That knife, the blade almost completely pierced.

The wound was too deep to stop bleeding effectively. Yan Chen’s body turned cold, and by the time he was taken to the hospital, he was slipping into a blur of consciousness.

The surrounding noisy voices turned into chaos in his ears, and everything went black before his eyes, except for his right hand, tightly holding An Yi’s hand, refusing to let go.

The medical staff tried to get him to let go to facilitate bandaging and stop the bleeding, but his grip was too tight. When he felt external intervention, he squeezed An Yi’s fingertips even harder, turning them purple.

“Can I stay with him? I promise not to cause trouble!” An Yi’s eyes were frighteningly red with tears as he pleaded, “His hand is so cold now…”

The doctor had no choice but to let him stay by Yan Chen’s side.

Yan Chen’s clothes were cut open, and some of the coagulated scabs stuck to his clothes and the wound, tearing anew when cleaned.

Fresh blood gushed out, turning pale red when washed with saline, sliding down his back muscles.

The opened flesh gradually became clear, and An Yi felt intense pain just looking at it, but Yan Chen had lost most of his senses, lying there with his eyes closed, his face pale from blood loss.

Only when disinfecting, did he groan, cold sweat in his palms wetting An Yi’s hand.

An Yi turned away, unable to bear to look anymore.

Yan Chen’s right hand was also injured, and An Yi gently persuaded him, switching to holding his left hand. Only then did Yan Chen finally agree to let the doctor bandage the wound.

After everything was taken care of, Yan Chen needed to be observed while receiving a blood transfusion, and An Yi was specially allowed to stay by his bedside to accompany him.

The doctor had already informed that Yan Chen’s life was not in danger, but An Yi was still upset thinking about everything that happened in the chaos just now, and the feeling of Yan Chen’s blood splashing on his face. He held Yan Chen’s hand tightly, occasionally looking at the monitor next to him, where various curves and values were jumping steadily.

But Yan Chen’s breathing was too shallow, and the rise and fall of his chest could only be felt by touching it with his hand.

An Yi anxiously kept watch by his side.

His face was still stained with blood, a dark bruise under his eyes, his hair a mess. Nurses advised him to go and rest, but An Yi didn’t move, insisting on staying put.

He stayed up all night watching over Yan Chen without closing his eyes.

In the early morning, Yan Chen woke up.

An Yi’s anxious heart finally calmed down, and he softly asked, “How do you feel now?”

“…Weak, want to sleep.”

Yan Chen’s voice was dry and hoarse, An Yi had never seen him so weak before. He gently patted Yan Chen’s hand, “Then sleep a little more.”

Yan Chen held his finger, “Don’t want to sleep, afraid you’ll leave.”

“I won’t leave,” An Yi lowered his head and nuzzled his palm with his cheek, “I’ll stay with you, I won’t go anywhere.”

Yan Chen used his thumb to touch his cheek, saying in a deep voice, “Don’t cry.”

An Yi raised the corners of his mouth, nodding, “Hmm, no more tears, you sleep, I’ll be here.”

Only then did Yan Chen close his eyes again.

Not long after, the doctor came to examine Yan Chen. After confirming that there were no major problems, he could be transferred to a regular ward for further observation for two days.

As the hospital bed was being wheeled out of the emergency room, a group of people gathered around the door.

Yan Chen opened his eyes and saw the solemn faces of the people standing nearby, frowning involuntarily, “What’s with the expression, I’m not going to die.”

Yan Heng sighed, instructing the nurse to push Yan Chen back to the ward. He stepped aside to make a phone call.

“Xiao An,” Yan Jin suddenly stopped An Yi, “Come with me for a moment.”

An Yi, who was called, hesitated, his hand held tightly by Yan Chen.

Yan Jin raised his chin at Yan Chen, “I’ll borrow him for two minutes, are you dying?”

An Yi gently patted Yan Chen’s hand, “I’ll come to the ward to find you in a moment.”

Reluctantly, Yan Chen let go of him, watching An Yi follow his sister out of sight. Then, he closed his eyes wearily, his throat burning with pain.

After being taken to a single room, Qin Muye walked around like he was touring a hotel suite before stopping at the bedside. He held up three fingers to Yan Chen.

“In less than a year, you’ve been in the emergency room three times. Should I praise your luck, or should I criticize you for being too fragile, entering the ICU with just a slight touch?”

Yan Chen couldn’t be bothered to respond, lying there silently for a moment, his gaze drifting towards the door.

Qin Muye said, “Don’t look. Big sister won’t eat him. What you should worry about is my uncle. He still doesn’t know you’re back in the hospital again. Guess what his reaction will be when he finds out you took a knife for Yi ge.”

Yan Chen closed his eyes and said, “Then don’t let him know.”

“Can you keep it from him?” Qin Muye sat down next to him, hugging his arms. “Today is New Year’s Eve, what excuse are you going to use not to go home? Wenxing can’t cover it up anymore, Uncle Qi knows, and it won’t be long before your dad knows.”

Yan Chen looked towards the door again, “Where’s Qi Wenxing?”

“He’s making a statement. I guess Yi ge will have to go there later,” Qin Muye sneered, “As for Xu Jin, that idiot, he won’t be coming out this time.”

Yan Chen’s gaze shifted to the bedside, and he suddenly spoke very seriously, “Muye.”

Qin Muye’s hairs stood on end, “W-What?”

Yan Chen said in a deep voice, “Can you do me a favor?”

“…Are you crazy? Can you speak properly?” Qin Muye couldn’t stand it, standing up. “Hurry up and speak.”

After Yan Chen finished explaining, An Yi happened to come back.

He had changed his clothes and washed his face, removing the exhaustion and worry from his face, looking no different from usual.

Qin Muye said a few words to An Yi and then left. The room quieted down, and An Yi walked to the bedside and wiped Yan Chen’s face, asking, “Are you hungry? The nurse said you can eat something simple.”

Yan Chen shook his head, holding his hand, “What did my sister say to you? Sometimes her words can be harsh, don’t take it to heart.”

An Yi smiled, “She’s very kind.”

He had expected to be scolded, but Yan Jin just took him to wash his face and change his clothes, then told him something similar to what Qin Muye said.

“What did she say?”

“She asked me to be mentally prepared. She said if your dad finds out about this, he might not look at me kindly,” An Yi’s smile widened, “She told me not to take it to heart.”

Yan Chen asked again, “What about my eldest brother?”

“He said he’ll take care of Xu Jin’s matter. He asked me to take good care of you,” An Yi gently squeezed Yan Chen’s palm, “Are you still in pain?”

How could he not be in pain?

But Yan Chen still shook his head, the dark circles under An Yi’s eyes were already quite noticeable.

An Yi definitely hadn’t slept all night. He didn’t want to worry Yan Chen any further.

“Come up here,” Yan Chen said, “I’ll hold you while we sleep for a bit.”

The hospital bed was too narrow, and An Yi was afraid of pressing against Yan Chen’s wound. However, Yan Chen had already shifted to the side, avoiding contact between the injured shoulder and the bed, making room for him. “This way, you won’t touch it.”

An Yi still took off his shoes and cautiously lay down in Yan Chen’s embrace.

Although he could still faintly smell the scent of blood and disinfectant, the heartbeat beneath Yan Chen’s chest had returned to a strong and steady rhythm. An Yi finally felt at ease and soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

The two slept together until the afternoon, with sunlight streaming into the ward. An Yi woke up.

The nurse was changing Yan Chen’s IV drip. When she saw An Yi, she offered him a kind smile.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, An Yi wanted to sit up, but Yan Chen hugged him tighter around the waist.

“Don’t leave,” Yan Chen mumbled with his eyes closed, burying his head in An Yi’s neck.

An Yi had no choice but to lie back down in his embrace.

When he heard the man’s stomach start to growl, An Yi patted Yan Chen’s tightly bandaged hand. “Your stomach isn’t good, you can’t skip meals. Let me get up.”

Yan Chen held his cheeks and kissed him passionately, as if he wanted to devour him whole. When An Yi was almost out of breath from the kiss, Yan Chen’s tongue finally withdrew from his mouth, lingering on his lower lip.

“Do you want me to get you a custom-made hospital bed?” Qin Muye’s voice echoed faintly, “After all, someone is a frequent visitor to the hospital, a more comfortable bed might be nice.”

A hint of annoyance appeared on Yan Chen’s face.

An Yi sat up, his cheeks and ears slightly flushed from the heat of sleep. He got out of bed, asking Qin Muye, “When did you arrive?”

“Just now,” Qin Muye smiled, “Big brother and big sister are busy covering for you two. They sent me here to eat dog food.”

After speaking, his gaze passed over An Yi and landed on Yan Chen, raising an eyebrow.

“Ge,” Yan Chen lay back in the middle of the bed, “I’m a little hungry, I want to eat Linji’s egg drop soup.”

An Yi nodded. “Okay, I’ll go buy it. Wait for me.”

Linji Restaurant was a bit far from the hospital, taking almost an hour round trip without traffic.

When An Yi returned with the thermos, Qin Muye had already left. He helped Yan Chen raise the bed, and the two sat facing each other to eat.

Seeing An Yi in better spirits, Yan Chen began to pretend that his right hand, wrapped like a dumpling, was hurting, insisting that An Yi feed him spoon by spoon.

Indulging him, An Yi fed him the meal and then wiped his body with a damp towel, taking care of him.

Even when Yan Chen needed to use the bathroom, An Yi helped him, making Yan Chen blissfully happy.

An Yi: “…Looks like there’s nothing serious.”

Yan Chen held his hand, his gaze deep. “Still uncomfortable.”

An Yi patted him gently. “No fooling around in the hospital.”

That night was New Year’s Eve, the first time the two of them had spent the Spring Festival together after ten years of wandering. Yan Chen didn’t really want to spend this special holiday in the hospital.

Since he hadn’t injured any vital organs and his legs weren’t affected, it would be the same if he went back to his villa to recuperate.

An Yi persuaded him, “The doctor said to observe, so just stay in the hospital and rest. We’ll have many more Spring Festivals in the future, and wherever you want to spend them, I’ll follow.”

Yan Chen looked at him intently. “Really?”

An Yi looked into his eyes. “Didn’t you say you wanted to give me a home? Is that not true anymore?”

“It’s true! Of course it’s true!” Tears welled up in Yan Chen’s eyes.

An Yi’s eyes were also teary, but he smiled. “You’re just as much of a crybaby. You said I love to cry, but aren’t you the same?” He held Yan Chen’s hand.

The ring on the finger shone brightly under the light. “Since you want to give me a home, then please work hard to stay healthy in the future, try to get sick less, don’t take medicine randomly, and must stay safe and sound, okay?”

Yan Chen’s throat tightened. After a while, he nodded solemnly, “Okay, I promise.”

After dinner, An Yi received friend requests from Yan Heng and Yan Jin on WeChat.

As soon as he added them, it was as if they had made an appointment. They successively sent him red envelopes named “Meeting Gift”.

This meant that his older brother and sister-in-law accepted his existence. However, An Yi didn’t really want to accept it. Just as he was about to decline, Yan Chen had already reached out and accepted the payment for him.

Yan Chen leaned against his shoulder. “Don’t refuse for no reason.”

An Yi: “…”

As he was considering how to reply, a new message popped up in Yan Jin’s chat box: “Hold on for a moment, the old man has already gotten out of the elevator.”

An Yi’s eyelids twitched.

Yan Chen also saw it. He sat up a bit straighter. Before he could speak, they heard the sound of the cane getting closer and closer. The speed was so fast that it made people doubt the authenticity of the old man’s leg problems.

The two glanced at each other. An Yi lifted the blanket and just got out of bed when the door of the ward was pushed open.

Yan Jingwei walked in with a stern face, followed by Yan Heng, Yan Jin, and Qin Muye, who were like the three major guardians.

The originally spacious ward suddenly felt cramped.

Yan Chen sat on the hospital bed and respectfully greeted his father, “Dad, happy New Year.”

Yan Jingwei pressed his cane and glared at him. “What’s so good about it? Chasing after someone’s ass for years, did they acknowledge you?”

This time, Yan Chen nodded confidently. “They did.”

Yan Jingwei was furious. He raised his cane as if to strike, and An Yi instinctively stepped forward to block, while Yan Heng and Yan Jin stepped forward ahead of him, skillfully supporting the old man.

“Dad, let’s talk properly.” Yan Heng persuaded.

Yan Jin echoed insincerely, “Don’t be angry, getting angry will only worsen your health.”

Yan Jingwei banged his cane loudly. “How can we talk properly! He managed to land himself in the hospital several times just for a damn relationship! Can’t he have a little sense on New Year’s Day!”

Yan Chen was about to speak, but An Yi preemptively placed his hand on his shoulder and called out “Uncle”.

All eyes in the ward focused on him.

An Yi felt a bit nervous, not out of fear, but more out of a hope for approval when facing the elders.

“Uncle,” he gently squeezed Yan Chen’s shoulder, his voice soft, “A lot has happened between Yan Chen and me, both good and bad. We’ve tried being together, and we’ve tried being apart. You might not understand, and I may not be able to explain it clearly, but I assure you, I have never toyed with Yan Chen’s feelings.”

An Yi took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm.

“What happened last night was an accident. I understand your concerns, and I’m also scared. I want to apologize to you, to Yan Heng, Yan Jin, especially to Yan Chen. This whole thing is because of me…”

“Ge…”

“Let me finish,” An Yi glanced at Yan Chen, then looked back at Yan Jingwei, “Uncle, my feelings for Yan Chen are genuine, and we are both taking this relationship seriously. Please don’t doubt that.”

Silence filled the ward.

Yan Jingwei scrutinized An Yi from head to toe. This handsome young man seemed to have the integrity of a bamboo, but he wondered if his inner self was the same.

“Alright,” Yan Jingwei said meaningfully, “since it’s genuine, then return everything Yan Chen gifted you. Are you willing?”

Confusion flickered on An Yi’s face.

Yan Jingwei sneered, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Reluctant, huh?”

“Dad—” Yan Chen sighed helplessly, “stop meddling in this matter.”

“I’m your father, why can’t I meddle?” Yan Jingwei said impatiently.

“Because he doesn’t know yet!” Yan Chen said solemnly.

An Yi looked at Yan Chen in confusion. “What did you do?”

Yan Jingwei sneered, “He transferred all his assets under his name through a notary public this afternoon, and gave them all to you.”