Chapter 17 Listen to you

Jing Zhengxuan’s voice was soft when he uttered those three words, 

almost like a murmur—inaudible unless you listened closely.

But thanks to their height difference, Huai Xu’s ear happened to be right by Jing Zhengxuan’s mouth. 

Combined with his sharp hearing, Huai Xu caught every syllable.

“?”

Jing Zhengxuan snapped back to reality and denied it. 

“Nothing.”



Huai Xu tilted his head, studying him. 

He wanted to press further, but considering the injury on Jing Zhengxuan’s knee, 

he decided it could wait.



Like his meticulously organized room, 

Huai Xu approached everything methodically, 

always prioritizing tasks by urgency.



Right now, Jing Zhengxuan’s wound was the top priority. 

Everything else could be dealt with afterward.



The Jing family’s driver was already waiting at the entrance of Jindai Film Academy. 

When he saw Jing Zhengxuan being supported by Huai Xu, he rushed over to help them into the car.

As soon as they got in, Huai Xu instructed the driver to take them to the nearest hospital. 

Jing Zhengxuan, however, insisted it wasn’t necessary.



“This is nothing. You can just disinfect it for me.”



Huai Xu fixed him with an unamused stare, his gaze unwavering, 

but his hand moved toward the door handle as if ready to step out. 

“Are you sure?”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”




He grabbed Huai Xu’s wrist, his voice low. 

“I’ll listen to you.”


Only then did Huai Xu withdraw his hand from the door.


The driver, though confused by their argument, 

maintained his professionalism and drove straight to the hospital without another word.


In the emergency room, the doctor took one look at Jing Zhengxuan’s knee and remarked dryly, 

“If you’d come any later, this would’ve healed on its own.”



Huai Xu: “...”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”



Jing Zhengxuan tried to pull Huai Xu away, but failed.



Huai Xu shook him off and politely asked the doctor if they could run some tests.



He didn’t mention he was a medical student—

admitting that might’ve made the situation even more ridiculous.



The doctor glanced between them, considering. 

The ER wasn’t busy, but what kind of tests did a minor scrape need?



Adjusting his glasses, he raised an eyebrow. 

“Is this really necessary?”


Jing Zhengxuan stiffened at the gesture, finding it inexplicably irritating. 

He turned his face away and said coldly, 

“No.”



But Huai Xu insisted, 

“Absolutely necessary. Please order whatever tests you can—just to be safe.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”



The doctor eyed Huai Xu. 

“Should I prescribe a wheelchair too?”


“...”

Jing Zhengxuan shot him a frosty glare. “No.”


Huai Xu, however, overruled him again. 

“Yes, actually. That’s a great idea, Doctor. A wheelchair would make things much easier.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


Crossing his arms, he turned his head toward the wall and said flatly, 

“Do as he says.”


The doctor smirked, typed rapidly into the system, 

then slapped a stack of test orders on the counter. 

“Pay at the first-floor window.”


Huai Xu took the papers, organizing them by distance and priority—

he never wasted steps.


After paying, he helped Jing Zhengxuan into the wheelchair.


For a long moment, the two just stared at each other over the wheelchair. 

Finally, Jing Zhengxuan ventured, “I can walk.”


Huai Xu was firm. 

“No, you’re injured. You might be able to walk, but you shouldn’t. What if you tear the wound?”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


Huai Xu tilted his chin toward the wheelchair. 

“Didn’t you say you liked being taken care of by me? Today, you’ll get the full VIP experience.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


Passersby were staring, but Huai Xu remained unbothered. 

“What’s the hesitation? Don’t want me looking after you?”



Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


Defeated, he sat in the wheelchair and let Huai Xu push him around the hospital.


They started with wound disinfection, then headed to the lab.


In the elevator, a chatty auntie glanced at them and asked sympathetically, 

“So young, and already…?”



Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


Huai Xu quickly clarified, 

“Ah, no, Auntie, it’s not like that. He can walk—he just scraped his knee. We’re running tests to make sure it’s safe before he puts weight on it.”

Jing Zhengxuan: “...”



The auntie looked between Jing Zhengxuan’s stony silence and the tiny square of gauze on his knee,

at a loss for words. 

She just smiled awkwardly at Huai Xu.


Huai Xu smiled back and focused on the elevator panel.


With so many tests, similar encounters happened at least three more times.


Jing Zhengxuan went from scowling to covering his face in feigned sleep, 

his ears burning redder by the minute.

Was all this really necessary…?



Truthfully, Huai Xu hadn’t planned this initially. 

He just wanted the doctor to treat the wound. 

But when the ER physician quipped, 

“Any later and it would’ve healed,” 

a devious idea took root.


He cared about Jing Zhengxuan, so no matter how minor the injury, 

Huai Xu would take it seriously—maybe even *too* seriously. 

If Jing Zhengxuan enjoyed being pampered, 

why not give him an unforgettable dose of it?


Thus, Huai Xu wheeled him around the hospital for over an hour. 

By lunchtime, several tests were still pending.


Jing Zhengxuan repeatedly insisted he could walk—denied.


He offered to wheel himself—also denied.



Resigned, he kept his face hidden, though he couldn’t help worrying about Huai Xu—

his slender frame pushing the wheelchair for so long must’ve been exhausting.


Finally, checking his phone, Jing Zhengxuan ventured, 

“It’s time for lunch.”


Huai Xu looked down. 

“Hungry? Let’s eat first, then come back this afternoon.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”


After a pause, he asked cautiously, 

“We’re coming back?”

Huai Xu flipped through the test orders. 

“Of course. Several tests are scheduled for the afternoon. Might as well get everything done in one go.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “...”



He caught Huai Xu’s hand, hesitating before looking up. “Let’s skip the tests.”


Huai Xu gazed down at him—a rare angle. 

Usually, he had to tilt his head up to meet Jing Zhengxuan’s eyes.


“Will you take better care of yourself from now on?”



Without hesitation, Jing Zhengxuan said, 

“Yes.”



Huai Xu pretended to consider it, still wheeling him toward the exit. 

“Let’s eat first. I’ll think about it.”


“Mm.” 

Jing Zhengxuan exhaled.


*Considering* meant Huai Xu’s anger was softening.


Jing Zhengxuan had always been careful. 

When they were inseparable, Huai Xu never noticed. 

Why was he getting caught now—and in increasingly blatant ways?


The first time, during basketball, Jing Zhengxuan had talked his way out of it.


The second time, the fight, had been dicey but ultimately smoothed over.


But this time—Huai Xu had *seen* him slam his knee into the wall.


Something was slipping out of his control, and he hadn’t expected it to be *this.*


In the car, he leaned closer to Huai Xu and asked, 

“What do you want for lunch?”


“What do *you* want?”

Huai Xu turned, a faint smile in his eyes. 

“I’ll cook.”


Jing Zhengxuan: “?”



“Why?”


Huai Xu said matter-of-factly,

“You’re the patient. Shouldn’t I take good care of you?”


“No need.”

Jing Zhengxuan pulled out his phone. 

“I’ll have the housekeeper make something.”


He’d never let Huai Xu cook. 

Those delicate, slender hands were meant for scalpels, not kitchen knives.


Huai Xu’s hands were beautiful—

pale, smooth, with long, straight fingers and neatly trimmed oval nails. 

The only thing that bothered Jing Zhengxuan was the chaotic lines on his palms, 

unlike his own long, unbroken lifeline.


Given Huai Xu’s frail health, those fragmented lines unsettled him deeply.


Once, during a trip, they’d visited a famous Taoist temple. 

The priest took one look at Huai Xu and said, 

“His connection to this world is shallow. Enjoy the years he has.”


Jing Zhengxuan’s face darkened. 

“Is there a way to change that?”


He wasn’t superstitious—except when it came to Huai Xu. 

He’d try anything, just in case.


Someone as kind and bright as Huai Xu deserved a long life. 

He had to live long.


After some divination, the priest gave them a sandalwood bracelet. 

“Heaven’s will cannot be forced.”


Jing Zhengxuan accepted it and donated a hefty sum to the temple.



He never told Huai Xu what the priest had said, only insisting he wear the bracelet at all times.


Huai Xu, a man of science, kept his distance from mysticism. 

But if a bracelet could ease Jing Zhengxuan’s mind, he’d wear it forever.


After texting the housekeeper, 

Jing Zhengxuan studied the bracelet on Huai Xu’s slender wrist—

now polished smooth from years of wear.


He had to admit, maybe there was something to the supernatural. 

Since wearing it, Huai Xu’s health had improved. 

He was still delicate, but nothing like the sickly child he’d been.


Taking Huai Xu’s left hand, Jing Zhengxuan vowed again, 

“It won’t happen again.”


Huai Xu didn’t protest the housekeeper cooking. 

Truthfully, he had no idea how to cook—

what if he produced inedible slop?


Better not torture them both.


At Jing Zhengxuan’s words, he arched a brow. 

“Promise?”


“Promise.” 

Jing Zhengxuan met his gaze, his usual cold amber eyes warm under the sunlight, 

softening his sharp features. 

“I don’t want to make you angry.”

Huai Xu pulled his hand back. 

“I’m not angry.”


Jing Zhengxuan caught it again. 

“Then I don’t want you to worry.”


Huai Xu: “...”

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**Translation Notes:**


- **“缘浅” (yuán qiǎn)** → *“shallow connection (to this world)”* 

– A Taoist concept implying a fleeting or fragile existence.