"Lil Han, hey, have you ever been in a relationship?"
Tang Ruihan didn't even get the chance to process by the question before Liang Yue crashed onto the couch beside him like it was his divine right to exist exactly three centimeters from Tang Ruihan's soul.
"Hey, answer me." Liang Yue asked, ripping open the giant bag of chips like a starving gremlin and leaning in so close their thighs pressed together.
Tang Ruihan blinked. "Brother Yue… why are you suddenly asking that out of nowhere?"
His gaze dropped for half a second. Liang Yue's knee had casually come to rest right on top of his thigh, like Tang Ruihan's leg was just some premium cushion he'd paid for.
Tang Ruihan hesitated, then—very slowly—let his hand rest on Liang Yue's knee, fingers tapping lightly as if testing how much his heart could take before combusting.
Liang Yue, disaster that he was, didn't even notice. He was too busy inhaling chips and talking with his mouth half full.
"It's just a casual question. I'm honestly curious. Like… how are you two cousins so stupidly handsome? There's no way both of you are single. Right? Right?" He squinted at the air like the universe owed him answers.
Tang Ruihan stayed quiet, watching the way Liang Yue's expressions flipped every two seconds—curious, suspicious, offended at imaginary scenarios, sparkly-eyed—like a slideshow with no coherence.
"Hurry up and tell me," Liang Yue nagged, pointing a chip at him. "I refuse to believe it if you say you two have never dated anyone. I mean, seriously, I genuinely thought you were both models when we first met, so it throw me off gaurd knowing the truth." He munched another chip, eyes suddenly lighting up as he found a massive one. "Ohoho, jackpot," he whispered dramatically, crunching it with pure joy.
Tang Ruihan just stared, hand still resting on that warm knee, chest tightening at how someone could be this oblivious and this enchanting at the same time. He didn't even think. His hand moved on its own, brushing the crumbs from the corner of Liang Yue's mouth with this painfully soft touch, like Liang Yue's face was something delicate he wasn't supposed to mess up.
"No," Tang Ruihan said quietly, lips tugging into the slightest smile, "we really haven't been in any relationship before. And none of us were ever interested in modeling."
Liang Yue blinked, chewing slower now, gears obviously clanking around in that dramatic brain of his. "Hmm… don't tell me y'all never dated because you're still stuck on some first sweet love or something?" His eyes practically glowed. He looked like he'd just opened a treasure chest full of gossip.
Tang Ruihan's lashes lowered. For one moment, his gaze softened on Liang Yue's curious face… then he turned his head a little, hiding the way his throat tightened.
"That's… partly true," he admitted. "Especially for Tang Zeyan. He's been in love with someone for years. Madly. Obsessed even." His voice dipped at the end, barely above a whisper. "The person didn't even know he existed until now."
Liang Yue, of course, missed the tone entirely. He gasped like someone had just revealed the plot twist of the century.
"No way. Him? Tang Zeyan?" He slapped the couch dramatically. "That man is annoyingly hot. Like stupidly hot. I swear, when he's being annoying I literally consider violence, but then he looks at me and I just… ugh. Anyway. I can't believe he's in one-sided love? Someone like him?" He snorted a laugh. "Whoever it is must be insanely special to have that cocky alpha idiot down that bad. Oh, I really really wanna know who that is."
Tang Ruihan chuckled, low and gentle. "You'll find out soon. Very soon."
Liang Yue leaned closer, eyes big. "Seriously?"
Tang Ruihan nodded once.
And if he let his fingers rest a little longer on Liang Yue's knee... well. Liang Yue was too busy crunching chips to notice.
"That's good!" Liang Yue said and sipped the water Tang Zeyan had handed, crumbs on his lips, legs tucked up on the couch like he lived there.
"So what about you?" Liang Yue asked, mouth half full.
Tang Ruihan blinked. "Huh?"
"You talked about your cousin," Liang Yue said, waving a chip for emphasis, "but what about you? Okay, you weren't in a relationship before. But what about love? Any history there?"
Silence.
Tang Ruihan's gaze dropped. Something tightened in his face, this little shadow of irritation and… yeah, shame. At himself. At the past. He rubbed at his forehead like he was erasing a memory he didn't want resurfacing.
But then he looked up and saw Liang Yue staring at him with those wide, bright, stupidly sweet eyes. That innocence. That softness. The kind of warmth Tang Ruihan didn't think existed anymore until this guy plopped himself into his life like it was nothing.
His expression softened instantly.
"I don't have any interesting love background," he murmured.
"Oh." Liang Yue pouted, but the second he noticed the shift in Ruihan's eyes, he leaned closer and ruffled his hair like he was comforting some giant wounded puppy. "It's okay. Don't be sad. I don't have a love life either. I'm almost twenty-seven and still single, so trust me, you're not alone. I'll pray you get your beautiful, chaotic, dramatic love story one day." He flashed a grin so bright it could fix global crises.
Tang Ruihan just stared. Those fingers in his hair. That soft voice. That smile. It was all hitting his heart like a slow, dangerous punch he absolutely wasn't prepared for.
Before he knew it, his hand reached out, fingers brushing against Liang Yue's palm as he gently held his hand, gripping just enough to feel him there.
"I… thank you, Brother Yue," Ruihan said, voice low. "You're really good to me."
Liang Yue froze for half a second, ears going pink. Tang Ruihan's touch was warm, way too warm, enough to send a shiver down his spine. But he forced a laugh, brushing it off before his own brain betrayed him.
"It's nothing. I'm just being amazing, haha," he said, pretending he didn't feel that tiny spark shoot right up his arm.
The night dropped in colder than expected, the kind of cold that crawled into your sleeves and made the firepit feel holy. The forest behind them rustled with wind and the soft, distant hoot of an owl, almost like nature decided to create a soundtrack for the doctors' much-needed break.
Everyone gathered around the BBQ setup, smoke drifting lazily upward. Some were hovering over the grill with the seriousness of surgeons, and the others sprawled out in a circle with plates and snacks, talking like they hadn't just spent an entire day saving lives.
"People here are actually really kind and observative if you ask me," Wu Ming said, stretching his arms.
He Fang nodded. "Yeah. They're funny too. I got offered a chicken leg earlier as a thank-you."
"I even got one of my patient's numbers to keep her in check," Liang Yue added, flashing a devilish grin as he chomped dramatically on a carrot.
Zhang Kai narrowed his eyes. "Where'd you even get that?" He didn't wait for an answer, just snatched the carrot from Liang Yue's hand and bit into it like vengeance.
Liang Yue gaped, ready to launch into a war crime, when a hand quietly entered his field of vision.
Tang Ruihan held out a cup of freshly cut carrot pieces.
Liang Yue brightened instantly, all betrayal forgotten, and started eating again like nothing happened.
He Fang laughed. "Liang Yue, you're really proving the department rumors true."
Liang Yue paused mid-chew. "What rumors?"
"That Doctor Liang Yue, unless he's in doctor mode or in the middle of surgery, always has food in his hands."
Liang Yue frowned, offended. "That's not true. You're making it sound like I eat every second of the day."
Everyone… stayed silent.
Even the wind paused for dramatic effect.
Liang Yue slowly narrowed his eyes at the group. "You guys suck."
Ning Wen tried. He really tried. His lips were already twitching like he was fighting for his life. Finding him adorable, Tang Zeyan let out a tiny chuckle, the kind that slips out before you can stop it.
Liang Yue noticed it and whipped around so fast even the fire flickered.
"Tang Zeyan! You dare laugh at me!"
Tang Zeyan blinked, startled. "I didn't—"
"You know what?" Liang Yue jabbed a finger at him like judgment day had arrived. "I was right calling you a cocky alpha. I'm taking back all my compliments. You're not handsome. You don't even qualify for my top ten list anymore!"
The bite in his voice was real but somehow adorable, which only made the entire group burst into chaotic laughter. Even the owl in the forest probably wheezed.
Tang Zeyan sighed with the type of disbelief only Liang Yue could summon out of him.
Then Ning Wen. Poor Ning Wen. He lasted exactly three seconds before folding, laughing with his hand over his mouth like he was trying to appear composed but absolutely failing.
Liang Yue pointed at him next. "Wen Wen, you too?!"
Ning Wen tried salvaging the moment, breath stuttering, eyes watery from holding it in. "I'm sorry… I'm not laughing at you, really… I'm laughing at him." He gestured at Tang Zeyan, then actually patted Tang Zeyan's arm like he was presenting evidence to a prosecutor. "His face just looks funny. That's all. I swear."
Tang Zeyan didn't move a muscle. If he did, Ning Wen's hand might leave, and he'd rather die on the spot.
Liang Yue stared, unimpressed.
And then, savior of the century, Tang Ruihan calmly lifted a cherry to Liang Yue's lips.
Liang Yue bit it, chewed, and instantly deflated like a balloon losing air.
"Okay. Fine."
Everyone else tried not to laugh again.
Tried… and failed miserably.
Zhang Kai leaned in with fake seriousness. "So… what did you mean by getting a number? Don't tell me you're hitting on your patients. Damn, Liang Yue, I didn't expect that from you."
"Yeah, for real. I thought our little Yue only knew how to think about food. Didn't know you had pretty girls giving you numbers too," another chimed in.
"That's not it!" Liang Yue snapped. "We're friends, okay? And I'm the one who set her up with her girlfriend. I'm the matchmaker. You idiots."
They nodded dramatically like he'd just given a TED Talk.
Qiu Lei arrived with a plate of steaming, freshly grilled meat. Before anyone could say a word, Liang Yue grabbed a piece and shoved it straight into his mouth.
He lasted exactly half a second.
"Agh—hot! Hot! My mouth ...is burning!" Liang Yue practically shot out of his seat, face twisted, mouth wide open like he was about to breathe fire.
A hand suddenly appeared in front of him. Liang Yue instantly spat the meat into Tang Ruihan's palm. Tang Ruihan didn't even flinch. He tossed the offending meat into the bin, grabbed a tissue, wiped Liang Yue's lips, then handed him a cold drink and an ice cream like this was routine.
Liang Yue finally stopped dying once he started sucking on the ice cream.
"You really need to chill and think before you eat," Ning Wen said, serious but absolutely teasing. "Especially around younger ones. You can't keep acting like this, Little Yue."
Liang Yue shot him a glare so sharp it could've sliced carrots, silently cursing at him.
Ning Wen kept smiling to himself, thinking his friend was ridiculous… until he popped a piece of meat into his own mouth. One second later, his expression twisted.
"...It's too... spicy..." he muttered, fanning his lips helplessly.
Liang Yue whispered, "Wow. My curse worked faster than I expected."
Ning Wen couldn't even argue as the burn spread across his tongue. He was terrible with spice; everyone knew that. His composure crumbled as he waved his hands like that would help the inferno in his mouth.
A cold bottle suddenly pressed against his fingers. He glanced over and found an open apple juice bottle waiting for him. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and gulped it down.
"Thanks," Ning Wen breathed out, looking at Tang Zeyan.
Tang Zeyan just smiled softly. He brought the plate closer, added a splash of water to dull the heat, sprinkled sugar and salt, mixed everything with slow, careful motions. Then he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and held it out—not to feed Ning Wen, just offering it for him to take.
"Try it now," he said, voice low, like the moment wasn't meant for anyone else.
Ning Wen blinked. It hit him all at once. Tang Zeyan knew exactly how to handle him—no over-the-top gestures, nothing too bold. Just quiet care. Passing the drink without a word. Fixing the food so he could enjoy it. Avoiding feeding him directly because he might feel awkward. Every tiny thing was intentional.
And Ning Wen genuinely couldn't remember the last time someone bothered to take care of him like that.
His chest felt annoyingly warm.
He took the chopsticks from Tang Zeyan, tried the piece, and nodded. "Mhm, it tastes much better now." He smiled, and it was embarrassingly clear how much that one smile did to Tang Zeyan, who lit up like he'd just won first place in life.
Across the table, Wu Ming, He Fang, Zhang Kai, and Qiu Lei froze mid-chew. Their eyes bounced between the pair, Tang Zeyan and Ning Wen then toward Tang Ruihan and Liang Yue, then back again.
They didn't say anything at first.
Then Wu Ming whispered, "I feel like something big is happening… I just have zero proof."
"I feel the same," Qiu Lei agreed.
"The feeling is mutual," He Fang added.
"Same here," Zhang Kai finished, looking mildly betrayed.