The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

18

Chapter 18
For Ji Ruan, opting out of the military training was indeed the right decision. He felt as if he was at odds with the sun, being drained of energy for the entire day after the orientation.
Of course, it might not be the sun's fault at all. Perhaps it was just his constitution, making him feel lightheaded for no apparent reason.
One particularly sunny afternoon, Ji Ruan woke up from a nap, feeling hungry and wanting a snack. Everything was fine until a beam of sunlight pierced through the tree branches outside the window, momentarily blinding him. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, and everything went dark.
This was followed by a profound dizziness.
Ji Ruan tried to grab the handrail but missed. Before tumbling down, his reflexes kicked in, and he clung to the railing, narrowly avoiding a tragic fall.
Still, he seemed to have slid down a few steps, with his tailbone painfully hitting the edge. As his vision returned, stars danced before his eyes, making everything blurry.
Auntie Zhao had taken half the day off, leaving him alone in the entire house.
Ji Ruan felt weak and couldn't stand. He clung to the railing as if it were a lifeline, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his heart pounding as though it would jump out of his throat. The discomfort made him feel nauseous.
It seemed like Gu Xiuyi had returned.
Fortunately, it was him.
As Ji Ruan lay immobilized on the stairs, someone was patting his face and calling his name. His nose brushed against that person's shirt, recognizing the familiar scent.
Feeling cold and dizzy, Ji Ruan instinctively leaned into the warmth.
Gu Xiuyi lifted him up. Ji Ruan, drained of strength and frightened, clung desperately to Gu Xiuyi's clothes.
By the time his vision cleared, he found himself lying on his bed, his face pressed against a stuffed bear's belly, having been fed almost a full glass of sugar water by Gu Xiuyi.
"You're alright now." Gu Xiuyi's palm was close to his ear, the warmth from his fingertips evident. "It was hypoglycemia."
Ji Ruan still felt a bit dizzy. Tilting his head back and squinting upwards, he could only make out Gu Xiuyi's sharp jawline, his collar noticeably askew.
"Thank you..." Ji Ruan whispered weakly, "I'm glad you came back."
Gu Xiuyi pulled the chair from the desk to the bedside and sat. "Are you very hungry?"
Ji Ruan's eyelashes fluttered, his fingers nervously gripping the bear's belly. His voice was faint, "Almost fainted from hunger..."
Gu Xiuyi: "..."
Ordering delivery now would take too long. Seeing Ji Ruan's pale cheeks and the beads of sweat on his forehead, Gu Xiuyi momentarily blanked.
With a mix of pity and genuine concern, he decided to take the matter into his own hands-literally. He went downstairs to cook noodles.
It was his first time cooking.
Ten minutes later, Ji Ruan obediently sat at the dining table.
Before him was a bowl of plain noodles that looked surprisingly decent- at least the broth and the noodles were separate, and nothing was burnt or clumped together.
Under Gu Xiuyi's calm gaze, Ji Ruan carefully took a bite.
"......"
The taste was... odd.
Hesitating only for a moment, he swallowed.
"......"
It was genuinely awful.
He couldn't pinpoint what made it taste bad, but it was incredibly unpalatable.
It seemed as if the ingredients came from an extraterrestrial cuisine, certainly not suited for an Earthling's palate.
Ji Ruan's lips twitched, and he glanced up at Gu Xiuyi.
The man sat opposite him, unfazed. For a moment, Ji Ruan couldn't gauge Gu Xiuyi's opinion of his cooking.
However, considering it was Ji Ruan's first time cooking, he decided to give it another go. He picked up another piece with his chopsticks, attempting to be polite and bring it to his mouth, but he lacked the courage to actually take a bite.
After a moment, Ji Ruan gently placed his chopsticks down and looked apologetically at Gu Xiuyi:
"I'm sorry."
"......"

The air grew still for a few seconds.
There was no discernible crack in Gu Xiuyi's expression: "It's alright."
He slid the bowl of noodles away from Ji Ruan's sight, placing it to the side, and remarked in a purely rational and objective tone, "If it doesn't taste right, don't eat it. Best to avoid upsetting your stomach."
The bowl of noodles cooled off by itself in a corner of the marble table. Gu Xiuyi must have realized his cooking skills left much to be desired.
He didn't even want to taste it himself.
In the end, Aunt Zhao, who had returned from her break just in time, prepared a bowl of plain noodles for each of them - a large bowl for Gu Xiuyi and a smaller one for Ji Ruan.
Despite being seasoned with the same soy sauce and vinegar, Aunt Zhao's dish tasted magical. Every bite was so delicious it felt heavenly, and Ji Ruan finished even the soup.
Later in the evening, before heading to bed after a shower, Ji Ruan was visited by Gu Xiuyi. He wasn't in his pajamas but had changed into a suit.
Ji Ruan looked Gu Xiuyi up and down, hesitatingly asking, "What's this about?"
"I have to step out on an errand." Gu Xiuyi's main focus was elsewhere as he handed Ji Ruan an item, "Here."
Unexpectedly, Ji Ruan found himself holding a fairly large glass jar, quite hefty, filled to the brim with candies and chocolates.
Ji Ruan looked up, puzzled: "?"
Having just taken a shower, his cheeks were flushed, and he wore a nightgown with a notably wide neckline, even his collarbone appeared tinged with pink.
Gu Xiuyi pursed his lips, "Eat these if you ever feel dizzy."
Ji Ruan paused, only to realize that the candies and chocolates in the jar were wrapped in serrated wrappers that didn't require tearing. Indeed, someone with low blood sugar might struggle to open them.
Ji Ruan exclaimed with joy, "Thank you! I'll savor them."
Candies are great, definitely a better option than having Gu Xiuyi cook noodles again.
Gu Xiuyi tapped on the candy jar, "But no eating them before bed. They're bad for your teeth."
"Understood," Ji Ruan shook the jar, a thought striking him, "Do you have cherry-flavored ones?"
While fruit candies are common in the market, cherry-flavored ones are notably rarer.
Gu Xiuyi paused noticeably, "Probably not. You like them?"
A smile spread across Ji Ruan's face, the light reflecting off the glass jar added a sparkle to his eyes, enhancing the beauty of his grin, "I was just wondering."
Perhaps it was the soft amber light in Ji Ruan's room, but in that moment, Gu Xiuyi's demeanor seemed much gentler, "Hmm."
A phone rang, and as Gu Xiuyi answered it, he motioned to Ji Ruan with a nod, "I'll be going. Rest up."
"Alright, take care," Ji Ruan waved with a smile.
As Gu Xiuyi descended the stairs, he suddenly noticed light at his feet.
The lights in the living room and corridor were off. Looking back, the warm glow from Ji Ruan's room spilled out, cascading like a milky way, stretching in front of him.
Ji Ruan stood at his door, holding the candy jar, mirroring the warmth of the light with his radiant smile.
"Boss, boss...?"
A voice from the receiver snapped Gu Xiuyi back to attention.
"What happened?"
"... Nothing, continue."
Turning around, Gu Xiuyi departed, treading on the starry path the young one left for him, moving away from home.
·
On the second night of his business trip, Gu Xiuyi received the first message that Ji Ruan had ever initiated to him.
[Image.jpg]
Gu Xiuyi clicked to view. It was a vividly crimson candy wrapper, neatly spread out on a desk.
[There's really a cherry-flavored one.]
[Thought it was strawberry at first. Only realized it was cherry after tasting. A bit tart, but sweet. Delicious.]
[But it's the only one, so I'm just showing you the wrapper~]

The flurry of messages left Gu Xiuyi slightly dazed. It was as if he could taste the sweetness without even having the candy.
Ji Ruan only showed him the wrapper, but he looked at it several times.
He then went to edit the contact name, hesitated for a moment, and replaced Ji Ruan's name with the cherry emoji that came with the keyboard.
"...Mr. Gu?"
An employee, standing at the projection screen, held his pen nervously, "Did... did I do something wrong with my presentation? Why are you smiling?"
Gu Xiuyi suppressed his laughter, took a closer look at the PPT and said, "Your proposal is good. Continue leading this."
This was the first time the employee had been praised since joining the company. Overwhelmed, he clutched his ID badge, "Thank you, boss! I'll do my best!"
After finishing his milk, Ji Ruan saw Gu Xiuyi's reply.
[I saw it.]
Three words, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Ji Ruan, not surprised by the stoic response, pursed his lips and started streaming a drama on his iPad.
·
Three days later, early morning at the airport.
Xiao Ya, dragging her suitcase and trailing behind Song Ling, looked exhausted, with dark circles almost reaching her chin.
"What on earth is up with the boss?!" She held up five fingers, "Five days! He finished almost half a month's work in just five days! I haven't slept in dozens of hours! Will the company compensate if I die from overwork?!"
Song Ling pretended to be serious, "Of course they will."
He quickly dodged her swing, grinning, "Just kidding, just kidding. If we finish early, we get to take a break earlier, right? It's called efficiency."
"Efficiency my foot!" Xiao Ya lost all semblance of composure. Worried that Gu Xiuyi ahead might hear, she lowered her voice, "We still have meetings when we get back!"
"Only one left," Song Ling raised an eyebrow, "After that, it's vacation time. Plus, there's a bonus. The boss is being pretty generous, right?"
Xiao Ya huffed, "Do I look like someone who'd bow down for some rice?... How much are we talking?"
Song Ling smacked his lips, "Whatever it is, you'll definitely be satisfied."
Xiao Ya seemed to regain her composure at the mention of money. She glanced at Gu Xiuyi's upright figure ahead and sighed, "How is he not tired? Who gets more spirited the more they travel?"
Song Ling smiled mysteriously, "Exactly. Maybe he has some motivation to come back earlier."
Xiao Ya seemed a bit confused.
"Song Ling," Gu Xiuyi suddenly turned around, "Have someone move my luggage back to the villa. I'll start staying there from today."
Ji Ruan's health issues, while seemingly minor when taken individually, combined to make him as fragile as glass, prone to shattering at the slightest touch.
Aunt Zhao, after all, was getting older. Even if Ji Ruan was skinny, he's still a grown man. If he were to faint on the stairs again, she might not be able to handle it.
Gu Xiuyi can't always be conveniently there at the right time. Moving back is the wisest choice.
"Understood," Song Ling immediately replied, "I'll have it sorted by dinner."
Gu Xiuyi nodded in satisfaction, "Order a few more sets of bed sheets and covers for me. The bed size at home is different from the apartment."
"Alright." Song Ling took note.
"Also," Gu Xiuyi emphasized, "Order some for Ji Ruan as well. I'm not sure about the size of his bed."
While noting it down, Song Ling said, "The dorm beds should be of a standard size. I'll check."
Gu Xiuyi suddenly halted.
Song Ling and Xiao Ya almost collided in surprise.
"What dormitory?" Gu Xiuyi's expression suddenly turned very serious.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Song Ling blinked rapidly, his tone becoming more respectful, "Ji Ruan should be moving into his university dormitory for the start of the term. He must be preparing these days."
Gu Xiuyi seemed rooted to the spot, his face expressionless, but the tension was palpable enough that Xiao Ya dared not approach.
He had completely forgotten.
Staying on-campus at Jing University was customary. He too had stayed in the dorm during his freshman year. But having graduated so long ago, he had overlooked this crucial detail!
Gu Xiuyi pinched the bridge of his nose tightly and then swiftly turned to leave.
Xiao Ya quickly reminded him, "Boss! The meeting..."
Without breaking his stride, Gu Xiuyi's icy voice echoed through the spacious hall, "Switch to online."

Author's Note:
Mr. Gu: Thinking of staying on-campus? That's audacious.
Ruan Ruan: ? Everyone does...