After bringing the luggage into the hotel suite, Qi Fang turned his wheelchair to close the door, then immediately glanced at Shen Yu. “Shen Yuyu…”
Shen Yu set down his belongings and briefly surveyed the room’s layout. He grunted in acknowledgment, “What is it?”
At Shen Yu’s insistence, the front desk had reluctantly passed over the provocative themed couples’ suites like “Wilderness Savage” and “Vampire Demon,” replacing them with the most ordinary island-style room.
The suite was spacious, featuring two king-sized beds, along with simple lounging, dining, tea, and bar areas. Near the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a large two-person bathtub, with an unobstructed view of the beach and ocean outside.
Qi Fang continued, feigning nonchalance, “These two beds don’t have doors, you know?”
The king-sized beds were positioned on opposite sides of the suite, separated by a short wall and screen, but without individual rooms or doors.
Shen Yu glanced at Qi Fang, seeming puzzled. “Why would they need doors?”
Qi Fang coughed. “…For better privacy?”
Shen Yu appeared even more confused. “Why do we need privacy? Is there something you need to hide from me?”
Qi Fang rubbed his nose. “Not really…”
It was just that before, in their duplex apartment, Shen Yu had always slept separately from Qi Fang in bedrooms at opposite ends. Qi Fang had grown accustomed to this arrangement. Suddenly being able to sleep with Shen Yu in a large suite of over a hundred square meters, without any doors separating them, made him feel slightly intrusive.
Well… only slightly.
He, Qi Fang, Young Master Qi, Shen Yu’s lawful spouse, lover, partner, husband, and man, after two years of marriage, could finally lie in the same space as Shen Yu, breathe the same air, and experience the beauty of the same night—at last!
Shen Yu, not noticing Qi Fang’s gleaming eyes, took out some quick-acting heart-saving pills from the luggage, walked to one of the beds to set them down, and said:
“If your heart feels uncomfortable at night, remember to call me immediately.”
Qi Fang pondered for a moment, then asked, “Shen Yuyu, what if I call you and you can’t hear me because we’re too far apart?”
“What if…” Qi Fang ventured bravely, “What if you sleep with me—”
“That won’t happen.”
Shen Yu bent down to retrieve another item from the luggage, reached out, and hung it around Qi Fang’s neck, explaining:
“This is a hospital-grade emergency call button. I’ve already set up the alarm message. You just need to press the button, and it will make a sound to wake me up.”
Qi Fang looked down to see a palm-sized white emergency caller. Upon pressing the center button, the device immediately began to vibrate and emit an extremely loud, sweet female AI voice.
“Emergency, I’m having a heart attack, my life is in danger; Emergency, I’m about to die, the situation is critical; If not given immediate medical attention, I will die. Please help call 120 and send me to the nearest hospital. Location has been automatically sent to phone number XXXXXX, Contact: Mr. Shen…”
Qi Fang: “…”
Qi Fang silently listened to the emergency caller play its message twice in both Chinese and English, then couldn’t help but speak up, “Shen Yuyu, we’re in a foreign country. There’s no 120 here…”
Shen Yu paused, then nodded, “Yes, I’ll update its voice library later.”
Qi Fang felt so embarrassed his scalp tingled. “Do I really have to wear this thing while sleeping and going out?!”
Shen Yu’s expression remained unchanged, his heart as hard as iron. “I might not be by your side every moment. This is for your life’s safety.”
“If I’m not around when you…” Shen Yu suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his long eyelashes lowering to hide the look in his eyes.
Seeing Shen Yu press his lips together in silence, Qi Fang immediately conceded, “Alright, alright, I’ll wear it. I’ll even wear it while bathing. Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”
“At worst, I could hire Qin Xiaosa as a bodyguard,” Qi Fang came up with another half-baked idea and said to Shen Yu, “Pay him to watch over me 24 hours a day. What do you think?”
Shen Yu: “…”
Not very good.
On another small island in Country N, Qin Xiaosa, who was discussing business, suddenly sneezed violently, feeling an ominous premonition in his heart.
*
During dinner, Qi Fang received a video call from Li Congming and Chen Ke.
Glancing up at Shen Yu, who was intently preparing food nearby, Qi Fang answered the video call and asked in a lowered voice, “What’s the matter?”
Li Congming and Chen Ke’s faces were squeezed into one frame. Chen Ke looked somewhat tired and got straight to the point:
“Have you and Professor Shen arrived in Country N yet? I just got back from B City yesterday. I interviewed doctors at B City First People’s Hospital who have had contact with MSBP cases. There are some things I need to tell you.”
Qi Fang grunted in acknowledgment, glancing again at Shen Yu’s back, and spoke faster, “What are the key points?”
“I’ll send you the electronic version of the interview materials to your email later.” Chen Ke knew he was worried about Shen Yu returning, so she didn’t waste words. “I’ve put together an initial treatment plan. This might be a long healing process, so you need to be mentally prepared.”
Qi Fang didn’t speak, his fingers curling to tap lightly on the table, lost in thought.
“First, don’t forcefully try to change the patient’s ideas or create intense conflicts with them. Second, you can try gradual psychological therapy methods for relief. Third…”
Chen Ke paused before slowly continuing:
“If MSBP remains uncured for a long time, we as doctors recommend separating the patient from the object of their fantasies to reduce the impact on the normal life of the fantasy object…”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Qi Fang interrupted her, frowning. “I don’t understand.”
Li Congming chimed in miserably from the side:
“Chen Ke means for you and Shen Yu to separate for a while. This way, it won’t cause more serious effects on your life, and maybe Shen Yu’s condition will slowly improve if he’s away from the object of his fantasies. Well, it’s just a possibility…”
After all, there wasn’t much literature to support this.
Qi Fang asked, “How long would it take to slowly get better?”
Li Congming fell silent.
Qi Fang’s lips twitched, as if he smiled, but his tone was far from pleased:
“To prevent Shen Yu’s illness from affecting me, you want us to separate?”
“What if Shen Yu doesn’t get better for months, years, or even decades? Should I just live apart from him indefinitely? Li Congming, why don’t you just tell me to divorce Shen Yu and be done with it?”
Seeing Qi Fang’s expression, Li Congming knew his childhood friend was truly angry.
As Qi Fang had grown up, his temper had improved significantly. If anything truly angered him now, it was certainly related to Shen Yu.
And now, Li Congming could judge from Qi Fang’s gloomy face on the other end of the video that he was extremely, extremely, extremely angry.
Li Congming even suspected that Qi Fang was so angry he might crawl through the video to break his legs.
“If living apart is a medical suggestion, then as Shen Yu’s family member, I have the right to reject it,” Qi Fang said coldly. “Shen Yu won’t truly harm me, and I’m confident I can help him recover from this illness myself.”
“Thank you, Dr. Chen, for compiling the information. I’ll review it carefully,” Qi Fang said a few seconds later, suddenly shedding his unpleasant expression and regaining his composure.
“I’ll try to carefully inquire about the cause of Shen Yu’s illness when I have the chance. If any medical examinations are needed, we’ll go after we return to the country.”
“But as for separating from Shen Yu,” Qi Fang addressed the other side of the video, “Don’t try to persuade me. I won’t accept this proposal.”
After the video call ended, Li Congming shrugged at Chen Ke, resigned. “See? I told you Qi Fang would never agree. Shen Yu is his life. How could he be willing to throw his life away?”
Chen Ke sent the materials to Qi Fang’s email, then pondered for a moment before saying:
“It’s alright. Actually, there’s no definitive effective treatment for MSBP, either domestically or internationally. The suggestion to separate them is just speculation based on other cases. Perhaps Qi Fang can find a better approach?”
Li Congming sighed, “I really hope Shen Yu’s condition improves soon.”
*
For the first time, Shen Yu vaguely sensed that Qi Fang’s mood seemed off.
Dinner was Japanese cuisine. Shen Yu tasted some but didn’t particularly like the flavor. Looking up, he noticed Qi Fang also appeared to lack appetite.
Shen Yu put down his fork and quietly observed the person across from him.
Qi Fang was using a nutcracker to shell macadamia nuts. He had shelled a small shallow plate and pushed it towards Shen Yu, then moved on to another plate of fruit, skillfully peeling it.
Shen Yu suddenly spoke up, “If you don’t like the food, we can find a different restaurant.”
He noticed that Qi Fang hadn’t touched any of the food in front of him.
“Hm?” Qi Fang looked up, bewildered, and paused for a moment. “It’s not that I don’t like it. Do you not like it? Should I go back to the hotel room and cook for you?”
Shen Yu shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on Qi Fang’s plate. “You haven’t eaten.”
“Oh, this?” Qi Fang responded without hesitation, immediately picking up his plate and taking several large bites of food. As he ate, he mumbled, “It’s not that I don’t like it. I just wasn’t hungry earlier, so I hadn’t started eating yet…”
Shen Yu silently watched him eat for a few minutes, then suddenly asked, “Are you… in a bad mood?”
Qi Fang paused.
“Is it related to your illness?” Shen Yu inquired. “Before dinner, I think I saw Li Congming on a video call with you.”
In fact, Shen Yu had noticed Qi Fang on a video call much earlier.
While preparing the food, he could see from afar that Qi Fang’s expression was not looking very good. After thinking for a moment, he assumed the hospital had said something unpleasant.
For some reason, Shen Yu didn’t quickly finish preparing the food and return. Instead, he stood by the food counter, quietly watching Qi Fang frown and talk to someone on the video call.
“Excuse me,” a female server from the restaurant approached and asked softly, “Would you like me to call that gentleman over?”
“No need,” Shen Yu replied in English, lowering his eyelashes. “I’ll just stand here for a minute, thank you.”
Shen Yu couldn’t tell what was troubling Qi Fang. Usually, when he encountered others who were worried, he would politely avoid the situation and be careful not to bring up topics that might upset them.
But today, Shen Yu took the initiative to speak up.
Perhaps it was because they were in a foreign country, in an unfamiliar environment without a sense of security, that even the most hidden emotions in one’s heart could easily surface and be amplified.
Shen Yu had stood by the food counter for a very long time, and for no apparent reason, he felt his heart seized by an extremely unfamiliar emotion.
He had always been indifferent, and for a moment, he found it difficult to identify that emotion.
It wasn’t until he saw Qi Fang end the video call, his brows tightly knitted, frustratedly running his hands through his hair a couple of times, with an unusually defeated look on his face.
Shen Yu took a few steps forward, his thoughts suddenly pausing as if struck by inspiration, and a word came to mind.
…Concern.
That emotion seemed to be called concern.
He wanted to know why Qi Fang was upset.
He also wanted Qi Fang to stop being upset. That… wasn’t good for the heart.
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