Lian Ziho woke up with a headache and regret.
Both were familiar.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains of his apartment, too bright, too honest.
His phone buzzed violently on the table beside him.
"Turn it off," he muttered, rolling over.
It didn't stop.
Finally, he groaned and grabbed it.
A video.
From last night.
He didn't even need to open it to know what it was.
Friend 1:
You were very expressive yesterday.
Friend 2..
Didn't know you cared that much
Lian sat up abruptly.
"Delete that."
Another message came in.
Friend 1:
Relax. We're just teasing. You said you don't like it when Suo worries about Cai Lang.
A chill crept down his spine.
Lian Ziho:
That was nothing. I was drunk.
Friend 2:
Sure. But you looked serious.
Lian ziho locked his phone.
His chest felt tight not because of embarrassment, but because the words had come out too easily.
Because some part of him hadn't been joking.
He exhaled slowly.
It doesn't mean anything, he told himself. He's my friend.
Still, the thought followed him even as he got dressed.
Cai Lang woke slowly.
Pain greeted him first dull, persistent but it was manageable.
What surprised him was warmth.
He turned his head slightly.
Suo Ran was asleep on the floor beside the couch, back against it, head tilted awkwardly, blanket half-slipped from his shoulder. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, proof of another sleepless night.
Cai Lang stared.
Not casually.
Not briefly.
Minutes passed.
He traced the familiar lines of Suo ran's face with his eyes the relaxed brow, the faint crease between his eyebrows, the lashes too long to be fair. In sleep, Suo ran looked younger. Softer.
Unaware.
Cai Lang's chest tightened.
If you weren't here, he thought, this would be easier.
But the thought didn't comfort him.
Suo ran stirred.
Blinking slowly, he opened his eyes and froze.
Cai Lang was watching him.
"How long have you been awake?" Suo ran asked groggily.
Cai Lang didn't look away. "Long enough."
Suo ran shifted, embarrassed, trying to sit up too quickly. "You should rest."
"I did," Cai Lang said.
Their eyes met.
Something quiet passed between them unspoken, unresolved.
Suo ran leaned forward to stand, but Cai Lang reached out instinctively, steadying him.
Their bodies were suddenly closer than intended.
Too close.
Suo ran's breath caught.
Cai Lang realized it at the same time.
They froze, faces inches apart.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Cai Lang was the first to pull back.
"I need to freshen up,"
he said, voice controlled.
He stood and immediately faltered.
Pain shot through his side.
Suo ran caught him without thinking."Don't," Suo ran said sharply.
"You can't move like that."
"I can manage."
"No," Suo ran said, firmer now. "You can't."
Cai Lang clenched his jaw. "…Help me then."
The request hung heavy between them.
Suo ran nodded slowly and supported him toward the bathroom, every step measured, careful.
The mirror reflected them Cai Lang leaning slightly into Suo, Suo ran focused entirely on keeping him steady.
At the sink, Cai Lang paused.
"…I can't," he admitted quietly.
Suo ran looked at him.
"What?"
"I can't do this alone,"
Cai Lang said, avoiding his eyes. "Just help.
That's all."
Suo ran hesitated, then reached for the tap, steadying Cai Lang with one hand while helping him rinse his face.
Their closeness felt dangerous.
Intimate.
Suo ran tried not to notice how Cai Lang's fingers tightened briefly around his wrist.
Or how his own heart was racing.
When it was done, Suo ran stepped back abruptly.
"I...I need to go out for a bit," he said. "I'll be back."
Cai Lang watched him carefully. "Where?"
"Just… something I forgot."
He left before Cai Lang could ask more.
The hallway felt cooler.
Suo ran leaned against the wall outside, exhaling shakily.
Get it together, he told himself.
He needed space.
Because every quiet moment was starting to feel too loud.
Cai Lang sat alone on the couch, bandaged, thoughtful.
The silence pressed in.
Then the doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Cai Lang's body tensed instantly.
He moved carefully to the door and opened it
To find his father standing there.
Perfectly dressed.
Perfectly calm.
"…You're injured," his father said, eyes flicking to the bandages.
Cai Lang's jaw tightened. "You shouldn't be here."
"And yet," his father replied smoothly, "here I am."
They stood facing each other in the doorway, tension crackling like static.
"I heard you were discharged," his father continued. "You should have informed me."
"I didn't want to."
His father stepped closer.
"Because you're hiding something?"
Cai Lang held his gaze.
"No."
The lie tasted bitter.
His father's eyes drifted briefly toward the interior of the apartment.
Then back to Cai Lang.
"Good," he said quietly.
"Because whoever you're protecting "
Cai Lang's phone buzzed.
A message from Suo ran.
Suo Ran:
"I'll be back soon"
Cai Lang closed his eyes briefly.
His father noticed.
And smiled.
The morning wasn't over yet.
And none of them were ready for what came next.
The door opened softly.
Suo Ran stepped inside the apartment, shoes quiet against the floor, his shoulders still tense from whatever thoughts he'd tried and failed to escape outside.
He froze.
Cai Lang's father was standing in the living room.
For half a second, no one spoke.
The air itself seemed to stiffen.
"…You're back," the man said calmly, eyes sharp, assessing Suo in a way that felt less like curiosity and more like confirmation.
Suo ran instinctively straightened. "I'm
sorry. I didn't know there was a guest."
Cai Lang turned quickly. "Suo ran"
His father raised a hand, stopping him with a single gesture.
"So," he said, looking directly at Suo Ran now, "you're the one."
The words were quiet. Certain.
Suo ran felt a chill crawl up his spine. "Sir?"
"You've been very busy lately," the man continued. "Staying out late. Taking responsibility that isn't yours."
Cai Lang stepped forward. "Father. Stop."
But his father didn't look at him.
"I told you to stay away," he said, voice low, controlled. "And yet here you are. In my son's house."
Suo ran swallowed. "Cai Lang was injured. I didn't think "
"That's the problem," his father cut in smoothly.
"You think."
Silence stretched.
Suo ran felt suddenly out of place. Like he'd crossed a line he hadn't even seen.
"I'll leave," Suo ran said quietly.
Cai Lang turned sharply.
"No. You don't have to "
But Suo had already bowed slightly, polite, distant. "Please excuse me."
He walked past them, heart pounding, not once looking back.
The door closed.
Cai Lang stared at it for a long moment.
"You see?" his father said softly. "He knows his place."
Cai Lang's hands clenched at his sides.