Care at home

What followed was an uncontrollable wave of nausea.

Gu Nian'an suddenly slumped against the side of the bed, clutching his chest as he vomited uncontrollably, bringing up all the syrup he had just swallowed. Eventually, there was nothing left to bring up, but he kept retching up stomach acid.

As his stomach emptied, the boy's vision kept going dark, as though he might pass out at any moment.

Fu Xiuyuan held him tightly to keep him from falling. Ever since the boy had started vomiting, his brows had been drawn together in unrelenting worry.

Once Gu Nian'an had finished vomiting, he kept one arm around him and took out his phone with his free hand to call Li Changyu.

The instant the call connected, the man asked anxiously, "He just threw up. What's going on?"

On the other end, Li Changyu paused. After thinking for a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Can Xiao Gu not tolerate syrup?"

Hearing the voice coming through the phone.

Gu Nian'an suddenly remembered how, when he had a cough as a child in his previous life, his mother had given him cough syrup. He had vomited uncontrollably after drinking it then, too, and had never taken it again.

He just hadn't expected the original owner of this body to be the same.

Thinking that he had caused trouble again, he couldn't help saying timidly, "Syrup used to make me throw up when I was little. I forgot just now. I'm sorry for the trouble."

With that, the boy lowered his head slightly.

Fu Xiuyuan lowered his phone and looked at the boy's bowed head, feeling a little helpless. He was always so sensitive.

He stroked the boy's soft hair reassuringly, letting him know it was all right.

Hearing this, Li Changyu laughed unconcernedly on the other end. "Oh, it's nothing. If you can't take syrup, just take some cough capsules."

After giving a few more precautions, he hung up.

Fu Xiuyuan got up and went downstairs to fetch different medicine for Gu Nian'an.

Before long, the man came back in with the pills already removed from their packaging in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

Only after watching the boy take the medicine did his tightly knitted brows ease a little.

Fu Xiuyuan looked up at the time. Seeing that it was nearly time for the hourly housekeeper to come and cook, he asked softly, "What would you like to eat? I'll have it made."

Gu Nian'an rubbed his stomach, which still ached faintly, and shook his head. "I don't want to eat," he said quietly.

As soon as he said it, he felt the atmosphere around the man before him suddenly grow heavy.

The boy cautiously raised his head to look at the man's expression.

Remembering how he had just vomited nonstop, Fu Xiuyuan rubbed between his brows helplessly. There was a hint of resignation in his tone, but he still made an effort to soften his voice. "You threw up so much just now. At least eat something."

With that, he helped the boy up from the bed, half supporting and half holding him, and said gently, "Go brush your teeth in the bathroom, then come downstairs to eat. Be careful."

Gu Nian'an knew he was being a little willful, so he nodded obediently and took small steps to the bathroom, where he slowly washed up.

Then, with the man's support, he slowly made his way downstairs.

The hourly housekeeper soon arrived, prepared the meal, and hurried away.

Despite the lavish dishes on the table, Gu Nian'an really couldn't muster an appetite. He only forced down a couple of bites before setting down his chopsticks and staring into space.

Sitting across from him, the man frowned when he saw that he had eaten only two or three bites, but ultimately said nothing.

After the meal.

For some reason, Gu Nian'an felt an unbearable itch in his throat and began coughing uncontrollably.

Fu Xiuyuan came over and gently patted the boy's back, asking in a low voice, "Does your throat hurt?"

"My throat's itchy," Gu Nian'an answered between coughs. As soon as he finished speaking, he started coughing uncontrollably again.

He had been like this in his previous life, too. Whenever he developed a cough after a fever or a serious illness, it was always slow to go away.

He had to endure three to five days before it would stop, and no medicine helped.

He just hadn't expected the original owner to have the same problem. Then his thoughts paused again; perhaps he had brought it with him.

Seeing how worried the man was, he reassured him, "It's an old problem. I tend to cough after every cold. It'll be better in a day or two. It's nothing serious."

Fu Xiuyuan said nothing more.

Gu Nian'an curled up in bed and scrolled through his phone, coughing a few times now and then.

Fu Xiuyuan sat at a nearby desk, working on his computer.

Gu Nian'an looked up. The man was wearing a white shirt, seated by the window with his legs casually crossed. Sunlight streamed through the glass onto his profile, lending his features a soft glow.

The man had a straight nose and an air of cool reserve as he stared intently at the screen.

Gu Nian'an watched him like that for a long time, becoming a little lost in thought.

But then he suddenly started coughing again, more violently than before, so he picked up the glass beside the bed and took a gulp.

Instead of soothing his cough, the water made him choke. He abruptly sat up in bed and clamped a hand over his mouth as he coughed, but water still spilled between his fingers.

Hearing him, Fu Xiuyuan turned to look at the boy coughing uncontrollably. He waved toward the computer to signal a pause, then got up and walked over to the person on the bed.

Seeing Gu Nian'an coughing with tears in his eyes and struggling to breathe, he pulled him into his arms and kept patting and rubbing his back to help him catch his breath.

"Breathe slowly. Don't cover your mouth. Relax, relax." He gently guided him while patting his back.

When the boy finally stopped coughing, he folded the quilt into a backrest and settled him against it.

"Sit propped up while you use your phone. Don't lie flat. Don't drink water while you're coughing. Wait until you've stopped."

Realizing he had caused trouble for the man again, Gu Nian'an couldn't help feeling guilty.

He rubbed his fingers together uneasily and murmured, "I understand, sir. Go back to your work. You don't have to worry about me."

A trace of helplessness crossed Fu Xiuyuan's eyes at his reaction. "If I didn't look after you, you'd cough yourself to death at home. Get some rest, and call me if you feel unwell," he said gently. Then he turned and went back to his computer to continue the meeting.

Gu Nian'an opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He settled back into bed, glancing over at the man from time to time.

The people on the other end of the call had heard the commotion, too. It had already been surprising enough that CEO Fu, who always worked late into the night, had left early.

Then today, they had been notified of an online meeting??? Was that something Fu Xiuyuan, who never failed to come to the office, would do?

And during the meeting, the bedroom wall behind him and the occasional cough from beside him had been even more shocking.

CEO Fu was actually living with someone.

Then they heard a violent fit of coughing from the other end, and CEO Fu actually went to take care of the person?!! They thought of the phone call he had received before leaving early yesterday.

Someone had actually managed to make a man like Fu Xiuyuan leave work early to care for them at home, and he even kept them beside him during a meeting. Though, judging by the voice, it seemed to be a man.

After thinking it over for a moment, everyone reached a conclusion.

Someone had finally won over that unattainable man, and the one who had done it was a boy.

They couldn't help marveling. So was he uninterested in women because he liked men?