TLDMDTBS Chapter 28

Chapter 28

There is a hospital near Jing Da, but due to the rampant flu this season, Ji Ruan, who originally had a mild fever, was taken to Gu Xiuyi’s private hospital after some hesitation, fearing that the crowded public hospital would lead to cross-infection.

The VIP lounge was very quiet. Ji Ruan had just finished his blood draw and was pressing a cotton swab against his elbow, leaning wearily on the sofa.

The door was gently pushed open, and Li Sui’an ran up from the third floor, eager to join the fray. Upon seeing Ji Ruan’s haggard face, he remarked, “How come you’re sick again, little patient Ji Ruan?”

Gu Xiuyi poured a cup of salted sugar water, took the cotton swab, and pressed it against Ji Ruan’s elbow, handing him the paper cup. “Drink a little.”

Ji Ruan lifted his eyelids, holding the paper cup, and greeted Li Sui’an first: “Hello, Doctor Li, nice to see you again.”

Li Sui’an chuckled at Ji Ruan’s expression, clearly not wanting to meet him in such a setting, a hint of grievance in his gaze.

Gu Xiuyi kept his eyes down as he patted Ji Ruan’s head. “Don’t mind him, just drink some water… Do you feel dizzy?”

Ji Ruan sniffed, “It’s okay, just a bit weak.”

Li Sui’an took a couple of steps closer to check Ji Ruan’s elbow and clicked his tongue. “Are your platelets still low?”

It was quite evident as Ji Ruan had to press the cotton swab for so long, and the swab was stained red in several spots.

Gu Xiuyi finally glanced at Li Sui’an, “What are you, an ENT specialist, doing here?”

Li Sui’an adjusted his white coat. “Of course, I’m just here to check on my previous patient. A fever might also affect the ears.”

Gu Xiuyi fell silent for a couple of seconds before calling a nurse to apply medical tape to Ji Ruan’s elbow and asking Li Sui’an, “Does he need to visit your department?”

“Not yet,” Li Sui’an waved his hand. “I just want to ask him a couple of questions.”

Gu Xiuyi moved aside a bit.

Li Sui’an pulled up a chair and sat in front of Ji Ruan, his hand reaching behind Ji Ruan’s left ear, feeling the implant beneath the skin.

“Does it hurt? Have you felt any stabbing or spasmodic pain inside the ear or under the skin here?”

“It doesn’t hurt. Well… I do have a bit of a headache, but I don’t feel anything in my ear.”

“How about tinnitus? It doesn’t have to be a sharp sound; has there been any fine sand noise when you have a fever, even if it’s very faint?”

Ji Ruan bit his lip and felt carefully before shaking his head. “No, I can hear very clearly.”

“Okay, so that’s good,” Li Sui’an straightened up and looked at Gu Xiuyi. “There’s no need to go to my office; it’s nothing serious.”

Gu Xiuyi took the empty paper cup from Ji Ruan and asked, “Then why was he in so much pain last time?”

Li Sui’an laughed. “Don’t worry unnecessarily. A fever doesn’t always lead to nerve pain. Last time, it was probably just because his fever was particularly high.”

The lounge door was knocked on, and a slightly chubby doctor rushed in with a laboratory report, exclaiming upon seeing Li Sui’an, “Oh, it’s Old Li here too?”

Li Sui’an nodded and greeted him. “Just here to see a friend.”

The chubby doctor chuckled. “That’s great! Let’s grab a meal tonight; a new hot pot restaurant just opened across the street!”

“Sure.”

After finishing, the chubby doctor regained his professional demeanor and turned to Gu Xiuyi.

“Mr. Gu, your partner is fine. We’ve ruled out flu; it’s not viral. He just caught a chill and was overworked, and his low constitution caused the fever.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded and asked, “Thank you. Does he need to be hospitalized?”

“No, no need,” the chubby doctor said with a smile. “At their age, a bit of medicine and a good night’s sleep will do the trick.”

He glanced at the test report. “However, your partner’s physical condition is a bit unique. We recommend that he takes an antipyretic shot so the fever can go down faster, preventing any potential complications with the ears if the medication doesn’t work well.”

Gu Xiuyi agreed that it was best for Ji Ruan’s fever to drop as quickly as possible and looked at Ji Ruan. “Then shall we proceed with the shot?”

Ji Ruan had just received one shot and had two large vials of blood drawn, so he didn’t mind the additional injection now, nodding. “Alright.”

“The antipyretic shot is usually given in the upper arm or the buttocks. Which would you like to prepare for?” The chubby doctor threw out a choice with a pat of his hands.

“Most people get it in the butt, right?” Li Sui’an jumped into the discussion enthusiastically. “The muscle there is thicker, so it doesn’t hurt as much. Ji Ruan, looking at those little arms, doesn’t have much meat.”

He emphasized his point like scaring a child, looking at Ji Ruan. “Getting it in the arm is gonna hurt!”

“You’ve had enough,” Gu Xiuyi blocked him.

Thinking back to Ji Ruan’s waist that could be grasped easily in one hand, his whole body hardly weighed more than two pounds, Gu Xiuyi frowned slightly.

“The muscle in the butt isn’t very thick either.”

?

Ji Ruan questioned his ears. “Are you saying I’m skinny?”

Li Sui’an burst out laughing.

Gu Xiuyi, who had no such intention, was speechless.

What was this kid even thinking?

“Of course not, I…”

Gu Xiuyi found himself at a loss for words again.

Ji Ruan’s little expressions were simply too amusing, with two big dark circles under his eyes. Even with cracked lips and a sickly look, he was trying hard to maintain the dignity of his buttocks.

Gu Xiuyi sighed, giving his maximum concession. “Alright then, you’re plump.”

Ji Ruan: “?!”

Li Sui’an laughed even harder.

Ji Ruan immediately made a decision, looking at the chubby doctor. “Please proceed with the shot in my butt.”

The doctor was overjoyed. “Alright, let’s go, ha ha ha—”

Until the treatment room door closed, Li Sui’an was still bent over laughing.

Gu Xiuyi silently distanced himself from him, leaning against the treatment room doorframe, looking at him like he was an idiot. “What are you laughing about?”

Li Sui’an clutched his sore abs and leaned against Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder. “It’s just interesting.”

Gu Xiuyi maintained a straight face and pushed his arm away. “Ji Ruan really is an interesting kid.”

“I mean you’re interesting!” Li Sui’an laughed heartily, slapping Gu Xiuyi on the chest with a gradual shift to a meaningful tone. “You and Ji Ruan get along quite interestingly.”

Gu Xiuyi’s cold gaze met Li Sui’an’s amused one.

“Mm.”

Li Sui’an genuinely found it amusing.

At first, he thought the kid would fall for Old Gu’s charms and get ensnared, leaving him feeling guilty for Old Gu and sympathizing with Ji Ruan for a while.

But looking at the recent events, it was obvious that Old Gu was the one who was smitten.

Li Sui’an pouted, choosing not to remind Gu Xiuyi. It was time for this guy to experience the bitterness of love.

“You didn’t come to Lao Duan’s birthday dinner yesterday; do you know what you missed?” Li Sui’an switched topics.

Gu Xiuyi adjusted his collar. “What happened?”

“Nothing too serious,” Li Sui’an sighed. “Just another confession that failed.”

Gu Xiuyi frowned and thought for a moment. “Still that Lin something… finally rejected him?”

“Lin Qing, not quite,” Li Sui’an said. “Neither accepted nor rejected, just stated there were concerns but wouldn’t elaborate on them… Tsk, Lao Duan seems obsessed.”

Gu Xiuyi pulled the corners of his mouth but made no further comments.

Li Sui’an suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, he seems to be from the same school as Ji Ruan.”

Gu Xiuyi looked up at Li Sui’an.

“It seems he even studies Han embroidery with some master. A high-achieving student dabbling in the arts; he must be a bit arrogant… Tsk, no, wait…”

Li Sui’an shook his head in denial of his own comments. “Your precious Ji Ruan is also a high achiever; he’s not like that…”

The treatment room door opened, and just as Li Sui’an was about to say something again, Gu Xiuyi had already vanished.

Li Sui’an: “…”

As expected, only that precious Ji Ruan inside was the most important.

Ji Ruan pulled up his pants, rubbing his sore buttocks in a daze, wondering if his butt muscles were really not that developed. It hurt so much…

Upon seeing Ji Ruan’s pitiful expression, Gu Xiuyi knew exactly what he was thinking, moving over to rub Ji Ruan’s cheek, helping him up and casually asking, “How does it feel? Not painful, right?”

Ji Ruan’s hand covering his butt stiffened momentarily, then slowly moved away, pretending to be relaxed. “Of course, I don’t feel anything at all.”

Gu Xiuyi tilted his head, holding back his laughter. “That’s good, let’s head home.”

The chubby doctor reminded, “This shot might make you sleepy; be sure to take a good nap when you get home. Once the fever subsides, you’ll be fine.”

Ji Ruan felt that his constitution might really be quite sensitive, as just a shot in the butt made him restless in the car. Lying down to sleep at home was also uncomfortable.

In the end, it was Gu Xiuyi who brought him a heating pad for hot compress.

Ji Ruan had never heard of giving a hot compress to the buttocks. His face flushed at the thought, holding the heating pad without reacting.

Gu Xiuyi was laughing as he asked him, “What? Need me to help you apply it?”

Ji Ruan flinched and shrank deeper into the blankets, covering his face. “No, thank you! Just go out; I want to sleep.”

Gu Xiuyi chuckled again, not teasing him further, gently closing the door as he left.

Despite the embarrassment, the hot compress was indeed effective; once the effect of the antipyretic shot kicked in, Ji Ruan drifted into a drowsy sleep.

When he woke up, he didn’t know what time it was. His butt no longer hurt, and he felt lighter, though still lacking strength.

Ji Ruan closed his eyes, taking a moment to gather some energy, adjusted the bed a little higher, and opened his phone.

It was almost dinner time, and Han Xiaolin had sent him numerous messages.

Ji Ruan pulled the blankets up over his shoulders, coughed softly a few times while covering his mouth, and opened the chat box.

[Awesome, bro! I saw your painting; it’s really freaking amazing!]

[I used to think you were just dabbling on random pages; turns out you really know how to paint!]

[Li Yu said he wanted to apprentice you. I laughed so hard; he’s supposed to be learning the art, and he’s trying to be your master.]

Han Xiaolin spoke enthusiastically, and even through text messages, Ji Ruan could feel the strong emotions. He chuckled and pressed the voice message button. “We all painted together; the seniors put in even more effort.”

He continued scrolling down.

[I saw it even went a bit viral online. Everyone knows you guys aren’t majoring in art; they’re praising Jing Da as a gathering place for multi-talented individuals, and I’m cracking up…]

[They said nobody even looked at the exhibition hall; everyone was crowded around the hallway with your paintings, and in the end, the security came to chase people away. They were asking others to go in and check it out; I thought I’d die laughing.]

[By the way, where have you been? Haven’t seen you around.]

[Ji Ruan?]

[Ji Ruan, are you still alive?]

[At least say something!]

Ji Ruan was laughing so hard that he sent a reply: “I had a bit of a fever, and I’m home now; still alive.”

As soon as he sent the message, Gu Xiuyi walked in, holding a bowl of congee.

“Feeling this happy right after waking up?” Gu Xiuyi turned on the light.

Ji Ruan pocketed his phone, a smile still on his face. Perhaps due to being sick, he lacked energy, appearing completely soft. “Han Xiaolin was asking around, wondering where I was.”

Gu Xiuyi set the bowl of congee on the small table beside the bed, reached out to feel Ji Ruan’s forehead. The fever had already subsided.

“Drink some congee; Aunt Zhao added minced meat; it tastes pretty good.”

Ji Ruan had already caught the aroma, propping himself up to eat slowly.

Gu Xiuyi sat at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms and thinking for a moment, then said, “Ji Ruan, I want to discuss something with you.”

“Mm?” Ji Ruan raised his eyes, indicating him to continue.

Gu Xiuyi combed through Ji Ruan’s hair, deliberating. “The flu is becoming increasingly severe, and your immunity is already low; how about moving back home for the rest of the semester?”

Ji Ruan swallowed a mouthful of congee slowly, finding his point reasonable. “But finals review week is approaching.”

“Exactly because courses are almost over, wouldn’t that be the perfect time to review at home?” Gu Xiuyi replied, “I can drop you off at school on the final day.”

“I… cough cough…” Ji Ruan thought for a moment; just as he was about to speak, he covered his mouth and began coughing.

Gu Xiuyi wrapped his arm around Ji Ruan’s shoulder, gently soothing his back. “Take it easy… Feeling better?… Here, have some water…”

Ji Ruan’s throat was itchy, and he took several sips of water before clearing his throat to say, “Alright…”

“But I still need to go to school tomorrow,” he looked up at Gu Xiuyi. “I need to bring all the materials back.”

Gu Xiuyi casually wiped away the tear marks at the corners of his eyes. “I’m busy tomorrow; can Zhang Shu take you?”

“Either way is fine.”

“Alright,” Gu Xiuyi helped Ji Ruan get situated at the small table. “But since your fever has just gone down, don’t stay outside for too long.”

Ji Ruan chuckled at Gu Xiuyi’s increasingly Aunt Zhao-like nagging. “I get it.”

The next morning, Ji Ruan was all geared up—scarf, gloves, down jacket, and even wore the knitted hat Aunt Zhao made for him.

The hat was warm but had a pom-pom on top. Aunt Zhao claimed it was particularly cute, but Ji Ruan felt it resembled something a little girl would like. He had been too shy to wear it.

Yet now that he had a cold, he feared going out and worsening it or having to trouble Aunt Zhao to care for him again, so after much hesitation, he bit the bullet and put it on.

Zhang Shu was waiting for him outside the school gates. Ji Ruan didn’t want to linger much, so he went to his dorm to gather his books, then waited under the clock tower for about two minutes when Cheng Zizhang came running out, hugging a large folder.

“Sorry, little Ruan, have you been waiting long?” She was slightly out of breath, and upon seeing Ji Ruan, she couldn’t help but laugh, pointing at the pom-pom on his hat. “So cute!”

“Not at all,” Ji Ruan, a bit embarrassed, scratched his nose. “I just arrived.”

Cheng Zizhang let out a sigh of relief and took a few glances at the pom-pom before handing the folder to Ji Ruan. “This has all the materials from last year for our department; you can take a look.”

Ji Ruan quickly accepted it, delighting, “Thank you, senior!”

Cheng Zizhang smiled. “No need for thanks.”

Lin Qing followed Cheng Zizhang out from the clock tower, nodded at Ji Ruan, and then said to Cheng Zizhang, “Are you heading out?”

“Right now,” Cheng Zizhang explained to Ji Ruan. “We’re about to head out to see our master.”

Ji Ruan immediately realized it was about the legendary master and exclaimed, “Oh, I’m not keeping you from your plans, am I?”

“Not at all,” Cheng Zizhang said with a smile, waving her hand but then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Ji Ruan, how come we didn’t see you yesterday?”

Ji Ruan pulled at his scarf. “I had a bit of a fever yesterday, so I went home early… Is something the matter?”

He noticed Lin Qing’s expression had changed for the worse.

Cheng Zizhang didn’t notice, smiling as she replied, “It’s actually nothing much. Our teacher reviewed the paintings yesterday and really liked your style, saying the brushwork echoes that of our Han embroidery practice. She wanted to meet you.”

Ji Ruan’s heart skipped a beat.

Just as expected from a master, her eyes were sharp.

Ji Ruan learned to paint from his family, who were all involved in Han embroidery. Because they had been drawing embroidery patterns for years, it naturally infused his painting with the essence of Han embroidery over time.

For Ji Ruan, painting was merely a basic skill; he wouldn’t deliberately explore other styles. When he picked up his brush, he inevitably applied his family’s techniques.

“That’s quite unfortunate,” Ji Ruan said jokingly, his eyes bending in a smile. “I really wanted to meet the master too.”

“I’ve seen your paintings as well,” Lin Qing remarked. “You really paint beautifully. No wonder the teacher admires you.”

Currently, Cheng Yunxiu’s disciples are only Cheng Zizhang and Lin Qing, and since Cheng Zizhang is her biological daughter, she’s usually worried that Lin Qing might think she’s biased, thus intentionally refraining from calling Cheng Yunxiu “mom” in front of him, opting to refer to her as “teacher” instead.

Now, with Lin Qing’s comment, Cheng Zizhang felt a bit awkward. “Ah Qing, don’t think too much of it.”

“I’m not,” Lin Qing brushed his hair back, laughing while carrying a hint of melancholy. “I just feel that the teacher was so serious in guiding me while I embroidered a winter scene, but I didn’t do well…”

His winter scene had been prominently displayed in the exhibition hall, but throughout the entire afternoon, nobody had shown interest; everyone crowded around the hallway admiring the paintings of Cheng Zizhang, Ji Ruan, and the vice president, praising them.

“…”

The atmosphere grew a bit heavy.

Perhaps because Ji Ruan was the outsider, Cheng Zizhang didn’t know what to say, and Lin Qing seemed to be still disheartened, so nobody spoke further.

A chilly breeze blew past, and Ji Ruan coughed while covering his mouth.

“Little Ruan, are you okay?” Cheng Zizhang rushed to pat his back. “Don’t stay out in the cold; you should head back.”

Ji Ruan fully covered his lower face with his scarf and expressed his regrets. “Then I’m leaving first; you two should hurry back home; it’s getting cold.”

“Okay, take care.”

Ji Ruan waved goodbye to them and tightened his coat against the harsh wind as he walked out of the school gate. He finally breathed a sigh of relief once settled back in the car.

Talking with someone like Lin Qing could sometimes be exhausting. He had no idea how Cheng Zizhang had peacefully coexisted with him for so many years.

“Oh, little Ji isn’t feeling well?” Zhang Shu started the car, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

“No,” Ji Ruan pressed his temples. “Just a bit sleepy.”

Zhang Shu laughed. “Alright then, I’ll hurry and get you home so you can snuggle into a warm bed and sleep.”

Ji Ruan beamed brightly. “Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”

Once home, Ji Ruan truly felt tired. His temples throbbed slightly, and he immediately thought about lying down on the bed.

When Aunt Zhao helped Ji Ruan take his bag in the foyer, her expression was somewhat worried.

Ji Ruan coughed lightly, hoarsely asking, “Is something wrong, Aunt Zhao?”

Aunt Zhao sighed and gestured toward the living room discreetly, whispering, “The Madam and Young Master Fang are here.”

“…”

Ji Ruan took a moment to think carefully about who the Madam and Young Master Fang were.

Eventually, he recalled, thanks to Aunt Zhao’s reminder, that they were Gu Xiuyi’s stepmother and her eldest son.

Ji Ruan changed his slippers, took off his scarf, and walked into the living room, only to see Fang Lan with a full face of false smiles and her hot-headed brother Fang Qiming wearing a face that looked like he owed five million.

Ji Ruan’s head instantly ached more, leaning closer to Aunt Zhao’s ear, “Where’s Gu Xiuyi?”