TLDMDTBS Chapter 8

Chapter 8

On the way home, Ji Ruan fell asleep in the car.

This sleep was incredibly deep, almost like the most unaware moment since arriving in this world.

Even when the car stopped, and someone pulled open the door, sunlight flooding in, Ji Ruan merely instinctively curled up, unable to wake up.

Gu Xiuyi called Ji Ruan’s name several times while holding on to the door frame, but there was no response from the person in the seat, leaving him unsure whether Ji Ruan could not hear or was utterly unconscious.

After a few seconds of waiting, Gu Xiuyi had no choice but to bend down and check on Ji Ruan.

Ji Ruan had his head tilted against the back of the seat, his right ear pressed down. Gu Xiuyi pinched Ji Ruan’s face to expose his ear, discovering that the small external device was indeed turned off.

What a sleep, completely disconnected from the world…

He turned on Ji Ruan’s cochlear implant, and only then did he realize that his grip had left red marks on Ji Ruan’s cheek, two clear finger impressions on the fair skin.

Due to being so close, Gu Xiuyi could see the fine fuzz on Ji Ruan’s face clearly; his skin was tender and smooth, with an astonishingly good texture.

This skin, rich in life like a plump fruit, belonged only to a child of that age—a gift from God for “youth.”

“……”

Gu Xiuyi’s hand froze.

For the second time, he felt grand about an eighteen-year-old body.

He patted Ji Ruan’s face, his voice taut: “Ji Ruan, it’s time to wake up.”

Suddenly filled with clear sounds, Ji Ruan’s eyelashes trembled violently—he heard the sound of cicadas, the whisper of the wind, and Gu Xiuyi calling his name.

At that moment, the world seemed to activate, and everything blossomed with color.

Gu Xiuyi stepped back just before Ji Ruan opened his eyes.

The blazing summer sunlight was blinding, and Ji Ruan squinted, seeing Gu Xiuyi standing upright by the door, the sunlight casting a halo around him, somewhat hazy.

“Why are you sleeping so deeply?” Gu Xiuyi asked him.

Instinctively, Ji Ruan raised his hand to shield his eyes: “I didn’t…”

As soon as he spoke, Ji Ruan felt something was off—his voice didn’t sound right, and his throat was very itchy.

Before his dulled senses could fully recover, it felt as if a cluster of cotton ignited in his throat, and the itch exploded, erupting all at once.

“Cough cough cough——!”

Ji Ruan bent over suddenly, bracing himself on his knees and coughing violently.

If Gu Xiuyi hadn’t quickly grabbed him, he might have fallen out of the car, kneeling on the cobblestone path in the courtyard.

“Cough… cough cough cough——What the… cough!——cough cough——”

This sudden fit of coughing caught Ji Ruan off guard; he bent over, his face flushed, blood pressure spiking, and even his head was pounding from the coughing.

Gu Xiuyi had never seen such a scene; he reacted after two seconds and placed a hand on Ji Ruan’s back, patting him: “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ruan couldn’t speak.

Gu Xiuyi patted for a while, only to find that not only did it not alleviate Ji Ruan’s situation, but the child seemed to cough even more violently.

He had no idea what he was doing wrong but was too scared to move, so he could only stand there patiently, acting as a human pillar for Ji Ruan.

Eventually, Ji Ruan managed to recover on his own.

Ignoring Gu Xiuyi, he unsteadily stood up and stumbled towards the door.

Gu Xiuyi instructed Song Ling to stop following, telling him a few words to leave work, then quickly caught up with Ji Ruan, supporting him as they moved forward.

Not far along, Ji Ruan began to cough again, squatting down and unable to rise, his eyes tearing up.

Gu Xiuyi had no choice but to squat down with Ji Ruan, lifting his chin to check his complexion.

By four or five in the afternoon, the blazing sun showed no signs of calming down; the ground, having been baked all day, felt like it could rival a furnace.

Sweat quickly beaded on Ji Ruan’s forehead, and his complexion was unusually bad.

Gu Xiuyi had a strong intuition—if Ji Ruan continued coughing like this, he might vomit.

But that short path in the courtyard seemed impossibly far due to Ji Ruan’s impaired mobility.

It was just too hot.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t want to delay any longer, directly lifting Ji Ruan by the arms and draping them over his shoulders, not allowing any argument: “Shall I carry you inside?”

Ji Ruan, dizzy and dimming, heard that perfectly.

He had long wanted Gu Xiuyi’s help—whether he was carried or piggybacked, anything was fine as long as he could get inside. Ji Ruan would accept anything.

But he was coughing too hard; aside from gasping for breath, he couldn’t communicate at all. Therefore, Gu Xiuyi’s words became a timely rain that rescued him from distress.

With tear-filled eyes, Ji Ruan nodded eagerly and patted Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder three times.

Carry me, carry me, quickly!

Like a rider wildly whipping the horse’s rear.

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

He couldn’t articulate why, but he felt it was somewhat odd.

·

Inside the villa, Zhao Ayi was humming a tune and about to start dinner when she heard someone return. She washed her hands and went to meet them, only to see the impeccably straight Gu Xiuyi and—Ji Ruan, who looked droopy and like a little koala melted in the sun, hanging off him.

“Hey! What happened?!” Zhao Ayi rushed over, gently stroking Ji Ruan’s fluffy head, “What’s wrong, Ruan Ruan?”

Ji Ruan liked Zhao Ayi the most.

Hearing her voice, his ears perked up, raising his head from Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder, he opened his mouth to speak, but was pressed back down by Gu Xiuyi.

“It’s nothing, Zhao Ayi, can you call a doctor over?” Gu Xiuyi said.

Then looking at Ji Ruan’s round head, he added sternly, “No talking, or you’ll just end up coughing all over me.”

What does it mean to cough all over him?!

Ji Ruan was stunned; he always covered his mouth when coughing!

He was annoyed not being allowed to speak to Zhao Ayi and being treated with disdain. Ji Ruan clenched his fist and vented his frustration onto Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder, only to be retaliated against as Gu Xiuyi abruptly lifted him, jolting his chest painfully, causing him to start coughing again.

Gu Xiuyi placed Ji Ruan on the bed, waiting for Zhao Ayi to catch up before going outside to wash his hands. When he returned, the room was entirely different.

Ji Ruan’s cough, which had been activated by his jostling, had not subsided. Zhao Ayi sat at the bedside, coaxing Ji Ruan vigorously:

“Oh dear, what’s wrong with our baby, feeling this bad after just stepping out?”

“Did you catch a cold, or are you overheated?”

“Oh dear, our baby…”

Zhao Ayi had always been soft-hearted, especially fond of children, particularly cute ones like Ji Ruan. Even though Ji Ruan was already eighteen, she could still treat him like a three-year-old, wholeheartedly comforting him.

Gu Xiuyi had always known this, but hearing her refer to Ji Ruan as “baby” repeatedly still made him slightly uncomfortable, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Zhao Ayi being overly affectionate was one thing, but it was rare for Ji Ruan to willingly cuddle up to her.

Perhaps it was Zhao Ayi’s overwhelmingly motherly aura, causing Ji Ruan—who had lost his mother at a young age—to rely on someone more when feeling unwell.

Thinking this, Gu Xiuyi found he couldn’t criticize Ji Ruan’s behavior of clinging to Zhao Ayi.

He silently observed the old and the young in the room; Zhao Ayi’s hand rested on Ji Ruan’s back, gently applying pressure as she slowly comforted him. After a few strokes, Ji Ruan’s cough did improve somewhat.

So it was this kind of technique?

Gu Xiuyi recalled the strength he had used when patting Ji Ruan’s back, feeling a bit embarrassed, he cleared his throat.

After a while of coaxing, Ji Ruan’s cough had lessened, though it still came in intermittent bursts.

Looking at Gu Xiuyi, Zhao Ayi frowned, “Xiao Gu, why don’t you go pour a cup of warm water and bring up the cough syrup?”

Gu Xiuyi leaned against the doorframe, having removed his suit jacket, with his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the collar wrinkled from Ji Ruan’s grip, and two buttons undone.

His cold demeanor clashed with the warm atmosphere in the room; clearly it was his villa, yet he felt like an outsider inside.

Gu Xiuyi paused slightly: “Me?”

Zhao Ayi hesitated, realizing she had gotten a bit carried away—she could not order Gu Xiuyi around.

She quickly patted her forehead and smiled, “In that case, Xiao Gu, you hold Ruan Ruan, and I’ll go fetch the syrup.”

Hold Ji Ruan?

How could that be?

This kid was too restless; whenever he was in his arms, he would scratch and hit him, ruining his shirts. There was no way Gu Xiuyi would carry Ji Ruan again in his life.

Gu Xiuyi turned and walked out: “The syrup…is in the storage cabinet on the first floor, right?”

Zhao Ayi chuckled at this moment and shouted down the hallway, “Yes! In the medicine box on the left side of the second tier of the storage cabinet!”

Ji Ruan was indeed sick, reason unknown; it could be that the A/C outside was too strong or that sitting outside all day had caused fluctuating temperatures to take a toll on him.

The entire villa had become chaotic due to Ji Ruan’s presence until the doctor arrived, and after hooking up an IV for him, things gradually settled down.

Gu Xiuyi and Zhao Ayi left Ji Ruan’s room, gently closing the door behind them. They both sighed long, Gu Xiuyi lamented, “Zhao Ayi, in the future, you mustn’t make fried food for him and don’t let him drink ice water; his throat is too delicate…”

Zhao Ayi stifled her laughter: “Got it, I just didn’t think you’d indulge Ruan Ruan with fried chicken. I remember you hated it when you were little, saying it’s unhealthy.”

Gu Xiuyi’s shirt was completely soaked with the smell of fried chicken. He pinched his collar and sniffed, wrinkling his brows in disgust, then letting out a long sigh: “He’s not that young anymore…”

At such a young age, he could only yield.

Zhao Ayi fell silent, suppressing her laughter. Gu Xiuyi turned his head: “What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing, nothing, it’s fine,” Zhao Ayi waved her hand, “You go take a shower; I’m going to cook, all good, all good…”

Gu Xiuyi: “……”

Ji Ruan’s throat was even worse than he imagined; by the next day, he had almost completely lost his voice. His hearing was already poor, and now he became a small mute, experiencing a week of IV drips before barely regaining his ability to speak.

Gu Xiuyi was on a business trip again; Ji Ruan didn’t catch a glimpse of him during his entire recovery.

About half a month later on a sweltering afternoon without any sun, Zhao Ayi was out. Ji Ruan was on the living room floor, cuddling Xiao An while watching a movie.

It was at this moment that Gu Xiuyi returned.

Still impeccably dressed in a full suit, he appeared tall and strong, walking toward Ji Ruan with a mix of familiarity and strangeness.

He seemed never to tire; even after such a long business trip, there wasn’t a hint of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, he looked even more vibrant.

He came back with two bags, washed his hands, then brought them to Ji Ruan.

It’d been half a month, and Ji Ruan felt an inexplicable sense of distance. He sat there, unsure how to start.

Gu Xiuyi, however, lifted Ji Ruan’s chin with two fingers, observing him calmly for a moment: “You’ve lost weight.”

Ji Ruan hadn’t expected him to be so direct; he froze for two seconds before dodging away, looking down to touch his own chin, thinking maybe he had lost a bit of weight…

His throat hurt, he couldn’t eat, losing weight was only normal.

“Ji Ruan.” Gu Xiuyi called his name again.

Ji Ruan looked up.

Gu Xiuyi raised his chin: “Say something, I want to hear it.”

His tone was akin to asking Xiao An to raise his paw.

Ji Ruan didn’t appreciate it and let out a small huff: “Are you sick?”

But Gu Xiuyi laughed, sitting down across from Ji Ruan on the floor; he seemed to be in a rather good mood today, “Is your throat still not well?”

Ji Ruan absentmindedly scratched Xiao An’s head: “It’s almost healed now.”

“Mm,” Gu Xiuyi responded ambiguously, then continued: “Let’s go back to the Gu family for a visit later.”

“Gu family?” Ji Ruan suddenly looked up, “Is that… your parents’ home?”

Gu Xiuyi supported his chin: “Exactly.”

Ji Ruan took a deep breath; it was the legendary old residence!

For someone from a wealthy family like Gu Xiuyi, the old residence was practically a battlefield, and just thinking about it gave him a headache.

However, Gu Xiuyi seemed to take it lightly, quickly changing the subject: “Put out your hand.”

Ji Ruan was still pondering about returning to the old residence, feeling restless. He casually extended his hand, which was immediately seized by Gu Xiuyi.

The next second, a cool object slid onto his ring finger. Ji Ruan came back to his senses, realizing it was a simple ring.

It was a very simple and elegant design, identical to the one on Gu Xiuyi’s ring finger.

Ji Ruan couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

Gu Xiuyi did not look up at him, still holding his wrist, as if he were quite satisfied with something, he casually informed him:

“The ring has arrived.”