Chapter 79 Unless You Want to Try It with Me Right Now

When Song Jingmo returned home, the motion-sensor light in the entryway flicked on, pushing back a small patch of darkness. The psychological shock brought on by occupational exposure far exceeded any physical risk.

He took off his coat just as his phone rang. Liao Xubai’s name flashed across the screen.

Song Jingmo stared at it for a few seconds before finally answering.

“Jingmo, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” His voice was thick with exhaustion, devoid of any clear emotion. “Thanks for your concern.”

“I can come over and keep you company.”

“No need,” Song Jingmo cut him off. His tone remained polite, but there was a clear sense of distance. “I want to be alone for a while. I’ll hang up now.”

At the hospital.

After completing a series of tedious reporting procedures and initial medication protocols, Yin Siyao was physically and mentally drained as he prepared to head home.

The moment he stepped out of the hospital administration building, he noticed Leng Keyan trailing closely behind him like a little tail.

“Why are you following me?” Yin Siyao stopped, looking helplessly at Leng Keyan, whose eyes were red. “Go back to your own home.”

“I don’t want to!” Leng Keyan shook his head immediately, his voice tinged with a sob. “Dr. Yin, I want to go to your place and take care of you.”

Yin Siyao almost laughed out of frustration. “Leng Keyan, I’m the one who had occupational exposure, not you. My mental resilience isn’t that weak—I don’t need someone to take care of me. Go home, get some rest, and stop overthinking.”

“But if I go back alone, I’ll be scared. I’ll keep imagining things.”

As he spoke, tears welled up in Leng Keyan’s eyes again. Without caring about anything else, he hugged Yin Siyao’s arm, burying his face against it.

His voice was muffled, filled with dependence and a hint of stubborn pleading. “Please, just let me go back with you. I promise I won’t bother you. I’ll just stay quietly by your side.”

Feeling the warmth and slight trembling against his arm, Yin Siyao stiffened. His hand, which had been about to push him away, paused midair.

That tearful, pitiful expression made it impossible for him to harden his heart and refuse.

Sighing inwardly, Yin Siyao finally relented. “Alright, alright, stop crying. What do you look like right now? Come with me.”

“Really?” Leng Keyan immediately looked up, breaking into a smile through his tears. His eyes lit up. “Thank you, Dr. Yin!”

Watching how quickly his expression changed, Yin Siyao shook his head helplessly, though the gloom brought by the occupational exposure seemed to ease a little.

Yin Siyao lived in an older residential complex near the hospital. He rented a one-bedroom apartment—not large, but clean and tidy.

Back in the apartment, Yin Siyao felt drained. He leaned against the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

Leng Keyan, like a small animal that had finally found a place to belong, slipped into the kitchen. Before long, the sounds of washing, chopping, stir-frying, and simmering filled the air, along with the aroma of food.

A little surprised, Yin Siyao walked to the kitchen doorway. Leng Keyan, wearing an apron, was skillfully stir-frying vegetables in the pan.

“You can cook?”

Leng Keyan was supposed to be a typical rich second-generation—someone who had never lifted a finger for housework.

Leng Keyan turned back. “Yeah. I grew up in the countryside with my grandma. My dad’s just a regular farmer.”

“The Leng Group doesn’t really have much to do with my family. I just call him ‘uncle’ based on seniority. When I was little, I even helped my grandma tend the stove.”

Yin Siyao was momentarily stunned. Those words washed away the sense of distance he had associated with the label “rich kid.” His gaze softened as he looked at Leng Keyan’s back.

When the food was served, it was just two dishes and a soup, simple but fragrant.

Leng Keyan eagerly served Yin Siyao a bowl of rice, then sat across from him, eyes shining as if waiting for praise.

Yin Siyao didn’t have much of an appetite. After forcing down a few bites, he set his chopsticks aside.

“Dr. Yin, why are you eating so little? Have some more—this bamboo shoot stir-fried with pork is really good!”

Seeing this, Leng Keyan picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and held it to Yin Siyao’s mouth. His voice was soft, carrying a hint of coquettishness. “Open up, I’ll feed you.”

Yin Siyao felt a little awkward and turned his head away. “Stop it, I’ll eat by myself.”

Leng Keyan ate happily. After quickly finishing his own bowl, he reached out, took Yin Siyao’s bowl, and was about to eat from it.

“Wait!” Yin Siyao’s expression changed slightly as he stopped him.

His tone turned serious. “Don’t eat my leftovers. I just had occupational exposure. Even though, in theory, it doesn’t spread through shared meals, it’s better to be careful.”

He couldn’t take even the slightest risk—especially not with Leng Keyan.

Leng Keyan stared straight at him. “We haven’t even slept together, and there’s barely been any exchange of saliva. How could it possibly spread?”

A faint blush crept onto his face, his voice lowering slightly. “Unless… you want to try it with me right now. In that case… it might be possible.”

“……”

Yin Siyao was struck speechless by the bold and straightforward remark. Heat spread uncontrollably to the tips of his ears, and his heartbeat suddenly fell out of rhythm.

Watching his reddened ears and evasive gaze, Leng Keyan curled his lips in satisfaction. Lowering his head, he continued eating the leftovers from Yin Siyao’s bowl.

On a night filled with uncertainty and pressure, having someone so vivid, straightforward, and a little reckless by his side didn’t seem so bad after all.