“Gu Jia already has gastritis. After pulling consecutive all-nighters, his immunity dropped, which is why this flare-up is so aggressive.”
Jiang Wen swept his gaze up and down over Zhao Yisen.
The youth was undeniably beautiful sharp in his suit, his eyes shimmering like a fresh pink rose bursting from its bud. He was exactly Gu Jia’s type.
With his stethoscope hanging askew around his neck, Jiang Wen dithered for a long time, his tone heavily laced with exasperation at his friend’s lack of discipline.
“Even if he… shouldn’t you have stopped him a little?”
? Zhao Yisen’s gaze went blank.
Wait, why does that phrase sound so incredibly familiar?
Seeing his reaction, Dr. Jiang decided to lay his cards completely on the table: “You two are newly married; you have plenty of time in the future. There’s really no need to pull consecutive all-nighters doing…”
A vivid rose-red scorched its way from Zhao Yisen’s neck to the tips of his ears. He immediately raised his hands to explain: “No, no, no, Dr. Jiang, you’ve misunderstood! It’s completely not what you think!”
Unfortunately, Jiang Wen didn’t believe him. He simply continued on his own track: “Given Gu Jia’s temperament, the moment he wakes up, he’ll yank out his IV and storm off.”
“Young Master Yi, tonight, whatever the cost, you must keep Gu Jia in this hospital for the night.”
Jiang Wen stared directly into Zhao Yisen’s eyes, his tone turning dead serious: “If this continues, he risks a gastric perforation. Once that happens, completely curing it will be incredibly difficult.”
Dr. Jiang was about to say more when his phone suddenly rang.
He answered immediately: “Hello? Right, I’ll be right over…”
He gave a parting gesture toward his phone. Under Zhao Yisen’s bewildered gaze, Jiang Wen whipped back his white coat and strode away.
As the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded, Zhao Yisen was left rooted to the spot, his face shifting between red and white. Jiang Wen’s words had left his mind completely scrambled. After taking a long moment to recover in the office, he finally accepted the reality of being completely misunderstood.
Forget it.
Stepping out, Assistant Jiang was nowhere to be seen.
Zhao Yisen dithered at the entrance for a long time before finally cracking the door open to peek inside.
Gu Jia had been changed into a light blue hospital gown and was lying quietly in bed. The man’s lips were pale, his hair slightly messy, and his cheeks carried an unnatural flush. One hand was hooked up to an IV. This pure, fragile appearance was somehow even more captivating than when he was dressed in sharp business suits.
“No need to pull consecutive all-nighters doing…”
Dr. Jiang’s words echoed like a demonic chant in his mind. Vivid, spicy scenes flashed through his mind completely unbidden. Substituting Gu Jia’s face into them, Zhao Yisen’s face exploded into a brilliant crimson.
Calm down, calm down.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to adjust his mindset. The Big Boss on the bed was quiet; his non-sarcastic demeanor felt completely unfamiliar.
Once he calmed down, Zhao Yisen recalled the ordeal from last night and let out a soft sigh. Perhaps a sleeping 2D character hit closer to his preferences after all.
Thinking of the task Jiang Wen had left him, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
As he fretted by the bedside, his gaze drifted along the edge of the mattress, eventually settling on Gu Jia’s wrist. Beneath the pale skin, faint purple veins were visible. The straight guardrails of the bed perfectly framed the smooth, elegant curve of his wrist.
Blinking, a wild and daring idea suddenly flashed through Zhao Yisen’s mind.
…
It was a gray, rainy day.
Inside a deep green cemetery, dozens of black umbrellas overlapped in layers, surrounding a clean headstone. Gu Jia felt completely groggy, unconsciously moving toward the gathering crowd.
Rain began to fall, the fine drops forming long sheets that blurred his vision. For some reason, his chest felt incredibly tight, leaving him almost unable to breathe.
Passing through the black umbrellas, a figure stood before the tombstone a slender build, hair slightly messy, with most of his face hidden under the shadow of an umbrella.
The youth’s back looked profoundly sorrowful. Standing beside him was a man slightly taller, his aura detached and distant.
Who are they? Gu Jia froze. Then, another question arose in his heart: Whose funeral is this?
He looked up at the off-white headstone a short distance away. The inscription was soaked by the rain, appearing blurry. Just as he squinted to get a closer look, the youth holding the black umbrella stepped forward, his pale fingers lingeringly brushing across the words.
【Tomb of Gu Group CEO—Gu Jia】
“…”
A crack of thunder split the sky. The moment he clearly read those words, Gu Jia’s breath hitched. His body trembled slightly from a spasm, and the ground beneath his feet caved in, trapping him firmly in place.
Before the headstone, the slightly taller man turned around. Gu Jia looked up blankly—it was none other than his “deceased” ex-husband.
Yi Sen looked expressionless, dressed in a solid-colored couture suit, letting the fine rain drench the stray hairs on his forehead. This sense of familiarity one far more intense than when he was awake made Gu Jia’s scalp tingle, the pain in his chest spreading through his limbs along with his blood.
On the other side, Yi Sen flashed a smile at Gu Jia one carrying an indescribable amusement and a long-awaited sense of liberation.
…He wants him dead.
Reading the expression on Yi Sen’s face, Gu Jia’s lips pressed into a thin line, his mind numbed by the dual trauma of body and soul.
The youth holding the black umbrella still hadn’t turned around. He wore a perfectly proper black suit, raising a hand to gently wipe away his tears.
A sense of self-abandoning despair flickered in Gu Jia’s eyes.
Who is this now? he thought with a cold sneer. Is someone actually mourning for me?
Aside from Jiang Wen and Jiang Mingze, Gu Jia couldn’t think of a third person who would come to mourn him. Just as he was about to lower his eyelashes, the youth holding the black umbrella suddenly turned, revealing a face identical to Yi Sen’s.
“…”
Gu Jia’s heart began to hammer uncontrollably.
What is going on?
Then, he watched open-eyed as this red-eyed youth walked up behind the first Yi Sen under the fine mist of rain, the two identical yet distinct silhouettes flickered and merged into one.
In the next moment, Lu Ming walked over.
Gu Jia’s perspective began to blur into total chaos. One moment he saw Lu Ming holding a black umbrella while ruffling Yi Sen’s hair, and the next he saw him pinning Yi Sen beneath him, smiling as he tilted his chin…
His fingertips trembled, and a voice in his mind screamed, trying to tell him something. Gu Jia felt an explosive headache
The emotions he had suppressed for so long erupted. A flash of colored static crossed his vision, and his eyes flew open, the white ceiling coming into view.
“…”
He sniffed; the scent of disinfectant faintly drifted in the air. His consciousness slowly returned. The details of the dream were already blurry, but the mix of shock and fury hadn’t vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Jia steadied his mind. The stinging pain in his stomach had subsided. He tentatively moved his fingertips.
His left hand still had feeling, but his right hand felt as if it were pinned down by something heavy numb and completely without sensation.
Looking up, he discovered that his right hand the one connected to the IV was surrounded like a star by a chaotic pile of documents. His five fingers were each resting on top of five small tangerines.
Gu Jia: “…”
He swept a frigid gaze over his surroundings. The sky outside the window was dark. Judging by the decor, this was a VIP ward at the Central Hospital in South City.
He raised his left hand to rub his temples. “…Mingze?”
A sound came from the corridor. Gu Jia lowered his head again, staring at his right wrist. No matter how he looked at the pile of items around it, they seemed entirely out of place. He exerted some force to pull away, only to find something else hidden beneath.
“President Gu—”
In the next moment, the ward door was pushed open. Jiang Mingze greeted him upon hearing the movement. “You’re finally awake.”
However, he noticed his boss’s head was down, his expression dark. Jiang Mingze instantly fell silent… What happened now?
Following Gu Jia’s gaze, he saw a pair of silver handcuffs locked around the man’s slender left wrist. The other end of the handcuffs was looped around the bed’s guardrail, successfully imprisoning the man to the mattress.
Jiang Mingze’s knees went weak.
“Th-th-this…”
He felt his blood pressure spike, unable to even form a proper sentence.
Gu Jia slowly shifted his gaze from the handcuffs and looked up at the sweating Jiang Mingze, his voice cold. “…Who else has been here?”
Jiang Mingze gratefully accepted the out, confessing everything word for word: “I-It was Young Master Yi and I who brought you to the hospital. Dr. Jiang was also here just now.”
“Right! Mr. Lu Ming also came looking for Young Master Yi.” Jiang Mingze racked his brain. “Young Master Yi whispered something mysterious to Mr. Lu, and then Mr. Lu left, looking like he was going to help Young Master Yi fetch something…”
Thinking of this, he gasped. Could it be…
Before he could finish his breath, the door opened. Jiang Wen stepped in from the corridor, his hands tucked into his white coat. Seeing Gu Jia sitting obediently in bed, he was first a bit surprised, then a hint of amusement appeared in his tone.
“How unusual. You didn’t just yank out the IV and leave the moment you woke up.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room turned terrifying. Jiang Mingze took a few steps back, pressing himself against the wall, not daring to make a sound. Gu Jia didn’t move either, silently staring at his friend.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Wen finally sensed the bizarre tension. He took a few steps forward and caught sight of the frightening object on Gu Jia’s hand. His pupils dilated, and he immediately cleared his name: “This definitely wasn’t my doing!”
Before Jiang Wen could say more, the assistant’s phone rang. It wasn’t the ideal time to answer, and Jiang Mingze was about to decline the call when he froze upon seeing the caller ID.
Gu Jia sharply caught the anomaly.
“Yi Sen?”
“Yes…”
Gu Jia: “Put it on speaker.”
“…”
“Hello? Assistant Jiang?” Zhao Yisen’s voice echoed from the phone.
“…Young Master Yi.”
“What’s wrong? Your voice sounds a bit weak. Are you sick too?”
“Cough, cough, cough. I’m—I’m fine. Is there something you need?”
“Uh…” Zhao Yisen hesitated for a moment. “It’s just… Gu Jia absolutely has to stay at the hospital for observation tonight, so I looped something onto his wrist. The key is hidden under the flowerpot of the green plant by the entrance. If he wakes up, just pretend you know nothing and quietly help him unlock it tomorrow morning.”
Physical restraint this was the solution Zhao Yisen had come up with. The method was simple and effective; it just required a certain amount of courage.
“This…” Jiang Mingze hesitantly looked up, meeting Gu Jia’s gaze. “I… I understand.”
After hanging up, Zhao Yisen let out a sigh of relief. He openly admitted to himself that he didn’t have the courage to face that scene. After cuffing Gu Jia, he was about to make a run for it when Lu Ming happened to offer him a ride home, which he gladly accepted.
The car drove smoothly along the deserted suburban highway. From the driver’s seat, Lu Ming observed Zhao Yisen through the rearview mirror, increasingly feeling that the youth seemed different from before. For this capricious rich kid, while he unconsciously utilized him, a hazy affection truly existed in his heart.
After hitting a wall several times, Lu Ming felt a bit perplexed. “…” He decided to rebuild their relationship.
Half an hour later, the black Audi stopped smoothly before the mansion. Zhao Yisen unbuckled his seatbelt and thanked Lu Ming: “Thanks for the trouble.”
Lu Ming offered a smile. The youth’s features were crisp and handsome the classic heartthrob school-grass character. Even when toyed with by fate, his charisma remained undiminished.
Even Zhao Yisen, who wasn’t usually into this type, was momentarily dazed by the smile. He quickly changed the subject: “Uh, I’ve finished looking through all the materials you gave me. I’ll send back the signed documents tomorrow.”
Staring into Zhao Yisen’s eyes, Lu Ming let out a soft sigh. “Xiao Sen, you really are different from before.”
Just as Zhao Yisen was dazing, the car window rolled down halfway. Lu Ming’s eyes sparkled, his voice carrying a charm that was hard to refuse.
“Tomorrow morning, can I come pick you up again?”