After feeding her porridge, Lu Xiangyang wiped Lu Ning's mouth with a tissue.
"Mom, just stay here in the hospital and rest. I'll take care of everything else," Lu Xiangyang said.
Lu Ning, still worried, asked, "Xiaoyang, is the hospital bill very expensive? Is it a serious illness? If it's really serious, maybe we shouldn't go through with the treatment… I don't want to burden you."
Lu Xiangyang froze for a moment, his voice unconsciously rising from fear: "Mom, what are you saying? It's just a minor illness, really. The doctor said you've just been overworked. If you rest properly and follow the treatment these next few months, you'll be fine. Don't think too much."
Lu Ning still seemed a little doubtful. Her gaze instinctively shifted to Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye looked at her calmly. "The doctor said so. You don't need to worry, Auntie."
Only then did Lu Ning finally relax, softly murmuring, "That's good."
After taking care of Lu Ning, Lu Xiangyang busied himself buying daily necessities she would need in the hospital. During this process, he noticed that Shen Kuangye seemed even more familiar with every corner of the hospital than he was.
By the time Lu Ning had fallen asleep, it was almost 1 a.m. Lu Xiangyang looked exhausted and couldn't help yawning. He had hardly slept recently due to training and competitions.
"If you're tired, go back first," Shen Kuangye said.
Lu Xiangyang was so sleepy he felt dazed, but obediently nodded with half-closed eyes.
Shen Kuangye led him back to the youth training camp.
The other trainees were all night owls, staying up late playing games, sleeping around 3 or 4 a.m., and waking up at the absolute last minute before 11:55 a.m. to queue for ranked matches.
So naturally, they were all still playing games, and the hall occasionally echoed with screams: "Ah, number 10 is the Firework Wolf! Number 10 is—oh no, I got blown up! Why didn't anyone hear me?"
Lu Xiangyang, still half-dazed, suddenly opened his eyes wider.
Shen Kuangye guessed he had been startled awake by that piercing scream.
"Can you keep it down? Some of us are still trying to sleep," a voice said softly. Another added, somewhat impatiently, "Okay, okay, got it."
One of them noticed Shen Kuangye and Lu Xiangyang, immediately pocketed their phone, and approached. "Hey, I heard you guys turned down Ella?"
After this opener, others chimed in. "Yeah, why would you do that? Ella's such a good opportunity, and you're just letting it go?"
Li Cong, with his pride, wouldn't have revealed that he was rejected by Shen Kuangye and Lu Xiangyang himself. That could only have come from Xingxing.
Shen Kuangye merely gave a single "hmm."
As soon as he spoke, everyone else was even more curious. "You're actually talking to us?"
Shen Kuangye: "?"
What did that mean? Had the original owner never said a word before? Extreme social anxiety?
Shen Kuangye considered himself a quiet, reserved type, but it seemed the original owner had even worse social tendencies.
He glanced down at Lu Xiangyang, who was now fully awake. His beautiful peach-blossom eyes were focused on him, curious about this conversation too.
Even Lu Xiangyang noticed Shen Kuangye's change today—it was like he had become a completely different person. Naturally, he wanted to hear the answer.
Shen Kuangye didn't know what to say, so he simply said, "Sleep."
At that moment, he realized a problem—he didn't know where the original owner's room was.
But he wasn't worried. A quick deduction told him that in the previous life, the original owner had lived alone because the other rooms were full. Now, with him suddenly existing, he probably shared the same room as Lu Xiangyang.
As Shen Kuangye went upstairs, he glanced at Lu Xiangyang.
Lu Xiangyang, usually fidgety, wanted to play a few rounds of games, but upon seeing Shen Kuangye's serious gaze, he froze.
Shen Kuangye said, "We need to talk about EAR."
Lu Xiangyang suddenly remembered the matter at hand. He immediately gave up the idea of gaming and followed Shen Kuangye upstairs, reminding the people in the hall, "Go to sleep early, there's training tomorrow."
Someone asked, "Little Lu, not staying up tonight?"
Lu Xiangyang, usually friendly and playful, felt a little embarrassed by this nickname at this moment. He quickly glanced at Shen Kuangye, whose face was half-lit by the hall lights, and made an excuse: "No, can't handle it tonight."
When they reached the room, Shen Kuangye realized his guess was correct—he really did share a dorm with Lu Xiangyang.
To avoid raising suspicion, he subtly examined the room.
The original owner's belongings were minimal—two charging cables, one headset, two sets of clothes. Nothing else.
So clean that even if he disappeared, no one would notice.
Shen Kuangye was certain that in the previous life, the original owner lived alone in the camp. This confirmed that his presence here was completely new, seemingly fabricated to coincide with his arrival. He had also checked the original owner's phone on the way back—aside from games and basic apps, it was completely empty. Even the gallery and contacts were blank.
Shen Kuangye didn't know how long he would be in this world, but he had only two thoughts:
1. Cure Lu Ning's illness.
2. Prevent Lu Xiangyang from repeating the original owner's path—it was too harsh and dark.
Earlier, someone had asked why they refused Ella. That person was also from the group that had joined Ella with Shen Kuangye before. Shen Kuangye had witnessed the collective bullying they endured. Though they still called him "Little Lu," it was truly disgusting.
Shen Kuangye glanced at Lu Xiangyang, still seated. "It's late, go take a shower first."
Lu Xiangyang, now fully awake, asked, "Aren't we going to discuss EAR?"
Shen Kuangye had only given that excuse so Lu Xiangyang wouldn't stay up late gaming. Now that he had asked, they could discuss it later.
Shen Kuangye looked at him and asked, "Are you sure you want to follow my choice?"
His usually cold, sharp eyes softened with focus, voice low.
Lu Xiangyang touched his ear, feeling a flush, and nervously said, "Yes, I'll follow your choice, Kuangye-ge."
He still had other options besides EAR, but he inexplicably wanted to follow Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye paused briefly, then replied calmly, "Good. Then trust me."
He was certain EAR was the best choice.
And… memories of that cup of milk tea and the blanket on his chest resurfaced.
Shen Kuangye thought that if one day he left this world, Lu Xiangyang would still be well taken care of.
While Lu Xiangyang showered, Shen Kuangye opened his phone to contact Xingxing, who had already added him on WeChat and sent a smile.
"Kuangye, have you decided?"
Shen Kuangye could already imagine his expression. He tapped a few times: "Yes, we'll join."
Xingxing immediately replied: "Great! What time tomorrow? Pack your things, I'll pick you up and we'll go to the club to talk."
Usually there would be a trial period, mostly at the camp, but Xingxing directly invited them to the club—clearly afraid they might change their minds.
Shen Kuangye estimated, "Eleven o'clock."
Lu Xiangyang could sleep until five minutes before noon, wash up quickly, and be ready for ranked matches. Though he wanted to adjust Lu Xiangyang's schedule to normal, it had to be gradual.
Lu Xiangyang lingered long in the shower. He was anxious about repaying Shen Kuangye and handling Lu Ning's future expenses. Shen Kuangye was kind, but Lu Xiangyang never liked being indebted to anyone.
He had just graduated high school and joined the camp, confident he could join the best team, so he had spent without restraint. His savings were nearly gone, let alone paying for dinner with Shen Kuangye and buying Lu Ning's necessities. He couldn't ask his friends for money either.
He scratched his head, frustrated, and sighed. "One step at a time," he thought. Life must go on; EAR could wait until tomorrow.
After showering and drying off, he came out to find Shen Kuangye sitting on the bed, looking at his phone under the warm bedside light, which outlined his perfect profile.
Lu Xiangyang noticed Shen Kuangye's dense, long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his eyelids, his slender fingers scrolling skillfully across the screen, and his slightly pursed lips giving him a cold air.
He thought awkwardly: Was Shen Kuangye always this handsome?
Shen Kuangye checked the original owner's phone again—it was completely empty except for Xingxing.
He noticed Lu Xiangyang standing there, frozen at the door.
Caught, Lu Xiangyang quickly turned his face away, black hair covering his flushed ears and pink neck.
He instinctively tried to climb onto the bed but was stopped. Shen Kuangye opened a drawer, took out a hairdryer, and tossed it onto the bed. "Dry your hair before sleeping."
Lu Xiangyang protested, "It's fine, my hair's short—it dries quickly anyway."
Shen Kuangye glanced at him. Lu Xiangyang immediately fell silent, obediently plugged in the hairdryer, and began drying his hair.
When he finished, Shen Kuangye said, "Tomorrow, wake up at ten, pack your things, we'll go to EAR."
Lu Xiangyang was surprised. "So soon?"
Shen Kuangye speculated Xingxing was just worried they might "wake up" and change their minds.
"Mm," he replied.
Lu Xiangyang stayed quiet and obediently lay down. He checked Xingxing's messages and politely replied, explaining a bit. Xingxing responded instantly: "No problem. Anything you want to eat tomorrow? We'll prepare it."
Lu Xiangyang relayed the question to Shen Kuangye, who said, "Anything is fine. Your choice."
Though Lu Xiangyang wasn't picky, he knew it was Xingxing's kind gesture and suggested a few simple dishes. Xingxing agreed and reminded him to sleep early.
Lu Xiangyang recalled many saying online that EAR's manager was a night owl who often stayed up at odd hours.
Shen Kuangye noticed him smiling and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Lu Xiangyang whispered, "This manager acts so serious, but he probably loves staying up late himself and still tells me to sleep early."
Shen Kuangye tilted his head and said, "It's one a.m."
Lu Xiangyang nodded. His nightlife was just beginning.
Shen Kuangye remained silent for a few seconds, then, in a low voice, said, "Time to sleep."
Lu Xiangyang, ready to play some games, froze.
He had been staying with Shen Kuangye recently, sharing a bed. Shen Kuangye barely interacted with him, so at night the room felt as if he were alone.
Now, Shen Kuangye suddenly "came alive" and told him not to stay up late.
Even though he didn't really want to play, after such a long day he wanted to briefly escape into the game world. But the moment Shen Kuangye spoke, he instinctively put down his phone.
Shen Kuangye knew this was hard to change, so he didn't push further—just a verbal reminder.
He found the original owner's pajamas and took a shower.
By the time he came out, Lu Xiangyang was already asleep, phone on the bedside table.
Was he always this obedient? Shen Kuangye wondered.
He slowed his steps and approached the bed. Lu Xiangyang lay on his side, half-buried in the pillow, eyes tightly shut.
Shen Kuangye quietly turned off the light and got into bed.
The youth training camp had a double bed. Lu Xiangyang curled up on one side, not fully covered by the blanket.
Shen Kuangye rested his right hand on the edge of the pillow and gently tugged the blanket over him, but Lu Xiangyang, feeling hot, pushed it off.
The air conditioner was on; without the blanket, he would catch a cold.
Shen Kuangye tried again, but Lu Xiangyang pushed it away each time.
Shen Kuangye had no idea he slept so restlessly in the past.
He sighed, ready to give up, covering only his abdomen, when Lu Xiangyang suddenly turned over, placing his hand on Shen Kuangye's chest.
They were so close that Shen Kuangye could smell the shampoo and body wash on him.
Shen Kuangye tried covering him with the blanket again. This time, Lu Xiangyang didn't push it away. He pouted slightly, sniffed lightly, and unconsciously scooted closer.
Shen Kuangye stared at him in the dark for a long while before finally closing his eyes.
His heart had been through just as much turmoil as Lu Xiangyang's today. Shen Kuangye's doubts about his rebirth were numerous.
But, one step at a time. At least, he had already pulled Lu Xiangyang out of the cruel abyss of Ella.