Chapter 16 - Can You Stop Talking
“I refuse.”
Tang Kai stated his answer in a crisp and clear manner.
He pressed down on Sun Zinan’s knees and separated them, forcing his way between his two legs. Their upper bodies were suddenly pressed very closely together. Sun Zinan was sitting on the windowsill so he was currently about a head taller than Tang Kai. He could only look down at him.
“I won’t believe anything you say under an irrational state.” Tang Kai grasped his thin, cold hand that felt like a block of ice. He felt that this person’s brave face was a little pitiful. He sighed in frustration and reached out to embrace him.
His gentleness was overwhelming and for a moment, Sun Zinan was unable to differentiate whether he was in reality or a dream.
After receiving a thunderous scare, Sun Zinan’s brain had become a wooden block, and he seemed to have lost all ability to stir up any emotions for the time being. Love, hate, joy, anger. They had all been shut out by a thick glass wall; saying ‘let’s break up’ hadn’t been that upsetting. To tell the truth, he really did like Tang Kai quite a bit, which was why he didn’t want to watch the two of them walk down the path of ending their relationship in mutual dislike. But Tang Kai’s reaction had completely exceeded his expectations.
“Don’t rush, and don’t be afraid. What can’t we discuss?” Tang Kai gently patted Sun Zinan’s back, his voice warm and soft as if he were coaxing a child. “You didn’t even ask before giving it up, that breaks my heart.”
The phrase ‘breaks my heart’ at last reached him. A fine crack appeared on the layer of ice. All his consciousness gushed out like a stream of water, gradually spreading out to his four limbs.
His chest instantly relaxed, as if he had expelled out a breath of freezing cold. His entire person had revived.
Sun Zinan’s entire body softened, but Tang Kai’s arms were strong, and his silent firmness seemed to reach all the way to his heart, parting him with the same strength.
His stiffness melted within Tang Kai’s embrace. Sun Zinan hugged him back and buried his face into his warm, dry neck. Like an exhausted little animal who had finally found a nest that would last through his winter hibernation, all his pent up suffering and grievances rose once again. Tang Kai even heard a vague, low sob.
There was probably no one else in this world who could make him this softhearted, almost to the point of pain.
After they had recovered for a while, Tang Kai took him down from the windowsill. Sun Zinan’s feet were still weak as he landed, and he was immediately swept up into a princess carry.
Tang Kai asked Secretary Wang, who was standing behind him. “Excuse me, which room is his?”
Before Secretary Wang even opened his mouth, Sun Zinan said in a low voice, “Straight ahead, second to last room at the end of the hallway. Put me down, I’ll walk by myself.”
Tang Kai, “Not putting down, don’t fuss.”
He nodded to Secretary Wang, then strode across the hallway. This person carried a 1.8m tall young man with ease, and even had the strength remaining to idly chat with him. “With this kind of physique, how could you sell health products? Those old men and old ladies are all more capable than you.”
Sun Zinan, “…”
Sun Zinan didn’t stay at home very often. Apart from a few personal items, his room wasn’t very different from a guest room.
Tang Kai set him on his bed in a sitting position, then naturally squatted down to untie his shoes for him. Sun Zinan was horrified and almost kicked him out of the way. “Don’t! I’ll do it myself…”
“Stay still.” Tang Kai grabbed at his ankle. “It’s not like I’m changing your clothes. What are you nervous about?”
Sun Zinan, “I’m fine now.”
“That’s enough, don’t be picky about cleanliness right now. Go lie down.” Tang Kai held up his two, long legs and placed them in a half-fetal position. “Whether or not you’re fine is up to the doctor. Wait here, I’ll get a cup of hot water.”
Sun Zinan was unable to stop him in time and could only unblinkingly watch him walk out.
Really&#k2026;
How could this kind of person not find a partner? It was simply unbelievable.
After a while, Tang Kai returned with hot water and set it down by his bed. “I just ran into your dad’s secretary, he said the doctor will arrive in a bit. How do you feel now? Are you still uncomfortable?”
Sun Zinan didn’t want to stir up a commotion and said, “I’m not uncomfortable, there’s nothing wrong. I was just emotional earlier. I’ll go to the hospital by myself tomorrow. Let’s not bother everyone too much in the middle of the night.”
“You can’t.” Tang Kai grasped at his icy cold, numb fingertips and rubbed at them, speaking lowly, “If you get sick in the middle of the night, do you expect me to give you artificial respiration?”
Sun Zinan squeezed out a weak laugh. He didn’t have the strength to break free, so he let him continue rubbing. “You don’t want to ask anything while there’s no one around?”
“I’d like to ask,” Tang Kai said while letting out a sigh, “if you could just obediently lie down and rest and stop talking?”
Sun Zinan, “…”
It was a long time before he let out a low chuckle. He wasn’t sure if it was out of helplessness or indulgence. “Ai, I can’t win against you. I’ll shut up now.”
Tang Kai pulled the quilt over and wrapped him tightly within. He replied expressionlessly, “That would be great.”
About half an hour later, the family doctor rushed in. He tested Sun Zinan’s blood pressure and felt his pause for a long time before telling Tang Kai with uncertainty, “Based on the symptoms you described earlier, it seems like an emotion-induced attack. Too much emotional agitation will cause a physiological reaction. As to whether there are issues with the heart or other organs, I can’t tell right now. He should go to the hospital tomorrow and get it checked.”
Tang Kai asked, “Does he need to take any medicine tonight?”
“For now, no.” The doctor replied, “Just stay in bed and remain calm. Go to the internal medicine department tomorrow for an EKG or a color chart, then take a chest x-ray. Also, it’s best to accompany and keep an eye on him tonight.”
“Okay.” Tang Kai got up and sent the doctor out. “Thank you, we’ve troubled you.”
Secretary Wang, who had been standing by the door, took his place and walked the doctor downstairs. Tang Kai shut the door, then sat down beside Sun Zinan’s bed. He didn’t rebuke him this time. “It doesn’t seem like you have a heart disease. Don’t worry, rest well, I’ll go with you to the hospital tomorrow.”
Sun Zinan didn’t think heart disease was that big of a deal, but he saw that Tang Kai looked quite worried, so agreed obediently, “Okay. Professor Tang, may I get up and change now?”
Tang Kai gently pressed down on the quilt. “Where are your pajamas? I’ll go get them for you.”
Sun Zinan pointed at his wardrobe. “On the left. You can also take a set and wear it for now. There’s unopened new packs of underwear in the drawer below.”
Tang Kai’s hand, which was holding onto the wardrobe’s door, stiffened slightly.
Sun Zinan continued without sensing anything was off, “I don’t think I can shower tonight, you can use the bathroom as you like. I’ll have people bring up some new toiletries for you in a bit.”
This was undoubtedly an invitation for him to stay.
Tang Kai’s facial expression showed no signs of surprise, but the winds and clouds of his heart were chaotically changing colors. He faced the dark wardrobe and soothed the weather for a long while before adjusting his thoughts and taking out a set of pajamas for Sun Zinan.
He was still a gentleman; while Sun Zinan changed, he voluntarily entered the bathroom. After he took a shower, dried his hair, and changed into pajamas, he heard the door of the bedroom click shut. Tang Kai subconsciously glanced over at Sun Zinan. “Did someone come?”
“Family servants.” Sun Zinan leaned back against his soft pillow and replied, “I just remembered you haven’t eaten dinner yet so I called someone to bring a late-night snack.”
Tang Kai couldn’t resist reaching out and rubbing at his face. “Stop worrying so much.”
“It’s part of a Virgo’s personality, please be tolerant.” Su Zinan seized the back of his hand. “You wait for the food, I’ll go wash up and brush my teeth.”
“Are you not going to eat?” Tang Kai asked.
Sun Zinan shook his head. Tang Kai supported him off the bed. He walked a few steps and felt that he was fine other than a little weakness. He entered the bathroom on his own. Tang Kai didn’t feel at ease and stared at the door as he pricked up his ears, paying attention to the movements inside the bathroom.
It was only then that he had enough time to reflect on the sequence of events of the night. The causes and effects had been mostly settled, but they were lacking a few specifics. The Sun family’s business had met with a problem, so they wanted to take advantage of his father’s potential to stop their crises. So that was why they had made plans for tonight’s birthday banquet: high-profile introductions, then secretly analyzing his identity. This could slightly reverse the negative impacts of their plan. The next step would be to urge the two of them to get married quickly. That way, the Tang family would completely become a refuge for the Sun family. As long as his father didn’t fall from power, the Sun family would have no worries.
It was just that Sun Ying probably didn’t expect this plan to arouse such strong opposition from Sun Zinan. He had even been overheard by Tang Kai; everything was now very awkward.
At this point, the most likely outcome was that he and Sun Zinan would break up. Not only had Sun Ying failed to get along with the Tang family, he had offended them. He was going to be scorched by their flames for a long period of time.
But—
He looked towards the unlocked bathroom door.
Tang Kai used to think he was an unchangeable perfectionist and idealistic sentimentalist with OCD and mysophobia. But strangely enough, every time he made a decision regarding Sun Zinan, he was cautious to the point of making sure he ‘didn't break the jade bottle while beating the rat.’ He was even able to look away from his flaws and focus on ‘how good this person is.’
It was probably because love blinded people, reset them back to zero, turned their souls upside down…but he was unable to free himself.
After a while a maid knocked on the door, carrying a bowl of hot and steaming beef noodle soup and a few saucers of pickled vegetables. It looked very appetizing. Sun Zinan coincidentally opened the door to the bathroom at that moment. For a moment, he couldn’t stand the smell of the grease, and wrinkled his brows. “Huo, what a strong smell.”
With his pickiness, Sun Zinan obviously couldn’t stand eating inside the bedroom. Tang Kai was about to say he could go outside and eat when Sun Zinan told the maid, “Go ventilate the room.” He then turned to Tang Kai and said, “Eat your food, if it’s not enough then have them make more. Don’t be polite.”
He had recovered a bit of his spirits by now. Just lying on the bed was too uninteresting, so he randomly picked out a movie to relieve his boredom. His mind ran through the chaotic jumble of the tumultuous drama from earlier.
He had been frightened by the sight of Tang Kai after slamming the door open. Now that he thought about it, Tang Kai had heard the entirety of the latter half of the argument. He shouldn’t have any misunderstandings towards him. But it was indisputable that Sun Ying had created a plan to rub off of the Tang family’s reputation. This point could not be reconciled. Even if Tang Kai showed some face for him and didn’t rip into the Sun family on site, when Tang Zhenhua learned of this news, how would he view him and the entire Sun family?
‘Our glory is your glory’ was very difficult, but ‘our ruin is your ruin’ was too easy.
Any normal person would have to bring up these things when meeting the in-laws. Not to mention Tang Kai’s personality, which could not be rubbed with sand…
“What are you thinking about?” A hint of warmth rubbed against his brows, and Sun Zinan looked up in surprise, gazing straight into Tang Kai’s eyes. His hand slid down along the ridges of his brows and scratched lightly at the tip of his nose. “You’re frowning again.”
“Did you finish eating?” Sun Zinan remarked, “So fast.”
Tang Kai admitted honestly, “It’s not as good as your cooking. Lie down, I’ll come after I brush my teeth.”
In reality, the two of them hadn’t progressed to the point of sleeping together in the same room yet, but judging from the situation, Sun Ying was too ashamed to face them and no other siblings had appeared in front of Sun Zinan to even ask after him after all this time. Other than Tang Kai, there was no one else there to accompany him.
Curing and saving a person was important. Even if Tang Kai had to summon up all his courage to break the barrier of sleeping together, he still had to take care of him.
It was just past 10 o’clock. The banquet downstairs just ended, but the two of them were already lying next to each other on the big bed. The lights were all turned off, only leaving a small nightlight by the side of the bed. The dim, gauzy light scattered over their blankets.
This was the first time they were sharing a bed; they should have been nervous, bashful, and repressing their flustered but excited emotions. Yet due to various reasons, they acted as calmly as if they had just been photographed by Buddha.
Tang Kai had pressed all his worries down together, while Sun Zinan was forcefully making his heart as tranquil as water. He turned over to face Tang Kai and said, “Can’t fall asleep.”
Tang Kai announced with the gravity of an old monk, “Close your eyes to refresh your spirit.”
Sun Zinan, “Doesn’t work, I have things on my mind. If I don’t discuss them I won’t be able fall asleep tonight.”
The Tang Kai who was lying flat on his back let out a silent sigh and turned over. “Then talk about it.”
As soon as he opened his mouth, however, Sun Zinan became unsure of where to begin. He hesitated for a moment before starting, “Tonight’s events…I’m sorry.”
“En.” Tang Kai replied, “I accept. Since you’re so sincere about it, I’m willing to forgive.”
Sun Zinan was stifled by this into silence.
Tang Kai continued with his eyes closed, “Anything else? Keep going.”
Sun Zinan, “That’s not…what are your thoughts on it?”
Tang Kai asked back, “What are you apprehensive about?”
“Outside of this.” Sun Zinan said in deliberation, “Even if you don’t mind, your parents’ side…”
“Your dad didn’t do the right thing but that doesn’t have anything to do with you. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Tang Kai pointed out in a stern voice, “If you insist on using this as a reason to break up, I won’t agree.”
Sun Zinan, “Wasn’t it you who said ‘a defective marriage cannot be tolerated,’ and ‘the feelings of humanity cannot be used as tools’?”
“Those are two different things.” Tang Kai opened his eyes and shot him a pitiful look, expressing a strong indignation at the poor understanding of his character. “At that time, I said it because I wasn’t sure if you wanted to marry me for the sake of your inheritance. Now that you’re already with me, why would I want to break up with you?”
Sun Zinan was almost completely convinced by his words.
“This matter really isn’t as serious as you think it is.” Tang Kai patted him through the blankets. “Feelings are between you and me. Our parents’ relationships are for them to figure out. Besides, my dad isn’t the kind of person who’ll let his own family get away with wrongdoings. Since the secret has been broken into, it’s already escaped into smoke and scattered into clouds. Your dad won’t be bothering with my family for a while. Don’t worry about it.”
“But if there’s a first time, then a second time, then there will be a third and fourth time.” Sun Zinan asked, “What about next time? And next next time? You can’t coincidentally run into secrets every single time, can you?”
Worldly interests were inexhaustible, but feelings could always wear down into nothing.
What would they do the day their enthusiasm dried out?
Tang Kai seemed to have been pinned by his question, and he sighed anxiously. “I guess you’re right…” ”
The soft breeze from the air conditioner tilted down. Sun Zinan held his breath, unable to stop himself from tightening his fingers and clenching at his palms.
But a warm hand landed firmly on his back. Tang Kai used a bit of effort and took him into his arms, quilt and all.
“Then I’ll just elope with you and we’ll hide somewhere no one can recognize us…oh, you can cook at home and I’ll steal electric cars to provide for you.”