PPS Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Applying Medicine

Chapter 118: Applying Medicine

Xie Yuyin didn’t know how she walked out. Her mind was filled with the words “elder sister” that Chu Zhaoyi had called out. She couldn’t think about anything else and walked out, awkwardly holding the painting he gave her.

Even in this state, she didn’t forget to close the bedroom door behind her.

Chu Zhaoyi returned to the bed to paint.

He was drawing a chibi version of Gu Yusen, which he had already completed but hadn’t had the chance to give him yet.

The little Gu figure had a round, chubby face with a bright smile, holding a red rose in his mouth.

Now he was drawing a chibi version of Zhang Anru. The little figure was tiptoeing, her little skirt twirling in a circle, looking like she was dancing ballet.

It seemed he had to draw a Xie Yuyin now.

Chu Zhaoyi yawned, feeling a bit sleepy, but still picked up his pen.

While drawing, he fell asleep at some point.

Gu Yusen returned after finishing his business and saw Chu Zhaoyi curled up under the covers.

He took off his jacket, which was reeking of alcohol, and his back wound was almost soaked in blood. Gu’s parents seemed determined not to let up and had struck hard.

Gu Yusen had suffered quite a bit.

He sighed and went into the bathroom, intending to tidy himself up a bit. As soon as he took off his clothes, he heard movement at the bathroom door, and he quickly grabbed his clothes to cover himself.

It wasn’t that he was worried about exposing himself; he was afraid that Chu Zhaoyi would see and worry.

“Brother Sanmu?” It was indeed Chu Zhaoyi, holding a pillow and looking sleepy. He was a bit stunned when he saw Gu Yusen.

His nose twitched, faintly smelling the scent of blood in the air.

Chu Zhaoyi’s sleepiness instantly vanished, and his eyes became sharp. He quickly walked closer to Gu Yusen, his gaze scanning his body before finally settling on the area he was trying to cover with his clothes.

A hint of dark red was faintly visible there, and blood had already soaked through the gauze.

“You’re injured,” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice held a hint of suppressed anger and worry. He reached out to lift Gu Yusen’s clothes to check the injury, but Gu Yusen gently stopped him.

“It’s nothing, just a small injury,” Gu Yusen smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Chu Zhaoyi had come in too quickly, and he hadn’t had time to clean up. It was normal to be seen.

“You go out first, I’ll tidy up and be right out.”

But Chu Zhaoyi didn’t move. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes showed a hint of undeniable determination.

“A small injury?” His voice rose slightly. “Does Brother Sanmu think I can’t smell the blood all over the room? Where did it come from? Let me see.”

Gu Yusen knew he couldn’t hide it, sighed, and released his hand, revealing a little of his back to show Chu Zhaoyi.

“Who did this?” Chu Zhaoyi’s fingers gently touched the edge of the wound, his movements unusually gentle.

Chu Zhaoyi’s hands were always cold, causing a shiver when they touched his body. Gu Yusen subconsciously flinched, wanting to prevent Chu Zhaoyi from seeing more, and covered the wound again.

“It’s nothing serious, go to sleep, A-Yi.”

It was already ten o’clock at night; it was indeed time to sleep.

Chu Zhaoyi stared intently at Gu Yusen’s face and suddenly took a step forward without warning.

Gu Yusen subconsciously retreated, his back almost touching the cold wall.

Chu Zhaoyi narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion flashing in them. Usually, Gu Yusen couldn’t wait for him to get closer, even taking the initiative to press against him. Why was he avoiding him today?

“Brother Sanmu?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice carried a hint of almost imperceptible coldness. His hand quickly reached out, and before Gu Yusen could react, he yanked down the clothes he was using to cover himself.

Instantly, the air seemed to freeze.

On Gu Yusen’s back, crisscrossing whip marks were shocking to the eye. Some wounds were merely bruised, the blood spreading under the skin like land ravaged by a storm; others were already torn and bleeding, the faintly oozing blood looking particularly glaring in the dim light.

Chu Zhaoyi’s breath hitched, his heart as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

“Who did this? Why? Brother Sanmu?”

Gu Yusen sighed. Although he knew it might be difficult to hide it, since they lived together and couldn’t avoid contact, and Chu Zhaoyi was a sensitive person, discovering it was only a matter of time.

But he had still held a bit of wishful thinking.

“A-Yi, I made a mistake, and my father punished me. It looks serious, but it’s actually nothing. My father knows what he’s doing, it should be fine in a few days,” Gu Yusen pulled him into his arms, gently comforting him.

Chu Zhaoyi hadn’t had an episode in a while, and he didn’t want to affect Chu Zhaoyi’s recovery.

Although Chu Jiaojiao didn’t have those kinds of thoughts about him, he still held a very high position in her heart, and it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn’t develop some extreme thoughts because of this.

Zhang Xuan was an example.

Chu Zhaoyi sniffed. If he still had some lingering attachment to the role of mother since childhood, then the role of father was what he truly hated.

It wasn’t that Chu Yu had treated him very badly; at least he was better than Li Yurong’s frequent beatings and scoldings, and even his voice was always gentle when facing him.

But Chu Zhaoyi, who was sensitive to emotions since childhood, felt that something was wrong, to the point that he had always been wary of Chu Yu.

And now, Brother Sanmu’s father was also bullying him.

“Brother Sanmu doesn’t need a father, Brother Sanmu can have me,” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was muffled as he buried his head in Gu Yusen’s chest.

As far as he was concerned, no matter what the identity, as long as they treated him badly, they could be abandoned.

Blood relations were meaningless.

Gu Yusen listened to the youth’s rebellious remarks and chuckled, patting his head lightly, using a bit of force as a form of punishment.

He knew what image Chu Yu had in Chu Zhaoyi’s mind and didn’t want to correct Chu Zhaoyi’s views for the time being. Actually, he wasn’t wrong. If Chu Zhaoyi wasn’t such a open-minded person and indulged in the family affection that didn’t belong to him, under the oppression of Li Yurong and Chu Yu, how could he have met him again? How could he have found his biological parents?

“Then will A-Yi help me apply the medicine?” Gu Yusen asked softly, his tone carrying a hint of testing and helplessness. He had received too much information today. His parents’ opposition, Chu Zhaoyi’s attitude, and the repressed emotions in his heart were like a tangled mess in his mind, giving him a splitting headache.

“Okay.”

Chu Zhaoyi would never refuse Gu Yusen.

He took the ointment Gu Yusen handed him, unscrewed the cap, dipped some of the cool ointment with his fingertip, and gently approached Gu Yusen’s back.

Gu Yusen’s back tensed slightly, and his breath involuntarily hitched when he felt Chu Zhaoyi’s fingertip touch his skin.

The temperature of that fingertip transmitted through the coolness of the ointment, like an electric current, spreading along his spine to his whole body. His heart beat suddenly quickened, and his earlobes unconsciously flushed.

Chu Zhaoyi’s movements were very light, as if afraid of hurting him, his fingertips moving over his wounds little by little.

The coolness of the ointment relieved the burning pain of the wounds, but Gu Yusen felt that his skin was ignited, every inch touched becoming hot. His fingers unconsciously clenched the bed sheet, his knuckles slightly white, trying to suppress the churning emotions in his heart.

He loved Chu Zhaoyi, loved him almost to the point of madness.

When he realized his love, he discovered that this love had unknowingly reached this point.

Chu Zhaoyi’s fingertips lingered on his back for a moment, seemingly checking the depth of the wounds. His breath lightly brushed Gu Yusen’s ear, carrying a warm breath, causing Gu Yusen’s body to tremble involuntarily.

“Does it hurt?” Chu Zhaoyi asked in a low voice, his voice muffled, sounding unhappy.

Gu Yusen shook his head, his throat tightening, almost unable to speak.

Chu Zhaoyi’s movements suddenly paused, his fingertip stopping on a deeper wound. This wound stretched almost from his shoulder to his waist, long and the most severe.

Gu Yusen’s heart trembled violently, almost unable to control himself from turning around and hugging him. But he finally resisted, only lightly “hmm”-ing, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

After all, someone still regarded him as an older brother.

Chu Zhaoyi didn’t speak again, but continued to apply medicine for him.

The air was filled with the faint fragrance of the ointment.

Gu Yusen closed his eyes, letting his heart beat wildly in his chest, the emotions in his heart surging like a tide, but always suppressed deep within him, not daring to reveal even a trace.