Rebirth: Different Way [(重生) 殊途]

Chapter 31

Li Mingxuan felt that he had touched another side of Shen Xi.

That night, Shen Xi's body was free from the caution of detachment, free from the suspicious inquiry, and even his hidden sharpness had disappeared. He took off the mask he had been using to disguise himself and revealed a side of himself that he had never shown before, soft and sensitive.

He shrank quietly in Li Mingxuan's arms, one hand clutching Li Mingxuan's pyjamas tightly, his brow relaxed and his expression peaceful as he let out a shallow breath.

In the faint orange light, Li Mingxuan's eyes were soft; one of his arms was under Shen Xi's body and his other hand was on Shen Xi's back, patting him lightly. Li Mingxuan didn't know how long he had been doing this, but he was willing to go on like this forever.

That night, in this small bedroom, Li Mingxuan did not think about the disgust Shen Xi might feel for him, or the reaction of his family when they found out about it. He just completely followed the guidance of his feelings and looked at Shen Xi quietly, Shen Xi's appearance engraved in his heart over and over again.

The night became darker little by little and then the sky grew whiter. There was already a faint light outside the window. Li Mingxuan stayed in place for the whole night without the slightest hint of drowsiness.

Shen Xi slept very deeply and peacefully, the scattered hair on his forehead slipping down and likely making him feel uncomfortable. Li Mingxuan reached out to brush away the strand and finally could not resist lowering his head and giving Shen Xi's smooth forehead a light kiss.

This kiss brought great satisfaction to Li Mingxuan. He looked at Shen Xi tenderly, his heart softening.

At seven in the morning, Shen Xi slowly opened his eyes and woke up. The early morning sunlight was soft, not dazzling. Shen Xi slowly stretched his back. After a good night's sleep his mood improved.

"Awake?" A gentle voice sounded from the doorway, vaguely tinged with a hint of laughter.

Shen Xi followed the voice and looked over as Li Mingxuan walked in and very naturally offered a hand to him.

Shen Xi hesitantly glanced at Li Mingxuan, reached out and accepted his hand, and was pulled up by Li Mingxuan. Memories of last night returned to his mind one by one. It seemed he once again had thought of the man in front of him as his grandfather, weakly drawing warmth from him. Shen Xi lowered his eyes, hiding the complexity in his gaze.

Li Mingxuan pretended not to see Shen Xi's hesitation and said with a smile, "Hurry up and clean up, I've made breakfast."

Shen Xi had an indescribable feeling in his heart and nodded slowly.

Li Mingxuan's cooking was unexpectedly good, the porridge was thick and fragrant, the bread toasted crispy, and with the fried eggs, everything looked very appetising.

Shen Xi ate quietly, slowly but cleanly. As he was about to put down his chopsticks, Li Mingxuan chucked the last fried egg into his bowl, "Eat more."

There was a momentary pause in Shen Xi's movements, and then he slowly ate it. Shen Xi didn't want to admit it, but in his heart he enjoyed the feeling of being cared for, as if a huge hole in his heart was being filled up little by little, and he even wanted more of it.

Opposite Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan looked at him with a gentle expression, the corners of his mouth curled up to reveal a faint smile.

After finishing the breakfast, Li Mingxuan didn't let Shen Xi do anything and naturally cleaned up the bowls in the kitchen.

Leaning against the doorway, Shen Xi watched Li Mingxuan's skillful handling of the bowls and casually asked, "Cousin, did you recognise the gang of punks yesterday?"