175: woke up

The frost on Chu Yilan's body had not yet dissipated, and it was mixed with a faint scent of blood. The bright lights of the corridor could not reach him; the man stood motionless at the door of the operating room.

Sun Binghe was usually eloquent, but at this moment, he found himself speechless.

He had thought that as long as Shen Lian was standing there safely, the dust had settled.

No one knew how much time had passed before the operating room lights went out. The doctor pushed open the door, took off his mask, and said, "He's out of danger."

Upon hearing those words, the deathly silence surrounding Chu Yilan crumbled away. His movements were stiff and slow; his chest, which had barely moved, seemed to finally let go of some emotion. A thirst for "life" surged into his body like a tidal wave, and he began to breathe heavily.

Chu Yilan took a step forward, but perhaps because he used too much force, his figure stumbled slightly. Sun Binghe reached out to support him, but was gently pushed away by Chu Yilan.

Chu Yilan shook his head and then looked at the doctor.

"It was a heart issue, and besides that, a lung infection caused by the cold and high fever. Fortunately, it's not serious. The coughing up of blood was due to ruptured capillaries in the throat, and it's all been controlled."

Chu Yilan's pupils emitted an inorganic, eerie light, and he trembled slightly upon hearing this.

Shen Lian was soon wheeled out with several tubes attached to him. The transport bed stopped beside Chu Yilan. Chu Yilan pressed one hand heavily onto the edge of the bed, looking intently at Shen Lian. The bloodstains on the young man's face had been cleaned away; aside from being excessively pale, he looked as if he were simply asleep.

He was fine.

These words finally took physical form, stopping the thunderous destruction of Chu Yilan's fractured world.

Shen Lian was sent to an independent ward for observation. From the moment he went missing until now, Chu Yilan's nerves had been stretched to their limit. Worried that they would collapse one after another, Sun Binghe suggested Chu Yilan go rest first, but as expected, it was impossible.

"Tonight..." Chu Yilan said in a low voice, "Thank you for your hard work. Send people to protect this entire floor, then find a place to get some sleep."

Hearing this, Sun Binghe stopped trying to persuade him.

In the silence of the surroundings, Chu Yilan gazed greedily at Shen Lian through the glass of the room door. At this moment, he cared about nothing else but this person.

On the way here, Chu Yilan didn't know how many times he had felt regret. What did Chu Changqi matter? If he didn't catch him this time, there was always the next. He clearly hadn't wanted to involve Shen Lian, yet in the end, he had let this person bear it all.

Even in his sleep, Shen Lian didn't feel pain. His consciousness was muddled as he dreamed of trivial matters from his past life—skiing with friends one moment, drinking at a high-end club the next. It looked colorful, but it was actually quite dull. However, once that face with sharp, handsome brows, a buzz cut, and a suit burst into his mind, Shen Lian instantly became energized.

And this sleep lasted for four days.

During this time, Chu Yilan was finally able to move into the ward, but he would wake up at the slightest disturbance.

Ning Sixian was also there. He had always been in charge of Shen Lian's physical condition. Upon hearing the news, he rushed over without stopping to meet with the local experts.

Stable condition was good news. As for sky-high prices for imported medicine and expensive treatments, they were of no concern.

Chu Yilan had only slept for three hours last night. When he opened his eyes, his heart was racing with anxiety. Only by turning to look at the unconscious Shen Lian and checking his breathing could he calm down.

"Are you angry?" Chu Yilan whispered.

He made a promise: "I'll never let this happen again."

Shen Lian's eyelids flickered slightly.

The cold wind blew outside all night. Chu Yilan only fell asleep as dawn approached. In his haze, he felt a slight movement beside him. Just as he was about to open his eyes, a gentle force dispersed his gathered tension. He had been exhausted these past few days, like a taut string, and this force was like a spring breeze, easily making Chu Yilan drop all his defenses.

When Ning Sixian pushed the door open, he saw someone lying on the bed and subconsciously thought it was Shen Lian. However, when he looked up, he saw the man himself sitting on the sofa by the window, greeting him with a smile: "Morning, Doctor Ning."

Ning Sixian: "?"

"Aren't you..."

"It was too stuffy." Shen Lian knew what he wanted to say. "I'm just getting some air. Don't worry, I won't catch a cold."

Ning Sixian realized that the one sleeping on the bed was Chu Yilan.

"He..."

"Keep your voice down," Shen Lian whispered. "I think he's exhausted."

And wasn't he? When Shen Lian opened his eyes, he thought Master Chu had spent the last few days training with some wild tribe—he was unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Want some water?" Shen Lian asked, looking ready to get up and pour a glass for Ning Sixian.

Ning Sixian instantly understood what Assistant Sun meant by the feeling of a "soaring heart." He immediately raised his hand to stop Shen Lian: "Teacher Shen, Great Star Shen! Those few steps from the bed to the window already have me on edge. Can you please not move around?"

"What are you afraid of? It's not serious," Shen Lian replied.

When he first started getting up and walking, his chest hurt a bit, but he adapted after a few more steps. Ultimately, Shen Lian wasn't used to this body being unable to move an inch; he wanted to get better as quickly as possible within controllable limits.

Ning Sixian took out his stethoscope, but as soon as he took a step forward, Chu Yilan seemed to sense something and moved.

"Get out first!" Shen Lian said succinctly.

Ning Sixian: "..."

"Shen Lian?" Chu Yilan muttered in his sleep. Before Shen Lian could respond, the man suddenly sat up.

He immediately fumbled around in panic. When he didn't see anyone, fear instantly exploded in his eyes. Where was Shen Lian?!

"I'm here, I'm here." Shen Lian said as he walked toward Chu Yilan. He was wearing hospital pajamas inside with Chu Yilan's black coat draped over them, moving so briskly that Ning Sixian felt like he needed oxygen.

No, brother, please slow down!

Chu Yilan couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality, but the first thing he did was hug Shen Lian tightly.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

Shen Lian felt a strange pang in his heart; he was like a child who couldn't find his way home.

"Right here, by your side." Shen Lian gently patted Chu Yilan's back. "Didn't I promise you? I was just exhausted and fainted at the time, it's really nothing."

You really dare to say that, Ning Sixian thought. According to the test reports, during the few hours Shen Lian spent with Chu Changqi, he had intense palpitations no less than three times, caught a cold leading to a lung infection, and a high fever caused capillaries in his throat to rupture. And he calls this "nothing"?

If it had been an hour later, Shen Lian could have gone straight to the ICU.

Chu Yilan didn't say anything.

Shen Lian gestured to Ning Sixian, signaling him to leave first. However, as soon as Ning Sixian moved, Chu Yilan turned his head to look: "Check-up? Do it now."

Ning Sixian felt that Chu Yilan switched between losing control and being rational quite smoothly.

Not daring to provoke his friend, Ning Sixian quickly called in other helpers. Combining bedside equipment and blood draws, after a lot of fuss, Shen Lian's condition had improved significantly. But according to the results... Ning Sixian glanced at Shen Lian; this person should be in pain.

But Shen Lian smiled and coaxed Chu Yilan, not showing a single hint of it.