AMBTICBPIB Chapter 51

“Did I scare you?” Jiang Xu asked.

A couple of days ago, Chu Yi had seemed downcast and distracted in class. When Jiang Xu asked what was wrong, Chu Yi simply said he was fine. Knowing Chu Yi didn’t want to talk about it, Jiang Xu didn’t press the matter.

Since they had no afternoon classes today, Jiang Xu suggested they play basketball together. He figured the exhilaration of intense exercise would surely lift Chu Yi’s spirits.

But when Jiang Xu saw Chu Yi today, he immediately noticed the boy was in high spirits. The gloomy atmosphere of the past few days had completely vanished, as if he had resolved something of great importance.

Seeing Chu Yi’s good mood, Jiang Xu called out, “Let’s play basketball later!”

Although Chu Yi wasn’t particularly fond of sports, he loved basketball and hadn’t played in ages. He immediately agreed, “Sure!”

Hearing about basketball, several other boys chimed in, “We’ll join too!”

The group quickly packed up their textbooks and headed to the basketball court.

The classroom wasn’t far from the court. By the time Chu Yi and Jiang Xu had finished packing their bags, the other boys had already left the building.

Jiang Xu chuckled, “They’re too eager!” He figured it was because everyone had been cooped up during the cold weather and now that it was warming up, they were eager to get some exercise.

Walking down the hallway, Chu Yi suddenly frowned, feeling a discomfort in his stomach. The cause? The smell of grilled sausage.

A classmate was walking toward him, eating a grilled sausage.

The school’s grilled sausages were one of Chu Yi’s favorite snacks.

Whenever he went to the cafeteria for lunch, he would usually buy one.

The scent now was exactly like the grilled sausages he used to enjoy, but this time, it made him feel nauseous, as if his stomach had suddenly cramped up.

To make matters worse, the classmate fumbled the bamboo skewer, causing the sausage to roll off and land on Chu Yi’s shoe, leaving a greasy stain on the clean surface.

The classmate froze, then quickly apologized, “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

She noticed the large stain on the boy’s white shoe and the dark, almost menacing look on his face.

Then Jiang Xu saw Chu Yi dash into the restroom.

Chu Yi vomited violently until there was nothing left to expel, yet the nausea persisted.

Jiang Xu, worried, followed him in. “Are you okay? Did you eat something bad?” The scene was alarming. Chu Yi had been with him the whole time and hadn’t eaten anything else.

Chu Yi washed his face. “Just feeling a little unwell. I’m fine now.”

After Chu Yi dried his face, Jiang Xu glanced at him. “Your complexion looks a bit pale.”

Chu Yi shrugged it off. “Probably just from washing my face. I’ll be fine in a bit.”

Chu Yi had originally planned to play basketball with Jiang Xu and the others, but after vomiting in the bathroom, he felt weak and drained. Noticing his poor complexion, Jiang Xu insisted he sit on the steps and rest.

“Just sit here and watch us play. You can join in when you feel better.”

As Jiang Xu and the others played, the sunlight warming his skin made Chu Yi feel drowsy. Suddenly, he snapped awake, realizing something was off. He’d been feeling unusually unwell lately. Could he really be sick?

Chu Yi pulled out his phone and typed in his symptoms. After scrolling through the results for a while, he quietly put the phone down. According to the search results, his symptoms were extremely serious, suggesting he only had a few days left to live. Chu Yi covered his face. *I really shouldn’t trust everything I read online,* he thought. *Even a mosquito bite gets diagnosed as the worst-case scenario.*

He clicked through several more articles, but they all offered similar, unsubstantiated claims.

Just as he was about to close the app, he stumbled upon an even more absurd answer. He clicked to read it and saw the suggestion: “It’s highly likely you’re pregnant.”

Chu Yi burst out laughing, put away his phone, and thought, *This is why you can’t trust anything online—what nonsense is this?*

He decided to ask Dr. Meng about it when he came to the villa in the next few days.

Still, Chu Yi felt fine. He wondered if his tendency to cry easily had somehow made him less prone to illness. He’d barely been sick his entire life, so it probably wasn’t that.

Perhaps it was the power of self-reassurance, but Chu Yi suddenly felt better. The nausea vanished, and his energy returned.

Watching his classmates play basketball, Chu Yi’s hands itched to join in. But Jiang Xu, who had come over to rest, firmly pressed him down. “You stay put and rest properly.”

Even though Chu Yi insisted he was fine, Jiang Xu still thought it best to keep him off the court. So they sat together on the steps, watching the game.

Well, Chu Yi had missed out on playing basketball with his classmates due to the sudden discomfort, but watching the game with Jiang Xu by his side was still quite enjoyable.

Jiang Xu and Zhou Huaixiao had probably arranged to go out later, as Chu Yi saw Zhou Huaixiao approaching.

Zhou Huaixiao naturally sat down next to Jiang Xu and handed a yogurt to both Jiang Xu and Chu Yi.

“Thank you,” Chu Yi said. Jiang Xu’s boyfriend was really thoughtful; whenever he brought snacks for Jiang Xu, he always made sure to bring some for Chu Yi too.

Chu Yi quickly finished his yogurt.

After parting ways at the basketball court, Jiang Xu and Zhou Huaixiao went out to eat, while Chu Yi headed home.

As he arrived, Chu Yi ran into Dr. Meng. Today was Shen Jin’s acupuncture appointment.

Unbeknownst to Chu Yi, Shen Jin had deliberately waited for Chu Yi to return before starting the session, to avoid any misunderstandings like last time.

Seeing Dr. Meng, Chu Yi felt a little embarrassed, his conscience pricking him.

He became unusually enthusiastic, offering Dr. Meng drinks, fruit, and plenty of snacks. This made Dr. Meng a bit puzzled, but Shen Jin understood perfectly, smiling indulgently.

Knowing the purpose of Dr. Meng’s visit, Chu Yi whispered to Shen Jin, “Can I stay with you during the session?”

Then, he added softly, “I’m not jealous, I just want to be with you. Is that okay?” He simply wanted to be by Shen Jin’s side, hoping he might even be able to help.

Shen Jin smiled. “Of course.”

Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, he added, “It would be even better if you were jealous.”

Chu Yi: “I’m really not jealous, I swear.” Especially after learning that Dr. Meng had a wonderful girlfriend, he felt even more guilty.

Shen Jin suddenly chuckled, and Chu Yi realized he had been teasing him all along.

Seeing Chu Yi standing beside him, Shen Jin didn’t ask him to leave. Dr. Meng understood that Chu Yi already knew about Shen Jin’s condition and proceeded with his usual preparations, sterilizing the silver needles.

When Chu Yi saw the long, slender silver needles in Dr. Meng’s hand, his heart clenched. They looked so sharp and painful.

Previously, Dr. Meng had found Shen Jin’s gaze unnerving, but now Chu Yi’s stare made him even more nervous. Ever since he had taken out the needles, Chu Yi had been fixated on his hands.

As the long needles pierced Shen Jin’s skin, Chu Yi’s brow furrowed deeply, and his heart raced. It felt as if the needles were piercing his own body. The needles were truly long.

Shen Jin had a remarkably fit physique, but at that moment, Chu Yi’s entire focus was on the needles.

One by one, the long needles were inserted into Shen Jin’s acupuncture points. Shen Jin showed no reaction whatsoever. Chu Yi leaned close and whispered, “Does it hurt?”

Shen Jin smiled. “Not at all.” Chu Yi had forgotten again that Shen Jin felt no pain.

Chu Yi stared at the dense array of needles piercing Shen Jin’s body. He reached out and took Shen Jin’s hand, which Shen Jin immediately gripped in return. Chu Yi smiled sheepishly.

“Did I scare you?” Shen Jin asked. He must look quite frightening like this, which was why he hadn’t wanted Chu Yi to see him. “Why don’t you go play outside? You can come back when I’m done.”

Chu Yi shook his head. “No, I just want to hold your hand.”

Seeing Shen Jin’s accustomed demeanor, Chu Yi felt a pang of inexplicable heartache.

As Dr. Meng continued inserting needles, Chu Yi’s eyes reddened slightly. “If you could feel the pain, you wouldn’t need so many needles in the future.”

When Dr. Meng inserted a needle into a particular acupoint, Shen Jin’s brow furrowed slightly. A faint, itchy-numb sensation radiated from the spot, more pronounced than before.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the fundamental diagnostic methods are observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Dr. Meng had been closely observing Shen Jin’s expression and immediately noticed the subtle change.

Dr. Meng twisted the needle. “Mr. Shen, do you feel anything?”

“Yes,” Shen Jin replied. “It’s more pronounced than before.”

Dr. Meng nodded, then glanced sideways to see Chu Yi’s eyes suddenly shining with excitement, even more thrilled than he and Shen Jin were.

After knowing Shen Jin for so long, it was finally heartwarming to see someone genuinely caring for him.

Throughout the acupuncture session, Chu Yi stayed by Shen Jin’s side, chatting with him.

Shen Jin wasn’t one for idle chatter, and Dr. Meng certainly wouldn’t dare strike up a conversation with him, knowing how much Shen Jin valued his peace and quiet. During acupuncture sessions, both men remained silent.

But now, with Chu Yi present and his constant chatter filling the room, Dr. Meng felt the atmosphere had shifted dramatically—lighter, more buoyant.

Chu Yi sat beside Shen Jin, chatting about school, discussing what to have for dinner—trivial matters that filled the room with warmth and the vitality of everyday life. Time seemed to fly by unnoticed.

After more than an hour, all the needles were removed from Shen Jin’s body. Chu Yi leaned in close, examining Shen Jin’s skin meticulously.

Despite the numerous needles that had been inserted, there wasn’t a single mark left behind—no visible needle pricks.

He was so close he was practically pressed against Shen Jin, his warm breath ghosting across Shen Jin’s skin.

Shen Jin chuckled. “Can I get dressed now?”

If Chu Yi hadn’t witnessed it himself, he would never have imagined that just moments ago, Shen Jin’s body had been covered in silver needles.

Today’s acupuncture session had been remarkably effective. Dr. Meng was overjoyed. He had previously estimated it would take several years for Shen Jin to recover significantly, but now it seemed the process might be much faster.

After Dr. Meng left, Chu Yi suddenly remembered he had forgotten to ask him to check his own health.