TLDMDTBS Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Not going to military training was indeed a very correct decision for Ji Ruan; he found that he seemed to be at odds with the sun. After the open day, he felt lethargic for an entire day.

Of course, it might just be that he was unfairly blaming the sun; it could purely be his physical condition, which often left him feeling dizzy for no particular reason.

One afternoon, when the sun was particularly fierce, Ji Ruan woke up from a nap, feeling hungry and wanting to find something to eat. Everything was fine until he went downstairs. A beam of light came through the treetops outside, dazzling his eyes for a moment, and suddenly everything went black.

That was followed by a strong dizziness.

Ji Ruan tried to grab the handrail but missed. Before falling, he instinctively hugged the railing, thus avoiding a terrible accident.

But he seemed to slide down a few more steps, and his coccyx struck painfully. His vision regained some clarity, but he saw stars and couldn’t make out anything clearly.

Aunt Zhao had taken a half-day off, leaving him alone in the house.

Ji Ruan felt weak and couldn’t get up; he clung to the railing as if it were a lifeline, cold sweat pouring from him, his heart racing as if it would jump out of his throat, feeling so uncomfortable that he wanted to retch.

It seemed Gu Xiuyi had returned.

Fortunately, he was back.

Ji Ruan was on the stairs and unable to move. Someone was slapping his face and calling his name; his nose brushed against that person’s shirt, which carried a familiar scent.

Feeling cold and dizzy, Ji Ruan instinctively leaned over to draw warmth from him.

Gu Xiuyi picked him up. Ji Ruan had no strength left in his body, was frightened, and clung to the other’s clothes with all his might.

By the time his vision cleared, he found himself back in his own bed, his face pressed against the belly of a teddy bear, while Gu Xiuyi had poured him more than half a cup of sugar water.

“It’s fine.” Gu Xiuyi’s palm was pressed against his ear, and the warmth of his fingertips was quite high. “It’s low blood sugar.”

Ji Ruan was still a bit dizzy, tilting his head back and squinting up at him, only able to make out Gu Xiuyi’s sharp jawline. His shirt collar was messy.

“Thank you…” Ji Ruan said weakly, “I’m glad you came back.”

Gu Xiuyi pulled a chair from the desk to sit by the bed. “Are you really hungry?”

Ji Ruan’s eyelashes fluttered, fingers twisting around the teddy bear’s belly, his voice lacking confidence: “I almost fainted from hunger…”

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

Ordering takeout was slow at this hour. Gu Xiuyi looked at Ji Ruan’s pale cheeks and the beads of sweat on his forehead, and for a brief moment, his mind short-circuited.

The pitiful appearance revealed both vulnerability and a kind of genuine weakness, which made Gu Xiuyi feel captivated. He decided to take matters into his own hands – he went downstairs to cook noodles.

This was also his first time cooking.

Ten minutes later, Ji Ruan sat obediently at the dining table.

In front of him was a bowl of noodles that looked decent; at least the noodles were noodles and the broth was broth, not overcooked or mushy.

Under Gu Xiuyi’s calm gaze, Ji Ruan timidly picked up a bite and placed it in his mouth.

“…”

The taste was strange.

Unsure, he swallowed it first.

“…”

It was really terrible.

He couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but it was just extremely bad.

The seasonings inside seemed like they were a special ingredient from outer space, anyway, it didn’t match the taste of Earth.

Ji Ruan’s mouth twitched, and he looked up at Gu Xiuyi.

The man sat opposite him, unfazed by all winds. Ji Ruan momentarily couldn’t assess whether he recognized the poor state of his culinary skills.

But after all, it was the first time he had cooked, so Ji Ruan picked up another piece, trying to be polite again. However, he lacked the courage to open his mouth when it came close.

After a while, Ji Ruan gently put down his chopsticks, looking apologetically at Gu Xiuyi:

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

The air was silent for a few seconds.

Gu Xiuyi’s expression revealed no flaws. “It’s okay.”

He moved the bowl of noodles away from Ji Ruan and placed it aside, speaking very rationally and objectively: “If the taste isn’t right, then don’t eat it. You wouldn’t want to ruin your stomach again.”

That bowl of noodles sat alone in the corner of the marble table, cooling down. Gu Xiuyi should have realized his cooking was awful.

He didn’t even want to taste it himself.

In the end, it was Aunt Zhao, who returned on time from her break, who each made a bowl of plain noodles for them. Gu Xiuyi’s was in a large bowl, and Ji Ruan’s was in a smaller one.

Even though they were seasoned with the same soy sauce and vinegar, Aunt Zhao seemed to work magic, making each bite delicious enough to make one float. Ji Ruan even drank the soup.

After taking a shower and before bed that night, Gu Xiuyi suddenly came to find him. He wasn’t wearing pajamas but had changed into a suit.

Ji Ruan looked him up and down, hesitating, “What’s this…?”

“Going on a temporary business trip.” Gu Xiuyi focused on this, handing something in his hand to Ji Ruan: “Take this.”

Ji Ruan was unexpectedly shoved a thing into his arms. Instinctively, he held it with both hands; it was a rather large glass jar, quite heavy, filled with candies and chocolates.

Ji Ruan looked up, puzzled: “?”

He had just taken a shower, his cheeks were flushed, and he was wearing a loose pajama that seemed to engulf his collarbone.

Gu Xiuyi pressed his lips together: “You can eat this when you feel dizzy in the future.”

Ji Ruan was stunned, only then noticing that the jar’s candies and chocolates were all wrapped in colorful wrappers, which didn’t need to be opened. Those serrated-packaging kinds were indeed difficult to tear for people with low blood sugar.

Ji Ruan exclaimed in joy, “Thank you! I will eat them well.”

Candies were great, much better than if Gu Xiuyi had made noodles again.

Gu Xiuyi tapped the candy jar: “But don’t eat before bed; it’s easy to get cavities.”

“Got it,” Ji Ruan shook the jar and suddenly thought of something: “Are there cherry-flavored ones?”

Fruit candies were everywhere, but among all the fruit types, those made into cherry flavors were significantly fewer.

“…” Gu Xiuyi visibly paused for a moment. “Probably not. Do you like it that much?”

Ji Ruan smiled, and the glass jar reflected a bit of sparkling light on his lower eyelid, making his smile appear exceptionally beautiful: “I was just saying it casually.”

Not sure if it was the warm yellow light in Ji Ruan’s room that felt particularly gentle, Gu Xiuyi’s expression softened a moment: “Mm.”

Someone called on the phone, and Gu Xiuyi, after answering, nodded at Ji Ruan: “I’m leaving. You rest.”

“Mm, bye-bye,” Ji Ruan waved and smiled.

As Gu Xiuyi went downstairs, he suddenly noticed some light below.

The lights in the living room and corridor were turned off at night. He looked back, and the warm light from Ji Ruan’s room spilled out like a milky way, spreading out toward his feet and then fanning out ahead.

Ji Ruan stood at the door, holding the jar of candies, and when their eyes met, he smiled again, the expression as warm as the light.

“Boss, boss——?”

The voice on the phone pulled Gu Xiuyi back to reality.

“What’s wrong?”

“……It’s nothing; you speak.”

Gu Xiuyi turned, stepping slowly like he was treading on stars, leaving home one step at a time.

·

On the second night of the business trip, Gu Xiuyi received the first message proactively sent to him by Ji Ruan.

[image.jpg]

Gu Xiuyi opened it, revealing a bright red candy wrapper, neatly laid out on the desk.

[There really are cherry-flavored ones.]

[I thought it was strawberry; I ate it and realized it was cherry. It’s a bit sour and a bit sweet, very tasty.]

[But there’s only this one. Just wanted to show you the candy wrapper~]

Gu Xiuyi felt a bit dazed as the messages bombarded him one after another, feeling sweet without even having eaten candy.

Ji Ruan only showed him a glimpse of the wrapper, and he kept looking at it repeatedly.

Then he clicked on the note, hesitated for a moment, and deleted Ji Ruan’s name, replacing it with the built-in cherry icon from the input method.

“……Gu Zong?”

The staff in front of the projection screen trembled while holding a pen: “Um… did you… did you find my presentation bad…”

Gu Xiuyi pressed down a laugh, carefully looked at the PPT: “The proposal is good. You continue with it.”

This staff member was praised for the first time since joining the company and was excited to hold onto his ID badge: “Thank you, boss! I will work hard!”

After drinking his milk, Ji Ruan received Gu Xiuyi’s reply.

[I saw it.]

Three words that conveyed no emotions whatsoever.

Ji Ruan was accustomed to it; he pouted, took out his iPad, and started watching a drama.

·

Three days later, at the airport in the early morning.

Xiao Ya dragged her suitcase, following Song Ling, her complexion haggard, dark circles reaching down to her chin.

“What exactly happened to the boss?!” She stretched out five fingers: “Five days! He finished the whole trip in just five days! I’ve been awake for dozens of hours! If I die from overwork, will the company pay for it?!”

Song Ling pretended to be serious: “Of course, they’ll pay.”

He hurriedly dodged before Xiao Ya’s fist could hit his face, laughing: “I was just joking; he’ll be back soon so we can take a break, right? This is called improving efficiency.”

“Efficiency my ass!” Xiao Ya’s lady-like demeanor was completely lost. Afraid that Gu Xiuyi in front could hear, she had to lower her voice: “We still have a meeting to do when we go back!”

“Just one left,” Song Ling raised an eyebrow: “Once it’s done, we’ll take a break and even bonus, the boss is generous, right?”

Xiao Ya snorted softly: “Am I someone who bows to five buckets of rice?… How much more?”

Song Ling smacked his lips: “You’ll definitely be satisfied either way.”

Considering the money, Xiao Ya managed to regain her lady-like demeanor, glancing at Gu Xiuyi’s upright figure ahead, sighing deeply: “Why doesn’t he get tired? No one gets more energetic the more they go on a business trip.”

Song Ling smiled enigmatically: “Exactly, maybe there’s a reason he has to come back early.”

Xiao Ya didn’t quite understand.

“Song Ling,” Gu Xiuyi suddenly turned around and said: “Tell someone to move my luggage back to the villa; I’ll be living back there starting today.”

Ji Ruan’s ailments, while each not serious on its own, when combined directly turned that child into a glass doll that could shatter at a single touch.

Aunt Zhao was getting older, and although Ji Ruan was still a grown boy, if he suddenly fainted again on the stairs, Aunt Zhao might not be able to keep up.

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t always be conveniently around, moving back was the wisest choice.

“Okay,” Song Ling immediately replied: “I will get it done before dinner.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded in satisfaction: “Also, order a few sets of bed sheets and covers for me; the bed size at home is different from that in the apartment.”

“Got it.” Song Ling wrote it all down.

“By the way,” Gu Xiuyi stressed: “Order a few sets for Ji Ruan too; I don’t know what size his bed is.”

While Song Ling was taking notes, he said: “Dormitory beds usually have a standard size; I’ll check later.”

Gu Xiuyi suddenly stopped.

Song Ling and Xiao Ya almost bumped into each other, caught off guard.

“What dormitory?” Gu Xiuyi’s expression suddenly became very serious.

Sensing the abrupt change in atmosphere, Song Ling blinked, and his tone became respectful: “Ji Ruan is living in the dormitory since school started; he should be packing these two days.”

Gu Xiuyi stood frozen, his face showing no expression, but the pressure made Xiao Ya hesitant to approach.

He completely forgot.

It was a routine for new students at Jing Da to stay in the dormitory. Back in his freshman year, he also directly assumed he would live on campus. But it had been so long since graduation that he actually forgot the most important detail!

Gu Xiuyi fiercely pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to walk away in big strides.

Xiao Ya quickly reminded: “Boss! The meeting…”

Gu Xiuyi didn’t pause for a second, with his voice cold echoing in the empty hall: “Change to online.”