Chapter 87 Care

Duan Mingchong didn't know what he dreamed about, but seeing how scared he was, he hugged him tightly, patted his back, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, it's just a dream."

Sui Yan hugged Duan Mingchong tightly, his whole body trembling.

"Your Highness, I made a big mistake..." Sui Yan murmured, "People who commit suicide will be punished by God, I..."

During these years of rebirth, Sui Yan always believed that this extra life was a gift from God, so he has been trying to live the way he wants to be, reckless, bold and unruly.

However, when he gradually forgot the bad things in his previous life and finally had a mutual understanding with Duan Mingchong, a sudden illness dragged him into an abyss-like reality.

At this moment, he suddenly realized that this life was not a gift, but a punishment, a punishment for his self-destruction in the previous life.

So when he wanted to live the most, God played the biggest joke on him.

It was like a dream that suddenly came to an abrupt end at the most joyful moment, returning to the cold reality.

Sui Yan looked at Duan Mingchong with despair and sorrow: "Your Highness, Your Highness... am I... going to die?"

Duan Mingchong didn't know what he was saying, but he saw that the despair and madness in his eyes were not what nightmares could bring. He was stunned for a long time before hugging him tighter.

"This is not a punishment." Duan Mingchong said, "This is not a punishment at all. Even if you really made a big mistake, it is not someone else's turn to judge you for right and wrong, and to convict you of a crime."

Sui Yan tilted his head slightly, with some fear still in his eyes, but he was slightly calmer than before.

"Is that so?"

Duan Mingchong said: "Yes."

Perhaps Duan Mingchong's overly firm words had an impact on Sui Yan. He was stunned for a long while, and then seemed to be convinced. He nodded in astonishment and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

He curled up tightly in Duan Mingchong's arms, with a lingering fear in his eyes.

Duan Mingchong held him and sat gently for a while, until he noticed that Sui Yan's thin body was no longer shaking, then he gently put him back on the couch and pulled the quilt up.

Sui Yan drank the medicine and slept for most of the day. He was no longer as weak as he had been in the past few days. Only then did he realize that the sky outside the window had already darkened.

Duan Mingchong poured a glass of water from the side, held Sui Yan's chin and gently fed him half a glass of water.

Sui Yan's mouth was filled with the bitter taste of medicine, and even water was difficult to swallow. He forced himself to swallow a few mouthfuls before turning his head away.

Duan Mingchong followed the trend and put the water down.

Sui Yan asked, "How long has Your Highness been here?"

Duan Mingchong smiled softly: "It's been half a day."

Sui Yan looked at him in confusion and said blankly, "Then Your Highness will not return to the palace?"

Duan Mingchong said: "I have informed my father that I will not be attending court these days, so I don't need to worry about trivial matters in the court."

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment.

Duan Mingchong smiled: "Don't you want me to accompany you?"

Sui Yan shook his head hurriedly, and after shaking it twice, he felt a slight headache.

As soon as he frowned, Duan Mingchong knew that he was uncomfortable. He warmed his hands in the charcoal basin beside him, then placed them on Sui Yan's forehead and pressed gently.

Sui Yan had been lying in bed drowsy these past few days. After he finally felt better, he couldn't fall asleep again. Even though he was extremely tired, he didn't want to waste such a good opportunity.

He stretched out his hand weakly, hooked his little finger around Duan Mingchong's fingers, and stared at Duan Mingchong without blinking.

Duan Mingchong had no choice but to put down one of his hands and let him hold it, looking at him with a smile, his eyes full of tenderness, without any of the coldness and indifference he showed towards Jun Jingxing during the day.

"Haitang will bring the medicine over later. You should drink it obediently. When you are well, I will take you wherever you want to go."

Sui Yan tilted his head slightly, as if thinking of something, hooked his hand and shook it, and said hoarsely: "Did Your Highness come to see me a few days ago?"

Duan Mingchong was stunned for a moment, then he remembered the embarrassing incident of sneaking over the wall into the mansion that night. He turned his head away awkwardly, and after a long while he said, "Hmm..."

Sui Yan hesitated and said, "Did I...disrespect His Highness that day?"

Duan Mingchong looked at Sui Yan's face and felt both amused and helpless for a moment. They had kissed countless times when feeding him medicine just now, but Sui Yan was still concerned about the kiss that took place when he was sleepy.

Duan Mingchong's ears turned red, and he reached out to cover Sui Yan's eyes, then he said softly, "Yeah."

Sui Yan wanted to pull his hand away, but heard Duan Mingchong's embarrassed voice again.

"I like it too."

【Why did you kiss me? 】

[I like you, so of course I want to kiss you. ]

[Like...me? ]

【So do you like me? 】

It had been several days since the incident, and the Crown Prince, who realized it belatedly, once again said something without context that left Sui Yan somewhat bewildered.

Sui Yan is a person who likes someone just because he likes him, and he can say it directly and openly. However, Duan Mingchong is not as thick-skinned as him. It is really too difficult for him to say "like" directly. He can only cover Sui Yan's eyes to prevent him from seeing his wolfish look and deceive himself.

Sui Yan asked: "What?"

Duan Mingchong said in a nonsensical way: "It's nothing. You are still sick. Don't think too much."

Sui Yan wanted to ask more, but Duan Mingchong kept covering his eyes and wouldn't let go. He rubbed his eyes twice and felt a little tired, but was actually covered by Duan Mingchong's hand and fell asleep.

It was not until Sui Yan's breath fell on his fingers that Duan Mingchong suddenly loosened his hand and realized that Sui Yan had fallen asleep without him knowing when.

Duan Mingchong didn't know why, but he suddenly felt relieved.

He tucked Sui Yan's quilt in, then stood up, lifted the pearl curtain and left the inner room filled with the smell of medicine.

There were golden medicine for sores and a piece of white gauze in the outer room. The servants had left long ago, and even Jun Jingxing was sent away by Duan Mingchong.

Duan Mingchong did not call anyone. He took the golden sore medicine and returned to the inner room. He sat on the soft couch beside him and undressed.

Sui Yan had been busy all day, and because he was not in the right mind, he didn't know the severity of the situation and broke the wound on Duan Mingchong that had just been bandaged during the day.

Duan Mingchong did not make a fuss and only took time to heal his own injuries after he had completely settled Sui Yan down.

He frowned and took off his sleeves, then took off his bloodstained white shirt bit by bit, and with great difficulty re-bandaged himself.

The wound was extremely nasty, a bloody mess.

Duan Mingchong bandaged the wound without changing his expression. Just as he put on his clothes, Sui Xun walked in with medicine. He smelled the faint smell of blood in the room and frowned.

"Forgot to return?"

Duan Mingchong put on his clothes and when he stood up, his eyes blurred and he held on to a small table beside him to avoid falling.

Sui Xun walked in after drawing aside the curtain, and saw the blood-stained white gauze scattered on the small table. Thinking of the news that the Crown Prince had been assassinated that had been circulating in the palace in recent days, she roughly knew what had happened.

But this man took his own brother away without a word and gave him his whole heart. No matter how kind-hearted Sui Xun was, he couldn't accept it for a while, and neither could the crown prince.

Sui Xun nodded to Duan Mingchong with a cold face and said, "The palace gates have not been locked yet, Your Highness should go back to the palace and rest early. I will take care of you if you forget to go back."

Duan Mingchong's face turned pale and he managed to stand steadily.

He casually threw the white gauze on the small table into the charcoal basin beside him. After it burned out, he smiled softly and said to Sui Xun indifferently, "I have been injured recently and cannot handle government affairs. When I came here, I sent someone to ask for leave from my father. General Sui will attend the morning court tomorrow, so he should go back and rest early. I will take care of A'Yan."

Sui Xun: “…”

This is the kind of bastard that my blind brother likes?

Sui Xun was pissed off by him, but he couldn't lose his temper with the crown prince, so he could only swallow his anger and say, "Wang Gui is sick, so as his elder brother, I naturally have to do my best to take care of him. Even if Your Highness is very close to Wang Gui, he is still an outsider after all. In addition, you are of noble status, so I dare not trouble Your Highness too much."

Duan Mingchong seemed not to hear the sarcasm in Sui Xun's tone, and choked back with a faint sentence: "General Sui, you are really joking. I usually take care of A Yan when he is sick. General Sui is very busy, so you should get back to work."

Sui Xun: “…”

Was this person indirectly mocking him for leaving Sui Yan alone in the capital for three or four years without him returning home?

Sui Xun became angrier the more he listened, but when he thought about how his disappointing younger brother had acted dependent on Duan Mingchong today, he had to admit that Duan Mingchong would be much better off here than he was.

He put the medicine down with a cold face and left without saying a word, forgetting even the courtesy.

Duan Mingchong didn't care. He looked at Sui Yan, who seemed to be sleeping uneasily, walked up to him with the medicine, and woke him up gently.

"Ayan, get up and take the medicine before going back to sleep."

Sui Yan hadn’t slept very deeply to begin with, and he opened his eyes dazedly.

Duan Mingchong sat beside him, lifted him up and leaned him against his arms, blew on the medicine, put it to Sui Yan's lips, and carefully let him drink half a bowl.

After Sui Yan drank the medicine today, he was no longer as averse to it as before. He could swallow a lot obediently without being coaxed, and he rarely vomited it out.

After Sui Yan finished drinking, he covered his lips with a pale face and buried himself in Duan Mingchong's arms, saying hoarsely: "I drank the medicine, will it really make me better?"

He seemed to feel insecure during his illness, and would always ask Duan Mingchong "Will I get better?" and "Will I die?" from time to time. Duan Mingchong heard these questions countless times without any impatience, and answered him patiently and gently every time.

"You'll be fine after taking the medicine. It'll be just like before. It's just a minor illness."

Sui Yan was like a person who was afraid of being woken up from a dream. The more gently Duan Mingchong treated him, the more anxious he became, fearing that he would be woken up from his dream in the next moment.

He gently hugged Duan Mingchong's arm and rubbed it lightly to find a sense of security.

But before he rubbed it twice, Duan Mingchong suddenly groaned, as if he had rubbed a wound.

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment, then he belatedly smelled a faint smell of blood.

Sui Yan struggled to sit up, his black hair spread out behind his back, looking even weaker.

"Your Highness? Your hand..."

He was about to touch Duan Mingchong's hand, but Duan Mingchong grabbed his wrist, and pushed him back onto the couch with a smile on his pale face.

"It's not a big deal. Go to sleep first. I'll have someone make you some sweet porridge tomorrow morning."

Sui Yan still felt something was wrong and struggled to get up to see, but Duan Mingchong reached out and covered his eyes again.

As soon as Sui Yan saw darkness in front of his eyes, he felt sleepy instinctively. He grabbed Duan Mingchong's hand twice but failed to pull it away, and instead he tired himself out.

Duan Mingchong whispered softly in his ear: "Go to sleep, I'm always here."

That extremely gentle voice was as charming as a siren. Sui Yan didn't last long at all before he fell into darkness again and fell into a deep sleep.