34: Since you're brothers, why blush?

Those clear, watery eyes stared straight at him, no longer filled with panic or fear, but with a complex emotion that made his heart flutter.

Wang Fugui's brain, after being crashed for a whole night, finally restarted sluggishly.

He suddenly jerked his body back, and his hand, which had become numb and lost all sensation, was pulled back like a flash of lightning.

The movement was too large, straining his back and waist which had been stiff all night; he let out an "ow" and nearly tumbled off the floor mattress.

This instantly shattered the vague and indescribable ambiguous atmosphere in the room.

Lin Xiaocao was amused by his clumsy reaction, and a very faint blush appeared on her originally pale cheeks. She quickly lowered her eyelashes and stopped looking at him.

Wang Fugui didn't know where to put his hands and feet. He scratched his messy hair, his gaze drifting around the room, simply not daring to let it land on the small figure on the bed.

My mother, why isn't she scolding me? Or hitting me? She's just looking at me like that, making me feel all jittery.

He held it in for a long time, his throat gurgling, before he finally squeezed out the most important sentence in his mind.

"Are... are you hungry? I'll go get some food."

After saying that, he scrambled up from the ground like he was escaping, not even bothering to brush the dust off his pants, and rushed out of the Utility room almost walking with the same arm and leg.

The cold morning breeze outside blew, and only then did his burning cheeks cool down slightly.

He looked down at his large hand that had caused trouble, which still had traces of blood from last night. But what was circling in his mind was the startling coldness beneath that piece of fabric, and her small hand that had covered his later—delicate and ice-cold.

This Silly... no, this Girl, what exactly is her background?

Wang Fugui shook his head, tossing these messy thoughts aside. The most important thing now was to let her eat her fill and recover her health.

He strode toward the cafeteria. His hands, which usually wanted to fill the bowl to the brim, were exceptionally meticulous today. He ordered a bowl of steaming millet porridge, two white flour steamed buns, and even extravagantly asked for an extra side of pickles.

When he returned to the Utility room with the lunch box, Lin Xiaocao had already struggled to sit up, still wrapped in that old quilt, which made her look even smaller and thinner.

The pile of colorful packaging bags in the room had already been tidied into a corner by her and covered with a rag; out of sight, out of mind.

Wang Fugui placed the lunch box on the floor, took out the porridge and buns, and pushed them awkwardly in front of her.

"Eat it while it's hot."

He still didn't dare to look at her, squatting to the side and taking a large bite of a bun himself, as if this could hide his unease.

Lin Xiaocao silently took the bowl of hot porridge and blew on it in small sips.

She no longer deliberately lowered her voice, and a clear, soft voice rang out in the small space.

"Thank you."

Those two words made Wang Fugui stop his chewing.

This voice was like a cat's paw, gently scratching at his heart, making it both itchy and numb.

He gave a muffled "Mm," accelerated his chewing, stuffed a large bun into his stomach in two or three bites, and stood up.

"Don't work today, just stay in the room. I'll tell Old Man Li."

After saying that, he rushed out like he was escaping again, leaving Lin Xiaocao alone with the bowl of porridge, her face slowly turning red.

On the construction site, Wang Fugui indeed became the focus of everyone.

"Fugui, how's your brother? That incident yesterday really scared people to death." Old Man Li approached with a cigarette in his mouth.

Wang Fugui shouldered a bag of cement and answered in a muffled voice.

"He's fine, just... caught a cold. He'll be better after a day's rest."

He worked even harder than usual today, doing the work of two people and covering Lin Xiaocao's share as well. Sweat flowed down his bronze skin, soaking his undershirt.

The coworkers saw how protective he was and gathered to whisper among themselves.

"Look at Fugui's energy. If you didn't know better, you'd think his brother was made of porcelain."

"Exactly. His brother even bit him yesterday, it even bled! Today he's serving him like an ancestor, even bringing food to the room."

A gossipy coworker shouted out a joke.

"Fugui! You have such a good relationship with this brother of yours, when are you going to treat us to wedding wine?"

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of laughter erupted around them.

Wang Fugui's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. He slammed the cement onto the ground with a "thud" and turned to roar at the man.

"What nonsense are you talking! We're brothers!"

The more he rushed to defend himself, the louder they laughed, finding the sight of this honest man blushing truly amusing.

The commotion here naturally reached the Quality Inspection Department.

Chen Yun held an enamel mug and stood by the second-floor window, calmly watching the figure working hard below.

A woman's intuition told her something was wrong.

When did this brute Wang Fugui ever care so much about a 'male'? He even personally got food and wouldn't let him work?

Recalling how that 'little brother' suddenly fell ill yesterday and Fugui's soul-less appearance, an absurd yet reasonable guess surfaced in her mind.

She put down the enamel mug and walked straight toward the dormitory building in her high heels.

In the Utility room, Lin Xiaocao had just finished the porridge and was leaning against the quilt in a daze.

There was a "knock knock" on the door.

She immediately became alert and asked in a lowered voice.

"Who is it?"

"Little Lin, it's me, Team Leader Chen."

Chen Yun's voice was as cold as ever.

Lin Xiaocao's heart tightened. Why was she here? She hesitated for a moment but still got up to unbolt the door.

Chen Yun walked in, her gaze sweeping across the small room before landing on Lin Xiaocao's face, which looked better than yesterday but was still pale.

"Not feeling well? Fugui is working downstairs and asked me to come check on you."

She lied without batting an eye.

Lin Xiaocao knew in her heart that a simpleton like Wang Fugui could never have taken the initiative to ask Chen Yun.

She responded calmly, "It's nothing serious, thank you for your concern, Sister Yun."

Chen Yun nodded and took a paper-wrapped package from her bag, placing it on the old wooden table.

"This is Sour jujube cake I had someone bring from the city. It's sweet and sour, good for the appetite. I see you don't have much of an appetite, so try some."

She specifically added a sentence.

"Girls all love eating this."

The air froze instantly.

Lin Xiaocao's heart skipped a beat. She stared at the package of Sour jujube cake and then looked up, meeting Chen Yun's searching eyes.

She's testing me!

In the past, Lin Xiaocao might have panicked. But now, what flashed through her mind was Wang Fugui's honest and nervous face, and the burning temperature of his palm.

She suddenly wasn't afraid anymore.

She curled her lips into a very shallow smile and reached out to pick up a piece of Sour jujube cake, putting it in her mouth.

"Thank you, Sister Yun, I happen to have no taste in my mouth."

She neither admitted nor denied it, calmly accepting this kindness that came with a trap.

Just then, Wang Fugui returned carrying a cleaned lunch box.

As soon as he entered, he saw Chen Yun was there too, and his tall frame instantly stiffened.

"Team... Team Leader Chen? Why are you here?"

He looked at Chen Yun, then at Lin Xiaocao, feeling that the atmosphere in the room was frighteningly strange.

Before Chen Yun could answer, Lin Xiaocao naturally took the lunch box from his hand and even helped him straighten his collar, which was sticking up because of sweat.

"You're back."

Her movements were intimate and practiced, as if she had done them a thousand times.

Wang Fugui was completely dazed. He froze on the spot, feeling a burning sensation wherever the Girl's fingers had touched.

Chen Yun took all of this in, and the last trace of doubt vanished.

The curve of her lips turned cold, and without another word, she turned and left.

The "da-da" sound of high heels on the cement floor was both hurried and heavy.

Meanwhile, outside the gates of the Red Star Machinery Factory, a black car was parked in an inconspicuous corner.

Several men in black suits were out of place in the dusty surroundings. One of them held a photo and was asking passing workers.

In the photo was a Girl with long hair over her shoulders, bright eyes, and white teeth, incredibly beautiful.

A worker who had just finished his shift was stopped. He stared at the photo for a long time and scratched his head.

"I haven't seen this Girl... but, don't you say, this face shape, these eyes, they look a bit like that sickly brother of our factory's Fugui. It's just that the hair is cut short, and the person is dark and thin, not looking this pretty."

The man holding the photo exchanged a look with his companion.

One of them nodded slightly, took out a phone, and dialed a number.

In the evening, a circle of people gathered in front of the factory's bulletin board.

"Extra, extra! The factory is going to have a Talent show!"

"Every workshop and department has to perform a show, or their bonuses will be deducted!"

Old Man Li shouted out the contents of the notice, but when he reached the end, he suddenly got stuck.

"...Forging Workshop, Cross-talk; Quality Inspection Department, Chorus; Cafeteria, Skit... Eh? What's this last one? Uti... Utility room personnel? Program... to be determined?"

Everyone's heads turned with a "swish" toward Wang Fugui, who had just finished getting water and was shirtless, wiping himself down.

Aunt Zhao from the cafeteria covered her mouth, laughing so hard she couldn't stand straight.

"Oh, I'm the one who signed them up! I saw that Fugui and his little brother—one is strong enough to break a stone on his chest, and the other is handsome enough to stand there as a 'vase'—what a perfect pair!"

Wang Fugui's movement of wiping his back stopped, water droplets rolling down his firm muscle lines.

He stood there blankly, his mind a complete void.

Talent show?

Me?

With that Girl?

On stage?