Chapter 6 Hand in Hand

Chapter 6 Hand in Hand

Waking up the next day, Chu Yan was alarmed by the sudden blurriness before his eyes.

It felt as though a layer of cotton was wrapped around his eyes. He rubbed his eyes a few times, but the haze seemed stuck in his eyes.

The bit of fabric he'd been clutching before falling asleep was gone. "Yong Yong, Yong Yong, where are you?"

"You're awake?" As he spoke, a very blurry figure, like it was wrapped in cotton, moved toward him.

Chu Yan was both frightened and eager to get closer. He clutched the corner of the blanket, curling up into a ball.

"What's wrong?"

Chu Yan shook his head, trying to get rid of the cottony stuff around the figure. "There's something in my eyes—I can't get it out."

"Don't move. Close your eyes. I'll have a doctor come take a look."

After Chu Yan did as he was told, his vision actually got a lot better. His vision returned to what it had been before—dark, with a hint of deep red.

Soon, hurried footsteps filled the room. A voice he didn't like much spoke up.

"You can see things now? Let me have a look."

Sensing the approach, Chu Yan instinctively flinched, wanting to pull away. But at that moment, his hand was grasped, and then Chi Suiyong's voice sounded right next to his ear. "Chu Yan, do you remember what I told you before?"

"I remember it all."

"So now, I found a doctor to help treat you. I'll be right here with you, holding your hand. You need to cooperate with this doctor, okay? Can you do that?"

Chu Yan fought the urge to back away, gritted his teeth, and nodded. "I can."

The doctor he'd called then stepped forward. "Now, let's gently open your eyelids..."

Before he could finish, Chu Yan raised his hand and pushed the doctor's hand away.

The doctor's words, mixed with Yong Yong's, felt like sharp barbs scraping his eardrums.

"Director Xing... try to sound more serious."

"Aren't I just imitating you?"

"Your voice is different. Don't freak him out again."

Yong Yong shot back a few words at the doctor, then turned back to calm him down. "The doctor just got a fishbone stuck in his throat. Don't be scared."

"Seriously?" The doctor's voice finally returned to normal—still annoying, but not as grating as before.

"When you open your eyes, what can you see?"

Chu Yan looked at the shadow before him, frowned, and turned his head away. Then, after landing on what might be Yong Yong's figure, his expression returned to normal. "White, but a bit bright," Chu Yan extended his hand, tracing the outline of the shadow in the air. "Yong Yong, is the person I'm seeing now you?"

Just as he squinted to try and see the shadow more clearly, something moved in front of his eyes. "So you really can see."

Chu Yan raised his hand again and pushed the thing out of his view.

"It's me. What do you see?"

Chu Yan blinked again. It didn't help much, but he tried his best to describe what he could see. "Black hair, white clothes, face... also very white."

"And? Can you see my eyes?"

"No, they're just blurry shapes. There's white light blocking them."

Chu Yan reached out to touch Chi Suiyong's face but hesitated, afraid his bad vision might poke him in the eye. So he stopped and just asked, "Yong Yong, are my eyes getting better?"

But it was the doctor who kept messing around in front of him who replied instead. "Probably in a day or two. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, you'll be able to see what he looks like."

That's right—what did Yong Yong actually look like?

Since he had no clear face in his memory to base the other's looks on, judging by the faint shadow he could see now, it seemed gentle and soft, just like his voice.

"Young people really are different. With this kind of physical resilience, who'd believe the whole front of the car was destroyed and the driver only had a concussion?"

Hearing this, Chu Yan racked his brain again, looking confused. "What car?"

But the doctor went quiet.

"By the way, Chu Yan, the weather is nice outside today. Want to go to the cafeteria for breakfast?"

Hearing that he could leave the hospital room, Chu Yan immediately forgot what the doctor had just said. "Sure!"

So after they freshened up, the two walked downstairs hand in hand.

Chi Suiyong rarely regretted the decisions he made, but because of Chu Yan, he found himself regretting every few minutes that he'd ever taken this bizarre case in a moment of weakness.

Just as he had told Director Xing, everyone in the hospital knew his sexual orientation. So as he led Chu Yan by the hand to the cafeteria, he got all kinds of stares and surprised glances.

As someone currently single, his reputation was still important.

So while waiting for their meal at the cafeteria, he opened the work attendance group, typed up an update on the patient he was handling, and sent it out.

This group included almost all the staff of He'an Hospital. People would post work-related matters here, and there was also a separate chat group for free discussion.

Sure enough, not long after he posted Chu Yan's condition, someone @ed him in the chat group: So the medical director's brother is basically just a kid now?

Chi Suiyong quickly replied, "Mm."

As for the chain reaction that followed, Chi Suiyong could predict it with his eyes closed. Chu Yan's status was different from other patients, and given his appearance, even in an abnormal state, he still caught the eyes of the hospital's young female staff. During their breaks, they would chat about it, and naturally, his close behavior with Chu Yan could be written off as a normal doctor-patient relationship.

Before long, a photo was sent in the chat group—it was the two of them walking hand in hand into the cafeteria.

Chi Suiyong looked at the avatar, identified who it was, scanned the cafeteria, and found the person wasn't there. So he @ed her: Can you stop taking pictures of us?

Before his message was sent, the photo was pinned by the admin.

Chi Suiyong: "..."

What the hell are these people doing?

A little uneasy, Chi Suiyong turned off his phone screen and started doing his non-doctor job—feeding Chu Yan.

Chu Yan had gone to bed only half-full last night. It was clear that the Chu family's dining etiquette had been well taught—Chi Suiyong could tell Chu Yan was starving, but he just sat obediently, hands on his knees, waiting for Chi Suiyong to do something.

The food at He'an Hospital's cafeteria was famously refined. If you were willing to spend the money, they could even put together a five-star hotel-level breakfast.

Since it was charged to Chu Yan's patient card, Chi Suiyong didn't hesitate to order three portions, including his own breakfast.

The first dish to arrive was a bowl of freshly cooked soup noodles with a mix of toppings from land, sea, and air. Chi Suiyong, just like when he used to feed his little nephew, took out a small bowl, took a small portion, let the noodles cool down enough to eat, then twisted the noodles around his chopsticks and brought them to Chu Yan's mouth. "Come on, open up."

Chu Yan cooperatively opened his mouth and slurped up the entire bundle of noodles.

Chi Suiyong then picked up the spoon, scooped up some meat, and waited for the other man to swallow what was in his mouth.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the other man's face and the food in the bowl.

Chu Yan ate very elegantly, without making a sound. His lips, coated with broth, were slightly more vibrant than their original shade, turning a moist, vivid red as his tongue swept over them.

The owner of this beautiful sight was oblivious, his attention fixed on the chopsticks and spoon Chi Suiyong handed him. The large bowl of noodles was devoured in just over ten minutes.

Then a plate of grain salad was brought over, accompanied by a few milk-scented dinner rolls.

Chi Suiyong pushed his own portion aside, waiting until the person across from him was fully fed before starting on his own.

During his meal, Chu Yan sat quietly across from him.

Chi Suiyong knew the other couldn't see clearly, but that direct, unwavering gaze still made his food tasteless.

Before he finished eating, two female nurses came over to share the table.

The four corners of the square table were now fully occupied.

As soon as the two nurses sat down, Chu Yan tensed up alertly, using his blurry vision to examine the newcomers.

"Hey, Dr. Chi, can he communicate normally now?"

"Is it because he doesn't have to stay up late? How can his skin be so good?"

Chu Yan didn't understand what they were saying, but their crisp voices were less annoying than that grating doctor's voice.

"Chu Yan, these two are nurses from our hospital. They'll take care of you too, so don't be afraid."

"Are they the kind of nurses who give shots?"

"Don't worry, they won't give you shots."

Chu Yan's shoulders relaxed slightly, but he didn't speak again.

Chi Suiyong thought that since his mental age was now stuck at four, basic social etiquette should still be observed. Seeing that he wasn't as resistant as before, he said, "You can greet them... Just call them 'big sister'!"

Chu Yan tried a few times before stumbling out, "Hello, two nurse big sisters."

As soon as he finished, Chu Yan heard the two nurse "sisters" make strange sounds.

Squealing, like they had won the lottery and could only suppress their excitement.

"Take it easy, you two. Don't scare him." That was Yong Yong's voice.

Chu Yan didn't know what they were excited about, but from the way Yong Yong spoke to them, it seemed harmless, so he added, "My name is Chu Yan. Yan from 'the side of an inkstone.'"

"Yeah, we know."

Chu Yan asked, "How do you know?"

"Everyone in the hospital knows."

This answer made Chu Yan feel like he was under the watch of many people. "Oh..."

Chi Suiyong watched on the side, feeling that bringing him to the restaurant wasn't such a bad decision after all. At least Chu Yan was no longer in that state of keeping everyone at arm's length.

Then, from Chu Yan's interaction with the two young nurses, he noticed a cocky and arrogant side to his personality.

Indeed, someone like him would not only be a bedtime topic in every dorm during school, but also a constant subject of discussion among young women in the office after entering society.

According to Director Xing's diagnosis, Chu Yan's amnesia was only temporary. What would happen after he regained his memory?

Thinking about how Chu Yan, while sick, had clung so tightly to a gay older man five years his senior, Chu Yan would probably find it repulsive.