On the deck at noon, the temperature was high. Most passengers chose to go to the restaurant for a meal or return to the banquet hall to have fun, while a small number stayed in the entertainment area on the deck.
Xu Zhixia, who was afraid of the heat but loved the coolness, was unwilling to go back to his room to rest, so he immersed himself entirely in the pool in the entertainment area.
After swimming for a while, he relaxed his limbs, stretched out his arms, and floated on the water's surface, with only his face and a small part of his body above the water.
Qin Yan couldn't swim, so he sat beside the pool watching Xu Zhixia, who looked comical in his utterly carefree position, unable to help but chuckle.
He glanced at his watch; it was just past eleven. He asked the person in the water, “Zhixia, are you hungry?”
Hearing his voice, Xu Zhixia slowly changed his position and swam a few strokes to the shore. He pushed his wet hair back, revealing a delicate face dripping with water, boldly appearing in front of Qin Yan.
Qin Yan's gaze darkened slightly.
Xu Zhixia crossed his milk-white arms and lay on the shore, lazily replying, “A little.”
Qin Yan stood up. “Then I’ll go call Chi Qi to eat together; he hasn’t come out yet today.”
“My Ge is probably still sleeping. It’s better not to wake him.”
“Still sleeping?”
Xu Zhixia nodded, “He got drunk; it’s normal for him to sleep a little longer than usual.”
Qin Yan shook his head helplessly.
He remembered that Xu Chi Qi only took a couple of sips of alcohol last night. How did he end up so drunk?
“Chi Qi's health is getting worse…” he abruptly stopped himself, not finishing the word “poor.”
Xu Zhixia forced a bitter smile, his eyelashes lowering.
The deep-colored eyes that resembled Xu Chi Qi's flashed with a complicated expression.
..Ge, this is what you brought upon yourself.
“Get up and dry off.”
Qin Yan took a towel and gently wiped Xu Zhixia’s hair after he came out of the pool. The boy’s lowered brows were so close that Qin Yan could see them clearly. His skin, having been soaked in the water, glowed beautifully, appearing even more delicate and fair.
Qin Yan suddenly felt his throat dry up.
He held the soft, fluffy towel, gently wiping Xu Zhixia’s damp hair from his forehead, feeling fortunate that Xu Chi Qi wasn’t here.
He actually preferred to be alone with the boy, just the two of them, even though Xu Chi Qi had been his best playmate since childhood.
After a few wipes, Xu Zhixia suddenly leaned back, avoiding his actions.
Qin Yan was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Zhixia smiled, “Your movements are too slow, Yan Ge.”
He took the towel from Qin Yan’s hands, draped it over his shoulders, and walked toward the changing room, ignoring Qin Yan entirely.
His back seemed somewhat indifferent, contrasting with his usually obedient demeanor.
Qin Yan stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head.
Just an illusion.
—
It was a long walk from the suite to the medical area, and Lu Ge was sweating profusely, not from exhaustion but from the heat.
Several times along the way, he considered tossing the person radiating heat from his back out the window to feed the fish.
As they neared the medical area, the young man on his back even pressed his face against Lu Ge’s chin and neck, his scorching skin finally making Lu Ge unable to contain himself: “Don’t you have a backbone? Get off me.”
However, Ji Mian didn’t answer him; the only proof that the person he was carrying was alive was the breath that brushed against Lu Ge’s skin.
Ji Mian had a high fever and had unknowingly passed out.
Lu Ge’s mouth twitched in frustration: “Why didn’t you pass out ten minutes earlier? I could’ve just called for a stretcher!”
Although Lu Ge often acted recklessly, he usually didn’t curse. This time, however, he directly let out an expletive, regardless of whether the person on his back could hear it.
They had already arrived at the entrance of the medical area, and Lu Ge angrily carried the person inside.
The medical area on the cruise ship was well-equipped, as most of the people boarding were wealthy, and Lin Xu had made thorough preparations for both service and medical needs.
After carrying Ji Mian into the emergency room, the medical area was quiet; aside from the medical staff, there were no other patients. Rich people usually took good care of their health.
Upon entering, a triage nurse at the reception desk stood up quickly. When she saw Lu Ge carrying an unconscious person, she asked, “What happened?”
Lu Ge briefly answered, “High fever.”
“He passed out?”
Lu Ge set Ji Mian down and lifted his collar in front of the triage nurse. Ji Mian flopped like a long piece of rubber, swaying a few times without any response.
Lu Ge raised his chin and said to the nurse, “What do you think?”
The triage nurse was speechless. Was this person unable to speak properly?
“I’ll go get a doctor.” She hurried to the internal medicine consultation room to fetch a doctor.
To Lu Ge’s surprise, the doctor who came out with the triage nurse was an elderly man in his sixties. His name badge read Huang Ronggui, fitting Lu Ge’s impression of names from the older generation.
The doctor only needed to glance at Ji Mian's condition before his wrinkled brow furrowed. He reached out to feel Ji Mian’s forehead.
The fever was serious but not life-threatening. However, given Ji Mian's poor physical condition, it was uncertain what could happen.
The old doctor quickly wrote a prescription and asked the nurse to get the medicine.
…
A few minutes later, Ji Mian lay on the hospital bed, with his right hand connected to an IV.
It was just like the scene from a few days ago when he was in the hospital.
The nurse beside them finally had time to draw blood and conduct other tests.
Lu Ge glanced at the time; it was already past twelve.
Although the cruise ship's restaurant served meals continuously, so it didn’t matter what time he went, he didn't want to waste time on things that didn’t concern him.
He tugged at the collar of his T-shirt, pulling the fabric that had stuck to his back due to sweat away.
He still had to go back and take a shower. He cursed under his breath, got up, and prepared to leave.
“Family members stay here,” the old doctor called out to him, “I need to understand the patient's condition.”
“Huh? How would I know his condition?” Lu Ge waved his hand impatiently, “I’m not a family member.”
“Then you can’t leave!” The old doctor shouted with authority, “If the patient dies, whose responsibility is it? You can’t just bring him here and walk away!”
“…” Lu Ge silently stared at Huang Ronggui for two seconds.
“Are you a doctor?” Was it appropriate to casually mention “death”?
“Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. Moreover,” Lu Ge raised his left wrist, the black watch face turning in front of the old doctor, “It’s twelve o’clock; I want to eat.”
The old doctor retorted angrily, “I haven’t eaten either!”
“……”
What does that have to do with me?
Facing an arrogant old man, Lu Ge couldn’t even muster a witty comeback. If he made the doctor angry enough to die, what would he do?
He should have checked the calendar before coming here; one after another…
“When can I leave?”
“Wait until the patient wakes up or a family member arrives.”
“When will he wake up?”
The old doctor glanced at Lu Ge but said nothing.
He didn’t say the patient would definitely wake up.
Looking at the young man on the hospital bed, the old doctor sighed inwardly.
He had studied Western medicine when he was young and had been a private doctor for the Lin family. As he got older, he started studying traditional Chinese medicine, and now, close to retirement, he was temporarily brought in by Lin Xu to help.
With his experience, he could tell just by looking that the young man on the bed was already severely depleted inside.
He wouldn’t last long.
—
When Ji Mian woke from his coma, his half-open eyes saw a blurry view.
The familiar smell of disinfectant in the air and the white ceiling in his hazy vision made him realize he was in a hospital room.
Ji Mian suddenly found it hard to grasp the concept of time and began to blur the line between reality and dreams.
Am I Ji Mian now, or Xu Chi Qiu?
Is this reality, or am I dreaming about the previous world again?
As the fog in front of him cleared a little, he saw the IV drip beside the bed and the figure of a man standing by his side.
Oh, it’s just a dream.
Ji Mian instinctively smiled at the man, wanting to call out “Brother,” but his throat couldn’t make a sound.
Lu Ge looked at the smile on Ji Mian's lips, thinking that this person must be truly confused from the fever. The first thing he does upon waking is smile at him?
He had intended to leave as soon as Ji Mian woke up, but seeing this scene, he inexplicably stayed a little longer.
The young man on the hospital bed kept smiling, still looking at him, with a somewhat silly yet gentle expression. It carried a kind of… affection that Lu Ge found hard to describe.
But thinking about the look of rejection Ji Mian had when he saw him earlier, Lu Ge knew that this smile was definitely not for him.
So, who was it for? Qin Yan?
Hah, terrible taste, he mocked inwardly.
But at the same time—
[Affection value +60 (30x2), contributor: Lu Ge.]
Lu Ge? This voice made Ji Mian suddenly realize something was off.
He blinked hard a couple of times.
The white fog in front of him slowly dissipated. He saw the appearance of his caregiver, who wasn’t as conventionally “handsome” as Duan Zhuang but had more striking features; his lips were just as good-looking as Duan Zhuang's.
“Mr. Lu,” Ji Mian managed to say with difficulty.
Lu Ge nodded elegantly, “Mm.”
“You’ve been here all this time?”
Lu Ge pointed to the watch on his wrist, coldly stating, “Eight hours.”
The outside world had turned completely dark. He had only eaten the packed lunch that Huang Ronggui had brought him at noon; the taste was mediocre at best and it was already cold by the time he received it.
For someone as picky as Lu Ge, the meal could only be described as “inedible.”
Ji Mian smiled again, but this time, his smile was purely schadenfreude. He probably felt that Lu Ge had brought this on himself.
Nevertheless, Lu Ge could tell: this smile was meant for him.
He looked for two seconds, then turned to the nurse and said, “He’s awake; can I leave now?”
Before the nurse could respond, Lu Ge immediately stood up and hurried out of the hospital room, clearly not wanting to stay for another moment.
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