Chapter 74: Pei He: I’ll Get Angry with You After You’re Better

Five days later, Zhou Zhuoyuan’s condition had stabilized, and he was successfully transferred to a general ward. Pei He finally slumped over by his bedside and slept through an entire night.

He still suffered from shortness of breath and chest tightness, so he needed the oxygen mask for relief. The bridge of Zhou Zhuoyuan’s nose itched where it was pressed against the mask, but his dominant right hand was clutched in the grip of the soundly sleeping Pei He. With great effort, he lifted his left hand—the one that had been scraped raw and still bore an IV needle.

“Don’t move!” Zhou Fuxuan pushed open the door. The sight made his heart lurch. He quickly set down what he was carrying and hurried over to pin Zhou Zhuoyuan’s hand back down. “What are you trying to do?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan couldn’t fathom why he was reacting so intensely or why such raw panic filled his eyes. He had barely managed to raise his hand halfway before it was forced back down again. Fury surged through him, and a muffled voice emerged from beneath the oxygen mask. “You’re annoying me. My nose… cough cough… itches from being pressed like this.”

Pei He had woken the moment Zhou Fuxuan opened the door. He listened to Zhou Zhuoyuan’s complaint, then guiltily released the hand slick with sweat from his grasp.

Zhou Zhuoyuan finally scratched his nose.

Only then did the pounding in Zhou Fuxuan’s chest ease. He retrieved the food he had just set aside. “Your friends called a few days ago, wanting to visit. I turned them down. Now that you’re out of the intensive care unit, do you want to see them?”

It was the first time Zhou Zhuoyuan had seen Zhou Fuxuan speak to him with such an expression—like he was haunted by a ghost. No doubt, guilt over the Zhou Family’s enemies kidnapping Zhou Zhuoyuan, and the family’s refusal to meet the kidnappers’ demands in time, nearly costing him his life.

Zhou Zhuoyuan had no intention of offering comfort, like telling him he had escaped successfully. Their guilt brought him a twisted satisfaction; he wanted to bask in it a little longer. “In a couple days, when I’m… cough cough… feeling better.”

Zhou Fuxuan murmured his assent. He removed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s oxygen mask, raised the head of the bed, and prepared to feed him.

Before Zhou Fuxuan could even lift the bowl, Zhou Zhuoyuan said coolly, “I don’t need you to do it.”

Over the past few days, weakness had left him no choice but to accept food from anyone. Now that he had some strength back, he refused to settle.

In a rare show of restraint, Zhou Fuxuan didn’t snap. Instead, he asked evenly, “Should I call your mom over, then?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan froze. He didn’t want Zhu Wan either. So who did he want? Who sprang to mind as the one he wanted to bother?

Pei He’s voice came from right beside his ear. “Uncle, I’ll do it.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s body went rigid for an instant. He lifted his head in a daze and gazed at Pei He, who had stayed by his side these past few days.

~~~

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s appetite was slightly better today than yesterday. He polished off more than half a bowl of porridge. Pei He wiped his mouth, replaced the oxygen mask, lowered the bed flat, and turned away to tidy up.

Zhou Zhuoyuan stared at his back, hesitating before he spoke. “He Qinglan, is there really… cough cough cough… nothing going on?”

Pei He paused but didn’t turn. “I can play the recording for you again. Or I can go with you to find him.”

Not long after waking that day, Pei He had given Zhou Zhuoyuan a quick rundown of Liu Kuo’s recovery and He Qinglan’s faked death. Still, Pei He understood—Zhou Zhuoyuan’s feelings for He Qinglan ran so deep that he kept asking the same questions, as if stricken with amnesia.

Pei He lowered his gaze. It hurt a little. No one could stay unmoved when the person they cared for was so fixated on someone else. He dreaded the thought of Zhou Zhuoyuan reuniting with He Qinglan, old flames reigniting and leaving him with no chance at all.

He could no longer bear imagining it. Pei He wondered how his younger self had pulled it off—playing matchmaker between He Qinglan and Zhou Zhuoyuan without batting an eye. Back then, in his angsty middle-school phase, drowning in melodramatic teen lit, his affection and possessiveness for He Qinglan must not have cut deep enough to truly wound.

He didn’t want Zhou Zhuoyuan to like anyone else.

The thought hit Pei He like a jolt, making his heart stutter. He closed the lid with care, reassuring himself: A true gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his heart. Even if he secretly yearned for Zhou Zhuoyuan to belong to him alone—to see only him, to let him do all sorts of improper things—the Pei He who offered to escort Zhou Zhuoyuan to He Qinglan remained a gentleman. A reliable man Zhou Zhuoyuan could depend on.

After dithering through the cleanup, Pei He schooled his features and turned back to check on Zhou Zhuoyuan—only to find those eyes locked straight on him.

He froze, panic flaring. Had Zhou Zhuoyuan seen through his sordid little mind?

Then Zhou Zhuoyuan’s lips parted. His words came out slow and deliberate, each one crisp despite the muffling oxygen mask. “Little Yuan, cough… you’re mine. I won’t allow… cough cough… you to go find him.”

Pei He’s mind exploded with a boom. His face cycled through every shade imaginable in an instant.

It took him ages to locate his voice, forcing the words out between clenched teeth. “I’ll get mad at you after you’re better.”

He said he would wait until Zhou Zhuoyuan got better before getting angry again, rather than waiting until Zhou Zhuoyuan recovered to settle the score.

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes curved into a smile.

It was like a huge pie slamming down on Pei He’s head, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded, floating as if in a dream.

After Zhou Zhuoyuan figured out what he was thinking, not only did he not argue with him, but he even smiled at him.

–

When Zhu Wan arrived, Zhou Zhuoyuan was taking a nap. She had returned to her usual poised and capable appearance, though the dark circles under her eyes stood out starkly and couldn’t be concealed.

She sat by the bed and quietly watched Zhou Zhuoyuan for a while. Before leaving, she wanted to ask Pei He to step out for a chat, but the moment she stood up, Zhou Zhuoyuan opened his eyes and looked at her warily.

Zhu Wan remembered the last time at the school infirmary, when Zhou Zhuoyuan had anxiously sat up, afraid she would say bad things about him behind his back.

She truly couldn’t figure out what she had ever done to make Zhou Zhuoyuan so guarded against her. Perhaps his childhood experiences had made him deeply wary of everyone.

Zhu Wan’s gaze fell on the back of Zhou Zhuoyuan’s hand, where several obvious needle marks were visible.

Zhou Zhuoyuan, who had endured so much hardship, was understandably more guarded.

Zhu Wan sat back down by the bed and held Zhou Zhuoyuan’s cold hand that was resting outside the blanket. “Is the coughing any better today? Does your chest still hurt?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan was no longer short of breath and didn’t need the oxygen mask anymore, but his cough and chest pain were improving very slowly, so he still hadn’t allowed his friends to visit him.

He replied, “It’s about the same.”

Pei He translated, “The cough has improved a little. He still gets occasional dizziness and chest pain, so he needs to take it slow and recover gradually.”

Zhu Wan looked at Pei He gratefully. “Pei, I really have to thank you so much this time. I’ve been too busy these past few days and haven’t had a chance to properly thank you. In the future, if there’s anything you need, just let us know—as long as it’s something we can do.”

Such a promise was extremely valuable, though Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t sure how long it would hold. He wanted to remind Pei He to make his request sooner, but he couldn’t think of a suitable excuse.

After Zhu Wan left, Zhou Zhuoyuan looked at Pei He seriously. “She might not—cough cough cough—follow through, but I can—cough cough—promise you one request.”

Pei He was thrilled and surprised. “Really? Anything at all?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.