Lu Shiyi realized that Yu Qingchuan was holding his arm tightly, his hand still pressed against Yu Qingchuan's stomach. Since Yu Qingchuan was lying on his side, his body slightly curled up, Lu Shiyi only had to move his fingers to touch the spot he had touched before.
His reasoning was that if he touched him, Yu Qingchuan might shift positions because it tickled, giving him a chance to see his face.
A small night-light had been left on in the room. It wasn't completely dark, and there was enough light for Lu Shiyi to see clearly.
Still, that seemed a little presumptuous, and Lu Shiyi was hesitating over whether to do it.
While he was considering it, however, Yu Qingchuan shifted slightly. The movement was small, but it brushed right across his fingertips.
Yu Qingchuan shivered in his sleep and, just as expected, changed positions. Yet the instant he turned over, Lu Shiyi suddenly lost his strength and sank back into deep sleep.
Lu Shiyi had always been composed, but for the first time, he felt a surge of frustration.
He had been so close to seeing Yu Qingchuan's face.
Still, Lu Shiyi quickly regained his composure. If he could open his eyes and move his fingers, that meant his condition really was improving.
He believed it wouldn't be long before he could see what Yu Qingchuan looked like.
Listening to the soft, even breathing beside his ear, Lu Shiyi drifted off to sleep as well.
Yu Qingchuan woke up refreshed and full of energy. He was just about to stretch beneath the covers when he realized something was wrong.
He seemed to be clinging to Lu Shiyi like a koala hugging a tree trunk.
Yu Qingchuan immediately pulled his leg back. I didn't hurt him by lying on him, did I?
He wasn't sure whether he was imagining it, but Brother Yi's handsome face seemed to have gone pale from being squashed beneath him.
Feeling guilty, Yu Qingchuan apologized, "Sorry, Brother Yi. Did I make you go numb? I'll massage you right now."
As he spoke, Yu Qingchuan began massaging him, starting at his calves and working his way up to his thighs.
Both the pressure and placement of his hands were extremely comfortable, almost professional. It made Lu Shiyi appreciate Yu Qingchuan's gentleness and attentiveness even more.
Whether he was wiping down his body or feeding him nutritional supplements, Yu Qingchuan never showed any impatience. Even the tone of his voice put Lu Shiyi at ease.
It unexpectedly reminded Lu Shiyi of something Liang Xingyao had once said: when you liked someone, even the way they breathed seemed cute.
What had he said back then? He had replied coldly, "So when you don't like them anymore, even breathing is wrong?"
But now he had to admit that Liang Xingyao had a point.
After finishing his routine massage, Yu Qingchuan closed the door securely and went to the nurses' station to collect the nutritional supplements himself.
The nurse on duty that day was a very young woman who also knew Yu Qingchuan. She greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, Young Master Yu."
"Hello." Yu Qingchuan nodded in greeting. "Could I trouble you for two tubes of nutritional supplement?"
"Of course."
The nurse seemed to be trying to flatter him. Smiling brightly, she said, "Have you lost weight recently, Young Master Yu? You're looking very handsome."
Yu Qingchuan's heart skipped a beat at those words.
Whether the nurse was genuinely flattering him or not, his weight loss was plain for everyone to see. If Su Ningyue found out he was losing weight, would she try to hurt him again?
He had to find himself a way out first.
After he returned to the ward, the man who had shown no signs of awareness suddenly let out a muffled groan.
It startled Yu Qingchuan, who thought the man had woken up!
He hurried over to check on Lu Shiyi, but there were no signs that he was waking. It was probably an involuntary physical response.
Yu Qingchuan felt a little disappointed, but also somewhat relieved.
He wanted Lu Shiyi to wake up soon, yet he was also afraid he would wake too early, before Yu Qingchuan had enjoyed much of his care and concern.
I really do seem to have the makings of a bad person, Yu Qingchuan thought guiltily.
After washing up and drinking his nutritional supplement, Yu Qingchuan weighed himself. As expected, he had lost more weight. With such a high starting weight, losing weight really was easy in the early stages. That morning, he was already down to 169.1.
Later, once the toxins had left his body and the swelling subsided, he would lose weight even faster.
Holding Lu Shiyi's hand, Yu Qingchuan said, "Brother Yi, I'm going to the traditional Chinese medicine clinic this morning to have my pulse checked. Then I'll take the medicine back to your place and leave it there. I don't really dare keep it here, in case... someone notices. I'll come back once I'm done."
With that, he put on a light jacket and headed out.
There were very few people in the private ward area, and Yu Qingchuan didn't run into anyone. He took the bus as usual, then looked around cautiously after getting off, worried that someone might be watching him.
Still, with his powers of observation, he probably wouldn't be able to tell. Yu Qingchuan couldn't be bothered to hide, either. Sooner or later, he and Su Ningyue would drop all pretense and confront each other anyway.
Once he arrived at the clinic, the elderly doctor took his pulse again. Pulse readings were steadier and more accurate in the morning, and the doctor was quite certain that Yu Qingchuan had damaged his health by consuming incompatible foods over a long period. Treating it would be rather troublesome, since the condition had developed over time.
But the elderly doctor was puzzled. "Did you take some sort of tonic yesterday? Why do I feel that you're doing a little better than yesterday?"
Yu Qingchuan was confused too. He hadn't eaten anything except his weight-loss meals, and he certainly hadn't taken any tonics.
But then he thought of the strange way his discomfort vanished when Lu Shiyi touched him. If he had to name something he had come into contact with, that was the only possibility.
But could I tell him that? Isn't it a little too unscientific?
Seeing the change in Yu Qingchuan's expression without any explanation, the elderly doctor knowingly refrained from pressing him. He simply smiled and said, "If you really have something that can support the treatment, you might recover faster and more thoroughly."
At those words, Yu Qingchuan's cheeks began to redden. He had originally thought he only needed to let his stomach get used to it.
But from what the elderly doctor said, it seemed he would have to keep troubling Brother Yi for quite a while...
Yet Yu Qingchuan discovered that beneath his embarrassment, he also felt a little anticipation.
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