After returning from Shanghai, intentionally or unintentionally, Yi Zhe started avoiding Xu Tangcheng. It wasn't because of anything in particular, it was just that once he saw Xu Tangcheng, he would recall the question he was asked the other day. In the past, he had felt that no matter what happened, it was enough as long as he could stay quietly by Xu Tangcheng's side. But slowly, he realized that humans were greedy, including himself.
Grandma's illness was ultimately caused by having too much internal heat due to worrying and her body could not withstand the stress. Xu Tangcheng was very firm and reasonable when telling Grandma to drink more water and eat more fruits, but when it came to himself, he completely neglected it.
His own academic advisor was leading a project that ranked near the top and had picked a few high schools and companies to work with. The kick-off meeting was going to be held soon and they had invited many academics, specialists, as well as some project consultants. Naturally, Xu Tangcheng would be busy for a period of time too. Not only did he have to help his teacher prepare the slides and presentation video for the kick-off meeting, he also had to be the service crew together with the other people from the lab and help arrange the event hall and guide the guests. Arranging the seats for the specialists was something that needed a lot of attention, so much so that even the ever-meticulous Xu Tangcheng found it troublesome. There were rules on whether it was the left or the right side that was proper and respectful, the placement of the documents and the water had to meet the same standard, and there were also people nitpicking non-stop. Even when it was time to start the meeting, there were people going around and inspecting, making them unable to relax.
Perhaps because everyone was shaking in fear and the whole thing was really not easy; when the meeting was finally over, a senior dug into their own pocket and brought the group of juniors out for a meal together.
At that time, Xu Tangcheng sensed that he had toiled until his body was overly heaty. Hence, when ordering, he went along with everyone else and also got a bowl of cold fruit congee to reduce the heat.
Unexpectedly, this bowl of congee caused a huge problem.
The next day, Xu Tangcheng needed to hand a document to a teacher from the Faculty of Sciences between ten and half past ten but he was already feeling unwell when he woke up in the morning. When brushing his teeth, he'd only felt a little nauseous but the feeling intensified slowly and before he left, he had already gone to the bathroom twice to puke. However, Cheng Xu was not there and the campus medical center was in the opposite direction of the Faculty of Sciences. He thought he would first deliver the document, then go to the medical center himself. But after coming out of the teacher's office and walking down one floor, he crouched at the turning of the staircase, unable to move any further. He suppressed the nausea surging up unceasingly from his guts, planning to at least hold on until he reached the medical center, but the moment he tried to stand, the nausea was unbearable.
In the past, when he was in senior high, he had also once suffered a very serious acute gastroenteritis. Right now, he could more or less guess what was happening to him. He really couldn't move. Enduring the ill-feeling, he fumbled out his phone and opened his contact list.
His finger pressed the down key. He kept moving down the list, then finally stopped on a name.
More than an hour into the class, the air was no longer as fresh. At the lectern, the teacher was talking about coding. The phone suddenly vibrated, making the pages of the book tremble lightly.
Who knew what the phone's owner was thinking; even the teacher had stopped upon hearing this sound but still, no one accepted the call or stopped the noise. Zheng Yikun, who was sprawled on his desk and sleeping the whole time, nudged Yi Zhe with his elbow without even lifting his head.
Yi Zhe came back to himself and met the eyes of the teacher in front. He quickly picked up his phone. In this situation, he instinctively wanted to reject the call but when he saw the caller ID, his finger changed direction and without even thinking, he brought the phone up to his ear.
The one giving the lecture was the deputy faculty head that had always been very stern.
His coursemates in the front row turned around to look at him in shock.
In the quiet classroom, the person on the phone suddenly leaped up. Yi Zhe didn't have time to say anything to Zheng Yikun; he directly squeezed past him to rush outside. Zheng Yikun was pushed until his body straightened up, his mind still blurry, and before he could figure out what was going on, Yi Zhe had already forced him aside until he had no choice but to lean back as much as he could.
Yi Zhe stepped over Zheng Yikun's legs and reached the aisle. The teacher coughed, very obviously giving him a reminder.
Yi Zhe was already running towards the back door. When he heard this heavy cough, he turned back in a fluster and bowed to the teacher while walking backwards. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Teacher, I have something very urgent."
Before the teacher could respond, the rude and impetuous student had already charged out of the classroom.
Even for the physical ability assessment in the university entrance exams, Yi Zhe had not run so desperately.
Faculty of Sciences.
Faculty of Sciences, between the second and the third floors.
The turning in the staircase.
His vision was shaking violently. He hated that he could not run faster, faster.
At last, he reached the Faculty of Sciences and at last, he saw the person crouching on the ground, head buried in his knees. In that instant, Yi Zhe's legs seemed to weaken. He had to grip the railing on the staircase to propel himself to the person's side.
"Tangcheng-ge." He swallowed, his throat dry. He could tell that Xu Tangcheng was extremely unwell, so he was very careful and dared not touch him.
"I'll take you to the medical center."
Yi Zhe supported Xu Tangcheng's shoulder but one of Xu Tangcheng's hands held his wrist.
"Yi Zhe…"
He had heard Xu Tangcheng say his name numerous times but this was the first time those two words were shaking, trembling.
This trembling made him scared, so scared that he didn't know what he should do.
"I can't move," Xu Tangcheng said to him, very softly.
"Then I," he crouched down and tried his best to look at Xu Tangcheng's face, "I'll carry you."
It was like he finally found a road to take. Yi Zhe repeated, as though in affirmation, "I'll carry you, I'll carry you…"
His feet shifted. He turned his back to Xu Tangcheng, then pulled lightly on his arms, wanting to help him lean on his back. But who would have thought that the moment Xu Tangcheng moved behind him, he would start to retch violently. He hadn't had breakfast and had vomited a few times just now. No matter how he puked, there was nothing for him to puke out. Despite that, he still retched until his face was flushed and his body started to fall forward uncontrollably.
Yi Zhe quickly turned around and caught him. Xu Tangcheng gripped his arm, his entire weight practically falling onto Yi Zhe.
"Tangcheng-ge."
Pale fingers fisted his sleeve tightly. Numerous creases appeared on the black fabric.
"Tangcheng-ge, hold on. We'll go to the medical center."
Even though he had never experienced this kind of situation, common sense told him that things could not go on like this. Half supporting and half carrying, he moved Xu tangcheng onto his back. When he got up, unexpectedly, a drop of clear liquid fell onto the ground.
On a day when the north wind was howling, he was actually sweating.
After going down just two steps, Xu Tangcheng called out to him in a very weak voice. "Yi Zhe."
"Hmm?"
"I can't… I need to puke."
Yi Zhe tried his best to remain steady and not jolt the person on his back. But he was also anxious and wanted nothing more than to take him and fly to the hospital.
"If you need to puke, then puke."
He could feel that Xu Tangcheng was moving the whole time, arms wrapped around Yi Zhe's neck and body shifting restlessly like he was in great discomfort. Following that, Yi Zhe heard his voice—choked-up, probably from enduring. "I'll puke on you."
How could Yi Zhe bear to hear those words that sounded like the speaker was in tears?
Just this one line, and the tangled and knotted confusion he had carried for so long unravelled completely. All that stuff about "liking you" and "liking her" were no longer important. As long as he was safe and sound, healthy and happy, he could like anyone he wanted to.
He could do anything he wanted to, and he would stand guard beside him.
"If you need to puke, then puke. It's okay no matter how much you puke. Don't endure it."
In the end, they didn't go to the campus medical center because just the day before, Yi Zhe had listened to Zheng Yikun complain to him that the campus medical center could only treat colds and only prescribed one type of medicine—the traditional medicine Fangfeng Tongsheng Pill. The People's Hospital was also near the university. Carrying Xu Tangcheng on his back, Yi Zhe ran right out of the school and hailed a cab at the roadside. It was only now that he felt that University A was truly large, the road to the west gate so long it didn't seem to have an end. When they finally got into a cab, Xu Tangcheng was no longer retching so violently and was instead lying limply on his back, shifting and changing position repeatedly from discomfort.
Other than the time when Xu Tangcheng brought him to the hospital to have his injuries treated, Yi Zhe had never been to the hospital for any illness. It was only after they went in that he realised that he didn't know at all where he should carry Xu Tangcheng to. How to bring a person to see the doctor, where to go—he had no idea of these things. Due to this helpless state, his heart was frantic and anxious.
In the end, he hastily asked a doctor passing by and found out that he should go to the emergency department.
Carrying Xu Tangcheng on his back, he reached the large hall. He wanted to look for a doctor but didn't know where to go. In the emergency department, the sight that greeted his eyes was a multitudinous of ailing patients, and there were even many who bore bloodstains. Groans of pain and high-pitched voices weaved together, like a catalyst that set off a person's anxiety, making them lose control even more.
After some difficulty, Yi Zhe found a nurse and charged over in a hurry to stop her. Panting for breath, he asked, "My friend, keeps vomiting, he seems to be out of energy now."
On his back, Xu Tangcheng was no longer moving. Even the arms around his neck were hanging down limply. The nurse took a look, then led him to a room at a quick pace and had him put Xu Tangcheng down on a bed.
Yi Zhe did as he was told, then looked at Xu Tangcheng again. Other than when he'd opened his eyes to look at Yi Zhe when he was put down just now, he hadn't opened his eyes again. Yi Zhe bent down and heard the person on the bed groaning softly.
"Tangcheng-ge." Yi Zhe made his voice very soft. "Hold on a while more. The nurse has gone to call the doctor."
Xu Tangcheng's mouth twitched.
"Sorry?" Yi Zhe didn't hear him clearly. He shuffled closer and asked.
"Cold."
Yi Zhe immediately took off his outer garment and covered Xu Tangcheng with it.
The doctor arrived at that moment. Yi Zhe quickly made way for the doctor to check on Xu Tangcheng.
The doctor instructed the nurse on the required treatment. First an injection, then an intravenous drip. Throughout the whole process, Xu Tangcheng's body lay on the bed, close to unconsciousness. Other than answering the questions that the doctor had to repeat twice or thrice with the smallest nod or shake of his head, he didn't move at all.
"The patient's family should get him registered. Otherwise, I can't prescribe a treatment."
Yi Zhe followed the nurse's instruction to register. Before long, the nurse came in carrying a tray. At this time, the temporary ward was very quiet but the sound of metal equipment and glass knocking against each other made Xu Tangcheng open his eyes again.
Looking at him looking at himself, Yi Zhe understood. He lowered his head and put his ear close.
"No injection."
Yi Zhe heard him clearly, yet did not understand. "What?"
There was already the sound of an ampoule being broken.
"I don't want an injection."
This time, Yi Zhe was sure that he had not misheard. Without even asking why, he immediately rose and said to the nurse, "Nurse, he won't be taking the injection."
The pair of eyes above the medical mask glanced at him. "The medicine is already prepared, how can he not take the injection? His condition is characteristic of enterospasm. In his current state, he has to get an injection. Only after he gets an injection can he get a drip."
"He won't be taking the injection." Yi Zhe didn't understand medicine. All he knew was that Xu Tangcheng had said that he didn't want an injection and that even now, Xu Tangcheng was straining to open his eyes to look at him.
"Stop fussing. How old is he now and he's still afraid of injections? Just bear with it for a while and it'll be done, very quick." The nurse tapped the needle with a bent finger, then looked at Yi Zhe and tilted her head. "Pull down his pants a little and uncover his butt."
"No injections…"
Perhaps his determination not to get an injection was giving him strength, Xu Tangcheng's voice was surprisingly louder this time.
"He doesn't want it," Yi Zhe hurried to help him say again.
"You're already collapsing from dehydration, you need to take the injection. You'll be a lot more comfortable after the injection. The I.V. drip can't take care of your current state."
The nurse was very firm. After saying that, she looked at Yi Zhe who was frozen at the side. "Why are you still standing there, hurry up."
Yi Zhe looked at Xu Tangcheng's pale face and the way he couldn't even move the tips of his fingers. He steeled his heart and lowered his head close to Xu Tangcheng's face. "Tangcheng-ge, just bear with it for a while. The nurse said it's just one jab."
"No…"
Yi Zhe reached a hand under the down jacket and undid Xu Tangcheng's belt. Once the nurse noticed him moving, she tugged Xu Tangcheng's pants down a little behind him and disinfected the spot, her movements swift and smooth.
Xu Tangcheng could not move. Naturally, he did not even have the opportunity to resist. His physical condition was in such an extremely bad state, yet Yi Zhe still heard it—in the instant that the nurse's needle went in, Xu Tangcheng had cursed: "Fuck…"