Chapter 66: Sickly â Love Rivals Fight to Care for the Sick Baby
Jiang Yunian was carried all the way into the infirmary by Lu Yuanbai. He was curled up in the man’s arms, his forehead pressed against the other’s shoulder socket. A thin layer of cold sweat dampened the fabric as he gasped in pain.
Lu Yuanbai’s arms were tight, his jawline tensed into a cold, hard line. The school doctor told him to place the person on the sickbed. His movements were extremely gentle, terrified that any bump would aggravate Jiang Yunian’s pain.
“How did this happen?” the doctor asked while putting on gloves.
“Someone bumped into him. He has an old injury on his ankle; it might have relapsed,” Lu Yuanbai said concisely, his gaze never leaving that pale little face.
The doctor rolled up the pant leg a bit and signaled for help holding the leg. Lu Yuanbai stepped forward, his warm, dry hand gently grasping Jiang Yunian’s slender ankle, the other hand stabilizing his slightly trembling calf.
Hao Meng watched anxiously from the side. “Yunian, bear with it, it’ll be done soon.”
Jiang Yunian closed his eyes, his thick lashes stuck together with moisture. With the doctor’s bone-setting movement, his body trembled violently, and a suppressed whimper spilled from his throat.
“So painful…”
“Gently, Doctor,” Lu Yuanbai couldn’t help but speak out, his brows revealing undisguised tension.
The doctor glanced at him but didn’t say anything, though his hands moved more swiftly. Applying medicine, bandagingâit was done in one go. Throughout the process, Jiang Yunian gritted his teeth and endured, drenched in cold sweat as if fished out of water. By the time it finally ended, he had nearly bitten through his lip, his consciousness hazy as he let Lu Yuanbai lay him down on the clean sickbed beside him, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
Lu Yuanbai finally breathed a sigh of relief, intending to rest a moment. He straightened up, his gaze inadvertently sweeping past the window, and froze abruptly.
Jiang Yan didn’t know how long he had been standing there, silent and soundless, like a mute shadow. Separated by the thin glass, he stared unblinkingly at the person on the bed who had nearly fainted.
Their gazes collided abruptly in the air.
The trace of heartache on Jiang Yan’s face faded instantly, replaced by a layer of vigilance. Lu Yuanbai also pressed his lips tight, his eyes calm and unyielding.
Hao Meng followed Lu Yuanbai’s gaze and revealed a trace of confusion. Inside and outside the window, the invisible clash of auras between the two men pressed down heavily on the stifling air.
Love rivals meetingâtruly seeing red.
She clicked her tongue inwardly, mouthing silently to Jiang Yan: Why don’t you come in?
Jiang Yan acted as if he didn’t see, remaining rooted to the spot. Only the knuckles of his hand hanging by his side curled slightly, struggling for a moment before relaxing.
His Ge… probably didn’t want to see him right now.
Especially in this wretched state.
Better not go in and cause distress.
Jiang Yan stood outside the window just like that until smooth, long breathing came from the sickbed. Confirming Jiang Yunian was fast asleep, he gently pushed the door open and walked in.
At this moment, the doctor walked over with the prescribed medicine list, asking habitually, “Family member, come get the medicine. There are some precautions to explain…”
He paused, seeming to think of something, and corrected himself, “Classmates work too.”
As soon as the words fell…
“I’ll go.”
“I’ll do it.”
The only two male university students in the room spoke simultaneously, giving the other no chance to take the lead.
“…” Hao Meng, who had silently raised her hand halfway, silently put it back down.
Right, better not get involved.
The two men’s gazes met again, the air seemingly crackling with electricity. Jiang Yan swept a cold glare; Lu Yuanbai’s expression remained gentle, but his tightly pursed lips revealed a hidden contest of strength.
Neither gave way.
Seeing the two about to squeeze into that narrow door frame at the same time, Hao Meng hurriedly smoothed things over: “Um… let Jiang Yan go.”
She couldn’t reveal Jiang Yunian and Jiang Yan’s relationship in front of the doctor, so she explained to Lu Yuanbai, “He is Yunian’s younger brother. Living together makes it convenient to take care of him.”
Lu Yuanbai looked at Hao Meng, calmness laced with skepticism: “If I remember correctly, they don’t live together right now.”
Hao Meng froze, subconsciously looking at Jiang Yan, asking with her eyes: Real or fake?
“I had something to do and went out for a few days. Why,” Jiang Yan’s expression didn’t change as he turned to Lu Yuanbai with a hint of provocation, “I can’t go back to my own home?”
Lu Yuanbai looked at him faintly, a trace of indiscernible emotion flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing more.
Jiang Yan wasted no more time, bypassing him directly to get the medicine from the doctor.
Ten minutes later, when Jiang Yan returned with the medicine bag, the sky outside had turned dark. In the infirmary, only Lu Yuanbai was left sitting by the bed, guarding the sleeping Jiang Yunian.
The look in his eyes watching his Ge was like a rutting wild dog.
Jiang Yan’s expression turned stern, a surge of disdain rising within him.
“You can go back now.” He walked over, issuing a cold eviction order. “I will take care of my Ge.”
Lu Yuanbai looked up, his gaze calm and unwavering: “Are you sure he wants you to take care of him right now?”
Jiang Yan’s jawline tightened imperceptibly. He said bluntly, “I am his boyfriend. No matter what, it’s not an outsider’s turn to take care of him.”
The word “boyfriend” struck Lu Yuanbai’s heart directly. He rarely darkened his face, voicing his suspicion without mercy: “Yunian’s disappearance for that period of timeâit had something to do with you, didn’t it?”
Jiang Yan blinked indifferently, seemingly having no intention of sharing their couple’s affairs with an “outsider.” He scoffed coldly, “You manage quite a lot.”
Lu Yuanbai: “If it concerns Yunian’s safety, of course I have to manage it.”
The confrontation in the air was silent yet swords were drawn.
On the sickbed, Jiang Yunian seemed affected by the stagnant atmosphere, letting out an unconscious low groan, frowning and moving.
This slight movement was like pressing a switch. Jiang Yan withdrew his gaze and ignored the other, bending down to lift the thin blanket. Carefully, he picked the person up horizontally, his gentle movements starkly different from his cold attitude just a moment ago.
Jiang Yunian leaned into the familiar embrace, his nose twitching slightly. Seeming to smell a scent that reassured him, he unconsciously nuzzled his cheek into the crook of Jiang Yan’s neck. Finding a comfortable position, he stopped moving.
That kind of physiological dependence etched into the bone couldn’t lie. The lines of Jiang Yan’s tense jaw softened for an instant. He looked up at Lu Yuanbai, his brow raising almost imperceptibly.
“…”
He wasted no more time, holding Jiang Yunian and walking straight out of the infirmary.
Lu Yuanbai stood there, watching their retreating figures, his lips pressed into a pale, straight line.
In the old residential complex, Auntie Wang sat in her shop and saw Jiang Yan carrying his brother on his back from a distance. Surprised, she muttered, “That kid finally knows to come back…”
Jiang Yan ignored the bystanders, carrying the person straight into the bedroom and placing Jiang Yunian gently on the soft large bed. The sleeping person seemed to sense the change in environment, frowning slightly but not waking up.
Jiang Yan stood by the bed, gazing at his Ge for a moment, then turned to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water. He wrung out a towel and began to wipe Jiang Yunian’s body with gentle movements. From the forehead damp with cold sweat, the pale cheeks, the slender and fragile neck, all the way down to the thin chest and that flexible waist… The warm towel took away the stickiness bit by bit, leaving behind freshness.
At first, it was purely cleaning, but as his fingertips touched this body he yearned for day and night, feeling the fine texture of the skin under his hand, Jiang Yan’s eyes darkened again and again, his breathing growing heavier. The wiping motion slowed, carrying a lingering touch bordering on greed, sliding over certain hidden places, until Jiang Yunian in his sleep trembled lightly.
Jiang Yan’s movement stopped abruptly. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the restlessness in his heart. He sped up, hastily finishing the rest, and pulled the quilt over to cover the person tightly.
After tossing about for nearly an hour, the sky outside was completely black. Jiang Yan worried his Ge would be hungry, so he went to the kitchen to boil some light rice porridge and brought it to the bedroom.
He gently propped Jiang Yunian up, half-holding him in his arms. Scooping a spoonful, he carefully brought it to his lips.
“Ge, open your mouth.”
“Mn…” Jiang Yunian slept in a daze, feeling something hard and sharp trying to pry open his mouth. He moved uncomfortably, keeping his lips tight, resisting somewhat. “Don’t want…”
None of the porridge in the spoon went in; instead, a bit smeared on the corner of his lips.
Jiang Yan was helpless. Lowering his head close to his ear, he coaxed, “Then what do you want, hmm?”
Jiang Yunian mumbled something vaguely, indistinctly.
Jiang Yan wiped the porridge stain from the corner of his lips with his fingertip, staring at those lips that appeared exceptionally red due to the fever, his eye color deepening. He was silent for a few seconds, deciding to change methods.
He put down the spoon, took a mouthful of warm porridge himself, and then leaned down, accurately capturing those slightly parted lips.
“Mmph…” Jiang Yunian felt an invasion in his dream and struggled uncomfortably. But soon, the thing forcibly prying open his teeth became soft, and liquid carrying the scent of rice was passed in.
The warm sensation was actually quite comfortable… His blocked lips forced his throat open, accepting small mouthfuls, swallowing unconsciously.
Sensing his compliance, Jiang Yan’s heart heated up, and he put in more effort. The tip of his tongue wasn’t satisfied with just passing food; it began to sweep tentatively through the warm, soft cavity, hooking and tangling with that shy, dodging soft tongue.
One mouthful, two mouthfuls… Half an hour later, Jiang Yunian felt his stomach was bloated, his mouth a bit numb and sore. He became unwilling to cooperate, trying to push the annoying thing out with his tongue.
But in the next second, his tongue was captured by the other, sucked on even more forcefully.
“Mn…” Jiang Yunian hummed in discomfort, starting to push against Jiang Yan’s chest with his hands in confusion.
Jiang Yan teased him thoroughly before collecting a long kiss, as if never enough. Only when he had kissed the person’s face red did he retreat slightly. Looking at Jiang Yunian’s lips, red and swollen from the sucking, and his cheeks flushed from lack of oxygen, he felt he was cute to death. He couldn’t resist leaning in to peck him again.
Jiang Yunian couldn’t bear the harassment, protesting incoherently: “Mn… no more kissing…”
Then he turned sideways, burying himself deeper into the quilt, hiding far away.
Jiang Yan looked at his Ge’s defenseless sleeping face, his eyes complex.
Only at times like this was his Ge so obedient.
He pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing a trace of bitter self-mockery.
Truly self-inflicted.
…
Jiang Yunian was awakened by waves of dull pain from his ankle.
He opened his eyes, looking blankly at the familiar ceiling. It took several seconds to realize this was home, his own bed.
When did he come back?
Jiang Yunian recalled, images of Zhang Hao and the Senior flashing through his mind, and… Jiang Yan. His memory stopped at the infirmary, Senior Lu placing him on the bed, and then… he fell asleep.
Most likely the Senior brought him back.
He moved, feeling his stomach was a bit full. His mouth seemed to retain the faint sweet scent of rice porridge, and there was an inexplicable feeling of satiety. He vaguely remembered that while he was sleeping, someone seemed to be feeding him something.
He raised a hand to touch his lips. His fingertips touched a slight swelling softness, accompanied by a faint stinging pain.
This feeling…
Jiang Yunian froze. Some blurry fragments flashed pastâsoft touch, lips and teeth touching, and closely entangled breathing…
Was it… a dream?
Or…
Could it be… the Senior kissed him while taking care of him?
Author’s Note: Someone launched a sneak attack while baby was sick, hehe [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]
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