Noticing that Xu Chenghao’s tone was off, Li Nian immediately said he would be there in ten minutes. He hung up the phone and rushed over.
In the hospital room, Xu Chenghao couldn’t do anything but wait due to his leg injury.
He stared blankly at his plastered legs, constantly replaying Jing Yicheng’s recent actions and words in his mind. He even went over the plot repeatedly, trying to figure out what was wrong.
No… It’s not… There’s nothing…
Even before voicing the uncertain answers, Xu Chenghao’s heart had already dismissed them. He despondently realized that not only could he not find any trace of Jing Yicheng, but he also couldn’t figure out why he had suddenly disappeared.
What on earth is it…
Xu Chenghao, a bit irritated, ruffled his hair, trying hard to think.
Ruan Chenxuan silently sat by his side, not speaking or disturbing him. It wasn’t until he heard hurried footsteps at the door that he stood up to check…
When Li Nian rushed in, he was almost exhausted, bending over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. “Wh-what’s going on?”
The perpetually gloomy Xu Chenghao immediately looked up. “Li Nian!”
“Yeah, yeah, give me a second to catch my breath.” Li Nian sat by the bed, trying to calm his breathing. He glanced at the person who had opened the door for him, his gaze somewhat scrutinizing. “Why is Mr. Ruan here?”
Ruan Chenxuan knew their relationship wasn’t good, and calmly said, “I heard that President Xu was sick, so I came to check on him. I didn’t expect that there would be no one around him. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving, so I waited until you arrived.”
“No one?” Li Nian’s focus aligned perfectly with Xu Chenghao’s. Hearing this keyword, he was initially puzzled, then he belatedly realized that Jing Yicheng, who usually clung to President Xu, was not in the hospital room.
Indeed, if Jing Yicheng were there, how could Ruan Chenxuan have been in the room, accompanying Xu Chenghao alone?
Li Nian guessed something, turned to exchange a glance with Xu Chenghao, and after two seconds quickly adjusted his expression, displaying a professional fake smile, “Thank you so much, President Ruan. I didn’t expect you to spend so much time here. Since I’m here now, if you have other things to attend to, please go ahead. Goodbye, goodbye.”
By the end, it was a clear dismissal. Ruan Chenxuan also felt the atmosphere was becoming subtly uncomfortable for him to stay, so he went along with it and got up to leave, indicating he’d come to visit another day.
Li Nian maintained a smile on the surface but internally thought it would be better if Ruan Chenxuan came less often, so everyone would be happier.
Having finally seen Ruan Chenxuan off, Li Nian quickly closed the door and returned to the hospital room. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but Jing Yicheng has disappeared.” Xu Chenghao, unable to explain Jing Yicheng’s identity, could only vaguely summarize the situation.
Li Nian glanced at a text message, clicking his tongue twice, “If it weren’t for this message, I’d suspect Jing Yicheng had been taken out by too many enemies.”
Xu Chenghao: “…”
To be honest, his first reaction was the same. Given that he himself hadn’t escaped the broken leg fate, he worried Jing Yicheng might not escape a worse end, his heart turning cold. That’s why he was so desperate to find out the reason for Jing Yicheng’s disappearance, to ascertain his current safety.
The more he thought, the more agitated he became. The unease and panic he’d just managed to suppress surged back, attacking his rationality. Even though he told himself not to panic, the assistant left a message precisely to prevent overthinking and to indicate Jing Yicheng was fine, it was still useless.
He felt as if he were suspended in midair, about to fall at any moment, with no stability. This unclear, ambiguous state was the most frightening, more terrifying than a straightforward outcome.
More importantly, after getting used to being together, nothing clarifies one’s true feelings more than separation. Nothing makes one realize how terrifyingly dependent one has become…
That’s exactly how Xu Chenghao felt now. Only after Jing Yicheng left did he realize the sense of security brought by his presence was irreplaceable. With him around, his mood was always different. With him around, at least he never felt this panicked, anxious, or even scared…
Xu Chenghao, supporting his head, couldn’t suppress the chaotic thoughts and memories flooding his mind, completely disoriented.
Li Nian confirmed that Jing Yicheng and his assistant’s phones were unreachable, even out of service, and patted Xu Chenghao’s shoulder in comfort, “Hang in there.”
Xu Chenghao: “I’m worried… what if something happened to him?”
Li Nian waved his phone, “They sent a message to reassure you. You know what it means, so don’t overthink it.”
Xu Chenghao: “But I’m still worried. What if he… what if he doesn’t come back?”
The latter half of his sentence was very soft, but Li Nian still heard it. “If he doesn’t come back without any incident, it means you’re not important enough for him to return. Why worry about him then? …Of course, I’m just saying. If he’s fine and willing to come back for you, that’s the best.”
“In any case, these are the two outcomes. If you’re willing to wait, give him a timeframe. If not, forget about him as if he were truly gone. It’s no big deal.” Li Nian said, patting Xu Chenghao’s shoulder.
Xu Chenghao angrily brushed off his hand and said, “It’s not as simple as you make it sound.”
Li Nian sighed helplessly, “Then what can you do? Have you met any of his friends? Seen where he works? Met his parents? Can you track his whereabouts?”
Xu Chenghao lowered his head in frustration, “No, I can’t.”
“Exactly, so we can only choose whether to wait or not.” As Li Nian spoke, he realized something, “Damn, I just realized how well Jing Yicheng has hidden himself. Even though he’s well-known in certain circles, he’s revealed nothing serious about himself. He disappeared into thin air, and we are completely helpless. Luckily, you weren’t scammed for your money or taken advantage of…”
After a pause, Li Nian hesitantly asked, “You weren’t taken advantage of, right?”
Xu Chenghao: “…”
He really wanted to punch Li Nian!!
However, after being interrupted by Li Nian, he now felt it wasn’t a big deal. It was just a matter of choosing to wait or not. If he chose to wait, he would wait patiently. If he chose not to wait, he’d give up on him and start growing peppers… Wait a minute!
Xu Chenghao suddenly turned to look at the little yellow duck, slowly realizing that—Jing Yicheng seemed to have disappeared with his peppers and pepper seeds???
Damn, that means as long as Jing Yicheng doesn’t come back, he can’t complete his task! Forget about the peppers, he doesn’t even have the seeds. Even with a whole week, he’d be completely helpless!
If Xu Chenghao was panicking before, now he was just angry. He really wanted to know why Jing Yicheng left! If you were going to leave, fine, but at least plant the seeds first! If not, at least leave them in the greenhouse!
His mind was almost roaring like a groundhog, but in reality, he could only sit on the bed and do nothing.
He was furious, absolutely furious. If Jing Yicheng didn’t come back this month, he’d give up on him!
Xu Chenghao suddenly raised his hand and threw the little yellow duck pillow to the ground, exploding with anger: “If he doesn’t come back this month, he shouldn’t come back ever again!”
Li Nian’s initial attempt to offer comfort was instantly choked back. He couldn’t quite understand why someone who had been so sad and dejected just moments ago had suddenly become so irritable… Could this be what they call the ‘love IQ’?
Li Nian silently picked up the little yellow duck pillow. “Alright, don’t be angry. Even without him, we still need to take good care of ourselves… Let me find you a caregiver. Do you have any preferences?”
Xu Chenghao suppressed his anger and silently made a mental note: “No preferences.”
Li Nian nodded. “Okay, I’ll go look for one. If you need anything, call me or the nurse. Don’t try to handle things on your own.”
Xu Chenghao nodded to show he understood. After Li Nian left, he vented his frustration by sending over ten messages to Jing Yicheng, all calling him a “liar,” ending with: “If you don’t come back this month, I’m taking it back!”
His phone remained silent with no response. After calming down, Xu Chenghao tried calling again, but it was still out of the service area.
Had he really lost contact completely…
Xu Chenghao threw his phone beside the pillow, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes quietly.
He said he’d come back early.
Big liar.
By the time Li Nian returned with a carefully chosen caregiver, Xu Chenghao was already asleep. The room was somewhat dim, so Li Nian turned on a small night light and silently exited the ward. He told the caregiver, “The patient you need to take care of is him. This guest room is where you’ll stay. For the next few months, you may need to be extra attentive. The salary will be paid monthly as we discussed. Any concerns?”
The male caregiver shook his head. “No concerns.”
Li Nian nodded. “I’ve also hired another caregiver to take shifts with you. The aim is to ensure you both get enough rest to take better care of the patient. You can arrange the shifts between yourselves. He’ll arrive tomorrow morning.”
The male caregiver nodded. “Understood.”
Li Nian explained everything he could think of, but in the end, he was still worried about Xu Chenghao’s emotional stability. So he chose to stay and accompany him for one more night, planning to leave tomorrow after Xu Chenghao had met the caregivers.
The caregivers were a man and a woman. Li Nian thought that the man would be more useful for tasks that required strength, which would be convenient for Xu Chenghao who couldn’t move. As for the woman, she would surely be more meticulous and attentive in caring for him, noticing many details that men might overlook.
The two caregivers could take turns, each working half a day, perfectly complementing each other.
Xu Chenghao had a lukewarm reaction to this, simply saying, “You decide,” and had nothing more to say.
Li Nian, feeling helpless, said, “Alright then, take care and rest well. I will come by to check on you from time to time.”
Xu Chenghao nodded weakly, “If there’s any work, you can call me.”
Li Nian: “Sure.”
After they had breakfast together, Li Nian waved goodbye and left. The female caregiver silently sat on one side, ready to assist at any moment.
Xu Chenghao glanced at her and said indifferently, “You can go out now. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Okay,” the female caregiver responded without any questions, got up, and left. After the door to the ward closed, she exchanged a look with the male caregiver sitting in the living room, then silently averted her gaze and sat by the door.
The male caregiver, without showing any emotion, withdrew his gaze and sent out the photos he had secretly taken of Xu Chenghao along with a message—
“Have entered the protected person’s living area. Identity: caregiver. The other person’s identity is unknown.”
T/N: How long do you think it will take JYC to come back? Any guesses
