Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Ji Mian's cold took five days to show signs of improvement. He no longer had a fever, but he was still weak, his waist and legs feeling limp. Confined to his hospital bed, being cooped up for so long left him feeling listless.

Lu Ge made time after work to visit. He was dressed particularly formally, presumably for an important meeting at work. His suit was immaculate, tie still neatly knotted.

Ji Mian tried to sit up, but his supporting arms trembled slightly.

"Weak in the arms?" Lu Ge couldn't help but tease.

Ji Mian ignored him, still trying to push up on shaky arms.

Lu Ge couldn't watch anymore and bent to support Ji Mian under his arms. With a firm grip, he hoisted him up. He was thorough, adjusting the blanket and fluffing the pillow after helping him up.

They were suddenly inches apart, Lu Ge's breath falling on Ji Mian's head. Ji Mian's upward glance nearly met Lu Ge's chin.

Ji Mian kept his head down as Lu Ge moved.

Lu Ge had forgotten to wear a tie pin that morning, and his black silk tie hung down as he bent over, swaying in front of Ji Mian's eyes.

The swaying tie made Ji Mian dizzy, so he grabbed its end.

But Lu Ge froze when his tie was grabbed, his hand holding the corner of the blanket paused in mid-air.

Ji Mian looked up to find Lu Ge's dark eyes fixed on him, emotions swirling incomprehensibly.

Clueless, Ji Mian tilted his head: "Lu—"

Lu Ge hadn't expected to be so easily tempted before his lips brushed Ji Mian's.

The tie pull, the proximity, Ji Mian's posture—it all seemed like an invitation.

But the moment their lips met, Lu Ge jolted awake, his heart sinking.

Ji Mian's wide-eyed shock told him he'd messed up.

His heart raced, panic swiftly overtaking the thrill of the kiss.

Two seconds later, a hand pressed against Lu Ge's chest.

The trembling push was light but took all Ji Mian's strength.

He straightened abruptly, words tumbling out: "My bad, don't be mad."

It was Lu Ge's first truly swift, sincere apology.

Ji Mian's head dropped, his breaths ragged: "Out... get out..."

Lu Ge left.

The room fell silent save for Ji Mian's ragged breaths.

"Oh, so he really likes you," the system said.

Ji Mian calmed down and didn't respond.

"What are you planning to do? Reject him?" The system spoke, realizing it had stated the obvious.

Rejection was inevitable.

Ji Mian curled up, hugging his knees to his chest.

Lu Ge had feelings for him.

Ji Mian considered Lu Ge his most treasured friend in the world, and he held this friendship dear.

After a brief moment of disorientation, Ji Mian composed himself and sought a way to lessen the pain.

"Mr. Lu is a genuinely good person. Really."

The system responded with a noncommittal "Hmm."

Lu Ge was indeed a good person and would have made an excellent partner. But the system also knew Ji Mian's heart had no room for anyone else.

Ji Mian: "I don’t want to hurt him."

Lu Ge wished for his happiness, but all Ji Mian could give in return was heartache.

The system hesitated, then simply said, "Better a quick pain than a drawn-out one."

Outside the bedroom, Lu Ge leaned against the door, licking his lips, tasting the bitterness.

The taste was bitter.

Claiming he didn’t regret it would be a lie. Saying he wasn’t angry would be just as false. Lu Ge was furious with himself for making such a foolish mistake, especially at this moment.

He lowered his eyes calmly, though his hands in his trouser pockets trembled slightly.

Lu Ge had never feared anything in his life. But now, the soft "get out" from behind the door filled him with panic.

He waited outside for over ten minutes, growing uneasy. He feared Ji Mian, in his anger, might act recklessly.

He turned back and knocked on the door once more.

There was no response. After a brief pause, Lu Ge turned the knob and stepped inside.

The young man in the bedroom remained seated on the bed, his expression as composed as ever.

"Mr. Lu," Ji Mian said slowly, his tone colder than when they had first met.

And the words that left his lips were merciless: "From now on... don’t come back."

When Lu Ge met Ji Mian’s cool gaze, he instantly understood: their relationship had reset to square one.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. —He would never get close to him again.

Lu Ge stood frozen, feeling as though he’d driven himself into a dead end.

His emotions were a roller coaster, soaring one moment, then crashing the next. His heart alternated between burning heat and icy cold.

"Is this really necessary, Young Master?" Lu Ge smiled, his fingertips trembling more than ever.

He wasn’t ready to back down, so he sat down beside Ji Mian and quipped, "A human heart weighs three hundred grams—so heavy. What’s the big deal if there’s room for one more?"

"..."

Ji Mian just stared at him in silence.

Lu Ge’s hand clenched tightly.

He knew he was a lost cause in Ji Mian’s eyes, with no chance of a comeback.

If Ji Mian was healthy, even if it took a lifetime, Lu Ge would find a way to make him fall in love, holding on no matter what.

But now, Lu Ge looked at the young man on the bed, who looked almost frail, and his throat tightened.

He didn’t want to see him unhappy.

He was furious, his heart was bursting with frustration, still directed at himself.

Lu Ge was mad at himself, yet he wanted to lash out indiscriminately, especially at Ji Mian.

He wanted to snap at Ji Mian, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This was just another kind of frustration.

In a burst of anger, Lu Ge grabbed the half-eaten bread by Ji Mian’s bedside and took a big bite.

Ji Mian was so shocked he forgot to keep up his act, his eyes wide open. "You—"

He watched as Lu Ge took a bite from the spot he had bitten, his cheeks bulging as he chewed and swallowed.

"You, you..." Ji Mian was at a loss for words.

Why was he eating his food? Wait, his leftovers?!

After finishing, Lu Ge even teased him, "Young Master, who do you think has been taking care of your leftovers before? Huh, the trash can?"

Did he realize he had to work out an extra hour just to burn those calories?

Ji Mian’s face flushed red, not from anger, but from a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.

—He actually thought the trash can took care of it!!

Lu Ge looked at his flushed face, clenching his teeth, even more furious, his heart aching with a sharp, heavy pain.

Damn, why was he so damn charming?

No matter how much he cared... Ji Mian wasn’t his.

He wasn’t his.

*

Lu Ge stopped going to the Xu family altogether.

His life returned to normal, and since he no longer needed to visit Ji Mian at night, he spent even more time at the company, turning into a full-blown workaholic.

When people are busy, they tend to forget about other things. Lu Ge clearly understood this.

Being fully immersed in work was fulfilling, and when he had free time, he could even console himself: This is for the best. After all, falling for a sickly person brings no benefits.

Loving Ji Mian was no different from loving a piece of wood, and at least wood wouldn’t keep you up with coughing at night.

Lu Ge thought this as he lightly kicked the leg of the table in front of him.

A week later.

"Here’s your schedule for today, Mr. Lu." Assistant Tang placed a printed form on Lu Ge's desk.

Lu Ge was sprawled in his chair behind the desk, leaning back so far the chair was nearly flat. He had his arms crossed behind his head, and his legs were casually propped up on the desk. He was staring off into space. His suit jacket was wrinkled from his movements, but Lu Ge didn’t seem to care.

It was 8:30 in the morning, and Assistant Tang was a bit concerned. It had already been half an hour since work started, and his workaholic boss hadn’t done a thing yet.

While it was understandable that people occasionally felt lazy, it was strange to see Lu Ge like this.

Moreover, Lu Ge had been like this for more than just a day or two.

Just recently, he’d been working nonstop, even avoiding going back to the Lu family home.

But since a certain day last week, he’d suddenly become this lazy, and it had been nearly a week now.

Although he was passively neglecting his duties, Lu Ge still handled important matters, leaving the small stuff to his team.

Come to think of it, why hadn’t his boss been visiting the Xu family lately? Had he had a falling out with Young Master Xu? Assistant Tang cautiously observed his boss.

The reason Lu Ge went from workaholic to this slump in two weeks was simple.

He didn’t see himself as a hopeless romantic. Even a few months ago, when he realized he had feelings for Ji Mian, he still believed that work and love were equally important.

But it wasn’t until he left the Xu residence last week that he discovered a week of hard work didn’t feel as good as getting Ji Mian to eat one more shrimp!!

Mr. Lu’s work ethic took a serious hit, and he angrily threw his pen.

The ceiling was blindingly white.

Lu Ge blinked, wondering if that picky eater had lost any weight in the two weeks since he left.

Once he started thinking about it, his thoughts became unstoppable.

He suddenly swung his legs down and sat up, dialing the phone on his desk under Assistant Tang’s astonished gaze.

A few seconds later, the call was answered, and a deep male voice came through. "Hello?"

Lu Ge's voice carried its usual playful tone. "Long time no see, Mr. Qin."

The person on the other end recognized his voice, and the tone instantly turned cold. "What do you want, Mr. Lu?"

"Mr. Qin, do you remember the favor you owe me?" Lu Ge smirked. "I'm here to collect."