Yan Chen dropped a sentence, and the video call ended.

An Ya’s gaze swept back and forth between An Yi and Qin Muye, half puzzled and half worried. “Ge, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” An Yi forced a smile, “You focus on preparing for the transplant. Be strong. If you miss me, just video call. If you want to eat something, just let me know, I’ll definitely make it for you and send it over the next day.”

“I know, you’ve said this eight hundred times.”

An Ya pretended to be relaxed, but she was still worried in her heart. She lowered her head, took a few deep breaths, and when she raised her head again, there was a bright smile on her face. “Take a photo, ge.”

“I’ll take a picture of you guys.” Qin Muye took the phone and took several photos of the siblings.

An Ya was very satisfied and shared the photos with An Yi. Not long after, the doctors and nurses took her to the laminar flow sterile ward to start pre-transplant treatment.

The so-called pre-treatment was to clear the marrow. Patients had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation several times stronger than usual, to kill their own cancer cells and stem cells as much as possible, in preparation for the implantation of donor hematopoietic stem cells.

An Yi couldn’t eat anything and was out of sorts all day.

Lin Yuming finished his surgery and chatted with him for a long time about the life of patients in the transplant ward, trying to ease his anxiety.

But An Yi still couldn’t rest assured.

An Ya was most afraid of being alone. When she was young, she would cry and wake up in the middle of the night to find her mother and brother. As she grew older, she always liked to stick to her brother, but this was the first time they would be separated for so long.

In the evening, the siblings connected via video call.

An Ya said that she would officially start marrow clearing the day after tomorrow, so her spirits were still very good. She excitedly introduced the layout and facilities of the laminar flow sterile ward to him for half a day. She even joked, “Now I can play games happily, since you can’t come in.”

“You behave yourself, don’t mess around.”

“I know!” An Ya paused and asked him, “Have you reconciled with Chen ge? Misunderstandings are the most fearful in relationships. After a quarrel, you have to clarify things quickly.

An Yi chuckled, “You little brat, you understand feelings now?”

An Ya glared at him, “I’m serious! ge, don’t interrupt.”

“Alright, alright,” An Yi nodded indulgently, “I’ll listen to you. I’ll go and make up with him later.”

An Ya wanted to say more, but the nurse opened the special medicine window on the wall of the transplant ward to disinfect and give her intravenous fluids, so the video call had to end.

For An Yi, this video call was a reassurance.

At least it gave him a rare sense of sleepiness tonight.

However, due to staying up all night and worrying all day, this precious sleep made him very tired. His heart was pounding heavily, making him extremely restless.

Moreover, he felt extremely dizzy, his breathing was sluggish, and he was stuck in a nightmare unable to wake up.

It wasn’t until he felt a hot, stinging pain on his cheek that he suddenly woke up.

Before he could catch his breath, a large hand grabbed the collar of his pajamas in the darkness, forcefully pulling him out of bed.

Startled, An Yi instinctively resisted, but this only made the hand exert more force, almost as if it wanted to strangle him.

An Yi widened his eyes, and amidst the chaos, his scattered gaze finally managed to refocus.

He saw Yan Chen’s expressionless face and the cold, fierce anger in his eyes.

An Yi’s heart sank, cold sweat still lingering on his forehead. Yan Chen suddenly reached out and turned on the light.

The light was too bright, causing him to lower his head and close his eyes.

But Yan Chen didn’t hesitate to use his hands to forcefully strip him naked.

“W-wait!”

Exposed to the cold air, An Yi couldn’t help but shiver, and Yan Chen’s brutality made him even more terrified.

He couldn’t resist against Yan Chen’s strength.

He could only be like an undignified object, being carefully inspected by Yan Chen under the light for any traces of being touched by someone else.

After inspecting his back, Yan Chen flipped him over and checked the skin on the front.

An Yi felt ashamed and indignant. In his struggle, he accidentally kicked Yan Chen’s shoulder, almost knocking him off the bed, his displeasure becoming even more apparent on his face.

“I beg you, please don’t do this!” An Yi quickly wrapped himself in the blanket, his heart cold, pleading with Yan Chen, “Can’t we talk things out?”

But Yan Chen still refused to acknowledge him. He casually grabbed two pieces of clothing from the wardrobe and threw them at An Yi’s feet.

Hastily getting dressed, An Yi was then dragged out by Yan Chen.

“Where are we going?”

It was three o’clock in the middle of the night, with sporadic snowflakes falling outside, and An Yi didn’t want to go with Yan Chen.

Annoyed, Yan Chen kicked aside the pottery remnants scattered on the floor in the living room and finally spoke, “Either come with me obediently, or I’ll knock you out and take you away. It’s your choice.”

His tone brooked no doubt.

An Yi could only choose the first option.

In the car, he occasionally glanced sideways. The lights from the street lamps kept interweaving and flickering on Yan Chen’s face, making him inscrutable.

Yan Chen had obviously been at the harbor at noon, but suddenly appeared in the apartment in the middle of the night. It was obvious that he had flown back immediately after seeing Qin Muye.

But why?

Was it because he was angry that An Yi didn’t listen, or did he come specifically to check if An Yi’s body had been touched by someone else?

Was it both, or… did Yan Chen actually have a slight liking for him?

Lost in thought, the car had already turned off, and Yan Chen asked him to get out of the car.

Glancing at the unfamiliar garage outside, An Yi unexpectedly looked at Yan Chen, “Where is this?”

Yan Chen didn’t answer, slammed the car door, and pulled him into the elevator, swiping the card directly to the top-floor spacious apartment.

This was a property he had purchased two years ago. After it was renovated, apart from regular cleaning services, he had never brought anyone to stay here. Therefore, the spacious yet somewhat desolate apartment lacked any signs of human presence.

Yan Chen threw An Yi into the bedroom, turned on the heater, and then turned to leave.

An Yi wanted to catch up with him and explain the situation with Qin Muye, but the bedroom door had been locked from the outside, and he couldn’t open it.

“Yan Chen, come back and talk to me, Yan Chen!”

An Yi pounded on the door, raised his voice and called Yan Chen several times, but there was only silence outside the door.

An Yi didn’t know if Yan Chen was still there.

Panicked, he pounded on the door again, his hands trembling, but he never received a response.

He paled and crouched down, banging on the door every now and then, calling for help, until the sky outside brightened, and he finally heard footsteps again.

The moment the door opened, An Yi didn’t bother to question what Yan Chen intended to do. He staggered towards the entrance elevator. However, the dedicated elevator required a swipe card or password to activate, so he could only awkwardly run back to Yan Chen and gently touch his arm, “Can we talk about it slowly? Let me go cook for Xiao Ya first. Her meals need to be steamed in advance and sterilized before she can eat. It’s almost time, I can’t let her go hungry.”

“Her meals are taken care of by a caregiver,” Yan Chen took him to the dining room, where a delicate breakfast was still steaming on the table. He sat down and looked at An Yi, “Eat.”

“No, Xiao Ya only eats what I make…”

“Then you can cook the meals here from now on, and I’ll have Jiang Hai personally deliver them to the hospital,” Yan Chen tapped the table with his finger, “Eat.”

An Yi couldn’t believe it as he looked at him, “Are… are you planning to keep me here? I still have work! And Xiao Ya needs me!”

Yan Chen lifted his eyelids and gave him a dissatisfied look, “Don’t make me say it a third time.”

An Yi stood stubbornly without moving, his eyes gradually reddening.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and Yan Chen impatiently clicked his tongue. He took out a new phone from his pocket and threw it on the table with a “thud,” which felt like a blow to An Yi’s heart.

“There’s Xiao Ya’s number on WeChat. You can chat with her anytime. As for work and those miscellaneous people, I’ve quit them all for you. There’s no need for any contact in the future.”

Yan Chen’s tone was too dismissive. For him, casually destroying An Yi’s job and social circle was nothing big.

An Yi trembled with anger, feeling like this man in front of him was so cold that he felt like a stranger.

“Why… why didn’t you discuss this with me?” An Yi clenched his fingers tightly, the joints turning white from exertion. “Just because you say it’s unnecessary, it is? What do you take me for? And who gave you the right?”

“Do you dare to argue with me?!” Yan Chen glared at him angrily. “Didn’t I tell you before I went to the harbor? Have you forgotten? Do you still have the nerve to blabber on like this?”

“Qin Muye is just a friend to me, he just wants to help, that’s all!”

“Oh, you upgraded to friends in just a few days? If I don’t come back, are you going to become ‘friends with benefits’?!”

“You—!”

Yan Chen’s mouth was always sharp, and An Yi couldn’t argue with him at all. His face turned red with frustration, and he feared he would burst into tears if he stayed any longer. He didn’t want to embarrass himself, so he picked up his phone and turned back to the bedroom.

Yan Chen yelled loudly at the dining table, “Come over and eat!”

An Yi pretended not to hear, and simply closed the bedroom door.

An Yi protested by fasting for a day, but during a video call with An Ya, she noticed that his complexion was off. Afraid that his sister would worry, he reluctantly compromised once again with Yan Chen.

Yan Chen’s attitude towards him softened somewhat, but he still refused to talk to him or touch him.

An Yi thought to wait a few days for Yan Chen to cool down and then persuade him to let him out, but he didn’t expect that after only two or three days, Yan Chen would actually lower his head to him.

“Qi Wenxing invited us to go skiing together. Come with me, there’s a hot spring hotel over there, very comfortable.”

An Yi was in the middle of a video call with An Ya when Yan Chen suddenly came over, hugged him, and was unexpectedly gentle.

An Ya was squealing and covering her eyes on the other end of the video, but her thin face was full of smiles. She urged, “Go, go, ge, you’ve been losing weight lately. Go have fun with Yan Chen ge, I’ll be fine here.”

“But what about your meal…” An Yi hesitated, looking at An Ya.

“I’ve been on therapy these past few days, my mouth tastes like nothing, whatever you and the nurse make for me is the same,” An Ya smiled, “You can go play without worrying about our video calls, go have fun.”

Yan Chen took the opportunity to shake him lightly. “come on, come on.”

Caught between two sides, An Yi agreed.

The departure time was set for the next day. Jiang Hai drove to pick them up and then went back to the company.

They would stay in this ski resort for two nights.

Yan Chen said it was arranged by Qi Wenxing, but when they arrived at the hotel front desk, they saw Qin Muye.

And leaning in his arms, there was a young boy who didn’t mind the curious glances of others.

An Yi hesitated for a moment, subconsciously wanting to grab Yan Chen’s clothes to prevent any conflict with Qin Muye.

When Qin Muye saw him and Yan Chen, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. He immediately let go of the boy’s hand.

On the other hand, Yan Chen was calm and composed, as if he wasn’t the one who had been angry at An Yi for contacting Qin Muye privately a few days ago.

Qin Muye looked slightly embarrassed as he glanced at An Yi, who lowered his head, wanting to stand behind Yan Chen.

However, Yan Chen raised his hand and put it on An Yi’s shoulder, firmly pulling him into his embrace.

Yan Chen casually tilted his head towards Qin Muye and said to the front desk, “I want the room next to his.”

^[1]Author’s note:

Yan Chen’s suicidal madness reached 40%