82. The Unseen Passivity

The joys and sorrows between people are not the same, yet they can be transferred.

For example, Chen Sheng registered a new account, and when he logged in to watch the live broadcast of that program on the platform and channel, he was unexpectedly selected…

“Next, let our lucky audience member ask a question! Oh, just a little reminder: as long as your question isn’t excessively private, anything goes! Make good use of this rare chance to learn a secret about your idol!” The host smiled, reciting the scripted lines.

Naturally, this was a deliberate prompt.

“How do you fix a sudden fuel supply failure in a tractor?” Chen Sheng asked slowly.

As his voice echoed through the live connection, the entire broadcast seemed to freeze in time. The smile on the beautiful host’s face stiffened instantly, and the male host beside her twitched at the corner of his mouth. Then a giant window popped up on Chen Sheng’s screen, dominating his view—You have been permanently banned from speaking on this platform!

“Must I ask about favorite wine brands, or whether the family has a legacy of business or politics? A tractor is at least down-to-earth!” Chen Sheng closed his laptop nonchalantly, wearing a serious expression.

“Old Chen, stop explaining. You were clearly there to stir things up!”

Yu Youxin, fresh from her bath and now in pajamas, exposed Chen Sheng’s true intentions without mercy.

“You’re wrong about that. It was just a spur of the moment. I mean, to be chosen from millions of people—the odds are lower than winning the lottery… Oh, wait, actually it’s higher than the lottery jackpot odds, at least it’s not virtually zero.” Chen Sheng was saying this when a certain girl walked over to him.

He turned, only to see her back. A slender, delicate hand stretched out before him, causing the sleeve of her silky pajamas to roll up slightly, exposing a fair, jade-like wrist.

His gaze instinctively followed.

He sighed inwardly, “This hair tie is so white.”

Because in her palm rested an ordinary black hair tie.

So Chen Sheng calmly took the hair tie and asked, “What’s this for?”

“Help me tie my hair!” The girl replied naturally.

Chen Sheng, trying to hide his nervousness, quickly reached out and gathered a handful of her hair. The freshly washed black hair was soft and silky, slipping through his fingers like satin.

“I’ll say this up front: I’m not great at tying hair. The most I’ve done is help my little sister when she was young. Don’t blame me if it’s not done well.” Chen Sheng said, but his hands moved quickly.

Soon, a simple ponytail was finished.

“No worries, I wasn’t expecting much.” The girl turned around, her little face tilted up, a smile blooming at her lips.

Chen Sheng lowered his head slightly. Her drooping lashes curled softly, and her bright autumn eyes held tenderness, perhaps even a hint of affection.

His heart skipped a beat, and he stepped back half a pace, feigning nonchalance, “Then why did you ask me to tie your hair?”

“I wanted to see if your skills were any good. Is that not allowed?” She said, then untied the ponytail at the back of her head, letting her hair fall loose.

She bounced back to her bedroom.

Watching her retreating figure, Chen Sheng thought, “…”

He wasn’t a young boy, so he didn’t think she was just teasing him.

“But… does she really like me?”

He muttered inwardly, feeling a bit uncertain.

Because he was sure his own heart had been moved.

The greatest sign of falling for someone is feeling you’re being foolishly sentimental, while simultaneously indulging in that sentimentality.

It’s contradictory.

That night, Chen Sheng slept poorly, so much so that the next day at work, he could have called himself the brother of a panda.

A real brother—even if they had different fathers, mothers, and species!

“Old Chen, morning! Why do you look so tired today? Oh, I get it! But take my advice, at your age, you should take it easy!” This was a friendly doctor.

Chen Sheng: “…”

“Old Chen, morning! My mom is waiting for your reply. Why haven’t you contacted her?” This was the new nurse, Chen Xiaohui.

Chen Sheng: “…”

Did he have a passive skill called ‘Friend of Women’? Effect: Women’s goodwill +100%? He hadn’t even met Chen Xiaohui’s mother more than a few times!

“Old Chen, morning! Want me to get you some medicine? You should take care of yourself!” This was the familiar head nurse.

Chen Sheng: “…”

“Old Chen, morn… Oh, you don’t look so good. Back in my day, at your age, I was full of vigor, thirteen times in a night!” This was the irreverent hospital cafeteria chef.

“So you’re the one who once treated a girl to just one bowl of spicy soup, causing her to rant publicly in the game chat afterwards!” Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Sheng decided to strike back at the band of mischief-makers.

“Come on, that wasn’t me. That guy was about your age!” The chef claimed he was still with the times, even familiar with decade-old jokes.

Failing in his attempt to pin the blame, Chen Sheng hurried off to his post.

It was another day of ordinary people working hard for survival.

And so, the day passed uneventfully.

When work ended, Chen Sheng left promptly.

Walking out of the medical office, he glanced down the corridor—both the walls and corners were spotless.

“See you tomorrow, Old Chen.”

“See you, Brother Li.” Chen Sheng greeted acquaintances easily, then drove out of the hospital. The sun was strong again today, and from start to finish, the warmth lingered.

Chen Sheng parked, went upstairs, opened the door, and was instantly stunned. He stepped back, looked around to confirm he hadn’t gone to the wrong place, then walked inside.

Because he smelled delicious food.

“Old Chen, you’re back! Come eat!” A certain girl poked her little head out of the kitchen as soon as she heard him.

“You’re cooking?”

Chen Sheng was startled—if the kitchen caught fire, he couldn’t afford to replace the place!

“Mm!”

With that reply, Chen Sheng seemed to dissolve on the spot, vanishing like smoke.

For what remained was only a shadowy outline—Chen Sheng himself had already rushed into the kitchen.

“And who are these…”

But upon entering, he found two chefs, dressed in hotel uniforms, busy at work alongside the girl.

“I hired hotel chefs!” The girl beamed, her smiling face close to his.