Needs

Despite his anger, in the end, Rong Zhouzhong didn't force Shi Jin to leave the patient Fei Yujing.

Shi Jin sat down by the bed and took a look at Fei Yujing's condition. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"It's just a minor injury. The water in my lungs was drained through a small surgery, and my recovery is going well," Fei Yujing replied simply, putting down his files. He also took a look at Shi Jin and noticed that his complexion wasn't great. "Did you rush over here overnight? How did your final exams go?"

Shi Jin didn't expect him to still have the energy to care about that. He felt a bit helpless and replied, "They went okay... What did the doctor say? Will you have any after-effects from your condition in the future?"

Fei Yujing replied, "No, the lung injury is just a minor one. After the accumulated water is cleared, the wound will heal on its own. Just be careful with my ribs, and there won't be any problems."

"That's good." Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and fell silent for a moment. He felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

"If you feel sorry for me, then answer a question." Fei Yujing seemed to have known he would say that and immediately made a request.

Shi Jin was taken aback, looked at him, nodded, and said, "Okay, ask away."

Fei Yujing looked at Rong Zhongzhong, who had silently perked up his ears beside him, and said, "Third Brother, Xiao Jin probably hasn't had time to eat since he rushed over here overnight. Can you go buy him some food?"

Rong Zhouzhong couldn't believe it and turned his head to look at him, raising his voice, "Do you really think of me as a caregiver?"

"I just wanted to get you out of the way," Fei Yujing was very honest, "this is a private conversation between Xiao Jin and me, not suitable for a third person to hear. Come back in fifteen minutes."

Rong Zhou, who had been tormented for the past few days, was so angry at his honesty that his expression twisted. He wanted to kill him with his own hands, but when he looked at Shi Jin, he stood up and said with a frown, "Just fifteen minutes, no more." Then he turned and left in big strides.

Finally, there were only Shi Jin and Fei Yujing left in the room.

Shi Jin looked at Fei Yujing, and even before he asked any questions, he had a rough idea of what Fei Yujing wanted to ask. Fei Yujing turned his gaze back to him and asked directly, "When I left the island that day, you said you weren't angry with me for using you before. I've been thinking about it since I came back, Xiao Jin, I want to know what you're really angry about."

As expected.

Shi Jin countered, "Why do you suddenly want to know this? Based on your personality, you shouldn't be so persistent about this kind of thing."

"This issue is not an a minor one for me, but an obsession that disturbs my thoughts," explained Fei Yujing, still frighteningly honest. "After coming back, I would occasionally think of this problem, but could never come up with a solution. The more I couldn't figure it out, the more I cared about it.

"Gradually, this problem became my obsession, even affecting my work efficiency. I want to know the answer, not because of you, but because I want to break free from this troublesome situation of being disturbed by this problem from time to time."

The fact that this kind of problem could become an obsession, and the sentence that emphasized "not because of you"... Shi Jin felt a little depressed and said expressionlessly, "This is really a selfish answer."

Fei Yujing accepted his evaluation calmly, "I thought you already knew my nature."

But even though he understood, he couldn't fully accept the way he was treating his emotional issues like a business transaction, with rational analysis and discussion. His mind was racing with thoughts, but the real problem was the emotional imbalance between them that prevented them from getting closer.

"Brother, that's what's making me angry," Shi Jin replied, trying to keep a straight face like Fei Yujing, "I'm seeking an emotional response, but you're only offering material and financial compensation. I can't get what I really want, so I'm angry."

Fei Yujing was taken aback and asked, "Emotional response?"

"Yes," Shi Jin nodded.

Fei Yujing looked at him and suddenly laughed, saying, "But Xiao Jin, what you want, I have already given you."

Shi Jin was stunned, then frowned fiercely, "What?"

"I care about you, I help you, I fulfill all your requests, try my best to protect you, and even entrust my life to you. In this world, my mother is the first person who I am willing to do this for, and you are the second. Xiao Jin, you look at me with prejudice, but blame me for not tearing apart your prejudice and entering your eyes. Is this not unfair to me? Of course, I am not blaming you. You have the right to see me this way, but I hope you can face your own thoughts. Otherwise, you will always be self-contradictory and guarded against me."

Guarded? Face your own thoughts? It's all so confusing and completely incomprehensible.

Shi Jin's brow furrowed even tighter as he felt that the other was being unreasonable and vague. He said, "No, you clearly - clearly...clearly..." His voice suddenly faltered.

"Clearly what?" Fei Yujing pressed on.

Shi Jin looked into his eyes, as if they could see through everything. His furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and he struggled to speak.

Clearly...clearly Fei Yujing was treating him just as he had said.

Does he care? Yes, Fei Yujing does care about him. The daily greetings, the thoughtful birthday gifts, and the effort to respond to invitations - what else could it be if not care?

And then there's the help - setting up a fund, helping Lian Jun with his energy issues, and all the subsequent collaborations. If it weren't for him, someone as shrewd as Fei Yujing would never have gotten involved with someone with a troublesome background like Lian Jun.

And he fulfills his requests too - last year during the reunion dinner, he said he hoped the brothers would cook together, and they actually did. Who would believe that someone like Fei Yujing would take the time to learn how to cook?

And when it comes to protecting and entrusting his life, at the April meeting, Fei Yujing could have easily avoided getting involved in that mess. In the face of this car accident, according to Fei Yujing's usual style, just causing him to have an accident would be enough for Fei Yujing to harshly blame the culprit or even torment them to the point of wishing for death.

But now, Fei Yujing didn't have any intention of blaming him for being the source of the disaster. Instead, he even comforted him.

One after another, Fei Yujing's words and actions now were all like a true older brother. His care and concern behind every behavior were undoubtedly a response of emotions. Since the day Fei Yujing took the initiative to extend an olive branch to him, whether it was for interests or emotions, Fei Yujing had tried his best.

But... why couldn't he feel Fei Yujing's emotional response at all? Why?

He suddenly felt a little confused.

Crack. As he was hit on the forehead, he snapped back to reality and looked at Fei Yujing who had just attacked him.

"Xiao Jin, what really makes you angry?" Fei Yujing suddenly changed the topic, his tone unusually gentle. "I know you didn't tell the truth just now, tell me the answer to this question, I want to know."

Shi Jin looked at him, his thoughts still lingering on the previous topic. His mind was in a mess, hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to follow his heart and replied, "I'm angry... about how you abandoned me so easily after my father died. Was I just someone you wanted to distance yourself from so urgently? Why was it so easy for you to withdraw from me?"

Memories and emotions flooded up from the depths of his heart, the same confusion and grievance he had felt in his dreams once again invading his thoughts. He felt as though he was standing on a busy street, with a stranger blocking his path. Fei Yujing was only a few meters away, yet he seemed so far out of reach.

Though his rational mind tried to pull his consciousness back, his emotions slowly gave in to the pent-up resentment in his heart. Suddenly, he had a gut feeling - Fei Yujing had brought up this topic out of the blue today to provoke him into losing control.

"Why?" He looked into Fei Yujing's eyes, letting himself go completely. He couldn't even tell which time period he was in anymore. "Why? Have you really never had any feelings for anyone in the past decade?"

Fei Yujing looked at him and honestly replied, "Yes."

With a snap, memories and overwhelming emotions shattered in an instant. The long-standing question that had been gnawing at his heart was finally answered. Shi Jin suddenly snapped back to reality, staring at Fei Yujing with widened eyes. His expression and thoughts were momentarily blank.

It seemed like he had just heard the answer he least wanted to hear. Fei Yujing reached out and touched his eye, saying, "So this is what's bothering you... Shi Jin, the truth can be hurtful, but I don't want to deceive you. Since I was young, I knew my position and what I truly wanted. In my eyes, you were just a symbol, the son that Shi Xingrui loved the most, a channel to quickly and efficiently gain benefits. I knew exactly what I was doing to you, and I understand that our final outcome can only be strangers or enemies who will fight to the death. In that situation, I cannot invest genuine affection towards you."

Shi Jin stared at him without blinking, his ears hearing every word, but his brain resisting the meaning behind the sentences.

"I didn't abandon you, I just sorted out my perfect nutrition intake network like cutting off a nutrient delivery tube that can no longer provide me with nutrients and may even become diseased. Everything I did had nothing to do with you, it was all for myself. At that time, I didn't consider your feelings or your position, I only thought about myself. I'm sorry for treating you like that in the past."

"What does this even mean?" Shi Jin's fingers tightened inch by inch, and he turned his head to avoid his hand. "Do you really need to say it like this?"

How ridiculous! He used to think, or rather, the original owner used to think, that the reason why Fei Yujing ignored him and completely abandoned him was because he disliked him, didn't like him, or at least had some negative emotions towards him.

But in the end, was it just a misunderstanding on the part of the original owner? This bastard Fei Yujing never cared about him as a brother. In Fei Yujing's eyes, he wasn't even considered a person, just a piece of garbage to be thrown away after use.

He shouldn't have asked such stupid questions. Didn't he already know what kind of answer he would get?

Facing such a clear-headed bastard, it was strange that he could feel any emotional response from the other party. Who knows if those responses were just another game from Fei Yujing? Who dares to indulge themselves and believe in those responses?

It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he didn't dare. His subconscious had long chosen the best way to face Fei Yujing - ignore him, disregard him, don't care about him, because he was a devil who could smile and hurt people.

"Are you angry?" Fei Yujing withdrew his hand and asked.