The pungent smell spread instantly.
Lin Zhu was caught off guard and inhaled it, immediately breaking into violent coughing.
His cold had only just recovered. Whether it was from the fumes or the coughing, his throat felt like it was burning in waves of pain. The wrenching cough quickly drained the strength from his body, and he could only tightly grip Zhong Yao’s clothes, while his body still kept sinking faintly downward.
A pair of arms from behind firmly wrapped around him and swiftly lifted him up, carrying him to an area with fresher air and better ventilation.
Someone came over and used clean water to urgently rinse his eyes. Lin Zhu frowned, instinctively trying to turn away, but his hand was already held again.
“Xiao Zhu, be good. Don’t move yet.”
The familiar warmth in his palm made Lin Zhu feel slightly reassured. He coughed twice and sighed softly with regret.
“I didn’t even get to eat the burger…”
Ever since he had accidentally been brought into the entertainment industry, Lin Zhu had also become someone strictly supervised by a nutritionist. Every day he had to follow a strict diet to maintain his health. Fast food like this, with little nutritional value, had already been off-limits for a long time.
The burning pain in his eyes gradually eased. With fresh air again, his throat also felt much better.
Lin Zhu leaned slightly into Zhong Yao’s arms and instinctively raised his hand to rub his eyes, but Zhong Yao gently stopped him, taking his hand and enclosing it in his palm.
Zhong Yao lowered his head, feeling his heart ease slightly, and kissed Lin Zhu on the forehead.
“I’ll make it for you again later.”
While they were speaking, the group of thugs was quickly taken away in police cars. Officers came over repeatedly apologizing, and politely suggested that they also get in the car and go to the nearest hospital for treatment immediately.
Lin Zhu tried to sit up, but Zhong Yao wouldn’t let him move. Instead, he carefully picked him up and got into the car.
The sirens blared continuously as they led the way. Lin Zhu was still thinking about the production crew left behind at the fast food restaurant, tugging at Zhong Yao’s sleeve.
“Ge, do we need to explain things to the crew? They must be terrified…”
Zhong Yao let out a quiet breath, pulling the overly worried manager closer into his arms and lightly tapped his forehead.
“I’ll handle it. Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable? Are your eyes still hurting?”
Lin Zhu was still coughing a little. Zhong Yao supported him with one arm, got a bottle of water, and carefully fed him a couple of sips.
Lin Zhu took small sips, holding onto Zhong Yao’s arm. Suddenly, something stirred in his mind.
Zhong Yao had been cut too!
His thoughts immediately sharpened. He quickly grabbed Zhong Yao’s left arm to check, but the moment he opened his eyes, he gasped sharply in pain.
“What’s wrong?” Zhong Yao’s expression tightened instantly. He reached over to steady him. “Does it hurt badly? Let me see. Don’t move—”
“I’m fine…”
Lin Zhu broke into a cold sweat from the pain, breathing shallowly, still tightly holding Zhong Yao’s wrist.
“Ge… yo-your arm is okay, right? You weren’t injured, were you? Let the doctor take a look later…”
Zhong Yao frowned deeply, holding the manager who was covering his eyes tightly in his arms. He no longer had time to lecture him. When the car finally stopped, he immediately lifted him up and rushed into the hospital.
“It was treated in time and there was no structural damage to the cornea. However, there seem to have been previous eye injuries, so the reaction to irritation is more severe.”
The doctor put away the penlight and told Lin Zhu to close his eyes again.
“The next one or two days will be the most uncomfortable. The swelling will go down and it will improve. You may still experience double vision or tearing when exposed to wind. Young people recover quickly, so try to avoid using your eyes during this period. When resting, keep your head slightly elevated to reduce ocular blood pressure. As long as you recover properly, your vision won’t be affected…”
Lin Zhu couldn’t really understand the medical terms, so he obediently put on an eye shield and sat in the consultation room waiting for the results.
Zhong Yao listened attentively. When there were things he didn’t understand, he would ask follow-up questions, discussing with the doctor for more than half an hour before finally feeling somewhat relieved.
At least it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
Knowing that proper rest would allow recovery, Zhong Yao finally relaxed slightly. He went back into the room intending to take Lin Zhu away, but when he reached the door, he suddenly paused.
Lin Zhu had somehow already stood up and was feeling around, trying to steady himself on nearby objects as he carefully took steps forward.
The usually confident and composed agent — who even got fierce like a little bandit — was now facing unfamiliar darkness with extreme caution. Every movement was hesitant, taking a long time just to step forward, unsure where the next step should land.
Zhong Yao suddenly recalled what the doctor had said.
The human body instinctively avoids risks that might harm the eyes. Normally, unless engaged in high-risk work, it’s rare for someone to repeatedly injure their eyes like this…
Lin Zhu’s hand missed something and was about to bump into the corner of a table.
Zhong Yao’s eyes tightened. He rushed over and caught him firmly in his arms.
“Careful—”
His words suddenly stopped. His brows furrowed as he held the cold manager tighter.
“What’s wrong? Still uncomfortable? Where does it hurt? We’re still in the hospital, let’s do another check—”
“I’m fine…” Lin Zhu trembled slightly in his arms, lifting his head a little.
Zhong Yao still wasn’t reassured. He sat down on the examination bed with him, touched his cold damp forehead, and unwrapped a candy to feed into his mouth. “Low blood sugar? Feeling dizzy?”
Lin Zhu, unable to see, could only rely on sound to find him. He shook his head gently. “I’m fine. Ge, just talk to me.”
In the moment when the pain had peaked, he had almost thought he would never be able to see anything again.
Even though he had often thought that it might be better not to see, his fear of darkness still hadn’t changed at all.
Hearing Zhong Yao’s voice made the earlier panic fade significantly.
Lin Zhu couldn’t help but burrow into his arms, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position, tightly hugging him, and reaching out to check his arm.
“It really didn’t break. Even a bandage wasn’t needed.”
Seeing what he was doing, Zhong Yao couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. He gently patted his wandering hands and adjusted his posture, guiding his hand into his shirt to carefully feel the area where the knife had cut him.
Lin Zhu’s body was already warm now, so warm it felt almost hot. After touching the smooth skin for a moment, he quickly pulled his hand back.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Yao finally relaxed, smiled faintly, pulled him into his arms, and gently patted him while handing him water.
After such a chaotic incident, Lin Zhu’s mind was entirely focused on having touched Zhong Yao earlier, completely forgetting his fear of darkness. He sat there happily sipping water.
“Don’t worry. The doctor said that with proper rest, everything will be fine. There’s nothing serious.”
Zhong Yao had already memorized the instructions, filtered out the unnecessary parts, and simply summarized the conclusion.
“I was thinking of taking you on a break anyway. Let’s go home for a while? My family has a ranch in the countryside. No computers, no filming, no cameras. Just rest properly for a while before coming back…”
Lin Zhu was almost boiling his water. His mind was still lingering on Zhong Yao’s strong, defined muscle lines, and he just nodded absentmindedly.
Zhong Yao gently ruffled his hair and pulled him back into his arms, letting out a soft breath.
Almost…
Just moments ago, even the doctor had said that Lin Zhu’s eyes were more fragile than normal. If the irritation had been slightly worse, his vision might have been permanently affected.
Zhong Yao closed his eyes, pushing away the lingering fear and anger, then lowered his head and kissed Lin Zhu’s forehead.
The agent was clearly still shaken, covered in cold sweat, his hair slightly damp.
Zhong Yao didn’t want him to stay in the crowded consultation room for too long, so he arranged for a high-grade hospital room and prepared to take him there for rest and further examinations.
Since the patient couldn’t see, a wheelchair had been brought to the door.
As they left the consultation room, Zhong Yao looked at the wheelchair and frowned slightly.
“Ge?” Lin Zhu sensed it and asked hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”
Zhong Yao rubbed his head but didn’t answer.
He didn’t think his manager would like this.
The nearby caregiver kindly explained, “Sir, patients with sudden vision problems often don’t dare to walk on their own. This is normal. The wheelchair is just to make it easier for you to move your friend around. It’s also inexpensive…”
Before he could finish, Lin Zhu had already sharply heard the word “wheelchair” and immediately stepped back, grabbing Zhong Yao’s hand tightly. “Ge, I think I can still be saved! Just help me a bit, I—”
“I know. Stay by my side.”
Zhong Yao smiled and gently interrupted the manager’s incoherent refusal, taking Lin Zhu’s hand and pulling him closer.
“Do you dare to walk?”
Lin Zhu couldn’t help but curve his lips upward. His heart suddenly felt bright and open.
Zhong Yao was holding his hand. Wherever they went, he would dare to go.
Lin Zhu nodded firmly and quickly stuck close behind Zhong Yao, following him step by step without leaving his side.
He wasn’t scared at all.
Zhong Yao’s hand was warm and strong, holding him steadily as they passed through the crowd, entered the elevator, and followed the caregiver’s guidance all the way to the ward.
With Zhong Yao leading him, every step Lin Zhu took was firm and steady.
Smooth, stable, uneventful, no accidents at all.
“Step two steps to the side, just two steps. Good, sit down.”
Zhong Yao released his hand, ruffling Lin Zhu’s hair. “Our agent is really amazing.”
Being praised all the way made Lin Zhu a little embarrassed. His face flushed slightly as he pursed his lips. “It was so exciting… I’ve wanted to experience something like this since I was a kid!”
Zhong Yao raised an eyebrow slightly at this oddly specific dream, wiping sweat from his forehead with a light laugh. “Then shall we go for another check-up later and walk again?”
“Okay!” Lin Zhu nodded excitedly.
“We don’t even need a wheelchair. If I practice more, I might even be able to walk on my own…”
After all the running around, he was a bit uncomfortable and instinctively wanted to rub his eyes again, but Zhong Yao stopped him in time, lifting his eye shield and gently wiping away the fine sweat.
Both of Lin Zhu’s hands were held, so he obediently kept them by his side, and inevitably remembered the sensation from earlier.
He had never touched it before… not even once in all those times!
Who would’ve thought his first “benefit” would come like this?
As Zhong Yao wiped his sweat, Lin Zhu absentmindedly thought about the earlier accident. Suddenly, a soft kiss landed on his eyelid, gentle and tender.
Zhong Yao had been speaking to him the whole time, his voice slightly hoarse now, but still full of warmth. “Does it still hurt?”
Lin Zhu straightened up and quickly shook his head.
He had already forgotten the pain.
“My eyes are fine. My wrist hurts a little.”
Maybe because of what he had just touched, Lin Zhu felt bolder than before. His ears turned slightly red, and he coughed softly before proactively offering his hand. “Ge… can you massage it for me?”
Zhong Yao, who had been worried out of his mind, couldn’t help but sigh helplessly at how the person in his arms was now oddly cheerful. He patted Lin Zhu’s head and dutifully took his wrist, massaging it carefully.
Lin Zhu buried himself in Zhong Yao’s embrace and felt even happier.
He had fought for Zhong Yao today.
Although he had been careless at the end and almost got ambushed, he had still fought a real, proper fight for him.
Lin Zhu had been obedient for a long time. Even when he did fight, it was only to scare others a little because he didn’t want to affect Zhong Yao. Now that he had finally fought properly, he felt a long-stagnant pressure in his chest completely release.
Watching the young agent quietly enjoying himself, Zhong Yao sighed and pressed his forehead against Lin Zhu’s.
“I was really scared…”
Lin Zhu tilted his head slightly, stunned.
“How dangerous was that? How scary? What if you got hurt?” For the first time, Zhong Yao seriously lectured him, his tone slightly heavy.
“When you’re fighting, how can you be distracted? In situations like that, you shouldn’t think about me; you should protect yourself first. If you can’t win, run… and don’t smile! No smiling. Remember this. This is life experience…”
Even while lecturing, he carefully massaged Lin Zhu’s wrist, afraid of using too much force anywhere. He didn’t look intimidating at all.
Lin Zhu obediently accepted the scolding with his eyes closed, the corners of his lips lifting more and more.
In the end, Zhong Yao, who was “angrily lecturing,” pulled him fully into his arms so he couldn’t be seen anymore.
Leaning against Zhong Yao’s chest, Lin Zhu heard his slightly fast heartbeat and felt a faint ache in his heart.
It had been so long since someone worried about him like this.
Maybe he shouldn’t fight so much anymore… now that someone cared.
A warm, bittersweet feeling bubbled up in his chest.
He quietly accepted the criticism and nodded. “I remember. I’ll be careful next time…”
Only then did Zhong Yao relax. He gently kissed his eyes again and straightened up slightly.
Sunlight spilled down, falling across Lin Zhu’s still-pale face.
His conjunctiva was still congested, and he still had light sensitivity. Feeling the brightness, he instinctively wanted to open his eyes, but Zhong Yao covered them gently. “Bear with it a little longer. It’ll hurt again if you open them now.”
Lin Zhu paused and obediently nodded.
Zhong Yao was about to get him some water when Lin Zhu suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Zhong Yao froze slightly, then relaxed his strength. “Xiao Zhu, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing… just keep covering my eyes like this. It feels comfortable.”
Lin Zhu shook his head, holding his hand in place and closing his eyes again.
“It feels really comfortable.”
With his eyes closed, his brows curved slightly. “I used to be really afraid of the dark, but when you held my hand, it suddenly didn’t feel scary anymore. It felt like I already had everything, seen everything, and it was all worth it…”
Zhong Yao’s brows furrowed slightly.
Lin Zhu had always been lively. Even blindfolded, he had been bouncing around and even stepped on his shoes a few times.
It was as if losing his sight didn’t affect him at all.
But Zhong Yao knew better.
He had once been told by Marlensius that the core of this film came from his agent’s idea, and no one understood better than Zhong Yao what these eyes meant to Lin Zhu.
Lin Zhu lay quietly in his hand, eyelashes fluttering gently against his palm.
Zhong Yao leaned closer and wrapped an arm around him. “Xiao Zhu… are you scared?”
Lin Zhu stiffened slightly.
After a pause, he nodded lightly.
“A little.”
“In the movie, after the protagonist’s eyes are injured, he can no longer read minds. I’m afraid that if I open my eyes, I won’t be able to either…” He paused, then curved his lips slightly. “But just a little. I don’t believe it. Even if I can’t read minds, does that mean I can’t be a good agent?”
Zhong Yao froze.
Lin Zhu tightened his arms around him.
“We’ve come this far. Everything we could clear, we’ve cleared. The rest is just walking forward. I even forced Huaying into using such underhanded methods to destroy themselves…”
He then looked up.
“This ability is something I use to protect you, Zhong Yao.”
“If it can’t protect you anymore, then I’ll protect you instead.”
“If I can’t stand in front of you with my ability anymore, then I’ll…”
He said it seriously, with the stubborn pride unique to youth, “I’ll stand in front of you myself.”
Zhong Yao stared at him, his heart pounding heavily.
Lin Zhu’s eyes grew slightly misty. “I’ve come this far… Ge, I only became your agent after confirming I could protect you.”
“No matter what happens this time, no matter whether I can still read minds in the future, I will always be your manager.”
“If I don’t even have the courage to confirm that much… then I’d be looking down on myself, and looking down on you.”
Zhong Yao could no longer hold back.
He pulled him tightly into his arms and kissed him.
Lin Zhu’s face flushed, lips parting slightly as he responded.
Zhong Yao held his shoulders, breathing slightly uneven, a hint of laughter in his voice.
“You forgot one thing, Xiao Zhu.”
Lin Zhu blinked. “What?”
Zhong Yao smiled. “If you really can’t read minds anymore…”
He pulled him close, kissing him deeply again. “Then we’ll probably be able to retire that tie… and find some other uses for it.”
