Chapter 41 - To Guard (1/2)
Chapter 41: To Guard
Translated by Shiya of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Under the influence of drugs, Lu Shang slept straight through the night, only waking up the next morning. When he woke up and opened his eyes, he saw morning rays slipping in through the window. At last, his view was no longer limited to complete darkness; he was a little relieved by that. Habitually, he reached for the side of the bed, and no one was there.
Li Sui was absent, there was no temperature in the blanket. It seemed like he didn’t come to bed at all for the whole night.
Lu Shang sat up and found that the furniture beside his bed was gone. For a moment, he thought that his house got a visit from burglars. After some thought, though, he found that unlikely. If it was the handiwork of burglars, they would pry open his safe, but not steal his furniture. So he concluded that his furniture was most likely moved.
Lu Shang changed clothes and went downstairs, he was stunned as soon as he entered the living room.
Overnight, all the tables, chairs, cabinets, walls, and all things slightly sharp were carefully wrapped up in foam paper. While fragile objects, like the turtle tank and glass-made decorations were taken away or placed in high, unreachable places.
If someone entered their house at this time, not knowing anything beforehand, that person would probably think that there were toddlers in the house. Lu Shang stood still, he looked around and felt a slight tremor in his heart. Li Sui stayed up all night yesterday, and this was most likely what he was busy with.
Breakfast was already on the dining table, the food was packed into heat-insulating boxes. Inside was Lu Shang’s favorites: pancakes, boiled eggs, and shrimp porridge. Aunt Lu usually won’t be so detailed in preparation as to peel the eggshells for him, so today’s breakfast must have been prepared by Li Sui. Lu Shang stood in the living room, his fingers touching the corner of the foam wrapped table. In that instant, his emotions boiled up, he couldn’t even put into words what he was feeling. Sometimes Lu Shang wondered, whether he was the one treating Li Sui like a child or if it was Li Sui who was treating him like a child.
There was a loud noise at the door, Li Sui returned from his morning jog with a towel placed around his neck. When Li Sui saw Lu Shang, he obviously faltered slightly. Li Sui stared straight into Lu Shang’s eyes as if he was trying to confirm something.
Lu Shang looked at him with a faint smile, “Morning.”
Li Sui’s face twitched slightly, perhaps because he stayed up late, his eyes looked red and swollen. Lu Shang continued smiling as Li Sui walked right past him, taking medicine out from the drawer. Li Sui placed the medication in front of Lu Shang in silence and went upstairs to take a shower.
The meaning was obvious; Li Sui wanted him to take medicine, but didn’t say a word from beginning to end. Lu Shang looked at Li Sui’s back, his smile faded, and he felt his head ached. Initially, Lu Shang thought Li Sui’s anger would, at most, last through the night. But to persist overnight? Lu Shang didn’t even consider the possibility of that, he never thought he would miscalculate. Li Sui was furious this time.
Their relationship had always been smooth, but now that one side was deliberately ignoring the other, Lu Shang found it a little overwhelming. He probably used up all his talents on his work, because when it came to coaxing his child, he was nothing but clumsy.
After enduring Li Sui’s cold shoulder for the whole day, it was finally Lu Shang’s bedtime. Lu Shang was disappointed when he didn’t see Li Sui come into bed with him. Li Sui was deliberately avoiding him by not sleeping with him.
Lu Shang didn’t know what to do, so he decided to get out of bed and look for him. However, his body had not fully recovered yet, whenever night came, he could not see clearly. He spent a long time searching for his spectacles which should be on the bedside cabinet. Instead of getting his glasses, he knocked them off the cabinet by accident, now he was indeed blind. Lu Shang stood by the bed and dared not make any bold movements. He feared crushing his spectacles, so he could only crouch down and wave his palms on the ground feebly.
Before Lu Shang’s palm even made contact with the carpet though, his hand was held by someone else’s. The person tucked at Lu Shang’s hand, bringing his body close to him and hugged him tightly in his arms.
“What are you doing……” The one holding him seemed emotional, his chest trembled violently. As if the person was stimulated by the sight of Lu Shang trying to pick up his spectacles. “What are you doing……” The person asked again.
Lu Shang was being hugged so tightly that his arms were in pain. He froze in confusion until he felt the heat and wetness on his shoulder. Then he realized, Li Sui was crying.
As if a giant whale was tossing and turning, creating huge waves and causing painful tremors in Lu Shang’s heart. Lu Shang raised his hand and touched Li Sui’s head, he opened his mouth and felt that any words were useless. He did not forget, his little turtle never cried. Even when he was viciously beaten by Li Yan, even when he was at death’s door in the protected woodlands, he never shed a single drop of tear.
“I’m sorry.” Lu Shang closed his eyes, patting Li Sui’s head as he apologized sincerely.
Li Sui only tightened his arms, as if he could no longer hold it back after enduring through the whole day. Tears tumbled down from Li Sui’s eye sockets non-stop as he rubbed his head against Lu Shang’s shoulder.
Lu Shang’s heart ached hearing Li Sui sob in grieve. He stretched out his hand and patted Li Sui on the back. He tried comforting him, “I’m sorry, I have done you wrong. I was wrong. I promise I’ll let you know immediately if anything happens in the future. Don’t be angry with me anymore, please?”
“……I’m not angry with you,” Li Sui said while almost choking. He swallowed down the painfulness stuck in his throat, then grabbing Lu Shang’s hand and placing it on his chest, he said, “I’m heartbroken.”
Li Sui’s heart under his hand was beating strongly, the sound transmitted to Lu Shang through the skin. Lu Shang felt sourness in his nose, he tried to move Li Sui off his shoulder to touch his face. Li Sui firmly lodged himself on Lu Shang’s shoulder and said: “Don’t look.”
Lu Shang slowed down, he understood Li Sui’s wishes of keeping his dignity, so he relaxed and let Li Sui hug him as much as he wanted.
Late at night, the wind blew outside, making the evergreen trees in the front yard shake. Li Sui’s sobbing voice which had been burying in Lu Shang’s shoulder for quite a while gradually stabilized. Li Sui retreated a little as he remembered that Lu Shang could not stand long. Hence, he carefully placed Lu Shang back on the bed. Then Li Sui took off his clothes and turned the lights off, embracing Lu Shang from behind.
After being anxious for the entire day, Lu Shang was actually very tired, but he did not want to fall asleep just yet. Lu Shang clasped his own hand onto Li Sui’s, he continued to hold it, refusing to let go.
Li Sui bent over and kissed Lu Shang’s eye, he laid back down, then whispered beside Lu Shang’s ear, “Lu Shang, I hope you could understand. No matter if you are sick, blind, or even unable to walk. I love all of you, I don’t just love you when you are healthy. I will accompany you for the rest of your life, through aging, sickness, and death. Please don’t block me from your problems, will you?”
In the darkness, Lu Shang’s breathing stopped for a second, he turned over and hugged him, “Silly…”
Ancient people used to say that all gains and losses were long determined by heavens, while sorrow and joy were always a part of life, one must understand heavens and life and be gracious of what’s in front of you. Lu Shang thought that maybe the Gods were right. They took away his healthy heart but blessed him with such a good lover. Perhaps this is what fate was. He never believed in it before, but now he was thankful to the heavens for his life and how lucky he was.
The short two-day break ended soon, Lu Shang’s health was still unstable. Li Sui was not confident in letting Lu Shang go to the company, fearing something like before would happen again. Li Sui decided to move all his work back home instead.
The shareholders’ meeting came to an end, no conclusion was reached last time. Li Sui refused to let Lu Shang attend the meeting alone again. He personally worked out a series of meeting procedures and invited the supervisory committee to oversee the meeting.
Perhaps it was because everyone knew that Lu Shang invested in Mu Sheng. When the meeting was held again, the shareholders’ stance changed. Several old shareholders who had been unwilling to sign before sensed the potential profits, so they mostly caved in. Signing one after another on the proposal.
Liu XinTian did not show his dissatisfaction on the surface, but the popped up blue veins on his forehead betrayed him. Knowing that the shares he owned could not change the result of the vote, he too signed the papers in agreement. Just like that, the shareholders’ meeting ended with listing 40% of profits as company reserves.
After most of his work was done, Li Sui pushed all his agenda away, concentrating entirely on taking care of Lu Shang at home. Maybe due to Lu Shang’s good mood and adequate rest, ever since the last time, Lu Shang’s eyes did not turn temporarily blind. Only occasionally, Lu Shang would fail to see clearly at night, but wearing glasses eased the symptoms. However, when the light outdoors was weak, it was still difficult for Lu Shang to see.
Li Sui hardly interfered with what Lu Shang did, but his watchful eyes never left Lu Shang. Whenever Lu Shang encountered uneven grounds or obstacles, Li Sui would never fail to give him warnings. Sometimes, Li Sui would silently follow behind him when necessary.
After the New Year, the weather became warmer and warmer. Li Sui was relieved, winter was a trial for Lu Shang, the cold weather always hindered the blood flow to his limbs. When it got warmer, however, the situation would be much better.
On the eve of the Qing Ming festival, Li Sui took Lu Shang to the hospital for a check-up. After going through the report, Dr. Leung did not jump up in anger like he usually would; instead he showed a little satisfaction.
“Not bad. If this keeps up. The dosage of medicine next year could be reduced.” He flipped through the report again as he touched his chin, “This is amazing. I thought he wouldn’t even be alive this year. It seems that the connection between dopamine and the heart is bigger than I imagined.”
“Dopamine?”