Chapter 15: What Kind of Shura Field is This?!
Their private two-person world on the island ended early. It came to an abrupt halt the day after Wen Chen pinned Luo Qingjia against the wall.
Upon returning to the city, the two went about their own business. Luo Qingjia ran around everywhere, mainly to the hospital, while Wen Chen's life became a straight line between his home and the company.
Luo Qingjia would return home before his ten o'clock curfew. Coincidentally, the moment he stepped through the door, Wen Chen would arrive right on his heels.
Luo Qingjia was very busy. Every day, he had to go to the hospital to visit Wen Qingheng, catch up with friends he hadn't seen in a month, and still find time to act out his fake relationship with Yuan Ye. School was starting soon, and the university clubs needed him too.
On top of that, since their departure from the island had been rather unpleasant, he consciously and subconsciously reminded himself not to pay too much attention to Wen Chen and not to act too eager, lest he end up looking like a clown.
Because of this, he didn't notice Wen Chen's unusual behavior at first.
For several days in a row, Wen Chen arrived home immediately after him. No matter what time or minute he got back, Wen Chen always managed to step through the front door right behind him.
He finally realized something was up. Risking disturbing someone's sleep, he called Yuan Ting late at night to verify his suspicions.
By beating around the bush with Yuan Ting, he learned that the company had been operating perfectly smoothly and didn't actually need Wen Chen holding down the fort at headquarters. On the contrary, everyone was on edge because he was there.
Wen Chen had cultivated a group of capable subordinates, not to mention having Yuan Ting as a highly reliable second-in-command. Routine matters didn't require his attention. Yuan Ting only reported to him for major or urgent issues.
Over the years, in order to take care of him, Wen Chen had frequently worked remotely and rarely stayed late at the office. Yet these past few days, he had been wearing a foul expression and "working overtime" at the company every single day, causing everyone to panic and making the office atmosphere significantly more tense.
"Xiao Jia, did you know your young uncle is in a relationship? I suspect he had a fight with your future aunt—no, wait, it's probably your future little aunt giving him the cold shoulder unilaterally."
At first, Yuan Ting had been a bit sleepy, yawning while complaining about Wen Chen to him. But at this point, his volume suddenly increased, his excited voice full of sudden realization.
"The more I think about it, the more likely it seems. A few days ago, when I was on a video call with Wen Chen to seriously discuss business, he kept zoning out and smiling like a lovesick fool. I asked him if he was thinking about his little lover, and he didn't even deny it."
"Later on, he pretended to be on vacation, accompanying his little lover during the day and dragging me up to work overtime at night. That guy completely prioritizes his love life over his friends!"
"But these past few days, he's been totally out of it. He stares at his phone all day, looking at some crappy GPS tracking system, and the more he looks, the uglier his face gets. It must be because his little lover dumped him and turned around to flirt with other men."
"Also, he always leaves work really abruptly at night. Every time, he just gets a phone call and rushes off, not even cleaning up his desk. For someone with his level of OCD to do something like that, it has to be a phone call related to this little lover of his."
Hearing this, Luo Qingjia almost burst out laughing.
Well, case closed.
The "aunt" was none other than himself.
Wen Chen was with him every day, where would he find another "little lover"? Wasn't the little lover Yuan Ting mentioned Wen Chen taking a fake vacation to accompany exactly him? The GPS tracking also lined up perfectly. Wen Chen had said he was worried he might encounter danger and had installed a tracker on him.
As for the phone calls he received right before getting off work, they were either from Luo Qingjia's driver tipping him off, or from people Wen Chen sent to tail him to get his exact whereabouts. That was how Wen Chen could follow him home right on his heels.
If it were anyone else, who could stand being under Wen Chen's absolute control twenty-four hours a day?
Only him. He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being controlled by Wen Chen. Just thinking about Wen Chen watching his every move made him tremble with excitement.
Looking at it this way, he and Wen Chen truly were a match made in heaven. Wen Chen's little lover could only be him.
However, had Yuan Ting noticed something? In the past, when Yuan Ting mentioned Wen Chen in front of him, he would always say "your uncle" this and "your uncle" that. Now he had deliberately changed it to "young uncle" or just called Wen Chen by his name. Was he testing him?
After all, Yuan Ting was one of the victims when he and Wen Chen played their little phone s*x game.
Whatever, it didn't matter if Yuan Ting had noticed or not. The important thing was that Wen Chen hadn't actually been busy with work these past few days.
That meant he was just jealous and throwing a tantrum.
He carefully recalled what had happened in the study the night before they left the island. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had gone overboard playing hard to get, and that it had backfired.
His memory returned to that night.
Wen Chen had cornered him, hands pressed against the wall on either side of his shoulders, and asked with a freezing expression, "Is Wen Qingheng really that important to you? Can you not see that I am... busy?"
At the time, his chest had tightened at the coldness and irritation on Wen Chen's face. Focusing on the latter half of the sentence, he mistakenly assumed Wen Chen was annoyed by him.
His petty temper had flared up. Retracting his rare display of consideration, he said whatever would hurt the most.
"Yes, he's my brother, of course I care about him. Uncle, you can't possibly demand that I only care about you as my family, right?"
Normally, if he dealt a slap, he would at least offer a piece of candy afterwards. He should have said something like this to soothe Wen Chen.
As family, I care about both Uncle and my brother. But as a lover, I only care about Uncle. Uncle is both my family and my lover, so of course your weight in my heart is heavier than Wen Qingheng's—heavier than anyone else's.
If he had managed to say those words, maybe he could have coaxed Wen Chen into becoming his lover on the spot.
But he had been angry, and he felt no obligation to placate Wen Chen. He even felt it wasn't satisfying enough and wanted to deliver another slap, a harder one.
"Keep being busy then. I'll go take care of my brother so I won't bother you. Best of both worlds."
Hearing this, Wen Chen had returned to his office chair expressionlessly, reviewed a few documents, and then, as if suddenly remembering he was there, said indifferently, "Fine, I'll send you back tomorrow morning."
He hadn't expected this reaction from Wen Chen, which made him feel even more wronged. He had proposed leaving to be considerate of Wen Chen, yet Wen Chen's lack of effort to make him stay made his thoughtfulness feel like a joke.
Actually, Wen Qingheng had told him the fall wasn't serious. Moreover, Mother Wen would be there taking care of him for a few days, so he had told Luo Qingjia not to visit the hospital just yet and to wait until she left to avoid any unpleasantness.
Had he not considered how busy Wen Chen was and wanted to avoid getting in his way, he wouldn't have been in such a rush to say he was going back to take care of Wen Qingheng. But instead of appreciating his intentions, Wen Chen had given him attitude.
He had been dizzy with anger at the time, combined with his preconceived notion that Wen Chen was busy with official business. He completely missed the fact that the man was just jealous.
Thinking back on it now, if he connected Wen Chen's "Can you not see that I am busy?" with the previous "Is Wen Qingheng really that important to you?", he would realize it was overflowing with jealousy.
How could he have thought Wen Chen found him annoying? When had Wen Chen ever found him annoying? Those words were clearly laced with resentment, like a bitter husband who had failed to win his partner's favor.
If he had correctly interpreted Wen Chen's meaning back then, Wen Chen might have finally pierced that final layer of paper between them.
He carefully reviewed everything and realized that using his fake boyfriend to stimulate Wen Chen was the right move. Every time he mentioned his fake boyfriend, Wen Chen would lose control and do something intimate to him.
But using Wen Qingheng to stimulate Wen Chen was taking it a step too far.
Thinking carefully, during their final days on the island, Wen Chen's attitude toward him had actually become very ambiguous: calling him "baby," referring to himself as "Daddy," sucking on his bottom, mutually touching each other, and playing phone games with him.
Where did he screw it up?
It seemed to start when he called Wen Qingheng to check on his injuries, and ended up giving Wen Chen the cold shoulder during the call. Wen Chen's feelings were already glaringly obvious by then, and his attitude over the following days had noticeably cooled.
It was also Wen Chen's fault for being too good at pretending. If he was jealous, he was jealous. why hide in the office? It made Luo Qingjia mistakenly think the man was busy with work, leading him to add fuel to the fire by using Wen Qingheng as an excuse to leave.
But what would blaming him solve? Wen Chen just refused to communicate, and he loved to put on an act. If he waited for this man to speak up, his little flower might wither away first. What else could he do? He had to be the one to use his words and take the initiative.
Life isn't a novel. two people who refuse to communicate will never bear the fruits of love.
Luo Qingjia originally planned to clear up the misunderstanding with Wen Chen the very next morning.
Unexpectedly, Wen Qingheng called bright and early to say he had gotten into a fight with Mother Wen. In a fit of anger, Mother Wen had shoved him and stormed out of the hospital, completely disregarding how badly he fell or if he had aggravated his injuries.
Hearing how depressed Wen Qingheng's voice sounded and the pessimistic, world-weary things he was saying, Luo Qingjia was afraid he might do something stupid. Pushing thoughts of Wen Chen aside, he didn't even eat breakfast. He just grabbed the crab roe wontons Wen Chen handed him and rushed off to the hospital in a hurry.
Thank goodness he arrived in time. When he pushed open the hospital room door, Wen Qingheng was holding a fruit knife, measuring it against his wrist. Seeing that it was him, Wen Qingheng hastily hid the knife behind his back, forcing a smile that looked uglier than crying.
"Brother, have you eaten breakfast yet? I brought you some crab roe wontons. They're my favorite, and I wanted to share them with you."
Luo Qingjia pretended not to see Wen Qingheng's self-harm attempt and the faint bloody scratch he had already made. Feigning composure, he told a white lie.
In reality, Wen Chen had told him to bring the crab roe wontons, saying the portion was small and meant for him to eat himself. He even reminded him that Wen Qingheng was a patient and couldn't just eat anything, as the hospital provided specialized meals.
This was the Wen family's hospital; every patient had a dedicated nutritionist, so eating the hospital breakfast was naturally much better.
However, Luo Qingjia felt that Wen Qingheng's deepest wounds weren't physical. If a bowl of wontons could make him feel warmth and bring him a little happiness, even if there were minor side effects, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Mostly, he had panicked and hadn't known what to say in the moment. Seeing the wontons in his hand, he used them as an excuse to change the subject.
If Wen Qingheng really wanted to eat them later, he would pretend to suddenly remember that he needed to ask the doctor if it was allowed.
But he didn't expect Wen Qingheng to act so fast. Leaning over, he snatched the food container from Luo Qingjia's hands and proceeded to spoon two wontons into his mouth. The sorrow on his face seemed somewhat diluted by the delicious food.
"It's delicious! This is the best thing I've eaten in years. Good food really can heal anything. Jiajia, I'm so glad you came. Thank you."
Stared at by Wen Qingheng's phoenix eyes—which looked so strikingly similar to Wen Chen's—Luo Qingjia couldn't bring himself to say anything that would ruin the mood. He figured a broken bone wasn't a digestive issue, so eating crab roe wontons probably wouldn't hurt.
He was currently far more worried about the wound on Wen Qingheng's wrist. Although small, it was oozing blood. Wen Qingheng using force to hold the bowl would obviously make it bleed faster.
"Brother, let me feed you," Luo Qingjia offered. He figured that since Wen Qingheng didn't want him to discover how he got the wound, he would use the opportunity of feeding him to "accidentally" notice the cut and help bandage it up.
Without waiting for Wen Qingheng to react, Luo Qingjia snatched the food container back from his hands.
Unexpectedly, before he even had a firm grip on it, a man from behind snatched the container away. A familiar male voice spoke from above his head, "I'll do it."
The voice was cold enough to freeze water.
Luo Qingjia wanted to cry but had no tears.
The biological uncle and nephew who had never gotten along were facing off!
Wen Chen viewed Wen Qingheng as his imaginary love rival, yet he was about to feed him wontons.
And these wontons had been personally made for him by Wen Chen, with strict, repeated instructions that only he could eat them. Yet here he was, turning right around and feeding them to Wen Chen's "love rival."
He looked at Wen Chen, who was practically emitting a freezing aura, and then at the pale-faced Wen Qingheng, whose expression screamed absolute resistance. In his heart, he shrieked.
What kind of hellish Shura field is this?!
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