Hives

To prevent his older brother from killing Ying Huai, Xie Qi Zhi decided that this matter should be kept from his brother for now.

After taking Xie Zhi Lan back to the hotel, the first thing Xie Qi Zhi did upon returning home was to water every potted plant in the house.

Finally, he went out to the balcony, admiring the blooming Bird of Paradise, and contentedly praised his efforts: "It's so beautiful. Last time I saw it, it was tiny, but it bloomed so quickly."

Ying Huai stood behind him, silent for a long while, deciding not to tell him that he had just bought this pot two days ago, and the old plant had died from root rot due to Xie Qi Zhi's overly diligent watering.

After Xie Qi Zhi had admired it to his heart's content, Ying Huai picked up a glass of water, deliberately changing the subject: "You only water the flowers, why don't you water me a little?"

Xie Qi Zhi hummed in acknowledgment, then poured the contents of the watering can into Ying Huai's glass.

Ying Huai caught the mischievous smile that couldn't be hidden in Xie Qi Zhi's beautiful eyes. Seizing the moment before Xie Qi Zhi could run off, he blocked him, tossed the watering can aside, wrapped his arms around Xie Qi Zhi's waist, lifted him up, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What tricks are you playing?"

Xie Qi Zhi feigned innocence: "Didn't you tell me to water you?"

Ying Huai asked: "Am I a flower?"

"Yes, you are." Xie Qi Zhi chuckled, wrapped his arms around Ying Huai's neck, intimately rubbed his nose against Ying Huai's, his eyes fluttering before settling on Ying Huai's lips.

Ying Huai's entire body was firm, his gaze and the corners of his eyes sharp, only his lips were not too thin, the lower lip slightly curved, looking very kissable.

As Ying Huai gently lowered his gaze, his eyes gradually darkened from Xie Qi Zhi's stare. Xie Qi Zhi slowly leaned in, lowering his head to kiss him.

Warm lips brushed against Ying Huai's lower lip. Xie Qi Zhi bit lightly, and softly said, "Brother Ying Huai, you are my favorite flower."

"Really?" Ying Huai looked down at him, saying, "Then take good care of me, don't water me to death."

Xie Qi Zhi blinked, not understanding, but he didn't dwell on it. He cupped Ying Huai's face and kissed him again. His lips parted slightly, their breaths intertwining, intending to make up for all the kisses Ying Huai had refused when he was in the hospital.

After Xie Qi Zhi had had enough intimacy, Ying Huai still didn't put him down.

Xie Qi Zhi pursed his reddened lips, looking down at Ying Huai in confusion. Only then did Ying Huai raise a hand, touching Xie Qi Zhi's gradually warming cheek, his voice and the corners of his eyes filled with a smile, saying to him, "Qi Qi, welcome home."

Although Xie Qi Zhi had been discharged from the hospital, his body had not fully recovered and needed more time to recuperate.

Xie Zhi Lan and Ying Huai both felt that it was fine for him to start school late, so Xie Qi Zhi comfortably spent a week doing nothing.

Aside from his regular Tai Chi exercises every morning, he just ate and slept, slept and ate, occasionally wrapped up snugly and led by Ying Huai for a walk.

It was just that Xie Qi Zhi disliked going out when the weather turned cold. Every time they returned from a walk, even if he didn't openly sulk, he wouldn't bring his pillow to sleep with Ying Huai that night.

Ying Huai judged this reaction to be sulking behavior, so he no longer forced Xie Qi Zhi to go out with him.

When there were no classes, Ying Huai was accustomed to sitting on the living room sofa, reading documents. Xie Qi Zhi liked to stick close to him, burrowing under his arm like a cat, looking at the dense text on the tablet with him.

But after only a few pages, he started to yawn, and in less than ten minutes, he was irresistibly sleepy, collapsing onto Ying Huai's chest and falling asleep.

His sleeping posture was very docile, his soft eyelashes lowered, one cheek pressed and puffed up, looking like a baby's dumpling cheek.

Ying Huai couldn't resist leaning down and kissing his forehead. He put the tablet down, shifted to a more comfortable position, letting Xie Qi Zhi rest his head on his lap, and spread a thin blanket over him.

After sleeping for a while, Xie Qi Zhi's arm slipped off the sofa.

Ying Huai reached out to support it, taking hold of his fair wrist. The pajama fabric was too smooth, and the sleeve slid down a bit, revealing a forearm that was still swollen and red.

Ying Huai's gaze casually swept over it, then suddenly froze.

This allergic reaction was not as dangerous and severe as the last time; the area of hives was not large, only spreading on his arms and waist. However, the scratch marks from Xie Qi Zhi's irresistible itching were clearly visible, with a few spots where he had scratched himself into small wounds.

Ying Huai suddenly remembered that Xie Zhi Lan had once said that Xie Qi Zhi would get hives whenever he encountered cold wind… He hadn't expected it to be so severe.

When Xie Qi Zhi woke up, he saw Ying Huai holding his wrist tightly, looking down at him.

Before he could react, he vaguely tried to pull his hand away but couldn't; Ying Huai wouldn't let go.

Xie Qi Zhi faced Ying Huai's dark eyes, blinking a few times. His gaze shifted slightly, seeing the swollen, red skin exposed from his pulled-up sleeve. He then startled and sat up, retracting his hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" Ying Huai asked him.

Xie Qi Zhi pulled his hand under the blanket, hugging his knees, and said indifferently, "It's like this every winter. I've been used to it for a long time. Just take some medicine."

"I remember the last time I took you out was two days ago. You haven't been exposed to cold wind these past two days, so the medicine isn't effective?"

"No, I touched cold water when I washed my hands this afternoon." Xie Qi Zhi lowered his eyes and said, "It wasn't this serious before. I don't know why this year."

He didn't know how Ying Huai found out. Song Cheng was not like Yi Zhou with its pleasant climate; winter was long and bitterly cold.

Xie Qi Zhi's body was already unaccustomed to the climate here, not to mention he had just been discharged from the hospital, and his immunity was much weaker than usual. The cold allergy would definitely be much more severe.

For the first time, Ying Huai regretted choosing to settle here. A few years ago, his family's property in Yi Zhou had been sold off to pay debts… If he had known, he would have re-bid for the old house. That house was built early, had a good location, was comfortable to live in, and had a large lawn and a greenhouse garden.

When he was in school, Xie Zhi Lan had used all sorts of excuses to visit several times. Each time, he treated it like his own home, asking Ying Huai what good things and fun things were in the house, and taking them out for himself to enjoy.

Xie Qi Zhi was a bit more sensitive, but many of his habits, nurtured by Xie Zhi Lan, were quite similar, so he would probably like it too.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" Ying Huai asked.

"No, going to the hospital just means getting an IV drip." Xie Qi Zhi said softly, "It's very cold outside, and hospitals are full of sick people. I'd easily get infected. Just taking some medicine at home is fine."

His attitude was firm, so Ying Huai could only comply.

Xie Qi Zhi wrapped himself in the blanket, curled up in Ying Huai's arms, and coughed a few times.

Ying Huai held him, patted his back, and silently pondered the possibility of buying back the old house at a higher price. He couldn't stay in Song Cheng during winter anymore; it would be better to return there.

That evening, Ying Huai waited until 11 o'clock, but Xie Qi Zhi still didn't come with his pillow, knocking on the door to ask to sleep together.

He got up and went to find Xie Qi Zhi himself.

The bedside lamp was still on, but Xie Qi Zhi had burrowed into the blanket, curled up into a ball, not even showing half his head.

Ying Huai was afraid of startling him, so he deliberately walked a bit louder, sat down on the edge of the bed, and slowly pulled back the blanket. However, this carefulness still startled Xie Qi Zhi. He suddenly sat up, instinctively hiding his hands behind his back, not letting Ying Huai see them.

Ying Huai lowered his eyes, silently looking at the person on the bed, then extended his left hand, saying nothing.

Xie Qi Zhi didn't move either. They remained in a standoff for a few minutes before Xie Qi Zhi finally acted, but instead of revealing his arm covered in hives, he couldn't resist scratching himself again due to the discomfort.

Ying Huai didn't wait any longer. As he moved closer, Xie Qi Zhi's eyes suddenly flickered, and as he tried to dodge backward, tears unexpectedly streamed down his face.

Whenever he cried, his eyes became watery, his wet eyelashes stuck together, his eyelids and the corners of his eyes were red, and his nose was also red, making his entire face look incredibly pitiful.

"Why are you crying?" Ying Huai said helplessly, "I'm not bullying you. Scratching your skin like that isn't good for you."

He reached out to grab Xie Qi Zhi's arm to examine it carefully, but Xie Qi Zhi refused.

This time, Ying Huai knew he couldn't listen to Xie Qi Zhi anymore and firmly pulled his arm. Xie Qi Zhi couldn't dodge in time, swung his arm to push Ying Huai away, and his fingernail brushed against Ying Huai's cheek, leaving a scratch that quickly bled.

Xie Qi Zhi lowered his hand, staring blankly at Ying Huai's face, so scared that his tears stopped flowing. He knelt closer, intending to help wipe it away, but didn't dare to touch the wound. After a long moment, he softly said, "I'm sorry."

Ying Huai seemed to sigh, but said nothing. Seizing the moment when Xie Qi Zhi had calmed down, he picked him up, stood up, and walked out, asking, "Shall we take a hot bath? Will that make you feel more comfortable?"

Xie Qi Zhi leaned against Ying Huai's shoulder, nodding and saying, "Yes."

Ying Huai pressed the back of Xie Qi Zhi's neck, gently rubbing it a few times, and said, "It's okay, I know you're very uncomfortable right now."