TLDMDTBS Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Publish

After dinner, Ji Ruan finished washing up in his room and began preparing his draft sketches.

At nine o’clock, the door was knocked on time, and without thinking, he knew it was Gu Xiuyi coming to deliver milk.

The entire winter vacation was like this—whenever Gu Xiuyi was home, he would replace Zhao Ayi to deliver milk at nine sharp, neither a minute early nor a second late.

This might just be a routine operation for someone as meticulous as him; the perfect timing would make him feel exceptionally comfortable.

But unknowingly, Ji Ruan had also become accustomed to this habit. As the time approached nine, he would instinctively start waiting for the sound of the door being knocked.

He walked over and opened the door, and as expected, he saw Gu Xiuyi with a cup of milk in his hand.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t hand the milk to Ji Ruan but directly walked into the room.

Ji Ruan paused for a moment, closed the door, and followed him in: “Are you not working today?”

Gu Xiuyi was very busy; most of the time, he simply delivered the milk to Ji Ruan and reminded him to rest early before going back to his study to work. Only on rare occasions would he come in to chat with Ji Ruan.

He turned back and said, “I started my vacation this afternoon.”

“Oh…” Ji Ruan didn’t react much: “Then you can sit down. I’ll go to the bathroom first.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded and watched as Ji Ruan hurried into the bathroom. When he closed the door, his hand pressed lightly against the frosted glass, leaving a fleeting little palm print, small and cute.

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t help but smile, placing the milk on the desk and taking in Ji Ruan’s little world.

Although there were many things on the desk, it was quite tidy; the lucky cat, whose paw was broken, had gone to university with Ji Ruan and returned home for the winter vacation. It was now sitting on the second shelf of the bookshelf, waving its disabled paw and grinning foolishly.

The jar of candies he had given to Ji Ruan was also back, placed alongside the lucky cat.

Ji Ruan’s chair had gone through a cold winter and returned fully loaded.

Originally just a bare chair, it now had a cushion, a backrest, a neck support, and a small creamy white blanket that Ji Ruan inexplicably loved. Even the armrests were fitted with soft covers, making it comfortable to touch.

From a distance, it hardly looked like a chair; it could be considered a small nest where a cute little kitten or puppy could be thrown in and roll around all day.

—Of course, Ji Ruan was pretty much like that too.

Gu Xiuyi found it amusing yet frustrating to watch.

The bathroom door opened, and Ji Ruan came out wiping his hands, sitting back down in the little nest, no, the chair, and skillfully spread out the small blanket over his legs, looking up at Gu Xiuyi: “Do you have something to say?”

Gu Xiuyi sat down in the chair next to Ji Ruan, which was indeed just a bare chair, one could even say a stool.

The disparity in the grandeur of their chairs momentarily made Gu Xiuyi forget what he wanted to say.

Ji Ruan seemed to notice how shabby Gu Xiuyi’s chair was and scratched his nose, offering him his own pillow.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t refuse; the pillow in his arms smelled wonderful and had the same scent as Ji Ruan. He couldn’t understand why this boy smelled so good, even the things he used every day had absorbed that fragrance.

Are all boys like this?

It shouldn’t be; when Song Ling and Li Sui’an were young, they all smelled like the sweat from the basketball court.

“Boss Gu?” Ji Ruan waved his pale palm in front of Gu Xiuyi, “What are you thinking about?”

Gu Xiuyi came back to his senses, steadied himself, and said, “Nothing.” He nodded towards the table: “What are you drawing?”

Ji Ruan touched the pattern he had just half-finished: “You mean this? It’s senior Zizhang’s birthday flower, the mountain cherry blossoms.”

He smiled as he spoke: “The flower language is compassion; it feels like it fits but also doesn’t quite fit.”

“Birthday flower, huh…” Gu Xiuyi’s voice fell a little low, and while his expression didn’t reveal much, Ji Ruan inexplicably felt that he wasn’t particularly upbeat.

Before Ji Ruan could ask, Gu Xiuyi casually grabbed an A4 paper and covered the drawing, pulling Ji Ruan’s slightly cool wrist: “Let’s not talk about others; isn’t your birthday coming up soon? Have you thought about how to celebrate it?”

His palm was warm, and Ji Ruan didn’t want to pull his hand away, smiling: “I’ve thought about it. There’s an indoor amusement park at Times International. I’m planning to go there with my roommates.”

Gu Xiuyi’s expression subtly changed for a moment: “With your roommates, huh…”

Ji Ruan’s left hand was being held by Gu Xiuyi while his right was fiddling with his phone; he didn’t notice Gu Xiuyi’s expression and casually asked, “What’s your birthday date?”

Gu Xiuyi was preoccupied, not understanding why he asked that. After a brief hesitation, he heard Ji Ruan say: “Shall I make your birthday flower as well?”

Gu Xiuyi suddenly raised his gaze: “… Mine?”

“Yeah,” Ji Ruan said, a soft dimple appearing on his cheek, and his expression was extremely natural: “The thread I sent you earlier wasn’t very good, and the tree was one I liked myself. I should make a better one for you… Quick, tell me, when exactly is it?”

Gu Xiuyi suddenly heard the sound of his heartbeat, thumping thickly in his ears. When he spoke, his voice was slightly hesitant: “… October 11.”

Hearing this, Ji Ruan swiped at the screen with his finger, his eyes lighting up as he smiled: “It’s the wintergreen, the flower language is life… I really like this one…”

He lifted his head to look at Gu Xiuyi, eyes particularly bright: “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely embroider it beautifully for you.”

His smile was simply too charming, like a little angel that had descended from the heavens, radiating light. No matter how many times Gu Xiuyi had seen it, he could never remain indifferent to such a smile, even willingly falling deeper.

Gu Xiuyi felt as though he had rolled into boiling water, propelled by the heat to ask what was on his mind:

“Can I come along on your birthday?”

Ji Ruan seemed a bit surprised.

That indoor amusement park was very well known to Gu Xiuyi; in fact, it was one of his investment projects.

Naturally, Gu Xiuyi also knew that their amusement park targeted people aged 18 to 24. He was 30, making a full six years older than Ji Ruan, let alone Ji Ruan being eighteen.

Some might say he was being overly concerned; it was perfectly normal to go to amusement parks at 30, and no one would say anything about it.

But just as he hesitated over whether his age was appropriate, the crux of the matter was that he was confused about how to bridge a twelve-year gap in age without disturbing Ji Ruan’s life.

Once a person overthinks, they become restless, while someone pure doesn’t have such considerations.

Ji Ruan was only surprised for a moment, then smiled brightly: “Of course you can! My roommates are actually quite curious about you, and I’m the birthday boy; I have absolute decision power.”

See, he thought your nervousness was just a fear that your roommates might feel inconvenient.

Gu Xiuyi’s smile inevitably bore a hint of bitterness.

Before leaving, he saw Ji Ruan bent down again to continue drawing, hesitated for a couple of seconds, and patted his back: “Rest early. Your health isn’t great, yet you always stay up late.”

?

Ji Ruan looked up, only to see Gu Xiuyi’s departing back.

When did he stay up late? It was barely nine o’clock; even elementary school students didn’t go to bed this early!

·

On Cheng Zizhang’s birthday, Ji Ruan took the embroidered mount cherry blossom handkerchief to the clock tower to find her.

Since the last school anniversary, the art room on the top floor of the clock tower had almost become Ji Ruan and Cheng Zizhang’s exclusive spot.

After the semester had started and courses tightened, Cheng Zizhang had moved her sewing kit into the clock tower to save as much time as possible.

As soon as Ji Ruan walked in, he noticed her face didn’t look too good; she was holding a needle in one hand and clutching her stomach with the other.

“Senior…” Ji Ruan observed her condition and began to blush slightly, feeling a bit shy as he asked, “Are you… feeling unwell?”

Cheng Zizhang immediately realized what he meant and wasn’t shy at all; she straightforwardly replied, “No, I think I ate something unclean; my stomach hurts a bit, but it’s not my period.”

Seeing her being so open, Ji Ruan felt even more embarrassed, thinking it was inappropriate to ask a girl about such private matters.

Cheng Zizhang casually patted the seat next to her: “Sit, don’t stand there.”

Ji Ruan helped her get a cup of hot water before sitting down: “Shouldn’t you go see a doctor?”

“I’ve already taken medicine,” Cheng Zizhang sighed, holding her stomach. “And I need to finish this embroidery first. Tomorrow is the final deadline, and it has to be delivered to the organizers.”

Ji Ruan frowned: “What about Lin Qing? Let him do it.”

Cheng Zizhang frowned at this matter: “I can never find him; I don’t know where he went.”

She rubbed her hair: “Three days ago, he said someone in his family passed away, and he went back home for the funeral. I asked around in his department, and he indeed took leave.”

Ji Ruan contemplated and noticed that he hadn’t seen Lin Qing’s figure in Duan Zeping’s Moments for a while; perhaps he had urgent matters.

He thought for a moment and asked, “How much time is left?”

Cheng Zizhang glanced at the time: “Approximately… until nightfall.”

She looked fine at the moment, not terrible, but since she wasn’t feeling well, Ji Ruan couldn’t just let her work while sick. He weighed his options: “How about I help you with the embroidery?”

Cheng Zizhang suddenly lifted her head.

Ji Ruan smiled as he met her gaze: “What, don’t you believe in my skills?”

“Of course not!” Cheng Zizhang immediately thought of Ji Ruan’s embroidered mountain cherry blossoms, which were remarkably exquisite; showing it to her mom would probably earn endless compliments.

Cheng Zizhang wasn’t someone to hold back. Considering her situation, she confidently patted Ji Ruan’s shoulder: “Then you’re in for a hard day, little brother. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!”

“Let’s not, I can’t risk eating with you again and getting my stomach ruined too,” Ji Ruan laughed as he pushed her hand away.

His eyes curved delightfully, and his expression while threading the needle was exceptionally beautiful. Cheng Zizhang laughed too: “You really are something.”

Ji Ruan scanned the scroll and got serious, asking, “What else do we need to embroider?”

The theme of this embroidery was a corner of a small courtyard; the pond pathway was already completed, and Cheng Zizhang was working on the finishing touches of the short house, saying to Ji Ruan: “Help me stitch the last few peach trees.”

“Okay.”

In order for Cheng Zizhang to rest earlier and for Ji Ruan to get home for dinner, they both embroidered diligently. The fine needle threaded skillfully across the thin fabric, spreading a rich palette of colors.

Time passed second by second, and neither of them spoke; the room became extraordinarily quiet.

It was unclear how long had passed when Ji Ruan suddenly hissed softly. The sound wasn’t loud, but in the extreme silence, it became particularly pronounced.

Cheng Zizhang immediately looked up, “What’s wrong, Xiao Ruan?”

Ji Ruan pointed to his fingertip, which had pricked him, and the fine, sharp sensation spread; it really did hurt a bit, and he instinctively frowned: “Nothing.”

Cheng Zizhang wanted to come over to ask, but seeing her other hand still pressed against her belly, Ji Ruan quickly said: “It’s fine, I just pricked my hand. Senior, you continue embroidering.”

He pulled out a piece of paper to press against his fingertip; a small drop of blood spread out on the paper surface, and as Ji Ruan picked up the needle again, he suddenly stopped.

—On the pristine, thin fabric lay a glaring red mark.

It was likely left at the moment he pricked himself.

Ji Ruan had forgotten about his own physical condition.

Ordinary people would only bleed a small dot when pricked, but Ji Ruan’s blood coagulation was a bit poor; thus, he had carelessly dripped a drop onto it.

Han embroidery products required very meticulous craftsmanship; sometimes, even a tiny flaw could ruin the entire piece.

Ji Ruan’s fingers clenched quietly, and he hoarsely said, “Senior…”

“Hmm?” Cheng Zizhang looked up, noticing Ji Ruan’s expression: “Does it hurt?”

“Not really…” Ji Ruan felt a bit helpless as he spoke: “The pear tree, can we change it to a red plum tree?”

Cheng Zizhang glanced at Ji Ruan’s scroll, saw that drop of blood, and instantly understood what had happened.

—Ji Ruan’s tree had only been embroidered with the trunk; to keep it artistic, it was intricately stitched, so it could indeed be changed to a red plum without it seeming out of place.

She spun Ji Ruan’s words around in her head and couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re the one who’s been careless; how did you end up like this?”

Ji Ruan leaned his forehead against the table: “This was an unforeseen circumstance.”

Cheng Zizhang laughed heartily: “Alright, change it. It’s a tree, and who cares what kind; just do it boldly.”

With their collaboration, they finished all the work before complete darkness fell.

Ji Ruan let out a sigh of relief, bowed his head to rub his waist, and as Cheng Zizhang stood up to get water, she suddenly fell to the ground, startling Ji Ruan so much that his heart nearly jumped out.

He couldn’t care about his waist pain and rushed over. Cheng Zizhang was clutching her stomach and moaning in agony. Ji Ruan took one look at her pale face and immediately dialed for an ambulance without second thoughts.

“Xiao Ruan… Xiao Ruan…”

Cheng Zizhang weakly reached out her hand towards him. Ji Ruan, without hesitation, grasped it tightly, alarmed: “Senior, what’s wrong? Weren’t you fine just a moment ago?”

“I don’t even know…” Cheng Zizhang couldn’t help but curse in pain, trembling as she clutched Ji Ruan’s hand: “Xiao Ruan… I think I’m dying…”

“Which damn restaurant did this to me?!”

“Once I’m better, I’m definitely, definitely going to complain…”

Ji Ruan: “…”

Ji Ruan let her hold on to his hand, his expression mixed: “Senior… when the ambulance arrives, don’t say anything; I’m afraid they’ll think you still have the strength to curse and won’t take you away…”

Cheng Zizhang glared at him with tears in her eyes, followed by another round of pained cries.

The ambulance arrived rapidly, swiftly transporting the two of them to the hospital and pushing Cheng Zizhang into surgery at lightning speed.

The doctor conveyed the situation to Ji Ruan straightforwardly. Looking at the tightly closed doors of the operating room, Ji Ruan felt an overwhelming sense of regret.

Cheng Zizhang was likely not going to have any chance to complain about any restaurant now; the doctor said she had acute appendicitis, and it couldn’t be blamed on anyone else.

After running back and forth, Ji Ruan finally had a moment to rest as he sat down at the operating room door, exhausted to the point his head was throbbing, and everything in front of him started to sway.

He took out his phone to check the time, only to see a dozen missed calls—all from Gu Xiuyi.

Ji Ruan trembled again, fully awake now. He redialed, and the person on the other end picked up faster than the phone rang, and Ji Ruan instantly heard Gu Xiuyi’s vaguely anxious voice:

“Where have you run off to again?”

Ji Ruan licked his dry, cracked lips: “I’m at the hospital…”