Chapter 27 Part 1

When Ye Lian received the threatening text from the little cop, he was in a meeting. The people reporting below instantly fell silent upon hearing the boss let out a soft chuckle.

He turned off his phone screen, a smile on his face as he lifted his chin to signal the other to continue. “This version of the plan looks good so far—much more presentable than the last one.”

The reporter inwardly wiped away a cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief. The big boss clearly seemed like a mild-mannered and refined man, but no one in the entire company dared to act out of line in front of him. It wasn’t just because he was the bread and butter for all the employees; the main reason was that he carried an indescribable air of unspoken authority.

His face wore a smile, yet it kept people at a distance. He was as beautiful as a celestial immortal, with an aura as noble and unattainable as one. No one could imagine what kind of person could spend day and night with him without feeling the pressure.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaoyu—who not only spent every night with Ye Lian but also shared the same bed every day—was on his way to the hospital. Lu Wanhui was driving, Jin Ge sat in the passenger seat, and the two old smokers were puffing away heavily, filling the car with smoke. Jiang Xiaoyu cracked the window just a sliver and struggled to breathe.

“Master, what time did you arrive today?” Lu Wanhui made small talk.

Jin Ge lazily tapped his cigarette ash, looking utterly uninterested as he brushed him off. “Around seven, I think. Don’t remember.”

Jiang Xiaoyu silently watched the two of them. Their dynamic really reminded him of the cat and the dog at home—the dog was super clingy, while the cat was totally unwilling to play with it.

“Pull over for a sec.” Jin Ge signaled to park on the side. Without any proper manners, he rolled down the window, stuck half his body out, and bought breakfast from a roadside vendor. After paying, he tossed the food to Jiang Xiaoyu in the back seat. “Eat.” He knew Jiang Xiaoyu’s habits, then added, “If the smoke bothers you, roll the window down more, ‘kay?” Afraid of wasting the AC, he’d only cracked it that tiny bit—who was he saving gas money for?

Jiang Xiaoyu held the steaming purple rice steamed bun and opened his mouth, but under Lu Wanhui’s bull-eyed glare that screamed “gonna eat the cat,” he silently shut it. He didn’t know why Jin Ge treated Lu Wanhui this way—ignoring him wasn’t enough; he always dragged Jiang Xiaoyu out as his shield, which was starting to annoy him a bit.

They arrived at the hospital, where the colleague who’d been guarding the ward door handed over the shift upon seeing them. Jin Ge had a brief chat with the Ji Family servants, then pushed open the door and went in.

It was a private room with a great environment and all the furnishings. Ji Wangan looked like he’d just woken up, his head slightly tilted toward the window. Hearing the door open, he turned his head and immediately spotted Jiang Xiaoyu trailing behind Jin Ge.

“So it’s you.” He let out two low chuckles, then started coughing violently, hacking his lungs out.

Jiang Xiaoyu wanted to help but had little experience with people, let alone caring for them. He flailed his hands around awkwardly for a while without making any progress. Jin Ge pulled him aside, raised the bed, grabbed a few tissues from nearby, and pressed them to Ji Wangan’s mouth. “Cough it out.”

Ji Wangan’s lungs were somewhat infected, with phlegm buildup in his airways. The nurse had suctioned for half the morning without much success, but now it came right up by accident.

He caught his breath, looking surprisingly spirited. Without saying thanks, he turned to Jiang Xiaoyu. “So you’re a cop, huh.” No wonder—a Sonia just happened to show up to save him. That made sense now.

Jiang Xiaoyu nodded without a word.

Lu Wanhui didn’t get their riddle and was about to start questioning now that the man was awake, but he was interrupted by Ye Lan, who had just arrived.

“My son just woke up—shouldn’t he rest a bit first?” Her face was unpleasant, and a few people followed her, one of whom looked like a lawyer.

“Mom, it’s fine.” Ji Wangan tugged at the corner of his mouth. Though he’d been in a car accident and lost his spleen, he actually looked more human now than before. “Let the cop ask.”

After the lawyer confirmed the client’s health and willingness, Jiang Xiaoyu turned on the recording equipment and began documenting the scene.

Considering Ji Wangan’s condition, the questioning was brief and focused on key points. Once done, as Jiang Xiaoyu packed up, Jin Ge walked over. “The night shift colleague went back to catch up on sleep. You cover for him.”

Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Jin Ge’s voice sounded a bit hoarse when he spoke.

Jiang Xiaoyu said, “Smoke less. Your throat’s all raspy.”

Jin Ge grinned and ruffled his hair. “A cat cub like you lecturing your master now?”

He handed the equipment to Jin Ge and watched as the two drove off. Then he turned to head back to the ward area.

At a corner, a faint cold fragrance brushed past his nose, stirring a familiar feeling that made him dazedly look up. It was like all the sunlight in the world had been gathered into those amber eyes. He smiled at Jiang Xiaoyu, throwing him off balance.

He stumbled a step, then a hand landed on his waist, steadily holding him. The hand was large and scorching hot; Jiang Xiaoyu felt like he’d been burned by the sun, his waist instinctively flinching.

Once he was steady, Ye Lian gentlemanly withdrew his hand, as if the contact had just been necessary assistance.

“Has Officer Jiang lost weight?” Ye Lian subtly clenched his palm. He’d only been gone a few days? That already refined face had slimmed down a bit, and his waist felt like it would snap with one squeeze. “And what’s this?” He curved his long, jade-like fingers and gently scraped the side of Jiang Xiaoyu’s face—there was a red spot swollen into a little bump.

The soft touch, like a feather brushing over Jiang Xiaoyu’s cheek, made him aware of a faint itch. He half-squinted the eye on that side and realized the spot really was itchy.

“Mosquito bite…” He looked down, hand raised to scratch at the bump over and over.

“Don’t scratch—it’ll break the skin.” Ye Lian gripped his fidgeting fingertips. His nails were neatly trimmed and rounded—no wonder even when clawing as a cat, there was no finesse, just blindly yelling “bastard” and chomping randomly.

Ye Lian’s lips curved. He led him by the hand into a nearby convenience store and bought some anti-itch ointment.

His palm was so hot; Jiang Xiaoyu’s hand started sweating from the grip, and his heart raced wildly.

“Chin up.” There was a hint of helplessness in the man’s tone. He let go of Jiang Xiaoyu’s hand, propped up his chin to lift his face. “Why do you always look down?”

Jiang Xiaoyu had lost the ability to think straight and just handed over his chin. He was nearly 181 cm tall, but the man was clearly taller.

Ye Lian blocked some of the overhead sunlight. With his other hand, he dabbed the ointment on the bump. As his fingertip rubbed it into the skin, it was both itchy and warm, with an indescribable slickness.

“All good. Don’t touch it, and it’ll be fine soon. Here to see Wangan? Come up with me then.”

Jiang Xiaoyu nodded and followed behind, his ears tinged red at the tips like lotus buds. This top-tier hospital sells fake medicine, he thought. The ointment did nothing—not only did the itch on the bump not stop, it spread straight to his heart. Otherwise, why did his chest feel all tingly and itchy?

The two entered Ji Wangan’s room one after the other. Ye Lan was tenderly wiping his face with a handkerchief, full of heartache. Spotting Ye Lian, she said without reason, “Your brother’s been lying here so long, and you only now think to visit?”

“Work’s been busy. Came right after getting the news.” Ye Lian curved his eyes gracefully but stayed standing to the side without approaching.

“Is work more important than Wangan?” Ye Lan’s willow brows shot up, anger brewing, but she glanced at Ji Wangan as if minding his rest. She held it in and said to the two servants who’d come with her, “You two head back and report to the Old Madam first. Tell her Wangan’s stable and not to worry—I’m here.”

The two servants exchanged a glance, reassured Ye Lan a bit, and left the room.

A minute or two later, Ye Lan stood at the door, confirmed they’d gone, then closed it. She smoothed the hair by her face and smiled softly at Jiang Xiaoyu. “Have a seat, Officer Jiang. We’ll have Ye Lian grab you something to eat later.”

She’d been furious just moments ago, now suddenly calm and kindly—her face changed so fast it caught Jiang Xiaoyu off guard. He waved his hands in bewilderment. “I won’t sit. I’ll just stand guard in the hallway.” They were family; they surely had things to discuss, and him sticking around would just make it awkward.

Ye Lan’s smile faded. “Sit.”

Jiang Xiaoyu plopped down on the sofa with a thud, hands obediently on his knees, head down, saying no more.

Ye Lan burst out laughing with a “pfft.” “How are you so adorably dumb?” She turned to Ye Lian, her gaze teasing. “Go buy Officer Jiang a bottle of milk.” That silly, straightforward reaction was just like a kid not yet weaned.

Jiang Xiaoyu had sharp instincts for malice, but he rarely encountered this kind of good-natured teasing in life and instinctively dodged it. Not getting the implication, he said, “No need to trouble yourself. I’m not thirsty.”

Now Ye Lan covered her mouth, unable to stop laughing. Ye Lian’s eye curved into a crescent moon. Ji Wangan, woken by the noise, mumbled sleepily from behind, “Mom? Bro? When’d you get here?”

Ye Lian said, “Just now. How do you feel? Is the incision healing okay?”

“Not bad, doesn’t hurt as much.” Ji Wangan rubbed his eyes and asked Ye Lan, “Mom, did you just mention Grandma? What’s up with her?”

Ye Lan tucked in the hem of her cheongsam and sat sideways by the bed. “Ah… nothing…” Her hemming and hawing clearly screamed something was up. Ji Wangan anxiously half-sat up. “What’s wrong with Grandma?”

Ye Lan blocked his movements, pressed him back onto the bed, tucked the blanket around him, patted his chest lightly, and said airily, “It’s really nothing. I just heard you got into trouble, got anxious in a hurry, and had a stroke.”

Ye Lian raised an eyebrow and silently sat down beside Jiang Xiaoyu. His tall, broad frame carried an undeniable presence. Jiang Xiaoyu resisted the urge to turn into a cat, shrank his presence as much as he could, and squeezed to the side.

Over there, the mother and son continued their conversation.

“How could this happen…” Ji Wangan said with some regret. “How is she now?”

“She’s conscious, just can’t move. Don’t worry, the doctor said she’ll recover slowly with good rest.”

No matter how much consolation was useless right now, Ye Lan could only softly coax him as Ji Wangan cried and blamed himself.

Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips and quietly looked up, only to be caught red-handed. Ye Lian’s eyes were deep, showing no particular emotion. For some reason, Jiang Xiaoyu felt a surge of feelings and softly asked him, “Aren’t you sad?” His own mother treated him one way, but treated his younger brother another—the favoritism was blatantly obvious.