In a corner where Xu Zhixia couldn't see, Qin Yan couldn't help but gently kiss the boy's hair, unnoticed. The tenderness of the gesture made it clear to anyone that he cherished the boy.
Ji Mian's hand, resting on Lu Ge's arm, suddenly clenched tightly.
"It hurts," Lu Ge complained softly.
【Affection Value +100 (50x2), Contributor: Lu Ge.】
"Are you sad?" Lu Ge teased as he leaned closer to his ear.
Ji Mian shot him a glance, his eyes slightly red from the high fever and irritation.
When he looked back toward the villa's entrance, the two people who had been hugging had already parted ways, saying their goodbyes.
Xu Zhixia kept his head down, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
It wasn't until Qin Yan left that he lifted his head, re-entered the villa, and closed the door behind him.
Ji Mian stared at the closed door, his legs frozen in place.
He had barely eaten all day, and now with the fever, his body had no excess energy to spare. He was drenched in cold sweat, and his calves trembled slightly from weakness.
Seeing that he hadn't moved forward, Lu Ge thought Ji Mian was just too shocked by what had just happened and didn't want to go in.
He said, "If you don't want to go back, my trunk is pretty empty; I can take you in for the night."
Ji Mian's legs felt so weak that he couldn't help but lean his weight against Lu Ge.
He clutched the fabric of Lu Ge's shirt around his waist to steady himself, resting his forehead against his chest, gasping for breath, his breath weak.
For some reason, Lu Ge recalled the time Ji Mian had coughed from anger, leaning against Qin Yan's embrace. The difference was that back then, Ji Mian had actively relied on Qin Yan, while now, he was forced to lean on Lu Ge.
【Affection Value +120 (60x2), Contributor: Lu Ge.】
"I can't walk like this, Young Master Xu," Lu Ge poked at the head resting on his chest.
Ji Mian took a breath, straightened up, and tried to stand tall.
Suddenly, a strong arm crossed his lower back, restraining his movements.
He heard Lu Ge let out a sigh, though he couldn't tell if it was impatience or something else…
In the next moment, Lu Ge's right hand grasped Ji Mian's right wrist, then he turned around and bent down.
Ji Mian felt the hand gripping his wrist pull him hard, and he found himself securely lying on Lu Ge's back.
"…Mr. Lu?"
"No need to thank me."
Ji Mian was momentarily stunned and lowered his gaze gently.
—
After closing the door, Xu Zhixia's previously obedient expression in front of Qin Yan suddenly dimmed a little.
"Young Master Zhixia, has Young Master Qin left?" Uncle Lin in the lobby on the first floor asked.
"Yeah."
"It seems like Young Master Qin has gotten closer to you over the years; he even made a special trip to pick you up from school after work," Uncle Lin remarked.
Xu Zhixia chose not to comment and asked, "Where's my brother?"
"Oh, Young Master Chi Qiu has gone out and hasn't returned. He told me to go pick you up from school first," Uncle Lin said.
However, before he could get to Xu Zhixia, Qin Yan had already driven him back early.
Xu Zhixia paused. "My brother… asked you to pick me up first?"
"Yes."
Xu Zhixia's expression grew even stranger. With that person's nature, if he knew Xu Zhixia was back, it would be typical of him to feign illness and keep Uncle Lin at home on standby.
Not to mention asking Uncle Lin to pick him up in advance.
"You should rest first. I'll wait for Young Master Chi Qiu's call and go pick him up later."
"Okay."
Xu Zhixia agreed and walked upstairs to rest.
As he reached the stairway on the first floor, he paused for a moment, glancing toward a half-height cabinet on the left side of the stairway.
A long time ago, there used to be a vase on top of this cabinet, but after he broke it, no new one was placed there.
Because of the stairway's obstruction, the shards of the fallen vase formed a beautiful fan shape. But the young Xu Zhixia was overwhelmed with panic after breaking his father's "antique," and he found the perfect fan shape terrifying. After hastily cleaning up the shards, he retreated to his room and cried for a long time before finally gathering the courage to find something to thoroughly clean up the remaining pieces.
He carefully opened his bedroom door, clutching a cartoon plush blanket that could be used as a towel.
At the bottom of the stairs stood someone, motionless, looking down at the fan-shaped shards.
"Ge..."
Before he could say "be careful," he saw his brother, who usually dote on him the most, slowly remove his shoes and stand barefoot on the shards.
The blood spreading from under his feet formed a smaller, prettier fan shape.
—
Xu Zhixia stared at the cabinet for a few seconds, lifting his hand to brush a strand of hair behind his ear. It was precisely where Qin Yan had kissed him earlier.
—As long as he could take Qin Yan away, he could destroy him completely.
Withdrawing his gaze, he slowly ascended the stairs.
—
"Tonight, do you want to sleep in the trunk or on a park bench, Young Master?"
Outside the villa, Lu Ge had just carried Ji Mian on his back, and his teasing skills were activated again.
Ji Mian's head rested on his shoulder, and he didn't respond.
Lu Ge felt it was boring and stopped talking.
This was the second time he carried Ji Mian on his back, and it felt a bit different from the first time.
He was still very light, very warm, but the sensation of weightlessness that felt somewhat prickly was somehow even more vivid and profound than last time.
So light.
So light...
Lu Ge frowned, but this feeling, which he hadn't paid attention to last time, lingered in his mind, wrapping around his heart.
After a while, Ji Mian began to cough softly again.
Because of the heat, Lu Ge had not worn a jacket when getting out of the car.
The temperature from Ji Mian’s body passed through a thin layer of shirt fabric to him, making him feel hot.
Lu Ge assessed the situation.
Forget about sleeping in the trunk or on a park bench; this time, he really had to take him to the hospital.
"Ha... ha..."
Through their clothing, Lu Ge could feel the vibrations from Ji Mian's chest with every cough, making him involuntarily wonder if the person on his back would be shattered by the force.
Ji Mian covered his mouth with one hand, coughing even harder, his voice unrelenting. Lu Ge could clearly feel Ji Mian's back start to tremble, turning into continuous shaking.
Then, something warm seeped through Ji Mian's fingers, dripping onto Lu Ge's neck and collar.
Like a drop of hot rain. Lu Ge turned his head to take a look.
It was blood.
"..."
Ji Mian could clearly feel the person under him halt their breathing for a moment. He looked at the bloodstain on Lu Ge's neck and collar, momentarily at a loss, "Sorry, Mr. Lu..."
Lu Ge found it hard to breathe, pushing out two words between his lips: "Shut up."
Ji Mian felt Lu Ge's heartbeat quicken noticeably, and the arm holding his thigh seemed to tremble as well. Unable to stop himself, he spoke: "Actually—"
Lu Ge suddenly quickened his pace, turning back to shout at him: "Shut up!"
Ji Mian had no choice but to fall silent.
He had wanted to say that coughing up blood might be due to a rupture of the bronchial or some mucous membrane, not a sudden terminal illness.
After all, judging by Lu Ge's reaction, he seemed to think Ji Mian was on the brink of death.
So, that night, Ji Mian neither slept in the trunk nor lay on the park bench.
He spent the night lying on the hospital's emergency room bed.
The familiar IV drip was hung on Ji Mian's left hand again, and on the cabinet beside him lay a thick stack of test results and several types of fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory medications, as well as a bottle of dark cough syrup.
Lu Ge brought in a cup of hot water and placed it on the cabinet.
The emergency doctor had just called him outside and talked for a long time, which could be summarized in two sentences:
"There is no risk to life" and questioning him "how can the patient's physical condition be so poor."
How would he know how the patient's physical condition could be so bad? He wasn't the child's guardian.
Lu Ge glanced at the stack of test results, where a large number of indicators were below the normal data.
"You have previous hospitalization records, right?" he asked.
Ji Mian nodded, saying, "My attending physician will help arrange a hospital room."
"Oh," Lu Ge sat down beside his hospital bed, seeming in no hurry to leave, "Then we’ll wait until tomorrow morning to transfer to a regular ward; for now, let's stay here."
Ji Mian was a bit surprised, asking, "Aren't you going back, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Ge slowly blinked, suddenly realizing: Oh right, why was he still here?
He immediately got up, preparing to leave when he thought of something and asked, "Who will help you transfer to the hospital room tomorrow?"
"I can do it myself."
Lu Ge paused his steps, asking another question, "What if you get hungry or thirsty?"
"I'll have the caregiver from home come tomorrow morning."
"What if you need to use the bathroom tonight?"
Ji Mian felt confused. "Then I'll just go."
"But you have an IV drip."
Ji Mian tilted his head, indicating to Lu Ge to look at the detachable IV stand by the bed. "It’s portable; I can take it with me."
Lu Ge fell silent for two seconds.
He pictured the scene of this person dragging the IV stand in the middle of the night, and suddenly sneered, "Don’t make yourself sound so pathetic."
Ji Mian: "…?"
In any case, Lu Ge sat back down.
He said, "You’re a patient."
Ji Mian looked at him, puzzled.
"Patients can’t do things for themselves."
Ji Mian tried to explain, "…Many independent patients take care of themselves."
Lu Ge thought for a moment and said, "You're different."
Ji Mian asked, "How am I different?"
Lu Ge gazed at his calm face for a while, thinking: You are fragile. Fragile things can’t do things for themselves.
"It's already late, Mr. Lu. Don't you have work tomorrow?"
Lu Ge opened his phone and pointed to the date on the screen.
"Seems like the young master is so used to being idle that he forgot people don’t work on Saturdays."
"…"
Ji Mian had indeed forgotten. Moreover… the reason was just as Lu Ge said: he was accustomed to idleness.
With Lu Ge's reminder, he recalled that today was Friday and that Xu Zhixia didn’t have classes on the weekend, which was why Uncle Lin had picked him up.
He pursed his lips slightly and changed his wording, "Then Mr. Lu should take a good rest this weekend."
"Oh."
"You can’t get a good night’s sleep in the emergency room," Ji Mian continued to remind him.
Lu Ge nodded. "Oh."
Ji Mian: "…"
Lu Ge rested his chin on one hand, his gaze sweeping across Ji Mian's profile, finally landing on his pretty ears, which were flushed due to the fever. He thought: If it were Qin Yan here, this person would probably do everything possible to keep him around.
He internally clicked his tongue, feeling a sense of regret: It’s rare for him to have good intentions; might as well feed the cat.
【Affection Value +100 (50x2), Contributor: Lu Ge.】
Ji Mian shot Lu Ge a strange glance, but the latter's expression was indifferent, making it impossible to tell he was thinking about Ji Mian and Qin Yan.
He couldn’t help but wonder: What does this person think about every day?
He wanted to advise Lu Ge to go back, but seeing his stubborn and unyielding demeanor, he decided against it.
After taking care of a patient once, one would know that unless the person was a beloved family member or partner, it would be an exhausting task.
Even if he didn’t say anything, once Lu Ge endured through tonight, he would likely leave on his own.
Later that night, Xu Zhixia and Uncle Lin called a few times, likely worried because Ji Mian hadn’t returned.
Ji Mian thought for a moment and didn’t reply to Xu Zhixia; he just sent a message to Uncle Lin saying he was with Lu Ge and temporarily didn’t mention being in the hospital. He didn’t want to disturb anyone’s rest in the middle of the night; it could wait until tomorrow.
After that, no more calls came through.
There were no accompanying beds in the emergency room. In the later half of the night, Lu Ge could only lean against the wall of the ward to rest awkwardly.
However, his presence here was practically insignificant.
In the middle of the night, Lu Ge was awakened by the light from the bathroom, realizing that Ji Mian had quietly gotten up and gone to the bathroom without calling for him.
Lu Ge slowly got up and knocked on the bathroom door, only to find Ji Mian had locked it tight, as if guarding against him.
"Young master?" He leaned his forehead against the door, his voice lazy, tinged with hoarseness from fatigue.
"…"
The person inside, as expected, fell silent.
What could be so secretive?
Lu Ge found it somewhat amusing, so he decided to stand by the bathroom door, talking and bothering the person inside as if he were some kind of pervert.
_
The next morning, with other clinics operating as usual, Lu Ge took Ji Mian to register with his attending physician, followed by a series of tests and admission paperwork.
Running around like this early in the morning was really exhausting.
The only somewhat beneficial aspect was that Lu Ge, with his bloodstained collar, made everyone automatically give way as he walked by. It significantly increased the efficiency of getting things done.
After successfully transferring Ji Mian to a single patient room, he went out again.
When he returned twenty minutes later, he was carrying several breakfast items.
He tossed them to Ji Mian and raised his chin imperiously. "Eat."
Ji Mian: …
The breakfast Lu Ge brought back was actually light yet nutritious, consisting of egg pancakes, soy milk, and a sweet lotus seed porridge.
The hospital's breakfast options were pretty standard.
"I… I'm not that hungry yet." Ji Mian quietly pushed the breakfast aside onto the cabinet.
The egg pancake wasn't greasy, but it still had that lingering eggy smell.
The system picked up on his thoughts and sneered.
【What do you eat that doesn’t have a smell? Fruit is either too sweet and cloying or too sour and nauseating, and the butter in pastries is disgusting… There’s nothing you like to eat.】
Ji Mian listened to its criticisms and quietly retorted: 【But I can’t control that!】
【I don’t care!! Just eat!】 It couldn’t stand the sight of someone not eating properly!
【……】
Lu Ge didn’t think much of it, assuming Ji Mian really wasn’t that hungry, so he waited for ten minutes.
"How about now? Are you hungry yet?"
"… No."
Lu Ge frowned slightly.
Another twenty minutes passed, and he tossed the breakfast back to Ji Mian. "Young master, it's almost lunchtime."
"It's gotten a bit cold." Ji Mian pushed the soft and fragrant egg pancake back, his voice slightly weak from feeling guilty. "I can't eat cold food."
“……” Lu Ge took a deep breath.
Ji Mian subtly leaned back a bit, warily saying, “This is a hospital, Mr. Lu.”
Violence is prohibited.
Lu Ge clenched his jaw, dropped a “wait here,” and stood up again.
When he returned, he was holding a steaming cup of soy milk and a freshly made egg pancake.
Since he sensed that Ji Mian wouldn’t eat much, he didn’t buy porridge this time.
Ji Mian paused for a few seconds, considering that Lu Ge had run errands twice; it would be a bit excessive not to eat at all.
He reluctantly accepted the egg pancake, taking a few bites while trying to chew out a circular bite mark from the square pancake, then said, “I’m full.”
Lu Ge couldn’t believe his ears. “Say that again?!”
He stared intensely at Ji Mian. “Your friend went out of his way to buy breakfast, and this is how you repay him?”
Ji Mian replied, “… I’m really full.”
“……” Lu Ge gazed at the egg pancake with its bite mark, looking perplexed. “Then, what about the soy milk?”
“I’m not that thirsty.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Ge’s eyelid twitched. Without hesitation, he jabbed a straw into the hot soy milk, shoved it into Ji Mian's hands, and completely ignored the nonsense about “not being that thirsty.”
He then picked up the cold egg pancake and the sweet eight-treasure porridge from earlier, taking a big bite.
Although Lu Ge had already eaten breakfast, not wasting food was a long-standing tradition of the Lu family.
Ji Mian glanced at Lu Ge, then at the half-eaten pancake and the almost untouched soy milk. The moral obligation he had been trying hard to ignore surged back to the forefront.
Feeling a bit guilty, Ji Mian drank a few more sips of the soy milk, then slowly took two more bites out of the pancake.
That was his limit.
Lu Ge silently observed him, not saying another word.
While Ji Mian's attending physician was conducting a physical exam, Lu Ge took the opportunity to visit the parking lot, attempting to find a clean shirt in his car.
When he returned, he was still wearing that bloodstained shirt.
It was clear that his car didn’t have a spare shirt conveniently placed by a helpful friend.
As Lu Ge entered, he saw a petite female nurse standing by Ji Mian’s bedside, pressing on the inside of his elbow.
A bright red blood collection tube extended from Ji Mian’s arm to the test tube tightly gripped in the nurse’s hand.
Seeing such a horrifying little thing attached to Ji Mian’s thin, pale arm made Lu Ge's heart race unexpectedly.
After a few seconds, the nurse pulled out the needle, and Lu Ge also withdrew his gaze.
He rummaged through his shirt pocket and casually tossed a hard signature paper onto the cabinet.
During his earlier trip to the car, he hadn’t found any clothes but had discovered this small piece of paper that had likely been there for some time.
It was a paper that Ji Mian had left in his room that day, and Lu Ge still remembered it.
That punk Tang Bai—how careless can he be to leave trash in the car for so many days…
“Ah!”
Just as Lu Ge’s inner reprimand of his subordinate was still ongoing, the nurse suddenly shouted.
He looked over at the sound.
The nurse was staring blankly at the signature paper he had tossed on the cabinet, her eyes bright like two high-wattage light bulbs.
Lu Ge had previously scanned the content of the signature paper; it only contained two simple sentences that were easy to remember.
[To Miss Zhao:
Thank you for your affection, and I wish you happiness every day.
Wen Yu.]
Lu Ge’s gaze fell to the nurse's name tag.
— Zhao Jing.
Zhao Jing excitedly picked up the signature paper from the table, stuttering, “Mr. Xu, is this for me?”
Ji Mian was a bit stunned and glanced at Lu Ge, hesitantly saying, “… Yes.”
“But last time you said you accidentally lost it?”
“No… I think Mr. Lu helped me find it.”
Zhao Jing, brimming with excitement, repeatedly thanked both of them. Even as she pushed the medical cart away, her steps seemed to float.
Lu Ge turned his gaze away and looked back at Ji Mian, who was also just pulling his eyes away from Zhao Jing’s cheerful retreat.
In that moment of eye contact, Lu Ge caught a glimpse of a faint smile lingering in Ji Mian's eyes. It was subtle but genuine.
He couldn’t help but recall that surreal smile when Ji Mian had woken up from his coma that night in the medical area on the cruise ship.
Lu Ge stared at him for a few seconds.
Regaining his focus, he remembered the main task for the day and immediately shoved the still-warm egg pancake into Ji Mian's hands.
“Eat.”
Ji Mian: …!
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