Fang Sizhe said that his cousin was taken to the Central Hospital in the new urban area, which was at least an hour’s walk away. Driving there would be convenient, but unfortunately, he had neither a driver’s license nor a car, so he had to settle for riding the bicycle parked in a corner of the lot.

The emergency room was packed at night, and the smell of disinfectant made Xie Ci involuntarily recall his past experience of being abused by Chen Xinhong. In his previous life, he had a private doctor in every country, not because he trusted their medical skills, but simply because he hated going to the hospital.

Xie Ci quickly navigated through the corridor, searching for Chen Zhanpeng. Suddenly, a figure rushed out from a room on his right, and they collided head-on. He instinctively took a step back, his hand resting on the other person’s shoulder, ready to push them aside. When he saw the person’s face, he paused slightly: “Gu Yufeng?”

Gu Yufeng frowned at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes: “What are you doing here?”

Seeing the redness at the corners of his eyes and his lips paler than usual, he looked unwell, and his voice was hoarse. Xie Ci retorted, “That’s what I should be asking you.”

Just as Gu Yufeng was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly bypassed Xie Ci, heading toward the restroom.

Xie Ci hesitated for a moment but couldn’t shake off his concern and followed him. Rationally, he knew he should keep his distance from Gu Yufeng, but knowing the other person was in a bad state, he couldn’t just ignore it.

As soon as Xie Ci entered the men’s restroom, he heard the sounds of running water and someone vomiting. Gu Yufeng was hunched over the sink, throwing up violently.

Once he felt he couldn’t throw up anything more, he splashed some water on his face. Just as he straightened up, someone handed him two tissues.

“Thank you.”

Gu Yufeng took them, turned, and leaned against the sink, propping himself up with one hand while slightly bending his long legs. He teased, “I didn’t expect the fierce Xie team to care about his classmates?”

The water had dampened his forehead, and perhaps due to his poor condition, he didn’t bother to hide his sharpness. Compared to his gentle demeanor during the day, the boy in front of Xie Ci resembled the Gu Yufeng he knew.

“I’m always willing to help. Otherwise, why would someone transfer schools just to be my deskmate out of gratitude?” Xie Ci replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Gu Yufeng chuckled, “Did you come here just to annoy me?”

Hearing his voice was so hoarse, Xie Ci stopped the banter: “What’s going on with you? Weren’t you fine this afternoon after school?”

Gu Yufeng coughed a couple of times, rubbing his aching forehead: “Suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, and my throat is hoarse.”

Xie Ci recalled something and asked, “Any other symptoms?”

Gu Yufeng looked at him strangely: “You can diagnose people too?”

Xie Ci placed his hand on Gu Yufeng’s forehead, which felt a bit hot; he indeed had a low fever. How could he have forgotten? Gu Yufeng had trouble adjusting to the environment when he came to Lanhai City. In his previous life, he also had a fever and vomiting the first time he came, and it took several days to recover.

Gu Yufeng looked deeply at Xie Ci but didn’t struggle.

“Did you come alone? No one is with you?” Xie Ci asked.

Gu Yufeng casually withdrew his gaze: “My little brother went to get medicine.”

Xie Ci inquired, “What did the doctor say?”

“Acute gastroenteritis and tonsillitis,” Gu Yufeng said softly. “What did you eat for lunch, a biochemical weapon?”

Xie Ci: “…”

For a pampered young master who was used to Western food, it was indeed a bit too stimulating.

Just then, an elderly man in his sixties or seventies walked in. Before he even reached the urinal, he started unzipping his pants halfway.

Xie Ci realized that this public restroom wasn’t a place for conversation and signaled for Gu Yufeng to leave first.

Gu Yufeng straightened up, swaying slightly, unable to stand steadily.

“Help me.”

“Weren’t you walking just fine when you came in?” Xie Ci said, but still helped him out.

Gu Yufeng replied, “I’m an anxious attachment type; as long as someone is around, I don’t want to try hard.”

Xie Ci: “…”

What nonsense.

When Luobosen returned with the medicine and couldn’t find anyone, he searched around and saw Gu Yufeng being supported by the cool guy from that day as they walked out of the restroom.

Compared to the distant expression he had when they first met, the boy’s demeanor was a bit softer this time.

Xie Ci remembered this blonde assistant and waited for him to come over, handing Gu Yufeng over to him while speaking fluent English: “He might be a bit unaccustomed to the environment; don’t let him eat anything too greasy for the next few days.”

Luobosen looked at the young boss, and seeing that he didn’t say anything, he smiled and nodded.

“And you, coming to the hospital at this hour, did you also get gastroenteritis?” Gu Yufeng asked Xie Ci.

“Just a little something.”

Xie Ci didn’t elaborate and turned to leave.

As he walked to the surgical area, he heard a familiar wail and followed the sound, finding Chen Zhanpeng, who had just finished getting treatment for his leg injury. His right leg was in a cast from the knee to the foot, and he had various degrees of abrasions on his face and arms, but it didn’t look like he had been cut with a knife.

His aunt, Ye Yuru, watched the doctor treat Chen Zhanpeng’s wounds, her eyes red: “How could they beat you up like this? Who were those people?”

Chen Zhanpeng hissed in pain, feeling embarrassed that Ye Yuru was publicly saying he had been beaten. He impatiently replied, “I fell by myself, I wasn’t beaten! Those little punks, how could I not handle them?”

“You fell and got yourself into this state?!” Ye Yuru’s tone became more intense.

Chen Zhanpeng said, “They heard the police were coming and hurried to run away. That road was dark, and in the chaos, I tripped and fell.”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

Just those three or four broken steps could break his leg? If it weren’t for the anger he felt from Xie Ci in the afternoon, he wouldn’t have been so unlucky.

Ye Yuru said, “So you were still harmed by others?”

Chen Zhanpeng grew increasingly impatient: “Why don’t you listen to what people say?! Forget it, I don’t want to talk to you!”

Xie Ci watched from a distance for a moment, confirming the situation before preparing to leave, just in time to run into his uncle, Chen Xinhong, who had just returned from paying the bill.

“You didn’t stop Pengpeng when he went to find those thugs; what’s the use of being here now?” Chen Xinhong glared at Xie Ci with displeasure, launching into a tirade, “Are you here to watch the show?”

Xie Ci initially didn’t plan to respond to him, but upon hearing this, he stepped aside and blocked Chen Xinhong’s path.

“Why didn’t you stop him when he smashed the study? Were you also hoping to see him make a fool of himself?”

Chen Xinhong, furious, retorted, “How are you talking to me?!”

“And how are you talking to me?” Xie Ci replied calmly, his tone leisurely, as if he were genuinely watching a show.

Ye Yuru, hearing the commotion, hurried over and pushed Xie Ci, crying, “You know how dangerous those thugs are; why didn’t you help Pengpeng? Look at what they did to him; he must be in so much pain!”

The couple took turns scolding Xie Ci, drawing a lot of attention in the bustling corridor, even people in the nearby IV area craned their necks to look over.

Xie Ci realized what was happening.

In the afternoon, he had made things clear, causing this couple to feel a sense of crisis, and they were now venting their dissatisfaction through Chen Zhanpeng’s incident.

Publicly reprimanding him was a form of discipline, meant to force him to submit to their pressure so they could continue to control him in the future.

He had initially thought he had a chance for a fresh start and wanted to give everyone around him another opportunity to correct their mistakes.

But clearly, some people didn’t need that.

“Since he’s in so much pain, why don’t you take on some of it for him?”

Xie Ci looked down at Ye Yuru, “I told you about his borrowing money; he went out to pay it back with the money you gave him. Why didn’t you go with him? If it came to a fight, at least you could have acted as a shield and prevented your son from getting hurt.

Your uncle is so good at hitting people at home; why didn’t he go hit back? Neither of you, who gave birth to him, lifted a finger to help him, yet you turn around and blame me, an unrelated person?”

Xie Ci’s words carried too much weight, and the onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

The family shame was exposed, and Ye Yuru felt extremely embarrassed, her face filled with pain: “How could it not be related? Although you aren’t my biological child, I’ve always treated you as my own. We are family! How can you say such cold words? Shouldn’t family members help each other?”

Her voice was gentle, but her tone was heavy.

“You took a hefty amount of alimony from my dad, right?”

Xie Ci’s casual remark caused Ye Yuru and her husband to change their expressions drastically, as if they couldn’t believe he knew about this.

“You three live in my dad’s house and take his money to take care of me. Our relationship is one of employer and employee, not family.”

Xie Ci’s tone was flat, “I hope you can adjust your mindset. If a nanny dares to ride on the head of the master, I can replace you at any time.”

Chen Xinhong and his wife were stunned, completely unprepared for the situation to develop in this direction. They watched as Xie Ci left, unable to say a word.

Xie Ci walked out of the hospital, slowly descending the steps.

It was only a few degrees at night, and the evening breeze carried fallen leaves, brushing against him with the unique desolation of autumn, tousling his hair and sending a chill through him.

He wasn’t always hard-hearted; he had once hoped for familial love, for a harmonious and happy family, and had made efforts for it. But time and again, painful lessons taught him that things that weren’t meant to be in life shouldn’t be forced.

On his way to the parking lot, Xie Ci spotted a familiar Land Rover parked by the roadside.

Gu Yufeng was draped in a coat, arms crossed, leaning against the car, tilting his head to look in Xie Ci’s direction.

The dim yellow light of the streetlamp blurred the boundary between light and dark, giving Xie Ci a sense of time distortion, as if the Gu Yufeng he knew was quietly watching him through the shell of this young man.

“Who are you waiting for?” Xie Ci approached, his gaze sweeping over the cooling patch on Gu Yufeng’s forehead.

“Waiting for you. I told you I don’t like owing people favors.”

Gu Yufeng lifted his chin, “Get in the car; I’ll take you home.”

Xie Ci replied, “No need, I rode my bike here.”

“You’re rejecting me again.”

Gu Yufeng chuckled softly, “Last time, to repay a favor, I sat next to you in class. This time, if I want to repay you, I can only share a bed with you.”

Xie Ci: “…”

Xie Ci: “Is your stomach feeling better?”

Mentioning this made Gu Yufeng feel his stomach churning again.

“Go home and rest; you have to get up early tomorrow. Don’t be late for school.”

Xie Ci waved his hand and walked away without looking back.

Not long after Xie Ci left, Luobosen sneaked out of the hospital entrance and reported to Gu Yufeng about what he had overheard in the emergency corridor.

After finishing, he noticed the young boss’s expression was cold, silent, and he seemed to be in a very bad mood.

The next day, Xie Ci got up early and played basketball with Zhang Ruochuan and the others for half an hour. They returned to the classroom together, and as he watched his deskmate come in just as the morning self-study bell rang, he casually asked, “Feeling better?”

Gu Yufeng put down his backpack, pulled out a chair, and lay down to sleep, looking like he was refusing to communicate.

Xie Ci’s gaze swept over his hair whorl, and he deliberately said, “I solved that math problem from yesterday.”

Sure enough, Gu Yufeng lifted his head, looking very interested: “Who solved it?”

His voice was even more hoarse than last night. Xie Ci handed over the practice book: “Did you not take your medicine when you went home last night?”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Gu Yufeng snatched the practice book from him.

Xie Ci: “…”

Why did this conversation sound so familiar?

“I solved it,” Xie Ci said, spinning a pen while leaning against the back of his chair, “You still have to rely on yourself.”

Gu Yufeng: “…”

A question that even the class’s bottom student could solve, there was no reason he couldn’t figure it out.

As a result, he spent the entire morning self-study session researching that math problem.

During the break after the morning self-study, Xiang Haibin snuck in through the back door and patted Xie Ci’s shoulder: “Come with me to the office.”

Xie Ci sensed something was off when he heard him lower his voice and stood up to follow.

As soon as he entered the office, he knew his intuition had been right.

Three police officers and Chen Xinhong and his wife were sitting at a conference table in the corner of the office, and a director from the city education bureau was talking to them about something. Several school leaders were also present.

It seemed that the brawl from last night had escalated.