The night before, Ye Shanshan was forcibly diverted from the topic by Gong Yue, and then inexplicably fell asleep, so much so that in the end, he didn’t even get an answer to the question of whether the thing he was carrying was heavy or not.
Regrettable!
Then, he dreamed that he had turned into a size XXXL, walking every day was like running with weights, and even sleeping required adjusting his position, which was very difficult.
So when he woke up in the morning, Ye Shanshan seriously felt it and confirmed that the dream was fake, he didn’t need to run with weights, which relieved him.
As soon as the day broke, Ye Shanshan got up quietly, so as not to wake Gong Yue.
Gong Yue couldn’t sleep last night because of the pain from his wound. It wasn’t until around four or five in the morning that he finally felt a bit drowsy. But even if he fell asleep, his face was still pale without any color, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, indicating an uneasy sleep.
Ye Shanshan felt quite sorry for his Majesty. He tiptoed out of the bedroom like a cat and went straight to the kitchen.
Uncle Hawk was in the kitchen choosing dishes for today’s meals. When he saw Ye Shanshan running over in his pajamas, he was a little surprised. “Good morning, Young Master Ye. Is something wrong?”
Ye Shanshan’s hair was messy, damp with the morning dew, swaying in the morning breeze. He took a breath and said, “Let’s stew a pig’s trotter soup for lunch today, um, and make some chicken wings.”
Seeing that Butler Hawk looked a bit puzzled, he explained, “I heard someone say that eating what you lack can be helpful, although there’s no scientific basis for it, but who knows, it might work a little.”
Last night, he was awakened shortly after falling asleep. Pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed, he listened to Gong Yue’s stifled groans of pain. It really felt like a knife was cutting his heart, it hurt that much. But the side effects of painkillers were too severe, so Gong Yue had to bear it himself.
So Ye Shanshan was prepared to try anything.
After returning to the bedroom from the kitchen, Ye Shanshan didn’t do anything, just sat on the edge of the bed, propping up his chin and watching Gong Yue sleep. The more he watched, the more relieved he felt. Occasionally, images of Gong Yue being pushed into the operating room would flash through his mind, confirming that he was truly here, in front of him, giving him a sense of recovery after loss.
Ye Shanshan felt that if Gong Yue were not in this world, the sea and the stars would certainly hold no attraction for him.
※※※
By the time it was past nine in the morning, Gong Yue’s breathing started to become rapid. Ye Shanshan cautiously reached out to test the temperature of his forehead and found that he was still feverish. He quickly called the family doctor and had an IV drip set up.
Due to the fever, the pain from his wound, and the previous loss of blood, Gong Yue’s spirits were very low, completely lacking his usual vigor.
Ye Shanshan held Gong Yue’s hand and comforted him softly, “The needle for the IV drip is very small, just a little prick, you can pretend it’s a bite from me.”
But when the doctor was about to insert the needle, Ye Shanshan was more nervous than anyone else. He stared anxiously from start to finish. Just as the needle was about to go in, he suddenly protected Gong Yue’s hand, preventing the needle from piercing. After a few seconds, he quietly withdrew his hand and reiterated,
“Be gentle, he’s in pain.”
When the needle tip accurately punctured the blood vessel, and the transparent liquid slowly entered the bloodstream, Ye Shanshan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After the doctor left, seeing Ye Shanshan sweating nervously, Gong Yue reached out his other hand to help him wipe it off, “Don’t be afraid, it doesn’t hurt.”
Ye Shanshan muttered softly, “You’re lying. How could it not hurt? Even ghosts wouldn’t believe that.” After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you want to sleep?”
Gong Yue shook his head gently, “I want to hear you talk.”
This little wish was definitely going to be fulfilled. “Then I’ll tell you a story, improvised on the spot, but with guaranteed quality!”
“Okay.”
Listening to Gong Yue’s weak voice, Ye Shanshan suppressed the layers of sourness in his heart as much as possible, making his tone as cheerful as possible,
“A long, long time ago, there was a carp spirit who lived on an island in the East Sea. One day, he met a conch shell…”
As Gong Yue slowly drifted off to sleep, Ye Shanshan’s voice also grew softer and softer, “…and then, they set off from that little island to travel around the East Sea.”
Finishing the story, Ye Shanshan quieted down, got up to tuck Gong Yue’s blanket in properly, then gently held the hand that Gong Yue was using for the IV drip. Because of the medication entering the bloodstream, the temperature of his fingers was especially cold.
Until the warmth from the other person’s fingers touched his own, Ye Shanshan changed his posture slightly. He knelt on the carpet, leaned down, and lightly kissed Gong Yue’s fingertips, almost inaudibly saying,
“You promised to be with me all the time, not to leave me like Mother Youli did.”
Gong Yue’s fingers moved unconsciously, as if in response.
※※※
During this nap, Gong Yue slept until three in the afternoon. At one point, his temperature soared to 39.5 degrees, even his breath felt scorching hot, and his consciousness became somewhat blurred. After changing the medication and receiving two more injections, his fever finally subsided slightly.
Ye Shanshan replaced the cold towel on Gong Yue’s forehead, staring at his flushed face, feeling anxious, unable to resist nibbling on his fingernails for a while. But he nibbled too seriously and was caught red-handed by Gong Yue when he woke up.
In an instant, Ye Shanshan quickly hid his hand behind his back, sending a smile towards Gong Yue that seemed to say, “You didn’t see anything,” then picked up the lukewarm water and brought it to Gong Yue’s lips. “You had a fever earlier, drink a little more water.”
Gong Yue opened his mouth slightly and took two sips, then turned his face away, indicating refusal.
Ye Shanshan suddenly felt that this Demon King was quite cute like this? It was like opening a door to a new world. Without thinking, he asked again, “Want some more?” His eyes sparkled.
Sure enough, Gong Yue turned his face slightly away again in the opposite direction, using practical actions to refuse once more.
Ye Shanshan decided to stop there, but he felt himself being overwhelmed by his own Demon King—although just two minutes ago, he had never imagined Gong Yue being associated with the word “cute.” But now, he felt like he could replay that scene a hundred times!
After moistening his throat with water, feeling a bit more comfortable, Gong Yue’s vision blurred slightly. It was difficult for him to focus on Ye Shanshan, but he spoke slowly, “The story from before isn’t finished.” Ye Shanshan blinked, realizing it was the story of the carp spirit and the conch shell he had been telling earlier. It seemed that he had captivated Gong Yue! Recalling approximately when Gong Yue had fallen asleep, Ye Shanshan cleared his throat and continued.
Gong Yue listened very seriously to Ye Shanshan’s illogical and disorganized improvised fairy tale, very earnestly. When Ye Shanshan finished, Gong Yue licked his chapped lips and, unusually, recalled past memories,
“No one ever told me stories when I was a child.”
Hooking Gong Yue’s finger with his own, Ye Shanshan thought for a moment, propping up his chin, “Then I’ll make up another story for you, a custom-made one! Long ago, there was a little merman named Langlang, he was the prince of the mermaid tribe, and one day…”
Ye Shanshan’s usual voice was clear and fast-paced, but now he deliberately softened and slowed it down, making it sound especially gentle. Gong Yue watched the person telling him stories with such seriousness for a long time. With Ye Shanshan’s voice, the pain from his wound, the throbbing in his head, and the loneliness and fear of the night in his memory all gradually faded away.
The storytelling eventually lulled Gong Yue back to sleep. Ye Shanshan suddenly felt like he had gained a new skill—putting the Demon King to sleep. He touched Gong Yue’s forehead, confirmed that the fever had subsided somewhat, then took out his phone and messaged Zheng Dong, “The crew will need to extend my leave for a few more days, I can’t leave here.” He looked at Gong Yue, very concerned— if he went back to filming, who would tell him stories and put him to sleep?
Zheng Dong replied quickly, “The director has already released your character’s makeup photos, looks like they’re not planning to replace you.”
“Thanks, Zheng-ge,” Ye Shanshan replied. To have his makeup photos released after only auditioning, then disappearing the next day without any thought of replacing him, meant that Zheng Dong must have said a lot of good things on his behalf.
Zheng Dong took a while to respond again, “That’s good to know. Come back and shoot well.”
Ye Shanshan replied with a smiley emoji to reassure him. Then he opened Weibo and found the official account of “The Observer.” As expected, his makeup photos were right at the front. The crew had posted two photos yesterday and the day before, and today’s post was a behind-the-scenes shot.
He retweeted all three Weibo posts, adding a couple of sentences to each one. After posting, Ye Shanshan put away his phone and checked on Gong Yue’s condition.
※※※
In the evening, Gong Yue finally regained some appetite and wanted to eat. Ye Shanshan brought a lot of the stewed chicken soup from the kitchen, which also included a sturdy chicken wing, expressing Ye Shanshan’s wishes vividly.
Although Gong Yue didn’t like watery things, seeing Ye Shanshan bring the spoonful of soup to his lips with hopeful eyes, he couldn’t help but open his mouth. He quickly swallowed the soup without intending to taste what it was like.
After drinking a bowl, Gong Yue felt a bit refreshed and had some energy. He asked the butler to call Chris over.
“What did you find out?” Gong Yue straightened up before Chris even entered, trying to appear less weak and feeble.
Chris handed over a few sheets of paper, “We’ve asked almost everything, here’s the summary of the interrogation.”
Gong Yue held onto the paper and read through it line by line. He discovered that the person referred to as “Mr. S” was very cautious, never showing his face in the past two years, even changing his voice every time he spoke.
“East’s father said he deduced that this person should be middle-aged, with high status and authority, but introverted. He often urges him about his research progress, as if there’s some urgent reason.” Gong Yue handed the paper to Ye Shanshan to read, then turned to Chris, “Continue investigating along this lead. If he’s ever shown up, he’s bound to have left some kind of loophole.”
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
