Chapter 3
Only then did I realize Shen Yan’s room had gone quiet.
It had its own bathroom.
I ran in and pushed the bathroom door open. A figure lay curled in the tub.
His eyes were shut, his body submerged.
He looked dead.
My job! My life! My brother!
I rushed over, slipped, and stumbled wildly across the floor.
Then slid straight into the bathtub.
Landing in his lap.
I hauled Shen Yan’s head out of the water. “Please don’t die!”
Dragged up by the head, Shen Yan sat upright, choking and coughing violently.
His chest heaved.
Watery eyes fixed on me.
Thank goodness. My entire life wasn’t ruined yet.
I forgot all about propriety.
Wrapping my arms around him, I tried to get him out of the tub.
“Be good. From now on, we’ll wash standing up.”
But his body was slippery.
Unable to get a grip, I grabbed about beneath the water.
Something springy?
Shen Yan flung my hand away.
His cheeks scarlet, he rasped, “Get out! I’m fine.”
He’d nearly drowned, and he was fine?
I didn’t believe him. We remained locked in a standoff in the tub.
Until I sneezed first.
Shen Yan drew a deep breath. Furious, he braced a hand against the wall and felt his way out, stepping around my arms and legs.
He stood in the middle of the bathroom, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.
“I don’t know who sent you. Leave immediately…”
A cold draft brushed his bare skin.
His hand moved down, and he remembered he wasn’t wearing a thing.
Shen Yan froze, then asked,
“…Can you see?”
I looked over, perfectly calm.
“What’s the fuss? I’ve seen those all my life. It’s not as if you’ve copyrighted yours.”
“Be good and wash properly. I’ll stay here to supervise.”
His ankle band sounded an emotional alert.
Red light flashed frantically.
“Anger!”
“Humiliation!”
“Embarrassment!”
The mood labels cycled wildly.
I played dumb.
Eventually, Shen Yan grabbed a towel and felt his way back to the bedroom.
As he left, his voice shook with anger.
“I’ll have them throw you out.”
But I’d hidden the phone.
And disconnected the internet.
My brother was such an idiot.
Keeping a pet captive and forgetting to cut off his contact with the outside world.
Good thing I’d noticed.
Better late than never.
Unable to find the phone, and stuffed with carbohydrates, Shen Yan sat on the bed and grew sleepy.
He glared into empty space.
Scolding me.
I sang him a puppy lullaby.
My brother had taught it to me. He said his little pet had insomnia.
Driven beyond endurance by my nursery rhyme, Shen Yan pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep.
My brother also said the puppy was so stupid he’d nearly suffocated one night.
So I quietly slept on Shen Yan’s windowsill.
Only when his breathing steadied did I dare fall asleep.
Early the next morning, rushing to get to work, I flung the curtains open. Sunlight fell across a gloomy Shen Yan on the bed.
He stared at the ceiling.
The corners of his eyes were red.
At the sound, he turned toward me and frowned in bewilderment.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I said. “Get a little sunshine.”
Shen Yan’s face stiffened. He hastily covered the front of his trousers.
Conflicting emotions crossed his face. “…You slept in my room all night? What’s wrong with you?”
He felt around for something sharp to throw at me.
But I’d padded every table corner with soft foam.
And disposed of all the sharp objects.
He was just a fragile, blind man.
He needed protecting.
Shen Yan searched for ages.
And found a soft dog toy.
He squeezed it. An eggplant. His face slowly hardened.
“What is this?”
“A toy for you,” I said encouragingly. “Do you like it? I’ll give you all the love they didn’t.”
Shen Yan twisted the toy apart.
His face thunderous, he rose and came toward me.
“Leave my home. Right. Now…”
“This is our home. We’re both living under someone else’s roof. Neither of us has a home of our own.” I rubbed his cheeks helplessly.
My work alarm went off.
I ducked under his arm and reminded him,
“I’ve installed a camera. Behave, and don’t pee everywhere. Otherwise, I’ll string you up and beat you when I get home.”
Red kept flashing on Shen Yan’s ankle band.
He swayed on his feet.