SDVPP Chapter 79

The Next Day.

The doctor adjusted the treatment plan based on last night’s test results and didn’t inform Rong Xu that he could head to the training room until around ten in the morning.

They had gone to bed late the night before. When the assistant knocked on the door, Chi Han was still fast asleep.

Rong Xu had been awake for a while. After gently tucking the blanket around Chi Han, he quietly stepped out of the room.

“You stay here,” Rong Xu instructed in a low voice as he straightened his loose collar. “If Chi Han wakes up, have them bring breakfast over. Make sure he eats before coming to find me.”

The assistant nodded and helped Rong Xu put on the biometric monitoring bracelet.

Rong Xu adjusted the interface, then cast a glance down at the assistant. “And one more thing—don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”

That look sent a chill down the assistant’s spine. He nodded hurriedly.

But inwardly, he couldn’t help but grumble. The boss looks completely satisfied, like he had a feast last night. Now he’s turning around to settle scores with his poor, overworked employee.

Rong Xu paused for a second, then added, “This New Year shift counts as overtime. I’ll double your bonus at the end of the month.”

The assistant instantly perked up. His back didn’t hurt anymore, his legs weren’t sore—it was all he could do not to tattoo “Thank You, Boss” across his face.

…

Chi Han slept until eleven.

Stretching lazily, he rubbed his cheek against the pillow, surrounded by the familiar scent of Rong Xu.

He took a deep breath, eyes still closed, and reached out to pull Rong Xu into his arms—only to grasp at empty air.

His eyes flew open.

The room was dim. He propped himself up in confusion, looking around.

There was no one else on the bed. Only Rong Xu’s pillow nestled in his arms.

Where’s Rong Xu?

Chi Han sat in a daze for a few seconds before suddenly remembering. Rong Xu must’ve gone to rehab early by himself!

Frustrated, he scratched his hair and reached under the pillow for his phone.

He clearly remembered setting three alarms for 7 a.m.

Unlocking the screen, Chi Han realized all his alarms had been turned off.

It was obvious who did it.

That guy…

Chi Han rubbed Rong Xu’s pillow, the corners of his lips involuntarily lifting in a smile.

Just then, someone knocked at the door. After confirming that the person inside was dressed, the assistant came in.

“Young Master Chi, would you like something to eat? We can prepare both Chinese and Western cuisine.”

Chi Han casually tidied up the quilt. Sunshine poured through the windows, flooding the room and wrapping him in a warm glow.

“Chinese is fine, just stir-fry a couple of dishes. I’ll bring it up later and eat with Rong Xu.”

The assistant smiled. “Young President Rong asked that you eat first before going to find him. His meals are designed by the hospital’s nutritionist. He can’t just eat anything.”

Hearing that, Chi Han didn’t insist. Right now, he only wanted to finish his meal quickly and go see Rong Xu.

“Alright, I’ll eat here then. Just stir-fry two simple dishes.”

The assistant nodded in agreement and stepped out to call for the food to be delivered.

Before coming, Chi Han had specially asked someone to dry a bag of dried fruits. He said soaking them in water would help replenish vitamins. He thought it would be perfect for Rong Xu to drink a glass after finishing training.

The problem was, he had completely forgotten which bag he put it in.

Since the meal hadn’t arrived yet, Chi Han started rummaging through the room to look for it.

He vaguely remembered putting it in a blue bag…

But after opening every cabinet, he still hadn’t found it. Standing at the doorway, he slowly scanned the entire room until his gaze landed on the drawer by the bedside.

Could it be he shoved it in there last night?

How come he had no memory of that at all?

Chi Han crouched down and slowly opened the drawer, but the dried fruit tea he imagined wasn’t there. Inside was only a Totoro plush toy, staring back at him with an innocent expression.

Chi Han: “…”

That looked a little familiar.

He squinted, thinking for a moment before finally recalling. This seemed to be the plush toy he had given Rong Xu a long time ago!

Back then, it was always placed on Rong Xu’s bed.

After Rong Xu left, the toy disappeared, too. He even thought maybe it had been tossed into some corner of the basement.

He hadn’t expected it to be brought here instead!

Chi Han picked up the Totoro plush. Its soft, clean fur showed that its owner cherished it, often washing and caring for it.

Even though he clearly liked it, for some reason, it had been stuffed into the drawer.

Chi Han tugged lightly on Totoro’s tail in confusion, then casually placed the plush on the bed, propping it up next to the pillow.

Mm, it really was quite cute. No wonder Rong Xu had liked it for so long.

Chi Han eventually found the dried fruits in the bedside drawer and carefully soaked them in a glass cup.

The assistant was quick. Within a few minutes, he had brought the meal up. As he set down the food containers, a glimpse of the Totoro plush on the bed caught his eye.

Assistant: “…”

Damn. His boss’s little secret had been dug up again.

The assistant lowered his head in silence. While laying out the utensils, he numbly thought:

If he claimed it wasn’t him who put it there, would his boss believe him?

…

Chi Han carried the glass and headed toward the training room. But the moment he stepped inside, he was momentarily stunned.

This wasn’t what he had imagined at all.

He’d thought it would be like what he had seen during his clinical rotations at the hospital—a big room filled with rehabilitation equipment, where many patients worked through their respective exercises.

But here, there were multiple training rooms. Rong Xu was in Room One, which was filled with large-scale machines. The screens displayed precise measurement data.

Rong Xu was currently using one of the machines to stretch his calf, repeating the same motion over and over again.

From the machine beside him came a constant stream of mechanical electronic sounds. Listening to it for too long made one instinctively irritated.

Had Rong Xu really stayed here for an entire year, persisting day after day like this?

Chi Han asked himself honestly. He didn’t have that kind of willpower.

As one cycle ended, the machine gradually came to a stop.

Rong Xu’s hair was damp with sweat. He reached up to push it back, revealing his fair forehead and finely defined features.

But his eyes naturally carried a sharp, imposing edge that made people instinctively avoid meeting his gaze.

Even the doctor beside him unconsciously looked away.

Only Chi Han’s gaze remained steady. From beginning to end, he had never looked away from Rong Xu.

Rong Xu picked up a towel to wipe his sweat. When he looked up and saw Chi Han standing beside the screen, his expression instinctively softened, and a small smile played at the corner of his lips:

“Chi Han.”

The doctor operating the machine looked like he’d seen a ghost. Never mind smiling, he could barely remember ever seeing even the slightest frown on this Chinese man’s face.

He’d practically been frozen alive by his stare every day!

And yet today, this block of ice actually smiled?!

The doctor was convinced the anesthesia from his tooth extraction yesterday still hadn’t worn off. He must be hallucinating.

Rong Xu, however, had zero interest in the foreigner who acted like a walking emoji 24/7. He shot the doctor a cold glance, his eyes sharp enough to cut.

The doctor shuddered, but somehow managed to smile in relief.

See, now that’s more like it!

Chi Han had long since stopped paying attention to anyone else. He took the towel and quickly helped Rong Xu wipe away the sweat.

From afar, it wasn’t obvious, but up close, he could see Rong Xu was almost completely soaked.

“You’re sweating this much. Let’s sit for a bit before heading out. You’ll catch a cold if you get hit by the wind.”

On that point, Chi Han had way too much experience.

This past year, he’d basically caught every cold he’d missed in his previous life.

Rong Xu tilted his chin slightly, his slender neck arched, looking like a well-petted cat. His eyes were half-lidded.

Chi Han worked hard and dutifully to wipe him down, not missing a spot on his lower back or abdomen.

While data was being uploaded, the doctor stepped aside to take a phone call. The voice on the other end was sticky-sweet. It was clearly a girlfriend deep in the honeymoon phase.

Chi Han unscrewed the lid of the glass cup and handed it to Rong Xu, vaguely catching a few English words: things like “baby” and “darling”…

At first, he found it amusing. But as he listened, a thought suddenly hit him.

Rong Xu had never called him anything else. He always just said his name.

That thought stirred a strange feeling inside Chi Han.

No. If others get it, he wants it too!

Chi Han stared silently at Rong Xu, trying to communicate through sheer eye contact.

Rong Xu put down the cup. “?”

Chi Han hinted tactfully, “Rong Xu, don’t you think it’s time we changed the way we address each other?”

He took another step forward and said, “Or, do you have a nickname?”

Rong Xu: “……”

Nickname…

His fingers tightened around the glass, half-smiling as he asked, “How do you want to change it?”

Chi Han said excitedly, “Just go with whatever feels the most intimate! Learn from others!”

Rong Xu’s eyes lifted slightly at the corners. He tilted his head and glanced at the doctor, who looked like he was about to twist himself into a pretzel, then leaned in close to Chi Han’s ear. His tone was suggestive, and his voice gently licked at Chi Han’s eardrum, “Then what do you want me to call you? Hanhan, baby, or… Mrs. Rong?”

Chi Han’s eyes flew wide open with a whoosh, lips pressed tightly together, unable to say a word for a long time.

Rong Xu chuckled lowly, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and asked at a leisurely pace, “I’m asking you, which one do you want?”

Chi Han hadn’t expected those words coming from Rong Xu’s mouth to have such a devastating effect. His ears burned red as he thought it over for a long time. Embarrassed, he gave a little smile and said, “Th-then… baby, I guess. Just whisper it to me in private.”

Rong Xu’s voice dropped into a husky, sultry tone.

“Like this? Baby…”

Chi Han covered his eyes, feeling so hot he could barely breathe.

But Rong Xu wouldn’t let him off the hook. He leaned in close and called out to him again and again, right next to his ear, until it made Chi Han’s heart go numb.

“Then how do you want me to call you?”

Chi Han finally recovered a bit and gently shook Rong Xu’s hand.

Rong Xu lowered his eyes with a smile, and his thumb brushed the corner of Chi Han’s lips. “I just like it when you call my name.”

Seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes, Rong Xu’s smile didn’t fade, and he did not explain.

Ever since his mother passed away, the name “Rong Xu” had lost all warmth. No matter who spoke it, it was always laced with filthy thoughts and venomous curses.

Until Chi Han appeared.

Rong Xu lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on Chi Han’s eye, his voice so soft it was barely audible:

“Every time you call my name, I can feel just how much you like me.”

---