Jiang Shi’s recovery was anything but quiet. His hospital room was like a reception hall, with one group of visitors leaving only for another to arrive.

The first to come was Jiang Xue.

Carrying a thermos of freshly stewed old hen soup, she saw Jiang Shi leaning weakly against the bed, his face pale, and her eyes immediately reddened.

This middle-aged woman had softened considerably, her tear ducts much looser than before. She was no longer as fiercely strong and would cry without caring if anyone was watching.

She sat by Jiang Shi’s bedside, wanting to reach out and hold his hand, but stopped when she saw the gauze wrapped around his palm.

“That damn bastard! Don’t let me see that person again, or I’ll chop him up with a knife!”

“Does it hurt? I was originally going to wait for you to wake up, but Cheng Ye insisted on sending me back to rest. As soon as I heard you were awake, I rushed right over.”

Jiang Xue took the thermos. “This chicken is from your Uncle Wang next door. His son bought it from the village for them to eat, but when he heard you were injured, he immediately caught it for me to stew.”

Jiang Shi wasn’t aware he was on such good terms with an Uncle Wang he had never met, but he didn’t refuse Jiang Xue’s kindness, allowing Cheng Ye to take it out and feed it to him with a spoon.

Perhaps because he had just woken up and was weak, coupled with his stomach having been empty for so long, Jiang Shi wasn’t picky. He tilted his head back slightly, and for every spoonful Cheng Ye offered, he drank it down, being incredibly obedient.

The sight made Jiang Xue unable to resist lowering her head to wipe her tears again.

Jiang Shi was helpless. “Mom, if anyone who didn’t know saw you like this, they’d think I had some terminal illness.”

Jiang Xue immediately glared at him. “Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What nonsense are you talking about? Can you say things like that casually?”

She stood up and took the bowl from Cheng Ye’s hands. “I’ll feed him. You go clean up and get some rest.”

Cheng Ye opened his mouth. “I’m not tired…”

Jiang Shi glanced at his wrinkled clothes, then at his stubbled face, and said, “Go rest. I’m fine.”

With the injuries he had, if it were Cheng Ye, he could probably get up and plow two acres of land immediately. Jiang Shi’s impression of his own fragility deepened once again.

Of course, in his own eyes, he was a fragile little weakling. In others’ eyes, he was a delicate and precious piece of porcelain, and even the slightest bump was a sin.

Cheng Ye was unwilling to leave.

Jiang Shi immediately changed his tune. “You stink, and you have a beard.”

And so, Cheng Ye’s expression changed again and again. He gave Jiang Shi a rather resentful look, took his jacket, and left.

Jiang Xue sat beside him, feeding him chicken soup. “You should be nicer to Cheng Ye. He stayed by your bedside for two days without sleep. When Gao Xinhe told him you were missing, he almost went crazy with worry. If it weren’t for him, who knows when you would have been found.”

Jiang Shi, with soup in his mouth, mumbled, “If I didn’t say that, would he have left?”

Having regained some strength, Jiang Shi’s picky habits returned. He refused to drink any more of the chicken soup Jiang Xue had stewed, which he found a bit greasy.

He asked Jiang Xue, “Mom, how did Cheng Ye know where I was?”

Jiang Xue said, “I only found out later that you had been kidnapped. Cheng Ye said that person kidnapped you just to take you away. It was raining so heavily that night, all the flights were grounded. If he wanted to go abroad, the only way was by sea, so he checked the surveillance cameras one by one along the coastal highway…”

It sounded easy, but Jiang Shi knew the risks involved. If that gamble had been wrong, then…

Jiang Xue stroked his head. “Don’t think too much. It’s all in the past. Over these years, I’ve also come to see Cheng Ye as my own son. Mom doesn’t wish for you two to be rich and famous, I only pray that you can both be safe, sound, and healthy.”

The second to arrive were Liu Heping and Gao Xinhe.

The moment they saw him, the two started to cry, especially Gao Xinhe, whose crying was as genuine as it could be.

He sobbed, “Little cousin, it’s a good thing you’re okay. If anything had happened to you, I’d have already figured out where to bury myself.”

Hearing this, Jiang Shi was a little moved, but then he heard Gao Xinhe continue.

“Brother Cheng said that if you lost a finger, he’d chop off one of mine. If you lost a leg, he’d chop off one of mine. Whatever state you came out in, that’s the state I’d be in…”

Cheng Ye, now neatly dressed, was getting lunch for Jiang Shi. Hearing Gao Xinhe’s words, he stood behind him and kicked him in the butt.

Gao Xinhe stumbled and fell before Jiang Shi, taking the opportunity to perform a grand bow. “Little cousin, my heart for you can be witnessed by heaven and earth!”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Although Liu Heping felt guilty towards Jiang Shi, he couldn’t bring himself to be as shameless as Gao Xinhe.

He coughed and handed over the chicken soup in his hands. “Ultimately, Xinhe and I are both responsible for this matter. It’s a good thing you’re okay, otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to answer to the company.”

Especially to the company’s top leader, Cheng Ye.

“This is chicken soup my wife specially made for you. Your body is weak, you need to replenish your strength.”

Jiang Shi, who had just finished a pot of chicken soup: “…”

The next visitors were Song Jian’an and Zhang Chi.

Zhang Chi was crying his eyes out.

Song Jian’an was much calmer. “Jiang Shi, are you okay?”

Jiang Shi said, “I’m fine, just some minor external injuries.”

In recent years, he had gradually taken over the Song family and become its true head. His temperament had become much more composed.

He said, “The Huo family and the Song family have cooperated before. Song Bo had some criminal evidence against the Huo family. I’ve organized it and handed it all over to the police.”

Zhang Chi, chewing on an apple, said, “Even if that bastard doesn’t die, he’ll be sentenced to several decades.”

Jiang Shi raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You found the evidence?”

“No,” Song Jian’an said. “Song Bo gave it to me. He and my mother wanted to come with me to see you, but I refused. Whether you see them or not is up to you.”

So much had happened to Jiang Shi. He had new friends and family around him. The childhood that had once trapped him suddenly felt distant. Even the faces of Song Bo and Sun Wanyun, which he used to dream of repeatedly, had become blurry.

When he had needed love, they were always stingy and unwilling to give any. Now that they wanted to make amends, he already had more love than he could handle.

“We’ll see,” he said.

Zhang Chi held up the thermos in his hands like a treasure. “I had my auntie at home make this. Top-grade black-boned chicken. You’re injured, you must replenish your strength.”

Jiang Shi, who had now received three thermoses of chicken soup: “…”

The fourth wave of people was Liu Man, Xiao Liu, and Wang Zhuo.

They didn’t burst into tears like the previous groups; they just came to visit Jiang Shi normally.

Jiang Shi had a test report, and Cheng Ye went down to get it. Liu Man pulled up a chair and sat down.

“You have no idea. Brother Cheng was in a meeting at the time when Gao Xinhe called to say you were missing. The look on his face was terrifying.”

“It was raining so hard that night. I followed him as he drove towards your filming location. Back then, checking the surveillance could only give a rough estimate of your location. The mountain was so big, it was dark, and it was raining. Even the police couldn’t find you. I don’t know how he found you.”

The gauze on Jiang Shi’s hand had been removed, revealing a few scabbed marks. He cupped his water glass, listening to Liu Man while drinking.

He had also asked Cheng Ye how he knew where he was, even suspecting that Cheng Ye had placed a tracker on him.

But Cheng Ye had just said, “A feeling.”

“Follow my heart, and I can always find you.”

A corner of Jiang Shi’s mouth curled up. “Mm, he can always find me.”

Liu Man felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy.

Then, he held up another thermos.

Jiang Shi had a bad premonition.

Liu Man said, “Your body is weak. The doctor said you need to recuperate well. I specially made you a pot of chicken soup.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Cheng Ye came in with the report and took the thermos from Liu Man’s hand, placing it on the cabinet.

On top, four thermoses were lined up neatly.

Forget drinking it, Jiang Shi felt like throwing up just at the sound of the words “chicken soup.” In the end, most of the four pots of soup went into Cheng Ye’s stomach.

The last to come was Chen Lang.

The moment he saw him, Jiang Shi became very vigilant. “You didn’t make a pot of chicken soup too, did you?”

Chen Lang pushed up his glasses, his suit impeccable. “Mr. Jiang’s life is well taken care of by President Cheng. I won’t get involved.”

He coolly pulled out a stack of accumulated documents from his briefcase. “I’m here for two reasons: one, to visit Mr. Jiang, and two, to have President Cheng sign some documents.”

He said mournfully, “President Cheng, you haven’t been to work for a week. Do you still remember the several thousand employees in the company who are waiting to be fed?”

Cheng Ye: “…”

Oh no, this one’s here for me.

Fortunately, after staying in the hospital for nearly a week, Jiang Shi could finally be discharged.

The day of his discharge was a cloudy day, with a gentle breeze, neither cold nor hot.

In that week, Cheng Ye had found all sorts of ways to feed Jiang Shi. Although he still looked thin, his lips were red and his teeth were white; he had a good complexion.

Afraid he would get cold, Cheng Ye brought a brightly colored orange jacket for him to wear upon leaving the hospital.

Jiang Shi’s skin was fair, and the orange made him look even fairer, more dazzling than the sun in the sky.

To avoid a big fuss, Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye didn’t inform anyone about the discharge. It was just the two of them. Cheng Ye carried all the bags, big and small, while Jiang Shi followed behind him, swinging his arms.

Sunlight streamed down.

Cheng Ye opened the trunk to load their things. Jiang Shi stood behind him. “That little pillow, I’ve been sleeping with it recently. I like it the most.”

So Cheng Ye patted the non-existent dust off the little pillow and placed it at the very top. After putting the pillow away, he picked up the water cup and placed it in Jiang Shi’s hand. “The doctor said to drink more water.”

Jiang Shi bit onto the built-in straw of the cup, his eyes drooping lazily.

Cheng Ye finished packing, closed the trunk, and Jiang Shi trailed behind him like a little tail.

After a couple of steps, Jiang Shi felt something trip his foot. He looked down and saw his shoelace was untied.

He bent down to tie it, but someone was faster than him.

The man had just come from a meeting that morning and was dressed in a black suit. He knelt in front of Jiang Shi, his long fingers picking up the shoelace that had been stepped on.

Jiang Shi just watched him, enjoying it with a clear conscience, then reached out and rested a hand on the man’s broad shoulder.

A camera flash went off before his eyes. With a click, the scene was frozen in time.

---

Jiang Shi had no idea he was trending online again.

At this moment, he was lying comfortably on his own soft sofa, with a small mobile dining table filled with fresh fruit beside him. The pomegranate was just seeds, the grapes were individual, and even the pomelo was peeled.

Jiang Shi held his phone in one hand and scooped up a spoonful of pomegranate with the other. On one side was the sound of Cheng Ye cooking in the kitchen, and on the other was Liu Heping’s wail.

“My dear ancestor, look at you, getting discharged without telling me, and now you’re trending again. This storm-attracting constitution of yours, when will you ever give me a break?”

Hearing this, Jiang Shi was a bit confused. “I just got discharged from the hospital and didn’t do anything. Is it a crime to be discharged from the hospital these days?”

Liu Heping was speechless. “See for yourself.”

Jiang Shi popped another grape into his mouth, lying bonelessly on the sofa, and opened Weibo.

#[JiangShi, ActingLikeABigShot]

He clicked on it. Inside was just one picture.

The young actor was wearing an orange jacket, his stance very casual. He held a water cup in one hand and rested the other on the shoulder of the person in front of him.

And in front of him, a man in a suit was squatting.

The man’s back was to the camera. In the photo, only his broad shoulders and back could be seen. Even from behind, you could tell he had a sharp aura. But it was just such a person, who was in front of this young actor in a nearly submissive posture, head bowed obediently, personally tying his shoelace.

The reporter who posted this picture spent the entire post condemning Jiang Shi for acting like a big shot, having someone else tie his shoes for him in public.

Netizens came for the gossip but slowly noticed something was off.

[Is that man Jiang Shi’s assistant? Why doesn’t he look like one?]

[What assistant? Isn’t that the one he officially announced? His boyfriend, right?]

Cheng Ye had made very few public appearances. Even at the height of his fame, netizens could only find a few somewhat blurry interview clips of him from financial reports.

When President Cheng was serious, he really looked the part, showing no trace of his past poverty. His eyes were deep, carrying a settled aura, very much in line with the stereotype of an overbearing President from a novel.

Young, handsome, and rich.

Since Jiang Shi’s official announcement, there had been no more news about the two of them. Over time, netizens had even forgotten they were a couple.

Suddenly seeing such a photo, everyone remembered.

[Holy crap, is that Cheng Ye in the photo?]

[Cheng Ye is the President of Hengyuan, after all. How could he possibly do something like this for a minor star?]

[Jiang Shi’s assistant doesn’t look like that at all. And I’ve seen the suit that man is wearing; it’s a privately tailored brand from Germany. A single suit like that costs over a hundred thousand.]

[That’s Cheng Ye. What’s wrong with a young couple tying a shoelace? ‘Acting like a big shot,’ my ass. I think they just can’t stand to see them being loving.]

[It’s a publicity stunt, right? Jiang Shi has been so irrelevant lately, he doesn’t even have any events. He has to create some news to grab attention, right?]

[To be fair, this scene is so easy on the eyes. These two look really good together.]

The netizens argued endlessly. Jiang Shi ate another grape. Cheng Ye came out of the kitchen with a dish. “Eat a little less, or you won’t be able to eat dinner later.”

The aroma of the food wafted over.

The boneless Jiang Shi rolled over and got up.

He held up his phone and took a picture.

The angle of the photo was very clever. It captured the cut fruit on the mobile dining cart, the steaming dish in the middle, and the back of the man in the kitchen.

On the cart were prepared fruits and steaming hot food. Further away, a man in casual home clothes, the apron ties outlining his taut waist. Broad shoulders, long legs, holding a pot.

The sunset streamed in through the window. Everything looked beautiful.

Jiang Shi logged into his own account.

He attached the picture and posted.

[Not only do I act like a big shot outside, at home I’ve already become a local emperor.]