| BYSG | Relationship Problems | 36
When Shen Yu woke up again, he found himself in a hospital, dressed in a mismatched set of clothes. He had no strength at all, and there were marks on his hand from an IV drip, still aching slightly.
Cheng Mofei was sleeping beside his hospital bed, his head resting on the edge.
The warm air from the heater filled the hospital room, so he didn’t feel cold.
Shen Yu felt a strange sense of disorientation.
This scene had happened many times in his past life.
He hadn't expected it to repeat again in this life.
The curtains in the hospital room were only half-drawn, allowing a sliver of dawn’s pale light to seep in. Soon, the sun would rise.
…Had Cheng Mofei been sleeping like this all night?
Unable to resist, Shen Yu lifted his hand and gently brushed it over the sleeping man's hair.
Cheng Mofei’s hair was very soft—though cut short, it felt incredibly nice to the touch.
Shen Yu didn’t dare to press too hard, nor did he linger for long, he was afraid of waking him. He merely let his fingers glide lightly across, indulging himself for just a moment.
He didn’t actually want to face Cheng Mofei so soon.
Like a snail retreating into its shell, Shen Yu’s avoidance period typically lasted about a week.
In his past life, whenever he had conflicts with Cheng Mofei, they would usually separate and cool down for a week before attempting to communicate and make amends.
He needed time alone to collect himself—being around someone else would only disrupt his thoughts.
During this time, he would completely put himself back together, ensuring he was in the best possible state before working through things with the other person.
This time was no different.
He needed time to process the negative emotions brought on by those three words and to pull himself together again.
Shen Yu stared at Cheng Mofei’s soft, tousled hair for a long time—so long that the sleeping man suddenly stirred and slowly woke up.
Cheng Mofei instinctively looked toward the hospital bed, only to find himself staring directly into those deep, dark eyes. His drowsiness vanished instantly.
“You’re awake?” Cheng Mofei’s voice carried an unmistakable trace of relief and joy.
Last night, Shen Yu passed out in his arms from a high fever, scaring him half to death. He had rushed him to the hospital immediately.
Since the hospital room was small, he had sent Xiao Xiong and Sun Xinghe home first.
Shen Yu let out a soft “Mm.” His voice was weak, tinged with a slight nasal quality.
“Sorry for troubling you.”
Cheng Mofei frowned, wanting to scold Shen Yu, why was he acting polite?
Brothers didn’t need to talk about “troubling” each other.
But then he thought about how something unpleasant might have happened to Shen Yu, and how he was still sick and feeling unwell. In the end, the reprimand never left his lips.
Instead, he adopted a lighthearted, joking tone. “It’s no trouble. But if I ever get sick, you have to take care of me like this too.”
Beneath the covers, Shen Yu’s fingers instinctively curled tighter.
He wanted to… He hoped that when the time came, he would still have that chance.
But more than that, he wished Cheng Mofei would never fall ill in the first place. Being sick was miserable—he hoped Cheng Mofei would always stay healthy, free from pain and suffering.
Seeing Shen Yu looking weak and listless, Cheng Mofei stood up and reached out to check his forehead.
Shen Yu instinctively closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, his long lashes brushing lightly against the palm that touched him.
“Your fever’s gone.” Cheng Mofei’s lips curved into a small smile.
The IV drip had worked quickly.
Just as Cheng Mofei withdrew his hand, he heard Shen Yu say, “I want to go back to the dorm.”
Cheng Mofei suggested, “Why don’t you rest a little longer? It’s still drizzling outside, and pretty cold.”
But Shen Yu was already getting out of bed, his voice thick with congestion as he explained, “I don’t like the smell of hospitals. Staying here feels uncomfortable.”
Cheng Mofei didn’t push him. “Alright, let’s go back then.”
Shen Yu’s hand still bore the marks from the IV drip, and his body was weak. Without a word, Cheng Mofei crouched down and helped him put on his shoes.
Watching those slender, well-defined fingers weave through his shoelaces, Shen Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. His heart pounded uncontrollably within his sickly body.
With his heart racing, his brain refused to function properly—it was nothing but a muddled mess.
On the way back in the car, Cheng Mofei hesitantly asked, “Did something happen yesterday that upset you?”
Shen Yu kept his gaze fixed outside the window and replied lightly, “It’s nothing.”
And just like that, the conversation was cut off without mercy.
Cheng Mofei knew something must have happened, but since Shen Yu wasn’t willing to talk about it, there was nothing he could do except feel anxious.
Maybe once Shen Yu felt better—both physically and emotionally—he’d be willing to open up.
That was the only thing Cheng Mofei could hope for.
The hospital was close to Yanda University, and the taxi ride was short.
The dorm was on the fifth floor—a tough climb for someone recovering from an illness. Cheng Mofei suggested, “How about I carry you up?”
But Shen Yu refused, only allowing Cheng Mofei to support him and lend him some strength.
Last night, he had made it up the stairs on his own despite being drenched from head to toe. Now that he had received an IV and his fever had gone down, he could definitely make it up again.
More importantly, he didn’t want to have such close physical contact with Cheng Mofei anymore.
If Cheng Mofei had carried him on his back, his chest would have been pressed tightly against Cheng Mofei’s back—any slight increase in his heart rate would have been noticed immediately.
He couldn’t take that risk.
Back in the dorm, Shen Yu submitted a leave request to the counselor, transferred the money for the hospital fees and medicine to Cheng Mofei, and then went back to sleep.
It took him a full three to four days to recover about seventy to eighty percent.
During that time, Cheng Mofei clearly felt that Shen Yu had grown distant from him.
Specifically—
The time they spent together drastically decreased. Aside from running into each other in the dorm, they barely had any interactions. Shen Yu stopped going places with him, started eating with other classmates instead, and avoided being alone with him.
He also stopped nagging him about eating sugar mandarins. The basket of mandarins was placed back on Cheng Mofei’s desk, and one day, Cheng Mofei deliberately ate an extra one—just to see if Shen Yu would notice.
But Shen Yu didn’t.
At night, Shen Yu no longer watched movies with him before bed, saying he didn’t want to pass on his illness.
…
Cheng Mofei wasn’t sure if he was just overthinking things.
After all, Shen Yu was still recovering and probably didn’t have the energy to do things with him like before.
Besides, they weren’t in the same grade or major, so their class schedules and mealtimes didn’t always align. It was natural for Shen Yu to prefer sticking with his classmates—it was simply more convenient.
But every time Cheng Mofei tried to probe indirectly, Shen Yu would brush it off with a casual response, never giving him a real answer.
With the basketball tournament coming up, Cheng Mofei was swamped with practice and had little free time to dwell on it. Instead, he channeled all his frustration onto the court.
As he threw a clean three-pointer, his gaze instinctively flickered toward the bench where his clothes were placed.
Aside from his clothes and water bottle, the seat was completely empty.
Shen Yu hadn’t come to watch him play basketball in a long time.
…
After keeping his distance from Cheng Mofei for a while, Shen Yu found that his mind had indeed become much clearer.
The emotions stirred up by those three words had gradually settled.
But the confidence he had lost—he couldn't seem to get it back.
As for pursuing Cheng Mofei, he was still completely at a loss. In desperation, he had even resorted to searching for so-called “relationship advice” online.
Yet no matter how much he read, he didn’t feel like he had made any progress.
On the day he finally felt almost fully recovered, he suddenly received a call from the jewelry store, reminding him to pick up the necklace he had ordered.
Only then did Shen Yu realize he had completely forgotten about it.
After a moment of thought, he decided to go alone.
He paid the remaining balance and collected the finished piece.
These past few days, because of his illness, Shen Yu hadn’t contacted his mother. It had been a while since he had last seen her.
Standing at the entrance of the jewelry store, he hesitated for a moment before dialing her number.
Shen Xunyan studied fine arts and specialized in oil painting. After moving to Yancheng, she opened her own art studio and occasionally participated in exhibitions.
Since today was a weekday, she was likely working at her studio. Shen Yu thought about dropping by.
He didn’t really understand art, but he wanted a change of scenery—he wanted to talk to his mom.
The call was answered quickly, and a gentle voice came through. “Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?”
Shen Yu rarely called her directly. Usually, he would send a message on WeChat first.
Staring at the tips of his shoes, he said, “Mom, I got you a gift. Would it be convenient for me to bring it over now?”
Shen Xunyan was so surprised that her hand trembled, causing her brush to leave an abrupt streak across the canvas.
…
More than half an hour later, Shen Yu arrived at her art studio.
The studio was spacious and tastefully decorated. Shen Xunyan led him directly to her private room.
She rarely brought people here.
But Shen Yu was her son—her closest family. He wasn’t just “someone else.”
She poured him a cup of warm ginger tea. The weather had been cold lately, and she had taken a liking to it. She wasn’t sure if Shen Yu would enjoy it too.
Of course, Shen Yu did. He held the cup in his hands and took several sips.
He had just recovered from an illness—ginger tea was good for his health.
When she received the gift from Shen Yu, she carefully unwrapped it in front of him.
The moment she saw the necklace inside, her face lit up with unrestrained surprise and joy.
“It’s beautiful. Is this made of gold? It must have been expensive, right? After buying this, do you still have enough money?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve made a lot from tutoring. It’s enough.”
That’s right. Shen Yu was a student at Yanda University, and it wasn’t a school that just anyone could get into.
Shen Xunyan’s face filled with pride, as if saying, My son is so capable. She smiled and handed the necklace back to him, then turned her back toward him, eagerly saying, “Hurry, put it on for me.”
Shen Yu carefully pushed aside the strands of hair at the back of her neck and fastened the necklace for her.
This was the first time since he could remember that he had observed his mother so closely.
Her skin was just as fair as his, as he had inherited her complexion. She wasn’t very tall and was on the slender side. He couldn’t quite imagine how, less than ten years ago, she had managed to pull herself out of the mire.
Now, among her dark hair, a few strands of white had begun to show.
Thinking about everything from his past life, Shen Yu silently decided that he needed to find a way to remind his mother to get a check-up soon.
From now on, Shen Yu promised himself he would make sure to remind his mother to get a health checkup every year, on time.
Once the necklace was on, Shen Xunyan couldn’t wait to take several photos, even pulling Shen Yu into a few shots with her. She acted like a young girl, completely unaffected by the few strands of white hair.
Indeed, living in love keeps you forever young.
…
Shen Yu spent the entire afternoon in his mother’s art studio, and they had dinner together that evening.
While she painted, he quietly watched from the side, not doing anything, yet never feeling bored.
In the end, it was Shen Xunyan who drove him back to the school.
During the drive, Cheng Mofei sent him a few random messages.
Shen Yu read through them all, unable to stop himself from laughing. But after the laughter faded, he quickly sank into an inexplicable sense of melancholy.
Cheng Mofei must have noticed his deliberate avoidance over the past few days. Yet, he still treated him like before—like a good brother—always eager to share everything with him first, no matter what it was.
What Cheng Mofei didn’t know was that his good brother was struggling with how to pursue him.
He turned off his phone, unwilling to look at it any longer.
He didn’t want his emotions to continue being controlled.
The sky had already darkened, and they were nearing Yanda University when Shen Xunyan suddenly pulled the car over to the temporary parking lane outside the school.
She didn’t drive forward but instead carefully spoke, “Xiao Yu, are you in a bad mood?”
She instinctively used the affectionate tone reserved for children.
Shen Yu was taken aback. He hadn’t realized his emotions were so obvious that his mother had noticed.
“Are..are you having relationship problems?"
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