“Willful and Delicate”
Jiang Zhi called Fu Yunting as soon as he got on the car.
“Why did you leave so fast? Is Grandpa feeling unwell?”
“You know Grandpa’s health; he should have rested long ago at this time. He’s just tired, it’s nothing serious. Tell your parents not to worry.”
“I told my parents, and I’m on my way to the hospital now,” Jiang Zhi said. “I’ll just take one look at Grandpa and then leave.”
The man helplessly looked back. “Tell the driver to drive slower, I’ll wait for you at the hospital.”
“Is it Jiang Zhi?” The old master was leaning against his grandson at this moment, rarely showing weakness.
Fu Yunting sat motionless, his eyes calm. “Yes, he’s worried about you, said he’ll just look at you and then leave.”
“Zhizhi is a good child. I chatted with his parents today, and Grandpa feels your taste is very good,” Old Fu said. “In the future, if you want to manage the company, do it; if you don’t want to… then just let them be. Everyone has their own fate, this burden shouldn’t be for you to carry forever.”
Fu Yunting frowned. “I will make my own decisions about company matters. You should just worry about yourself. At this point, why are you like a little child?”
“Humph, a little child. Which little child isn’t better than me? Can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t even walk out of the door properly. Might as well go down early to find your grandma.”
The old master, halfway through his sentence, seemed to remember something and patted his grandson’s hand. “Don’t be sad. Grandpa is just talking, I haven’t helped my grandson chase his wife to his side yet, how could I bear to leave?”
Once they arrived at the hospital, the old master was taken to the intensive care unit by the doctor. By the time Jiang Zhi rushed over, Fu Yunting had just sat down.
“Is the situation very bad?”
Fu Yunting rubbed his brow. “Still undergoing tests.”
Jiang Zhi’s heart sank, and he slowly sat down beside the man. “I’m sorry, if it wasn’t for me today…”
The man carefully looked at Jiang Zhi’s face, his lips curling up. “Sorry for what? If you want to blame someone, blame… that you are too likable.”
“…At a time like this, you still have time to joke.” Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but glare at him.
“Not joking. Grandpa really likes you. Today, after watching you play the piano, he even lectured his own granddaughter.” Fu Yunting said helplessly.
“Ah?” Jiang Zhi didn’t quite understand what the relationship was between these two things.
“Previously, when Fu Jiayue couldn’t get money from her parents, she would lie and take pictures, cheating Grandpa by saying she wanted to learn the piano.” Fu Yunting said concisely. “Later, Grandpa insisted she play a song for him to hear. To complete the task, she fumbled through learning it for a few days. That effect… can you imagine it?”
Jiang Zhi laughed. “Grandpa is really something. How long did she learn for, and how long have I been learning?”
Fu Yunting wanted to smile, but his expression was somewhat strained.
“If you can’t smile, then don’t.” Jiang Zhi said. “I’ll stay here and wait with you.”
When the old master was wheeled out, he was already asleep. Jiang Zhi kept watch by the bed, while Fu Yunting was outside listening to the doctor’s instructions.
“President Fu, to be honest, the old master really cannot be tossed back and forth anymore.” The attending doctor looked troubled.
“I understand. When can he wake up?” Fu Yunting asked.
“The various data are not very good, let’s wait. If we are optimistic, he can wake up tomorrow morning…”
“What if the opposite happens?”
“In the future, the time he is awake may become less and less.”
The two of them were in the outer room, and Jiang Zhi heard every word of this. He touched the old master’s withered hand, feeling a sense of bitterness in his heart.
Sometimes he really felt helpless, helpless that he was just a tool character in a book. If it weren’t for an accidental awakening, he might have foolishly wasted his whole life.
But now he thought bitterly, if he were only a tool character, it wouldn’t be without benefits. That way, one’s emotions wouldn’t be so complex when facing life and death.
Fu Yunting had experienced pain once, and he worked harder to make the old man happier when he eventually leaves.
But returning and seeing Jiang Zhi sitting there blankly, his already numb heart was like being suddenly torn open by a bloody little cut.
“Grandpa is fine now, I’ll send you back.”
“What ‘fine’.” Jiang Zhi didn’t look at him. “I heard everything, you’re still lying.”
Fu Yunting took the coat from the side and draped it over him. “The weather is cold, running out like this, didn’t your parents scold you?”
“They probably wanted to, but didn’t have the time.” Jiang Zhi said lowly.
The man hooked the corners of his lips. Regardless of how Jiang Zhi felt about him, if only he himself had gone to the banquet today, he definitely wouldn’t have chased after him.
The Jiang Zhi of this life seems to have added a flaw of being soft-hearted.
“Let’s go, I’ll send you home.”
Jiang Zhi shook his head. “I’ll wait until Grandpa wakes up before I go back.”
“No schedule tomorrow?” Fu Yunting asked him.
Jiang Zhi was silent for a moment. “I have to go to the orchestra for a meeting in the afternoon.”
“It’s already nearly 1 a.m.” Fu Yunting glanced at the time. “Go to sleep now, only then can you have enough energy for tomorrow.”
Jiang Zhi didn’t want to leave. He got up and went to the door to make a phone call. It was rare for Jiang Yan, that old-school official, to be awake at this hour.
“Stay. Regardless, the old master specially came to see you today. He really dotes on you.”
“Brother, I’m a little scared.” Jiang Zhi sometimes couldn’t figure out what he was thinking himself.
“Scared of what?”
“Scared…” Jiang Zhi pinched a leaf on the windowsill. “Scared that I will become unlike myself, and also scared that I will do something that I will regret.”
“It seems that the little brat in our family has really grown up.” Jiang Yan sighed. “People always have to grow up. Each stage will be different from the previous one. If everyone was this hesitant, how could anyone live? Since you’re afraid of regret, then try hard not to leave any regrets.”
Jiang Zhi was silent for a moment and gave a low “um.”
When he returned to the ward, Fu Yunting was cutting the old master’s nails, his expression calm and his emotions stable.
As if Grandpa were really just asleep.
He hesitated for a moment and sat down beside the man. “I’m not leaving tonight.”
“Did your parents agree?” Fu Yunting asked without raising his head, his hands not stopping.
“Yeah.” Jiang Zhi said. “Anyway, isn’t there a lounge next door? We’ll take turns watching him.”
“Jiang Zhi, today is not your fault. Grandpa and I have both considered this outcome.” Fu Yunting was worried he would blame himself too much.
“Then you still indulged Grandpa.” Jiang Zhi said, feeling unhappy.
The man put down the things in his hand. “Although the hospital is luxurious, it is not the life the old master wants for his late years. When a person reaches a certain age, they care more about value than the length of their lifespan.”
Jiang Zhi could understand, but he couldn’t agree. He didn’t want the old man to have any life-threatening danger because of this trip.
Fu Yunting knew Jiang Zhi hadn’t had a chance to eat that night, so he had someone deliver a late-night snack.
“Eat a little, and then go to the lounge next door to sleep.”
Jiang Zhi didn’t have much of an appetite and sat for a long time without picking up his chopsticks.
“What? Not to your taste?” Fu Yunting asked him.
“Can’t eat.” Jiang Zhi said.
“If you can’t eat, do I need to feed you?” Fu Yunting pulled the table over, ladled a bowl of soup, and tasted it. “Pear soup, it moistens the lungs. Your throat is uncomfortable, drinking it will make you feel better.”
Jiang Zhi moved his lips. He was indeed uncomfortable today. Because of the old master’s business, his head was a mess, and only when Fu Yunting opened his mouth did he realize it.
He took the pear soup and drank two mouthfuls, then caught a glimpse of Fu Yunting opening a bowl of little wontons.
He carefully picked out all the bits of cilantro and then pushed it to Jiang Zhi’s hand again. “After finishing the pear soup, eat two small wontons. They are vegetarian.”
“How did you know I don’t eat cilantro?” Jiang Zhi asked him.
“We are fiancés, shouldn’t I know that?”
Jiang Zhi choked, feeling that this person was implying something about him.
“Oh…”
He ate a few simple ones and pushed it back to Fu Yunting. “I’m full, you help me with the rest.”
The man raised an eyebrow, stared at the bowl in front of him, was silent for a moment, and looked at Jiang Zhi’s face.
“The lounge next door is all packed up. Go sleep for a while, and when you wake up, come replace me.”
Jiang Zhi didn’t dare to look into his eyes, feeling that if they kept talking, his thoughts would be seen through by the other person. “Oh… if Grandpa wakes up, you must call me.”
“Okay.”
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Fu Yunting looked down at the table of leftovers from “someone,” feeling somewhat amused. It wasn’t even anything serious yet, and he had already started being lawless and unreasonable with him.
However… it felt pretty good.
Fu Yunting kept watch by the bed until past five in the morning, and the old master finally woke up according to his usual schedule.
Seeing his grandson’s eyes red like they were dripping blood, he reached up and patted his head.
“Where is he?”
The man’s nerves, which had been tight the whole time, finally relaxed. He said helplessly, “Sleeping next door. You are really becoming less and less sensible the older you get.”
“Without me, the old man, it’d be strange if you could get a wife home.” Old Fu snorted, looking quite proud.
When the butler had rested and came over, Fu Yunting went next door to take a look at Jiang Zhi. At this time, Jiang Zhi had only taken off his coat and was curled up in the quilt, sleeping very soundly.
He bent down to take off the shoes of the person on the bed, touched the person’s little face, and then couldn’t help but frown.
Not even willing to drink the medication, really willful and delicate.
Helpless, Fu Yunting got up and went to the nurses’ station outside to find an ear thermometer. After checking, sure enough, he had a low fever.
Jiang Zhi didn’t know how long he slept. When he woke up, everything in front of him was spinning and dark. It took him a long time to sit up from the bed.
He turned his head to look, and Fu Yunting was sitting right in front of him, feigning sleep.
Jiang Zhi: “.”
At this time, the butler came in from outside. Seeing him up, he explained to Jiang Zhi, “The old master has already woken up, sleep in peace.”
“Really?” Jiang Zhi said, preparing to get off the bed.
This commotion woke up Fu Yunting, who reached out and grabbed the person who wanted to run.
“Where are you going?”
“To see Grandpa, of course.” Jiang Zhi looked at his own wrist being held, somewhat caught off guard.
“Sleep a while longer.” Fu Yunting’s voice was a bit hoarse, which sounded like he had stayed up all night.
“Oh right, the old master woke up for a while, and now he’s asleep again.” The butler looked at Jiang Zhi with a smile. “You are currently running a fever. This is the medicine that was just brought; take it and sleep for a while before going to see the old master—it won’t be too late.”
Jiang Zhi was stunned and blurted out, “I’m not sick.”
The man found it funny. “Yeah, not sick.”
After speaking, he took the medicine from the butler’s hand. “You go rest too, I’ll watch him take his medicine.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhi quickly shrank into the quilt and incidentally touched his own head.
“Did you find anything out?” Fu Yunting asked him.
Jiang Zhi moved his lips, feeling inexplicably embarrassed. “…It seems a bit dizzy.”
The man turned around to go out and pour him water. “Burning up like this, it’d be strange if you weren’t dizzy.”
Seeing this, Jiang Zhi suddenly felt something was wrong. He was originally a “pretentious person” who made trouble out of nothing; what was wrong with not wanting to take medicine? It would be best for him to be even more excessive and more annoying, which would fit his character.
So, when Fu Yunting came back, he saw a bedroom that had completely changed.
He saw clothes thrown all over the floor on both sides of the bed, two pillows—one at the head and one at the foot of the bed—and Jiang Zhi, who should have been lying in the quilt, was lying spread-eagled outside the quilt with a head full of messy, explosive hair, his little feet kicking up and down, as if he were demonstrating against someone.
Fu Yunting’s expression went stiff for a moment. “What are you doing?”