LIAH 6. Hospital

There was no way Song Shengyang could just leave an injured student out in a thunderstorm to fend for himself.

Pei Siyin hooked his arm around Song Shengyang’s through the jacket, struggling to walk through the pouring rain.

His heartbeat was even more chaotic than the storm. The two of them made it to the car, soaked and shivering. Pei Siyin sat in the passenger seat, his entire body trembling. His face was pale from the cold, and the rain had soaked him through until he looked thin and fragile.

Song Shengyang glanced at him. Without a word, he took off his still mostly dry jacket and laid it over Pei Siyin. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

One of Pei Siyin’s legs was stretched straight, unable to bend because of the injury. Song Shengyang adjusted the seat, sliding it back to give him more room.

“Why were you ignoring me?”

The question came out of nowhere. Song Shengyang was focused on the road, trying to drive through the downpour. He gave a distracted answer. “I wasn’t.”

Pei Siyin leaned back into the seat. His wet clothes clung tightly to his skin. He shifted uncomfortably and turned slightly to the side. “I called you. I sent messages. You didn’t respond to any of them.”

Song Shengyang took a moment to think, then said, “I don’t really check my phone.”

And the truth was, ever since that day, his phone had been switched off for two days. But even if it hadn’t, his notifications were always maxed out. Unless he felt like chatting with some girl or needed to reach Yan Can or someone else, he barely touched it.

Pei Siyin asked, “Then how do you normally stay in touch with people?”

“With my phone,” Song Shengyang answered seriously.

Rain pelted the car windows like hail. Pei Siyin choked on his response, then leaned his head against the seat and said quietly, “Then use it to stay in touch with me too.”

Song Shengyang pressed his lips together. His throat felt tight. No words came. He didn’t even dare look at Pei Siyin. He just pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.

Fortunately, the university wasn’t far from Jiang Haolin’s hospital. Song Shengyang parked in the underground garage to avoid the storm. He got out, walked around the front of the car, and opened the passenger door.

“Come on.”

The garage was cold and damp. A chill crept along the ground and wrapped around Pei Siyin’s soaked body. He shrank into himself and hugged Song Shengyang’s jacket close, then sneezed. His nose and the rims of his eyes were red. His calf muscles were tense, and he slumped weakly against the seat.

“Can you carry me?” he asked. “I can’t move.”

Song Shengyang stood there like a statue, glancing stiffly at him. “We’re both guys. Isn’t that kind of weird?”

“Aren’t you straight? What’s so weird about carrying your injured little bro to the doctor?”

It was logical. Perfectly persuasive.

Pei Siyin coughed a couple times. When Song Shengyang still didn’t move, he took off the jacket and set it aside. His lashes were dripping wet, eyes shining like he’d just come out of the rain. He looked at Song Shengyang with a gaze that sent a splash of something straight into his chest.

“Or are you scared again?” Pei Siyin asked softly. “Scared you’ll get hard if you touch me?”

“No way!” Song Shengyang shouted, his voice echoing through the garage. In a flash of panic, he shut his eyes and charged forward. His arm slid under Pei Siyin’s legs, lifting him off the seat.

Pei Siyin wrapped both arms around Song Shengyang’s neck and tucked his head into his chest, murmuring, “I wasn’t lying. It really hurts.”

The moment their bodies pressed together, Song Shengyang’s breath hitched. His fingers tensed, carefully avoiding the hot breath that spread across his chest from Pei Siyin’s mouth.

Curled up in his arms, Pei Siyin whispered, “Your heart’s beating so fast.”

“If it doesn’t beat, I’d be dead,” Song Shengyang shot back.

“But it’s too fast. Kind of abnormal.” Pei Siyin used the leverage from his arms to nuzzle closer, his lashes brushing against Song Shengyang’s jaw. “But I get it. Every time I see you, mine does the same.”

Song Shengyang walked faster, desperate to get rid of the burning-hot trouble in his arms.

The private hospital wasn’t crowded. Song Shengyang brought him straight to Jiang Haolin, secured a VIP room, and waited while Pei Siyin was sent for examination.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Jiang Haolin stood in the hallway holding the chart, shaking his head. “Only twenty years old. You’re a damn animal. A complete animal.”

Song Shengyang slammed the door shut and clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shut it. Nothing happened.”

Jiang Haolin mumbled behind his hand, but his eyes were gleaming with amusement. He hadn’t forgotten how attentive Song Shengyang had been the last time he showed up at the hospital with this college kid.

“Yeah, right. You did nothing, and yet you brought him to the hospital again.”

“I have a kind heart. You all know that,” Song Shengyang growled. “He’s here. The bill’s on me. I’m leaving.”

“No you’re not.” Jiang Haolin stuck out his arm to block him.

Song Shengyang jumped back,“Why not?”

Inside the room, Pei Siyin peered out through the small glass window in the door. Jiang Haolin glanced over and met those wide, innocent eyes.

“He’s going in for more tests. You can’t just leave him alone. I’ve got work. That leaves you.”

“No chance.” Song Shengyang refused flatly.

“A man should never say he can’t.” Jiang Haolin ignored him completely, opened the door, and shoved him back inside. “Have him change out of those wet clothes. He’s going to catch a fever like this.”

The door snapped shut behind him.

Pei Siyin was sitting on the chair. The warmth from the room’s heater had brought some color back to his face. He blinked at Song Shengyang and said, “I’m feeling a little off. I want to take a shower. Can you help me get in there?”

Stay strong, Song Shengyang. You are the straightest man alive.

With that mantra in mind, he bent down and slipped an arm around Pei Siyin’s waist, carefully lifting him up from the chair. He kept his head low, eyes fixed on the floor, refusing to look anywhere near Pei Siyin’s face. Step by step, he helped him toward the bathroom door like it was some kind of minefield.

Water started running in the bathroom. Song Shengyang stood outside the door, patting his chest to calm down. Just to be safe, he touched between his legs to check. When he confirmed there was no reaction, he nodded firmly.

“Knew it. I’m perfectly normal.”

Satisfied, he didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he sat down on the sofa in the room and started playing on his phone.

It wasn’t until he cleared twenty levels of his match-three game that he realized Pei Siyin still hadn’t come out. He got up and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately. Pei Siyin stood there completely naked.

The sound of his phone hitting the ground and shattering echoed through the room. Pei Siyin spoke slowly.

“I didn’t bring a change of clothes. You don’t mind, do you? Big straight man.”