Are you ok, Mr. Sheng?
Hua Yong sat on the sofa, holding a mug and staring blankly at the TV, not paying attention to whatâs going on. Two steaming bowls of soup waited patiently on the table as the clock ticked on.
The lock of the door clicks open as Shao You walks in, gently closing the door behind him and resting his bag on the floor. âIâm back.â He looks over to the bowls on the table, âI hope I didnât keep you waiting that long, the soup looks nice.âÂ
Hua Yong walks over and smiles with a tired look on his face. âIt hasnât gone cold yet, youâre right on time.â He goes to sit down just as Shao You grabs his arm and pulls Hua Yong towards him, wrapping his arms around his waist. âYou seem tired, you didnât have to cook, you know.Â
âIm not that tired.â He pulls free from Shao Youâs hug and sits down, starting to eat the steaming soup. âPeanut has gone to bed, the house should be more peaceful now.â
Shao You chuckles. âThe office was busy today, canât imagine what it wouldâve been like for you.â
âIt wasnât that bad actually, it seems you're doing better nowadays.â
After the soup had been finished, Shao You stood up, picking up the empty bowls and taking them to the sink. âI will probably relax for an hour or so, then⌠we can go to bed early?â
âOk.â Hua Yong closes his eyes halfway as if imagining the warmth of the bed already. He walks over to Shao You washing the bowls and wraps his hands around his waist and leans his head on his shoulder from behind. Shao You flinches, dropping the bowl and taking a deep intake of air through his teeth, accidently running his arm through the hot water. âUgh!â He steps back, his skin turning redder.
âMr. Sheng!â Hua Yong takes his arm and runs it under cold water. âHow did I hurt you?â
âItâs just⌠something that happened to my shoulder at work, itâs fine.â He winces at the pain from the burn.Â
âSomething happened at the office?â Hua Yongâs face darkens. âWhat do youâŚâ
âJust sit down on the couch or something, I donât want you getting hurt from the shards.â
âYou can pick them up in a minute, just let me sort you out, first.â Hua Yong takes his other wrist and pulls him to the couch, bringing over the first aid kit. He sits beside him, opening the box and taking out the burn cream. âThis should help, give me your wrist.â Hua Yong holds his wrist out as he applies it, gently blowing on it after to set it. âNow, your shoulder. What happened? Who did it?â
Shao You unbuttons his shirt enough to reveal the wound on his shoulder. âIt doesnât matter what happened, the wound isnât even that big.âÂ
Hua Yong looks at his with half dissapointment and half anger. âIt does matter actually. Iâm your husband and you wonât even tell me who hurt you.â He pouts and goes back to cleaning Shao Youâs wound.
âYouâre not mad are you?â Shao You laughs and takes Hua Yongâs hand away and holds it.
âIâm not mad at you, just⌠whoever did it.â
Shao You puts the box on the floor and rests his head on Hua Yongâs lap. âIn any case, I have you to take care of me, right?â He strokes Hua Yongâs hand with his thumb.
âHmmm. Youâre lucky.â
âLetâs go to bed early. Weâre both tired, and an injured person needs their rest, right?â Shao You stands up and pulls Hua Yong up, leading him to the room. âYour ready, so you can switch the light off, Iâll shower and come back.
10 minutes later, Shao You steps back into the room, seeing the lights off and Hua Yong sleeping. He opens the covers slightly and sits down. Hua Yong wakes from the movement and rests his head on Shao Youâs chest.
âDid I wake you up?â
âHmmmm. What happened to the broken bowls.â Hua Yong tiredly rasps.
âDonât worry about it, Iâve cleaned it up.â Shao You sinks more into the bed, one of his hands holding Hua Yongâs and the other stroking his hair. âGo back to sleep.â












