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Join the ServerJiang Yu looked at his hand, hesitated for a moment, then finally placed his left hand on top.
Li Xiao clasped it, a gentle smile curling at the corners of his lips.
He gently pulled Jiang Yu up and led him toward the dining room.
Dinner was lavish.
Steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, yam and pork rib soup, and a small bowl of steamed egg custard specially prepared for Jiang Yu.
Aunt Liu set the tableware and left, making sure to remind them before she went:
“Drink the soup while it’s hot. It’s good for your bones.”
The dining room was once again just the two of them.
As usual, Li Xiao deboned the fish for Jiang Yu, served him soup, and placed dishes in his bowl.
Jiang Yu ate silently, but the blush on his cheeks never faded.
“Tomorrow…”
Li Xiao suddenly spoke:
“We have a hospital follow-up.”
He placed the deboned fish into Jiang Yu’s bowl.
Jiang Yu paused in his eating:
“…Another checkup? Didn’t we just have one?”
“Yesterday was just re-fixation.”
Li Xiao looked at him:
“Tomorrow we need to take an X-ray to see if the position is correct.”
Jiang Yu pursed his lips:
“It’s too much trouble…”
“It’s not.”
Li Xiao cut him off:
“You have to go.”
His tone brooked no argument, but his eyes were gentle.
Jiang Yu looked at him and finally nodded slightly.
“If the recovery goes well…”
Li Xiao looked into Jiang Yu’s eyes:
“We’ll go out for New Year’s Eve.”
Jiang Yu was stunned:
“…Go out?”
“Mm.”
Li Xiao’s eyes sparkled:
“Not to any crowded place. Just find a quiet spot, watch the fireworks, have a meal.”
Jiang Yu looked at Li Xiao’s expectant gaze and finally nodded gently:
“…Okay.”
Li Xiao smiled, a bright, dazzling smile.
He picked up a piece of broccoli and held it to Jiang Yu’s lips:
“A reward for you.”
Jiang Yu looked at him, cheeks flushed, but eventually opened his mouth.
Li Xiao placed the broccoli in his mouth.
They gazed at each other, the air once again thick with ambiguity.
Just then, Li Xiao’s phone suddenly rang.
He frowned, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the screen. It showed “Grandfather.”
Li Xiao’s face instantly darkened.
Jiang Yu sensed the shift in Li Xiao’s mood and asked softly:
“…What’s wrong?”
Li Xiao stared at the phone screen, his eyes cold.
A few seconds later, he rejected the call and placed the phone face down on the table.
“Nothing.”
Li Xiao picked up his chopsticks again, his tone returning to normal:
“Let’s eat.”
But Jiang Yu could feel that his aura had dropped significantly.
For the rest of the meal, Li Xiao spoke little.
Though he still served Jiang Yu dishes and soup, his gaze was noticeably distant.
After eating, Li Xiao cleared the table. Jiang Yu wanted to help, but Li Xiao stopped him.
“Go sit on the couch. I’ll be done soon.”
Li Xiao’s tone was calm, but Jiang Yu detected a hint of suppressed emotion.
Jiang Yu didn’t insist and walked over to the couch to sit down.
He picked up his tablet, intending to continue reading about cocktail mixing, but he couldn’t focus at all.
His gaze unconsciously drifted to Li Xiao’s back in the kitchen.
Li Xiao stood in front of the dishwasher, his back to him, the lines of his shoulders taut.
Jiang Yu frowned slightly.
That call just now… who was it from?
For it to make Li Xiao’s expression change so instantly, it must have been someone very important.
Was it… the Li family?
Jiang Yu recalled what Li Xiao had said last night—
“They and I are just people with the same surname.”
“Grandfather thinks I’m a stain on the Li family.”
Somewhere in his heart, a slight pang of pain struck.
Just then, Li Xiao’s phone rang again.
This time it wasn’t a call, but a series of WeChat message notifications.
Li Xiao walked out of the kitchen, picked up his phone, glanced at it, and his expression turned even uglier.
He quickly replied to a few messages, then walked onto the balcony, his back to Jiang Yu, and dialed a number.
Jiang Yu couldn’t hear what he was saying; he could only see Li Xiao’s back.
His shoulders were tightly wound, occasionally he would raise a hand to press his temple. His tone sounded cold, even carrying suppressed anger.
A few minutes later, the call ended.
Li Xiao stood on the balcony, motionless.
In the distance, the city lights glittered.
But that tall silhouette looked especially lonely.
Watching him, the indescribable feeling in Jiang Yu’s heart grew stronger and stronger.
He put down the tablet, stood up, and walked behind Li Xiao.
“Li Xiao.”
Jiang Yu called his name softly.
Li Xiao’s body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly turned around.
His face was expressionless, but complex emotions churned in his eyes—anger, exhaustion, and a trace of… a coldness Jiang Yu couldn’t read.
“…It’s nothing.”
Li Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, trying to smile but failing:
“Just some company issues.”
Jiang Yu knew he was lying.
But he didn’t call him out on it.
He simply reached out and gently took Li Xiao’s hand:
“It’s cold outside. Come inside.”
Li Xiao’s fingers were very cold.
Jiang Yu’s hand was warm.
Their fingers intertwined.
Li Xiao was taken aback. He looked down at their joined hands, and the coldness in his eyes slowly melted.
He gripped Jiang Yu’s hand back tightly and nodded.
Jiang Yu led Li Xiao back to the living room.
Li Xiao looked at Jiang Yu, his eyes now calm again, but deep within, remnants of unresolved emotions lingered.
“I’m sorry.”
Li Xiao said softly:
“Just now… I scared you.”
Jiang Yu shook his head:
“No, you didn’t.”
He paused, looking into Li Xiao’s eyes:
“Do you… need help?”
Li Xiao smiled, a faint but gentle smile:
“No need. I can handle it myself.”
Jiang Yu pursed his lips and didn’t press further.
He knew that if Li Xiao didn’t want to talk, asking more was useless.
“Go take a bath.”
Li Xiao rubbed his thumb over the back of Jiang Yu’s hand:
“Get some rest early after. We still have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”
Jiang Yu nodded.
In the bathroom, Jiang Yu clumsily washed up with his left hand.
He looked at himself in the mirror; on his collarbone was still the faint mark from where Li Xiao had bitten him earlier.
His face began to heat up again.
He quickly finished his bath, changed into his pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom.
Li Xiao was leaning against the bedroom doorframe, waiting for him.
“All done?”
Li Xiao walked in and naturally picked up the hair dryer:
“Come here, let me dry your hair.”
Jiang Yu sat down on the edge of the bed.
Li Xiao stood behind him and turned on the hair dryer.
The warm wind blew against his scalp, very comfortable.
Li Xiao’s fingers ran through Jiang Yu’s damp hair, his movements as gentle as ever.
But Jiang Yu could feel that his mood hadn’t fully settled yet.
When his hair was dry, Li Xiao turned off the dryer, and the room fell silent.
Li Xiao’s fingers still lingered in Jiang Yu’s hair, unconsciously combing through it lightly.
Jiang Yu could feel the warmth of his fingertips and the subtle tension within them.
“Li Xiao.”
Jiang Yu didn’t turn around, his voice very soft.
“Hmm?”
“That phone call just now…”
Jiang Yu paused, then said it anyway:
“Was it your grandfather?”
Li Xiao’s fingers stopped.
After a few seconds, he lowered his hand, moved around to squat in front of Jiang Yu, and looked up at him sitting on the bed.
“How did you know?”
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Reincarnated as a Villainous Young Master, I Will Never Give Up on Becoming a Beautiful Girl!. Start reading now!
Read : Reincarnated as a Villainous Young Master, I Will Never Give Up on Becoming a Beautiful Girl!
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