Xia Liuyue ran into Meng Xiang near the private room.
He was still holding allergy medication in his hand, jogging over, his peach-blossom eyes looking moist.
He said breathlessly:
"Senior sister, I came as soon as you messaged me."
His gaze shifted, then landed on Yan Hechuan, who clearly looked unwell, and he asked with concern:
"What's wrong with Brother Yan?"
"Let's go inside the room first."
Xia Liuyue led him inside.
Yan Hechuan was like a soulless shell, sitting obediently on the chair, his back very straight, but his entire body still trembling uncontrollably.
Meng Xiang handed over the allergy medicine.
Xia Liuyue skillfully opened the bottle, took out three pills, put them in his mouth, and gave him some water to drink.
He swallowed them unconsciously.
But because he drank the water too quickly, he choked and coughed violently.
Xia Liuyue hurriedly grabbed a few tissues to wipe the corner of his mouth. Just as she was about to pull away, Yan Hechuan suddenly gripped her hand tightly with both of his.
His voice trembled, filled with unease.
"Yueyue, don't go."
Xia Liuyue raised her hand, stroking his head while softly comforting him:
"Okay, I won't go, I won't leave."
At this moment, Yan Hechuan seemed like a helpless and vulnerable fledgling bird, fearfully clinging to its only source of safety.
For the rest of this breakfast.
Yan Hechuan ate whatever Xia Liuyue fed him, chewing silently like a food-processing machine.
The only thing was he kept holding her hand tightly, refusing to let go for even a moment.
Meng Xiang, watching from the side, was utterly stunned, a pang of sourness flickering in his heart.
Yan Hechuan's dependence on his 'sugar mommy' had grown even deeper.
Xia Liuyue lifted his sleeve and found the allergy medicine hadn't worked at all; the large patches of hives on his arm still hadn't faded.
She turned to Meng Xiang and said:
"This won't do! We should still take him to the hospital."
...
It was the familiar infusion ward.
When the doctor saw Yan Hechuan again, he expertly prepared the medication, but still advised:
"Although we can use IV drips for allergies, over time resistance can build up."
"As family members, you must be careful not to let him frequently trigger allergic reactions."
Xia Liuyue nodded repeatedly.
While helping Yan Hechuan out, they coincidentally ran into the young nurse they had met last time.
The nurse, seeing this handsome man and beautiful woman pair—and one she had seen just a couple of days ago—of course remembered them vividly.
She couldn't help but say:
"Oh? It's you guys again."
"Oh right! I forgot you can't speak." She then glanced at Yan Hechuan, blind and wearing sunglasses, and showed a look of pity.
Meng Xiang beside them was confused.
Huh? What did that mean?
Xia Liuyue quickly signaled him with her eyes. Last time, she had lied to the nurse, saying she was mute. She hadn't expected the nurse to remember so well.
Fortunately, Meng Xiang wasn't slow. He immediately said:
"Hello, could you please give Brother Yan his IV injection?"
The nurse glanced at him, then looked at Xia Liuyue, puzzled. "Are you siblings?"
Meng Xiang quickly smiled and said, "Yes, I'm her younger brother."
"Alright, the needle is set. Come to the nurses' station if it gets loose."
The nurse waved warmly, then couldn't help but sigh. "Ah! Heaven is jealous of beauty. So pitiful."
Meng Xiang kept agreeing.
Xia Liuyue deliberately found a seat as far away from the nurses' station as possible.
Buzz. Buzz.
Her phone vibrated with a text.
Meng Xiang: "Sugar mommy, what was that about just now?"
"Nothing, last time I lied to her, saying I was mute and my boyfriend was blind. Good thing you're smart and didn't give it away."
Meng Xiang raised his eyebrows proudly and texted back: "Of course."
Perhaps because the IV medication was gradually entering his body, or because they were now far from Tina Li.
Yan Hechuan's condition gradually stabilized, and his thoughts grew clearer.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Why did that nurse sigh earlier and say 'heaven is jealous of beauty'?"
Xia Liuyue answered without blushing or her heart racing:
"She's just pitying such a handsome guy like you for being blind."
"But it's okay. Even though you're blind, I won't look down on you."
Yan Hechuan raised his hand, groping vaguely in the air.
Seeing Xia Liuyue didn't react.
He said:
"I want to hold hands."
Meng Xiang, sitting to the side, turned his head away, a sour feeling in his heart, and volunteered, "I'll go to the pharmacy to get the medicine."
After he left, Xia Liuyue reached out and took Yan Hechuan's hand.
She patiently explained:
"It's not that I didn't want to hold your hand. I was afraid it might trigger your allergy."
Yan Hechuan muttered, "With Yueyue, I won't have an allergy. It's because of..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
Xia Liuyue finished it for him.
"It's because of Tina Li, right?"
Yan Hechuan fell silent, only tightening his grip on her hand.
Xia Liuyue gently patted his back as if soothing a small animal, softly comforting him:
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm here with you."
"You've grown into a tall man now, 1.86 meters. You don't need to be afraid of that old witch."
Yan Hechuan took a deep breath.
He explained: "It's not that... it's just..."
The memories from his childhood were too fragmented and cruel.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably again.
This time, Xia Liuyue wrapped her arms around him.
Her warm body heat transferred through the thin layer of clothing, slowly smoothing away the unease between Yan Hechuan's brows.
Xia Liuyue said gently:
"Remember? I just slapped her twice."
"Anyone who wants to bully my Hechuan has to get through me first."
"I'll protect you. You're safe here."
Yan Hechuan's breathing grew rapid, his heartbeat accelerated.
He wasn't sure if it was due to the severe allergic reaction from his condition, or because of those words just now.
The gaping hole in his heart seemed patched with warm cotton batting.
Warm and cozy.
His tense body relaxed slightly, and his other arm wrapped around her waist in return.
They were like two little hedgehogs huddling for warmth in winter.
Leaving their softest bellies for each other, and their hardest spines for the outside world.
"Yueyue," he whispered.
"Hmm," Xia Liuyue responded softly, resting her head on his shoulder.
Yan Hechuan's voice was low as he slowly narrated:
"My father was a workaholic. Since I was little, the number of days he spent at home never exceeded three months in a year."
"When I was six, my mother, suffering from long-term depression, jumped off a building and committed suicide in front of me."
"The year I turned seven, he brought that woman home, using the excuse that I needed someone to take care of me..."
Xia Liuyue knew the 'that woman' he referred to was Tina Li.
"She was very good at pretending. Gentle-tempered, she treated me well in front of my father. Everyone in the household, including the servants, liked her."
"But after my father left, she fired all the servants who were close to my mother."
"In that big house, it was just her and me..."
"She said she wanted to toughen me up, so in the middle of winter, she made me wear thin clothes and forced me to eat ice cream. In the end, I was sent to the hospital with pneumonia."
"When my father called, she told him I was pretending to be sick to skip school."
