TLDMDTBS Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The day after Ji Ruan woke up, Gu Xiuyi took him back to City A.

Song Ling had sent news a few days ago, saying that the type of hospital room Gu Xiuyi requested was fully arranged.

He emphasized several times that the room was warm, exquisite, understated, and elegant, and that Gu Xiuyi would definitely be satisfied, while Ji Ruan would love it so much that he wouldn’t want to go home after just one look!

This statement gave Gu Xiuyi great confidence, making him unable to find anything good about the current hospital room— the mattress wasn’t soft enough, the pillow was flat and saggy, and especially the bathroom, where the edges of the sink were sharp enough to be dangerous. He absolutely could not allow Ji Ruan to use the toilet alone in such a place.

So that afternoon, after finishing his afternoon nap and daydreaming in bed, Ji Ruan was coaxed and tricked by Gu Xiuyi to sit up and change his clothes, staring blankly at the small suitcase on the floor.

Aunt Zhao was packing his clothes, towels, and a candy jar inside, neatly arranging them in rows. The bedding on the bed was also folded into tidy little squares.

Gu Xiuyi came back holding a stack of payment slips, and the first thing he did was to pinch Ji Ruan’s face.

Since becoming sick, Ji Ruan had been much more obedient. In the past, Gu Xiuyi could only pinch his face when Ji Ruan was tired, hungry, or sleepy, and he had to coax and trick him to get a little touch. Now, no matter when, Ji Ruan was willing to let him pinch.

Even in front of others.

In just a few days, Gu Xiuyi’s vanity was greatly satisfied. He kept silent on the outside but felt that he had inflated at least two times in size on the inside, to the point where it was unsatisfactory if he didn’t pinch Ji Ruan’s face.

He sat down next to Ji Ruan, draped his arm around Ji Ruan’s shoulder, and the child obediently leaned in.

Ji Ruan looked around, blinking his big eyes, and asked him, “Am I really being discharged?”

Gu Xiuyi adjusted his jacket up a bit: “Of course, what are you surprised about?”

Ji Ruan really couldn’t believe it. He had never stayed in a hospital for such a short time. From the moment he regained consciousness until now, it hadn’t even been two days!

Ji Ruan felt a bit dizzy and dazed, thinking, could it be that his physique has really gotten stronger? After sustaining such a serious injury, he could be discharged the next day. Is it because he’s getting older, and his body is getting better?

Then in two years, would he be able to punch Gu Xiuyi and kick Li Sui’an? At least hold his own against Song Ling!

This beautiful imagination made Ji Ruan smile, showing his dimples as a slight blush appeared on his pale cheeks. “I, am I really recovering this quickly? But sometimes I still feel a bit dizzy.”

Gu Xiuyi didn’t know what Ji Ruan was thinking in his head; he just thought that Ji Ruan’s blushing face was very pretty, like a peach.

He smiled and shook his head, poking Ji Ruan’s rosy cheeks: “No, we’re going back to our hospital to continue staying. As for the dizziness, you’re severely anemic, so of course, you’ll feel lightheaded.”

“… Ah?”

Ji Ruan’s little face immediately dropped.

The illusion of becoming a martial arts master shattered a bit suddenly.

Seeing Ji Ruan’s dimpled smile disappear so quickly, Gu Xiuyi thought he was feeling low because he deemed himself unhealthy.

“It’s okay,” he hugged Ji Ruan in his arms. “We’ll take good care of you, and that room is specially arranged by me; you’re going to love it.”

“Really?” Since it was still a hospital stay, Ji Ruan didn’t really care much about the arrangements.

But being held felt comfortable, and looking at Gu Xiuyi’s strong muscles, he thought it wasn’t necessarily about testing his strength against Gu Xiuyi.

With Gu Xiuyi’s level, unless he reincarnated, he probably would never win.

But wait… if they had a chance to meet again when they were old, who knows?

Gu Xiuyi was twelve years older than him. If they met again in forty years, Gu Xiuyi would be seventy-one, probably unable to walk straight, while he would still be a robust fifty-nine-year-old man; maybe by then, he could actually win!

Ji Ruan sighed with satisfaction, for the umpteenth time, pondering how good it was to be alive, how wonderful it was not to have a terminal illness.

In his previous life, he couldn’t even imagine what the years ahead would hold. Now, however, he could actually envision a reunion with Gu Xiuyi in their old age, even genuinely believing they could live to that age.

Gu Xiuyi only saw Ji Ruan’s beautiful eyes spinning around, his whole being exuding a pink bubble of what he was imagining, innocent and carefree.

Gu Xiuyi’s heart took a hard hit, gradually filling with pink bubbles.

He thought Ji Ruan must be very much looking forward to that carefully arranged hospital room, eager to rush over to check in.

“Don’t worry,” Gu Xiuyi rubbed Ji Ruan’s face. “That room is warm, exquisite, understated, and elegant; you won’t want to go home after staying just one day.”

Ji Ruan was completely absorbed in his own imagination, not thinking critically about Gu Xiuyi’s words, knowing only that he was continuously praising his hospital room’s uniqueness.

He nodded obediently: “Mm-hmm!”

Interrupting this mismatched conversation was the group of nurse sisters who came to bid farewell.

The sister who had been responsible for changing Ji Ruan’s dressings held flowers and stood at the front. Upon entering, the scene they witnessed was Gu Xiuyi putting socks on Ji Ruan’s feet.

They were fluffy, adorned with a bear that looked a bit dim-witted. Aunt Zhao, who was taking care of Ji Ruan, seemed unfazed, even showing a look of appreciation toward Gu Xiuyi.

Nurse sister: “……”

A chorus of nurse sisters: “…………”

In late April’s weather, wearing fluffy socks sounded a bit excessive; although Ji Ruan seemed to be getting better day by day, in reality, his body was severely depleted, and his hands and feet seldom felt warm.

Fluffy socks were just basic warmth for a little patient, and Gu Xiuyi even found them not thick enough.

After the socks were on, Gu Xiuyi stood up and nodded toward the door; the nurse sisters shyly smiled and entered, delivering flowers into Ji Ruan’s hands.

“Congratulations on your discharge, our ward’s prettiest little handsome guy~”

“Little Ruan, remember to miss your sisters, but don’t come back to see me……”

“Hahaha, hopefully, you’ll never have to go back to the hospital again!”

Ji Ruan liked flowers, so he lowered his head, inhaled their fragrance, and happily hugged them.

After thinking for a long time, he ultimately didn’t tell the nurse sisters that this time, strictly speaking, he wasn’t really being discharged; he was just transferring hospitals to avoid letting them down with their kind wishes of “never returning to the hospital.”

Time was almost up, and Gu Xiuyi received a call from the driver, saying he was to take Ji Ruan away.

A small nurse quickly turned to push the wheelchair borrowed from the entrance, but before she could push it to the bedside, Gu Xiuyi patted Ji Ruan’s head. Ji Ruan handed the flowers to Aunt Zhao, then stretched his arms, skillfully climbing onto Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder.

Gu Xiuyi bent down slightly, swept him up easily, and then gracefully crossed past Aunt Zhao, stepping over the suitcase, leaving with a polite glance back at the wheelchair, saying thank you.

But that polite demeanor, in the eyes of the women present, carried an inexplicable air of arrogance.

Nurses: “……”

Aunt Zhao: smiling tightly.

On the way back, Gu Xiuyi didn’t fly with Ji Ruan. Although flying was quick, the turbulence was worse than driving. Since City A and City B were very close, it took only two to three hours, which was merely the time for Ji Ruan to take a nap.

Besides on the car ride, Ji Ruan was continuously held by Gu Xiuyi. On one hand, it was because the wound on his leg was easy to split open if he wasn’t careful; the doctor had instructed repeatedly that he must not walk.

On the other hand, it was also because Ji Ruan enjoyed being held.

It seemed that ever since he was rescued from the mountains, he had grown particularly dependent on Gu Xiuyi, always feeling that only being enveloped in that warm body temperature would bring him peace, not knowing if that was a shadow of the past.

As Gu Xiuyi anticipated, Ji Ruan, who had just woken up from his nap, slept all the way until being carried up the elevator, appearing dazed and yawning when they reached the door of the top-floor hospital room.

Gu Xiuyi held Ji Ruan in one arm and opened the door.

He looked extremely calm, but secretly anticipated the amazing look on Ji Ruan’s face when he saw the beautiful hospital room.

Bright sunlight poured in.

“Ha—?”

Ji Ruan’s yawn stopped halfway.

He opened his mouth, dumbfounded as he stared at the hospital room Gu Xiuyi had praised repeatedly. He swallowed the remaining half-yawn hard, causing physiological tears to bubble in his eyes.

“This….” Ji Ruan rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t seeing an illusion. “Are you sure I look like someone who would enjoy this kind of room?”

He pronounced each word clearly.

What he saw was a vast spread of light pink, the walls painted in the softest shade, emitting a gentle aura. The curtains were made of light pink sheer fabric paired with burgundy blackout drapes; at this moment, the blackout curtain was pushed aside, leaving only the sheer curtain gently billowing in the breeze.

On the windowsill, a glass vase held a bouquet of fresh, dew-covered hydrangeas in pink.

As for the floor, it was covered with a thick plush carpet, also in a light pink hue. Because it was overly soft, stepping on it created quite a dent.

The most extravagant part was the bed.

Ji Ruan considered himself experienced in hospital stays, but in two lifetimes, he had never seen a round bed in a hospital.

It had a light pink silk bedding set, thoughtfully provided with two recognizable pillows in an obvious double size; this little touch could be overlooked, and Ji Ruan could pretend not to see.

But what was outrageous was that the head of the bed could also rise and fall! There was even a movable little wooden table at the foot!

Aside from the shape and size being different from the one at home, every function was perfectly replicated, even upgraded!

Adding a sheer curtain on top would genuinely make it a princess bed.

At a glance, the entire room could only be described as a fairy tale paradise for a swan princess—there was no other word for it.

Ji Ruan’s eyes lingered on that bed, unable to pull away.

He didn’t judge the room, but why did he feel like he somewhat liked this bed?

Gu Xiuyi’s expression was also not very good.

It wasn’t the kind of anger that made people feel shivers up their spines. Instead, it was a difficult-to-describe mix of a bit of awkwardness and a shock he couldn’t quite articulate.

He subconsciously tightened his grip on Ji Ruan, making Ji Ruan feel a bit of pain.

“Cough.” Ji Ruan cleared his throat to break the silence, thinking carefully about his words: “Well… your taste is indeed quite romantic.”

This was the most cultured compliment Ji Ruan could think of.

Rarely, Gu Xiuyi’s psychological resilience remained outstanding. After surveying the room, he composedly looked at Ji Ruan:

“It was arranged by Song Ling; I was unaware in advance.”

Nonsense.

Just a few hours ago, he said this room was carefully arranged by him.

He also claimed it was warm, exquisite, understated, and elegant.

Even if he couldn’t be present to oversee it, it must have been his design plan; otherwise, who would dare to tarnish Gu Xiuyi’s aesthetic? Did they want to lose their salary?

To push the blame onto Song Tezhu was too harsh on Song Ling, Ji Ruan thought.

But he didn’t want to expose Gu Xiuyi, after all, this was his heartfelt intention toward him.

Ji Ruan’s expression softened with pity as his gaze fell wistfully on Gu Xiuyi, gently poking his shoulder: “It’s okay, you can just carry me to the bed.”

Gu Xiuyi found it difficult to understand Ji Ruan’s expression, but he felt this person wasn’t thinking of anything good.

His expression was serious, and he stepped in, the soft pink carpet making no sound underfoot.

The mattress was even softer than it appeared, and as soon as Ji Ruan sat down, he was astonished.

He glanced at Gu Xiuyi, who still appeared tense, and after a moment, he took his hand and smiled, “Thank you, I’m very happy…”

Ji Ruan hesitated for a moment, trying hard to forget the girlie pink all over the room, forcing himself to only remember the practical functions of this bed, before finally managing to say with a smile:

“I really like it.”

It was evident that he didn’t genuinely like it.

Gu Xiuyi saw Ji Ruan’s restrained expression very clearly.

But he—loved it to death!

If seeing this hospital room at first sight made Gu Xiuyi want to withhold Song Ling’s bonuses for the next ten years, then after having Ji Ruan in his arms and putting him on the bed, he felt like he needed to transfer all those bonuses to Song Ling right at that moment.

Ji Ruan wore a beige coat, his legs curled slightly as he sat on the bed’s edge, still wearing those silly bear socks, looking a bit clumsy.

But when he looked up to meet Gu Xiuyi’s gaze, the all-pink round bed made his cheeks rosy, his eyelashes longer than a Barbie doll’s, and his round, bright eyes resembled that of a little princess.

He was born for this bed!

No one in the world was better suited for this bed and this room than Ji Ruan!

Gu Xiuyi’s throat moved tightly.

He involuntarily softened his breath, pinching Ji Ruan’s earlobe: “As long as you like it.”

“—You rest for a bit; I’ll go run some water for your bath.”

Ji Ruan: “Okay.”

He considered himself to be an understanding young man. Gu Xiuyi’s carefully arranged hospital room was practically a gift to him, and he wouldn’t offend anyone’s goodwill. He subconsciously nodded in agreement with Gu Xiuyi’s words.

But… let the bathtub not be pink as well, right?

Ji Ruan felt a vague sense of worry.

Wait!

When did he say he wanted to take a bath?!

But Gu Xiuyi had already stepped in resolutely, opening the bathroom door.