When Yu Zi woke up again, it was already bright outside. The window in the bedroom was slightly open, and the air in the room carried a faint floral scent. Although Fangjiayuan’s neighborhood was quite old, there were many roses and jasmine planted under each building. As soon as signs of summer appeared, they began to bloom one after another.

Yu Zi took quite some time to fully awaken. He propped himself up with his hand and sat up from the edge of the bed. It wasn’t too bad when he didn’t sit down, but once he did, his lower body felt like it was being stabbed, as if he had been beaten up.

That scoundrel Xie Dongcheng! He cursed inwardly.

How could someone with a broken bone still have so much strength?!

Five minutes later, the bedroom door was pushed open by Xie Dongcheng from the outside.

He poked his head in like a large hunting dog confirming that its prey was still alive, then asked, “Are you awake?”

Seeing his relaxed expression, Yu Zi couldn’t help but feel anger rising from the depths of his heart.

Xie Dongcheng saw his expression wasn’t right and quickly sat down by the bedside, wanting to lift the blanket to take a look, but Yu Zi immediately pressed down on his hand.

Last time, they had faced each other like this the morning after a night of tumultuous activity. Even the scene was identical.

Xie Dongcheng asked another question that Yu Zi couldn’t have imagined: “Are we just going to have a physical relationship this time?”

Once again, Yu Zi felt the pain of talking to a brick wall. Was it really the time to ask this?

Ignoring the discomfort in his lower body, he shot a glare at Xie Dongcheng. “Could you focus on the important matters?”

But Xie Dongcheng paid no attention to his question. “Then, are we in love?”

Yu Zi felt both amused and exasperated and couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He grabbed Xie Dongcheng’s head and forcefully bit his lower lip.

Xie Dongcheng’s pupils dilated instantly, and his mouth didn’t even have time to close.

Yu Zi finally retracted his teeth, feeling the warmth of his lips against his skin.

He looked at the dumbfounded man in front of him and asked, “What do you think? What’s our relationship now?”

Xie Dongcheng felt the nerves in his right arm continuously repairing themselves. Why else would he suddenly feel an itch at the top of his head?

He gently stroked Yu Zi’s cheek with his left hand, seemingly feeling the texture of his skin. “Is this real?”

Yu Zi couldn’t help but laugh at him again. “Fake. I’m a wax figure.”

Yu Zi had promised Xiao Liu yesterday that he would go to the shop this morning. They were going to finalize the summer beverage menu with chef Zhao. With the weather getting hotter, the afternoon tea snacks in the shop needed to be updated.

Xie Dongcheng’s car had been fixed and was delivered to the gate of Fangjiayuan by the repair shop. But with his right hand incapacitated, he couldn’t drive, so Yu Zi had to do it instead.

After the fierce battle last night, Yu Zi actually had to play chauffeur for Xie Dongcheng today. Truly, life had its ups and downs. Yu Zi wondered if, given a bit more time, Xie Dongcheng would start to boss him around.

Knowing that Yu Zi wasn’t feeling well, Xie Dongcheng brought a cushion from home and placed it on the driver’s seat for him.

Thinking of this, Yu Zi inserted the car key into the ignition and glanced at Xie Dongcheng in the rearview mirror. He seemed sincere and harmless.

Then he said to Yu Zi, “Hold down the brake, start the engine, and shift gears.”

“I’ve had my driver’s license for seven years.” Yu Zi gritted his teeth.

Xie Dongcheng was about to nod in approval when Yu Zi suddenly stepped on the gas pedal, and the car shot out, causing a sudden jolt. Xie Dongcheng quickly fastened his seatbelt and remained silent.

It was the first time his little Toyota had been driven so recklessly.

When they arrived at the shop, Xiao Liu was cleaning the front hall. Yang Ke had classes that day and would only come in the afternoon.

Yu Zi felt pain in the roots of his thighs every time he stepped on the gas pedal. Getting out of the car, even walking on flat ground felt like pedaling a bike.

Xiao Liu noticed his strange walking posture and quickly went up to him with concern. “Boss Yu, what’s wrong with you?”

As he spoke, he even patted his own butt.

Yu Zi’s face turned green, and he cleared his throat. “I accidentally fractured my tailbone.”

By the time Yu Zi and chef Zhao finalized the new menu, more customers had arrived at the shop. Although Xie Dongcheng’s right hand was not convenient, he still helped out all morning. Some customers were moved to see him delivering dishes with his arm in a sling and even stuffed a lot of tips directly into his cast.

“Do you think I should stop going to the doctor and just work here every day like this? I reckon I could make quite a bit in tips.” The first thing Xie Dongcheng did when he sat in the passenger seat was to pull out the bills and put them in the glove compartment.

“You have no ambition.” Yu Zi teased him, but then he took out the bills and counted them again, then put them back in place, satisfied.

He still had one more bottle of water to hang that day. It wasn’t entirely without gain from last night’s ‘battle’.

This morning, Yu Zi felt that his hearing in his right ear had improved a lot. At first, he thought it was just the result of the excitement and hormones from last night, but after talking to Xie Dongcheng for a while, he did feel that his right ear was much clearer.

After getting out of the car, Xie Dongcheng took him to the infusion hall, boldly found a wide seat for him, laid out the cushion conspicuously, and even dusted it off for him.

Yu Zi had never felt so embarrassed, but he had no other choice but to sit down.

Xie Dongcheng was even more excited than him when he learned that his hearing had recovered.

“When did you start feeling better?”

Yu Zi originally wanted to say it was when they were fooling around last night, but he swallowed the words. What if he said that, and Xie Dongcheng started to feel confident about his skills? He couldn’t afford to boost this guy’s ego.

He spoke again, “Just now.”

Xie Dongcheng only sat with him for a few minutes before running to the outpatient department to help Yu Zi make an appointment for an afternoon follow-up with a specialist, saying they needed to thoroughly check it out for peace of mind.

The number of people queuing up for the expert clinic was much more than imagined. Yu Zi didn’t continue sitting, but leaned against a marble pillar not far from the nurse’s station, with his head slightly lowered.

Xie Dongcheng stood beside him, looking at the swirl of hair on his head, then down to the smooth section of his exposed neck.

There happened to be a slanted glass window on the ceiling of the hospital, with a beam of sunlight shining down, outlining the curve of his neck in an extremely beautiful and enticing manner.

Suddenly, as if possessed, Xie Dongcheng reached out and lightly touched that inch of skin.

Yu Zi was lost in thought when he was suddenly startled by his movement, lifting his head to look at him.

Xie Dongcheng instinctively retracted his hand, feeling somewhat unsure of himself.

Seeing his reaction, Yu Zi suddenly smiled and said, “You can touch.”

Xie Dongcheng’s left hand fingers stretched out and then clenched again, as if still not daring to believe. “Can I?”

“Why not? You’re my boyfriend.” Yu Zi held his wrist and gently placed it behind his own ear.

Upon hearing this, Xie Dongcheng’s lips twitched slightly before he couldn’t help but smile. Then he finally relaxed his palm and lightly massaged Yu Zi’s neck with his fingers.

Soon after, the intercom at the nurse’s station called out Yu Zi’s name.

Xie Dongcheng led him to the specialist’s room. The doctor first inquired about his recovery situation, then prescribed some professional examination items for him. Half an hour later, Yu Zi returned to the room with a freshly printed examination report.

The doctor pushed his glasses up and carefully examined the report.

Yu Zi unexpectedly felt a bit nervous.

After waiting for a while, the doctor still didn’t speak. Unable to wait any longer, he leaned in and asked, “How is my condition?”

The doctor furrowed his brows and pointed to his right ear. “Can you hear clearly from this ear now?”

“It’s still okay, no problem with daily communication.”

After hearing this, the doctor furrowed his brows again, which made Yu Zi’s heart tighten.

Finally, after a moment, the doctor relaxed his brow and nodded at him. “Recovery is good. Functionality hasn’t been greatly affected.”

Yu Zi breathed a sigh of relief. Xie Dongcheng stood by his side, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.

The doctor added, “But still, be careful. Don’t be anxious in the future, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. This can easily recur, understand?”

Yu Zi nodded and prepared to leave with his medical records.

The doctor glanced at his back through his glasses and casually asked, “How are your legs?”

Yu Zi paused for a moment, cleared his throat, and turned back to answer, “They’re a bit sore from exercising.”

The doctor nodded repeatedly after hearing this, encouraging him, “Exercise is good, especially when you’re anxious. Regular aerobic exercise helps alleviate both physical and mental stress.”

Yu Zi felt a bit embarrassed for once, not having a chance to respond.

Beside him, Xie Dongcheng quickly nodded, “Alright, we’ll do that.”