My Ex-Boyfriend is Obsessed with Getting Back Together - Chapter 17

“So, are we friends now?”

At the Central Hospital, by the time all the examinations were finished, it was already the early hours of the morning. Pei Ran’s brows were still knit together, his eyes closed in a mask of pain.

The test results weren’t out yet, so the doctor simply told Gu Linchuan to stay by his side and watch over him.

Gu Linchuan stood by the bed, reaching out to smooth the deep furrow between Pei Ran’s brows. He seemed to want to brush against his cheek, but his knuckles hovered in mid-air before he ultimately withdrew his hand.

He pulled the curtains shut, turned off the ward lights, and softly closed the door, choosing to stand guard right outside.

During the night, a nurse noticed him standing there and mentioned that there were companion rooms where he could rest for a while.

Gu Linchuan simply shook his head. Seeing that he couldn’t be persuaded, the nurse left, and he remained standing there until dawn.

The doctor coming for rounds was an acquaintance. Seeing the bloodshot web in Gu Linchuan’s eyes, the doctor was startled. “Whoa, you stayed up all night?”

“Yeah,” Gu Linchuan replied, following him back into the room.

“The lab just sent me the reports. I’ll check them after my rounds and talk to you in detail then.” The doctor performed a quick examination, recorded the data, and tucked his notebook away. Seeing his friend’s poor state, he offered some comfort. “For now, I don’t see any pathological issues. Don’t worry too much.”

Gu Linchuan nodded, though it was unclear if the words actually registered. The doctor didn’t say more and moved on to the next ward.

Qi Heyun had somehow heard the news of Pei Ran’s hospitalization and hurriedly dragged Mei Ye along to the hospital.

Both of them were carrying fruit baskets and fresh flowers.

When they arrived, Pei Ran was already awake. He was alone in the room, sitting on the stark white bed and staring blankly out the window, his eyes reflecting a pale amber hue.

The sunlight streaming through the glass bathed him in a soft, gentle glow.

“Peipei,” Qi Heyun called out, knocking on the door.

Pei Ran snapped back to reality at the sound. Seeing who it was, he managed a smile. “Heyun, come on in.”

Qi Heyun pulled Mei Ye, who was trailing behind, into the room. “And Little Ye is here too. We came to see how you’re doing.”

Mei Ye pulled a stool over to the bedside so Qi Heyun could sit and chat with Pei Ran. He then turned to arrange their flowers in a vase and set out the fruit.

Qi Heyun sat down and began slowly peeling an apple. Noticing Pei Ran’s face was still pale, he asked worriedly, “Peipei, are you feeling any better?”

“Much better,” Pei Ran smiled reassuringly. “I just didn’t rest well, it’s nothing serious.”

“You need to get proper rest, Peipei. Work isn’t more important than your health.” Qi Heyun stole a glance at Mei Ye behind him and whispered a complaint into Pei Ran’s ear, “He and Gugu are both workaholics, you absolutely must not learn from them.”

Seeing Qi Heyun’s serious expression, Pei Ran felt like teasing him. “If I don’t work hard, I won’t be able to afford to eat.”

Qi Heyun, who lived a somewhat sheltered life, couldn’t bear to hear a friend talk about being broke. He waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll support you from now on!”

Mei Ye’s face darkened with a silent sigh as he pulled Qi Heyun back a bit, ensuring the two didn’t get too close.

“What are you talking about?” Gu Linchuan stood at the door, carrying a container of porridge. “Who are you going to support?”

Qi Heyun looked at Gu Linchuan, then slowly shifted his gaze back to Pei Ran. He had a sudden realization; there was no way it would ever be his turn to support Pei Ran.

Qi Heyun gave a meaningful smile but didn’t answer.

Gu Linchuan ignored him and walked straight to the bedside.

“Eat something first.”

Gu Linchuan opened the container, and the bland scent of plain white porridge immediately drifted through the air.

“You’re giving Peipei this to eat?” Qi Heyun was shocked. He had always been a picky eater and could hardly imagine how anyone could swallow something so tasteless.

At that moment, he felt even more strongly that Peipei should rely on him, otherwise, Gu Linchuan might accidentally mistreat him.

Gu Linchuan handed Pei Ran a spoon. Seeing him take small, careful bites, he finally said, “Light food is better for your stomach.”

Mei Ye added, “Do you think everyone is as picky as you?”

“I am not picky!” Qi Heyun grumbled, trying to kick Mei Ye, who skillfully dodged the blow.

Pei Ran watched them with a beaming smile, nearly burning himself on the porridge. He flinched for a split second.

Gu Linchuan noticed immediately. “Is it too hot?”

Pei Ran nodded, then shook his head, saying, “It’s fine.”

Pei Ran looked up to find all three of them crowding around the bed. Qi Heyun was on the stool, Mei Ye was leaning against the cabinet with his arms crossed, and Gu Linchuan stood on the other side, silently watching him eat.

With all three sets of eyes fixed on him, he suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure, making it awkward to even chew.

This was especially true of Gu Linchuan and Mei Ye. Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, they seemed to almost hit the ceiling. With their identical expressionless faces, they stood before him like two towering, icy mountains.

Qi Heyun noticed this too. He clicked his tongue and started shooing them out. “Are you two standing there interrogating a prisoner? Get out, get out. I want to chat with Peipei alone for a bit.”

The two men exchanged a helpless look and took the hint, stepping out of the ward.

They didn’t go far, leaning against the wall in the hallway with their hands in their pockets, both silent.

After a moment, Mei Ye turned his head and asked, “How is he?”

“Not good.” Gu Linchuan’s brows furrowed as he recalled the medical report he’d just seen. “His constitution is too weak, and his mental state isn’t great either.”

Anxiety didn’t just manifest as headaches, it showed in his daily life through constant spacing out, a poor appetite, and difficulty sleeping.

Compared to seven years ago, Pei Ran’s health had deteriorated significantly, like a skyscraper on the verge of collapsing.

Hearing this, Mei Ye frowned as well. After a pause, he remembered something and asked, “I heard you ran out in the middle of a meeting last night. How did you find out so quickly?”

“I installed a listening device.”

To Gu Linchuan, it was only logical. Now that he had finally found the person he’d lost, he had to keep a close eye on him so he wouldn’t run away again.

At the same time, he felt a surge of irritation. If he hadn’t heard what was happening in time, he didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

“When did you do that?” Mei Ye wasn’t surprised, just curious.

Gu Linchuan replied, “Ever since he returned to the country. Constantly.”

Mei Ye nodded, and Gu Linchuan’s previous strange behaviors were finally explained. He asked, “What happens after he’s discharged?”

Gu Linchuan said in a low, heavy voice, “I’ll watch him myself. I won’t let anything happen again.”

The theanine was still rushing through his blood, and the cup of green tea he’d had earlier didn’t seem to have any calming effect at all.

Recalling the scene from the night before still filled Gu Linchuan with a lingering sense of dread.

Last night, feeling bored during the meeting, Gu Linchuan had turned on the monitor. To his horror, the sound of Pei Ran’s suppressed, pained moans came through.

No one knew what he was thinking at that moment, but his heart had constricted and his breath nearly stopped.

He had bolted out of the conference room immediately, leaving everyone else looking on in confusion.

Once in his car, he slammed the gas pedal to the floor, rushing there as fast as possible, yet it still felt too slow. He had no idea how many red lights he had run.

By the time he arrived, the person in his arms had fainted, his face deathly pale and his forehead soaked in sweat.

He was so fragile, like a porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment. He had gently picked Pei Ran up and rushed him to the hospital.

It wasn’t until the doctor finished the checkup and told him everything was okay that his heart finally settled back into place.

Mei Ye saw his dark expression and heavy breathing, looking as if he were trapped in a nightmare. He was startled; it had been a long time since he’d seen his friend like this.

“Don’t worry too much, health can be restored with care,” Mei Ye said. “I’ll go back and ask my grandfather to take a look at him and help him recuperate.”

Mei Ye’s grandfather was the most famous practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Nancheng, but he was elderly and had long since stopped seeing patients.

Hearing this, Gu Linchuan’s brow relaxed slightly. He said hoarsely, “Thank you.”

Mei Ye shook his head. “Xiao Ran is my friend too.”

The two stood at the door for a while longer, and once they figured the two inside had talked enough, they knocked and entered.

Inside, Qi Heyun and Pei Ran were still huddled together, gossiping.

Mei Ye went to the balcony to take a call, while Gu Linchuan grabbed another chair and sat down nearby.

“Zhao Yuheng, do you remember him?” Qi Heyun asked.

Pei Ran thought for a few seconds and nodded. “Vaguely.”

“Didn’t he seem like a pretty honest guy back in school?” Qi Heyun looked disgusted. “Well, after he got married, he committed domestic violence and his wife sued him. He somehow found Little Ye’s contact info and came crying, begging him for help.”

Pei Ran was stunned. The classmate from his memory who always wore black-rimmed glasses and studied hard had actually become an abuser.

“What happened then?” As he spoke, a piece of apple appeared in front of him. He instinctively opened his mouth and took a bite.

A second later, he realized what was happening and locked eyes with Gu Linchuan. “Thanks.”

Gu Linchuan didn’t speak. He just watched Pei Ran’s mouth, waiting for him to finish chewing before offering another piece.

Qi Heyun didn’t notice this little interlude and continued, “Later, I had Little Ye find some people to literally kick him out, and we hired a famous divorce lawyer for his wife.”

Pei Ran was filled with respect after hearing the story and gave a thumbs up. “Beautifully done!”

Qi Heyun was quite pleased with himself, looking rather self-satisfied.

Finally, he noticed that Pei Ran’s mouth was constantly moving. Following the source, he saw Gu Linchuan handing over another piece of apple.

Qi Heyun immediately protested, “I want an apple too.”

Gu Linchuan picked one out of the basket and tossed it to him. “Peel it yourself.”

Qi Heyun wasn’t happy about that and called Mei Ye in from the balcony to peel it for him.

Pei Ran was full after half an apple, and Gu Linchuan didn’t rush him. He unhurriedly used the knife to cut and eat the remaining half himself.

Even though it was being sliced piece by piece, the fact that Gu Linchuan was eating his “leftovers” made Pei Ran feel strangely embarrassed.

Having successfully gotten his apple, Qi Heyun’s mood improved. He said, “You really have to keep your eyes open when looking for a partner. You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Someone might look refined, but in reality, who knows what kind of trash they are.”

Pei Ran deeply agreed.

Qi Heyun shifted the topic, pointing at Gu Linchuan. He said to Pei Ran, “Take Gugu for example. You can tell just by looking at him that he wouldn’t commit domestic violence after marriage.”

The comment was meant to tease Gu Linchuan and subtly suggest to Pei Ran that Gu Linchuan would make a good boyfriend.

But to Pei Ran’s ears, the meaning was entirely different.

He thought back to what Gu Chen had said about Gu Linchuan’s upcoming engagement, and his breathing became a bit erratic.

Gu Linchuan just gave Qi Heyun a cool glance, neither confirming nor denying anything.

Qi Heyun kept talking, but Pei Ran could no longer hear him clearly.

He lowered his head, hiding the loneliness in his eyes from the others.

However, Gu Linchuan was sensitive to the fact that Pei Ran’s mood had shifted. He made up an excuse to end the conversation and urged the two visitors to leave.

Once they were gone, the ward returned to silence. The two sat so close they could hear each other’s breathing.

Gu Linchuan was the first to break the silence. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No,” Pei Ran lied, biting his lip.

Gu Linchuan’s gaze swept over Pei Ran’s lip, which was bitten nearly to the point of bleeding, and his hand, which was instinctively clutching the bedsheets. He didn’t push him, choosing to change the subject instead.

“Is work busy? If not, why not stay a few more days?”

Pei Ran shook his head. “No.”

When he went to Suzhou for the business trip, he had left many studio matters to Ting Ting. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the studio’s workload was only going to increase.

Gu Linchuan could sense Pei Ran’s cold attitude, but he couldn’t find the reason for it, so he let it go.

Pei Ran adjusted the bed to lie down and tucked himself into the covers, catching the faint scent of jasmine from the vase on the nightstand.

Both were silent, and Gu Linchuan thought he had fallen asleep.

After a long while, Pei Ran asked softly, “Gu Linchuan, you said before that you hated seeing me. What about now?”

Gu Linchuan remembered those words he’d said out of spite and felt a surge of regret. “I don’t hate you.”

Pei Ran’s eyes curved slightly. “So, are we friends now?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good then.”

After saying that, Pei Ran turned over, looking exhausted, and stopped talking.

Gu Linchuan stayed by the bed for a while longer before stepping out.

Tears soaked the pillow, leaving a dark, damp patch.

It’s enough, Pei Ran thought. Being able to attend his wedding as a friend is enough.

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