The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 49

Mu Sui’s movements froze, his downcast eyes unreadable and dark.

The loose fabric of his loungewear could not entirely hide his physical reaction. Fortunately, the long hem of his sweater, combined with Lin Zhiyu’s dazed state that prevented him from noticing anything else, offered a modicum of cover.

Lin Zhiyu’s nose brushed against Mu Sui’s palm once more, like a lazy, frolicking cat. The burning heat from the youth’s face seemed to transfer through their touching skin onto Mu Sui’s hand, instantly spreading like a wildfire.

The dormant fire within him leaped restlessly. Mu Sui stared at the side of the other man’s face for nearly half a minute before finally exhaling a long breath. In a voice full of restraint and endurance, he said, “Lin Zhiyu, stop moving.”

Lin Zhiyu did not hear exactly what he said; he only knew that the voice entering his ears was low and raspy, sounding somewhat displeased. He opened and closed his mouth as he mumbled a response, his voice thick with a heavy nasal tone. “Do not be mean to me.”

The unconscious, soft-voiced complaint left Mu Sui momentarily speechless. He instinctively pressed his tongue against the corner of his lip and set the ear thermometer aside. His fingers gently brushed away the damp hair from Lin Zhiyu’s forehead, and his voice involuntarily softened. “I am not being mean. I am just taking your temperature. Be good.”

Lin Zhiyu half-opened his eyes. His wet eyelashes fluttered as he gave Mu Sui a misty look. Perhaps because the muscles in his face had relaxed, his lips parted slightly, revealing a flash of moist crimson beneath a thin layer of gloss. Heavy breaths escaped from his slightly parted lips, heating the air until it felt parched.

Mu Sui’s Adam’s apple rolled imperceptibly. His deep eyes stared straight at the youth, tracing every inch from the brow down the bridge of the nose, lingering on those lips for a dozen seconds.

As the thermometer entered his ear canal, Lin Zhiyu flinched sensitively. His burning cheek rubbed against Mu Sui’s thigh, and his soft breath fanned across the back of the man’s hand, causing Mu Sui to stiffen entirely.

“It itches,” Lin Zhiyu murmured, reaching out from under the blanket to scratch.

Mu Sui was quick to catch his wrist. Just then, the thermometer beeped, and a number flashed on the screen. It was 39.2°C.

“A minor cold?” Mu Sui’s gaze was dark as he repeated Lin Zhiyu’s previous excuse syllable by syllable. “By the time you finished your nap, you would have been cooked through.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhiyu only curled his body inward and replied dully, “If I am cooked, then I am cooked. Stop fussing and let me sleep.”

His voice was incredibly soft, tinged with a sickly rasp that made it sound like a whiny, spoiled plea.

Mu Sui stared at him and said no more. He pulled the fever reducers from the medicine box. Brushing his fingers through Lin Zhiyu’s hair, he supported the back of the youth’s head to lift him up. Lin Zhiyu’s body was as limp as if he had no bones; before he could even sit steadily, he began to slump back toward the bed. Helpless, Mu Sui had to support the youth’s back in an extremely awkward posture.

The medicine was forced into his mouth, and a bitter taste immediately spread across his tongue. Lin Zhiyu instinctively tried to reject it, his tongue struggling to push the two pills out, accidentally licking Mu Sui’s finger in the process. Mu Sui’s knuckles curved, forcing the medicine back in before using a cup to block his mouth.

Dazed, Lin Zhiyu was forced to swallow half a cup of water. He frowned and groaned, “Enough, enough. Stop. I do not want any more. I feel sick.”

Only then did Mu Sui take the cup away.

Lin Zhiyu tried to fall back again, his head nearly hitting the headboard. Fortunately, Mu Sui used the back of his hand to cushion the impact just in time, settling the youth’s head safely onto the pillow.

“Sleep,” he said.

Lin Zhiyu gave a muffled “Mm” in response, but he restlessly nuzzled into the palm Mu Sui had not yet withdrawn. He seemed to be looking for a comfortable position, or perhaps searching for something. Finally, when his feverish forehead brushed against Mu Sui’s wrist again, he let out a satisfied sigh. “Your hand is so cool. It feels good.”

Mu Sui’s hand froze for a moment as he struggled to suppress the emotions surging in his heart. In the brief silence, his thumb gently slid across Lin Zhiyu’s forehead before tenderly stroking his soft hair. Lin Zhiyu was like a contented cat; his muscles relaxed, and even the soft humming from his nose grew quiet.

“Sometimes I wonder if you are doing this on purpose.”

The person on the bed did not seem to understand. He simply tucked his head deeper into the warm blankets, his eyelashes trembled a few times, and he drifted into a dream. His breathing gradually became steady and long.

Mu Sui let out a short, cold laugh and set the medicine box aside. Just as he prepared to leave, he realized Lin Zhiyu’s fingers were loosely hooked around his own. The grip was not tight, yet Mu Sui felt as though he had been placed in invisible shackles that controlled his every move.

The wrist protruding from the blanket was thin and pale, with the faint blue of veins visible on the inside. After a long while, Mu Sui lifted the wrist back into the blanket but did not withdraw his own fingers from the youth’s palm.

However, his desire had arrived abruptly and fiercely, and his trapped body could not resolve it on its own. Although Lin Zhiyu’s presence was light, it had easily invaded his mind, adding fuel to an already restless fire. He felt as though he were asking for trouble.

A cold night wind leaked through the half-open window, but it did nothing to soothe the impulse and heat. He gradually felt that the temperature of his own hand was burning as hot as Lin Zhiyu’s; he could no longer draw even a sliver of coolness from himself.

“How troublesome,” he thought. Since the car accident, he had not experienced such a relentless surge of desire.

The wind tapped gently against the glass, letting out a low moan, appearing to secretly fuel the amorous atmosphere. Mu Sui cleared his mind and focused his attention elsewhere. The water cup on the nightstand still held half a cup of warm water, the steam rising in the light to form a shallow mist. Through the gap in the curtains, he could see the dark blue night sky. A few distant stars were scattered there, nearly swallowed by the city lights.

The faint moonlight cast a glow into the room, bathing Lin Zhiyu’s flushed face in a hazy luster. After all that, his attention drifted back anyway. Mu Sui’s gaze returned once more, the shadows in his eyes deepening like a night tide hitting a reef, silent, yet stopping just at the edge.

A few minutes later, he took out his phone. The dark glow hit his face, and a very low volume leaked from the speaker. Images flickered on the screen. If Lin Zhiyu were awake, he could probably guess what Mu Sui was watching from a few keywords. Unfortunately, only fragmented sounds echoed in the quiet bedroom.

Once the video finished, Mu Sui exited the page, but his gaze was immediately drawn to a line of text in the notification bar. He frowned with displeasure, and when he clicked into the topic, the anger on his face was impossible to suppress.

@QiaoQiaoDrinksExtra: #LinZhiyu Brand Lemonade Offline Event# @InfiniteEntertainment @XuDongdong. Is your company a slave workshop? You have scheduled his itinerary so tightly that one event connects to another without a break. It is winter, yet he is filming at the seaside and underwater. Do you think because he is in a cultivation drama, he is actually an immortal? He could barely stand at the event. Anyone who is not blind can see he is unwell, yet he forced himself to interact with fans before leaving. The sisters in the group chat discovered he has not had any rest for days. I would rather he be the old troublemaker who would quit on the spot than see him bullied like this. [Attached Fan-Sourced Itinerary]

“Haha, Infinite Entertainment should go bankrupt!”

“I thought following Lin Zhiyu meant I would not have to deal with a trash company’s nonsense. My heart broke seeing him today. I suddenly miss the old, hated Lin Zhiyu; he definitely would not put up with this bird-brained treatment.”

“But seeing my ‘wife’ looking so weak yet still giving me an autograph makes my heart soft. He even drew a little star for me! (Image Attached)”

“@InfiniteEntertainment Stop playing dead. Is this how you exploit your artists? You did not handle the PR when things happened before, and now you make him work around the clock in this cold. How much money has he made for you? Can you not afford a decent team?”

“Just a reminder, Xu Dongdong was in City C a few days ago busy with his newly signed idol. Fans recorded videos of him running around for the new guy. Compared to that, our ‘Paper Fish’ is like a neglected orphan. I thought I was following an unpopular, eighteenth-tier actor who is mistreated by his company.”

Mu Sui had very few social media apps. Even his Weibo account had been registered only a month ago; the ID was a jumble of random characters, and he only followed one person. Perhaps because he browsed it so much, the platform’s big data pushed related news to him. This included content from Lin Zhiyu’s super-topic and posts from several major fan accounts.

He had intended to have Zhou Ming investigate what was going on, but just as he was about to dial, he remembered Lin Zhiyu’s previous complaint. Ultimately, he did not make the late-night call and sent a text message instead.

S.: Investigate Lin Zhiyu’s recent itinerary tomorrow. Then, contact Infinite Entertainment to change his manager. You pick the person.

After sending it, he stared at Lin Zhiyu’s face for a while longer. After a moment of thought, he added:

S.: Have the investment department prepare an acquisition proposal.

After sending the message, he had no interest in looking at anything else. Just as he was about to turn off his phone, he felt the fingers holding his hand move suddenly. Then, the burning heat moved away. Lin Zhiyu half-propped himself up and rolled out of bed. His eyes were half-closed, barely open.

“What are you doing?” Mu Sui asked.

Lin Zhiyu said thickly, “Bathroom. It is urgent.”

Mu Sui sighed. He did not stop him, but because he was worried the youth might fall, he did not take his eyes off him for a second.

Lin Zhiyu’s trip to the bathroom was successful, but the return trip was problematic. As he approached Mu Sui, perhaps because his legs were too weak or his head was spinning, he stumbled, about to fall to his knees on the floor. Fortunately, Mu Sui reached out in time and pulled him by the waist.

Lin Zhiyu’s knee happened to land between the man’s legs, and his upper body pressed against him, his chin resting on Mu Sui’s shoulder. The weight leaning on his shoulder was neither too heavy nor too light. Mu Sui reached under the youth’s arm to support his back, preventing him from falling further.

Lin Zhiyu’s arm brushed against his as he swayed casually, mumbling, “Thank you. You are so good.”

Mu Sui turned his head to look at him, feeling both helpless and full of endurance. Lin Zhiyu pressed against his shoulder, trying to stand up, but his thigh kneeling on the wheelchair slipped several times, and he eventually lost his strength. He slumped entirely against the wheelchair and said melancholically and innocently, “Oh, I have no strength left.”

He did not notice at all that a certain patch of skin on his thigh seemed to be burning even hotter.