Chapter Sixty-Seven

Watching You Yi Ge collapse, Yi Xiaoyu felt his heart plummet, and suddenly all sounds faded from his ears.

“Fatty!” Yi Xiaoyu knelt beside You Yi Ge, cradling his upper body in his arms. When his hand touched the blood on You Yi Ge's chest, tears streamed uncontrollably down Yi Xiaoyu’s face. Almost sobbing, he shouted, “You Yi Ge, don’t you dare die!”

With trembling hands, Yi Xiaoyu dialed for emergency help, then stripped off his own shirt and wrapped it around You Yi Ge’s chest, all the while slapping his face repeatedly.

“Fatty, you’re not allowed to sleep! Open your eyes and look at me! For God’s sake, don’t you dare sleep!”

After several slaps, Boss You’s eyes fluttered open, hazy and weak, gazing at the crying Yi Xiaoyu. He managed a feeble whisper, “Honey, please don’t cry.”

Yi Xiaoyu kept wiping his eyes, choked by sobs, unable to speak.

“When you cry, I just... feel so bad...” Boss You muttered, his eyes slowly drifting shut, “So sleepy…”

Smack!

A loud slap brought Boss You back to consciousness.

He grimaced in pain, baring his teeth, “Stop hitting me, honey, my teeth hurt…”

Yi Xiaoyu’s face was deathly pale, his whole body shivering. “Do you even know how easy it is to die if you fall asleep like this? If you don’t want to turn into a dead fatty, you better stay awake!”

Boss You looked into his wife’s tearful eyes, feeling both heartache and cherished. With effort, he shifted closer, pressing his face against Yi Xiaoyu’s chest, adopting the demeanor of a man on the verge of death, silently pleading for sympathy.

“Honey, I might not have long to live,” he whispered. “Honey, I love you. On account of me dying, forgive me for the mistakes I made before.”

The more Boss You spoke in that dying tone, the harder Yi Xiaoyu’s tears flowed. The dread of losing You Yi Ge clamped down on his heart, bringing unbearable pain. He hugged You Yi Ge tightly, resting his chin on his hair, sobbing, “I forgave you long ago. Nothing matters more to me than your life. If you stay alive, nothing else matters to me.”

Moisture welled up in Boss You’s eyes as well. He’d never felt his wife’s chest so comforting—almost like heaven itself. “Xiaoyu, if I survive this, will you promise me one thing?”

“If you pull through, I’ll listen to anything you say from now on,” Yi Xiaoyu replied, barely able to think through his distress. “Whatever you want, just stay alive for me.”

Nothing matters more to me than your life.

Two hot streams trickled from the corners of Boss You’s eyes. “I’ve always wanted to try the riding position. When we get home, can we do it in the bathtub?”

“...Just keep your eyes open and stop talking.”

“...”

In the end, Boss You was lifted onto the ambulance, Yi Xiaoyu never letting go of his hand, constantly stroking his cheek.

Boss You half-opened his eyes, gazing at Yi Xiaoyu with deep affection.

This tender atmosphere lasted barely two minutes. As an emergency doctor cut open Boss You’s shirt around the gunshot wound, everyone was stunned.

On Boss You’s chest was a small, square silver pendant—the gift Yi Xiaoyu had given him on their first wedding anniversary. It bore portraits of both of them, engraved specially by Yi Xiaoyu. The bullet had struck the pendant exactly. The chest wound was only caused by the bullet’s impact, and was not very serious.

Yi Xiaoyu stared at the deformed silver pendant and recalled Boss You’s earlier act of dying. Furious, he snapped his head to glare at Boss You!

This damn fatty!

He’d dared to pretend he was dying, just to deceive him!

Boss You shrank under Yi Xiaoyu’s gaze, lips pressed together, feeling both aggrieved and uncertain as he tried to defend himself, “I really thought I was about to die, just now.”

Just then, the doctor beside him gently patted his shoulder, reassuring him with professional calm, “Don’t worry, the injury isn’t serious.”

Boss You’s heart silently wept, howling in misery inside.

It’s over—his wife’s tenderness was gone!

At the hospital, after his wounds were treated and a full examination conducted, the bullet’s impact had indeed left some effects, and the injuries from being beaten earlier meant Boss You had to be admitted.

Yi Xiaoyu was angry at You Yi Ge for pretending to die, having experienced a desperate sense of collapse when he thought You Yi Ge might really die. Yet, seeing the bruises and swelling from the beating, and now Boss You lying bandaged like a mummy, all his frustration and reproach melted into pure heartache, and for the first time, the fear of losing him settled in his heart.

It was deep into the night by the time everything settled.

Yi Xiaoyu sat at Boss You’s bedside, never taking his eyes off him. Boss You thought Yi Xiaoyu was still angry about his act of dying, and was about to explain when he heard Yi Xiaoyu softly ask, “Are you hungry? Should I go get you some supper?”

Boss You was taken aback, then overjoyed, nodding so vigorously his head seemed to shake like a sieve. “Yes.”

Yi Xiaoyu stood up, turning to leave, then suddenly remembered something. He turned back, pinched Boss You’s chin, closed his eyes, and leaned down to kiss his lips. “Wait for me.”

He looked up, smiled at the stunned Boss You, and walked away.

Boss You came to his senses, touching his lips, tears welling up again. The next moment, he pulled the blanket up to cover his face, ready to roll around in delight—only for his injuries to stab him with pain, making him gasp.

Still, his heart was warm.

When Yi Xiaoyu returned with supper, Boss You looked at him with deep affection and blinked rapidly, melting Yi Xiaoyu’s heart entirely. He began feeding Boss You spoonful by spoonful.

Boss You felt almost giddy, finally complaining that the meat chunks in the porridge were too tough, hurting his wounds when he chewed. In the end, he insisted that Yi Xiaoyu chew them and feed him by mouth.

Yi Xiaoyu, pinching Boss You’s nose, threatened to pour it down his throat, scaring Boss You into begging for mercy until even the privilege of slow, spoon-fed food was revoked.

Full and content, Boss You lounged on the bed, wide awake. Just as he was about to take Yi Xiaoyu’s hand and use this warm moment to make grand declarations of love, Yi Xiaoyu suddenly cupped his face and kissed him urgently yet tenderly.

(Yawn Bro: Just one update tonight, the owed chapter will be made up tomorrow or the day after~~)