Chapter 17: Afraid of Being Diagnosed with an Incurable Disease
But what Xie Zhengran cared about even more was Liang Sheng, who was currently curled up in Shen Xingyu’s arms, his small face contorted in agony.
“Sheng-sheng! What’s wrong with you?!”
He rushed forward anxiously, wanting to check on Liang Sheng’s condition, but Shen Xingyu turned his body to block him.
“Sheng-sheng? Is that a name you’re allowed to call him?”
The man’s eyebrow arched slightly. His words were light, but his eyes were filled with chilling coldness.
“Let me see what’s wrong with him!”
Xie Zhengran didn’t give up, reaching out to grab him. Liang Sheng’s appearance made his heart burn with anxiety.
But before he could even touch the hem of Liang Sheng’s clothes, he was forcefully shoved back by the accompanying Qin Lou.
He stumbled, nearly falling over.
Shen Xingyu tightened his grip on the person in his arms who wouldn’t stop moaning in pain. He looked around and shouted sternly, “Where are the other doctors in the emergency room? Get them over here!”
Xie Zhengran patted his crooked ID badge on his chest. His eyes remained fixed on Liang Sheng, whose face was as pale as paper. He had no idea why Shen Xingyu held such deep hostility toward him!
Forcing down his rage, he gritted his teeth. “The other doctors are on their lunch break. I’m the only one on duty here.”
“I refuse to believe that in such a massive hospital, there isn’t a single doctor capable of treating him!”
Shen Xingyu cast a disdainful glance at Xie Zhengran and turned to walk out. The thought of his little wife throwing himself into this man’s arms earlier made the fire in his heart burn even hotter.
Worried sick about Liang Sheng, Xie Zhengran didn’t care about the consequences and rushed up to block the doorway. He shouted, “His condition is very bad right now! There’s no time! If you delay any longer, he’ll literally die from the pain!”
Shen Xingyu’s brows knitted together. Following that, the person in his arms let out a painful groan. It was intermittent, sounding as if he were on the verge of death. He hurriedly looked down and saw that Liang Sheng really looked like he was failing; his entire body was trembling.
“Hurry up! The thing hospitals dread most is hesitation. Every second you waste adds to his danger!”
Xie Zhengran’s eyes were red with anxiety. He even began to suspect if Shen Xingyu actually wanted Liang Sheng to die from the pain!
Seeing that his boss was still hesitating, Qin Lou prepared to step forward and shove the meddling Xie Zhengran aside, but he was stopped by Shen Xingyu’s raised hand a second later.
Shen Xingyu stared at Xie Zhengran without blinking. He lowered his gaze, seemingly restraining himself, and warned word by word, “You had better be able to cure him. If you can’t, you’ll disappear from this hospital.”
Xie Zhengran wasn’t intimidated by his threat in the slightest. He lowered his voice and said, “Fine!”
Only then did Shen Xingyu turn around and place Liang Sheng on the hospital bed.
His little wife’s complexion was growing worse by the second, looking like a flower about to wither—pale and fragile.
What exactly was happening?
Seeing Liang Sheng in this much pain, it didn’t look like he was faking it… could those few pieces of spicy diced chicken really be that powerful?
Shen Xingyu’s frown deepened.
He was actually starting to feel a bit afraid.
Afraid that Liang Sheng would die.
Xie Zhengran quickly and carefully injected a painkiller into Liang Sheng, then said to Shen Xingyu, “Please step outside first. I need to examine the patient.”
“Why?”
Shen Xingyu’s face instantly went cold.
“Your presence here will interfere with my work.”
Shen Xingyu let out a light snort. He leaned over to tidy Liang Sheng’s messy hair, his gaze full of a tenderness that was tinged with frost. “I am his husband. I have an obligation to stay by his side and monitor his condition.”
Hearing the word “husband,” Xie Zhengran was momentarily shocked. His mouth twitched, but he still suppressed his emotions to speak: “Our hospital has regulations. We cannot disclose a patient’s privacy. Sir, please wait outside, alright?”
How could Shen Xingyu possibly allow them to be in the same room? He curled his lips into a smirk, his large hand gently stroking Liang Sheng’s pale little face. Without even looking up, he spoke with biting sarcasm, “A lone man and another’s husband—it truly is a perfect setup for getting up to something.”
“You!”
Xie Zhengran was about to explode with anger. If it weren’t for the sake of his profession as a doctor, he really wanted to rush up and give Shen Xingyu a brutal beating right now!
The arguing by the bed was intense. Dazed, Liang Sheng opened his eyes and saw Shen Xingyu and Xie Zhengran in a dispute. He spoke weakly, “What… are you two doing?”
Xie Zhengran tried to step forward to check on Liang Sheng, but he was dragged back by Qin Lou, who immobilized his hands.
Shen Xingyu’s tall frame blocked Xie Zhengran from view, ensuring that Liang Sheng could only see him.
In his heart, he was clearly anxious about his little wife’s condition, but his face still maintained a cold indifference as he asked:
“Feeling better?”
Liang Sheng ignored his hypocrisy, trying his best to look at the struggling Xie Zhengran through the gaps. His face was full of anxiety:
“What… did you do to Brother Ran?”
“You just got a bit better, and this is the first thing you care about?”
Shen Xingyu arched an eyebrow in displeasure.
“Don’t… don’t hurt him!”
Liang Sheng’s voice trembled. He forced himself up on his elbows to sit, but just that small movement caused his stomach to ache fiercely.
“Sheng-sheng, you know very well that I really dislike you defending another man in front of me.”
Shen Xingyu’s smile was gloomy, his gaze carrying a heavy warning.
Xie Zhengran shouted anxiously, “Sheng-sheng! I want to examine you! But he keeps blocking me! Tell him to go outside!”
“Shut up!”
Qin Lou covered his mouth.
Hearing Xie Zhengran’s words, Liang Sheng thought his husband couldn’t wait for him to die so he could vacate the position for his little lover. His eyes instantly reddened. Combined with the torture of the pain, he felt incredibly wronged. He weakly pushed at Shen Xingyu:
“You… get out!”
This action completely enraged Shen Xingyu.
“Liang Sheng! My patience is limited.”
He enunciated each word heavily. His gaze held a jealousy and anger that bordered on madness.
Liang Sheng tilted his head up slightly, his eyes filled with crystal-clear tears. He forced himself to endure the pain as he pleaded:
“Do you… want me to die? If you truly… consider me your wife, then let the doctor examine me…”
Shen Xingyu froze. Looking at Liang Sheng’s pained gaze and the tear stains on his cheeks, he felt an inexplicable trace of sadness in his heart.
After a long silence, he finally made his first compromise:
“Fine. I’ll wait outside.”
After speaking with a cold face, he strode out. The jealousy and envy in his heart tortured him until his whole body felt uncomfortable.
Liang Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn’t want Shen Xingyu and Xie Zhengran to clash. With Shen Xingyu’s personality, he would definitely make things difficult for Brother Ran…
As he passed by Xie Zhengran, Shen Xingyu deliberately shot him a glare.
The two only locked eyes for a few seconds, yet the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder—a silent confrontation.
Even though Shen Xingyu didn’t think much of this lowly doctor, he relied on Liang Sheng’s love for him. He pulled his clothes tight with an air of fearlessness and said without looking back, “Let him go.”
Xie Zhengran rotated his aching arms. After closing the door, he hurried to the bedside and asked anxiously:
“Does it still hurt? Any better?”
Liang Sheng nodded with difficulty.
Xie Zhengran began to palpate his abdomen. “Does it hurt here?”
Liang Sheng shook his head.
The man pressed a bit higher.
As soon as he pressed, Liang Sheng let out a pained whimper. His delicate brows knitted tightly together, and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
“It seems to be your stomach. Has it hurt before?”
As he asked, Xie Zhengran began to prepare a medicinal solution.
Liang Sheng nodded painfully and said weakly, “Over these years… it has hurt many times on and off. Especially… after eating spicy food.”
“Didn’t you go to the hospital for an exam?”
Xie Zhengran frowned. Shen Xingyu couldn’t possibly be such a beast, could he?
“No…”
Liang Sheng lowered his head in a wronged manner, wringing his fingers. His voice was very small: “Usually… I just go to the clinic and buy some medicine, then it’s fine. I don’t know why… it hurts so much this time…”
He really is a beast!
Xie Zhengran cursed Shen Xingyu under his breath, then looked at Liang Sheng with heartache:
“You, oh you. When you’re sick, you need to go to the hospital. The medicines those clinics give you are just quick-acting; they treat the symptoms, not the cause.”
Liang Sheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
For him, being able to get better was enough.
“Come, drink this.”
Xie Zhengran handed over a cup of white liquid.
Liang Sheng took it, eyeing the contents of the cup with surprise:
“What is… this?”
“Barium sulfate suspension. Drinking it will help clear out your stomach. I’m going to give you an X-ray to check things.”
Hearing that he needed an exam, Liang Sheng grew scared. He quickly set the medicine on the table and shook his head. “I… I don’t want to! There’s no need for an exam!”
Xie Zhengran grew anxious. “Why? Without an exam, it’s hard to prescribe the right medicine. Besides, you’ve had stomach pain for so many years; you need to check what’s going on inside!”
“I don’t want to…”
Liang Sheng’s voice was tinged with a sob.
He clutched the corner of the blanket, his thin shoulders trembling slightly. “I’m scared… I’m afraid of being diagnosed with an incurable disease…”
“How could that be! You’re still perfectly fine right now; how could there be an incurable disease? It’s probably just gastritis. That’s nothing. The exam is just to see which part of your stomach is inflamed.”
Xie Zhengran comforted him gently.
“Really?” Liang Sheng’s face was still full of terror. “Then… what if… I have some terminal illness? What will I do?”
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt. His small face turned pale.
Xie Zhengran helplessly patted his head. “Do you trust me? I’m a doctor; I won’t lie to you.”
His words gave Liang Sheng a sliver of courage to face it. He nodded firmly. “Mm…!”
Xie Zhengran smiled and picked up the medicine again to give to him. “Then drink up. I’m going to go get ready.”
Liang Sheng held the medicine with both hands, looking at the murky liquid inside. It had a pungent smell that made him a bit resistant.
He subconsciously looked up at the man, feeling timid and uneasy.
Only after receiving Xie Zhengran’s encouraging nod did he bring the medicine to his lips and take a small sip.
It was as unpleasant as expected.
Both sweet and thick.
“Barium sulfate tastes like that.”
Xie Zhengran explained.
He watched as Liang Sheng slowly drank it down. Seeing the melancholy in the other’s eyes, he found him completely different from the sunny and cheerful Liang Sheng from their three years in college.
He didn’t know what Liang Sheng had experienced over these past seven years to turn out like this—so timid and self-deprecating…
After finishing the medicine, Liang Sheng was carried onto the examination bed.
The cover above slowly closed.
His breathing grew rapid due to nervousness.
Nothing will be wrong!
Brother Ran is right; it’s just common gastritis!
Liang Sheng constantly comforted himself in his heart.
But his palms were still sweating.
Outside the door, Shen Xingyu stood like a statue, motionless. His eyes never left the door of the emergency room.
Although his face held a calm, cold sternness, his heart was already filled with a scratching, restless urgency.
He didn’t know what the situation was inside; he didn’t know what Xie Zhengran would do to Liang Sheng…
He hated things escaping the control of his sight.
That kind of panic, unease, and helplessness had surfaced in his heart again after many years.
Liang Sheng, I’ve let you go once. If you dare betray me, don’t even think about leaving my side for a single step in this lifetime.
Translator’s Note:
- Barium Sulfate (硫酸鋇): A substance used in medical imaging (like X-rays) to help see the digestive tract clearly.
- Brother Ran (然哥): As a reminder, “ge” means older brother. It shows their close, childhood-friend relationship.
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