Chapter 37: Comparison

Prior to discovering Lin Shuhuai’s condition, the older youth’s image in Yu Xi’s eyes had always been that of an immaculate, exceptionally brilliant, and reliable big brother.

Yet now, Lin Shuhuai was kneeling by his legs, begging him in a lowly, subservient manner, the grip securing his ankle so incredibly massive that it was utterly impossible to shake off.

This plea—which resembled a desperate cry for help from someone driven to a dead end—caused a dense, needle-like ache to ripple across Yu Xi’s heart, leaving him filled with immense pity.

“Xiao Xi… help Brother.”

With trembling hands, Yu Xi bit his lip and averted his face. Then… he exerted force with his foot.

A muffled groan resounded, and a look of absolute, liberating gratification bloomed across Lin Shuhuai’s face.

Ding-dong.

[The doctor said my condition is being managed very well.] [This is all thanks to Xiao Xi.]

Yu Xi’s gaze stirred slightly, and he replied with a smile: [That’s good.]

Lin Shuhuai’s illness wasn’t considered irreversibly severe; it had simply been dragged out for far too long, so as long as he followed the medical advice and took his medication properly for a period of time, results would manifest. If Lin Shuhuai’s father and mother hadn’t deliberately ignored the matter back then, and had instead provided timely treatment while reducing the immense pressure, Lin Shuhuai wouldn’t have had to endure so many years of suffering.

Lin Shuhuai:

[Is Xiao Xi coming over tonight? I can come pick you up.] [My appetite is always very good when I eat with you.]

Before Yu Xi could decide how to respond, a warm cup of cocoa was pressed against his arm, accompanied by a sweet, rich aroma.

“I added heavy cream to it.” Meng Shen placed the cup alongside a small plate of butter cookies down near Yu Xi’s hand, proceeding to sit cross-legged on the carpet right after.

The space between the sofa and the coffee table was a perfect fit for Yu Xi, but it was far too narrow for Meng Shen.

Yet Meng Shen didn’t seem to find it cramped or uncomfortable in the slightest, insisting on squeezing right next to Yu Xi.

While reaching for a butter cookie, Yu Xi accidentally brushed against Meng Shen’s arm, only then suddenly realizing that at some unknown point, Meng Shen had become increasingly fond of pressing close to him.

It always happened silently and surreptitiously, making it incredibly difficult to notice. It was only when Yu Xi turned his head that he would abruptly discover the other youth right beside him, completely unaware of how long he had been standing guard.

Furthermore, Meng Shen no longer reacted heavily to physical contact like before; at most, he would turn slightly rigid, not yet fully accustomed to it.

Taking a sip of the hot cocoa—which had become even more silky and rich from the heavy cream—Yu Xi narrowed his eyes contentedly, offering his praise without a shred of stinginess. “It’s delicious! How did you think of this? I absolutely love it.”

The tips of Meng Shen’s ears, hidden beneath his hair, quietly burned a furious red. He murmured softly, “I learned it online.”

Yu Xi laughed. “You even know how to look up this sort of thing?”

“Mhm.” Meng Shen produced his phone, showing Yu Xi his bookmarks list.

The collection was titled “Xiao Xi’s Private Kitchen,” and it was filled entirely with various tutorials for making desserts or beverages, almost all tailored specifically to Yu Xi’s tastes.

“Which one does Xiao Xi like?” Meng Shen asked, his intent clear—the moment Yu Xi selected one, he would immediately dive into studying and practicing it.

Yu Xi didn’t speak, his attention completely arrested by something else.

He discovered to his astonishment that Meng Shen had bookmarked these using his official live-streaming account. Setting up a dedicated folder like this while leaving it completely public meant that an automated status update was generated every single time he bookmarked a video.

Right now, on Meng Shen’s account homepage, the automated notifications for when he went live were entirely buried under a mountain of updates reading “The host bookmarked [xxx]”.

The comment sections beneath these updates were incredibly lively:

【？？？？】

【666, bookmarking 99+ dessert tutorials in a single month? Big bro isn’t afraid of getting diabetes.】

【There are even tutorials bookmarked at three in the morning, I’m dying of laughter.】

【Streamer, get up and play the game!!】

【Is God S planning to switch over to the food track?】

【What does the title of this bookmark folder, “Xiao Xi’s Private Kitchen,” mean? Requesting an answer.】

【Must be a newcomer, right? God S used to carry a younger brother in games before, and in the stream, he would call him “Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi” with every single breath.】

【Go search for the stream cuts, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find the streamer actually possesses a secondary personality. (hug) (hug)】

【Are they seriously dating?】

【When is God S going to bring Xiao Xi along for a duo queue stream again? To tell you the truth, I passed by back then and fell in love with Xiao Xi’s voice at first listen. When I found out Xiao Xi wasn’t the account owner, my sky collapsed. Now I can only squat here every day. (cry) (weep)】

After reading for a brief moment, Yu Xi felt a headache coming on.

“You should switch to an alternate account, or at least set it to private.”

Meng Shen displayed a look of confusion. “Is there something bad about it?”

“Uh…” Yu Xi thought for a moment. “If you do this, everyone won’t just focus on your gameplay anymore, and it will interfere with your streams.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Meng Shen stated with complete nonchalance, reaching out to tap back into the folder. “Will you like this one?”

Amused yet helpless, Yu Xi wanted to steer the conversation back, but the phone resting on the coffee table buzzed once more.

Only then did he recall that he had forgotten to reply to Lin Shuhuai’s messages, and he hurriedly picked it up.

However, the new message came from Zhang Xingkuo.

[Xiao Xi, I’m swimming at the pool near your university.] [Are you coming?]

[My body fat percentage went up a bit during the holiday, what should I do? (puppy sobbing)] [The coach told me to step up my exercise because of it.]

Following this was a photo.

It was taken against the mirror of the locker room. He wore only a tight pair of swim trunks, completely exposing his V-tapered physique and solid, well-defined muscles. Presumably having already showered, his entire body was slick with water. His swim goggles were perched atop his head, pushing his silver-gray hair into a messy, disheveled pile, making him look like a scruffy, overgrown dog.

Before Yu Xi could offer an immediate reply, Zhang Xingkuo fired off several sentences in rapid succession.

[I feel like there isn’t much difference compared to how I looked at the beach.] [What do you think, Xiao Xi?] [How about you come over and supervise my workout! (star eyes)] [[Location]]

Yu Xi tapped on the location, discovering that this swimming pool was indeed near his university, and likewise not very far from Meng Shen’s apartment.

He naturally understood exactly why Zhang Xingkuo had selected this specific pool.

In reality, ever since the National Day holiday concluded, the frequency of Zhang Xingkuo’s messages had grown increasingly high. He was constantly grasping at any method to see him, manufacturing all sorts of coincidences.

It was just that Yu Xi was truly far too busy, and was intentionally avoiding Zhang Xingkuo, so the number of successful attempts could be counted on one hand.

Zhang Xingkuo’s personality was fundamentally direct. Initially, he would state straightforwardly that he missed him and wanted to spend time together. After being rejected multiple times, he awkwardly began using roundabout ways to extend invitations.

Seeing the “typing…” indicator constantly flashing at the top, Yu Xi could sense the anxiety and trepidation on the other end, causing a trace of pity to stir within him.

Just as he was about to type, his sleeve was suddenly tugged with moderate force. His finger slipped, exiting the chat interface.

Yu Xi turned his head, colliding directly with Meng Shen’s eagerly expectant gaze.

“Xiao Xi, you haven’t answered me yet.”

“Oh…” Yu Xi shifted his gaze back to Meng Shen’s phone. Seeing how determined he was to learn and knowing it stemmed from pure good intentions, he accepted it graciously. “Let’s go with this one then, it looks very delicious.”

Meng Shen nodded. “Then I’ll go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients in a bit.”

Yu Xi blinked in surprise. “You’re buying them right now?”

“We agreed to have dinner together today, didn’t we?”

“…” Yu Xi blinked, reasoning that since he had promised Meng Shen first, he should decline Zhang Xingkuo’s invitation.

Following that, he didn’t forget to use the exact same reason to decline Lin Shuhuai.

[I’ve already made plans to have dinner with Ah Shen, let’s do it next time!]

He then set his phone down, focusing entirely on keeping Meng Shen company.

After purchasing the ingredients and returning home, Yu Xi took charge of the stove while Meng Shen awkwardly yet diligently acted as his assistant, accidentally getting his clothes splashed with water in the process.

Under Yu Xi’s urging, Meng Shen obediently retreated to the bedroom to change his clothes.

Not long after, Yu Xi—who was still in the kitchen—suddenly heard a heavy thud echoing from the bedroom. Worrying that something might have happened to Meng Shen, he hastily shut off the stove.

“Ah Shen? Ah Shen—”

He called out twice, but receiving no response from Meng Shen, his anxiety spiked. Disregarding everything else, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The clothes and bedding from the wardrobe had spilled out, scattering across the floor. Meng Shen stood in the center of the room, his upper torso bare, turning his head to look at Yu Xi with a quiet, helpless expression. It appeared an accident had occurred while he was retrieving his clothes.

“How did it all tumble out?” Yu Xi gathered the clothes, placing them temporarily onto the bed.

Meng Shen murmured, “An accident.”

Yu Xi still couldn’t quite fathom how Meng Shen retrieving clothes from the hanging section could cause the bedding on the top shelf to fall. There wasn’t much up there, and it had been folded neatly; it shouldn’t have collapsed.

“Come on, let’s tidy this up quickly so we can prepare for dinner,” Yu Xi said.

With the folding mostly complete, he suddenly realized Meng Shen was still bare-chested. “Why haven’t you put on your clothes first? What if you catch a cold?”

Meng Shen remained silent. Assuming he couldn’t find an outfit to his liking, Yu Xi took the initiative to select a piece for him—in truth, Meng Shen’s style of dress was incredibly monotonous and low-profile, consisting almost entirely of dark colors and similar cuts, making everything look virtually identical.

“Put it on.” Yu Xi extended the garment. Seeing Meng Shen standing there dazed without reaching for it, he tilted his head in bewilderment. “Do you need me to help you put it on? Alright… lower your head.”

During their childhood, whenever Meng Shen’s clothes got soiled or he wore too little, the Meng family servants wouldn’t pay any mind. Yu Xi would pull him over to the Pei residence, unearthing the new clothes his mother had purchased for him.

Back then, Meng Shen would also stand frozen like a statue, and Yu Xi would help dress him.

In their youth, Meng Shen could still fit into his clothes, but now that they were grown, Yu Xi had to stand on his tiptoes just to help him dress.

At this proximity, Yu Xi could feel Meng Shen’s towering stature even more distinctly. It wasn’t just that the clothes were large; when Meng Shen cooperated by bending his waist and lowering his head, the sense of physical pressure brought about by his build became far more potent.

Once the shirt was mostly on, Yu Xi helped smooth down the hem. Yet, the moment he finished straightening it, Meng Shen pulled the hem right back up.

“What’s wrong? Is this shirt uncomfortable to wear?” Yu Xi asked.

Meng Shen kept his head lowered without speaking, reaching out to grasp one of Yu Xi’s hands and pressing it firmly against his own abdomen, whispering something in an incredibly faint voice.

Yu Xi didn’t catch the words clearly, but he could see Meng Shen’s exposed ears and neck flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking as though they were burning up.

“A-actually, my physique is also pretty good…”

This time, Yu Xi heard him clearly, freezing in place.

He remained dumbfounded for a good while. It wasn’t that he found it offensive; rather, Meng Shen’s statement had arrived far too out of left field, requiring a bit of time to process.

Though he had no idea why Meng Shen would suddenly bring this up, Yu Xi offered a sincere, affirmative validation, “Mhm… I know that. Your physique is exceptionally good.”

To be able to grow this tall and sturdy was something deeply enviable. Moreover, whenever he walked alongside Meng Shen, Yu Xi would frequently notice passersby casting astonished glances, and children would look up with eyes brimming with pure admiration.

Yu Xi shared these thoughts with Meng Shen, but the older youth spoke words that were stranger still.

“Compared to him, is mine better?”