122: Remember

Chu Yilan picked up his coat, and Ming Congshan immediately stood up. "CEO Chu, this..."

"You guys eat," Chu Yilan interrupted, then left straight away.

A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the man who had just offered a toast; he seemingly hadn't expected Chu Yilan to leave just like that.

Once the private room door closed, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Ming Congshan was the same, but his expression soon turned sour. Over the past two years, the food factory's operations had been mediocre, and the Ming Family had long since declined. However, he hadn't given up; he had come this time hoping for an investment from Chu Yilan, but the man had looked down on them.

Ming Congshan turned to look at the young man who had toasted earlier. "Ming Lin, I'll introduce you to him next time."

Ming Lin took a shallow breath, suppressed his emotions, and nodded with a smile.

Who needs you to introduce me? Useless! Ming Lin thought. He was Ming Congshan's nephew and the most outstanding of this generation, but compared to Chu Yilan... Ming Lin lowered his head, concealing all his emotions.

While Chu Yilan was driving home at full speed, Aunt Fen had already received the call and rushed to the bedroom.

Shen Lian was maintaining a kneeling, prone position, his hands clutching the quilt against his chest. It looked quite terrifying.

"Xiao Lian?" Aunt Fen's voice was trembling. "How are you? I—I'll call 120 right now, let's go to the hospital!"

"Wait," Shen Lian's voice was low and hoarse. "Auntie, there are two bottles of medicine by the nightstand. Please pour one pill of each for me."

Aunt Fen immediately complied.

Shen Lian took the medicine and, without waiting for Aunt Fen to bring water, put them in his mouth and chewed them down.

It was very bitter, but Shen Lian felt numb. As the medicine took effect, the pain in his chest gradually eased. Shen Lian lay on the bed, drained of strength, his hair soaked with sweat. He flashed a smile at Aunt Fen. "It's okay now."

Aunt Fen's eyes instantly turned red.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Aunt Fen's lips quivered. "Xiao Lan didn't tell me either."

"It's not serious." Shen Lian's fingertips were cold. He rubbed them gently. Hearing Aunt Fen say she would get a towel to wipe his sweat, he refused without thinking. "Auntie, don't worry about it. When Yilan comes back, I have... something very important to tell him."

Shen Lian had been the most frightened tonight. The physical pain was bearable, but that dream—even a slight recollection of it made him feel as if his heart and soul were tearing apart.

Shen Lian's tone was light, but his attitude was firm. Aunt Fen only half-understood, but seeing that he had indeed recovered—the purple tint on his lips fading and his face no longer deathly pale, though he was still listless—she thoughtfully tucked him in.

"Aunt Fen," Shen Lian said softly. "How many members of the Ming Family have you met? I heard from Yilan that the person he was having dinner with today is an uncle."

"Aside from Old Master Ming and the Eldest Miss, there's hardly a good person among them!" Aunt Fen's expression changed, her eyes full of resentment. "Back then, when Chu Changqi—that beast of a father to Xiao Lan—repaid kindness with enmity and usurped the family, Old Master Ming was under control in the hospital. He sought help from the main family, but those people ran away faster than the next. Very few actually lent a hand."

Shen Lian blinked and remembered this.

Not long after, Chu Yilan pushed the door open and entered, the chill of the wind and snow still clinging to him. Aunt Fen hurriedly retreated.

"Shen Lian?" Chu Yilan walked to the bedside. Hearing his voice, the youth's eyelashes fluttered, and then he opened a slit to look at him, wearing a smile. "You're back?"

The hands Chu Yilan reached out were trembling slightly, then were caught halfway by Shen Lian. One pair was cold, the other damp, but when their fingers intertwined, they both clearly felt a void in their hearts click back into place.

Shen Lian reached out his other hand for Chu Yilan to hold him. Chu Yilan leaned down, supported his back, and carefully took him into his arms bit by bit.

Shen Lian's breathing was uneven, as if every breath was a struggle. Chu Yilan was terrified and didn't dare use any force. "What's wrong?"

"It flared up," Shen Lian said hoarsely. "Who would have thought that right after setting a flag with Ning Sixian, things would go wrong tonight."

His tone was calm, but one hand kept tightening around Chu Yilan's waist. Because he lacked strength, he would let go after a few seconds and then tighten his grip again, as if afraid this person would disappear.

Chu Yilan naturally didn't believe the illness would flare up for no reason. He kissed Shen Lian's temple, his voice growing even gentler. "You didn't reply to my message earlier. Were you asleep? Did you have a nightmare?"

Shen Lian paused. "Something like that."

Chu Yilan couldn't even imagine what kind of nightmare could make Shen Lian lose control like this.

"Yilan..."

"Hmm?" Chu Yilan responded urgently.

"Stay away from those people in the Ming Family." Shen Lian showed his weakness and fear to Chu Yilan without any concealment. "You might think it's nonsense, but their presence really makes me very uncomfortable."

"Okay," Chu Yilan agreed without a second thought. "I won't see them again."

He hadn't made any promises to his grandfather, only kept him in his thoughts. But now that Shen Lian was like this, Chu Yilan didn't care about anything else.

"Let's go to the hospital."

Shen Lian closed his eyes, his voice very faint. "I don't have the strength."

Chu Yilan didn't even change his clothes. He found a down jacket to wrap Shen Lian up tightly, carried him to the car, and then called Ning Sixian.

Ning Sixian had been at the hospital lately, which was convenient, but he felt that this shouldn't be happening.

He thought the two of them were making a mountain out of a molehill, but upon seeing Shen Lian's face, Ning Sixian's hand filling out the examination forms didn't pause for half a second.

After being connected to the machines and given oxygen, Chu Yilan went outside to talk with Ning Sixian. Shen Lian slowly opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling reflecting the winter snow.

He rarely showed weakness. Just now, not letting Aunt Fen intervene was a deliberate move to let Chu Yilan see. Only when Chu Yilan felt the pain would he firmly remember his words.

Although doing this wasn't great, it was better than an accident happening.

Shen Lian's sixth sense was useful in his previous life, and in this life, connected to his heart, it could only be said to be even more effective.

Having disrupted the dinner party, Shen Lian's heart gradually settled down. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight.

As soon as Shen Lian moved his fingertips, footsteps approached.

A faint stubble had grown around Chu Yilan's jaw. He looked at Shen Lian with gentle eyes, checked various data indicators, and then pressed the call button.

Shen Lian chuckled. "You know how to read these?"

Chu Yilan: "Ning Sixian taught me."

Shen Lian took his hand. Seeing the man fully dressed and clear-eyed, he asked, "Did you stay up all night?"

"Shen Lian," Chu Yilan spoke very slowly, as if wanting to vent some deeply suppressed emotion. "With you like this, how could I possibly sleep?"

Before Shen Lian appeared, during the times when Chu Yilan's mental state was at its worst, let alone staying up for one night, it was normal for him to go several nights in a row without sleep. That feeling of stepping into thin air, as if being bound by something from the abyss—that mixture of anger and dread had returned, torturing Chu Yilan all night long.

Shen Lian moved his fingertips, scratching Chu Yilan's palm, and said, "I'm much better."

"It was paroxysmal." Ning Sixian had also practically stayed up all night. Around five in the morning, when all of Shen Lian's vital signs had stabilized, he reached this conclusion. "You two didn't have a fight, did you?"

Chu Yilan shook his head. He couldn't get enough of seeing him every day; where would they find the time to fight?

Shen Lian was forcibly kept in the hospital by Chu Yilan for three days, with no protests allowed.