Chapter 78

“Little Fish!”

His sneakers scraped harshly against the ground, and before his words had even finished, Gu Yuan’s footsteps were already charging toward the pavilion.

The patient ran fast. Zhou Chiyu and Grandma Chen were busy selecting photos and hadn’t noticed the danger approaching from behind at all.

Cold sweat trickled down Gu Yuan’s cheek and into his neck. He spotted the fruit knife gleaming coldly in the patient’s hand, the man’s turbid eyes filled with terror as he muttered to himself and positioned himself right behind Zhou Chiyu.

“Bro.”

In his peripheral vision, Zhou Chiyu suddenly caught sight of Gu Yuan’s urgent figure. The instant he lifted his gaze, Gu Yuan had already shielded him tightly from behind. In the chaos, he saw the dazed patient frozen in place across from them.

The heavy scent of disinfectant assaulted them relentlessly. Zhou Chiyu protected the elderly woman as they retreated step by step.

“I’m looking for my little dog.”

The patient gripped the fruit knife, and Gu Yuan didn’t dare make any rash moves. “Little Fish, don’t be afraid. Just stay behind me.”

He extended his arm straight out, barring it across Zhou Chiyu’s chest like an insurmountable barrier that protected both Zhou Chiyu and the elderly woman behind him.

His vigilant gaze locked firmly on the patient. Gu Yuan feared he might make some extreme move, his brows furrowed tightly.

“My little dog. It’s with you.”

The patient pointed dazedly at Zhou Chiyu. “Give it back to me quick.”

Zhou Chiyu’s breath hitched. “Your dog?”

Before he could explain, the man charged straight at him the next second.

“Bro!”

At the critical juncture, Gu Yuan’s arm pressed him firmly behind him. Zhou Chiyu squeezed his eyes shut and heard only a muffled thud from around them.

“Bro?” Zhou Chiyu lifted his eyelids to find the patient already pinned firmly to the ground by the doctors who had rushed up behind him.

“It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”

Gu Yuan’s palm rested on Zhou Chiyu’s shoulder, signaling him not to fear. Worried the patient might attack again, he stepped forward to help the doctors restrain the dazed man and seized the fruit knife from his hand.

“I want… I want to find my little dog!”

The patient struggled wretchedly on the ground. Facing the doctor squatting in front of him, he viciously bit down.

“Careful of medical exposure.”

Gu Yuan heard those words and lightly released his grip.

He noticed that his wrist had just been scratched by the patient’s fruit knife—a shallow cut.

The bitten doctor turned ashen-faced with fright and could barely stand with the support of his colleagues.

“What illness does this patient have?” Gu Yuan’s emotions remained relatively stable. In his mind, the few infectious diseases that could make medical staff this tense were all worldwide conundrums that remained unsolved.

“HBV.”

Zhou Chiyu’s temples throbbed. “Bro, is this your blood or the patient’s…”

He didn’t have time to think. He grabbed Gu Yuan’s hand and hurriedly searched for the hospital’s CDC. “We need to get checked—now!”

The patient’s hand kept dripping blood. The smear of crimson made Zhou Chiyu dizzy. He stared at Gu Yuan’s bloodstained cuff and staggered forward as he ran. “Bro, don’t be afraid. Let’s hurry and get checked.”

Compared to Zhou Chiyu’s utter panic, Gu Yuan stayed relatively calm. The wound didn’t hurt much—just a minor scratch. But the HBV infection risk was higher, which was bad news.

“Little Fish.”

He steadied Zhou Chiyu’s emotions, his voice laced with a fragmented chuckle. “Don’t worry. I should be fine.”

Zhou Chiyu’s frantic heartbeat came with a whimpering voice, his eyes quickly turning red. “How can I not worry? That’s… HBV.”

Countless dire possibilities assaulted his rationality. Though biology class had taught that HBV transmission depended on the viral DNA load in the patient’s bodily fluids, he still didn’t dare gamble on that slim chance.

He felt deeply guilty.

If not for him, Gu Yuan never would have come to this hospital.

“Little Fish.”

Gu Yuan deliberately slowed his tone. His fingertip gently rubbed Zhou Chiyu’s ice-cold wrist in a soothing manner. “Did you forget? When we were kids, you said that after I survived that major illness, I’d definitely be safe and sound. So how could anything happen to me?”

Zhou Chiyu sniffed, his head lowered as he muttered, “I’m not a god. Are my words really that accurate?”

“Of course.” Gu Yuan cooed like he was soothing a child. “I believe in it wholeheartedly.”

…

The leading teacher heard that Gu Yuan was injured and, after contacting his counselor, rushed to the examination room with the hospital leaders to check on him. Gu Yuan had already given blood and was sitting with Zhou Chiyu on a bench in the corridor, waiting for the results.

“You two eat something first.”

On the way, the counselor had bought some dinner for Gu Yuan.

After the leading teacher inquired about the cause and sequence of the incident, he patted Gu Yuan’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry. The school and hospital will take responsibility for this.”

Beside them, the disheveled Zhou Chiyu suddenly sniffled, pursed his lips, and turned his face away to secretly wipe away tears.

The counselor frowned. “This student…”

“He’s my little brother.” Gu Yuan gently unwrapped the burger packaging and handed it to Zhou Chiyu. “Eat something first. Your favorite beef burger.”

Zhou Chiyu shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Gu Yuan explained to the counselor, “He’s worried I’ll get infected.”

“I understand.” Though the hospital bore primary responsibility, it was a school-organized activity, so the school took it very seriously—especially since Gu Yuan was an exchange student.

The counselor sighed. “Kid, don’t worry too much. We’ll wait for the results together.”

“I’m fine. It’s just that my little brother is more worried.”

Gu Yuan knew Zhou Chiyu was hungry. He slipped on disposable gloves and then gently donned a mask to minimize any infection risk.

His fingertips moved tenderly as he cupped Zhou Chiyu’s chin. “Take a bite. That way you’ll have the energy to keep me company while we wait.”

Zhou Chiyu dodged his head aside, his warm, rapid breaths brushing Gu Yuan’s wrist. “I’m not eating.”

It was his fault that Gu Yuan got hurt. He had no right to eat.

Gu Yuan said nothing. Instead, he dipped a french fry in ketchup and held it to Zhou Chiyu’s lips. “Open up.”

Zhou Chiyu couldn’t hold out against Gu Yuan. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth wide.

A soft chuckle sounded in his ear. Zhou Chiyu chewed the fry and eyed Gu Yuan suspiciously. The situation was so dire, yet Gu Yuan could still laugh.

“Eat a little more.”

Gu Yuan held out a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “It’s got a rich milky flavor.”

“Teasing me like a kid.” Zhou Chiyu grumbled in dissatisfaction but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation. He polished off the entire small container.

The hospital leaders asked the counselor to head to the conference room to discuss handling the accident. After reminding Gu Yuan to eat as well, the counselor hurried off.

Halfway there, he suddenly turned back to look at the brothers on the bench. For some reason, Gu Yuan’s little brother was throwing a tantrum, but Gu Yuan patiently held him in his arms and fed him chicken nuggets.

He furrowed his brows and quickened his pace.

“Bro, why’d you put on a mask?”

Zhou Chiyu tried to feed Gu Yuan a few fries, but Gu Yuan blocked him.

“You eat first.”

Gu Yuan offered no explanation. His gentle, profound gaze simply watched him quietly.

“Are you—”

Zhou Chiyu suddenly realized something, and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest bone after bone.

Gu Yuan had put on the mask fearing that if he was infected with HBV, he might accidentally pass it to him.

“Bro.”

Zhou Chiyu abruptly set down the chicken nugget and hugged Gu Yuan’s neck tightly. “If you get infected with HBV, I’ll get infected with you.”

“Nonsense.” Gu Yuan’s palm pressed against Zhou Chiyu’s back and gave him a symbolic pat by way of punishment.

Zhou Chiyu winced. “It hurts.”

“Sorry.” Gu Yuan actually hadn’t used any force,

His fingertip gently stroked the other’s slender back. “Little Fish, I’m fine.”

“Good as long as you’re fine.”

Zhou Chiyu suddenly turned his head and pulled off Gu Yuan’s mask.

The next second, a salty, tear-tanged kiss landed on Gu Yuan’s lips.

In that instant, Gu Yuan’s heart was gripped fiercely.