Kong Wenyu stood by the bedroom window, quietly watching the front gate.
Hai Ming was helped inside, someone quickly ran off to fetch the doctor. A moment later, Nie Jun walked in behind him. Someone beside him said something in a low voice, and he turned his head to reply, but didn’t make any other unnecessary movements.
Kong Wenyu’s brows had just started to relax, but when his eyes fell on the arm hanging limp at Nie Jun’s side, they drew together again.
A group of bodyguards filed into the duty room, and shortly after, a doctor hurried in carrying a medical kit.
Kong Wenyu normally never stepped foot in the duty room—he didn’t even glance in from the outside. He had no interest in other people’s affairs, which fit his detached and unorthodox personality. So when Hai Ming looked up and saw Kong Wenyu walk in, he was visibly shocked.
“??”
The bodyguards sitting around immediately stood up, shuffling backward a few steps, suddenly stiff and awkward.
Hai Ming lay on a cot, his pants cut open at one leg, exposing a splint and tightly wrapped bandages.
“What brings you here?” he asked, freshly bandaged, face still smeared with dust and blood.
He made a move to sit up, but Kong Wenyu cut him off.
“Stay down.”
Hai Ming looked up at him, his eyes wide, like he was torn between feeling pathetic and wanting to prove himself. “The guys who kidnapped me—”
“I know,” Kong Wenyu interrupted. “Focus on recovering first.”
The doctor stepped forward to tend to the cuts on Hai Ming’s face, gently dabbing away blood and grime with a cotton swab. The others still hovered around watching, which made Kong Wenyu frown slightly.
“Back to work, all of you,” Hai Ming said.
Kong Wenyu stood silently nearby. The bodyguards, not daring to speak or even move, exited in stiff formation like soldiers in training.
Kong Wenyu glanced over at Nie Jun. Nie Jun hesitated.
“I’ll, uh—maybe I should—”
Kong Wenyu tilted his chin toward Nie Jun’s arm. “What happened there?”
“Just scraped it a bit,” Nie Jun said. “Nothing serious.”
“No way that’s nothing,” Hai Ming piped up, wincing as the tweezers brushed his wound. “That steel rod was thick as hell.”
Kong Wenyu’s expression turned colder. “Let me see.”
Nie Jun didn’t move.
Kong Wenyu grew impatient and repeated, “Let me see.”
Nie Jun reluctantly undid the hidden snap on his sleeve and pulled the fabric up to his elbow, revealing a swollen, red forearm.
“It broken?” the doctor asked, peering over. “I’ll check it right now. That looks worse.”
“I already set the bone,” Nie Jun said. “Might just need a splint. Finish treating him first.”
The doctor’s expression looked graver than Nie Jun’s own. “Might be a comminuted fracture. That swelling’s no joke.”
Nie Jun’s skin, though not fair, was clean and evenly toned. Under certain lighting, it had a cool, smooth texture, almost like marble.
Now, his entire forearm was swelling rapidly, and even his wrist had turned red and puffy, making the blood-seeping wound look even more horrifying.
Kong Wenyu stared at it for a few seconds, his gaze turning deep and unreadable.
“I’m fine,” Nie Jun said softly, looking at him. “I checked—it’s not a comminuted fracture.”
Kong Wenyu snapped out of it, realizing he had been holding his breath.
“How many of them were there?” he asked.
Nie Jun thought for a moment. “Six.”
“How many of you went?”
“Ten,” Nie Jun replied.
Kong Wenyu inhaled sharply and exhaled through his nose. “And you still ended up like this?”
Nie Jun opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Beside him, Hai Ming clenched his jaw tightly, forcing himself to stay upright as the doctor cleaned his wounds.
When it was Nie Jun’s turn, the doctor asked him to remove his jacket ahead of time. He complied, and Kong Wenyu pulled up a chair, sitting off to the side, watching.
After working for a while, the doctor reminded him, “Relax.”
Nie Jun was already pretty relaxed, but Kong Wenyu’s gaze was too sharp, too intense. He started to wonder if the pain in his arm wasn’t from the injury itself but from the searing stare burning into him.
“Relax,” the doctor reminded him again.
Nie Jun let out a silent sigh and looked up at Kong Wenyu—only to find the man already watching him.
Nie Jun’s lips twitched. He wanted to tell him not to linger in the duty room, but he didn’t have the proper status or excuse to say so.
“Give him a painkiller shot,” Kong Wenyu instructed.
The doctor glanced at Nie Jun—the bandaging was nearly done, and he hadn’t once said it hurt.
“It’s almost finished,” Nie Jun said, looking at him. “No need for the shot.”
Kong Wenyu’s expression darkened further. “You didn’t hear me?”
The doctor quickly grabbed a syringe, disinfected the deltoid area on Nie Jun’s arm, and gave the injection with practiced ease.
The air in the duty room felt like it had frozen solid.
More than one person thought about opening a window, but no one dared to make a move with Kong Wenyu sitting there.
It was Hai Ming, still lying half-dead on the bed, who finally broke the silence. “Not sure how long it’ll take to recover, Boss. Looks like we’ll need to take a bit of sick leave…”
The doctor replied, “Should heal in about three months.”
“Take six,” Kong Wenyu said flatly.
Six months? Hai Ming thought. Am I getting laid off?
“I’ll take two,” he said hesitantly. “I heal fast. Two months and I’ll be good.”
Before he could finish, Nie Jun spoke up from the side: “I don’t need leave.”
Too competitive, Hai Ming thought bitterly. He even considered toughing it out and not taking any either—but a broken leg wasn’t the same as a busted arm. At least with a broken arm, you could still walk and maybe throw a few punches if needed.
But a broken leg? If danger came, would the boss have to carry him?
The doctor finished bandaging him up, gave a list of instructions, and began packing up.
But Kong Wenyu still hadn’t left. Nobody knew what strange mood had possessed him. Not only had he come to the duty room—a place he’d never stepped foot in before—he’d been sitting there for over half an hour.
Carrying the medicine kit, the doctor said, “Mr. Kong, I’ll head back to the infirmary now.”
Kong Wenyu nodded. As the doctor left, Nie Jun stood to politely see him out.
Before he could turn back, he caught a glimpse of Kong Wenyu pulling the curtain aside and stepping out. Nie Jun stepped aside to make way, and as they brushed past each other, Kong Wenyu said, “Go home and rest.”
Nie Jun kept his injured arm slightly lifted, fingers curling instinctively.
He didn’t respond or move.
Kong Wenyu stopped a few steps away, turned around, and glanced at his arm. Then he lifted his eyes. “No need to make dinner. I’m bringing a chef over.”
Nie Jun paused, unsure what to think. “Shouldn’t we… keep appearances? What about your mother?”
Kong Wenyu frowned. “I’ll handle it.”
Nie Jun nodded slowly. He wanted to say more, but held back. Finally, he just said, “Come early tonight. I need to talk to you.”
Kong Wenyu gave him a glance.
Just then, Hai Ming hobbled out on crutches, eyes flicking between the two of them.
He eventually settled his gaze on Kong Wenyu. “So, for now I should…”
“Stay in the dorms,” Kong Wenyu interrupted cleanly, not wasting a second. “Ask the housekeeper to get a care aide. Meals will be delivered from the kitchen. You’ll be on paid medical leave.”
Hai Ming was overjoyed. He shouted after Kong Wenyu, who was already walking away like a towering mountain, “Thanks, Boss!”
Nie Jun politely declined Hai Ming’s invitation to share the dorm and enjoy the tender care of a young, devoted nurse.
That afternoon, the chef arrived first. The moment he walked in, he froze—clearly surprised that someone living in such an old, modest apartment complex would be requesting the services of a five-star hotel’s head chef.
But the longer he stayed, the more he noticed the strange contrast hidden throughout this little apartment.
—A massive TV covering almost the entire front wall, which turned the space into a private theater once the lights were off.
—A cutting-edge water dispenser with options for juice, wine, various temperatures, and even built-in ice.
—A glimpse of the bedroom through an open door revealed luxury linens worth a small fortune…
And the kitchen—was absurdly, astonishingly well-equipped.
There weren’t many vegetables in the fridge, but it was packed with fruit—an impressive variety, none of them in season locally. Judging by how fresh they looked, they must’ve been bought just today.
On the top shelf sat two plates of neatly cut fruit, each with a stainless steel cocktail fork stuck in the center.
Standing by the fridge, the chef turned politely and asked, “Do you prefer Chinese or Western cuisine, sir?”
Nie Jun, cradling his injured arm, replied, “Either’s fine. Just make a list of ingredients you need—I’ll go buy them.”
The chef smiled with practiced courtesy. “No need, someone will be delivering them shortly.”
Just as he finished speaking, a knock came at the door.
Nie Jun thought it was the delivery and opened the door—only to see Kong Wenyu standing there.
He had come alone, dressed in slate-gray casual pants and a white windbreaker. A faint line of gray from a sweater peeked out at the collar. His hair was loosely tied back, soft strands falling naturally around his ears.
He lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch, the sharp angle of his gaze softened. “I’m not late, am I?”
Nie Jun stepped aside to let him in. “Not at all. The chef just got here.”
Kong Wenyu entered. Nie Jun gave the stairwell a quick glance—still empty—then shut the door.
Kong Wenyu headed for the sofa while Nie Jun took out the pre-cut fruit platter from the fridge and set it on the coffee table.
There were two new pillows on the couch. Kong Wenyu leaned back against one shaped like a seahorse and reached for the remote.
Normally, Nie Jun would’ve drawn the curtains at this point, but with the chef still in the kitchen, he instead went to get a glass of mint ice water and placed it beside the fruit.
Kong Wenyu flipped through TV channels with idle boredom. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
The apartment was small enough that standing in the living room gave you a clear view of the open kitchen. And with two men retreating to the bedroom to chat… it was easy to imagine how that might look.
So Nie Jun chose his words carefully. “Don’t go out for the next few days. Hai Ming and I are both injured—it’s not safe right now.”
“I wasn’t planning to go out anyway,” Kong Wenyu replied, lounging against the pillow. “She’ll try to find a way to make me, though.”
Nie Jun looked at him.
Kong Wenyu met his gaze, casually draping one arm across the back of the couch. He tilted his head slightly. “Being around me… do you feel like it’s dangerous?”
Nie Jun didn’t answer right away. His lips moved slightly before he finally said, “Just… be careful.”
Kong Wenyu chuckled softly and shook his head. “With you here, I don’t need to be.”
The occasional clatter came from the kitchen, making it hard for Nie Jun to continue the conversation. He let the topic drop for now.
After dinner, once the chef had left, Nie Jun started clearing the table. Kong Wenyu said, “Leave it. Someone will come to take care of it.”
He stretched, then gestured toward Nie Jun’s arm. “I’ll help you shower.”
Nie Jun paused, looking at him. “No need. I can manage with one hand.”
In the warm light, Kong Wenyu cast a half-moon shadow under his lower lashes, his nose straight, profile calm and composed.
He’d had a bit of wine—just enough to dull the sharp edge of his usual gaze. Every blink seemed slower, softer.
“Shy?” he asked with a small grin. “There’s nothing on you I haven’t seen.”
They’d seen and touched each other before, in moments of passion—but undressing under normal, everyday circumstances?
That, Nie Jun couldn’t bring himself to do.
“Long day,” Kong Wenyu said, his eyes suddenly carrying an unspoken weight. “Let’s shower, then one round before bed.”
Nie Jun stood frozen.
Kong Wenyu turned and headed for the bathroom, pulling off his T-shirt as he walked, tossing it onto the sofa.
He pushed open the bathroom door and gave Nie Jun a look—an unspoken urge to follow.
Nie Jun stood his ground. “The bathroom’s too small. It won’t fit two people. I can wash up on my own.”
“Don’t stall,” Kong Wenyu replied. “I’ve got something to say to you too.”
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