"Pervert"

The delicious shrimp dumplings temporarily dispelled the gloom in Gu Yue's heart, but what followed was a physical heaviness—she was thirsty. Under Tang Wulin's attentive gaze, Gu Yue drank a large cup of warm water. It had to be said that staying hydrated while sick was indeed important, but with this "special equipment" in place, drinking water had become something fraught with risk and psychological pressure.

"Um... I'm going to sleep for a while." Gu Yue set down her cup, deciding to use sleep to fight off the urge to urinate—or rather, the strange fullness and foreign-body sensation caused by the catheter.

"Okay, sleep. I'll stay here with you." Tang Wulin pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed, phone in hand, seemingly scrolling through videos. But his eyes... Gu Yue always felt that he kept glancing at the urine collection bag hanging by the bed.

This felt way too weird!

Gu Yue tried hard to adjust her position, attempting to find a sleeping posture that would let her ignore the tube inside her body. But she failed. The foreign-body sensation was incredibly clear, not to mention the inexplicable pressure that made her want to strain but left her unable to exert any strength. And Tang Wulin was right beside her. Though he appeared to be playing with his phone, Gu Yue still had the illusion that she was being watched.

"Can you... stop staring over there?" Unable to endure it any longer, Gu Yue poked her head out from beneath the blanket and glared at Tang Wulin irritably.

Tang Wulin blinked innocently and turned his phone screen toward her. "When did I? I'm watching Conquest. Look at these methods, tsk tsk..."

Gu Yue: "...I think you're trying to learn those methods so you can use them on me."

"That's a grave injustice! I'm learning how to take better care of you!" Tang Wulin immediately put on a flattering smile.

Gu Yue could not be bothered with him and closed her eyes again. Yet the harder she tried not to think about it, the clearer that physical need became. Her bladder was sounding the alarm, and the urge to urinate came in wave after wave like a rising tide. She tried to relax her pelvic floor muscles and imagined herself in a comfortable bathroom... but it was useless. The catheter's presence was far too strong, and there was also that "bastard" beside her who kept throwing her mind into turmoil.

Time passed in awkward silence. Every minute felt as long as a century.

Finally, Gu Yue felt that she was reaching her limit. That swollen pressure transformed into an uncontrollable force, as though the valve had loosened and could no longer be tightened.

"Drip..."

A faint sound of water, so soft it could almost have been ignored, rang out in the quiet hospital room.

Gu Yue's body instantly stiffened, and her face turned crimson in a flash. She did not dare move, or even breathe, praying that it was just an illusion—or that Tang Wulin had accidentally bumped into something.

But reality was cruel.

"Oh?" Tang Wulin drew out the word, his voice brimming with teasing. "You already... couldn't hold it back? I thought you could endure a little longer."

Gu Yue's eyes flew open as she glared at him viciously. At some point, Tang Wulin had put down his phone. He was staring at the urine collection bag with great interest, even leaning forward slightly to carefully observe the rising markings on its surface.

"Tang Wulin!" Gu Yue's voice trembled, half from shame and half from anger. "Y-you pervert! What are you looking at?!"

"I'm concerned about the treatment results!" Tang Wulin said righteously, even gesturing vaguely with a finger. "Look, the flow rate is quite steady. That means the drainage is unobstructed. The doctor's skills are really good. Honey, how do you feel? Is it especially... smooth?"

"Shut up! Don't say that word again!" Gu Yue grabbed the only thing within reach—the soft pillow—and hurled it at him viciously. "Close your eyes! Don't look! Don't talk!"

Tang Wulin caught the pillow and held it against his chest. Rather than restraining himself, he laughed even more happily, a crafty gleam flashing in his bright eyes. "Oh, why be embarrassed? It's not like this is something shameful. The doctor said it's a normal physiological phenomenon. Besides, look at the color of your urine. It's a little pale yellow, which means you still haven't had enough water. You need to keep hydrating..."

"Tang Wulin!" Gu Yue let out a desperate roar and yanked the blanket over herself, wrapping herself tightly from head to toe, leaving only a mess of hair exposed. "I'm going to kill you! I'll strangle you to death right now!"

"Don't, don't, honey, calm down!" Tang Wulin hurriedly set down the pillow and patted her through the blanket. "I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't look anymore! I'll shut up! I'll go get you some water right now... uh, though you probably don't want to drink any water at the moment."

Gu Yue trembled with rage beneath the blanket. This life was impossible! Not only did she have to endure the pain of illness and the humiliation of being catheterized, she also had to put up with this heartless guy delivering a live commentary right beside her! How was that any different from a public execution?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to hear Tang Wulin's irritating teasing or look at that damned urine bag. But the body was honest. The foreign-body sensation and the feeling of emptying intertwined, creating an utterly unfamiliar experience. What made her want to collapse even more was that, as another wave of urgency arrived, the faint sound of "drip" rang out beside her ears again. This time, it seemed even clearer than before.

It was over. Her image was ruined, and her dignity was gone!

Gu Yue gritted her teeth beneath the blanket. Tang Wulin, just you wait! I'll make you pay for this twice over! Once this tube comes out, I'll give all those limited-edition model figures you treasure to the old man downstairs who collects scrap! No, I'll sell them to Auntie Wang next door! Let her use them for soaking in the bath!

Thinking of that made Gu Yue feel slightly more balanced. She adjusted her breathing and decided to adopt the ostrich policy. As long as she could not see Tang Wulin's punchable face, as long as she did not hear his infuriating voice, everything would pass.

As for that urine bag that was still working... let it drift away with the wind.

Tang Wulin looked at his wife, wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, and finally found his conscience—or perhaps he was afraid of truly angering her beyond repair. He restrained his smile, sighed softly, and reached out to pull the blanket down a little, revealing the tips of her bright red ears.

"All right, I won't tease you anymore. Really, I won't." His voice softened, carrying a trace of barely perceptible heartache. "Tell me if you're uncomfortable. Don't hold it in. I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Gu Yue ignored him, but her tense body seemed to relax a little.

"I promise I won't look or say anything more." Tang Wulin raised three fingers and made an oath-taking gesture. Then he truly turned around to face the wall, assuming a posture that said, "I can't see anything."

The hospital room fell silent again, leaving only the steady ticking of the machines and... the continuous, faint sound of urination that made Gu Yue want to crawl into a crack in the ground.

She closed her eyes and silently counted down in her heart. One, two, three... Please let it end soon, this damned catheterized life! And that bastard Tang Wulin had better never fall into my hands!