Jin He felt as if he had slept for a very long time. The first thing to return was his sense of smell. The smell of disinfectant hit his nostrils so hard that he opened his mouth and almost vomited.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw An Yi sitting beside him, staring intently at the instruments. Hearing a noise, An Yi looked down and met Jin He's gaze.
"You're awake."
An Yi whispered, "The doctor said you'll wake up soon. How are you feeling right now?"
Jin He found it strange and asked, "Why are you speaking so softly? Is your throat sick?"
An Yi straightened up and adjusted the IV drip rate for Jin He, replying, "The doctor said you have myocarditis, and with the added fatigue, your cardiopulmonary function may not be very good right now. Try to avoid strong light and loud noise stimulation on you."
"So you knew you had a loud voice."
An Yi: "..."
"You repay kindness with enmity, don't you?" An Yi belatedly realized and scolded Jin He, "You're really something, you can still faint on the roadside. If I had arrived any later, you would have frozen to death, or at least burned to death. The doctor also said that you are malnourished and overworked, and told you to rest in bed for the next few days."
"ah."
Jin He thought back for a moment and realized she had no recollection of An Yi, so she asked, "Did you bring me to the hospital? Thank you."
Such a kind attitude left An Yi speechless for a moment. He coughed twice and replied, "Cough, it's my duty."
"When can I be discharged?" Jin He touched her forehead. "I think my fever has subsided."
“Your fever will come back even after it goes down. The doctor has told us to keep you in the hospital. If your myocarditis doesn’t recover well, it can leave lasting effects,” An Yi said. “You should just stay in the hospital and rest this month. I’ve already arranged for you to take leave from work.”
“But, breaking a signed itinerary will incur a penalty.” Jin He buried her face in the blanket, trying to negotiate with An Yi, “The penalty is very expensive.”
“I’ve paid for it.” An Yi pulled Jin He’s face out from under the covers. It wasn’t good for her to keep it bottled up like this. “Don’t be in such a hurry to make money. Take a few days off.”
Jin He nestled in the blankets, making his face appear even smaller. He remained silent for a while before finally replying, "There's no need to rush to make money."
An Yi didn't expect Jin He to be so easy to talk to this time. Asking him to rest for two days was like taking his life. He had prepared a lot of words to persuade Jin He before Jin He woke up, but he didn't expect it to be so easy this time!
“Right? You’re still young, your body can recover in time. Come on, sit up. I bought you some medicinal porridge.” An Yi walked directly to the bedside, reached out his hands and lifted Jin He up by her armpits. Jin He felt a blur before her eyes as she was pulled up.
Jin He: "Huh?"
“I’m keeping it warm for you. I know you don’t like porridge, but you can’t eat anything else right now, so just make do with this for now and don’t be picky.” An Yi said, stirring the thick porridge in the bowl as he held it up. “Being picky is bad. The doctor is an older man. He doesn’t know you. When he first saw you, he thought you were a refugee.”
Jin He, an eighteen-year-old lad, was still a little embarrassed to be fed. He awkwardly stretched out his hand and said, "I... I can do it myself, I can do it myself..."
An Yi glanced at the bruises on the back of his hand from the IV drip and said, "You can't hold it right now, oh dear, don't be stubborn, I'll feed you."
"I'll do it myself."
“You haven’t eaten properly for days, you must be weak now. If you spill the porridge, you’ll have to wash the clothes and sheets.” An Yi’s attitude was very firm. “I’ll feed you. Oh, it’s just that you’re sick, what’s the big deal? Look, you still have the needle in your hand. Be careful not to move it and it will slip out again.”
A spoonful of warm, thick corn porridge was brought to Jin He's lips, and she awkwardly opened her mouth to receive it.
It doesn't taste good.
Jin He forced down her throat with a bitter expression.
An Yi acted as if he didn't see Jin He's pained expression. As soon as Jin He swallowed the first bite, he immediately shoved the next bite into his mouth, without even giving her a chance to refuse.
"I'm not eating anymore."
After forcing several mouthfuls down her throat, Jin He covered her mouth and backed away.
An Yi skillfully reached out and pressed on Jin He's abdomen, saying, "Two more bites."
"No."
"Lin Nian bought a ticket back to Haicheng in advance and has already gotten off the plane."
Jin He's mouth dropped open: "Huh?!"
An Yi reacted quickly and stuffed it in one bite.
Jin He: "..."
He chewed slowly, swallowed, and refused to open his mouth again. He covered his mouth and mumbled, "How did the captain know? Did you call him?"
An Yi frowned: "I didn't hear what you said."
Jin He covered her mouth and repeated it.
"Speak louder."
Jin He grew impatient and took her hand down: "I'll say it..."
Another bite.
Jin He was completely displeased. She angrily lay down, wrapped herself in the blanket, and refused to communicate with An Yi anymore.
Seeing that he had almost finished eating, An Yi used Jin He's bowl to finish the last few mouthfuls of porridge. Then he took the bowl to the bathroom to wash it clean. When he came back, he said, "I was photographed when I brought you to the hospital that day."
"What?!"
"But the public opinion is well controlled, so you don't need to worry about that. Everyone just wants you to rest well, so you may need to post a Weibo to let your fans know you're safe in a little while."
“Okay,” Jin He replied. An Yi wiped the water stains off the bowl, and then heard Jin He say, “An Yi, how much is the penalty for breach of contract? I’ll pay you back when I’m better and back at work.”
“No need to pay it back,” An Yi replied.
"You still have to pay it back. Your money didn't grow on trees, and I can't let you pay me such an expensive penalty for no reason."
“I think this is what I should do.” An Yi sat down and looked at him. “You’re always so polite to me. You should get used to it. It’s only natural that I should be nice to you.”
Jin He didn't understand what An Yi was saying: "But it's only natural that no one is nice to anyone else."
Jin He lay back down, his mind racing. Suddenly, something clicked in his head: "Then why is it 'should'? What is our relationship now? Aren't we teammates?"
An Yi was immediately unhappy upon hearing this: "What? In your eyes, we're just teammates?"
"Isn't that right? Actually, sleeping together once doesn't prove anything, right? I don't need you to take responsibility. These things are all consensual." Jin He explained, then asked him sincerely, "So, are we in a sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship now? I let you sleep with me, and then you give me money? I've only slept with you once in the last six months, or... I'll let you sleep with me again after I'm discharged from the hospital?"
Several veins bulged on An Yi's forehead.
“But could you please not be as fierce as last time? And remember to wear a diaper changer, okay? Even though I can’t have children, it’s still quite uncomfortable to be in there…” Jin He seemed oblivious to An Yi’s increasingly unpleasant expression, continuing her nagging, “However, if you insist on staying in there, that’s fine too, but there’ll be a different price…”
He was genuinely talking to An Yi about this very seriously, and An Yi felt as if he had been insulted, while Jin He continued to ramble on and on.
"Jin He!"
An Yi, unable to bear it any longer, gritted his teeth and said, "I thought we had been dating for at least half a year."
Now it was Jin He's turn to be bewildered. He paused for a moment, looked up at An Yi, and a thousand words condensed into one sentence: "Huh?"
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