The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

62

Chapter 62
By that evening, Ji Ruan's lips were swollen.
Gu Xiuyi's restraint was the only reason they weren't bruised.
Consequently, Ji Ruan had to take a detour when he got up the next morning.
He certainly didn't want to be caught by Gu Xiuyi for another affectionate encounter, only to be cornered at school later by Han Xiaolin and his roommates, interrogating him about sneaking off to eat spicy snail noodles without inviting them.
Ji Ruan carefully cracked the door open, peeked out, and upon confirming that the hallway was devoid of Gu Xiuyi's presence, donned a mask and tiptoed away stealthily.
But as he turned the corner, he suddenly collided with what felt like a wall of muscle. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with Gu Xiuyi himself, causing Ji Ruan to clutch his chest and stagger back in shock.
Quickly, Gu Xiuyi steadied Ji Ruan, pressing a hand to his chest, "Are you feeling alright?"
Ji Ruan stuttered, "N-no, I'm fine."
With a grave expression, Gu Xiuyi yanked down Ji Ruan's mask, his palm firmly against Ji Ruan's chest, "Tell me the truth. Are you having heart trouble?"
Ji Ruan was puzzled by Gu Xiuyi's unexpected anxiety that morning. Sure, his heart was racing, but that was due to the surprise. Wasn't it normal to have a faster heartbeat in such situations?
"I'm truly fine..." Pushing Gu Xiuyi's hand away, he reassured, "I don't have any heart conditions."
With furrowed brows, Gu Xiuyi remained solemn, pausing for a moment before simply saying, "Let's head downstairs."
As they descended the staircase, Gu Xiuyi handed Ji Ruan his mask, questioning, "If you're feeling fine, why were you sneaking around so early in the morning?"
Ji Ruan retorted, "How was I being sneaky?"
"Wearing a mask, constantly looking around, ducking and dodging. At first glance, I thought you were some petty thief. Isn't that sneaky?"
"......"
Settling into a seat at the dining table, Ji Ruan admitted, "I was trying to avoid you."
Gu Xiuyi's hand, which was pouring water, paused momentarily, "Why would you want to avoid me?"
"I'm afraid you'll kiss me again!"
He blurted out, then shyly turned his head away.
A smile slowly formed on Gu Xiuyi's face as he sat down beside him. "I thought I was your official boyfriend and lawful partner now. Isn't kissing an acceptable form of intimacy between us?"
"Well, yes, that's true," Ji Ruan hesitated, "...but the way you kiss isn't okay."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's too intense!" Ji Ruan pointed at his lips, "Look, they're swollen! It's as if you sucked the life out of them! What are your lips made of? Even a straw doesn't suck as hard as you do."
Trying to hold back his laughter, Gu Xiuyi cupped Ji Ruan's face, "Really? Let me see."
Ji Ruan stretched his neck, "Look here, it's burning, like I've eaten spicy crawfish."
Gu Xiuyi observed Ji Ruan's pouting lips. They were indeed a bit swollen, shining with a rosy hue.
So, he leaned down and pressed a gentle peck on them.
Smooch!
"They're not swollen, they're beautiful."
Clearly being facetious, Ji Ruan rolled his eyes dramatically.
Aunt Zhao, holding breakfast dishes, caught the scene and commented, "Oh my, what are you two up to? Starting the morning with such sweetness, huh?"
Ji Ruan shot Gu Xiuyi a fierce glare and lowered his head to eat, but Gu Xiuyi stopped him, "Wait."
"？"
Gu Xiuyi moved the plate towards himself and said to Aunt Zhao, "Could you please pour him a warm glass of water? He won't be having breakfast today."
"Huh?" Aunt Zhao was puzzled, but seeing that Gu Xiuyi had something planned, she didn't press further. After pouring the water, she inquired, "What's the matter?"
Ji Ruan, equally puzzled, asked, "Why can't I eat? I'm hungry."
"Sweetie," Gu Xiuyi coaxed while giving him water, "We're going to the hospital to have your heart checked. Can you keep your stomach empty for now?"
"..." Ji Ruan chuckled, "No, I wasn't exactly fine. You startled me this morning when you-"

"Ji Ruan." Gu Xiuyi set down the water glass, his hand resting heavily on Ji Ruan's shoulder, "Last night, you had palpitations. Don't you remember?"
Heaven knows how terrified he was when he saw Ji Ruan buried in blankets, dripping with sweat, clutching the front of his nightshirt. He almost whisked him away to the hospital right then.
However, Ji Ruan soon seemed to recover, looking relaxed. Apart from the sheen of sweat on his forehead, there was no sign of discomfort.
Gu Xiuyi hesitated for a long while but didn't wake him. Instead, he checked on him every hour. He was determined to take Ji Ruan for a medical check-up once daylight came.
Ji Ruan was taken aback.
He genuinely had no recollection.
Even though he'd been experiencing nightmares and palpitations recently, he'd slept well last night. He couldn't even recall having any dreams, let alone nightmares.
"Really?" Ji Ruan asked with a mix of belief and doubt, "You're not fooling me, are you?"
Gu Xiuyi: "Do you think I'd deceive you about something like this?"
His gaze was sharp, tinged with subtle concern.
True, Gu Xiuyi had always been concerned about Ji Ruan's health. He even wished more fervently than Ji Ruan himself for his everlasting health and youth.
"Alright..." Ji Ruan looked downcast, "Let's go check then."
Gu Xiuyi gently squeezed the back of his neck in comfort, "Don't worry, it's probably nothing. We're just getting it checked for peace of mind."
"Hmm..." Ji Ruan was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
It seemed he'd pieced something together. Tilting his head, he scrutinized Gu Xiuyi with cat-like narrowed eyes, "How did you know I had palpitations? We don't share a room."
Gu Xiuyi stiffened.
Meeting Ji Ruan's gaze, he slowly said, "I got up to use the restroom during the night and just happened to notice."
"Oh..." Ji Ruan replied with evident disbelief, "You have a bathroom in your own room. Why would you bother to come to mine in the middle of the night?"
Gu Xiuyi: "..."
Gu Xiuyi stood up to pack his things, "You should be thinking, 'Thank goodness he noticed. Otherwise, you would've suffered alone at night with no one aware. How pitiful.'"
Ji Ruan followed him towards the elevator, "Don't change the subject. You came to sneak a kiss, didn't you?"
Gu Xiuyi remained silent.
Ji Ruan clicked his tongue and shook his head, "I was wondering why my lips felt so swollen. Turns out someone-"
A distinct "smack!" echoed in the air.
Ambushed by CEO Gu once again!
Gu Xiuyi, that man who, when out of arguments, resorts to using his lips!
·
Everything at the hospital had been arranged efficiently. Ji Ruan went and completed all the check-ups in no time.
Gu Xiuyi was running around fetching reports, while he sat in the lounge nibbling on cookies.
"Click-"
The door slowly opened. Li Sui'an craned his neck, peeking through the gap, resembling a spy making a contact.
"Dr. Li?" Ji Ruan put down the cookie and wiped his hands, "Come in. Gu Xiuyi isn't here."
Only then did Li Sui'an exhale in relief. After closing the door, he sat down next to Ji Ruan, pointing and asking, "Here for a heart check-up?"
Ji Ruan nodded.
Li Sui'an looked alarmed, "He stressed you out to the point of a heart issue?!"
？？？
"What are you talking about, Dr. Li?" Ji Ruan looked genuinely shocked.
"..." Li Sui'an straightened his collar, regaining his composure, hesitantly inquiring, "Do you know about Bai Yue's situation?"
So that's what it was about.
Ji Ruan chuckled, "Indeed."