Chapter 67

Fang Shaoyi was saying that he wouldn’t leave Yuan Ye alone in this world. After he had spent so many days in the ICU.

How could Yuan Ye accept this promise? Yuan Ye kept his eyes glued to Fang Shaoyi. “You even lost consciousness. But now you’re telling me you won’t leave me. That’s bulls.h.i.t.”

Fang Shaoyi agreed with whatever he said. He nodded and admitted, “Yes, all bulls.h.i.t. I was wrong.”

Yuan Ye glared at him. That day, he said a lot of things. Each time he said something, Fang Shaoyi would nod and admit it. Then, he would apologize and say that he had been wrong.

This midnight breakdown that resulted in an almost hysterical query had caused Yuan Ye to become completely fatigued. The energy that he was using to force himself to stay strong had seemingly disappeared. He sat in his own bed. His entire being was in a state of extreme relaxation. He wasn’t sitting up straight at all.

Fang Shaoyi softly said, “Sleep. I’ll watch you sleep. I’ll definitely recover well. Watch as I do?”

After Yuan Ye’s cathartic release, his mind felt a bit blank. There were no thoughts in his head; it was practically empty. However, a great feeling of fatigue made him not want to move either. He didn’t even have the energy to go wash his face. He laid down to go to sleep. Yuan Ye was sleeping on the side facing Fang Shaoyi. Prior to bed, he gave Fang Shaoyi another meaningful look.

Fang Shaoyi’s tenderness was a continuous presence. He looked in that direction, ensuring that Yuan Ye would be able to feel his gaze even with his eyes closed.

After Yuan Ye fell asleep, Fang Shaoyi got out of bed. While holding onto his wound, he slowly walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a warm towel. He sat down on Yuan Ye’s bed and wiped the other’s face for him. His movements were very gentle. Yuan Ye had lost so much weight. At this age, it was very easy to look old when one got skinnier. Yuan Ye had originally looked younger than his true age, but now, he finally looked his age. Fang Shaoyi softly pressed a finger onto Yuan Ye’s eyelid. He stroked that pretty little dip over the other’s eye.

Yuan Ye fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t even wake up in the morning when everyone else arrived. Ji Xiaotao walked in while carrying breakfast. Fang Shaoyi just so happened to be coming out of the bathroom after washing up. Ji Xiaotao put the food down and walked over to help him. Fang Shaoyi made a sh gesture at him.

Ji Xiaotao lowered his voice and said, “Uncle and Aunt are going to be arriving later. I’ll be picking them up.”

Fang Shaoyi nodded. “We’ll talk later. Let Yuan Ye sleep first.”

Ji Xiaotao made a noise of acknowledgement. He looked at Yuan Ye. His heart felt very sore. “It’s been too long since my Ye ge has properly slept. He really kept himself pulled taut this entire time. Previously, I was scared that he would cause himself to snap.”

Fang Shaoyi lowered his gaze onto Yuan Ye’s figure. He softly shook his head. “He wouldn’t.”

Without truly relaxing, he wouldn’t heave out that final sigh of relief. He would be capable of remaining pulled taut until then. Fang Shaoyi quietly said something to Ji Xiaotao. Ji Xiaotao nodded in agreement. After, he said, “Okay, ge.”

That day, Yuan Ye slept all the way until the afternoon. During this time, group after group of people visited the sick room. When the nurse made his rounds, he said a lot of things. Yuan Ye didn’t even twitch. No matter who came in, Fang Shaoyi would always faintly smile and make a sh gesture at them. Normally, n.o.body was allowed to be sleeping in the accompanying bed at this time. They at least needed to wait until the doctor had finished making their rounds in the morning. However, this room was a bit special. The doctors and nurses wouldn’t force them to follow this rule.

When Fang Shaoyi’s parents arrived, Fang Shaoyi urged them to go home. After all, they were old already. Fang Shaoyi honestly worried about them a lot because they were staying here. Fang Han said, “You don’t need to worry about us. Just take good care of yourself.”

Fang Shaoyi said, “When you’re here, I’m worried. Besides, I’m going to need a long time to recover. Don’t waste time here with me. Dad, go back and do what you need to do. I’ll live at home when I leave the hospital.”

Mother Fang said, “Your dad will go back. I’ll stay.”

“Don’t,” Fang Shaoyi told her with a smile. “Yuan Ye’s enough. I can’t relax either when you’re here.”

Because he had said this, they didn’t really need to stay anymore. They truly couldn’t help with much anyways. Also, Fang Shaoyi would be distracted by the need to worry about them.

Yuan Ye ended up getting scared awake. After a loud bang, Yuan Ye abruptly opened his eyes.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” After a short pause, Fang Shaoyi hurriedly told him, “Keep sleeping.”

Yuan Ye sat up and asked, “What’s wrong? What was that sound?”

Geng Jinwei was sitting in the chair next to Fang Shaoyi’s bed. With a smile that wasn’t really a smile, he said, “He over-inflated the balloon.”

Yuan Ye sat there and blinked a couple times. Then, he glanced at Fang Shaoyi. Fang Shaoyi’s expression was slightly embarra.s.sed. He asked Yuan Ye, “Are you going back to sleep?”

Yuan Ye grabbed his phone and checked the time. He was slightly shocked that it was already this time of day. With a smile, he shook his head and answered, “No.”

He stood up and folded the blankets up nicely before going to wash up in the bathroom. Fang Shaoyi softly complained to Geng Jinwei, “I said not to blow balloons now, but you made me.”

“Did I make you?” Geng Jinwei’s still had a smile-not-smile on. “The nurse made you.”

“Hurry and leave,” Fang Shaoyi gently furrowed his brows and told the other.

“I’ll leave tomorrow.” Geng Jinwei shrugged. He picked up the report on the nearby cabinet, rolled it into a tube, and smacked Fang Shaoyi on the leg with it. “You think I want to be here? Would I be visiting you if nothing had happened? Am I that bored? You really know how to make me worry.”

Yuan Ye walked out after washing up. While using a towel to wipe his face, he threw out, “There’s someone who won’t make you worry.”

The two people on the other side of the room looked over. Geng Jinwei raised an eyebrow, asking, “You? Bulls.h.i.t. You’re an ancestor too.”

While laughing, Yuan Ye said, “I’m not an artist at your company, nor am I a celebrity.”

Geng Jinwei didn’t say anything. He didn’t continue this conversation.

Yuan Ye walked over to the other side of Fang Shaoyi’s bed. He squatted down and observed the bubbles in Fang Shaoyi’s drainage tube. He looked up and inquired, “Have you eaten any fruit yet today? How many balloons have you blown up?”

Right now, Fang Shaoyi’s hands itched because Yuan Ye was squatting next to him. It would be very uncomfortable if he didn’t touch the other. He placed his hand on Yuan Ye’s head, stroking it repeatedly. “I did eat fruit. I did blow up balloons. There’s the food Xiaotao brought for you. Hurry and eat it.”

“I asked how many you blew up.” Yuan Ye refused to let him skip over the topic. He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and looked up.

“Not even a single f.u.c.king one,” Geng Jinwei b.u.t.ted in from the side.

Yuan Ye threw the balloons onto Fang Shaoyi’s lap. “Keep blowing.” After saying this, he stood up to go eat.

The past few days, the number of phone calls that Yuan Ye had received had obviously increased. There were no true secrets. Guan Zhou had also always been a hub for all sorts of new information. While Yuan Ye was eating, he called. “What’s wrong, Zhou’er?”

Guan Zhou asked on the phone, “Ye ge, I heard something happened on Shaoyi’s film set? Is he okay?”

Yuan Ye didn’t deny this. He made a sound of acknowledgement and said, “He was injured, but he’s fine now. Don’t worry.”

Guan Zhou replied, “I heard he was pretty seriously injured. Anyways, no matter what happened, let me know if you need me to do anything.”

“Okay,” Yuan Ye answered with a chuckle. “No problem.”

People started exposing the news online too. Someone said that Fang Shaoyi had gotten into an accident on set. This had resulted in serious injuries and he hadn’t been successfully resuscitated.

They had originally all treated these rumors as made-up stories. Celebrities were often “forced to die.” n.o.body took this piece of news to heart. However, the power of netizens wasn’t something to be overlooked. They started following all sorts of obscure clues. The story about Fang Shaoyi getting into an accident was true anyways. As long as someone brought the topic up, there would be varying types of evidence revealed.

The fans truly started panicking. Fang Shaoyi and Yuan Ye’s Weibo accounts practically exploded. Fans were all crying and begging them to say something so that they would know Fang Shaoyi was fine. Onlookers were doing the same.

Netizens had already started making up stories about how this was related to the previous enmity they had formed with He Sai. He Sai had taken his revenge on them. But fans weren’t even in the mood to cause a ruckus under He Sai’s Weibo posts. They were deathly terrified.

Right now, Fang Shaoyi’s condition had slowly stabilized. Yuan Ye wasn’t scared of letting others know anymore. Injures were injuries; there was nothing scary about announcing their presence. Yuan Ye told Ji Xiaotao to use both their Weibo accounts to make a statement. Ji Xiaotao said that there had only been a few minor injuries and that there was no need to worry.

Yuan Ye sat on Fang Shaoyi’s bed and took a picture. He was leaning back at an angle. His eyebrows were raised as he cheerfully made a silly expression. Only half of Fang Shaoyi’s body and one hand appeared on camera. His hand was resting on Yuan Ye’s head.

Fans only truly calmed down after seeing this picture. They then continued to pray while crying. Even though Fang Shaoyi was really wearing a patient gown, even though they could tell from his wrist that was exposed that he had really, really lost a lot of weight, at least all those previous “news reports” hadn’t been true. See, he had managed to get successfully resuscitated, right?

Yuan Ye’s parents eventually arrived too. Previously, Yuan Ye hadn’t told them the news. He feared that they would worry. Later, Fang Shaoyi recovered from critical condition, so it was no longer a big deal. The old couple got on a plane and arrived the very next day.

Yuan Ye hugged his mom and said, “Ey ey, old lady. Don’t cry ah. If you cry, he’s going to start feeling pressured.”

“I’m not crying, I’m not.” The old lady wiped away her tears. She sat down next to Fang Shaoyi and stroked his arm and hand. “You’ve suffered, Shaoyi.”

Fang Shaoyi truly looked terrible now. The difference was stark in comparison to how he had looked before. His hair was all gone. There were also still tubes in his body. Anybody who looked at him would feel uncomfortable. Fang Shaoyi was technically half their family’s son too. Who could handle seeing him like this out of the blue?

“I’m fine, Mom. I’ll be back to normal in two months,” Fang Shaoyi placated her.

“Normal? Don’t think I don’t know.” The old lady wiped her eyes. “Those were your lungs. How could recovery be so easy?”

“That doesn’t matter. Young people heal fast,” Yuan Ye said from off to the side. “He’s honestly fine.”

The old couple didn’t stay too long either. They left two days later. There were always people coming and going at the hospital. It wasn’t convenient for them to stay. Besides, they couldn’t help with anything even if they did stay.

Aside from their actual close friends and relatives, Yuan Ye rejected all of the other people who said they wanted to come visit. Fang Shaoyi needed to rest. If they really opened their doors to visitors, there would be no need to do anything else. They’d spend entire days waiting for people. Fang Shaoyi was so severely injured. If visiting was allowed, it was possible that half the entertainment industry would be lining up out the doors. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be appropriate for anyone who had even the slightest connection to him to not come.

Thus, it was better for n.o.body to come at all. They refused to see anybody.

Even Jian Xu had to secretly visit in the middle of the night. As soon as he got out of the airport, he headed straight to the hospital in a cap and mask. His a.s.sistant, Dong Lin, carried a big backpack and trailed behind.

Fang Shaoyi stared at him, exasperated. “Why are you joining in on the commotion? What time is it?”

“Oh f.u.c.k. There are all sorts of stories out there. I can’t rest at ease if I don’t personally see you.” Jian Xu’s eyebrows were furrowed. He cussed a few times. After, he told Fang Shaoyi, “Don’t stay here anymore. The conditions here suck. I’ll get in contact with a rehabilitation center for you. A nice place that’s quiet and calm.”

Fang Shaoyi shook his head with a chuckle. “No thanks. I don’t want to deal with the trouble of leaving this hospital right now. It’s the same no matter where I am.”

Jian Xu was currently filming a movie. It was a detective film. Previously, Fang Shaoyi had rejected the invitation for the role and then directly suggested Jian Xu instead. It was only because they honestly had a great relationship that he had done this. Otherwise, the other might’ve made too many a.s.sumptions and expressed dislike for this way of getting a role. You’re giving me your leftovers? It was fine if the movie was successful. In case the movie flopped, though, the other would more or less blame him a bit in their heart. You wanted me to film this s.h.i.tty thing? And I even have to treat this as a favor?

Which was why unless two people were really close friends, n.o.body would give resources to other people. It was a very complicated matter.

There weren’t so many nuances in Fang Shaoyi and Jian Xu’s relationship. Jian Xu truly needed to consider changing his style. Fang Shaoyi was also truly helping him. He had recommended Jian Xu to all the suitable projects he could. Jian Xu said, “After filming dramas for so many years, I’ve kind of started losing my roots in acting. Right now, I always feel like there’s something missing. There’s just one last breath that I can’t get out.”

“Take it slow,” Fang Shaoyi told him. “The style is different. If you have a score of ten, you’ll have to force yourself to become a twelve when filming a movie. Otherwise, you won’t be able to succeed. It’ll look like something’s missing when you watch on the big screen.”

“How about the two of us costar sometime?” Jian Xu half-joked. “I can be your second or third male lead.”

“Me?” Fang Shaoyi scoffed at himself. “Look at me now. It’s also difficult to tell what I’ll look like in the future.”

“f.u.c.k, what’s wrong with you?” Jian Xu scolded. “Before I came here, I thought that you would be a lot worse off than you really are. This is fine. Fine.”

It was the middle of the night. Jian Xu couldn’t stay too long either. Fang Shaoyi needed to rest. After about half an hour, Jian Xu departed. Before he did, though, he asked the two of them, “Have you guys gotten remarried yet?”

This question was too sensitive. Fang Shaoyi glanced at Yuan Ye. Yuan Ye glanced back at him. Neither of them could respond.

“Okay, I can tell already.” Jian Xu looked at the two of them after saying this. “Then when are you two planning on getting remarried?”

“Remarriage?” Yuan Ye laughed. “What marriage?”

Jian Xu’s smile was a bit suggestive. He gave Fang Shaoyi a meaningful look and said, “Look at you now. No appearance, no youth. It’s over for you.”

“Why are you so annoying? Hurry and leave,” Fang Shaoyi shooed him.

Jian Xu cheekily pulled his little a.s.sistant along and left.

Now that he was gone, Fang Shaoyi called Yuan Ye over to come sit next to him. His voice was very low. “You’re not getting remarried to me?”

“Nope.” Yuan Ye shook his head. “I wasn’t the one who wanted to sign the divorce papers anyways.”

Though he wasn’t the one who had signed the papers, there was actually nothing to argue about regarding their divorce. Neither of them were innocent. If you had to place the blame on someone, Yuan Ye had been the one who had first brought the topic up. Yuan Ye knew this very well in his heart. He was purposefully saying this now too. Either way, there was someone willing to cooperate.

“Yes, I was the one who wanted to get divorced.” Fang Shaoyi didn’t want to argue back at all. “Why was I so impulsive back then? But right now, my lungs hurt.”

Two completely unrelated sentences. He had recently gotten into the habit of saying this. No matter what they were talking about, as long as he added a “my lungs hurt,” Yuan Ye would definitely give in.

Yuan Ye had already started laughing because of his words. “Your collarbones don’t hurt?”

Fang Shaoyi answered, “No. Only my lungs hurt.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Yuan Ye asked him, “How can I stop them from hurting?”

Fang Shaoyi’s expression was completely solemn and sincere. “They’ll stop hurting if we get remarried. They’ll instantly heal.”