Early the next morning, after the nurse finished checking the room, Yu Zi went to the bank. He finally managed to repay half of the loan principal, relieving half of the anxiety he had been feeling.

But since Xie Dongcheng lent him the money, he didn’t want to owe it for too long. Mortgage on the house was a big deal. He had said that he would repay Xie Dongcheng’s money within three months, and he would definitely do it.

Life in the hospital was extremely boring. Xie Dongcheng’s daily routine consisted of changing dressings, receiving IV drips, eating, and then more IV drips, before finally waiting for sleep in utter boredom.

After the weather turned hot, business in the shop improved significantly, but for Yu Zi, this wasn’t particularly good news. Xiao Liu had called to say that everyone was working late every day. Chef Zhao also complained that the kitchen was short-staffed. When Xie Dongcheng was still around, there was someone to help in the kitchen.

Now that he was hospitalized and unable to do heavy work for at least a couple of months, the pressure on the kitchen had increased.

Yu Zi could only calculate his finances on one hand and try to recruit more people for the store on the other. He couldn’t leave the hospital yet, and he was feeling overwhelmed. His ear still showed no signs of improvement.

Originally, Yu Zi was somewhat optimistic, after all, the doctor said many people recover after finishing their IV drips. But these days there hasn’t been any progress, and the discomfort in his right ear has even worsened. He’s beginning to wonder if he’s really one of the few people who have to live with this half-deaf ear for the rest of his life.

“What are you thinking about?”

Yu Zi suddenly heard Xie Dongcheng calling him from behind and turned around abruptly.

“What?” He looked confused.

“I called you several times…” Xie Dongcheng’s expression was a bit awkward.

“Oh, really? I was just thinking about something.” Yu Zi brushed it off.

“Is it about the shop?”

“Yes, yes.” Yu Zi quickly continued, “I’m thinking of hiring more people for the shop.”

“Is the money enough?”

“It’s okay. In a few days, the cooperative company will settle accounts, which should make things a little better. But from now on, I have to budget my spending carefully and can’t afford to buy new things anymore.” Although Yu Zi said this, his eyes lacked enthusiasm.

Soon after, he saw the nurse come in to give Xie Dongcheng an IV drip. After the nurse hung the IV drip, she left, and Yu Zi followed suit and got up.

“Where are you going?” Xie Dongcheng asked hurriedly when he saw Yu Zi pushing the door to leave.

“I… I’m going out for a smoke.” Yu Zi gestured with his fingers, mimicking the action of smoking.

Xie Dongcheng didn’t know when Yu Zi had developed the habit of smoking, and it wasn’t appropriate to inquire further, so he just let him go.

Yu Zi quickly went to the IV infusion hall, found the nurse as usual, and hung up that day’s IV bag. He calculated the time before coming here and estimated that by the time he finished his own IV drip, Xie Dongcheng’s session would just be ending. They shouldn’t run into each other.

He leaned back against the hard chair and soon felt drowsy. He intermittently had some dreams, with fragmented scenes appearing occasionally. Sometimes it was the side profile of Shang Ping leaving with sunglasses, and sometimes it was the camphor tree he saw when he moved out of the suburban villa. The last image stayed on him standing at the entrance of Fangjiayuan Community with his suitcase, seeing Xie Dongcheng for the first time.

In a daze, he opened his eyes, but felt like he hadn’t woken up yet. Why else would Xie Dongcheng really be standing in front of him?

Yu Zi closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again, and Xie Dongcheng was still there.

He suddenly realized that this wasn’t a dream. It was real.

Xie Dongcheng was standing in front of him right now.

After realizing where he was, Yu Zi’s heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight from the back of the chair, his lips parted but unable to say anything.

Xie Dongcheng’s gaze lingered on the label of the medicine bottle above his head.

“Is this for a cold?” Xie Dongcheng softly read the name of the medication on the label.

Yu Zi didn’t know why he suddenly felt guilty. He paused for a few seconds before speaking, “No. What’s the matter?”

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Xie Dongcheng continued.

Yu Zi avoided his gaze and turned his head to the side, “Let me tell you after I finish the infusion.”

The two of them sat quietly in the IV infusion hall as numerous people came and went. The scorching sun outside shone through the glass window onto Yu Zi’s back, making him feel hot.

Yu Zi’s nape was sweaty, and Xie Dongcheng handed him a tissue. After Yu Zi wiped his neck, he folded and unfolded the damp tissue in his hand several times.

The medicine in the hanging bottle finally reached the bottom, and the nurse came over to remove the needle.

Yu Zi followed Xie Dongcheng out of the IV infusion hall after pressing the white cotton ball against his skin. Instead of returning to the ward, they stood under the canopy in front of the outpatient building.

It was noon, and the hot sun cast its rays on the concrete road less than two meters in front of them. Ambulances continuously came in and out of the main entrance, indicating that accidents were frequent during the transition from spring to summer.

“So, can you tell me what’s going on now?” Xie Dongcheng stood on the right side and asked softly.

Yu Zi looked at his lips moving several times but couldn’t hear clearly. He took two steps to the side and walked to Xie Dongcheng’s right side, putting his left ear towards him.

“Say it again.”

Seeing his movements, Xie Dongcheng guessed, “Is it about your ear problem?”

“Yes.”

Then Yu Zi pointed to his right ear with his index finger, “I can’t hear with this ear.”

Xie Dongcheng’s pupils suddenly contracted, not knowing how to respond for a while. He subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch Yu Zi’s right earlobe, but only clenched his fist and withdrew his hand.

After hesitating for a moment, he continued to ask, “Why can’t you hear?”

For some reason, Yu Zi, who had felt a little uneasy, suddenly felt much calmer after he asked. “What’s with that expression? It’s not like I’m dead. I’m not completely deaf, just hard of hearing. They say it’s caused by stress, who knows.”

Seeing Xie Dongcheng still looking confused, Yu Zi explained, “Have you ever swum before?”

Xie Dongcheng nodded.

“It’s like the feeling when you swim without wearing a swim cap, buzzing in your ears.” Yu Zi deliberately said lightly.

“Come on, let me take you to see a doctor.” Xie Dongcheng grabbed his wrist and headed towards the clinic.

Yu Zi broke free from his grip, “Are you okay?! I’ve already seen a doctor, that’s why I’m getting the IV drip!”

Only then did Xie Dongcheng realize and nodded, “Oh right, you’ve seen a doctor.”

But he still couldn’t rest assured and asked, “Can you get better just by getting an IV drip?”

“The doctor didn’t guarantee it, he said I should relax. Let fate decide.” Yu Zi shrugged.

At this moment, an ambulance roared in from outside the door. With a bang, the door at the back of the car was opened, and several doctors and nurses pushed a stretcher towards the entrance of the emergency department.

The person on the stretcher was covered in blood, and even his white shirt was soaked with blood.

Yu Zi pointed in the direction they were heading and turned to Xie Dongcheng, saying, “You see, accidents can happen anytime. We can only leave it to fate.”

On the way back to the ward, Xie Dongcheng didn’t speak much. Yu Zi wouldn’t stay in the ward that night. After returning to the ward with Xie Dongcheng, he packed up his belongings and prepared to return to his own house.

Just before he left, Xie Dongcheng called out to him.

“What’s up?” Yu Zi stopped and turned to look at him.

“I’ll accompany you for your infusion tomorrow.”

Yu Zi looked at his eyes under the bright light and nodded after a moment, “Okay.”

Then he pushed open the door alone and walked into the quiet corridor. People came in here every day, some recovering and leaving, and some being transferred to another building for treatment.

Countless souls came and went in this building, then branched off into different paths.

Yu Zi sighed and lightly touched the skin behind his ear with the tip of his index finger.

Over the next two days, Xie Dongcheng kept his promise and sneaked out of the ward in the afternoon when the nurses weren’t paying attention, following Yu Zi to the IV infusion hall. They sat side by side, occasionally chatting about matters concerning the restaurant, but most of the time, they remained silent, watching the sun slowly set.

Xie Dongcheng’s recovery was faster than he had imagined. On the fifth day of hospitalization, all his blood test indicators returned to normal.

After reviewing the examination report, the doctor who did rounds patted the footboard of his bed and said, “You’re truly young and healthy. If there are no issues, you can be discharged tomorrow. Come back next month to have the splint removed.”

Being discharged a day earlier made Xie Dongcheng very happy. He had had enough of this hospital; everywhere smelled of nauseating disinfectant, and he couldn’t even eat properly.

Originally, he was supposed to accompany Yu Zi for his IV infusion that day, but it coincided with the doctor’s rounds, so Xie Dongcheng was detained in the ward. As soon as the doctor left, he started packing his bags.

Although he couldn’t be discharged until tomorrow morning, he couldn’t wait any longer and wished dawn would come sooner.

When Yu Zi returned to the ward after finishing the IV infusion and saw the immaculate bed and his clothes neatly packed in his backpack, he remarked, “You’re preparing too quickly.”

“I can’t stand it here anymore. As soon as the morning shift nurse comes on duty tomorrow, I’ll arrange for my discharge,” Xie Dongcheng replied with a smile, sitting down on the bed.

“How do you feel today?” Xie Dongcheng pointed to his own ear.

Yu Zi lowered his eyelids and looked out the window. “Just the same, no change. Maybe it’ll just stay like this.”

“Let’s try another hospital. I heard there’s a specialized ENT hospital in the southern part of the city, they’re very good at this kind of thing. I’ll go make an appointment for you…”

“Let’s talk about it later,” Yu Zi shook his head.

He had already researched many cases, and while some people recovered quickly, others struggled to regain their hearing. This kind of neurological disease varied greatly from person to person, and no doctor dared to guarantee a complete cure.

He couldn’t achieve the complete relaxation the doctor suggested either; a restaurant’s staff depended on him to make a living. He wasn’t the reckless young master he used to be, living only for himself.

As the weather got hotter, the sunset became more intense day by day. Yu Zi sat on the chair by the window, facing outward. The purple-red light enveloped his face, as if it wanted to melt his entire being.

Thunk—

The door of the ward was pushed open, and a nurse came in for rounds, bringing along the payment bill.

After instructing Xie Dongcheng on a few things to pay attention to in the next couple of days, the nurse turned and left, heading to the next ward.

Yu Zi was about to get up to get the payment bill when he heard a knock on the door again.

Didn’t the nurse just finish the rounds? Who could be knocking on the door now?

The knocking sounded urgent and heavy.

Yu Zi walked to the door and peeked through the small window above the door panel. He saw a man wearing a duckbill cap, his head lowered, making it hard to see his face.

Yu Zi could only open the door and ask, “Who is it?”

However, when the man at the door raised his head, Yu Zi’s eyes widened, and his breath quickened uncontrollably.

He never expected that Wang Jing, this scoundrel, would actually come knocking here!