He didn’t stay outside for long, crushing the cigarette that he barely touched. He brushed his teeth, washed his hands, changed into pajamas, and completely got rid of the smell of smoke before returning to the bedroom.
Just as he was about to gently open the door, the door opened from the inside.
Mu Ye raised his eyebrows in surprise as his eyes met with the person inside the room.
Mu Ye smiled and asked, “Why are you awake?”
There was no one beside him, and Song Jianchu was actually having trouble sleeping.
He had always had good sleep quality, except when he didn’t get enough sleep. It was the first time he experienced insomnia.
Song Jianchu didn’t feel comfortable admitting that he came out to find someone. After a pause, he awkwardly averted his gaze and said, “I’m a little hungry, I’m going to find something to eat.”
“You didn’t eat dinner?” Mu Ye frowned and picked up his phone. “What do you want to eat? I’ll order takeout for you.”
“No need,” Song Jianchu said, “I’ll cook for myself.”
Mu Ye thought for a moment and said, “I only know how to make egg custard. My younger sister loved it when she was sick. Do you want to have it?”
Song Jianchu hesitated for two seconds and felt a little tempted.
He thought it would be a pity to miss this opportunity. Taking advantage of his “cold,” Song Jianchu nodded slightly and said, “Thank you.”
Mu Ye ruffled his hair and said, “Go back and lie down, wait for fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll keep you company,” Song Jianchu said.
Mu Ye’s voice was warm as he advised, “Put on a coat.”
Song Jianchu put on a jacket and followed Mu Ye to the kitchen. He sat at the table and watched Mu Ye busy at the kitchen counter, his gaze unwavering.
It was clear that Mu Ye had often taken care of his younger sister at home. He made the egg custard skillfully.
But it was also evident that Mu Ye usually didn’t cook, and he was a bit overly particular about it.
The man standing in the kitchen appeared even taller, with long and straight legs. He rolled up the sleeves of his pajamas and skillfully cracked the eggs, carefully separating the egg whites and leaving only the yolks. When adding water to the egg mixture, the man’s expression was extremely cautious, as if he had a measuring cup in his mind.
After completing all the steps, Mu Ye’s hands were still clean and fresh, without a trace of worldly smoke.
The egg custard was done, and Song Jianchu took a bite with freshly steamed rice.
The smooth and tender custard had a light and fragrant taste, whetting the appetite and being gentle on the stomach, making it very suitable to eat when one was sick.
Mu Ye sat opposite, eagerly observing his expression. “Do you like it?”
Song Jianchu nodded. “It’s delicious.”
Indeed, it was delicious. After all, after researching only one dish for so many years, the taste was undoubtedly good.
More importantly, it was made by Mu Ye.
Song Jianchu finished his meal cleanly, leaving nothing behind.
Watching the food he made being completely eaten, Mu Ye felt satisfied and contemplated, “I should learn more recipes in the future and cook for you every day. That should earn me some brownie points.”
Song Jianchu didn’t understand and raised his head, “What brownie points?”
Mu Ye looked at him, smiled, and changed the subject, “Are you sleepy? Should I accompany you to sleep? To recover quickly from a cold, you need plenty of rest.”
Song Jianchu felt that Mu Ye had been wanting to say something all day.
He hesitated with his gaze and replied, “…Sure.”
They returned to bed together, and Song Jianchu closed his eyes as Mu Ye held him. Something that had been hanging in his heart finally fell.
Mu Ye didn’t do anything; he simply caressed his back, as if coaxing a sick child to sleep.
Song Jianchu buried his face in Mu Ye’s sleepwear, breathing in the familiar scent with contentment.
Childhood memories had become hazy, and it had been a long time since Song Jianchu felt this absolute sense of safety. The man’s aura enveloped him gently, like an indestructible barrier.
As his consciousness became hazy, Mu Ye whispered softly, “Are you asleep?”
Song Jianchu whispered softly, “Not yet.”
Feeling the warmth of the person in his arms, Mu Ye asked with concern, “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”
Song Jianchu remained quiet for a few seconds before softly responding, “Mm.”
“Can’t sleep?”
“A bit.”
“Shall I perform a special skill for you?”
A special skill?
Song Jianchu curiously opened his eyes.
Mu Ye suddenly lowered his head and pressed his ear against Song Jianchu’s chest. “I can hear your heartbeat.”
Song Jianchu found it somewhat amusing. “Mind reading?”
Did Song Jianchu really still think of him as a child?
“Mm.” Mu Ye closed his eyes and listened to his heartbeat.
Song Jianchu slowly tightened the corners of his mouth.
“I heard it,” Mu Ye said. “You were thinking that it feels comfortable being held by Teacher Mu.”
Song Jianchu was momentarily stunned.
After listening for a few more seconds, Mu Ye spoke again. “Why hasn’t Teacher Mu kissed me yet?”
Song Jianchu’s eyelashes trembled, and he instinctively raised his hand, as if wanting to push the person away.
“Do you really like Teacher Mu that much?”
Song Jianchu blinked slowly. “…?”
“What? Do you want to sign a contract with Teacher Mu for another seventy years?”
“???”
Mu Ye lifted his head and understood. “So, it turns out that Chu Chu likes to speak the truth in your heart.”
“…”
“Boys shouldn’t be too shy.” Mu Ye encouraged him, patting his head gently. “In the future, be brave and say whatever you’re thinking in your heart.”
Mu Ye’s tone was gentle and expectant, tinged with a hint of embarrassment. “You can say it now if you want.”
“Chu Chu?”
“Asleep?”
Song Jianchu closed his eyes and skillfully pretended to be asleep.
While waiting for the preliminary matching results of the bone marrow registry, Song Jianchu participated in the recording of the third season of the show <Ready to Get Off Work.>
[“Ah, finally!”]
[“Gkdgkd!!!”]
[“Can’t wait to see my big obedient son! Mom misses you so much.”]
[“Husbands, where are you being captured to work again?”]
[“Wow, it’s snowing heavily. Looks so cold.”]
[“Stinky treasure, put on your autumn clothes and pants.”]
[“Oh, wait, haven’t seen you for a few days. How did Teacher Mu become a human pendant for my son?”]
When they arrived at the recording location in the morning, snowflakes were falling heavily.
The members stood in a row, dressed in thick winter gear, with two pairs of figures embracing each other from behind.
Mu Ye hung onto Song Jianchu’s back, Pei Shinian clung to Bai Xingyu, and Lu Shen stood alone in the thick snow.
“Whoa, it’s so cold.” Pei Shinian wore an exaggerated ear-covering winter hat and clung tightly to Bai Xingyu from behind. “Brother Xing, let’s huddle together for warmth! Jianchu… oh, you and Brother Ye formed a team. Brother Lu! Come join us!”
Lu Shen remained expressionless.
Bai Xingyu had a disgusted expression but had no time to push him away. He was busy scolding the director, “Are you crazy? In this freezing weather, you want us to come here and be sled dogs?”
Song Jianchu wore a black knitted winter hat and a white windproof down jacket. His expression remained calm, as if he were a human ice sculpture.
Mu Ye naturally hung onto his back, shielding him from the wind and snow. He covered Song Jianchu’s freezing red cheeks with his hands and asked by his ear, “Feeling cold?”
“Not cold,” Song Jianchu replied calmly.
[“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”]
[“This is amazing! A beautiful scene right from the start!”]
[“Screenshot!!”]
[“Look at Stinky Treasure’s happy expression!”]
[“Bumped into it! Ah, ah, ah!”]
[“Hahaha, Teacher Mu is really like a clingy spirit!”]
[“A clingy male god like that, so envious! I want to be stuck to Teacher Mu too!”]
The director with mental illness pocketed his hands and said, “You don’t need to be sled dogs, but you can keep them as pets.”
After saying that, four Alaskan Huskies pulling a sled came running.
“What the f*ck! They’re actually sled dogs!” Pei Shinian climbed down from Bai Xingyu to pet the dogs. He was completely fascinated by their thick fur. “So handsome!”
Seeing the four handsome dogs, Song Jianchu’s eyes also lit up.
As someone who had been raising dogs online, Song Jianchu also wanted to pet them a bit, but he cautiously took a few steps back, feeling that it would be somewhat dangerous to own such a large breed.
Mu Ye looked at the eager yet cautious expression of the boy from behind and couldn’t help but have his heart race from the cuteness.
[“Hahaha, doesn’t Stinky Treasure also want to pet them?”]
[“Chu Chu also loves dogs!”]
[“Look at Teacher Mu’s gaze!”]
[“Is it just my imagination, or does it feel like Teacher Mu has been eyeing my son this whole time?”]
[“Sisters ahead! It’s true! That wicked gaze hasn’t left Chu Chu since earlier!”]
The wind and snow were too strong, so Director Cui shouted through a small loudspeaker, “The theme of this episode is ‘Travelers in the Snow’! Look behind you! For the next three days, you’ll be running this guesthouse!”
“What did he say?” The wind was too loud, and Bai Xingyu couldn’t hear clearly.
“This episode is about running a guesthouse,” Pei Shinian shouted loudly. “The theme is ‘Travelers in the Snow.'”
Song Jianchu turned around and saw the two-story building behind them covered in snow.
“Travelers in the Snow?” Bai Xingyu looked at the gloomy sky and said helplessly, “With this weather, the ‘travelers in the snow’ are probably just ghosts.”
[“Ghosts as travelers in the snow? Sounds even more interesting now, right?”]
[“Looking forward to it!”]
[“I can already tell there will be zero income this time.”]
[“Can’t even deliver my son’s airdrops here.”]
“After we came in, the road outside the village must have been blocked by the snow, right?” Pei Shinian was also speechless. “Director, people can’t even come in. Where do you expect us to find guests?”
Mu Ye nodded in satisfaction. “We can be lazy for three days again.”
It was too cold outside, so everyone moved inside.
Compared to the first season’s restaurant, this guesthouse was much better in terms of conditions. It was clean and cozy, and it seemed to have been recently renovated.
Everyone explored the upstairs and downstairs, then sat down on the sofas in the reception area on the ground floor.
Pei Shinian warmed his hands by the heater and asked, “So, what do we do now? We can’t operate on a day like this.”
“The conditions here are not bad.” Bai Xingyu sipped his steaming barley tea and lazily said, “Since the road is blocked and we can’t go out anyway, I think it’s nice for us to just stay here and take a three-day vacation.”
Mu Ye helped Song Jianchu take off his scarf and hat, tidied his hair, and smiled, saying, “That’s right, Chuchu can raise dogs now.”
Song Jianchu took out his phone to check the local weather forecast. “There will be a blizzard tonight, and the next three days will mostly be sunny with a chance of light snow. Clearing the snow now won’t be very effective, so we can find someone to clear it tomorrow. Let’s just rest for tonight.”
“Is this episode really that easy?” Pei Shinian immediately ran towards the dogs that had been brought in to seek shelter from the snow. “Then I’m going to play with the dogs!”
“I always feel like it’s not that simple,” Bai Xingyu crossed his arms and looked at the mentally unstable person who had been unusually quiet this episode. He suspiciously squinted his eyes and said, “Hey, what big move are you planning?”
The mentally unstable person maintained a blank expression.
[“Suspicious.”]
[“Don’t worry, it definitely won’t be that easy.”]
[“Why does it feel scarier when this director gets quiet?”]
[“Nervous and creepy.”]
Song Jianchu couldn’t be bothered to guess what the mentally unstable person was thinking and went upstairs to find his dorm room to change clothes.
This time there were still three dorm rooms, assigned just like when they were working at the school. The members went to their rooms to put away their luggage and changed into lighter clothes before going downstairs to eat.
It was too cold, so they found hot pot ingredients and seasonings in the kitchen and decided to have hot pot.
“Eating hot pot on a snowy day, this is too blissful,” Pei Shinian enthusiastically cooked meat in the pot and sighed with enjoyment.
Bai Xingyu looked at their leader, who could usually eat the most, with curiosity. “Jianchu, why aren’t you eating?”
Mu Ye picked up some meat and put it into Song Jianchu’s bowl. Seeing that Song Jianchu hadn’t touched his chopsticks, he reminded him, “Chu Chu, what are you thinking? Eat the meat.”
Song Jianchu didn’t have much appetite, but he reluctantly picked up his chopsticks and finished all the meat in his bowl.
Mu Ye then picked up some hot vegetables and placed them in front of Song Jianchu. Once again, Song Jianchu ate them silently without taking the initiative to serve himself.
Mu Ye noticed that something was off and asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Song Jianchu suppressed the sudden wave of discomfort and shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Just wanting to finish the meal quickly and go back to the room to rest, Song Jianchu picked up his chopsticks again and suddenly felt warmth under his nose.
“Jianchu, your nose is bleeding!” Pei Shinian widened his eyes.
Bai Xingyu exclaimed, “What’s going on?”
Bai Xingyu also looked surprised for a moment.
The production team and the live chat were all shocked.
[“!!!!”]
[“Why is my son having a nosebleed?”]
[“Is he having internal heat?”]
[“Ah, what’s going on!!”]
Before everyone could fully understand the situation, the livestream was interrupted.
Song Jianchu immediately raised his hand to cover his nose, and Mu Ye moved his hand away and used a tissue to help him stop the bleeding, frowning.
“Don’t move.”
The chief scriptwriter hurried over and asked, “Jianchu, is there anywhere on your body that feels uncomfortable? We’ve contacted the on-set doctor, and they’ll be here soon.”
“I’m fine, there’s no need to find a doctor.” Song Jianchu pushed away Mu Ye’s hand and covered his nose with the tissue, standing up. “You guys continue eating, I’ll go back to my room first.”
After saying that, he quickly went upstairs.
Mu Ye furrowed his brow and followed after him. “Chu Chu.”
The rest of the people were still wearing astonished expressions.
Song Jianchu entered the bathroom and locked the door, splashing water on his face.
Mu Ye knocked on the door from the outside. “Chu Chu, open the door.”
“I’m really fine.” Song Jianchu said, “I’ll be fine in a moment.”
Mu Ye’s tone became somewhat forceful. “Open the door.”
Song Jianchu raised his head and checked himself in the mirror. The nosebleed had stopped. He closed his eyes, casually wiped his face with the tissue, and calmly went to open the door.
Mu Ye came in and pinched his chin to check, confirming once again, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”
“I really am fine. It used to happen occasionally.” Song Jianchu let Mu Ye examine him as he pleased and calmly said, “Let’s go downstairs and eat, I’m hungry.”
Mu Ye suddenly hugged him tightly. “Don’t scare me, I’m a little scared.”
Song Jianchu rested his chin on Mu Ye’s shoulder, stunned.
After adjusting his expression, he comfortingly patted Mu Ye’s back and smiled, “What are you afraid of? I’m fine.”
Mu Ye also smiled.
Mu Ye let go of him. “Let the doctor check you later, be obedient.”
“Okay.” Song Jianchu obediently nodded.
Mu Ye kissed him and held his hand. “Let’s go downstairs and wait for the doctor.”
Song Jianchu furrowed his brows slightly, lowering his gaze.
He followed behind Mu Ye with a calm expression. As his lowered eyes suddenly caught sight of Mu Ye’s halted footsteps, he also stopped and looked up.
Pei Shinian stood at the doorway with a shocked expression on his face.
Song Jianchu’s pupils trembled. “!!!”
“Oh, right,” Pei Shinian had a dazed expression, and he stammered, “You guys… just kissed?”