Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Gu Xiuyi was right— not only did Ji Ruan lose his voice, but he also fell ill.

Ji Ruan had a restless sleep that night. Though he had been exhausted all day and quickly fell asleep due to fatigue, he found himself in a shallow slumber, feeling discomfort, and suddenly woke up in the latter half of the night.

Upon awakening, he was enveloped in darkness, unable to see the streetlights outside or the small nightlight on the table. Having removed his hearing aid before sleep, he now faintly heard a ringing in his ears.

For a few seconds, Ji Ruan wallowed in this sensation of sensory deprivation, feeling suffocated, until a sharp pain in his stomach pulled him back to reality. The darkness in front of his eyes began to dissipate as the ringing in his ears intensified.

His stomach throbbed, accompanied by a burning sensation. The pain made Ji Ruan shiver, and he instinctively curled up, feeling a coldness in his upper abdomen as if weighed down by a chunk of ice.

He was drenched in sweat; his pajamas felt damp beneath his palms, even his hair was wet, and his vision blurred as sweat saturated his eyelashes.

Ji Ruan's consciousness never fully awakened. He lay there, eyes wide, gasping for breath, while lost in pain.

The next moment, a more intense cramping pain surged from his stomach, making him feel choked. It forced Ji Ruan to scramble out of bed and stumble mechanically towards the bathroom.

The moment he reached the sink, he vomited.

Everything was a blur; he couldn't tell how long he had been throwing up. All he knew was that the cramping in his stomach gradually felt like a continuous prickling, and his shirt collar and back were soaked in cold sweat.

Eventually, it seemed he was throwing up stomach acid; his chest and throat burnt fiercely. After rinsing his face, Ji Ruan, coughing, collapsed onto the floor, feeling dizzy as a high-pitched ringing echoed in his ears.

The sheer intensity of discomfort snapped Ji Ruan back to clarity.

His fingertips were numb. It took him quite a while to push himself upright against the wall before being forced to hunch over again by the stomach pain.

Gu Xiuyi's room was next door, while Aunt Zhao stayed on the first floor. Just walking from his room to the next left Ji Ruan dizzy and disoriented. He had never despised the large rooms as much as he did now.

Gu Xiuyi's doorknob was cold to touch. Ji Ruan knocked twice, but when there was no response and the persistent pain in his stomach continued, he found himself leaning against the door for support, knocking more forcefully.

"Click—"

The door was pulled open from the inside, and as Ji Ruan lost his balance, he stumbled forward, only to be caught securely in someone's arms.

His senses were in disarray— his vision blurred, and ears ringing, yet his sense of smell was intact. He recognized the familiar scent of Gu Xiuyi.

When Gu Xiuyi was awakened in the middle of the night, he hadn't expected to find Ji Ruan at his door, drenched in cold sweat, his face deathly pale, and shivering uncontrollably.

He patted Ji Ruan's damp face, attempting to speak. Realizing that Ji Ruan wasn't wearing his hearing aid, he leaned closer to his left ear and asked, "Ji Ruan?"

"Ji Ruan, what's hurting you?"

The pain was so intense for Ji Ruan that he couldn't hear anything. The air conditioning in Gu Xiuyi's room was set very low. The cool breeze intensified Ji Ruan's stomach pain, causing him to gasp in agony.

Seeing Ji Ruan pressing hard on his stomach, his knuckles turning white, Gu Xiuyi immediately guessed that it might be gastroenteritis.

Ji Ruan felt icy all over. Without hesitation, Gu Xiuyi grabbed a jacket to wrap around him, lifted him up, and began heading to the garage. However, after a few steps, he quickly turned back to retrieve a small external device from Ji Ruan's room.

As Gu Xiuyi seated Ji Ruan in the passenger seat, the pain left Ji Ruan too weak to resist. Ji Ruan was perspiring so heavily that he couldn't wear his external device, but Gu Xiuyi seemed to be constantly trying to converse with him.

Every time a vague voice sounded in his ear, Ji Ruan would respond with a faint "Mmm," ensuring Gu Xiuyi knew he hadn't passed out.

At one point, the pain became unbearable. Ji Ruan curled up in the seat, biting his lip hard, until the taste of blood flooded his mouth.

He then felt as if he was being sucked into a massive vortex, vaguely reminiscent of his previous severe illness when he had to take loads of medications. Sometimes, those medications would induce a stomach pain even more agonizing than his current affliction.

Such pain made one acutely aware of one's body being corroded by the illness, engulfing both body and spirit in terrifying agony.

·

At 5 in the morning, Gu Xiuyi, with Ji Ruan, who was crying uncontrollably from pain, rushed into the emergency room. Eventually, Ji Ruan was admitted to a private ward.

By then, Ji Ruan had lost consciousness. Gu Xiuyi thought the pain had knocked him out, but the doctor emphasized that he was just exhausted and had fallen asleep.

Gu Xiuyi sat by Ji Ruan's bedside, watching the nurse insert an IV. He waited for a while, ensuring Ji Ruan showed no signs of waking up, before heading to the doctor's office.

"Ah, it's nothing serious," the doctor, probably accustomed to such cases, responded nonchalantly. "It's just a typical case of acute gastroenteritis. A couple of days on an IV, and he'll be good to be discharged."

"But he was in so much pain that he bit through his lip," Gu Xiuyi stated with a heavy expression.

The doctor chuckled upon hearing this, "Can gastroenteritis be painless? What did the boy eat?"

Gu Xiuyi pursed his lips, "Grilled meat, cold beer... and ice cream."

"Typical," the doctor responded, unfazed. "Given it's graduation season and summer break, everyone's out partying. The ER gets flooded with cases like this every night. Young adults, same age, same symptoms. Just a couple of days ago, we had a case where someone drank so much they had a bleeding stomach. Now, that was truly alarming..."

Listening, Gu Xiuyi's brows deepened in their furrow. He truly felt the generation gap between himself and the young ones today. He had never been this wild during his own graduation.

The doctor glanced at Gu Xiuyi's expression and chuckled, "Don't worry. Your child is relatively well-behaved. It's primarily a weak gastrointestinal constitution that's causing this. Just avoid spicy foods in the future."

Gu Xiuyi nodded and offered a slight smile, "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

As he was leaving, a nurse brought in a report. The doctor quickly glanced at it and immediately called out to Gu Xiuyi, "Hold on a moment!"

Gu Xiuyi turned back.

The doctor looked at the report, then back at Gu Xiuyi, and asked as if confirming, "Ji Ruan, RH-negative, Type A blood?"

Gu Xiuyi paused in surprise.

He had no idea about Ji Ruan's blood type, but he knew that RH-negative blood was extremely rare.

Gu Xiuyi closed the door behind him and sat back down across from the doctor, his face serious, "Is there an issue?"

The doctor's jovial demeanor vanished instantly, "There is now."

He adjusted his glasses, "The patient has a rare blood type, but his blood doesn't clot well."

Gu Xiuyi furrowed his brow.

"To put it simply," the doctor continued, pointing to the report, "his platelet count is on the lower side, which means wounds heal slower than average for him. This wouldn't be a major issue normally, but combined with the rare blood type, it's a significant concern."

The doctor tapped the desk for emphasis, "It's crucial for the family to be cautious. Reduce any chances of getting bumps or bruises. Avoid any severe injuries at all costs. If something were to happen and we couldn't find a blood match, it could be very dangerous..."

·

Even as he left the office, Gu Xiuyi couldn't shake off his worries. The hospital's bright lights glared into his eyes, amplifying his restlessness.

It dawned on him, recalling Ji Ruan's persistent bruises from a cat scratch, the slow-healing minor cut on his ankle... all of these were related to his blood clotting issue.

Holding the report, Gu Xiuyi glanced at Ji Ruan, still asleep in the ward. As dawn approached, he made a call to Aunt Zhao, waited silently for her arrival in the room, and then wordlessly headed back to his villa.

At home, Gu Xiuyi had breakfast, took a shower, and changed his clothes. But the inexplicable unease in his heart remained unresolved.

By the time he returned to the ward, Ji Ruan was awake, lying obediently on the bed receiving his IV drip, quietly observing the green leaves outside through the gaps in the window curtains.

His complexion remained pallid, fatigue shadowing his eyes. His lips were devoid of color, and the hand not connected to the IV lay weakly on his stomach, the bones of his fingers looking remarkably slender.

Gu Xiuyi exchanged a few whispered words with Aunt Zhao before sending her away. Only after the door closed did he silently take a seat by the bed.

Ji Ruan's current state was a stark contrast to his lively demeanor from the previous night when he'd had a bit to drink. For a moment, Gu Xiuyi was transported back to their first meeting when Ji Ruan had looked similarly languid in bed.

Gu Xiuyi sat quietly, suddenly at a loss for words.

Ji Ruan found it hard to speak too.

He genuinely felt uncomfortable. His stomach throbbed with a dull pain, and his throat felt raw.

Thinking back to the verbal spar with Gu Xiuyi when he was tipsy, the gastritis that followed, and the entire night spent at the hospital after knocking on Gu Xiuyi's door in dire straits... Ji Ruan wished he could escape from it all.

Ultimately, it was Ji Ruan who broke the silence.

His voice hoarse, he spoke slowly, each word weighed with consideration, "I won't... drink again."

Ignoring the entire bickering episode from last night.

Gu Xiuyi instantly grasped Ji Ruan's intent, responding smoothly, "Right. Given your delicate stomach, you should also avoid spicy foods."

Overlooking the entire episode where Ji Ruan had nearly lost control during their spat.

Their eyes met, an unspoken understanding shared between them, like a mutual agreement to not discuss the previous night.

The doctor's words still echoed in Gu Xiuyi's mind. After a moment's hesitation, he warned Ji Ruan, "Your blood type is rare, and it doesn't clot easily. You need to be extra careful."

"What?"

Ji Ruan shifted slightly, turning his head a small degree as if a startled creature.

Gu Xiuyi was perplexed by his reaction and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

A long-buried memory flashed in Ji Ruan's mind.

A distant memory of a hospital, surgery, cochlear implants, RH-negative Type A blood...

"No, it's nothing..." Ji Ruan swallowed hard, forcing himself to regain composure, "I have panda blood..."

At some point, Gu Xiuyi had leaned forward from his seated position, fingers resting on the call bell, observing Ji Ruan with concern. "Are you alright? Should I call the doctor?"

"I'm really fine," Ji Ruan replied, his eyelashes quivering as he moistened his dry lips. "Just... my blood does clot normally, right?"

He looked at Gu Xiuyi, delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, pointing to his ear, "I had a cochlear implant surgery, and the surgeon never mentioned any clotting issues."

A heavy weight settled in Ji Ruan's heart. He knew this body had always been somewhat frail, but he hadn't imagined it to be this bad. A rare blood type coupled with clotting difficulties — how much better was this situation than the fatal diseases he'd known of?

Maybe he could live a bit longer, but would he always have to tread so carefully?

"Ji Ruan," Gu Xiuyi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. I spoke to the doctor. Your clotting issue can be influenced by the environment and your overall health. With proper medication and dietary adjustments, your readings might gradually improve."

"Really?" Ji Ruan clutched his stomach, feeling pain again due to his emotional turmoil.

Buzz, buzz—

The phone on the bedside table vibrated twice. Gu Xiuyi handed it to Ji Ruan, consoling, "Just be more attentive, and everything will be okay. Don't overthink."

"Okay..."

Ji Ruan tried to steady his emotions and took the phone. It was a message from Han Xiaolin, saying he wanted to deliver something.

Typing was a hassle for Ji Ruan as he was on an IV, so he sent a voice message, "I'm at the Second Affiliated Hospital. Can you make it here?"

Half an hour later, Han Xiaolin rushed into the room. Catching sight of Gu Xiuyi, he immediately became reserved.

"Hello, Mr. Gu."

Gu Xiuyi nodded amicably, allowing their conversation to flow without interruption.

Glancing covertly at Gu Xiuyi, Han Xiaolin carefully sat down by the bed and whispered, "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing," Ji Ruan's voice was raspy. After a couple of coughs, which pained his stomach and drained his face of color, he asked, "What did you bring for me?"

"Oh, this notice," Han Xiaolin pulled an envelope from his bag, "The freshman orientation at Jing University is this Saturday."

"It's also the campus"

"Open Day. We need to attend and register while we're there."

Ji Ruan adjusted the hospital bed slightly higher, propping himself up to a semi-sitting position and took the envelope to read its contents.

Observing Ji Ruan's frail appearance, Han Xiaolin voiced his concern: "Can you... make it?"

Ji Ruan gently nodded, "I can manage Saturday. I'll be discharged either tomorrow or the day after."

"Also," Han Xiaolin whispered, "The Open Day has also invited family members. Most of the new students' parents are expected to attend..."

Ji Ruan's hand, holding the letter, stiffened slightly. It seemed he didn't have parents.

"I'll attend." Gu Xiuyi's voice broke the silence.

Both turned their gazes towards him.

Gu Xiuyi handed Ji Ruan a cup of warm water and calmly stated, "Many alumni attend the Open Day. I received an invitation as well."

Author's Note:

Ruan Ruan: "Oh right, you're also a senior."

Mr. Gu: "This Saturday, I'll play the role of a parent."