The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 7

“Ah,” Gu Han snapped back to reality and explained, “I mean, I want you to come work at Jianchen.”

Qi Ran didn’t say a word. His body was almost entirely wrapped in the quilt, he held the edge of the blanket, staring at Gu Han with wide, curious, and gentle eyes. Qi Ran’s gaze was always like this. Gu Han felt he was incredibly well-behaved and cute. Lightly stroking Qi Ran’s soft cheek, Gu Han asked softly, “Little Ran, are you willing to work with me?”

Qi Ran nodded gently. “I am.”

“I will take good care of you,” Gu Han said, his eyes uncontrollably overflowing with deep affection. “I’ll never let you suffer any more grievances.”

Qi Ran curled his lips into a smile. “I will also repay President Gu for his appreciation.”

“There’s no need,” Gu Han replied. “As long as you stay by my side, I’ll be satisfied.”

Gu Han kept his eyes fixed on Qi Ran’s, carefully observing his expression after speaking. He was actually quite worried that Qi Ran might not like him, which made him constantly nervous. Despite being a chairman worth billions and a literal winner in life, he was still clumsy and at a loss for words in front of the person he loved.

Gu Han knew his words had made his feelings quite obvious. He wanted to take things slow and pursue Qi Ran with a sense of balance, but his personality was so passionate and he liked Qi Ran so much that he didn’t want to wait another second. He wished they could be together right now.

“Hesitation is love, eloquence is just hunting.”

Qi Ran remained consistent. Since his first contact with Gu Han, he had never shown any sign of discomfort, he was always so gentle and quiet.

“Alright,” Qi Ran agreed. “If I have the honor of working with President Gu, I will definitely stay by your side.”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Qi Ran nodded. “Really.”

“Then it’s a deal,” Gu Han continued to massage Qi Ran’s stomach, coaxing him warmly. “You must be tired. Get some rest. You have a CT scan during the day. I hope you won’t be in pain when you wake up. It hurts my heart to see you suffer like this.”

“You should rest too,” Qi Ran whispered, his cheek lightly rubbing against Gu Han’s palm. His eyes were dark and bright, his expression soft. “President Gu, when you went out just now, I was worried you weren’t feeling well. Knowing you’re okay makes me feel at ease.”

“Silly boy, don’t worry about me. My health is great.”

Gu Han gazed at his sweetheart. He was so lovely that Gu Han’s heart felt like it was melting. His eyes unconsciously revealed an amount of love that was far from the “innocent” look a boss gives a subordinate. Gu Han realized it late, but he couldn’t control it, maintaining that doting gaze and gentle voice. “Sleep well. I’ll take care of you.”

Qi Ran listened to Gu Han and obediently closed his eyes. Gu Han’s movements massaging his stomach were very gentle, and his hands were hot. Qi Ran felt a warm glow in his abdomen, and the stomach pain had eased significantly. Perhaps the analgesic components in the medicine were finally taking effect, but Qi Ran preferred to believe it was Gu Han’s meticulous care that made his body feel better.

The scales in Qi Ran’s heart had tipped completely toward Gu Han.

This was clearly a mutual physical attraction and an instinctive love, how could Qi Ran not be moved? Pillowed on Gu Han’s palm and smelling the light scent of cologne on his wrist, Qi Ran’s heart fluttered. However, he remained restrained. They hadn’t interacted long enough and didn’t know each other well. Qi Ran was past the age of making impulsive decisions. Furthermore, in the real estate industry, there were very few people who could remain untainted by messy relationships. Like a lotus growing wildly out of thick mud, the petals remained pure and clean. Since he had emerged unstained, he was naturally more cautious.

Drowsiness washed over Qi Ran, leaving him no room to think further about Gu Han as he drifted into a deep sleep. Gu Han continued to massage his stomach, forcing himself to stay awake. Gu Han usually went to bed early, and staying up this late with Qi Ran had exhausted him. With his hand pressed lightly against Qi Ran’s stomach and no pillow under his neck, he fell asleep just like that.

Qi Ran was in poor health, weak and lacking energy, which made his sleep light and prone to dreams. He vaguely felt the weight of Gu Han’s hand on his stomach, a heavy pressure that made his stomach ache, and the persistent dull pain eventually startled him awake.

Qi Ran opened his eyes to find the main lights in the ward turned off, leaving only a soft light in the corner. He noticed that Gu Han was asleep, looking very peaceful and steady. Qi Ran shared half of his quilt with him, fearing he might catch a cold.

Qi Ran didn’t move Gu Han’s hand away from his stomach, instead, he gently placed his own palm over the back of Gu Han’s hand. This was an incredibly intimate gesture. Qi Ran didn’t know if this counted as responding to Gu Han’s love. Given their current relationship, it could be seen as crossing a line, but he wanted to do it. For the first time, impulse defeated his logic.

Qi Ran’s heart was full of love. Though he blocked it with reason and restraint, he still revealed a fraction of it. The choices of genetics and love are so powerful they are invincible.

From the moment Qi Ran’s cheek touched Gu Han’s palm, all his composure was merely a final, futile resistance. Qi Ran had a premonition: before he could fully understand Gu Han, his reason would collapse.

Gu Han had a dreamless night. When he woke up at seven in the morning, Qi Ran was still asleep. Their sleeping positions hadn’t changed much overnight, except that Qi Ran had somehow moved back onto his pillow. His soft cheek was no longer leaning against Gu Han’s palm. Gu Han looked up. Qi Ran was still quietly sleeping with his eyes closed, looking incredibly well-behaved. Even though Gu Han was bleary-eyed, seeing that cute face made his heart stir, and he instantly woke up quite a bit, staring at him in a daze for a long time.

Because he had gone to bed so late and woken up early, Gu Han had a bit of a headache. He tried to prop himself up to check on Qi Ran, only to realize his hand was tucked under Qi Ran’s palm. Gu Han froze. He didn’t remember when Qi Ran had placed his hand there, and he wasn’t sure if it happened while Qi Ran was awake or asleep. None of that mattered, what mattered was that their hands had been together all night.

Gu Han was stunned by a massive wave of happiness. He stared blankly for a long time before hurriedly pulling out his phone to take several photos.

His hands were almost trembling as he sent one of the photos to Yu Shen. Yu Shen didn’t reply, he was still asleep at this hour but that didn’t matter either. Gu Han was just too happy; he wanted to show off.

Showing off is the nature of a puppy. A puppy who receives a response to his courtship is the happiest puppy in the world.

Gu Han didn’t dare laugh out loud for fear of waking Qi Ran. He pretended to be calm and lay beside him, his eyes fixed on their overlapping hands. It wasn’t until eight o’clock, when the doctor knocked and told them to prepare for the CT scan, that Gu Han woke Qi Ran up.

Gu Han was exceptionally gentle, lightly rubbing Qi Ran’s stomach. “Little Ran, time to get up. You have a CT scan soon.”

Qi Ran wanted to stay in bed. He hugged Gu Han’s arm, his cheek pressed fully against Gu Han’s palm. With half-closed eyes, he murmured, “So sleepy, President Gu. I want to sleep a little longer.”

“How about sleeping after the CT scan?”

Gu Han coaxed him. “The queue for the CT is hard to get. This hospital is usually very busy, if we miss our turn, we might not get another appointment until next week.”

“Okay.” Qi Ran swayed as he sat up. He hadn’t slept well and felt dizzy and lightheaded. He couldn’t sit steadily and suddenly slumped into Gu Han’s arms. While struggling to get up, he apologized repeatedly, “President Gu, sorry, I… I’m a bit dizzy.”

“It’s okay, no need to apologize. You’re the patient, it’s my job to take care of you.” Gu Han didn’t let Qi Ran leave his arms, letting him lean against his chest to recover. He pressed his palm against Qi Ran’s thin back and rubbed it gently, soothing him. “Rest if you feel unwell, don’t force yourself.”

Qi Ran leaned into Gu Han’s embrace, his breathing still a bit ragged. He kept his head down, unable to recover. Worried, Gu Han stroked his hair to comfort him. “Your stomach is already bad, and now it hurts. You haven’t eaten much for two days, your body is going to collapse. I’m truly worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” Qi Ran actually ended up comforting Gu Han. “President Gu, don’t worry about me.”

“Once the check-up is done, I’ll buy you something to eat. Even if it’s hard, you have to eat; otherwise, your body won’t recover.”

Gu Han feared Qi Ran might lack the strength and fall, so he put his arm around Qi Ran’s waist, letting him rest in his arms. He asked, “Little Ran, do you like noodles? Want to try the seafood noodles here? I think they’re pretty good.”

Qi Ran nodded slightly. “I like them.”

“Good.” Gu Han stroked Qi Ran’s thick, soft black hair. “How is it? Is the dizziness better?”

“Mhm.” Qi Ran closed his eyes and felt around to wrap his arms around Gu Han’s waist, leaning closer into his embrace. “Thank you for caring about me, President Gu.”

Feeling Qi Ran’s arms around his waist, Gu Han was suddenly speechless. He turned his head, eyes wide, staring at the hands on his waist for a while before realizing he was too overjoyed to speak. He took a deep breath before finding his voice again. “Don’t be so polite.”

Qi Ran felt like his blood sugar was low, he was dizzy and his heart was racing. He asked Gu Han if there was any candy. Coincidentally, the doctor, who hadn’t seen them come out, returned to urge them along. Seeing Qi Ran’s poor condition, the doctor took a strawberry flavored hard candy from his pocket and handed it to Gu Han.

As the doctor watched Gu Han feed the candy to Qi Ran, he said, “The patient is quite weak, so let’s not go to the main building for the scan. There’s a CT room on the ninth floor that usually stays closed unless there’s a special request. President Gu, no need to rush. I’ll go turn on the equipment and come back for you.”

After the doctor left and Qi Ran ate the candy, his dizziness improved a lot. Still, Gu Han wasn’t at ease. He moved Qi Ran toward the middle of the bed. As he released him, he caught the sweet strawberry scent on his breath. His heart stirred, and he couldn’t help saying, “Strawberry flavor really suits you.”

Qi Ran looked up. “What?”

“I just feel like you should be strawberry flavored,” Gu Han said, half-joking as he struggled to describe the feeling. “You’re very cute, sweet and soft.”

Qi Ran laughed. “Then President Gu is butter popcorn flavored. Also very fragrant.”

“Really?” Gu Han rubbed Qi Ran’s head. “Then do you like butter popcorn flavor?”

Qi Ran nodded. “I do.”

Gu Han sat beside Qi Ran, his eyes full of doting affection. “As long as you like it, that’s what matters.”

In moments like these, sincere words full of emotion can only be said in a joking tone. Both understood in their hearts that if it weren’t for a mutual secret crush, they wouldn’t be able to voice such flirtatious “jokes.”

“Pardon me,” the doctor returned. “The CT room is a bit far. Can the patient walk? Or should he use a wheelchair?”

Gu Han asked Qi Ran softly, “Little Ran, are you willing to use a wheelchair?”

Qi Ran shook his head without speaking.

Qi Ran indeed didn’t like wheelchairs. He was worried Gu Han would find him difficult to care for, unwilling to do this or that. He carefully watched Gu Han’s expression, but it remained unchanged, gentle, like an adult seriously listening to a child’s thoughts. The doting look in his eyes slipped out unconsciously.

Understanding the silent refusal, Gu Han stroked Qi Ran’s back. “Okay, we won’t use it if you don’t like it.”

Gu Han stood up. “I’ll carry the patient there, or I can carry him on my back.”

Qi Ran’s eyes widened. “President Gu… C-carry me?”