CH 195

This ever ordinary, barely audible greeting caused Joe to zone out.

For a long time, he had a wish that was not quite a wish, that one day Ke Jin would speak again, complain to him about some trivial things in life, crack a few jokes, invite him to dinner or a show. Or, forget having to search for topics. Just a goodnight to him before going to bed would do. 

He had played out many of such scenes in his head, and in every fantasy, he thought he would be embracing Ke Jin and celebrating, a broad grin splitting his face.

He never expected that when the day actually came, he could only cry.

Since then, a legend about the restricted wards was born.

Hearsay, Ke Jin’s one “good morning” had the young master crouching by his bedside, bawling all morning. 

It was a shame that the door was locked at that time so there were no witnesses. However, all the nurses on shift had seen how bloodshot Young Master Joe’s eyes were when he pressed the bell for the infusion to be changed.

When Eunice heard about this, she contacted every doctor and nurse stationed at the restricted wards, attempting to weasel some photos or videos for her collection, even claiming that it was a request from her father, Mr Devore Yves.

Because of that, the lil’ young master temporarily blacklisted his own family.

Ke Jin actually still wasn’t in stable condition; he spent most of the time asleep, as though trying to make up for all the sleep he had lost over the years due to his mental health. Looking at it this way, his and Yan Suizhi’s situation was just the opposite of what the doctor had expected.

But no matter, this didn’t dampen Joe’s good mood at all. He was in the middle of a two-day period in which he went “yes, yes, yes” to everything he heard, whether or not it was the right answer—a great audience for complaints, keeping secrets, and a perfect victim to be swindled.

Lin Yuan and his research team were like wolves, taking the opportunity to get all the lab equipment upgrades that they had been coveting.

Unlike Joe’s agreeable mood, the neighbouring ward was a different story. 

Yan Suizhi’s problems were somewhat more complicated than Ke Jin’s.

Lin Yuan had imported the L1- and L2-type gene segments that had been excised from them into the machine for future study. At this point, Ke Jin was out of danger, but Yan Suizhi was still missing a step.

The surgery had removed all foreign genes from his body, leaving only his own.

However, he had a congenital gene disorder. 

“In other words, after the dean gets through this recovery period, he’ll have to undergo another gene surgery to find a truly healthy gene source to treat his childhood disease.” Lin Yuan pulled over a screen to show Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan the plan.

Gu Yan’s first reaction was “How risky is it?”

Lin Yuan waved his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s been thirty years, things are different now. I shouldn’t be speaking like this as a doctor, it sounds a bit like I’m bragging, but I can drop the pretences around you guys. The present-day technology for such hereditary genetic disorders is mature. It won’t leave any wounds and the quick to recuperate from, you can be discharged to go home on the day of the surgery.”

Dr Lin’s voice was gentle, though… it did come off like a sales pitch. 

Yan Suizhi nodded, agreeing to it with scarcely a moment’s thought.

Gu Yan inquired further, “What are the possible side effects or repercussions?”

“Cmaejiis, wbra rlvf foofmar jcv gfqfgmerrlbcr ogbw ufcf regufgs jgf mjerfv ys atf mbcoilmalcu ufcf fzqgfrrlbcr. Dea atf vfjc’r mjrf lr fjrlfg ab vfji klat. Qf mjc vb atf agfjawfca klatbea jcs mtjcuf ab tlr ufcf fzqgfrrlbc, ktlmt wfjcr atja tlr jqqfjgjcmf, tjylar, jcv ktjacba, klii cba mtjcuf.” Olc Tejc rjlv, “Ca wbra, sbe’ii tjnf ab ajxf j yla bo mjgf joafg atf bqfgjalbc, yfmjerf tf’ii yf wbgf rfcrlalnf obg j kffx.”

Yan Suizhi raised his brows, asking, “Sensitive? How so?” 

“For example, your eyes will be more sensitive to light, so I’d recommend wearing an eye mask or sunglasses for a few days. Your skin, too. Try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Your smell and taste might also be affected, so keep to a light diet for a few days. Once all that passes, you can just do what you want to do without worry.”

The answers to his questions assuaged Gu Yan’s worry.

Lin Yuan said, “I advise you to do the surgery after two months. It’ll give me the time to find a healthy gene source for you.”

Yan Suizhi was pensive. “With the current technology, are there any risks for the gene donor?” 

Lin Yuan waved it off with a smile. “No, it’s long been dealt with. In the past, the gene donor also had to go on the operating table, so the risk was as great as the patient’s, but it’s different now. A special genetic needle will take care of it in a matter of seconds. That’s why there are now so many people willing to provide a healthy gene source; there’s ample stock. I’ll pick a robust and handsome guy for you.”

The first bit was all good and well, but the last sentence sounded just as if he was being set up on a blind date.

At once, the distinguished Lawyer Gu was displeased.

As soon as Lin Yuan finished, he spoke, “Can my genes be used?” 

Yan Suizhi’s eyes curved into crescents as he shot him a sidelong look, then said to Lin Yuan, “I asked you that for the same reason. I’m more inclined to use Gu Yan’s.”

“That is not out of the question, but the pre-tests are a bit tedious, I’m not sure that you’ll be able to make the time.” Lin Yuan showed them the deep gene pool that Spring Ivy Hospital boasted. “There are readily available ones anyway. Look at how many there are.”

The distinguished Lawyer Gu did not look.

He called the shot. “Use mine.” 

Lin Yuan, “…”

For some reason, while it was clearly a matter of heavy importance, Lin Yuan had this distinct feeling that he was doing something as illegitimate as ‘pimping’.

He silently put away the impressive gene pool interface, irritably saying to the two of them, “Fine, I got it. We’ll just use whoever you want to use. Then, Lawyer Gu, please spare some time to come with me and do a comprehensive genetic test.”

Gu Yan was a man of action, swiftly getting down to it. He followed Lin Yuan to the testing facility without further ado. 

The results showed that even if Lawyer Gu’s data were added to the gene database, it was quite likely that it would stand out regardless due to his impeccable health and striking appearance.

Completely convinced, Lin Yuan had no more rebuttals.

And so the matter was settled like that.

On the flip side, after the effects of the genetic modifications wore off, Dean Yan’s height shot up by seven or eight centimetres overnight. His growth spurt was much welcome. 

The rapidness of it, though, left him aching for the better part of a day, but the dean expressed that it was a trifle price to pay to return to his original height.

One of the consequences of being taller was that his clothes no longer fit. The top wasn’t too bad, but his pants were a little short now.

The dean even had fun teasing Gu Yan about this.

The reason was that Lawyer Gu rarely passed comments on a person, whether or not they were attractive, let alone any mention of body proportions or the like. 

The less he said, the more Yan Suizhi enjoyed teasing him.

In the end, his cool, clear gaze swept across Yan Suizhi’s legs—not to give any comment about how tall he was or how long his legs were, but to ask calmly instead, “Even this brand of pants will shrink?”

“…Screw you!”

Having not got the compliments he was fishing for, the dean immediately drove the no-good bastard out of the door. 

When Gu Yan turned to leave the ward, there was a faint smile in his eyes, and he bumped head-on into Lin Yuan who was passing by.

Lin Yuan had never seen the icy Gu Yan smile before this; it prompted him to ask curiously, “What are you so happy about?”

“It’s no matter.” Gu Yan nodded at him in greeting. “I’m going out for a bit.”

“Out?” This perplexed Lin Yuan. “Whatever for?” 

Ever since Yan Suizhi’s hospitalisation, Gu Yan hovered over him like a protective beast, and this continued even after he regained consciousness. It was the first time that Gu Yan was expressing an interest in leaving the hospital.

Gu Yan’s eyes darted back towards the ward, as though he could see someone’s long legs without a place to rest through the walls. “Teacher Yan’s clothes don’t fit him. I’m going to buy new sets.”

Spring Ivy Hospital did provide patients with sufficient clothes to change into, and they were the gold standard across major hospital chains in terms of quality and style. Even so, a certain dean disliked them.

When Lin Yuan asked what he didn’t like about them, he said that it was because they made him look sickly; it wasn’t a good look on him. 

At that time, Dr Lin thought that this man was deliberately trying to pick a bone. No matter what a patient wore, wouldn’t they look sickly anyway? Could a patient really have the gall to scoff at his clothes?

But some people did have the gall.

As a sporting and affable doctor, Lin Yuan would always respond ‘diplomatically’ when hearing someone disparaging Spring Ivy.

But he was at a loss in the face of Yan Suizhi. 

Ultimately, he could only hold his tongue and go into the next ward to politely have a word with Young Master Joe about it.

Who would have expected that when the little young master heard it, he actually felt that the dean’s words were extremely reasonable, also believing that the hospital gown made Ke Jin appear sickly and listless. As such, he promptly requested someone to deliver a few sets of Ke Jin’s lounge wear.

Lin Yuan was instantly riled, muttering on the inside: Why not just change the design if you’re turning up your nose at your own hospital’s clothes!

Let bygones be bygones. In summary, when Lin Yuan heard what Gu Yan said, he simply laughed drily and said, “Fine, you can set your mind at ease when you go out. I’ll stay in the area and keep you notified if anything changes.” 

“Okay.”

I’ll stay in the area and keep you notified if anything changes.

This was an offer Lin Yuan had often made, but Gu Yan would reply every time, “It’s okay, thank you. I’ll just wait here.”

For once, he was readily taking him up on the offer. 

Implicit in this acceptance was that the agony in the wait had finally dissipated without a trace. From here on, the calm after the storm.

✵

The restricted wards were awash with light in the late afternoon and because of the elevation, one could have a bird’s eye view of the entirety of Fa Wang District through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a good place for cultivating physical and mental well-being.

Yan Suizhi reclined against the head of the bed, his long legs crossed. 

The nutritional supplements were highly effective. His complexion, marble white, looked significantly improved after two days of the IV drip. The blue of his veins on his arms had faded, but he was still skin and bones, making his fingers appear long and slender, particularly attractive as they fiddled with the scarlet winter roses set by the bed.

A pair of reading glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and the sunlight shone through the clear, clean lenses, drawing out the profile of his slightly downcast eyebrows and eyes, shrouding him in quiet and calm.

It was this scene that Gu Yan saw when he walked to the door with the newly bought clothes.

It brought him back to the countless afternoons he had spent in the dean’s office many years ago. 

Upon finishing a report or analysis, he would occasionally have the leisure to look up, and this would be the image imprinted in his vision. At that time, the days seemed to pass slowly, indolently, but before he realised it, a decade had passed.

And, too, a scene that he used to see every day was dearly missed.

He unconsciously stopped in his steps, standing outside the door for a moment, watching.

Yan Suizhi touched his glasses, the corners of his eyes crinkling in mirth as he looked over, asking, “You’re back?” 

“Mn.” Gu Yan stepped inside, bending down to kiss him. “I’m back.”

Fresh winter roses were cloaked in fine crystalline dew, sparkling in the sunlight, and the frosty fragrance of plain magnolia lingered around them.

It was a fantasy of a life that he had indulged several times many years ago.

No other more peaceful or tranquil. 

Ty for the kofi, anon

Edited by snoflakesun

Personally headcanon this as Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi’s theme song, and this / lyrics for Ke Jin and Joe. Is this just an excuse to slide music recs? Maybe xD