Chapter 38: The Incompetent and Malicious Ex-Boyfriend
Ye Xi woke up during the latter half of the night. His fingers twitched, and when he turned his head, he saw Shen Ci asleep by his bedside.
He stared for a few seconds before placing the hand with the IV needle gently over Shen Ci’s hand.
Shen Ci, who was sleeping fitfully, was startled awake instantly.
He opened his eyes and met Ye Xi’s gaze, a flash of relief and joy crossing his face. “Ye Xi, you’re awake? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Ye Xi’s eyes welled up instantly as he looked at Shen Ci piteously. “Husband, my head hurts so much…”
Shen Ci’s heart clenched, and he hurried to stand up. “I’ll go call the doctor”.
“No need…” Ye Xi explained softly. “The anesthesia must have worn off, so the wound hurts. Calling a doctor won’t help”.
The anesthesia hadn’t actually worn off; he was just acting pitiful because he wanted Shen Ci to feel sorry for him.
Shen Ci sat back down in his chair. Looking at the miserable Ye Xi, he felt an immense sense of guilt. If it hadn’t been for him, Ye Xi wouldn’t have…
He let out a sigh. “Do you want some water?”
“I don’t want to drink…” Ye Xi’s eyelids were still heavy. “Husband, I’m a bit sleepy. Why don’t you go sleep on the cot over there for a while? I’m fine…”
Ye Xi was in a VIP suite, which had a separate bed for an attendant.
Shen Ci was indeed exhausted. Seeing that Ye Xi seemed all right, he didn’t insist on staying up. As for Ming Yanzhou, it clearly wasn’t the right time to discuss that issue.
“All right. Call me if you need anything”.
The next morning, Ming Yanzhou entered the room with a fruit basket to find Shen Ci feeding water to Ye Xi.
He gripped the handle of the basket, feeling like an outsider watching this scene. He suddenly felt like a laughingstock.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Ci turned around. Seeing him, his brow immediately furrowed, and his tone turned icy.
“What are you doing here?”
Ming Yanzhou opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt constricted, and not a single word came out.
After a moment, he managed a low, “I’m sorry”.
Shen Ci ignored him and turned back to Ye Xi. “Ye Xi, how do you want to handle this?”
Ye Xi’s complexion looked a bit better than the previous day. He glanced at Ming Yanzhou, a trace of almost imperceptible coldness flashing in his eyes.
When Ming Yanzhou had tried to bribe him to leave Shen Ci, Ye Xi had quietly investigated him.
He was the Eldest Young Master of the Ming Group.
Ye Xi and Shen Ci had no background; even if they called the police, Ming Yanzhou would be out the moment he went in. It would be meaningless.
After a moment’s silence, Ye Xi spoke calmly. “Husband, it’s enough as long as Ming Yanzhou doesn’t appear in front of me ever again”.
Shen Ci’s heart softened at Ye Xi’s words. Ye Xi was simply too kind.
In contrast, a spoiled young master like Ming Yanzhou, who only knew how to use his power to bully others, was particularly loathsome.
He shot Ming Yanzhou a glare, his voice even colder than before. “You heard him. Ye Xi doesn’t want to see you again, and neither do I. Take your fruit basket and get out”.
Shen Ci’s voice was icy. His words were like a sharp blade stabbing into Ming Yanzhou’s heart, leaving it bloody.
The man swayed, his face pale as he momentarily lost his voice.
“Shen-ge, I’ll compensate Ye Xi…”
Shen Ci let out a cold sneer. “And what is your so-called compensation? Throwing money at him?”
Ming Yanzhou fell silent. He had no other means besides money.
“Ming Yanzhou, just leave. Never appearing before me or Shen-ge again is the greatest compensation you can give me”.
Ye Xi’s voice still sounded weak, and he coughed slightly after speaking.
Shen Ci quickly helped him catch his breath. “Are you okay?”
Ye Xi took Shen Ci’s hand and gave a soft, gentle smile. “I’m fine…”
Ming Yanzhou stood there, a trace of doubt flickering in his mind—didn’t Director Wang say yesterday that Ye Xi wasn’t that seriously injured?
But in the next second, he mentally scolded himself. He truly was malicious; the person was clearly in such a weakened state, yet he was still thinking that way.
After a moment, he walked to Ye Xi’s bedside and bowed.
“I’m sorry. I only meant to frame you and give you a sum of money to leave Shen-ge. I never thought that man would… Although I know an apology is useless, this was indeed my fault. I won’t appear before you…”
He looked at Shen Ci before continuing, “…before both of you again. If you ever have a use for me in the future, just let me know. Consider it a favor I owe you”.
Having said his piece, Ming Yanzhou set down the fruit basket and left the room.
He nearly walked right into Jiang Ningyuan just outside the door.
“What happened?”
“Don’t go in. We’re leaving”.
Seeing Ming Yanzhou looking as if his wife had died, Jiang Ningyuan was bewildered. He had only gone to the basement to park the car for a few minutes; what had happened?
Despite his confusion, he followed Ming Yanzhou out.
On the way back, Ming Yanzhou, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. “A-Yuan, stop bothering them”.
Jiang Ningyuan nearly slammed on the brakes. He swerved to the side of the road and stopped, then looked at the dejected Ming Yanzhou in the passenger seat.
“What’s going on?”
Ming Yanzhou turned to look at Jiang Ningyuan with a serious expression.
“We were wrong. Our self-righteous feelings have caused immense trouble for Shen-ge. He and Ye Xi have a very good relationship; we shouldn’t try to interfere anymore”.
“If you keep chipping away at a wall, you’ll eventually break it down. You—”
Ming Yanzhou cut him off. “Don’t bother them anymore. If they ever break up on their own one day, we can try to pursue Shen-ge again, but not now”.
Jiang Ningyuan wanted to argue, but seeing Ming Yanzhou’s expression, he shut his mouth resentfully.
Forget it. He had also been terrified by Ye Xi’s state the previous day. If someone had actually died, he would never have had peace of mind for the rest of his life.
He steered the car toward Zunyan. “Want to go for a few drinks?”
Ming Yanzhou gave an “Mm,” then looked at him. “Have a word with the hospital director. I’ll pay for Ye Xi’s medical expenses”.
The west district hospital was a Jiang family property. Jiang Ningyuan let out a snort. “You think I need you to pay for that? I already spoke with Director Li yesterday”.
Ming Yanzhou said nothing more. The car fell silent.
Ye Xi stayed in the hospital for a week before being discharged.
During that week, Shen Ci didn’t go to the company, and he requested leave from his Saturday shift at Hello.
Except for going home to grab a change of clothes, he spent almost all his time at the hospital caring for Ye Xi.
In his view, his own actions had indirectly caused Ye Xi’s injury, so he had to look after him.
Besides, Ye Xi had no family—his only relative, his grandmother, had passed away. It felt wrong to leave him all alone in the hospital.
Ye Xi didn’t know what Shen Ci was thinking; his mind was filled with the thought that Shen Ci was being so good to him because he loved him.
Ye Xi was discharged in the morning. That afternoon, an elderly man in a Mao suit accompanied by two bodyguards arrived at the hospital ward looking for him.
Unfortunately, the room was already empty.
Translator’s Note: Ye Xi is definitely the “white lotus” type, using his injury to pull Shen Ci closer. And “Husband” (老公) is a very heavy term in Chinese BL novels! Interestingly, Ming Yanzhou and Jiang Ningyuan seem to have learned their lesson… for now.
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