PTBLSI chapter 24

The hospital lights were very bright. They washed away the redness from Qi Xi’s face caused by his fever. His skin looked rosy, with a hint of pale white. It was moist and glossy, as if light were seeping out from within.

Fu Yanchuan lightly touched his face, then pressed him back down to lie flat. Standing by the bed, he lowered his gaze and said, “There is no feeling that lasts a lifetime. Rest well.”

“How can there be none?”

Qi Xi leaned over and grabbed Fu Yanchuan’s wrist again. “As long as you’re willing, I can like you my whole life! Do you just want to play around with me, then push me away?”

He felt wronged as he spoke, yet he still thought of Fu Yanchuan and added, “If that’s the case, can you at least stay a little longer? I’ll really be reluctant to part with you.”

Fu Yanchuan held the paper cup he had just used to give Qi Xi a drink. He paused for a moment, then pushed Qi Xi back down again. “Rest well. I’ll throw away the trash.”

This time, Qi Xi finally didn’t get up. His stomach still hurt, and he felt dizzy. He wrapped himself in the blanket, curled up, and left one eye open to stare in the direction that Fu Yanchuan had left. He insisted that Fu Yanchuan come back before he closed his eyes.

Fu Yanchuan sat down on the plastic stool beside Qi Xi’s hospital bed. Qi Xi didn’t move at all. His eyes were still closed. But a hand stretched out from the blanket. First, it touched Fu Yanchuan’s knee. Then, it moved upward to find the edge of his clothes. It gripped it tightly and refused to let go.

The heating here wasn’t enough. With his hand left outside, it quickly turned icy cold. Fu Yanchuan looked at that hand for a long while and ultimately held it.

Early the next morning, Qiu Yizhou came to the hospital. Qi Xi was still receiving his final IV drip. He walked over to the bed and saw Fu Yanchuan sitting calmly with dark circles under his eyes, tightly holding one of Qi Xi’s hands.

“President Fu, have you been sitting here this whole time?”

When Qiu Yizhou spoke, Fu Yanchuan seemed to notice his arrival for the first time. He lifted his eyes to glance at Qiu Yizhou, then looked back at Qi Xi on the bed and didn’t answer.

Qiu Yizhou couldn’t help but say, “Back when Qiao Ye was injured, you weren’t like this. Are times different now, or are you different from before?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t respond. He tucked Qi Xi’s hand back into the blanket, stood up, stretched, and asked, “Have the things from the hotel been packed and brought over?”

Qiu Yizhou’s eyes instantly filled with curiosity and doubt as he stared at him. “Well… I saw that none of the sets in the room were used. Don’t tell me you really have no seven emotions and six desires[mfn]Seven emotions and six desires (七情六欲) is a classic concept from Chinese philosophy and traditional culture, used to describe basic human feelings and wants. The seven emotions (七情)—joy (喜), anger (怒), sorrow (哀), fear (惧), love (爱), hate (恶), and desire (欲)—represent natural emotional responses to the world, while the six desires (六欲) describe basic human wants connected to the senses and the mind, such as craving what we see, hear, smell, taste, physically experience, and mentally pursue.[/mfn]?”

Fu Yanchuan shot him a warning glance, then turned to look at Qi Xi’s IV. It was almost finished. He called the nurse to remove the needle, and only after it was pulled out did he bend down to wake Qi Xi.

Before dawn, Qi Xi hadn’t really slept. Sometimes it hurt; sometimes he was cold; sometimes he was hot; sometimes he had to go to the bathroom—it was especially exhausting. Fu Yanchuan was curious. Qi Xi acted like no one had ever taken care of him. How exactly had he grown up like this? Who had endured being worn down by him in the past?

“Mm—”

Qi Xi stretched lazily before seeing Fu Yanchuan clearly. As soon as he stretched, his stomach hurt again, and he immediately curled up.

Fu Yanchuan pressed a hand to his stomach and said, “Don’t move around.”

Qi Xi wriggled around on the bed a few times and finally felt better. Fu Yanchuan helped him sit up. “We’re going back. Can you walk?”

“If you let me hug you for a bit, I’ll be able to walk.”

Qiu Yizhou sucked in a breath from the side. Fu Yanchuan leaned over and let Qi Xi lean into his arms and rub against him for a long while. Only then did Qi Xi lift the blanket and get off the bed.

Fu Yanchuan suddenly asked, “Clothes?”

“Servant” Qiu Yizhou handed Qi Xi the clothes he had brought. Fu Yanchuan gave Qi Xi the bag and said, “Go change in the restroom.”

The hospital heating wasn’t strong enough. Qi Xi was only wearing thin pajamas underneath. Once he stepped out of the blanket, he felt cold. He took the bag that Fu Yanchuan handed him and hurried toward the restroom.

Fu Yanchuan followed behind him and said, “Slow down.”

The restroom had many stalls. There weren’t many people there early in the morning, and it had just been cleaned.

Qi Xi randomly entered a stall, hung his bag on the wall, and began to take off his clothes. But when he got to his pants, he lost his balance, fell, and bumped into the partition.

The next moment, the door he had forgotten to lock was pushed open. Fu Yanchuan looked in, sweeping his gaze over Qi Xi from head to toe. Then he squeezed into the stall and closed the door.

Qi Xi didn’t know why Fu Yanchuan had come in. His pajama pants were only hanging loosely from one leg. He lifted that leg to take off the pants, but having lost his balance, he was relying entirely on the partition to support himself.

Fu Yanchuan said nothing. He stepped closer to support him. With his other hand, he steadily lifted the leg that still had pants on it. His palm slid slowly along Qi Xi’s leg. He removed the remaining pant leg and put Qi Xi’s leg back down. Finally, he looked at Qi Xi properly.

Qi Xi wasn’t stupid. He knew that no normal person would help someone take off pajama pants like this. He avoided Fu Yanchuan’s gaze, pushed away the hand at his waist, and said, “I can do it myself.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t answer, but he didn’t move either. He stood facing him against the door panel, motionless, his eyes fixed on Qi Xi.

“You go out.”

Fu Yanchuan replied calmly: “Afraid you’ll fall again.”

Qi Xi felt that it wouldn’t matter if he fell, but after glancing at Fu Yanchuan, he silently accepted the reasoning and took a small step back.

However, the partition was was only so small. There was nowhere to retreat. He could only stand less than a leg’s distance from Fu Yanchuan. He took off the remaining piece of clothing, and in an instant, he was left with only the final covering on his body. He thought of yesterday’s single sofa and froze without knowing why.

“Get dressed quickly. You’re still sick,”

Fu Yanchuan reminded him. Only then did Qi Xi react to the cold and hurriedly put on his clothes. To save time, he didn’t button them; he just put everything on. While putting on his pants, he lost his balance again. Fu Yanchuan supported him once more and helped him put on his pants.

Once dressed, Qi Xi pushed Fu Yanchuan away again and hurried to fasten the buttons he had left unbuttoned before.

“You buttoned it wrong.”

Fu Yanchuan noticed that Qi Xi had fastened a button in the wrong place. He took Qi Xi’s hand away, reached up to undo the button, and finished buttoning for him.

Qi Xi let Fu Yanchuan handle it obediently. As he watched Fu Yanchuan’s focused movements, he suddenly understood why he had come in and immediately thought of his duty as a stand-in.

He lifted his face and smiled at Fu Yanchuan. “Brother Yan, do you want to play?”

Fu Yanchuan’s hands paused for a moment. Thinking he hadn’t made himself clear enough, Qi Xi said it straight. “I mean restroom play. We—”

As he spoke, he brushed Fu Yanchuan’s hand aside and leaned close. “—do it here?”

Someone came in from outside. Fu Yanchuan’s expression didn’t change at all. He pushed Qi Xi back, finished buttoning him up, straightened his collar, smoothed his coat, and said, “Put your socks on after we go out.”

“That’s it? We’re just leaving like this?”

Qi Xi felt a bit regretful. He stuffed the pajamas he had changed out of into the bag, turned to open the door, and then realized the stall was too small. The door opened inward, and with the two of them blocking the entrance, it couldn’t be opened at all.

“Brother Yan, move in a bit.”

He pushed Fu Yanchuan further inside as he tried negotiating, but Fu Yanchuan was too big and stuck there. Qi Xi pressed tightly against him and barely pulled the door open.

Just as he was about to get out, he saw the door finally open halfway. Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan grabbed his wrist, yanked him back, and slammed the door shut with one hand.

“Brother Yan? What’s wrong?”

Only then did Fu Yanchuan understand what Qi Xi had meant earlier. He pressed Qi Xi against the door, pinning him there. One hand buckled Qi Xi’s waist. He lowered his head close to Qi Xi’s lips and softly called him, “Qi Xi.”

Qi Xi tensed up from Fu Yanchuan’s breath, and his mind turned sluggish. “There’s someone out—”

Before he could finish, Fu Yanchuan kissed him. The sensations from yesterday afternoon revived inside his body. He thought Fu Yanchuan would kiss him like yesterday, but he only brushed his lips lightly and whispered in his ear,

“Don’t talk nonsense next time.”

“Talk nonsense about what?”

Qi Xi grabbed Fu Yanchuan’s waist with both hands, completely forgetting what he had just said.

Fu Yanchuan suddenly let go of him and straightened his coat. “Forget it if you forgot.”

The door that Qi Xi had struggled to open was easily opened when Fu Yanchuan shifted slightly to the side. Qi Xi followed him out of the stall.

Someone came in and saw them leaving the stall, immediately glancing at them with gossip-filled eyes.

Fu Yanchuan looked straight ahead. However, Qi Xi couldn’t help but notice other people’s gazes. Even though they hadn’t done anything, it still felt as if they had. It was as if being looked at meant the other person had seen everything.

He hurriedly stuck close behind Fu Yanchuan, hiding his face against his back as they walked. Fu Yanchuan’s hand silently reached over and held his hand.

After they left, they went straight to the airport. Qiu Yizhou drove with Qi Xi and Fu Yanchuan in the backseat.

It was Monday. Fu Yanchuan took out his tablet and started working again. Qi Xi craned his neck to look, but he didn’t understand anything. Gradually, he stopped looking at the tablet and started looking at Fu Yanchuan instead.

His hand quietly reached over to Fu Yanchuan’s side and tugged at the hem of the coat draped on the seat. The more he looked, the better Fu Yanchuan seemed. He decided that when they got back, he would finish the nude drawing.

The rental car company had a return location at the airport. While Qiu Yizhou returned the car, Fu Yanchuan took Qi Xi to eat breakfast.

When Qiu Yizhou returned, Fu Yanchuan went to exchange their boarding passes. He saw Qi Xi sitting alone on a bench and walked over to sit beside him.

When Qi Xi saw him, he immediately pulled out two steaming buns from his clothes. “For you,” he said.

For a moment, Qiu Yizhou forgot what he had planned to say. In his entire life, no one had ever brought him breakfast like this. When he took the buns, his palm was warmed almost to burning.

He couldn’t help but look at Qi Xi more closely and truly understand why Fu Yanchuan treated him differently. Summoning reckless courage, he asked Qi Xi, “If one day Fu Yanchuan no longer wants you, or if you’re not with him, would you consider me?”

Qi Xi tilted his head and stared at Qiu Yizhou, asking a question he never expected. “Do you also want to find a stand-in?”

“Did Fu Yanchuan tell you directly that he wanted you to be a stand-in?”

“Yeah! Otherwise, what?”

Qiu Yizhou suddenly felt truly despicable about Fu Yanchuan, especially when Qi Xi told him, with a completely unconcerned expression, “We even signed a contract. He promised to take care of me and my cat, support us until we’re old, and handle the end. So, I’ll be his stand-in.”

“What are you talking about?”

Fu Yanchuan suddenly appeared in front of them. Qiu Yizhou’s eyes widened in panic, but Qi Xi casually explained, “Lawyer Qiu said he wants a stand-in too.”

“Is that so?”

Fu Yanchuan’s gaze shifted over. Qiu Yizhou didn’t dare answer. Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan took the bun out of Qiu Yizhou’s hand—he hadn’t even taken a bite—and threw it in the trash.

“Brother Yan, why did you throw it away?”

Qi Xi wanted to pick the bun back out of the trash. It was still in its packaging and wouldn’t be dirty, but Fu Yanchuan pulled him away.

Qi Xi realized that Fu Yanchuan seemed angry, but he didn’t know why. He asked tentatively, “You didn’t want Lawyer Qiu to eat the buns?”

“He’s not worthy.”

The wall hadn’t been dug through, and now he wasn’t even worthy of eating a bun. Qiu Yizhou gave a dry laugh and followed the two of them silently.

Qi Xi hadn’t fully recovered yet. He slept through most of the flight. After getting off the plane, a car came to pick them up.

Qiu Yizhou tried to hitch a ride, but Fu Yanchuan left him on the side of the road. He suspected that Fu Yanchuan had overheard everything he said to Qi Xi at the airport.

Still, it was just talk. Given Fu Yanchuan’s strong reaction, could he really like Qi Xi?

First, Fu Yanchuan took Qi Xi to the same hospital as last time. Qi Xi saw his favorite Doctor Li again.

This time, there weren’t as many tests. However, Fu Yanchuan just wasn’t at ease and wanted Qi Xi to be examined again.

When the results were ready, Doctor Li went to report them to Fu Yanchuan. “Mr. Qi Xi’s results are the same as before. His constitution is naturally a bit weak. Suddenly changing climates and eating hot and cold foods together caused acute gastroenteritis. Just pay attention to his diet for a while and let him recover properly.”

He then carefully observed Fu Yanchuan and asked, “Mental stress can also trigger gastroenteritis. Has Mr. Qi Xi had any hyperventilation episodes in the past two days?”

There was no change on Fu Yanchuan’s face, and he didn’t answer.

Doctor Li guessed the answer. Though he didn’t know what had made Qi Xi overly tense, something must have happened. He carefully reminded Fu Yanchuan, “You should still pay attention. If it happens too often, the symptoms may worsen. Try not to let him get too nervous.”

Fu Yanchuan remained silent. Doctor Li didn’t say anything more, prescribed medicine for Qi Xi, and then Fu Yanchuan took him away.

Qi Xi didn’t know what the doctor had told Fu Yanchuan. The car they took today had separate seats again. After being on the road for a long time, he was exhausted. He slumped against the center armrest and reached out to tug at Fu Yanchuan’s sleeve.

When Fu Yanchuan looked over, Qi Xi asked, “Brother Yan, I always get sick. Will you think I’m useless?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Qi Xi. Qi Xi didn’t know what he was looking at, so he touched his face. “Is there something on my face?”

Fu Yanchuan still didn’t speak. He pushed Qi Xi upright, leaned over the center armrest toward him, and held his neck. The pad of his thumb rubbed against Qi Xi’s Adam’s apple.

Unconsciously, Qi Xi started breathing harder, thinking that Fu Yanchuan was going to kiss him again. However, Fu Yanchuan let go, pressed him back into his seat, turned around, and said sternly, “Sit properly.”

 

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