Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The moment Shen Muyun's hand touched the doorknob, he swiftly turned and locked it from the inside, ignoring his injuries.

This room had been left open, so it probably held no secrets, he mused, wandering around. It looked like a study, much like Shen Wenjin's, filled with economics books—all mind-numbingly dull.

On the desk were some Shen Corporation documents, nothing particularly interesting. Indeed, there seemed to be no secrets. Defeated, he sank into the chair, shaking his head in frustration. Was he overthinking things? Lu Huainan was likely swamped with work and hadn’t found time to reach out.

Shen Muyun's mind raced, thoughts cascading one after another.

Besides, this was Lu Huainan's villa—it couldn’t possibly have hidden rooms or secret passages, could it?

Shen Muyun was briefly startled by his own idea. No, wait—that was possible.

He immediately began scanning the room: vases, scrolls, and paintings—weren’t these the kinds of things often mentioned in period novels, concealing mechanisms and secret passages? It felt like he was on a treasure hunt.

But to his disappointment, there were no mechanisms at all. Even behind the paintings, the walls were smooth and blank—nothing.

Shen Muyun slumped back into the chair. The pain was intense—his back was burning. After all that fuss, sweat stung the wound, making it even more painful. He definitely needed to rebandage it soon.

Just as Shen Muyun was about to get up, he spotted a small, concealed compartment under the desk with a combination lock. It had a four-digit code using numbers from 1 to 9—the number of combinations was unimaginable, but he felt the secret must lie here.

Shen Muyun thought of Lu Huainan's birthday—maybe it was that simple. He entered 0926, but the lock didn’t budge. Should he try again? Shen Muyun hesitated briefly.

Then he considered some holidays and special dates, like the first day he and Lu Huainan met. Absurd—why would he use that? This place didn’t look like it was set up recently; it must have been an old code.

Another thought dawned on him—there was one more person’s birthday that could be the code.

With trembling hands, Shen Muyun resolved: if this didn’t work, he would give up completely.

"Click."

Shen Muyun watched as the small box opened. This… his birthday? How was this possible? How could it be? Could it be that Lu Huainan had long ago keyed all the locks in the house to his birthday?

Shen Muyun opened the small box. Inside was just a piece of paper. Thinking it was nothing important, he didn’t look closely.

He skimmed it casually—Jiangcheng First Hospital. What was so special about this? Just a medical report? No, wait—a medical report? Shen Muyun suddenly recalled Lu Huainan’s odd behavior. Something was wrong—definitely wrong. Lu Huainan had seemed like a stranger during the kidnapping incident.

Shen Muyun unfolded the document. Lu Huainan’s name was clearly written on it, age 27—so two years ago? Bipolar disorder…

Shen Muyun’s eyes widened. How could this be? How could such a gentle man have such an illness?

"Creak..."

Shen Muyun heard a noise. He immediately tucked the paper back into its place and sat at the desk, grabbing the first economics book he saw.

"Brother Yun, what are you doing in my study?"

Shen Muyun held the book. "I was just bored, snooping around."

Lu Huainan’s mood had calmed considerably, though he still looked somewhat haggard—truly worn out, not quite himself.

"Brother Yun, my study is usually off-limits, but since it’s you, it’s fine."

Shen Muyun stood up to leave, but Lu Huainan blocked his path.

"Brother Yun, did you see something?"

Shen Muyun immediately shook his head. "No, nothing. I was just reading economics books, trying to learn from your methods. After all, that’s not something my elder brother and I…"

Before Shen Muyun could finish, Lu Huainan’s kiss landed on his lips.

The soothing rose scent calmed Shen Muyun’s restless nerves.

"Brother Yun, then I’ll have to check—did you finish all the porridge I made?"

Shen Muyun touched his lips. "Of course. I came here only after I’d finished everything."

Shen Muyun took Lu Huainan’s hand. "Huainan, my wound hurts a bit. I must’ve gotten it wet. Can you help me change the dressing?"

Lu Huainan smiled and led Shen Muyun out of the room, casting a meaningful glance at the desk before turning his attention back to Shen Muyun.

Back in the room, seeing the empty bowl, Lu Huainan was pleased.

"Brother Yun, I learned how to make this just recently. I experimented several times and even tried it on the family dog, but well… let’s just say it had an upset stomach. Probably food poisoning."

"You… if you don’t know how, I can do it from now on."

Lu Huainan took out the medical kit from the bedside drawer. Everything inside was fully stocked.

He took out disinfectant and tweezers, then looked at Shen Muyun.

"Brother Yun, you need to lie on your stomach."

Shen Muyun obediently lay on the bed. Lu Huainan lifted Shen Muyun’s shirt and placed a kiss on his back.

The bandage was mostly soaked with blood, probably from not being careful while walking earlier. Only now did he feel the throbbing pain—it was truly agonizing.

Lu Huainan carefully used the tweezers to remove the blood-soaked bandage.

"Luckily, it hasn’t dried yet. Otherwise, it would’ve been very painful."

Shen Muyun didn’t feel as much pain as before—maybe the anesthesia hadn’t worn off completely, or maybe it was because of Lu Huainan. Probably both.

When the disinfectant was applied to the wound, Shen Muyun almost cried out in pain. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, and sweat beaded on his forehead. It hurt so much—earlier he said it didn’t hurt, but now he was paying the price for being stubborn.

Lu Huainan applied the medicinal powder—it felt more like torture.

Shen Muyun’s body trembled uncontrollably from the pain.

Noticing Shen Muyun’s reaction, Lu Huainan quickened his movements.

"Brother Yun, did you know? There are surveillance cameras all over the house."

Shen Muyun was startled. What did Lu Huainan mean by that?

"Well, isn’t that normal? Besides, you probably don’t live here often, and there are small animals here. Monitoring their activities is reasonable."

The edges of Shen Muyun’s wound were slightly red, a possible sign of inflammation. Lu Huainan was concerned and messaged Qi Beichen, but after a while, there was no reply—it was left hanging in the air.

"But, I saw you on the surveillance footage, Brother Yun. It seemed like you saw something in my study."

Shen Muyun froze. So every move he made earlier was under Lu Huainan’s surveillance? This person was like a stalker.

"Brother Yun, I know what you saw. But don’t worry—that was from when I was 27. Now I’m 30, and it’s all in the past."

Shen Muyun didn’t believe it at all. Back when he was teaching at the university, someone in the same office studied psychology. They said that "cured" just meant numbing emotions and desires—and under stimulation, it could still flare up.

Shen Muyun lay on the bed, silent for a long time.

"Hey, Lu Huainan, what is it now?"

Qi Beichen was driving to the antique shop, thinking that encountering this couple meant no peace—they were constantly in a state of damage and recovery, unable to break free.

"Qi Beichen, Brother Yun just got up from bed..."

"What? So early? Did the wound reopen? Check if it's bleeding. I’ll come over right now."

"Well, Qi Beichen, you probably don’t need to come. I just wanted to ask—I’ve already handled it, but the edges of Brother Yun’s wound are a bit red. Is it inflamed? Does he need a drip?"

Qi Beichen pulled over to the side of the road.

"If the edges are red, it’s definitely infected. Have him start oral antibiotics, but I still need to come over and bring you some medicine. You two, if you’re sick, you should go to the hospital."

Lu Huainan paused for a moment. "You know how it is—our situation has already been all over the gossip mills. If this continues, who knows what outrageous rumors might spread. Qi Beichen, I really appreciate your help."

"I’m at the antique shop now, not far from your place. By the way, Lu Huainan, I have some medicine for you as well. I just found it and thought it might help."

Lu Huainan was stunned. Did he just get exposed out of nowhere? What kind of situation was this?

Lu Huainan could only shake his head helplessly. "Yeah, I understand."

Shen Muyun frowned as he looked at Lu Huainan. It seemed like he was the only one who didn’t know about Lu Huainan’s illness.

Lu Huainan ended the call and happened to meet Shen Muyun’s gaze.

"Huainan, I think you owe me an explanation. Why does even Qi Beichen know about this, but I don’t?"

Lu Huainan clenched his jaw and looked up at Shen Muyun. He had originally planned to gloss over it, but that clearly wasn’t going to work.

"Well, I was just too anxious. There was a project I was working on, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it right. Gradually, I realized I was getting wound up—so wound up that I couldn’t sleep all night. But when it was time to work, I felt exhausted. I knew something was wrong with me."

Shen Muyun nodded slightly.

"Later, I asked Qi Beichen to check me out, and that was the diagnosis. But I’ve gotten much better since then. I haven’t had any issues in recent years, especially after meeting Brother Yun. Maybe Brother Yun has a calming effect, or is like a charm."

Shen Muyun raised his hand, and a sharp pain shot through his wound. "Tch..."

"Brother Yun, don’t move! If you’re angry, you can hit me if you want. It’s just... I was wrong for hiding this from you. So, Brother Yun, do you still like me?"

Shen Muyun closed his eyes. Was that even a question?

"Lu Huainan, I really don’t know what goes on in that little head of yours every day. Of course I like you—how could that change? Even if you’re sick, I’ll stay by your side and never leave."