176: But I hate myself

After everyone left, Shen Lian pulled Chu Yilan to lie down.

"Sleep a bit longer?" Shen Lian asked.

Chu Yilan shook his head, his gaze very focused.

"Looking at me like that makes me feel a bit embarrassed."

"Don't you hate me?" Chu Yilan blinked.

Shen Lian seemed not to have heard clearly. "What?"

"Without my stubbornness, how could you have been caught by Chu Changqi?"

"I should hate you?" Shen Lian raised his hand and lightly flicked Chu Yilan's forehead. "Did you see Chu Changqi while I was unconscious? What did that psychopath say to you? Chu Yilan, what you're saying is ridiculous."

He felt too much heartache to even think of hating him.

Chu Yilan tightened his arms, pulling Shen Lian closer into his embrace. His tone was as usual, almost sighing as he said, "But I hate myself."

He hated himself to death.

Shen Lian knew this man had been scared out of his wits.

Verbal comfort was no longer enough; Shen Lian was very afraid this would become another major psychological scar for Chu Yilan.

"Actually, Chu Changqi didn't get any advantage over me," Shen Lian said softly.

More than just not getting an advantage.

Sun Binghe only had time to meet Chu Changqi in the last two days. He had heard this guy was a real pervert?

Seeing Chu Changqi covered in injuries, Assistant Sun fell silent.

It was an emergency at the time, so he hadn't noticed. Sun Binghe even asked Nie Sheng, "Did you do this?"

"No," Nie Sheng replied. "He was like this when I arrived. To keep him fresh, I even refused when he said he wanted to take a bath."

Sun Binghe: "..." As expected of Teacher Shen.

The two spoke right in front of Chu Changqi. Perhaps dissatisfied with being ignored, Chu Changqi suddenly said, "Let Chu Yilan come see me."

Sun Binghe said indifferently, "Nie Sheng."

Nie Sheng understood immediately and slapped him hard across the face. He was a trained fighter and didn't hold back, instantly silencing Chu Changqi manually.

Seeing the man fainted, Sun Binghe left contentedly.

To put it bluntly, Jin Lei was just this man's dog—same breed, what good could he be?

Shen Lian slept under Chu Yilan's watchful eyes. When he woke up, it was almost dark. No matter how he acted, his body's feedback was the most honest.

Ning Sixian emphasized a light diet. Chu Yilan hired an authoritative nutritionist. Anyway, once the meal entered his mouth, Shen Lian felt like he was eating grass; there was no flavor at all.

"You guys were quite impressive, arriving at the port before me and clearing everyone out." Shen Lian spoke casually. He couldn't keep avoiding it; he was trying to "desensitize" Chu Yilan, taking it slow.

"That part of the port is Xu Jingge's territory," Chu Yilan replied. "The blue sea project back then, you know about it."

"Oh, right." Shen Lian nodded. "Not bad, he's a loyal friend."

With one phone call from Chu Yilan, even with suppressed emotions, Xu Jingge could sense his rage and slight loss of control. Hearing that Shen Lian had been kidnapped, Xu Jingge immediately contacted his men. Regardless of his friendship with Chu Yilan, even if Chang Qing heard about it, he would never let Xu Jingge stand idly by.

After chatting for a while, Chu Yilan urged Shen Lian to sleep.

They both tacitly avoided many details.

Past midnight, Shen Lian, who had been sleeping peacefully, let out a soft groan.

Chu Yilan's eyes snapped open instantly.

The curtains were half-open. In the faint moonlight, a layer of fine sweat covered Shen Lian's forehead. He was lying on his side, facing Chu Yilan, gripping a corner of the quilt and pressing it lightly against his chest. Perhaps the pain was severe; his slender neck stretched upward slightly, and his breathing quickened for a few seconds before he returned to a state of gritting his teeth in endurance.

Chu Yilan's eyes turned red.

Ning Sixian had secretly warned him that this recovery might be accompanied by slight pain. As long as the equipment didn't alarm, it was fine, and he should rest assured.

Chu Yilan raised the head of the bed and held Shen Lian in his arms. Following the technique he had learned from the doctor, he gently and slowly massaged the young man's chest.

Shen Lian clearly felt more comfortable. He released his grip on the quilt, and his breathing relaxed.

After sleeping with his head tilted back for a while, Shen Lian woke up with a start. He looked at Chu Yilan dizzily and mumbled, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Chu Yilan replied, "Soon. You sleep first."

No matter how fragile Shen Lian was when his mental defenses were down, he was stubborn once he woke up.

Around noon, Feng Yueshan and Zhou Yuanlin arrived.

"Impressive, Teacher Shen. You managed to land yourself in the hospital?" Feng Yueshan put down the fruit basket. Seeing Shen Lian's pale face, he stopped there. "How do you feel now?"

"Pretty good," Shen Lian joked. "I can still go a few rounds with you."

Chu Yilan, who was pouring water, lightly patted his shoulder.

Zhou Yuanlin added, "You should recuperate well this time. Anyway, from what Ning Sixian said, it won't be easy."

Shen Lian: "Doctors like to exaggerate."

"Doctor Ning has high medical ethics," Sun Binghe said as he walked in.

Hearing this voice, Zhou Yuanlin's hair stood on end, and he couldn't help hiding behind Feng Yueshan.

It would have been better if he hadn't moved; his movement immediately caught Sun Binghe's attention.

"Hmm?" Sun Binghe looked over.

Zhou Yuanlin: "..."

"Isn't this..." Sun Binghe narrowed his eyes. "The mandatory contrast of the strong?"

Zhou Yuanlin immediately pressed his hands together in a prayer position, begging for mercy.

There was no choice; those words had been blurted out by a drunk Feng Yueshan. He couldn't leave his brother in the lurch. Young Master Feng blocked Sun Binghe's razor-sharp gaze and threatened with a lack of confidence, "Assistant Sun, one should be forgiving whenever possible. If you really dare to do anything, I'll print out all my failing report cards and mail them to you."

Sun Binghe frowned and weighed the threat, thinking Feng Yueshan was quite a piece of work.

"Don't make a scene here," Chu Yilan said indifferently.

"It's fine," Shen Lian was highly amused.

Feng Yueshan was an expert at banter. After teasing them for a bit, he left with Zhou Yuanlin. Shen Lian looked like he had lost a lot of energy and clearly needed rest.

Shen Lian's afternoon medicine contained sleep-inducing ingredients. In less than three minutes, the previously energetic man was yawning with half-closed eyes. Chu Yilan touched his forehead: "Go to sleep."

After Shen Lian fell asleep, Chu Yilan watched over him until dark. He picked up his coat from the sofa. The ward door opened a crack, revealing half of Sun Binghe's figure before closing again.

"Boss." Sun Binghe hesitated. "Are you sure you want to go?"

Chu Yilan glanced at him. Sun Binghe immediately lowered his head and said no more.

That yacht had been docked at the port. Even though Shen Lian was in such pain at the time, he had insisted that Sun Binghe close the door. Afterward, Sun Binghe had his suspicions, so he went to check for himself. The moment he opened it, Sun Binghe cursed countless times in his heart while vaguely understanding what Chu Changqi had once done to the Boss.

No wonder Shen Lian had risked half his life to make Chu Changqi's life a living hell.

Chu Yilan didn't see Chu Changqi; instead, he told Sun Binghe to leave first.

He stood alone at the door of the room, trying to feel the fear and despair he had faced as a child, but his heart was empty; there was nothing.

Chu Yilan himself felt surprised. No longer hesitating, he pushed open the door with one hand.

Although the layout was slightly different, Chu Yilan recognized many "old friends" at a glance.