CWITAR Chapter 18

 

 “You’ve completely crushed my legs; I’m the real patient here.”

 

The night’s cold air quietly swept in, and the tree branches swayed, making a rustling sound as they scraped against the glass window. The leaves were filled with rainwater, and heavy droplets fell, forming a continuous stream.

 

“Drip, drip.”

 

The liquid in the IV bottle fell drop by drop, forming a small purple-blue stream on the back of the hand.

 

The person on the hospital bed closed his eyes, and through the thin eyelids, one could see his pupils moving slightly, and his eyelashes trembling.

 

“Cough, cough, cough…” Qi Juan put his slender hand on the surgical incision and suddenly opened his eyes.

 

The cold wind slipped in through the gaps in the window, and the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with his breath. The sharp pain in his upper abdomen woke him up in an instant, and cold sweat dripped down his back.

 

Qi Juan pressed his hand tightly against his abdomen, and when he touched the surgical incision, he couldn’t help but frown. He felt as if a certain part of his upper abdomen had been pierced through from inside to outside. The pain surged overwhelmingly, and his vision followed, dizziness preventing him from seeing anything for several minutes. He buried his head in the soft pillow and curled up into a small ball.

 

Qi Juan kept his eyes closed for a while, and his breathing gradually calmed down. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Chi Yin sitting beside him, with his face buried in his arms, sleeping soundly by the bedside. Chi Yin was murmuring in his sleep, and his fluffy hair gently rubbed against the beddings.

 

With some effort, Qi Juan propped himself up against the bed, feeling as if the surgical incision was about to tear apart with every movement. He covered his abdomen and clenched his silver teeth, subconsciously looking around.

 

Sure enough, he… was still not here, right?

 

He held his abdomen and clenched his teeth tightly, subconsciously looking around.

Sure enough, he… is he still not here?

 

–

 

“Don’t move.” A voice sounded from the door as Yu Yue Sheng quickly walked in, carrying a bag of newly prescribed medicine.

 

Yu Yue Sheng bypassed Chi Yin and placed the bag on the bedside table. The plastic bag weakly leaned and revealed a corner of the medicine box.

 

 He turned around and glanced at the person on the bed, who was fiercely pressing on his stomach as if his life depended on it, and said, “You just had surgery, if you don’t want to get the incision stitched again, then stop pressing it.”

 

Qi Juan lifted his head, his eyes shining brightly, as black as two pieces of obsidian.

 

“Okay.” Qi Juan leaned against the head of the bed, grinning, his teeth white as silver, but his thin lips had no trace of color.

As he spoke, he moved his hand away, allowing the pain to engulf him. It felt like he had stuffed a firework into his stomach, suddenly bursting into brilliant sparks, burning and splattering all over.

Apart from clenching his back molars tightly, his expression looked calm, as if by doing so, the pain wouldn’t belong to him.

 

Chi Yin’s little head retreated a bit on the blanket, and he reached to rub his eyes, slowly sitting up.

 

“Qi Juan, you finally woke up, damn.” He yawned as he spoke.

 

“You’ve completely crushed my legs; I’m the real patient here.” Qi Juan brought his gaze back and moved his legs slightly, feeling a tingling and numbness rushing from the soles of his feet.

 

After the surgery, he had been running a low-grade fever, and his voice had acquired a slight nasal tone and was somewhat hoarse. His voice was low, trying to sound normal, but it still lacked strength.

 

Yu Yue Sheng pushed the plastic bag into the cabinet with his slender index finger, then raised it to press the call button on the bedside.

 

“Bed number 302 calling—” a mechanical voice began to play outside the door.

 

Qi Juan leaned against the pillow and tilted his face to look at him, asking, “What are you doing?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng remained silent and didn’t answer. He waited until the doctor came in before pointing to Qi Juan and said, “Give him a painkiller injection.”

 

Qi Juan’s forehead was covered with more cold sweat, and he smiled, saying, “How come I didn’t know my incision hurts?”

 

If you listen carefully, you can even hear the slight trembling of his silver teeth, as if he’s absentmindedly picking at his fingernail.

 

Chi Yin sat down on the adjacent empty bed, leaning against the headboard, and said, “It’s still you, brave as always.”

He glanced at the plastic wrap still on the bedside table, which the nurse had torn off when opening the medicine box for Qi Juan. Chi Yin reached out and grabbed it, playing with it in his hand, making the plastic wrap crinkle loudly. 

 

He sat there like he was watching a tiger fight on a mountai¹Observing an intense situation from a safe and detached position. It suggests that Chi Yin is calmly observing the situation with Qi Juan’s pain and recovery without getting overly emotional or agitated.

 

“I thank you,” Qi Juan looked at Chi Yin, squeezing the words out from between his teeth.

 

“Do I need to give him the injection?” The middle-aged female doctor asked, her hair casually tied up at the back of her head. She put her hands in the pocket of her white coat and pinched the syringe inside, hesitating, “Actually, too many injections are not good, it will lower the immunity. Can you bear it?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng said, “Go ahead and give it to him.”

 

Qi Juan said, “I said it’s not necessary… ugh…”

 

The sudden pain made him really want to curse. He didn’t want to show it, but everyone was gathered around his bed. As he spoke, he hunched over completely.

 

Seeing Qi Juan covered in cold sweat, with a pale complexion, the doctor took out the painkiller injection, opened it, and pushed a few drops of liquid out, saying, “Young man, stop pressing, extend your arm.”

 

The doctor saw Qi Juan covered in cold sweat, with a sickly pale complexion. She took out the painkiller injection, opened it, and pushed a few drops of liquid out, saying, “Young man, don’t press on it, extend your arm.”

 

　　Qi Juan moved back a little and shook his head silently.

 

　　Yu Yue Sheng said, “Enduring it will make it more bearable? Don’t you know you’re lactose intolerant? Yet you still ate the cake without a word? And you still haven’t answered about the cigarette burn on your hand. Are you playing self-harm?”

 

　　Other than summarizing knowledge points in class, Yu Yue Sheng rarely spoke in such long sentences. His expression was cold, and his gaze was cast sideways at Qi Juan, making it intimidating to look directly at him.

 

　　”It’s just as you thought,” Qi Juan said irritably while holding his stomach, “Can’t you all stop pestering me like this?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng’s face turned several shades paler. He remained silent, not saying anything, but his body seemed to tremble slightly as he lowered his gaze.

 

Chi Yin said, “Laoshi, you should go back. I’ll stay here.”

 

Qi Juan continued to growl softly, “You leave too, just get out…”

 

His voice became quieter and quieter. Qi Juan leaned against the head of the bed, burying his body and pressing his forehead against his knees. His dark hair hung down, concealing his face. He clenched his fist and pressed it hard against his upper abdomen, and his hand became damp. He slowly rubbed his fingers together, feeling the stickiness and warmth.

 

“Hey, how are you feeling, young man?” The doctor asked gently, fulfilling her duty as a medical professional, but deep down, she didn’t sympathize with this self-destructive patient until she knew the full picture.

 

Qi Juan wanted to answer, but the pain was so intense that he couldn’t produce a single sound. He felt as if the wound had not been sutured and had completely opened up inside. His back was soaked with cold sweat bit by bit.

 

He had overestimated his ability to endure pain. In reality, he was just a mortal with a physical body; how could he not feel pain when injured?

 

Qi Juan didn’t know why Yu Yue Sheng eventually came back, but during those long hours, he struggled in his heart, repeatedly telling himself to push this person away.

 

It was just a small matter, and he had already explained it. Was it really necessary for Yu Yue Sheng to be so angry? He could care about Chen Ge Ou without knowing the truth, but what about him? Was he not a person too?

 

Starting over, there were many ways to live. Maybe if he distanced himself from Yu Yue Sheng, it would be better for both of them.

 

Qi Juan slowly leaned to the side along the pillow, curling up on the bed. When he lowered his head, the blood oozed out of his hospital gown in strands.

 

“Wait for the stitches,” Yu Yue Sheng said, pressing down on Qi Juan’s shoulder and forcibly removing his hand.

 

Qi Juan bit his silver teeth, and his distinct jawline tensed up. He kept his eyes wide open, staring intensely at Yu Yue Sheng, with a hint of red in his eyes, showing a complex expression. He smiled slowly and said, “I’ll take your words as a good omen.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng felt as if he had been burned by Qi Juan’s gaze. He held onto Qi Juan’s wrist, watching as the doctor inserted the needle into Qi Juan’s vein and slowly pushed the liquid in.

 

Stealing a glance at the two, Chi Yin couldn’t help but feel that the atmosphere was strangely peculiar? 

 

“Let me check the incision, so unbutton your clothes a bit,” the doctor said.

 

Yu Yue Sheng frowned as he looked at the wrinkled gown on Qi Juan, with a row of small white buttons lined up. His gaze lowered, and he saw a large wet patch of blood.

 

Qi Juan glanced helplessly, “I have no hands.”

 

The buttons on the clothes were the same for anyone to unbutton. Damn it, he felt like a little chick trapped in a cage, being observed and selected.

 

“don’t move.” Chi Yin said.

 

He can move a fart.

 

As Chi Yin spoke, he unbuttoned two buttons for Qi Juan.

 

Before He could finish unbuttoning—

 

Yu Yue Sheng lowered his eyelashes and lifted Qi Juan’s clothes from the bottom. When his cold gaze swept across the layered gauze, he seemed to treat the clothes like a hot potato and directly stuffed them into Qi Juan’s mouth.

 

Qi Juan spat out the clothes, tilted his head, and looked at him with a playful smile, panting, “Laoshi, what are you trying to do?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng didn’t look at him but turned to ask the doctor, “How is it?”

 

“I’m not sure yet. I need to take a look inside,” the doctor replied.

 

The doctor peeled off the adhesive tape from the gauze and slowly unraveled the blood-stained layers.

 

When they reached the final layer, the gauze was stuck to the flesh. When it was suddenly pulled away, Qi Juan couldn’t help but cry out in pain. His breathing became rapid, and he tilted his slender neck, tensing his jawline tightly.

 

The edge of his waist and abdomen formed a concave arc towards the inside, the abdomen was fair and thin, but the horizontal incision on the upper left abdomen was abrupt, as if a perfect painting had been ruined by an unfortunate stroke.

 

Fortunately, the postoperative stitches were still well done, but blood seeped out through the fine seams.

 

“Fortunately, it didn’t split open; we would have had to stitch it again.” The doctor rummaged through a plastic bag on the cabinet and took out new gauze and ointment.

 

The doctor tore off a piece of gauze, pressing it against the patient’s incision. The gauze soaked with blood, spreading inch by inch. Qi Juan winced in pain and was held down by the doctor’s quick hand on his belt.

 

“Wiping off the blood is necessary before applying the ointment. Don’t move,” the doctor said.

 

“Be gentle,” Qi Juan replied.

 

“Why did you act so late? Now you know it hurts?” The doctor’s expression turned serious as she wiped the gauze on his belly. “You are the first patient I’ve seen who just woke up after surgery and managed to make the incision bleed again.”

 

Her straightforward technique applied enough pressure without damaging the stitches, making Chi Yin grimace in pain. 

 

The doctor was particularly meticulous in wiping every nook and corner of the incision, causing Qi Juan to almost cry in pain. It felt more like sandpaper than gauze, and rubbing against the wound was incredibly painful.

 

Every time she moved her hand, Qi Juan would retreat a bit, but he was trapped against the headboard. He could only curse his bad luck in his mind and couldn’t help but quip, “I just pressed it casually… hiss…”

 

“Alright,” the doctor continued, “Young man, you can brag about this when you get old.”

 

“I…”

 

I’m a person with no future…

 

Qi Juan slowly restrained his smile, pursed his lips, and remained silent. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water over him, leaving him bewildered in place.

 

He didn’t know if the painkillers had taken effect, and he wasn’t sure if his stomach was still hurting. He just numbly watched the doctor discard the blood-soaked gauze, feeling as if his heart had been hollowed out.

 

Unable to resist, Qi Juan glanced at Yu Yue Sheng, and when he noticed that Yu Yue Sheng looked back at him, he quickly averted his gaze, concealing his thoughts deep in his heart. His fingertips furtively toyed with the bedsheet below, and by the time the doctor finished, he was already sweating with anxiety.

 

A young nurse rushed over and urgently knocked on the door, saying, “Director, you’re here. The patient in bed 306 just vomited several times and insisted on having you take a look.”

 

The doctor stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes, and said, “One of you can reapply the medication for him, and then wrap the gauze again.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng willingly let go and sat aside, scrolling through the phone he had recently retrieved from the nurse’s station.

 

Qi Juan: “…”

 

He searched his mind, trying to figure out which sentence he had said wrong.

 

Chi Yin: “Luckily, I didn’t leave, or else who would apply the medication for you.”

 

Qi Juan chuckled lightly, “Yeah, it’s good you stayed.”

 

In a daze, he recalled his childhood, when he fell sick, his father would carry him to the hospital, and he would rest his head on his father’s broad and warm shoulder. His father would gently pat his back and comfort him, saying, “Qi Juan, be good, you’ll feel better soon.”

 

Everyone has been cherished and cared for.

 

Even though his desk was often filled with love letters from girls, along with warm milk tea and beautifully folded stars filled with innocent affection, he chose to ignore them.

 

Qi Juan squinted his eyes, absentmindedly gazing at the deep blue sky outside the window as the streetlights gradually dimmed. He remained silent, but his thoughts were overwhelming.

 

“Is it still hurting? Is it getting better?” Chi Yin’s voice brought him back to reality. The person had been applying the medicine with just the right amount of pressure, even caring enough to blow on his wound, as if their acting was done perfectly.

 

Qi Juan felt goosebumps rising on his skin, but he said, “Chi Yin, it hurts… be gentler.”

 

The expression on Yu Yue Sheng’s face grew darker and darker. He stood up and said, “You guys continue.” After saying that, he quickly walked out of the ward.

 

He felt his temples throbbing, his head aching as if it were about to split open. He stumbled and rushed to the restroom, where everything seemed to spin around him. Countless images rushed into his vision, making it impossible to see clearly.

 

For some reason, when he saw Qi Juan’s surgical incision, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression, as if many people were whispering in his ears, and the sound of weeping swept over him like a grand funeral.

 

At that moment, he felt a headache so severe it could kill him.

 

Yu Yue Sheng bent over, coughed, and spat out a puddle of stomach acid into the sink. He leaned against the sink for a while, and the dizziness gradually subsided. When he looked at himself in the mirror, his face was still pale as if he had seen a ghost.

 

If it weren’t for his stomach being emptied and his mind becoming clearer, he almost decided to go to the department to check on Qi Juan. But thinking that Qi Juan now had his “boyfriend” accompanying him, he chose to leave the hospital and hailed a taxi.

 

After reporting the location name, Yu Yue Sheng leaned back in his seat, exhausted, and absentmindedly watched the passing scenes outside the window. Like a revolving lantern, the city’s scenery was diverse and colorful.

 

“Bzzz.” His phone vibrated twice beside him.

 

He shifted his gaze back, picked up the phone, and glanced at it. There was a video MMS from an unsaved number.

With slender fingers, he pressed the delete button. As the confirmation prompt appeared on the screen, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the cover photo–

 

The picture was taken from a corner, the camera facing the bedside of a bed, captured casually. A corner of the pillow was exposed, but his eyes fell on the unnoticed blue water cup pressed underneath the pillow.

 

It’s a very common cup model, but he remembers that on the day when Qi Juan fainted in the cafeteria, he borrowed a cup from the school doctor, filled it with hot water, and put it in Qi Juan’s arms. That cup was just like this.

 

Yu Yue Sheng clicked on the cancel deletion option, took out his Bluetooth earphones, and then pressed the play button.

 

In the video, there was a violent shake, and then the camera turned to focus on a teenager who was bowing his head. His bangs covered his eyes, and his drooping movements looked somewhat disheartened. His young and slender shoulders hadn’t fully developed yet, and he bent over, struggling to cough up some liquid.

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  Observing an intense situation from a safe and detached position. It suggests that Chi Yin is calmly observing the situation with Qi Juan’s pain and recovery without getting overly emotional or agitated.