Chapter 13: The Tattletale

Not long after he tattled, Shen Xiuzhu’s phone rang.

Of course, it was Mother Song calling.

Song Jingyao glanced at the screen and figured his mom was about to stand up for him, which meant he’d finally get to eat something good later.

The thought alone made him feel delighted.

Holding the phone to his ear, Shen Xiuzhu nodded from time to time as he replied, “I understand… Auntie, I will… Don’t worry… It’s no trouble…”

Then Shen Xiuzhu handed the phone to Song Jingyao.

Lifting his chin smugly, Song Jingyao took it, grumbling to himself, Serves you right for making me eat porridge. Eat porridge, eat porridge! My ass! I’d rather starve to death, die out there, jump off this building, than eat a single bite of porridge!

The very next second, his mother’s gentle voice came through the phone. “Xiaoyao, be good. Listen to the doctor and eat some light porridge. Once you’re better, I’ll have Xiuzhu take you out for something delicious.”

Song Jingyao: “…???”

Wait!

Why?!

Was she really his biological mother?

Had someone impersonated her?

There were plenty of other bland foods besides porridge, so why were they both so obsessed with it?

The porridge hadn’t done anything wrong, okay?!

No matter what, Mother Song had raised Song Jingyao since childhood, so she knew him best, and her words carried weight.

She gently nagged him for a while, saying how distressed she and his father were that he had an allergic reaction, how they were away on a business trip and couldn’t rush back, and how heartbroken they felt knowing he was in the hospital all by himself.

Song Jingyao found the nagging a little annoying, yet it also made him feel warm and embarrassed.

It was only a minor allergic reaction.

One injection and some medicine would fix it.

It wasn’t even that serious.

Before long, Mother Song had completely smoothed down all the ruffled fur he’d puffed up.

Song Jingyao said, “It’s not a big deal. Why would you two need to come all the way here? Besides, isn’t Shen Xiuzhu here with me?”

Mother Song sighed emotionally.

“That’s true. You two are so close, and having someone to look after each other puts my mind at ease. Speaking of which, Xiuzhu has really gone to a lot of trouble for you. You only got into A University because he kept pushing you to study and helped tutor you.”

Parents loved reminiscing about the past, and once they started, they just couldn’t stop.

After hearing enough of it, Song Jingyao immediately felt a dull ache coming on in his head and hurriedly interrupted, “Alright, alright, Mom. I know already. I’ll finish every last drop of the porridge! If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now!”

After hanging up, he let out a sigh of relief and tossed the phone back to Shen Xiuzhu.

In return, Shen Xiuzhu handed him a spoon and, with a smile, gestured toward the steaming bowl of lean pork porridge whose lid had already been opened.

Song Jingyao snorted.

“You tattletale!”

He had completely and selectively forgotten that he had been the one who tattled to his parents first, playing the pitiful victim.

Shen Xiuzhu didn’t mind in the slightest and simply smiled back.

In the end, Song Jingyao lost this battle.

He could only lower his head obediently and eat the porridge, all while Shen Xiuzhu watched him to make sure he finished every bite without wasting any.

At first, Song Jingyao genuinely didn’t want to eat it, but the porridge had been cooked perfectly.

Fragrant, silky smooth, thick, soft, and savory.

Even someone like Song Jingyao, who usually disliked porridge, found himself unconsciously taking bite after bite until he had quickly finished more than half the bowl.

…It really was delicious.

Still, bland food like porridge was fine for one or two meals, but eating it meal after meal was enough to make a bird fade from your mouth.

His tongue was going numb.

While eating, Song Jingyao silently grumbled to himself, absentmindedly shifting his gaze toward Shen Xiuzhu on the nearby sofa.

(・_・)

To keep an eye on Song Jingyao while taking care of him, Shen Xiuzhu hadn’t gone to the office.

Instead, he’d had his assistant deliver some documents to the hospital so he could work there.

At this point, it was genuinely difficult for Song Jingyao to accuse Shen Xiuzhu of merely putting on an act.

His concern and care were warm and sincere.

He looked after him with patience and meticulous attention, always dragging him back whenever he got too carried away outside and refusing to let him go astray.

Honestly, if Shen Xiuzhu weren’t only around his age, and if he didn’t treat Song Jingyao’s mother with nothing but respect and absolutely no ulterior motives, Song Jingyao would have suspected that Shen Xiuzhu wanted to become his dad.

Otherwise, why would he spend so much effort on someone who argued with him every single day?

The same thing applied to what Mother Song had just mentioned about getting into A University.

Song Jingyao had been a terrible student.

It wasn’t that he lacked intelligence.

He simply had terrible self-discipline, always letting his attention wander elsewhere instead of studying seriously.

Later on, Shen Xiuzhu took charge of making him study.

No matter where Song Jingyao tried to hide, Shen Xiuzhu would appear like a ghost out of nowhere, haul him back to his desk, keep an eye on him while he worked through problems and reviewed his lessons, and patiently explain anything he didn’t understand.

In the end, Song Jingyao scored seven points above A University’s admission cutoff and successfully enrolled in one of the country’s top universities.

His parents had been so shocked they could hardly believe it.

They held a celebration banquet, set off firecrackers, and tearfully grabbed Shen Xiuzhu’s hands.

“Xiuzhu, it’s all thanks to you! We don’t even know how to thank you. If you ever need anything, just come to Uncle or Auntie!”

Shen Xiuzhu replied politely, “I didn’t really do much. Jingyao earned those scores himself. Besides, we’ve grown up together since we were little. Looking after each other is only natural.”

The Song parents clasped his hands and shook them vigorously.

“Exactly! Exactly! It’s perfect that both of you are going to A University together. We’ll leave our son in your hands. Do whatever you want with him!”

Shen Xiuzhu smiled and nodded.

“…???”

Song Jingyao, the guest of honor at his own celebration banquet, had been completely ignored.

Listening from the side, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Hey… wait.

Didn’t anyone think there was something seriously wrong with that statement?

After reminiscing for a while, Song Jingyao slowly returned to the present.

By chance, his eyes met Shen Xiuzhu’s.

Sitting on the sofa, Shen Xiuzhu curved his lips into a faint smile and leisurely asked, “What are you eating?”

Song Jingyao froze for a moment.

Looking down, he realized his spoon was empty, and the bowl of porridge had already been scraped clean.

He had been absentmindedly scooping nothing but air into his mouth out of habit.

How embarrassing.

Song Jingyao threw down the spoon, cleared his throat, and said stiffly, “This porridge… it tastes pretty good.”

Shen Xiuzhu smiled.

“Really? That’s good. You were refusing to eat it no matter what just a moment ago.”

The words made Song Jingyao choke, and he coughed again.

His expression became incredibly unnatural, especially since he’d just been staring blankly at Shen Xiuzhu and had gotten caught red-handed.

Lowering his head and avoiding his gaze, he quickly cleaned up the bowl and tossed it into the trash.

By the time he turned around, Shen Xiuzhu had already left the sofa and walked over to the bedside.

Holding the medicine, he urged Song Jingyao to take it after eating.

Song Jingyao paused, looked at the man standing so close, and said stiffly, “I don’t need you to remind me. I’ll take it myself! I’m not a three-year-old!”

Shen Xiuzhu frowned slightly with apparent concern and said seriously, “Really? But last time you…”

Song Jingyao instantly remembered the humiliating incident when he’d thrown a tantrum and refused to drink traditional Chinese medicine.

Gritting his teeth, he cut him off.

“Alright! I’ll take it! I’ll take it right now!”

Under Shen Xiuzhu’s watchful gaze, Song Jingyao obediently stuffed all the pills into his mouth, took the glass of water, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

He preferred swallowing all his medicine at once.

Better one sharp pain than prolonged suffering.

Of course, there was a downside.

With so many pills going down together, it was easy to choke.

He bent over and started coughing violently.

Shen Xiuzhu thoughtfully patted him on the back.

Song Jingyao’s cheeks burned.

He felt like he was always making a fool of himself in front of Shen Xiuzhu.

It was unbearably awkward.

Being alone in the same room as someone with such a protagonist aura was honestly uncomfortable.

Awkwardly, Song Jingyao said, “I’m fine now. You should go back to the office. It’s not convenient for you to work in the hospital.”

But Shen Xiuzhu said, “The documents have already been delivered here. There’s no point making another trip. You’re being discharged this afternoon, so I’ll stay here with you.”

Song Jingyao frowned, his expression complicated.

After a brief pause, he gave a cold snort.

“Do whatever you want.”

Then he lay back on the hospital bed and started playing on his phone.

As expected, phones were fun.

After playing for a while, his irritable mood gradually turned into nothing but hahaha.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiuzhu sat on the sofa, concentrating on handling his paperwork.

Each of them occupied themselves with their own tasks, yet the atmosphere between them was unexpectedly harmonious.