Why Does First Love Feel This Sweet? - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Sheng Yi felt a bit embarrassed for having lost control and showing that momentary “whining” vulnerability. His face burned. Why did I sound like I was acting spoiled and begging for comfort?

He reflexively slapped the phone screen-down onto his pillow and buried his face in the blankets to rub his eyes dry. After steadying his breath, he picked the phone back up and tried to explain naturally: “You know, the fingers are connected to the heart—it really did hurt.”

Looking at Sheng Yi’s reddened eyes, Rong Yu cooperated: “Then what should we do?”

Sheng Yi said righteously: “Talk to me. Help me distract myself.”

With a hint of a smile in his eyes, Rong Yu obeyed: “Okay.”

Sheng Yi’s awkwardness eased thanks to Rong Yu’s natural response. He lay on his side with his phone on the pillow. “What’s Ares doing?”

“Chewing on a slipper.”

Perhaps because he was listening to Rong Yu’s voice right by his ear, Sheng Yi began to feel drowsy as soon as his head hit the pillow. He chuckled lazily, “How many pairs has he ruined? Aren’t you going to discipline him?”

“It’s fine. I can afford it.”

In the quiet room, Rong Yu’s voice was incredibly soothing.

“You spoil him even more than I do…” Sheng Yi propped the phone up against another pillow facing himself, his eyes slowly closing.

Watching the person on the screen gradually drift off, Rong Yu asked softly, “Is that bad?”

The voice in the video grew fainter: “It’s good… really good…”

Before they could chat much more, Sheng Yi was asleep. Rong Yu leaned against the headboard, watching Sheng Yi sleep for a while. Ten minutes later, he turned off his lights. He kept the phone charging and the video call active on his pillow; listening to Sheng Yi’s breathing, he fell asleep with him.

…

The “Unearned” Feast

The next morning, Sheng Yi woke up to find his phone had automatically shut down. After charging and restarting it, he saw the call had lasted over four hours. He sent a “Good morning” to Rong Yu and got up in a great mood.

By noon, just as Sheng Yi was about to brave the kitchen again, the doorbell rang. It was a delivery driver from a sushi shop with a high-end spread of sushi and sashimi.

Sheng Yi checked his phone. Sure enough, Rong Yu had messaged: I’ll order meals for you both for the next few days.

Rong Yu was clearly worried he’d hurt his hand again. Sheng Yi felt a surge of warmth. Rong Yu wasn’t the type to use sweet words; he expressed care through action. This kind of meticulous concern felt entirely different now that they were thousands of miles apart.

Sheng Yi couldn’t help but send an aggressive “kabedon” kissing emoji: I think you’re asking for a kiss.jpg

In the living room, Teacher Tu noticed the band-aid on Sheng Yi’s hand and immediately deduced where the food came from. “Your boyfriend is very thoughtful,” Tu remarked while eating a piece of lobster sashimi. “Even from so far away, he takes care of you and those around you.”

Sheng Yi stuffed a piece of sushi into his mouth to keep from bragging too much. His soul was practically dancing inside his body. It’s just basic operations for Xiao Yu, he thought smugly. Don’t be too impressed.

…

The Great Emoji Hunt

At the hospital, Rong Yu was having lunch with his supervisor, Wang Sizhe. Rong Yu, usually a model of discipline who never looked at his phone during meals, was checking his screen every few minutes today.

Wang Sizhe, worried the stock market had crashed, checked his own phone. Seeing the stocks were fine, he realized the truth and teased: “Chatting with your boyfriend?”

Rong Yu looked up, his ear tips slightly pink. He gave a quiet “Mm.”

Later, Rong Yu stopped at the nurse’s station and approached Wen Xueqi, a nurse he had consulted for relationship advice before. “Good afternoon,” Rong Yu said, looking a bit stiff.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Rong!” Wen Xueqi said, surprised.

“I have a question…” Rong Yu started, looking slightly unnatural. “What kind of emojis does your boyfriend usually send when you chat?”

Wen Xueqi was touched. She was being summoned as an emotional consultant again! She checked her chat history with her childhood-friend-turned-fiancé, but quickly realized her boyfriend’s emojis were way too “steamy” or “shameless” for Dr. Rong’s ethereal vibe e.g., Little hottie, do you need a lesson?.

In the end, she went to Weibo to find some cute, “high-quality” emojis that matched Rong Yu’s temperament and sent them to him. Rong Yu scrolled through them, his ears turning redder. “That’s enough, thank you.”

…

A Virtual Head-Pat

In Hokkaido, Sheng Yi had a burst of productivity after his “International Love Lunch.” He finished a mock exam and got every multiple-choice question right!

He excitedly took a photo and sent it to Rong Yu: Teacher Xiao Yu! I can actually make it into B University!

Rong Yu didn’t reply immediately, likely busy with work. Sheng Yi sat in his room, his excitement slowly cooling into a familiar loneliness. He missed the reward that usually came with success. If Rong Yu were here, he would have patted his head.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

It was Rong Yu’s reply: “Good performance.”

Sheng Yi’s heart swelled. He played the voice note over and over. Then, another message popped up.

It was an emoji Sheng Yi had never seen Rong Yu use before. His heart skipped a beat.

Rong Yu: Pats head.jpg