After I Married the Comatose CEO - Chapter 5

Meng Ziye grabbed the arm held out to him and barely managed to stay upright. “He Siyan! Is it the He Siyan I’m thinking of?”

Xie Qiu blinked. “You know He Siyan too?”

“Of course! Who in the whole city doesn’t know He Siyan!” Meng Ziye pulled a chair over and plopped down. “He Siyan is the head of the He family. The media called him the youngest and most handsome billionaire. He is the ‘national husband’ everyone dreams of marrying!”

To be honest, part of the reason He Jingchen was so famous at A University was his prominent family and his legendary older brother.

If there weren’t such a big age gap between the brothers, He Jingchen would definitely have been overshadowed by his brother’s brilliance.

“Wow!” Xie Qiu leaned back playfully. “So, He Siyan is that famous in this world. Do you want to marry him too?”

Meng Ziye nodded, then immediately shook his head. “No, no, no! I don’t want to marry him! He is my idol—the kind of idol you only look up to. Do you understand!”

Xie Qiu nodded. “I understand.”

“Xiao Qiu, I still can’t believe the husband you married is He Siyan!” As Meng Ziye spoke, he suddenly froze. “Wait! Do you mean He Siyan has become a vegetable?”

Xie Qiu: “Uh…”

Oops. He seemed to have accidentally let a piece of important information slip.

In the original book, He Siyan was unconscious after the car accident. To keep the He Group stable, Su Wanrong blocked the news. She announced to the public that He Siyan’s surgery was successful and he just needed time to rest.

However, a massive business empire cannot go without a leader for long. Even though Su Wanrong urgently appointed He Siyan’s trusted aides to handle company business, the family forced her to admit a month later that He Siyan could not wake up yet.

But the family probably hadn’t officially told the public yet, so most people weren’t sure about He Siyan’s real condition.

“For the past half year, no one has seen He Siyan. All sorts of rumors have been flying around. Some bad media even claimed he was already buried. It’s ridiculous!” The more Meng Ziye spoke, the angrier he got, his face turning red.

“It’s not that bad,” Xie Qiu comforted him. “He is lying in the He family house right now. His vital signs are very stable.”

“But he’s a vegetable; it’s not much different.” Meng Ziye sighed, looking discouraged. “The chance of a vegetable waking up is just too low.”

“Don’t worry, he will wake up eventually,” Xie Qiu promised softly. “It’s just a matter of time.”

According to the original plot, in three months, He Jingchen will join the He Group with the support of Master He. He will slowly take over the business, fight against his greedy uncles, and eventually take full control.

Because he is the main character, He Jingchen will meet many helpful people along the way. Therefore, the whole process will only take about two years.

This meant that in about two and a half years, He Siyan would wake up.

Meng Ziye looked up. “How do you know?”

“Because…” Xie Qiu dragged out his voice on purpose, “I will wake him up with love.”

“Pffft!” Meng Ziye burst out laughing. “Do you think He Siyan is Sleeping Beauty and needs a prince to wake him up with a ‘true love’s kiss’?”

Xie Qiu laughed. “What if I really am the prince who wakes up Sleeping Beauty?”

“Xiao Qiuqiu,” Meng Ziye nudged him. “How come I never noticed you were this narcissistic before?”

“Be serious, Ziye,” Xie Qiu said with a straight face. “Whether it’s the fact that He Siyan is a vegetable or that I married him, these are secrets. I’ve only told you. Can you keep them secret for me?”

Meng Ziye raised his hand to swear: “I promise to take them to my grave.”

“Good.” Xie Qiu smiled. “I believe you.”

The two sat in the dorm for a while before heading to the cafeteria for lunch.

Before leaving, Xie Qiu put on a baseball cap as a disguise.

Luckily, the cafeteria wasn’t very crowded at this time. As they walked in, Meng Ziye suddenly shouted, “Holy crap!”

Xie Qiu was used to his friend’s constant surprises and asked calmly, “What now?”

“He Jingchen is here too!” Meng Ziye pointed to a seat by the window. “Look over there!”

Xie Qiu turned his head and locked eyes with a pair of dark, cold eyes.

He Jingchen immediately frowned, his expression turning sour.

He had also seen the post on the forum. Although he had made his roommates find the source and delete it immediately, the news had clearly already spread.

He blamed himself for not thinking carefully this morning, letting the tricky Xie Qiu get his way again.

“Brother Chen, what’s up?” His roommate, Liang Tian, noticed his strange expression. He looked where He Jingchen was looking and grinned. “Oho! The little beauty who likes following you is here again!”

He Jingchen said coldly, “Shut up.”

Another roommate asked curiously, “I say, Brother Chen, that Xie Qiu is really pretty. People say he is the unofficial ‘flower’ of the Law Department. Why exactly do you hate him so much?”

He Jingchen asked back with a blank face, “Do I need a reason to hate someone?”

“Hahaha! That’s our Brother Chen!” Liang Tian laughed loudly. When he finished, he added, “Since you don’t like him, how about this? I’ll try to date him!”

He Jingchen frowned again. “What did you say?”

Liang Tian explained with a smile, “Actually, I quite like that little beauty. If I win him over, won’t he stop bothering you?”

He Jingchen was silent for a few seconds. He spoke in a warning tone: “Don’t even think about it.”

Even if Xie Qiu had married into the He family with bad intentions, he was now his older brother’s wife. He Jingchen would never stand by and watch the person cheat.

He had to keep an eye on this person until his brother truly woke up, then he would deal with it.

“Fine, fine!” Liang Tian raised both hands. “I was just joking. I wouldn’t dare try anything with the little beauty. Don’t take it seriously!”

Xie Qiu didn’t know about the drama over there. He and his friend sat by a window on the other side of the cafeteria.

As soon as he saw He Jingchen’s face earlier, he knew the man thought he was trying to run into him on purpose again.

To avoid a misunderstanding, he pulled his hat down low and walked a long way around without looking back.

Meng Ziye sat down and asked, puzzled, “Xiao Qiu, why didn’t we go sit with the school grass?”

Xie Qiu summarized it simply: “Because our current relationship is not very friendly.”

“Why isn’t it friendly?” Meng Ziye was even more confused. “In terms of family, isn’t he your brother-in-law?”

Xie Qiu: “It’s a long story…”

“Oh! I get it!” Meng Ziye slapped the table, then lowered his voice. “Is it because he wants to take power in the He family, so he doesn’t want He Siyan to wake up early?”

Xie Qiu shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the reason.”

As the main character of the original book, He Jingchen could not have such a moral flaw.

However, He Jingchen did have his own secrets. Even after He Siyan eventually woke up, he did not return the He Group to his brother.

Thinking from another perspective, if Xie Qiu were in that position, he probably wouldn’t want to give away the empire he had fought so hard to build either. One could only say that in this world, He Siyan was destined to be a stepping stone for his younger brother’s rise to the top.

“Then what could it be?” Meng Ziye scratched the back of his head, then suddenly realized something. “Could it be… because you like him?”

Xie Qiu was startled. “What nonsense are you saying?”

“I remember now! Before you disappeared, we ran into He Jingchen at school all the time!” Meng Ziye got more excited as he spoke. “Xiao Qiu, you didn’t agree to marry the older brother just to get close to the younger one, did you?”

Xie Qiu: “There’s no need to be that indirect.”

He took back what he said before; Meng Ziye had a huge imagination.

“Xiao Qiu!” Meng Ziye leaned toward him with a pained expression. “You can’t use my idol like that. It’s immortal, you know!”

“Meng Ziye, please stop your wild guessing.” Xie Qiu put his hands together. “I promise on my reputation that I have no feelings for He Jingchen.”

Meng Ziye stared at him for a few seconds and replied, “Alright, I believe you.”

Xie Qiu: “Thanks…”

“It’s fine. If He Jingchen isn’t nice to you, we won’t pay him any attention.” Meng Ziye pouted. “When He Siyan wakes up, let your husband stand up for you!”

Xie Qiu: “…”

After a full day of classes, Xie Qiu said goodbye to Meng Ziye and walked out of the school alone.

Because of what happened in the morning, He Jingchen had the driver park the car a bit far from the school gate to avoid drawing attention.

Xie Qiu got in the car and sat by the window.

After a while, He Jingchen spoke: “When we get home tonight, tell mother that we need a different car for school tomorrow.”

The He family had many drivers and plenty of cars anyway.

“I just arrived at the He house; I don’t dare to ask for too much.” Xie Qiu lowered his eyes. “Why don’t you ask the Madam yourself?”

He Jingchen pressed his lips together and didn’t answer.

Xie Qiu looked out the window and guessed the answer.

He Jingchen had lived in his brother’s shadow since birth. Master He focused on training the eldest grandson as the heir, and Su Wanrong also gave all her attention to her eldest son.

He Jingchen had always been carefully trying to please Su Wanrong, hoping for just a little attention from his mother.

So, even in small matters, He Jingchen was unwilling to go against her.

“I understand.” Xie Qiu felt a bit soft-hearted after all. “I will mention it to her.”

He Jingchen’s lips moved slightly, but he made no sound.

They stayed silent for the rest of the trip until the Lincoln drove into the He estate.

The two stepped into the house one after the other. They saw Su Wanrong sitting on the sofa in the living room with a young man in a suit standing in front of her.

Hearing the noise, the man in the suit looked up.

Su Wanrong paused, then saw the two of them and smiled immediately. “Xiao Qiu, Jingchen, you’re back.”

“Mom,” Xie Qiu replied. “We’re back.”

“Perfect, dinner is almost ready.” Su Wanrong stood up. “Assistant Fang, you can leave now.”

Fang Hong replied, “Yes, Madam.”

Then, he walked toward the door and bowed slightly to the two of them. “Eldest Young Madam, Second Young Master.”

Xie Qiu: “…”

This Assistant Fang was He Siyan’s top executive assistant and the person he trusted most in the company.

Unfortunately, Assistant Fang would also switch to the Second Young Master’s side before long.

After dinner, Xie Qiu said his goodbyes and went upstairs.

He went to his own room first, took a good shower, and changed into clean pajamas before pushing open the door to the room next door.

“Good evening, Mr. He,” Xie Qiu’s voice arrived before he did. “I’m back.”

The man on the bed had his eyes closed, as if he were lost in a dream from which he would never wake.

Xie Qiu pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, whispering, “I went back to school for classes today. Overall, it went pretty well, except I annoyed the Second Young Master again.”

He simply treated the sleeping man as a “tree hole” for his secrets and started rambling: “To be honest, I think I look okay. People used to chase after me all the time. I didn’t expect that this time… sigh. I hope He Jingchen can understand soon that I don’t have any improper thoughts about him. He could be a little nicer to me.”

Xie Qiu thought for a moment: “Forget it, it’s fine if he’s not nice. As long as he doesn’t look for trouble on purpose.”

He just wanted to live peacefully for two and a half years and then stay far away from these wealthy family feuds.

“Alright, no more complaining.” After venting everything in one breath, Xie Qiu felt better. “Mr. He, wait a moment. I’ll go get a basin of warm water.”

Soon, he returned to the bedside with the basin, prepared to wipe down He Siyan’s body.

Xie Qiu leaned over, his long, fair fingers reaching for the buttons of the pajama top.

But in all his years, this was the first time he had ever actively tried to undress an adult man. His fingertips couldn’t help but tremble.

“Stay steady,” Xie Qiu took a deep breath to encourage himself. “Xie Qiu, you are facing a patient who cannot take care of himself, not a normal man.”

His attention was entirely on the buttons, so he didn’t notice He Siyan’s brow furrow ever so slightly.

After finally undoing all the buttons, Xie Qiu copied the caregiver’s technique. He reached one hand behind the man’s back, intending to remove the shirt.

However, he clearly underestimated the man’s weight. Not only did he fail to lift the man’s upper body, but he almost fell over.

Xie Qiu let out a soft cry. He propped his other hand against the sheet, just barely avoiding falling with his full weight onto the man.

But as his head dropped, his damp, slightly curly hair brushed back and forth against the man’s subtle abdominal muscles.

A pale finger resting on the edge of the bed twitched like a sudden spark.

“Sorry, sorry…” Xie Qiu quickly looked up and apologized sincerely. “I overestimated myself.”

He knelt on the bed with one knee and, using all his strength this time, finally managed to get the man’s shirt off.

That caregiver yesterday made it look so easy; professional people really were different.

Xie Qiu wrung the towel until it stopped dripping and whispered with a blush, “Mr. He, I’m going to wipe your body now. I’m not trying to take advantage of you on purpose.”

Even though he knew the man had no feeling, his movements were still very light, gently and carefully wiping every inch of skin.

When he reached the abdomen, Xie Qiu couldn’t help himself and lightly poked the slightly firm abdominal muscles with his fingertip.

It felt quite good. He just wondered how long it would stay that way; surely it wouldn’t last until the day he woke up.

Xie Qiu withdrew his hand, feeling a bit of a pity.

After cleaning the upper body, he kept his eyes half-closed and placed his hands on the man’s hips. Steeling his heart, he pulled the pajama pants down in one go.

He couldn’t quite face that bulging area directly, so he deliberately avoided looking there and used the towel to wipe the sides of the legs.

That was the most sensitive part of the leg. The touch of his fingertips, grazing the skin through the towel, was warmer and softer than the cloth itself.

“That’s about it,” Xie Qiu muttered to himself. Just as he was about to move to the lower legs, a drop of water fell from the tip of his hair with a splat.

“Sorry, I didn’t dry my hair properly.” By reflex, he reached out with his other hand to wipe the spot where the water had landed.

In the next instant, he felt something was wrong.

Xie Qiu froze for a few seconds. Only then did he realize what he had just done. His ears instantly turned burning hot.

He dropped the towel like he’d been electrocuted and stepped back a few paces, only to discover in horror that the man was actually…

Xie Qiu was speechless. After a long while, he stammered, “Mr… Mr. He? Are you awake?”

The man on the bed remained motionless, except for…

Xie Qiu snapped out of it and scrambled to grab his phone from the nightstand. He opened the search bar and typed in his question.

After checking several answers and receiving a confirmation, he finally breathed a total sigh of relief.

It turned out that an erection was a normal physiological activity for a person in a coma. It was an unconscious behavior and did not mean the patient had woken up or regained consciousness.

Furthermore, some coma patients might even be more “active” because most comas involve brain injuries. As long as the body is fine, the lack of conscious brain control to suppress physical reactions actually makes it easier for that to happen…

Xie Qiu continued to scroll down and clicked on a related link. Suddenly, his pupils shook.

There were actually cases of coma patients getting their wives pregnant?!

Xie Qiu: “…”

Luckily, he was a man and couldn’t get pregnant.

Wait, even if he could have children, his marriage to He Siyan was fake. They were only a couple in name. Why was he even considering such a thing?

Xie Qiu’s pale face flushed bright red again.