CH 20.2

Taking Actions (2)

After he evened out the air in his chest, he took another few sips. He sipped slowly this time with the goal of washing away the bitterness eventually.

The same hand that brushed past his lips reached over again with a napkin in hand and wiped the excess water and ointment trickling down his chin. Lu Nan spoke in the same low voice. “You don’t have to apply the lip balm now, it’s for later when the ointment dries off.”

Lin Yu He was speechless and thought internally, “Then there was no reason for me to get nervous?”

The medicine was truly bitter because it made Lin Yu He’s usual gentle facial feature appear downcast and there were some tear stains on the corner of his eyes; it made the boy look very aggrieved.

The man stared at him and silently explained, “I chose a sweet flavor for the lip balm. There’s nothing I can do about the medicinal ointment.”

Lin Yu He was a medical student so he knew better than to complain about the bitterness of medicine. He shook his head and carefully spoke so he would not accidentally taste the ointment again. “It’s okay, it’s my fault for being clumsy.”

Perhaps he was afraid of scaring Lin Yu He again, Lu Nan gestured to the lip balm and said, “Apply it when the ointment dried up, and try to avoid the wounded part. Also, it’s not for just this once. As soon as your lips dried up, put it on. Then your lips wouldn’t always be so dry and bleed.”

Lin Yu He nodded meekly. “Thank you.”

With that said, Lu Nan put the lip balm into Lin Yu He’s wool jacket’s pocket and zipped it up. Once he was done, he reached for something inside the plastic bag and then held a piece of something toward Lin Yu He’s mouth.

Lin Yu He could not see what was being fed to him but he caught a whiff of something sweet. “Huh?”

“Candy. To get rid of the bitterness,” Lu Nan explained as he pushed the piece of candy into Lin Yu He’s mouth.

Lin Yu He accepted the candy fed to him and he noticed the taste was very familiar; it was a pear-flavored candy.

Snow pears were the regional specialty of the Shu Province. As Lin Yu He had weak lungs, he often ate food made from snow pears to maintain his lung conditions. Pear candies were his childhood snack, so the familiar taste of it made him happy.

The sweetness of the candy took effect and dispelled the residual bitterness so Lin Yu He finally relaxed.

His gaze shifted to the plastic bag and then to the man on its side. The plastic bag held a lot of necessities - there were even pear candies inside. Lin Yu He realized Lu Nan was more considerate and meticulous than he initially expected.

Although Lin Yu He was extremely distracted by their distance earlier when Lu Nan was putting the ointment on his lips, he was at least aware of how gentle Lu Nan’s touch was.

That did not mean Lu Nan had a rough appearance, but his cold exterior made it unexpected for him to be so gentle when taking care of another person.

Lin Yu He suspected that the older man had prior experience in taking care of someone else because any ordinary person would find it hard to prepare so much in a short time. The ointment and lip balm were considered normal items to get but the straw and cotton buds were rare.

In addition, he also prepared candies to take away the bitterness too. From these, Lin Yu He guessed that Lu Nan took care of a child before.

Lin Yu He had only noticed how considerate Lu Nan was after they interacted for so long. While he was deep in his thoughts, the water bottle in his hand was taken away.

Lu Nan looked at him and asked, “What is it?”

Lin Yu He finally returned to his senses and realized he had been staring at Lu Nan all the time. He sheepishly touched his nose. “Nothing. I just thought you’re very attentive.”

Lu Nan set aside the bottle in his hand and glanced at Lin Yu He. “Someone in the medical profession would’ve been more attentive than I am, right? To be able to detect the tiniest change in their surroundings.”

“Hm?” Lin Yu He was surprised and somewhat suspicious about why the topic was brought up.

He wondered if it was because he took notice of his stepmother’s pregnancy, or it was because of the words Lu Nan overheard him tell his parents, and the incident about the paparazzi and putting up shows.

He recalled Lu Nan’s expression when he opened the door and he became apprehensive. Even if it was just a show, it was awkward to say out loud.

He was too busy thinking of the various possibilities that led Lu Nan to say what he said but the man unexpectedly replied, “You’re so attentive and take care of everyone around you but you don’t know how to take care of yourself?”

Lin Yu He was stunned.

He looked toward Lu Nan and noticed that the man had a serious expression on his face that meant his question was equally serious. He had no idea how to reply to the question and slightly hesitated before he meekly said, “Not really…though?”

“Oh really? How many times have I seen your lips bleed?” Lu Nan tone’s was still flat.

Lin Yu He reflexively wanted to bite his lip but he stopped himself in the nick of time when he recalled the bitterness of the ointment. He then said, “It’s just a small wound.”

Lu Nan narrowed his eyes. “Most patients say this too.”

“No, this isn’t the same as that. Every illness has its own signs and symptoms. Hence, the patients must always be attentive to their own physical changes and most especially, cannot disregard medical advice from the doctor. The doctors don’t speak nonsense and the things they said to pay attention to are very important,” Lin Yu He was very serious as he countered, “However, my condition is different. I only bleed a little at most, and in a worst-case scenario, it’s an inflammation. That is not a serious ailment.”

Lu Nan’s expression grew colder as Lin Yu He went on. His chest heaved heavily and his tone grew icy when he deliberately lowered his voice. “So you ignored it even though you know it’ll be inflamed?”

His question was very sharp and Lin Yu He was rendered speechless for a brief while.