TLDMDTBS Chapter 55

Chapter 55

After dinner, Ji Ruan knocked on the study door.

He imitated Gu Xiuyi’s actions and brought a cup of milk inside, where he was led by Gu Xiuyi to sit on a small sofa on the side.

The light in the study was not very bright; only the eye-protecting lamp and the computer screen on the desk emitted some light, while the humidifier was quietly releasing white smoke, creating an unusually serene atmosphere.

Gu Xiuyi sat down next to him, dressed in simple home clothes, with a pair of half-frame glasses perched on his nose, adding a touch of elegance to his demeanor.

The last time Ji Ruan saw him wearing glasses was several months ago during a video chat, and back then, he felt that glasses significantly changed a person’s aura. Now seeing it in person, that feeling was even stronger.

Gu Xiuyi surprisingly had a time when he looked particularly refined and easy to talk to.

Ji Ruan curiously glanced at him a few more times and pointed: “Are you nearsighted?”

“Not really,” Gu Xiuyi adjusted his glasses, “just a little bit; this is mostly for blue light protection.”

“Oh.” Ji Ruan nodded in understanding.

Perhaps as the saying goes, when God closes a door, he opens a window, despite Ji Ruan’s hearing problems, he had excellent vision, more than enough to qualify for a pilot’s license.

He usually used electronic products infrequently, wasn’t fond of gaming, and had never tried wearing glasses, even a pair that was purely decorative without lenses, like the ones his roommates had—he had seen them but never thought of getting a pair for himself.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t want him to wear one either.

Ji Ruan was beautiful all around, especially his eyes, which stood out the most. His eyelashes were long and straight, the color of his irises was light and always very bright and moist, making him very alluring. Yet, because of the round shape of his eyes, it appeared both beautiful and cute.

For instance, right now, he was simply focusing on Gu Xiuyi’s glasses, which might give others the ridiculous impression that he was trying to flirt with the glasses with a cute expression.

Gu Xiuyi pointed at the corners of Ji Ruan’s eyes, giving him a chance to meet his gaze: “What are you thinking about?”

“Um…” He seemed a bit hesitant and pursed his lips: “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Ji Ruan never bothered him while he was working and rarely entered the study. This sudden visit with a cup of milk and his serious expression seemed to indicate that he wanted to discuss something Gu Xiuyi wouldn’t agree to.

Gu Xiuyi appeared to contemplate: “Go ahead.”

He pressed the back of his hand against the cup wall and felt the warmth of the milk before lifting it towards Ji Ruan’s mouth.

Ji Ruan had been conditioned by Gu Xiuyi to have a reflex; no matter what he was doing, as long as something was brought towards him, his first instinct was to open his mouth to receive it.

This time was no exception; he skillfully took a sip as Gu Xiuyi guided the cup and smacked his lips to express how fragrant and delicious the milk was.

Gu Xiuyi smiled and wiped the milk from the corners of his mouth.

“Wait,” Ji Ruan took a while to react: “Why are you feeding me? This is for you!”

He quickly pushed Gu Xiuyi’s hand away, looking a bit annoyed.

“Is that so?” Gu Xiuyi feigned ignorance and leisurely took a sip, ending up right where Ji Ruan’s lips had just touched.

Ji Ruan watching from the side felt something was off about this scene.

It should have been him feeling something was off; his ears were heating up again.

“Uh, never mind, you just drink it.” He snatched the milk cup from Gu Xiuyi’s hand and hurriedly placed it on the coffee table, looking somewhat flustered.

A faint smile lingered on Gu Xiuyi’s face, not exposing him: “So, what were you going to say?”

Ji Ruan adjusted his breathing, not looking at Gu Xiuyi: “I still want to live on campus.”

Gu Xiuyi seemed to have anticipated this, keeping a neutral expression: “Why?”

Of course, Ji Ruan couldn’t bring himself to say that he was having nightmares, which sounded too much like a fabricated excuse.

He pondered for a moment: “What do you mean why… I should be living on campus in the first place.”

Gu Xiuyi gently replied: “But I plan to help you apply for day-schooling.”

Ji Ruan was taken aback: “No way!”

He quickly waved his hands: “Why go through all that trouble? I can just go to school. Anyway, I still have my things there, and I wouldn’t need to move. It’s very convenient.”

Gu Xiuyi didn’t respond immediately, his fingers interlocked as he lowered his eyes and fell silent for a moment.

“Can you give me a reason?”

The study was exceptionally quiet; the dim light from the desk wasn’t enough to illuminate the small sofa two or three meters away. Gu Xiuyi’s facial features were half-hidden in the shadows.

Ji Ruan couldn’t see his expression, so he couldn’t guess his thoughts and felt quite anxious:

“Can I say I want a change of scenery?”

“I… I’ve been stuck in the hospital for too long; if I go home again, you won’t be there during the day, and in a couple of days, Aunty Zhao will take leave. I’ll be so bored without anything to do…”

He unconsciously picked at his fingers: “But all my friends are at school, we eat together and have fun, it’s lively over there.”

Gu Xiuyi seemed to find some reason in this.

However, after reflecting carefully for a moment, he quickly offered a solution with a calm demeanor.

“That’s not a problem,” he said, “I can work from home; whatever you want to do, I can accompany you, and anything you want to eat, I can go out with you to eat.”

Ji Ruan was stunned, his late realization making him realize his previous words could be misunderstood as complaints or pouty whining, which overlooked his seriousness.

“No, no, no! Please don’t!” Ji Ruan hurriedly stopped him, presenting an absolutely serious look: “That’s not what I meant.”

He bit his lip, straining to think of a way to make Gu Xiuyi abandon this plan:

“You, you can’t think like that. You are the brain and heart of your group, managing the economic lifeline of A City. How can you mix up what’s heavy and light just to accompany me for fun or meals? That idea is really dangerous, Gu Zong!”

In Ji Ruan’s view, Gu Xiuyi’s life was all about work; there was no one in the world who loved work more than him.

For such a person to want to change his workplace back home just to accompany him sounded like a horror story, one Ji Ruan truly couldn’t bear.

Gu Xiuyi frowned: “Who taught you to use these words?”

Ji Ruan using the terms “brain and heart” and “economic lifeline” made Gu Xiuyi feel a different kind of cringe, reminiscent of the assumptions made by outsiders when they didn’t understand them many years ago, and those phrases often appeared in certain alternative literature works.

“Ah…” Ji Ruan scratched the tip of his nose: “Isn’t that how it’s written in novels?”

Gu Xiuyi: “…It’s not like that.”

In fact, during the most turbulent years after he took over the group, aside from normal business development, Gu Xiuyi had spent most of his time dealing with those old shareholders over petty squabbles.

Additionally, he had to constantly tackle competitors smearing him online, dealing with paparazzi trying to uncover and expose him about power and transactional relationships with female celebrities.

Of course, later on, after he came out, the paparazzi shifted their target from female celebrities to male ones. Although they came up empty, they persisted for many years, until he and Ji Ruan publicly got married, finally bringing their pursuits to an end.

In a nutshell, it was chaos, far from the dramatic descriptions found in novels, so Gu Xiuyi genuinely couldn’t understand why people in the later years mentioned him with a look of fear and astonishment.

He moved his lips, wanting to tell Ji Ruan it wasn’t that exaggerated, even planning to explain the reality of his work in detail, but stopped short before he could say anything.

Off-topic; the focus today was that Ji Ruan wanted to live on campus, not on how he worked.

“…You should read fewer of those novels,” Gu Xiuyi finally said: “A lot of the content is completely unrelated to the facts; it’s written too exaggeratedly.”

Ji Ruan: “…”

But isn’t that exactly the kind of character you are in those novels? You are portrayed as the scum in tragic novels, mercilessly tormenting someone like me, a little cabbage.

Of course, Ji Ruan couldn’t say that.

“Alright,” Ji Ruan rubbed his nose and shifted the topic back: “That doesn’t matter; I still think living on campus would be better.”

Gu Xiuyi sighed: “Then you should also know I won’t feel at ease with your health condition.”

Ji Ruan spoke earnestly: “I’m not that bad; my leg will be much better next week, and I’ll be fine.”

“It’s not just your leg,” Gu Xiuyi paused: “Ji Ruan, don’t you understand? Your anemia and low blood sugar are both severe right now; what if you get dizzy? What if you fall from the upper bunk in the dorm? Any small bump or bruise isn’t something to joke about.”

Of course Ji Ruan knew this.

But the things Gu Xiuyi mentioned could be avoided with a little caution, whereas nightmares couldn’t.

Since moving from the hospital to home, as long as he stayed by Gu Xiuyi’s side, he would have nightmares throughout the night.

The most distressing part was that the connection between the nightmares and the plot was, so far, just his own speculation. He had no way to explain to Gu Xiuyi, “I want to move out because being with you makes me have nightmares.”

That would sound like a very forced and clumsy excuse to Gu Xiuyi.

In the end, Ji Ruan merely lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers: “I will be very careful…”

His voice was small, but it clearly conveyed his attitude to Gu Xiuyi.

Subsequently, the air fell silent; the two hadn’t spoken for a long time.

Gu Xiuyi gazed deeply at Ji Ruan, trying to discern something hidden in his expression, but he didn’t sense anything.

After quite a while, Gu Xiuyi sighed: “Why are you so set on living on campus?”

“And why are you so adamant about me staying?” Ji Ruan raised his head.

He and Gu Xiuyi met each other’s gaze and clearly saw a hint of dazedness in his eyes, intertwined with many other emotions buried deep.

Ji Ruan didn’t dare to look too long or think too deeply.

He smiled and quickly averted his gaze:

“How about this? I’ll go back to school next week. There’s a little over a month left in this semester—”

“If by that time you still want me back, then I will.”

·

That night, he ultimately couldn’t reach an agreement with Gu Xiuyi regarding the living arrangements.

However, Ji Ruan wasn’t too anxious; at least he had to finish this week’s break before returning to school, giving him plenty of time.

When he went to find Gu Xiuyi that day, it was also in the afternoon when he first mentioned this matter while feeling sleepy. He was afraid Gu Xiuyi might think he agreed and head directly to the school to handle the procedures, so he rushed to the study that night to clarify his stance.

On that day, Aunty Zhao began her break, and Ji Ruan was alone at home with nothing to do.

He set an alarm for a mere thirty-minute nap and woke up feeling drenched in sweat.

His heart raced extraordinarily fast, significantly more than after watching dozens of horror films.

Ji Ruan lay on the bed, clutching the blanket, and stared blankly at the ceiling, struggling to adjust his breathing rate.

Forget that week.

He didn’t want to wait another day!

Buzz buzz—

His phone vibrated continuously.

Ji Ruan wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat up; it was a message from Cheng Zizhang.

[Zizhang Senior: image.jpg]

[Zizhang Senior: image.jpg]

[Zizhang Senior: Look, your workspace is all tidied up!]

[Zizhang Senior: My mom personally decorated it, and I supervised. How’s it? Is it satisfactory?]

Ji Ruan’s mouth immediately curled up as he opened the images one by one.

It was a cozy little workspace, neither too big nor too small, painted in warm colors, complete with various embroidery tools, a small wardrobe, and a tiny resting area where he could curl up on the sofa to sip coffee and enjoy snacks when tired.

Ji Ruan loved it to bits, zooming in on the image and seeing many beautiful threads inside.

[I love it! It’s so beautiful, thank you, senior~~]

Cheng Zizhang replied instantly: [Hehe, if you like it, why not come over and see it in person? Your health should be a lot better, right?]

Of course, it was much better, he felt as if he were bursting with energy!

[Yes yes yes, I’m fine now, senior! Perfect timing, Aunty Zhao is on leave, and I’m at home all alone, so bored TT]

[Zizhang Senior: On leave? For how long?]

[Five days; her nephew is getting married and it’s out of town, at least that long for back and forth.]

Suddenly, his phone buzzed again, startling Ji Ruan, who fumbled. Cheng Zizhang was calling: “That’s great! Just come over and stay for a few days.”

Cheng Zizhang’s lively and generous voice made Ji Ruan unconsciously smile: “Stay directly? Won’t that be inappropriate?”

“What’s inappropriate about it? My mom talks about you every day.” Cheng Zizhang chattered: “Besides, I don’t have many classes recently; if you come over, I can cook for you to taste my cooking, and then we can go to the studio together…”

“By the way, I recently designed a few new embroidery samples and wanted to show them to you!”

What a wonderful life!

Ji Ruan’s mind conjured the picture that Cheng Zizhang had described, feeling almost like a dream.

He immediately made up his mind: “Okay, I’m coming over!”

Cheng Zizhang was quite proactive, saying she would drive over to pick up Ji Ruan, insisting on pulling up to the door so Ji Ruan wouldn’t have to walk far.

Ji Ruan wasn’t shy; after considering, he decided to let her drive into the underground garage, making parking easiest.

After hanging up, Ji Ruan quickly got out of bed and opened the wardrobe, and just like that, the gloom he had felt these days vanished instantly. He even felt invigorated.

Since he would only be staying a few days at Cheng Zizhang’s place, he didn’t need too many clothes. Ji Ruan grabbed a small suitcase and casually selected a few frequently worn items. Then he thought for a moment and decided to bring along the candy jar.

Although Cheng Zizhang’s home had a small yard in the suburbs, they usually lived in an apartment in the city for school and work convenience, and it wouldn’t take long to drive to Ji Ruan’s side.

Ji Ruan had just finished packing his things and was checking them when he received a message saying Cheng Zizhang had arrived. He pressed the button to open the underground garage door for her to come in while he took the built-in elevator down.

The events of the last several minutes had unfolded so suddenly that Ji Ruan was so excited he completely forgot about Gu Xiuyi, only remembering at the last moment that he should inform him.

He opened the chat window with Gu Xiuyi and began typing while stepping into the elevator, carefully describing the situation.

“Ding!”

The elevator doors opened, and Cheng Zizhang stood in front of the car door wearing a beautiful little dress, waving at him with a bright smile.

Having not had a good time for a week or two, Ji Ruan was as excited as a child going on a spring outing, quickly reaching out to wave back, hurriedly clicking send on his message before tucking the phone into his pocket and happily running toward Cheng Zizhang.

Meanwhile, the lengthy message spanning six or seven lines lay forlornly in the chat interface, accompanied by a large red exclamation mark beside it.

Due to the weak signal in the underground garage, it had not been successfully sent.