Chapter 5 – You’re a Good Person
About an hour and a half later, Uncle Yan finally brought the doctor over. The doctor was clearly a regular here. After a brief greeting at the door, he went straight upstairs to check on the situation.
In the end, he chose to use an IV drip to bring down the fever, as it was the fastest way. When Lin Ganzhi saw the doctor draw Yan Shengping’s hand out, he noticed several needle marks on the back of it, and the surrounding skin was bruised. The doctor had to turn his hand over and insert the needle into his wrist.
The pain in Uncle Yan’s eyes was almost overflowing.
After setting up the IV, the doctor led them out of the room so as not to disturb Yan Shengping.
“Mr. Yan’s fever this time could be related to a stomach flare-up. Has he still been eating only one meal a day recently?” the doctor asked, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
“He ate two meals yesterday,” Uncle Yan said quickly.
The doctor’s expression showed a flicker of surprise, then he looked slightly more pleased. “Eating two meals is a good thing. Is the master in a better mood?” As he said this, the doctor’s gaze fell on Lin Ganzhi.
Uncle Yan was worried Lin Ganzhi would be too shy to answer and was about to explain on his behalf when…
“I also think my love has moved my husband~” Lin Ganzhi said, shyly covering his face.
Uncle Yan thought: Ganzhi, with your level of skill, the shyness is completely unnecessary, really.
The doctor was stunned for two seconds, then laughed along. All doctors hope their patients get better. As long as it wasn’t a bad thing, a little cringe was nothing.
The doctor later gave some instructions on medication times. Uncle Yan was already a pro at removing IV needles, so the doctor just prescribed some medicine and left.
Watching the rain outside grow heavier, Lin Ganzhi looked at the curtain of rain with some concern. “Should we ask the doctor to wait here until the rain stops?”
Uncle Yan shook his head. “He runs a clinic by himself. He’s worried that if he closes for an afternoon, patients in a hurry won’t be able to find him. There aren’t many clinics in that old part of town.”
Lin Ganzhi was taken aback. “I thought he worked at a hospital.”
“Or one of those high-end private hospitals.” This time, Uncle Yan saw right through Lin Ganzhi’s thoughts. The two of them sat down on the sofa together, listening to the rain and chatting. “That doctor was my senior in high school. He’s an incredibly talented person, but he couldn’t stand the system in large hospitals or private ones. He worked for over a decade when he was young, then resigned and opened his own clinic. He’s more at ease, and I feel more at ease having him come here.”
Lin Ganzhi nodded. “Uncle Yan, can I ask you a question?”
Uncle Yan nodded. He also wanted to take this opportunity to talk to the young man about his true feelings.
“You’ve been with the Zhong family for so many years. Why did you move to the suburbs with my husband now? This way, you can never go back to the Zhong family.”
Uncle Yan pondered for a moment, then rephrased his response. “Before that, I want to ask you, Ganzhi, do you hate the master? Are you afraid of all the things he’s done before?”
Lin Ganzhi instinctively shook his head, then said affectionately, “I love him!”
***
“Ahem! Ganzhi, love isn’t something you can just say out loud. Let me ask you, what do you love about the master? His weak body? His many illnesses? Or his stubborn donkey temper, his bottomless antagonism towards Young Master Zhong?”
!!! Was it really okay to talk about Yan Shengping like that?
Lin Ganzhi looked at Uncle Yan with a complicated expression. “Uncle, I think it’s best my husband doesn’t hear this. What do you think?”
“Ahem! I was just giving a slight example. The master is still very perfect in my heart!”
In Lin Ganzhi’s eyes, Uncle Yan was now the epitome of someone stubbornly refusing to admit they were wrong!
Jokes aside, Lin Ganzhi looked back at the curtain of rain. He had been in the entertainment circle for a few years and knew all too well what it meant to just echo what others say. In reality, most people don’t care about who you are as a person; they are used to seeing you through the labels others have attached to you. Compared to the truth, what’s interesting, juicy, and controversial is what matters.
“I only trust my own eyes.”
Uncle Yan turned his head. Lin Ganzhi wasn’t looking at him; his gaze was vacant, fixed on the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him. Beneath his slender eyelashes were a pair of incredibly clear eyes.
For some reason, after two days of getting along, hearing Lin Ganzhi say this, Uncle Yan finally let down most of his guard.
“To answer your first question, Ganzhi, I’ve watched the master grow up with my own eyes all this time. When he entered this family, he took my surname. Now that he’s been kicked out, how could I, as a semi-elder, watch the child suffer alone?” Uncle Yan smiled kindly.
Lin Ganzhi suddenly felt that this world was deviating from the book. The book described Uncle Yan as foolishly loyal, constantly deceived by Yan Shengping, and ultimately choosing to betray the Zhong family to leave with him.
But now he knew that the stubborn, hopeless tsundere Yan Shengping would never waste time brainwashing Uncle Yan. And Uncle Yan didn’t seem like someone who would be easily fooled. He had just tried to set a trap for him!
“Did something happen yesterday? The master doesn’t get fevers for no reason these days.” Uncle Yan was a perceptive man.
Lin Ganzhi didn’t hide it and told Uncle Yan about the Zhong family’s phone call from the previous day.
Uncle Yan let out a long sigh. “What a sin. They’ve already abandoned the master, why are they still coming to provoke him? In the few months the master has been here, they’ve called a total of four times. Every time they call, the master either gets a fever or his stomach condition worsens.” As he spoke, Uncle Yan wiped his moist eyes. He had no children of his own; the master was like half a son to him. It was his own incompetence that he couldn’t protect the master, only watch him suffer in silence.
While comforting Uncle Yan, Lin Ganzhi thought, Tsk, is the Zhong family that unlucky? I’ll have to go get a few more protective talismans next time. Even if I’m not superstitious, putting them in Yan Shengping’s study for protection can’t hurt!
Who told his boss to have a body as delicate as a flower, unlike him, who could devour a whole cow when hungry!
After their conversation, Lin Ganzhi felt his protective instincts thoroughly aroused. He felt he could keep up his act and protect Yan Shengping for another three years!
At noon, Lin Ganzhi prepared lunch for himself and Uncle Yan while also making beef and radish congee for Yan Shengping. He also made three bowls of pear soup. He looked so proficient that he didn’t need any help.
Calculating the time, Yan Shengping’s last IV drip was finished. Uncle Yan excused himself and went upstairs to remove the needle for the master.
When Uncle Yan entered, Yan Shengping was already sitting up on his own, a thin tablet resting on his lap. His free hand was rapidly tapping away. He didn’t hide it when Uncle Yan came in. The complex programming on the tablet was enough to make an ordinary person dizzy just by looking at it.
Uncle Yan came over and skillfully removed the needle for Yan Shengping, reminding him, “Master, you should rest more when you’re sick. Don’t always overwork yourself like this.”
“Mm, I know, Uncle Yan. I was just about to take a nap.” Most of the time, Yan Shengping wouldn’t do as he told Uncle Yan. Uncle Yan sighed. Perhaps he was too familiar with this child and didn’t know how to persuade him anymore.
“Where is he?” Yan Shengping suddenly asked.
Uncle Yan didn’t react for a moment. “Who?”
An unnatural expression appeared on Yan Shengping’s face. “Lin… Ganzhi.”
Uncle Yan smiled knowingly. “You mean Ganzhi? He’s making congee for you. That kid, apart from being a bit emotional on the first day, he’s not a bad person.”
Yan Shengping lowered his eyes, not agreeing with this view. “Good or bad, he’ll have to leave eventually. Staying in a place like this, what’s the point of life?”
Uncle Yan was speechless. He understood Yan Shengping’s thoughts very well, but he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“Let’s see what the kid does. We don’t have the right to decide for him. Although I don’t know his motive for staying for now…” To say it was love, even if Uncle Yan were twenty years older, he wouldn’t believe it. Wait, a strange idea popped into Uncle Yan’s mind. Thinking back to yesterday morning, could it be that the kid…
“Could it be because of the one million in living expenses?”
Yan Shengping sneered. “One million? That little money can’t even get him a decent car, let alone pay the deposit for a wedding ring.”
Their marriage had no wedding, no rings, and no blessings. He never thought Lin Ganzhi would covet that little bit of money.
“Achoo!” Lin Ganzhi, who was cooking in the kitchen, let out a heavy sneeze. He wondered which online troll was spreading rumors about him again. It was a personal attack now. He needed to sprinkle some salt, sprinkle some salt.
The atheist Lin Ganzhi muttered to himself as he sprinkled fine salt into the pot.
Mm, practice what you preach!
Here, Uncle Yan nodded. “Yes, I was thinking too narrowly. Anyway, it’s great that the kid is willing to stay for now. At least you ate two meals yesterday.” This was the best thing that had happened in the villa in months.
Yan Shengping’s face was cold. Weren’t those two meals still forced out of him like that?
Next time, he absolutely would not give in so easily!
An hour later, the unyielding Yan Shengping fell into a long silence as he looked at the fragrant beef and radish congee and pear soup on the tray.
“Take it away, I have no appetite.” Yan Shengping turned his head to the side, choosing to ignore Lin Ganzhi. With this show of strength, he should be a little more disappointed in him.
“You said the same thing last meal,” Lin Ganzhi calmly exposed Yan Shengping’s little trick. He didn’t understand why Yan Shengping had to repeatedly torture his own body. It wasn’t like he didn’t have money for food.
Yan Shengping’s brows furrowed tightly. If he didn’t know that the two of them were completely innocent before, that they hadn’t even met before getting their marriage certificate, he would really think Lin Ganzhi had some feelings for him. But this time, he had to make a clean break, so that Lin Ganzhi wouldn’t harbor any strange ideas!
“Lin Ganzhi, I don’t need you to be good to me. Is that so hard to understand?” Yan Shengping raised his head, his deep, sharp gaze looking directly at Lin Ganzhi for the first time.
Lin Ganzhi’s heart skipped a beat. The usual Yan Shengping was weak and stubborn, so he treated him like a stubborn old man. But looking at him now, the old Garfield seemed not to be a real cat, but a sleeping tiger.
If this were any pure-hearted young man who genuinely liked Yan Shengping, he would probably cover his face, cry, and quickly run away.
But Lin Ganzhi was different. Although he was scared, his determination to do the job he was paid for hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
“Then I can’t just watch you ruin your own body. If my hundred thousand Weibo fans saw this, they’d make up stories about me abusing my husband, wouldn’t they?” Lin Ganzhi put his hands on his hips, trying to look as imposing as possible.
“Are you talking about that account of yours where ninety thousand of your hundred thousand fans are zombie followers?” Yan Shengping’s tone was sarcastic, certain that he had wounded the young man’s pride.
Lin Ganzhi suddenly became shy. “So my husband has been paying such close attention to me~”
—Impenetrable.
This word flashed through Yan Shengping’s mind. He felt like he was squeezing a sponge right now. No matter how much force he used, all that came out was water. The little sponge would soon recover on its own and then use its soft surface to shamelessly provoke him again.
After taking a few deep breaths, the still-feverish Yan Shengping felt like he was about to faint from lack of oxygen.
Lin Ganzhi’s peripheral vision saw that the steam from the congee on the table was almost gone. If he didn’t eat it soon, it would get cold and upset his stomach again. But seeing the stubborn donkey’s unwilling-to-give-in attitude, if he didn’t solve the problem once and for all, they would have to go through this at every meal. With his remarkable talent for drama, even an experienced person like Lin Ganzhi couldn’t guarantee he would live for another year.
“I used to have a friend,” Lin Ganzhi began mournfully.
Yan Shengping’s right eyelid twitched. He had a bad feeling about this.
“He worked so hard that he developed a severe stomach condition. He thought just taking painkillers would solve the problem, but he never expected it to develop into stomach cancer. By the time he found out, it was already in the late stages. He actually loved to eat, but at that time, he couldn’t even afford medicine, let alone food. He would crave a big steamed bun in his dreams all night. One time, the auntie next door couldn’t bear to see it anymore and gave him a big steamed bun. Guess what happened?”
Yan Shengping’s eyelashes trembled. He was inexplicably drawn into the scene by Lin Ganzhi. “He thanked the auntie and then ate the steamed bun.”
“No, he only took a small bite and saved the rest for tomorrow. But he never made it to the next day,” Lin Ganzhi sniffled loudly. If he had known, he would have eaten the whole steamed bun earlier! It was almost as big as a rice bowl. That auntie had it tough too, a single mother raising a child. He had wasted a perfectly good steamed bun.
Yan Shengping was speechless.
“Your friend—”
“Yes, he died while watching the morning news.” Lin Ganzhi spoke of the past with immense sorrow. Yes, he must have died while the morning news was being reported.
!!!
Realizing he had been deceived, Yan Shengping felt his body temperature rise a few more degrees. He would be angered to death by Lin Ganzhi sooner or later!
At the same time, through their interactions over the past two days, Lin Ganzhi had a vague idea of what kind of person Yan Shengping was: an extreme perfectionist who couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye.
“Sigh, actually, I know you don’t like me,” Lin Ganzhi said suddenly, getting serious.
“It would be strange if you did,” Yan Shengping replied, completely devoid of charm.
Can’t you even be a little tactful? A one-million-a-month job is really, really a test of one’s character!
“Then, our marriage will last until the day your body is completely healed, and then I’ll leave. Will you eat properly every day then?” Lin Ganzhi’s eyes were sincere, without a trace of anything else. His round, bun-like face was originally smiling, but Yan Shengping felt a slight ache in his chest.
But, wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?
Yan Shengping concealed the unnaturalness in his expression. “You said it.”
“Mm-hm, I’ll keep my word.” If he could raise him for a year or two, he wasn’t greedy. The money he saved would probably be enough for him to retire early and slack off.
This time, Lin Ganzhi still watched over Yan Shengping as he ate. After a bowl of pear soup was finished, Lin Ganzhi satisfactorily cleared the bowls. He was now consciously increasing the portion size a little at each meal, confident that Yan Shengping’s diet would return to a normal person’s intake within a week.
Before leaving, Yan Shengping still called out to Lin Ganzhi. “Why do you want me to get better so badly?” What good would it do him? Yan Shengping, who had been a titan of the business world for so many years, couldn’t figure out this question even after a full meal.
Lin Ganzhi turned back, his slender eyelashes sweeping across his eyelids. His dark pupils reflected Yan Shengping’s upright upper body, and his eyes seemed to shimmer with moisture. He remembered a long time ago, an actress he had worked with had told him, “Ganzhi, have you really never liked anyone? Every time you look at me, I feel like you’re truly in love with my character. It makes my heart pound after we finish filming. If I didn’t know you were gay, I would have woken up in the middle of the night and confessed to you!”
The way Lin Ganzhi looked at people was clean and clear, like a pool of spring water enveloping them, filling even the air with affection.
At this moment, Yan Shengping’s throat burned uncomfortably, his emotions fluctuating abnormally.
“Because you’re a good person.” And I love the money you give me!
After Lin Ganzhi left, Yan Shengping’s noticeably accelerated heartbeat took a long time to calm down.