Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The next day, Monday.

Lu Ge usually had his lunch in the company cafeteria, but there were exceptions, such as when his parents returned home for lunch and instructed the chef to prepare extra food to bring to him.

Before leaving work for lunch, Special Assistant Tang received a tightly wrapped insulated bag from Lu's private driver and made sure to place several lunch boxes on Lu Ge's restroom table before mealtime—this was not for Lu Ge's sake, but for Tang Bai himself to be able to leave work on time at twelve o'clock for lunch.

At twelve-twenty, Lu Ge finally finished his work and returned to the restroom.

Seeing the insulated bag on the idle table, he sent a message to his parents with his phone.

"Lu Ge: Received."

"Dad: [ok]"

Opening the bag, there were three neatly stacked insulated boxes, each with ample capacity.

Lu Ge's mouth twitched.

He had a big appetite, but he wasn't a glutton.

Taking out one of the boxes, the translucent insulated box faintly revealed large, round stir-fried shrimp, with cucumbers cooked just right, a vibrant green color. There were also some salad fruits and vegetables around.

Knocking his knuckles on the edge of the table, Lu Ge inexplicably thought of a certain light and picky eater, and his lips curled in displeasure.

*

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the door to Ji Mian's hospital room was suddenly pushed open.

The person who entered was dressed in a suit that was out of place in the hospital room, carrying a large insulated bag, and strode to the bedside.

Ji Mian looked at Lu Ge in confusion as he came in like a gust of wind, then without any extra greetings, he directly opened the bag he had brought.

Lu Ge tossed an insulated box to Ji Mian and sat down by the bedside.

He spoke lightly, "Eat."

Ji Mian: ...

"...Mr. Lu, I've already had lunch."

"He did have lunch," Zhou Zhong, who usually spoke little, surprisingly spoke up at this scene: "But he only took two or three bites before putting down his chopsticks."

Ji Mian: ...

Lu Ge's gaze turned back to Ji Mian, his expression as if to say, "Did you hear that?"

Ji Mian held the steaming lunch box that Lu Ge had forcibly stuffed into his arms and asked, "Where did you come from, Mr. Lu?"

"The company."

"Is it close by here?"

Lu Ge recalled the time it took to drive from the company, about half an hour. "Not bad."

Ji Mian was silent for a moment, then said, "You came here specifically just to deliver food to me? Why?"

"Bored."

Ji Mian was speechless at this reason.

"Being stuck at the office for too long can be a real drag. Mind helping me kill some time, Young Master?"

Ji Mian didn’t know when he’d gained the ability to help others relieve their boredom. He was so bored in his hospital room that he felt like he was growing mold.

In Xu Chiqiu’s memory, Qin Yan had mentioned that Lu Ge had a "unique" hobby—preferring to see others in trouble and causing trouble for them, a guy with a real knack for stirring up trouble.

So now, he, the unlucky guy, had become one of this dude’s sources of entertainment?

Lu Ge glanced at his watch and said, "I’m on the clock, Young Master, so let’s speed it up."

But despite his words, he didn’t seem the least bit rushed. Even checking his watch seemed like a half-hearted gesture, not at all like someone in a hurry.

This guy’s full of it, Ji Mian thought.

Lu Ge’s sudden appearance left him baffled. But from what little he’d gathered about Lu Ge lately, this guy did whatever he felt like, making him unpredictable.

He was sure if he didn’t start eating, Lu Ge would stick around all day just to mess with him.

But Ji Mian had it wrong.

If it were the weekend, Lu Ge wouldn’t just hang around all day—he might even crash at the hospital on a whim.

But today was Monday. At work, Lu Ge wasn’t the slacker he made himself out to be. At three, he had a big meeting at the office he couldn’t miss, with the company’s top brass in attendance.

He wasn’t crazy enough to blow off the entire executive team.

Ji Mian pursed his lips but still opened the lunchbox in his hand.

He didn’t have much appetite, but the food in the lunchbox looked pretty light, and Ji Mian didn’t feel too resistant.

Inside, the shrimp was plump and perfectly cooked, with no trace of fishiness.

Ji Mian had loved shrimp in his past life, but when it reached "Xu Chiqiu’s" mouth, it was like his taste buds had gone haywire. The slippery texture made his tongue push it away reflexively. He couldn’t swallow it.

He gave up on the shrimp.

Lu Ge watched with half-lidded eyes as Ji Mian picked out a few cucumbers from the shrimp.

"You don’t eat this, you don’t eat that… even kids aren’t this picky."

Ten minutes later, Ji Mian had barely touched the protein-packed meal.

Finally, he closed the box, handed it back to Lu Ge, and let out a sigh of relief.

It was over.

Just as his heart settled, another warm box was shoved into his hand.

Ji Mian blinked slowly, looking at the brand-new lunchbox in his palm.

Hadn’t he already eaten one box!?

"Main course," Lu Ge said.

Ji Mian: "..."

Lu Ge sat there with his arms crossed, looking like the picture of patience—or maybe just a stubborn jerk.

Ji Mian opened the box, struggled to pick out the smallest shumai and a vegetarian dumpling, then pushed it back to Lu Ge. This time, he ate very perfunctorily.

Lu Ge glanced at him, took the thermal box from Ji Mian's hands, and then placed the last room-temperature box into his grasp. A perfect swap.

Ji Mian: !!

There’s still more!?

His lips twitched, and he couldn't help but glance at the thermal bag Lu Ge had brought, seriously wondering if it was bottomless.

Seeing the young man on the hospital bed widen his eyes in astonishment, Lu Ge's lips curved slightly.

"Fruit for after the meal."

"..."

Ji Mian was a bit annoyed and began to criticize the food, using Xu Chiqiu's body as an excuse.

"Too sweet," he said, picking out only a small grape from the box. After eating it, he shook his head and muttered, "Too rich."

Lu Ge silently stared at Ji Mian's thin profile, suddenly hit by a crazy thought—as if just getting him to eat one more bite could somehow make the person before him recover.

Knowing it was just a thought, Lu Ge still picked out a small tomato from the box, his clean fingers pinching the stem, and handed it to him.

This shouldn’t be too sweet or rich, right?

Unexpectedly, Ji Mian leaned back, his brows furrowing even more tightly, showing even more disdain than before. "Dirty."

Lu Ge: "..."

Tsk. Maybe he should just go hungry.

*

Lu Ge only stayed in the hospital room for less than half an hour at noon, leaving by 1:30 PM.

To Ji Mian's surprise, at 7 PM, Lu Ge showed up again with more food. However, unlike the carefully packed three containers from lunch, this time it was just a single plastic round container divided into three sections, as if ordered from a restaurant.

Lu Ge seemed to have way too much free time, visiting the hospital twice a day for days on end—always showing up right at noon, staying for about half an hour, and then coming back at varying times in the evening. Once, he even popped in at 9 PM, when Ji Mian was already preparing to sleep.

Even the Xu family didn’t come by this often.

At first, Ji Mian was a little uncomfortable, but later he figured Lu Ge was just being impulsive and would give up after a few days when he got bored. So, he let Lu Ge do his thing for the time being.

That was until he’d been in the hospital for more than a month, and Lu Ge had never missed a single day of visits, never seeming to get tired of it, not even showing the slightest hint of boredom.

Only then did Ji Mian start to sense something was wrong.

Lu Ge’s whim seemed to be dragging on a bit?

It was Friday again, and Lu Ge arrived as usual at 7:30 PM.

The bag he brought had two meals—one for Ji Mian and one for himself. By now, this had become the norm.

When Lu Ge came in, he didn’t even say hi to Ji Mian anymore, just sat down like he owned the place.

A few seconds later, a container was pushed into Ji Mian’s hands.

"Eat," Lu Ge said, handing him the chopsticks.

With Zhou Zhong watching closely, Ji Mian took the chopsticks.

Zhou Zhong was in charge of his daily meals, always keeping an eye on him while he ate.

If he ate even one bite less than the previous day, he would spend the entire day gazing at Ji Mian with the anxious, hesitant look of someone with social anxiety.

Now, with the two additional meals from Lu Ge every day, Ji Mian often felt his days were either spent eating or waiting to eat.

Fortunately, this body tended to feel nauseous after just a few bites, feeling about thirty percent full. So, despite having five meals a day, Ji Mian rarely felt uncomfortably full.

Inside the packaging box was a lemon-buttered fish fillet. Ji Mian took a small bite of the fish.

"By the way," he said suddenly, after taking a bite, "Has Mr. Lu not been to that shop recently?"

He remembered often seeing Lu Ge at the wooden carving shop around seven or eight in the evening.

But since Lu Ge was now showing up in the hospital room, he probably didn’t have much time to go there anymore.

Lu Ge hesitated.

It had been a while since he’d been there.

Wait, had it really been a whole month?

He raised an eyebrow, surprised he hadn’t noticed.

"It’s all just killing time, whether here or there, it’s the same."

How could it be the same? Ji Mian felt conflicted.

At first, he thought Lu Ge’s visits were just a whim, but now nearly a month had passed, and there was no sign of his interest fading. Instead, it seemed to be intensifying...

He wanted to ask Lu Ge directly why, but he knew the answer would likely be unhelpful.

"System."

"Yes."

"Do you think..." Ji Mian hesitated, struggling to say it.

After a few seconds, he finally asked, "Do you think Lu Ge likes Xu Chiqiu?"

He couldn’t think of any other reason for the frequent visits.

"No," the system replied decisively.

Ji Mian sighed in relief.

"He doesn’t like Xu Chiqiu, but there’s a good chance he likes you."

"..."

Ji Mian’s breath hitched.

"Why... why?"

"Is it so strange that he likes you?"

"...Because I don’t seem particularly attractive."

The system paused before scoffing, "In the last world, before you and Duan Zhuo got together, how many people confessed to you?"

Ji Mian thought carefully and said, "I can’t remember."

"In high school, seven, and in college, twenty-five, totaling thirty-two people."

"..."

That many?

"Do you remember how many people confessed to you after you started dating Duan Zhuo?"

Ji Mian remembered this vividly because whenever someone confessed to him, Duan Zhuo would silently keep count and later bring it up, whether intentionally or not, to show his jealousy.

The system said, "In the last world, ninety-seven people confessed their love to you. Heh, you almost hit the 'Hundred Confessions' mark."

When it first bonded with Ji Mian, it never expected this seemingly clueless host to have such a magnetic charm.

Ji Mian: "..."

"I think it was partly because of how I looked in the last world."

In his past life, Ji Mian's looks were considered highly attractive by human standards.

But Ji Mian knew that now, as 'Xu Chiqiu,' he looked completely different. Sometimes, just staring at his bony wrists too long would make him shiver, let alone others.

Appearance-wise, a man with normal tastes probably wouldn’t fall for someone with this kind of body.

As for personality...

Ji Mian hadn’t forgotten Mr. Lu’s past comment about him having a 'heart like a snake.'

The system: "You could try subtly testing him."

Ji Mian accepted the system's suggestion.

"Mr. Lu, have you run into Qin Yan lately?" he asked the person beside him.

Lu Ge thought for a moment and said, "Just the other day."

Even though they were competitors in the same market, they were bound to cross paths now and then.

"What, does the Young Master miss him?"

Ji Mian stayed silent, which was as good as admitting it.

"Affection Points +80 (40x2), courtesy of Lu Ge."

The Affection Points alert wasn’t helpful, so Ji Mian subtly watched Lu Ge’s expression and reaction.

Lu Ge lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then looked up and said, "If you want to see him, I can arrange it."

Ji Mian was taken aback, "What?"

Lu Ge grinned and gestured to the lunchbox, "Eat half of this, and I’ll get him here tomorrow."

"..."

The system chimed in, "I think..."

Ji Mian: "Yeah."

Both Ji Mian and the system were on the same page: Who’d willingly push their crush toward a rival?

Ji Mian let out a small sigh of relief.

Half an hour later, Ji Mian finished his fifth and final meal of the day.

Lu Ge peeked at the leftovers in the box, raising an eyebrow. At most, he'd only eaten a quarter of the food, but compared to Ji Mian's usual appetite, it was already quite remarkable.

The name "Qin Yan" worked like magic, he thought.

Just dropping that name had doubled his appetite.

"Affection Points increased by 60 (30x2), contributor Lu Ge."

Lu Ge shrugged, playing innocent: "Not even half, so you can't blame me."

As he took the lunch box from Ji Mian, Lu Ge noticed that the main dish, lemon fish steak, was only half left.

In the past, Ji Mian had rarely touched high-protein meats and disliked seafood with a fishy smell. Lu Ge had specifically told Tang Bai to avoid ordering fish or shrimp as the main dish, but for some reason, fish steak had been mistakenly included today.

When Lu Ge arrived, he'd expected the picky Young Master to make a fuss.

But this outcome surprised him.

Lu Ge kept stealing glances at the half-eaten fish steak. Does this person like fish?

Meanwhile, Ji Mian noticed something unusual - Lu Ge's lunch box had leftovers for the first time in over a month, also the fish steak.

"Mr. Lu... doesn't like fish either," Ji Mian said, then suddenly paused.

He recalled that Lu Ge frequented that woodcarving shop, and this preference seemed somewhat inconsistent with his personality.

His heart skipped a beat.

Lu Ge caught the word "also" in Ji Mian's sentence and asked, "Who else doesn't like fish?"

Qin Yan?

Ji Mian: "...My brother."

Brother? What kind of inside joke is this with Qin Yan...

Lu Ge thought, picking up the remaining fish in the lunch box and stuffing it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly.

The fishy aftertaste lingered, even the lemon juice couldn't cut through it.

"Wrong guess," he said. "I love fish, especially saving it for last."

......

......

For the next two weeks, fish dishes kept appearing in the meals Lu Ge brought.

Though Xu Chiqiu's body naturally rejected fish and shrimp, Ji Mian's craving for fish won out over his body's instincts.

When fish was the main course, he'd typically eat half.

The system was relieved: its host was finally eating meat.

By late September, Ji Mian's health had taken a turn for the better. His lung inflammation had cleared up completely, the constant coughing had stopped, and he'd gone a whole week without feeling dizzy or unwell.

On top of that, he’d gained a pound. Even though he didn’t look any different, the data on the scale was real.

The doctor still recommended he stay under observation a bit longer. Although Ji Mian was eager to be discharged, Xu’s parents were worried his condition might flare up again and talked him into staying for another two weeks.

Ji Mian gave in, though reluctantly.

As he started feeling a little better, his spirits rose, and he couldn’t sit still.

He’d wandered every inch of the little park by the hospital, knowing every quirky rock by heart.

After promising Xu’s parents he’d stay under observation for two more weeks, Ji Mian checked out the moment the two weeks were over.

As he packed up his things and got ready to handle the discharge paperwork, Lu Ge showed up, having driven over from the office.

Ji Mian was caught off guard to see him because he had informed Lu Ge the day before that he was leaving and that there was no need for him to come again.

His eyes flicked to Lu Ge’s hands without thinking—they were empty.

Ji Mian let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He’d figured on his last day, this guy would still be hovering over him to make sure he ate.

"Do you need help?" Lu Ge asked.

He looked around the single room Zhou Zhong had cleaned up; most of the stuff was packed but still hadn’t been taken downstairs.

Zhou Zhong quickly said, "No, it’s fine."

Xu’s family paid him way above the going rate, and on top of his nursing duties, he handled all the odd jobs until Ji Mian was discharged.

Plus, Young Master Xu was a decent guy.

Zhou Zhong recalled the half-year he had been employed by the Xu family to take care of Xu Chiqiu. At first, he thought Young Master Xu was pretty unpredictable; he’d perk up when visitors came, smiling and speaking politely.

When a guy named Qin Yan visited, Chi Qiu would get even warmer and more animated.

But once they were gone, his expression would shift out of nowhere, his eyes turning icy and scornful, sending an inexplicable chill down people’s spines.

Sometimes Zhou Zhong, fearing he was bored, would try to talk to him, but Xu Chiqiu rarely responded.

Over time, he didn’t dare to speak much to this young employer.

But in the past month or so, perhaps because "Chi Qiu" had improved somewhat, he had become much gentler than before, even smiling softly when speaking to Zhou Zhong on ordinary days. Even though his withered body couldn’t hide the beauty of his smile. It was as if the illness couldn’t tear apart his beauty, so it could only try to make this beauty cruel.

Zhou Zhong couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, lowering his head to carry the sealed bag downstairs.

...

Uncle Lin had parked the car outside the hospital in advance to take Ji Mian back to the Xu family.

Zhou Zhong organized the daily necessities, made two trips to move everything to the car trunk parked outside the hospital by Uncle Lin, and then went upstairs to call Ji Mian.

"Chi Qiu," he reached out to help Ji Mian down.

Ji Mian felt awkward for a moment. "...No need, I can walk by myself."

After turning his head, he noticed that Lu Ge’s arm had also been halfway raised towards him, but upon hearing this refusal, it was casually withdrawn.

Why did everyone assume he couldn’t walk? Ji Mian was very puzzled.

Accompanied by Zhou Zhong and Lu Ge, Ji Mian went downstairs and arrived at the car where Uncle Lin was waiting.

Zhou Zhong opened the rear door of the car for him.

"Mr. Lu, you can head back now," Ji Mian said to the person beside him.

Xu Chiqiu wasn’t the type to be overly friendly with anyone other than Qin Yan. To keep up appearances, Ji Mian’s tone with Lu Ge wasn’t particularly warm.

He avoided meeting Lu Ge’s eyes, not daring to look at him. Right now, he couldn’t bring himself to act indifferent toward Lu Ge.

No matter why Lu Ge had been visiting so often over the past month, it was undeniable that he had received Lu Ge’s care. Ji Mian really wanted to thank him.

But he could only pretend to ignore the man beside him and headed straight for the car’s back seat.

Pretty cold, Lu Ge thought, but it didn’t stir much in him.

He had never expected to gain anything from this person. He wasn’t shameless enough to ask anything of someone so seriously ill.

Ji Mian’s back was in his line of sight, the sharp shoulder blades standing out, not exactly a pleasant sight.

"Young Master."

Just as Ji Mian’s pale fingers touched the car door, the man behind him called out.

Ji Mian turned around and saw Lu Ge smiling at him, the smile as casual as ever.

"Make sure you eat well."