The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 50

It took Mu Sui quite an effort to get him back onto the bed.

This time, however, Lin Zhiyu fell asleep the moment he touched the mattress. He did not even curl a finger, turning his back to Mu Sui and rolling himself up like a cooked shrimp.

Mu Sui stared gloomily at his empty hands for a long while, feeling somewhat frustrated but powerless.

Only after confirming that Lin Zhiyu was finally in a deep sleep did he operate his wheelchair to leave for the master bedroom’s bathroom.

Hot water splashed rhythmically against the floor, and from behind the tightly closed door, a few muffled groans could occasionally be heard.

Far at the end of the hallway, Lin Zhiyu could not hear these sounds; he had long since drifted into the depths of consciousness, lulled by the hazy heat of his fever.

It was not until noon the next day that he was awakened again by the aroma of food.

Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the curtains, bringing the crisp, cold warmth unique to winter afternoons. Lin Zhiyu rolled over, feeling his throat so dry it seemed to be smoking, while the sticky feeling on his back was impossible to ignore.

He had dreamed for over a dozen hours. In his dreams, he felt as if he had been tossed into the furnace of Taishang Laoguan, scorched back and forth until the sweat on his back poured out like a mountain spring.

Although his body was still limp, he felt much more comfortable than the night before.

Remembering last night, fragmented memories came rushing back. As the broken pieces coalesced in his mind, Lin Zhiyu felt his face begin to burn again.

Suddenly, he remembered something and hurriedly reached for his phone on the nightstand. Chen Chen’s avatar showed a bright “99+,” and below it were missed calls from Xu Dongdong.

Lin Zhiyu’s temples throbbed. He clicked in and counted; Xu Dongdong had called him over a dozen times since early morning.

But he had scheduled to go to the company in the afternoon. Was there really a need for this deadly persistence so early?

Irritated, Lin Zhiyu sent a message to Chen Chen to let him know he was safe, lest the naive college student scare himself into thinking something terrible had happened. He then switched back to the chat with Xu Dongdong. Just as he was thinking of how to start the conversation, he heard a voice from the bedroom door, “Ah, Mr. Lin is awake. Would you like to come out and eat something?”

Lin Zhiyu looked up at the woman standing at the door. She gave him a gentle smile and continued, “Mr. Mu said you were sick and specifically asked me to prepare some porridge.”

He realized belatedly where the scent that had coaxed his stomach awake had come from.

Lin Zhiyu rubbed his flat stomach, which happened to let out a timely growl. He smiled at the woman and said, “I will change my clothes and be there in a moment. Sorry for the trouble.”

The woman replied, “No trouble at all,” and turned back to the kitchen to continue working.

Lin Zhiyu struggled to climb out of bed, rubbed his messy hair, and wobbled into the bathroom in his slippers.

Worried about making it to the company by the afternoon, he took a quick shower. He came out without even drying his hair and rushed to the dining table.

A little minced meat and green vegetables floated in the porridge, accompanied by a bowl of light chicken soup. Lin Zhiyu took a spoonful; the warmth spread from his stomach to his limbs, and he could not help but let out a satisfied sigh.

He looked up, intending to give the woman some praise, and happened to see Mu Sui coming out of the study.

Lin Zhiyu froze, not expecting him to still be home.

Mu Sui maintained his usual indifferent appearance as the wheelchair glided silently across the floor. However, when his gaze swept over Lin Zhiyu’s damp black hair, he could not help but frown. “You took a shower?”

With his mouth full of porridge, Lin Zhiyu gave a guilty hum. He instinctively lowered his head to avoid Mu Sui’s gaze and quickly shoved another spoonful into his mouth.

He moved too fast, burning the tip of his tongue. He hissed, covered his mouth, and asked indistinctly, “Has Mr. Mu eaten yet?”

“I have eaten.” Mu Sui stopped right by the dining table, staring at him for several seconds before speaking slowly. “Your hair is dripping. Have you not suffered enough since last night?”

Lin Zhiyu heard a hint of blame in those words, but the tone was mixed with an undetectable trace of concern.

He peeked at Mu Sui and saw him resting one hand on the wheelchair armrest while the other lay on his knee. Although his expression was calm, Lin Zhiyu keenly noticed a faint fatigue between his brows.

He did not sleep well last night, Lin Zhiyu thought. Was it to take care of me?

The memories of the previous night grew clearer. Scenes of Mu Sui feeding him medicine and half carrying him to bed surfaced in his mind, along with his own unconscious dependence and soft, spoiled whispers.

The tips of his ears turned burning red. He lowered his head to drink a few more mouthfuls of porridge to hide his panic, making his voice sound light. “Thank you for last night.”

Unexpectedly, Mu Sui did not answer but reached out and pressed his palm against Lin Zhiyu’s forehead.

The hand holding the spoon trembled, nearly spilling the porridge. Lin Zhiyu was too stiff to move, but fortunately, Mu Sui’s hand did not linger and was quickly withdrawn.

“The fever is gone,” he said plainly.

“Oh,” Lin Zhiyu replied instinctively, though his mind was in a total turmoil.

He did not know if Mu Sui realized how ambiguous his action had been. No matter how he observed the other man, he still saw a face as calm as ever, as if it had been the most natural gesture in the world.

He felt he might be overthinking it, yet he was not sure. He buried his head in his porridge for a few more bites, then rubbed his itching, burning earlobe with his finger.

Mu Sui glanced at his hand and said, “Go dry your hair after you finish eating.”

Lin Zhiyu hummed in response and sped up his eating slightly.

“Are you not going to the company today?” he asked casually.

“I had a remote meeting this morning, and there is nothing urgent this afternoon,” Mu Sui answered. Watching Lin Zhiyu eat so voraciously, he could not help but add, “Eat slower. No one is going to take it from you.”

Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips. Although he felt time was running out, he slowed down his movements. Halfway through the porridge, he hesitated, checked the time on his phone, and called Chen Chen.

Chen Chen answered quickly, but the background noise was chaotic, as if he were in a crowded place.

“Lin-ge, is something wrong?” Chen Chen’s voice was urgent and notably louder, as if he were trying to be heard over the noise. “Thank God you replied to my message, or I would have been scared to death. Are you feeling better?”

Lin Zhiyu glanced at Mu Sui and silently turned down the volume on his phone.

“Almost. When are you coming to pick me up?” Lin Zhiyu asked.

As he spoke, he caught Mu Sui playfully tapping the armrest out of the corner of his eye.

What does that mean?

Chen Chen fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “Lin-ge, did you not get the news? I suppose you have been sick since last night and probably have not had time to check.”

Lin Zhiyu raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Chen Chen took a deep breath and said excitedly, “The company suddenly announced this morning that you are getting a new manager!”

Lin Zhiyu’s hand froze, and his spoon nearly fell into the bowl. He stared at the phone screen, unable to believe it.

“How could it suddenly,” he said hesitantly. Recalling the calls from Xu Dongdong earlier that morning, he lowered his voice and partially covered his mouth with his hand. “Was Xu Dongdong caught doing something bad?”

Or has God finally opened his eyes?

There was a frantic sound on Chen Chen’s end, as if he were rummaging through equipment or files. Then his voice came through intermittently. “I am not sure. The company made a sudden decision. Maybe it is because your illness last night trended on social media and the fans were making a fuss? I do not know the details, but do not worry. The new manager is a very beautiful and capable woman. I heard she has managed many famous artists before. She should be much more reliable than Xu Dongdong!”

“I just gave her your WeChat contact. She probably knows you are sick, so she has not contacted you yet,” Chen Chen said. “I am at the company helping her with the handover. It sounds like she wants you to rest at home for a few days, so you do not have to come in this afternoon!”

Lin Zhiyu was so moved that he nearly shed tears.

I have done good deeds all my life; this good luck is exactly what I deserve.

“And what about Xu Dongdong?” Lin Zhiyu asked.

“I do not really know. It seems he has been exiled to some mountains to follow a production crew. He left early this morning.” Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper. “Tsk, let him work himself to death!”

Lin Zhiyu joked, “If managers could sign up for Metamorphosis, I would be the first to send him there!”

“I will pray for that with you,” Chen Chen paused before adding, “She is calling me! I have to go.”

“Lin-ge, recover well. Leave the rest to us. I have to get back to work!”

Lin Zhiyu thanked him and hung up. Looking happily at the little porridge left in his bowl, he felt his appetite increase significantly; he could probably finish three more bowls.

He tilted the bowl to his mouth to clear the rest and gave Mu Sui an excited smile. “Hehe, I do not have to go to work this afternoon either!”

Mu Sui: “…”

Mu Sui could not help but chuckle.

Lin Zhiyu did not pay attention to his reaction. After putting down the bowl, he planned to go back to his room for a long sleep. However, before his legs could even touch the quilt, he heard Mu Sui’s cool voice from outside. “You should go dry your hair.”

Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips and obediently turned back into the bathroom.

The hairdryer hummed, and the warm air gently brushed through Lin Zhiyu’s hair, gradually evaporating the moisture.

Mu Sui’s wheelchair stopped at the bedroom door. He could faintly hear a few lazy tunes mixed with the sound of the wind.

“I am not going to work tomorrow! I can be as lazy as I want!”

His Sichuan accent was very accurate, but the rhythm was erratic and his breath unsteady, yet it made one feel inexplicably cheerful.

Mu Sui silently operated the wheelchair to glide slightly into the bedroom. Through the half open door, he saw Lin Zhiyu facing the mirror, holding the hairdryer in one hand while casually running his other hand through his half dry hair.

His hair drying technique was very rough, with no method to speak of. The hairdryer swayed randomly in his hand, and he did not even notice that a section of hair at the back of his head was beginning to curl.

Lin Zhiyu was still humming to himself, and the relaxed, pleasant smile on his face was impossible to suppress.

Is he really that happy?

Mu Sui thought to himself, his lips curling into a helpless smile. He turned to go back to his room. However, Lin Zhiyu, who had finished drying his hair haphazardly, spotted him in the mirror and quickly dropped the hairdryer to chase after him.

He leaned lazily against the doorframe, tilting his head and resting it against the wood. He said to Mu Sui with a bright smile, “I originally wanted to catch up on some sleep, but the air from the dryer has made me feel much more awake.”

“Does Mr. Mu have a set of VR equipment in the study? Can you lend it to me to play with?”