Yu Junqing followed Bo Rui and the “Third Brother” in a daze. After walking along a bumpy, uneven road, they arrived at an old house.
Truly an old house. Yu Junqing looked at the large padlock hanging on the wooden door. Houses like this were nearly relics of history. A sudden thought struck him: maybe he was dreaming. Everything that had happened tonight felt surreal, almost too fantastical to process.
“Come in and sit. It’s so late now—if you want, you can stay here tonight. I’ll call Lao Cui and tell him not to leave the gate open for me,” Bo Rui said as he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Wolf Third made no pretense of politeness. He had been to Bo Rui’s place countless times before and felt completely at ease, as if this house were entirely familiar.
Yu Junqing followed behind, and upon stepping inside, he was stunned. He had never seen a house like this in real life. Made of yellow earth, the interior was surprisingly spacious. Just inside the entrance was the main hall, flanked by bedrooms on either side. The entrance hall led to an inner courtyard, and beyond that, the kitchen. To the left of the entrance was the restroom.
The house remained almost entirely in its original, primitive state, with barely any modern conveniences. Near the door, Yu Junqing even spotted a kerosene lamp.
Curious, he turned to take it all in. Bo Rui, meanwhile, had just finished his phone call. Lao Cui was still on night duty, and upon hearing Bo Rui say he wouldn’t be back, he expressed concern.
“I won’t be coming back tonight. I’ll sleep here. Is that okay?” Bo Rui asked, hanging up. He finally had a chance to carefully examine Yu Junqing from head to toe.
Honestly, when Bo Rui had seen Yu Junqing heading toward the village, he had barely believed it. Their village was deep in the mountains, largely unknown to outsiders, and the roads were barely passable by car.
Fortunately, though Yu Junqing had clearly been taken away, he had crossed paths with Third Brother. Without him, tonight’s situation would have been far more complicated.
“Third Brother, I owe you one,” Bo Rui said, retracting his hand from Yu Junqing and giving Wolf Third a nod of thanks.
Wolf Third, far more familiar with Yu Junqing than Bo Rui, immediately drew a bucket of water from the courtyard pump and drank deeply.
“So, this is your brother, Little Rui?” Wolf Third’s tone carried familiarity, tinged with a hint of embarrassment. To think that the task they’d been assigned for the boss had ended up involving Bo Rui’s own brother—it was almost laughable.
Bo Rui lowered his head and noticed something wrong with Yu Junqing’s foot. He carefully seated him in a chair in the main hall. When Third Brother asked, he simply nodded.
“Yes, Third Brother. His name is Yu Junqing. He’s an actor—you probably know him,” Bo Rui said, briefly introducing him. With one large hand, he began removing Yu Junqing’s shoes. Yu Junqing’s face flushed red. Almost thirty years old, yet being treated like a child—he struggled with an awkward mix of shyness and embarrassment.
“Don’t move. Let me check your foot,” Bo Rui said softly, lightly scratching at Yu Junqing’s foot. Yu Junqing nearly laughed aloud.
To avoid further tickling, he let Bo Rui carefully roll up his pant leg.
Wolf Third observed Yu Junqing quietly, mentally taking stock. That boss of his didn’t seem like a decent man; Yu Junqing likely didn’t even realize whom he had offended. Whatever had caused this mess would surely have consequences eventually. People in this line of work often believed in karmic retribution—like the scar Wolf Third bore on his own chin. Everything had its cause.
“Little Rui, since he’s your brother, Third Brother will help this once. But remember—you’d better not show your face in front of me again.” Wolf Third’s words were directed at Yu Junqing. He was helping tonight solely for Bo Rui’s sake; otherwise, even he wouldn’t have taken this task lightly.
“Thank you, Third Brother…ah!” Yu Junqing hadn’t finished speaking when a sharp pain shot through his foot. He cried out.
“All right. I’ll stew a couple of pig’s trotters for you later to make up for it. Nothing serious,” Bo Rui said efficiently, straightening the bones and noticing the ankle was already swelling. He rummaged through the old house for some medicinal wine to massage it.
Yu Junqing’s foot throbbed intermittently. Tears welled in his eyes as he watched Bo Rui approach with the bottle, feeling a sinking sense of dread.
“Ah, you’ve been hiding this treasure? This must be Fourth Master’s, right?” Wolf Third chuckled, inspecting the bottle closely. Only Fourth Master’s medicinal wine had truly effective results, and his homemade liquor was top-tier as well.
“Yes, I got it back in my student days. I’ve hardly used it in recent years,” Bo Rui said with a smile. His hands moved without hesitation, warming the wine in his palms before massaging Yu Junqing’s ankle.
Bo Rui applied force, and Yu Junqing clenched his fists in pain. Yet with both men crouched before him, he could hardly cry out, gritting his teeth and enduring it. Tears ran steadily as Bo Rui’s strong hands worked.
“Hey, take it easy! Don’t forget your hands and feet are huge. You’re going to crush him!” Wolf Third admonished, clearly impressed by Bo Rui’s skill. The force was just right to set the bones without misaligning them.
Bo Rui glanced up at Yu Junqing, who was trying to discreetly wipe away his tears. Embarrassment struck, and Bo Rui softened his touch. This time, it was gentle enough.
“You’re brave, jumping from that second floor. Just spraining your foot—consider yourself lucky,” Wolf Third commented, giving Yu Junqing a thumbs-up.
Yu Junqing blushed at the remark, but when he tried to respond, Bo Rui’s piercing gaze pinned him silently.
“Jumped from the window, huh?” Bo Rui’s expression darkened, thumbs pressing with just enough force to make Yu Junqing wince. He dared not speak, quietly wiping away his tears.
Wolf Third realized he might have overstepped and chose to check the courtyard and the moon outside instead.
The three of them quietly applied the medicinal wine. Despite ignoring Bo Rui’s teasing looks, the process was still fairly pleasant.
Having drunk heavily and endured tonight’s fright, Yu Junqing had little energy left. Sitting in the chair, his head began to nod as sleep overcame him.
After finishing, Bo Rui looked up to find Yu Junqing snoring lightly. His once perfectly styled hair had fallen forward, swaying over his eyes as his head bobbed. Clearly, he was exhausted.
The old clock in the house struck two. Only then did Bo Rui and Wolf Third realize how late it had become.
“Talk tomorrow? Tonight, you take my room and rest,” Wolf Third said, moving toward the door of one of the two rooms. He didn’t want to share a bed, letting the two of them sleep together.
“All right,” Bo Rui agreed. Just as he was about to lift Yu Junqing, the scent of medicinal wine reminded him that he was still an injured patient.
Sighing, Bo Rui bent at the knees, sliding under Yu Junqing’s legs to lift him horizontally. Light as a feather—the extra pounds seemed to have vanished.
“By the way, you’re sure this is a brother, not a little wife?” Wolf Third teased from the doorway. Having spent so much time around the boss, he noticed emotions. Watching Bo Rui and Yu Junqing interact, something seemed… off. A little too… affectionate?
Bo Rui rolled his eyes. Some things never change. Wolf Third was wasting the sharp suit he wore.
“Go to sleep, or I’ll have your aunt called over tomorrow,” he said, tossing a disapproving glance. Bo Rui carried Yu Junqing to the room.
“No, no, no—if she sees, I’ll be dead meat!” Wolf Third waved hurriedly, ducking back into his room with a trace of wistfulness.
Bo Rui paid little attention. It was dark, and he had someone in his arms.
The old house had few windows, so Bo Rui had installed a few for ventilation. The bed was an old one, but made of quality wood, sturdy and reliable.
He threw down a quilt as a base, laid Yu Junqing on it, stripped them both lightly, and added another quilt. Then, he was ready to sleep.
“Rui Ge…” Yu Junqing’s voice was soft, nearly inaudible in the quiet.
“What is it?” Bo Rui asked, lying down beside him, circling his hands around Yu Junqing’s legs. He knew this one didn’t sleep easily, so better to be careful.
The gesture made Yu Junqing’s words stick in his throat, as if something had blocked his voice entirely. He could say nothing at all.