When saying this, Fu Yuhan seemed to remember something, his gaze distant, as if looking at somewhere far away.
The bit of fluorescent light from the 24-hour convenience store outlined his profile—whether it was his high nose bridge or the lines of his lips, everything was beautiful, including the fleeting melancholy in his eyes.
Wen Yu stared at him for a long while.
With the little girl beside them, Wen Yu didn’t want to cause trouble for Fu Yuhan and didn’t dare make any bold moves. After thinking it over, he reached out and pinched the other’s fingertips.
Fu Yuhan’s fingertips hanging at his side were always slightly cool.
Startled, the light in his eyes shifted gently as his gaze swept over coldly—
Then it carried a hint of a smile, as if telling Wen Yu not to worry.
“Anyway, you’re overthinking it.” Fu Yuhan didn’t want to discuss those moldy old matters with the little girl, so he lowered his head and ruffled her hair, “Let me take you back to the hospital first, okay?”
Qin Xiaolu shook her head and shrank back.
“Even if you don’t want treatment anymore, you still need to go back to the hospital first. Your parents will worry if they find out.” Fu Yuhan thought for a moment, “How about this—I’ll take you back, and then I’ll talk to Uncle Qin. We can discuss whatever needs to be discussed, okay?”
“Mom won’t agree… she even scolded me when she came to the hospital yesterday…” Qin Xiaolu was very dejected.
“Don’t be afraid,” he paused, “big brother is here.”
His hand rested on the little girl’s head, his back straight like a pine tree, his gaze lowered, his long, dense eyelashes casting calm shadows.
There was a strength in the quiet, as if as long as he was there, everything would be fine.
Wen Yu smiled silently.
His boyfriend was probably someone important, the kind who could shield others from wind and rain.
Fu Yuhan wasn’t walking very conveniently right now, and the little girl wasn’t in good health either. Wen Yu thought for a moment, patted Fu Yuhan, and asked quietly: “Should I go call a car first? It’ll probably take a while to get one at this hour.”
“Good.” Fu Yuhan glanced at him.
After he left, Fu Yuhan bent down again and gently comforted Qin Xiaolu.
The little girl was just confused and resistant, not that hard to persuade. From her, Fu Yuhan learned many things he hadn’t known much about.
For instance, to avoid disturbing Fu Yuhan’s senior year studies, the good-tempered Uncle Qin had fought with He Yan, and in the end, Uncle Qin gave up a part-time job just to have more time to accompany them at the hospital.
For instance, Qin Xiaolu’s condition wasn’t optimistic. He Yan had broken down crying at the hospital multiple times, and on the doctor’s recommendation, Uncle Qin had sent her to psychiatry.
Originally, after treatment, He Yan’s condition had improved somewhat, but yesterday, when Qin Xiaolu tentatively suggested “could I go home,” He Yan lost control again.
She didn’t dare scold Qin Xiaolu, afraid of stimulating her daughter’s heart, so instead she smashed quite a few things in the hospital room.
For the little girl, that version of her mother was very frightening—
“It’s okay,” Fu Yuhan rubbed her head, “if she scolds you again, big brother will scold her for you. I’ll try to come see you after school from now on—let’s go back first, okay?”
“Then you have to help me talk to Dad.”
“Okay.”
So Qin Xiaolu looked at him with her big eyes and nodded.
–
When the two brought Qin Xiaolu back to the hospital, the quiet late-night inpatient department was filled with scattered, chaotic, and hurried footsteps. Some people were making quiet phone calls, some were quietly sobbing, and everyone’s expressions looked bad.
Fortunately, a nurse soon spotted the little girl hiding behind Fu Yuhan.
The nurses who needed to come forward came forward, and those who needed to call people went to call people—
Qin Xiaolu had secretly escaped in the dead of night. When she left, only half the lights in the corridor were on, and there was only one drowsy duty nurse at the nurses’ station. Having never seen such a big commotion, her already anxious emotions were so frightened that she immediately began breathing rapidly.
Now the nurses couldn’t be bothered with blame—respirators and everything were brought out.
After a period of chaos, the little girl finally stabilized.
Fu Yuhan maintained his composure and didn’t let Wen Yu carry him, walking to the bedside on his own and sitting down, gently holding Qin Xiaolu’s hand.
The little girl had been frail since childhood and hadn’t been outside much. She was both timid and kind-hearted, and seeing that her willfulness had caused many people to work overtime late at night, she became afraid out of guilt.
It was quite understandable, Fu Yuhan thought. Uncle Qin was taciturn and didn’t talk much, so He Yan mostly managed things at home. With such a domineering mother, it was normal for the little girl to be timid. His lucky point was that He Yan hadn’t been so crazy back then—
“What are you thinking about?” Wen Yu looked at him, his hand naturally moving to the back of Fu Yuhan’s neck.
In the past, when he touched like this, he always had to hide it within other actions, ambiguously brushing against him. Now he could do it openly.
And Fu Yuhan wouldn’t dodge.
“Nothing.” Fu Yuhan shook his head, turned to glance at him, curved a shallow smile, and mouthed words at an angle where Qin Xiaolu couldn’t see: “We’ll talk when we get back.”
Wen Yu liked this kind of intimacy.
Unfortunately, the intimate time was too short. Before long, Old Qin came rushing in from outside.
“Xiaolu—Xiao Han?” There were other people in the room, so he didn’t dare speak too loudly. When he came in, there was still a layer of sweat on his forehead, “Why are you here?”
“Xiaolu came to find me.” His cold eyes swept over, saying softly, “Don’t worry, Xiao Lu is fine.”
“This child! Why did she have to cause such a scene? I had already gone home to sleep, then got a call from the hospital and rushed back,” Uncle Qin suppressed his anger, “couldn’t find her anywhere, just went with the hospital’s logistics department to check the surveillance, and was about to call the police!”
Qin Xiaolu shrank into her blanket.
“It’s okay.” Fu Yuhan patted her and stood up, “Uncle, let’s go out and chat, let Xiaolu sleep first.”
“Alright.”
Fu Yuhan walked out slowly.
Although his posture was extremely dignified, his speed was really too slow, making it obvious at a glance that he was uncomfortable. Uncle Qin looked back and saw Fu Yuhan walking out with the support of another tall young man, asking suspiciously: “What happened to your leg?”
“Nothing,” Fu Yuhan said, “got scratched by a dog during the day.”
Wen Yu: “…”
This person was still holding a grudge about that “got hit by a pig” comment?
Really petty.
“A dog?” Uncle Qin frowned, “Did you get vaccinated?”
“It’s fine, a domestic dog, very safe.” Fu Yuhan brushed past this topic, “Let’s talk about Xiao Lu instead. Xiao Lu told me… she’s a bit worried about you all, feels like she’s dragging down the family, and ran away because she doesn’t want to continue treatment.”
Uncle Qin’s expression immediately became grave.
“Uncle, please be honest with me,” Fu Yuhan said, “what exactly is Mom’s illness?”
Uncle Qin’s gaze flickered and moved to Wen Yu: “This is…?”
“Hello uncle, I’m Fu Yuhan’s classmate, Wen Yu.” The prepared explanation actually didn’t go to waste. Wen Yu straightened up and put on his fake politeness, smiling and nodding, “Recently Fu Yuhan often comes to my house to study. When it gets too late, he sleeps at my place.”
Uncle Qin: “Thank you for the trouble.”
“No trouble.” Wen Yu shook his head, looking like a proper good student.
Fu Yuhan couldn’t stand his pretense and interrupted Uncle Qin’s pleasantries: “Just tell me directly, uncle. My relationship with him is very good. Besides, with Mom being like that, are we still concerned about ‘not airing dirty laundry’?”
He Yan had gone crazy at Third High before too.
“It’s okay,” Wen Yu voluntarily stepped back, “I’ll go in and check on Xiao Lu.”
After he went in, Fu Yuhan looked at Uncle Qin’s face again. The other’s complexion was ashen, his lips mumbling for a moment before finally sighing: “…Bipolar disorder.”
“Mm,” Fu Yuhan said, “no wonder.”
The situation was dire—
He Yan was sick and needed treatment, which cost money; Qin Xiaolu had shown no improvement and was barely kept alive by spending money; Old Qin didn’t want to delay Fu Yuhan’s studies, so he worked two or three jobs while also having to accompany them at the hospital.
Fu Yuhan glanced at Uncle Qin’s temples, where there were already traces of gray.
He was clearly only in his forties.
The defeated middle-aged man leaned against the wall, sighing long and powerlessly. Fu Yuhan thought for a while and asked curiously: “If money really isn’t enough… why don’t you sell the house?”
“Your mom doesn’t agree, and I don’t want to either.”
“So why?”
Old Qin lifted his eyelids and looked at Fu Yuhan with a sorrowful expression: “Xiao Han, do you really not understand?”
“Mm?”
“That house… the down payment was made with the compensation your mom got from the divorce. Later, when paying the mortgage, when money was tight, we also used money your dad gave; no matter what, it has your share too.” Uncle Qin said, “We can’t sell the house to treat Xiaolu’s illness. That wouldn’t be fair to you.”
Fu Yuhan blinked.
Honestly, he was somewhat surprised by this answer.
Maybe a few years earlier, when he still had some expectations for He Yan, hearing this would have been more touching.
But now, these words were like a box of expired candy—he knew it was sweet, but really couldn’t taste it.
“Uncle.” He thought for a long while, “I’m working part-time on weekends now, so supporting my living expenses isn’t a big problem. If I can get into a good school and save on tuition, maybe I can even earn the tuition during summer vacation. I don’t care about… the house at home.”
To him, that place didn’t give him as much sense of belonging as Wen Yu’s small room.
The place you want to return to is called home; everything else is just external possessions—
“You don’t care because you’re still young and don’t know the value of money. Young people are always a bit idealistic, I understand.” Uncle Qin sighed wearily, “Besides, Xiao Han, you can not care, but we can’t act recklessly.”
“Xiao Lu doesn’t even want treatment anymore. I can’t just watch her wait to die. That house has appreciated quite a bit these years, right? Selling it for some money… didn’t you say you were planning to take her to see the big hospitals in the capital? There are places to spend money everywhere.” Fu Yuhan lowered his eyes, his face showing no emotion, “Uncle, I’m already an adult, I’m a man; no matter what, Xiao Lu is my sister.”
He was no longer that timid little boy.
In storms and sudden rain, he had his own umbrella; better to share a coat with that little girl who was looking at him eagerly.
“Xiao Han…”
“You can discuss this with Mom,” Fu Yuhan thought and said, “Don’t scold Xiao Lu for running out today. She was scared enough, and she did this because she was worried about you all… I’ll come see her again tomorrow after school. I’ll go back for today.”
“Go home?” Old Qin looked up, “I’m going the same way, should I give you a ride?”
“No need, I’m staying at Wen Yu’s place. It’s close to school, and I have classes tomorrow. Let me go say goodbye to Xiao Lu.” After saying this, he slowly walked back into the hospital room.
Fu Yuhan promised Qin Xiaolu he would come see her tomorrow afternoon, said goodbye to the dejected Uncle Qin, slowly left the hospital, and went downstairs to get a taxi.
After all this running around, by the time they returned to that warm home, it was already 4:45 AM.
Wen Yu put Fu Yuhan down and immediately took off his outer clothes to take the shower he’d been putting off, saying as he walked: “I think your sister seems a bit smart.”
“Mm?” Fu Yuhan poured himself a glass of water.
Wen Yu pinched his voice and imitated the little girl’s tone: “She just asked me, ‘Big brother, are you my brother’s boyfriend?'”
“…Cough cough, cough cough cough,” Fu Yuhan choked on his water, “What?!”
“She said she saw us holding hands, and said boys don’t hold hands with boys, wondering if she’d seen too much.” Wen Yu laughed for a while, then suddenly sighed and asked before entering the bathroom: “Is there really no way to cure her illness?”
Such a cute little girl, it would be a pity if she just died like this.
“There’s no suitable organ, and heart transplant surgery is very expensive and not guaranteed to succeed… She didn’t develop properly in the womb, missing something in her organs.” Fu Yuhan was also in low spirits, “I was too young at the time and they wouldn’t tell me, so I only overheard bits and pieces… Besides, I don’t understand medical matters.”
“What did you just say to your uncle?”
“I told them to sell the house.” Fu Yuhan took a sip of water and slowly moved toward the bathroom with the door open.
Wen Yu had already taken off his clothes. He wasn’t as introverted as Fu Yuhan, and to talk to his boyfriend, he hadn’t even closed the bathroom door properly.
As soon as Fu Yuhan walked over, he got to appreciate his boyfriend’s naked muscles.
This person looked thin, but was quite well-built under his clothes. No wonder he had felt several times that his strength couldn’t compare—
“Sell the house?” Wen Yu glanced at him, “Does it look good?”
“Not bad, when did you work out?”
“Usually,” Wen Yu said, “the first thing I did after moving here was find a gym.”
Fu Yuhan watched while slowly taking a sip of water. Before he turned on the faucet, he said with a light sneer: “I figured they don’t have enough money, so they might as well sell the house. Maybe trying treatment somewhere else could lead to new methods. Anyway… to put it bluntly, they spend less time living at home than in the hospital.”
“Hey, Yu-ge,” his eyes flickered slightly, “if they sell the house, I’ll be homeless… will you take me in?”
Wen Yu pushed open the bathroom door, walked over in two steps and kissed him.
“Where I am is your home. What nonsense are you talking?”
Fu Yuhan smiled softly.
–
It was almost 5 o’clock when they lay back down on the bed.
When Fu Yuhan had light sleep, he would have been up at this time already, but today they were just going to bed. He was really exhausted. He thought for a moment, picked up his phone and set an alarm clock for the first time in a while, planning to sleep for an hour.
Wen Yu groped his way over, putting his arm across him, his nose tip lightly sniffing at his neck.
“You seemed upset when you mentioned your mom to Xiao Lu just now.” He said, “Can you tell me?”
Fu Yuhan was a bit sleepy. His neck tickled from the sniffing, and he laughed while pushing him away: “Uncle Qin just told me she has bipolar disorder.”
“Ah.”
“Do you find it strange why I’d rather stay with her than go to my dad’s place?”
“Because your dad’s house is too far from mine?” Wen Yu guessed.
Fu Yuhan punched him with his other hand.
“If it’s not, then it’s not. Why hit people?” Wen Yu muttered, “This is domestic violence. I can sue you, I’m telling you.”
“Then go ahead.”
“I’ll go tomorrow,” Wen Yu pecked his cheek, “and have you sentenced to lifelong imprisonment at my house.”
Fu Yuhan was amused by his anger.
After laughing for a while, he continued: “When their conflict was deep, Fu Xuecheng wouldn’t say a word to He Yan. Do you know that suffocating feeling? Only my mom’s voice in the house…”
Because he was tired, he closed his eyes as he spoke, as if telling a story from long ago that had nothing to do with him.
Cold violence.
The more emotionally agitated He Yan became, the more Fu Xuecheng ignored her and stayed away from home.
“Her personality had already changed a bit then, but at that time she wasn’t working and at least often kept me company.” Fu Yuhan said, hugging Wen Yu back and nuzzling his face against him, “Yu-ge, when you’re sick, do you prefer someone who gives you money to go to the hospital and then never cares about you again, or someone who sits by your bedside serving tea and water to take care of you but might scold and complain?”
“I’d definitely choose the hospital.” Wen Yu was very calm, “The hospital is more useful, isn’t it?”
Fu Yuhan chuckled softly and fell asleep leaning against him: “When I’m clear-headed I’d also choose the hospital, but when I’m actually sick, honestly, even if you give me money I can’t crawl to the hospital by myself.”
Illness makes people vulnerable, and a readily available hand is better.
Wen Yu kissed the skin at his neck and shoulder, saying softly: “When that time comes, I’ll accompany you to the hospital.”
“I know, I’m not talking about you…” Fu Yuhan said drowsily, “My dad never comes home, what’s the use of giving money…”
Money is certainly useful, you little fool.
Wen Yu looked at his sleeping face with mixed feelings, planted a light kiss on his forehead, and fell asleep too.
He had no standing to mock Fu Yuhan, Wen Yu thought.
Actually, he had also walked alone for a long time, just to find someone who could pull him out of his dead ends.
He really liked him.
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/007S8ZIlly1ghl04hyuxyj30hs0owwgu.jpg?resize=85,105 "The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]")
Toshy On AFMUH Ch 125