Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Yu He's pretty eyes suddenly widened, and the hand pressing on Fu Yunzheng’s forearm unconsciously tightened.

Unconditional trust is the most heartwarming.

The first time he gave his foster mother an injection, he had to demonstrate on his own hand first, and only after she saw it with her own eyes did she believe him.

He’s not a nurse, not a doctor, how could Fu Yunzheng possibly trust him?

Fu Yunzheng presented the back of his hand to Yu He, “My hand should be easy to inject. If you can't do it, it means your skills aren’t up to par.”

The hand in front of him had distinct knuckles and was slender, with particularly clear meridians, pale, transparent skin, and blue veins on the back of the hand like watercolor paintings, making it a favorite for nurses.

Even without a tourniquet, the veins were protruding.

Yu He tightened the tourniquet, patted Fu Yunzheng's hand, pushed the needle into the vein with a steady hand, holding the small IV needle without a tremor, and gently pushed the needle into the vein.

The blood flow is back to normal.

A smile appeared on Yu He’s face. He secured the needle with adhesive tape and looked up, seeking approval, “I'm impressive, aren't I?”

A smile also played in Fu Yunzheng's eyes as he asked, “Aren’t you afraid of needles?”

“I don't faint when I'm giving the injection to others.” Yu He, sitting at the edge of the bed, let down Fu Yunzheng’s rolled-up sleeve, “I just can’t watch others get injected.”

This was the first time Fu Yunzheng had ever heard of such a selective phobia of needles. He asked curiously, “What about when others inject you?”

Yu He replied, “That would scare me to death. I could have nightmares for three days.”

“You’ve been watching too much 'My Fair Princess',” Fu Yunzheng chuckled lightly. He saw that Yu He was once again hugging his arm and resting his head on the bed, “If you’re sleepy, go back to your room. You don’t have to stay here like a devoted son.”

Yu He also laughed.

Through their time spent together, he had discovered that Fu Yunzheng was not as cold and arrogant as the rumors suggested. Instead, he was witty and humorous, yet always maintained a sense of propriety. Even his jokes were just right, interesting without being offensive.

He had been worried about not having anything in common with Fu Yunzheng, but now it seemed that his worries were unfounded.

If Fu Yunzheng were to seriously argue with Yu He, Yu He might not actually be able to hold his ground.

“Isn’t the contract we signed for close personal care?” Yu He rested his head on Fu Yunzheng's shoulder, “So, shouldn't I be close?”

Fu Yunzheng pushed Yu He's head away, “You don't have to be that close while sitting on a stool; you'll hurt your neck.” He patted the bed beside him, “Come on the bed.”

Yu He was not coy. When Fu Yunzheng asked him to come onto the bed, he went around to the other side and lay down. He had slept in a chair and woke up feeling stiff. Lying down, he felt his whole body relax.

He stretched lazily, curled up in the blanket, and as he looked up, he saw Fu Yunzheng looking down at him.

Yu He suddenly felt a bit shy. It was he who had taken the initiative to take care of Fu Yunzheng, and now he was the one who had fallen asleep straight away.

Fu Yunzheng was unusually gentle with Yu He. This kind of gentleness had nothing to do with romantic or carnal desires, nor did it seem like how one would treat a lover or a plaything. It was more like how one would treat...

A younger relative who was still somewhat naïve.

It was hard for Yu He not to feel a sense of trust towards Fu Yunzheng.

Lying in the same bed with Fu Yunzheng, he didn't feel uncomfortable or have any wild thoughts. There was absolutely none of that ‘the sugar daddy wants me to lie beside him, does he want to do something?’ kind of feeling.

Fu Yunzheng's eyes were clear and bright, as pure as a cold spring.

Yu He found it quite strange; his relationship with Fu Yunzheng was anything but innocent, and they had been intimately close more than once—

This was also the main reason why Fu Yunzheng's mild fever had not subsided for half a month.

In any case, Yu He firmly believed that his interactions with Fu Yunzheng were pure, and he could sleep beside him without any reservations.

Because Fu Yunzheng truly was a man of his word; when he said every three days, he meant every three days.

Oh, three days indeed meant three days; even Fu Yunzheng's fever couldn't break this routine. But one time didn't necessarily mean just once.

After all, Yu He was very young.

Fu Yunzheng always held himself to strict standards but was lenient towards Yu He.

Apart from the nights when Yu He was working, Fu Yunzheng would never take the initiative to be affectionate with Yu He. However, if Yu He wanted to get close to him, Fu Yunzheng wouldn't refuse.

Routine and order could indeed provide a sufficient sense of security.

Of course, even on the nights when Yu He was working, he was the one who touched Fu Yunzheng more. Normally, Yu He also liked to hold Fu Yunzheng's hand or lean on him.

Yu He was a person without routine or order.

However, fortunately, in this relationship, the higher-status Fu Yunzheng was passive, yielding the initiative to Yu He.

Although Yu He held the initiative, Fu Yunzheng wasn't worried that he would do anything inappropriate.

A subtle balance of trust was achieved between them.

Fu Yunzheng’s body was warm, and as Yu He rested his forehead against him, he quickly fell asleep.

As for Fu Yunzheng, he was half-sitting against the headboard.

Because Yu He was lying on the bed, the down quilt could only cover Fu Yunzheng up to his waist. Pulling the quilt higher would suffocate Yu He beneath it.

Although it wouldn’t suffocate him to death, Fu Yunzheng still chose not to do so.

After leaning back for a while, he felt a bit cold.

Fu Yunzheng rubbed his nose and turned on the air conditioner.

He still insisted that the reason his fever was not getting better was due to Yu He insisting on taking care of him.

*

Fu Yunzhen's illness really gave the medical staff attending him in the mansion a hard time.

Not just the medical staff, but the entire Fu Yunzhen household was on high alert. Even the uncles from the old mansion couldn't sit still, calling every now and then to express their concern.

Fu Yunzhen, overwhelmed by the attention, spoke candidly during a call with his elder sister Fu Rulan, "They are afraid that if I die from the illness, the stocks of the Fu family enterprise will plummet. What seems like just a bunch of numbers to outsiders is real money in their eyes.”

The landline phone is vintage.

Republic of China Era.

The style harmoniously matched the lavish décor of the living room, casting a picturesque light and shadow on Fu Yunzhen, making him look like he was part of a painting.

Yu He leaned on the sofa, supporting his head with his fist as he watched this scene.

He cherished his own bones and preferred to sit rather than stand when he had the option, and even when sitting, he wouldn’t sit up straight, but rather slouch lazily.

This was in stark contrast to Fu Yunzhen.

Fu Yunzhen sat upright at the edge of the table, holding the receiver in his hand, his clothes neat and without a single wrinkle, exuding an aura of elegance and composure, serene as a gentle breeze.

Whatever Fu Rulan said on the other end of the line, Fu Yunzhen's expression remained unchanged. He responded with a word and hung up the phone.

Over these two weeks, even Yu He’s nocturnal routine had almost adjusted.

At first, he couldn't sleep at night and would get sleepy during the day while keeping Fu Yunzhen company, but Fu Yunzhen didn’t mind and let him be. There was only one time when Yu He fell asleep leaning against a pillar in the garden pavilion, and Fu Yunzhen immediately woke him up.

Napping on and off during the day like this was even more exhausting; it would be better to push through the whole day and get a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, people are always very lenient with themselves.

Every time Yu He felt sleepy, he would think: "I’ll just close my eyes and rest for a bit, meditate to refresh myself."

And then he would fall asleep.

It was somewhat akin to closing one’s eyes during a lecture to “listen more attentively.”

And yet, Fu Yunzheng was exceptionally tolerant towards Yu He.

All things considered, Yu He’s disrupted sleep schedule has still not been completely adjusted.

At this moment, he was leaning on the sofa, listening to Fu Yunzheng talk on the phone, feeling his eyelids grow heavy as they seemed to be drawn together like the positive and negative poles of a magnet.

Li Jing was personally cleaning the porcelain ornaments on the mahogany rack. Most of the porcelain pieces were antiques, and the most valuable among them was a celadon-glazed tripod censer from the Northern Song Dynasty's Ru ware, and although it was only the size of a palm, its value was immeasurable.

Such delicate work was something Li Jing did not dare to entrust to others.

In the entire estate, apart from Zhang Shan who was directly employed by the Fu family, all other staff members—

including indoor and outdoor cleaners, chefs, gardeners, and other helpers—were employed through a framework agreement between the Fu family and a cleaning company. Li Jing, as the property management company’s manager, acted as a liaison between the company and the Yun Su Fu residence.

If a staff member’s mistake resulted in damage to the employer’s property, it would be directly compensated by the property management company.

In a wealthy and influential household, a casual piece of property could be worth six or seven figures; without the backing of a property management company, who would dare to let a group of strangers enter the inner residence to help?

Even Li Jing, when cleaning the porcelain, was extremely careful. She had laid a shock-absorbing pad beneath the mahogany rack, and instead of her usual high heels, she wore flat shoes.

After securely placing the last piece of porcelain, Li Jing turned her head and caught a glimpse of Yu He dozing off on the sofa, which immediately got on her nerves.

Her own son was currently in junior high, fourteen years old, five years younger than Yu He. She viewed Yu He as if he was her own son, and she couldn't stand Yu He's listless demeanor.

Young as he was, he should be focusing on learning, not clinging to men.

Lounging around lazily all day was bad enough, but at this moment, with half-closed eyes and a sultry demeanor, sitting without any decorum, he looked like he came straight out of a nightclub.

It’s truly said that a charming fox can bewilder its master; he had actually managed to bewitch the usually calm and composed Mr. Fu.

Indeed, Mr. Fu’s surroundings have always been clean and tidy; he had never encountered such a high-maintenance individual before.

Last night, the light seeping through the gaps in the curtains revealed everything; the light in Mr. Fu’s bedroom didn’t go out until the early hours of the morning, showing that despite being ill, he still couldn’t avoid fooling around with Yu He.

It was quite improper.

Li Jing crouched down to roll up the protective pad, her eyebrows slightly knitted, and she discreetly took the most precious Ru kiln censer.

She slowly walked over to Fu Yunzheng, bending slightly, “Mr. Fu, I’ve cleaned the porcelain on the mahogany rack. A few of them have just had protective oil applied, so please be careful when handling them.”

Placing the celadon-glazed tripod censer next to Fu Yunzheng, Li Jing said, “This Ru kiln censer seems to have developed more cracks, adding two fish scale patterns. Please have a look.”

Li Jing intentionally lowered her voice as she spoke, yet Yu He still opened his eyes. She then pointed out the cracks on the Ru kiln furnace to Fu Yunzhuang.

Fu Yunzhuang is quite fond of this Ru kiln furnace, caressing the celadon surface with his thumb: "The weather has turned cooler recently; it must be related to the temperature change."

Li Jing nodded in agreement, went back to pick up the protective mat beside the rosewood shelf, and said, "Mr. Fu, please enjoy your time. I will take my leave now."

Fu Yunzhuang responded, examining the Ru kiln furnace in his hands, seemingly unable to put it down.

Seeing that Yu He was somewhat curious, Fu Yunzhuang handed the tripod-style furnace to him and explained what ‘crackle glazing’ was.

Crackle glazing is actually a kind of glaze defect, known as 'crazing'. The expansion coefficients of the porcelain body and the glaze are different, causing the porcelain body to expand and crack the glaze, creating unique patterns that become the inherent charm of Ru ware.

The pattern of cracks is unpredictable; imperfections bloom into stunning beauty on the plain base, enduring through the ages.

The shape of the cracks cannot be controlled precisely, as external factors such as temperature and humidity all have an impact. The crazing is not a one-time event; this continuous change is like giving life to the Ru kiln, transforming it from a mere object into a flower or a cloud in the eyes of many enthusiasts.

Over time, new patterns will grow on the celadon glaze surface.

Placing the Ru kiln furnace under the sunlight, Yu He saw the scaled pattern on the celadon glaze surface, resembling ice cracks that appeared and disappeared with the light. He gave an approving comment: "It’s quite beautiful."

Yu He is too young to truly appreciate the silent, millennium-long depth of Ru ware.

The scaled patterns blooming on the glaze surface over the years are, to him, like the misty rain on a song tower - attempting to put it into words might end up sounding forced and pretentious.

Naturally, Fu Yunzhuang does not expect Yu He to understand.

"If you think it's beautiful, just play with it," Fu Yunzhuang said.

Perhaps when Yu He is mature enough, he will one day understand Fu Yunzhuang's current feelings. But by then, they probably won’t be together anymore.

Yu He won't stay in the Fu residence forever. High walls can’t trap a crane; he will leave one day.

Then, just give this tripod-style Ru kiln furnace with a sky-blue glaze to Yu He. One day, he will inevitably understand Ru ware.

It's just unknown whether, when he sees this Ru kiln furnace again at that time, he will remember him.