Cen Yan only wiped once, and there were still two times left… but he still finished it.

Zhuang Dongqing had a red face and didn’t say a word, just mechanically doing the tasks of receiving, washing the cloth, and handing it over.

Cen Yan pushed his hairband aside, and Zhuang Dongqing didn’t seem to have any intention of making him put it back.

After all, it had already been seen, so it was better to just look while wiping.

Ugh, he was a professional.

As long as the patient was fine, that was all that mattered. The medical staff had already died socially anyway, so they didn’t mind dying a little longer.

In fact, because he was completely dead inside, he could even calmly help Cen Yan put on clean clothes.

Everything was peaceful; it was all just dull and flavorless.

But then again, his brain wasn’t working anymore. What abs, chest muscles, biceps? They were just pieces of meat, after all.

“… Thank you.”

Seeing that Zhuang Dongqing hadn’t spoken for a long time, after he helped Cen Yan put on his inner garments, Cen Yan tentatively said thank you.

He received a wooden nod in return.

The light in his eyes had faded.

He even meticulously pulled the blanket over Cen Yan, saying, “I’ll go out first.”

His voice had become much more monotonous.

Cen Yan hesitated to say something.

He just watched as the red-faced Zhuang Dongqing disappeared at the door.

After stepping outside, he handed the basin of water to Liu Fu. Zhuang Dongqing stood in the night breeze for a moment, slowly squatting down, wrapping his arms around his knees, burying his head and face between them.

Wuwuwu, what a social death.

Was the medical staff not human?

Inside, Zhuang Dongqing’s little heart was crying a storm.

He needed to bury himself for a while.

• Having money was really good. For example, even though it was the middle of the night and quite inconvenient, thanks to the silver, they not only got enough clean bedding and water for daily use but also a pot of steaming hot vegetable porridge that had just been cooked.

After a long day of travel, everyone was actually quite tired.

Zhuang Dongqing had been holding back and not calling for a break today, mainly because there were pursuers behind them, so he couldn’t rest. The price for that was that by nightfall, he was completely exhausted. Once he relaxed, he felt sluggish and couldn’t eat anything at all.

“Eat the dry rations, you too, Liu Fu. You have to take your own, and then…”

He originally planned to call the guards, but after thinking about it, Zhuang Dongqing still carried half a bowl of porridge into the room himself.

Cen Yan was already feeling a bit drowsy.

Zhuang Dongqing was hesitating when it seemed like Cen Yan sensed something and opened his eyes.

“Do you… want to drink porridge?”

“You’ve been tired all day and got hurt so badly. If you can eat, even if it’s just a little, that’s good.”

After saying that, he thought of something and added, “If you can’t, don’t force it. If you can’t digest it and have to get up in the middle of the night to throw up, it’s not worth it.”

Cen Yan’s thick eyelashes fluttered for a moment, and his hazy eyes refocused. He said in a weak voice, “Should I sit up to wake myself up first?”

“Okay, take it slow.”

Zhuang Dongqing helped Cen Yan sit up, carefully avoiding his wounds.

After waiting for a while, feeling that Cen Yan was a bit more awake, he brought the porridge to him.

The steaming vapor rose, highlighting how dry and pale Cen Yan’s lips were.

Knowing that Cen Yan had probably gone through even more than he had today, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t rush him, letting him smell the porridge and make his own judgment.

After a moment, Cen Yan uncertainly said, “Should I try a sip first?”

Zhuang Dongqing nodded, took a spoon, naturally scooped up a large spoonful, and before handing it over, scraped the bottom of the bowl to avoid any drips. Then he brought the spoon to Cen Yan’s lips.

Cen Yan noticed his movement, which was to prevent the porridge from dripping from the bottom of the spoon while he drank.

The consideration was very detailed.

Zhuang Dongqing’s actions were natural, and Cen Yan didn’t hesitate, drinking a sip from his hand. After swallowing, he felt okay—not really wanting to eat, but not to the point of being unable to eat at all.

“I’ll eat a bit.”

Cen Yan finally said.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

In the quiet, one was feeding while the other was drinking. Just like that, half a bowl of porridge went down, and Cen Yan shook his head, “That’s enough.”

Putting down the bowl, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t insist.

Glancing at Cen Yan’s lips, since he had controlled the amount during each feeding, the porridge hadn’t really smeared outside his lips. Zhuang Dongqing uncertainly asked, “Do you want to wash your face again? There’s no cloth to wipe your mouth for now.”

Cen Yan chuckled, “I’m not that delicate.”

After laughing, he looked at Zhuang Dongqing and suddenly pointed out, “How come you’re so skilled at doing these things?”

“… What things?”

“Taking care of people?”

No, strictly speaking, it wasn’t taking care of people; it was probably taking care of patients. The way he wiped his body and the amount of porridge he scooped were all concise and just right. Cen Yan even felt that Zhuang Dongqing had a certain technique when wiping him down; otherwise, how could he cover all the edges perfectly without any unnecessary movements?

“… Ah? Is that so? Haha, maybe I have a talent for this.”

Zhuang Dongqing laughed it off.

His gaze drifted away, avoiding eye contact with Cen Yan.

Cen Yan stared at him for a while, and before Zhuang Dongqing’s movements became stiff, he lowered his eyelashes, “Alright, let’s say you do.”

“…”

“Ahem, so, I’m going out. Do you want me to help you lie down?”

“Sorry to trouble you.”

Using his strength to help Cen Yan into the blanket, Zhuang Dongqing felt like he had completed his task of taking care of the patient and didn’t want to move a single finger.

After going out to hand the bowl to Liu Fu, during this little break, he finally felt hungry. He took another clean bowl for himself, filled it with porridge, and drank it slowly. After finishing, he felt warm all over, boiled hot water to wash his feet, and asked Liu Fu to help him make the bed.

There were only two rooms, and Cen Yan wouldn’t be with the guards. It felt strange for him to be with the guards, so in the end, they arranged for the two masters to stay in one room. After discussing, they moved the only two beds into one room, one for each person.

Cen Yan was a patient and had to sleep in a bed. He wasn’t alone anymore, and the guards and Liu Fu insisted that he sleep in the bed.

Fleeing was indeed exhausting, and he didn’t know if it would affect the child, so Zhuang Dongqing didn’t refuse.

During this time of soaking his feet, the guards moved the other bed into the main room, and Liu Fu quickly followed to tidy up.

When Zhuang Dongqing entered the room and lay down in the blanket, he let out a long sigh.

“Liu Fu, how could I live without you!”

Zhuang Dongqing said sincerely.

“Master, you should rest. Call me if you need anything.” To ease Zhuang Dongqing’s worries, he added softly, “They built a bed with wooden boards for me to sleep on, and they take turns sleeping on the floor.”

“Mm, mm, rest well.”

Liu Fu quietly tucked the blanket around Zhuang Dongqing and went out.

As soon as the door was closed, he heard a voice from the opposite side, “How can you not live without Liu Fu?”

It was Cen Yan.

Zhuang Dongqing’s head was already spinning, and his speech was slurred, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

It seemed that all their carefulness just now was in vain.

But he didn’t wait for a reply.

Zhuang Dongqing realized, “Is your wound very painful?”

Thinking that Cen Yan wouldn’t admit it, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t have any expectations, but the other side spoke up, “Not just that, there are also some things I can’t figure out.”

“What is it?”

Zhuang Dongqing would never ask when he was clear-headed, but in his drowsy state, being so close and having taken care of everything today, he felt inexplicably closer to Cen Yan and instinctively spoke out.

After a moment of silence, Cen Yan said, “Do you really think a tiger wouldn’t eat its own cubs?”

Zhuang Dongqing replied, “If you’re asking about tigers, then naturally not. When food is scarce, a mother tiger will prioritize her own survival; if you’re asking about humans… well, you know better than I do.”

As he spoke, he became more and more tired, and by the last sentence, it was almost a mumble.

Cen Yan chuckled, “You’re quite honest.”

Zhuang Dongqing, however, said, “Sleep.”

Cen Yan was taken aback.

Zhuang Dongqing added, “Aren’t you tired? You’ve been shot and bitten by a snake. Take care of yourself and rest well…”

The last part of his sentence was too low and got swallowed in his mouth, leaving the rest unsaid.

After a moment of silence, Zhuang Dongqing’s breathing became even, and he fell asleep, exhausted.

Cen Yan, rarely being lectured by someone, came back to his senses but wasn’t really angry.

It might be because he had troubled Zhuang Dongqing all day, or maybe because this didn’t really count as a serious lecture.

Did he feel sorry for himself?

Suddenly thinking of Zhuang Dongqing’s remark about having “both parents alive,” Cen Yan couldn’t help but smile.

He didn’t know if that statement was meant for himself or for the child in his belly.

But,

No matter what, it wasn’t a bad thing.

After laughing, Cen Yan really closed his eyes.

Following Zhuang Dongqing’s breathing, he sank into a dream.

• Zhuang Dongqing was used to the bed and slept soundly until dawn.

When he woke up, he felt pain in his legs from walking too much, lactic acid building up.

He threw on some clothes, got up to relieve himself, and when he came back, he wanted to continue sleeping. The morning light streamed through the window, shining on Cen Yan’s face. Zhuang Dongqing glanced over and, just as he was about to snuggle back into the blanket, felt that something was off.

Suddenly looking back, Zhuang Dongqing was stunned; Cen Yan… looked a bit too good.

He walked a few steps closer, making a bit of noise, but the other person didn’t wake up.

Zhuang Dongqing reached out to touch Cen Yan’s forehead and immediately knew something was wrong.

His clothes were damp, and after enduring the injury for most of the day, he wasn’t made of iron.

He had a low fever.