Wu Yan’s voice was very soft, audible only to Pei Jin who was so close to him. His tone was pure and harmless, yet it carried a trace of seductive charm. Pei Jin’s body instantly stiffened, and the tips of his ears turned a rapid shade of red.
He feigned composure as he finished the embrace and stepped back, maintaining a steady expression on his face. Only he knew that when Wu Yan spoke just now, his heart had truly skipped a beat.
The event lasted for nearly three hours. After the crowds were dispersed, some people remained standing in a daze, reluctant to leave.
In the lounge, Wu Yan was one of those people. He leaned back on the sofa, head lowered as he texted his driver. He looked up to see Pei Jin returning from the restroom.
“Brother, you’re back. I was nearly bored to death waiting for you…” Wu Yan’s tone was aggrieved. He turned off his phone, stood up, and took a few steps toward Pei Jin.
But for every few steps he took, Pei Jin took a few steps back. Wu Yan became unhappy. “I’m not a tiger; I won’t eat people. Why are you running so far away, Brother?”
Pei Jin glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 12:30 PM.
Luo Xia, just entering the room, looked confused at the “Chud-Han border” distance between the two.
“Brother Pei, time to go,” Luo Xia said, then added: “Is Young Master Wu coming with us?”
Wu Yan knew what Pei Jin was thinking just by looking at him. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and walked toward the door. “No, I’ll head back myself.”
Pei Jin watched Wu Yan leave the room and walk to the window. It wasn’t until he saw the youth safely in his car that he turned to Luo Xia. “What are you dazing for? Let’s go.”
The Hospital
Outside the mall, as soon as Wu Yan got into the car, he felt dizzy and his chest felt stiflingly tight. He checked the time, took his medicine as usual with some water, and didn’t spare a single glance for Xu Yike in the passenger seat.
“Young Master, you have a physical check-up at the hospital today. Aunt Wang made lunch; it’s in the bag on the right.”
Xu Yike didn’t dare sit in the back, and even in the front, he feared making Wu Yan angry. Once the car stopped near the hospital, he got out, allowing the driver to go to the back to set out the food for Wu Yan.
Looking at the frost on the windows, Wu Yan knew it was freezing outside. He pursed his lips and told the driver, “Tell him to come back inside.”
He disliked Xu Yike, but not to the point of letting the man freeze. However, he didn’t intend to let himself be bothered, so he had the driver raise the privacy partition.
After lunch, Xu Yike led Wu Yan into the hospital. After completing various tests, Wu Yan sat in a chair while his primary physician lectured him on precautions. Seeing that Wu Yan wasn’t listening, the doctor turned to nag Xu Yike instead.
Wu Yan grew annoyed and stood up to leave. But before he could fully rise, his vision blurred. Everything went black, and he fainted.
The world fell into silence. The scent of hospital alcohol lingered in the air. In the blue-and-white hospital room, sunlight peeked through the gaps in the curtains.
The youth lay on the bed, his face pale. His slender hand was hooked to an IV, the dark veins visible beneath his skin—a picture of extreme fragility.
Outside the closed door, the doctor was talking to Xu Yike. Pei Jin, who hadn’t even returned to his hotel after the event, rushed over in a hurry.
Seeing him, Xu Yike looked shocked. “Brother Pei, why are you here?”
“I heard Wu Yan suddenly fainted. I came to check on him,” Pei Jin replied, his breathing still slightly erratic from the rush.
Without time to wonder how Pei Jin knew, the doctor looked at Pei Jin, then at Xu Yike, and continued:
“His diet is irregular; you must pay more attention. He needs appropriate exercise, or his constitution will only worsen. Did the Young Master follow the schedule I sent last time?”
The answer was obviously “no.”
“The Master and Madam are on a business trip. Our words don’t carry any weight,” Xu Yike coughed lightly, his eyes full of anxiety as he looked at Pei Jin. “Brother Pei, the Young Master only listens to you now. Could you help persuade him?”
Pei Jin had no real reason to do this, but regarding Wu Yan… “I understand,” he said. He watched the closed door, listened to a few more words from the doctor, and then gently opened the door and entered.
Inside, he saw Wu Yan on the bed. The youth had been with him just an hour ago, and now he was lying in a hospital bed. Pei Jin had to update his understanding of just how fragile Wu Yan’s body truly was.
Perhaps sensing a gaze upon him, the heavily sleeping Wu Yan blearily opened his eyes. Those glass-like orbs were full of confusion for a long moment before they finally focused. He raised a hand to block the sliver of sunlight; the next second, the sound of curtains sliding shut cut off the glare entirely.
Seeing Pei Jin, he was still a bit dazed. “Pei…”
He cut himself off. Looking at Pei Jin sitting on the edge of the bed, he began to think about how to use this illness to his advantage.
Pei Jin didn’t know what Wu Yan was thinking. He helped him sit up and placed a pillow behind his back.
“Brother, what’s wrong?” Wu Yan asked, taking the initiative to break the silence. “I get sick all the time and come to the hospital often. I’m used to it.”
So, hurry up and feel bad for me! Hurry up and agree to be with me!
“Wu Yan, is it because you stayed at the mall too long today that you felt unwell?” Pei Jin asked.
Wu Yan fluttered his lashes and tilted his head. “No.”
“I think it’s because I can’t be with the Brother I long for, so I’ve developed lovesickness…” He spoke seriously, as if it were the absolute truth.
From Pei Jin’s perspective, even if Wu Yan was joking, he felt that must be part of the reason. He was silent for a moment before saying, “Next time you want to see me, just message me directly.”
“Hm?” Wu Yan froze, then nodded with a smile.
“Then can Brother kiss me? I feel so miserable,” Wu Yan used the chance to show weakness. He reached out toward Pei Jin, his pale face looking incredibly weak.
Pei Jin thought of the hug on stage. He was about to refuse, but Wu Yan anticipated him. “Fine, a kiss is okay, but a hug should be fine, right?”
They were both men, and they were in a marriage alliance. A hug wouldn’t hurt, and there was no reason to refuse a sick person.
Being pulled into a warm embrace, Wu Yan was pleasantly surprised. He reached out to hug Pei Jin back and whispered, “As expected, Brother is my best medicine.”
Hearing this, a trace of depth flashed in Pei Jin’s eyes, but he said nothing. The large hospital room fell into silence, to the point where they could hear each other’s breathing. A faint citrus scent filled the air.
“Wu Yan, let go.” Pei Jin felt Wu Yan’s hand drifting lower and his tone dropped.
Wu Yan stopped his little movements and sighed with disappointment. “Caught…” He reluctantly let go and created some distance.
Pei Jin sat up straight, recalling the conversation outside the room. “The doctor says your diet is irregular. You need to pay attention.”
Wu Yan blinked. “Is Brother saying this as my fiancé?”
Pei Jin’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively looked away, his gaze dodging Wu Yan’s eyes. After a moment, he coughed and feigned composure. “We haven’t had an engagement ceremony yet. Not officially.”
Seeing the man’s reddened ear tips, Wu Yan knew he was flustered. He had expected the answer and wasn’t angry, but merely let out a long “Oh,” making it sound aggrieved. “So it doesn’t count yet… I thought Brother had already accepted it…”
He turned his head to look out the window, but his peripheral vision was still monitoring Pei Jin’s reaction. Pei Jin’s expression remained steady, but his phone lit up in his pocket. It was a series of messages from Luo Xia asking for an update. He replied briefly and looked back at Wu Yan.
“Is Brother leaving again?” Wu Yan asked softly.
Looking at Wu Yan in his hospital gown, Pei Jin recalled a report saying that Wu Yan’s illness currently had no cure only management. He might one day simply never wake up. Whether out of guilt or sympathy, he felt he should be better to him.
“No,” he said.
“Then talk with me for a bit, please?” Wu Yan moved closer to Pei Jin. He pulled up his blanket, suddenly feeling a bit cold.
Pei Jin asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Then tell me, Brother, have you ever been in love before?”
Pei Jin was twenty-eight, surely he had been in a relationship at some point?
Hearing this, a flash of unnoticeable annoyance crossed Pei Jin’s face, and his voice deepened. “No.”
Wu Yan sensed the shift in mood and didn’t press further. He kept the conversation to mundane things, occasionally slipping in a flirtatious remark, but the man was like a block of wood—no reaction at all.
He let out a helpless sigh just as hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. The door was pushed open, and Xu Yike entered with an insulated bag. He looked between Wu Yan and Pei Jin before setting the bag and some fruit on the nightstand.
As he leaned over to set up the bed table, he met Wu Yan’s disgusted gaze. Xu Yike’s movements paused.
“Eat,” Pei Jin said, intervening for Xu Yike.
Wu Yan pouted, but because Pei Jin was there, he restrained his temper. He allowed Xu Yike to set out the food, which looked and smelled delicious. Lately, he had no appetite and didn’t feel hungry—something that had never happened before.
“I don’t really have an appetite…” Wu Yan murmured.
Under Pei Jin’s watchful gaze, Wu Yan eventually gave in. He mechanically picked up a piece of scrambled egg with shrimp and chewed slowly.
Pei Jin said, “Eat a bit more. It’s bad for your health otherwise.”