That "Local Chronicles Collection" book became a shield. Shen Duoyi used the spine of the book to tap on Qi Shi'an's palm. Seeing that the other party remained unmoved and unresponsive, he then used the corner of the book to lightly knock on Qi Shi'an's knee.

Qi Shi'an said, "My knee is injured, you can't tap it like that."

Shen Duoyi immediately stopped. His head that had been lowered for a long time finally lifted. "Sorry, I didn't know. How did you get injured?"

"I accidentally hurt it while training at military school." Seeing that Shen Duoyi seemed a bit nervous, Qi Shi'an finally stopped teasing him. "It only left a scar, it doesn't affect anything. I was just kidding you earlier."

Shen Duoyi let out a sigh of relief. "Very childish."

Qi Shi'an admitted, "I'm not only very childish, sometimes I'm also very stupid. I can't read or guess the other person's thoughts, and I can't comfort them when it matters. So if you have something on your mind, you have to tell me. Don't let me foolishly mess things up."

"You're not stupid," Shen Duoyi knew Qi Shi'an was using a sob story. "You can very easily read and see through what I'm thinking. I don't have much on my mind, I just feel things are moving too fast."

His expression was indifferent between his brows and eyes, and it was unclear where his gaze fell. Only the thin layer of sweat on his forehead carried a bit of lively aura.

Shen Duoyi's appearance like this could easily make one feel stifled. So Qi Shi'an pierced through it in one go, "What's too fast? This morning you were still calling me 'Mr. Qi' in that tone."

Shen Duoyi also felt his emotions were too exposed. So under the other party's gaze, he took a deep breath, then raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Finally, he straightened his back and added some vigor. "Mr. Qi, let me borrow this book to read?"

Without waiting for Qi Shi'an to answer, he stood up again and asked, "Can I try hitting the punching bag?"

Qi Shi'an took off the black boxing gloves and put them on Shen Duoyi. Then he raised his arms and bowed his body to demonstrate the posture. Shen Duoyi slightly turned his body to face the punching bag, his left arm guarding his face, and his right fist fiercely struck out.

He hit it dozens of times in a row. Sweat appeared on his forehead again and even dripped down from the corners of his eyes. His fists hitting the punching bag made dull sounds, but his mood became brighter with each punch.

Qi Shi'an crossed his arms and leaned against the cabinet, quietly watching Shen Duoyi "go crazy". When Shen Duoyi was about to be exhausted, he supported the swaying punching bag from the other side like an instructor and shouted, "Clench your fists tightly!"

"Keep going! Hit it again!"

Shen Duoyi clenched his teeth and crazily pounded it dozens more times. During this period, Qi Shi'an kept urging him to persist. The last punch heavily smashed into the punching bag. He let out a long breath, then his heaving chest couldn't stop panting.

"Feeling better?" Qi Shi'an asked.

"Fe- Feeling better." Shen Duoyi's breathing had not yet evened out. He hugged the punching bag as if drained of strength to support himself. "I held it in all night and finally let it out."

He looked into Qi Shi'an's eyes.

"I've lived with my grandfather since I was young. He's my most important relative, but he can't accept my orientation."

"I may have to hide it from him, deceive him. If I have a partner in the future, it also means I'll have to wrong that person."

"I pondered it for half the night. The more I thought about it, the more I felt I was despicable. Because I planned to selfishly not say anything, trying to continue enjoying our current interactions, but also wanting to avoid further development."

"I know I'm thinking very far ahead. When I was little, I had to calculate next week's food money today, and this semester's tuition and fees for next semester. I'm used to thinking things through in advance. If it's unavoidable, I prepare. If it can be avoided, I stay far away."

Listening to Shen Duoyi's self-dissection sentence by sentence, Qi Shi'an's heart brewed with a hundred flavors. Hearing this, he finally couldn't help it. He fiercely pulled the punching bag towards himself, bringing Shen Duoyi who was hugging it along.

He asked, "Do you want to avoid me?"

Although both born as humans, their experiences and temperaments were all different. Qi Shi'an had been well-off with food and clothing since childhood. When doing anything, he only considered if he liked it or not. He was also outstanding enough, so he had a few more points of conceit.

But Shen Duoyi was different. He had to live cautiously. From a very young age, he had to plan for the future in advance.

Qi Shi'an snatched the punching bag away from Shen Duoyi's embrace and tossed it aside. Then he took off Shen Duoyi's boxing gloves, lowering his head to say, "In the future, don't hold things in for so long. Whether it's calling or sending a message, tell me everything."

"I understand the elders' way of thinking. I also have parents and a maternal grandfather. So if your future partner is me, there's no question of wronging anyone. I only feel wronged if you speak to me coldly."

"Also, don't use despicable and selfish to describe yourself again. I don't like hearing it. You like how we interact now and haven't figured out how to face further developments. Then let's take it slow. We're supposed to be getting to know each other anyway."

"You do think very far, but I'm in the distant future you envision. I feel very happy about that."

The boxing gloves had already been untied and taken off. Qi Shi'an had also finished stating his views one by one. He had long known that Shen Duoyi's family circumstances were not good, and had long known that Shen Duoyi had suffered a lot when he was young. But every time it was brought up, his heart ached more and more.

"I'll ask one more time." Qi Shi'an raised his head. "Do you want to avoid me?"

As if unable to resist, Shen Duoyi stretched out his right hand. His palm was covered in sweat, even his fingernails were flushed red. Turning his palm upwards, he said with both fear and anticipation, "My hand is hot now too."

The two warm, damp palms clasped together, as if even the lines on their palms interlocked.

Lunch had long been prepared, but they had not returned for a long time. When the two walked out the building entrance, they happened to run into Huo Xuechuan running over. Huo Xuechuan had run up a head full of sweat, "Bro, you go out without taking your phone. I couldn't contact you!"

Shen Duoyi handed over a pack of tissues, "Wipe your sweat. Let's go back now."

Huo Xuechuan and Shen Duoyi walked side by side in the front, leaving Qi Shi'an behind. Huo Xuechuan asked, "Brother Duoyi, do you think I'm handsome? If I entered the entertainment industry, would I be competitive?"

"Competitive, you're tall and eye-catching." Shen Duoyi felt that these two brothers must take after their dad and their mom separately. Otherwise, how could their personalities be so different?

Qi Shi'an followed behind. Occasionally, he could see Shen Duoyi's smiling face as Huo Xuechuan joked with him. He let out a sigh of relief, then started feeling distressed for his own SUV.

The aroma of food wafted through the family building as Huo Xin was drinking with Old General Huo. The three younger generations greeted them and took their seats, finally starting this lunch. Huo Xin, being a hospitable host, filled Shen Duoyi's plate with dishes and thanked him, "You've worked so hard today, taking up your rest time to help. At the end of the month, I'll have Shi'an give you a bonus."

Qi Shi'an, holding his bowl, said, "Looks like it's all coming out of my pocket."

Shen Duoyi replied, "Auntie, you're too kind. Actually, Xiao Chuan's grades are quite good, and he shouldn't have any problem getting into the drama academy."

At the mention of this, Old General Huo finally had something to say. Putting down his wine cup, he said to Shen Duoyi, "One is more worrisome than the other. Instead of attending a good military school, the older one at least went to a famous university, while the younger one wants to be a celebrity right away. It's infuriating. Now, whenever I have nothing to do, I can't help but polish my military baton."

The old man's belly full of complaints was particularly funny, with a hint of helplessness amidst his snorting and glaring. Shen Duoyi laughed, "Are you still planning to beat them with your military baton? My grandfather doesn't have a baton, but he has a cane. Sometimes when he's anxious, he loves to wave it around at me."

"Your grandfather has such a bad temper?" Grandpa Huo actually said someone else had a bad temper. "You look like someone who listens to your elders and is calm and well-behaved. If I were your grandfather, I would definitely have peace of mind."

Qi Shi'an had already finished a bowl of rice. "Grandpa, how can you want to be someone else's grandfather as soon as you open your mouth? That's too much."

Usually, only the grandfather and grandson ate at home, and it had never been this lively. Shen Duoyi listened to Qi Shi'an bicker with Grandpa Huo, or Huo Xuechuan arguing with Huo Xin, and unknowingly finished all the dishes on his plate.

"Want some soup?" Qi Shi'an asked, but he had already taken action and picked up the bowl, filled it, and placed it in front of Shen Duoyi. "Do you find it a bit noisy?"

Shen Duoyi shook his head and answered softly, "The atmosphere in your family is really nice. It's a bit like my childhood friend's family."

Qi Shi'an asked, "What about your family then?"

Before Shen Duoyi could answer, Huo Xin interrupted, "Duoyi, have another bowl of rice." Shen Duoyi didn't know if it was because boxing consumed too much energy or if the food was too delicious, so he added another bowl of white rice.

Usually, the auntie cooked at home, and Huo Xin was always too lazy to manage. This time, Shen Duoyi was a guest and also helping Huo Xuechuan with his studies, so she personally prepared this meal. Seeing that he enjoyed the food, she felt particularly happy and chatted, "Do you usually have lunch at the company?"

"Yes, the company has a cafeteria." Shen Duoyi ate the rice with gusto.

Huo Xin said with relief, "That's good. Actually, parents only worry about eating and clothing; they can't control anything else. Now, when I ask him to speculate on stocks for me, he finds it troublesome. It infuriates me."

Qi Shi'an was suddenly bombarded and felt a bit embarrassed. "Mom, can you be a bit more realistic?"

Shen Duoyi politely said, "Auntie, I also know a bit about stocks. Why don't I take a look for you after the meal?"

Huo Xin found a new helper and didn't even look at Qi Shi'an anymore. Grandpa Huo was the same, feeling that "other people's children are better in every way" and enviously asked, "Duoyi, what do your parents do? I guess they must have a lot of peace of mind, right?"

Shen Duoyi was stunned. He knew that the current atmosphere was not suitable for talking about his family, but avoiding the topic would be like lying. After hesitating for a moment, he still chose the former with a smile, "My parents passed away when I was six or seven years old. I live with my grandfather."

With a clang, Huo Xuechuan's chicken leg crashed into his plate, and the dining table was instantly silent.

What Shen Duoyi feared most was the happy atmosphere being broken. He was a bit at a loss, holding his bowl, not knowing whether to laugh or continue speaking. Fortunately, everyone reacted quickly. Grandpa Huo and Huo Xin comforted him and moved the topic along, and Huo Xuechuan also picked up the chicken leg and continued eating.

Only Qi Shi'an lowered his eyes and never touched his chopsticks again.

He only knew that Shen Duoyi's family conditions were not good, but he didn't expect that Shen Duoyi had lost his parents at such a young age. Compared to the material hardships he suffered, he didn't dare imagine how many emotional gaps Shen Duoyi had experienced.

No wonder he only heard him mention his grandfather, and no wonder he considered his grandfather's thoughts so much when making decisions. Because Shen Duoyi only had that one elderly relative.

Whether as ordinary friends or developing feelings over time, Qi Shi'an thought, he at least wanted to give Shen Duoyi a solid sense of security.

Lost in thought, a pair of chopsticks suddenly extended into his line of sight, and the shrimp held between them fell into his bowl. He collected his emotions, raised his eyes, and met Shen Duoyi's gaze.

Shen Duoyi said softly, "I'm fine. The last shrimp is for you."

After the meal, Qi Shi'an drove Shen Duoyi home. Before leaving, Grandpa Huo insisted on giving Grandpa Shen a new fishing rod. Driving away from the retirement home, Shen Duoyi squinted in the sunlight, sitting in the passenger seat and yawning.

"Sleepy?" Qi Shi'an lowered the sun visor. "Take a nap. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Shen Duoyi was tired but very happy. "Eating my fill makes me sleepy..."

The soft breathing was drowned out by the sound of the engine. If Qi Shi'an hadn't turned his head to look, he wouldn't have noticed that Shen Duoyi had already fallen asleep. He slowed down, trying to drive as steadily as possible, remembering that night many years ago when Shen Duoyi had dozed off in the passenger seat just like this.

It wasn't a busy afternoon on the weekend, so it didn't take long to reach the entrance of Wenhu Apartments. Qi Shi'an pulled over under the shade of a tree and turned off the engine. Shen Duoyi seemed to sense it and slowly opened his eyes. He was dazed for a moment, then said "ah" and regretfully, "I forgot to take the book I borrowed!"

Qi Shi'an said, "Come find me at work tomorrow for it."

He avoided discussing Shen Duoyi's family and had no intention of inquiring further. A wound, even if it had scarred over for many years, was still a wound. He would never bring it up on his own initiative. Shen Duoyi understood Qi Shi'an's thoughtfulness and was very grateful, silently saying "thank you" in his heart.

Unfastening his seat belt, ready to get out of the car, he suddenly remembered, "Oh right, there's something I want to tell you."

Qi Shi'an asked, "Is it urgent? If not, we can talk about it another day. You're so sleepy."

Shen Duoyi hesitated, "It's not urgent. It's about my first love."

"..." Qi Shi'an's veins throbbed violently. "Tell me now!"