Thank you @Limb for kofis ♨(⋆‿⋆)♨
Bonus chapter 1/5
Chapter 26: Accompany the patient
The moment Shen Ci pulled open the door, he froze, his brows furrowing uncontrollably.
When he had left the room, Xie Yu was still lying peacefully on the bed, breathing evenly and gently, sleeping serenely. But he had only been gone for half an hour; how had it come to this?
Xie Yu was half-kneeling on the floor, one hand pressed tightly against his forehead, the other vigorously tugging at the carpet with enough force to seemingly pull the fibers off. His back was arched, his face pale, and his lips were also bloodless. His pajamas were soaked and clinging to his body. Looking closely, his neck seemed to be twitching, and his body was subtly trembling.
Shen Ci’s gaze fell on his fingers, and his face became even more strained.
Xie Yu’s hands were beautiful, well-proportioned, and long—hands that could be hand models on television. But that segment of his finger bone was now dangling limply; it was not a normal injury but had been forcibly bent. And its owner showed no regard for the pain, even attempting to bend a second one.
Shen Ci snapped, “Xie Yu!” His throat was dry and bitter, his voice trembling at the end.
Xie Yu: “…?”
He was startled and looked up blankly, then he saw Shen Ci standing in front of the door. His face looked extremely ugly, his beautiful brows were gloomy, and his eyes contained emotions that he could not understand.
Xie Yu was slightly surprised. He suppressed the pain and intermittently asked the system in his mind, “Shen Ci… why is he here… yesterday, did he bring me back yesterday?”
He had blacked out from drinking and had truly forgotten everything that happened before. The system informed him, “Yes, Host, yesterday you were at the cemetery, and as soon as you came down, Shen Ci was standing at the entrance…”
Before it could finish speaking, a sudden flurry of footsteps sounded. Xie Yu hastily looked up and saw Shen Ci walk directly toward him, stopping half an inch in front of him, then bending down and kneeling—
Xie Yu’s throbbing forehead cleared for a moment. He stared fixedly at the face so close to him, thinking, “Are we finally back on track?”
That part of the plot, was it finally here?
He sighed inwardly: “Too bad it’s really bad timing.”
Xie Yu was suffering from a splitting headache and felt weak all over at this moment. He wasn’t sure if it was from drinking too much or from being in the rain, but even his bones ached, and he felt chills all over. He wasn’t in the mood to act or recite lines; he just wanted to lie on a soft bed and get some good sleep.
But since it had already happened, Xie Yu forced himself to cheer up: “System, pull up the original dialogue, I…”
But the next second, he was embraced.
Shen Ci had just returned from work, dressed in a suit and tie, looking refined and abstinent. But now he was half-kneeling on the ground, completely disregarding the creases forming in his clothes. He wrapped his arms around Xie Yu, tightening his grip forcefully. The intensity was so great that it was less of an embrace and more of a restraint.
Xie Yu hesitantly raised his hand and touched Shen Ci’s back, feeling somewhat at a loss.
He felt Shen Ci trembling. To be precise, both of them were trembling. Xie Yu was due to his headache, but Shen Ci’s reason was unknown. He just stubbornly held onto him, his palms pressed against Xie Yu’s back, his fingertips clenching tightly, as if this was the last embrace of his life.
Xie Yu belatedly sensed that Shen Ci’s mood was off. As the designated aloof protagonist of an abusive novel, Shen Ci rarely showed outward emotion, let alone trembling while holding someone like this. Xie Yu couldn’t guess what had happened to him, so he gently patted him, wanting to ask, “What’s wrong? Did someone trouble you?”
It was late in the novel; it shouldn’t be.
But Xie Yu’s throat was terribly hoarse, and his voice was stuck, ultimately unspoken.
Shen Ci stabilized his emotions first. He lifted Xie Yu’s arm, trying to pull him up from the floor, but failed.
Xie Yu was an adult man and taller than him, so pulling him up wasn’t easy. Shen Ci stubbornly tugged at him: “To the bed.”
Xie Yu was slightly stunned but still cooperated, shifting his body. Under Shen Ci’s guidance, he lay back on the bed.
A soft blanket was pulled over him, wrapping him completely. Xie Yu was still bewildered, but then he saw Shen Ci sit down by the bed, placing his hands on his shoulder blades and using his weight to control his arms.
Xie Yu: “…”
This was a posture similar to restraining a prisoner. He couldn’t move, so he could only ask, “System, what’s going on?”
The system was even more confused than he was: “I don’t know? Is this part of the plot?”
Xie Yu: “…What good are you to me?”
He and the system were speechless, so he could only turn his gaze back to Shen Ci. The elegant and handsome man was also sweating. His dark, tea-colored eyes gazed at him deeply, as if in sorrow. Xie Yu struggled to move his arm, realizing it was held tightly under Shen Ci’s weight. He hesitated, looking at Shen Ci, and tried to negotiate: “Can you… can you let go of me?”
His finger was still broken, after all.
Shen Ci’s voice trembled: “Wait a moment, I’ll call the hospital.”
With that, he maintained his hold on Xie Yu and fumbled for his phone in a hurry. He fumbled several times before he could grasp it firmly. He also pressed the wrong keys multiple times. The once steady and calm President Shen, Executive Shen, and Assistant Shen were completely gone, replaced by a pair of slightly trembling hands.
Xie Yu paused, then paused again.
…Is this part of the plot?
Calling the hospital seemed to fit, but looking at Shen Ci’s demeanor, it wasn’t like that at all.
Shen Ci sat by his bed, his lips tightly pressed, his brow deeply furrowed, and his raven-like eyelashes still slightly trembling. He didn’t seem to be experiencing the joy of getting revenge, but rather…
Concern.
For some reason, Xie Yu suddenly said in a hoarse voice, “I don’t want to go to the hospital right now.”
His head was killing him; he didn’t want to go out into the wind.
Upon hearing this, Shen Ci’s movements paused. He closed his phone, and his voice softened: “Then what do you want to do?”
Xie Yu probed, “Sleep?”
“Okay.” Shen Ci forced a smile, a kind of sharp bitterness clinging to his heart. “Then you sleep.”
With that, he truly pulled up the covers for Xie Yu, closed the curtains, dimmed the lights, and made the room perfectly suitable for sleeping.
Xie Yu moved slightly. The blanket was wrapped around him like a zongzi[mfn]
[/mfn], and Shen Ci was pressing down on his arm, making it difficult to turn over: “Are you going to sit here the whole time?”
Shen Ci: “I’ll sit here the whole time.”
His tone was firm, as if this was the only point, leaving no room for discussion.
So Xie Yu closed his eyes.
This feeling was strange. He lay heavily on the bed with his eyes closed, while someone quietly watched him from the bedside, like when he was sick as a child and a family member stayed by his side.
Xie Yu hadn’t experienced this; his mother died early, and his father was a quick-tempered gambler. But in school, he used to hear classmates say that when they were sick, someone would always be there to accompany them like this.
Although sleepy, his head still throbbed with pain. Xie Yu turned over and looked at Shen Ci again: “I want water.”
Shen Ci then got up, brought him a cup of hot water, and placed it beside him: “Drink.”
Xie Yu took two sips. Shen Ci asked him, “Do you want some porridge?”
Xie Yu turned over and buried himself in the covers: “No.”
Shen Ci smiled, said nothing, and let him be.
He slept restlessly, vaguely feeling the warmth on his forehead, as if someone was wiping away his sweat with a warm towel.
When he finally woke up, it was already noon.
The sharp pain finally receded. Xie Yu, with his bird’s nest-like hair, sat up, hearing the system’s cool taunt: “Young master, did you sleep well?”
Xie Yu raised his hand. His broken finger bone had already been reset and was wrapped in a dark blue splint. He moved the finger bone; the movement was smooth with no discomfort.
Xie Yu: “System, did you reset it? Why is there still a splint?”
He thought it would be pain-free restoration, but was the medical skill of the Transmigration Bureau so shoddy?
The system was speechless: “Brother, do you think I could reset it in that situation? Would it be appropriate?”
Shen Ci was right there, almost inseparable. If Xie Yu’s broken finger suddenly reset itself without any external force, wouldn’t that be haunting?
Xie Yu said, “Fair point.”
He tried to get out of bed but felt utterly weak and soft, worse than before.
System: “Stop fussing. Xu Qingshan just came and gave you a sedative injection and some anti-bipolar medication.”
Xie Yu: “…?”
He sat up halfway: “I’m not sick; can I just take random medication?”
Psychiatric medications often have strong side effects, and it’s easy for normal people to have problems if they take them indiscriminately.
System: “It’s fine, I filtered it for you. It won’t affect your body.”
After answering the question, it continued, “They are currently in the living room of the suite. Xu Qingshan also brought a stretcher and restraints, as well as a lot of sedatives. If I’m not mistaken, he’s going to take you to the mental hospital soon.”
Xie Yu: “.”
The suite was divided into a bedroom and a living room. The door was ajar, and he could vaguely see the living room lights on. Someone was speaking in hushed tones, seemingly discussing his condition.
Xie Yu: “System, listen to what they’re saying.”
—
In the living room, Xu Qingshan sat on the leather sofa, still wearing his hospital scrubs, which were full of wrinkles and obviously hastily put on. His face was grim. He pulled out a pen with one hand and flipped open Xie Yu’s past medical records: “Mr. Shen, please describe the situation in detail.”
Shen Ci pressed his forehead, his face as grim as Xu Qingshan’s: “At the cemetery, it was drizzling. I picked Xie Yu up. He had been drinking; he must have been drunk…”
Shen Ci omitted unnecessary details and didn’t mention why he went to pick up Xie Yu, but he meticulously described every detail of Xie Yu’s headache.
The system listened in, relaying the conversation. It included phrases like “face as pale as parchment,” “trembling all over,” and “soaked in cold sweat,” leaving Xie Yu dumbfounded.
“I just had a headache from drinking too much. Why are they describing me as if I’m about to kick the bucket?”
System: “They really seem to think you’re about to kick the bucket.”
Xu Qingshan’s expression was unprecedentedly serious: “So, he exhibited severe self-harming behavior? And headache, fainting… was he disoriented?”
Shen Ci: “Yes.”
Inside the room, Xie Yu was greatly alarmed: “Was I?”
Shen Ci lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly: “He didn’t know who I was and asked me to take him to the mental hospital.”
Inside the room, Xie Yu: “.”
Xu Qingshan sighed, shaking his head as he wrote the medical record. In a short while, he had filled a thick page. He stared at that page for a long time, then said, “The symptoms are a bit severe. I recommend hospitalization for observation.”
Shen Ci pinched his palm: “Must he go?”
The living conditions in a mental hospital, of course, couldn’t compare to a five-star hotel, and it would be inconvenient for him to take care of Xie Yu there.
Xu Qingshan paused slightly: “Mr. Shen, if you’ll excuse my bluntness, I watched Xiaoyu grow up. I know what he’s like when he has an episode. If he stays here, both you and he will be in danger.”
This was the truth. Once bipolar disorder flared up, behavior became uncontrollable, harming not only others but also oneself.
Shen Ci sighed softly. Although he didn’t refute it, his expression clearly showed disapproval.
He didn’t think Xie Yu would hurt him.
For the past half-year, and these recent months, even when drunk or sick, Xie Yu hadn’t harmed him in the slightest.
Xu Qingshan’s gaze swept across Shen Ci’s face, seemingly guessing the relationship between this younger man and his nephew. A moment later, he shifted his gaze, pushed up his glasses, and said nothing.
Shen Ci, however, looked at the medical records in Xu Qingshan’s hand. He had seen them when Xu Qingshan flipped through them earlier—a thick stack, all densely written: “Can I see it?”
Xu Qingshan naturally shook his head: “No, it involves privacy. However, I can give you a general overview of precautions.”
The original owner was a very typical case of bipolar disorder, much more severe than Xie Yu himself. Symptoms appeared in adolescence, with irregular intervals, and were often accompanied by violent behavior. After a violent episode, he could calm down for a while.
This involuntary violent behavior was a means for the original owner to find relief.
Xu Qingshan: “Perhaps for some reason, Xiaoyu is no longer willing to harm others.”
When he said “others,” he gave Shen Ci a meaningful look before continuing, “So as compensation, he chooses to harm himself. This is also a possibility.”
Shen Ci’s face was grim, and he remained silent.
Xu Qingshan felt a mix of emotions, a little sentimental and a little relieved: “In any case, he seems to have grown up. His previous state was something neither his mother nor I wanted to see.”
Shen Ci kept his brows lowered, listening quietly, then suddenly let out a laugh and asked, “And what about this state now?”
Do you want to see him like this now?
Xu Qingshan was startled, about to respond, when Shen Ci gently waved his hand: “While he’s asleep, let’s go to the hospital.”
They gently pushed open the bedroom door. Xie Yu closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Xu Qingshan, confirming the sedative had taken effect, directed the medical staff to come up and lift him onto the ambulance.
It was a forty-minute drive. Xie Yu had slept for a day and a half and was long since well-rested. His mind was incredibly clear, but he had to keep his eyes closed and pretend to be asleep. These forty minutes felt like an eternity.
He summoned the system and had it play a movie on its electronic screen. The system brought up its movie library. After the two of them, one human and one system, made their selection, they decided to watch The Fast and the Furious. The tattooed tough guys sped through the movie, while the ambulance beneath Xie Yu drove steadily at thirty miles per hour, accompanied by the wailing siren, creating a unique ambiance.
But as he watched, his attention drifted from the screen.
Shen Ci was sitting beside him, holding his hand.
His movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were cradling something precious. His fingertips massaged the broken joint, rubbing the swollen flesh, allowing the congested blood vessels to relax. It felt a little numb and a little itchy.
Xie Yu’s eyelashes trembled, and he almost couldn’t maintain his composure.
The ambulance transported him directly to Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, where he was admitted to a VIP suite on the top floor. After a quick scan, Xu Qingshan prescribed some medication and administered a sedative to prevent Xie Yu from self-harming. Xie Yu only felt a slight prick in his arm—the system thoughtfully blocked even this minor pain for him. Once everything was settled, Xu Qingshan departed.
The ward was silent, with only Xie Yu and Shen Ci present.
On the system’s screen, The Fast and the Furious was playing with full intensity. It showed Diesel’s car soaring over the Burj Khalifa. The roaring sports car and the scattering glass fragments created a massive spectacle. The top-tier action movie delivered an overwhelming sensory assault, and the system was completely engrossed, unable to pull itself away. Yet, none of this could capture Xie Yu’s attention.
Shen Ci was still holding his hand.
Where their skin touched, it was both warm and itchy.
The ward was quiet except for the white noise of the central air conditioner. The lights were off, and the room was dim. Shen Ci just sat in the darkness, like a child who was about to lose something precious. He held Xie Yu’s wrist tightly in his hand. He clearly said nothing and did nothing. Xie Yu couldn’t even see his expression, yet he knew clearly that Shen Ci was sad.
Sad because he had broken his finger.
In the heavy darkness, a weighty feeling pressed on Xie Yu’s chest, giving him a dull, suffocating sensation. He wanted to ask Shen Ci, “Why are you sad? This is just part of the plot.” He wanted to say, “There’s nothing to be sad about; it doesn’t hurt at all.” He even wanted to hold up his finger and break it right there for Shen Ci to see: “See, it’s easy, no big deal.”
Time passed minute by minute. The movie neared its end, and the system was engrossed, unable to pull itself away. Xie Yu glanced at the progress bar; more than half an hour had passed.
Shen Ci, the CEO of Luo Group, with millions of contracts flowing through his hands, sat there for over half an hour, just accompanying Xie Yu.
In the profound silence, Xie Yu clearly felt the passage of time. The hand holding his wrist tightened and loosened, then finally let go. He was wondering whether to turn his head to look when something suddenly brushed the back of his hand.
It was soft and furry: hair.
Shen Ci had fallen asleep by the bed.
Xie Yu had been restless last night, holding onto Shen Ci all night and refusing to let go. After finally waking up, he broke his finger to distract himself from the headache, causing a big scene. Shen Ci’s nerves had been taut the entire time, and he was exhausted. Now, with a slight relaxation, he had actually fallen asleep.
On a whim, Xie Yu ignored the noisy screen. He quietly reached out and turned on the small bedside lamp.
Shen Ci was indeed sleeping, leaning against the bed. Although he wasn’t as tall as Xie Yu, he was still slender and tall. Sleeping curled up like that, his two long, straight legs had nowhere to rest, making it extremely uncomfortable. His elegant and handsome brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was having a troubled dream.
Xie Yu couldn’t resist gently rubbing the top of his head. The feeling was the same as five years ago.
Since returning to the country, Xie Yu hadn’t taken a good look at Shen Ci. He carefully observed how the “little beauty” had grown into a “great beauty.” His fingertips traced Shen Ci’s eyebrows and eyes, finally hovering over the corner of his eye, where they paused completely.
There was a faint redness there.
A very light and beautiful red, softly lingering at the corner of his eye, like a touch of cherry-colored blush. When his fingertip touched it, a thin layer of dampness covered it.
He had cried.
Although he never showed it in front of others, and Xie Yu had never seen him shed tears, the clear marks at the corner of his eye plainly showed that he had indeed cried.
Xie Yu paused slightly.
Shen Ci in the original text was a cold, arrogant, wooden beauty. No matter how much the original owner tormented and humiliated him, he wouldn’t beg for mercy, let alone cry. But now, he was sleeping by Xie Yu’s bed, and it was obvious that he had cried.
Why? Because Xie Yu broke his own finger bone?
It sounded a bit ridiculous—the aloof protagonist of an abusive novel shedding tears because an NPC broke a bone. But the truth was undeniable, and Xie Yu had no choice but to believe it.
Xie Yu stared blankly at the person beside his pillow, his emotions complex and inexpressible. After a moment, he let out a bitter laugh, not knowing if he was asking Shen Ci or himself: “Say, Assistant Shen, aren’t you a little too good to me?”
Ahh, my eyes… this is too sad… he’s a little too good to you, but you do match… so I guess it works? I think? Lol.