Zhang Yazhi glanced at the situation over there in confusion, Shen Yuhuai sat on a chair beside the bed, slightly blocking the person on the bed. When she saw Chen Qizhao leaning back, she quickly looked away and continued to work on the task at hand. The work of Chen's father and son is inseparable from the company. Zhang Yazhi runs her own studio and can handle the work at hand flexibly.

Shen Yuhuai turned his head slightly when he saw Zhang Yazhi sitting on the sofa looking at the draft.

Separated by a layer of quilt, the two held hands underneath.

The cool touch pressed against the palm of the hand, and the joints on the back of the hand were clearly visible, and with the slightest movement they could move each other's fingers. Shen Yuhuai couldn't see the hand, but he could see the boy's slightly drooping eyes. The other party didn't say anything, nor did he look at him. All his movements and strength seemed to be limited to that hand, testing an unspeakable boundary line one after another.

It is already July, and the examinations for various majors at S University have almost all come to an end, while the weather in S City has entered summer.

Everyone walking on the street changed into short-sleeved shirts, but even so, in the ward with a suitable temperature, Chen Qizhao's hands were still cold.

There were some scattered supplies on the bedside table next to the bed, the mobile phone charger was still plugged in, tissues were within reach, and there was a trash can very close under the ward.

The biggest drug reaction Chen Qizhao experienced was nausea, which was more severe than that of others. He would often experience dry heaves or other symptoms... After only a few days of taking the medicine, his stomach began to resist, and the doctor had to add stomach medicine to his daily medication.

Shen Yuhuai had seen a healthy Chen Qizhao before. In a video call with Yan Kailin last year, he saw that the boy maintained a good figure, and his smooth muscle lines were eye-catching. Now, you can't see what's under his hospital gown, but he is visibly thin. He doesn't eat well and is just cooperating with the treatment.

The person in front of me looked no different from normal, or in other words, during the treatment process described by Zhang Yazhi, Chen Qizhao was an extremely cooperative patient. He did not show extreme emotions or excitement like other patients, nor did he lose his temper because of the side effects of various drugs produced during the treatment...

It's so peaceful.

Chen Qizhao didn't know why, but when Shen Yuhuai sat next to him, he wanted to hold the other's hand.

The palm of his hand was warm, as were his fingers. The touch was so close that Chen Qizhao seemed to even smell the scent of the grilled fish restaurant. But he knew that Shen Yuhuai did not come from the grilled fish restaurant. There was an indelible laboratory smell on the other person, mixed with the smell of mint, and perhaps the smell of hospital disinfectant.

"You are sweating." Chen Qizhao said.

Shen Yuhuai looked at him, “Well, your hands are too cold.”

There was no visible undulation on the surface of the quilt. In the distance, one could hear the sound of Zhang Yazhi working, with the tip of her pencil falling on the drawing, making a slight rustling sound. The two didn't talk much, and all the touch seemed to linger on their entangled hands, then their fingers intertwined, and then separated again.

Until a buzzing sound was heard in the ward, Zhang Yazhi received a call and walked out.

Shen Yuhuai glanced sideways. At this moment, Chen Qizhao, who had been sitting on the hospital bed for a long time, suddenly came closer and kissed Shen Yuhuai quietly on the corner of his mouth before Zhang Yazhi turned around.

The door of the ward closed, blocking out Zhang Yazhi's voice.

Chen Qizhao said: "I don't think I kissed her correctly."

"Don't move."

Shen Yuhuai whispered, then leaned forward slightly and kissed Chen Qizhao on the lips from bottom to top.

Zhang Yazhi went out to answer a phone call, and soon she saw the housekeeper Uncle Zhang coming from a distance. He was holding several food boxes in his hands, which were dinners specially prepared by Zhang Yazhi.

"The young master said he would come over later, so we prepared an extra portion inside," said Uncle Zhang.

Zhang Yazhi took the food box, explained something else to Uncle Zhang, and when she turned around and opened the door, she saw Shen Yuhuai getting up from the bedside.

Shen Yuhuai walked over to help Zhang Yazhi set the table. There were a lot of things she brought from home. Zhang Yazhi put her work things aside and talked to Shen Yuhuai while she was sorting them out. The bustle in the ward seemed to be confined to that corner. Chen Qizhao's eyes were calm. He threw off the quilt and got out of bed. He had just taken two steps when Zhang Yazhi called him.

"Xiao Zhao, shoes." Zhang Yazhi put down what she was doing, walked over quickly, and took out the slippers that had been under the bed. "How many times have I told you?"

Chen Qizhao stared at the slippers for a while and said, "I forgot."

Shen Yuhuai turned slightly and looked at Chen Qizhao.

Dinner is always light, with no greasy dishes and even the meat is lean. During the meal, Shen Yuhuai kept paying attention to Chen Qizhao. Chen Qizhao only ate half of the dish that Zhang Yazhi picked for him, and hardly touched the rice.

When he was in school, Shen Yuhuai often went out to eat with Chen Qizhao, and now his appetite is at most only one-third of what it was back then.

After dinner, Zhang Yazhi went to get medicine for Chen Qizhao. Several pills were mixed together. Chen Qizhao didn't even look at them and swallowed them directly with water.

Shen Yuhuai watched from the side, but didn't say much. He watched people take the medicine step by step, obediently, without any other reaction.

Not long after, the doctor came to the ward to record the situation, and Shen Yuhuai and Zhang Yazhi retreated outside the ward. Shen Yuhuai looked through the glass window on the door and saw the person sitting on the bed. He glanced sideways and asked Zhang Yazhi, "Is his concentration bad recently?"

Zhang Yazhi paused for a moment, then calmed down a bit before saying, "It's been much better these past few days, except that he occasionally gets distracted. The medication has a lot of side effects, and the doctor comes several times a day. He has been very cooperative with the treatment...but there are some things he didn't say."

After she finished speaking, she relaxed a little, "It's okay, no rush, just wait until he wants to talk."

This disease is not like an ordinary disease, and it cannot be cured by taking medicine. Even if it is cured in a short period of time, there is still a possibility of recurrence. Zhang Yazhi is not completely ignorant. She has also looked up a lot of information during this period. When it comes to her child's illness, she dares not relax at all. But every time she expresses her concern to Chen Qizhao, the other party responds with another kind of concern.

There was even one time when she fell asleep on the sofa in the ward in the middle of the night, and she vaguely saw Chen Qizhao coming over from the other side of the bed and covering her with a quilt.

When she was researching online and talking to her doctor, she considered all the consequences of the disease. But Chen Qizhao didn't show any of these. He was so cooperative that he didn't seem like a patient.

After removing all the disguises, the calm Chen Qizhao was more like an adult than she had expected. He had obviously not seen much wind and rain, nor had he gone through many things, but he showed a calmness that seemed to be full of holes.

Chen Shiming was also mature when he was the same age as Chen Qizhao, but not the kind of maturity that can never be fully understood. Chen Qizhao's maturity made Zhang Yazhi feel uneasy.

Especially when she saw Chen Qizhao's eyes, she always had a vague illusion, as if it was not her who was taking care of people, but Chen Qizhao who was taking care of all of them. In order not to let them worry, she actively cooperated with all the treatments.

Zhang Yazhi said: "Sometimes I wonder if he is too sensible."

Shen Yuhuai said nothing and listened quietly.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside the corridor. Chen Shiming had just returned from get off work and was holding something in his hand. His face was somewhat tired. When he looked inside, he noticed that they were conducting an inspection. He asked, "Did you just get off work?"

"I came here in the afternoon." Shen Yuhuai replied, noticing that Chen Shiming was a little wet, and asked, "Is it raining?"

Chen Shiming nodded: "It's a little rain."

In the ward, Chen Qizhao watched the doctor's actions and answered questions. The only sounds in the quiet ward were the medical staff's inquiries. Chen Qizhao's mind became much emptier. To be honest, the repetitive questions in the past few days made him a little irritated. He knew about Zhang Yazhi's worries. He had also experienced emotional ups and downs in his previous life, and his anxiety was not as severe as it is now. He also consulted a psychologist at that time.

He is not a good person. In the final analysis, he has shortcomings from beginning to end. He has done ridiculous things for most of his life, and it took him many years to control his temper. The only thing that can be considered an achievement is that he has finished what he should do.

When everything was settled in some form, he didn't feel as happy as before, but instead had an indescribable feeling of emptiness.

It’s not that I’m happy, but I feel a little overwhelmed and don’t know what to do next.

Chen Qizhao had never thought about this problem. In his previous life, he tried his best to send Lin Shizhong away, but ended up sleeping in the cemetery in a daze. When he opened his eyes, he was 18 years old again and started all over again. Now that the work has been barely done, he doesn't know what to do next.

The doctor went out after the examination. Chen Qizhao caught a glimpse of two people talking at the door. After a while, Chen Shiming pushed the door open.

"Where is Chen Yuhuai?" asked Chen Qizhao.

Chen Shiming put down what he was holding and said, "Mom went to the doctor's office, and he followed her."

He then asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable today?"

"No." Chen Qizhao sat on the bed and said to Chen Shiming, "The incubator over there contains something she left behind. She told you to come over here in the evening and left some food for you." His eyes stopped at the thing in Chen Shiming's hand and he vaguely saw the paper stuff inside the bag. "Don't come to my place to handle work."

Chen Shiming noticed that Chen Qizhao's eyes were on his hands, so he took out something from them. "A few journals. I brought them here because I was worried you might get bored."

There was still some time left in the medical treatment, and he could have been discharged from the hospital and returned home for treatment long ago, but Zhang Yazhi was worried and insisted on staying in the hospital for a while longer. Chen Shiming knew that Chen Qizhao’s favorite thing to play was the computer, so he brought him a notebook some time ago, but he seemed to have no interest and would rather play Tetris on the side.

Chen Qizhao paused for a moment, and saw that the journals were the ones he used to read frequently in the past. "Did I buy the wrong one?"

"You didn't buy the wrong one." Chen Shiming said, "These are the books you read most often."

Chen Qizhao's gaze stayed on Chen Shiming's hand for a long time before he reached out to take the book. However, his movement was a little too big and he accidentally bumped into something on the bedside table, causing a medicine bottle to fall to the ground with a clang. It seemed that the bottle cap was not tightened, and the white pills were scattered all over the floor. Seeing this, Chen Shiming stopped, put the paper bag aside, and went to pick up the scattered pills on the ground.

Chen Qizhao stared at the scattered white pills. The things scattered on the carpet and Chen Shiming's face seemed to appear before his eyes.

He suddenly said, "Don't pick it up!"

Chen Shiming paused for a moment, and when he looked up he noticed that Chen Qizhao's face looked a little pale.

Chen Qizhao paused and said, "Pick it up."

Chen Shiming picked up the last few pills, made sure no more had fallen to the ground, screwed the bottle cap tight, and put the items away. Just as I stood up, I suddenly heard someone next to me asking.

"Chen Shiming, if you hadn't found the GPS in the car at the time and you were in a car accident and paralyzed, what would you have done?"

Chen Shiming's heart tightened. Chen Qizhao's expression was the same as usual, not much different from when he talked to him, except that his face was a little pale. He asked cautiously, "Why do you ask?"

"No, just asking." Chen Qizhao didn't even look at those journals. After putting the things on the table, he picked up his mobile phone out of boredom.

Chen Shiming did not leave, but stood beside his bed with his usual stern face. Chen Qizhao seemed to have asked such a question a long time ago. In his father's study, Chen Qizhao jokingly told about a strange dream. Chen Qizhao said that he was paralyzed in a car accident. He did not believe it at that time and thought Chen Qizhao was joking. But now when he heard this question from Chen Qizhao's mouth again, Chen Shiming could not help but recall the dream that Chen Qizhao mentioned.

"It's blocking the light." Chen Qizhao said.

The light is on the other side.

Chen Shiming said: "I'll go turn on the headlights for you."

"..." Chen Qizhao frowned and looked at him, wanting to ask if this guy was a little too idle?

Chen Shiming really walked over and turned on the headlight for him, then walked to the sofa and sat down, no longer blocking his light. The ward was quiet again. Chen Qizhao was playing Tetris. He looked at Chen Shiming and found him looking at his phone. "You can throw away the dinner if you don't want to eat it."

"Eat." Chen Shiming opened the lunch box next to him, "Do you want an IV drip tonight?"

"No need." Chen Qizhao replied, lowering his head to continue playing with the new level of Tetris.

One person is eating, and the other is playing games.

There was no communication between the patient and the caregiver. Chen Shiming was still thinking about his previous dream and wanted to ask Special Assistant Xu to retrieve some other information when his cell phone suddenly rang. He noticed that the person next to the bed moved, took his cell phone and went outside the ward to answer a call, then stood by the door and watched what was happening inside.

"Hello? Tell me." Chen Shiming lowered his voice, "What's going on in Beijing?"

Chen Qizhao glanced around and noticed that the food boxes had been put away and there were people standing outside. He hesitated when he got out of bed, pulled out the slippers beside him, put them on, and walked towards the bathroom.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, the surroundings fell into complete silence.

All sounds were blocked out, and he was left alone in silence.

Chen Qizhao turned on the switch in the sink, and water gushed out from the outlet. The cold water passed through his fingertips, taking away the heat that had lingered on his fingers, and the anxiety seemed to be washed away as well. He reached for some water, wet his face, and when he looked up he saw himself in the mirror.

The hair on my forehead was already wet, and a little bit of water fell down, bringing an unreal feeling.

Chen Qizhao looked at himself in the mirror. From his thin face he seemed to see himself in his previous life. Was he so thin before? It doesn’t seem so. The chin is not that pointed.

The water was trickling, and Chen Qizhao looked at himself in the mirror with eyes as dead as water.

He suddenly couldn't remember what he looked like before. It seemed like this, but also seemed a little different. A familiar feeling of nausea rose from his throat. Chen Qizhao frowned tightly, his hands tightly gripping the edge of the washbasin. The veins in his hands were bulging, suppressing the discomfort that was rising.

After he felt the pressure go down, he noticed his heartbeat was a little faster.

In the quiet bathroom, it seemed as if the only sound was the pounding heartbeat, as if after a long run, and the fatigue rising from within the body.

Chen Qizhao looked down at his hands pressed on the washstand and habitually tried to touch his pocket, but he felt the thin hospital gown, which had no pockets and did not contain his usual cigarettes and lighter.

Oh, by the way, he hasn't touched a cigarette for almost a month.

Smoking is not allowed in the hospital. A while ago, he hid in the bathroom to smoke, and then Zhang Yazhi confiscated all his cigarettes and lighters with red eyes. Chen Qizhao rarely saw Zhang Yazhi cry, but he saw her eyes red with anxiety several times.

Lin Shizhong was imprisoned, and the Gu family had no way to escape. What followed was a long trial and the final result.

The bomb that could explode overhead at any time has disappeared, and all problems should be resolved. The Chen family will proceed as planned from the beginning. Chen Jianhong will retire at an age, Chen Shiming will inherit the group due to his outstanding abilities, and Zhang Yazhi can freely drag her little sisters to parties... After graduation, Shen Yuhuai left school and entered the Ninth Research Institute to continue his career.

The Chen family is getting better and better, Shen Yuhuai will become an excellent researcher, and the whole world will continue to operate according to the rules it should have. It seems that without him, nothing will change.

The sound of running water flowed into the sewer through the water inlet of the washbasin, and the sound flowing down the water pipe seemed to become clearer. The not-so-spacious bathroom became cramped, and a disgusting stench spread from somewhere. Chen Qizhao opened his eyes, trying to calm his violently beating heart, and his mind uncontrollably thought of other things.

Horrible fantasies seemed to crawl out little by little, and an absurd sense of uncertainty invaded his senses. He seemed to hear the continuous sound of ambulances, the clanging of stretchers, the sound of shovels stirring the soil, and the sound of rain pouring down... There was blood flowing in the white washstand, pale faces with eyes tightly closed, and explosions that he had never heard of before.

boom--

It's thundering outside.

Chen Qizhao came to his senses and tried to determine where the thunder came from through the small and narrow window high up in the bathroom. When he raised his eyes, he suddenly saw the person in the mirror.

The mirror reflected the position on the left. The bathroom door had opened at some point. Shen Yuhuai stood there holding the door handle, looking straight at him.

Their eyes met, and Chen Qizhao's gaze stopped on Shen Yuhuai's bespectacled eyes, unable to see the emotions in the other's eyes.

The silence continued. Chen Qizhao, sweating coldly, turned off the water, and the bathroom became even quieter.

Shen Yuhuai closed the bathroom door and looked at the boy whose hair was still dripping. Several drops of water had already dripped onto the collar of his clothes and slid down the collar into his clothes.

The other party didn't notice at all and just kept looking at him.

Chen Qizhao asked: "What about him?"

Shen Yuhuai: “I’m on the phone.”

He added, "Aunt Zhang is still in the clinic."

The door was closed and there was no other sound outside.

When Shen Yuhuai entered the room, he did not see Chen Qizhao, but only heard the sound of water in the bathroom. He waited at the door for a long time, but the sound of water did not stop, and there were no other unnecessary sounds. Finally, he waited for a minute before pushing the door open and coming in. When he came in, he saw Chen Qizhao standing in front of the washbasin, not moving, just lowering his head and looking at the continuous running water.

The boy's hands were on the edge of the table, his butterfly bones slightly protruding from under his hospital gown. When he noticed him, his dead and silent eyes looked at him. Chen Yuhuai had seen this kind of eyes once before. At the Lin family charity dinner, Chen Qizhao had drunk spiked wine and had hallucinations, and he had looked at him with such eyes.

These eyes are so lonely.

Chen Qizhao didn't move after he asked the question.

Shen Yuhuai walked over, but just as he took a few steps closer, Chen Qizhao, who had been motionless, moved. He seemed to have locked onto his target and kissed him from bottom to top after walking over.

He first stumbled upon Shen Yuhuai's lower lip and bit along it.

It's not that I didn't kiss her, it's that I was anxious and eager.

The clumsy technique had no unnecessary movements, soft skin and sharp teeth. The two had kissed only a few times, and each time it was a gentle contact led by Shen Yuhuai. This was the first time there was no emotional foreplay. Driven by recklessness and impulse, Chen Qizhao tried to pry open Shen Yuhuai's teeth.

The ferocity and irresistible sweetness covered the subtle bitterness and the minty scent on Shen Yuhuai's body.

Chen Qizhao couldn't describe his feeling. He felt aimless and dazed, unable to judge what was real and what was unreal. When he pulled Shen Yuhuai's hand from under the quilt, he felt the body temperature coming from the other person, which gave him a sense of security little by little.

He didn't think too much, his confused mind just wanted to kiss her for a while, and a while...

Shen Yuhuai held his waist, and his other hand touched the back of his neck, as if to comfort him, or to indulge him. He let Chen Qizhao lean on him, noticing his increasingly soft body, and also noticing the strength with which he leaned against him. With a little effort, he helped the man up and let Chen Qizhao sit on the washstand.

There were two people in front of the narrow washstand. Chen Qizhao let go of Shen Yuhuai, his eyes were a little red, and his chest was heaving violently.

Shen Yuhuai looked at him for a while and asked, "Do you want more?"

Chen Qizhao did not reply, but asked: "Chen Yuhuai, will you die?"

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuhuai leaned against the edge of the washbasin and kissed Chen Qizhao along his chin. His kiss was no more forceful and intense than Chen Qizhao's. It was like a gurgling stream, washing away the invisible haze covering a certain place bit by bit. In fact, he liked Chen Qizhao's eyes the most. He liked the cunning calculation in those eyes, and he liked the playfulness when he lied clumsily...

Whatever, just don't be like this.

Drowning in the loneliness of emptiness.

The silence in the bathroom seemed to be broken, but also seemed not to be.

Shen Yuhuai let him go.

Chen Qizhao was breathing slightly, with his eyes half closed.

Chen Yuhuai held his face patiently and kissed the red corners of his eyes.

A damp and hot feeling fell at the corner of his eyes, and the warm touch seemed to reach his skin through the other person's hand. Chen Qizhao's eyes felt a little hot, and his chest was filled with all kinds of emotions. The noisy sounds in his ears seemed to disappear, leaving only the sound of light rain outside the window.

There were fragmented sounds, mixed with someone's breathing. Finally, when everything returned to silence, Shen Yuhuai's voice rang out.

"Won't."