A Spoiled Sweetheart's Survival Guide to the Love Battlefield - Chapter 5

Seeing that complex packaging he had never encountered before, Shi Song’s instinct told him this was no minor issue, and his heart instantly leaped into his throat: “Are you sick? Is it serious?”

As Shi Song spoke, the cadence of his voice tilted upward slightly at the very end, sounding particularly clear in the quiet of the night.

The breath passing between his lips and tongue seemed enveloped in a crisp sweetness, like a feather gently brushing past Wei Huaichen’s ear.

His slightly widened eyes looked just like those of a kitten, glittering with fragmented starlight even in the dark.

Wei Huaichen remained silent for a moment.

He took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

When he spoke again, the strange hint of amusement in his voice had been completely suppressed, leaving his tone smooth and unruffled.

Yet, if one listened closely, it was a few beats slower than usual.

“It’s fine.”

“I just have a bit of a headache. I’ll be okay after taking some medicine.”

Hearing Wei Huaichen say this, Shi Song relaxed slightly.

He remembered that Wei Huaichen hadn’t wanted him to turn on the light just now, so he stepped across the room in the dark and gently pressed his hand against the other man’s forehead: “No fever.”

Rumble…

Another low clap of thunder exploded, and the sound of the rain outside the window grew heavier.

The touch on his forehead vanished as soon as it landed, disappearing so quickly that Wei Huaichen almost thought it was an illusion.

Only a small patch of tingling numbness lingered behind, causing the skin on his forehead to burn with a dense, creeping heat.

Because of this entirely defenseless approach, Wei Huaichen felt his muscles grow somewhat rigid. The tip of his tongue pressed lightly against the inside of his cheek, his breathing turning slightly heavy.

Shi Song was standing very close to him. In the night, the young man resembled a soft, fragrant vine, swaying and gradually drawing nearer with its leaves and branches.

“I’m fine now.”

He heard his own voice clearly repeat.

“I feel much better now.”

Shi Song let out a soft “mm” and nodded: “If anything happens, remember to call me.”

The fragrance brushed past him and suddenly drifted away once more.

Just as Shi Song poured his water and was about to leave, Wei Huaichen suddenly spoke up: “Are you still in touch with Jiang Feng?”

“Jiang Feng?”

Shi Song froze for a moment before realizing who Wei Huaichen was talking about.

Wei Huaichen had returned home for the first time when he was sixteen. At that time, Shi Song and Jiang Feng were nestled together in a small room watching a movie.

He didn’t know Wei Huaichen yet, but when he turned around and saw the teenager standing straight in the doorway unsure of how long he had been there he was startled. Once he recovered from the surprise, he casually invited him: “Do you want to join us?”

The boy’s slender, pale wrist traced an arc through the air, and the bright, clear smile on his face almost dazzled the eyes of anyone looking.

Outside the door, Wei Huaichen was enveloped from head to toe in a gloomy aura, his dove-gray eyes filled entirely with aloof detachment. Yet, he was undeniably the most handsome boy Shi Song had ever seen growing up.

Meeting Shi Song’s smile-filled gaze, he took a cautious step backward, turned around without a word, and walked away.

“Tch, who is that guy? Why is he so rude?”

Jiang Feng was displeased by that attitude. The handsome boy slung an arm over Shi Song’s shoulder: “You even invited him to join. Talk about good intentions getting a bad return.”

“Alright, alright.”

Shi Song looked outside the door with a bit of worry: “He’s gone. He was probably brought back by my parents. Let’s keep watching the movie.”

It wasn’t until that evening that Shi Song understood who Wei Huaichen was. He didn’t feel anything particularly special at the time; he was just completely dazed.

Subconsciously, he wanted to treat Wei Huaichen better, but unfortunately, the Wei Huaichen of that time did not like interacting with people and stayed cooped up in his room all day long.

Later on, Wei Huaichen was taken abroad by his parents.

However, the one thing Shi Song could be absolutely certain of was that he had never mentioned Jiang Feng in front of Wei Huaichen afterward.

This wasn’t a major issue, though. Wei Huaichen must have overheard him calling out Jiang Feng’s name back then.

Shi Song took a sip of water rather carelessly: “We stopped keeping in touch a long time ago—why do you bring him up all of a sudden?”

Wei Huaichen’s eyes flickered slightly: “It’s nothing.”

“Goodnight.”

“Yeah, goodnight.”

Shi Song didn’t take this little interlude to heart.

After Shi Song left, Wei Huaichen looked down at the two pills in his palm.

They had already begun to melt slightly, leaving a small, smudged blue mark right in the center of his palm.

“So filthy.”

A flash of self-loathing crossed Wei Huaichen’s eyes.

He didn’t drink any water, but instead placed the medicine directly into his mouth.

Crunch— crunch—

An intense bitterness spread through Wei Huaichen’s mouth, but he didn’t care in the slightest. His eyes remained fixed on the staircase ahead, their dark depths resembling a fire ignited in the middle of the night.

In the darkness, the sound of chewing was particularly sharp, making one’s teeth feel a bit on edge.

Outside the window, the roaring thunder continued.

Shi Song originally thought he would definitely suffer from insomnia tonight, but strangely enough, the moment he crawled back into his blanket, his consciousness grew heavy.

It was a dreamless night.

The next day, it wasn’t until the sunlight streamed through the window and illuminated the room that Shi Song slowly woke up.

Mindful of Wei Huaichen’s condition, Shi Song didn’t even laze around in bed. He got up, washed up, and headed out the door.

“Xiao Song, you’re awake?”

Seeing Shi Song walk out, the housekeeper working at the house smiled at him while mopping the floor: “Madam Wei and Mr. Cheng have both gone out today. The food is keeping warm in the pot, you can take it out whenever you’re hungry.”

“Oh.”

Shi Song nodded and asked the housekeeper, “Where is my brother?”

When calling him that to others, Shi Song still felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

He was thin-skinned by nature, and as the clear morning sunlight spilled into the house, it reflected a flush of rosy color on his delicate face.

Paired with his freshly washed, damp hair, he looked a bit childish.

The housekeeper’s eyes crinkled into a smile, and even her voice grew much softer: “Xiao Wei got up very early. He should have gone to the garden for a run. If you need him, you can go outside to look for him.”

Shi Song genuinely admired people with that level of self-discipline.

“Alright, thank you, Auntie.”

He waved his hand to her and then strolled downstairs.

Autumn mornings were quite chilly. Shi Song’s hair was still a little damp, and a gust of wind made him let out a small sneeze.

The tip of Shi Song’s nose was frozen a bit red. He wrapped his trench coat tightly around himself and stamped his feet on the spot, waiting until he felt a little warmer before stepping outside.

The Wei family’s garden was very large. It wasn’t until he had walked quite a distance that Shi Song could faintly make out a white silhouette half-crouching amidst the shrubbery.

That figure extended a hand toward a small, fluffy mass.

“Meow!”

The little orange furball on the ground instantly puffed up its fur in fright. As if suspecting the person in front of it would harm it, it bared its teeth and hissed while scrambling backward. But it was far too small; even when straining with all its might, it could only produce a tiny, weak sound from its throat.

Instead, it only made one want to knead and squeeze it even more.

Shi Song faintly caught the sound of Wei Huaichen letting out a soft chuckle.

That voice was cool and carried a strange, underlying sense of danger.

“Brother?”

Finally, Shi Song couldn’t help but call out.

“Mew!”

The kitten tried to back away to get further from Wei Huaichen, but it tripped over its own tail and fell directly onto the ground, its little paws flailing for quite a while without being able to get back up.

Wei Huaichen directly reached out, pinched the little thing by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it up. Turning his head to look at Shi Song, he said with a smile: “Look, it’s a little creature.”

In stark contrast to Shi Song’s cold-fearing appearance, he wore only a thin set of athletic wear. His features were sharply defined, his stature tall and elegant, and his slender fingers held the kitten firmly as he smiled with particular gentleness.

Shi Song’s heart skipped a beat.

He blinked his eyes, his gaze landing on the little orange kitten: “What a cute cat.”

The little orange kitten’s head was almost the same size as its body. When it curled up, it looked just like a cute little ball. Even its fur was very clean, not looking at all like a stray roaming the streets.

“Meow—”

The little milk cat initially flailed its paws, seemingly wanting to turn around and scratch Wei Huaichen, but it was too weak; try as it might, it couldn’t reach the person behind it.

Gradually, the little thing drooped its ears and gave up, even its short tail hanging down as it looked utterly listless.

Shi Song’s heart completely melted.

He took a few steps forward and took the kitten from Wei Huaichen’s hands: “What’s wrong with it? It looks so drained of energy.”

Strangely enough, the little guy who had been throwing a tantrum just moments ago quieted down the moment it reached Shi Song’s hands. The tiny bundle crawled and shifted until it found a warm nook against Shi Song’s arm, shivering faintly.

Its pink nose twitched slightly, appearing to carefully sniff the crisp, sweet scent on Shi Song’s body.

“Meow.”

The sound was muffled, delicate, and soft, far tamer than it had been while in Wei Huaichen’s grasp.

Wei Huaichen looked down at Shi Song.

The boy’s hair was damp too, looking miraculously similar to the kitten.

“It probably got caught in the rain.”

Wei Huaichen curled his finger and gently stroked the top of the kitten’s head.

Perhaps feeling tickled, the kitten turned its head and extended a short paw, trying to push Wei Huaichen away. The tiny white paw looked exactly like a peeled mangosteen, its paw pads spreading out like a little flower.

Amused by its behavior, a gentle smile curved the corners of Shi Song’s lips.

He scanned the surroundings and found absolutely no sign of a mother cat.

“Was it abandoned?”

Shi Song felt a tug at his heartstrings, unable to just leave it behind.

“Maybe I should take it back with me,” Shi Song said, feeling the warm little body in his arms.

He rented an apartment near his university, so keeping a small cat would be more than manageable.

“Mm,” Wei Huaichen nodded.

Feeling sorry for the kitten, Shi Song cradled it gently in his arms and hesitated: “Then I’ll take it to the pet hospital in a bit to get checked out Brother, are you coming?”

It was notoriously difficult to hail a cab in this neighborhood, so Shi Song was forced to ask Wei Huaichen for help.

Wei Huaichen averted his eyes slightly: “I have things to attend to in a moment.”

“Oh…”

Shi Song lowered his head in disappointment, feeling a bit anxious.

Wei Huaichen’s gaze locked onto him for two seconds.

Pausing, he spoke flatly: “But I can drive you there.”

Shi Song snapped his head up, not expecting Wei Huaichen to be willing to make a trip with him over such a trivial matter.

A wave of warmth flooded his heart, and his voice turned bright and cheerful: “Great, thank you, Brother.”

The boy’s light-colored pupils sparkled with fragments of light, his almond eyes curving slightly, his expression radiating a vivid, delicate charm.

Wei Huaichen smiled: “It’s nothing.”

“Let’s go, time for breakfast.”

“Alright!”

Shi Song nodded, following behind Wei Huaichen with light, brisk steps.

After breakfast, Wei Huaichen drove Shi Song to a nearby pet hospital.

This area consisted entirely of high-end residential districts, so even the pet hospital was built to look magnificent and luxurious.

The moment they stepped through the entrance, a young woman at the reception desk walked forward: “Hello, gentlemen. How may I help you today?”

Shi Song gently held out the sleeping kitten from his arms: “I’d like to get a checkup for him.”

Right at that moment, the little orange kitten’s ears twitched. Immediately afterward, it raised its head alertly to scan the surroundings, its pale green eyes filled completely with panic: “Meow—”

“Woof, woof, woof! Woof, woof!”

Before Shi Song could comprehend what was happening, a succession of loud barks startled him.

A Husky suddenly burst out from a room at the end of the hallway, fleeing frantically in all directions through the narrow corridors of the pet hospital, its attached leash flailing wildly through the air.

“Charlie! Come back here right now!”

Behind it, the Husky’s owner chased after it while running.

In the blink of an eye, that black-and-white blur had already dashed over to their side.

“Woof, woof, woof! Woof, woof!”

Shi Song had always been somewhat afraid of large dogs. Startled by the sudden commotion, he instinctively ducked behind Wei Huaichen’s back.

“Meow—”

Even the little orange kitten in Shi Song’s arms puffed up its fur, desperately trying to burrow deeper inside.

But strangely, after the Husky bolted in front of Shi Song and braked to a sudden halt, it stopped moving entirely. It nudged Shi Song’s leg gently with its nose, happily circling around him, its tail wagging so fiercely behind it that it looked ready to take flight.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Terrified, Shi Song stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move an inch: “Brother, what do I do?”

Wei Huaichen couldn’t help but chuckle.

The young woman nearby quickly reacted and resolved the chaotic situation, repeatedly apologizing to them: “I am so sorry, everyone. Over there, they were discussing getting the dog neutered. The new intern doesn’t have much experience and accidentally let the dog escape.”

“Did it scare you?”

Seeing Shi Song’s visibly shaken state, the girl felt even more apologetic.

Meanwhile, the Husky that was being led away kept turning its head back to look, howling and whining toward Shi Song as it turned, appearing incredibly reluctant to leave.

“It’s fine.”

Belatedly realizing that he had acted a bit cowardly just now, Shi Song quickly stepped out from behind Wei Huaichen and changed the subject: “I just didn’t react in time it’s just that he seems to have been frightened.”

As he spoke, he revealed the shivering little orange kitten nestled in his arms.

“Indeed, it seems quite frightened.”

Wei Huaichen, who had remained quiet until now, turned his head over to take a look.

Right at that moment, the little orange kitten let out a tiny, weak “meow.”

Wei Huaichen’s gaze locked onto its body.

As if finding it amusing, Wei Huaichen let out a soft, low laugh.

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