Dai Yixin started eating again, but only if Huo Youqing fed him, and even then, he would bite down on Huo Youqing’s fingers with each bite. Every time, it disgusted Huo Youqing so much that his face turned pale. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore and set the food aside, walking out. The butler tried to persuade him once but failed.
The next day, Huo Youqing didn’t visit Dai Yixin, and sure enough, Dai Yixin didn’t eat all day. The butler tried everything to convince him but to no avail, so they had to prepare the nutrient injections again.
On the third afternoon, when Huo Youqing returned from outside, he headed upstairs. The large Dai family mansion was vast and staffed by many people, yet it was always eerily quiet. As he walked past the paintings on the walls, he stopped at the door of Dai Yixin’s room.
Entering the room, Huo Youqing found that Dai Yixin was not on the bed. The butler, who was also in the room, turned at the sound of the door opening and offered an awkward smile. “Mr. Huo Youqing, you’re back.”
Huo Youqing nodded. “Where is he?”
He was asking about Dai Yixin.
The butler’s gaze flicked to a certain spot, and Huo Youqing followed it to see a bulge under the curtains. A pair of feet peeked out from beneath them.
“He’s been hiding there for hours, not moving at all,” the butler sighed. “And he still won’t eat.”
Was he playing hide-and-seek like a child?
Huo Youqing was silent for a moment, realizing he shouldn’t be bothered with a madman. Besides, he had his own plans in mind.
With this in mind, he walked over and tried to pull the curtains aside, but met resistance. The person hiding behind the curtains didn’t want to be found, gripping the fabric tightly.
“Dai Yixin,” Huo Youqing called his name softly.
There was no response.
Left with no choice, he crouched down and lifted the bottom of the curtain. As expected, Dai Yixin’s face came into view, but it was clear he wasn’t prepared for this. His amber eyes widened, looking oddly childish. Before Huo Youqing could say anything, Dai Yixin slowly turned away, showing him his back.
Huo Youqing: “…”
He pressed his lips together. “Do you want to eat?”
Dai Yixin’s hair had grown long, now reaching his shoulders, and his bangs covered part of his face, making it hard to tell his expression. Recently, Huo Youqing had been speaking with his doctor, who said that the fact Dai Yixin was willing to eat again was a significant improvement.
Still, there was no response.
Huo Youqing continued, “Last time was my fault. I shouldn’t have walked out on you so suddenly. But your behavior was wrong too. No one eats like you do. Don’t you remember? I don’t like madmen.”
The person with his back to him seemed to tilt his head slightly.
Huo Youqing hesitated but then gently placed his hand on Dai Yixin’s shoulder. There was no resistance. Normally, when the bodyguards touched him, he would struggle like mad. “Come on, get up and eat. I can feed you, but you can’t behave like last time, biting after every bite…” His ears turned red as he recalled the incident. “At most, you can lick it clean after you’re done.”
After talking for a while, Huo Youqing finally coaxed Dai Yixin out from behind the curtains. The butler, seeing the success, had already ordered the kitchen to prepare food.
Just as Dai Yixin was calmed down, the food arrived.
Huo Youqing prepared two spoons—one for himself to feed Dai Yixin and another for Dai Yixin to use himself. “I feed too slowly. If you’re hungry, you can try eating on your own.”
But Dai Yixin didn’t seem to hear him, only opening his lips, waiting to be fed. Huo Youqing felt exhausted, yet there was nothing he could do.
After the meal, just as Huo Youqing set down the bowl, Dai Yixin grabbed his hand. Startled, Huo Youqing pulled back quickly. When he saw the hurt look in Dai Yixin’s eyes, he remembered his earlier promise.
Frowning, he turned his face away but then glanced back. “Go brush your teeth and rinse your mouth.”
Dai Yixin had a look as if he didn’t understand.
Huo Youqing initially wanted to just leave, but remembering what the doctor had told him, he took the initiative to pull Dai Yixin’s hand. “I’ll take you to brush your teeth. You just ate, and your mouth isn’t clean.”
It was unclear if Dai Yixin understood, but he stood up and let Huo Youqing lead him. In the bathroom, Huo Youqing squeezed some toothpaste onto the toothbrush and handed it to Dai Yixin.
Dai Yixin didn’t move for a long time, just staring at the toothbrush in his hand. Seeing this, Huo Youqing patiently told him, “Open your mouth. I’ll brush for you this time.”
He wanted Dai Yixin to eventually brush his teeth on his own, rather than have the bodyguards hold him down to do it. Several times, Huo Youqing had seen blood on the toothbrush, likely from injuries to the mouth caused by rough handling.
Even though those bodyguards worked for the Dai family, they never treated the eldest son of the Dai family with care.
Dai Yixin’s eyes moved slowly, finally landing on Huo Youqing’s face. It seemed like he was thinking, and after a long while, he slightly parted his lips. Huo Youqing didn’t push him; he began brushing Dai Yixin’s teeth while saying, “If you can brush your teeth by yourself, no one will have to tie you up. You’ll be able to do what you want, and you won’t be locked up in this house.”
Huo Youqing didn’t care if Dai Yixin understood or not. Talking could stimulate Dai Yixin’s nervous system and help him recover. Huo Youqing wasn’t good at talking, especially with Dai Yixin, and often didn’t know what to say.
“Here, drink some water, but don’t swallow it. Spit it out,” Huo Youqing said, holding a cup of water to Dai Yixin’s lips. As soon as he finished speaking, he watched as Dai Yixin gulped all the water down, along with the toothpaste foam.
Huo Youqing was dumbfounded. He quickly tried to stop him and told him to spit it out.
Dai Yixin opened his mouth, but all the water had been swallowed.
Huo Youqing, silently frustrated, went to get another cup. He filled it with water, preparing to demonstrate. He drank a sip, spit it out, and then told Dai Yixin to do the same.
“Like I just did. After you drink, spit it out. Spit it out!”
Dai Yixin swallowed it again.
For the third time, he swallowed it.
Huo Youqing was exasperated and decided to give up on teaching Dai Yixin how to rinse his mouth. The foam in his mouth was completely swallowed by now. As Huo Youqing was about to leave the bathroom, Dai Yixin grabbed his hand.
Dai Yixin’s eyes moved between Huo Youqing’s face and his hand. Huo Youqing frowned even more deeply but reluctantly washed his hand clean, then turned his face away.
It was a gesture of silent permission.
Not long after, Huo Youqing’s fingers were enveloped by Dai Yixin’s warm mouth.
Huo Youqing pulled out his phone, trying to distract himself, but the slick tongue swirling around his fingers made him feel increasingly strange. He closed his eyes, frustration rising within him.
In the days that followed, Dai Yixin became more cooperative, though still not fully conscious. Before long, another conflict arose between the two, all because Dai Yixin refused to learn how to properly rinse his mouth, swallowing the rinse water every time.
Huo Youqing wasn’t used to taking care of people. Having been pampered his whole life, he was prone to losing his temper. For the first time, someone’s stubbornness made him lose control. And after losing his temper, he felt embarrassed.
He had actually argued with a madman, to the point that the butler had to step in and calm both of them down.
What was worse, the madman didn’t say a word the whole time. When the butler said they should both be reasonable, it was clearly directed only at Huo Youqing. Compared to Dai Yixin, Huo Youqing appeared more like the crazy one.
Angry and frustrated, Huo Youqing avoided Dai Yixin for a few days. On the one hand, he felt ashamed and didn’t want to face him. On the other hand, he was thinking about Dai Yixin’s recovery and wondering when he could finally leave.
In the midst of his thoughts, he heard something at the door.
Thinking it was the butler, he didn’t even look up. “Come in.”
The door opened, and strange sounds followed—like clothes rustling on the floor.
Puzzled, Huo Youqing turned to see Dai Yixin crawling on the ground. He was so shocked that he stood frozen, watching as Dai Yixin crawled all the way to him and tried to hug his leg. It wasn’t until then that Huo Youqing snapped out of it.
“What… what are you doing?” Huo Youqing’s voice trembled.
Dai Yixin looked up at him, then started circling around him like a pet, rubbing his face against Huo Youqing’s leg. When Huo Youqing moved away, Dai Yixin even made strange gurgling sounds from his throat.
Terrified by Dai Yixin’s mad behavior, Huo Youqing tried to walk away, but Dai Yixin clung to his leg. His face had turned bright red, his lashes were soaked, and clear tears streamed down his cheeks.
Huo Youqing turned his face away after just one glance, yelling for the butler. Despite how thin and weak Dai Yixin had become, his grip was surprisingly strong. Huo Youqing struggled several times but couldn’t free his leg.
The butler rushed in after several seconds, his expression equally shocked. He quickly tried to soothe Dai Yixin. “Eldest Young Master, what are you doing?”
The butler couldn’t pry Dai Yixin off either, so he called for the bodyguards. Only then was Huo Youqing freed, but Dai Yixin’s madness intensified as the bodyguards took him away. His voice, rough and broken, rasped from deep within his chest, like a dying gasp. He thrashed and fought to look back at Huo Youqing.
Suddenly, everyone heard his heart-wrenching cry—
“Youyou.”
The butler immediately turned to look at Huo Youqing. Huo Youqing still wore the same expression of shock, fear, and disgust, but hearing Dai Yixin call him, his gaze shifted slightly.
After a long pause, Huo Youqing finally stepped forward. “I’m here.”
Later, Huo Youqing learned that during the days he had ignored Dai Yixin, the butler had played cartoons for him, hoping it might help with his condition. One of the cartoons was about animals, and the protagonist was a dog.
“The eldest young master might have seen how the dog destroyed furniture, making its owner angry, and how the dog tried to make amends,” the butler said grimly. “We should stick to playing shows with human characters from now on.”
After Dai Yixin called out “Youyou” that first time, it became a regular thing. He couldn’t say anything else, only “Youyou.” Hungry? “Youyou.” Needed the bathroom? “Youyou.” Even bored of the TV? “Youyou.”
Fed up, Huo Youqing tossed the remote into Dai Yixin’s lap. “If you don’t like it, change the channel yourself.”
He finished speaking and prepared to go to the study to grab a book to read, ignoring the string of “Youyou” calls behind him.
When he returned, Dai Yixin had already quieted down, his eyes intensely focused on the TV show. Huo Youqing found it curious and glanced at the TV screen.
With just one glance, he quickly snatched the remote from Dai Yixin’s hand and changed the channel.
Dai Yixin had been watching a zombie movie, uncut, with various special effects of zombies, dismembered bodies, and blood splattered all over the screen. It was a scene that would disgust most people and make them turn away, yet Dai Yixin was completely absorbed in it.
Huo Youqing felt an inexplicable unease, but when Dai Yixin looked at him, his eyes were clean and pure. For now, Huo Youqing suppressed his anxiety and switched the channel to a children’s program.
But Dai Yixin had learned how to use the TV. As soon as Huo Youqing left the room, he would return to find that the channel had been changed again. Although it wasn’t a bloody movie anymore, the romantic films with kissing scenes also made Huo Youqing uncomfortable.
Dai Yixin, however, was engrossed, watching intently until the remote was taken away again.
“Youyou.”
Huo Youqing ignored him and switched to a family-friendly program.
The screen now showed a group of kids happily jumping around.
As usual, Huo Youqing adjusted the TV for Dai Yixin. The children’s program from yesterday wasn’t finished, so today it could continue.
After a while, he got up and left the room, telling Dai Yixin that he was going to get a book. In reality, he went downstairs to a room filled with surveillance screens, all monitoring Dai Yixin.
On the screen, Dai Yixin was sitting on the couch. After a few minutes, he slowly reached for the remote, fiddling with it for a while before successfully changing the channel.
“Do you think the young master is getting better? He’s been coming back a lot lately,” the butler’s voice sounded from behind.
Huo Youqing shook his head. “I don’t know. I just hope he recovers soon.”
“We all hope for that, especially Mr. Dai. If Mr. Dai knew the young master was better, or perhaps was never truly ill, he would be thrilled.”
Huo Youqing caught the hidden meaning and, feeling displeased, said, “What are you all asking me to do?”
“Mr. Dai hopes that you will thoroughly test the young master. Right now, he trusts you the most. If he has any secrets, he would reveal them to you.”
