Chapter 15 Princess Carry?

Chapter 15: A Princess Carry?

Jiang Jiang couldn't care about anything else now. Clutching his ice cream, he sprinted all the way back to the Lu Group, terrified that his bouquet might have actually sent Lu Nanzhou to the hospital—or worse.

"Hurry, hurry! Let me up the elevator, I need to see your President Lu!" Jiang Jiang leaned over the front desk, straining to see inside.

The receptionist was startled but recognized the young man who had been escorted upstairs earlier by Assistant Lin. After a moment's thought, she called the president's office.

Assistant Lin was a little surprised to hear Jiang Jiang had returned. Considering the boss's earlier attitude, he instructed the front desk to let him up.

Two minutes later, the elevator arrived.

"Jiang..." Assistant Lin's greeting was cut short as Jiang Jiang blew past him like a gust of wind, heading straight for the president's office.

Assistant Lin recovered his composure and hurried after him.

*Bang!* Jiang Jiang shoved the door open.

Inside the office, Lu Nanzhou was leaning back in his large executive chair, one hand pressed to his forehead, his brow furrowed tightly. His breathing was slightly labored, and the red rash on his cheeks and neck was even more pronounced than before.

Hearing the noise, Lu Nanzhou looked up. Seeing Jiang Jiang, who had left and now returned, his eyes showed a flicker of surprise. Remembering the sunflowers he had just asked his assistant to dispose of, he was about to explain...

"Brother!" Jiang Jiang rushed to the desk. Seeing Lu Nanzhou's obvious discomfort, his heart sank. For once, his usually carefree self was completely overwhelmed by guilt.

"Why are you back?" Lu Nanzhou's voice was even hoarser than before.

"I... I didn't know you were allergic to pollen!" Jiang Jiang stared at Lu Nanzhou's flushed face and neck, feeling terrible.

Without thinking, he shoved the barely touched ice cream in his hand toward him. "H-here, maybe something cold will help?"

The chilly ice cream nearly hit Lu Nanzhou's nose.

Lu Nanzhou: "..."

Assistant Lin: "..."

404: "..."

Lu Nanzhou closed his eyes, feeling dizzier. He waved a weak hand. "No need. Assistant Lin... you..." *both get out.*

Assistant Lin, not waiting for his boss to finish, quickly offered the medicine he had been holding.

He knew that's what the boss must want.

Lu Nanzhou: "..."

Ignoring the medicine his assistant offered, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine."

"What do you mean fine! Your face is so red, and your breathing is off!" Seeing him trying to tough it out made Jiang Jiang even more anxious.

He grabbed Lu Nanzhou's arm, trying to pull him up. "No! You need to go to the hospital! What if it gets worse!"

"Jiang Jiang, stop fooling around." Lu Nanzhou tried to pull free. He didn't want to make a big deal out of this "minor issue."

Although the allergic reaction was uncomfortable, he was used to enduring it. Besides, with medication, it usually passed after a while.

Seeing Lu Nanzhou unwilling to move, Jiang Jiang steeled his heart. He bent down, sliding one arm under Lu Nanzhou's knees and the other around his back—

"What are you doing?!" Lu Nanzhou was shocked.

The next second, the world spun.

Jiang Jiang was actually trying to princess-carry him.

Assistant Lin stared wide-eyed at the scene.

Someone was actually attempting to princess-carry the boss.

Although, due to the height and size difference, the attempt only got halfway before failing.

Lu Nanzhou's rear briefly left the chair by a few centimeters before gravity pulled him back down, but it was enough to make the usually unflappable President Lu's pupils shake with seismic shock.

"Jiang! Jiang!" The two words were practically ground out from between Lu Nanzhou's teeth.

"Sorry, sorry!" Jiang Jiang also realized he had been impulsive, but he couldn't worry about that now.

Instead, he firmly supported Lu Nanzhou's arm, half-dragging, half-carrying him up from the chair. His tone was resolute and left no room for argument. "You *must* go to the hospital! Assistant Lin, Assistant Lin, help!"

"President Lu?" Assistant Lin's expression was hesitant.

Supported by Jiang Jiang, Lu Nanzhou looked almost half-embraced in his arms. Dizzy and utterly exasperated by Jiang Jiang's antics, he momentarily felt weak.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally relented.

"...Let's go." His voice was filled with exhaustion and a hint of resignation.

Thus, the employees on the top floor of the Lu Group witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Their always aloof, cold, and dignified President Lu, with a cute young man practically holding him up, walked with slightly unsteady steps towards the private elevator.

President Lu's face was flushed, his brow furrowed, while the young man wore an expression of deep worry and concern.

......

The car sped to the nearest private hospital.

In the VIP ward, the doctor examined Lu Nanzhou and confirmed it was an allergic reaction to pollen. Fortunately, he had been brought in promptly, and medication had been administered, so it wasn't too severe. However, he needed to stay for observation for a while, receiving an IV to speed up metabolism and alleviate symptoms.

Lu Nanzhou lay on the hospital bed, an IV drip in the back of his hand. Though his face was still somewhat pale, his breathing had steadied considerably.

His eyes were closed, whether asleep or simply resting.

Jiang Jiang sat slumped in the chair by the bed like a schoolboy who had done something wrong. Even the usually perky cowlick on his head drooped listlessly.

He stole glances at Lu Nanzhou's peaceful sleeping face, his heart in turmoil.

404 sighed mournfully in his mind. "Lu Nanzhou really has it rough meeting you. What an ordeal."

Jiang Jiang pouted, not daring to make a sound.

After a while, Lu Nanzhou slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the drooping, fluffy head beside him.

"...I'm fine now," he said, his voice still a bit hoarse.

Jiang Jiang's head snapped up. Meeting his gaze, he bit his lip before speaking. "I'm sorry, brother... I really didn't know..."

Seeing his pitiful appearance, the displeasure Lu Nanzhou had felt from being forcibly taken to the hospital inexplicably dissipated for the most part.

He sighed, a note of helplessness in his voice. "Don't give me flowers next time."

"Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm!" Jiang Jiang nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice. "I'll remember!"

The ward fell silent, with only the sound of the IV drip.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a pale golden glow over Jiang Jiang's slightly wavy hair.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room rarely felt so warm.

......

However, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last long before it was shattered by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Accompanied by the faint voice of a nurse trying to stop him, the door was abruptly pushed open with a loud bang.

When Lu Xingye heard his older brother was in the hospital, he rushed over directly from the comic convention without even changing.

In his experience, his brother was the type of person who would finish his work before seeking medical attention, even with a high fever of 40 degrees.

This time, he actually ended up in the hospital.

Could it be some kind of terminal illness...?

His brother, Lu Nanzhou, was indeed lying in the bed with an IV drip in the back of his hand. His complexion was paler than usual, but he didn't look... as critical as Lu Xingye had imagined.

What shocked him the most was that Jiang Jiang, whom his wife had praised as adorable, was also there.

"What are you doing here?!" Lu Xingye immediately rounded on Jiang Jiang, his tone filled with disbelief and wariness.

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Jiang turned his head. He was momentarily stunned by the other's attire before retorting defiantly, "I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are you here?"

Lu Nanzhou also turned to look.

Lu Xingye was wearing a green wig and a suit of armor, though it was unclear which anime character he was cosplaying.

Lu Xingye glared at Jiang Jiang. "This is my brother. Why can't I be here? But you..."

He sized up Jiang Jiang from head to toe.

The young man was holding a clumsily peeled apple in his left hand and a knife in his right—clearly, he had been peeling an apple for Lu Nanzhou.

"Brother?" Jiang Jiang widened his eyes.

Lu Nanzhou was Lu Xingye's brother?

He glanced at Lu Nanzhou, who still looked imposing even while lying in the hospital bed, then looked at Lu Xingye, who was dressed like a total chuunibyou teenager.

"What, can't you tell?" Lu Xingye was particularly irritated by his gaze.

"Can't tell," Jiang Jiang shook his head honestly. "Your brother is much more normal."

Lu Nanzhou hadn't expected these two to know each other, and it seemed their relationship wasn't exactly friendly.

Considering their personalities, he could already feel a headache coming on.

Sure enough, the next second, Lu Xingye exploded like a firecracker. "Who are you calling abnormal? You're the one who's not normal! I'm here to see my brother. What are you doing here? It's weird for you to be here. Did you put my brother in the hospital?"

He was just lashing out in anger, but to his surprise, Jiang Jiang didn't argue back. Instead, he looked guilty.

Lu Xingye eyed Jiang Jiang suspiciously. "Was it really you?"

"I... I didn't mean to. I just wanted to give him some flowers," Jiang Jiang's voice grew weaker. It was indeed his fault.

Lu Xingye immediately seized the moral high ground:

"Is that what you call giving flowers?"

"Don't you know severe allergies can be fatal?"

"I think you were trying to send my brother off!"

Lu Nanzhou: ...

It was just a mild allergy.

"I said I didn't mean to! And keep your voice down. Brother needs quiet!"

"You're the one who should be quiet! And he's not your brother, so stop calling him that."

"None of your business. I'll call him whatever I want. Brother, brother, brother, brother, brother."

The two of them went back and forth, bickering like two elementary school kids, completely forgetting there was a patient lying in bed.

Lu Nanzhou closed his eyes, a vein throbbing at his temple.

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Take your argument outside."

Instantly, the world fell silent.

Jiang Jiang and Lu Xingye both went quiet, like quails with their necks squeezed.

Lu Xingye was the first to react. He shot Jiang Jiang a fierce glare but lowered his voice as he spoke to his brother. "Brother, are you okay? What did the doctor say?"

"I'm fine. I just need to be observed for a while," Lu Nanzhou's tone softened slightly. He paused before continuing, "Jiang Jiang didn't know I'm allergic to flowers. You can't entirely blame him."

Lu Xingye: ???

Shouldn't his brother be furious? Why was he defending Jiang Jiang? What about the scolding he got as a kid for accidentally breaking a vase?

Was it because he could take a beating?

Truthfully, Lu Nanzhou didn't know why either. He wasn't as angry as Lu Xingye had imagined, just somewhat helpless.

Jiang Jiang added softly, "The doctor said the allergic reaction is under control. After the IV drip, as long as everything's fine during observation, he can leave."

Lu Xingye glanced at him, snorted, and didn't retort further, silently accepting the information.

The ward fell into a delicate silence once again.

Lu Xingye dragged a chair over and sat on the other side of the bed, crossing his arms and occasionally glancing at the progress of the IV drip.

Jiang Jiang also sat back down, placing his hands on his knees like a well-behaved elementary school student.

Lu Nanzhou looked at the two figures sitting on either side of his bed—one obedient, the other... a bit hard on the eyes.

He closed his eyes again and said calmly, "I'm going to sleep for a bit."

"Oh."

"Okay."

Two voices responded simultaneously, then fell silent again.

“Ding! Impression Value +10. Current Impression Value: 65.”

Author’s Note:

----------------------

Jiang Jiang grabbed Lu Nanzhou: He wants to come with me to the hospital.

Lu Nanzhou: …

Lu Xingye lit into Jiang Jiang: #@#%?&…

Lu Nanzhou: He didn’t do it on purpose, either.

Lu Xingye: ?