A Fragile Spark

After speaking, Lin Yu slowly extended a hand, his fingertips brushing Jiang Yan’s before he swiftly withdrew them. He recoiled from the thought of his own perceived impurity willingly touching the brilliant Jiang Yan. Earlier, when he lacked even the strength to stand and Jiang Yan had offered assistance, he had worried he might somehow taint the other man. With his mind now clear and his exhaustion somewhat abated, he meticulously avoided any physical contact with Jiang Yan. He dared not even offer his hand for a simple handshake.

“Lin Yu, hello,” Jiang Yan said. “We’ve officially met now.”

Mistaking Lin Yu’s hesitation for shyness, Jiang Yan smiled. “I’ll fetch you a fresh quilt, and then I’ll bring your porridge over.”

“Mm, alright,” Lin Yu dutifully responded.

Jiang Yan idly touched his fingertips, the fleeting chill of their contact instantly reigniting a surge of paternal protectiveness within him.

“Your hand is so cold,” he murmured. “Make sure to stay warm under the covers.” He then retrieved a fresh quilt and gently draped it over Lin Yu.

“Mm,” Lin Yu assented, though his eyes immediately dropped as he pleaded, “You promised to let me go once the bleeding had stopped.”

“Absolutely not,” Jiang Yan countered.

Lin Yu lifted his large, glistening eyes, a look of profound grievance clouding his features.

“You’re a liar.”

“I’m not one for logic,” Jiang Yan declared, a playful glint in his eye. “I have no intention of letting you leave just yet. You must first finish this hot porridge, and when you’re done, it would be best if you complimented my cooking, perhaps saying it’s quite good. I’ve never set foot in a kitchen before; this is a first for me, and I find it rather meaningful.” Jiang Yan, for his part, couldn’t fathom the source of his profound patience for this boy. He had painstakingly followed a video tutorial to prepare a bowl of medicinal porridge for him.

Once the porridge was ready, he was filled with a considerable sense of accomplishment.

From childhood, Jiang Yan had been raised in an environment where he was perpetually the center of adoration, his inherent excellence and diligent efforts ensuring a constant chorus of praise.

Accustomed to such acclaim, he never felt a dearth of commendation.

Yet, in this moment, he found himself yearning specifically to hear Lin Yu’s soft, kitten-like voice offer him a word of praise.

“I won’t drink it, I don’t want to…” Lin Yu murmured, shaking his head.

However, his small stomach soon betrayed him.

A faint ‘gurgle’ echoed softly.

Flushing with embarrassment, Lin Yu lowered his head and rubbed his grumbling stomach.

In his bashfulness, even his ears had begun to subtly redden.

‘Utterly adorable,’ Jiang Yan mused internally.

“Just lie there for a moment; I’ll bring the porridge right over.” Jiang Yan, now quite assertive, deliberately attempted to intimidate the distracted, frail boy whose thoughts had clearly already bolted out the door. “Don’t even think about running off, or your debt will double.”

Lin Yu could only stare.

He had, in fact, been planning to slip away the moment Jiang Yan left to retrieve the porridge.

His intentions laid bare, a flicker of panic crossed his face, and his fingers unconsciously picked at the quilt.

“Are you twenty-one?” Jiang Yan inquired just before closing the bedroom door.

“Yes,” Lin Yu confirmed.

“November twenty-second, is that your birthday?” Jiang Yan asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.

“Yes,” Lin Yu replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “How did you know?”

“Happy birthday,” Jiang Yan said, his smile radiating like a warm ray of morning sun into the room. “I’ll make sure you get a cake tonight.”

Lin Yu seemed to drift into a daze, murmuring the words as if testing their reality: “Happy… birthday?”

In the three years since he had arrived in H City, this was the first person, other than his grandmother, to wish him a happy birthday.

Moreover, this person was an idol he had believed utterly unattainable throughout his life.

He found himself uncertain of what emotions he ought to feel. Should he be overwhelmingly happy?

Instead, a profound ache settled in his heart, urging him to unleash a torrent of tears.

Yet, his numb face betrayed not a single emotion. Only in his vacant eyes did a faint spark seem to slowly ignite.

“Yes, happy birthday, happy twenty-first birthday,” Jiang Yan reiterated. Sensing the child’s unspoken emotions, which filled him with an inexplicable sense of oppression, he closed the door and let out a soft sigh.

“Am I truly bewitched?” he wondered to himself. “Why do I feel such a pang of sympathy for him?” He then shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. “This time, I’ve truly acted on impulse.”

He swiftly returned with the porridge. The instant he opened the door, he witnessed Lin Yu, lost in thought, flinch as if startled. The terror in the obedient, beautiful boy’s eyes was fleeting, however, and he quickly regained his composure.

Jiang Yan’s brow furrowed involuntarily. What on earth had Cai Xinyu done to Lin Yu that even the slight sound of a door opening could provoke such a profound fright?

This was, undoubtedly, a manifestation of extreme mental tension.

Lin Yu possessed no sense of security whatsoever.

“My apologies,” Jiang Yan said, a note of regret in his voice. “I should have knocked first.”

Lin Yu shook his head. He felt no need for Jiang Yan’s apology; this was the other man’s home, where he was free to come and go. It was Lin Yu himself who was the source of trouble.

His mind drifted to Cai Xinyu’s words, uttered countless times: “If it weren’t for your face bringing me prestige in public, who would willingly tolerate a burden by their side?”

Indeed, he was a burden.

Incapable of earning money, utterly devoid of value, he couldn’t even save his grandmother when she fell ill.

Beyond this face, he was utterly worthless.

And this face, far from being a blessing, had merely granted him the wretched identity of a plaything, manipulated in the palm of another.

He had once carved a gash across his own face. Upon seeing the injury, Cai Xinyu had erupted in a fit of rage, threatening to cease all payments for his grandmother’s medical expenses if his face ever suffered another blemish.

Lin Yu had tearfully pleaded with him, vowing never to mar his face again, imploring Cai Xinyu not to discontinue his grandmother’s vital medication.

But now, he was utterly unburdened by attachments. His grandmother had passed away a month before his birthday, her eyes remaining open long after death, burdened by a thousand unspoken regrets.

She had continuously murmured: “Lin Yu, Red Bean, Lin Yu, Red Bean…”

As these memories resurfaced, Lin Yu’s heart constricted with a searing pain.

His emotions spiraled out of control, and with a sudden, violent motion, he struck down the bowl of porridge Jiang Yan was offering.

With a resounding crash, the bowl shattered against the floor, breaking into several pieces, and hot porridge splattered across the tiles.

Jiang Yan, bewildered by this sudden, violent outburst from the usually quiet and docile Lin Yu, paused in momentary shock, only to break out in a cold sweat at Lin Yu’s subsequent action.

“Lin Yu! What are you doing?!”

Lin Yu, barefoot, scrambled out of bed, snatched a sharp shard of the broken porridge bowl, and moved to slash it across his own face.

His expression was intensely agitated as he cried out, “I refuse to believe you have no ulterior motive for being so kind to me! I refuse to believe it!”

Before Cai Xinyu had first asked him to be his boyfriend, he too had been exceptionally kind, considerate, thoughtful, and gently nurturing.

Lin Yu had, at first, agreed against his own will, purely for the sake of his grandmother’s medical expenses.

However, he had gradually come to believe that Cai Xinyu’s profound kindness warranted a genuine investment in their relationship.

Regrettably, once Cai Xinyu had cajoled and manipulated him into bed, his true, insidious nature had gradually begun to surface.

To ensure his grandmother’s condition remained controlled and to coerce Cai Xinyu into grudgingly paying her medical bills, Lin Yu had never once resisted.

He had lived a life of immense oppression, akin to a dog subsisting on scraps.

Now, he found himself compelled to interpret Jiang Yan’s actions through the lens of Cai Xinyu’s past behavior.

To him, there was no discernible difference.

He simply could not believe that genuine, unprovoked kindness existed in this world.

Jiang Yan, agile and swift, lunged forward, seizing Lin Yu’s slender wrist and forcing him to relinquish the sharp shard of the porridge bowl.

Nevertheless, the sharp ceramic had already sliced Lin Yu’s icy fingertips.

“Do you even realize the severity of your anemia?” Jiang Yan demanded, his voice laced with concern. “How can you continue to injure yourself repeatedly, one incident after another?”

“Just let me die,” Lin Yu pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. “I can’t repay your money; I’ll repay it in my next life, alright? I beg you, let me go.”

His eyes were brimming with utter despair. In Lin Yu’s expression, Jiang Yan profoundly grasped the true meaning of ‘having nothing left to live for.’

Jiang Yan gently pinched Lin Yu’s fingertip to staunch the bleeding, relieved to find it was merely a superficial cut.

Jiang Yan watched Lin Yu bravely fight back tears, a strange, burning indignation coiling in his chest. He couldn’t quite articulate why it caused him such profound discomfort.

“Let me tell you something,” he said, his voice firm. “If you can’t repay my money, you’re not going anywhere. Dying is easy enough, but then who would I collect the debt from?” He felt an urgent need to deter the boy from his suicidal thoughts, to bind him with debt and responsibility.

“Jiang Yan… then let me go,” Lin Yu struggled. “I’ll go earn money to repay you.”

“Fine, drink the porridge.” Realizing the weak boy desperately needed nourishment, he called Dr. Wang. “Dr. Wang, could you please get a bowl of porridge from the kitchen and bring it to Lin Yu’s room? My housekeeper will arrive tomorrow.”

“Certainly,” Dr. Wang replied, and immediately headed towards the kitchen, happy to assist.

Lin Yu’s emotions were still highly agitated. Unable to break free from Jiang Yan’s hold, he was half-pushed, half-carried back to the bed.

“Lie still,” Jiang Yan commanded, his tone firm yet his actions growing gentle. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He looked at Lin Yu’s slender wrist, which had reddened from where he had gripped it while taking the bowl, and offered an apology.

“I think I’ve forgotten how to feel pain,” Lin Yu said, his voice devoid of emotion. Unable to escape Jiang Yan’s control, he instantly reverted to his quiet, almost lifeless demeanor. He shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize.”

He believed someone like him was unworthy of concern, and he couldn’t accept another’s apology.

He had been the one to beg Jiang Yan for help; now that he had been saved, he was acting so ungratefully, even breaking the man’s bowl.

Why could he never control his emotions? Why must he always cause trouble for others?

Lin Yu was consumed by self-reproach.

“Cai Xinyu was right. I am a useless piece of trash; everything I do only causes problems for others, bringing shame and embarrassment.”

“Hmph!” Jiang Yan’s temper flared. “Why on earth would you listen to him?”

“I’m sorry,” Lin Yu said, believing the apology should come from him.

Jiang Yan looked at him, puzzled. “You’re apologizing to me? It’s fine, it’s just a bowl. If you want to break things, I’ll prepare hundreds for you; smash whatever you like.” Jiang Yan, with his immense wealth, could afford to be so indulgent.

Lin Yu gazed at Jiang Yan, incredulous.

“I’m serious. Look around this house; if there’s anything else you want to break, feel free.” Jiang Yan wanted to spoil him like this, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

Lin Yu quickly shook his head. “I’ll try my best to control my temper.”

“Vent it out, let it all out,” Jiang Yan said, reaching for him. “I’ll catch it.”

Lin Yu truly didn’t understand. “Why… why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know either. How should I put it? My parents spoiled me rotten; I did whatever I wanted, and they always accepted it without question. I’ve absorbed that, and I want to treat you the same way. I must emphasize one thing: as of now, I simply can’t stand Cai Xinyu bullying you. I can guarantee that I am a true gentleman and will absolutely not do anything to you.”

“You… you can’t, can you?” Lin Yu asked, a hint of grievance in his voice. “You’re lying again.”

Jiang Yan’s expression faltered. ‘He let that slip.’

“It’s just that I couldn’t bear to lie to a pure soul like you, so I had to make that promise,” the renowned actor Jiang quickly retorted, his reaction perfectly online.

“I’m coming in!” Dr. Wang announced politely, not knocking, but waiting for Jiang Yan’s permission before pushing the door open.

He entered with an enthusiastic smile, immediately praising, “I couldn’t resist drinking a bowl myself first, President Jiang. Excellent craftsmanship!”

Dr. Wang had been the private doctor for the Jiang family for many years and was quite close with Jiang Yan, practically considering him a brother. They often met privately, and sometimes, when the film crew was short-staffed, Dr. Wang would even act as an extra for Jiang Yan.

“It’s good, huh?” Jiang Yan beamed. “You can praise me again later.”

Jiang Yan took the bowl and offered it to Lin Yu’s lips, his eyes full of childlike anticipation. “Just a taste, then give me some praise.”

Seeing the mess on the floor, Dr. Wang voluntarily picked up a broom and began to clean, playfully remarking, “Consider this voluntary labor; no need for extra pay.”

Jiang Yan was overly generous; if Dr. Wang hadn’t offered, Jiang Yan would have included the cost of bringing the porridge in his wages. After cleaning, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him, leaving the esteemed actor to feed the pitiable young man.

Lin Yu felt embarrassed to be fed by Jiang Yan. He was shy, keeping his eyes downcast and his mouth tightly shut, refusing to open it.

“Just give me a little face, try a bite. If you don’t praise me, I’ll be utterly miserable,” the renowned actor Jiang pleaded, his voice tinged with feigned grievance.

“It smells wonderful,” Lin Yu offered, yet a wave of nausea swept through his stomach.

He couldn’t stand the smell of food; he even felt like vomiting. Resisting the intense discomfort, he turned his head away, his long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly. “I don’t think I can eat anything.”

“You don’t like porridge?”

Lin Yu shook his head. “I don’t want to eat anything; I can’t swallow anything.”

Jiang Yan’s expression darkened. “Tsk.”

‘Could the child have anorexia?’

Among the celebrities he knew in the entertainment industry, many had developed anorexia from trying to maintain their weight.

‘Was this a condition caused by Cai Xinyu’s persecution?’

His face grew frighteningly grim.