Chapter 90

Before dawn, Pei Huai was transferred to the respiratory examination room at the local town hospital. Doctors initially suspected a lung infection, accompanied by pneumonia and hypothermia. Xiang Mingqi held his fractured left wrist in the hallway, awaiting the results. He was determined not to leave, and the nurse, unable to persuade him, had to treat his injuries on the spot. As iodine was applied to the sutures, he stared at the doorknob, trying to catch the conversation inside.

"He will be fine." Han Shaochen came specially to show concern after dealing with the people his father sent to investigate.

"You promised me before." He didn't look at him. "Don't forget."

"I know. Neither your brother nor the Bangkok Hotel will take the initiative to cause trouble for you. Not now, and not in the future." Han Shaochen knew that he should not be in the mood to talk to him more, "Thank him for me." After saying that, he turned and left.

After his symptoms eased, Pei Huai was transferred from the treatment room to a single room for observation. He was expected to stay in the hospital for up to a week.

Xiang Mingqi pushed the door open and walked in without a sound. Pei Huai sat on the bed, wrapped in a loose hospital gown, gazing out the window at the pale sky, his eyelashes fixed at a drooping angle.

"elder brother."

"elder brother?"

Unable to respond or even notice from his senior, he suddenly jumped up and asked, "Have you lost your memory?"

Surprised by the excitement in his words, Pei Huai looked up at him.

"Wow, this is the first time I've encountered such a ridiculous development as amnesia. So exciting. Brother, do you still remember who I am?"

Without waiting for an answer, Xiang Mingqi cheered and jumped onto the bed, looking around. "Oh my God! You forgot the most... No, it's okay to forget. You were a handsome man who eloped with me because I impressed you with my talent and money. We were a loving couple, sweet and happy, but your relatives didn't agree to this marriage and insisted on taking you back."

He rubbed the corner of his eyes with his sleeve in a serious manner: "Wow, we were a pair of desperate lovers. On the way to escape, you hit your head and lost your memory. Wow, brother, why did you lose your memory? People with amnesia are the easiest to deceive. Luckily, you met me."

Pei Huai was too lazy to cooperate with his hard-working performance and pointed to his throat.

Well, it turns out he ignored me because his throat was uncomfortable. Xiang Mingqi scratched his ears awkwardly and shrank back.

"The doctor said that you can be discharged from the hospital tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, but you just need to pick up your medicine. Yes, yes, is there anything you want to ask me during the time when you were unconscious?" He took the initiative to hand over his mobile phone, handed it to his senior, and opened the note to make it easier for him to type.

Tap your fingertips.

How are you?

"My wounds have been treated, and I didn't choke on water as badly as you did. I got the green light at the physical exam, so I don't need to go into the treatment room. But I'll be limping for a week or two." He lifted his numb left leg and said, "It's not embedded in the bone, so don't worry, I won't limp."

Knock knock.

【Where is Zhuangzhuang? 】

"It was full and sleeping in the foster home. Or it brought Han Shaochen to us. I rewarded him with three cat strips."

Knock again.

【Isaac, where is Shan Li? 】

"Hey, them." He smiled, showing no hostility.

"My father-in-law has disappeared. I haven't seen him much since I dived into the water. As for my brother, he won't come to bother us. It's okay if you don't know about the other things, brother. Just get well first." Xiang Mingqi smiled affectionately, arched his eyebrows, and shook his head from side to side. "Anything else you want to ask?"

Seeing that he was unable to articulate his newly clear mind, Xiang Mingqi took the initiative to talk to him: "I've made up my mind. I'll pack up in the next few days. When you're better, we'll go on an RV trip. Let's go to a faraway place with few people."

Pei Huai listened very carefully.

"But I'm not very good at tinkering with RVs. What do you think I should prepare?"

"I'm planning on getting two computers, one for each of us. A laptop is probably the easiest to pack. And for the living room TV, are you planning on getting a set-top box or a satellite dish?"

【Set-top box.】

"Ah, I know. Brother, you must have chosen this because you wanted to watch a movie."

He rested his still-healthy right leg on the bed frame, his chin in his hand as he pondered, "Next, I have to figure out Zhuangzhuang's range of motion. But that big fat guy is probably just going to lie down all day."

"How about giving it the bed behind the living room booth? It doesn't sleep in the cat bed, it prefers the bed. Give it some small toys to keep it company. Just put the litter box in the toilet."

"As for cat food, add another layer under the closet to store Zhuangzhuang's cat food and snacks. Otherwise, he'll chew through the bag again."

【Don’t choose a leather booth. 】

"Zhuangzhuang will use it to sharpen his claws then, right?" He seemed to have thought of something and chuckled inexplicably. "Let's stay in the master bed. I'll set up a very private space. Close the sliding door and make it soundproof. No matter how loud your panting is, only I can hear it."

Pei Huai frowned and silently deleted the line he had just typed.

"As for the forehead bed, once we get to the mountains, far away from the city and where there's no light pollution. Yes, and when it's not raining, we'll hold Zhuangzhuang and look at the stars through the skylight."

【What color do you want for the interior and carpet? 】

He raised his chin and rested it on his elbow, then asked expectantly, "So, what color do you like, brother?"

【Beige, matched with natural wood color.】

"Oh, that's great. As expected, when it comes to color matching, we still need to find a handsome guy who knows how to dress." Halfway through his words, he suddenly thought of a problem and shook his head regretfully, "Ah, but our refrigerator is not big enough. If we put eggs, cola, and milk in, there won't be much space left."

"It's behind the booth, built-in, and this size." He stretched his arms out, gesturing horizontally to vertically. The description indicated a 45L capacity. "It's fine for microwave snacks, but the problem is you can't freeze much food in these layers. What if I want to have a drink someday?"

【Why buy this size? 】

He poked his finger and lowered his head in shame, "Because they turned the top part into a small storage compartment so we can put our camping equipment there."

"By the way, there's a place inside specifically for storing grills, pots, spatulas, seasoning packets, and so on, so I'm not wasting my time."

What are you going to do with your house and B&B in Kensos?

"I can rent out the house. I have several. As for B&Bs, it's the off-season now, and I don't want to sit around with empty rooms. I'll come back to run the place when the tourist season starts and people come in."

He patted his chest and assured: "I contacted the big brother I met at the cat cafe before, named Wang Qi. He is willing to help. I will hand over the management of the B&B to him. He will get the salary, and we can just lie back and earn money."

"Come on, brother."

Pei Huai's next glance fell on him, without raising his eyebrows or refusing.

"Where do you want to go?"

After a moment's thought, he wrote: [Watching the snow.]

"Are we going to the snowy mountains? Or should we drive around the plateau?"

Tundra.

"Hey, that's a good suggestion. I've never been to a high-altitude area in my life. Let's find a chance and go to a specialty store to get a set of snow mountain equipment, and then we can set off directly."

A hand poked his shoulder.

Xiang Mingqi was still waving his arms and talking to himself. He brushed his shoulder with his hand and looked up in disbelief.

Then, someone's forehead leaned forward, creating a space between their lips and teeth in the embrace. He received a kiss.

A light kiss with infinite tenderness.

"I don't regret meeting you, Xiang Mingqi." He looked at him, and a very vital and blazing fire burst out in his dark pupils.

Beating, burning, spreading.

He said, “No matter what happens, I will choose you.”

"This time, next time."

"Even if it happens a thousand or ten thousand times in the future."

Perhaps the drug was taking effect, Pei Huai suddenly felt his head pulled by an inexplicable sleepiness, and he fell back on the pillow. From mountains to streams, to beaches and deserts, Xiang Mingqi was dancing with joy, and he had been planning based on these for a long time. After he finished speaking, no one said anything, and then he realized that his senior had dozed off. He stood up, closed the curtains, and touched his forehead.

Low-grade fever. But his complexion is much better than before.

"Go to sleep if you're tired, brother. It's nothing serious." He spoke in a low voice, fearing to disturb his senior. "Also, about your house. It will be done this afternoon. Trust me, but don't ask too many questions."

He loosened his grip and fell asleep peacefully.

-

Yu Laoer left the casino and spat on the ground. He'd been chatting and laughing with a few of his old poker buddies one moment, then he wiped his mouth and started cursing by name. He'd been having a rough go of it lately, his luck awful. He'd won once in five or six rounds, and every time he'd won, he'd end up losing money to others. The money on his card, which he'd been counting on for retirement, was running out.

Plus, he and his eldest nephew didn't get along, and that boy always caused trouble whenever he came home. Now, the other party wasn't happy with the lease and had moved out, leaving him the one who was in trouble. He lingered by the lighted street, cigarette between his teeth, seething with anger. Yu Laoer had been drinking a bit when he came out, and wasn't exactly sober, huddled in a narrow alley doorway, sulking. His cigarette burned his hand and he dropped it, and just as he was about to pick it up, he saw a hooded figure crossing the street, walking towards him.

"Uncle Yu, what are you angry about?" The voice sounded familiar, but he was too drunk to distinguish it clearly.

"Who are you? Never mind..." He didn't interrupt her, as he had a terrible headache anyway. "It's all my nephew's fault because I insisted on running back home. Pah, what a mess, damn it. What else can he do in the big city? Why did he have to come back to pick on me? Do I owe him anything? What a sin. If you're not your own child, you can't rely on him."

"This child is handsome and quiet. He was so obedient and lovable when he was a baby. But even after he grew up and went to the city to make a living, he came back and insisted that I was not good to him and that I treated him unfairly. He is just like their father. When we were young, we drew lots and the fourth child and I went to work in the town to supplement the family income. Now that he is old and wants to rest and live a leisurely life, he won't allow me to do so."

He blew out half a puff of smoke, only to find that the other person was just lowering his head to listen to his complaints, without even a word of agreement. He wrinkled his nose and said, "I'm talking to you, are you mute?" As he said that, Yu Lao Er stretched his arms and was about to lift his hood.

His wrist was firmly grasped in mid-air. If he didn't make a move, the other person would pull down the hood of his sweatshirt, revealing a young, smiling face with murderous intent in his eyes.

Yu Laoer felt that the man looked familiar, but he felt dizzy. He thought for a long time but could not remember who he was.

"What are you doing? Why, why don't you let go? If you don't let go, I'll call for help—"

"It's okay, scream. Scream as much as you want. I'm wearing earplugs." He shook the plastic box in his hand and smiled nonchalantly, "As I chop off your fingers one by one and sever your Achilles tendon, I want you to repent. Repent for everything you did to him from beginning to end."