Chapter 37 IF Route: Childhood Encounters 2 What's going on? So innocent...
A silence fell over the ward.
Chi Chen's rationality took a few seconds to return. He took a step back and his calf slammed hard against the chair, making a screeching sound.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chi Chen's voice was distorted, his cheeks flushed, and he was rambling incoherently, "Who wants to buy you?? I just felt sorry for you..."
Chi Chen was panting, and even he himself felt that he was bluffing.
He lost his composure just because a male classmate called him "master," it was incredibly embarrassing.
However, the expected scene of being pestered or playing the victim did not occur. Xu Yan seemed to be startled by his intense reaction, and the light that had just appeared in her eyes quickly dimmed.
Chi Chen paused, noticing Xu Yan's fingers gripping the blanket tightly, her knuckles turning white, yet she still managed a forced smile, as if trying to say, "I'm sorry, I startled you."
He threw back the covers, his voice calm but with a barely perceptible, suppressed tremor, "Then I'll go home and cook for my father... otherwise he'll beat me to death."
"Father?" Chi Chen repeated, "That man is...?"
Chi Chen initially thought the villain was either a debt collector or a relative.
Is he actually Xu Yan's biological father?
Xu Yan gave a soft "hmm" and smoothly removed the needle from the back of her hand without any pause.
His speed was so fast and natural, with a kind of resolute determination as if he were seeking death, that Chi Chen didn't even have time to stop him before his eyes were stung by the bright red color.
A small string of blood beads stood out vividly against her pale skin and bluish-purple veins, but Xu Yan seemed oblivious as she stood up.
Chi Chen instinctively wanted to help him up, but hesitated for a moment because of the kiss in the rain and the word "master".
Unexpectedly, the person in front of him suddenly buckled in the knees and fell forward.
"Hey!" Chi Chen's heart almost jumped out of his throat. His body reacted faster than his brain, and he opened his arms to catch the excessively light and soft body that fell down.
Xu Yan's forehead bumped against his chest. Soft black hair brushed against his collarbone, tickling him.
Chi Chen's body stiffened instantly, his arms tightly wrapped around Xu Yan's waist, as if he could hold her with one hand.
A damp sensation came from his chest. Chi Chen looked down and saw that Xu Yan's eyelashes were wet and stuck together in clumps, and her clothes were stained with dark water.
"I'm sorry..." Xu Yan's voice trembled, "I'm so useless."
Chi Chen didn't say anything and helped the person back to bed.
He turned his head away and said, "You can stay at my place for now. Your dad can't go back anytime soon."
"Also, don't try to pull out needles like you do on TV next time, it's scary."
After the nurse reinserted the needle, she gave me a few simple instructions.
Xu Yan's weakness was caused by long-term malnutrition, and she could only eat light meals to slowly recover after returning home.
Chi Chen stared at his phone nonchalantly, but he memorized everything in his mind.
Perhaps because Xu Yan had already woken up, Chi Chen felt that sitting next to her was even more awkward than before.
Chi Chen turned his face away, his tone somewhat stiff, "After you stop calling me that, I can let you stay at my house temporarily, and then... just call me by my name."
"Thank you." Xu Yan's voice was soft, revealing no emotion.
Chi Chen inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't even thought about what he should say if Xu Yan refused.
If he really put the person back... he felt he would soon be able to attend his classmate's funeral.
“However, I still don’t know your name.” Xu Yan looked at him very sincerely.
Chi Chen: ...
Could it be that Xu Yan asked him for help without knowing he was her classmate?
She even...she forcibly kissed him.
So back then, he would kiss anyone who came?
Just thinking about that scene made Chi Chen feel a surge of anger.
How frivolous!
Seeing that Chi Chen was frowning and not speaking, Xu Yan did not urge him; he simply waited quietly.
When Chi Chen looked up, he realized that Xu Yan was almost pressed against him.
It seems anyone can do it.
Chi Chen shifted away somewhat, displeased. "My name is Chi Chen."
Xu Yan was a very perceptive person, and he naturally sensed the change in Chi Chen's emotions.
But he couldn't figure out why Chi Chen was suddenly unhappy.
Could it be because I asked him his name?
"My name is Xu Yan." Xu Yan explained her name seriously, "It's the 'Yan' in 'to hate' or 'to despise'."
Chi Chen did not reply.
He had always found Xu Yan's name strange.
It's not even a very good character, so why would a single character be used as a name?
Even Xu Yan herself used the word "disgust" when introducing herself.
Damn, why does this person always seem so nonchalant about everything?
Seeing that Chi Chen ignored him, Xu Yan was not embarrassed at all. He sat silently on the bed, his eyes intently watching the constantly dripping liquid, as if he was not bored at all.
Having observed everything, Chi Chen truly couldn't understand how someone could be so well-behaved and quiet.
He frowned, took out his spare phone from his bag, and placed it on Xu Yan's lap. "Take this and play with it."
Xu Yan paused slightly, her long eyelashes trembled, and a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her calm and composed demeanor. "Thank you, but I don't know how to use it."
"..." Chi Chen was speechless again. Given his family background, it was indeed impossible for them to buy him a cell phone.
The irritation in my heart resurfaced.
Chi Chen is least adept at dealing with such obedient and fragile people.
He pulled the chair closer, his tone firm, "I'll teach you, it's very simple."
Xu Yan neither refused nor showed any expectation. She simply watched Chi Chen's movements quietly, her eyes following his fingers as she carefully remembered what each button did and the commonly used software was.
The boy's clean scent, mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant, lingered in the small space where the two were too close together.
Chi Chen's language system started to become chaotic, so I simply helped him register a new WeChat account.
"What nickname do you want to use..." Chi Chen turned to ask, but his voice trailed off.
He didn't know when, but Xu Yan's head was so close that his pale face was right next to his, her warm breath almost brushing against his earlobe, her long eyelashes so close, like raven feathers.
No...it's too close.
Chi Chen felt his heart skip a beat, and his ears started to burn. He immediately pulled away, his voice trembling, "Why are you so close!"
Xu Yan paused, a hint of confusion flashing in her beautiful eyes. "I'm sorry, I thought you would like it."
"I like... I like what??" Chi Chen's mind didn't quite process it for a moment.
Xu Yan raised her eyes, without shyness or provocation, only innocent observation and inquiry.
Then, without Chi Chen's warning, the other person reached out and gently hugged his arm, their thin chest pressed tightly against his elbow beneath the loose hospital gown. "Brother loves to hug me, don't you like it?"
Looking into the other person's clear eyes, Chi Chen's mind went blank.
Brother? What brother?
My chaotic thoughts were interrupted. The boy's body seemed very soft and his body temperature was very low. Touching him stirred up a strange flutter in my heart.
Especially that pure and pretty face... she was trying to please him.
A surge of heat rushed to the top of my head.
"I'm sorry, this is all I'm good for." Xu Yan's voice was low. "Please don't despise me, okay, Brother Chi Chen?"
Chi Chen abruptly pulled his hand away, covered his nose, and looked utterly astonished.
Xu Yan looked at him worriedly and whispered, "You seem to have a nosebleed."
"You don't need to tell me!" Chi Chen practically yelled through gritted teeth, then abandoned all pretense of decorum and rushed to the bathroom as if his life depended on it.
Chi Chen frantically grabbed a tissue to cover his nose, tilted his head back, and saw that his face was flushed and his eyes were panicked. He looked extremely disheveled.
He has never lost his composure like this before!
After stopping the nosebleed, Chi Chen washed his face with cold water, the cool water taking away the heat from his skin.
Looking at himself, now calm, he couldn't help but recall every detail of how he first met Xu Yan.
That awkward kiss from the past, the brother she called him, and even though she was a boy... she always tried to please him with her body, and thought that was his only value.
What exactly does that mean?
Chi Chen couldn't figure out his feelings for Xu Yan; it seemed to be neither disgust nor pity.
But Xu Yan's obsequious manner showed that she knew nothing.
Chi Chen felt that he shouldn't live that kind of life...
Since everyone in his family is busy anyway, it doesn't matter if he finds himself a companion.
The temperature in my brain finally dropped.
After calming himself down, Chi Chen resolved to correct Xu Yan's values.
He pushed open the door and went out.
Xu Yan was still sitting on the bed, and it seemed that he hadn't changed his posture in the few minutes since he left.
He just kept his head down, as if looking at his own arm.
How can she be so well-behaved?
Chi Chen was thinking to himself, but he put on an annoyed expression. "Have you thought of a nickname yet?"
Hearing this, Xu Yan looked up cautiously, "No... can you help me think of something?"
Chi Chen sat down next to him again, opened the name selection interface, and casually asked, "Do you have anything you like?"
"Animals, food, or something like that."
Xu Yan didn't answer immediately, seemingly thinking seriously. "Let's call it Y, A, N."
Without much thought, Chi Chen entered "yan".
After registering his account, he added his friends without a second thought.
"Message me if anything comes up." Chi Chen operated two phones, adding Xu Yan's name to his contacts.
Then she added a new nickname to Xu Yan's phone.
The contact list was empty, with only Chi Chen's profile picture.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
It's as if Xu Yan's whole world consists of only him.
Xu Yan took the phone and actually started fiddling with it herself.
Chi Chen felt gratified; as expected, no child could resist a mobile phone.
He inadvertently glanced at Xu Yan's screen.
But then I saw that the other person had deleted my full name from their contacts.
It was changed to a heart-shaped symbol.
...Chi Chen's face turned red again.
What's going on... so innocent?
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Author's Note: [Thumbs up] Little Yanyan is the best!
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