PTBLSI chapter 9

 

Bosen Hospital is an institution that provides private medical services to the world’s wealthy. On the way, Fu Yanchuan made a phone call. As soon as the car drove into the hospital grounds, Qi Xi received treatment that made him feel truly at home.

As soon as the car door opened, someone handed him a pair of fluffy, orange cat-shaped slippers. Then, a large group of medical staff and an emergency gurney gathered in front of the car door. Everyone looked at him with concern.

Qi Xi was a little scared. Fu Yanchuan got out of the car on the other side and walked over. When he reached the door and glanced at Qi Xi, Qi Xi immediately ran over and hugged Fu Yanchuan around the waist. He pressed against his chest nervously and whispered, “Brother Yan, am I going to die?”

Fu Yanchuan’s brows knitted almost imperceptibly. He placed his hand on Qi Xi’s shoulder and said, “Don’t be afraid. As long as the checkups show nothing’s wrong, you’ll be fine.”

Qi Xi lifted his face to look at him. There was still a mist in his eyes. He blinked his beautiful peach-blossom eyes and said, “But there are so many of them.”

He stepped slightly in front of Qi Xi, blocking his view. Most of the medical staff had left, moving behind him where Qi Xi could no longer see them, leaving only two people and the gurney.

“There aren’t any now.”

Fu Yanchuan stepped aside. Qi Xi looked around, and then Fu Yanchuan picked him up in the princess carry he had hoped for. However, after turning around, Fu Yanchuan placed him on the gurney.

The remaining two people were about to push him away. He hurriedly grabbed Fu Yanchuan’s sleeve. “Brother Yan, I don’t want this. It looks like I’m seriously ill. I’m scared.”

The medical staff immediately offered, “Would a wheelchair be all right?”

Qi Xi didn’t like hospitals. When he was young, he was often sick and spent much of his time there with his mother. Later, after his mother passed away, temporary caregivers hired by his father were the only ones to accompany him when he was sick. His father rarely came to visit him and even said that he was always sick and that it was beyond annoying.

As he grew older, he worked hard to exercise his body. Although he didn’t become very strong, it helped somewhat. He went to the hospital far less often and no longer had to sleep alone in a hospital bed.

He clutched Fu Yanchuan’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Brother Yan, can you accompany me? I don’t want to be alone.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t speak. Qi Xi thought that Fu Yanchuan found him troublesome. He immediately jumped down and bounced twice in place. “I can walk by myself. You don’t have to carry me. Can you come with me? I don’t want to be alone in the hospital. It’s really scary in there.”

“What are you afraid of?”

Fu Yanchuan had rarely been sick, but he had often been to hospitals—because of Lin Xianjing. To him, a hospital was nothing more than a building. He didn’t understand what Qi Xi was afraid of.

Qi Xi rolled his eyes as he thought back. He himself didn’t quite understand either. He only remembered being alone in a hospital room. In the middle of the night, he was woken by noise coming from the next room. When he went out to investigate, he saw that a patient his own age who had spoken with him during the day had died. The patient’s mother cried so loudly that her voice echoed throughout the entire floor. From that time on, he associated hospitals with an indescribable kind of fear that lingered until now.

He thought about it for a long time but couldn’t come up with an answer. He looked at Fu Yanchuan, unsure how to respond. Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan took his hand and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Fu Yanchuan wasn’t sure what was wrong with Qi Xi either. On the way there, he booked a full set of checkups for him. He silently accompanied Qi Xi through each one. Although there was no need to wait in line, it still took time, and most of the examinations required Qi Xi to go in alone, leaving Fu Yanchuan to wait outside.

Halfway through, Qi Xi said, “Brother Yan, you should wait for me. This is too tiring for you.”

He stared at Qi Xi for a moment, then said it was fine.

When the examinations were finally finished, Qi Xi was sitting in a wheelchair. Some of the examination rooms were far apart, and the pants he was wearing were too long, so it was difficult for him to walk. Fu Yanchuan had originally planned to carry him, but Qi Xi was embarrassed with people watching, so Fu Yanchuan had someone bring over a wheelchair.

The doctor in charge of Qi Xi’s examinations came out with the results and reported to Fu Yanchuan.

“President Fu, you don’t need to worry. According to the results, Mr. Qi Xi doesn’t have any serious problems. He’s just relatively weak and sensitive, so he’s more prone to bumps and injuries than others. Hyperventilation syndrome is a physiological response to sudden emotional stress. It’s best not to let him face situations that cause excessive nervousness.”

Suddenly, Qi Xi stood up from the wheelchair and explained to the doctor, “I wasn’t nervous; it was just my first time with—”

Fu Yanchuan pulled Qi Xi over and covered his mouth. The doctor immediately realized that this was information he shouldn’t have heard, so he quickly lowered his head and pretended not to have heard anything.

He didn’t know Fu Yanchuan very well, but he had seen Fu Yanchuan many times because Fu Yanchuan’s mother had once been treated at their hospital. Although Fu Yanchuan had a face that could make people lose their souls, no one had ever dared to say more than one sentence to him. His entire presence could be summed up as “terrifying.”

Yet, Qi Xi seemed not to be afraid of Fu Yanchuan at all. He pried Fu Yanchuan’s hand away and said unhappily, “Why won’t you let me say it?”

“The doctor doesn’t need to know this.”

Fu Yanchuan spoke. The doctor immediately agreed. “Yes, yes! I don’t need to know. Mr. Qi Xi’s symptoms aren’t serious, but it’s best to avoid this as much as possible in the future to prevent the symptoms from worsening. Reports that take more time will be sent to President Fu later. This time, we’ve prescribed calming medication for Mr. Qi Xi. After taking it and sleeping for a while, he’ll be fine. There’s no need for hospitalization.”

Fu Yanchuan took the medicine that the doctor handed him, helped Qi Xi back into the wheelchair, and pushed him away.

Qi Xi turned around to say goodbye to the doctor. “Doctor Li, you’re the best doctor I’ve ever met. Goodbye. Next time I get sick, I’ll come look for you again.”

The doctor was curious about who Qi Xi really was and replied cautiously, “Thank you, but don’t get sick again next time.”

Fu Yanchuan pushed Qi Xi back to the parking garage. Suddenly, Qi Xi stood up from the wheelchair like a medical miracle and said to Fu Yanchuan with certainty, “I’ll get in the car myself.”

Fu Yanchuan watched as Qi Xi rolled up his pant legs and climbed into the car. For some reason, he smiled.

Today, Fu Yanchuan was driving an off-road vehicle. Qi Xi fastened his seatbelt. When he saw Fu Yanchuan get in, he said, “Brother Yan, about the hospital money this time—wait until you pay me my salary, then I’ll pay you back.”

Fu Yanchuan glanced at Qi Xi strangely. Only after driving the car out did he say, “You don’t need to pay.”

“But—”

Qi Xi felt that he couldn’t take too much advantage of Fu Yanchuan. Otherwise, if he started to dislike him, he wouldn’t be good to him anymore. Then, he wouldn’t want him as a stand-in, and he’d end up wandering the streets with Dasheng again.

Fu Yanchuan replied calmly, “Since we signed a contract, I’ll take care of your health. This counts as part of the contract.”

Qi Xi tilted his head and thought about it. The contract said that Fu Yanchuan had to take care of him, so paying for his medical treatment also counted as taking care of him.

He instantly figured out the logic and felt relieved. “Then next time, be gentler. Otherwise, you won’t have a stand-in anymore.”

Fu Yanchuan’s hand tightened around the steering wheel. He glanced at Qi Xi out of the corner of his eye and drove back in silence.

After getting out of the car, Fu Yanchuan walked ahead. Qi Xi rolled up his pant legs and chased after him. However, after only two steps, his pant legs fell down again. He stepped on them and pitched forward. Just as he was about to fall, a strong arm scooped him up.

He turned his head and saw Fu Yanchuan. He laughed and said, “Hehe, I knew Brother Yan would catch me. Thanks, Brother Yan. But can you walk a little slower?”

Fu Yanchuan stared at Qi Xi, who was looking up at him, for a moment. Suddenly, he lifted Qi Xi again and slung him over his shoulder.

Caught completely off guard, Qi Xi ended up hanging upside down behind Fu Yanchuan. His head spun for two seconds. He lightly poked Fu Yanchuan’s lower back with his finger. Fu Yanchuan stiffened noticeably. Qi Xi said, “Brother Yan, can you carry me on your back? Be my dad for once.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t answer. Qi Xi continued, “The contract says you have to coax me and make me happy.”

“The contract doesn’t say I have to carry you.”

It was only after saying this that Fu Yanchuan realized he had fallen into Qi Xi’s logic. Qi Xi said righteously, “But this makes me happy!”

Unconsciously, Fu Yanchuan squeezed Qi Xi’s leg once. Contrary to Qi Xi’s expectations, he still carried him upstairs in that over-the-shoulder way.

After entering the house, Qi Xi was put down. Shaking his dizzy head, he asked, “Brother Yan, why don’t you want to carry me on your back?”

Fu Yanchuan stared at Qi Xi for a long while before lowering his voice to answer, “I don’t want to be your dad.”

“Oh.” Qi Xi thought this reason was sufficient. After all, his dad was a cheater who didn’t care about him, so he wasn’t a good person. No one would want to be like him.

He stared at Fu Yanchuan’s face, which looked like a manga protagonist’s, and thought for a moment. Then he asked, “Brother Yan, what are we doing next?”

“What else can you do?”

Qi Xi felt that what had happened earlier wasn’t finished, but he didn’t know whether to continue. Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan’s gaze became scary again as he looked at Qi Xi and said, “Go to sleep.”

After returning from the hospital, it was almost dawn. Qi Xi felt it was getting late, so he said goodbye to Fu Yanchuan: “Goodnight, Brother Yan.”

When Fu Yanchuan didn’t respond, Qi Xi had no choice but to leave. He left behind a message for Fu Yanchuan: “Then next time we’ll get into bed again.”

Qi Xi said this as if they would meet again soon. Fu Yanchuan froze, watching Qi Xi run toward the hallway leading to his room. Suddenly, he called out to Qi Xi.

“Qi Xi.”

Qi Xi turned back. “What’s wrong?”

“Come back.”

As soon as Fu Yanchuan finished speaking, Qi Xi jogged back to him, his eyes curving into a smile. “Do you still want to get into bed with me?”

“Take the medicine before you go to sleep.”

Qi Xi lowered his head and saw the medicine that Fu Yanchuan handed him. He was instantly moved. He ran over and hugged Fu Yanchuan, saying, “Brother Yan, not even my dad has cared about me this much. Why are you so good?”

“Go to sleep.”

Fu Yanchuan pushed Qi Xi away. Still reluctant to let go of his sleeve, Qi Xi said to him again, “Brother Yan, good night! You should go to sleep early, too. I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow!”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t move. He watched Qi Xi run back into his room.

Qi Xi set an alarm so that he could make breakfast for Fu Yanchuan the next day. But the bed was too comfortable. He turned off the alarm ten times before finally remembering why he had set it.

He had slept wearing Fu Yanchuan’s clothes. The pants, which were already too big, had rolled down inside the blanket. He sat up, thought about life for half a minute, then lifted the blanket and got out of bed.

The orange cat followed him immediately. He casually picked it up and went barefoot to the laundry room to get the clothes he had dried the day before.

It was only seven o’clock. Assuming Fu Yanchuan was still asleep, he boldly walked through the living room, only to run into him, who had just come back from his morning run.

Fu Yanchuan wasn’t wearing glasses. He was dressed in sportswear, and his hair, left unstyled, hung down, covering some of the sharpness of his features and making him look much more approachable.

Qi Xi froze, looking him up and down several times. Finally, he ran up to him and said, “Brother Yan, you look different like this. It’s a different kind of handsome! How can you be this good-looking?”

Fu Yanchuan stood still. A bead of sweat wrapped in a strand of hair slid down from his temple. He examined Qi Xi with a gaze that wasn’t as straightforward as Qi Xi’s but contained the restrained desires of an adult.

Wearing only a shirt and holding a cat, he exuded a unique sense of laziness, like a little prince from a fairy tale who didn’t partake in the pleasures of the mortal world. He was so clean and pure that he seemed unreal, making one unable to resist the urge to destroy and stain him.

 

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