Chapter 29

The hospital's infusion room was crowded with people coughing and blowing their noses. Before Qu Yanting could say anything, Lu Wen couldn't stand it and took the initiative to get a private room.

The room wasn't large, but its advantage was that it was quiet and clean, and having a private bathroom was also convenient. A nurse came in after preparing the IV fluid, hung up the bag, and asked which hand to use for the infusion.

Qu Yanting extended his left hand. A few bluish-purple veins crisscrossed the back of his fair hand. The IV needle was inserted, and the nurse skillfully secured it. "Don't let the drip rate be too fast. Just press the call button if you need anything."

It was Lu Wen's first time staying with someone at the hospital. He walked from the foot of the bed to the head, put down a glass of water he had just filled, and then pulled over a chair to watch by the bedside.

Qu Yanting was propped up on two pillows, his upper body raised slightly. He heard Lu Wen let out a sigh, turned his head to look, and asked with his eyes what was wrong.

Lu Wen said, "I was standing far away just now, afraid the nurse would recognize me. Turns out I was overthinking it."

Qu Yanting chuckled. "You're the male lead in this drama. Your fame will rise after it airs."

Lu Wen said, "Can the production team promote me heavily? For example, 'Lu Wen has excellent acting skills and emotional intelligence. Renowned screenwriter Qu Yanting praises his limitless potential.'"

The high fever had numbed his mind, and Qu Yanting replied without thinking, "Okay, I'll arrange it for you."

Lu Wen looked astonished. He was just joking around, but he never expected Qu Yanting to agree so readily. For a moment, he couldn't tell if Qu Yanting was being serious or just teasing him.

Outside, the city lights were brilliant, and the nightlife for young people was just beginning. Qu Yanting felt bad and said, "There are doctors and nurses here. I'll be fine by myself."

Lu Wen rolled his eyes. From the 'drowning' incident to tonight's high fever, he had serious doubts about Qu Yanting's ability to take care of himself. What if he fell asleep and didn't even know when the IV drip was finished?

He said, "I'm not at ease. You're quite unreliable."

Qu Yanting said, "I'm fine. You can go do your own thing."

Lu Wen sniffled. "I don't have anything important to do either."

Qu Yanting said, "Don't you have a date tonight?"

'My persona as a heartthrob is already established,' Lu Wen thought. He decided to just go with the flow. "It doesn't matter. I'm already late anyway. We can schedule it for next time."

To avoid further questions, Lu Wen took out his phone and pretended to reply to a message.

As expected, Qu Yanting didn't ask again. He guessed Lu Wen was contacting his date, at least to give an explanation. Afterwards, Lu Wen kept holding his phone, likely chatting with the other person.

The room was quiet. Qu Yanting was bored, his eyes tracing the suspension track on the ceiling from right to left, following the pole down to the IV bag, watching the small bubbles rise in the fluid.

Suddenly, his arm was poked.

Qu Yanting turned his head. Next to his right arm, Lu Wen's finger was still there after poking him.

He uncontrollably wondered, 'Can't he cancel the date? Or did he change his mind after chatting for a while?'

Lu Wen moved a little closer, holding up his phone. "Teacher Qu, help me take a look."

Qu Yanting had no desire or interest in prying into others' chat histories. He politely declined, "That's probably not a good idea. You don't have to ask me what you want to do."

Lu Wen insisted, "But I want you to see."

Before Qu Yanting could say another word, Lu Wen had already shoved the phone in front of him. There was no chat history. The screen was bright and lively, with three cartoon figures each occupying a corner.

He was slightly stunned. "Are you... playing Fight the Landlord?"

"Yeah." Lu Wen said, as if tattling, "This bastard showed his hand right from the start and even doubled the stakes. It's putting a lot of pressure on me. You're so good at mahjong, help me see what cards to play."

Qu Yanting didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Lu Wen poked him again. "Hurry up, the timer is counting down."

Qu Yanting's throat hurt. He raised his right hand and tapped the screen. Lu Wen had latched onto him now, leaning against the head of the bed, pestering him until half the hand was played.

He was very close, close enough to hear him breathe. Qu Yanting lowered his hand. "Go play by yourself."

Only then did Lu Wen sit back, crossing his legs, revealing a distinctly bony ankle above his long pants. His shirt was soft and smooth, with two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. His trench coat was draped across his waist and hips, as if he were afraid his abs would get cold.

Qu Yanting's face was still flushed, a touch of languid weariness mixed with his sickness. His eyes were half-closed, his eyelashes fluttering lightly. His hand, resting on his body, clutched the blanket for a moment.

Lu Wen noticed, quit the card game he was about to win, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you cold?"

Qu Yanting said, "My stomach is a bit uncomfortable."

Lu Wen had a sudden realization. After pulling an all-nighter, he hadn't eaten for a whole night and day. He was most likely hungry. Now that it was mentioned, his own stomach started to rumble.

The hospital cafeteria had long stopped serving meals. Lu Wen opened a food delivery app and asked Qu Yanting what he wanted to eat. Qu Yanting's mind went blank for a moment, and he could only think of preserved egg and lean pork congee and taro cake.

Lu Wen searched for the restaurant's name and found that the hospital was outside the delivery range. Unable to sit still, he grabbed his trench coat and decided to go to the restaurant to buy it himself.

Before leaving, Lu Wen pinched a corner of the blanket, lifted it slightly, and said, "Tuck your right hand into the quilt."

Few people ever ordered him around like this. Qu Yanting was a beat slow, sluggishly retracting his right hand. Lu Wen tucked the blanket in and said to him, "Teacher Qu, take a nap. I'll get you something good to eat when you wake up."

Qu Yanting had the illusion of being coaxed like a child.

Lu Wen confessed in the next second, "When I was a kid and wouldn't sleep, my family's nanny would trick me like this."

Qu Yanting was speechless. "But I'm not a child."

Lu Wen said, "That's why I'm not tricking you. I'm going now."

Qu Yanting closed his eyes, listening to the footsteps leave the room. The door closed, leaving only the dripping sound of the IV fluid in the room. He gradually drifted into sleep and had a dream. In the dream, the sun was bright and beautiful, like a clear day in the north.

An unknown amount of time passed before Qu Yanting caught the sound of soft footsteps and woke up instantly.

The nurse on duty came in to change his IV bag. She said, "Your temperature has come down a bit. How are you feeling?"

Qu Yanting replied, "Much better."

The nurse said with a smile, "You're a light sleeper. I pushed the door open to check a few times but didn't dare to come in. The handsome guy staying with you specifically told me not to wake you."

Qu Yanting was no longer sleepy. He leaned up against the pillows and picked up his phone from the bedside table. It was almost nine o'clock; he had slept for over an hour.

He unlocked the screen. There was a small red circle on the 'Phone' icon indicating a missed call. Qu Yanting had forgotten about it. Just as he was about to call back, a second call came in from 'Ruan'.

Qu Yanting answered, saying, "Xiao Feng."

At the end of the hallway, Lu Wen returned from his long trip, carrying a large bag of food in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other.

When he reached the door of the hospital room, Lu Wen didn't know if Qu Yanting was awake. He turned sideways, pressed his shoulder against the door, and gently pushed it open a crack. Before he could even enter, he heard the sound of Qu Yanting talking on the phone.

He immediately backed out and waited outside the door.

Qu Yanting said, "I'm fine."

When his first call wasn't answered, Ruan Feng assumed Qu Yanting was resting and didn't call again. It was only when he couldn't find him at the hotel that he learned Qu Yanting was sick and had gone to the hospital.

"I probably caught a cold from the rain and have a bit of a fever," Qu Yanting said. "I'm getting an IV drip right now."

Ruan Feng asked, "The housekeeper said a friend is with you, surnamed Lu?"

Qu Yanting replied, "Yes, Lu Wen."

He held the phone a little further away, dodging Ruan Feng's excited voice. Intermittent words came through: "The housekeeper said Mr. Lu, so I guessed it might be Lu Wen. I can't believe it's actually..."

Ruan Feng asked for the room number, wanting to come over. Qu Yanting forbade it. The hospital was crowded, and it would cause unnecessary trouble if they were photographed.

A nurse passed by outside the door. "Handsome, you're back. Why are you standing outside?"

Lu Wen faked a silly smile to get by. The boss was on a private call inside; how could he just walk in?

On the phone, Ruan Feng compromised, "Alright then, I won't come over."

Qu Yanting hung up, and the hospital room fell silent.

Five minutes later, Lu Wen pushed the door open from the outside, pretending he had just gotten back.

Qu Yanting looked at him, but Lu Wen didn't look back or greet him. He walked over on his own, lowered the rolling table, and placed the food containers on it one by one.

Qu Yanting couldn't move his left hand and his body was weak, so he reached out and grabbed the corner of Lu Wen's shirt.

Lu Wen was caught off guard and was pulled a step forward before he realized Qu Yanting wanted to sit up. He reached out with one hand, his palm tracing the shape of Qu Yanting's shoulder blade through the silk pajamas.

"Are you tired from running the errand?"

Lu Wen pouted. Of course he was tired. He even had to stand outside the door like an idiot.

Qu Yanting said, "You should eat more."

The downturned corners of his mouth curved up again. Lu Wen opened the food containers and said excitedly, "I got two side dishes. They're light. You can have them with the taro cake."

Across the rolling table, Lu Wen sat sideways on the edge of the bed. He had ordered shrimp dumplings for himself, and the savory aroma filled the air. He asked, "Teacher Qu, do you not eat any seafood at all?"

Qu Yanting nodded. He didn't like the fishy smell of the sea.

Lu Wen said, "Ye Shan doesn't eat fish. Did you get the inspiration from yourself?"

Qu Yanting stopped stirring his preserved egg and lean pork congee, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth, avoiding the question. The tip of his tongue went numb from the heat, and he frowned.

Lu Wen had just finished eating. He snatched the bowl of congee. "It's hot, right? You eat the taro cake first. I'll blow on this for you."

"You don't have to go to such trouble." Qu Yanting felt a bit uneasy.

Lu Wen said, "Just consider it practice. For when I have to take care of my dad in his old age, so I won't be clueless."

A dark cloud seemed to hang over Qu Yanting's head. Lu Wen had repeatedly associated him with his own father. What the hell was wrong with him? He endured it for a moment, then took a bite of the cake. "Do you think I'm very old?"

"No." Lu Wen looked innocent. "How old are you?"

Qu Yanting said, "Thirty-two."

Lu Wen said, "Oh." So Qu Yanting was four or five years older than him. A few seconds later, he noticed Qu Yanting staring at him, seemingly waiting for him to continue.

He answered tentatively, "You look so young."

Qu Yanting was satisfied and ate his cake in peace. Lu Wen continued to blow on the congee. After a few puffs, the door to the room creaked open.

Both of them looked over at the same time. The door was pushed open, and Ruan Feng, head down, slipped quickly into the room.

Closing the door, Ruan Feng took off his mask and hat. He had feigned compliance; after hanging up, he had rushed over as fast as he could, getting the room number from an older nurse.

The three of them stared at each other. It was as if all the air in Chongqing had frozen solid.

Lu Wen suddenly understood that Qu Yanting had been talking to Ruan Feng earlier. He put down the congee, and with his hands suddenly empty, he felt so awkward he could cramp up. He picked up his hot chocolate and stood up.

Qu Yanting reacted. "Ruan Feng, what are you doing here?"

Ruan Feng said, "I was worried."

Just two short sentences, and Lu Wen felt like a spotlight was shining on his head. He had clearly become an inconvenient third wheel. He paced from the bedside to the foot of the bed, then moved to the window, consciously making space for Ruan Feng.

Ruan Feng rushed over and plopped down on the bed beside Qu Yanting.

Lu Wen clenched his cup, knowing he was now the superfluous one. Sticking around would only make Qu Yanting and Ruan Feng uncomfortable. He averted his eyes, sensibly heading for the door.

But Qu Yanting didn't ignore him. He subconsciously asked, "Where are you going?"

Lu Wen didn't stop walking. Where else could he go? To wherever it was coolest, he guessed.

How ridiculous. He was the one who found out Qu Yanting was sick. He was the one who accompanied him to the hospital. It was his first time staying with someone at the hospital. He was the one who went on a long detour to personally buy preserved egg and lean pork congee and taro cake.

Since Ruan Feng was coming, why didn't Qu Yanting send him away earlier?

It felt as if he hadn't swallowed the shrimp dumpling; a lump was stuck in his chest. Lu Wen said, his whole body feeling constricted, "To the nurses' station. There's a pretty nurse there. I'm going to get her number."

He turned the doorknob and went out.

As soon as the door closed, Ruan Feng asked eagerly, "Bro, are you feeling any better?"