Chapter 61: Arranging the Surgery
Lu Shangyan regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. He turned to look at Jian Guo and Zhao Jian beside him and forced a smile: "I've been overthinking things lately, don't take it to heart."
Jian Guo stood up: "Really?"
The fact that he asked that question proves that he doesn't believe it at all.
Zhao Jian also stood up: "When did you find out? Why didn't you just tell us?"
Lu Shangyan shook his head: "I didn't notice. Didn't I just say that I've been particularly prone to overthinking lately?"
Zhao Jian moved closer to him: "Something's not right, what's going on?"
Jian Guo also said, "Why should he spy on you? You haven't done anything wrong!"
Lu Shangyan sat on the bed, his face stiff, but he still tried his best to appear relaxed: "Really, no, I just didn't get to eat the grapes, and I started overthinking again."
"The doctor also said that this is a normal phenomenon. Sometimes I can't help feeling sad. A while ago, I was standing on the balcony watering the flowers and suddenly I cried. I don't even know what's wrong with me."
"I'm really fine. Can you just pretend you didn't hear what I said earlier? If something really happens, I'll let you know."
Jian Guo wanted to say something more and continue asking, but Zhao Jian grabbed her arm: "Okay, since you're alright, we won't ask anymore."
Jian Guo glared at him: "You don't ask me, you don't treat Lu Shangyan as a friend, but I do!"
"Pei Yumin did something wrong in this matter. He doesn't even have the most basic trust. What's the point of getting married!"
Lu Shangyan's expression changed immediately: "No, he trusts me a lot, I was just making things up."
"I didn't sleep well this morning after coming back to the hospital. I want to rest for a while first."
Zhao Jian wanted to rush up and cover his mouth, but in the end he just forcefully pulled him out: "You must be tired after a whole day of running around. Rest first, and I'll come see you again when I have time tomorrow."
Jian Guo was still struggling, trying her best to stay and find out everything, but Zhao Jian looked weak but was surprisingly strong. He dragged Jian Guo to the elevator before letting go.
Jian Guo immediately got angry: "That Pei Yumin is powerful, but what does that have to do with us! You can't be afraid of him just because he's powerful. Lu Shangyan is a friend of both of us. He's an orphan and all alone. If we don't stand up for him now, who will?"
Zhao Jian sighed, unusually refraining from arguing with him directly: "Your intentions are good, but didn't you see Lu Shangyan's expression just now?"
"He clearly doesn't want us to know about this. If you keep asking, you'll only embarrass him."
Jian Guo watched the elevator descend floor by floor: "That's just how he is, he's incredibly patient, so we should help him even more, otherwise he'll definitely be bullied even more!"
He thought the elevator was going down too slowly. Once it reached the first floor, he planned to shake off Zhao Jian and then rush up to find Lu Shangyan. This time, he was determined to point his finger at Pei Yumin and give him a good scolding!
Zhao Jian said, "This is, after all, a private family matter between the two of them. They are already married, and they even have a child, something that was impossible before. What good would it do Lu Shangyan to make a big fuss about this?"
"Think about it yourself. Given Lu Shangyan's condition, if Pei Yumin hadn't helped him find a reliable doctor and kept him in the hospital to recuperate, would it be possible for him to have a child? Have you thought about how risky that would be?"
Jian Guo clenched her fists: "But that's no excuse for Pei Yumin to bully him! That child isn't just Lu Shangyan's!"
Zhao Jian took a deep breath: "You usually seem like a smart kid, so why do you make a mistake at crucial moments?"
"Obviously, Lu Shangyan already knew about this, but he never said anything, which proves that he approved of Pei Yumin 'monitoring' him in this way. Today, he exposed it in front of me simply because, as he said, he got emotional and couldn't hold back any longer, so he blurted it out as quickly as possible."
"That proves that the two of them haven't resolved or discussed this matter privately. You consider Lu Shangyan to be your friend, so tell me, which is more important: a friend, a husband, or the father of your child?"
“Pei Yumin has done so much for Lu Shangyan and helped him so much. Didn’t you hear Lu Shangyan say before that if it weren’t for Pei Yumin, he wouldn’t have been able to come back in Chong County!”
Jian Guo was speechless for a long time after hearing his words. When Zhao Jian saw that his emotions had finally calmed down, he softened his voice and said, "Even if we want to get involved, it can only be when Lu Shangyan wants us to."
"After everything that's happened, he's not a child anymore. He can handle many things on his own. Besides, what about their relationship? What about their preferred lifestyle? Do you know? What if they're both willing to give and receive?"
"Your sudden outburst and disruption might not be a good thing for Lu Shangyan!"
Jian Guo finally calmed down and didn't insist on rushing upstairs again. Only when she walked out of the hospital gate did she suddenly stomp her foot angrily: "Why?! Why can you see through so much!"
How could he not see through it at all!
At this moment, Zhao Jian adopted the demeanor of an elder, standing at the door and lighting a cigarette: "How many years have you been eating? I've eaten more salt than you've eaten white rice."
"Besides, I've been in a relationship for so many years. What would a little kid like you know about these things?"
Jian Guo snorted coldly: "Just you wait, next time, I will definitely not lose to you."
—
The caregiver upstairs introduced herself to Lu Shangyan. She had been personally invited by Pei Yumin, but Lu Shangyan always felt that her identity was not just that of a hospital caregiver.
Lu Shangyan watched as she wrapped the grapes in paper and placed them on the table beside her: "Mr. Pei will check them when he comes back in a while. I'll throw them away after he's looked at them."
She maintained a smiling expression throughout, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.
After lying down, Lu Shangyan tossed and turned on the bed several times before sitting up irritably and looking at her: "Don't tell Pei Yumin what I just said."
The caregiver smiled at him but didn't answer whether it was okay or not.
Lu Shangyan sighed, then tugged at his hair, thinking about how to resolve this matter later.
Zhao Jian and Jian Guo have been gone for a while, and there's been no activity in the group chat. He still needs to think about how to explain things to these people.
He really acted impulsively today, over a few grapes he didn't even get to eat...
He crossed his arm and rested it on his eyelids, his mind a jumble of thoughts, and a lump formed in his throat, making him want to cry again.
Seeing him like this, the aunt poured him a glass of water and brought it to him: "Madam Yuan said she steamed some crabs for you and asked how many you want to eat."
Lu Shangyan blinked his red eyes: "From now on, just ask Pei Yumin about this."
He's still feeling uneasy.
He now has two hopes: that his aunt will tell Pei Yumin about it, and that she won't.
But he hoped that Pei Yumin would not pretend not to know after finding out, and would take the initiative to give him an explanation.
Just then, Auntie's phone rang. She went out to answer it and came back to wash all the grapes on the table again. When she brought them back, Lu Shangyan felt that the grapes didn't look like grapes anymore.
The aunt picked out three that looked decent and placed them in his hand: "Young Master Pei said you can eat them now."
Lu Shangyan didn't move, but looked up and scanned the bedroom: "Where is the camera?"
The aunt was just gesturing for him to eat grapes. Lu Shangyan originally wanted to throw them away, but he couldn't bear to, so he stuffed them all into his mouth. After finishing them, he lay down heavily, which startled the aunt, who quickly reached out her hand: "Oh dear, be careful."
Lu Shangyan tossed and turned a few more times, determined to torment himself. This time, he didn't torment himself for long before his phone rang. It was Pei Yumin calling. He deliberately didn't answer and continued tormenting himself.
Pei Yumin made three calls, but he didn't even glance at them.
So Pei Yumin switched to sending messages:
[m: I was wrong. Answer the phone. I'll tell you now.]
Lu Shangyan glanced at the call and answered it this time. The moment the call connected, Lu Shangyan could hear the wind howling on his end. It was so loud that even Lu Shangyan, who was hiding in the house, felt a chill.
Pei Yumin said, "I'm sorry, I really can't help but look at you."
Lu Shangyan bit his tongue: "Tell me where the camera is now, and I'll listen to your explanation."
Pei Yumin paused for a few seconds: "There's a small shark plush toy on the TV cabinet, and it's holding a pufferfish in its hands. The pufferfish is plastic; you can open it, and it's inside."
After listening, Lu Shangyan hung up the phone immediately, not giving Pei Yumin a chance to say another word.
He then put on his slippers, got out of bed, and quickly walked to the doll. He opened the little pufferfish and saw a small thing inside that was flashing red light.
He held it in his hand for a while, then placed it on his bedside table, right in front of his bed, and lay down again.
After all that fuss, he was really exhausted. He fell asleep almost immediately after lying down, not even noticing when Pei Yumin had returned.
It's possible that Pei Yumin didn't know how to face him right now, so he deliberately kept his voice down so as not to wake him up.
He didn't sleep for very long, waking up in less than half an hour. When he woke up, Yuan Qingyu was sitting next to his bed.
As soon as Yuan Qingyu saw that he was awake, she smiled and said, "I was thinking of letting you sleep for another five minutes. If you don't wake up after five minutes, I'll wake you up."
She opened the two insulated containers she had brought: "Three dishes and a bowl of soup."
After saying that, she moved closer to Lu Shangyan and whispered, "I also secretly brought you a crab. Pei Yumin originally only allowed you to eat one."
He sat down at the dining table, and the caregiver waited until he woke up before starting to pack his things. There are still several boxes that haven't been packed yet.
Lu Shangyan looked around and asked Yuan Qingyu, "Where is he?"
When Yuan Qingyu mentioned him, she couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Who knows what suddenly made him go crazy? He said there was something urgent at the company that he had to deal with and went back to the company."
After saying that, she felt it was good that he went: "It's good that he went, so I can let you eat one more crab."
“When I was pregnant with him, everything was exactly the same as usual. Now that I see him taking care of you, I feel indignant on your behalf. You have to eat your favorite foods on time and in the right amount.”
"Being pregnant is hard enough, and not being able to eat what you want to eat makes it even worse, doesn't it?"
Lu Shangyan picked up his phone and sent a message to Pei Yumin.
[S: You said you'd buy me grapes, where are my grapes?]
[m: I bought it, it's in the fridge. Have Aunt Liu wash it for you.]
[m: I bought the blanket you wanted. Auntie should be keeping it in the closet. Remember to take it with you when you go out for a walk after dinner.]
He replied very quickly; there was no indication that he was busy working overtime at the company.
[s: You come back and wash me yourself.]
This time, after waiting for a long time, Pei Yumin still didn't reply to his message, but it kept showing "typing...", and Lu Shangyan never found out what he had typed.
Yuan Qingyu was still watching him from the side. He didn't want to show it too obviously. When he saw that Pei Yumin didn't reply to his messages, he put down his phone and obediently ate his meal. He ate very cleanly, and Yuan Qingyu's confidence instantly increased a lot.
After Lu Shangyan finished eating, Yuan Qingyu accompanied him for a walk outside. When they were able to sit on a bench and bask in the sun, she touched the small blanket on him and asked, "Did Yu Min buy this for you?"
Lu Shangyan nodded. The blanket was pale yellow and green, and it looked expensive. It felt even more expensive to the touch.
Yuan Qingyu touched her a few more times and said, "Your father and I want to find a psychologist for Min."
Lu Shangyan froze, and after a long while, he turned to look at her: "Is it that serious?"
Yuan Qingyu said, "Actually, you've noticed it too, haven't you? Yu Min has been in a bad state lately. Although he tries his best to act exactly the same as usual, and talks to us with a smile every day, and even argued with Tang Suichen this morning, his eyes don't lie. His eyes look very sad."
After saying that, he shook his head again: "It doesn't seem like he's sad. Your father and I both feel that something is wrong. He always looks tense."
Lu Shangyan nodded: "It's probably because of me. He's worried that something might happen to me."
Yuan Qingyu reached under the blanket and took his hand from his stomach: "Your father and I originally thought that Tun Tun was about to be born, and maybe he could just get through this period. But his condition is really too serious now, and I'm worried that something might happen to him."
“From childhood to adulthood, he has hardly ever taken anything to heart, so when he became like this for the first time, your father and I were at a loss and didn’t know how to solve the problem.”
"Shang Yan, I hope you can try to persuade him more, okay? Although you should be taken care of more right now, at least talk to him more, okay?"
Lu Shangyan didn't dare to look her in the eye, and lowered his head to give a soft reply.
Yuan Qingyu chuckled softly: "Mom isn't saying this to blame you. It's right that he cares about you. After all, Tun Tun is his child too. You're a boy, and you have to suffer so much for him. It's understandable that he feels bad."
“I’m afraid if he keeps getting stuck on this, he might…” She sniffed, then stopped herself, “Never mind, this brat is lucky, he’ll be fine.”
A gust of cold wind blew by, and Yuan Qingyu helped him wrap the blanket tighter around himself. She stood up and said, "It's getting windy. Let's go back first. You'll get cold if you wait, and he'll call again and keep talking."
Lu Shangyan stood up, took a couple of steps, and then suddenly stopped: "Mom, take me to the company to see him."
Yuan Qingyu wanted to agree, but was worried it might be inconvenient for him: "Are you alright now? Is there anything wrong with you?"
Lu Shangyan said, "No, I just took a nap, and I'm not tired at all."
Yuan Qingyu was still hesitating when Lu Shangyan said, "I'll go and call him back, so he can stay with me in the hospital from now on, and I'll keep an eye on him."
Yuan Qingyu nodded. For Pei Yumin, Lu Shangyan should be more useful than a psychologist.
On the way there, Lu Shangyan was covered with a small blanket the whole time. He looked at the scenery rushing past the window and silently gritted his teeth.
He had noticed long ago that something was wrong with Pei Yumin; Pei Yumin was controlling of him even more than before, to the point of being obsessive.
At first, Pei Yumin would try his best to satisfy his cravings, even if he tried to limit his intake, he wouldn't be precise about the weight, the number of grains, or the amount of food he wanted...
However, he was busy with exams during that time and didn't think about it much. But last night, after he finished his exams and went home, he was finally able to calm down and think about everything that had happened recently.
That night, Pei Yumin woke up many times. He always liked to get up to go to the bathroom at night, and Pei Yumin would wake him up even earlier than him. As soon as he moved slightly, Pei Yumin would immediately grab his hand and whisper, "What's wrong?" When he slowly woke up, Pei Yumin was so anxious that he couldn't say a word.
When he went to the bathroom, Pei Yumin followed him the whole time. When he washed his hands, he used to just wash them with cold water, but Pei Yumin grabbed his hand with a serious expression and insisted on running hot water for him.
The room was heated, so he didn't feel the water was cold at all. But Pei Yumin adjusted the temperature again and again before letting him wash his hands, just like this morning when he was washing up.
During the period when he was reviewing for the exam, he was very tired every day. Even though Pei Yumin asked him to do so, he did not object. He only thought about finishing quickly and going back to sleep or to study.
It now appears that Pei Yumin had actually fallen ill long before he knew it.
Lu Shangyan took a deep breath: "Mom, did Uncle Wu say something to him in private?"
Yuan Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Every time you went to the hospital, he accompanied you. Did he go to see your Uncle Wu again when you weren't looking?"
Lu Shangyan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No."
Because at the beginning, Pei Yumin always asked all sorts of random "personal" questions. Later, in order to prevent Pei Yumin from asking him embarrassing questions again, he stopped Pei Yumin from asking them behind his back. Even if Pei Yumin found an opportunity to ask secretly, he would find out immediately and then hide at the door to eavesdrop.
But those problems were all normal and wouldn't have made Pei Yumin worry like this.
They were almost at the company entrance when Yuan Qingyu said again, "But about a month ago, for three or four days, after he dropped you off at school, he would always be one or two hours late going to the company."
“Once, I didn’t go until the afternoon. Qi Min was in a hurry to sign a contract with him and couldn’t get in touch with him. He was afraid something had happened to him, so he contacted me.”
"But your father and I didn't think much of it at the time. We thought he was standing outside your school with you, because he would do that whenever he had free time during that period."
Lu Shangyan nodded: "Don't tell Pei Yumin about this yet. I'll ask Uncle Wu about it privately."
Yuan Qingyu's eyes also turned red, and her breathing trembled.
After getting out of the car, she looked at her expression through the rearview mirror and said, "Mom won't go up. You go up and talk to her, and ask Dai Qin to come down and pick you up."
Lu Shangyan said, "Then you go back first. I'll go up and check on him. I'll have him take me back to the hospital later."
Yuan Qingyu didn't refuse again. After watching him make a phone call to Dai Qin and enter the company gate, she got back into the car.
Upon hearing that Lu Shangyan was coming, Pei Yumin immediately went on high alert. He washed his face and tidied himself up before rushing downstairs like a whirlwind.
Lu Shangyan was still bundled up, but his waist had indeed become much rounder, though it didn't arouse suspicion.
Pei Yumin stopped in front of him, not even daring to reach out and touch him: "Why are you here?"
Lu Shangyan stared straight at him: "You didn't want to wash the grapes for me, so you hid in the company?"
Pei Yumin shook his head: "No, do you really want to eat it? I'll wash it for you now."
Lu Shangyan narrowed his eyes and stood still: "I feel unwell."
Pei Yumin's legs went weak on the spot. He tried to help him up, but he couldn't muster any strength. He was so anxious that his eyes turned red and tears welled up in them. He turned around to call for help, but Lu Shangyan covered his mouth first: "I feel bad if you don't stay with me."
Pei Yumin's mind was in complete chaos, and for a moment he even forgot to breathe. It was Lu Shangyan who grabbed his hand and kissed the corner of his mouth when no one was around, which gradually calmed him down.
Lu Shangyan said, "Are you afraid I'll leave you?"
Pei Yumin lowered his head and rested his forehead on his shoulder: "I'm terrified, terrified every minute of every second."
Lu Shangyan hooked his index finger with his own: "Did you install surveillance cameras because of this?"
Pei Yumin continued to nod; he still didn't know how to deal with these things.
Lu Shangyan said, "Actually, you're not good at pretending at all. I discovered a long time ago that you were spying on me."
Pei Yumin thought of the small flowerpot in the rented room.
Lu Shangyan's voice slowly came over: "It started last month, didn't it?"
Pei Yumin closed his eyes again and nodded.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Lu Shangyan asked him again, "Did Uncle Wu tell you that I might die?"
These words seemed to have touched a nerve with Pei Yumin. He suddenly raised his head, his face contorted in a grimace, but his eyes held a heartbreaking quality.
After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out, "Impossible, you won't get into trouble."
Lu Shangyan cupped his face in his hands and said firmly, "Yes, with you by my side, I will definitely not get into any trouble."
“I know you installed surveillance cameras around me, but that’s not what makes me angry. It’s that you wouldn’t tell me.”
“If you tell me, you can cover me in surveillance cameras all over. I know you’re only doing this because you’re worried about me.”
Pei Yumin's tears fell onto the back of his hand, and Lu Shangyan helped him wipe away the remaining tears: "Didn't you see? I put the little shark in a more obvious place."
Pei Yumin said vaguely, "I thought you were angry. I was afraid that if I appeared in front of you now, I would make you even angrier. You can't be too emotional, so I've been hiding from you. It's not that I didn't want to help you wash the grapes."
Lu Shangyan said softly, "You're doing this for my own good, how could I bear to blame you?"
Pei Yumin nodded, and after a long while, he said as if he had made up his mind, "Uncle Wu told me about your current physical condition..." His voice began to choke up again, and he could hardly finish a sentence: "Shang Yan, let's arrange the surgery as soon as possible. I don't want to delay any longer."
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