Zhang Yazhi looked over doubtfully. Shen Yuhuai was sitting on the chair next to the hospital bed, slightly blocking the person on the bed. Seeing Chen Qizhao leaning there, she quickly withdrew her gaze and continued to be busy with the matters at hand. The work of the Chen father and son was inseparable from the company. Zhang Yazhi had opened her own studio, and the work at hand could be handled flexibly.
Shen Yuhuai saw Zhang Yazhi sitting on the sofa and looking at drawings. It was only then that he turned his head slightly.
There was a layer of the quilt, and the two of them held hands underneath.
The cold touch pressed against the palm, and the knuckles on the back of the hand were obviously protruding. They could hold each other’s fingers with the slightest movement. Shen Yuhuai couldn’t see the hand, but he could see the young man’s slightly lowered eyes. The other person didn’t speak or look at him. All his movements and strength seemed to only be in that hand, trying to test an unspeakable boundary line.
It was already July. Almost all the exams of S College had come to an end, and the weather of S City had entered summer.
Everyone walking on the road changed into short sleeves, but even so, Chen Qizhao’s hands were still cold in the ward with a moderate temperature.
There were some scattered supplies on the bedside table next to the hospital bed. A mobile phone charger was plugged into the power plug, tissues were within reach, and there was a trash can close by.
Chen Qizhao’s biggest drug reaction was nausea. His nausea was more serious than others, and he often suffered from retching or other symptoms… After a few days of taking medicine, his stomach resisted first. The doctor had to add stomach medicine to his daily medication.
Shen Yuhuai had seen a healthy Chen Qizhao. In Yan Kailin’s video call last year, he saw that the young man had maintained a good figure, and the smooth muscle lines made it difficult to look away. Now, he couldn’t see inside the hospital gown, but Chen Qizhao was noticeably thinner to the naked eye. He didn’t eat well, and in terms of treatment, he just cooperated and didn’t take the initiative.
The person in front of him looked no different from normal. In the treatment process described by Zhang Yazhi, Chen Qizhao was an extremely cooperative patient. He didn’t have extreme emotions or excitement like other patients. He didn’t lose his temper due to the various drug side effects produced during the treatment…
It was so peaceful.
Chen Qizhao didn’t know why, but when Shen Yuhuai was sitting next to him, he wanted to grab the other person’s hand.
His palm was warm and so were his fingers. The touch was close at hand, and Chen Qizhao seemed to smell the scent of a grilled fish restaurant. However, he knew that Shen Yuhuai didn’t come from the grilled fish store. The other person had an indelible laboratory small, mixed with the scent of mint. It was also possibly mixed with the smell of hospital disinfectant.
“You’re sweating,” Chen Qizhao stated.
Shen Yuhuai looked at him. “Yes, your hands are too cold.”
There were no ups and downs on the outside of the quilt. In the distance, there was the sound of Zhang Yazhi handling work. The tip of the pencil fell on the drawing, making a small rustling sound. The two of them didn’t talk much. All the touches seemed to stay on the entangled hands, their ten fingers interlocked before separating again.
This was until there was a buzzing sound in the ward. Zhang Yazhi received a call and walked out.
Shen Yuhuai looked slightly sideways. At this time, Chen Qizhao, who had been sitting on the hospital bed for a long time without moving, suddenly approached. Before Zhang Yazhi could turn around, he quietly kissed the corner of Shen Yuhuai’s mouth.
The door of the ward closed, and Zhang Yazhi’s voice was isolated.
Chen Qizhao said, “I don’t seem to have permission to kiss.”
“Don’t move.”
Shen Yuhuai whispered. Then he leaned over slightly and kissed Chen Qizhao’s lips.
Zhang Yazhi went out to answer the phone. She soon saw Housekeeper Zhang coming in the distance. He was carrying several food boxes, all of which were specially ordered by Zhang Yazhi for dinner.
“The young master said he would come later, so I prepared extra copies,” Uncle Zhang said.
Zhang Yazhi took the food boxes and explained something to Uncle Zhang. When he turned to open the door, she saw Shen Yuhuai getting up from the hospital bed.
Shen Yuhuai went over to help Zhang Yazhi set the table. A lot of things were brought from home. Zhang Yazhi’s work things were packed up, and she talked with Shen Yuhuai while tidying up. The hustle and bustle in the ward seemed to be limited to that corner. Chen Qizhao’s eyes were calm as he lifted the quilt and got out of bed. He was stopped by Zhang Yazhi just as he took two steps.
“Xiao Zhao, shoes.” Zhang Yazhi put down the things in her hand and walked over quickly. She got out the slippers that ended up under the bed at an unknown time.
Chen Qizhao stared at the slippers for a while. “I forgot.”
Shen Yuhuai turned slightly sideways and looked at Chen Qizhao.
Dinner was relatively light. There were no greasy dishes, and even the meat was lean. During the meal, Shen Yuhuai kept paying attention to Chen Qizhao. Zhang Yazhi only ate half the food that Zhang Yazhi gave him and barely touched the rice.
When he was in school, Shen Yuhuai often went out to eat with Chen Qizhao. Chen Qizhao’s food intake now was at most one-third of what it was back then.
After eating, Zhang Yazhi went to get medicine for Chen Qizhao. Several pills were mixed together. Chen Qizhao didn’t even look directly at it and swallowed it directly with water.
Shen Yuhuai watched from the sidelines but didn’t say much. He watched this person take the medicine step by step, obedient, and had no other reaction.
Not long after, the doctor came to record the situation in the ward. Shen Yuhuai and Zhang Yazhi retreated outside the room. Through the observation glass window of the door, Shen Yuhuai saw the person sitting on the hospital bed. He glanced sideways and asked Zhang Yazhi, “Has his attention been bad recently?”
Zhang Yazhi paused for a moment before finally saying, “It has become better these days, but his mind occasionally wanders. There were many side effects to the medicine. The doctor comes several times a day, and he has been very cooperative in this aspect of treatment… there are just some things he won’t say.”
She finished speaking, and her tone relaxed a bit. “It’s okay, it isn’t urgent. Just wait until he wants to say it.”
This disease wasn’t like a normal disease. It couldn’t be cured just by taking medicine. Even if it was cured in a short time, there was a possibility of recurrence. it wasn’t that Zhang Yazhi knew nothing. She had checked a lot of information during this time. It was related to the child’s illness, and she didn’t dare relax at all. However, every time she expressed her concern to Chen Qizhao, the other person’s feedback to her was another concern.
One time, she was falling asleep on the sofa in the ward in the middle of the night. Then she saw Chen Qizhao coming from the bed and covering her with a quilt.
When she checked on the Internet and inquired with the doctor, she had considered all consequences of this disease. It was just that Chen Qizhao didn’t show this. He was too cooperative and didn’t look like a patient.
After removing all his disguises, the calm Chen Qizhao looked more like an adult than she expected. Obviously, he hadn’t seen many storms or experienced many things, but he showed a calm that was riddled with holes.
Chen Shiming was mature at Chen Qizhao’s age, but it wasn’t this type of maturity that couldn’t be seen through. Chen Qizhao’s maturity made Zhang Yazhi feel uneasy.
This was especially the case when she saw Chen Qizhao’s eyes. She always had the illusion that she wasn’t the one taking care of him. It was Chen Qizhao taking care of all of them. He actively cooperated with the treatments in order to prevent them from worrying.
Zhang Yazhi said, “Sometimes I wonder if he is too sensible.”
Shen Yuhuai didn’t speak. He just listened quietly.
After a while, there were footsteps in the corridor. Chen Shiming had just come from work and was still holding something in his hand. His face was a bit tired. When he looked in, he noticed that Chen Qizhao was being checked and asked, “Did you just come from work?”
“I came in the afternoon.” Shen Yuhuai noticed that Chen Shiming had some water on his body and asked, “Is it raining?”
Chen Shiming nodded. “It is raining a bit.”
In the ward, Chen Qizhao watched the doctor’s movements and answered the questions. In the quiet ward, only the inquiries of the doctor and nurses remained. Chen Qizhao’s mind was also emptied a lot. To be honest, the repeated questions these days made him a bit irritable. He knew Zhang Yazhi’s worries. He also had them in his previous life. After the emotional ups and downs, his anxiety was better than now, and he also consulted a psychologist at that time.
He wasn’t a good person. He was flawed from beginning to end. He had done ridiculous things most of his life. He had a bad temper for many years before he could barely restrain himself. The only thing that could be regarded as a little achievement was to finish what should be done.
Once the dust settled in some form, his mood wasn’t as cheerful as before. There was an indescribable sense of emptiness.
He wasn’t happy but a bit overwhelmed. He didn’t know what to do in the future.
Chen Qizhao never thought about this issue. In his previous life, he tried his best to send Lin Shizong to prison, but he fell asleep in the cemetery in a daze. When he opened his eyes, he had returned to the age of 18, and everything had started again. Now that the matter had barely finished, he didn’t know what to do.
The doctor went out after the examination. Out of the corner of his eyes, Chen Qizhao caught a glimpse of the two people talking at the door. After a while, Chen Shiming pushed the door and came in.
“Where is Shen Yuhuai?” Chen Qizhao asked.
Chen Shiming put down the things in his hand. “Mom went to the office with the doctor, and he followed.”
He added, “Is there anything uncomfortable today?”
“No.” Chen Qizhao sat on the edge of the bed and said to Chen Shiming. “The insulation box over there is something she left behind. She said you would come here at night, and she left you some food.” His gaze stopped on the things in Chen Shiming’s hands. He vaguely saw the paper inside the bag. “Don’t come here and process work.”
Chen Shiming noticed that Chen Qizhao’s gaze was stuck on his hand, so he took out the contents inside. “They are a few journals. I was worried you would be bored and brought them over.”
There was still a period of time remaining in the medical treatment. In fact, he could be discharged from the hospital and go home for treatment, but Zhang Yazhi was worried. She needed him to stay in the hospital for a while. Chen Shiming knew that Chen Qizhao’s favorite thing to play in the past was the computer. He brought over a laptop some time ago, but Chen Qizhao didn’t seem interested. He would rather play Tetris.
Chen Qizhao paused. He saw that the journals were the artificial intelligence journals he used to read. “Did you bring the wrong ones?”
“It is right,” Chen Shiming said. “You often read these books.”
Chen Qizhao’s gaze stayed on Chen Shiming’s hand for a long time before he reached out to take the books. It was just that his movement was a bit too big. He accidentally touched something on the bedside table, and the medicine bottle fell to the ground with a bang. It seemed that the bottle cap wasn’t tightened enough, causing white pills to scatter all over the ground. Seeing this, Chen Shiming stopped. He put the bad aside and went to pick up the scattered pills on the ground.
Chen Qizhao stared at the scattered white pills. The things scattered on the carpet and Chen Shiming’s face seemed to appear in front of his eyes.
He suddenly cried out, “Don’t pick it up!”
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Thanks for the chapter!
I wonder if Qizhao gonna get better if he is able to talk it all out. Not “dream” excuses but the whole entirety of another lifetime? And what I mean by talk it all out isn’t like two prior emotional outburst, but him just talking it out while the other person be a cooperative listener. Though this isn’t an easy decision to make too.