, and after confirming Ying Huai had only fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion, he let out a silent breath.

He knew Ying Huai's temperament well enough.

With anyone else he was always remarkably attentive, but when it came to himself, he always muddled through.

The heating in the room was on full blast, and Liang Shining had arrived in time—Ying Huai showed no signs of catching cold.

Liang Shining sat down beside Ying Huai.

He supported the person against his own shoulder, carefully lifting Ying Huai's feet out of the water, drying them and wrapping them up, then took another towel and began earnestly drying the half-damp hair.

Ying Huai's heart could no longer handle the sudden whine of a hair dryer. Liang Shining kept his head lowered, drying carefully, when suddenly he felt the person beside him give a small shiver.

'.......Liang Shining?' Ying Huai tilted his head slightly and said quietly.

His brow furrowed faintly, as if trying to open his eyes, but the thought only flickered through his mind before being scattered without a trace by his drowsy thoughts.

'Mm.' Liang Shining answered softly.

He didn't say anything more, only said quietly: 'It's nothing. Sleep.'

Ying Huai frowned, a touch of discomfort crossing his face.

He instinctively tried to straighten up, but the next instant his whole body went slack again, his head drooping slightly, and he simply leaned straight into Liang Shining's arms.

Liang Shining finished drying Ying Huai's half-damp hair completely.

He felt Ying Huai's forehead again, draped a jacket over him, took two pillows from beside them, and carefully tucked them behind Ying Huai's waist.

Then he carefully helped the person lean against the headboard beside him, drew a fresh basin of hot water, and gently lowered Ying Huai's feet into it.

Ying Huai was still fast asleep, only frowning slightly when Liang Shining stood up.

Liang Shining pulled over a low stool and sat down in front of Ying Huai.

He carefully cradled Ying Huai's calves, warming the person's feet against his own stomach, and earnestly began kneading the acupressure points one by one, just as Song Si Lan had taught him.

This kind of massage wasn't exactly comfortable. Half-asleep, Ying Huai stirred faintly and let out a low, muffled sound.

Liang Shining immediately eased his pressure: 'Does it hurt somewhere, shifu?'

Ying Huai opened his eyes, a little dazed.

He clearly hadn't fully come to his senses yet, but hearing Liang Shining's question he still shook his head on instinct: 'No.'

He seemed to wake up a little more, glanced at Liang Shining, but didn't drop his expression like he had earlier. Instead, with lowered eyes, he moved to pull his feet back: 'I'm not uncomfortable. I'm not walking anywhere tomorrow anyway—go rest, you don't need to massage me.......'

But Liang Shining gently caught his ankle.

'Does it stop hurting just because you won't be walking?' Liang Shining said quietly.

Ying Huai's attempt to pull his leg back stalled.

'Tomorrow you don't need to walk, so you turn a blind eye to the pain in your legs—but that doesn't mean they've stopped existing.'

Liang Shining lifted his head to look at the person in front of him, a faint, hard-to-detect sadness in his voice: 'Once tomorrow's passed, what then?'

'Just keep enduring it like this?'

Ying Huai's expression froze slightly.

Liang Shining kept his head lowered, continuing to press the acupressure points on the leg one by one, the tips of his fingers trembling faintly without his noticing.

He felt that Ying Huai had already grown used to the discomfort and pain that surfaced on his body at every moment—had even come to a kind of resigned acceptance, thinking that as long as he was alive, whether it hurt or not didn't really matter.

The person on the bed said nothing more, silently letting Liang Shining earnestly press every acupressure point.

Until Liang Shining was about to switch to the other leg, when he suddenly said quietly: 'Sorry.'

Liang Shining shook his head: 'Shifu doesn't need to apologize. I was the one who got a little worked up just now.......'

'But what you said was right.' Ying Huai let out a soft laugh.

'And what I said earlier on the stairs.'

Liang Shining froze for a moment.

He listened as Ying Huai said softly: 'I wasn't trying to say it like that on purpose, Liang Shining.'

'I was just scared........'

—Scared that one day.......he really would end up like that again.

Ying Huai left the second half of the sentence unsaid, but Liang Shining understood his meaning at once.

He said nothing, hurrying to finish the massage on the other leg before the water cooled. As he helped Ying Huai lie back down on the bed, he suddenly spoke.

'That day won't come, shifu.' Liang Shining said quietly.

He didn't say something more common like 'I'll always be by your side' or 'I'll be here'—he simply crushed this small, insignificant fear, calm and even.

'I promise.'

The person lying in bed, already half-asleep, was startled.

He looked up at Liang Shining for a few seconds, and finally smiled soundlessly.

'Alright, thank you, little disciple.' Ying Huai said, offhand.

His experiences from his previous life made him unable, on a subconscious level, to believe what Liang Shining said—but the stone that had been pressing on his heart did, after all, loosen a little.

He curved his eyes at Liang Shining: 'Good night.'

But Liang Shining didn't reply.

He stood at Ying Huai's bedside with lowered eyes and said quietly: 'Then shifu isn't angry with me anymore?'

Ying Huai couldn't help but laugh again: 'What do you think?'

Liang Shining froze for a few seconds.

Ying Huai waited patiently for a moment, then finally couldn't help but yawn: 'Not angry anymore, alright?'

'Now you can go back and sleep.......'

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard Liang Shining speak again: 'Can I ask shifu one more question?'

Ying Huai's eyes were already nearly closed.

But on instinct he didn't want to refuse Liang Shining, and gave a lazy nod.

'What shifu said during the livestream that day—that there's no one you like—was it true?'

The room was utterly silent. Liang Shining waited a few seconds, and finally heard the person in front of him let out a soft, puzzled 'mm?'

'What?'

Liang Shining's fingers trembled.

His heart was tight with nerves, but seeing no displeasure on the face of the person in front of him, he finally spoke quietly again, repeating it.

'Does shifu have.......someone you like?'

Ying Huai was startled for a moment.

Liang Shining's expression was serious and nervous, as if devoutly waiting for some answer.

The heating in the room was on full blast, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared at Liang Shining's temples, but he still gazed steadily at him without blinking.

Ying Huai's heartbeat unconsciously skipped a beat.

His expression cleared by a fraction in an instant, and he stared at Liang Shining, his face gradually settling back into calm.

He hesitated for a long moment, and finally let out a soft sigh.

Liang Shining didn't understand what Ying Huai meant.

He opened his mouth again, and suddenly heard Ying Huai say softly: 'Whether there is........or isn't, it doesn't matter.'

Liang Shining froze for a moment.

The next second, he heard Ying Huai laugh, offhand and careless.

'A person with one foot already through the gates of hell—what right do I have to like anyone?'