Chapter 8 Ring the Bell to "Feed Medicine"

Chapter eight

Wen Jiangchu smiled gently, carefully holding the bowl and sitting next to Chen Qiudu.

The strong and pungent smell of bitter medicine penetrated Chen Qiudu's nose, making him frown and subconsciously turn his head to avoid Wen Jiangchu's sight.

His brows were slightly gloomy, and his thin and loose clothes made Chen Qiudu look even thinner. His pale cheeks were without a trace of blood. Wen Jiangchu felt a bitter pain in his heart when he saw it.

"Qiu Du doesn't like this bowl either? Then I'll ask someone to replace it for you—"

"No."

Chen Qiudu immediately grabbed Wen Jiangchu's wrist as he tried to get up and leave. The warm skin burned him so much that he was stunned for a moment, and then he let go.

He pursed his lips, his cheeks expressionless, "Wen Jiangchu, I won't drink it."

"Also, don't call Qiu Du good, we're not that familiar."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere froze for a moment. Wen Jiangchu's smile froze. He, who was always at ease at the negotiation table, seemed at a loss.

"I'm sorry, Shen Qiudu. I was abrupt."

"But this medicine will help soothe your glands. The discomfort you felt in your glands during the rainy days a few days ago hasn't fully subsided, right? Are you still feeling some pain?"

Chen Qiudu slowly raised his hand, and his cold fingertips touched the severed half of the gland. The moment his fingers fell from the gap, Chen Qiudu's heart seemed to have lost a corner and fell from a height. A tsunami surged in his heart that only he could feel.

But Chen Qiudu still pretended to be strong and pretended to be indifferent, saying in a cold tone, "It's none of your business."

Although Wen Jiangchu was indeed trying to help him find his parents' whereabouts, this was probably also to better control him, right?

Then, he wouldn't have any good tone towards him.

But when Wen Jiangchu mentioned this, the pain that he had been able to endure became numb again, and the connected brain nerves also began to produce dull pain.

Chen Qiudu's breathing became heavier, his fingers clenched the sheets tightly, and white sweat oozed from his forehead.

Chen Qiudu had long been accustomed to this kind of pain. For the past few years, every rainy day and the two days afterward, his glands would ache. Sometimes it was just a slight numbness, but other times, the pain was so severe that he could no longer support himself and passed out.

Usually at times like this, Chen Qiudu would have two ways to endure the pain.

The first is to find other objects to divert his attention. For example, he would cut his wrist with a knife, watch the blood slowly flow out of the veins, and let the pain of blood loss cover the glands. Sometimes, consciousness would sink and dissipate, but this would better prevent him from feeling any pain. Or he would bite his lip or cut his finger with a knife.

In short, he would try any method that could cover up the pain in the gland.

The second option was to buy cheap, no-name painkillers in the slums. Shen Qiudu was unlikely to try this, not because it was dangerous, but because he had no money.

Chen Qiudu's earnings from part-time jobs were mostly used to maintain his basic living expenses and purchase inhibitors. Sometimes, the little he saved was snatched away by his father and used for gambling. Gambling debts gradually accumulated, but Chen Qiudu had no choice but to pay them back.

Therefore, he would save money wherever he could, even buying inhibitors one by one. He was often looked down upon by people in the pharmacy, who complained about his stinginess behind his back.

When the pain and numbness roared through the nerves in every inch of Shen Qiudu's skin, he closed his eyes tightly, as if he was back in the damp and dilapidated rental house again, curled up alone in a dark corner, trembling and trying to bite his lips to relieve the pain.

But Chen Qiudu forgot that he was not in the rental house now, but with Wen Jiangchu.

Wen Jiangchu would never allow Chen Qiudu to do anything that would hurt him.

So, when Chen Qiudu bared his teeth and bit his lower lip with all his strength, he did not feel any pain. Instead, his teeth bit the fingertips of Wen Jiangchu that had extended in time.

"hiss--"

Hearing Wen Jiangchu's gasp, Chen Qiudu quickly released his lips and looked at him in surprise.

"Are you crazy?! Wen Jiangchu."

Wen Jiangchu smiled and withdrew his hand, held the medicine bowl in his palm, scooped a spoonful, put it to his lips and blew gently.

"Chen Qiudu, I know how painful it is to bite your lips and they bleed or even become holes."

"So, I can't just watch you do this."

"I asked the best doctor to prepare this medicine using dozens of Chinese herbs. It tastes bitter but is very effective."

Wen Yujiangchu handed the spoon to Chen Qiudu, his tone slightly lowered, with a hint of temptation and humility.

"Chen Qiudu, just because you bit me, can you drink some medicine?"

"After taking the medicine, the pain won't be so severe."

Worried that Chen Qiudu would overthink things, Wen Jiangchu even took a sip himself and said, "Look, it's not poisonous."

Chen Qiudu's eyes darkened, and he said randomly: "What if you want to die with me?"

"How can such a good thing happen?"

Wen Jiangchu lowered his eyes and smiled, then handed the medicine spoon closer again.

Chen Qiudu looked at the brown liquid in front of him, and the bitter taste of the Chinese medicine made his lips tremble.

"What will happen to you if I don't drink?"

Will you abandon him and let him fend for himself?

Or will you force him to take the medicine directly?

Or use other means to increase the pain in his glands, making Chen Qiudu kneel on the ground and wag his tail like a dog begging for mercy?

In short, Shen Qiudu couldn't think of any good outcome.

Unexpectedly, Wen Jiangchu was just stunned for a moment, tilting his head as if he didn't understand what Chen Qiudu was thinking when he asked this question.

"If you don't drink it, it means you don't like it."

"If you don't like it, then don't drink it. I respect your opinion."

"But your glands will still hurt, and I'll be worried about you."

"So I'll find another way until you're willing to take the medicine."

When Wen Jiangchu smiled, her eyes narrowed like Hello Kitty's, and her gentle and mellow voice made Chen Qiudu feel like he was being unreasonable.

Forget it, Chen Qiudu thought.

Even if I die, I can drag someone with me, which is quite worthwhile.

Shen Qiudu swallowed his saliva and took the initiative to move to the medicine spoon to drink the medicine.

But he underestimated the bitterness of the medicine.

In an instant, the intense bitterness enveloped his taste buds. As it slid down his throat, Chen Qiudu felt as if he had experienced an acid rain, which corroded every bit of him from the inside out.

"uh-huh--"

Chen Qiudu groaned, his brows tightly furrowed. The pain made him close his eyes tightly and push his head back.

But Wen Jiangchu was faster than him. He raised one hand to cover the back of Shen Qiudu's head, and directly held the medicine bowl to his lips. After hearing Shen Qiudu's voice, he hugged him in his arms with heartache, and rubbed the back of his head with his hand gently like petting a cat, and then moved to Shen Qiudu's neck with a bit of dissatisfaction, and put the tip of his thumb against his soft cheek, stroking it as if to coax something.

This was a comfort that Chen Qiudu had never experienced before. Although the pain of taking medicine when he was sick in the past was not as severe as this time, he had always endured the difficult times by himself.

Thinking of this, Chen Qiudu's tense body relaxed slightly, and he didn't know when the medicine bowl was empty.

Chen Qiudu opened his hazy eyes and saw Wen Jiangchu's smiling face.

"Qiu Du is amazing! He actually drank a whole bowl of medicine! As a reward, Qiu Du, do you want to go to an auction with me tomorrow? If you like anything, you can just treat it as your own home."

Chen Qiudu immediately came back to his senses and found that he had been leaning in Wen Jiangchu's arms without knowing when. His body, which was slightly hot from the medicine he had taken, was pressed against his skin. His hand, which had been hanging in the air just now, even subconsciously wrapped around Wen Jiangchu's waist.

Being so intimate with such a person with ulterior motives is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth, selling yourself out voluntarily, isn't it?

Realizing this, the hazy atmosphere that had originally risen immediately dropped to freezing point. Chen Qiudu hurriedly pulled back to keep a safe distance and looked at Wen Jiangchu vigilantly.

"You agreed to drink the medicine, why did you end up feeding me?"

"Also, who gave you permission to hold me like this?"

"Wen Jiangchu, what exactly do you want to do? I know you have bad intentions!"

Shen Qiudu spoke several words in succession, causing his already frail body to become somewhat breathless.

His chest rose and fell slightly, there were still medicine stains on his lips, his eyes were slightly red, and his weak tone was particularly soft at this moment. His indignant questioning instead had a coquettish tone.

Wen Jiangchu stared at her in a daze for a long time, until Chen Qiudu was so angry that she threw a pillow at him, and then he came to his senses and hurriedly explained.

"I, I'm not—"

"It's because when I was little and wanted to retreat after taking bitter medicine, my mother would protect me like this and pat my back to comfort me."

"So when I saw you like this just now, Qiu Du, I didn't think too much about it... If Qiu Du doesn't like it, I won't do it next time."

"I'm sorry Qiu Du, I didn't think it through."

"Whatever Qiu Du wants, I'll do my best to satisfy him, okay?"

Chen Qiudu looked at Wen Jiangchu's quibbling appearance, and recalled his fixed gaze just now, which made him even more angry. He raised his hand and pointed at the door: "I want you to leave!"

"Then Qiu Du, you should take a rest first. If you feel unwell, please call me anytime."

Wen Jiangchu picked up the medicine bowl and left, feeling somewhat bewildered. He suddenly stopped in front of the door and cautiously asked, "By the way, Qiu Du, that auction I told you about..."

"If you want to go, go by yourself. I don't want to go out with you!"

Who knows if he will be sold as soon as he leaves the house?

When Wen Jiang first saw Chen Qiudu's eyes just now, he always felt that he was about to pounce on him in the next second.

"But...people from the Song family will also be there."

"Qiu Du, maybe we can hear some news about your parents from it. Are you really not going?"

Hearing the word "Song family", Shen Qiudu's emotions stabilized a little.

He looked up and saw Wen Jiangchu's anxious eyes. Chen Qiudu took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, "...Go."

＊

The purpose of this auction is to raise funds for post-disaster reconstruction and to conduct some business networking. The Wen family was invited by the government to organize this auction.

The banquet started at nine o'clock in the evening. Originally, Chen Qiudu planned to go downstairs at eight o'clock, but Wen Jiangchu seemed to be full of energy today. He followed Chen Qiudu into the room just after finishing dinner at six o'clock.

Chen Qiudu frowned and looked at Wen Jiangchu, who was holding the door handle tightly in front of him, and said impatiently, "Wen Jiangchu, what are you going to do?"

Wen Jiangchu's eyes lit up, and he squeezed into the house with his height and size advantage, holding Shen Qiudu's shoulders with both hands and pushing him inside.

"Pick out clothes for you!"

"No need, this one is fine."

"And you said I could just stay on the second floor and not have to see anyone."

This was the request Chen Qiudu made to Wen Jiangchu this morning to participate in the auction. After all, his identity could not be recognized by others, as it might put his life in danger.

Besides, Chen Qiudu didn't want to attend these hypocritical business banquets.

Firstly, as a disabled Omega from the slums, he always felt inferior when facing those glamorous upper-class people.

His strong sense of self-esteem made it impossible for him to calmly appear in front of them and accept their tortured gazes.

Second, hiding in the dark makes it easier to see some people’s ill intentions.

"I know, but my mother told me that no matter what kind of party I attend, I need to dress up the people around me. It's best to match them with similar clothes so that outsiders can tell at a glance that you are mine."

Chen Qiudu was startled, avoiding Wen Jiangchu's gaze, and shyly retorted: "Who is yours?"

"Wen Jiangchu, don't you dare say such things again!"

It's so abominable.

What my mother said was indeed right. This rich young man who keeps saying sweet words all the time is indeed a promiscuous person. He must have been a playboy with countless names!

Fortunately, he discovered his conspiracy early and did not indulge in his gentle embrace.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. How about Qiu Du wearing this?"

Wen Jiangchu took out a dark blue suit that matched his color from the closet and handed it to Chen Qiudu, but Chen Qiudu's mind was still confused by the words he said casually, so he nodded casually.

After getting in the car and realizing what was happening, Chen Qiudu realized that the clothes were so similar, they were clearly couple outfits!

This Wen Jiangchu is really too scheming!