After nearly seven hours of surgery, Shi Youxi was out of danger. Fortunately, the wound on his head only had some glass shards stuck in it. He was later cut by a bullet, which caused severe bleeding. The penetrating wound on his waist avoided the major artery. If it weren't for the bulletproof vest, Shi Youxi would probably have bled to death on the way.
After a day of observation in the intensive care unit, Shi Youxi was transferred to a VIP ward. Looking at the fully furnished and luxuriously decorated suite in front of him, which was no less impressive than Shi Youxi's large villa, Mu Yiran was also required to stay in the suite and was not allowed to go out.
She walked into the room carrying a hot towel in one hand.
"---How is it! This bed is comfortable, isn't it? It was specially imported from Sweden for you. Isn't it great! Isn't it big! I tried it out, you can roll around and jump on it as much as you want without any problem, hehe, even two people can fit on it!"
Shi Youxi interrupted Guan Shiyan calmly, "How do you know? Have you tried it too? With whom?"
The three questions in one click caught Guan Shiyan off guard. He stammered, "You...I...of course I tried it with Shi Si!"
"Who else could it be? Are you going to find someone for me?!" Guan Shiyan questioned in a trembling voice. He hadn't even confronted Shi Youxi about this yet, and Shi Youxi was already mocking him!
"Anyway, everything that needs to be prepared for you has been provided. Even the chef is a royal nutritionist specially hired for you. This room! This service! Where else can you find someone who treats you better than me!"
Shi Youxi had just finished receiving an anti-inflammatory IV drip and was feeling drowsy listening to him speak, but she couldn't ignore him, and ignoring him would only make things worse. "...You're so envious, why don't I come down and you experience it?"
Guan Shiyan immediately started cursing, "You want me to get shot?! I sent you to a VIP ward and you want me to eat bullets?!"
"..." Shi Youxi let out a deep breath and glanced at him with disdain.
"Hiss... But even if I get shot, I'll still have a wife to take care of me like you?" Guan Shiyan pondered to himself, stroking his chin with a perverted expression. "It's pretty worth it... Damn, the more I think about it, the more worth it seems!"
"So that's what you're planning? To be a hero and win the heart of the beauty?!"
Shi Youxi suddenly opened her eyes, "Stop being so cheeky!"
"Click—" Mu Yiran pushed the door open and came in. Seeing the somewhat tense atmosphere between the two, her heart skipped a beat. "...What's wrong? Did I disturb your private conversation?"
"No." Shi Youxi sat up abruptly and lazily raised her hand to Mu Yiran. "Where have you been? Come here."
"Why don't you continue talking, and I'll check with the kitchen about the cake..."
Mu Yiran didn't move, but Shi Youxi leaned over and immediately grabbed her left hand, making her sit on the edge of her bed. Then, with a cold face, she told her to get lost, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Can't you see I'm a patient? Don't you know patients need to rest? Are you trying to hinder my recovery? Do you want me to complain to the old man?"
Guan Shiyan didn't even look at him, but excitedly asked Mu Yiran, "Cake? What cake? Is it to celebrate that he's not dead?! You can't eat cake! I want to join in too, I'll eat the cake!"
"..."
Mu Yiran rubbed her temples wearily, then felt a sudden pain in her temples from the splint in her hand!
"What's it to you!"
"If I want to eat cake, can't I just buy it from the convenience store downstairs?"
"I'm going to eat yours anyway! I'm going to eat yours anyway! I'm doing this for your own good, you know that?!"
Just as Shi Youxi chuckled and was about to speak, a "steel arm" slammed heavily onto the table in front of them.
Mu Yiran conjured a gun in her right hand and pointed it at Shi Youxi. "You, shut up! The doctor told you not to move around. You're doing sit-ups!"
Shi Youxi: "...It's an imported bed, it won't break."
Mu Yiran: "You'll be bad!"
"..."
She then turned to Guan Shiyan and said, "It's not to celebrate that he's not dead, it's just that today happens to be his birthday..."
"Birthday?" Guan Shiyan stared blankly at Mu Yiran, then looked at Shi Youxi. "Didn't you already have your birthday?! August 5th! You... do you still celebrate according to the lunar calendar?"
Mu Yiran also looked at Shi Youxi, "...He doesn't know?"
"What do you mean, 'don't know'?! What have you been hiding from me?! Shi Youxi, you actually have a little secret?!"
Guan Shiyan burst into tears, saying, "I even told you what color underwear I wore every day! I was so honest with you! And you actually?! Am I still your brother?! Ah... no brother, just a brother in name only?"
What the heck is this "brotherly lover" thing?!
Shi Youxi said with disgust, "Don't be so disgusting! It's just a birthday celebration!"
"You can change your birthday celebration to two times, or you can celebrate it as you like! You can even celebrate it 20 times, it's up to you!"
"Why are you being so fierce? I'm not jealous of you! I just..." Guan Shiyan scratched his face, "Why is it your birthday today...? You just woke up, you can't eat anything high in sugar or fat! And—"
“He won’t eat,” Mu Yiran interrupted Guan Shiyan’s rambling. “He just…lights a candle and makes a wish.”
Shi Youxi wondered why Guan Shiyan was reacting so strongly. "What? It's just a cake. Are you afraid I'll faint again after eating it?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! I... I don't have any therapists who can make desserts. I'm going to find someone now," he said, looking at Mu Yiran. "Do you have any designs you like?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Youxi also looked at Mu Yiran with an expression that said, "Whatever you like, I like too."
"..."
Mu Yiran sent him the picture.
Guan Shiyan glanced at it, muttering as he walked out, "Pink, pink again, Shi Youxi, aren't you being slutty..."
After he left, the room finally became a bit quiet, like a typical hospital ward.
Shi Youxi had been in a coma for a day due to his serious illness. He was in good health and recovered quickly. Today, he was in great spirits, looking lazy and staring straight at her.
Mu Yiran rubbed the towel she was going to use to wipe his face, and opened her mouth: "...I'll go get a different one."
"No need." Shi Youxi took the towel and casually wiped it on his face a few times. He could pull at the wound if he raised his hand, but he remained calm and simply placed the towel a little away from Mu Yiran.
Mu Yiran: "Don't move!"
"Sister, don't move around." Shi Youxi avoided her injured right hand, put his arm around the woman's waist and pulled her to his side, pressing down on her shoulders to lie down.
“From the moment I opened my eyes until now, you haven’t sat down once. What have you been busy with if you’re not lying in bed?”
Mu Yiran stared straight at the ceiling. "Then I'll go back now—"
Shi Youxi pressed his long legs down, resting his head on her left shoulder, so easily that she couldn't move. He sniffed the soft flesh of her arm and whispered, "Why are you suddenly celebrating my birthday?"
Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?
Shi Youxi had anticipated Mu Yiran's sudden softening attitude, but the situation was somewhat different. Her kindness was like being seen through a layer of glass; he could see it but couldn't touch it, and it could disappear from his sight at any moment.
Shi Youxi sensed something was wrong, but he didn't want to push her too hard; she had only just agreed to talk to him after all...
They both tacitly avoided talking about what happened that day. He didn't apologize, and Mu Yiran didn't say thank you. She was just showing concern for him, brushing his hair aside, and carefully touching the gauze on his forehead. Shi Youxi was asleep, but he knew everything.
Her scent made him feel at ease and happy; she hadn't left, she was still there. So even if it was just to maintain this superficial peace, Shi Youxi was willing to stay sick like this forever.
"You just happened to wake up today, and it just so happens to be the 20th, which is a special birthday. Anyone who celebrates their birthday before 12 o'clock on the 20th is considered to have celebrated their birthday."
"...And I think I said before that I would spend time alone with you."
I'll spend his real 18th birthday with him, and that will be the end of all the promises I made to him.
The gazes from those around her were too intense, so Mu Yiran pursed her lips and said, "Consider it a celebration that you're still alive."
After saying that, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, letting Shi Youxi's gaze sweep over her. Mu Yiran was surrounded by his strong medicinal smell. She couldn't sleep, and the person next to her was silent but also not asleep.
"You're pretty happy I didn't die, right?"
"...You're not angry with me, are you?"
Only after Mu Yiran's breathing became steady did Shi Youxi speak softly.
When she lay down, it was still dark. Shi Youxi, with the faint moonlight streaming in, looked at the person beside her for a long, long time, until the sky was bright.
It hadn't actually been that long, but Shi Youxi suddenly felt as if he had spent half his life with the people around him, and this was the kind of daily life he wanted.
Every day with my older sister around.
The two slept soundly until evening, attracting the attention of the nurses who came in to check on them several times. As time was running out, Guan Shiyan glanced at the cake behind him, thinking of going in to wake them up, but if they were sleeping soundly... then perhaps he should pass.
On the way here, he ran into Shi Si. The man was looking at his phone and turned to him warily when he heard the sound.
"What are you doing here?" Guan Shiyan looked at him. "Is Uncle Shi here to see him?"
“Mei…” Shi Si paused for a moment, “She came, took one look, and left.”
"Huh?! So he saw Shi Youxi and that other person in bed together?!"
"Those two are inside?" Shi Si glanced again at the large group behind Guan Shiyan. "Who are they feeding?"
"What do you think? Our young master changed his birthday and you didn't even tell me!"
Shi Si showed no remorse, "It's no different now that you know. Why don't you hurry up and put it in? The cake will melt in a minute."
Guan Shiyan immediately took the food cart into the ward, leaving Shi Si alone outside, pondering as he watched the door close.
His gaze returned to his phone, where the screen displayed detailed information about a person from birth to the present day, spanning over a decade.
Every time he looked at it, he found it unbelievable. Shi Si turned off his phone, closed his eyes, and made a decision.
…
To Guan Shiyan's disappointment, Mu Yiran had already woken up. She was dressed neatly and had even put on some light makeup. She sat quietly on the sofa by the bed.
When she saw him coming, she stood up.
Mu Yiran glanced at the nutritious meal besides the cake and said, "Thank you for your help."
She tried to push the cart, but Guan Shiyan didn't let go.
"Are you...are you sure you want to do this?" Guan Shiyan glanced at the still-sleepy Shi Youxi. "If you leave, he...he'll suffer a fate worse than death!"
Mu Yiran's expression remained unchanged. "My presence by his side is what makes him wish he were dead. You saw it. Because of me, his condition is getting worse and worse. Now he's even been injured while trying to save me. My presence by his side does him no good at all."
"This kidnapping wasn't your fault! Besides, how can you decide your significance for him! He only acts like a human being when you're around!"
Mu Yiran gave a slight smirk, "But you can't decide whether I stay or leave."
"..."
Seeing Guan Shiyan's furrowed brows and struggling expression, Mu Yiran suddenly said:
“The kidnapping was indeed not my fault, but he was so badly injured because of me. You don’t know, do you? Because I wanted to save that child, I insisted on saving him, which is why Shi Youxi talked about other things and almost lost his life.”
"It's my fault that he got into trouble."
In the past two days, Mu Yiran has learned about what the Mu siblings have been doing.
None of these are good things.
He even caused the deaths of several of his brothers from the Shimen.
Even if they were forced into it, it cannot completely absolve them of their sins.
Shi Si knew this, which is why he hadn't been giving her a friendly look these past few days.
From the moment they moved into the ward, the area outside was filled with people from the Time Gate, both for protection and to keep watch.
Now she tells Guan Shiyan so that he knows too.
As expected, Guan Shiyan loosened his grip.
"…I see."
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