Chapter 39

“Old injury.”

Seeing that she was upset, Fu Cheng extended his hand for her to see. His hand was bandaged, but he held hers, pressing his fingertips against her palm.

The pressure was gentle.

“Then why did you come here today?” Youyi didn’t believe his explanation.

If it were just an old injury, it shouldn’t have flared up without reason.

“Fu Cheng, if you don’t tell me, I’ll be angry when I find out later.”

Youyi spoke to him seriously.

Perhaps Fu Cheng thought she was much younger and still in school, and therefore might not be able to handle certain things, which is why he didn’t share them with her.

In their relationship, Fu Cheng often took the dominant role.

He was assertive and powerful, with enough control, so he felt he could handle everything for her at any time.

Youyi stood on tiptoe, trying to get closer to his eyes.

His eyes were always dark, his emotions too stable to reveal much.

Likewise, they were flawless.

This was Fu Cheng’s self-control.

Even Youyi couldn’t see what was hidden deep inside him.

Even though she understood him so well.

“Why is it so important to know?” Fu Cheng’s pupils slightly narrowed as he looked down at her, meeting her gaze directly.

“I originally didn’t want to tell you.”

He didn’t know how to explain, so he showed her the medical report.

He had photos on his phone.

Youyi, though not yet skilled in medicine, was a medical student and could read and understand the report, even if she wasn’t a medical professional.

It was a benign tumor.

Surgery was recommended for removal.

Youyi looked at his hand again.

The bandages were so thick that it was hard to see what was underneath.

“Didn’t you get the surgery?”

Even though it was a benign tumor, it could grow, potentially press on blood vessels, joints, or nerves, or even rupture and bleed.

Regardless, surgery was the best option.

Fu Cheng said, “I asked, and it’s not urgent.”

There is no such thing as not urgent when it comes to surgery.

Youyi didn’t believe him.

“I’ll ask myself.” Youyi took out her phone and found a senior she had met during her internship.

The senior was now a resident doctor.

Youyi was familiar with her, often consulting her on things she didn’t understand, so they were quite close.

Youyi went outside to call her.

Five minutes later, she returned with a serious expression.

“So, when were you planning to have the surgery?” Youyi asked him again.

Fu Cheng said, “After we return from our trip.”

He had promised her they would go traveling.

Now it was near the end of the year, and after their trip, it would be close to New Year’s Eve. For scheduled surgeries like his, it would likely be scheduled after the Lantern Festival.

With delays, it could be postponed even further.

“Then will you listen to me?” Youyi said with a stern face, “I want you to arrange it as soon as possible, the sooner, the better.”

Things like traveling are nothing compared to his health.

Everything else needed to be postponed.

The gentle Ding Youyi seldom said such strong words, and at this moment, she looked at Fu Cheng’s hand with concern. Her gentle, watery eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

The surgery needed to be arranged.

The sooner, the better.

She insisted that he agree.

*

Fu Cheng naturally listened to her.

So, on the second working day after New Year’s Day, he was admitted for surgery.

It was a minor procedure, not very difficult, and he was out of the operating room in less than an hour. With local anesthesia, he was quite awake.

The tumor was completely removed, greatly reducing the chance of recurrence.

He needed to stay in the hospital for three days of observation and could be discharged if there were no complications.

As the year-end approached, hospital beds were not tight, and fortunately, there was a single room available.

This was Youyi’s first time staying with him.

The day before, Fu Cheng had gone to the emergency department for bandaging after the tumor had ruptured due to overuse. After the bandaging and stopping the bleeding, the doctor indeed advised him to have the surgery as soon as possible.

“Do you really want to stay here?” Fu Cheng said, “You can come back tomorrow morning.”

He couldn’t move one hand and wasn’t bedridden, so he didn’t need much care.

Even though it was a single room, the environment was nowhere near as comfortable as home.

Youyi is someone who is particular about her sleeping environment. When Fu Cheng asked her, she shook her head without hesitation.

“No, I don’t want to go back.”

So Fu Cheng did not insist further.

Within six hours after the surgery, Fu Cheng had to keep his arm elevated and his hand wrapped with pressure bandages. After six hours, he could move his right hand a little.

When Fu Cheng went into the bathroom, Youyi was checking the grades of a course, and she heard Fu Cheng calling her from inside.

“Do you want to help me?” Fu Cheng asked calmly.

There is no activity that cannot be completed with one hand, even if it is a little difficult——

Fu Cheng did it on purpose.

Youyi stood at the door, observing him. She had touched and kissed the arrogance of a wild beast before, handling it with care and almost with serious attentiveness.

Youyi was evaluating whether he genuinely needed help, knowing that she was always at a disadvantage under his dominant presence.

Youyi went over to help him untie the surgical gown.

Hospital surgical gowns are quite loose. If Youyi wore one, the pants would fit two of her, with some space left. Fu Cheng, however, wore the gown with the pants reaching his ankles, and the ties could only barely be knotted.

Fortunately, the surgery was on his hand, so the length and size of the pants didn’t matter.

Fu Cheng said, “Are your fingers really that clumsy?”

After struggling for a while, she finally managed to untie it.

Fu Cheng’s gaze enveloped her in darkness, and in the cramped space of the bathroom, he occupied most of it. Youyi moved aside with difficulty and whispered, “Hurry up.”

He did not move, instead turning to the side, his voice growing heavier, “You should leave first.”

Youyi didn’t hear him clearly and was momentarily stunned.

Fu Cheng said, “You know, you shouldn’t look at me.”

The ambiguous words left Youyi perplexed as she tried to piece them together. If she had seen him—

So Youyi squeezed out from the door.

By evening, Fu Cheng’s right hand had some swelling.

With the pressure bandages, the swelling was inevitable. Fu Cheng’s right hand was elevated, and his muscular arm almost covered the entire cushion.

Youyi was gently massaging his fingers. Her strength was too little, and her fingers too soft; she had to apply force to manipulate his finger joints. Sitting beside him, she leaned forward, her soft breath lightly brushing against his fingers, slipping through the gaps, and gently caressing his palm.

“Does this feel better?” Youyi asked.

“Mm,” Fu Cheng simply replied.

So Youyi continued.

The nurse had just taken his temperature and blood pressure, saying everything was normal. However, if there was any pain, he could take painkillers.

The pain was minimal for Fu Cheng.

Fu Cheng began to tell her about his past.

He had mentioned many times that he wanted to share stories with her but had never done so. Today, he finally had the interest.

Fu Cheng spoke of things Youyi had never seen or heard before.

He remembered the origins of many scars on his body. Each scar had its own story.

His voice was like a heavy, static-filled recording, devoid of emotion, as if every word was not about himself.

“What about this scar?” Youyi asked, pointing to a thin scar on his right abdomen.

It now resembled a “Y.”

“It’s from when I first joined the army, during training,” Fu Cheng said. “The injury was deep, so it left a scar.”

In a sense, this was the scar that had accompanied him the longest.

Over the years, the scar had faded, but he had intensified its mark, as if he had emphasized her trace on him.

Youyi rested her chin on his fingers, her soft cheek touching his knuckles. She leaned closer, lifting her eyes, filled with watery waves.

“Will this leave a scar too?” Youyi asked, looking at his bandaged hand.

Fu Cheng replied, “Do you think too many scars are ugly?”

Youyi shook her head.

The scars on Fu Cheng, like him, were fierce and strong. They were a part of him.

Just as her body was unblemished and without any other marks.

Her eyes were like a pool of moonlit water.

Fu Cheng looked down and couldn’t help but lower his head, grabbing her chin with his left hand, forcing her to look up, and kissing her fiercely.

His kiss was intense and vigorous, and within that half-second, Youyi was almost out of breath. Her lung capacity could not match Fu Cheng’s. After just a few seconds, tears were streaming down her face.

The salty taste on his tongue made Fu Cheng stop. He pulled her into his embrace.

Even in the winter room, it felt stiflingly warm.

When Youyi cried, Fu Cheng covered her mouth, regardless of whether it made her cry harder. His harshness sometimes lay in driving everything to the extreme.

Just like now.

When Youyi was so gentle around him, he couldn’t handle it.

The gentler she was, the more he wanted to break her.

When she finally caught her breath, she looked at him with pursed lips, pitifully whining, “Aren’t you going to wipe away my tears?”

Being gentle and coquettish with him is even more deadly.

His fingertips lingered on her cheek, his palm rubbing her skin, drying her tears. She lifted her face, rubbing her cheek against his hand.

Perhaps because he was a patient now, she was excessively compliant.

Fu Cheng moved aside, inviting her to come sleep in his arms.

The hospital bed was quite small, and Fu Cheng couldn’t fully stretch out his legs. He had to bend his knees and pull Youyi into his embrace. His firm muscles pressed against her, making it difficult for her to breathe and causing her discomfort.

Youyi held her head down and endured it.

In this unfamiliar black night, her breathing gradually synchronized with his. As the darkness encroached and drowsiness overtook her, she managed to steal a kiss on his fingertips before falling asleep.

They say that hospital walls have heard the most prayers. Tonight, she earnestly made a wish:

She hoped Fu Cheng would recover quickly.