Part 2
Originally, Yu Li had planned to visit the maple forest on East Mountain with Yan Shiting in the afternoon, then take a flight back to Y City.
However, as soon as he got back to the hotel and took a shower, Yu Li's morning sickness started again.
Perhaps it was because he had stayed up late the night before, or maybe it was because his emotions had fluctuated a bit too much today, but this bout of morning sickness was rather severe.
In the bathroom of the hotel room, Yu Li finished vomiting the contents of his stomach and leaned weakly against the wall.
Hearing Yan Shiting's knock on the door, Yu Li wiped the tears from his face and said, "I'm fine."
Outside, Yan Shiting was silent for a moment, then said, "Take some medicine."
Yu Li rinsed his mouth, then opened the bathroom door.
Yan Shiting was holding a bottle of vitamin B6 tablets, his brow furrowed, "Take the medicine to ease it."
There was really no other way to relieve it at the moment.
Yu Li pressed his lips together, taking the medicine and water that Yan Shiting handed him.
After taking the medicine, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
When he woke up again, the rain had stopped outside.
Yu Li's gaze was hazy as he stared blankly at the dim bedside lamp.
He suddenly noticed something different about his hands, and his gaze shifted to see a small bandage covering the most severely scraped area, and a band-aid on the finger that had been scratched by the branch.
It was Yan Shiting who had treated his injuries while he was asleep.
Yu Li was slightly taken aback.
Suddenly, the soft sound of footsteps reached his ears, and Yan Shiting placed a bowl of porridge on the bedside table next to him.
"What time is it?" Yu Li collected himself, rubbing his eyes.
"Four o'clock in the afternoon."
"Ah?" Yu Li was startled, "Can we still go back to Y City?"
Yan Shiting sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze heavy as he looked at Yu Li, "You're not feeling well, we'll leave tomorrow."
Yu Li fell silent, propping himself up to sit.
Leaving tomorrow... he had already told his mother and sister this morning that he was going back to school, so he definitely couldn't stay at home overnight tonight.
And besides... he didn't really want to go back right now.
This meant that tonight he would have to share a room with Yan Shiting.
Yu Li's supporting hand trembled slightly.
He tried his best not to think about this, picking up the porridge and taking a few sips.
The taste of this porridge was still the same as the one made by the private chef, so it seemed Yan Shiting had made it again.
Combined with the medicine he had taken earlier, Yu Li's appetite had improved, and he soon finished the entire bowl of porridge.
After the bowl was emptied, Yan Shiting took it, then said, "I ordered some fruit, you can have some later."
Yu Li nodded.
He had thought being in the same room as Yan Shiting would be very awkward, but after a while, when Yan Shiting returned from dinner, he just sat at the desk and started dealing with some company affairs.
The awkwardness Yu Li had anticipated never materialized.
By the time Yan Shiting finished his work, Yu Li was already feeling a bit drowsy.
It wasn't until a slight sound came from the other side of the large bed that Yu Li suddenly became more alert.
He turned his head to see Yan Shiting, in a bathrobe, lying down.
The hotel bed was very large, and there was still enough space to fit another Yan Shiting between them.
Yu Li nervously gripped the blanket, his gaze flitting around.
Yan Shiting turned off the lights, and the room was plunged into darkness.
In the darkness, Yu Li secretly let out a sigh of relief.
However, the negative effect of the poor soundproofing in this room soon manifested itself.
Faint, unpleasant sounds started coming from the neighboring room.
The awkwardness that hadn't appeared when he and Yan Shiting were together earlier now emerged in this form.
Yu Li was embarrassed.
His body was tense, and he inwardly berated himself.
If he had known it would be like this, he might as well have just gone home, and if his mother and sister asked, he could have just said the rain was too heavy to leave.
But now, if he suddenly got up and said he wanted to go home, that would be even more awkward.
Yu Li's feet were starting to feel stiff.
Fortunately, the Yan Shiting next to him didn't seem to have heard anything, showing no reaction at all.
They say that near-sighted people also tend to have poorer hearing.
—Yu Li comforted himself in this way.
After a while, the sounds from the neighboring room finally stopped.
Yu Li gently rubbed his face, trying to relax his body and induce sleep, when he suddenly heard Yan Shiting's voice:
"Were you in a bad mood today?"
Yu Li's body tensed, his hands clasped together on the blanket.
He didn't ask Yan Shiting how he had noticed, after all, he had spaced out several times today, and his emotions had been leaking out, so it would have been hard for Yan Shiting not to notice.
With this in mind, Yu Li softly "mm'd" in response.
Yan Shiting was not the type who liked to pry into others' private matters.
Yu Li had thought he wouldn't ask this time either, but to his surprise, he then heard Yan Shiting say:
"If you want to confide in someone, you can tell me."
Yu Li's clasped hands tightened.
Perhaps because the awkward emotions from earlier had not yet dissipated, he didn't feel particularly depressed at the moment, and so he was not averse to the idea of confiding in someone.
Yu Li sighed lightly, "I just... miss my dad a little."
Before the age of twelve, Yu Li's family had been complete and happily fulfilled.
When he was twelve, his father passed away, and he had to take on the responsibility of being the older brother, ensuring he didn't cause trouble for his mother, and taking good care of his sister.
While his mother was busy earning money, he was responsible for protecting their home and raising his sister well.
He never showed his sadness in front of his mother and sister, always remaining strong, even comforting them when they missed their father.
Now that there was about to be a new change in the family, he also needed to properly comfort his bewildered sister, to understand whether that uncle was a good person worth it, and maintain a calm, clear-headed attitude.
But in fact, facing this impending new change in the family, he also felt very lost and sad.
Yet, wishing for his mother and sister to have a new life was another matter entirely.
They could not be trapped in the past forever.
Yan Shiting had been listening quietly the whole time.
It wasn't until Yu Li spoke the last sentence that Yan Shiting's hand moved slightly, but after a moment, it returned to its original position.
"Yu Li," he said softly, "you should also have your own new life."
Not for the sake of his mother and sister, not for the sake of the family.
Yu Li fell silent.
After a long time, he softly "mm'd" in response.
In the darkness, he discreetly turned his head, looking in the direction of Yan Shiting.
His mother and sister would both have new families, and he...
In fact, he also already had his own family.
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