Chapter 37 – Caregiving
Novel Title: 我们已经分手了 (We Have Broken Up)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 刘帆 (Liu Fan -MC), 陈谦 (Chen Qian -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Chen Qian pressed the call button. Before long, doctors and nurses arrived in the room for another round of checks.
“There’s nothing serious. But family members should keep a close eye on the patient,” the doctor advised the three of them, offering some reassurance. “Take good care of her, there’s no need to worry too much.”
No matter what had happened before, now that Zhao Rou had woken up, Chen Qian and Chen Chong’s attention was solely on her. Zhao Rou was initially a bit disoriented. But after dozing for a few minutes and fully waking up, she weakly said to Chen Chong, “Don’t fight anymore.”
Even Liu Fan felt a bit heartbroken.
Chen Chong tucked her in and softly said, “Don’t worry, just rest well.”
He had always given the impression of being cold and hard. Liu Fan was quite surprised to hear him speak so gently.
Zhao Rou, looking dazed, half-opened her eyes briefly before seeming to fall back asleep. Although the doctor had said there was no problem, neither Chen Chong nor Chen Qian dared to leave Zhao Rou alone in the hospital. Without discussing it, they both decided to stay and keep watch, ignoring each other as if they were strangers.
Liu Fan felt some sympathy for Zhao Rou. With such strife between the father and son at home, how was she supposed to manage?
The hospital room was a double room. But the other bed was empty, available for one of them to sleep on. Liu Fan arranged for the hospital to rent a folding bed and asked the nurse for a quilt, solving the problem of another place to sleep.
Chen Qian took the folding bed for himself, making it up with sheets and a blanket. He then pulled Liu Fan aside, saying, “You should head back. You have work tomorrow.”
Unlike Chen Qian, who was the boss, Liu Fan was an ordinary employee who had to clock in. With two people already staying to keep watch and his own awkward position, Liu Fan didn’t insist on staying. “I’ll go then. Take it easy and don’t go picking fights with your dad in the middle of the night.”
“Why would I bother with him?” Chen Qian’s emotions had been all over the place that day, and he looked a bit dejected. “I can’t take you home tomorrow morning, so head back to your place. It’s closer to your office.”
Despite his exhaustion, Chen Qian earnestly nagged Liu Fan about some unnecessary things. “Be careful on your way home alone, and call me when you get there. You ate less than usual today, so buy something to eat on your way back to avoid getting hungry tonight.”
Listening to his fussing, Liu Fan nodded. He felt a bit attached. “I’ll come to the hospital after work tomorrow.”
“Call me before you come,” Chen Qian sighed in relief. “I might not be at the hospital. I still have work to handle at the company.”
Liu Fan knew he was talking about the financial issues. “How’s that going? What are you planning to do with the house?”
“Using it as collateral for a loan, I’ve been running around to different banks lately.” Chen Qian shrugged, seemingly unwilling to elaborate. “Alright, I’m going home. Give me a kiss.”
Liu Fan didn’t understand any of this. So he couldn’t help with it. He just felt that Chen Qian had too many troubles lately. Feeling a pang of pity, he held him for a brief kiss. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Stop nagging,” Chen Qian replied.
***
The next day, after work, Liu Fan contacted Chen Qian. He was busy with social engagements so he told Liu Fan to find somewhere to eat by himself. Chen Qian’s social engagements were unpredictable and always involved drinking.
Liu Fan had done some online research and learned that getting a loan took a lot of time, especially with the current slump in the real estate market and plummeting stock prices. Financial institutions were cautious about risks. But a company’s expenses were relentless, with fixed monthly wages and social security for employees. The longer it took, the worse it would get.
Liu Fan pondered whether Chen Qian could borrow some money privately. But he understood that borrowing money was easier when you had money. It was difficult when you didn’t. The world was full of people who offered help when you were doing well. But few provided help when you were in dire straits.
Sun Yiyi called, asking if they would come home for dinner that weekend.
“It’s only Monday today…” Liu Fan chewed on his chopsticks. “We might not come back for dinner. Chen Qian’s mom is sick and in the hospital.”
Sun Yiyi had some recollection of their old neighbour, Zhao Rou. “What? What’s wrong with her?”
“She accidentally fell, and she has a bit of low blood sugar,” Liu Fan couldn’t tell her the full truth. “It shouldn’t be anything serious.”
Sun Yiyi said, “Then your dad and I will go visit her. After all, we are family now.”
“Uh, this…-” Liu Fan had forgotten about this. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to tell the truth. “Mom, I haven’t told you everything. Actually…”
Sun Yiyi became wary. “Actually what? Is Chen Qian already married?! Does his wife and child live with his parents?!”
From the background, Liu Xing’s anxious voice could be heard. “What? What? Chen Qian’s married and has a kid?!” “Don’t interrupt! I’m asking!”
Liu Fan: “…”
Could you please explain your logic to me? What’s going on here?!
“No! Where did you get that idea?!” Liu Fan couldn’t help but laugh. “He ran…-“
He swallowed back the part about ‘ran away from home for seven years’. But Sun Yiyi had already worriedly continued along that line of thought. “He ran what?! What’s going on?”
“Haa… No, listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with Chen Qian. It’s just his family. His parents don’t agree with us being together,” Liu Fan quickly used the lie Chen Qian had told. “So, the two elders don’t really stay in touch with Chen Qian much. They spend their time travelling. They find it hard to accept Chen Qian choosing a man as his partner.”
“Oh…” Sun Yiyi fell silent. As a parent herself, with only one son, she could completely understand their feelings and even empathised.
She sighed softly, “I understand. It’s not their fault. Chen Qian is their only son. Accepting this must be really hard. You two shouldn’t push too hard and strain things. Haa… Your dad and I used to talk about meeting them for dinner. It must have been hard for Chen Qian to hear that.”
Liu Fan knew that, in truth, Chen Qian might feel more guilty towards him, feeling that he had wronged Liu Fan by not being able to give him a proper status. But Liu Fan didn’t care about that at all. His relationship and life with Chen Qian weren’t about Chen Qian’s parents. As long as he and Chen Qian wanted to be together, what did it matter who acknowledged them? He was willing to endure Chen Chong’s coldness, just for Chen Qian’s sake.
When parents are still alive, breaking off relations is never easy.
Liu Fan advised, “When you see him next time, don’t bring this up. Just act like you don’t know.”
Sun Yiyi agreed, “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
After hanging up the phone and finishing his noodles, Liu Fan decided not to wait for Chen Qian and went to the hospital himself to check on Zhao Rou. He bought a bouquet of fresh flowers and a fruit basket. He stood by the door without going inside, observing through the window.
Inside, Chen Chong was peeling an apple for Zhao Rou.
Neither of them spoke. Zhao Rou watched with a gentle expression while Chen Chong meticulously peeled the apple. The peel was thin and unbroken, showcasing his impressive knife skills.
Zhao Rou looked quite spirited, with no signs of any lingering weakness. The atmosphere between the couple was very harmonious.
Relieved, Liu Fan took the gifts and sat in the small garden in front of the hospital to wait for Chen Qian.
He ended up waiting until almost midnight.
Liu Fan nearly fell asleep on the bench. Possibly worried about Zhao Rou, Chen Qian had returned earlier than usual and without being heavily intoxicated. When he saw Liu Fan, his face showed surprise and then a hint of annoyance, “Didn’t I text you saying I didn’t know how late I’d be and you should go home by yourself?”
Liu Fan sniffed, “I wanted to see you.”
This one sentence hit Chen Qian’s soft spot. His expression immediately softened. He gently hugged Liu Fan, “How long have you been waiting?”
“Not too long. I went up to check on Ayi earlier. She looks good and is getting along well with your dad.” Liu Fan sniffed him and found the smell of alcohol faint. “Did you go home to change?”
“Yeah. You even bought stuff?” Chen Qian noticed the fruit basket and flowers beside them. “I’ll take you home later.”
“No need—” Liu Fan’s refusal was cut off by a kiss. With his mouth still open, the kiss turned him upside down. Chen Qian pulled away, looking refreshed as if he had been recharged. “Don’t stay out here feeding the mosquitoes. Go wait in my car.”
Liu Fan was indeed feeling a bit sleepy, although the weather was not cold. He yawned, took Chen Qian’s keys, and headed to the parking lot.
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Next update: 2024.10.12
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