The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

When Shen Tinglan woke up, a large patch of gray-white daylight was already streaming through the curtains.

He reached for his phone on the bedside table, his fingertips touching something cold. The screen lit up; it was 8:30.

late.

He rarely slept until this late. After Ji Huaizhou left last night, he only wanted to rest for a while until the burning pain from the backlash subsided. But after taking the medicine, he didn't know when, but his consciousness sank.

He tried to move his right shoulder. A sharp, stabbing pain shot down his spine from his shoulder blade. The area where he had applied medication the night before was taut, as if it had been stitched up from the inside. He placed his hand on the edge of the bed and slowly sat up, a thin layer of sweat already forming on his forehead.

He frowned and paused for a moment before lifting the covers and getting out of bed.

When he stood up, his back ached again. He held onto the edge of the bed, paused for two seconds, and waited for the dull pain to slowly subside.

The medicine Ji Huaizhou had left behind was still on the bedside table. He glanced at it for a moment, then picked it up and swallowed it with the remaining cold water in the cup. The pill was small; when he swallowed it, it felt like something scraped his throat, and the coolness traveled all the way down to his stomach.

He slowly walked to the wardrobe, found a piece of clothing, and changed. As the fabric brushed against the back of his neck, he froze for a moment.

Ji Huaizhou didn't hold back last night, but as long as he can suppress the backlash from the spiritual veins, this little bit of physical pain is worth it.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face. The cold water made him feel much more awake. The person in the mirror had bluish-gray under-eyes and pale lips; he didn't look like someone who had simply "overslept." He stood by the sink for a while, pulled his collar up, tugged at his cuffs, and turned to look at himself in the mirror. In the mirror, the back of his neck was completely covered by his collar, so he couldn't see anything.

He turned off the tap and walked out of the bathroom.

He paused at the doorway, rested his forearm on the doorframe, and lowered his head to catch his breath.

At this hour, Ji Huaizhou must be up. Bai Ci wasn't feeling well last night, so he might still be sleeping. But he preferred to assume Bai Ci was already awake and sitting downstairs. Only then would he avoid feeling a pang of emptiness when he suddenly saw that empty seat on the stairs.

The medicine had just started to take effect in my body, and its aftereffects were surging upwards in waves. The pain was bearable, but I felt a chill. The chill seeped into my bones, and my face was probably pale.

He was afraid that going downstairs too early would make Bai Ci overthink things, since his complexion wouldn't lie. But if he delayed any longer, Bai Ci would only think more, and might misunderstand that he was avoiding people and wasn't going down for breakfast today.

He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.

He would eventually have to go downstairs. A door couldn't remain forever separating him and Bai Ci.

He released his grip on the doorframe, calmed his breathing, and slowly opened the door. The corridor was quiet, and he deliberately slowed his pace as usual.

The further down the street she went, the clearer the voices became. Upon hearing their calm tone, Shen Tinglan paused slightly.

Just as he reached the middle of the stairs, voices drifted up from downstairs. It was Ji Huaizhou, with a slightly detached smile.

"What, waiting for your brother Shen to come down?"

Shen Tinglan paused slightly.

There was a moment of silence downstairs.

Then he heard Bai Ci's voice, softer than usual, as if brushing against the rim of a bowl: "No. I just... the porridge is a little hot."

Ji Huaizhou hummed in response, his voice rising slightly at the end, neither believing nor exposing the truth.

Shen Tinglan stood on the stairs, not going down any further. He suddenly wanted to hear what Bai Ci would say next. But Bai Ci said nothing. Only the spoon made a short, sharp sound as it hit the rim of the bowl, then stopped.

Ji Huaizhou turned his head to the side at this moment.

The two met eyes across the half-staircase. Ji Huaizhou, holding a water glass, remained composed, only smiling at him. The meaning in his eyes was clear: "Finally. If you'd been any later, someone's porridge would have turned into mush."

Shen Tinglan pretended not to understand.

"Are you up?" Ji Huaizhou spoke first.

Shen Tinglan hummed in agreement and walked down the remaining steps, sitting down in her usual spot.

"Good morning," Shen Tinglan said.

Bai Ci paused slightly, and after a moment, replied softly, "Good morning."

After sitting down, Shen Tinglan habitually reached for the coffee cup on the table. His fingers barely touched the handle before he gently withdrew them. He turned his head towards the kitchen and said, "Aunt Zhou, I'll drink warm water today."

Aunt Zhou's voice came from the kitchen: "Young Master Shen, you've finally gotten up today. The porridge is still warm in the pot, I'll go serve it to you."

Aunt Zhou quickly brought out the porridge and also poured an extra glass of warm water.

"Young Master Shen, please eat first. There's still some in the pot, I'll get more if you need more." Aunt Zhou put down her bowl, then looked at Bai Ci's bowl of porridge, which was barely touched. "Young Master, your bowl is all cold, I'll get you a hot one."

"No need, Aunt Zhou."

Ji Huaizhou: "Let's change to another bowl."

Bai Ci shut up and stopped arguing.

Aunt Zhou agreed, picked up the bowl of cold porridge, and turned back to the kitchen.

Now only the three of them were left at the table, and the atmosphere instantly became incredibly awkward.

Shen Tinglan drank a few sips of warm water, pretending to be as usual, but his back was throbbing with pain, so he could only subtly adjust his posture.

He ate quietly with his head down, his movements still elegant, but lacking his usual crispness and ease. His face was pale and tired, with a faint bluish tinge under his eyes.

Shen Tinglan had no idea that she had been "sold out".

Ji Huaizhou sat there, slowly drinking water, looking detached from the situation, with a restrained yet joyful light flashing in his eyes.

Bai Ci's mind was a mess; he hadn't really decided whether to speak. Normally, Shen Tinglan would sit here, doing nothing, radiating a lazy, luminous aura that seemed to illuminate the surroundings. But today, he could clearly see that the other man was even holding his spoon with restraint, his face deathly pale.

Bai Ci tried to hold back, but couldn't.

"Brother Shen."

Shen Tinglan stopped moving and looked up.

"Why are you so late today?" Bai Ci asked. He wanted to say, "Were you in a lot of pain last night?" but then changed his mind and asked a safer question instead, "You look like you didn't sleep well."

Shen Tinglan smiled lazily, "It's alright, I just woke up late. I stayed up late reading last night."

"Did you read a book last night?" Bai Ci asked.

"Um."

"What book?"

"I just randomly flipped through a collection of essays," Shen Tinglan replied fluently. "I read for a while, then went to sleep."

His tone was light and his expression was calm, perfectly embodying the image of someone who had stayed up all night reading and overslept.

Bai Ci said "Oh," as if she believed him, and then blurted out, "But... you weren't feeling well last night and tossed and turned until the middle of the night. How could you possibly concentrate on your book?"

Shen Tinglan was clearly taken aback by his sudden remark. Ji Huaizhou, holding his water glass, coughed very lightly. He had originally planned to stay a little longer to see when Shen Tinglan would react, but judging from the current situation, it was too late to hide it any longer.

Shen Tinglan turned her head to look at Ji Huaizhou, slowly narrowed her eyes, and let out a very soft, ambiguous "heh" from her throat.

He finally understood where Bai Ci's cautious scrutiny today came from.