“Ah—I’m really over this!”
“I finally saved up some money… will 1,000 for the prepayment be enough?”
“Hello! Is the X-ray station over here?”
“Doctor! His nose is bleeding too. Could he have hit his head? He’s talking a bit strangely.”
“Is this where we do the CT scan? Hello? Is anyone there?”
Bai Yao was busy leading Qiu Ye around, never stopping his pace.
One moment he was looking for a doctor, the next an examination room, and all while looking after the injured man.
He was run off his feet.
He didn’t know if Qiu Ye was drunk or if he had damaged his brain.
Whenever he asked, the answer was always “I’m fine,” and everything else out of his mouth was slurred and incomprehensible.
“Hospitalized for surgery? It’s that serious?”
Coming out of the consultation room, Bai Yao’s brow was furrowed as he sat down next to Qiu Ye.
Without a word, he gathered the blood-stained tissues next to Qiu Ye and threw them away.
He looked down to inspect Qiu Ye’s expression, eventually stifling a sigh in his throat.
He tried to be reassuring.
“It’s just a fracture.”
“Let’s go. We’re headed to the Inpatient Department. Can you get up? I’ll help you.”
‘I wonder if I have enough money…’
Qiu Ye was struggling to walk, but he managed to stand up with Bai Yao’s support.
“How did this happen… falling like that?”
Only now did Bai Yao have the time to care about the details.
He chose his words carefully, trying to sound as less accusatory as possible.
Walking with a slight stagger, Qiu Ye gave a bitter smile.
“I just had some barbecue and a bit to drink. I saw it wasn’t far, so I figured I’d walk back. I thought the breeze would help me sober up by the time I reached the dorms…”
“That barbecue place is pretty good. I’ll take you there next time. I even grabbed some coupons.”
One of his arms was fractured, so he awkwardly used his right hand to fish a stack of coupons out of his left pants pocket.
Even though he didn’t understand why Qiu Ye insisted on walking instead of calling a cab while drunk, or why he was thinking about coupons despite a fracture, there was no point in arguing logic with a drunk person.
“Don’t drink next time. You scared me to death.”
Bai Yao handed him a new pack of tissues.
“Your nose is just scraped and bleeding, which isn’t a big deal, but your arm seems pretty serious.”
“Yeah…”
“Should I call the counselor?”
“No, don’t.”
Qiu Ye rejected the idea without hesitation.
“I’ll be fine in two days.”
“You need surgery, okay? You won’t be fine in two days.”
“If my parents find out…”
‘He’s not going to tell his family about something this big? Is he afraid of getting scolded, or is he worried they’ll be concerned?’
Bai Yao reached out to wipe the blood from under Qiu Ye’s nose.
Seeing the state this guy was in, he figured there was no reasoning with a drunk.
“I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”
He led Qiu Ye out the back door of the Emergency Room, peering around to find the entrance to the Inpatient Department.
Qiu Ye looked down at Bai Yao beside him.
He was a short guy, with a face and build that looked like a girl’s.
His personality was cold, and he seemed a bit soft and easy to bully.
Yet, even when he was flustered and anxious, he still made an effort to care for his feelings.
Despite stumbling through it, he had managed to get him through the checkups.
‘Was he an angel?’
“Qiu Ye? This way.”
Bai Yao found the Inpatient Department and helped him inside by the arm.
“We’re going to the tenth floor. We have to do the intake procedures in a bit.”
Entering the elevator, Bai Yao pressed the button for the tenth floor and looked up at Qiu Ye.
“Why do you keep looking at me? Does your arm still hurt? Your nose seems to have stopped bleeding.”
“If you give me a smile, it won’t hurt anymore.”
“???”
Bai Yao froze for a moment.
He felt like he was being teased by Qiu Ye again, but considering the guy was a drunk patient, he could only let out a sigh of frustrated helplessness.
He took a moment to prepare himself, then looked up and gave Qiu Ye a sweet smile.
It was as if bright, warm sunlight had been poured over Qiu Ye. It felt warm, bringing a sense of genuine joy and healing from the bottom of his heart.
Bai Yao really was an angel!
“Happy now?”
“You look good. You should smile more.”
Bai Yao’s face quickly returned to a cold expression as he got down to business.
“What’s your ID number? I’ll probably need it later.”
“It’s all on my phone. In my pocket.”
He reached into Qiu Ye’s pocket and pulled out the phone.
“Password?”
“132465798. There’s a photo of my ID in the album.”
“That’s so long… Album, album… It’s all lewd photos.”
‘And here I thought Qiu Ye was actually a serious person!’
***
They reached the tenth floor.
Since it was late at night, the automatic doors to the Inpatient Department were already locked, and entry was forbidden.
Bai Yao paced back and forth in a panic.
Fortunately, after a short wait, a nurse happened to pass by and opened the door for them.
Bai Yao took Qiu Ye’s phone to fill out the forms while Qiu Ye was taken by the inpatient doctor to have his injury stabilized.
Even from a distance, he could hear Qiu Ye’s muffled groans of pain.
He put down his pen and poked his head out in concern.
“Are you okay?”
The two residents looked very young.
Their voices were gentle, but their eyesight wasn’t great.
“We need to stabilize it, otherwise your boyfriend will be in a lot of pain.”
“He’s a boy, right? Judging by the voice.”
“Is he? It’s rare to see a boy this beautiful.”
Although Bai Yao’s appearance had trended toward the feminine under the system’s repeated meddling, his voice remained original—a male voice that sounded a bit weak.
Seeing the doctors joking around, Bai Yao knew he didn’t understand enough to help, so he could only offer a worried reminder.
“Be gentle, please?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”
He had no choice but to go back to the nurse’s station to finish the forms.
The nurse nearby handed him a card.
“This is the Accompaniment Card. Only one person is allowed to stay.”
“Uh… okay.”
“I’ll show you to his room first.”
“Okay!”
This floor did not seem to have many patients.
Qiu Ye’s ward was a double, but since it was empty, it might as well have been a private room.
Once the check-in was complete, Qiu Ye had finished his stabilization and moved into the room.
He shifted on the bed with some difficulty, finding a comfortable position before looking at Bai Yao standing by his side.
“What did the doctor say?”
“The fracture is serious. We have to go for more X-rays and tests tomorrow. There’s a high chance you’ll need surgery.”
At this, Bai Yao couldn’t help but complain, “And you kept telling me you were fine. I almost believed your nonsense.”
Qiu Ye didn’t reply, looking embarrassed.
“How did you manage to fall like that just by walking?”
“My head felt a bit dizzy…”
Qiu Ye seemed to have sobered up quite a bit.
He shook his head.
“I’m really fine.”
Really fine?
He was already lying in a hospital bed.
Bai Yao sat on a small stool nearby.
Thinking about how he’d have to take care of Qiu Ye tomorrow and run errands for him, he couldn’t help but bite his nails and bounce his leg in anxiety.
However, now didn’t seem like the time to be anxious.
“I’ll head back to the dorms to get you some clothes and a charger. Oh, right, here’s your phone back.”
Qiu Ye had lost all his energy, gazing at Bai Yao with a weary and weak expression.
That pitiful look, like a stray puppy, was impossible to resist! The contrast with his usual self was just too much!
“Fine.”
Bai Yao leaned against the edge of the bed with his head in one hand.
He searched on his phone for what daily necessities were needed for a hospital stay, not looking up as he spoke.
“I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”
Qiu Ye closed his eyes.
After a moment, he felt a pair of soft, delicate, and slightly cool hands gently cradling the back of his hand.
He opened his eyes and looked at Bai Yao, whose expression was a bit awkward.
“Animes say that doing this makes things better?”
Bai Yao pulled his hand back in embarrassment. ‘This feels a bit gay.’
He was at a loss.
He had never taken care of anyone in his life, so he could only try using whatever he could pull from his memory.
Qiu Ye didn’t mind. H
e gave a weary smile, feeling a sense of peace.
“Sorry for the trouble. Thank you.”
“Just don’t forget to pay me back…”
“I was actually a little moved, but now that’s gone.”
“Hey—you should be grateful to me for the rest of your life. You should treat me to dinner every single day.”