Chapter 44
Chi Suinian’s illness turned out to be more serious than expected. With cold water and air conditioning combined, even a bull would’ve collapsed.
After an examination, the doctor immediately prescribed an IV drip.
His throat was burning from the fever, dizziness was setting in, and he felt completely drained. Chi Suinian didn’t have the energy to care whether Lu Zhiyue lived or died. Once they got to the rest area, he sat down and immediately closed his eyes to rest.
His body alternated between cold and hot. He pulled the coat tighter around him and gritted his teeth, secretly regretting everything.
—If he’d known, he wouldn’t have taken that cold shower.
It was all Lu Zhiyue’s fault, always saying random, nonsensical things in front of him—completely disorienting!
Someone nudged his shoulder. Chi Suinian opened his eyes and saw Lu Zhiyue handing him a glass of water. “Take your medicine. The temperature’s just right.”
Chi Suinian couldn’t be bothered to argue with him in the hospital. He grabbed a few pills and swallowed them in one go, wrapped himself in the coat, and fell into a deep sleep in the IV room.
When he woke up again, dawn was just breaking. There was a thick suit jacket draped over his shoulders, and his body was leaning sideways—his head resting against the person beside him.
Lu Zhiyue hadn’t noticed he was awake. A laptop rested on his legs as he reviewed some documents.
Chi Suinian glanced briefly at the screen and noticed it was a bidding document for a large mall project in Jin City. Lu Zhiyue was completely unguarded, and the bidding amount was clearly visible to him.
Chi Suinian looked away with a faint snort.
Good thing he wasn’t an undercover agent from a rival company. With Lu Zhiyue’s level of caution, he’d be stripped of everything, down to his underwear.
“You’re awake?”
The sudden voice startled him. Chi Suinian instinctively shut his eyes.
And immediately regretted it.
What was he doing?
So what if he woke up? What was the big deal? He just happened to lean on someone’s shoulder all night—he could always let Lu Zhiyue lean on him another time to even the score.
Was pretending to be asleep really necessary?
How stupid.
But now that his eyes were closed, he couldn’t turn back time ten seconds. He had no choice but to resist the urge to blink and prepare to “wake up” again in two minutes.
Lu Zhiyue had already seen him open his eyes on the laptop screen, but the moment he spoke, this guy immediately shut them again, pretending to sleep.
And did a terrible job of it.
His eyelids were twitching like crazy, lips tightly pressed together—his whole body screamed fake sleep.
Lu Zhiyue chuckled silently, choosing not to call him out. He waited quietly until Chi Suinian “woke up” two minutes later.
“You’re awake?” Lu Zhiyue asked, suppressing his smile.
“Yeah.” Chi Suinian looked up at the IV—only one bottle left.
He hadn’t woken during the night, and there was no backflow at the needle site. Lu Zhiyue must’ve stayed up watching over him.
“You didn’t sleep at all?” Chi Suinian sat up and asked.
“I dozed off a bit.” Lu Zhiyue closed the laptop. “Hungry? I’ll get you some breakfast. What do you want?”
Chi Suinian wasn’t really hungry, but seeing Lu Zhiyue’s pale lips, he changed his mind. “Whatever. You choose.”
After Lu Zhiyue left, Chi Suinian massaged his stiff neck. He felt much better after sleeping, and just had to wait for the last IV bottle to finish before going home.
At that moment, something nudged his elbow.
He turned to see a little girl with a ponytail, probably no more than ten years old.
“Big brother, what’s your relationship with that other big brother?” she asked timidly, a bit scared but determined. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
Chi Suinian raised a brow. “Why are you asking?”
“When I grow up, I want to marry him,” the little girl said seriously. “I think he’s really handsome. And he held you all night while you slept—my mom says that kind of person is responsible. I want to marry someone like that when I grow up.”
Chi Suinian let out a lazy “oh” and slumped back into the chair. “Then you’re out of luck.”
“Why?”
“He’s already married.”
He paused after saying it—this was the first time he’d acknowledged his marriage to Lu Zhiyue.
It actually… wasn’t that hard to accept.
“Will he get divorced?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then I’ll wait for him to get divorced.”
“…” Tch.
Kids these days are too precocious. What do ten-year-olds know about marriage, already talking about marrying someone?
Chi Suinian straightened his face and looked at the girl seriously. “You’d better not like him.”
“Why?” she asked, tilting her head innocently.
“He has a terrible temper. Always yelling at home.”
She blinked, startled.
“And he’s violent.”
Her eyes widened.
“He often hits his wife.”
Her face scrunched in fear and anger. “Then I won’t marry him!”
“When did I ever hit you?”
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
Chi Suinian stiffened and slowly turned his head to see Lu Zhiyue standing at the doorway, holding breakfast. It was unclear how long he’d been standing there.
“…”
There’s nothing more awkward in the world than badmouthing someone and getting caught red-handed.
Lu Zhiyue stood by the door, holding the breakfast he’d just bought, and overheard Chi Suinian slandering him like crazy.
He understood the guy was probably still upset from last night, so he didn’t say much. Sitting down beside him, he opened a bowl of warm porridge and handed it over. “You cooled off yet?”
Chi Suinian was stunned, taking a few seconds to register what he meant. He responded stiffly, “No.”
“Big brother,” the little girl tugged on Chi Suinian’s sleeve and whispered (what she thought was a whisper), “Don’t talk to him anymore. My mom says talking to scumbags will make you… um… oh yeah—stupid!”
“…”
“… …”
Kid, your knowledge base is surprisingly modern.
After finishing the porridge, the IV bottle was also empty.
The little girl’s family had returned, and the family of three chatted happily while Chi Suinian got up to leave.
As he stepped out, he happened to see Lu Zhiyue in the hallway on a phone call.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it from you…”
“Yes, he’s a guy.”
“…We’re at the hospital. It’s nothing serious, just a cold… Okay, I’ll ask him.”
Lu Zhiyue turned and was momentarily surprised to see Chi Suinian. “Why are you out already? I told you to rest a bit longer.”
“Couldn’t sit still anymore.” Sitting in that chair all night had made his butt numb—he couldn’t stay even a minute longer.
“Who were you talking to?” Chi Suinian wasn’t usually the type to pry into people’s business, but those few words Lu Zhiyue said on the phone made it obvious it had something to do with him.
“You’ve met him—at the villa, Pang Mingda,” Lu Zhiyue replied.
“Oh…” Chi Suinian responded halfheartedly and turned to leave.
Lu Zhiyue followed, slowing his pace. “You got any plans in the next few days?”
His mouth moved faster than his brain. “No.”
“Then come somewhere with me Thursday?”
Chi Suinian paused. “Where?”
“To meet an elder.”
The “elder” Lu Zhiyue mentioned was Pang Mingda, whom Chi Suinian had briefly met before.
The online news had caused a huge stir. Naturally, Pang Mingda saw the photos and immediately called Lu Zhiyue to confirm, then invited the two of them to visit the Pang family.
Chi Suinian didn’t originally plan to agree, but he had just owed Lu Zhiyue a favor last night. Leaving now would feel a little heartless.
“Fine. But if you dare say anything stupid, I’ll flip the table. Believe it or not.”
Lu Zhiyue chuckled. “Alright.”
Chi Suinian had threatened to hit him countless times already. His expressions were fierce, but he never actually followed through—kind of adorable, really.
Lu Zhiyue chuckled. “Alright.”
He had been threatened with being hit so many times, but Young Master Chi had never actually done it. His expressions were fierce, sure—but they never quite managed to intimidate anyone.
If anything, it was kind of cute.
···
Chi Suinian rested at home for a few days, and his fever eventually subsided to normal.
On Thursday, Lu Zhiyue personally drove them to the Pang residence.
Originally, Chi Suinian had wanted to drive himself, but the lingering effects of the cold left him too drained. Resigned, he silently sat in the backseat.
It wasn’t until the scenery outside the window looked off that he realized something. “Why are we at a shopping mall?”
Lu Zhiyue parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. “To pick up a gift.”
It was a large multi-purpose mall, bustling with people and full of energy.
Lu Zhiyue clearly wasn’t a stranger to the place. He confidently headed to the ninth floor and bought several gift boxes from a health and wellness store—mainly plant-based products.
Chi Suinian wasn’t familiar with such things, nor did he drink them. In his eyes, these were no different from goji berries—basically useless.
After the shopping, Chi Suinian stuck his hands in his pockets and headed for the exit.
“Sir, would you like to take a look at our clothes?” Near the elevator, a salesgirl was holding up clothing and promoting it to passersby. When she saw Chi Suinian, she quickly approached.
“These are our latest couple outfits, designed by a renowned designer and made with high-end fabrics. Why don’t you come take a look?”
“No, thanks.” Chi Suinian gave a brief glance at the matching pair of clothes in her hands and walked around her.
He didn’t even have a girlfriend. What would he do with couple’s clothing?
After walking a bit, he noticed something strange—there was no movement beside him. Frowning, he turned his head.
“They look pretty good. Do you have other styles?” Lu Zhiyue was still standing in front of the salesgirl.
“Yes, we do!” she said enthusiastically. “We have different colors and patterns. Please come in and take a look.”
Lu Zhiyue paused for a moment, then turned to Chi Suinian. “Should we get a pair?”
Chi Suinian: “……”
Salesgirl: “……?” We?
She looked from Lu Zhiyue to Chi Suinian, and suddenly realization dawned. “We also carry men’s styles. With your builds, you’d both look great.”
Chi Suinian sneered and walked back to the elevator. “Sure. Let’s pick something.”
Lu Zhiyue raised a brow in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to agree so easily.
Inside the store, Chi Suinian scanned the racks of colorful clothes, pointed casually, and said, “That one.”
Lu Zhiyue was momentarily stunned. “You sure?”
“Sure,” Chi Suinian replied, turning to face him. “Why? You’re the one who wanted this—what, you afraid to wear it now?”
Lu Zhiyue shook his head. “I’m just afraid you’ll back out.”
Chi Suinian snorted. “Why would I?”
“Alright, I’ll go try it on.” Lu Zhiyue spoke to a salesperson, then headed to the fitting room with the clothes.
Chi Suinian had intentionally chosen a flashy, hip-hop-style T-shirt—something clearly not Lu Zhiyue’s usual taste. He was used to seeing him in formal suits that made him look older than he was.
He figured the contrast would be ridiculous.
But to his shock, Lu Zhiyue had absolutely no shame. If he said he’d wear it, he’d wear it—zero hesitation.
Five minutes later, Chi Suinian came out of the fitting room, lips pursed. The shirt was a bit too big, and he had to tug the neckline back up.
“Wow…”
“That looks really good!”
Chi Suinian instinctively turned to see Lu Zhiyue emerging from the adjacent fitting room.
To his surprise, the shirt actually suited him. The loose fit gave him a younger, more playful vibe, toning down his usual businesslike air. Despite the relaxed fabric, it still couldn’t hide his lean, defined physique—his abs subtly visible under the white material.
Chi Suinian glanced down at his own thin wrist bones. “……”
How much protein powder had this guy been secretly chugging?
Lu Zhiyue seemed to sense something and turned toward him. Their eyes met.
Chi Suinian’s gaze was clear and bright, like a wild feline—calm on the surface, but inherently untamed.
Lu Zhiyue cleared his throat and looked away. “Looks nice.”
Chi Suinian snapped, “Nice, my ass.”
Lu Zhiyue frowned. “What did I do now?”
Chi Suinian scowled.
Who the hell compliments a man by saying he looks nice?
“You both look really handsome in those outfits,” the salesgirl from earlier approached, smiling. “These sets are on the house—including the ones you’re wearing. If you don’t mind, could we take a few photos for promotional use?”
Before she could finish, Lu Zhiyue’s expression darkened. “No.”
“Uh…” the salesgirl was taken aback. She turned to Chi Suinian with a hopeful look.
But his expression was even colder. “No photos.”
“…Alright then.”
“Let’s check out,” Lu Zhiyue said, pulling out his phone.
Chi Suinian’s gaze drifted lazily—then landed on a patch of skin just above Lu Zhiyue’s shoulder.
There, still faintly visible, was a fresh bite mark he’d left a few days ago.
He didn’t remember biting that hard. Why was it still so clear?
Lu Zhiyue was already pulling out his card. “Swipe—”
“I’ll do it.” Chi Suinian suddenly pushed in front of the counter, slapping his card down. “You go change.”
Lu Zhiyue glanced down at himself. “I think this outfit’s fine—”
That movement shifted the neckline—and the bite mark peeked out.
“……”
Chi Suinian quickly reached out and yanked the collar up, covering it.
“…?” Lu Zhiyue raised a questioning brow.
Chi Suinian was red in the face. “Don’t you have any shame? Why are you showing your damn shoulder in public!”
“……”
