Chapter 45: The Thoughtful Li Hanchen
Li Hanchen disregarded Li An as he got up and headed to the dining table.
Li An could not help feeling depressed thinking about the punishment he had to complete after dinner.
After Mu Sheng took a sip of the soup, she found the soup absolutely delectable as its fragrance spread throughout her mouth.
Auntie Lin had exceptional cooking skills. She almost had not repeated a single dish for days, and every meal she made was scrumptious.
Auntie Lin knew that Li Hanchen liked spicy food, so she made chopped pepper fish head. The red and green chilies in the dish looked very appetizing.!!
Mu Sheng used her hand to block Li Hanchen when his chopsticks reached for the plate of food. “You are still recovering, so you can’t eat this.”
Li Hanchen glanced at Mu Sheng before he pulled his hand back and picked some lighter food.
Auntie Lin watched in surprise from the side.
No one had ever spoken to Li Hanchen so domineeringly. Also, Li Hanchen did not seem to dislike it. Instead, he did as Mu Sheng said.
Auntie Lin looked at Mu Sheng quizzically. She felt that Mu Sheng was more important to Li Hanchen than she imagined.
In her past life, Mu Sheng ate a liquid diet, so she was used to eating quickly. Although she was a fast eater, she remained graceful.
The nutrient solution she had taken in her past life was easy to digest and melted in her mouth. However, food in this era was different. If she ate too fast, it would be hard for her to digest it.
Li Hanchen had been in the habit of not talking during meals for years, but he suddenly said, “What else should I take note of other than staying warm?”
Mu Sheng’s hands stopped moving. “You can’t eat spicy food.”
“Okay,” acknowledged Li Hanchen.
After Mu Sheng took another bite, Li Hanchen asked her something else.
Mu Sheng’s eating speed slowed down a lot as he talked to her every now and then.
For the first time in a long time, Mu Sheng spent over 30 minutes finishing a meal.
Li An had already finished dinner and gone back to his room to copy the poem. Mu Sheng quietly ate as she answered Li Hanchen’s questions every now and then.
Li Hanchen was dressed in a black outfit. He looked dignified while Mu Sheng looked elegant. Even though it was starting to get dark and chilly outside, the cold air was incapable of permeating in and ruining the warm atmosphere at the dinner table.
——
In Talent Scout Entertainment, Yang Tao remained furious for a long time after Mu Sheng hung up the phone on him.
“How dare she?” Yang Tao frowned as he contemplated. Mu Sheng would never have dared to speak to him this way. Had she found some backer? Had she found some rich guy to support her?
Yang Tao clicked on a hidden folder on his computer to check that all the footage he saved to threaten his celebrities were where he had left them and calmed down slightly.
Since Mu Sheng refused to cooperate, she could not blame Yang Tao for what he was about to do. He promptly called his boss on the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Li? I have something to tell you.”
Yang Tao told his boss about his plans. After getting the approval, Yang Tao smiled smugly and said to his boss, “Don’t worry. Ruan Yingying will become the most sought-after up-and-coming female celebrity within a year. She will have an incredible career waiting for her.”
After hanging up the phone, Yang Tao sent out the video on his laptop before opening the conference room door. “The entire marketing team is doing overtime tonight.”
The people in the marketing department had just packed up and were getting ready to leave when they heard the news. They really wanted to curse when they were ordered to do overtime but did not dare to speak their mind.
Inside the room, Li Hanchen focused on the documents on his laptop. Even though he was usually able to focus on work in the past, he could not help feeling distracted today.
Li Hanchen moved his hands over the keyboard, but before he touched it, he raised his head and gazed at the couch.
Mu Sheng came over to perform acupuncture on him almost every day. She looked cool and serious when she did it. Since she had a penchant for candy, he could smell a faint sweet scent coming from her when she spoke, and she looked completely different from the way she appeared.
After Mu Sheng took a nice long bath, she came out of the bathroom to hear someone knocking on the door.
“Yes?” Mu Sheng put on a jacket and opened the door to see Li Hanchen standing outside.
“I don’t feel well.” The light in the corridor was slightly dim. It made Li Hanchen seem a little profound and lonely as it scattered on him.
“Come on in. Let me take a look at you.” Mu Sheng gave way and gestured for Li Hanchen to come in.
Mu Sheng had seen Li Hanchen’s pain tolerance firsthand, so she knew he must be in great pain if he had to come over and ask for help.
In theory, after all these days of treatment, Li Hanchen ought to feel a lot better. If he did not get agitated, there should not be any problems. However, Li Hanchen was plagued by a lot of old ailments, so Mu Sheng was not 100% sure of success.
After Li Hanchen entered the room, he could smell a familiar faint sweet scent in the air along with some steam.
His eyes constricted slightly when he finally noticed Mu Sheng’s appearance.
Mu Sheng was only dressed in loose-fitting pajamas. Her fair collarbone was faintly visible and her face was slightly pink and radiant from taking a warm steamy bath. She looked stunning with her dark hair hanging over her shoulders.
In her past life, Mu Sheng had only come into contact with the people serving her and her colleagues, so she was unaware that men and women were socially expected to keep a safe distance.
On the other hand, Li Hanchen seemed a little uneasy as he veered his eyes from Mu Sheng.
“Give me your hand.” Mu Sheng took a towel and dried her hair briefly before walking up in front of Li Hanchen.
Li Hanchen undid his left cuff to reveal the thin black bracelet.
Mu Sheng placed her slightly cool hands on his wrist and examined his pulse for a few seconds. She reached her hand out and pressed Li Hanchen’s waist. “Does this hurt?”
“A little.” Li Hanchen instinctively held his breath. Mu Sheng did not eat candy today, but her shower gel smelled a little sweet. It struck him at his core as it wafted around his nose.
“What about here?”
“That hurts too.”
Mu Sheng frowned slightly. How could this happen? Since Li Hanchen was not the sort who complained of pain for no reason, she started to doubt her diagnosis.
“Let me give you a massage.” Mu Sheng pressed a spot three inches down from Li Hanchen’s shoulders and started to rub it.
Li Hanchen watched as Mu Sheng rubbed the spot 20 times with a serious look on her face before he suddenly said, “That’s enough. I feel better now.”
“Are you sure?” Mu Sheng stopped massaging Li Hanchen and looked at him quizzically.
“Uh huh. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Li Hanchen nodded. His dark eyes glowed a little from the light.
“Okay then.” Mu Sheng pulled her hand back. “Also, don’t…”
Before Mu Sheng finished her sentence, a soft towel suddenly landed on her head.
“Huh?” Li Hanchen stood in front of Mu Sheng with a towel as he helped to dry her hair.
Li Hanchen was almost a head taller than Mu Sheng. Since he was standing in front of Mu Sheng while drying her hair, it looked as though he was half embracing her.
Mu Sheng raised her head slightly. Her beautiful face was like a work of art and it was perfect.
Before Mu Sheng managed to continue asking, Li Hanchen said, “After massaging me for so long, I reckon your hands hurt, so let me help you with your hair.”
Li Hanchen’s expression seemed completely normal and looked no different from when he read the paper. Even though Mu Sheng sensed something amiss, she could not put her finger on it. Instead, she let Li Hanchen continue drying her hair.
Since Mu Sheng was accustomed to not lifting a finger, she quickly got used to it when Li Hanchen helped to dry her hair.
She even sat on the couch and leaned into the backrest. “Let me watch some television while you dry my hair from behind.”
Even though she leaned into the couch lazily, Li Hanchen was not angry. Instead, there was a hint of a smile in his deep eyes. “Sure.”
After Mu Sheng’s hair was more or less dry, she felt sleepy and started to yawn.
“Go to bed.” Li Hanchen put down Mu Sheng’s soft hair. He could not help feeling an emptiness in his heart when his hands suddenly became empty.
“Okay. Help me close the door when you leave.” Mu Sheng turned off the television and walked up to her bed. She pulled up the blanket before she lay down.
Li Hanchen smiled almost imperceptibly when Mu Sheng behaved unguardedly. “Okay.”
After Li Hanchen walked out into the corridor, Li An came over with his exercise book and waved it in front of Li Hanchen. “I have finished copying the poem. I am going to bed now.”
Li An acted calm as he turned to leave.
“Hang on,” said Li Hanchen to Li An.
“Yes?” Even though Li An had unsullied bright eyes, he was incapable of composing himself since he was young.
“Are you still getting into fights at school?” Li Hanchen shockingly did not check the poem Li An had copied.
Li An calmed down and said confidently, “Of course not! Look at my gorgeous face. I don’t have a single scratch on it.”
Li Hanchen headed towards the room. “Okay. The ski gear I have gotten as a reward for you will arrive tomorrow.”
“Yay! That’s brilliant!” The moment Li An heard about the ski gear, his eyes lit up. He could go out and ski to his heart’s content this weekend! His brother was the best!
“Did you tie five pens together to finish the copying?”
“Of course not. I tied ten pens together to do it. That way, I can finish it in one go and things are far more efficient.” Li An let down his guard after Li Hanchen had walked some distance. Also, he inadvertently blurted the truth since he was reveling in the joy of the arrival of the ski gear.
By the time he caught onto his carelessness, he opened his eyes wide and realized it was too late! His older brother was such a scheming fox!
Sure enough, Li Hanchen turned around to glance at him coldly. “Do it 100 times.”
Li An was dumbstruck and his face crumpled. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to copy it if you don’t want to,” said Li Hanchen before he turned to leave.
Li An held his exercise book and felt absolutely cold. 100 times? By the time he was done copying the poem 100 times, he would die.
He contemplated before he followed Li Hanchen into the room cautiously. “Can I do it tomorrow?”
It was already so hard for him to copy the poem ten times. If Li An had to copy it 100 times, it would be impossible for him to get any sleep tonight. He was already exhausted from school today, so he could barely keep his eyes open now.
The moment he finished his sentence, Li An detected something amiss. Why was his older brother’s room so warm?
Li An took two more steps into the room and realized Li Hanchen must have installed heating inside.
Li An looked at Li Hanchen quizzically. “Did you install heating in your room?”
“Uh huh.” Li Hanchen took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie.
“Did you install it in Sis-in-Law’s room as well?” Li An’s face started to crack up.
“Uh huh. I installed heating in there too,” said Li Hanchen calmly.
Li An’s eyes opened wide. What did he mean by that?
He did not want to mistakenly accuse Li Hanchen of being unfair, so he quickly ran over to his room next door to give it a feel, but he was instantly surrounded by cold air.
Li An retreated out of his room and said in shock as he complained, “Have you forgotten about my room?”
No wonder he felt frozen last night when he woke up to play video games in secret. After playing for five minutes, he was completely frozen. It turned out Li Hanchen had installed heating in all the rooms except his.
“I will install it for you the day you stop waking up in the middle of the night to secretly play video games.” Li Hanchen lifted his blanket and got ready to sleep. He completely disregarded Li An as Li An looked at him sadly.
“…” Li An went speechless before he defended himself, “I didn’t do it.”
However, his tricks were useless in front of Li Hanchen.
If all the rooms did not contain heating, Li An would have continued braving the cold and kept himself warm by solely using his body heat. Now that he had learned Li Hanchen had installed heating in the other rooms, he could not help feeling indignant. He suddenly felt that his room was Antarctica and he would freeze into a block of ice every time he entered. Just thinking about it made him feel chilly.
Li An watched as Li Hanchen lay in the huge bed, and a thought crossed his mind.
He inched towards Li Hanchen. “Can I ask you something?”
Li Hanchen glanced at Li An. Even though they had been apart for ten years, it was impossible to sever the brotherly ties between them. Moreover, everything was written on Li An’s face. Li Hanchen rejected him coldly, “No.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet!” Li An was in shock. Could his older brother get any more heartless than this?
Just as Li Hanchen was about to speak, Li An held his wrist and placed his hand on his head. “You used to coax me to sleep like this when I was a kid, remember?”
Li An squatted beside Li Hanchen’s bed and looked up at him with reliance in his eyes. Li Hanchen suddenly recalled Li An from when he was a kid when he touched his soft hair.
Shortly after Li An was born, their mother passed away. Their father swiftly sent for his long-time mistress and his illegitimate son, Li Ming.
Li Hanchen single-handedly raised Li An when he was a baby, and he grew up to be a happy little boy. Li An used to be very mischievous, but he was always well behaved in front of Li Hanchen. The adorable little Li An would follow Li Hanchen everywhere he went with a milk bottle in hand as he shouted for his older brother.
Li Hanchen would always touch Li An’s head as he read fairy tales and coaxed him to bed every night.
Li Ming and Li Hanchen were abducted when Li An was five. Li Hanchen ended up forsaken by the family and severed all ties with them.
After he returned ten years later, the little boy had already grown into a youth.
Li An must have had a hard time living on his own without any family.
Li Hanchen nodded as he touched Li An’s soft hair. “Bring your pillow over.”
“You’re the best!”