Change of dressing

Ye Chunhan on the other end of the phone was stunned for a good five or six seconds before she seemed to suddenly find her voice, her tone filled with astonishment and a subtle hint of inquiry: "Director Cui... Director Cui? You... you're here too?"

"Yes, Auntie." Cui Yu's smile became even more gentle and harmless.

“Yihe has done a great job this time. He even collapsed from exhaustion during the critical phase of the project. As his partner, I have to keep an eye on him personally, both for work and personal reasons, otherwise he will definitely sneak up to look at the documents again.”

In just a few words, Cui Yu explained why she was there, implied the legitimacy of her care, and even romanticized Meng Yihe's "accident" as "collapse from exhaustion," giving Ye Chunhan a more acceptable explanation.

Meng's mother was clearly a little confused by this sudden situation, but she couldn't find fault with Cui Yu's words. After all, she had just praised the man for being reliable and told her son to learn more from him.

She could only manage two dry laughs, her tone instantly becoming incredibly polite and even a little warm.

"Oh, so that's what happened! Oh, it's really...it's been such a hassle for you, Director Cui! Xiao He is such a hard worker. With you here watching over him, it's really...it's so good! We can finally relax!"

Her attitude took a complete 180-degree turn, from complaining that her son had no one to take care of him to being grateful that her son had a "good colleague" Director Cui to take care of him.

"Auntie, you're too kind. It's my pleasure." Cui Yu readily agreed. "Don't worry, with me here, I'll make sure he's well-fed and healthy, and I'll send him back to you on time."

These words made Ye Chunhan laugh on the other end of the line. He thanked her several times before hanging up the phone, satisfied.

The call has ended.

Meng Yihe remained holding her phone, staring blankly at Cui Yu, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the sudden conversation. Cui Yu casually picked up her glass of water, took a sip, met Meng Yihe's gaze, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"Wasn't I watching over you? Wasn't I taking good enough care of you?"

With each question he asked, Meng Yihe's lips seemed to twitch.

Yes, those are all facts.

But why does it sound so strange coming from him in that tone?

Meng Yihe felt his ears getting hot, and a mix of embarrassment and inexplicable panic swept over him. He tried to cover his unease with a cold face.

"You...who told you to speak so suddenly!"

"Hmm?" Cui Yu put down the water glass, leaned forward slightly, rested her arms on her knees, and looked at him with a half-smile.

"Didn't your aunt tell me to spend more time with you and look after each other? I'm just strictly following the instructions of my elders, Director Meng."

Meng Yihe was speechless, only able to glare at him, a hint of panic reflected in his usually calm and sharp eyes. Meng Yihe vaguely felt something slipping out of control and sliding in an unknown direction, but he was clearly awake. This made him instinctively want to retreat, to build a defensive line.

Seeing his expression, Cui Yu knew he couldn't tease him any longer and decided to stop while he was ahead. He leaned back in his chair, regaining his lazy and composed demeanor, and picked up his tablet.

"Alright, go ahead and eat your apple. Your aunt has given you a tough task, so I need to keep a close eye on you."

Meng Yihe tried to force his attention back to the project briefing he had just been looking at, but the dense text on the screen seemed to be jumping around, making it impossible to form a logical chain in his mind. Cui Yu's words just now echoed in his ears like a lingering melody.

The natural, intimate tone of his voice strangely and precisely overlapped with the expectation in his mother's words, making him uneasy.

He couldn't help but glance at Cui Yu by the window out of the corner of his eye.

The other person had already returned to work, their fingertips rapidly swiping across the tablet, their expression focused, their profile sharply defined.

It's like... it really was just a joke to appease the elders, a casual remark.

Yeah, just kidding.

Meng Yihe convinced herself.

Meng Yihe tried to categorize them as "Cui Yu-style humor" and "a natural talent for taking care of people".

He subconsciously labeled the dependence and excitement he felt for another Alpha that was beyond his comprehension.

Illusions caused by temporary vulnerability, aftereffects of pheromone imbalance, and admiration for powerful companions.

Then I buried it deep in my heart, not daring to delve into it.

Just as Meng Yihe was struggling with an internal conflict, Cui Yu seemed to have finished processing a section. He put down his tablet, stretched, and turned to look at Meng Yihe very naturally. His gaze swept over the plate of barely touched apples beside Meng Yihe, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Is the apple not to your liking? Or does Director Meng need to be fed?"

Startled by his words, Meng Yihe immediately looked away, her face stiff. She picked up a piece of apple, stuffed it into her mouth, and said in a muffled, cold voice, "No need."

Cui Yu chuckled softly.

He stood up, walked to the bedside, and very naturally reached out to touch Meng Yihe's forehead.

Meng Yihe's body stiffened instantly, and he subconsciously tried to turn his head away, but Cui Yu's movements were natural and quick. His fingertips had already gently touched his skin, and the warm touch swept over him, carrying an undeniable concern.

"Hmm, it seems the fever has subsided." Cui Yu commented to herself, withdrawing her hand. "His complexion is still a bit pale. It seems Auntie was right; he needs to take some nourishing food."

This made Meng Yihe's heart skip a beat again, which had just calmed down. Meng Yihe lowered her eyes, avoided his gaze, and awkwardly changed the subject.

"...Has Xin Mining sent over the supplementary data for the project?"

"Tsk." Cui Yu crossed his arms, looked at him, shook his head, and sighed.

"Director Meng, the doctor said you need to rest because of your workaholic tendencies. I'm here as your 'supervisor' on your mother's orders, so can you please cooperate a little?"

He then brought up "Aunt's decree," making it sound so grand and dignified that Meng Yihe had no way to refute it.

"I was just asking," Meng Yihe said curtly.

"Asking won't work either; thinking about work is too mentally taxing." Cui Yu refused decisively, glancing at the time.

"It's almost lunchtime. What would you like to eat today? The hospital's nutritious meals, or should Zhao Lei bring something light from outside?" He gave Meng Yihe the choice, but limited it to the framework of "recuperating."

Meng Yihe had little appetite and casually replied, "Anything is fine."

“Then I’ll take it.” Cui Yu picked up his phone and said casually while typing, “I heard there’s a private restaurant in the east end of town that makes pretty good fish porridge and premium tofu. I’ll have Zhao Lei go buy some.”

The dishes he named happened to be all Meng Yihe's preferences and suitable for eating at the moment. Meng Yihe was slightly taken aback, and that strange feeling resurfaced in his heart; Cui Yu always seemed to know his preferences with pinpoint accuracy.

Is this what it means to be "naturally good at taking care of people"?

The afternoon after lunch.

The brief silence in the ward was broken by a soft knock on the door, and a nurse pushed in a nursing cart, her tone apologetic.

"Mr. Meng, I'm sorry to bother you. Dr. Zhang has an urgent consultation. Your stomach bruise needs a change of topical medication, and he asked me to come and take care of it."

She glanced at Cui Yu sitting by the bed and added, "Or... if it's convenient for Mr. Cui, could you do it for me? It's just removing the old dressing, cleaning the surrounding skin with a sterile cotton swab, and then applying this new medicated plaster. It's very simple. I have another patient on my end who's in a more urgent condition..."

The nurse's gaze swept between the two, filled with anticipation amidst her busy work.

Clearly, in her view, these two powerful men had a close relationship.

This is a small matter and shouldn't be a problem.

Upon hearing this, Meng Yihe instinctively wanted to refuse.

Asking Cui Yu to do this kind of thing for him? Just thinking about the scene made his scalp tingle.

Before he could speak, Cui Yu had already stood up naturally, taken the tray from the nurse's hand, and said in a calm and reliable tone, "No problem, leave it to me, you go and get busy."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Cui!" The nurse breathed a sigh of relief, quickly gave a few instructions, and then hurriedly left the ward.

The door closed gently, and the room returned to silence.

Meng Yihe froze on the bed, watching Cui Yu turn and walk over with a tray. The practiced movements made him unable to even refuse. Cui Yu placed the tray on the bedside table, looked at Meng Yihe, and said calmly.

"Did you hear the doctor's orders? Please cooperate, Director Meng."

Cui Yu's tone was so natural, even a bit businesslike, that it made any coy refusal from Meng Yihe seem like an overreaction.

Meng Yihe's Adam's apple bobbed. He avoided Cui Yu's gaze and gave a soft "hmm," tacitly agreeing. He tried to maintain his composure, but his slightly tense jawline betrayed his unease.

He slowly leaned back, his fingers hesitantly resting on the buttons of his hospital gown.

Unravel?

In front of Cui Yu?

Cui Yu seemed to sense his embarrassment and did not urge him, but stood leisurely by the bed, waiting for him.

That silent patience felt more like an invisible pressure to Meng Yihe.

Meng Yihe's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt around his abdomen, lifting the collar slightly to reveal his stomach. A patch of bluish-purple bruises came into view, looking somewhat gruesome against the backdrop of his fair skin, with an old dressing lying nearby.

He moved quickly, minimizing the exposure of his skin. His gaze was fixed on the opposite wall, as if there was something extremely alluring on it.

Cui Yu's gaze fell on the large bruise, his eyes darkening for a moment, a cold, sharp glint flashing across them, but it was quickly concealed. He said nothing, simply bent down, picked up the tweezers and sterile cotton swabs, and began his work.

His fingertips would inevitably brush against Meng Yi's abdominal skin from time to time.

Slightly cool.

It has a tactile quality that belongs to another "Alpha".

Each slight touch made Meng Yihe's body stiffen involuntarily, as he could clearly feel the other person's gentle and professional movements.

There was no unnecessary lingering; the purpose was clear—cleaning, removing the old dressing, and applying a new one. But this businesslike process became incredibly long and arduous because Cui Yu was the one carrying it out.

Meng Yihe could even hear his own heartbeat, which was a little too fast. He could only try his best to control his breathing and hope that the other party would not notice.

Cui Yu's expression was unusually focused, his eyelashes lowered, his gaze fixed on the wound, as if all his attention was on how to complete this "task".

Every breath and every subtle movement of Cui Yu exuded a powerful magnetic field, completely enveloping Meng Yihe.

Finally, the new medicated plaster was properly applied.

Cui Yu straightened up, threw the discarded dressing into the trash can, and smoothly put the used tools back on the tray. The whole process was clean and efficient.

"Alright." Cui Yu said, his voice sounding no different from usual, with a hint of relief after completing a task. "The nurse is right, it's very simple."

Meng Yihe almost immediately straightened her clothes: "Thank you." This thank you was dry and carried a clear sense of distance, attempting to redraw the line that had just been blurred.

Cui Yu looked at his slightly reddened ears and his forced composure, a faint smile flashing in her eyes.

He knows when to stop while he's ahead.

"You're welcome." He picked up the tray and went to the restroom to wash his hands. "It was nothing. After all, my aunt told me to take good care of you."

He used "aunt" as a shield, successfully covering up the brief, extremely intimate interaction with her under the guise of "colleague helping each other + carrying out an elder's order."

Cui Yu had become accustomed to using this method to conceal his true feelings.

The sound of rushing water filled the air.

Meng Yihe sat on the bed, her buttons meticulously fastened to the top. But the skin on her abdomen where she had been touched still seemed to retain a lingering, persistent sensation, faintly burning.

He pursed his lips tightly.

Once again.

Cui Yu always does this, easily intruding into his safe distance and stirring up the tranquil waters.

Then, with the most composed attitude, he stepped aside, leaving him standing there alone, feeling uneasy but unable to find any reason to blame him.

Cui Yu came out of the restroom, wiping her hands with a tissue, and saw that Meng Yihe was still in that stiff posture, her eyes vacant, obviously still struggling with what had just happened.

Cui Yu smiled slightly, but did not point it out.

He sat back down in the chair by the window, picked up his tablet, swiped it a few times, and said, "Lin Wei just sent over the supplementary data from Xin Mining. After comparing it with the sewage discharge payment records they provided, there are indeed two discrepancies. Zhao Lei has already contacted a third-party agency to conduct cross-verification, as you suggested."

Cui Yu spoke calmly, having already switched back to work mode.

When work was mentioned, Meng Yihe's attention immediately focused, and she looked up at Cui Yu, "At which stage are the data discrepancies specifically located?"

"The main focus is on the heavy metal indicators after wastewater treatment and the calculation methods for actual emissions." Cui Yu turned the tablet screen towards Meng Yihe, pointing his finger to the data highlighted in red.

“They played a word game, using the industry’s minimum standard value as a vague substitute, but the contract requires a more stringent specific standard.”

Meng Yihe stared intently, his professional instincts immediately kicking him into analytical mode: "This kind of vague processing is unacceptable. We must get them to provide the original test reports, especially..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Because Cui Yu very naturally put the tablet away when he tried to think deeply.

“Alright, the problem identification phase is over. How to get them to talk it out is my job. Your task now is to ‘listen,’ not ‘think.’” Cui Yu shook the tablet.

Meng Yihe was momentarily speechless.

Looking at Cui Yu's nonchalant "I am the rule" demeanor, a sense of powerlessness surged up again. He found himself increasingly unable to cope with these things.