Ruan Luo unconsciously bit his lower lip, turning his head away and closing his eyes, refusing to look at Fu Yu.
A second later, he gave a slight nod.
When he wasn’t looking at Fu Yu, he felt a faint sense of security.
But with his eyes closed, his hearing and senses were infinitely amplified.
When Fu Yu’s deep voice said, “Bear with me, I need to clean you up,” Ruan Luo’s breathing merely quickened and became labored, as if he had suddenly developed an allergy to the air. It wasn’t fatal, and he could still endure it.
But when Fu Yu’s warm hand cupped his sole and ankle, a jolt like electricity shot through Ruan Luo’s entire body, and a thunderclap exploded in his mind.
An image instantly flashed before his eyes—
In the image, a tall man held his struggling ankle in a death grip, clamping a silver anklet onto the bone: “Last chance. If it doesn’t fit this time, you can keep the foot! My patience is wearing thin. Cooperate!”
The hair on Ruan Luo’s body stood on end. He snapped his eyes open in terror, desperately kicking and struggling within Fu Yu’s grasp. “Get off! Get off! Don’t touch me… Don’t touch me!”
But the warmth on his foot didn’t leave; instead, it seemed to grip him even tighter.
Ruan Luo struggled all the more violently.
His frail body quickly reached its limit. Snowflakes began to drift across his vision, and his limbs turned limp.
In a haze, Ruan Luo felt something bitter being forced into his mouth. He shook his head, trying to dodge it, even attempting to bite back, but it was all in vain. The bitterness only intensified, now laced with the metallic tang of blood.
After what felt like an eternity, a voice faintly reached his ears, broken and intermittent.
It was Fu Yu, his tone anxious yet low. “Ruan Luo… Ruan Luo… I won’t touch you again. Never again. But before that, you need to calm down… alright?”
Ruan Luo’s vision slowly came into focus. He realized he had fallen off the bed.
But he hadn’t hit the floor. He had fallen into Fu Yu’s arms.
Fu Yu’s embrace was warm.
Ruan Luo’s lips trembled. “…Fu Yu.”
He couldn’t hold back anymore. Two streams of tears escaped his eyes and traced paths down his cheeks.
Fu Yu seemed to exhale in relief.
Ruan Luo saw him lift a hand as if to wipe his eyes, but Fu Yu’s hand paused in mid-air for a moment before dropping back down.
Fu Yu’s voice was hoarse. “I’ll put you back on the bed, then I’ll leave. I’ll have the maid handle the rest.”
He sighed softly. “…This was my oversight.”
Ruan Luo’s pupils constricted. He instinctively grabbed Fu Yu’s collar. “Don’t!”
He managed only two words, his voice trembling uncontrollably. His eyes were rimmed with red as he pleaded, “Don’t go… Fu Yu, I’m cold.”
Ruan Luo sniffled, snuggling closer into Fu Yu’s stiff embrace. A muffled “Mmgh” escaped his throat. “Someone…”
“Someone what?”
The same desperation he’d shown while kicking Fu Yu earlier was now poured into his grip on the man’s collar. An outsider might have thought he was trying to strangle him.
Ruan Luo’s knuckles were white from the effort, but he refused to let go. He shook his head against Fu Yu’s chest. “I don’t know, just… someone…”
“Don’t be afraid. Tell me where they are,” Fu Yu’s voice was gentle, coaxing.
Ruan Luo’s mind was still trapped on the image of the figure that had just grabbed his ankle.
But the scene had been too dark. The person had been backlit, their towering frame completely blocking his view.
He couldn’t see the face.
But he was terrified.
He didn’t know if it was a hallucination, a ghost, or—
-a memory from his past.
Even now, fully awake, the fear lingered.
Ruan Luo glanced at Fu Yu and saw a fresh bite mark on his lower lip.
Damn it, Ruan Luo thought. I must have scared him half to death just now. I even made him bite his lip.
He felt a mix of regret and bewilderment.
He was bewildered because he realized not only was he suffering from amnesia, but he was also mentally ill. He kept having these sudden, inexplicable episodes. Last time, he’d just locked Fu Yu out. This time, he’d gone as far as scratching his face.
Fu Yu was truly a good person. Not only did he not despise him, but he wasn’t even angry.
Ruan Luo sniffled, picking at Fu Yu’s collar with a single finger.
His mind was a chaotic mess. He couldn’t even focus on how being near Fu Yu always made his heart race, his breath shorten, and his legs and hands tremble. Like a man desperately clinging to a burning log to save himself from drowning, Ruan Luo held onto him, his voice nasal as he pleaded, “I’m sorry again. Please don’t leave.”
Ever since he’d regained his senses, Ruan Luo had refused to cry in front of anyone. So, when he spoke, he only sniffled.
Don’t leave. I’m scared when you’re gone.
I’m scared I’ll see that ghost again.
As he spoke, the helpless little person inside his heart was already crying blind. He thought to himself that if Fu Yu didn’t agree, he wouldn’t beg him. He would just have to be scared. What else could he do?
But Fu Yu agreed.
Ruan Luo felt his judgment had been correct after all. Fu Yu really did care for him.
Fu Yu lifted Ruan Luo and placed him on the bed, shielding his view of the overturned bucket and the mess it had made on the floor.
He sat on the steps beside the bed, keeping a short distance. “Go to sleep.”
Ruan Luo lay on the bed, feeling drowsy, but he forced himself to stay awake.
“Fu Yu,” he whispered.
“I’m here.”
Ruan Luo fell silent.
Just as Fu Yu thought he had fallen asleep, Ruan Luo whispered again, “Fu Yu.”
“Mm, I’m here.”
“Fu Yu, will I still see you when I wake up tomorrow morning?”
“…Do you want to?”
“…Yes.”
“You’ll see me tomorrow morning.”
“What about the day after tomorrow?”
“Whether you see me the day after tomorrow depends on you tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
Ruan Luo’s voice sounded muffled. “Have I done a lot of bad things?”
“What makes you say that?” Fu Yu’s voice was extremely soft, cautious.
Ruan Luo kept his eyes open, fighting off the drowsiness. “I have so many scars on my body. How did I get them? Did I do a lot of bad things in the past? Was I in prison? Did I get punished? Is that why I have all these scars… And… and after I woke up on the hospital bed last time, no one else has come to see me or asked about me except you. Am I… the one no one wants in this world anymore?”
“…No.”
Ruan Luo figured Fu Yu might have been angered and frightened by him, and after staying up all night with him, he must have come down with a fever.
Otherwise, why was his voice so hoarse?
Ruan Luo picked at his fingers under the dim yellow light of the night lamp. “Don’t lie to me. I saw it all.”
Fu Yu’s voice grew even hoarser. “Saw what?”
Ruan Luo reached up to rub the damp corners of his eyes. “I saw someone put shackles on my ankles, like I was a prisoner. Fu Yu, where are my parents and friends? Have they really abandoned me? Or did I never even have them to begin with? Fu Yu, do I…?”
Do I only have you?
Ruan Luo almost said the words, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak them.
Because he suddenly realized a problem—
“What is our relationship? Is it close enough for me to bring these issues up? If we are on good terms, why am I afraid of him? And if we are on bad terms, why is he still taking care of me?”
Ruan Luo was lost once again.
He had tried to cleverly steer the conversation away from sensitive topics, but now he had nothing left, seemingly only Fu Yu.
He didn’t want to ask such a sensitive question and risk hearing an unsatisfying answer from Fu Yu’s lips.
Ruan Luo mumbled incoherently, “Fu Yu, before my memory returns, don’t…”
“…Don’t what?”
Unfortunately, Ruan Luo fell asleep before he could finish his sentence.
After Ruan Luo fell asleep, Fu Yu sat by his bedside for a very long time.
He called the maids and watched them quietly clean the soiled carpet before finally leaving Ruan Luo’s room.
The moment Fu Yu reached his own bedroom, he called Song Qi.
Song Qi sounded surprised when he picked up. “What’s up, boss? You’re calling me personally today. It’s 9 PM, outside of working hours. After we hang up, remember to transfer my consultation fee.”
Fu Yu: “Ruan Luo had a stress reaction. I just gave him a dose of cloxazepam. You told me he wouldn’t react this way to me.”
As he spoke, Fu Yu kicked a nearby chair over.
Heaven knows how furious he was, furious at his own carelessness.
He had endured ten high-potency suppressant injections so far, and their side effects had flooded his system with “violent impulses.” He was on the verge of exploding at any moment.
He was a powder keg, ready to ignite at the slightest spark.
Yet, he had kept his composure perfectly before Ruan Luo, even forcing his voice to remain patient. It was a good thing he was talking to Song Qi over the phone. If Song Qi were here, he would have devoured him alive.
Song Qi, seemingly oblivious to Fu Yu’s murderous rage, let out a soft, “Hiss…” and murmured, “That shouldn’t be possible…”
Fu Yu’s voice turned icy. “Song Qi, I’m questioning your professionalism. I’ve decided to revoke your supervisory authority over Ruan Luo. I’ll find someone more reliable—”
“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on, Boss! Don’t say things you’ll regret! If I weren’t professional, how would I have gotten into your Fu Group Hospital? There must be another explanation. Boss, can you describe the situation in detail? How did the stress reaction start?”
Five minutes later, Song Qi hissed again. “He must have remembered something, but not completely.”
Song Qi fell silent for a moment. “Maybe you were just unlucky and triggered a specific scenario. Otherwise, it’s very hard for patients in the early stages of amnesia to remember anything.”
“Will tonight’s events cause him any physical harm?”
“Not for now.”
Just as Fu Yu was about to hang up, Song Qi suddenly called his name. “Fu Yu.”
This time, he didn’t call him Boss.
“Speak.”
“Fu Yu, are you serious? Taking care of Ruan Luo. Are you serious?”
“Think whatever you want,” Fu Yu said coldly, then hung up.
Ten seconds later, the phone rang again. Song Qi’s voice came through the receiver once more. “Fu Yu, do you have a performer’s personality? Do you enjoy playing the role of the devoted savior?”
“Last warning. Watch your tone.”
“Fine, fine, fine… Are you at home right now?”
“At the manor.”
“Alright then. I’ll come over and see Ruan Luo. You said that after his stress response, he actually burrowed into your arms… That state is very surprising to me. This gesture indicates that some deep-seated consciousness of his overrode his body’s instincts at that moment. This is rare and worth analyzing. Fu Yu, wait for me at home. I’m coming over now.”