“No loud noises allowed in the ward!”
The nurse who came in to change the IV drip barked at them.
All three of them shrank their heads, acting like quails. Cheng Shixu walked to the side of the bed. “How is it, Nurse? How much longer until he wakes up? Is there still something wrong? Should we have another check-up?”
The nurse replied, “The equipment has radiation; you cannot just request scans whenever you want. There is nothing wrong; he is just too tired. His body functions are in a state of extreme exhaustion. Let him rest more. Young people should not always be fighting, staying up late, and playing games.”
A state of extreme exhaustion…
After the nurse left, Cheng Shixu asked, “Has Lu Jian not slept in a long time?”
Jin Yi sighed. “Yes. Recently, he picked up several more part-time jobs and basically worked through the night.” He owed so much money, and who knew when he would ever be able to pay it back. Come to think of it, Cheng Shixu was technically one of his creditors, but Jin Yi just hated seeing Cheng Shixu pestering Lu Jian.
“Why does he have so many jobs to do?” He Yu looked at the sleeping Lu Jian. He had met him three times, and every time, Lu Jian was working.
Jin Yi said sarcastically, “We are not like you, a spoiled young master from a wealthy family.”
He Yu’s face darkened. “Do you have a grudge against the rich?”
“If he is working through the night, why is he still going to the boxing ring?” Cheng Shixu sat by the bed and touched Lu Jian’s face with concern. He had never seen Lu Jian look this fragile.
Even when he was working part-time, he was always full of energy. In his past life, it went without saying.
“Forget it, you two should head out. I will keep him company. Go do what you need to do.” Getting no answer, Cheng Shixu wanted some quiet. He did not know why these two, who had never met before, were so hostile toward each other; it was different from his past life.
“Then I will go ask the doctor if there are any other precautions.” He Yu put away his phone and curled his finger at Jin Yi. “You come with me.” After all, he was not familiar with Lu Jian, so it was more appropriate for Jin Yi to handle these things.
Jin Yi glared. “Are you beckoning a puppy?”
He Yu turned and walked out. “Suit yourself. Your buddy is not my buddy.”
Jin Yi followed him out. “You are truly a terrible person; I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to meet you.”
“I am the unlucky one. I have sensitive skin.”
“Say that again…”
“I will say it…”
The voices were cut off the moment the door closed. Cheng Shixu sat back in the chair by the bed, staring unblinkingly at Lu Jian. Did you really have such a hard time in your youth? It was so much harder than I imagined.
He knew too little. He had not expected Lu Jian to have such dangerous part-time jobs. What on earth had that Lu Ye done to Lu Jian? In his past life, every time Lu Jian mentioned him, it was with gnashing teeth and hatred.
He gripped Lu Jian’s hand. “I am so incompetent. I only enjoyed your meticulous care for me, yet I did not know anything about what you truly liked.” Five years of dating—it was all for nothing.
Lu Jian in the ring was so vibrant. Sitting off the stage, he had seen the joy and delight on Lu Jian’s face as he walked onto the ring, the sly smile when he launched a heavy attack, the look in his eyes even when he was losing—biting down hard on his opponent, the “Fat Bear”—and even when he was hoisted into the air, he did not show despair, but rather a more secret excitement.
He must have planned the breakthrough long ago, he thought. He was waiting for the Fat Bear to make that move so he could naturally drop his glove and attack the weakest spot.
Back then, when he had He Yu investigate Lu Jian, there was no mention of the boxing arena.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was Fu Chenming. He stood up, walked to the bedside, and whispered, “Brother Chen.”
“I have to apologize to you. The Lu Ye matter is not as easy to resolve as I thought; he has the Lu family backing him. However, he will not dare to come looking for you. The rest will have to wait.”
After Lu Ye ran to the vocational school to look for him last time, Fu Chenming had taken action. Cheng Shixu was not afraid of a few fights and had not taken it to heart, but he cared because Lu Jian had mentioned the man several times in his past life. That was why he had entrusted Fu Chenming to resolve this hidden danger.
“But there is one thing you definitely do not know.”
Cheng Shixu turned his head to look at Lu Jian. Sunlight fell on Lu Jian’s side, half-shrouding his face in shadow. There were bruises on the apples of his cheeks, and he looked incredibly disheveled. Even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed. “What is it?”
“Lu Jian and Lu Ye are cousins. Old Man Lu had one son and one daughter. The daughter and her husband died in a car accident, and their grandson went missing. Lu Ye then became the only heir to the Lu family. Before that, Miss Lu was the recognized heir.”
What…
Cheng Shixu’s pupils contracted. Is Lu Jian really a rich second generation?!
“Do you think the car accident was suspicious?”
“It has been too long to investigate. At the time, the result was that the truck driver was tired, which caused the collision. Also, in the last two years, Lu Ye’s capabilities have been so poor that Old Man Lu has been searching for his missing grandson.”
Could it be that in his past life, Lu Jian’s hatred for Lu Ye stemmed from him uncovering the truth about the car accident? That his parents were harmed by Lu Ye? But he had never heard Lu Jian mention even a word of it.
That car accident was so tragic; both adults died, and only Lu Jian survived. Could it be that his parents protected him tightly, and that was the only reason he lived? So when Lu Jian said his family loved him dearly, it was true.
He was the child lost by the Lu family—he was indeed a scion of a wealthy family. So the matter of inheriting the family fortune could very well be true. It was just that the Lu Jian of this moment did not know it, or to put it another way, he had not been found yet. That was why he was an orphan, forced to work part-time everywhere.
The only thing that could be a lie was the ‘College Entrance Top Scorer’ part.
“A-Xu? A-Xu?”
Fu Chenming’s voice brought Cheng Shixu back to reality. “My mind is a mess right now. Let us talk after Lu Jian wakes up. If you think the Lu Ye matter is troublesome, just leave it aside for now. I am not afraid of him coming for me.”
“What is troublesome about him? He is a piece of trash. It is the old man in his family who is difficult to deal with. Before finding Lu Jian, he has to protect this one remaining seedling. However, my mom heard you were being bothered by the Lu family and has already had people intercept several of the Lu family’s big orders. He is probably on his way home right now to get a beating.”
Cheng Shixu saw Lu Jian turn his head, appearing as if he were about to wake up. He said urgently, “Let us stop here. I will come back next weekend. Thanks for me to Auntie Fu.” Damn senior year, he thought. Tomorrow is Monday, and there are still so many test papers unfinished. I have to pull an all-nighter when I get back tonight.
“Okay, bye!”
“Bye.”
In his semi-conscious state, Lu Jian had many dreams—fragmented and intermittent. Many were about Cheng Shixu, especially that familiar yet strange call of “Husband.”
He heard Cheng Shixu’s voice again and opened his eyes. Before him was an enlarged face, bangs resting flat on his forehead, backlit, surrounded by a halo of light.
“Wuwuwu, you scared me to death, Husband.” Cheng Shixu hugged his uninjured arm, feeling miserable. “Do not ever do anything so dangerous again. You have me now.”
Once Lu Jian was fully awake, he pulled his arm away. Seeing Cheng Shixu’s wounded expression, he suppressed the reluctance in his heart and turned his head away. “I can pay you back the 300,000 tomorrow. Do not come looking for me again.” He was incredibly thirsty, so he braced himself to sit up and grabbed the water glass by the bed. “Also, do not call me that. I am not your husband, and I do not like men.”
After finishing the water, he heard no response. He turned his head and collided with a pair of reddened eyes. He lowered his head slightly, avoiding the gaze. “We are simply not from the same world.”
“I am sorry. I was just excited for a moment.” Cheng Shixu had truly gotten used to calling him “Husband.” With Lu Jian nearly beaten to death right in front of him, how could he care about past lives or current ones? Even without the memories of their relationship, he was still the same person. “Clearly in your dreams, you liked me calling you ‘Husband’ the most.”
He felt quite aggrieved. Lu Jian had lied to him so much, and he had forgiven him, had he not?
It was just calling him ‘Husband’. Being guarded against every single day, all these days spent together had not brought them even a fraction closer.
In the dreams…
Lu Jian remembered those dreams he had just had. He looked down unnaturally, hiding the panic in his eyes. How could I have such dreams? Was my head beaten silly by the Fat Bear? It seems I really dreamt about the things Cheng Shixu mentioned. I was sitting in the backseat of a car, the partition was raised, I was holding Cheng Shixu, listening to him call me ‘Husband’ several times, it felt wonderful.
The Cheng Shixu in his dream looked about the same as he did now, just perhaps a little older.
He reached out and touched the corner of Cheng Shixu’s eye. “I am sorry. I made you worry, Shixu.”
Cheng Shixu froze. This gesture! This tone! “It is you, is it not?”
“No.” Lu Jian abruptly pulled his hand back. “These are my own affairs. Do not come looking for me in the future.” Even though he had been played by Lu Ye, he had the 300,000 in hand now, and he needed to disappear for a while.
He had barely finished speaking when he was pulled into a tight hug. The pain from his injuries made him instinctively want to gasp, but he held it in, frowning as he heard a voice by his ear. “I have to look for you! If you want to box, then box. I will sit under the ring and cheer you on. Do not chase me away.”
What a tempting offer. Lu Jian lost focus for a moment. It took a long time for him to come back to his senses and push him away. “You said it yesterday: I am me, and he is him. I am not him, and he is not me! Do not treat me as a substitute!”
Cheng Shixu was pushed aside, savoring the residual warmth in his hands, only to hear that stinging remark. He met Lu Jian’s obviously disgusted expression, and his nose instantly felt blocked. “I am not treating you as a substitute. Yes, I said you are you and he is him, but you are the same person after all! How could you expect me not to come look for you? I am just a clingy person; I just want to cling to you. You clearly like it.”
Lu Jian had just hugged him back moments ago. “Stop pretending to be disgusted by me; it is really hurtful.”
Lu Jian seemed provoked. “I said I do not like men, are you deaf?! Are you shameless?! Just because you are gay, you think every man in the world is gay?! Why does it have to be me? There are so many men out there, why can you not just find someone else?! You are so annoying!”
“I…” Cheng Shixu stared blankly at him. “I…” He tried several times, but could not get a complete sentence out. He looked aimlessly to the left and right, trying to shift his focus, trying to soothe his emotions, but it was useless. “You have gone too far!”
He pursed his lips and turned to leave. As he pulled open the ward door, he ran into He Yu, who was returning after asking about the precautions. Seeing Cheng Shixu’s heartbroken expression, He Yu asked, “What is wrong?”
“Nothing. Let us go.” Cheng Shixu rubbed his nose and looked at Jin Yi behind him. “Take good care of him.” With that, he pulled He Yu away.
After getting into the car and leaving the hospital, He Yu saw that Cheng Shixu looked like he had lost his soul. He pointed outside the car. “He bullied you, right?” He said, excitedly reaching for the car door. “Damn it, I am going to go find him!”
“A-Yu!” Cheng Shixu grabbed him. “It is not him; it is my own problem.”
He Yu did not know what had happened, but now he poked Cheng Shixu’s head in exasperation. “Did he gaslight you into being stupid? What problem could you possibly have? Did you forget what Chenming said? Whenever there is a problem, it is someone else’s problem; do not internalize it! If this person does not work out, replace them. No, wait—you spent so much money, and you are not even getting emotional value? What do you want with him?”
“Stop talking. I am doing this voluntarily. My mind is really a mess right now. Send me back to school; I need to do some test papers to calm down.” Cheng Shixu covered his face, rubbing it up and down in misery. He took a deep breath, sat up straight, and rolled down the window. “A-Yu, you will come with me to West University, right?”
He Yu hugged his shoulder and glanced at the driver in the rearview mirror. As the car started, he reassured him, “Do not worry, the lab at West University is waiting for both of us. You are from the future, after all—I am counting on you to lead me to wealth. A-Xu, men are not as important as money. With money in hand, what kind of man can you not have? There are plenty of people lining up to fawn over you. Why bother begging to lick someone’s cold ass?”
Cheng Shixu was amused by him. “You stinky A-Yu, what a load of nonsense. What is inside your head?”
“Money, of course. And you, you silly boy.” He Yu said, “I just got dumped too. How about you do not go back to school, and let us go have a drink? Those test papers you are doing now should not be too hard for you.”
Cheng Shixu refused. “No, the midterms are coming up soon, and my grades need to go up. I need to see the effect of this recent tutoring. My grades have slipped, and you cannot abandon me as your brother now.” That group of close friends he had were all insanely clever. He was already at the bottom of the group, and now that his grades had slipped so much after his rebirth, he could not afford to be ostracized during the New Year’s gathering.
“What are you saying? Even if you are ranked last, you are still my, He Yu’s, most loyal brother.”
“What about Brother Chen?”
“He is included.”
“What about A-Chi?”
“Add him too.”
“Hahahaha, good.”
After dropping Cheng Shixu off at Experimental High School, He Yu sat in the backseat with a grim expression. When the driver carefully asked where he wanted to go, He Yu said, “Back to the hospital.”
“Yes.”
Inside the ward, Jin Yi was cursing Lu Ye for his lack of humanity. Lu Jian joined in, cursing vigorously. Suddenly, Lu Jian needed to go to the bathroom, so Jin Yi helped him up. After seeing him covered in injuries and cursing Lu Ye for a long time, Jin Yi just opened the door when a figure drifted in like a gust of wind. The next second, Lu Jian was punched, falling straight into Jin Yi.
“Brother Lu!”
“Damn you, He Yu, are you asking for death?!” Jin Yi propped Lu Jian up and threw a punch at He Yu. The two of them started fighting right there in the hallway. “Damn your father!”
He Yu kicked Jin Yi, who was pressing down on him, far away. The two of them started trading punches and kicks. Jin Yi’s muscles were taut, but He Yu kicked again. After dodging, he landed a punch. “Damn your father, bullying my brother! You two wait for me!” After delivering his threat, he took a punch to the face. The bodyguards behind him tried to intervene but were ordered to stop.
He Yu rubbed his face and said to him, “I am going one-on-one with him.”
“Enough!” Lu Jian propped himself against the wall and shouted. “This is a hospital!” He staggered toward Jin Yi. Jin Yi withdrew his hand and supported him. “Are you alright?” Lu Jian waved his hand and looked at He Yu. “For Cheng Shixu’s sake, I will not hold this punch against you. You should go.”