Disabled but determined
Chu Sinian stared at the closed door, still looking somewhat dazed.
He savored the almost pleading tone in the other person's voice, and a tremor ran through him.
Now that things have come to this, it would be too self-deceptive for him to still consider this relationship as a spur-of-the-moment act of revenge.
The water stains on the back of his hand were still burning hot. He suddenly wanted to raise his hand and smell it to see if it tasted bitter.
Chu Sinian had witnessed too many loves, whether for oneself or for friends, successful or unsuccessful, leaving a mess or remaining as sweet as ever.
Too many to list.
Very few things can move him.
The tragic ending he witnessed in his childhood almost cemented his hopelessness about love, but now he is teetering on the brink of collapse because of the constant tears.
Chu Sinian frowned as he looked at the spacious ward, and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness, a profound emptiness.
The doctor said I needed to rest, so no one entered the ward for a long time.
As darkness fell and the clock slowly ticked to seven o'clock, someone finally entered through the door.
Chen Chi was carrying a lunchbox and a laptop bag on his shoulder. He saw Chu Sinian typing with his head down and put the laptop bag on the table without saying anything.
He sat down and took out the lunchboxes one by one. "What would you like to eat?"
Chu Sinian turned off his phone and looked up at him.
Chen Chi's sharp eyebrows drooped, his expression gloomy and weary.
Chu Sinian turned his gaze away. "Sweet and sour pork ribs."
Chen Chi picked up the lunchbox containing sweet and sour pork ribs, took a piece, and held it to his mouth.
The sweet aroma wafted into Chu Sinian's nostrils, and the long-unseen sweetness stirred a tingling sensation in his mouth. He subconsciously tilted his head back, raised his hand, and said, "I can do it myself."
Chen Chi's gaze fell on the bruises on his hand, and he scooped some food out of the lunchbox and handed it to him.
Chu Sinian's hands were not strong enough, and his chopsticks trembled slightly as he picked up the ribs and put them into his mouth.
He chewed very slowly, and the bone would occasionally prick his teeth. Just as he was about to spit it out, a hand reached under his chin and said, "Spit out the bone."
Chu Sinian looked up, his dark blue pupils trembling slightly. Unable to speak, he shook his head.
Chen Chi ignored him, reached out and pried open his jaw a little, and the bone fell into his palm. "Don't eat too much, two or three pieces are enough."
Chu Sinian's head buzzed.
He watched as Chen Chi threw the bone into the trash can, then calmly sat down, his hands outstretched on his knees as if preparing to receive the next bone.
He held out the dish, saying, "I don't want this."
Chen Chi then took the food and replaced it with a lighter dish for him.
Chu Sinian dared not ask for meat and ate with complete focus, glancing occasionally at Chen Chi wiping his hands with a wet wipe.
He asked casually, "Have you eaten?"
Chen Chi said, "I have no appetite."
Chu Sinian recalled his unsteady figure as he walked towards the door that morning, and changed the subject with a forced smile, "I had two bodyguards with me before I was taken away."
"Um."
Chu Sinian was somewhat surprised to see no question on his face, and then asked, "How are they?"
"He suffered a concussion and is recovering; his life is not in danger."
Chu Sinian breathed a sigh of relief, his tone much more relaxed, "It's good that we didn't implicate them."
Chen Chi's expression darkened. "They didn't fulfill their responsibilities."
"How could you not have done your job? The car is already so badly damaged."
"If you're being responsible, you shouldn't go to the supermarket."
Chu Sinian frowned and looked at him, "How do you know so much?"
Chen Chi said expressionlessly, "Half of the ten bodyguards Ning Zicheng hired are my men. I told the two of you not to stop you from going out unless absolutely necessary."
Chu Sinian slowly came to his senses and sneered, "No wonder they're all so tough; it turns out you ordered it."
Seeing the anger in his eyes, Chen Chi calmly said, "You can also have someone monitor me."
Chu Sinian almost choked.
He closed his eyes, his mind filled with Chen Chi's taut, agile muscles and the sharp, decisive way he threw punches. "Are you provoking me?"
"No."
Chu Sinian sighed, not wanting to argue with him anymore. He opened his eyes and looked out the window at the completely dark sky. "I never thought I'd be spending New Year's Eve with you."
Chen Chi remained silent.
Chu Sinian turned back to look at him. Chen Chi looked terrible, as if he were on his deathbed, displaying a fierce and dejected expression.
He thought Chen Chi would be so angry that he wouldn't come for at least a while, but unexpectedly he came back right at dinner time.
He touched the end of his eyebrow, his gaze passing through the concealed finger bones, and met the dark eyes with unmistakable precision.
Chu Sinian lowered his hand and carefully asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"
Chen Chi didn't reply. His eyes were gloomy and somber as he looked at Chu Sinian, so somber that even the air Chu Sinian inhaled through his nasal cannula tasted slightly bitter.
“I…” Chu Sinian’s tongue stammered, and he suddenly realized that he was explaining something to him.
Chen Chi already knew and made it clear, so there's no room for further explanation.
Why bother saying anything to upset him again? Chu Sinian smiled and said, "You're still looking miserable on New Year's Eve. You can count the number of times you've smiled on your hands in your life."
He didn't mock, but a strange sense of sarcasm crept into his voice: "Still angry? Do you want me to get up and comfort you?"
Chen Chi's face grew increasingly dark. Without a word, he pulled the blanket up a little higher. "Do you want to watch the fireworks or not?"
Chu Sinian glanced at the window instinctively, his eyebrows curving into a smile, "Can I just look whenever I want?"
Night had fallen. The private hospital was located in a secluded suburb, where no one else was around. The only sound was Dongzhi's quiet breathing under the night sky. The clock slowly climbed to midnight.
Chen Chi raised his hand and encircled his palm, holding it carefully in his hand, and whispered, "You can have it if you want it."
Time seemed to stand still for a second. The next moment, the night sky outside the window lit up with dazzling fireworks, which fell with a series of loud bangs, and the scattered fragments emitted brilliant light.
The dazzling fireworks reflected in the lovers' eyes, while their focused gaze fell upon Chen Chi.
Chu Sinian suddenly turned his head, smiled brightly, and his eyes shone with a faint light, as if nothing had changed.
It was as if fate had shown him special favor, as if he were still the innocent child he once was.
Chen Chi felt an overwhelming surge of tenderness in his heart, wishing those eyes would remain forever pure, that he would learn to rely on others, and that he would always be passionate about life.
He leaned in and placed the turbulent thoughts surging in his mind into a kiss on his palm.
Make a wish, every year.
Chu Sinian's smile froze, feeling a soreness creeping up his palm. He couldn't think about the nickname and replied dryly, "I have no wish."
Chen Chi looked up and lay down beside him, like a wild beast crouching down, gazing quietly with eyes as still as mountains, his unchanging love turning into clouds that would forever linger.
“I have it,” he said.
Fireworks were still dancing outside the window, and he said in a low, deep voice, "May Chu Si be healthy and well every year, and may I be with you every year."
—
He used to think time flew by, but after being hospitalized, time seemed to slow down suddenly.
Chu Sinian was constantly plagued by persistent pain. He patiently cooperated with the treatment, applying medicine and abstaining from certain foods every day, which made him irritable from time to time.
When Chen Chi brought in a healthy but unpalatable nutritious meal that day, Chu Sinian suppressed the urge to slap him and said with a good-natured smile, "I don't have an appetite right now, I'll eat later."
Chen Chi put down his food, sat down next to him, and took out a jar of homemade candied apples. "I learned this recipe online. You can try some after you finish eating."
Chu Sinian was in a good mood when he saw the jar of yellow, sweet and crunchy stuff, but his mood plummeted when he heard him say "try a little".
He glanced at Chen Chi, snatched the food, and put a piece in his mouth.
It was indeed sweet and sour, and crunchy, making it both appetizing and addictive.
Chu Sinian couldn't resist stuffing two more pieces into his mouth, chewing as he took more. Before he could even put the fourth piece in his mouth, Chen Chi grabbed his wrist.
Chu Sinian's cheeks puffed out, his eyes blazing with a menacing fire, and he asked fiercely, "What are you doing!"
Chen Chi grabbed his wrist with one hand and took the candied apple with the other, placing it on the table. He then pulled out a wet wipe to wipe his hands. The tips of his two long, slender fingers glistened with water, making them look even more appetizing than the can of apples.
Chen Chi paused for a moment before carefully cleaning him up. "Your wound is almost healed. You can eat whatever you want from now on."
Chu Sinian had gradually gotten used to his care, and now he was lying on the bed chewing on something sweet and crunchy, saying, "I want to drink."
Chen Chi said decisively, "No."
Chu Sinian raised one eyebrow. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
Chen Chi immediately tensed his jaw, clearly displeased.
Chu Sinian suppressed the corners of his lips that were turning up, and like a victorious general, picked up the unpalatable nutritional meal and ate it with relish, bite by bite.
There was a knock on the ward door; it was Yi Fan.
He had only taken a few steps when he gradually realized something was wrong. He glanced at Chu Sinian's smug fox-like eyes and his boss's dejected expression, and walked over nervously.
"Brother Chi, there's a contract that needs to be signed."
Chen Chi accepted the pen and signed it.
On the other side, Chu Sinian quietly moved his legs under the blanket. They were much better now, and there was no longer any pulling sensation on his flesh.
He gently lifted his leg, braced himself on the bed with his hands, and tried to sit up.
Chen Chi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, handed the contract to Yi Fan, stood up, and pressed down on his shoulder, "Want to get down?"
Chu Sinian nodded, "I want to take a walk."
Chen Chi blocked his way, saying, "He hasn't recovered to the point where he can get out of bed and walk yet."
Chu Sinian smiled at him, ignoring him completely, and pulled Chen Chi's arm to stand up despite the pain. "Damn, I really am physically disabled but determined."
As he spoke, he tried to walk forward, but Chen Chi stopped him, asking, "What are you trying to do?"
"I need to use the restroom."
When he couldn't get out of bed, Chu Sinian could only relieve himself in bed. He was devastated when he found out, but eventually he had no choice but to accept it.
Now that he's finally able to get out of bed, he absolutely, absolutely must not repeat what happened before.
Chen Chi didn't dare touch him, afraid of aggravating the wound, and could only persuade him from the side: "You can go if you want, I'll watch you."
Chu Sinian looked up at him and gently patted his chin. "You dare to try following me."
Chen Chi stood still, watching Chu Sinian stagger to the bathroom, then turned around as if he couldn't help it, pressing his tongue tightly against his teeth.
Seeing this, Yi Fan wisely remained silent in the ward, waiting for Chu Sinian to come out before handing Chen Chi the next contract.
He had also gained a basic understanding of Chu Sinian over the past few days, knowing that he was a very strong-willed person, extremely strong-willed, and that even the excruciating pain of applying medicine did not make him show any signs of weakness.
If it weren't for his pale face, no one would know how badly he was injured.
In this respect, he is just like Chen Chi.
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