56: examine

Shen Lian and Ning Sixian were both completely confused.

After a short while, the doctor came out and said politely, "We can begin."

The contents of the examination were complex and extensive. Shen Lian cooperated with each one, ate a little something in the middle, and it lasted until two in the afternoon.

It was no exaggeration to say that by the time he came out of the last examination room, Shen Lian was in a daze.

He sat on a nearby chair to rest. Chu Yilan looked over while still talking to Ning Sixian.

"Is it really necessary?" Ning Sixian chuckled. "Back when you came to the hospital with your face covered in blood, we were scared to death, but you weren't nervous at all."

"Mm." Chu Yilan gave a perfunctory response. "I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"Then I'll call Yue Shan and the others."

"Suit yourself." When Chu Yilan said this, he had already walked several meters away.

"Tired?" Chu Yilan stopped and leaned down to take Shen Lian's hand.

The young man nodded. "This was like scanning me from the tip of my hair to my heels."

"It's not like you're scanned every day," Chu Yilan said. "Didn't you keep mentioning you wanted seafood the day before yesterday? I'll take you tonight."

Shen Lian: "Deal!"

The results came out very quickly. Shen Lian was drinking tea in the doctor's office, not taking it seriously at all.

But after the doctor handed the report to Ning Sixian, Ning Sixian frowned slightly.

Chu Yilan's heart tightened. "What's wrong?"

Ning Sixian reconfirmed the sheet again, then asked Shen Lian in a cautious and deliberate tone, "Do you occasionally feel discomfort in your heart?"

Chu Yilan's pupils suddenly constricted, and his breathing slowed and deepened.

"Don't scare him." Shen Lian stood up, approached, and glanced at the report. "I've always felt fine."

"Impossible." Ning Sixian pulled out the sheet below and pointed to two pieces of data. "You're barely passing, and your immunity isn't great either. There must be some symptoms normally."

Shen Lian was honest: "Well, I do have a bit of low blood sugar."

"That's not just low blood sugar," Ning Sixian said. "Incomplete closure of the heart valves—those are all associated symptoms."

Shen Lian's smile faded slightly, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

The Original Host had died of a sudden heart attack. Before Ning Sixian gave a definite answer, Shen Lian had always been in denial, but now there was no escaping it.

"When I had my physical exam for Star Opening before, the results were all normal," Shen Lian made a final struggle.

Ning Sixian made marks on the exam sheet with a pen. "Those were just basic checks. Besides, your valvular defect is congenital; there are no underlying lesions. It's considered mild."

Chu Yilan: "Can surgery fix it?"

"Yes, but it's not recommended at the moment," Ning Sixian replied. "Open-heart surgery is a major blow to one's vitality every time. Since this was detected early and is within the controllable range, the current recommendation is a cardiac ultrasound every six months and regular observation."

Shen Lian exhaled slowly. "Then it's not that serious."

It was much better than he had expected.

Ning Sixian glanced at Chu Yilan's expression. "Watch what you say."

Then he exchanged looks with the doctor, and the two of them quickly left.

Only Shen Lian and Chu Yilan remained in the office.

Chu Yilan leaned against the table, his posture uncharacteristically slumped. He had been high-spirited when they left this morning, but now he looked like a defeated general.

"Don't be afraid." Shen Lian stood by his side, speaking like a life mentor. "Even Ning Sixian didn't freak out. He said it's within the controllable range. I'll just be careful myself. In this life, who doesn't have some illness or pain?"

Chu Yilan turned his head to look at him and smiled slightly, though it was a bit forced.

Shen Lian leaned in, resting his chin on the man's chest and looking up. "We'll both live to a hundred, believe me?"

Chu Yilan gazed at him for a moment, an emotion flickering slightly in his eyes.

Regarding matters of birth, old age, illness, and death, there was always a barrier between Chu Yilan and reality. The successive deaths of his relatives made him keep such matters a secret, yet long-term mental torment had once made him yearn for it. Chu Yilan was flustered and uncertain, and he needed Shen Lian's comfort.

"Shen Lian, will you promise that the rose will never wither?"

"I promise."

The promise on a warm afternoon blended with the rustling wind outside the window, stirring a faint floral scent. In that moment, Chu Yilan held Shen Lian and kissed him dearly.

Afterward, Chu Yilan talked with several doctors and Ning Sixian for over an hour, confirming that Shen Lian didn't need any specific treatment for now, just careful nurturing.

I don't lack money, Chu Yilan thought. I can give him anything.

It was only natural for Ning Sixian to protect patient privacy, so once they left the hospital gates, no one mentioned it again.

Upon hearing that Chu Yilan was hosting a banquet at the Seafood Grand Hotel, Feng Yueshan rushed over without stopping.

Chu Yilan restrained his emotions, not letting Feng Yueshan and the others notice.

Feng Yueshan even secretly asked Ning Sixian, "How's the mission we brothers gave you going?"

Ning Sixian shrugged. "It fell through. I asked, but even Shen Lian doesn't know."

Then nothing could be pried out of Chu Yilan's mouth.

Feng Yueshan was greatly disappointed.

Seeing this, Chu Yilan chuckled. "Are you that bored? If not, I'll have Old Master Feng arrange a few blind dates for you."

Feng Yueshan was instantly like someone whose tail had been stepped on. "Forget it! What's so good about being in love? To be honest, I think you're a bit neurotic right now."

Chu Yilan raised an eyebrow.

The result was that the big-talking Young Master Feng was tricked by Chu Yilan into playing Pai Gow at another game table and lost miserably. By the time Shen Lian finished eating his brown crab, Feng Yueshan had been penalized with so much alcohol that he was slurring.

When the party broke up, Ning Sixian, with a bitter face, helped the man into the car.

They arrived home around eight in the evening, just as the sky turned dark.

As soon as Shen Lian opened the door, a small black-and-white furball rubbed against his feet. Shen Lian let out an "Ouch" and leaned down to pick up Chu Zhumi. "You really look different every day. Master Chu, look, he came specifically to find me. It seems the goat milk powder from a while ago wasn't fed in vain; he remembered my scent."

The meow of a tiny kitten could melt one's heart. If it weren't still so small, Shen Lian would have immediately whipped out a can and stuffed it straight into its stomach. This was just too cute.

Chu Yilan only gave it a glance. Perhaps Shen Lian had a filter because he picked it up himself, but Chu Yilan felt Chu Zhumi didn't look very good. With a ring of black spots around its mouth, it had already lost the beauty race at the starting line.

Shen Lian didn't forget Ning Sixian's reminders from earlier. He showered quickly tonight, the water temperature wasn't high, and the ventilation equipment was fully on. He came out in less than ten minutes, feeling refreshed. Looking up, he saw Chu Yilan, who was a few minutes faster than him, already sitting on the bed, wearing the matching black silk robe he had gifted.

Every time Chu Yilan had appeared before Shen Lian previously, he was invariably dressed neatly, never like this moment.

A sharp buzz cut, without many fancy decorations, deep and sharp facial features, and shoulders that slightly stretched the collar open. The lines revealed were just like their owner—crisp and clean. The sense of pressure and aggressiveness went without saying, yet... his gaze was unusually peaceful and clean.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight," Chu Yilan said, then sighed softly. "Shen Lian, I'm worried."

But in Shen Lian's ears, those words sounded like, "I feel insecure."

Shen Lian grabbed the wall for support. Who could possibly resist this?!