Meng Ting and Yan Sui didn’t necessarily need to sleep so early, but it was still necessary for them to return to their room sooner rather than later.
Meng Ting’s drowsiness followed a very regular pattern. If they returned to their room a bit later, he would fall asleep as soon as he finished his shower, touched the bed, and felt Yan Sui beside him. At that point, Yan Sui couldn’t bear to do anything more.
“Am I good-looking?” The words Meng Ting had used in an online argument inadvertently popped into Yan Sui’s mind. He lowered his head to kiss Meng Ting’s lips and then softly asked.
Meng Ting’s mind was still floating, but for an answer he had long been familiar with, he didn’t need to think before replying.
“You look the best. I like you the most.”
Meng Ting seemed unaware of what he had just said. His dazed expression returned slightly, only to be interrupted by another kiss from Yan Sui.
Yan Sui coaxed Meng Ting into saying things he loved to hear, and then he gently coaxed the extremely tired person to sleep. Yan Sui himself felt somewhat tired as well, but sleepiness still wasn’t very apparent. Yet, with Meng Ting by his side, those troubling matters no longer seemed so bothersome.
***
When Yan Sui fell asleep, Meng Ting certainly didn’t know. But when he woke up, Yan Sui was still holding him in his arms. Recalling the events of the previous night, Meng Ting couldn’t help but blush.
In truth, they were so familiar with each other that there shouldn’t have been any reason for shyness. But Meng Ting still blushed; he was embarrassed that he had said so many shameless things. He was clearly not that kind of person.
Meng Ting didn’t even consider that Yan Sui had been coaxing him into saying those things. He simply felt that he had spoken without any restraint.
Yet, as he looked at Yan Sui, he didn’t feel he had said anything wrong. His family’s Yan Sui was indeed wonderful, including in that aspect as well. He leaned up, careful not to disturb Yan Sui’s sleep, and kissed his cheek. Then he nestled back into the crook of Yan Sui’s neck, waiting for those shy feelings to fade.
Yan Sui was already mostly awake when Meng Ting secretly kissed him. It was late in the morning, and both of them had slept in. Even he had slept enough.
Opening his eyes, he saw Meng Ting’s flushed face and couldn’t help but smile. With Meng Ting around, he doubted he would ever have a day where he was bothered by trivial matters to the point of being in a bad mood. Meng Ting had a way of filtering out all the negative emotions for him every day.
He picked Meng Ting up and couldn’t resist kissing his still-blushing cheek before softly saying, “Shall we get up and have breakfast?”
“Okay,” Meng Ting nodded, automatically wrapping his arms around Yan Sui’s neck, letting him carry him to the bathroom.
“Will there come a day when you can’t carry me anymore?” Meng Ting suddenly asked while leaning on Yan Sui’s shoulder. However, there was no hint of worry in his voice. In his mind, he envisioned the scene of two old men living together, which he found inexplicably funny and heartwarming.
“That won’t happen…” Yan Sui’s jaw tightened slightly, thinking Meng Ting was implying he was getting old.
But Meng Ting’s kiss immediately landed on Yan Sui’s cheek. “It’s okay if you can’t carry me. Then I’ll carry you. And when I can’t carry you either, we’ll just support each other as we walk.”
Since his rebirth, Meng Ting had always felt that living past the age of twenty-eight was already a gain for him. He rarely thought about the future, but being with Yan Sui made him naturally think about it.
By then, they probably wouldn’t be good-looking anymore, but they would still be together. Just thinking about it made Meng Ting feel happy.
“Mm,” Yan Sui responded, but the sense of crisis in his heart hadn’t diminished much. He wondered if it was still too late to start taking care of his health now…
***
When they came downstairs, Yan Yu, He Yue, and Yan Manjia had already eaten. Zhen Han was even earlier; he quickly came back after getting his things.
He knew that Gu Li was coming today, so he had deliberately cleared his schedule at the pet hospital. Gu Li held a particularly unique position in the medical field, and even Zhen Han was aware of him.
Yan Sui and Meng Ting took their seats, and Nanny Wang personally brought over their breakfast.
“Madam, eat more. You’ve been looking thinner lately,” Nanny Wang said with concern as she looked at Meng Ting and moved his favorite food closer to him.
Meng Ting, hearing this, touched his cheek in confusion. He didn’t even know where Nanny Wang could tell he had lost weight. His puzzled gaze turned to Yan Sui, who slightly furrowed his brows, also looking somewhat worried. “Eat more.”
“Mm,” Meng Ting nodded, then lowered his head to sip his congee and eat his buns. Yan Sui occasionally fed him some egg whites. They took half an hour to finish their meal before heading out for a walk. When they returned, they brought Yan Yu and He Yue, who had been waiting since early morning, inside together.
The information about the internationally renowned ‘Surgical Genius’ Gu Li had always been very vague, with even his age being a mystery. Some believed he was in his twenties or thirties, while others thought he was in his fifties or sixties. His appearance was equally vague, and it was precisely this ambiguity that had allowed him to evade numerous assassination attempts.
However, this time, before Yan Sui’s people found him, he had nearly died.
“From now on, there is no ‘Surgical Genius’ Gu Li. Only Xu Li, who came from Licheng. For now, you will be known as my maternal uncle to the outside world. After the treatment, I’ll arrange your next steps,”
Yan Sui said, holding Meng Ting’s hand while addressing the heavily wrapped-up Gu Li.
Gu Li gave Yan Sui an inscrutable expression. “I can’t guarantee a cure without seeing the patient first.”
After a moment of thought, he added, “You saved my life. I’ll do my best.”
This Gu Li was a foreigner, but he spoke the Xia Country’s language fluently. To be more precise, he was proficient in eight languages, not including some lesser-known languages he could understand and speak but not write. Even without considering his medical skills, he was a linguistic prodigy.
So, communicating with Yan Sui in Xia Country’s language was no problem for him.
Yan Sui nodded and said nothing more. Meanwhile, Yan Yu and He Yue finally met Gu Li, the man they had been searching for all these years without success.
As Yan Yu studied Gu Li, Gu Li also glanced at Yan Yu, finding him somewhat familiar. However, Yan Yu’s emotions were far more complex. He had expended considerable effort to find Gu Li, but in the end, it was Yan Sui who found him.
But at least they had found him. He might be He Yue’s last hope for his legs.
Gu Li couldn’t remember Yan Yu. As he removed his hat and the white cloth covering his mouth and nose, he said, “I’ve lost all my tools.” For a surgeon who frequently worked in war zones, this was quite a serious issue, highlighting just how perilous his previous situation had been.
Yan Sui nodded. “Wait a moment. They’re being fetched.”
Almost as soon as Yan Sui finished speaking, Zhen Han walked in, carrying a box in his hand. “They just arrived. All custom-made to the highest specifications. Let me know if they don’t suit you.”
Originally, he could have sent someone else to fetch them, but Zhen Han still went personally, inspected everything, and brought it back himself.
Gu Li placed his hat and white scarf aside, then turned around. The living room, which had already fallen silent, became completely quiet.
The most shocked among them was undoubtedly Yan Manjia. How could she suddenly see an older version of Zhen Han?
If Yan Sui and Yan Yu were about five to six parts similar, then Zhen Han and Gu Li were about eight to nine parts alike. To put it simply, they were almost like they were cast from the same mold, so much so that it’s astonishing.
The one or two parts that differed were the colors of their pupils. Zhen Han’s were pure black, while Gu Li’s were a brownish-yellow. Of course, in terms of demeanor, Gu Li carried a sense of worldly weariness. He wasn’t old, but he didn’t have the youthful freshness that Zhen Han possessed.
“You, you you… how come you look so much like my baby Han Han?” Yan Manjia walked over and questioned him in confusion.
Gu Li couldn’t help but rub his face. His gaze shifted from Zhen Han’s face to Yan Manjia. “Are you his mother?”
This wasn’t hard to guess. From Yan Manjia’s age and the way she addressed Zhen Han, it was easy to deduce.
Yan Manjia’s heart fluttered with panic, and she instinctively nodded. Then, she asked irritably, “Who exactly are you?”
If Gu Li’s face wasn’t the result of intentional plastic surgery, then it was likely that the person she had spent a night with years ago was standing right in front of her. But she truly had no memory of him.
“My name is Gu Li.”
Before Gu Li could say anything more, Zhen Han, who had walked over, grabbed him by the collar. “So it’s you…”
As soon as Zhen Han finished speaking, he punched Gu Li in the face. Suddenly seeing someone who looked so much like him made Zhen Han feel very uncomfortable. He still needed his hands to treat He Yue, so he couldn’t risk injuring them, but punching a face was no big deal.
After he finished beating the person, he put down the surgical box, grabbed Yan Manjia’s hand, and dragged her back upstairs.
“This…” Gu Li rubbed the spot where Zhen Han had hit him, his expression quite complex. He had remembered who Yan Manjia was, but he never expected that Yan Manjia would have given birth to such a grown son for him.
“Let’s focus on the treatment first,” Yan Sui spoke up, then glanced at Yan Yu, who was also struggling to control his anger.
Meng Ting walked over and pushed He Yue away from Yan Yu’s side, while Yan Sui stepped between Gu Li and Yan Yu, ushering them into He Yue and Yan Yu’s room.
Gu Li washed his hands first, then came over to examine He Yue’s leg. He spent nearly half an hour looking it over before finally speaking, “I only have a thirty percent chance of success.”
But as soon as he said this, both Yan Yu and He Yue’s eyes lit up. They had encountered many doctors, but the vast majority of them didn’t even dare to give them even a ten percent chance. Yet, Gu Li told them there was a thirty percent chance.
“That’s too low. Is there any way to increase it?”
Yan Sui looked at Gu Li, his brow slightly furrowed. He wasn’t satisfied with Gu Li’s assessment.
“Speak freely,” Yan Sui emphasized again.
Originally, he might not have brought it up, but now that Gu Li clearly feeling guilty towards them, he wants to add a bit more difficulty.
“If you can bring Dr. Bart here, and we work together, we can increase the chance by another twenty percent.”
Bart Brook was once a renowned Doctors Without Borders[mfn]無國界醫生 (wú guó jiè yī shēng): Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced [medsɛ̃ sɑ̃ fʁɔ̃tjɛʁ]), known in some English-speaking settings as Doctors Without Borders, is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. MSF was founded in 1971, in the aftermath of the Biafran famine of the Nigerian Civil War, by a small group of French doctors and journalists who sought to expand accessibility to medical care across national boundaries and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.[/mfn], on par with Gu Li. However, finding him would likely be even more challenging than locating Gu Li, as he now works at a government research institute in Country A, making it difficult for ordinary people to reach him, let alone bring him to Xia Country.
“If he can come, that would be best. If not, I need a certain medicine he has, which can increase the effectiveness by another ten percent.”
Yan Sui nodded gently, “I’ll find a way.”
“Let me handle it. I’m more familiar with matters in Country A,” Yan Yu said, his gaze shifting from He Yue’s leg to Yan Sui. His personality had never been suited for being a conventional family heir. Over the years, he had been traveling around with He Yue. How could it have been possible without some level of security?
His ability to move freely across countries wasn’t a coincidence; he had a team of people under him as well.
Yan Sui hesitated for a moment before nodding, “I’ll have my people coordinate with you to speed things up.”
Yan Yu nodded, “That works.”
But even though he said this, he still felt a bit helpless inside; Yan Sui really underestimated him quite a bit.
“Before they find the person and the medicine, I’ll handle the daily care for you,” Gu Li said, then noticing the hands of Yan Yu and He Yue intertwined, he quickly added, “I’ll teach you, and you can do it for him.”
Yan Yu nodded, his gaze lingering on Gu Li with a hint of confusion. This person before him was actually the scoundrel who had gotten Yan Manjia pregnant back then.
Gu Li immediately began teaching Yan Yu, while Yan Sui and Meng Ting watched for a while before leaving the room.
The two people exchanged glances and walked upstairs together.
In the process of searching for a doctor, they had unexpectedly found Zhen Han’s father, something even Yan Sui hadn’t anticipated.
***
The door to Yan Manjia’s room was open. She and Zhen Han had returned upstairs without saying much, just staring at each other—one looking aggrieved, the other furious.
Yan Sui and Meng Ting were also at a loss, but the two of them just glaring at each other wasn’t helping.
“Auntie, do you really not remember anything at all?”
Yan Manjia shook her head very firmly upon hearing this. She said, both anxious and aggrieved, “I really don’t know who he is.”
Her eyes swept over Zhen Han, and she became even more distressed, “He’s not going to try to take Han Han away from me, is he? I won’t let him. Han Han is my son.”
“Take what? Am I a three-year-old child?” There were times when he didn’t even want to acknowledge Yan Manjia, let alone this biological father who had appeared out of nowhere.
“If he forced you, I won’t let him off.”
Zhen Han’s tone was quite dark. He glanced at Yan Sui and snorted, “I know my limits. I won’t act as long as he’s still useful.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just brought Yan Manjia back upstairs.
Yan Manjia’s current state of shock was even greater than when she had suddenly discovered she was carrying a baby. She had always thought Zhen Han was a child given to her by heaven, but it turned out he wasn’t. Her face was crestfallen, her thoughts wandering who knows where.
“Don’t act impulsively. If things are as you say, I won’t let him off either.”
Yan Sui spoke up. Yan Manjia was his aunt, and he wouldn’t let her down.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 069.1″]
哭喪着臉/哭喪著臉 (kū sāng zhe liǎn/kū sang zhe liǎn): to put on a long face; to look unhappy or depressed; sullen; to scowl miserably; wear/pull a long face; go around with a long/gloomy face; look gloomy/depressed; to be unhappy and look unhappy.無所適從 (wú suǒ shì cóng): not knowing which course to follow (idiom); at a loss what to do; to not know what course to take; not know whom to turn to.
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