SVWL Chapter 57.1

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The voice came from overhead, and after reacting to what the other youth said, Zhu Tong’s face immediately burned.

Where did he want to sleep? Here? 

If someone told him they wanted to sleep in the same bed as him before, he must at least try to lift them off. 

But now it was Shao Ming who was saying this. He had exempted Shao Ming from the principles that he adhered to in the past many, many times before. 

He did not like others to be too close to him. He did not like to establish physical contact with people in general.

Sometimes Zhu Tong thought that he’s actually very territorial, just like many small animals. 

His room was his domain, and so was his bed.

At home, servants could not enter his room without permission, and even if they did, they could not touch his bed. He was so particular about others’ touches. But now, with Shao Ming sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, using his pillow, and even holding him in his arms, he didn’t feel any resistance at all.

He stared blankly at the person lying “under him”.

Shao Ming repeated his inquiry: “Can I sleep here?”

Zhu Tong’s breathing hitched, and he blinked. “You…”

This is really an unreliable method!

Suddenly having someone else on his bed, can he even sleep well?

Moreover, this “human-shaped pillow” was uneven and hard! He’s not as soft as his normal pillow! 

He should decisively refuse.

However, what came out of his mouth was: “My bed isn’t as spacious as yours, you’ll be cramped sleeping here…”

“Then you can sleep in my bed.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

He didn’t mean it that way.

“I sleep restlessly well and will disturb your rest.”

Shao Ming said: “I sleep well, and I won’t wake up in an earthquake.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

So exaggerated?

“But…”

He was still hesitant.

It’s very simple, saying that he is not used to sleeping with others. He’s sure Shao Ming will understand, but why can’t he say it?

He doesn’t like sleeping with Shao Ming? That doesn’t seem to be true at all either… 

It’s just an indescribable awkwardness that makes him feel nervous when he thinks about it.

Especially now that he was lying on Shao Ming’s body, he had nowhere to put his hands.

How could Shao Ming not see his nervousness?

He had seen during the times before and after Zhu Tong went to bed, and there was not much change in his sleeping position. He didn’t have any bad sleeping habits at all.

So… he’s simply not willing?

But the young master’s current reaction didn’t look like rejection or disgust. His eyes were darting everywhere, and his tone was laced with a bit of helpless resistance. It made Shao Ming not want to get up, as Zhu Tong was constantly in his mind. 

Shao Ming purred, “Is it really not possible?”

Why is he still pleading? 

Zhu Tong’s heart skipped a beat as he said, “It’s not that it can’t work, it’s just unnecessary. The reason I couldn’t sleep well before was probably due to not adjusting my posture properly, not because of the pillow. You don’t have to…”

“I just want to take care of you.”

“…”

Ah?

Zhu Tong raised his eyes in surprise.

If he remembered correctly, Shao Ming had been taking care of him ever since he moved to this homestay, hadn’t he? 

Shao Ming smiled and continued, “Didn’t you say that I feel guilty and have a burden in my heart? Shouldn’t you give me a chance to repay your heroic deeds with favor?” 

Zhu Tong was stunned. 

Repaying deeds… must it be done by sleeping together? 

Before he could figure out the connection, the phone he tucked under the pillow suddenly rang.

Zhu Tong was startled, and subconsciously wanted to prop his body up in a sitting position.

Shao Ming held his waist and said, “Just take it like this.”

“…”

How could he take the call like this? 

Shao Ming looked at him and said, “I promise I won’t eavesdrop.”

Zhu Tong chuckled. “Do your ears have an automatic turn-off switch or something?”

Is it necessary to eavesdrop at such a close distance?

Shao Ming thought for a while. “If I can’t listen, you can assure it by covering my ears.”

–If anything, Shao Ming hoped for the best result: Zhu Tong, lying on top of him, covering his ears with his palms as he answered the call. 

He just simply didn’t want to let him go.

And Zhu Tong simply wanted to answer the phone quickly, without paying attention to the current situation of the two. He retrieved his phone from under the pillow, glanced at the caller ID, then turned his head and answered, “Hello, Grandpa.”

Shao Ming: “…”

The easy address made his body freeze.

No calculation would have predicted it was a call from an elder.

Was it too late for him to let go now?

An elderly man’s calm and solemn voice sounded on the phone, asking, “Are you injured?”

As soon as he spoke those words, the two people on the bed completely froze solid.

Zhu Tong thought, ‘Grandpa knows? When did grandpa know about it? It must be from Uncle Liu’s big mouth! Will Shao Ming be alright?’ 

When he looked up, he saw a stiff smile on Shao Ming’s face.

Shao Ming had always blamed himself for this incident. Now, when he heard this “interrogation” from Zhu Tong’s grandfather, what kind of guilt did he feel? 

He really shouldn’t answer the phone in front of Shao Ming!

With a tight feeling in his heart, Zhu Tong accidentally dropped his phone in a moment of panic. He raised both hands, using one finger to block one of Shao Ming’s ears, and then lowered his head to speak into the phone, saying, “It’s okay, just a minor injury. Grandpa, you don’t need to worry. It’s almost healed, you know I’ve always been prone to minor injuries since I was a child. It’s really nothing serious.”

The moment his hands touched his ears, Shao Ming only felt a buzzing sound in his head. He widened his eyes, and then saw the youth in front of him staring at the phone, his lips flapping as he answered. 

The slightly anxious expression, the slightly hurried breath, and the closure of hearing made other senses unusually prominent, especially the warm touch inside the ear canal.

His fingertips were soft, his nails neatly trimmed and perfectly round, and the fingertip perfectly matched his external auditory canal. Deprived of external sounds, he could clearly hear his own increasingly heavy heartbeat.

He looked down at the boy’s lips, his throat tightened.

Zhu Tong only focused on dealing with his grandfather. He felt the hand on his waist tighten “uneasily”, but he just tilted his head and glanced at Shao Ming.

The other side of the phone continued, “You count being slashed by a knife as a minor injury?” 

“…”

Zhu Tong: Damn it.

It’s clear Uncle Liu tattled. 

And judging from his grandfather’s tone, he sounded like he’d been gnashing his teeth!

He wouldn’t blame Shao Ming, would he?

Zhu Tong panicked. “It’s really just a minor injury, aren’t I okay now? The wound will heal soon.”

Cheng Qingsong said: “Three days from now, go back to A City with Uncle Liu.”

Three days from now? 

Zhu Tong didn’t even think about it, and blurted out, “No way!”

The phone was silent.

As silence descended, an invisible storm brewed, a harbinger of the upcoming catastrophe. 

“Grandpa, I… I still have something to do here. Our school is organizing a school-wide choir competition. It’s the first time I’ve participated in such a group activity in my life. Can I come back to check after I finish the competition?”

“…”

Soft tone, full of pleading.

Cheng Qingsong was silent for a while.

Helplessly sighed, the old man’s voice clearly was full of vicissitudes. “After the competition is over, I will let someone pick you up.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

This was a non-negotiable tone.

Zhu Tong couldn’t articulate his emotions clearly. Returning to A City for a check-up was something he promised Uncle Liu on the day he was injured. Grandpa was worried about him, so when Grandpa suggested he return, to ease Grandpa’s worries, he should have agreed immediately.

And there’s also the matter with Qin Junhong. Now that the matter has improved significantly, there shouldn’t be any risk in going back.

But why did he refuse?

He… felt a little reluctant.

Reluctant to not join the choir competition? Certainly not. 

Zhu Tong subconsciously wanted to tighten his hands, but he suddenly felt something was off. When he raised his head, he realized just how ambiguous the distance between the two of them had become.

He quickly tried to withdraw his hand, but his wrist was caught.

He maintained the posture of covering Shao Ming’s ears, but now, he was forced to look at Shao Ming. 

At the same time, someone knocked on the door: “Young Master, I’m coming in…”

Before he finished speaking, Uncle Liu froze at the door.

---

In a high-end apartment in A City, Cheng Qingsong hung up the phone after calling Zhu Tong, his expression heavy and unchanged. On the computer screen in front of him, there were two comparison photos sent by Uncle Liu… showing wounds on the back.

One was taken when the doctor was treating the wound, and the other was taken after the wound was treated. The time difference between the two was less than half an hour.

“I remember you said that Tongtong’s blood coagulation rate is poor. Once he’s injured, it is difficult to stop the bleeding.”

The family doctor responsible for Zhu Tong’s physical health spoke in broken Chinese, “Yes, Master Cheng, Young Master Tong has congenital coagulation dysfunction. Based on Mr. Liu’s description of the symptoms, although the wound is not deep, it may not clot as easily as expected.”

However, the reality was that the doctor in the county town successfully treated the wound with the simplest method, and the bleeding was stopped very quickly.

Cheng Qingsong originally thought that the reason behind Tongtong’s improved health, after attending school in that small county town, was due to an improved mood affecting his heart condition. However, he had never heard of someone’s mood positively affecting their physical health to that extent.

In order to improve Tongtong’s physical health, he had asked many doctors to think of many ways, but almost all of them had little to no effect.

Can a change in mood alone cause such a significant transformation in a person’s health?

Cheng Qingsong couldn’t help but feel doubts.

The family doctor said beside him, “It is difficult to give a precise medical explanation for Young Master Tong’s current situation. I suggest that Young Master Tong come back for an examination as soon as possible.”

“…”

Old Master Cheng, who had just been rejected by his grandson, did not answer immediately.

The voice on the phone sounded spirited when he firmly refused his return to A City, while the soft and persuasive tone of his request was both skilled and well-reasoned.

When has Old Master Cheng ever seen… no, heard of his grandson being so lively?

Every time he called before, Tongtong was always so obedient and mature, speaking softly and creating an invisible barrier between them as grandfather and grandson, making it both heartbreaking yet difficult to get close.

But now Tongtong actually tried to bargain with him? 

What school choir competition? Doesn’t he know that his grandson dislikes crowded and lively occasions the most? Not willing to come back to A City, most likely because of that brat he saved!

He didn’t have any opinion on Shao Ming. But when he acquiesced in sending his grandson to Gongshui County, was not to let him block the knife for others.

Thinking of this made Cheng Qingsong’s brows tightly furrowed. 

How could a high-school kid be attacked with a knife?

As far as he knew, when Tongtong rushed over to save him, there was another person beside the boy.

He pondered for a moment and sent Uncle Liu a message.

[Check out who met the kid outside the cafe.]

The message was sent successfully, but Uncle Liu’s phone was muted, and he didn’t have time to look at his phone now.

He was witnessing a very shocking scene.