RTCBM 19

While Mu Yuan was in the hospital, the brothers from the Sixth House and He Dongying came to visit him every day.

“Dongzi, you and the guys really don’t have to keep bringing all these fruits and supplements every single day,” Mu Yuan said that afternoon, sitting up on the hospital bed. “I’ve only got one mouth. How the hell am I supposed to finish all this?”

He Dongying frowned. “Me and Ah Zhi haven’t brought you anything lately. Are you sure you’re not mixing things up?”

Mu Yuan paused for a second, then pointed to the pile of gift baskets stacked up near the wall.

“You’re telling me those aren’t from you?”

“We only bring you stuff when we’re here. Right in front of you. You’ve seen it yourself.”

Now that he thought about it, that was true. Mu Yuan felt a little confused.

“You’re in this room every day. How do you not know who’s been sending all this?”

Mu Yuan raised both hands. “They were all delivered by couriers.”

“And you didn’t bother asking who they were from?”

Mu Yuan looked helpless. “I thought it was all from you guys, so I didn’t ask.”

He Dongying thought for a moment. “Could it be your godfather?”

Just as he said that, Luo Yi appeared at the door.

“Xiao Yuan, feeling any better today?” he asked with a warm smile, holding a bouquet of carnations as he walked over to the bed.

“Doing great, godfather. No need to worry. The doctor said I’ll be discharged in a couple more days.” Mu Yuan stretched and rolled his shoulders. “Staying in here is driving me crazy. Lying in bed all day, not being able to go anywhere… I swear, if I’m stuck here any longer, I’ll go out of my fucking mind.”

Luo Yi was the superstitious type. He especially hated hearing words like “death.”

“Enough. Don’t say unlucky stuff like that.”

“Alright, alright.” Mu Yuan chuckled and nodded. “Godfather, I know you mean well, but you really don’t have to keep sending all this. Look at all this stuff. It’s piled up like a mountain. There’s no way I can finish it.”

Luo Yi blinked in confusion. “I haven’t been sending you anything.”

Mu Yuan blinked right back.

Luo Yi glanced over at the gift pile and quickly figured it out. He burst into laughter.

“Xiao Yuan, all that came from A Shang.”

“What?” Mu Yuan thought something was wrong with his ears. He asked again. “Who did you say it was from?”

“Wen Shang.”

“Hold on… Godfather, how do you know he’s the one who sent it?”

Luo Yi pointed at the stack of gifts and said with absolute certainty, “You can tell right away. That’s his style.”

“He’s been sending me all this stuff every day. What the hell is he trying to do…”

Luo Yi explained, “What else? He’s worried about you. That kid’s been blaming himself all this time. He thinks you ended up hurt and in the hospital because of him. I guess this is his way of making it up to you.”

Mu Yuan didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling. When he rushed in to save someone, he hadn’t thought about it much. It was pure instinct. No matter how much he disliked Wen Shang, he would never just stand by and watch someone die. His sense of right and wrong simply wouldn’t allow it.

After Luo Yi and He Dongying left, Mu Yuan lay in bed scrolling through his phone. At some point, he tapped his way into the contact list and scrolled all the way down. His thumb stopped on the name marked “Fucking Pervert.” It was supposed to be a quick glance, but his finger slipped, and the call went through.

Mu Yuan didn’t hang up right away. He was using his own phone this time and figured the guy had probably blocked him anyway, so whatever.

But then the screen changed from “Dialing” to “Call Connected.”

Mu Yuan frowned. “What the hell?”

He brought the phone to his ear and heard someone on the other end say, “Hello.”

“Fuck—” Mu Yuan hung up immediately. What the fuck was going on? Since when did that pervert take him off the blocklist?

A minute or two later, his phone rang. Mu Yuan looked at the screen. Wen Shang.

He didn’t know why, but it startled him. He felt weirdly rattled. The call kept ringing. Annoyed, Mu Yuan hung up and immediately blocked the number again.

After two in the afternoon was quiet hour for patients. No visitors allowed. Mu Yuan had fallen into a deep sleep, but the pressure in his bladder suddenly jolted him awake. He groaned, rolled over, and reluctantly sat up. Still half-asleep, he squinted down to find his slippers.

That’s when he noticed someone sitting in the chair beside the bed.

Same suit, same polished posture. One long leg crossed over the other, arms folded across his chest, leaning back like he owned the place. His chin was tilted high, eyes locked onto Mu Yuan with that usual cold, distant look.

“Shit…” Mu Yuan jolted awake. He pointed at Wen Shang with wide eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Just checking to see if you’re still alive,” Wen Shang said calmly.

Mu Yuan suddenly remembered what Luo Yi had told him that morning. He changed his expression and flashed a cheeky grin.

“Come on, Wen-ge. If you’re worried about me, just say so. No need to be shy about it. What, are you embarrassed or something?”

Wen Shang shot him a sideways glare but didn’t respond.

Mu Yuan didn’t expect an answer anyway. His bladder was at its limit. Any longer and he’d piss the bed. He quickly threw on his slippers and rushed to the bathroom. After peeing, he figured he might as well take a dump too.

When he finally came out, Wen Shang was still sitting there, like he hadn’t moved an inch.

Mu Yuan walked over to the table and poured himself a glass of water.

The room was dead quiet. After another two or three minutes passed, Wen Shang finally spoke.

“How’s the wound on your back?”

“What do you think? Disinfect and change the dressing every day. That’s about it. Not like I’m dying.” Mu Yuan waved it off, totally unfazed. Then he smirked. “What, did you come here to kneel down and thank me for that day? Don’t bother. I don’t need that kind of drama.”

“I never planned to ask for anything in return,” Wen Shang said as he stood, smoothing down the front of his suit. “That video is gone. I destroyed it. That settles the score. We don’t owe each other anything now.”

His tone and expression were serious enough that Mu Yuan believed him this time. Just like Luo Yi said, Wen Shang had been feeling guilty all along, thinking Mu Yuan got hurt because of him. Getting rid of the video was probably his way of paying that debt.

Mu Yuan had never expected any compensation. But since this arrogant young master was finally backing down and compromising for once, there was no reason not to take advantage. He grinned and said, “That’s it? Just like that we’re even?”

Wen Shang was already turning to leave but stopped when he heard that. He looked back at Mu Yuan and asked calmly, “Then what do you want?”

Mu Yuan gave him a cheeky smile. “I’m getting discharged in a couple of days, but this wound on my back won’t heal that fast. Daily life’s gonna be a pain. I’ve been stressing over finding someone to take care of me. If you really want things settled between us, then show some sincerity. Help me out for real.”

He was only messing with Wen Shang. Just a bit of playful teasing. So when Wen Shang left later that day, Mu Yuan didn’t think much of it and soon forgot the whole thing.

Until the morning he was discharged.

Wen Shang showed up early and greeted him. “Got your stuff packed? My car’s downstairs.”

Mu Yuan stared blankly, completely confused.

Wen Shang continued. “Starting today, until your wound fully heals, I’m personally handling your care.”

Whether Mu Yuan had been joking or not didn’t matter anymore. Wen Shang had already made up his mind. He admitted he had a bad habit of judging people by appearances, but since Luo Yi held Mu Yuan in such high regard, it was time he saw for himself what kind of man Mu Yuan really was.

A live-in servant who offered himself up for free? That was a damn good deal. Mu Yuan grinned to himself, already scheming. The cursed video was gone, his biggest fear resolved. Whatever Wen Shang wanted to pull now, he didn’t care. And if things ever got dicey, he still had Xiao Xing as his ultimate shield.

This setup couldn’t possibly go wrong.

But reality has never cared about anyone’s wishful thinking.

Not even three days after being discharged, Mu Yuan realized just how wrong he had been.

Wen Shang was a fucking nightmare to live with.