To My Pretender [BL]

[10] - The Manipulative People Pleaser

If all of them were so helpless and there was no listener to hear their agonies, then what would happen to them all?

Finally, there was a day when Wu Jie couldn't hold in his detachment between idealisation and reality anymore, and that was when his role as a pretender refined itself.

Who knew that his acts of kindness, constructed solely because of his role as a jester, became nothing but an attraction for wretched bastards.

Wu Jie, who was still in the shower, snapped out of his thoughts. His head started pounding again. Looking back to those days, every second, minute, hour, that passed, he felt like he was wasting time. Everyone he spoke to; it was such a waste of time. What did he even gain from it except climb up the social hierarchy? Even breathing felt like a waste of time at some point, but he was getting better. Now, he started doing some more productive things to keep him busy, although some might find it to be nothing significant.

He needed to find a job, so his mum would stop pestering him about it. He couldn't keep living like a shut-in forever.

"As long as that man isn't around me... I'm safe..."

Wu Jie got out of the shower, dried himself, and wore the clothes Shen Xiaoyun offered him. The sink table was filled with hand cream, moisturisers, and ointment. Now that he thought about it, even his room was filled with used hand cream and medication, though he didn't look at what medication it was.

He walked back to the kitchen and was greeted by Shen Xiaoyun, assembling the small plates of food that he ordered, like soup, cold-skin noodles, and green beans. Wu Jie noticed the silent stare from him but didn't pay any attention to it.

He was curious to ask about the scans from Shen Xiaoyun's room, but held it in since anyone would be uncomfortable if a stranger just brought up their medical situation. Moreover, he learned to never show more care than he should. If he did, it would only spiral him into a messy relationship he never wanted. 

Upon remembering the face of his old hospital Director, he bit the inside of his lip. So, he quickly asked Shen Xiaoyun something else to get his mind off somewhere.

"I might be asking for too much, but... do you have any smaller-sized pants?" he asked.

Shen Xiaoyun's brows raised as strands of his thick black hair rested over his eyes that remained on Wu Jie's appearance. While Wu Jie rubbed his neck and looked at him with a wavering emotion, Shen Xiaoyun's eyes glittered as if in fever, and he looked about with a harsh immovable stare.

He quickly escaped his blank state and said, "I'll try to look for some."

He hurriedly returned to his bedroom, leaving Wu Jie alone in the living room. All he could hear from the outside was Shen Xiaoyun rummaging through every drawer and rack in his wardrobe. Abruptly, he came back out and handed him another pair of sweatpants.

"Try this," Shen Xiaoyun said.

Wu Jie let go of the hand that held onto the waistband of the pants he currently wore, and it slipped down onto the floor. When he looked up, his gaze met Shen Xiaoyun's rounded eyes. As if a private feeling had taken over his heart, Shen Xiaoyun quickly turned his head away to look at somewhere else. 

Although the pants were still too big, Wu Jie tried his best to tighten them by pulling on the drawstrings.

Shen Xiaoyun occasionally stole glances at Wu Jie before averting his gaze. He turned around and cleared his throat—as if trying to cough out something even though he hadn't eaten anything yet—though Wu Jie noticed the soft blush appearing on Shen Xiaoyun's nape.

Wu Jie, "...?"

When the food came, the two sat at the table, and Shen Xiaoyun handed him cutlery. It's been so long since Wu Jie ate with someone, let alone a proper breakfast. 

If he ate too much in the morning, he would feel uncomfortable throughout the day. In the end, he just skipped breakfast, so this was the first time in years he ever ate in the morning.

There was a pleasant scent exuding from Shen Xiaoyun's clothes. It would be weird to admit it, but Shen Xiaoyun himself smelled alluring to him, like the soft fragrance of dandelions during a midsummer evening. 

In fact, everything of his smelt nice; the bedsheet, the kitchen, and the bedroom. Minus the fact that smoke was polluting the entire area.

It brought him a sense of comfort.

"Here, drink this. It will make your head feel better since you're still hungover from last night."

"Mn. Thank you. But... there is something else I am curious about. Will you tell me how you know?" Wu Jie asked.

"Oh," Shen Xiaoyun smirked. "You're not trying to hide it anymore?"