Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Now that Feng Chen was awake, there was no need to simmer the wolf meat into a soup, but Yan Bubu still cooked it a little longer, thoroughly boiling the bones.

He scooped the two tenderest pieces of meat into a bowl, added some soup, and cooled it before bringing it to Feng Chen, "Here, eat. It's at the right temperature."

Since Feng Chen could only use one arm, Yan Bubu continued to feed him, placing a piece of wolf meat into his mouth, somewhat apprehensively saying, "It's not tasty, but could you manage for now? We don’t have any spices, not even salt, and I couldn’t find anything else that's palatable."

"No need, it tastes good," Feng Chen chewed the wolf meat carefully and swallowed it naturally.

Yan Bubu watched him closely, then asked doubtfully, "Does it really taste good?"

Feng Chen thoughtfully replied, "I can't taste much right now, so the strong flavor of the meat is actually refreshing and quite nice."

"I see," Yan Bubu, seeing that Feng Chen was genuinely enjoying the meal, couldn’t help but also take a bite. As the strong, pungent flavor spread in his mouth, he almost vomited, forcing himself to swallow and making a gagging sound.

"Drink water, like you did before, to wash it down," Feng Chen quickly suggested.

Yan Bubu gulped down the water, flushing the wolf meat and its strong taste down his throat.

"It's so awful, I couldn't swallow it without water," Yan Bubu wiped the tears that had welled up in his eyes, then suddenly realized, "How did you know I had to drink water to swallow the wolf meat? How did you know that?"

Feng Chen replied, "Your gagging was so loud, it would wake me up even in a coma."

"You're just fooling me, you must have been awake all along!"

Feng Chen explained, "Not really. I regained some consciousness after you organized my mental realm, but I couldn't fully wake up."

"You regained consciousness back then?" Yan Bubu was first surprised, then as if realizing something, suddenly exclaimed, "If you were conscious, why didn't you urinate? I tried so many times to help you, but you didn't let out a single drop!"

"Keep your voice down, are you trying to make me deaf? Serve me some more soup, I want to drink more."

Yan Bubu took the wooden bowl and walked towards the fire, then stopped and turned back to ask, "So, do you need to urinate now? Are you uncomfortable holding it?"

"I'm not uncomfortable, and I don’t feel like it right now," Feng Chen responded quickly.

"But—"

"I already took care of that," Feng Chen interrupted, "It was when you were out hunting for wolf meat, Binunu carried me to urinate."

Binunu, with its back to them and working on the wood, turned its head towards Feng Chen, looking utterly confused.

Yan Bubu was somewhat shocked, "Binunu actually carried you? How did it manage with its size—"

"Hiss..." Feng Chen suddenly gasped, holding his thigh, and Yan Bubu immediately silenced himself and rushed over anxiously, "What’s wrong? Is there a problem with your wound?"

Feng Chen closed his eyes and took two deep breaths before slowly relaxing his brows, "It's nothing, probably just the wound healing and itching a bit, but I don't feel it anymore."

"Do you want me to scratch it for you? I’ll scratch around the uninjured area, that might help."

"No need, just a bowl of soup will do. I just want to drink some soup now."

"Um, okay then."

After eating, Yan Bubu tidied everything up and sat beside Feng Chen again, playing with the fingers of his uninjured hand.

Feng Chen also looked down at Yan Bubu's hand.

Yan Bubu's fingers, always slender and delicate, with fair, smooth skin, now bore several cuts and scrapes on the back of his hand.

Aware of Feng Chen's intense gaze, Yan Bubu immediately stretched his hand out to Feng Chen, his voice coquettish, "Look at my hand, all cut up from wild grass and firewood. Don’t underestimate those wild grasses; they have teeth like little saws. Blow on it, it hurts so much..."

Feng Chen didn’t blow on his fingers but instead focused on his forearm. The shirt sleeve had ridden up as he stretched his hand, revealing a scar on his skin.

The scar, almost spanning his entire forearm, was clearly from a knife wound, deep and roughly treated by Yan Bubu himself, with traces of herbal medicine around the skin.

Initially acting playful, Yan Bubu straightened up and withdrew his hand when he noticed Feng Chen looking at the scar on his arm.

"What happened here?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu feigned ignorance, "What? My fingers? Just cuts from the wild grass. Never mind, it doesn’t hurt anymore."

Feng Chen looked at him, "I'm asking about the knife wound on your arm."

"What knife wound? Oh, you mean this? Yes, it’s a knife wound. You spotted it right away, just like my brother would," Yan Bubu rambled on, quickly thinking of an explanation. His gaze fell on the stone pot nearby, and an idea struck him, "I accidentally cut myself while butchering the wolf meat. Yes, that’s when I got this wound."

Feng Chen watched him quietly, his gaze seeming to see right through everything. Yan Bubu instinctively avoided his gaze, but feeling the need to not appear guilty, he looked back.

Ultimately, Feng Chen didn't press further. He just pulled up Yan Bubu's sleeve, gently tracing the scar with his finger, "Did it hurt when you got this cut?"

"No," Yan Bubu replied briskly.

"You cried out in pain from the grass cuts on your fingers, but you're saying this deep knife wound didn’t hurt?" Feng Chen looked up at him.

Yan Bubu kept his composure, "The grass sawed through, so it hurt, but this was a quick slice from a knife, so I didn’t feel much."

Feng Chen said nothing more, just silently pulled down Yan Bubu's sleeve, covering the scar.

Yan Bubu glanced at him, realizing he hadn’t yet asked Feng Chen how he got injured.

Since Feng Chen had woken up, Yan Bubu had been in a blissful state, focusing only on Feng Chen's physical condition and forgetting to ask what had happened before.

Hearing his inquiry, Feng Chen pointed behind him, "Move this pile of grass, come sit here."

Yan Bubu moved the grass, carefully supporting Feng Chen's back as he sat down. Feng Chen then laid his head in Yan Bubu's lap, sighing comfortably, "It's more comfortable to rest on your legs."

"Young master, do you want me to massage your shoulders or legs?" Yan Bubu chuckled, raising his hand but realizing Feng Chen was covered in injuries, unable to have his shoulders or legs massaged, which dampened his spirits again.

Feng Chen looked at him, "When I recover, you can massage my shoulders and legs every day."

"No problem," Yan Bubu perked up, "Now tell me what exactly happened."

Feng Chen started with his visit to Chen Sizhe's office to retrieve documents and the power outage that ensued. Yan Bubu's mouth fell open when Feng Chen mentioned discovering the read message. When Feng Chen got to the part about the cables in the machinery room, Yan Bubu excitedly asked, "Does that mean the master and mistress are alive? Are they still alive?"

Feng Chen replied, "My father is alive; my mother’s status is still unclear. But since my father is fine, my mother should be safe too."

"Yes, they must be safe, definitely safe," Yan Bubu's voice choked with emotion, his palms sweating with excitement, "As long as the master is safe, he would definitely find a way to ensure the mistress's safety."

Feng Chen nodded quietly, his gaze as if he had already seen through everything. Yan Bubu instinctively avoided his gaze, then, feeling he shouldn’t appear guilty, looked back at him.

In the end, Feng Chen didn't pursue the matter further. He pulled up Yan Bubu's sleeve, gently touching the scar, "Did it hurt when you got this cut?"

"No," Yan Bubu replied straightforwardly.

"You complained about the pain from the grass cuts on your fingers, but you say this deep knife wound didn’t hurt?" Feng Chen looked up at him.

Yan Bubu, unflinching, said, "The grass cuts were jagged, so they hurt. This was a clean slice from a knife, so I didn’t feel much."

Feng Chen said no more, just silently lowered Yan Bubu's sleeve, covering the scar.

Yan Bubu glanced at him, then remembered he hadn’t asked Feng Chen about his own injury.

Since Feng Chen woke up, Yan Bubu had been in a euphoric state, focusing only on Feng Chen's well-being and forgetting to ask what had happened.

At Yan Bubu's inquiry, Feng Chen pointed behind him, "Move this pile of grass and come sit here."

Yan Bubu moved the grass and carefully sat down, supporting Feng Chen's back. Feng Chen then rested his head in Yan Bubu's lap, sighing comfortably, "It’s more comfortable to rest on your legs."

"Young master, would you like me to give you a shoulder or leg massage?" Yan Bubu chuckled, raising his hand, but realized Feng Chen was covered in wounds, and his mood darkened again.

Feng Chen looked up at him, "When I recover, you can massage my shoulders and legs every day."

"Of course," Yan Bubu immediately agreed, "Now, tell me what exactly happened."

Feng Chen started from his visit to Chen Sizhe's office and the power outage. Yan Bubu was shocked when Feng Chen mentioned discovering the read message. Feng Chen's story about the machinery room and the cables made Yan Bubu excitedly inquire, "Does that mean the master and mistress are alive? Are they still alive?"

Feng Chen replied, "My father is alive; my mother’s status is still unclear. But since my father is fine, my mother should be safe too."

"Yes, they must be safe, definitely safe," Yan Bubu's voice choked with emotion, his palms sweating with excitement, "As long as the master is safe, he would definitely find a way to ensure the mistress's safety."

Feng Chen, lying down, felt a few drops of water on his forehead and sighed softly, "I kept it brief to spare you pain, but you’ve imagined it worse. I was unconscious, didn’t feel much pain. It's not a big deal, just a few injuries. You're overthinking it!"

"Your injury is the most serious thing! Nothing is more critical than your injury! You're still stubborn even in this condition. Then get up, go out and run a few laps, don't just lie motionless on my legs," Yan Bubu yelled, his voice breaking with a sob.

"Don't deafen my ears; I can hear you just fine," Feng Chen looked up at him, "How many times have you cried these past few days? You weren't this tearful as a child."

"Nonsense! I used to cry a lot as a child, but now I only cry over serious matters."

"Look at your eyes, they're all swollen from crying."

"That's my choice!"

"Alright, alright, you can cry. Just remember to use cold water on your eyes later."

Distracted by Feng Chen's remarks, Yan Bubu stopped crying, wiped his eyes, and said, "Mimosa saved you, and it also saved me when I jumped off the cliff—"

"You jumped off a cliff? You jumped off a cliff?" Feng Chen abruptly sat up, turned to Yan Bubu, and demanded sternly, "Why did you jump off a cliff?"

"Ow! You're injured! Why are you moving around like that?" Yan Bubu panicked, trying to push him down, but Feng Chen grabbed his hand with his uninjured one.

"Never mind me, I can sit up without hurting my wounds. Answer my question first. And don't you dare lie, or you'll have me to answer to," Feng Chen continued sternly.

Yan Bubu was occasionally scolded by Feng Chen, but it was never serious; he could usually get away with just a playful smile.

This was the first time he saw Feng Chen so stern, speaking with such an attitude and fire in his eyes. Caught off guard, Yan Bubu stared at him, instinctively trying to force a smile.

But before he could even fully smile, Feng Chen coldly warned, "Dare to smile and see what happens."

Yan Bubu slowly let his smile fade, and Feng Chen added, "Dare to cry and see what happens."

"I didn't... I didn't jump off a cliff, I stepped, I stepped..." Yan Bubu initially wanted to say he had accidentally stepped into thin air, but seeing the icy sternness in Feng Chen's eyes, he hesitated to lie and stammered, "I did jump off the cliff, but I was confident."

"Confident about what?" Feng Chen asked through clenched teeth.

"I have that consciousness image, right? If I jump off a cliff, it can find a thousand ways to ensure I land safely." Yan Bubu was actually telling the truth, raising his hand to his head, "I swear I'm not lying, my consciousness image really appeared, showing me many safe ways to land."

Feng Chen said nothing more, just stared intently at him. Yan Bubu felt uneasy but maintained eye contact.

After a moment, Feng Chen finally asked, "How did you manage that?"

His gaze seemed to see through everything, and Yan Bubu didn't dare to lie, honestly confessing, "Actually, it was the sensitive plant that caught me."

Feng Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As Yan Bubu was about to say something, he noticed a trickle of fresh blood seeping from a scabbed wound on Feng's shoulder, staining the torn fabric of his clothes.

"What are you doing! I told you not to move, not to move, and you just had to sit up. Look! It's bleeding again." Yan Bubu hurriedly grabbed the herbs and clean cloth he had gathered, clumsily wrapping Feng's wound.

Feng Chen abruptly pushed his hand away, and Yan Bubu yelled, "What are you being fierce for? You're making your wound worse!"

"And you think you're right—"

Yan Bubu shouted back, "Do I need to be right? I said don't move! Try moving again, see what happens?"

"I—"

"Try making another sound?" Yan Bubu, supporting his back, yelled, "Lie down!"

Feng Chen shut his mouth, said nothing more, and lay down on the grass heap as guided, allowing Yan Bubu to dress the wound on his shoulder with herbs.

In silence, Yan Bubu watched the blood seeping from Feng Chen's wound, frowning and pursing his lips, feeling a painful twinge in his heart.

Feng Chen lay there, facing up, watching him carefully wrap the cloth around his shoulder, then asked softly, "You must have been very scared at that time, right?"

"What?" Yan Bubu didn't hear him clearly.

Feng Chen wanted to ask if he was scared when he jumped off the cliff, what exactly was he thinking? But suddenly, he found he couldn't voice these questions.

"It's nothing, just make sure you wrap it well," said Feng Chen.

"Oh, I know."

Feng Chen saw a layer of fine sweat on Yan Bubu's forehead, a curl of hair blocking his eyes, so he reached out to brush it aside.

Yan Bubu must have been scared at that time, and he knew what he was thinking when he decided to jump off the cliff.

If either of them were to lose the other, what difference would it make, alive or dead?

Knowing all the answers, there was no need to ask further.