Ji Mian called Uncle Lin.
About twenty minutes later, someone arrived. Among them were Xu Zhixia and surprisingly, Qin Yan, looking tense and anxious.
When they entered the hospital room, Lu Ge was holding a cup of eight-treasure porridge in his mouth and had a cold egg pancake in his hand, half-eaten.
On the cabinet next to him were two cups of soy milk; one had a straw inserted and had been drunk halfway, while the other was untouched.
"Lu Ge?" When Qin Yan saw him, he was very surprised, "How did you end up here?"
Lu Ge smiled and said, "This isn’t Mr. Qin’s territory; why can’t I be here?"
He continued, "Could you please settle the expenses for taking care of Young Master Xu? My time is quite..."
Lu Ge's words abruptly stopped halfway.
Glancing at Ji Mian, he noticed he looked unfazed, and the remaining "precious" words finally slipped out of his mouth.
He furrowed his brows, feeling a subtle imbalance inside.
He never used to consider others' feelings when he spoke.
With a few more people suddenly in the room, the air felt slightly murky.
Ji Mian hadn’t expected Qin Yan to come with Xu Zhixia.
He certainly liked Qin Yan, but seeing him now only reminded him of the scene where this person kissed Xu Zhixia’s hair.
A surge of anger hit him, and Ji Mian coughed heavily twice.
Lu Ge glanced at him sideways.
"The patient is in a bad mood; please, outsiders, leave." He said to the group in a tone that suggested he was in charge.
Qin Yan frowned tightly: "If we're talking about outsiders, you’re the one who should leave the most."
Lu Ge raised an eyebrow slightly, "Do I need to remind Mr. Qin of my relationship with Chi Qiu?"
Qin Yan's expression changed suddenly as he recalled something.
What relationship?
He certainly hadn’t forgotten that night on the cruise… they had been in bed together.
Xu Zhixia, however, looked a bit strange.
Not long ago, on his birthday, he had overheard Lu Ge and Ji Mian’s conversation, which didn’t sound like two people who were familiar with each other, much less in a defined relationship.
But he did agree with Qin Yan’s thought that these two had been in bed together.
In any case, Xu Chi Qiu couldn’t have resolved things on his own that night.
Xu Chi Qiu admired Qin Yan, but he wasn’t someone with a strong sense of morality. If he had sensed that someone had drugged him, he wouldn’t choose the absurd loyalty to love over himself.
Even if Lu Ge hadn’t touched him that night, Xu Chi Qiu would have chosen someone else.
"Ge..."
Xu Zhixia was about to say something, but Ji Mian spoke first, interrupting him: "Mr. Lu, I’m a bit thirsty."
"Oh." Lu Ge handed him the remaining half cup of soy milk.
"...Isn’t there any water?"
"You’ll have some after you finish this."
Ji Mian fell silent, then fell silent again.
Watching this scene, Xu Zhixia suddenly quieted down, and his previous denial about their relationship began to waver.
Whenever Lu Ge and Ji Mian spoke alone, it seemed as if an invisible barrier formed in the air, isolating others from them.
Qin Yan hesitated for a few seconds, staring at Lu Ge suspiciously.
So, this guy really was with Chi Qiu?
After thinking for a moment, Qin Yan tactfully led Xu Zhixia out.
"Mr. Lu," seeing that Qin Yan had actually been persuaded to leave, Ji Mian found it somewhat strange, "What is our relationship?"
Lu Ge casually said, "We're friends."
After speaking, he patted Ji Mian's shoulder seriously, striking a "brotherly" pose.
"…"
"Mr. Lu doesn’t mind getting close to someone dirty like me?" Ji Mian asked Lu Ge, his words tinged with faint sarcasm.
In reality, he was genuinely puzzled by Lu Ge's proactive approach.
Although Lu Ge often acted carefree and frivolous, Ji Mian could see that this person’s social circle was quite clean.
Moreover, judging from Lu Ge's earlier comment about him being "like a snake with a heart of poison," it was clear that he understood what kind of person Ji Mian was.
Ji Mian couldn’t understand: If that was the case, why would he want to get involved with him?
Dirty…
Lu Ge slowly blinked.
He suddenly recalled the first time he saw Ji Mian in that shop. This person was curled up in a chair, resembling a soft cocoon.
"Dirty..." Lu Ge rolled the word around on his tongue several times, suddenly finding it absurd to apply that word to himself.
He lifted his gaze to look at Ji Mian.
At that moment, there was no moonlight in the hospital room.
But the person quietly looking at him from the hospital bed was still as beautiful as a fairy.
"Mr. Lu," Ji Mian noted the redness in Lu Ge's ears, raising his eyebrows slightly, and reminded him, "It seems like I’ve infected you."
"…Yeah."
The infected Lu Ge shifted his gaze away, looking elsewhere.
His sense of right and wrong flipped suddenly: Was Zhi Xia a murderer? Why would this person dislike him?
Seeing him distracted, Ji Mian truly thought Lu Ge might have caught some illness and was confused.
He said, "As for the expenses, Mr. Lu can talk to Uncle Lin." This referred to Lu Ge's earlier mention of "the cost of taking care of Young Master Xu."
His words hinted at wanting Lu Ge to leave sooner.
"Are you sure? I’m quite expensive."
Ji Mian fell silent.
Who knew what kind of outrageous number this unpredictable person would throw out?
After a long while, the "fever" in Lu Ge's ears finally subsided.
The hospital room door was pushed open again. This time, a cleanly dressed man in his thirties or forties entered, carrying some basic living supplies.
He was the senior caregiver hired by the Xu family, named Zhou Zhong. He had a calm and attentive personality; although he usually didn’t talk much, he was quick and efficient.
With someone there to take care of him, Lu Ge seemed to have no reason to stay any longer.
His shirt also urgently needed changing.
Before leaving, he quietly reminded Ji Mian, "I don’t know what issues you two brothers have, but be careful. Your brother isn’t as simple as you think."
Ji Mian's pupils widened slightly, suppressing the surprise that arose in his heart.
Then, Lu Ge stood up and walked toward the door.
As he turned to close the door, he glanced back at the hospital room.
Zhou Zhong had already neatly arranged the supplies he brought into the storage cabinet and the bathroom. He was somewhat taciturn, having little interaction with Ji Mian throughout.
Thus, the person on the hospital bed merely hung his head, lost in thought.
As a senior caregiver, Zhou Zhong was evidently professional enough.
But Lu Ge felt that Ji Mian should be cared for by someone who loved him deeply, rather than being left in the hands of a professional stranger.
After a moment, Lu Ge withdrew his gaze, gently closing the hospital room door while taking away the untouched cold soy milk.
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