Shen Yuqing took some more medicine and went back to sleep. When he woke up again, the sky outside had turned a golden hue.
He felt much more refreshed now, his head wasn’t dizzy anymore, and his whole body was full of energy.
After taking a hot shower, Shen Yuqing wrapped himself in a towel and stood in front of the mirror. The steam had flushed his cheeks pink, making him look far livelier than when he had first woken up.
He patted his face, changed into casual clothes, put on a mask, and headed out.
Xiao Zhao had mentioned earlier that afternoon which private hospital Pei Yiyan had been transferred to.
It wasn’t too far from home, just a little over half an hour by taxi.
However, it was rush hour, and the traffic was heavy. By the time he arrived at the hospital, an hour had already passed.
He called Xiao Zhao, who happened to be on the first floor picking up medicine for Pei Yiyan.
Shen Yuqing asked, “How is he?”
Xiao Zhao replied, “You’ll see for yourself in a moment.”
Shen Yuqing’s eyelid twitched was it really that bad?
He went upstairs with Xiao Zhao. Pei Yiyan’s room was on the top floor.
Standing at the door of the ward, Shen Yuqing saw Wu Yi pouring water for Pei Yiyan.
Spotting Shen Yuqing, Wu Yi greeted him first, “Young Master Shen.”
Shen Yuqing nodded before shifting his gaze to the man sitting on the hospital bed.
Pei Yiyan looked rather pitiful.
Since the injury was on the back of his head, a barber had been called in earlier to trim his hair. Layers of gauze were wrapped around his skull.
The wound on his forehead had only just healed, and now he was bandaged up again.
Still, at least he was alright.
Shen Yuqing walked over, and Wu Yi quickly poured him a cup of warm water.
Taking the cup, Shen Yuqing asked, “What did the doctor say?”
Xiao Zhao answered, “The test results showed no major issues, but because of the sensitive location of the injury, he needs to stay in the hospital for a couple more days before being discharged.”
Shen Yuqing nodded, then glanced back at Pei Yiyan.
Pei Yiyan was obviously aware of his presence, but he remained reclined on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.
Xiao Zhao motioned for Wu Yi to step outside.
After the two left, Xiao Zhao considerately closed the door behind them.
The ward was fully stocked with everything. Shen Yuqing looked around, finished his water, and finally spoke, “Pei Yiyan.”
Pei Yiyan opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward him.
Shen Yuqing met his eyes and blinked. Huh, that was strange. He had the odd feeling that Pei Yiyan could actually see him.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face, and he instinctively leaned forward slightly, getting closer.
Pei Yiyan remained exactly as he was, showing no reaction.
Shen Yuqing pressed his lips together, silently laughing at himself for being so paranoid. He said, “My brother found the three people who pushed you into the fountain. He asked me to ask you—what do you plan to do about it?”
Pei Yiyan’s expression was calm, and combined with his injury, he looked particularly frail quite different from his usual self. Shen Yuqing scratched his head and added, “Sending them to jail isn’t realistic. My brother suggested we could just get some compensation from them and have their families keep them in check.”
After all, those three were still part of the Pei family. If the Shen family hadn’t intervened, Pei Yiyan’s fall into the fountain would have been dismissed as an unfortunate accident caused by his own carelessness.
“No need for compensation,” Pei Yiyan said calmly. “Just have their families discipline them properly.”
The rest, he would take care of himself.
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Alright, I’ll let my brother know.”
Pei Yiyan gave a quiet hum in response.
He was never much of a talker, and his gaze remained fixed on Shen Yuqing, who was sitting by the hospital bed.
At the moment, Shen Yuqing was looking down, typing a message to Shen Zhen on his neural communicator.
Pei Yiyan pressed his lips together imperceptibly.
A blessing in disguise he could see again.
Shen Yuqing had pulled his mask down to his chin, revealing a somewhat pale complexion. Earlier in the afternoon, Xiao Zhao had mentioned in passing that he had caught a cold.
The reason wasn’t hard to guess. Last night, he had jumped into the fountain to save him, and the only dry piece of clothing had been draped over Pei Yiyan’s shoulders.
With the drastic temperature difference between day and night, not to mention emerging from the water and staying in soaked clothes for so long, catching a cold was inevitable.
Pei Yiyan’s eyes roamed freely over Shen Yuqing. His last memory of him was from a banquet before the accident, where the young master of the Shen family had attended with his elders.
Back then, Shen Yuqing had been spoiled rotten, and after presenting as a beta, his family indulged his every whim. Even then, the seeds of his troublesome nature had been evident.
During the time Pei Yiyan couldn’t see, he had assumed that, following that trajectory, Shen Yuqing would only grow worse and indeed, his behavior had matched Pei Yiyan’s expectations.
But now, seeing him with his own eyes, Pei Yiyan found him completely different.
There was none of the repulsive arrogance he remembered. Instead, there was a quiet steadiness. Though illness made him look a bit worn out, he seemed like any ordinary college boy—clean, uncomplicated, without hidden motives.
Pei Yiyan mused that Shen Yuqing’s appearance was truly deceptive. Even if his recent behavior was worlds apart from before, it didn’t erase the image of his former self in Pei Yiyan’s mind.
Shen Yuqing looked up and met Pei Yiyan’s gaze.
It was strange. He kept feeling as though Pei Yiyan was watching him.
But that couldn’t be.
Blinking, Shen Yuqing pressed his lips together briefly before speaking. “There’s one more thing I wanted to ask your opinion on.”
“What?” Pei Yiyan’s brows furrowed slightly.
Shen Yuqing said, “Do you still want to return to the Pei family?”
Pei Yiyan didn’t understand his meaning at first.
But soon, it became clear.
Shen Yuqing continued, “My brother has already exposed those three. If you go back, they’ll definitely come after you.”
Pei Yiyan knew that well. Unable to retaliate against the Shen family, they would naturally take their anger out on him.
Shen Yuqing added, “If you want, you can stay with the Shen family indefinitely. At the very least, the only one bullying you would be me.”
Pei Yiyan finally grasped his meaning. He hadn’t expected Shen Yuqing to say something like this.
Shen Yuqing went on, “Of course, if you still want to return, I won’t stop you. The choice is yours, and you don’t have to answer right away.”
But Pei Yiyan asked, “Do you want me to stay with the Shen family?”
“Whatever,” Shen Yuqing leaned back in his chair. “It’s not like you’ll bankrupt us.”
A faint, teasing smile played on his lips the words were clearly meant in jest.
Pei Yiyan didn’t need the Shen family’s support at all.
Yet for a moment, Pei Yiyan was lost in thought. Gazing at the smile on Shen Yuqing’s face, he pressed his lips together and replied, “Then I won’t go back.”
Just as he had said himself being “bullied” by one person was still better than being oppressed and bullied by the entire Pei family.
Pei Yiyan lowered his eyes. He had convinced himself.
