☆、Twenty-one、Refined Gentleman VS Handsome Man (2342 words)
Li Yaxi sat by the spring, looking at the dozen or so ginseng roots he had planted later. They might fetch a good price. One ginseng root was equivalent to the value of a small plot of vegetables. If he had known this earlier, why would he have wasted hundreds of thousands on jade? He should have bought ginseng instead. What a waste of money! He would have been better off buying gold to preserve its value!
Li Yaxi picked up his laptop and started typing away. He was preparing to write an urban romance story, but unlike the usual melodramatic plots. Although BL (Boys' Love) wasn't popular these days, he wasn't afraid to be a pioneer. Perhaps it was because he had never written this type of story before, or perhaps it was because he himself preferred men, but the writing flowed smoothly, with inspiration constantly flowing.
There was no distinction between day and night in this space, and Li Yaxi had completely lost track of time. It wasn't until his stomach began to ache that he realized he hadn't eaten for almost a day and a night. After drinking a few sips of water and eating a few tomatoes, Li Yaxi lay down on his small bed and fell asleep, only to be awakened by the pain.
Li Yaxi lay on the bed for a while, clutching his stomach, but couldn't stay still, so he sat up, repeating this process. His stomach pain intensified, and he pressed hard against his stomach, hoping for some relief, until finally he was writhing on the floor in agony. He struggled out of his spatial dimension, rummaging through drawers for medicine. He quickly swallowed two pills and collapsed, exhausted, onto the floor. He felt groggy, as if his condition had worsened, and he vomited. When his consciousness returned somewhat, he noticed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and dark red stains on the floor.
His heart sank; it was most likely a stomach hemorrhage.
But at this time, Feng Zihao was in the army and could not be contacted at all. He realized that he had no one else to turn to except Feng Zihao.
He had always thought he could manage on his own, but when things really got tough, he realized how ridiculously vulnerable he was. He took out his phone, struggled to dial 120, gave them his address, and then collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.
Fortunately, Chen Chen was a medical intern at the hospital. He happened to be on duty in the emergency room that day and was shocked when he saw the person brought in by the ambulance. After his shift, he went straight to the ward to wait for Li Yaxi to wake up.
When Li Yaxi saw Chen Chen, she was very surprised. "You? What are you doing here?"
Chen Chen was relieved to see that the person was awake. "I'm an intern medical student here. I just happened to be on duty today and saw you. How are you feeling? The stomach bleeding was a bit serious, but you don't need surgery. However, you'll need to be hospitalized and recuperate properly."
Li Yaxi nodded to indicate that he understood; it wasn't his first time, just the first time in his life. Chen Chen saw that Li Yaxi looked somewhat tired and didn't have the heart to bother him any longer, but some things couldn't be left unasked.
"What's your family's phone number? You didn't have your phone with you, and we didn't see any contact information on you when the ambulance brought you here."
Li Yaxi's smile was tinged with bitterness. "I'm an orphan."
Chen Chen was somewhat at a loss, and his heart ached even more. "You should rest well. I've been on duty here these past few days, and I'll come over to keep you company after my shift. Focus on getting better." He had originally wanted to ask what would happen to the two dogs since you were in the hospital, but asking that under the circumstances seemed a bit inappropriate.
Li Yaxi could tell what Chen Chen was thinking just by looking at his expression. He was such a simple person. "Are you worried about Little Ears and the others?"
"Huh?" Chen Chen didn't expect him to ask that. Was he being that obvious?
"Don't worry, Xiao Erduo will take good care of Xiao Qi." Li Yaxi was very tired and uncomfortable with the feeding tube inserted. After saying this, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Chen Chen knew that she was in pain, so she didn't disturb her and just sat quietly with her.
Li Yaxi couldn't eat for the time being, so Chen Chen didn't need to worry about his diet. During his daytime shifts, Chen Chen would check on Li Yaxi from time to time. Li Yaxi's ward was a three-person room. After work, Chen Chen would bring a few books to Li Yaxi's room to keep him company. One lay quietly, seemingly lost in thought, while the other quietly read. Although they didn't talk much, the atmosphere was harmonious. The other two in the ward joked that having a doctor friend had benefited them all; having a junior doctor here was like having their own personal doctor—what a great perk!
The feeding tube was removed after about four or five days, but he was still being fed via IV fluids. Li Yaxi quickly became so thin that he looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. He was the kind of person who could eat whatever he wanted and not gain weight, so all the little bit of weight he had managed to gain was gone. Both of his hands were swollen from being hit, and he looked so pitiful.
As usual, Chen Chen went to the ward to keep Li Yaxi company after work. However, Li Yaxi was clearly in much better spirits and said to him, "Chen Chen, you don't need to come every day. You're just getting injections and sleeping at night anyway."
Chen Chen turned a page of the book she had finished reading. "Going back to the dorm is the same as reading. The dorm only has a fan, no air conditioning, it's hot."
Li Yaxi looked at Chen Chen carefully. Actually, Chen Chen was quite good-looking, with a scholarly air about him. He had double eyelids that resembled peach blossoms, and when he smiled, he had shallow dimples that made him look quite cute and gave people a feeling of warmth and comfort. "Chen Chen, do you have a lot of girls pursuing you?"
Chen Chen didn't understand why Li Yaxi would ask that question, and looked at Li Yaxi with a questioning gaze.
Li Yaxi smiled, and the world instantly brightened as if spring had arrived. "You look just like a refined gentleman from ancient times—gentle, elegant, and graceful. Naturally, many girls would like your type."
Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't know I was this type if you hadn't told me."
"So what type of person do you think you are?"
"He's a handsome guy from a comic book, after all," Chen Chen said with an expression that said it for sure.
Li Yaxi laughed out loud, giving him face. "Pfft... Ouch... Stomach hurts. Chen Chen, don't be so shameless, okay? You still dare to call yourself a handsome man in front of me."
Chen Chen quickly put down his book and helped Li Yaxi, who was laughing so hard she was curled up, lie down. "Don't move around. Although the feeding tube has been removed, the inflammation and ulcers inside haven't healed. If you don't want it to get worse, don't let your stomach muscles contract."
Li Yaxi calmed down, then gave Chen Chen a reproachful look. "If you weren't joking, would I have moved around like that? It's all your fault!"
Chen Chen felt a pang of sympathy seeing Li Yaxi's childlike demeanor. He had watched Li Yaxi endure the pain and suffering these past few days, and he felt heartbroken for his precocious maturity and for his loneliness. He was still so young; children his age were still acting spoiled with their parents, playing with classmates, playing games, and reading comics.
But Li Yaxi had taken on the responsibilities of life at a young age, and seeing his rare childlike behavior made him even more upset. "Okay, okay, it's my fault. I shouldn't have told jokes to make you laugh. It's all my fault."
Li Yaxi gave him a look that suggested she knew she was wrong and was teachable. Chen Chen shook his head, adjusted the IV drip rate, pressed on his stomach to check, and only after confirming that everything was alright did he sit down to continue reading.
After a while, Li Yaxi became a little out of breath from exhaustion and fell asleep while lying down. Chen Chen waited until all the injections were finished and confirmed that Li Yaxi's condition was stable before leaving.
Before the start of the semester, Li Yaxi insisted on going far away. Chen Chen'ao gave him a long list of precautions, and even wrote them all down in a small notebook for him in case he wouldn't remember. Li Yaxi finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the hospital, feeling like he had been liberated. Even the air outside the hospital felt much more comfortable to him.
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