Chapter 67 I need you to sleep with me for a while now…
Fang Xin huddled under the covers, vaguely feeling Jing Yitong touch the top of his head, but before he could figure out what kind of touch it was, he was already enveloped by the scent emanating from Jing Yitong.
February in Shanghai was still chilly, and Jing Yitong's arrival brought with it the biting cold of the outdoors. But what Fang Xin Gu noticed first was Jing Yitong's unique, dry, and refreshing scent. It didn't come from any toiletries, skincare products, or perfumes; it was more like an extension of Jing Yitong's own temperament, and whenever he appeared, it always made Fang Xin Gu feel incredibly at ease.
Fang Xingu, still half-asleep, rubbed against Jing Yitong's hand that was stroking his face like a cat: "Why are you back so soon? Didn't you say it would be a week?"
Jing Yitong explained with a smile: "It just so happens that one of the lead actors needed to take a few days off to attend an event, and my scenes were basically with him. So the crew helped us move our scenes to the front of the filming schedule. I've been working hard these past two days, and I've finally finished filming."
Fang Xingu glanced at the time; it was already one in the morning. In the dim light, Fang Xingu noticed the fatigue on Jing Yitong's face. He had obviously finished filming the last scene and taken the last flight of the day to rush back to Shanghai.
Just by looking at Jing Yitong's severe redness, Fang Xingu could imagine how much effort he had put in to compress a week's worth of filming into just a few days in order to get back as quickly as possible.
He stretched his arm out from under the covers with a touch of heartache and touched Jing Yitong's face: "Why are you in such a hurry? You must be tired."
Jing Yitong said earnestly, "I want to come back to be with you as soon as possible."
Fang Xingu was slightly stunned, but then a smile bloomed on his face. He gently wrapped his arms around Jing Yitong's back, and the warmth from the blankets rose onto Jing Yitong's face, making Jing Yitong feel that the chill on his body had been dispelled by this warmth. However, he was worried that the cold he brought would chill Fang Xingu, so he subconsciously wanted to break free from the embrace.
But Fang Xin pulled Jing Yitong down from above, pressing his head against the crook of her neck, and said lazily, "I need you to sleep with me for a while now."
Jing Yitong was forced to half-press down on Fang Xingu, his body pressed against Fang Xingu's warm neck, feeling the other gently patting the back of his head in a comforting manner.
Jing Yitong felt his body temperature tinged with Fang Xingu's warmth, so he sighed and let out a breath, relaxing his body and indulging in the embrace. It was as if the fatigue from working non-stop for so long had been swept away by this embrace at this moment.
Two bodies, one cold and one hot, pressed tightly together through the blanket, filling the room with tender affection. For a moment, neither was willing to leave the other.
After a long while, Jing Yitong finally sat up and said, "Then I'll go take a shower first, and I'll sleep with you when I get back, okay?"
Fang Xingu nodded and let go of him: "Okay, you should go quickly, take a shower to warm up, don't catch a cold."
Jing Yitong responded and got up to take a shower. Quan Quan, who had been obediently waiting by the side, saw that Fang Xingu finally had a place next to him and walked over, nudging Fang Xingu's hand with its head.
Fang Xingu patted the dog's head twice and said to the dog in a daze, "Good boy, I don't have time to take care of you today. Go to sleep by yourself. I'll make you something delicious tomorrow."
Quan Quan whimpered twice, jumped onto the bed, and snuggled into Fang Xingu's arms, expressing its dissatisfaction through its actions.
The sound of running water came from the shower. Jing Yitong left, and Fang Xingu started to feel sleepy again. He felt that the little dog in his arms was soft and fragrant. It must have been bathed by Song Jiao. It was a fragrant little dog in his arms, so Fang Xingu was too lazy to push it away and let it snuggle in his arms.
So when Jing Yitong came out after taking a shower, he saw a big fat dog lying in Fang Xingu's arms, occupying the spot he had longed for.
Jing Yitong squinted, stepped forward, picked up Jing Quanquan, and carried it out the door. Jing Quanquan struggled violently, "Awooo!"
Hearing the noise, Fang Xingu opened his eyes with difficulty: "Hmm?"
Jing Yitong's arm muscles bulged as he tried to control the dog. He threw the dog outside the door, pointed at its head, and yelled, "How old are you to still be sleeping with your brother!"
Fang Xingu looked at the person and dog at the door in a daze and asked uncertainly, "...Are you talking about me?" He seemed to be getting old, yet he still wanted to sleep with his brother every day.
Jing Yitong closed the bedroom door, leaving Jing Quanquan outside scratching at it, and walked over with a smile: "No, you can sleep with your brother."
Fang Xin blinked, looking bewildered.
Jing Yitong walked to the bedside and wanted to lie down, but suddenly found that he was not used to this route. It seemed that something was different from when he walked it before.
He looked around and finally found the problem. He raised his eyebrows and asked Fang Xingu meaningfully, "Teacher Fang, may I ask why you are sleeping in my bed?"
Fang Xingu suddenly opened his eyes, instantly becoming fully awake. He had almost forgotten that he had been craving Jing Yitong's scent for the past few days, so he had been secretly sleeping in Jing Yitong's bed every day, originally planning to clean up after Jing Yitong returned.
Who knew that Jing Yitong would return a few days early without saying a word, and now his slightly perverted behavior has been caught red-handed by the other party.
Fang Xingu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he deliberately feigned a confused expression: "Hmm? Maybe I was a restless sleeper, so I rolled over from my side?"
Having known each other for over twenty years, how could Jing Yitong not know that Fang Xingu was restless and unruly while sleeping?
He chuckled and tapped Fang Xingu's forehead, but didn't say anything more, and simply lay down in the bed that originally belonged to Fang Xingu.
Fang Xin assumed that Jing Yitong believed his lie and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned over and quietly looked at Jing Yitong.
Under such gazes, Jing Yitong was still able to continue to scrutinize Fang Xingu without changing his expression. He said, "Have you not been eating properly these past few days? I was only gone for a few days, and the fat on your face has disappeared again. I worked so hard to fatten you up."
Fang Xin touched his face: "Are you alright?"
Jing Yitong didn't want to argue with him at this time, so she just tucked the blanket around him and said, "If you say it's okay, then it's okay. Let's sleep now and talk about the rest tomorrow."
Fang Xin grunted softly, feeling his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. He quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep amidst the scent of Jing Yitong.
Jing Yitong looked at Fang Xingu's peaceful sleeping face and smiled slightly. In the end, he couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation again and pulled Fang Xingu, blanket and all, into his arms. He felt a sense of satisfaction and sniffed the familiar scent on Fang Xingu's body before falling asleep himself.
.
The next morning, Fang Xingu opened his eyes and found himself sleeping in Jing Yitong's arms.
Fang Xingu stiffened. Could it be that he rolled into Jing Yitong's arms by himself last night?
He swallowed hard and carefully climbed out of bed. Jing Yitong, who was usually a light sleeper, was not woken up today, obviously because he was really tired from the past two days.
Fang Xin didn't wake him up. After washing up, he went to the kitchen and made two sandwiches. He also made a dog meal for the poor Jing Quan Quan, which made Jing Quan Quan keep circling around his feet, drooling.
A short while later, Jing Yitong also came out of the room. As soon as Quan Quan heard his noise, she angrily rushed over and was about to headbutt him to get revenge for being locked out all night the day before.
Jing Yitong nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the dog's attack, and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. He squatted down and scolded it, "Wow, did you commit patricide so early in the morning?"
Looking at this scene of a father who was neither kind nor a son who was unfilial, Fang Xingu laughed and said, "Who told you to bring it here?"
Jing Yitong flicked Quan Quan's head on the forehead and explained, "When the driver came to pick me up yesterday, this dog insisted on coming along. Later, when I got to your building, it still insisted on coming up with me. I just couldn't do anything about it."
Fang Xin handed him another sandwich: "Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"
Jing Yitong: "I'm not going to sleep. I'll go to the hospital with you to see Grandma."
The two ate breakfast and played with Jing Quan Quan for a while before heading to the hospital together.
They had just parked their car in the hospital's underground parking garage when they received a call from Fang Zhiheng.
Fang Zhiheng's voice was a little anxious: "Xin Gu, have you come to the hospital?"
"Just arrived at the underground parking garage, what's wrong?"
"Don't come up directly from the elevator in the inpatient department. It's surrounded by reporters here. Although they've all been kept outside the inpatient department by security guards, there are too many people for them to handle. Come from the corridor in the outpatient building."
Fang Xin had a headache: "Who leaked the news that Grandma was hospitalized here?"
Fang Zhiheng: "Too many people know about this. Who knows who leaked it? Be careful later. Are you alone?"
Fang Xingu glanced at Jing Yitong and said, "My brother is here too."
"...Xiao Tong is back?" Fang Zhiheng on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, probably thinking that the situation would be more troublesome if the two of them were together. Originally, he wanted to send both of them home, but after hesitating for a long time, Fang Zhiheng simply said, "Never mind, you two go through the connecting corridor, I will send someone to pick you up."
Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong had encountered this situation of being surrounded by reporters quite often. The two of them had some "counter-surveillance" ability. Wearing masks, they followed the route Fang Zhiheng had given them. They did see many people who looked like reporters along the way, but they cleverly avoided them.
As they walked along the corridor between the outpatient building and the inpatient department, they didn't see the bodyguards who were there to pick them up. Instead, they saw a bunch of long guns and microphones behind the glass door. The two of them stopped in their tracks and instinctively wanted to retreat.
But it was too late. A group of reporters had already spotted them and instantly swarmed around Fang Xin Gu.
"Professor Fang, could you tell me the current stage of Professor Wang's stomach cancer?"
"How do you know that you've never revealed your relationship with Teacher Wang?"
"I heard that Teacher Wang just had surgery yesterday. How did it go?"
"What would you like to say to the media outlets that spread rumors yesterday?"
All that everyone knew at the moment was that Fang Xingu was Wang Jinxu's grandson, so they recognized Fang Xingu at a glance. However, they didn't notice the person protecting Fang Xingu at all. It wasn't until a moment later that someone recognized Jing Yitong and exclaimed in shock, "...Wait, is that Jing Yitong?"
"??? Teacher Jing, what are you doing here?"
"What exactly is your relationship with Fang Xin Gu?"
These reporters were clearly not from a reputable media outlet, and Fang Xingu was getting annoyed by their questions. However, he remembered Qi Qiu's advice to him, knowing that it was better to say more than one thing when facing media that appeared out of nowhere in a private setting. Therefore, he kept his silence this time as well.
Fortunately, the bodyguards sent by Fang Zhiheng to pick them up finally arrived. The bodyguards tried to push through the crowd to bring the two in, but there were too many reporters. In the end, Jing Yitong pushed the reporters aside with ease and said coldly, "Could you please let us go in to visit the patient first?"
Jing Yitong had a smile on his face, but it was a cold smile. The group of reporters looked at each other, most of them knowing the iron-fisted methods Jing Yitong's studio used to deal with the media. They nervously made way for the two of them. Only a few reporters who didn't know their place still blocked the way, but they were eventually pushed aside by the bodyguards.
Fang Xin and Jing Yitong finally broke free from the crowd and walked quickly toward Wang Jinxu's ward.
Fang Xingu cursed, "These reporters are just like hyenas."
The lead bodyguard smiled wryly: "President Fang said it was news released by Haijiao Entertainment that Teacher Wang is hospitalized here."
Fang Xingu sneered: "Then they can just wait to be finished."
Jing Yitong patted Xia Xingu's back and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
Fang Xingu shook his head: "It's nothing."
The two finally arrived at Wang Jinxu's ward, and after a somewhat unsuccessful greeting to Fang Zhiheng and Ying Zhen, they handed over their duties.
Wang Jinxu was now awake. Although she still had many tubes inserted into her body, she could at least speak. She looked at Jing Yitong and said weakly, "Xiaotong is back again? Xin Gu said you went back to Beijing to work."
Jing Yitong sat down next to Wang Jinxu: "Well, I finished up in Beijing, so I came back. How are you feeling?"
Wang Jinxu didn't mince words and truthfully said, "The incision site still hurts."
"Should I ask the doctor to give you some more pain relief?"
“No need, they said that’s the most they can add,” Wang Jinxu patted Jing Yitong’s hand. “You look thinner. There’s fruit on the table over there, go and have some. By the way, have you had breakfast?”
"No need for fruit, I just ate the sandwiches Xin Gu made for me this morning."
Wang Jinxu looked at Fang Xingu in surprise: "You can take care of people too?"
Fang Xingu felt underestimated: "...What's so difficult about making a sandwich? I can even cook!"
At this point, Jing Yitong naturally shared their wonderful New Year's Eve experience with Wang Jinxu. The three of them chatted and laughed, and Wang Jinxu's attention was diverted, so she forgot the pain of the knife wound.
Time flies, and it was lunchtime again. Jing Yitong went out to call and order food, once again ordering from the Cantonese restaurant outside the hospital. Only Fang Xingu and Wang Jinxu remained in the ward.
The night before last, when Wang Jinxu was still under the effects of the anesthesia, Fang Xingu was able to talk to her. Now that Wang Jinxu is awake, Fang Xingu doesn't know what to say to her.
Fang Xingu sat silently on the edge of the bed and began peeling an apple. Wang Jinxu glanced at him and said, "I can't eat an apple right now."
Fang Xingu didn't even look up: "I know, you can't eat right now. I'm peeling this apple for my brother."
Wang Jinxu: ...
Wang Jinxu sighed: "Xin Gu, do you really dislike me?"
Fang Xin twisted his wrist, and the long apple peel under the knife broke off instantly. He looked up and said, "How could that be? Don't talk nonsense."
Wang Jinxu snorted: "Why deny it so quickly? Don't I know you? I was indeed very strict with you when you were a child, so it's normal that you hate me."
Fang Xingu said with a long face, "You know you were too strict back then?"
"...I didn't realize it before, but as I got older, I realized that my previous parenting methods were indeed problematic."
Fang Xingu laughed: "Then I had a very hard childhood."
Wang Jinxu thought to herself, it really was very tough. Although Fang Xingu had good material conditions when he was a child, he was not loved by his father or mother, and he also had a strict grandmother. His grandfather loved him, but he passed away too early. Fortunately, he had Jing Yitong's company, which made Fang Xingu's childhood less miserable.
Wang Jinxu suddenly asked, "Do you know what I was thinking these past two days after the surgery?"
"Um?"
Wang Jinxu continued, "Looking back on my life, I've always been afraid of making mistakes and wanted everything to be perfect. So I always held you to the highest standards. It was just that, as an incompetent elder, I hoped my junior could avoid some detours. But because of my parenting style, it has indeed shaped a part of who you are today."
But I suddenly realized that, in reality, no matter how careful we are, we will inevitably make many mistakes in our lives. After all, the environment we live in is constantly changing, and some choices that seemed right at the time later become wrong because we couldn't adapt to the environment. There are too many crossroads in life. Maybe we've passed through this crossroads with the green light, but the road ahead is unknown, and we never know when we'll encounter a hurdle that trips us up.
Therefore, the most important thing in life is not to avoid making mistakes and thus prevent undesirable outcomes, but to have the courage to face those outcomes and start afresh at any time. So what if you fall? How will you know if you're on the right path if you don't fall?
Fang Xingu listened quietly to these words, his heart also stirred with ripples. He knew that Wang Jinxu was right. He was indeed an overly cautious person who was afraid of making a mistake, so he always took a very steady and cautious step. But this steadiness often made him feel too tired.
But this kind of personality can't be changed overnight. Fang Xin suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked, "Grandma, what are you trying to say?"
Wang Jinxu glanced at the doorway, making sure Jing Yitong didn't intend to come in, before whispering, "Do you like Xiaotong?"
"If you like her, go after her!"
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