Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Yan Zhuo lay there, feeling aggrieved all night, unable to sleep at all.

The person in his arms slept quietly, pressed tightly against him, making him afraid to move even a little, afraid of waking him.

Yet inside, he felt a deep sense of injustice—he had been used like a tool all day, worked like a mule, and now the promised reward was being withheld.

And so, with conflicted feelings, he lay awake through the night.

The next morning, when Ruan Yunchu opened his eyes, he was still a bit drowsy, feeling the warmth radiating from the man beside him.

The memory of brushing him off and falling asleep early came back to him. He slowly recalled how Yan Zhuo, radiating resentment yet not daring to disturb him, looked—and somehow found it a little cute.

But before his drowsiness had fully faded, the person beside him seemed to sense he was awake and began to get handsy.

"Baby, finally awake." Yan Zhuo's voice was hoarse, like gravel grinding, as if he were gritting his teeth.

Alarms went off in Ruan Yunchu's mind, but before he could find an excuse to get up, the man suddenly enveloped him, pressing hot, lingering kisses to his ear and lips, trailing kisses down to where his clothes had been pulled open.

His body tensed instantly, and he could only passively hold the mischievous head in his arms, his whole body flushed.

Thanks to Yan Zhuo's persistence, the morning was spent in bed again.

When Ruan Yunchu arrived at the hospital, it was already afternoon.

Uncle Chen arrived early and took care of everything. After discussing some other matters, he was about to try to convince Ruan Yunchu to start another rehab session, but before he could say anything, the office door was pushed open again.

Yan Zhuo strode in, seemingly unaware of the awkward atmosphere his entrance had created in the office.

He cheerfully walked over to Ruan Yunchu and said with a smile, "It's pretty much all set, just waiting for Peng Yun's transfer."

"Yeah." Ruan Yunchu was no longer too worried. After Chen Quan left, he looked up at Yan Zhuo. "Ming Yuan will come later. You should make yourself scarce."

"..." Yan Zhuo looked shocked and disbelieving. "Boss, you're not even trying to avoid people anymore?"

Knowing what he was thinking again, Ruan Yunchu was speechless.

"He's here for rehabilitation today."

"The talent I specially found for you, and in the end, it all benefits him," Yan Zhuo said, still holding a grudge.

"The Ming family is reliable. Building a good relationship will be very beneficial in the future."

Seeing his serious expression, Yan Zhuo couldn't help but be sarcastic. "Yeah, your heart is all about work. The only things you love are those companies. There's no room for anything else."

"Glad you know that."

Ruan Yunchu had no desire to discuss this with him at the moment. He gathered his things on the desk and checked the time.

"I'm going downstairs. Don't follow me."

Yan Zhuo snorted coldly, lounging lazily on the sofa, his long legs propped on the coffee table. And he didn't follow him out.

Softly, Ruan Yunchu sat in his wheelchair and slowly entered the elevator. He heard faint rustling through his earpiece.

Yan Zhuo was probably still lying on the sofa playing on his terminal, faint game music mixed with his gentle breathing—very quiet.

Ding—The elevator doors opened, the sound coinciding with the game's level-complete jingle in his earpiece.

"Mr. Ruan." Ming Yuan was standing outside the elevator. He smiled when he saw him. "You didn't come down specially to pick me up, did you?"

"Right on the mark." Ruan Yunchu quirked his lips slightly.

They went up to the second floor.

Ming Yuan talked about Ming Ya's recent condition, and Ruan Yunchu occasionally responded. The game music in his ear kept playing, as if Yan Zhuo hadn't moved since he left.

Pushing open the examination room door, Ming Yuan took off his coat and started simple rehab exercises.

Ruan Yunchu sat in his wheelchair watching him, his gaze sweeping over the doctor assisting with the examination.

She was a young female Beta. Originally introduced by Uncle Chen, she hadn't stood out initially, but now she had quietly established herself.

Though she was part of Jiaxie, she rarely handled cases. Usually, she worked with other doctors on research and treatment for Ruan Yunchu's legs, and now Ming Yuan was an additional patient.

*He had been focusing on the wrong thing,* Ruan Yunchu thought. He had always been focused on the medical teams Yan Zhuo had found. But if Yan Zhuo was truly scheming, how could he bring people in himself?

Maybe he had been staring too long, because the female doctor looked back at him. Her eyes, above the mask, were calm, exuding a strangely reassuring calm.

She paused for a moment, then her eyes crinkled slightly as she walked over to Ruan Yunchu.

"Mr. Ruan, would you like to do some rehabilitation exercises today?"

"No, I've been quite tired lately. I don't have much energy."

"Well, actually, given your current condition, more rehab would be beneficial."

"Thank you. I'll consider it."

The female doctor said no more, smiled, and went back to check on Ming Yuan.

After the conversation ended, Ruan Yunchu lowered his eyes and suddenly realized the sound in his earpiece had gone silent at some point.

He gripped his knee tighter, frowned slightly, and turned up the volume. Soon, a faint sound came through.

It sounded like a distant ringtone, fading after two seconds, then Yan Zhuo's deep voice rang out.

"What is it?"

Realizing Yan Zhuo was on the phone, Ruan Yunchu frowned and increased the volume.

Because he was too far away, he couldn't make out who was on the other end, only bits of Yan Zhuo's voice.

He gave a light chuckle, his tone cold. "What's that got to do with me? Do your own work. You're not exactly helpless, are you... I'm busy."

He paused there, as if the other person had said something in a hurry. After that, he went silent for a long time, making Ruan Yunchu think the call was over.

But half a minute later, Yan Zhuo's icy voice sounded.

"We'll talk later."

“...”

It sounded like something was just tossed aside, making a dull sound.

Ruan Yunchu guessed that he had taken off his wrist terminal and tossed it on the sofa, and soon footsteps approached as Yan Zhuo also sat down on the sofa.

The sound gradually drew closer. He was about to lower the volume when he heard a quiet laugh.

For a moment, he even thought Yan Zhuo had discovered him eavesdropping.

A chill ran down his spine. Before he could disconnect the eavesdropping device, he heard Yan Zhuo lean back and start humming.

This time the music didn’t play, but the phone on his lap began to vibrate.

The room had been completely quiet. Hearing the sound, Ming Yuan, who was struggling through his rehab, and the doctor both turned to look at him.

Ruan Yunchu gave a slight nod, turned his wheelchair around, and went to the corridor to answer the call.

The other end was quiet. Two seconds later, Yan Zhuo’s voice came through his watch and earpiece at the same time.

“Young master, I regret it. I shouldn’t have let you go alone. Did Ming Yuan give you the eye again?”

Ruan Yunchu looked toward the window at the end of the corridor, seeing patients sunbathing under the green treetops.

“Do you always get like this when you’re by yourself?”

Yan Zhuo was amused by his words. Despite being alone in the office, he deliberately lowered his voice and leaned close to the terminal, saying, “I get lovesick the second I don’t see you, young master.”

“If you’ve got time for all that, you could help me with some work first.”

“Young master, aren’t you being a little too trusting of me?”

“Hmm, do you want me to not trust you?”

Yan Zhuo’s breath caught, and he let out a heavy sigh, seeming torn.

“Young master, you really make me a little...”

He didn’t finish. The call ended.

Ruan Yunchu leaned back in his wheelchair, a cold look spreading across his face. He didn’t know how long he’d been thinking, but in the end, he didn’t make a decision.

Half an hour later, Ming Yuan finished his rehab.

Ruan Yunchu walked him out. At the door, Ming Yuan turned back and said in a low voice, “I’ve already started on what you asked. If there’s anything else to add, just contact me anytime.”

“Sorry for the trouble.”

“You’re welcome.”

Watching the hovercar drift away, he looked away, his thoughts a mess.

The next morning, Peng Yun was moved to Jiaxie Hospital, accompanied by a squad of Alliance soldiers.

Ruan Yunchu had prepped early. After meeting him and overseeing the doctor’s examination himself, he finally went in to visit.

After the surgery, Old Master Peng looked much haggard, but he seemed to glow all over, as if getting his injured hand reattached had given him hope again.

Seeing Ruan Yunchu, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Xiao Ruan.”

Ruan Yunchu gave a slight smile and moved his wheelchair closer. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good. Right after the surgery, my hand was on fire—I couldn’t sleep at night, and the pain meds didn’t do much.” Peng Yun smiled. “Luckily, it’s stable now. I didn’t feel any discomfort when I came over.”

“Everything is arranged here. If you feel any discomfort, just tell them anytime.”

“Don’t worry, just treat me like any other patient.”

Peng Yun’s words were clearly meant to reassure him, but Ruan Yunchu knew well that this man was different from other patients.

Besides his identity and the special nature of the surgery, there was a deeper layer.

Since he was Lieutenant General Peng’s father, even though he had long retired due to illness, he still had influence in the Alliance. If the Alliance’s attention was truly on the Ruan family, then he had probably come with a mission.

Ruan Yunchu was well aware of this but didn’t call him out.

After a brief greeting, he didn’t stay long. As he went out, he saw Yan Zhuo leaning against the wall outside, continuing to play the next level of a mini-game out of boredom. When he heard the sound and looked up to see him, his eyes lit up for a moment.

“Young master.”

Ruan Yunchu nodded slightly. “Go in and say hello to Old Peng, so he recognizes you.”

“Alright.” Yan Zhuo made a reluctant face.

Ruan Yunchu ignored him, watching him enter unwillingly.

Peng Yun was leaning on the bed, checking out the ward with interest. Jiaxie had grown so big because of its service—looking around, he finally understood why the rich businessmen liked to come here.

But before he could take out his light brain, the ward door was pushed open again.

Seeing it was Yan Zhuo, he relaxed for a moment, but still pretended to be serious. “Something wrong?”

As soon as Yan Zhuo entered, the slight smile on his face vanished. He closed the ward door behind him and said flatly, “Stop pretending.”

“What if...”

“No, I’ve checked.” Yan Zhuo pulled up a chair and sat directly beside him, not giving him a chance to speak. “Peng Zhongying contacted me. Show me the route and the plan.”

Peng Yun quickly found the plan just drawn up by the Alliance. As he handed it over, he hesitated and asked, “Are you planning to join the battle? If so, all the previous efforts might be wasted.”

Yan Zhuo lowered his eyes, skimmed the details at a glance, and after a long while, sighed, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Some things are more important than power.”