TLDMDTBS Chapter 36

Chapter 36

This sentence hit Ji Ruan like ice sinking into a cold pool, jolting him back to reality, meeting Gu Xiuyi’s gaze.

Gu Xiuyi seemed concerned about his state, his eyes mixed with a lot of apprehension.

“Ji Ruan?” He called his name again.

Ji Ruan uncontrollably shivered and then took a deep breath.

The sunlight outside was warm, and the palm Gu Xiuyi placed on his neck was also warm. Ji Ruan’s wildly racing heart gradually calmed down due to this warmth.

He licked his lips, squeezed out a smile towards Gu Xiuyi, and muttered, “I just think, surgery is scary, operations are scary…”

Saying this might seem overly dramatic to others, but this was Ji Ruan’s biggest fear in this world, something he never wanted to experience again until death.

Gu Xiuyi was momentarily taken aback.

He wasn’t quite clear on what Ji Ruan’s deepest thoughts were, but he had gradually gotten used to thinking based on Ji Ruan’s words.

Surgery… What would happen if Ji Ruan needed surgery someday?

If it were Ji Ruan who was pushed into the operating room that day, how would it be?

Although appendicitis was just a very minor surgery now, it still required an operation. Ji Ruan’s blood type was special, and his blood coagulation wasn’t great. What if he couldn’t stop the bleeding or his blood reserves weren’t enough…

A chill crept up Gu Xiuyi’s back, leaving him shivering.

“Don’t think about it,” he tried to pull himself together and gently looked at Ji Ruan. “You won’t have any problems, don’t think too much.”

He held Ji Ruan’s hand and walked outside, letting the twilight of the sky envelop them: “We’re going home.”

·

The Han embroidery heritage event was on Saturday, the first stop at Jing Da, but Ji Ruan didn’t join the hustle and bustle. This day happened to be his birthday; after all, he thought, he was more important than anything else.

The night before, Ji Ruan went to bed early to conserve energy, so he could have enough vigor to enjoy himself thoroughly.

At nineteen, his birthday in his previous life before he died could only be spent in a hospital bed, unable to eat cake, tormented by medication reactions, with none of his body having any strength.

His family bought him a beautiful cherry cake, wanting him to blow out the candles and at least feel the birthday atmosphere, but he was so weak that he couldn’t even extinguish the candles.

Now, coming to this world felt like his life had restarted. He could stand up healthily, even celebrating his birthday at an amusement park with friends, something he wouldn’t dare dream of before.

Ji Ruan wasn’t someone who dwelled in the past; he couldn’t let negative emotions affect himself continuously. Living one day was a profit; as long as it made him happy, nothing else mattered.

This birthday, Ji Ruan originally planned to go out to play with his three roommates, but Gu Xiuyi expressed a desire to join half a month in advance. He had a youthful heart and loved amusement parks, so Ji Ruan had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, Ji Ruan secretly felt that it would be better with Gu Xiuyi; he always mysteriously gave Ji Ruan a sense of security.

By the time they were still on the road, his roommates had already arrived, bubbling in the group chat, sending several pictures of the scene.

[Han Daxian: Picture.jpg/We’ve arrived, where are you @Ji Ruan @Ji Ruan]

[Ji Ruan: Just got out of the car, we’re about to go in.]

[Mr. Qin, the Rising Star of Finance: Just waiting for you two!]

[Mr. Qin, the Rising Star of Finance: Wow, this super VIP bracelet is free for the whole venue! I can get a headband for free!]

[Art Saint Lao Li: @Ji Ruan, hurry up! I picked the cutest one for you!]

[Mr. Qin, the Rising Star of Finance: What are you thinking? Of course, it’s for Mr. Gu to pick for Xiao Ruan!]

[Art Saint Lao Li: …That’s reasonable, then this one goes to Han Xiaolin.]

Qin Shan posted several pictures, all of them were of them buying souvenirs in the park shop.

One was of Li Yu posing with a headband shaped like an axe, and there was also a close-up of the super VIP bracelet, which allowed them to get everything for free.

Ji Ruan opened the picture of the bracelet to look closely, then looked up at Gu Xiuyi and asked, “What is this super VIP bracelet? Did you give it to them?”

The amusement park was crowded, Gu Xiuyi wrapped his arm around Ji Ruan’s shoulder to protect him from contact and casually said, “Well, when meeting your friends, I had to prepare something. I let Xiao Ya give each of them one bracelet to have more fun.”

“Oh…” Ji Ruan touched his nose.

Seeing that he hung his head again, not knowing what he was thinking, Gu Xiuyi poked his puffy cheek: “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ruan blinked his big eyes and looked at Gu Xiuyi with a bit of eagerness: “But why don’t I have one? I’m the birthday star…”

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t help but smile at his adorableness: “What do you need a bracelet for when you’re with me?”

“…Hmm?”

“Why are you envying others, little birthday star?” Gu Xiuyi patted his head: “You have a special gift.”

Ji Ruan’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Is it a surprise?”

Perhaps because his previous life had been too plain and dull, Ji Ruan never told anyone that he actually quite liked little fancy surprises and trinkets.

“Yeah…” Gu Xiuyi pondered for a moment and said, “Something like that.”

“Great~”

Ji Ruan’s little dimple appeared, starting to fill with anticipation. Gu Xiuyi felt a stirring in his heart and, taking advantage of his distraction, gently poked him and pushed him forward.

They didn’t need to line up in the long queue at the entrance; they were led into a side path by the staff in black uniforms and smoothly entered through the gate.

From a distance, Ji Ruan spotted his roommates who had just come out of the park shop. The three of them saw him too and happily waved as they rushed over.

“Hello, Mr. Gu!”

“Hello, Mr. Gu!”

“Mr. Gu is so great!”

A series of greetings caught Gu Xiuyi off guard, almost making him think he had come to inspect the work.

“Hello.” He smiled and looked at Ji Ruan: “Your friends are quite enthusiastic.”

Ji Ruan was also a bit dazed, feeling embarrassed by their dog-like flattery: “Can you guys speak normally?”

“This is normal!” Qin Shan revealed the bracelet on his wrist, excitedly saying, “Mr. Gu’s gift is amazing! I can eat burgers and drink milk tea without any obstruction!”

As if afraid Ji Ruan wouldn’t believe him, he took out a burger from his bag and took a bite.

Li Yu said disapprovingly, “Better eat less, don’t throw up on me after the roller coaster.”

Qin Shan was stunned and scratched his head: “That makes sense.”

Han Xiaolin, always proactive, immediately snatched the burger and tucked it back into the bag: “Now it’s fine, one bite won’t make you vomit.”

Li Yu exchanged a praising glance with him.

After dealing with the main business, Han Xiaolin dared to take a serious look at the tall man in front of him, expressing surprise in his eyes: “Mr. Gu today… dressed very stylishly; it fits the current atmosphere perfectly.”

He had given up his usual shirt and suit today, wearing an extremely simple black denim jacket and pants, with an undecorated white T-shirt underneath, making him look very approachable.

Through this outfit, Han Xiaolin caught a glimpse of the former campus heartthrob of Jing Da’s remarkable demeanor, for the first time seeing a genuine couple’s closeness between Mr. Gu and Ji Ruan.

As for Ji Ruan, his youth was his greatest asset; he didn’t need any fancy clothes. Wearing a light purple sweater was already a Top Tier in looks.

The other two looked over at this remark and were equally astonished, agreeing with Han Xiaolin: “He matches our Xiao Ruan so well!”

Gu Xiuyi had long become immune to any praises around him, but when he heard the last sentence, he felt unexpectedly touched, sensing a subtle growth of pride.

He couldn’t help but glance at Ji Ruan, feeling a strange surprise—turns out he could look so good with this soft-clothed, soft-smiling little friend.

But Gu Xiuyi couldn’t show a shred of it on his face. To Han Xiaolin and the others, he only slightly curved his lips and politely said “thank you.”

That expression couldn’t even be considered a smile.

The three were shocked, no wonder he was the calm and emotionally stable CEO…

Ji Ruan looked on and couldn’t help but smile.

His roommates didn’t see through it, but he could sense that beneath Gu Xiuyi’s calm exterior, he must have been bursting with joy because this outfit, although casual, had been carefully chosen by Mr. Gu.

Before heading out in the morning, Ji Ruan meticulously got ready. He usually took longer, with Gu Xiuyi sitting at the dining table waiting for him every day.

But today, Ji Ruan had finished one little soup dumpling, and Gu Xiuyi just came out from his room, dressed in this almost college-student-esque outfit.

Mr. Gu created a new record with his outfit coordination duration.

Even if the clothing was painstakingly selected, Gu Xiuyi still used a calm demeanor to make himself look very casual.

So when Ji Ruan sat next to him, he secretly leaned over to his ear and whispered, “You look really handsome today.”

Sure enough, Ji Ruan saw Gu Xiuyi seem to relax, his back straightening a bit, resembling the time when he happily got to choose the engagement ring.

Ji Ruan covered his face and chuckled; Gu Xiuyi was truly the easiest man to coax he had ever seen.

Ji Ruan’s roommates all wore flamboyant headbands, and Gu Xiuyi, fearing the little birthday star would again look up with eager eyes to ask why others had something he didn’t, simply took Ji Ruan into the store first.

The little birthday star grimaced about the childishness, but he clearly still wanted it.

Gu Xiuyi chose a particularly cute pair of cat ears for him. Ji Ruan’s eyes sparkled, seeming to really like it.

But when it came time to put it on, a slight issue arose.

Ji Ruan had undergone cochlear implant surgery on his right ear, which required him to wear an external device constantly. Although this device wasn’t large and could be concealed by his hair, it made it impossible to wear a headband.

But if he took off the external device, he wouldn’t be able to hear.

At first, he hadn’t considered this; he let Gu Xiuyi put the cat ears on him until the external device was bumped and the sounds around him suddenly blurred, causing Ji Ruan to be taken aback.

His elevated emotions felt shackled, forcefully cooling down.

Gu Xiuyi quickly reacted, removed the headband, and adjusted Ji Ruan’s external device.

The sounds around him became clear again, but his friends had fallen silent.

The amusement park was always bustling with a large crowd, and the constant flow of people in the shop made Ji Ruan glance around to see their radiant smiles.

Every visitor, whether they were buying these headbands or not, could easily pick them up to try them on, often jokingly placing them on their friends’ heads.

But Ji Ruan couldn’t do that.

He was different from others.

If he wanted to wear a pretty headband, he had to choose not to hear.

But he couldn’t choose to be deaf.

Ji Ruan never thought of himself as someone with a fragile heart, nor did he feel he had to wear a headband like everyone else.

It was just an ordinary headband, it wouldn’t affect his perfect birthday at all.

But in that brief moment, he inexplicably felt a bit teary-eyed.

He took the cat ears from Gu Xiuyi’s hand, hung them back on the display rack, and smiled: “Okay, I won’t wear them.”

Ji Ruan’s smile was always innocent and beautiful, like a little angel, and Gu Xiuyi had been moved by it many times.

But if a person so remarkably beautiful forced a smile, it could double the bitterness for those who looked at him.

“Ji Ruan…” Gu Xiuyi instinctively raised his hand to touch his eye corner, but was subtly avoided by Ji Ruan.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Ruan still smiled with his eyes crescent-shaped.

Gu Xiuyi’s emotions threatened to swell, only to be tightly sealed beneath his calm exterior.

He nodded, suddenly searching around, speaking in a voice that revealed no abnormality: “I also think there are too many people wearing headbands. Let’s find something else.”

“Huh?”

Ji Ruan blinked curiously as he watched Gu Xiuyi pull out a small item from the bottommost basket on the display rack, walking towards him with a big smile.

He held a little clip, which was a light purple fluffball matching Ji Ruan’s sweater, connected to a thin spring, wobbling in Gu Xiuyi’s hand.

Gu Xiuyi clipped the little fluffball onto Ji Ruan’s head. Since Ji Ruan had thick hair, this type of clip was the most suitable and stable.

Ji Ruan had no idea what he looked like now and hurried to the mirror. Upon seeing his reflection, he suddenly broke into laughter.

Gu Xiuyi’s perfectionism wouldn’t let this moment pass, that little fluffball was placed perfectly on the center of Ji Ruan’s head, not leaning a millimeter outside, swaying slightly and resembling a little purple antenna.

Ji Ruan’s eyes were still red, but he pursed his lips, staring at his little antenna and laughed, sniffling:

“Ah, I seem to be a bit cute.”

At that moment, the atmosphere truly came to life, and Han Xiaolin and the others exchanged glances, visibly relieved, and smiled without burden.

Gu Xiuyi stood behind Ji Ruan, his height difference allowing him to easily ruffle that little fluffball.

He gently flicked it with his fingertips and smiled at the person in the mirror: “Yeah, you’re the cutest little birthday star.”