19 Probing (Including Premium Launch Announcement)

When Lu Mi woke up, there was no one in the bedroom.

His fever had broken, but his nose was still congested, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. He was fully awake, however, unlike the previous day when he had been plagued by constant drowsiness.

The other side of the bed had already lost its warmth; Shen Tan must have risen long ago.

Lu Mi let out a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he truly would not have known how to face Shen Tan. His hand had likely spent the entire night resting under Shen Tan’s clothes.

He went to take a shower. When he came out, he felt severely dizzy, unsure if it was from being cooped up for too long or from hunger. He had not eaten anything since the night before.

It took a while for Lu Mi to regain his composure before heading downstairs. It was past breakfast time, but he assumed Aunt Wang hadn't woken him because she knew he was unwell.

Upon reaching the lower floor, Lu Mi did not see Aunt Wang, but he did spot a stranger—a man with a buzz cut—in the dining room. Lu Mi froze and instinctively took two steps back.

Seeing this, Chen Sheng hurriedly tried to put on a friendly, amiable smile and waved at Lu Mi to greet him. "Hello, I'm Chen Sheng. Shen Tan asked me to bring you some food."

As he spoke, Chen Sheng silently grumbled to himself. He never imagined that he, the young master of the Chen family, would one day be reduced to delivering food to someone's doorstep. At first, he had considered sending an employee, but Shen Tan was unwilling to let others enter his villa. He wasn't sure if he should feel honored.

But it was understandable. If he were in Shen Tan’s position, he would have had several bodyguards stationed at the door, to say nothing of hiding a precious treasure inside the house.

Hearing Shen Tan's name, Lu Mi gave a dazed "Oh."

"Shen Tan had something urgent come up and had to step out, but he should be back soon. He said if you woke up, you should eat first and not wait for him," Chen Sheng said, using the gentlest tone he could muster, as if coaxing a child. He had seen how afraid Lu Mi was of Shen Tan. However, looking at him now, Lu Mi didn't seem quite as terrified or timid; he actually nodded at his words.

Although he was sick, Lu Mi looked a bit fuller than when they had last met. While Shen Tan was undoubtedly a beast of a man, he at least knew how to take good care of people.

Remembering Shen Tan’s warning before he left not to disturb Lu Mi, Chen Sheng retreated to the living room the moment Lu Mi approached the table. Lu Mi glanced back and felt much more at ease seeing that Chen Sheng was not watching him.

The meal Chen Sheng brought was very light and clearly from a high-end restaurant. Even though the dishes were simple, the plating was exquisite. With just one bite, Lu Mi recognized the taste—it was from the same restaurant where he and Shen Tan had first met.

He paused, turning his head to look at Chen Sheng again. Chen Sheng had been preparing to sneak a peek at him to gossip with Chen Xiu about the treatment he had received today. Seeing Lu Mi suddenly turn, he quickly diverted his gaze to fiddle with his phone. The movement was too sudden, and he accidentally wrenched his neck, wincing in pain.

Seeing Chen Sheng’s twisted expression, Lu Mi blinked. "...Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Chen Sheng wouldn't dare say he wasn't; he suspected that if he spoke to Lu Mi too much, Shen Tan would skin him alive upon returning.

Lu Mi gave a small nod and didn't look at him again. It was clear that the other man was even more uncomfortable than he was.

Lu Mi’s appetite had returned, and he ate quite a bit, though he still left some room in his stomach. He wondered when Shen Tan would be back.

After he finished eating, Chen Sheng was still sitting on the sofa with his head tilted at an odd angle. Lu Mi stared at the strange posture for a moment. "Did you hurt your neck?"

Chen Sheng immediately jumped up from the sofa. "Not at all! Are you finished? If you are, I'll clear these things away. Do you want to play games? I brought a console..."

Lu Mi shook his head slightly. Seeing Chen Sheng actually coming over to collect the dishes, he hesitated. "...Mr. Shen hasn't returned yet."

"He won't starve to death," Chen Sheng blurted out, then quickly corrected himself. "I mean, we should wait until he comes back to get him some food."

As he spoke, Chen Sheng glanced at Lu Mi’s expression. Seeing that Lu Mi hadn't been frightened by his remark, he breathed a small sigh of relief. He was used to speaking harshly and found it difficult to restrain himself.

Listening to Chen Sheng’s tone, Lu Mi could roughly guess that his relationship with Shen Tan was likely quite good, though Chen Sheng looked younger than Shen Tan.

Since Lu Mi had said that, Chen Sheng stopped fussing over the remaining food. It was just that he had never seen Shen Tan eat someone else’s leftovers, which felt rather strange. As he was lost in thought, wondering if he should find an excuse to stay and see if Shen Tan would actually eat it, Lu Mi suddenly placed a bottle of medicinal oil on the table in front of him.

He was stunned for a moment, but Lu Mi had already retreated to the sofa, maintaining a distant gap between them. He still seemed somewhat afraid of him. Or rather, not so much afraid as shy around strangers.

Shen Tan truly treated him like a precious treasure.

Chen Sheng shook the bottle of medicinal oil and slapped it onto his sprained neck. It hurt like hell, but he acted as if he didn't care. "It's nothing, this little injury is no big deal. But thanks, anyway. Your name is Lu Mi, right? I'm older than you, so you can call me Brother Chen Sheng."

Lu Mi was not used to chatting with strangers. His previous comfort was only due to Shen Tan’s presence, so he felt a bit awkward talking to Chen Sheng. He hesitated, nodded, and then looked down at his phone.

Both Shuimu and A-Mo had sent him messages last night, as did Gao You.

Shuimu: [Why didn't you stream or take leave? Did something happen?]
Shuimu: [You're not even looking at your messages. Did you block me just so you wouldn't have to duo with me?!]

His fever had come on so suddenly yesterday that Lu Mi had completely forgotten to ask for leave. He had always insisted on streaming no matter how tired he was, as the full-attendance bonus covered a large portion of his living expenses. Having missed a day, he would be short on hours this month.

Lu Mi quickly replied to Shuimu: [I didn't block you, something came up yesterday.]

He didn't like showing his weaknesses to others, so he didn't tell Shuimu he was sick. Shuimu was likely still sleeping and hadn't replied.

"Do you want to add each other? Our restaurant's food isn't bad, right? You can tell me if you want to eat anything in the future; we support deliveries." Seeing Lu Mi playing on his phone, Chen Sheng couldn't help but speak up.

Lu Mi hesitated for a moment before showing his QR code to Chen Sheng. After all, he was Shen Tan’s friend.

Chen Sheng promptly added him. "Want to play games? If not the console, mobile games are fine too. Do you play mobile games?"

Young people usually started conversations this way, and Chen Sheng didn't dare use his usual pick-up lines on Lu Mi, so this was his only way to bridge the gap.

Lu Mi shook his head.

"How about computer games?" Chen Sheng had expected that answer. Looking at Lu Mi, he didn't seem like the type to play those messy games—he looked like a model student.

Lu Mi hesitated and nodded.

Chen Sheng moved step by step toward the sofa. "What game? 'Destination'? That's the only popular one right now. I played it a lot when I was in school. My sister even started a team thinking she could make money, but the team played so poorly that she lost a lot of money, and she took it out on me by forbidding me from playing."

Lu Mi nodded. "'Destination'."

He usually didn't mention that he played games to others, but the person in front of him was Shen Tan’s friend.

"What's your rank? Should I have you carry me? But we have to do it behind Shen Tan's back; that guy doesn't let me talk to you." Chen Sheng suddenly stopped, subconsciously looking at the ceiling to ensure there were no cameras before letting out a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid that a freak like Shen Tan would have installed surveillance in the house.

Lu Mi whispered, "...Honor." Honor was the highest rank in "Destination."

Chen Sheng’s expression froze, and he stopped more than a meter away from the sofa. "Can you carry me sometime?"

Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.

Shen Tan walked in, followed by Zhou Feng, who was carrying a laptop and some documents. Shen Tan’s gaze landed on Chen Sheng first, and Chen Sheng immediately retreated several steps, wishing he could be a hundred thousand miles away from the sofa.

Shen Tan’s expression remained unchanged as he said, "Thank you for your hard work."

He looked no different from a gentleman. However, Shen Tan was far from being a gentleman.

Chen Sheng grumbled to himself while tilting his head and saying it was no trouble and that it was his duty. Shen Tan didn't even look at him again, heading straight toward the sofa.

Before Lu Mi could react, Shen Tan had already sat down beside him, raised his palm, and placed it against his forehead. "You've showered."

Lu Mi smelled of body wash. It was a statement, not a question.

Lu Mi nodded and shrank his neck back. He wasn't used to having so many people around, but Shen Tan didn't seem to care about showing intimacy in front of others. Then again, for people like them, this was probably nothing out of the ordinary.

Lu Mi’s fingers sank into the soft cushions of the sofa, and he shook his head. "I've already broken the fever, Mr. Shen."

"There is no 'Mr. Shen' here." Shen Tan seemed displeased with the address. "But you have indeed broken the fever, though you sound like you haven't woken up yet."

Lu Mi’s nose was blocked, and his voice was nasal. He instinctively covered his nose, and Shen Tan chuckled. "The doctor will come to check on you later. I'll be staying home today."

After saying this, Shen Tan nodded toward Zhou Feng at the door. Zhou Feng efficiently placed the documents and laptop on the coffee table and then, without a word, retreated to stand beside Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng couldn't help but nudge Zhou Feng’s arm. "Did Shen Tan just laugh? Why is he acting like this?"

At the restaurant last time, he had thought Shen Tan was just trying to leave a good impression on his dream lover, but he hadn't expected him to keep up the act.

Zhou Feng remained motionless. "The boss has excellent hearing."

"He can't kill me," Chen Sheng said, then shut his mouth. Zhou Feng glanced at him and, as he turned to leave, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out.

Lu Mi hadn't been paying attention to the door, and when he finally noticed, only he and Shen Tan remained in the living room. Seeing that Shen Tan had already started reading the documents, Lu Mi opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and then carefully spoke up. "You don't need to stay home..."

He knew Shen Tan was likely staying home because of him.

"Why not? Do you feel uncomfortable with me here?" Shen Tan didn't look up, his eyes still on the dense pile of documents.

Lu Mi shook his head quickly. "I'm not uncomfortable, but Aunt Wang will take good care of me."

"Aunt Wang had to go home for something. There are only the two of us now. Besides, I didn't say I was staying home to take care of you."

Lu Mi was slightly stunned, lowered his eyes, and gave a quiet "Oh."

Shen Tan placed the documents on his lap and leaned back against the sofa, speaking leisurely. "I’ve lived this long without ever entering a kitchen; if we ate anything I cooked, we’d both end up in the hospital. I just worried you’d keep looking for me if you woke up."

As he spoke, he took Lu Mi’s hand and placed it against his abdomen, right over the exact spot where Lu Mi had rested his hand the night before.

Lu Mi’s earlobes turned bright red. He looked at Shen Tan, feeling at a loss. It was still broad daylight outside, and he didn't know what Shen Tan intended to do.

But Shen Tan didn't make any further moves, simply holding his hand against him. "What were you talking to Chen Sheng about?"

Given Chen Sheng’s personality, it was impossible that he hadn't spoken to Lu Mi.

As Shen Tan spoke, Lu Mi could feel the area under his palm move. He didn't dare pull his hand back and just lowered his head, whispering, "We talked about games."

"Did he ask you to play games with him?" Shen Tan’s tone sounded like a normal conversation, but it felt very much like an interrogation.

Lu Mi nodded.

Shen Tan leaned his upper body toward Lu Mi until their noses were almost touching. "Did you agree?"

Lu Mi’s breath hitched, and he shook his head. "Not yet."

"So you mean I interrupted your conversation before you could agree?" Shen Tan’s thumb rubbed the back of Lu Mi’s hand. He was still somewhat reluctant to let Lu Mi have contact with Chen Sheng, which was why he was asking questions like an investigator. But at least Chen Sheng was someone he knew well; otherwise, he wouldn't have let him deliver the food.

Lu Mi bit his lip and shook his head. "No, I don't have time to play games with him, and I don't want to."

He didn't understand the meaning behind Shen Tan’s words—whether he was reprimanding him or testing him.

"His gaming skills are probably terrible. If you play with him, it would definitely be you carrying him." Shen Tan stroked Lu Mi’s face with one hand. "He’s a few years younger than me. He’s not a bad person, just doesn't think before he speaks. Otherwise, he wouldn't have failed to inherit the family business and ended up running a restaurant."

For a moment, Lu Mi couldn't tell if Shen Tan was praising Chen Sheng or insulting him.

"You two are very close," Lu Mi said quietly.

As soon as he said it, he realized he had said something he shouldn't have. He seemed to care too much about Chen Sheng’s presence. One might even call it envy. But he had no right to concern himself with Shen Tan’s social circle.

"Not exactly 'very close,' just one of the few friends I have." Shen Tan didn't seem to mind, pressing his finger against Lu Mi’s lips, which were slightly pale from his illness, and brushing his nose against Lu Mi’s.

Because he was sick, his lips were too dry. Lu Mi stuck out the tip of his tongue to moisten them, and his soft, damp tongue touched Shen Tan’s fingertip.

He was startled but didn't pull back immediately, instead lifting his eyes and fluttering his lashes to observe Shen Tan’s expression.

Even though he clearly looked terrified, his lips were slightly parted, as if testing the waters.

Shen Tan probed inward with his finger, his eyes dropping as he said in a low, deep voice, "You seem to hate him very much."