Seeing that Qi Fang remained silent for a long time, Shen Yu turned around and retrieved a… white plastic urinal from the cabinet in the hospital room. He held it in one hand and reached out with the other to lift the blanket.
Qi Fang covered his private part with his quilt, exclaiming in shock, “Wait… wait, why do I need a urinal to use the bathroom?”
Shen Yu paused his actions and replied calmly, “Your leg is fractured. You can’t make any big movements as it will affect the healing process and speed. If you don’t use this, you’ll have to urinate in bed.”
At first, Qi Fang thought it made perfect sense, but upon further reflection, something didn’t add up—when did he fracture his bone?!
“No, wait…” Qi Fang began to suspect that either his assistant Xiao Lin or the traffic police had conveyed incorrect information. “Shen Yu, I don’t have a fracture.”
To Qi Fang’s surprise, Shen Yu let out a soft sigh.
“Your flu hasn’t fully recovered, and now you’ve been in an accident. I’ll contact a doctor I know to come and examine you, to help you return to normal as quickly as possible.”
“In the meantime—” Shen Yu lifted Qi Fang’s blanket, his expression returning to its usual coldness. “You’d better listen to me.”
Qi Fang: “……”
Watching as Shen Yu was about to impassively pull down his pants, Qi Fang was at his wits’ end. He momentarily forgot to ponder why he suddenly had a fracture and firmly protected his waistband, shouting, “I’ll do it myself! I’ll do it myself!”
In the chaos, Qi Fang’s hand instinctively grabbed Shen Yu’s wrist, and the warmth of their skin-to-skin contact spread.
Shen Yu paused, standing still by the bedside, his dark eyes staring directly at Qi Fang for a moment.
Qi Fang belatedly realized something and released his grip, mumbling awkwardly, “Uh… sorry about that, Shen Yu. I accidentally grabbed your hand just now.”
Shen Yu had always been extremely averse to physical contact with others, especially without any clothing as a barrier. Usually, even if Qi Fang spoke carelessly, he would never dare to actually touch Shen Yu unnecessarily.
Shen Yu withdrew his hand and remained quiet for a while.
Qi Fang waited nervously, fearing that the next moment Shen Yu would act like in a TV drama—first smiling coldly while taking out a wet wipe, meticulously cleaning his hand, then slapping the tissue on Qi Fang’s face with a remark:
“Touch me? You’re not worthy.”
Qi Fang’s mind raced, and his face turned ashen.
However, Shen Yu only paused for a few seconds before swiftly extending his hand. Taking advantage of Qi Fang’s distracted state, he grabbed the urinal with one hand and yanked off the blanket with the other.
“!!!”
Outside the hospital room, assistant Xiao Lin was dealing with the accident paperwork with the traffic police when they suddenly heard an ambiguous cry from inside.
The female officer hesitated for a moment and asked Xiao Lin, “Is your boss alright?”
Xiao Lin’s expression remained unchanged. “He’s fine. Don’t worry about him.”
The door of the hospital room clicked open. Shen Yu released the doorknob, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind him. With his long lashes lowered, he seemed somewhat weary.
Xiao Lin approached him, asking with concern, “Professor Shen, are you alright?”
He hoped his boss hadn’t taken advantage of his illness to harass Professor Shen.
Shen Yu shook his head. He was merely… exasperated by Qi Fang’s uncooperative attitude.
To be honest, Shen Yu had rarely seen Qi Fang ill. Unlike himself, Qi Fang had always been strong and healthy since childhood, brimming with inexhaustible energy. He would voluntarily sign up for the unpopular 3000-meter run at the annual school sports meet and still manage to place in the top ranks.
Most of the time, it was Shen Yu who fell ill, with Qi Fang taking care of him.
Shen Yu considered himself a decent patient. He took whatever medicine Qi Fang gave him and slept when Qi Fang told him to—always obediently following instructions to regain his health quickly and return to efficient studying and working.
But now that Qi Fang was sick, he became totally unmanageable.
Shen Yu stood quietly in the hallway for a moment before walking to the balcony at the end and making a phone call.
Li Congming was perplexed when he received the call. Qi Fang had contacted him yesterday, and now Shen Yu was calling him today. What was going on with these two?
Shen Yu said, “Chongming, it’s Shen Yu.”
Li Congming hurriedly replied, “I know, I know. What’s the matter?”
“Qi Fang has a fracture,” Shen Yu stated bluntly without hesitation.
Li Congming: “Huh? Was he… beaten up?”
Just yesterday, he had foolishly said that if Qi Fang’s leg was ever broken by someone, he could come to him for treatment.
Had it… come true so soon?
What terrible karma!
Shen Yu: “Car accident. He’s hospitalized at S City First Hospital.”
Li Congming understood immediately. “I’ll come by to check on him at noon. If it’s serious, it’s best to transfer him to our hospital. I’ll treat him personally.”
Haha, then Qi Fang’s life would be in his hands! Let’s see if Qi Fang still dared to spread rumors about him eating chicken shit as a child!
After ending the call, Shen Yu pocketed his phone and turned to return to the hospital room.
Qi Fang was lying motionless on the hospital bed.
As Shen Yu entered, his gaze swept indifferently over the white plastic urinal on the floor.
Qi Fang noticed his glance, cleared his throat, and said, “I’ve taken care of it.”
To complete the act, he had even gone to the bathroom to put some tap water in the urinal…
In the brief minutes Shen Yu had been out, Qi Fang had calmed down. His first thought was that Shen Yu’s behavior over the past few days had been absolutely abnormal.
First, he thought Qi Fang had the flu, disregarding the test results. Now today, he believed Qi Fang’s leg was fractured. While a misunderstanding about a cold was possible, such a major accident as a fracture couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
Earlier, Qi Fang had called Xiao Lin in and confirmed that no one had exaggerated his injuries to Shen Yu, which left him deep in thought.
Shen Yu wasn’t the type to waste time on baseless jokes. There had to be something wrong.
At noon, assistant Xiao Lin brought takeout for Qi Fang and Shen Yu, along with an update on the accident’s resolution.
“The traffic police ruled it entirely the other party’s fault,” Xiao Lin said, arranging the food on the bedside table. “The car’s been sent to the shop. Half the passenger side is severely damaged. Initial estimates put the repair costs at over 700,000 yuan.”
Qi Fang, eyeing the food hungrily, asked, “Hmm, will insurance cover it?”
“Insurance won’t cover it,” Xiao Lin replied. “Not sure why, but it seems he’ll have to pay out of pocket.”
Qi Fang tore his gaze from the food, asking sincerely, “Can he afford it?”
Shen Yu suddenly inquired, “Running a red light, what was the reason?”
Xiao Lin explained, “Fatigue. Apparently, he’d been driving all night, hadn’t slept, and didn’t see the traffic light clearly before hitting the boss.”
Qi Fang pondered for a moment, then said, “Forget it. Tell him not to pay.”
Xiao Lin’s large glasses couldn’t hide his confusion.
“By the time he scrapes together the money, who knows how long it’ll take,” Qi Fang reached for the food, casually adding, “I remember his truck was badly damaged too and needs repairs. Let’s consider this a lesson. He probably won’t dare do it again.”
Shen Yu frowned, asking, “Is that all?”
Qi Fang glanced at him. “Hm?”
Shen Yu said seriously, “You have a fracture.”
Xiao Lin: “Huh?”
The boss had a fracture? Where? Had his rebellious nature finally broken?
Seeing Xiao Lin’s bewilderment, Qi Fang gave him a look and said, “You can head back to the company now. Professor Shen and I will be fine here.”
Xiao Lin left, confused. Before leaving the hospital, he received Qi Fang’s full-body examination report from that morning. Apart from some superficial injuries, all indicators were normal.
Xiao Lin hesitated, then decided not to bring the papers into the room. Instead, he took photos and sent them to Qi Fang via WeChat, adding, “Boss, you don’t seem to have a fracture.”
Qi Fang instantly replied with an “OK” but said nothing more.
In the ward, Shen Yu stood by the bed for a while, then took a few steps and lowered his gaze. He put a bit of each dish onto the rice with his chopsticks and handed it to Qi Fang.
Qi Fang looked at the mountain of food, feeling amused. He decided to lie back contentedly and said, “I’m so inconvenienced. Won’t you feed me?”
Shen Yu paused for a moment, then reminded him, “Your fracture is in your leg, not your hand.”
Qi Fang: “…”
As expected, acting coy had no effect on the cold and unfeeling Professor Shen.
The physically challenged but mentally strong Qi Fang bravely finished his lunch on his own. Shen Yu seemed to have a poor appetite, only eating less than half a bowl of rice.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Fang, who had been closely watching Shen Yu’s actions, immediately asked, “Is it not to your liking? When I get back…”
Shen Yu shook his head lightly, saying nothing about that. Instead, he said, “That stir-fry machine was in the trunk. It wasn’t damaged. I asked the repair shop staff to take it back home.”
Qi Fang coughed once and said diplomatically, “If I said I was just taking it out to find a compatible inner pot, would you believe me?”
Shen Yu: “No.”
Qi Fang: “.”
Just at this moment of trust crisis, there was a timely knock on the hospital room door. As it opened, Li Congming poked his head in.
Qi Fang: “…”
Why did they call this guy here?
Li Congming was still wearing his white coat from his clinic hours. His hospital wasn’t far from here and was renowned for orthopedic treatment. After returning from studying abroad, Li Congming had smoothly joined the staff and was now a young attending physician. In two more years, he’d be eligible for promotion to associate chief physician.
Li Congming approached with a serious expression but expectant eyes. He first greeted Shen Yu, then looked at Qi Fang. “Your injury isn’t too severe, right… Eh, why hasn’t the hospital even put on the most basic splint for you?”
As he spoke, Li Congming walked to the bedside and suddenly lifted the blanket covering Qi Fang’s lower body.
A few seconds later, he quickly covered it back up.
Li Congming’s expression turned strange. He stared at Qi Fang for a moment, then said, “You clearly don’t have—”
“You should leave now,” Qi Fang suddenly interrupted Li Congming’s words, turning to Shen Yu and saying, “Dr. Li’s examination will take some time. Didn’t you have an unfinished group meeting this morning? Maybe you could use this time to talk with your students.”
Shen Yu seemed to be thinking about something but nodded at these words.
After Shen Yu left, Li Congming immediately turned around and asked with furrowed brows, “What’s going on here?”
He forcefully pinched Qi Fang’s leg under the blanket. Qi Fang yelped and hurriedly said, “Stop it, I still have some external injuries.”
Li Congming withdrew his hand, utterly confused. “You’re not playing a prank on me with Shen Yu because I referred you to psychiatry yesterday, are you? But… Shen Yu isn’t that kind of person.”
Qi Fang: “Why would I waste time pranking you instead of being lovey-dovey with Shen Yu when I’m perfectly fine?”
Li Congming, being a staunch straight man, couldn’t stand such talk. He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, and his insides were burning. He cursed and turned to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Qi Fang knew when to stop and didn’t tease him further. “Li Congming, I might need your help with something.”
Li Congming paused, noticing the rare seriousness on Qi Fang’s face.
“Find me a reliable psychologist,” Qi Fang said, “preferably one with extensive experience. I want to invite someone to come and see Shen Yu.”
*
Shen Yu sat on a bench outside the hospital room, using a tablet to continue the research group meeting that couldn’t be finished in the morning.
The tablet was left by Xiao Lin, supposedly to keep the boss entertained, but actually hinting that Shen Yu should use it himself rather than letting Qi Fang play with it.
In the online meeting room, Shen Yu scanned the number of participants and slightly furrowed his brow: “Where’s Zhao Minqing?”
“Ah, I don’t know either. He didn’t ask for leave,” said a doctoral student responsible for notifications. “Maybe he had something urgent come up and didn’t check his phone.”
Shen Yu didn’t dwell on it and directly began the morning’s topic.
Zhao Minqing was at home on his computer, constantly searching for news related to Qi Fang and Shen Yu.
He had seen the online meeting notification but didn’t pay much attention to it – he wasn’t really here for academics anyway. If it weren’t for his interest in Shen Yu and wanting to get him, he would have long stopped attending these boring research group meetings.
There was quite a bit of gossip news online.
Qiling Group was famous, and consequently, Qi Fang attracted a lot of attention. Someone had even created a social media account called “Qiling Young Master Observation Diary”.
Zhao Minqing was a bit speechless, wondering what these netizens were thinking.
Does being rich make you a young master? Why doesn’t anyone call him a young master then?
Qi Fang and Shen Yu got married two years ago. The wedding was very low-key and not publicized. Paparazzi couldn’t get a single photo, only some unsubstantiated rumors circulated.
“Qiling Group’s Young Master Marries Son of Renowned Scientific Researcher, Next R&D Direction: Entering the Medical Field?”
“High-end Corporate Competition – Fighting for Core Tech Talents and Achievements, Taking Qiling Group as an Example.”
“Qiling Group’s 40-year-old Middle-aged Man Marries 40-year-old Middle-aged Scientist, Essentially a Business Transaction.”
Zhao Minqing: “…”
He closed this unreliable browser. Not a single piece of information was valuable.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Minqing logged into a forum.
This forum mainly discussed gossip and latest news in the business circle. Because of its fixed audience, it excluded most uninformed onlookers. The content there had some value, and small companies would even secretly spread rumors there to attack their competitors.
Zhao Minqing searched for Qi Fang and Shen Yu’s names and found only one related post.
[Casual Post: Qiling Group’s Qi Fang’s Marriage is True Love! Why Don’t You Believe It!!]
[1L: Are you the one who reported all the other discussion threads?]
[2L: Are you the one who reported all the other discussion threads??]
[3L: Are you the one who reported all the other discussion threads???]
[4L: Who is the OP, coming here to rant?]
[5L: Go to sleep, what weird CP are you shipping? Focus on making money]
Because the original poster didn’t reply for a long time, this thread didn’t generate much discussion and quickly sank.
Zhao Minqing turned off his computer and lay on the bed, lost in thought.
It was also the first time he’d heard that Shen Yu was married. Shen Yu had never mentioned it before. Due to certain stereotypes about Professor Shen, the school generally assumed he was single.
If they’re unwilling to go public, what kind of feelings could there be?
Not even giving a ride to work, letting Shen Yu squeeze onto public buses every day. What a beast, what a scumbag.
Zhao Minqing clenched his fist and sat up.
*
In the evening, at Shen Yu’s insistence, Qi Fang was forced to stay in the hospital.
The young nurse who came to register them had a strange look in her eyes and said somewhat angrily, “If there’s nothing wrong, transfer to a regular ward. The special care rooms should be left for patients who need them.”
Half an hour later, Qi Fang was moved to a regular ward with his pillow, now having two roommates.
Shen Yu had just finished an online meeting and looked somewhat tired. However, the two roommates were very enthusiastic, seeing a new friend arrive, they started chatting.
“Young man, you look strong and healthy. Why do you need to be hospitalized?”
Shen Yu stood by the table, pouring hot water for himself and Qi Fang. He replied coldly, “Car accident, fracture.”
“Oh my, when driving you need to watch the road, always be aware of both sides. Last year I almost crashed…”
“Which bone is fractured? How come I don’t see the doctor putting on a cast? Is it serious?”
Shen Yu had just taken a sip of water when he frowned and put the cup back on the table.
Qi Fang was chatting intermittently with the roommates. Noticing Shen Yu’s expression, he lowered his voice and asked, “Do you want to go home first? I remember you have a class tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Shen Yu took out his phone and checked the time.
“I’ll go back at nine o’clock,” he said.
Qi Fang felt something wasn’t right. “Then what now? Xiao Lin messaged me saying he’ll bring food over later.”
Shen Yu: “Bath.”
“?” Qi Fang: “I can bathe myself.”
“You can’t.”
Shen Yu was already slowly rolling up his sleeves. He was wearing a gray knit sweater, and as he rolled up the sleeves, a small section of his fair wrists was exposed. “It’s not convenient for you. I’ll help you bathe, then go back.”
Qi Fang: “…”
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