PTBLSI chapter 34

 

Qi Xi stayed in the hospital for a week, and Fu Yanchuan stayed with him the entire time. He would leave for work during the day and sleep on the same hospital bed with Qi Xi at night.

The people of Rongchuan Company were accustomed to seeing Fu Yanchuan arrive early for work every day. So, when they suddenly discovered that he had been coming late and leaving early for a whole week, they all got nervous, thinking that something big must have happened to the group.

Zhou Zhiwei saw Fu Yanchuan more than anyone else. She was sent to find out what was going on and discovered that nothing was probably wrong with the group—something was wrong with Fu Yanchuan.

Although Fu Yanchuan still had an expressionless face, Zhou Zhiwei could tell that he was in a good mood—no, a very good mood. One day, he left early and thoughtfully told her to leave work early too. She was so scared, wondering if Fu Yanchuan thought she was about to die from exhaustion because she looked so haggard.

Unlike Rongchuan Company, Qi Xi lived comfortably every day in the ward. He didn’t need to force himself to pay attention in class. He could sleep and eat whenever he wanted. And when he wanted to draw, he could secretly draw Fu Yanchuan.

During this week, Fu Yanchuan spent much more time with him than before, to the point that Qi Xi was a bit reluctant to be discharged.

But he still had his troubles. The hospital bed was really a bit small. Every night, he had to sleep hugging Fu Yanchuan. For the first two days, he didn’t notice anything because he felt unwell.

But in the past few days, his spirits had improved and he could think about more things. When Fu Yanchuan hugged him to sleep, his heart beat faster. Last night, he even had a Spring Dream[mfn]春梦 (spring dream) = erotic / wet dream[/mfn]. When he woke up early in the morning, he experienced the morning phenomenon[mfn]一早醒来有了早晨的现象 → “morning phenomenon” = morning erection[/mfn].

“Don’t hide it. It’s a normal reaction. Everyone is like this.”

Qi Xi turned his back to Fu Yanchuan, too embarrassed to turn around. Fu Yanchuan reached over under the blanket to help him. Then, he told him to shower. By the time Qi Xi came out, Fu Yanchuan had already left for the day.

On the day of discharge, Qi Xi learned that the hospital had wards with big beds and even suite-style rooms. He had wanted to ask Fu Yanchuan about it, but decided against it, figuring it must have been because they were too expensive. There was no need to waste money like that.

Right before he was discharged, Qiu Yizhou came to see him and brought him a big bouquet of sunflowers. In the afternoon, after his final checkup, he was discharged.

Fu Yanchuan drove Qi Xi back. As they were leaving, Qi Xi insisted on taking the flowers that Qiu Yizhou had given him. Fu Yanchuan didn’t stop him. However, while Qi Xi wasn’t paying attention, Fu Yanchuan threw the flowers away and bought another bouquet to replace them.

Although the flowers were different, Qi Xi thought he had remembered wrong, leaving Fu Yanchuan with no chance to confess.

Over the past few days, many things had been brought to the hospital one after another. When they came back, they packed several big bags. Since they had called for help, Fu Yanchuan only had to carry the bags upstairs with Qi Xi downstairs.

Qi Xi was mainly responsible for the flowers. As soon as they entered the house, he went straight to find a place to arrange them.

The red roses that Fu Yanchuan had given him had already withered. For convenience, he put the new flowers in the same vase.

After Fu Yanchuan finished putting things away and came over, Qi Xi remembered to ask him, “Brother Yan, do you mind if I put the flowers that Lawyer Qiu gave me here?”

Upon hearing that Qi Xi still hadn’t noticed that the flowers were different, Fu Yanchuan replied in a steady voice, “I mind. Just this bouquet. If you like them, I’ll buy them for you in the future.”

Qi Xi thought that Fu Yanchuan liked flowers. He touched the sunflower petals and replied, “I don’t really like them that much, but if they’re from you, I’ll definitely like them.”

Fu Yanchuan was finally satisfied. With a slight curve to his lips, he stood in front of Qi Xi, leaned in close, and asked, “What else do you like?”

Qi Xi felt Fu Yanchuan’s gaze and breath on his face. Subconsciously, he lowered his gaze, leaned toward Fu Yanchuan, grabbed his clothes, and slipped his hand inside. Improperly, he drilled between the buttons and touched the abs underneath.

Smiling secretly in satisfaction, he raised his eyes to glance at Fu Yanchuan and replied awkwardly, “I don’t know either. I think you’re perfect everywhere. I like everything.”

Fu Yanchuan pressed down on Qi Xi’s hand, which was still inside his clothes, but didn’t take it out. What he asked was what Qi Xi liked, not what he liked about him.

Leaning close to Qi Xi’s lips, he commanded, “Qi Xi, kiss me.”

Qi Xi’s body tensed involuntarily. They had kissed many times before, and he had kissed Fu Yanchuan too, but Fu Yanchuan asking like this was the first time. His heartbeat sped up. He didn’t dare look at Fu Yanchuan and kept his gaze lowered for a long while before speaking.

“Why?”

“Don’t you like me?”

Qi Xi’s heart suddenly stopped beating. He froze for a moment, pulled his hand back, and reached up to cover Fu Yanchuan’s eyes. Then, he raised his head, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him.

Fu Yanchuan just stood there, unmoving. Since Qi Xi was inexperienced, he didn’t know what to do. He copied Fu Yanchuan, tentatively licking along the seam of his lips and carefully probing inside. Fu Yanchuan still didn’t move. After a long while, Qi Xi pulled back and complained, “Why aren’t you moving?”

Fu Yanchuan looked at him without speaking. Qi Xi’s face grew redder. He pushed away Fu Yanchuan’s hand and said, “I’m going to see Dasheng.”

As he watched Qi Xi walk out, Fu Yanchuan stood there silently. He touched the lips that Qi Xi had just kissed, and a smile crept onto his face against his will.

Just then, Qi Xi suddenly came back. Fu Yanchuan pressed down the corners of his lips and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Xi walked up to him and took the phone off the table. “I forgot my phone. I came back to get it.”

Fu Yanchuan watched Qi Xi grab the phone and run out again. Because he turned his head to look back, Qi Xi bumped into the door. The corner of Fu Yanchuan’s lips lifted again. He walked over, rubbed the spot Qi Xi had hit, and said, “Watch where you’re going.”

Since Qi Xi had just been discharged and had eaten not long ago, Fu Yanchuan told him to go to sleep early.

However, after showering and lying on the bed, Qi Xi just couldn’t fall asleep. After bullying the orange cat for a long time, he finally went to Fu Yanchuan’s room.

Fu Yanchuan had received news about Fu Yuejiang. Fu Cong wasn’t at ease, so he arranged for a team of mercenaries to follow Fu Yuejiang. However, Fu Yuejiang wasn’t an obedient person. Two days after arriving, he provoked a local armed force and almost lost his life.

Hearing a knock on the door, Fu Yanchuan turned off his phone. When he turned around, he saw that Qi Xi had opened the door and come in. He was standing in the doorway and asked, “Brother Yan, I can’t sleep. Can I sleep with you?”

“Come here.”

Fu Yanchuan reached out, and Qi Xi ran over like an orange cat seeing canned food. As soon as Qi Xi reached him, Fu Yanchuan grabbed his hand, pulled him toward his chest, and hugged him before falling onto the bed.

With Qi Xi on top of him, Fu Yanchuan asked, “Does your body still feel uncomfortable?”

Qi Xi shook his head. He asked again, “Do you know what it means for you to run over like this?”

Qi Xi shook his head again with an innocent face, then asked him, “Are you going to go to bed with me?”

Fu Yanchuan stared at Qi Xi for a long time, brushed his thumb over his lips, and asked, “Are you willing?”

“Of course I’m willing. I’m your stand-in, after all.”

Qi Xi answered without thinking. Fu Yanchuan froze for a moment, then suddenly pulled the blanket over him and stuffed him inside.

“Sleep.”

He had just been about to do something—how did it turn into sleeping? Qi Xi couldn’t understand. He tried to get out from under the blanket, but Fu Yanchuan pressed him down and threatened him.

“If you don’t sleep, go back to your room.”

“Alright! I’ll sleep. When are you coming to sleep? I want to sleep with your perfect muscles.”

Fu Yanchuan’s brows furrowed, and the corners of his mouth lifted. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh or do something else. He sat up and rubbed his fingertips against Qi Xi’s Adam’s apple. “Be good. Sleep.”

Qi Xi was very obedient. He felt Fu Yanchuan fall asleep beside him very quickly. When he woke up the next day, Fu Yanchuan was no longer in bed. He didn’t know when Fu Yanchuan had come to bed or left. He only knew for sure that Fu Yanchuan had slept next to him.

He got out of bed, but didn’t see him in the room. He rubbed his hair and went out.

The nanny, whom he hadn’t seen for a week, was surprised to see him come out of Fu Yanchuan’s room. However, she quickly concealed her surprise and asked, “Xiao Qi, I heard you were sick. Are you better now?”

“I’m better, thank you, Auntie! I can finally eat your breakfast again. What are we having this morning?”

Qi Xi ran toward the kitchen, but Fu Yanchuan happened to be back from his morning run. He changed direction halfway and pounced straight at Fu Yanchuan.

After breakfast, Qi Xi finally returned to school after a long absence. His relationship with his classmates wasn’t particularly good, but some people kindly asked about his illness.

Just as he was thinking that his classmates were actually pretty nice, he found out that finals were next week. Instantly, he felt like the world was no longer beautiful.

Qi Xi got into college solely because of his good memory. He barely passed by relying on memorization. After entering college, no matter how hard he tried, his grades remained poor, and he still relied on rote memorization for exams.

During this time, he took too much sick leave and missed many classes. There was no way he could memorize everything anymore.

At night, Fu Yanchuan worked in the study. Qi Xi didn’t draw anymore. He moved a chair over and sat across from Fu Yanchuan’s desk to memorize the questions.

After two days of memorizing, Fu Yanchuan didn’t complain, but Qi Xi realized he couldn’t remember anything.

One night, while he was studying, he started to zone out. When he came back to his senses, he found himself once again staring at Fu Yanchuan.

Fu Yanchuan noticed his gaze and looked back. Qi Xi blamed him unreasonably, saying, “Brother Yan, you made me lose focus again.”

Fu Yanchuan, who hadn’t said a word, remained silent. Qi Xi then justified himself: “You look better than the questions. I can’t help but look at you.”

Fu Yanchuan looked at him for a moment, then moved his chair to the side. “Come over here.”

Qi Xi thought this made a lot of sense. If Fu Yanchuan hadn’t been sitting across from him, he wouldn’t have seen him. He quickly dragged his chair over to sit beside him.

Only after sitting down did he realize the desk was designed for one person. The space under the desk was just over a meter wide—very spacious for one person but not for two adults, whose legs would easily bump into each other. Even worse, Fu Yanchuan’s profile was even more attractive. After a long time, Qi Xi still hadn’t memorized a single question.

“Is the exam very hard?” Fu Yanchuan asked, looking over.

Qi Xi ran his hand through his hair. “Very hard. I’m about to go bald.”

Fu Yanchuan took the paper and looked at it. “What’s your major?”

“Marketing.”

Fu Yanchuan hadn’t expected that at all. Qi Xi explained, “My dad chose it for me. Because my college entrance exam scores were low, he said the major didn’t matter—having a degree was enough.”

“What don’t you understand?”

Qi Xi immediately slid his chair over until he was pressed right up against Fu Yanchuan and answered righteously, “I don’t understand any of it.”

Fu Yanchuan wasn’t surprised by that answer. After a moment, he sorted out the key points and started explaining. After explaining for a long time, Qi Xi asked, “What were you just talking about? Have I studied that before?”

Fu Yanchuan put the paper in front of Qi Xi. Qi Xi suddenly realized, “How come I don’t remember any of what you said?”

Fu Yanchuan understood then. Qi Xi was just memorizing questions without understanding the content—pure rote memorization.

He asked, “Do you like this major?”

Qi Xi shook his head repeatedly. Fu Yanchuan moved the paper aside, turned his chair toward Qi Xi, and asked again, “What are your plans after graduation?”

Since starting university, Qi Xi’s only goal had been to graduate. He had never thought about what came after. He looked at Fu Yanchuan blankly and said, “I don’t know.”

“Is there anything you want to do after graduation?”

This time, Qi Xi answered quickly. “Make money, buy a big house, and live with Dasheng.”

Fu Yanchuan frowned slightly and told him seriously, “Going to university isn’t something everyone must do. If you really don’t like it, you don’t have to continue. Whether or not you graduate isn’t that important. You have other talents that you can turn into a career.”

Ever since he was young, Qi Xi had heard over and over again that he was stupid and couldn’t do anything well. He was told that if he didn’t get into university, he wouldn’t be able to find a job and would starve to death without his parents.

His dad always looked at him with shame, saying he was useless and lamenting that he had a son who couldn’t get into university.

So, during his college entrance exam year, he desperately memorized things and did questions over and over again. He studied from morning until night, almost without rest. In the end, he only got into a third-rate university.

He firmly believed that people who couldn’t graduate from university wouldn’t be able to find work or have a place in society.

No one had ever told him that he didn’t have to force himself to do something he didn’t like.

He was stunned for a long time, then he asked Fu Yanchuan, “What can someone as stupid as me do in the future?”

“You can draw. There are many jobs related to drawing. Everyone has different talents. You don’t need to force yourself to study a subject you’re not good at. Haven’t you already earned money through drawing? You don’t need a college degree to work.”

At that moment, Qi Xi felt like he had finally found his own value. He asked Fu Yanchuan, “I really can?”

“Qi Xi, you’re very outstanding.”

It was the first time he had ever been praised as such. He immediately pounced onto Fu Yanchuan. Since Fu Yanchuan was sitting down, Qi Xi straddled his legs to hug him. He wrapped his arms around his neck, leaned close, and said, “Brother Yan, you’re so good. I’m more and more reluctant to leave you. Can you let me be your for a lifetime—”

But the words “stand-in” suddenly became something he didn’t want to say. They got stuck there.

Fu Yanchuan didn’t move, allowing him to hold him. After waiting for a while, he asked, “What do you want to be to me for a lifetime?”

 

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