Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 40:

Chapter 40: Oxygen

The special ward was separated from the hallway by a large glass wall, allowing a complete view of the room from the outside. Police and hospital security guards stood watch outside.

Fu Jia’an turned his head and met Lu Jie’s gaze right through the glass. Lu Jie’s face was clearly dark, and he immediately turned to the other side. Lu Jie was wearing a tie, a blue-grey shirt, and suit pants, clearly having come straight from the company.

Lu Jie had just sent him a message, but Fu Jia’an hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly. Fu Jia’an quickly calmed Zhan Qionglou down, spending a full twenty minutes before he could break away.

He gave instructions to the nurses on how long he’d be gone, asked them to keep a close watch, and to call if there were any issues, then immediately rushed out.

He couldn’t see Lu Jie anywhere. Someone that conspicuous should be easily visible if he were still nearby. He wouldn’t have left already, would he?

[Where are you?]

Soon after, Lu Jie replied: [In your dorm]

The dorm building was connected to the special ward building by a hallway. Fu Jia’an breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Lu Jie hadn’t left. He took the elevator to the third floor, crossed the hallway, and pushed open the dorm door. Lu Jie was indeed inside.

Lu Jie was looking down at his phone, leaning against the desk. His long legs were slightly bent, and the left arm propped against the desk showed the outline of some muscle, making the shirt fit more snugly. He was the perfect combination of broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Seeing Fu Jia’an had arrived, he stopped typing a half-finished message. He seemed to be in good spirits, a complete change from the way he had turned and walked away just now.

“I just realized this isn’t your dorm, it’s your brother’s dorm,” Lu Jie said, holding up his phone. “I was just about to text you to correct it.”

Fu Jia’an walked over quickly, wrapping his arms around Lu Jie’s waist, holding him tightly.

“Hey…”

Fu Jia’an didn’t speak, just held his arms tighter around him possessively.

Lu Jie’s voice came down from above his head: “Are you very tired?”

Fu Jia’an nodded slightly.

“This intensity is just too…” Lu Jie couldn’t think of a better word to describe it. Finally, he sighed, placing a hand on Fu Jia’an’s hair and stroking it gently. “How long can you rest?”

“Five minutes to come over and find you, five minutes to stay, and five minutes to go back. Fifteen minutes in total.”

“What if I hadn’t come?”

“If you didn’t come, I wouldn’t rest.”

Lu Jie was completely helpless against him. Lu Jie didn’t even understand what he was doing or why he had suddenly gotten angry just now. The scene was too sudden, stinging him to the core. Lu Jie knew his temper showed on his face. He hadn’t been able to control his emotions, but he calmed down soon after turning away.

How could there be anything between Fu Jia’an and Zhan Qionglou? It was probably just a side effect of some kind of treatment. Besides, that hug wasn’t at all ambiguous. In retrospect, it was more like a tamed wild beast clinging to its trainer.

Moreover, he had just said yesterday that he was standing by Fu Jia’an as a “friend.” Should a friend feel jealous? Was it really normal to feel possessive over a man? Or did Fu Jia’an have to maintain distance from all other men just because he had confessed to him? That sounded like a tyrannical clause.

So, Lu Jie decided not to ask anything extra. Even if he was just an oxygen tank that was brought in, he was still happy to be of help.

Fu Jia’an buried his head and took a deep, familiar breath of Lu Jie’s scent. “Zhan Qionglou just now…”

Lu Jie quickly interjected, “You don’t need to explain it to me. Anyway, I don’t understand much about treatment.” As he said this, Lu Jie felt as if a hole had been burned in his heart by sulfuric acid. Because he had to clench his teeth and carefully choose his words, he felt his molars going sour. He forced himself not to throw a tantrum, because throwing a tantrum at a time like this would only complicate matters.

Fu Jia’an lifted his head slightly, their necks rubbing together. He knew with certainty that Lu Jie’s soft heart wouldn’t push away his pitiful self right now, so he continued to play the victim with a sense of entitlement: “Sigh, I knew it. You wouldn’t be jealous for me.”

“…” Lu Jie straightened up, making Fu Jia’an stand properly as well. He hugged him briefly as a final comfort, then said cruelly, “Your time is up.”

“Okay,” Fu Jia’an separated from Lu Jie.

Fu Jia’an felt like an adventurer deep underwater, surfacing to the limit just as his oxygen ran out, only to be refilled with oxygen. No matter how much he didn’t want to, he had to dive back into the boundless, dark ocean depths.

After Fu Jia’an left, Lu Jie savored his feelings for a while. The initial annoyance he felt before leaving the special ward was completely covered up. For some reason, feeling that Fu Jia’an truly needed him filled his internal awkwardness, including the embarrassment of suddenly showing up without greeting, with another kind of emotion.

But that feeling was too unfamiliar for Lu Jie to distinguish. Was it borne of a desire to win, to save face, or something else entirely?

For the next three consecutive days, Lu Jie, the oxygen tank, appeared frequently in the dorm building next to the special ward. When he arrived, he would text Fu Jia’an. If the other was busy, he would wait in the dorm.

When Fu Jia’an came over, they would eat something together, and chat about Zhan Qionglou’s recent condition. Although Fu Jia’an was completely open about the treatment progress, just as Lu Jie wished, and sometimes even enthusiastically discussed academic topics with him, Lu Jie always felt a sense of disappointment when he left the hospital, as if he had come over specifically to hear Fu Jia’an say something else.

On Friday morning, Lu Jie was woken up by stomach pain again. He drank a cup of warm water and drove out, intending to go to the Second Municipal Hospital for a follow-up check-up. He could also have breakfast with Fu Jia’an while he was there.

During this time, Lu Jie only texted Fu Jia’an when he was near the hospital. But as he went to pick up his medicine on the first floor of the outpatient area, he surprisingly ran into Fu Jia’an.

Lu Jie was right in front of Fu Jia’an in the queue to pick up medicine; they were both at window number 6.

“Why are you here?” Lu Jie blurted out, then immediately felt foolish for asking. Fu Jia’an was a doctor; it was perfectly normal for him to be there.

Fu Jia’an smiled and said, “I came to pick up a box of medicated patches for myself.”

“Is your hand uncomfortable again?”

“It’s an old problem.”

Lu Jie continued, “Do you have to come yourself to pick up medicine? You could just ask… you could just tell your brother, you’re so busy.”

“Before clocking in for work—” Fu Jia’an covered his mouth and yawned. “I came to get it quickly. It’s faster this way. Otherwise, I’d have to wait.” He spoke in fits and starts, his eyes barely open. After yawning, the corners of his eyes were moist; he was clearly dog-tired. No need to ask; he probably pulled another all-nighter.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Lu Jie asked as he shuffled forward in the line.

“Twenty minutes.”

“Huh?” Lu Jie’s memory was still stuck on the time when Fu Jia’an had excellent sleep quality as a child. Look at what they had driven a heavy sleeper to do. He patted his own shoulder and offered, “Then lean on me for a bit.”

Fu Jia’an immediately complied, resting his forehead on Lu Jie’s solid back.

He was very satisfied, feeling incredibly lucky today, but he still asked, “Aren’t you worried about the negative impact?”

Lu Jie thought, He didn’t care about himself, but he was mainly worried about the negative impact on Fu Jia’an. “You’re not wearing your white coat right now, so it should be fine, right?”

“Mhm, it’s fine,” Fu Jia’an narrowed his eyes, dozing off with peace of mind, slowly moving forward as Lu Jie did. “So what medicine are you here to pick up? Is your stomach still uncomfortable?”

“A little, mostly when I first woke up this morning. I feel better now. The follow-up results also show the same thing, chronic gastritis and so on. What about you? If you keep not resting, will you be in good shape for the surgery later?”

Fu Jia’an said, “That’s why I’m going home to sleep tonight.”

“…Oh.”

Lu Jie’s heart warmed at the simple words “going home to sleep.” Fu Jia’an hadn’t properly lived in that apartment since moving in. Subconsciously, Lu Jie thought Fu Jia’an probably treated it like a place similar to a dorm or a long-term booked hotel room—as long as there was a soft mattress and hot water, any place was fine.

But Fu Jia’an called that place “home,” and Lu Jie was also staying in that “home” right now.

After both had picked up their medicine, Lu Jie stood there, waiting for Fu Jia’an to invite him to breakfast as he had done last time. Instead, Fu Jia’an waved goodbye and turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Lu Jie asked. “Did you eat anything this morning?”

“I’ll eat in the ward later,” Fu Jia’an rubbed his eyes, then suddenly remembered something and came back to slip his photo ID card into Lu Jie’s hand. “Go have breakfast at our cafeteria later. Swipe my card. Just give it back to me tonight.”

“……”

Fu Jia’an was in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the outpatient building and headed straight for the special ward.

Lu Jie stood rooted to the spot, clutching the ID card, reasoning with himself for thirty seconds.

Then he exploded.

He just left??? That was too heartless! Last time, he at least took him out for congee and peeled an egg for him! He was a patient too! His stomach still hurt! Was Zhan Qionglou a three-year-old? Did he need to be guarded even while he ate?

What frustrated Lu Jie the most was that his senses seemed to have been magnified many times over recently, finally giving him the feeling of an emotional roller coaster: Fu Jia’an leaving him with a painful stomach made him unhappy. But thinking that Fu Jia’an would be sleeping at home tonight made him less unhappy.

This was completely unlike himself.

Lu Jie collected himself and finally decided not to eat breakfast at the hospital cafeteria. He hadn’t come for the one dollar fifty congee and egg combo, after all. Since he was alone, he might as well just order a cup of coffee to the company, as usual, and deal with it.

It’s true that he shouldn’t drink coffee with a stomach condition, but if Lu Jie were a person who followed doctor’s orders, his stomach condition would have been cured long ago.

Before paying, a notification popped up on the top bar of his phone.

Expiration Date Canned Food: [No coffee allowed]

Damn it, he even calculated that?

Lu Jie muttered angrily, canceling the order as he walked towards the hospital entrance.